Biggest Loser Condemnation!!!!
To all biggest loser fans…
Here is a comment by a medical doctor/exercise scientist who tuned in for the first time on February eighth, 2010. He wasn’t very happy with what he saw…mostly from a science viewpoint. Dr. McGuff(who I have met on several occasions and am proud to call him a friend) felt everything was wrong….the huge volume of inefficient exercise, the stress of being yelled at, insulted, and spat upon…and a diet designed to create ravenous cravings. He passionately feels that long term goals could be achieved and maintained with better overall health by following the principles of high intensity/low force exercise, hunter gather paleo type nutrition, and stress reduction. But, this wouldn’t entice advertisers to plunk down $$$$$$$$$$ to the biggest loser producers…but you don’t have follow unproductive, unsafe, inefficient and often counterproductive exercise recommendations.
Joel…let me know what you think.
Mon 8 Feb 2010
Posted by Doug McGuff
I did my “Little 6” workout at around noon on Sunday. I am in the middle of a string of evening shifts at the ER and it has been very busy. As such, I made it a point to terminate each set immediately at the onset of failure. This turned out to be a good strategy as I feel fairly good today despite only 5 hours sleep.
Heel Raise
Med X abdominal
Nautilus plateloader bicep
Triceps pushdown
Formulator wrist flexion
Formulator wrist extension
Last night at work I went into our office/locker area for a mental health break and The Biggest Loser was on TV. I came in right at the introduction. I have never watched this show, as I assumed it would be ridiculous. I was shocked how much I had underestimated. I could not believe the amount and types of exercise these poor people were being put through. They even showed one contestant collapsing on a treadmill and being spit off the back of the machine by the spinning tread. Then there were multiple scenes of the contestants being screamed at by that Gillian lady in the tank-top/midriff shirt (talk about narcissistic) and some sadistic guy with tattoos all over his arms. The instructors’ contempt for the obese was obvious as they spewed insults (and saliva) in the faces of the contestants. I don’t care how fat or desperate I was, if someone did this to me I would punch them in the face and storm off the set. I checked in on the show between patients. The diet and exercise shown were prescriptive for ravenous hunger and ultimate failure. As I continued to work, I kept thinking about the importance of biologic signaling, and why it does not have to be this hard.
The key to turning around these sorts of metabolic disasters is to send the correct biologic and hormonal signals. If the correct signals are given, there is a disproportionate improvement in the metabolic state and body composition. This disproportionate response is courtesy of a second messenger system. Most hormones do not act directly on their target organ or tissue. This is usually because the hormone or chemical messenger is usually a protein that carries a charge which prevents it from being lipid soluble. Remember, cell membranes are a lipid bilayer. The fats that make up a cell membrane orient themselves so that the water soluble end of the fat faces toward the outside and the interior of the cell. The water repelling tails of these lipids face each other on the inside of the cell wall. Most hormones or chemical messengers cannot diffuse through the inner (water repelling) layer of the cell membrane. Instead, the hormone will have receptors that are fat soluble that traverse the cell membrane. These receptors bind the hormone on the exterior of the cell wall and transmit the signal to another chemical messenger inside the cell…this other chemical messenger is the second messenger. The unique thing is that the second messenger then activates a chemical cascade that multiplies the signal at the target. This way a single molecule of primary messenger can produce thousands of second messenger signals at the target.
This is why a proper signal is so important…the beneficial effect is hugely magnified. A brief, but intense workout that fatigues the musculature activates growth hormone, testosterone and adrenaline which all signal to empty glycogen and fat, both short and long-term. A hunter-gatherer diet creates a low insulin signal which triggers the body to defend a lower body fat set point. Overtraining (especially in the obese) triggers cortisol and other stress hormones. A low fat, high carbohydrate diet signals insulin release. These signals defend a high level of stored fat and drive huger…a true prescription for misery and failure. If these poor contestants could take advantage of the second messenger system they could achieve their goals without all the misery and without obnoxious fitness gurus screaming and sputtering in their face.
