Beginners and Beyond

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Rant: Running on Weight Loss Shows (Read 197 times)

GC100k


    You mean to tell me that people do foolish things on reality television shows?  I'm shocked!

    jamezilla


    flashlight and sidewalk

      I watched that show.  My GF was annoyed because I was hung up on the really fast weight loss...how it's not healthy, not sustainable, unrealistic, etc.  Then they got to the part where she was going to do the marathon.  I was impressed that she got through it.

       

      I think the reason that conventional wisdom is to build slowly into a marathon (or running in general) is so that people don't hate the marathon.  That lady hated that marathon...that was her last marathon.  Most people should be able to get through 26.2 miles.  Really, her pace wasn't much faster than a walking pace.  Would I advise someone to do that...no.  Do I think that most people underestimate what they can accomplish...yes.  All in all, I wouldn't watch the show again.  I'm happy for the lady making her life changes and all, but I wish the show was more of a "how to" than a "how you probably shouldn't".

       

      **Ask me about streaking**

       


      delicate flower

        Did she get a finisher's medal?

        <3

        Love the Half


           I'm happy for the lady making her life changes and all, but I wish the show was more of a "how to" than a "how you probably shouldn't".

           

          Agree 100%.  Unfortunately, "eat less, exercise more" is boring as hell and doesn't make for scintillating television.

          Short term goal: 17:59 5K

          Mid term goal:  2:54:59 marathon

          Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life.  (I started running at age 45).

          jamezilla


          flashlight and sidewalk

             

            Agree 100%.  Unfortunately, "eat less, exercise more" is boring as hell and doesn't make for scintillating television.

             

            It's ironic that a show about weight loss is trying to keep people glued to their seats.

             

            **Ask me about streaking**

             

            FSocks


            KillJoyFuckStick

              Did she get a finisher's medal?

              +1

              You people have issues 

              MrNamtor


                Over on the old forums, we'd occasionally get some guy who was over 200 pounds and wanted to run a sub 5:00 mile without going under 200 pounds and there were plenty of folks who would tell him to prove all of us nattering nabobs of negativism

                 

                hehe, you mean 1 guy. That nut job barefootbandit. Anyway though, i think you might have been wrong about him. He could have done it if he quit smoking. I'm sure quitting smoking would have given him the edge he needed

                   

                  Unfortunately, "eat less, exercise more" is boring as hell and doesn't make for scintillating television.

                   

                  Unless it is "eat less than the amount necessary to sustain human life", and "exercise at a higher level of intensity than the human body was designed to bear".

                  Dave

                  Kittyface


                  Tragic hip

                    Encouraging someone to run a marathon with a torn meniscus, especially when that person has never run farther than 10 miles, is one of the dumbest things I have heard.

                    Buelligan


                      I watched that show.  My GF was annoyed because I was hung up on the really fast weight loss...how it's not healthy, not sustainable, unrealistic, etc. 

                       

                      That's what really bugs me about shows like that, they lose the weight too fast.  It just sets them up for failure in the long run.


                      Hip Redux

                        One of my friends is a producer of that show.  I'll send him along your thoughts on their training program.  Big grin

                         

                        tracilynn


                          I watched that episode and when the trainer told her she was going to run a marathon I immediately thought, "Oh snap I wonder if any of the running forum  RA people are watching this!"

                           

                          She ended up running the first 17 miles without stopping. I think that's pretty awesome for someone whose longest run was only 10 miles. I think she probably still weighed over 200 pounds at that point too.

                          I wouldn't be able to do it and I weight ~75 pounds less than her and have been running longer.  He should have suggested a HM for her.  I wonder how she is doing today?

                          ~~~~~~~

                          Traci

                           

                          Love the Half


                             

                            Unless it is "eat less than the amount necessary to sustain human life", and "exercise at a higher level of intensity than the human body was designed to bear".

                             

                            True enough.  The human body is fairly remarkable.  You can go about a month without food before your body starts eating itself, and by that I mean something other than your fat stores.  Depending on any number of factors, you can survive 6-8 weeks before you succumb to multiple organ failure.

                            Short term goal: 17:59 5K

                            Mid term goal:  2:54:59 marathon

                            Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life.  (I started running at age 45).

                            MrNamtor


                              Any weight loss plan that has a  losing phase and then a separate maintenance phase, or worse a "boot camp" phase and then a separate maintenance phase is doomed to failure in the long run, in my opinion. This is because you've starved your body, and for some reason the body never forgets starvation. You can force yourself to maintain the weight achieved this way for a time, but eventually the body will want compensation.

                               

                              On the other hand the diet and exercise habits you lose weight with are exactly the diet and exercise habits you maintain that weight with. You start eating a certain way and that is the way you eat from then on. So if you weight 180 lbs and you want to be 140 lbs, you eat like a 140 lb person. At 180, this will cause you to lose weight. At 170, you will still be losing weight but the weight loss will slow (because you weigh less and burn fewer calories). Your weight loss will continue, but slow down as you lose weight and eventually stop as you reach your target weight.

                              If you graph the weight loss over time it's basically a parabola with a fairly gentle slope.

                                 

                                survive 6-8 weeks before you succumb to multiple organ failure.

                                 

                                Now THAT sounds like a reality show theme to draw high ratings.

                                 

                                 

                                 

                                On the other hand the diet and exercise habits you lose weight with are exactly the diet and exercise habits you maintain that weight with. You start eating a certain way and that is the way you eat from then on. So if you weight 180 lbs and you want to be 140 lbs, you eat like a 140 lb person. At 180, this will cause you to lose weight. At 170, you will still be losing weight but the weight loss will slow (because you weigh less and burn fewer calories). Your weight loss will continue, but slow down as you lose weight and eventually stop as you reach your target weight.

                                If you graph the weight loss over time it's basically a parabola with a fairly gentle slope.

                                 

                                Sounds more like an exponential decay, or asymptotic function. In which case you will never actually reach 140, you will just keep getting closer & closer. (Sorry I could not help myself, too much time spent helping my 11th grader with math homework.)

                                Dave

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