Read This: Why former Biggest Loser contestants struggle to stay thin
Why do those who lose a dramatic amount of weight often gain much or all of it back? It’s a question of great interest to the scientific community, and a popular NBC reality show may have some insight into the matter. In a discouraging but nevertheless worthwhile New York Times article, journalist Gina Kolata discusses what researcher Kevin Hall found when he decided to track the progress of contestants from season eight of The Biggest Loser. In the show, contestants embark upon a rigorous program of diet and exercise, sometimes shedding hundreds of pounds in the process. It makes for compelling TV, but the show’s triumphant contestants struggle mightily to maintain their newly svelte forms. The six Loser contestants profiled in Kolata’s article, including season-eight champ Danny Cahill, have all gained some of the weight back, and a few are even heavier than when they started. But viewers should not assume this is due to a lack of discipline or willpower on the part of the contestants, the experts say. It turns out that the human body sabotages weight loss in a number of important ways.