How Realistic is ‘The Biggest Loser’?

The show may be compelling TV, but that doesn’t make it healthy

From couch potato to race runner—Kevin Kelly of Stroudsburg took control of his health when his doctor told him he was developing diabetes. “That was my wake-up call,” says the 31-year-old, who was 100 pounds over his ideal weight. Lehigh Valley Hospital’s medical weight loss program taught him how to eat properly and exercise safely. Losing at a healthy 2 pounds a week, he’s 90 pounds lighter today and recently finished a 5K race. (He’s shown here with his wife, Annika, son Michael and daughter Catherine.) “I’m challenging myself to do things I never dreamed I could,” he says. That includes beating diabetes.
• Read about Kevin Kelly's safe and gradual weight loss.

It’s one of today’s most popular reality TV shows. Contestants on “The Biggest Loser” follow a strict diet and exercise plan to lose remarkable amounts of weight in a single three-month season. Some lose more than 100 pounds—a whopping 10 pounds per week!

But is it truly “realistic” to lose so much weight in so short a time? “It’s possible, but not healthy,” says Theresa Piotrowski, M.D., a weight-loss specialist (bariatrician) at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network.

That dramatic loss is possible because TV contestants are in a very structured environment. “They live with nutritionists who prepare healthy meals for them and exercise specialists who help them work out,” Piotrowski says. “Obviously, that’s not how life is in the real world.”

In reality, if you start eating right and exercising regularly you should lose 2-2 1/2 pounds a week. Anything more is unwise. “If you lose weight too fast, you lose not just fat but muscle,” Piotrowski says. Muscle tissue burns calories better than fat does, so losing muscle means you can’t eat as many calories without gaining weight.

As for your ultimate weight-loss goal, trimming 10 percent of your body weight without a deadline is a reasonable target. “It may not sound like much, but 10 percent is very significant,” says hospital internist Howard DeHoff, M.D. “It can reduce the amount of medication you take, and improve your blood-sugar levels if you have diabetes.”

Not everything about the TV show is unrealistic. It does demonstrate that if you change your lifestyle, work hard and remain dedicated, you’ll lose weight. “It also shows the importance of having a support group around you,” DeHoff says.

One thing’s for sure: by shedding those excess pounds, you’ll be the biggest winner!

Want to Know More about healthy weight loss? For information about the hospital’s medical weight loss program, call 610-402-CARE.

Published from Healthy You Magazine, September-October 2008

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