The Biggest Loser: What are you thinking?

While I applaud NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” as one of the better reality shows, I still have a bone to pick with the producers of this show.

First, let me say that as far as ‘reality’ shows go, this one at least has a positive message and produces some amazing results for its contestants. There is some drama among the contestants as it’s an elimination-type show, but very little back-biting, and cheating is virtually impossible. The greatest emotion really comes at weigh-in time. Even when the contestants vote someone off, it’s not really that bad as that person has already reached at least some type of weight loss goal. Really all the contestants are big ‘losers’, winning on a personal level at the weight loss game on this show. When a champion is crowned at the end of season, it’s not always the person who has lost the most pounds or worked the hardest, but who has reached a certain combination of percentage of weight lose and shown a keen ability to get along with the other contestants.

I am generally a fan of the show and believe that it produces positive messages about weight issues, weight control, and weight lose above all else.

If you’re not familiar with the show, contestants are trained by fitness experts Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels. The trainers not only teach the contestants how to work out, but they also offer encouragement and motivation to the contestants that clearly help them reach their goals.

Ok, so here’s my first beef with The Biggest Loser. On the very first episode that I ever saw of this show, it was early in the season and a very overweigh woman was on a treadmill. Jillian was by her side coaching her, telling the woman to work harder. Then I heard it. Jillian yelled out, “Look at that! You’re running 8 miles an hour!”

WHAT!

Wait! Hold the phone.

That would mean that this woman was running a 7:30 mile. As a distance runner, I can tell that was not the case. Maybe Jillian meant that the woman was running at level 8 on the treadmill. This is certainly possible as you can run any pace on a treadmill at all levels.

I didn’t turn the show off right then and there. I watched through to the end and, sadly, in the weigh in, Jillian mentioned again that this woman was running 8 miles an hour on the treadmill.

At this point, I began to question Jillian Michaels fitness knowledge. I looked her up on the internet and she has good credentials and she obviously gets results, so I let it go. I figured maybe the producers were in a bind and couldn’t take it out once the error had been made. After all, it was compelling to watch her work with this woman.

I also thought it wouldn’t happen again. I figured someone behind-the-scenes of this show would have caught this and done something to make sure it didn’t happen again.

I was wrong.

Just a few weeks ago, Jillian told someone, a guy, he was running 12 miles an hour on the treadmill.

That’s a 5:00 mile.

I've got news for you, that’s elite runner speed. Very few people can run a mile in 5:00.

I’m pretty sure, in fact, I would bet my whole collect of very expensive specialty running shoes on it, that that guy was not running a 5:00 mile.

So, if someone could get this message to Jillian, I think she would appreciate knowing that she’s making some inaccurate statements.

My second issue with the producers concerns the episode that aired on December 1st. In this episode, the contestants went home for 60 days and then returned to the ranch.

After they returned, their challenge was to complete a marathon, a full marathon of 26.2 miles.

They were given 60 days to train. 8 weeks total.

I personally think it was irresponsible of the producers to do this.

Now there are plenty of people who have run a marathon with less training. True marathoners have a name for those people – idiots.

It really takes, at minimum, 12 weeks for a first time marathoner to complete the necessary training runs. And, that’s if the runner already has a good base of running at least three times a week with a long run of at least 8 miles. Truly, a 16 to 20 week schedule is more desirable for beginning marathoners. The long training program builds mileage and distance at a reasonable rate so runners don’t get overuse injuries.

There is a learning curve in running a marathon that can only be experienced in a training program that builds mileage and distance. Runners need to learn about things like hydration, proper gear, and (it may sound trivial but it’s definitely not!), chaffing.

I’m pretty sure those four contestants did not have the base mileage and they certainly did not have enough time to gradually increase their mileage and distance.

Yes, they all completed the marathon, and two of them did it in a reasonable 5:15 and 5:35. I applaud them for that. But what we didn’t see was them over the next several days and their painful recovery from this endeavor. As it is commonly considered to take 26 days, one day for every mile, to recover from a marathon, these contestants were at increased risk of injury for quite a while after the marathon.

The producers were very lucky that no one was seriously injured. I think it was wrong to do this to the contestants, putting them at risk like that. I’m all for challenges, but this seemed like an unwinnable situation. The contestants HAD to do it, no matter that it was actually an unhealthy thing to do!

And I think it was also careless of producers to suggest to viewers that if one loses a great deal of weight, you are ready to run a marathon. This is simply untrue.

The marathon distance is something to be respected.

What are your thoughts on these issues?