This past weekend in Dallas auditions were being held for the 13th season of the Biggest Loser. One gentleman stated that this was not his first audition to get on the show, that he has spent several years trying to be one of the lucky few to get a chance. While not trying to sound judgmental, I thought to myself, why is this young man not trying to change his life now? Why does he feel the only ticket to living and leading a healthy life is this show? What happens if he never gets that chance? To think that he believes this show is his only answer to losing weight and getting fit and healthy made me wonder how long any of us would wait, even if there is a small remote chance to be selected. For me, becoming a contestant on the Biggest Loser was never an option. I began my own personal healthy living journey just months after the show made its premier in October 2004. Having never seen the show until the summer of 2005 when I was visiting Finland where it happened to be one of the few English speaking programs to air and which I could understand, I quickly became a fan. Having spent a lifetime struggling to overcome a life-long battle with my weight, I was inspired. However, I did wonder if going to a ranch for months separated from the real world would have been easier than going it alone. After all I had spent 30 plus years dieting, so being separated from my family for months on end seemed like a no brainer if that meant I would finally reach my goal weight. Even if I thought the Biggest Loser would have been an option, I soon discovered that I would not have been heavy enough to meet the guidelines to be on the show, which I understand one needs to be at least 85 pounds overweight in order be considered. I will confess that I was a big fan of the show for a several years. But the more educated I became on the process on how one needs to go about losing weight, the less I watched. In fact I think the last season I watched was when Ali Vincent won. She was the first female contestant to finally earn the title of the Biggest Loser. When I was doing research as to where the past contestants are today, I searched the internet high and low to see if I could find some information. According to a January 2009 tidbit on the Today Show's website, Season 1 winner Ryan Benson talks of his struggle with his re-gain after leaving the show. Season 3 contestant Amy Wolff speaks of how she gave up her job to move to the ranch, even forgoing Thanksgiving dinner with her family because of her fear of eating 'rich' food. Even Season 5 winner Ali Vincent was not immune from her own struggle to 'wean herself from going to the gym on daily basis.' These are just a few of the many contestants who candidly spoke of their struggles which only reaffirms my notion that regardless of how you lose the weight, you must make this journey about healthy living and not a means to get to your goal weight only to go back to your old ways. But you also have to know that life is meant to be lived. Spending hours in the gym and watching every calorie can be just as detrimental as the other extreme. Life is about balance. The fate of this young man has yet to be seen, but I hope he will come to understand that it isn't a show, a weight loss surgery or even a weight loss plan that will transform us, but the embracing of life-long healthy habits that allows us to become the healthy, fit individuals we are meant to be. This journey is about is about you changing you. Have you ever tried out for the Biggest Loser? Would you ever consider trying out for the show?  You will earn 5 SparkPoints
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It may work for their bodies for awhile but couldnt possibly do much for the heart , mind and spirit.
As far as I'm concerned the "Biggest Loser" is a loser when it comes to dealing with the core problem of obesity. It doesn't heal the whole person and doesn't teach that it is a lifetime of healthy diet and exercise that will take weight off and keep it off. Report
At the March 2010 casting call, I waited 8 hours (from getting in line and getting out the back door after the group session with the casting agent) along with 1500 other hopefuls. I was truly apalled at the behavior of many of the hopefuls: chain smoking, ordering pizza to the line, drinking buckets of soft drinks, and consuming 3000+ calorie meals from the nearest fast food restaurant. It made me angry, because I was serious about wanting to lose weight. It was the catalyst to me getting on the fitness wagon. I resolved I wouldn't wait to be cast, I already had the gym membership. As soon as my 12 hour a day babysitting stint was up I was in the gym almost every day.
On a good day I've lost 79 pounds!
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We don't need people doing that to us to get our act together and make our needed changes. Waiting to make those changes hoping to be a contestant is totally stupid. We have more value than that.
Forget the money, brow beating, yelling and swearing. Put yourself first, come to love yourself, make the changes you know you need to and it will all come together in a healthier you. Report
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I confess that I love The Biggest Loser, but I also know it's not the right way to lose weight and get fit. We could all benefit from time spent away from "real life" pursuing greater fitness, but it should only be for a short time. We have to learn to get fit ourselves in our real lives.
Sometimes I worry that people considering being contestants are purposely making themselves fatter just to get on the show. That young man you mentioned should be already on a fitness journey. The show should have educated him already on what he needs to do. I would love for that to be a requirement to become a contestant! Report
Thanks so very much! Report
I feel so bad for that guy. I agree, he needs to take responsibility for his own success or failure. He can change on his own, and he doesn't need the media to make him better. I hope he sees that some day. Report
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I have always said, I would go on the show, but I'm not willing to gain the weight..I'm too small.
If they had one for people my size, I'd do it in a heartbeat Report
I joined SP in April of 2010 with the intent of dropping 45 pounds. I followed the program, dropped 55 pounds, and have been staying within a 5 pound range since January.
THANK YOU, SP!!! Report
My Spark handle, ERIKA05, refers to the fact that I joined this site **in 2005** to lose the extra weight I was carrying at that time. Then, it was probably 15 lbs - I was still a varsity athlete and a long distance runner, just a little chubbier than I would like.
Now, in 2011, several tries at relighting the Spark later, it's more like 50lbs, and I have to fight tooth and nail to get back to a similar level of fitness I enjoyed when I first thought I needed to lose weight!
So. All this to say that, in my own way, I've been waiting even longer than this poor guy! Sure, I've been false starting and re-starting since then, but I've actually been moving, on balance, away from my goal all that time rather than making progress towards it. I really feel like this time is different, and that I'm in control, but it's taken me a long time to get to this point. Report
The day to change is now, since it's YOU who has to make the decisions to live healthy, which is part of what I think the Biggest Loser is about... making that change in yourself. Report
So many things in our lives, we wait on. Waiting to lose weight is a huge issue for many of us. Why should our wait stop us from enjoying life or chasing after our dreams? And while we are at it, why should we wait until we go on a game show to lose weight?
If your issue is that you are morbidly obese, then read some spark articles and join a couple of the groups. Learn how to accommodate your needs with at home exercises. Cant afford it? Try walking. It's free. Cant walk in our area? How about walking around the house? Own an apartment? Do some arm exercises. Every. Little. Bit. COUNTS. No matter what you think, you can work out daily without someone screaming at you. And if you need accountability, make some charts, set up some rewards, or call up some friends.
Like she mentions in this blog... what do you think happens when the contestant goes home? All of that fancy and free equipment goes away. All of that motivational yelling from highly trained professionals turn to paying someone hundreds of dollars to do it (and often, you're not getting someone with anything like the credentials of tv trainers). And food, well, it goes back to normal.
You CAN teach yourself to be motivated, to be consistent, to be active. No one needs this show. NO ONE. Report