10 Beefs With the Biggest Loser | Rant #14
Jan 18th 2010 · by B-Rad
I have a beef. And it has to do with a VERY popular TV show which claims to help obese people lose weight. Buckle up…
vs. 
“I PITY the fool who believes these two…” –>
I watch ONE episode of the Biggest Loser per year. Any more than that and I tend to throw up in my mouth which doesn’t exactly satisfy my taste buds.
Why do I have such disdain for the Biggest Loser?
10 Beefs With the Biggest Loser
10 Ridiculous Challenges…
You have avoided all forms of movement for years.
You are 43, 53, 78, 143, 235 lbs overweight.
Now let’s take you out and run 20 degree incline hill sprint repeats for an hour.
I have no idea how you just created a stress fracture in your foot in the first 10 min on an exercise program.
9 UNREAListic weight loss…
Is it unhealthy for someone to lose 25lbs in ONE week? A better question…is it healthy to weigh over 400lbs. Not so much. It’s NOT about shedding the fat…it’s about KEEPING IT OFF!
8 Horrific exercise technique…
You’ve seen my rant on Jillian’s kettlebell technique. It’s not just about kettlebells. It’s about everything they do on that show. There is bunk technique on almost every exercise they choose to show…boxing anyone?
7 Bunk Training Methods…
Pushing yourself to failure every workout is a surefire way to stay fat. Fat is a function of hormone production in response to threat. Going to failure produces threat. Threat produces Cortisol. Cortisol produces fat. Jillian wrote a book on this and she still isn’t getting it right.
6 Doctors and Psychologists behind the scenes…
Supposedly there are doctors monitoring the Biggest Loser contestants’ training programs. I’m sure they do exist because of liability. I would like to meet them and ask them how much they are getting paid. Psychologists. They have to have them behind the scenes. When someone is more than 100lbs overweight, it is outside the scope of food and exercise. There is an underlying mental block that is manifesting bodyfat in order to “protect” that person from that same mental block.
5 Personal Chef…
They have chefs on this show that cook EXACT portions and EXACT food (healthy) that the contestants want. Do YOU have a personal chef?
4 Planted sales pitches...
The show is becoming a pitch fest. Is Wrigley’s Gum really going to control your appetite? uh, no.
3 Bob and Jillian are LAME trainers…
I know the producers of the show are in control of portraying Bob and Jillian the way they want to. But they could still control A LOT of variables when it comes to exercise selection and also exercise technique.
Nitro could do better 
Check out Nitro’s favorite exercise… click here
2 Focus Weight Loss vs. Body Composition change…
This is definitely BIGGEST rant peeve. Ladies… does it matter if you weight 180lbs if you fit in a size 4 jeans? No. STOP FOCUSING ON THE SCALE!!!!!!!! The Biggest Loser has YOU focusing on the scale instead of the way your clothes fit. You WANT to look better naked. You must tone and maybe even build some muscle in order to look better naked. Losing weight and leaving loose skin behind IS NOT looking better naked. It’s looking more like a clothes rack.
1 UnREALity TV… UNREAListic Results…
12 weeks. Lose 200lbs. Possible? yes. We’ve seen it done. Probable? No. Keep it off? HELL NO. I am going to guess that 90% of the previous Biggest Loser contestants have gained a lot of if not ALL of their weight back. So what did 12 weeks of suffering teach them about lifestyle behavior modication? ZERO. and ZERO is a whole lot of NOTHING! Bottom-line is this is Television Drama. Let’s revisit…
vs.
“I PITY the fool who believes this TV show…” –>
***Hey, if the Biggest Loser “inspires” you to get off your ass and change your life…word. Just make sure you find someone to hold you accountable and to keep you going when results aren’t happening as fast as you would like them to .***
Seek out the advice of a professional who has a proven track record of Fat Loss RESULTS.
In Minneapolis? Check out http://RADBootCamp.com
Crank it!
B-Rad
P.S. What do you think? Leave your comments below!
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Brad, you have ruined this show for me!
I did like the follow up show they did a few months ago to see how the contestants are doing now. I realize, of course, that it is for TV and they could pick and choose which people they interviewed! I did LOVE the part about Matt Hoover and him completing an Ironman, that brought tears to my eyes!! I am partial to him though, since he is a former Iowa wrestler! Wish I lived closer and I would certainly want to workout with you!
Kristy
HELL YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I couldn’t have said it ANY better!
Brad, you are the male version of me…and I love ya for that! ;D Keep speakin’ your mind…our industry needs more of us!
Yours in Health,
Sarah
The Biggest Loser is about NBC and the trainers making money. Jillian now gets to hock all kinds of fitness products and rake in the dough. I wouldn’t take Jillian’s advice for how to pick up a kettlebell, more less how to train with it.
Find a REAL trainer who is interested in seeing you get results. When you get results, that trainer gains credibility and will become wildly sought after. Case in point: Brad. His clients get results because he cares about each client.
I have a quote from Brad on my wall in my office: “My challenge to you today is to commit to the finished product. It won’t be easy, but then again, EASY doesn’t pay.”
I work hard and Brad is just as committed to my success. Jillian Michaels is committed to building a brand and making a lot of money. She rarely has to face the people she rips off.
Brad,
You hit the nail on the head. This show is crap and the trainers are an embarrassment to the industry. Thanks for speaking the truth! NO EXCUSES!
Scott
#8: Remember Tae-Bo anyone? That’s not boxing, that’s flailing towards injury. Same on TBL…
#7: Can you say “ghost writer”? I don’t think she can as much as write a FaceBook status update! (I’ve offered to train her with KB on the “d-l”, couldn’t get past the barrier of “No”…)
#6: Psychologists? How about having trainers break the patterns of negative reinforcement that they will not be able to get by not finding anyone to push them through praise and positive reinforcement. I think the shrinks are lacking there too, and if there are any, their credentials should be stripped.
#4: Chew gum. Hm, yeah. Let me stimulate salivation, which is where carbs begin to get broken down (vs protein with stomach enzymes) and cause acid reflux by not having anything to digest and stimulate hunger. I dunno about you guys, but when I chew gum when I’m hungry, I get hungrier!
#3: J is not verified in her certification (i.e. might not be current) and is just a general national certification. No specialty. Ask your gynecologist to perform a heart transplant too while you’re at it. Both doctors, right?
#2: I saw one episode where Jillian said: “it’s not about losing inches. I see trainers pull that crap all the time”. Hm. A female client of mine put on 8lb this past year, yet fits in a size 4 petite (started at a size 6, with 5% body fat more). But hey, the scale doesn’t lie, right?
Love this post!
Amen Brad!
I know lots of peeps who think this show is the cats meow. I look at them and say sure if I had someone cooking all my food and watching what I ate and did not have to work to pay my bills I too could lose 100# in 12 weeks, that is not my reality though. I have to work, buy and cook all my own food and still find time for me to get to the studio and maintain a home, like the average person out there.
I also cringe whenever I see one of those “contestants” pickup a kettlebell and watch the horrible swing form that will cause an injury, and I am not even an RKC but I know that looks way WRONG.
I saw the “Where are they now” with the past winners… humm only a couple have maintained their loss, one is bigger now than when he started his season. The guy who did the Ironman he has gained quite a bit of his bulk back … I was impressed he could even qualify for the Ironman.
Thanks for a great Rant
Now i can’t argue with your points because I’m not qualified on multiple levels. Perhaps there is a positive rant for you in there somewhere. We can probably agree that our great nation has a severe weight/health problem, not to mention obesity!! Now if the only thing that Biggest Loser did was to help educate about the alarming stats of obesity, that would be enough… What is your solution to this widespread epidemic that is around us?
At least NBC all things aside is bringing it to the forefront… as I’m sure you do as well, being a trainer and all! Let’s keep this nation healthy!