5/25 Finale Discussion *SPOILERS*

[mandmmom2]

I am concerned about next season. Michael was 526 lbs starting out, what will be the gimmick next season? I would like to see them come back around to how this all began.
I will be very curious to see who keeps off the weight, I have serious doubts about Koli and some about Michael.
I do see a lot of cosmetic surgery for many of the contestants in the next few months and taking off a lot of the skin will show a large weight loss.

I agree with you. Will next season have the 600lb women. This show is about taking overweight and/or obese people and helping them eat healthy, work out in a healthy way, and help them with the mental aspect of weight loss. But if the season starts with much bigger people than Michael...how can they even exercise? Michael was barely able to walk himself.

[captain]

I agree with you. Will next season have the 600lb women. This show is about taking overweight and/or obese people and helping them eat healthy, work out in a healthy way, and help them with the mental aspect of weight loss. But if the season starts with much bigger people than Michael...how can they even exercise? Michael was barely able to walk himself.

I do not agree with your entire post. I think the show is showing how to lose weight in a fast unhealthy manner. How many people can actually work out 8 hours a day 7 days a week. This is what is done at the ranch. We do not get to see much of the eating part, unless they are schlepping for some product. The only mental health we see is Jillian and Bob and they are not therapists. I give the contestants credit, they do work hard on and off the ranch for the finale, even if it is only 8 lbs.

[AJane]

I do not agree with your entire post. I think the show is showing how to lose weight in a fast unhealthy manner. How many people can actually work out 8 hours a day 7 days a week. This is what is done at the ranch. We do not get to see much of the eating part, unless they are schlepping for some product. The only mental health we see is Jillian and Bob and they are not therapists. I give the contestants credit, they do work hard on and off the ranch for the finale, even if it is only 8 lbs.

I've never seen medical evidence that losing weight quickly is "unhealthy". What health risks are associated with losing weight quickly, particularly if you're 100 lbs or more too heavy? It's unhealthy to carry that extra weight around - it's certainly not unhealthy to lose it. What about people who have gastic bypass surgery? They lose weight just as quickly, and with the added risks of a surgical procedure.

Of course people don't have hours and hours to work out every day. Jillian & Bob are trainers and they don't work out for hours every day. The whole point of getting on the show is to have the opportunity to be able to focus solely on one's own personal health and well-being. You could say the same of American Idol - where else can an aspiring singer spend all of their time perfecting their art, without having to worry about job & family obligations?

As for the eating - we don't see them scarf down every single meal but there are always segments about which foods are healthy, and Curtis Stone has made multiple appearances in order to show the best way to cook for health and/or weight loss.

There's a few things wrong with TBL - 2 hours of show every week is ridiculous, the game-play aspect is annoying and seems counter-productive to what the contestants on the show are trying to accomplish (and even the trainers don't seem on board with it, if their criticism of Melissa as a "game-player" is any indication), and if it's truly about being the "biggest loser" than the person with the lowest percentage of weight loss should go home each week - do away with the voting nonsense. I personally would like to see even more focus on the health risks associated with being obese - the sessions with the doctor appear to be a big wake-up call for the contestants. More footage of training sessions would be nice, too.

[loveit]

would love to see more time with the doctor and what it looks like on the inside to be fat. Interesting pictures one season to see CT scans of the people and you see that truly there is a thin person inside trying to get out.


Would also love to see them put up what the ideal body weight is for these people and anyone who dips below it for the final (probably Helen) then they would get penalized.

Maybe each season finale has a re-weigh in of the previous season for $100,000. Seems like the show could afford it.

[captain]

This is a reality tv show, this is not realistic. I personally think that losing this much weight so fast is not healthy nor realistic (nor does my doctor and I value his opinion) There will always be disagreement about the aspects of this show and this will be one.

[Bearcata]

would love to see more time with the doctor and what it looks like on the inside to be fat. Interesting pictures one season to see CT scans of the people and you see that truly there is a thin person inside trying to get out.


Would also love to see them put up what the ideal body weight is for these people and anyone who dips below it for the final (probably Helen) then they would get penalized.

Maybe each season finale has a re-weigh in of the previous season for $100,000. Seems like the show could afford it.

I think this would be a truly interesting aspect and hope that the producers of the show would at least try it one time. Drea and the twins and several of the other contestants did need to continue to lose weight and I would like to see them at a healthy weight even if it was at the end of the next season.

I was surprised that neither of the twins, lost more weight, as Doctor Ian Smith of Celebrity Fit Club had mentioned, the more fat you are the more fat you can lose. While 100lb plus lose is highly commendable both the boys still looked very overweight.

[AJane]

I'm curious as to WHY losing weight quickly is unhealthy. If my doctor said something like that to me, I'd want to know the science behind it. As for it being realistic, it IS being done, so clearly it is realistic in a monitored setting and under these extremely unusual circumstances. The segments with the physician indicate that many dangerous health risks are lowered or even eliminated in the course of the contestants' time on the show, which appears to be the very opposite of "unhealthy".

ETA: Bearcata, I was disappointed in the twins. They are still very much overweight. I was also disappointed in Shay, and I think it's quite unfair that she's getting so much extra attention. The twins seem to require some further intervention. Drea is not dangerously overweight any longer, IMO, but it wouldn't hurt her to lose some more.

[Kiz]

I would think that losing weight at the rate the BLs lose weight might be unhealthy (too few calories, over exercise, & likelihood of regain once out of the BL Ranch bubble - being three potential problems), but it would be no comparison to the extreme health risk their obesity is causing in the first place.

[AJane]

The regaining of the weight is a big problem. I don't know that they are getting too few calories - the trick is to eat the correct foods, thereby getting the most bang for your buck (healthy fats, less carbs, no white flour, more protein, etc.). No question the exercise is intense, but I think the fact that there are relatively few injuries is a result of the contestants being very closely monitored and looked after by physicians and sports injury therapists. It's not a program that should be attempted without professional intervention, for sure. However, I'd take it over any kind of weight loss surgery. The people who make it on to the show are being given a huge gift, IMO.

[Aimbo]

I am going to disagree. I have no foundation to base this on, but I think they are just friends. Watching Michael (and I could be way off base) I think she is not his thing, that he may (trying to be political correct here) go the other way. He made the comment very quietly she was his best friend. I think if there way anything going on it would have been outted last night.

SO glad someone else mentioned this! Micheal is definately a huge, huge queen. Ashley is just his new BFF.

Remember early on when he talked about his best friends that were all girls?
Notice that they never talked about Micheal trying to find a girl or true love? gay man finding love = poor ratings
Not to mention... just the way he talks, the comments he makes, the excessively hormonal moments...

It's hard to prove, because everything a gay man does a straight man out there somewhere does too, but all those things rolled into one = Diva Extraodinaire.