14 DAY TRIAL // Reality series “The Biggest Loser” has always been shrouded in a bit of controversy, especially after a former winner publicly spoke against it – but a new study shows there is nothing damaging about the way the participants lose weight.
As fans of the show must know, the participants are subjected to an intense workout routine of aerobics and weight training, combined with a strict diet, both of which are meant to help them on their mission of losing weight.
Sometimes, results can be spectacular – which is actually the purpose of the show, since the person to lose the most weight is also the winner.
Intrigued and perhaps also a bit curious to see whether there was any foundation to the claims made in the press, researchers looked into the workouts used on the show.
So, researchers from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge accompanied “Biggest Loser” participants on set in season 8 (2009). Their findings were presented at a meeting of the Obesity Society in San Diego.
As USA Today can confirm, they found that they are actually ideal because not only do they help participants shed fat, but also that they don’t do it at the expense of muscle mass.
“Overall, the contestants dropped from an average 49% body fat to 27%. After 30 weeks, participants lost an average of 128 pounds; 81% was body fat and 19% was fat-free mass, mostly muscle,” the publication says of the findings of the study.
Lead author Darcy Johannsen points out that it is truly “remarkable” to have this huge weight loss with minimal impact on muscle mass, which is essential for the metabolic rate.
“This means the vigorous exercise helped the contestants preserve their muscle mass, which is the most metabolically active tissue of the body,” he says.
However, even if the results are impressive, that doesn’t mean that any other overweight or obese person could achieve them if they weren’t on the show. Motivation is key here, of course.
“They work out with the trainers for four to six hours a day, and it’s heavy-duty. There is nobody who can do that in real life – unless you are chasing a quarter of a million dollars (the top Biggest Loser prize). That’s a pretty good incentive,” senior author Eric Ravussin says for the same publication.