The biggest loser? Percentage isn't fair.

I was watching the biggest loser yesterday at the gym...

I never thought about it before but it seemed judging people based on their weightloss percentage was COMPLETELY UNFAIR.

I saw some of their workout routines which included weight training.

Everybody knows muscles weigh alot more than fat!

Shouldn't they judge on body fat percentage rather than how much weight they lost??? Some guys could start building up muscles and weigh alot more than they did....

i don't watch that show, but i thought that the contestants tended to be morbidly obese - with more than 100 lbs to lose?

as problematic as it is getting an accurate body fat measurement for normal weight people, i would imagine that for the size people on that show, they'd have to use submersion or a dexa scan

with as much fat as these people have to lose, it seems unlikely they'd add that much muscle on a reducing diet

have women tended to win?

men have the advantage of burning up more calories just by having that muscle mass and thus losing weight more easily, so maybe it evens out

only one woman has won, nomo.  and she was absolutely ripped and underweight by the end.

edit: see?

but this season there are three women and one man left, so the odds are good ;)

it's a show built to appeal to the masses.  weight makes sense.  and the contestants have plenty of fat to lose.

I do not understand how Alli didn't have any lose skin afterwards.

pgeorgian, She ended up being 5'5" and 122#. I agree she looks somewhat "ripped" , but that is not "underweight" by any standard. I think she looks amazing, but wonder if she will be able to maintain it for the years to come.

The Biggest Loser is addictive to watch. So cool to see those people shrink like that. I'm drawn to it like a moth to a flame...But it bothers me that they are made to feel like a failure if they only lose 2-3 pounds in a week. I would love to lose that much every week!

She didn't have that much loose skin because;

    1. She is only 32 years old - skin is more elastic at a younger age

    2. she was exercising way more than most of us would do

    3. Whe was feeding her body good foods that not only helped to feed muscle but also was low on fat, so the body used it store of fat to make the balance right.

Original Post by gddrdld:

pgeorgian, She ended up being 5'5" and 122#. I agree she looks somewhat "ripped" , but that is not "underweight" by any standard. I think she looks amazing, but wonder if she will be able to maintain it for the years to come.

she may not have been underweight by bmi, but i a little fat is healthy for a woman her age.  and i'm pretty sure she had no intention of maintaining it.  she got to that weight for the win, but was pretty public about the fact that it wasn't sustainable.

Original Post by pgeorgian:

only one woman has won, nomo.  and she was absolutely ripped and underweight by the end.

edit: see?

but this season there are three women and one man left, so the odds are good ;)

it's a show built to appeal to the masses.  weight makes sense.  and the contestants have plenty of fat to lose.

yeah, sounds like they're on solid footing then

and if only one woman has ever won, then it's hard to claim that the show favors women (unless my logic is somehow secretly flawed)

naruelle, I think you overestimate how easy it is to gain muscle mass while in a calorie deficit.

The woman who won in the link above looks AWESOME!  Wow - looks like a different person!  How long does this show actually go on?  How much time did it take for her to lose all that weight and tone up like she did?  I didn't think it was possible in one season!  ....and yes, the skin!  I didn't think it could rebound that fast.

I have never been overweight before, so I can't imagine, but it is sooo amazing to me how awesome these people look before & after.  I mean do they work them like a job 24/7?  Yikes!

true true, but still some contestants may have more muscle to start out with = higher weight. i think they should just put it into consideration rather than just losing weight. -_- I mean look at the winner! She looks like she worked out alot and developed some muscles.