Fitness Fridays: Realistic Expectations!

There is a lot of discouragement that’s resulted from one of the most popular shows on television (The B*ggest L*ser) and I wanted to take a moment to give you a little realistic perspective on why you may not be experiencing similar results in your own life:

Reason #1. Any reputable source for exercise guidelines say that extreme weight loss isn't healthy and doesn't offer a long-term weight loss solution. The Amercian College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) maintains that approximately 1 to 2 pounds per week maximum is a healthy, realistic, sustainable weight loss goal. Any additional weight loss is most likely from losing water weight, lean muscle mass, and risks both the personal safety and wellness of the individual(s) who choose to disregard those suggested guidelines.

Reason #2. Every person alive has a certain number of very specific calories that they need to survive optimally (i.e. for lungs, heart and other major organs to function). It's called your Resting Metabolic Rate or RMR. You might have heard it referred to as your BMR (or Basal Metabolic Rate). Each and every person is uniquely different, therefore, so are their caloric needs. If you consistently eat under your RMR, you can actually cause your metabolism to slow down and begin or continue to store fat over time.

Reason #3. To lose 1 pound of fat per week, you have to create a deficit (between diet and exercise) of 3500 calories or 500 calories per day. To lose 2 pounds of fat per week, you have to create a deficit of 7000 (count them, SEVEN THOUSAND) calories over the course of 7 days (or 1000 calories per day) without eating UNDER your RMR aka Resting Metabolic Rate (refer to #2).

Reason #4. Now, knowing that to lose 2 pounds you have to create a deficit of 1000 calories per day, imagine how unrealistic it is that Bob told one of the women on the show recently that she needs to eat 1200 calories per day and burn 6000 calories in one day. Let's just assume that, since the lady on the show is a larger woman, she really does burn 500 calories per hour because carrying around more weight does mean that you expend more calories. Doing the simple math would mean that she would need to work out for 12 hours (at 500 calories per hour) in order to create that kind of caloric deficit. Basically, for someone to lose 12 pounds, like they try to say happens on The Big*est Lo*er in one week, that means that the person has created a deficit of 42,000 calories in 1 week. Or even better 15 pounds equals 52,500. Possible? I think not! And if it does happen, I can assure you - it's not healthy!!!

Reason #5. What normal human being has (1) that kind of time or (2) that kind of will power. Working out for 12 hours per day over several days (or weeks as the show presents) is setting yourself up for over-training, injury, and at the obesity levels of the contestants, even death.

If you are a B*ggest L*ser fan, I’m not trying to deter you from loving the emotional aspect of the show or the show itself, but it IS my goal to give you realistic expectations for yourself and your health!

Amy Walker is a Certified Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise and holds additional certifications through the Cooper Institute of Dallas that include: Nutrition and Dietary Guidance, Special Populations, and the Biomechanics of Resistance Training. Amy owns and operates FitLab Metabolic Services.