The Biggest Loser TV Show is Back, But Is It Better?

The Biggest Loser reality TV show returned to prime time television last week after a three-year hiatus. The show, which first aired in 2004 and ran for 17 seasons,  suspended production after the 2016 season amidst a storm of negative publicity.

For those not familiar with the original franchise, it was a reality show in which contestants with severe obesity competed to see who could lose the most weight over a few months.They followed strict diets.They spent hours a day working out. (They literally had to quit their jobs to participate). If they faltered in their efforts, they were screamed at by coaches and trainers. They were forced to sit in a room with a table full of junk food to see if they would succumb to temptation. They were weighed on giant scales on national TV, and those who lost the least were kicked off the show. All with cameras (and tears) rolling.

Personally, I found it absolutely barbaric, as well as medically and nutritionally irresponsible. But apparently, it made for great entertainment. The show was wildly popular for 12 years. 

Why Biggest Loser contestants failed

At the end of each season, the person who had lost the largest percentage of their weight won a big cash prize. But for winners and losers alike, the weight loss came at a steep price. The end of the show supposedly marked the beginning of a wonderful new life in a newly thin body. For most of the contestants, however, it marked the beginning of a lifelong nightmare.

Contestants ended up with severely depressed metabolisms as a result of the extreme weight loss. They gained weight even when eating a meager amount of calories.

A study published in May 2016 in the journal Obesity found that the vast majority of contestants on the show subsequently regained much of the weight they had lost during the competition. Many ended up heavier than before the show began. And it wasn't for lack of effort or discipline. It turned out that the contestants ended up with severely depressed metabolisms as a result of the extreme weight loss. They gained weight even when eating a meager amount of calories.  

It was heartbreaking to see how much damage this show did, both to the contestants as well as millions of viewers who were inspired to pursue similarly extreme regimens. Even if they didn't take it to such extremes, t with a dangerously warped view of how to lose weight. 

For one thing, the show's incentives were backward. The faster you lose weight, the less likely it is to be body fat, and the more likely you are to regain it. Secondly, the use of extreme amounts of exercise solely to burn calories is unhealthy and unsustainable. And finally...

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