I finally got around to watching the season finale of The Biggest Loser yesterday. Pam and I have been recording it and watching it together. But since I was gone last week for the finale Pam watched it without me. There’s a lot of news out there that deals with the controversial weight loss numbers associated with TBL. But I’ve got to tell you, I can look past all the rants about pre-weigh-in dehydration and whether or not a week on the show is actually a week’s worth of weight loss. If you’re unfamiliar with these controversies, check out Tom Venutto’s excellent article that sums up the pros and cons of the show.
But I’m a sucker for success. And the body transformations that the people go through on TBL are truly amazing. Just take a look at this season’s winner, Danny Cahill. Danny started at 427 pounds and over the course of the show lost 56% of his body weight. At 5’11″ and 188 pounds, Danny lost a staggering 239 pounds which corresponds to about 1 pound per day!
Obviously, the weight loss exhibited by even the slower contestants on the show doesn’t jive with the philosophies found here at Get Fit Slowly. But desperate times call for desperate measures. The contestants who are lucky enough to find themselves on the show really are facing life and death situations. And in circumstances such as theirs, I’m all for the rapid weight loss and soul searching exhibited on the show. Think what you may about their methods, The Biggest Loser really has saved a lot of lives over these past few years.
Recently, Danny was interviewed for the LA Times Blog. Going into the finale, I really wanted Rudy to win the show. For some reason that I couldn’t put my finger on, I always found myself cheering for that big bear. But Danny’s interview really provided some insight into his personality that made me happy that he won the grand prize.
The one aspect from Danny’s interview that really impacted me was the new found sense of moderation. Before The Biggest Loser, I’m sure Danny didn’t know the definition of the word “moderation.” But now, he’s talking about spending an hour per day in the gym, eating one cookie and having one glass of eggnog at the holiday party. I’m glad to see that moderation works both ways. He’s not spending 6 hours in the gym and neglecting the rest of his life, nor is he eating a dozen cookies and a half gallon of eggnog. It seems that Danny has really subscribed to one of the Get Fit Slowly mantras: “ALL THINGS IN MODERATION.”
Seeing these contestants achieve such amazing successes really motivates me to keep working hard. I know I can’t get as much accomplished as they can in such a short period of time. I hope you know that too. But this doesn’t discourage me because I’m not in this for the short haul and neither are you, right?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I am a first time watcher of this show and loved it. It took me awhile to get over the fact that these people were doing things that a normal person probably couldnt do. ie, workout for 8 hours a day with a trainer and a chef. But the results speak for themselves. These people have truly changed their own lives.
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I read that article you linked to about the pros and cons. However, I don’t think the writer was very fair judging the entire show after only watching one episode. He says they don’t teach any real world weight loss strategies and yet a part of every episode is devoted to tips on making meals at home and they also had one episode that talked about how to order healthy options in restaurants. I disagree with his conclusion that there are more cons than pros. Until the Biggest Loser, obesity was something that was rarely discussed on television. People who are overweight or obese should not have to hide from public view or be ashamed of themselves. This show proves that it doesn’t matter what your weight, gender, fitness level, age or race is, anyone can be healthy if they work hard enough and change their lifestyle. I’m only a little overweight but watching The Biggest Loser motivates me to work out and become a better runner. I’ve seen these people who have let their weight get out of control and I never want to be in that situation. I think they could make some changes so that people aren’t starving themselves for the finale but overall I think the show does a lot more good than harm.
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This was the first season I’ve watched of The Biggest Loser. I thought it was great except for the product placement in EVERY episode.
I love that they show the emotional side of weight loss, all of the people on this season that made it to the finale had some kind of breakthrough.
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