This was shown in a new study, where researchers followed 14 contestants from the eighth season of The Biggest Loser.
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“It is frightening and fantastic”, said Kevin Hall, an expert on metabolism at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. “When it ended, their metabolisms had slowed radically and their bodies were not burning enough calories to maintain their thinner sizes”, according to a news report published by NY Times. The research appears in Monday’s issue of the journal Obesity. While any dieting results in a slower metabolism, their changes were so radical that it became virtually impossible to eat so little that the body could maintain its current weight. In the years since, Cahill has put back on more than 100 pounds, he told The New York Times. “This is a subset of the most successful [dieters]”, Dr. David Ludwig, who was not involved in the study, said of the Biggest Loser findings. Other recent studies have suggested that people’s bodies respond dramatically differently to the same foods.
So although it’s not impossible to keep the weight off once you go through dramatic weight loss it is scary to see that our bodies can be fighting against us afterwards.
All but one of 14 contestants from Season 8 of the TV show gained back most or all of their lost weight in the following six years, the study found, typically despite determined efforts to keep it off through diet and exercise.
For more on the significance of the findings, All Things Considered host Audie Cornish spoke with Dr. Donna Ryan, an obesity researcher and clinician at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La.
The main reason for this is “resting metabolism”, which measures how many calories can be burnt by a person at rest. All, except one, notably regained weight, with four of them becoming even heavier than they were when they first joined the contest.
What do you think about “The Biggest Loser” and this study?
Producers of the show released a written statement responding to the study, saying they “routinely re-evaluate to ensure all contestants receive the best care possible”.
One contestant, Sean Algaier, actually weighs more than the 444 pounds he weighed in with at the 2009 season premiere. The contestants also had lower levels of the hunger-controlling hormone leptin at the end of the show, numbers that never fully go back to what they once were.
When we lose weight and try to keep it off, our body fights back hard.
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In 2008, Vincent lost 112 pounds, going from 234 to 122 pounds as a contestant on the popular NBC show.
