Questions

Channel Ten's show, The Biggest Loser might be inspiring to some people, but it certainly means that we, at Serious Fitness are bombarded by a million questions about the results that the contestants have achieved. To save everyone the time, these are just a few them.

1. How can people lose 15kg in one week?
2. I always see them on T.V. sweating lots and constantly doing cardio workouts. Is this the best way for me to lose weight?
3. Jillian says that is a simple case of Maths, “Calories in versus Calories out”. Should I start counting calories?
4. Why are some of the other contestants not losing as much weight as others, yet they are still quite big?
5. Lesson learned from “The Biggest Loser”

Answers

1. How can people lose 15kg in one week?

This is due to the contestants having a highly inflated initial starting weight. All the contestants walk into the house with a high fluid retention as well as glycogen stores in their muscles from the food that they have eaten the night before. They all had a “last supper” just before their first weigh-in and it is conceivable that 3-4kgs of extra food and drink would be in their stomachs alone.
While their hard work in the gym may have accounted for about 1 – 2kg of body fat loss but the majority would be due to fluid loss and glycogen stores from the carbohydrate restricted diet and exercise just before the weigh in.

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2. I always see them on T.V. sweating lots and constantly doing cardio workouts. Is this the best way for me to lose weight?  

Yes and No. While increasing your fitness is a fantastic way for you to increase your energy levels and get active, it is the building of muscle that is the best way to lose body fat. After completing a resistance training workout to build muscle, your body is burning body fat up to 48 hours after you have stopped training. Cardio workouts only burn body fat if you are in your fat-burning zone for a specified time and it ends the second that you are out of that zone. What the contestants are doing is essentially sweating as much fluid out of their bodies so that they can get the largest number possible on the scales. This is not a long term solution. While it might make for sensationalism on television, it is not something which will assist you in reaching you fat loss goals.

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3. Jillian says that is a simple case of Maths, “Calories in versus Calories out”. Should I start counting calories?

If you were able to stop your life for 12 weeks, still have the bills paid for you, your family looked after and the ability to focus all your time and attention on your weight loss, then “Yes!” This is because you would have the time to learn the caloric value of everything that goes into your body. For the rest of us who still have to pay the bills, work a full-time job, manage a household, look after our families and still find time for ourselves, “No.” The other problem with being on a calorie controlled diet is that it is just that, a diet. Our bodies cannot tolerate an intake lower than 1200calories per day. When most people subscribe to calorie controlled diets, once they hit a plateau, they then think that eating less will help get them over it. In fact, the opposite is the case, as our bodies go into a “starvation mode” and “hold on” to everything that goes into our mouths. The one question that I have for Jillian is; “What about the nutritional value of the foods, i.e. fibre, vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates etc.., not just the calories?”

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4. Why are some of the other contestants not losing as much weight as others, yet they are still quite big?

Every person is unique. What works for one person, may not work for another. Some of the other contestants may not have the same determination to achieve as others do. Some will take on board what the trainers tell them, while some of the others seem to fight with the trainers. This, to me, shows that it is not just a case of calories in vs calories out as there are a number of other psychological factors involved. You must be in the right frame of mind and prepared to go the extra distance for any weight loss programme to be successful.

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5. Lesson learned from “The Biggest Loser”

• Be prepared that if you do have a big weight loss in the first week; that it is only going to be due to fluid loss.
• Throw away your scales. Your best indicator is your clothes, energy levels and how you feel.
• Focus on being healthy; rather than losing weight. This changes your whole perspective on what you are trying to achieve. This will also eliminate that feeling of “guilt” if you haven't stuck to your plan 100%.
• Look at the real reasons why you want to lose weight and deal with them. Seek professional help if you need to. Don't be afraid to face those demons that make you want to comfort eat.
• Don't count calories. Eat foods that are unprocessed and whole. These will be naturally low in calories and ultimately nutritionally better for you.
• Remember, you are you! What has worked for your friend may not work for you. Always keep moving forward as you can never fail if you take this attitude.
• Have a life! Don't stop your life to lose weight. Make it part of it! It's easy!

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