Biggest Loser Finale

[sparkythelawyer]

Feb 5, 2014 18:16:09 GMT -5 elle said:

You know whose body Rachel's looks like now? The Duchess of Cambridge. And if there is anyone whom this board loves, it is the duchess.

I really think this is an almost laughable double standard. Rachel probably sweated out an extra 5 pounds before the finale and didn't eat for the week before. If she gets thinner, then fine, diagnose away. But right now, all we know is she played the game well.

Right now, this is what I am hoping for her.  

I don't see the resemblance you reference.  To me, the DoC looks healthier.  BUT, she didn't have to lose all that weight, so maybe I am just reacting to how dry and worn the contestant's skin and hair look in addition to how skinny her arms and legs look?  idk.

I'm hoping she just had her game face on.  

[Deleted]

Looks like Bob and Jillian have both posted on their FB pages now, too:

Jillian and I want to take a moment to congratulate all of the BL contestants on their hard work. We're not comfortable commenting on Rachel's journey because we weren't her trainers and weren't given an opportunity to work with her at any point. Any questions about the contestants on The Biggest Loser should be directed to the show's producers.

[berbles]

Feb 5, 2014 18:32:00 GMT -5 @melissainabq said:

Looks like Bob and Jillian have both posted on their FB pages now, too:

Jillian and I want to take a moment to congratulate all of the BL contestants on their hard work. We're not comfortable commenting on Rachel's journey because we weren't her trainers and weren't given an opportunity to work with her at any point. Any questions about the contestants on The Biggest Loser should be directed to the show's producers.

That was posted earlier in this thread.  Total copout response and kind of throws Dolvett under the bus.

[Deleted]

Oops sorry.

And yeah it totally does throw him under the bus.

[emjacobs]

Also according to Bobby's twitter there was 3.5 months between the last aired episode and the finale. So 45 pounds in 3.5 months isn't terrible.

[whiterascal]

I hope she is 5'4" and not 5'7" or 5'8" and 105lbs. Even then, I'm 5'4" and I can't imagine what I'd look like at only 105lbs. I wouldn't look healthy at all. I think she looked SO much better at the 14 week weigh-in.
Also, I want to know what happened to all the loose skin I'm sure she has from losing all that weight so quickly.

[berbles]

Feb 5, 2014 18:57:53 GMT -5 whiterascal said:

I hope she is 5'4" and not 5'7" or 5'8" and 105lbs. Even then, I'm 5'4" and I can't imagine what I'd look like at only 105lbs. I wouldn't look healthy at all. I think she looked SO much better at the 14 week weigh-in.
Also, I want to know what happened to all the loose skin I'm sure she has from losing all that weight so quickly.

She probably doesn't have a lot of loose skin.

a) she's 24
b) she is a former athlete.  She probably still had quite a bit of muscle mass under the fat weight that she gained
c) she was only overweight for a few years
d) she's 24


Now, if you looked closely at Tumi, who I believe was the STAR of last night, her arms have some saggy skin on them.  But she's 40.  

[sugarbear]

Feb 5, 2014 19:14:29 GMT -5 toledo said:

Feb 5, 2014 18:55:05 GMT -5 emjacobs said:

Also according to Bobby's twitter there was 3.5 months between the last aired episode and the finale. So 45 pounds in 3.5 months isn't terrible.

It is at that weight. Yes, it absolutely is.

When you weigh 200 pounds, no.
But when you've started at 155... yeah. It's too much.

[sugarbear]

Feb 5, 2014 11:06:07 GMT -5 emjacobs said:

Feb 5, 2014 11:05:02 GMT -5 shell403b said:

What's the guess on what she did to lose 45 lbs in 1-2 months?

1200 calories a day and 12+ hours of strenuous workout per day. 

Don't forget the enemas, colonics, and complete lack of hydration leading up to the finale.
The contestants are pretty much cleaned out before they step on that scale.

[sewpinkgal]

Feb 5, 2014 10:31:02 GMT -5 kevin arnold said:

Maybe the competition should change from losing weight to losing fat. One can lean out (lose a lot of fat), build muscle mass, and subsequently gain weight, which puts you at a disadvantage with the way the competition is measured.

But I guess weekly body composition measurements would be far less dramatic than the weigh-ins, lol. And also a harder concept for the general public to grasp.

This is such a great point. I do an 8-week high intensity interval training program 3x a year. They award a small prize to the person with the largest transformation at the end of each session. Last session, one of the runners up actually didn't lose any weight but turned 7lbs of fat into muscle. The woman that runs the program made a point to remind everyone that yes, you can use the scale to measure progress, but it often doesn't tell the whole picture.

The same lady that runs the program is in amazing shape and is also 5'4". She fluctuates between 120-125. Tons of muscle, very little body fat. She would look skeletal at 105. :/

[rugbywife]

Feb 5, 2014 19:14:29 GMT -5 toledo said:

Feb 5, 2014 18:55:05 GMT -5 emjacobs said:

Also according to Bobby's twitter there was 3.5 months between the last aired episode and the finale. So 45 pounds in 3.5 months isn't terrible.

It is at that weight. Yes, it absolutely is.

Yep…based on my math, to lose that weight, she had to be in deficit of about 1500 calories a day.  

At 5'4", 150lbs and 24 years of age (as a female) her basal metabolic rate (IF it were not already compromised - which it could have been), would be 1500 calories a day - that's sitting her ass on a couch and breathing. SO, if she ate 1500 calories a day she would break even. But she needed to be in deficit of 1500 calories.  My guess is that she ate 2000 calories a day (that puts her at +500 calories a day) and then exercised to burn about 2000 calories a day (putting her at a deficit of 1500 for the day).  Eating 2000 calories a day is perfectly normal.  Exercising so that you burn 2000 calories so that you effectively only net 500 is NOT normal. 

[Muddled]

Feb 5, 2014 18:25:24 GMT -5 isabel said:

elle, Kate is thin, but toned. Rachel has no muscle tone. You can see it all over her body. I'm not saying she didn't play the game or that she can't come back from this, but let's be realistic. She is not at an ideal body weight now, just as she wasn't when she was obese.

You really think that she has no muscle tone in her legs?

Sadly, the show isn't about being at your ideal weight. It's about being the biggest loser.

[isabel]

Feb 5, 2014 19:28:06 GMT -5 Muddled said:

Feb 5, 2014 18:25:24 GMT -5 isabel said:

elle, Kate is thin, but toned. Rachel has no muscle tone. You can see it all over her body. I'm not saying she didn't play the game or that she can't come back from this, but let's be realistic. She is not at an ideal body weight now, just as she wasn't when she was obese.

You really think that she has no muscle tone in her legs?

Sadly, the show isn't about being at your ideal weight. It's about being the biggest loser.

I think there was some definition in her legs, yes. But her arms were scary. And her face is lined. I think if you're making a comparison, Kate looks healthy, despite being really thin. Rachel does not.

I really wish they would change the end goal to have each contestant try to hit a certain 'ideal' range of weight loss, rather than just pushing to the limits. Rachel is a perfect example of why the current set up can be so devastating.

[underwaterrhymes]

I used to love the Biggest Loser, but haven't watched in a few seasons.

So I didn't watch the show and I haven't seen any of the video clips.

From the pictures posted in here, Rachel doesn't look healthy to me. But I would be less inclined to think anorexia or bullimia and more inclined to think competitor who is up against guys who traditionally win this thing. I suspect she will be at a healthier weight soon (and, if history is any indication, perhaps a good deal closer to her starting weight, than her ending one.)

I have been moved by this show many times in the past, but it has its flaws. And one of them is that this speed of weight loss is not sustainable, nor is it reasonable for the vast majority of the population. These people are taught how to work out for an insane amount of hours a day and their diets are based on these workouts (with a generous dose of product placement.)

Plus, those who go on to win are usually at the BL camp for the duration of the show. The daily stress that they encounter out in the real world is not present. And once the monetary and media focus is taken away and they're back to living in their homes and going to work and raising their children and they have to cook for themselves and find time to exercise without the camera or the prize money looming over their heads, they're totally ill prepared for maintenance.

I would find this show far more intriguing if instead of making it a race to lose the most in the quickest amount of time, they took the competitors and taught them reasonable and slower ways of losing weight that actually fit into their regular schedules. It wouldn't make for as fascinating television, but it would mean a much higher long-term success rate.

One last comment. Competition aside, a weight loss of 45 pounds in 3 months for a 150 pound, 5'4" woman is NOT reasonable or sustainable under most circumstances. I'm not trying to win $250,000, and I'm shorter at 5'0" and 122 pounds, but I hope to lose 12 pounds by the end of July. Obviously a half pound a week would NOT work in the context of this game and I get that.

But if we put sustainability on the table, the formula for this show doesn't work. Maybe for viewers. But not its competitors.

[Muddled]

Feb 5, 2014 19:30:59 GMT -5 isabel said:

Feb 5, 2014 19:28:06 GMT -5 Muddled said:

You really think that she has no muscle tone in her legs?

Sadly, the show isn't about being at your ideal weight. It's about being the biggest loser.

I think there was some definition in her legs, yes. But her arms were scary. And her face is lined. I think if you're making a comparison, Kate looks healthy, despite being really thin. Rachel does not.

I really wish they would change the end goal to have each contestant try to hit a certain 'ideal' range of weight loss, rather than just pushing to the limits. Rachel is a perfect example of why the current set up can be so devastating.

It is not uncommon for people who drop a lot of weight to come out of it looking older and wrinkled. Fats have been eliminated from the diet. Skin doesn't always just bounce back. In another month or two, we'll see where she is and whether it was about winning or it is something else. We certainly don't have enough info to go around diagnosing ED.

Healthy or not, in another setting, no one would be commenting on her weight at all.

I do agree that the show ought to change its focus. I bet they look their goals really closely in the upcoming weeks.

[emjacobs]

Feb 5, 2014 19:14:29 GMT -5 toledo said:

Feb 5, 2014 18:55:05 GMT -5 emjacobs said:

Also according to Bobby's twitter there was 3.5 months between the last aired episode and the finale. So 45 pounds in 3.5 months isn't terrible.

It is at that weight. Yes, it absolutely is.

Absolutely, but I was referring directly to the amount of weight lost per week not the extreme she went to total weight wise. 

[phoebebuffay]

Feb 5, 2014 19:30:59 GMT -5 isabel said:

Feb 5, 2014 19:28:06 GMT -5 Muddled said:

You really think that she has no muscle tone in her legs?

Sadly, the show isn't about being at your ideal weight. It's about being the biggest loser.

I think there was some definition in her legs, yes. But her arms were scary. And her face is lined. I think if you're making a comparison, Kate looks healthy, despite being really thin. Rachel does not.

I really wish they would change the end goal to have each contestant try to hit a certain 'ideal' range of weight loss, rather than just pushing to the limits. Rachel is a perfect example of why the current set up can be so devastating.

This is what I am thinking, too. I have not watched the show, but in the clip I saw, it looked like she BARELY won. Am I wrong?


I think the problem is the set-up of the show. The more overweight you are, the more you have to lose and still not hit extreme weight loss. She wasn't nearly as overweight as others, so in order for her to keep up with the bigger losers, she had to lose that much. I mean, you are in the competition to lose weight and be healthier and all that, but ultimately you are trying to win. 

If I'm completely wrong about her barely winning, I apologize! 

[underwaterrhymes]

Feb 5, 2014 19:51:38 GMT -5 phoebebuffay said:

Feb 5, 2014 19:30:59 GMT -5 isabel said:

I think there was some definition in her legs, yes. But her arms were scary. And her face is lined. I think if you're making a comparison, Kate looks healthy, despite being really thin. Rachel does not.

I really wish they would change the end goal to have each contestant try to hit a certain 'ideal' range of weight loss, rather than just pushing to the limits. Rachel is a perfect example of why the current set up can be so devastating.

This is what I am thinking, too. I have not watched the show, but in the clip I saw, it looked like she BARELY won. Am I wrong?


I think the problem is the set-up of the show. The more overweight you are, the more you have to lose and still not hit extreme weight loss. She wasn't nearly as overweight as others, so in order for her to keep up with the bigger losers, she had to lose that much. I mean, you are in the competition to lose weight and be healthier and all that, but ultimately you are trying to win. 

If I'm completely wrong about her barely winning, I apologize! 

Apparently she won by a bit (on CE&P they mentioned that she would have won at 118), but she would have no way of knowing this. They're at home for the last few months, so they're competing without knowing what they're competing against.

[cheeseandcrackers]

this show used to be a huge motivation for me and i learned a lot of cool things from watching it.. over the years i kind of stopped watching it.
i think rachel will gain the weight back and she probably went crazy to win the money.. i just hope that she didn't gain a really bad eating disorder in the process. if she did, i hope she gets through it.

[berbles]

Now I've gone down the rabbit hole.

Sam and Stephanie are divorcing (Sam was the one who ended up with a brain injury after a fall off a roof) though she is pregnant with his kid.

Here's a recent pic of some former winners.

[snickers]

wow.
I hope she doesn't go any farther

[isabel]

Feb 5, 2014 20:09:05 GMT -5 berbles said:

Now I've gone down the rabbit hole.

Sam and Stephanie are divorcing (Sam was the one who ended up with a brain injury after a fall off a roof) though she is pregnant with his kid.

Here's a recent pic of some former winners.

That's sad that they're divorcing.

And it sucks to see Tara like that. She looked so amazing at the finale. Just goes to show you how unsustainable this really is. I'm sure Rachel will gain some weight back, unless she really does have a serious ED.

[Deleted]

She's too thin for her frame. Some people can rock 105 at 5'4" and it looks healthy.

She does not look healthy. I am the same height and my frame is slightly smaller - I look my best around 113-115. Under 110 I feel hungry all the time and look underweight.

[emjacobs]

Feb 5, 2014 23:01:30 GMT -5 fields said:

She's too thin for her frame. Some people can rock 105 at 5'4" and it looks healthy.

She does not look healthy. I am the same height and my frame is slightly smaller - I look my best around 113-115. Under 110 I feel hungry all the time and look underweight.

I'm 5'2 and I didn't look sick at 100 but I look my best at 110-115.  Not that I'm anywhere close to that at the moment. 

[pinkeggs]

Her trainer released a statement:

"Biggest Loser is a journey which has its ups and downs. Please try not to look at one slice of Rachel's journey and come to broad conclusions. Rachel's health is and always has been my main concern and her journey to good health has not yet ended!"

That says a lot.

[rugbywife]

My problem with all this is that none of the contestants gained all that weight in a few months so there is essentially no way that they will lose that weight in a SUSTAINABLE way. That's why they gain it back. There is no easy way to change the issues that lead to obesity, it isn't something that gets solved in a few months. It's about habits and intention and shit tons if time and, FAILURE. Most people will face setbacks in their weight loss journeys. I know so few people who have lost huge amounts of weight without, at some point, suffering a setback in their goals. It isn't about the end goal, it is about road you take to get there and how you change along the way. But that doesn't make for exciting TV.

[Deleted]

These arms/shoulders are not healthy. At All. That is not toning, that is serious malnutrition. Hopefully she can take a healthy, long-term approach to fixing the damage now.

Attachment Deleted

[berbles]

Feb 6, 2014 13:42:28 GMT -5 @booby said:

i don't watch the show and thus, never opened this thread until today, when i saw a picture of the winner on one of my celeb sites. i honestly think she looks good. i'm not seeing where she looks 20 years older, or not toned at all, or whatever. i am side-eying the shit out of some of you and your comments.



also - that picture of the former winners. are they ALL former winners? and they are ALL overweight again? wow, that sucks.

One of them is the wife of a winner. They met on the show. But I believe the rest are all former winners.

[berbles]

Also, this one makes me particularly sad.  Ali had done SO amazingly well and was SO committed.  5 years later...



theashleysrealityroundup.com/2014/01/23/first-female-biggest-loser-admits-to-weight-gain-im-too-embarrassed-to-tell-the-truth/

Ali, who during Season 5 dropped an incredible 112 pounds, has had her image used on many ‘Biggest Loser’-related products, and is a former spokesperson for 24 Hour Fitness. However, she said that the svelte 122 lb. body she had at the ‘Biggest Loser’ finale in 2008 is long gone.



“After I won ‘The Biggest Loser,’ I weighed 122 pounds for about 2.2 seconds,” she said. “It’s been five years since I won and I’ve seen myself gain at least five pounds a year.”

[emjacobs]

I really like what David said when he got on the scale, since he knew there was no chance that he would win, "No matter what happens the confetti falls on us all"