The Biggest Loser - Reality Or Fiction?

By: Eric Viskovicz

While most of us probably don't hear a drum roll when we step on
the scale, our hearts are probably pounding. As the numbers seem
to dictate the way we feel about ourselves, in the case of The
Biggest loser, they literally dictate the lives of the
contestants. When the contestant doesn't make the required
weight, she could be sent home, only to confront the weight loss
battle once again, alone. While for the rest of us, we won't be
sent anywhere, yet we may find many ways to imprison ourselves
for our shortcomings on the scale. Is either one of these
approaches successful? Certainly not for those who don't make
the weight. But what about the weight loss camp approach that
the Biggest Loser uses? Are weight loss camps in general
effective? Let's explore this question a little further.

In the field of weight loss camps, there are many similarities
to The Biggest Loser. All of these programs employ a residential
setting, requiring the client to relinquish control of their
lives, allowing their schedule, diet, and in many ways, their
way of thinking to be entirely controlled by the camp. The
client's daily lives are at the mercy of the trainers,
nutritionists, and coaches at the camp. Certainly, many of the
clients recognize that in many ways their lives were already out
of control, and something very drastic needs to happen in order
for the weight to be lost. For many of those at The Biggest
Loser this harsh reality can either be relieving, or incredibly
frightening. While the admonition that things need to change is
not the issue, the technique employed to facilitate this change
is. All weight loss camps do, to some extent, remove control
from the client. Clearly in doing this, the client has to
surrender to this approach and accept that her previous
approaches to weight loss have not been successful. This
acceptance can be very helpful in fostering the client's
willingness to accept help. Watching The Biggest Loser, it is
painfully obvious that the contestants have to accept the
direction of the trainers, without objection. According to the
trainers, in order for the client to change, she must do exactly
what the trainer says. If she does, she will be successful.
Clearly, the contestant must trust the trainer implicitly, and
in many ways is told not to listen to her own voice. To be sure
we have all heard the contestant on The Biggest Loser objecting
to the exercise, and are frequently criticized, demoralized, or
indoctrinated. While this approach may increase ratings, is this
really the way to encourage someone to change her life?

Let's look at another approach which is a weight loss camp, that
in many ways, is similar to The Biggest Loser, but there are
some very clear distinctions. Weight loss camps uses a
residential approach where the client's schedules are dictated
by the program, their meals are prepared for them, and they are,
for all intents and purposes, relinquishing control of their
lives to the program. However, some programs taken a different
approach. Recognizing that it is a lifestyle change that the
client needs to make, the program does two things: it encourages
the clients to find the real reasons for their weight gain in
the first place, and it utilizes a program that is designed to
be incorporated into the client's life. These real reasons for
the client's weight gain are the underlying emotional reasons
for the weight. To this end, all of the trainers are highly
educated in the psychological underpinnings of weight gain.
Weekly meetings with a clinical therapist help the clients
themselves uncover the mentality behind their weight gain. Staff
meetings consist of in-depth discussions about what are the real
reasons the client may not be making the weight. In the case
that the client doesn't make the weight, she is not thrown out
of the program, instead, she is called on the carpet. Some
programs set up teams, consisting of the client's coach,
nutritionist, and clinical therapist meet with the client to get
to the root of the problem. These meetings are anything but
recriminating. They are supportive and encouraging, but do not
accept anything but the client's best effort. Staff simply will
not allow the client to cheat, and will continue working with
the client until success is attained. It is this approach that
encourages the never to give up on herself, and never to offer
anything but her best effort.

The purpose of these programs is to help the client incorporate
the program into their life after the camp experience is over.
This may mean learning to shop in a healthy way, learning to
order healthy choices from a restaurant, and healthy cooking
classes. The program also involves the incorporation of sports,
outside exercises such as hiking, biking, kayaking, running sand
dunes, and beach boot camps. This approach represents a
cornerstone of a true program that aims at a life change
approach. That is: that exercise can be fun. The fact that the
clients are not just encouraged having fun, but taught how to
make exercise fun, may be one of the most striking differences
between these camps and The Biggest Loser. To promote the
incorporation of this into their home life, the clients are also
instructed to go back home, try out what they have learned, and
return back to the program for additional support. In fact, many
clients return simply because they enjoy the experience so much.
While this may be the measure of success, enjoying the
experience might also be one of the biggest differences between
this approach and the Biggest Loser.

See http://liveinfitness.com for more detail.

About the author:
In the field of weight loss, few take the approach that Eric
Viskovicz does. A lifetime in competitive sports, including at
the college, coupled with a history of an eating disorder, and a
50 pound weight struggle has given Eric Viskovicz a unique
insight into the mind of the person who struggles with weight,
as well as the mind of the professional athlete.