Balance of Food

Easy for 'The Biggest Loser' to lose on TV

Editor's note: This piece was written shortly after the end of the original TBL. Thought this piece was appropriate in this setting.

As "The Biggest Loser" has come to a close, and Ryan walks off with his $250,000 grand prize, it should also be clear that anyone who loses a bunch of weight can call themselves "The Biggest Loser." Of course, it’s a lot easier to do it when losing weight is your only focus in life.

In watching the 12 contestants on this reality show struggle to lose weight, it was easy to sympathize with their struggles at temptation, exercise, and more temptation. But it would seem from my spot on the couch that losing weight would be easy on a reality show, because all they had to do is exercise and eat well.

Gee, get up. Then eat, then exercise. Rest, exercise, eat lunch. Exercise after lunch. Spend the afternoon doing a challenge, which features exercise. Talk to the camera. Eat dinner, and then exercise more. Go to sleep. Repeat next day.

In the real world, you have to wrestle with deadlines at work, the stress of commuting, and having tasty, high-fat, high-calorie food all around you. Oh, and no $250,000 prize to entice you to do well.

Yes, the contestants were faced with temptations of cupcakes. And plates of their favorite foods. But they had the best weapon to convince them not to eat the treat: cameras broadcasting their behavior. If you eat a donut in real life, nobody will say anything if there are no witnesses.

Perhaps as a concession to this vibe, the show had the final three contestants — Gary and Kelly along with Ryan — spend the last 12 weeks of the contest in the real world. But it was television’s version of the “real world.” There wasn’t a ranch, and yes, they had to worry about the pressures of a job and family. But they still had the $250,000 incentive and the pressure of TV cameras helping them to do well if for nothing else than not to suffer humiliation on national TV.

The glare of the lights of being on TV does add some pressure. What if you had a donut — on TV? When the game started, the 12 were faced with their favorite foods. Ryan, who ended up winning, was the only one who grabbed from the pile. His demon was donuts, which he confessed to eating in the car.

Yet Ryan was the winner, though it seemed like all he did after leaving the ranch was exercise, go to work, and exercise some more. That is not a realistic situation for most people.

The 12 contestants had more subtle, and more effective assistance. One huge advantage for the contestants was being on teams. Having a great support system is vital. On the show, the 12 contestants were divided into the Blue Team and Red Team. Each person had 5 instant teammates who wanted them to lose as much weight as possible.

Many who try dieting in real life do have support systems. But they aren't in your face 24 hours a day, making sure you stick with it. In true reality, we often have people who love us who mean well, but say things like, "Oh, you can have just one." Nobody ever said that at the ranch.

If you don't have a constant in-your-face teammate, you can have a visible sign of what you are trying to do. It could be a picture of the "fat you" in a swimsuit. It could be a picture of clothes you want to wear.

During the penultimate episode, each of the 3 finalists received a ring, with "The Biggest Loser" engraved on the ring. The ring appeared to be a reward for finishing in the Top 3. But it also was a symbol of what they've accomplished, and a reminder of why they shouldn't fall back into their old diet and exercise habits.

The rings were certainly large enough so that when worn, it would be a highly visible reminder that maybe they don't have to eat that donut (though ironically, rings are shaped like donuts).

So if you are going to do it in real life, the good news is “no cameras.” That’s also the bad news. Losing weight in real life is much harder than it is on TV. Yet, when you do it, the reward is much greater. You can follow any diet you want, and rent any exercise video you choose. But ultimately, if you are going to lose weight, you have to find the motivational factor that works best for you. It would help if $250,000 was on the line, but it could come from friends you haven't seen in a long time, praising how you look. Just don’t wait for a game show to come along to help you get started.

Monster Burger can be beaten

Are you looking for a high-protein sandwich in this low-carb era? Well, there’s a new controversial fast-food burger guaranteed to supply you with lots of protein.

As part of its ongoing Thickburger series, Hardee's recently introduced the Monster Thickburger. The sandwich contains two 1/3-pound Angus beef patties, four strips of bacon, three slices of cheese and mayonnaise on a buttered sesame seed bun. It weighs in at 1,420 calories and 107 grams of fat. The MonsterBurger measures 5 inches in diameter and 2 3/4 in. tall (without lettuce, onion, and tomato).

For those who are watching their calorie intake, think of the Monster Burger as one more, albeit yummy, temptation. The contestants on "The Biggest Loser" had large tables filled with stronger temptations than any Monster Burger.

The beauty of being an American is that we have the right to have a "Monster Burger", even if we never order it. Just because the burger exists doesn’t mean you have to order it. And we shouldn’t stop people from ordering it; doing so feels un-American. And after all, a fast-food burger is about as American as you can get.

The backlash to the Monster Burger has been intense. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based advocate for nutrition and health, dubbed the Thickburgers "food porn" and the Monster Burger "the fast-food equivalent of a snuff film." The New York Times actually took time out from the world’s many problems to write an editorial on the burger, calling it “an artery-clogging mountain” and “quite possibly one of the most lethal pieces of food out there.”

It's fascinating to watch Hardee's critics attack the company for marketing the MonsterBurger. The ThickBurgers have been around for awhile without much of a peep, much less getting press from The New York Times. The MonsterBurger was created in the hopes of generating massive publicity.

If the enticement is too strong, and you absolutely have to eat a Monster Thickburger, here are some ways to get through the experience without having a team of paramedics ready at the scene:

The Monster Burger is low-carb.
Given its cascade of protein, the major carb to the sandwich is the bun. You get protein from the beef, bacon, and cheese. Why let all that bread get in the way of the wonderful array of protein?

Don’t worry about the carbs.
Maybe the problem is that there’s too much protein and not enough carbs. Simple: bring extra bread with you and split the burgers between the set of buns. That way, it looks like two huge sandwiches instead of one gigantic sandwich.

You could share it with a friend.
Admittedly, if you divide it in half, you only get 710 calories and 53.5 grams of fat. But you can make up for that deficit by adding on high-fat French fries and a high-calorie soft drink, or even a milkshake. Be sure and do it with a good friend, since each of you will eventually claim that you ate it all by yourself.

You could eat half and save half.
When you tell your friends you ate the whole thing, you don’t have to say how many meals it took to finish it. And you don’t have to worry about your friend ratting you out.

Have just one meal that day.
Sure the burger is a lot of calories, but if it is the only thing you eat all day, you’re doing pretty good.

The burger is a symbol of ideal decadence.
For those on the "pig out one day a week" diet, the Monster Burger is a great way to celebrate your one day to eat. Sure you could have a couple slices of pizza, but they might even have vegetables on it.

You could eat it with a knife and fork.
The beauty of the fast food restaurant is the lack of utensils. Having a knife and fork could ruin the experience. But given the amount of food, a knife and fork might be appropriate. The meal will feel more civilized, and after all, the Monster Burger is a dining experience.

Reduce the fat.
As sacrilegious as this may sound, you could order the sandwich without cheese and mayonnaise. The burger with only bacon would have a lot less fat, and be more manageable to eat. And you might even have room for a salad.