I spent most of yesterday switching between football and a Biggest Loser (BL) season 2 marathon. I had never watched BL before and it was fascinating. Those folks were amazing and virtually every one of them looked like an entirely different person--really great. Of course, they make a point of saying it's all due to diet and exercise; no WLS or "gimmicks."

I've lost >100 pounds four or five (can't remember) times in my life and have NEVER kept it off. As soon as I reach a certain point, thinkgs turn around and I start gaining. Ugh! It's not hard for me to gain 5+ pounds in a week when I am in regain mode. I wish I could maintain like the BL people do, but I just can't and it's so frustrating because I am usually able to accomplish things I set out to do. Anybody watch that show? Do you think they actually stay thin? If so, how do they do it? I'm willing to work hard and am counting on my band to give me the extra help I need to finally be successful.

Jim - I love the show! I do think it's great that they are showing the participants further down the road. I've yo-yo'd several times after a big loss and that is truly my biggest motivation for choosing the band.

I DVR'd all of the episodes and plan to save some of them for after I'm banded. They are truly motivating.

Good luck next week - I just started my pre-op diet today, surgery on 1/16. Will look forward to hearing how it goes.

<p>Jim,</p> <p> </p> <p>I'm a big fan of the show. I've watched each season. Recently they had a "Did they keep the weight off reunion". I'm here to tell you that I don't believe any of them kept off everything that they lost. The guy that won last year put back on 30-40lbs. You could see it in his face. Overall though, they did look good and none of the ones that were on the reunion show went back to their beginning weight. I don't know about the ones that didn't appear...hmmmm???</p> <p> </p> <p>Shontay</p>

I like the show too and I have also wondered how many of them keep the weight off. I loved the show where a group of people walked across country to lose weight. I hope it comes back on. Donna

I think I might be addicted to watching the Biggest Looser! Hahah. Usually I sit there watching it, thinking "If I got up off this couch and moved my butt for the hour it was on, maybe I wouldn't be so fat!" Anyways, I sit and cry as I see how they transform their bodies. It is truly amazing to me. I really dont know the statistics as to how much of the weight they keep off. It sure would be interesting to know.

OMG CallMeJim! I totally got sucked in too on New Year's Day. I couldn't stop watching.

They all looked amazing. I wish I could go away for 3 months and work on nothing but myself like they did.

I did read an article online that most do not stay where they are at the weigh in. They work so hard those final 5 months to get the $$ plus are going on national tv in a competition.

BUT, the ones they interviewed did not gain it all of it back, usually just 30-40 lbs similar to the ones on the reunion show k2k07 saw.

I know it isn't "normal" to lose weight the way they do but I love to watch it anyway. The BBC America had on a show where 2 women who were a size 12 UK (8 US) try to get down to a "00" or US size 0-2 because apparently that is all the rage in the hollywood set.

One woman after 4 weeks was binging and purging and the other was crying all the time. But the crying woman made it but hated how she felt so immediately went back to normal. I have struggled with my weight but have thankfully never developed a real eating disorder. But all the emotions the women were going through made me think of this board too. Sometimes I think I could easily get there (crying because you only lost 1 lb this week) and some of my fellow bandsters too.

Now that I have veered totally off topic. . .love the biggest loser:-))))))

I'm also a big Biggest Loser fan. I actually only got into it recently. I watched the marathons from the previous seasons and I followed this past season and I recorded last weeks and I'm recording next week's to watch while I'm recovering.

The ones who stay at the campus get to spend 3-4 months getting nutritional and medical advice constantly so they get a real education. But like everyone else said, a lot of them do gain weight back. One of the final contestants even said that at the finale that they all have the fear that they will be like 90% of people who regain weight that they lost with dieting. She said she hopes they're the 10%. I would hope that even if they did gain some weight back that they would never go back to their original weights because they spent so much time and effort trying to learn about a healthy way of living.

One of the seasons, a person from every US state was represented. 14 were on the show and the rest had a challenge to lose weight at home. So the winner from that was a woman who lost 50% of her body weight. She was like 5ft tall and started at like 230lb and got down to like 110 or something. I saw a clip of her on a talk show saying that the weight at the finale is a "competition weight" and that she did gain like 10 pounds back, which is a more comfortable weight for her to be at.

The show doesn't make me depressed that I'm having surgery to help me lose weight. I'm really happy for those that go on the show and lose it that way, and I'm happy for myself for the way I've chosen to help me lose the weight.