did anyone else thing the biggest loser lost too much weight?

117 - 5'6"....

it seems a bit ironic that she was EXACTLY the cut off for a weight at that height...

i'm 108 pounds 5'4 and I often am considered underweight...AND I'M ONLY 23!!!! she was like 50 something.....

it seems like the show has become less about healthy lifestyle and more just about weight.....its disgusting....if my mom had a bmi that low i'd be frightened...a woman of that age and height should be AT LEAST 130.

Original Post by runner_88:

it seems like the show has become less about healthy lifestyle and more just about weight....

it's about $250K and an audience of millions.  it's a game show.

People have done worse for $250,000. I would, if I could, even if I didn't plan to STAY at that weight - and she probably won't.  I hope she does find a good weight, though, that she can maintain. It was a lot of work to get there!

When you've been super overweight all your life, you kinda want to be at the lowest end of a healthy BMI. I know I do. =/

To be frank, I was too pissed at her winning to notice anything about her weight. I don't care how hard she worked, she's a horrible selfish person for what she did to her daughter and I didn't want her to win.

she's a horrible selfish person for taking a quarter of a million dollars home to her family?

do you think shannon could have won?

she took home the cash.  i'm sure shannon will benefit from that.  it was a game, and she won.  if shannon wants to lose weight, she will; just look at jerry and the others.

edit: sometimes mommies have to put themselves first.  sometimes it makes them better mommies.  it's interesting to me that the people who object the most to this are the women who are barely out of adolescence or who have small children.  i guess they still think they're in control, or the world is fair, or something.

k that wasn't the point of the post at all....

the biggest loser is a show that is supposed to promote healthy lifestyle......i didn't even watch the show except for the finale.

i personally would not trade 250 000 dollars for the body i have in a second if it meant that i would have to gain that much weight.....and i'm sure that's the same way most ppl on the show felt - for most of them it seems it's not so much about the money as it is about the lifestyle change - a lot of ppl on the show are tetering on the brink of death because of problems caused by their weight.  BUT if the show is promoting healthy lifestyle...then by promoting unhealthy weight loss isn't it only furthering unhealthy ideals. 

what i was saying is my BMI is 18.5....and i am 23 years old....which some would consider underweight even though i have a small frame...

the woman who won has a similar BMI and is 50 years old - and obviously does not naturally have a small frame if her starting weight was clinically obese... i just think the trainers and the show shouldn't allow this kind of extreme weight loss since the point of the show is supposed to help promote healthy lifestyle

Original Post by runner_88:

the biggest loser is a show that is supposed to promote healthy lifestyle....

no, the biggest loser is a show that is supposed to sell advertising and generate a faithful audience, like any other show.  it's entertainment, not public service.

yes....but generating a faithful audience comes through promoting a cohesive message.

just like all the other crap on tv....you should stick to your theme...

it's like how the bachelor tries to use contrived relationships to promote falling in love....if every season ended up with the bachelor not picking anyone the audience would be pissed off (which has been the case in the past).

if the theme is healthy lifestyle i think that the show should stick to it - especially with weight and eating disorders being an issue for so many young people.

huh.

well i don't watch the bachelor because i think it's misogynist crap.  but i've been a loyal watcher of the biggest loser since the beginning (with the exception of the season when they had families with kids; i found it distasteful to think about kids watching their parents behave the way that game shows demand), and i've never taken it as anything other than entertainment.  it's definitely not a weight-loss how-to manual for me.

maybe you should watch more than one episode before you decide you know what the show is trying to do.

k the bachelor thing was supposed to be a joke. ha.

anyway.... i think the show isnt so much about money as it is about ppl changing their lives.  most of the ppl who go on the show it seems are doing it b/c they want to be around for their family...see their kids grow up etc etc etc...it obviously is there for entertainment value, but like everything else on tv ppl aren't always conscious of what theyre watching and i think shows need to be responsible for the msg their sending to viewers...especially when some of the viewers are young

oh, for godssake.  it's a game - a contest.  the next time you watch a marathon, try telling the front-runner s/he should stop running in the last mile because it's hard on her/his heart.

it might not be entirely about money for the contestants, but i guarantee that's what it's about for the network and the sponsors.

Original Post by pgeorgian:

oh, for godssake.  it's a game - a contest.  the next time you watch a marathon, try telling the front-runner s/he should stop running in the last mile because it's hard on her/his heart.

it might not be entirely about money for the contestants, but i guarantee that's what it's about for the network and the sponsors.

I think that the OP is aware that BL is a game that is used to sell advertising; it appears that she is simply seeking confirmation from others that this particular game is promoting unhealthy weight loss despite its outward billing.  Unless you disagree that the methods on the show and a BMI of 18.5 as a goal for a formerly obese individual is rather extreme, I don't see how the OP warrants such a dismissive series of responses.

Frankly, it kind of sickens me the way BL markets itself and its corresponding "diet".  The website for the show maintains that "it challenges and encourages overweight contestants to shed pounds in a safe and recommended manner," but I disagree.  You may just take it for entertainment -- as you should -- but the OP is right that it is presented by its producers as being about a "healthy lifestyle".  Just because I'm clever enough to know better doesn't make it okay in my eyes.

So - a BMI of 18.5 is OK for you - but not for her?  She is not 95.

obviously i'm 23. with a naturally small frame.

BMIs are a guideline - someone who is 50 i assure you should not have a bmi of 18.5. women naturally put on weight as they age and the size you are when you eat the minimum amount of calories a day for a healthy diet is VERY DIFFERENT at age 23 then age 50. 

even if i'm a marathon runner when i'm 50 and i've had kids i still expect to gain at least 15 pounds.....after you age it's natural for your body to put on a weight and you should not be afraid of that....especially if you were formally obese it seems like an IMPOSSIBLE natural weight....

i don't understand how you can think that working out for hours a day warrants a healthy lifestyle - it's like trading one eating disorder for another...

Original Post by runner_88:

 the woman who won has a similar BMI and is 50 years old - and obviously does not naturally have a small frame if her starting weight was clinically obese... i just think the trainers and the show shouldn't allow this kind of extreme weight loss since the point of the show is supposed to help promote healthy lifestyle

Actually Helen is pretty small-framed and yes, you can be obese with a small frame.  It happens all the time.

This should be a life lesson for anyone who is losing or gaining weight to appeal to others.  All this over Helen just goes to show that you cannot please everyone and will get bashed for being either "too fat" or "too thin" no matter what you weigh. 

BL is ultimately a game show with a huge pay off- $250,000.00 and a slimmer, healthier body.   

Original Post by runner_88:

women naturally put on weight as they age and the size you are when you eat the minimum amount of calories a day for a healthy diet is VERY DIFFERENT at age 23 then age 50. 

women "naturally put on weight" as they become less active and eat too much.  this often corresponds with age, but it's neither inevitable nor necessarily healthy.  i know plenty of women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond who are rock-hard, healthy, fit athletes with BMIs under 20.

i'm not sure if this thread is about ageism or fat prejudice or if you just took one look at helen's face and decided you didn't like her.  regardless, your BMI has very little relationship to anyone else's

not true, your metabolism slows down as you age and your muscle mass naturally decreases - decreasing metabolism.

ageism and fat prejudice? get over yourself. i was saying you should embrace your body as you age.

also....when you go through menopause hormones begin to fluctuate.  Hormones impact your metabolism and fat storage.  As well you develop insulin resistence and your body more readily stores fat and burns calories slower.

I think you are the one that's prejudice - since you are unable to embrace the natural changes of a woman's body as she starts to age. when you're 50 you shouldn't have to look like a stick.  what is your problem?

Original Post by runner_88:

when you're 50 you shouldn't have to look like a stick. 

 Or a marshmallow either lol.

i'm 20 years oler than you.  do you think it's possible that i know something about aging that you don't?

never mind.  when i was 21, i knew everything, too.