Has the biggest loser gone too far?

[EMAW_KSU]

3-4 spin classes a DAY?!?! That's absurd.

NOT healthy.

How is taking 3 or 4 spin classes a day unhealthy? Lots of people work harder than that for 10 hours.

 

[mnrose]

How is taking 3 or 4 spin classes a day unhealthy? Lots of people work harder than that for 10 hours.

Really? People work anaerobically for more than 3 hours a day? I doubt it. My husband has a very physically demanding job, but it's not anaerobic.

 

[goodeats]

I think she looks thin, but I don't think she's any more emaciated than Kelly Ripa or some of the other Hollywood starlets. She's only 24, so she's got youth on her side (and probably genetics/body type). She'll probably gain back 5-10 pounds after the competition and look great!

I do see muscle definition (video on nbc of her in the silver dress) and I don't think her upper arms are thinner than her elbows! Her face does look drawn, but probably because she's been dehydrating herself to face the scale!

 

[EMAW_KSU]

Really? People work anaerobically for more than 3 hours a day? I doubt it. My husband has a very physically demanding job, but it's not anaerobic.

Spin class is not anaerobic.

 

[mrzrich]

I think they need to state in the rules that contestants must not go below healthy BMI to win.

 

[palmtreegirl]

She had such beautiful hair and now its lost it's shine and thickness. That's what happens to people who are starving themselves, I know I've watched one of best friends do this to herself. It's so sad. Poor Rachel, they didn't even show the trainers reactions, just that one shot. They looked horrified. All that muscle she worked so hard to get was just gone.

 

[RitaE]

OMG No.

I haven't watched any of this season yet but my initial reaction to those pictures was absolute shocker and horror.

The show has always been controversial but this does seem to reach even higher than any of their past drama.

 

[Schmeck]

I think having a slightly underweight BMI is fine. I think as a society we are so used to fat people looking 'average' that a thin person looks 'emaciated'. When my BMI is in the average range I have belly fat and thigh fat. Glad I am a pear-fat storage person (compare to an apple-fat storage) but I prefer not to have extra stored fat on my body.

I am 5'3" and for most of my life weighed between 97 and 109 lbs. Now that menopause is coming, my metabolism is slowing down and the belly fat bugs me. But at age 24, being 5'4" and weighing 109 lbs is not a big deal. She'd probably 'look' better to some people at around 112 lbs, (3lbs for every inch above 5', plus 100) but if her BMI is a little under 'normal', what does that make the people who are a little bit 'over'? Shouldn't we be horrified about them too?

BTW - every other person I've seen on that show still looks fat to me at the end.

 

[luvsJack]

I think having a slightly underweight BMI is fine. I think as a society we are so used to fat people looking 'average' that a thin person looks 'emaciated'. When my BMI is in the average range I have belly fat and thigh fat. Glad I am a pear-fat storage person (compare to an apple-fat storage) but I prefer not to have extra stored fat on my body.

I am 5'3" and for most of my life weighed between 97 and 109 lbs. Now that menopause is coming, my metabolism is slowing down and the belly fat bugs me. But at age 24, being 5'4" and weighing 109 lbs is not a big deal. She'd probably 'look' better to some people at around 112 lbs, (3lbs for every inch above 5', plus 100) but if her BMI is a little under 'normal', what does that make the people who are a little bit 'over'? Shouldn't we be horrified about them too?

BTW - every other person I've seen on that show still looks fat to me at the end.

I would agree with you if this girl looked "normal weight' in any way shape or form. Obviously even the trainers were horrified. Jillian is in perfect shape and this girl looks sickly beside her.

Whatever this girl's height and weight is, the weight is not enough. DD is only a little shorter but weighs more and doesn't have any belly fat or fat legs or any other fat.

Looking at the pictures of this girl, I would say that being 109 and 5'4" IS a big deal and she needs to add some weight.

In the one picture that shows her arms they look skeletal! That just isn't normal nor the way one is supposed to look.


The calculators I have found online say 112 is underweight too. 114-130 seems to be what they call for in the normal range.

 

[brockash]

Oh. I think it makes a big difference how tall she actually is. I didn't watch this season. When I googled, a source did say she's 5'4" but I don't know that for sure. BMI is such a weird thing. We have talked about this on the board a lot. I'm 5'7"-5'8" and weigh about 160-165 pounds. On paper, I'm "overweight", but I actually get a lot of comments frequently that I look thin. Even when I go to appointments at my doctor and they weigh me, the nurse is always surprised that I weigh "so much" because I don't look it. I'm sure Jillian has an underweight BMI too, so...

If the picture that I'm seeing of her weigh-in in the green shirt is her final weigh-in as well as the picture of her getting her makeover clothes, then I quite frankly don't think she looks too thin at all.

ETA: Since I'm on the west coast I figured I'd tune in and see it on TV... I'll post in a couple minutes.

Wow really?...you saw the picture of her in the green shirt right above your post and you don't think she looks ill? I think she looks almost textbook anorexic...

It's especially disturbing when you think about her pictures of when she was healthy and swimming before -I just remember pictures of her in her bathing suit and she looked strong and healthy. I think she looks absolutely horrible sad and sickly now.

 

[carriemd]

I would agree with you if this girl looked "normal weight' in any way shape or form. Obviously even the trainers were horrified. Jillian is in perfect shape and this girl looks sickly beside her.

Whatever this girl's height and weight is, the weight is not enough. DD is only a little shorter but weighs more and doesn't have any belly fat or fat legs or any other fat.

Looking at the pictures of this girl, I would say that being 109 and 5'4" IS a big deal and she needs to add some weight.

In the one picture that shows her arms they look skeletal! That just isn't normal nor the way one is supposed to look.

This. And she weighed 105 at the end.
24 year olds aren't supposed to have wrinkles when they smile or hollows in their arms. If someone is naturally thin, that's a different story--but this person obviously wasn't.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

BMI is a farce anyway. A muscular person with no fat can be overweight, but a person with lots of fat and no muscle can be healthy.

That aside, Rachel has no fat OR muscle in her arms. It's pretty apparent her body had to start eating away at her muscles for energy. She may not be anorexic, but she is probably less healthy now than she was when she was overweight.

TBL is inspirational, but not realistic. It's pretty well agreed upon that losing up to 2 lbs per week is the healthiest rate at which to lose weight without damaging the body AND give a higher chance of keeping it off. Most people can't drop their daily lives and work our for hours a day and have a chef only make them healthy food. A lot of the past contestants have gained weight back because they lost it too fast and couldn't maintain the lifestyle they had on the ranch. Then they get discouraged and give up.

I think it's time to cancel the show. It isn't right to have people risk their health for inspiration to others and ratings.

 

[carriemd]

and for anyone else who missed it, here is a video of Bob and Jillian's reactions (and some more footage): http://news.softpedia.com/news/Bigg...-with-Dramatic-Weight-Loss-Video-424083.shtml

 

[elgerber]

I have a niece that has been near death several times in the last 14 years, so I am very aware of what "too thin" looks like, and this is it. My other fear, even if she did this just to win the money, when she goes to put some weight back on, to be a healthy weight, will she be able to stop there? That would be a very dangerous cycle to get into as well.
And celebrating her look and giving someone a large prize to thunderous applause on television for looking like that, is just sending terrible messages to young people.
It's so sad. I thought she was stunning in the last week on the ranch, and now she just looks, sick.

 

[skylizard]

I don't think the show has gone too far. Rachel definitely went too far. It was pretty obvious the trainers and everyone else had the same reaction we all are having. I was hoping she wouldn't win and be rewarded for that result. She has the highest % weight loss in the history of the show. She looks much older than 24 now and I hope the show steps in to assist her.

Exactlty. I saw the video of their reaction and you could tell they were not happy about her taking it so far. They have no control over what any of the contestants do after the show is done, so I can't blame them.

 

[elgerber]

Exactlty. I saw the video of their reaction and you could tell they were not happy about her taking it so far. They have no control over what any of the contestants do after the show is done, so I can't blame them.

I agree, they have no control. However, they could possibly put in some kind of clause, disqualifying them or something, if they drop below a certain BMI or something. I know BMI isn't a magic number, but it seems there could perhaps be something done.

 

[Victoria3]

At 5'3" and 105 lbs, Rachel's BMI is 18.6. Low yes, but still within the "normal" BMI. After your body has been stretched to 260 lbs, that extra skin does not just go away, you are left with some sagging and wrinkled skin. I think she looks good.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

At 5'3" and 105 lbs, Rachel's BMI is 18.6. Low yes, but still within the "normal" BMI. After your body has been stretched to 260 lbs, that extra skin does not just go away, you are left with some sagging and wrinkled skin. I think she looks good.

She is 5'4.

 

[mrzrich]

I have seen reports of her being everything from 5'4" to 5'7". None have her below 5'4"

If she is 5'7", then here BMI would be 16.4
If she is 5'4 her BMI would be 18.0

I really think in future seasons they need to restrict how low the contestants can go. I know BMI is not perfect, but it can be used to monitor that the contestants dont go too low.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

I think having a slightly underweight BMI is fine. I think as a society we are so used to fat people looking 'average' that a thin person looks 'emaciated'. When my BMI is in the average range I have belly fat and thigh fat. Glad I am a pear-fat storage person (compare to an apple-fat storage) but I prefer not to have extra stored fat on my body.

I am 5'3" and for most of my life weighed between 97 and 109 lbs. Now that menopause is coming, my metabolism is slowing down and the belly fat bugs me. But at age 24, being 5'4" and weighing 109 lbs is not a big deal. She'd probably 'look' better to some people at around 112 lbs, (3lbs for every inch above 5', plus 100) but if her BMI is a little under 'normal', what does that make the people who are a little bit 'over'? Shouldn't we be horrified about them too?

BTW - every other person I've seen on that show still looks fat to me at the end.

I'm sorry, I respectfully disagree with the above. I can't believe anyone feels that way. Makes me wonder if you're not looking at people and weight through a tainted view.