Rachel Frederickson: Did Biggest Loser Win Too Big?

For the past day or so, Rachel Frederickson’s dramatic “Biggest Loser” makeover has been the talk around the water cooler. However, it’s not about how wonderful she looks or wh...
Rachel Frederickson: Did Biggest Loser Win Too Big?
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  • For the past day or so, Rachel Frederickson’s dramatic “Biggest Loser” makeover has been the talk around the water cooler. However, it’s not about how wonderful she looks or whether or not she’s happy to be smaller. A lot of the opinions express concern. Some are even angry at her, the show and the NBC network.

    Frederickson lost an incredible amount of weight—155 lbs. to be exact. There is major concern over this amount since with her 5’4 small frame, the 105 lbs she weighed at the finish was considered terribly underweight.

    Dolvett Quince, the trainer who is credited with helping the woman shed so much weight, has recently spoken out about the major backlash. He asked that concerned onlookers not look at “one slice” of Frederickson’s journey and leap to “broad conclusions”. This did not stop critics from voicing their concerns. One of whom commented on the related Facebook post that, “Perhaps Biggest Loser should look at another way to determine a winner….not by pounds, but by BMI & body fat percentage. One of the other players may have lost less pounds, but perhaps they are healthier.”

    Health is supposed to be the primary point of these weight loss shows, but health experts have their doubts. Carol Wolin-Riklin, the bariatric nutrition coordinator for the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, told LiveScience she was concerned about the methods on the show being counter-productive.

    “They’re taking people who have been inactive and are not in good shape and boom, automatically subjecting them to this stress.”

    Many so-called fitness experts have been roundly criticized for their inefficient methods of approaching obese clients, expecting their bodies to behave in the same manner as thinner clients. There is a reason you should seek medical help and advice before undergoing any new exercise program or diet – such extreme efforts could be seriously harmful or even fatal.

    The “Biggest Loser” has come under fire before regarding the methods in which plus-sized contestants are encouraged to shed pounds. Last year, trainer Jillian Michaels violated the rules by giving caffeine pills to her team to help them lose weight.

    As for Frederickson, her massive weight loss raises concerns about her health and whether or not she will be able to maintain a healthy weight long term. She isn’t too concerned herself.

    She told E! News, “I feel truly alive and just transformed. I couldn’t be more happy, more thankful to get this second chance to take charge of my life again.”

    Image via 1OneMinuteNews

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