The Biggest Loser diet; a recipe for disaster
The Biggest Loser is known for its fire and brimstone approach to weight loss; no matter your weight, putting in 100% effort will get you the results you want. If you were to base all your ideas about weight loss off this show, you would think that weight loss = suffering.
Extreme calorie deficits coupled with extreme amounts of physical activity, as is the method in the show, is not only severely detrimental to someone’s mental and physical well-being, but potentially life-threatening. Not just that, but it’s incredibly ineffective for long-term weight management.
The biggest loser approach doesn’t work
A study following 14 biggest loser contestants for six years after their significant weight loss found that 13 out of 14 contestants had regained significant amounts of weight, and 4 of those had gained more weight than before the show.
As said by Dr Jensen, an obesity researcher
“Crash diets are probably the biggest effect we have on resting metabolism. Unfortunately it’s not in a direction we want to go in”
If you want your metabolic rate to drop, there is no surer way than a crash diet. As gone over in my previous blog post, hormones and weight loss, humans evolved to survive, and we survived by putting any excess calories into storage as fat. Your body doesn’t see a diet as you do, a way to get rid of some excess fat, it sees it as a starvation, and it will overreact. The greater the deficit, the greater the ‘panic’ your body goes into. All the current data we have available is saying that for long-term, successful weight management, you need to have a slow and steady calorie deficit. A deficit of around 20% of your maintenance calories a day is seemingly the sweet spot for a prolonged cut, with the longer the deficit, the less severe the deficit should be.
"We don’t really see that much of a drop in resting metabolism (compared with The Biggest Loser). With slow, gradual weight loss, the metabolic rate holds out really well."
Unsustainable dieting
In The Biggest Loser study, the researchers found that each participant experienced a significant reduction in leptin, a hormone that helps regulate appetite and energy expenditure, with leptin levels almost non-existent by the end of the show. Leptin is produced by fat cells and signals to the brain when you have enough energy stored and don't need to eat more. The most worrisome aspect of the study was that this wasn’t an acute change - even after six years, the participants still only rebounded to 60% of their original levels before going on the show. Had they maintained their body weights within the ‘healthy’ range of the BMI then this could potentially be explained away as due to a severe reduction in fat, and therefore production sites of leptin. However, as almost all of the participants regained pre-competition weight levels, this shows there was a profound, and long-lasting damage to their hormones following this severe reduction in weight.
"I don't think that most people appreciate how big these metabolic changes can be when people lose a lot of weight, weight gain and loss are not symmetrical: The body fights much more strongly to keep weight from dropping than it does to keep weight from increasing.”
Adjusting your set point
The research is more optimistic than the Biggest Loser approach suggests, showing that through a sustained and slow caloric deficit, the negative effects of a calorie deficit can be minimized, and you can adjust your set point. Your set point is the weight range that your body is programmed to maintain, and it can be influenced by various factors such as genetics, environment, and lifestyle habits. While the body prefers to shift the set point upwards, to a higher amount of body mass, you can, given enough time and maintenance at a lower amount of body weight, shift it down.
This means that you can actually reprogram your body to maintain a lower weight by gradually losing weight and then maintaining it for a period of time. The key is to do it in a healthy and sustainable way, with a slow and steady caloric deficit, and to focus on building healthy habits such as regular exercise, a balanced diet, and stress management. By making these changes over time, you can achieve long-term weight management success without risking your health and well-being.
Remember, weight loss is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and what works for one person may not work for another. It's important to find a weight loss strategy that is tailored to your individual needs and preferences, and to work with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian to ensure that you are meeting your nutritional needs while losing weight.
Take home message
The Biggest Loser approach to weight loss, which relies on extreme calorie deficits and excessive physical activity, is not effective for long-term weight management and can be harmful to mental and physical well-being.
A slow and steady calorie deficit, along with healthy lifestyle habits such as regular exercise, a balanced diet, and stress management, can lead to sustainable weight loss and even help to adjust your set point.
It's important to remember that weight loss is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and working with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian can help you find a weight loss strategy that is tailored to your individual needs and preferences.
Sustainable weight loss is achievable, but it requires patience, commitment, and a focus on building healthy habits rather than relying on quick fixes or crash diets.
By making gradual changes to your lifestyle and eating habits, and by seeking guidance from healthcare professionals, you can achieve long-term weight management success while prioritizing your mental and physical well-being.