Biggest Loser Loses Sight of Contestants' Health

Experts weigh in on whether reality show has gone too far

(NEWSER) - The Biggest Loser is getting bigger each year: Next season, 526-pound Michael Ventrella will be the show’s largest contestant ever. Though wanting to help people shed pounds is a good thing, the show seems exploitative when it uses “heaviest ever” to promote itself. PopEater rounds up media experts’ thoughts.

• Matthew Greenberg, True/Slant: “Of course NBC and Biggest Loser are exploiting the contestants. All reality programming is, at some level, based on exploitation.”

Weight loss show disregards safety, contestant says

(NEWSER) - The Biggest Loser tells tales of disciplined self-improvement, but one finalist has some horror stories to tell. In an interview with Gloria Poretsky of Jezebel , season 3's Kai Hibbard says the brutal regimen and pressure from the show's staff endangered her health and gave her an eating disorder. Excerpts:

• "We were working out anywhere between 2 and 5 hours a day, and we were working out severely injured. There's absolutely no reason to work a 270-pound girl out so hard that she pukes the first time you bring in a gym. That was entirely for good TV."

In fighting obesity, little things don't count for much

(NEWSER) - Obesity experts would beg to disagree with the first lady, who said last month that it's the "small changes that add up" in fighting childhood obesity. Contrary to what Michelle Obama and many dieters believe, the body is actually wired to adapt to minor lifestyle changes—one less cookie a day, a few extra minutes of walking—to prevent these changes from making you lose weight. Small steps may prevent weight gain, but it takes big moves to take off pounds. More»

Researchers recommend at least an hour daily to keep off pounds

(NEWSER) - Thirty minutes of moderate exercise daily may not trim off the fat after all, a new study says. University of Pittsburgh researchers say it takes at least 55 minutes per day, five days a week, to keep off the pounds. The study followed 200 overweight women, and found that only those who exercised twice as much as normally suggested were able to cut 10% of their weight. More»

Keeping weight off made much tougher by brain, hormone cues to get it back

(NEWSER) - Your body doesn't want you to lose weight, scientists say, and makes it tough to keep off pounds lost. Scientists tell the Los Angeles Times that brain and hormone cues increase post-diet as natural processes try to get that old figure back. And while research into the heavy issues is still ongoing, exercise and medications are seen to help. More»