The 'Biggest Loser''s competitive weight loss approach may be entertaining, but it is certainly not a healthy precedent for weight loss.

The Biggest Loser- A Bad Example For Weight Loss

Over the past several years weight loss themed reality shows like ‘The Biggest Loser’ have become increasingly popular but are such shows really helping promote weight loss and a healthy lifestyle? In the ‘Biggest Loser’ the objective is of course to have the contestants lose as much weight as possible and has made these goals very much a matter of entertaining the public rather than trying to show healthy and realistic methods for long term weight loss that anyone can apply.

Weight Loss Is Only Effective When Done Slowly

The benchmarks are ridiculously unrealistic and for that matter, dangerous. Much is made over the fastest 100 pound weight loss- some poor soul lost that much in seven weeks, whereas in my two decades of helping people lose weight long term it takes at least nine to twelve months to lose that much weight safely and keep it off. The most weight lost in a week on the show was 34 pounds, which while may make for compelling television viewing, sends a really bad message to the public in terms of weight loss as studies have shown that individuals who lose weight quickly run the risk of gallstones, mineral deficiencies, loss of muscle tissue and reduced bone density. The safe rate of one to two pounds of weight loss per week might help someone stay healthy and keep the weight off long term, but it would only get them kicked off the show for not losing weight fast enough.

Competitive Weight Loss Sends A Potentially Harmful Message To The Public

Many of my colleagues in both the personal training, nutrition and medical fields agree that the idea of competitive weight loss is a dangerous one that does little to educate the public on how to lose weight safely and effectively. In my own personal training practice I have always been steadfastly against the use of Before and After photos in my marketing campaigns as it sets the stage for highlighting unrealistic weight loss figures and takes away the importance of the individual focusing on achieving their own goals through lifestyle modification rather than trying to make the numbers on the scale go down.

The Dangers Of Too Much Too Soon

Needless to say there have been hospitalizations on the show- and numerous instances where contestants suffer cramps, exhaustion and stress fractures from the high workloads. This type of programming isn’t inspirational, its voyeuristic- watching someone who is significantly obese try to complete strenuous exercise activities and work out five to six hours a day while following remarkably restrictive diets. It also sets the stage for the idea that to lose weight you need to do extreme things like exercise every day for hours on end while starving yourself while studies are increasingly showing that you can actually make more progress following low volume high intensity training which calls for no more than a half hour of exercise a week.

The Biggest Loser Is An Unrealistic Portrayal Of Weight Loss In Real Life

But there is another side of ‘The Biggest Loser’ that most viewers don’t see. The screening process alone requires that potential contestants camp out for hours on end in line for a chance to audition for the show. Being able to spend eight hours in line for anything is more than most would attempt but it ensures that the contestants, while obese are far more determined than most members of the general population. They are further screened to make sure that there is a ‘Wow factor’ by choosing contestants that are truly obese. It wouldn’t be half as entertaining to watch someone that was 10 or twenty pounds overweight on the show and so they opt for most of the contestants to be severely obese.

Fast Weight Loss Is Seldom Long Lasting & Potentially Dangerous

Research has shown definitively that if you lose weight and then regain it you significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Many former Biggest Loser contestants have regained some or all of their weight and it isn’t surprising given the unrealistic amount of exercise and the severity of the diets. No one takes into consideration the fact that these individuals actually made their health problems worse by going through such an extreme weight loss process as entertainment, cleverly packaged to look like it is meant to be some form of public service is the end goal at all cost.

I have seen for myself more and more people feeling like they are failures since their weight loss isn’t as fast or as spectacular as the contestants on the ‘Biggest Loser’ and I have to constantly remind them that weight loss more of a marathon than a sprint and that their modest losses of one to two pounds a week is not only phenomenal but safe, healthy and more likely to be permanent. If you want information on weight loss, you don’t turn on the television in prime time and you have to keep in mind that entertainment is just that no matter how well packaged it is. At the end of the day slow and steady wins the race, without starvation diets and without spending hours every day exercising to exhaustion.

Kevin Richardson is the creator of the Naturally Intense High Intensity 10 Minute Workouts and one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and the founder of the Naturally Intense System of Diet & Exercise™. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here!

The end of the year is upon us, and I thought, what better way to recap all the great health and fitness related articles covered in the blog this year than by having a bit of a quiz. I invite everyone to take the fitness test and see just how much you know about health and fitness.

Healthy eating with kids! I think one of the main concerns of people with kids is how do you eat healthy in a household where the kids eat all sorts of unspeakable junk foods. The answer is simple- you cook for them, and work at it long enough and hard enough that they don’t feel a need to have a can of soda or stop by McDonalds. The key is to start young and lead by example. It’s a lot of work, but in the end the rewards of having a healthy household where the kids eat well and don’t feel like they are missing out on anything is priceless. By popular demand, here is a repost of one of our most popular blog posts on the subject: A morning in our household with the kids. Enjoy! Kevin Richardson, Founder of the Naturally Intense System of Diet & Exercise.

  Healthy Eating With Kids

Making Breakfast & Getting 5 Kids to School

It’s Monday, the end of the weekend and the beginning of the mad hundred meter dash that is the work week. I wake up promptly at 6 am, amidst the snoring of a sleeping household. The kids are still asleep and my (far) better half is still in dream world as well after a long night with the newest member of the Richardson family. Lucien is 8 weeks old, so we are still in the red-eyed stage and stumbling over ourselves as his highness wakes up every two to three hours to feed, (which is not too different from how his dear old dad eats, although I prefer to do so during conventional waking hours.) Seeing as everyone is asleep, I take the time to enjoy the silence and as I begin my morning routine.

With five kids in the house these moment are few and far between so I always try to make the most of it whenever I can. I start getting breakfast ready. Many have asked me if my family eats the way that I prescribe as the founder of the Naturally Intense System of Diet & Exercise and the answer is a resounding ‘Yes!” This is indeed a Naturally Intense household and I have always ensured that the kids eat as healthy as possible. I am also blessed in that my significant other has been eating in accordance with the Naturally Intense guidelines for over 5 years before were even dating-so everyone is very much onboard! That being said, I don’t believe in prescribing to others what they should and should not eat as I think that with so many couples it ends up being a source of discord and I think it a bit disrespectful. Stephanie was originally a Naturally Intense personal training client many, many moons ago in addition to being a senior member of the martial arts school that I run, and she has always adhered to the eating principles on her own (which is how the dietary component is supposed to work in the first place). Thus it always made eating at home and eating out really easy for both of us. (Yes, we do eat out and you can check out the Healthy NYC Restaurant Guides if you don’t believe me).  I call breakfast time at the Richardson residence punch in time for my first shift as a short order cook, as each of my little ones have their own particular tastes and preferences. So it isn’t uncommon that I end up cooking 4 different meals for each of them, in addition to what Steph and I will eat as well.

Healthy Eating With Kids- The Munchkins Wake Up

By 6:30 am the munchkins are waking up, bleary eyed and hungry, and I take the orders as they file into the living room to watch Nickelodeon Junior, much to the chagrin of my 14 year old who protests that he never gets to see the BBC News in the morning. I remind him that life isn’t fair and that the 4 year old, the 5 year old and the 6 year old outnumber him, and have been showing signs of feral pack activity recently so he’d better endure a few minutes of Sponge Bob if he knows what’s good for him. He has been humbled by the horde before so he sheepishly submits. So here are the orders for today, Indi, my daughter and future president of a yet undisclosed developing country wants 6 boiled eggs some oatmeal and some strawberries, and I fire up the stove to start it up. (She might be small- but she eats a big breakfast just like Daddy!) My step-son, Paolo (the intellectual) wants white rice and scrambled eggs, while Reid (the muscle of the group) wants rice as well, but with tuna fish (he isn’t too big on eggs these days) . My 14 year old wants oatmeal, with raisins an orange and some eggs. He likes his scrambled whereas boychild number 3 prefers his in omelet form. Thank goodness the youngest of the bunch is breast fed! But he’ll have his orders in soon as well. While juggling all this in the kitchen, I am also getting lunch ready for the little ones as I don’t put much faith in the school lunches and they really like it when they have a home cooked meal at school.

Healthy Eating With Kids-Making Lunch For The Kids As Well

 Today is their lucky day, as I am cooking up a dish of rice, peas and beef, a universal favorite with all of the kids! I have always done my best to cook great tasting meals not just for me, (I am quite the connoisseur if I do say so myself) but for the kids. It only takes a bit of imagination and a small investment of time, but having kids that not only eat well but prefer to eat well as a rule is a priceless return on that investment. Anyway, on to breakfast, which for me is a large bowl of old-fashioned oatmeal, (Steph likes adding some raisins to hers, but I prefer mine plain or with some coconut tossed in). Since I was already cooking in the kitchen I am also having some mahi-mahi that I cooked with a teaspoon of olive oil. I always have some fruit for breakfast, (I try to eat them as they come into season as opposed to eating the same thing day in day out.) The oranges were especially good so I am having one from the bunch.

A small omelette with thyme, onions and a touch of black pepper tops off the feast. The Naturally Intense mantra has always been, ‘Breakfast like a king’ and I certainly follow my own advice! The television is turned off (with some groans, of course!) as we all sit around the table for our breakfast. It is important for us that eating be an activity in and of itself, not something we do while watching TV as the conversations and interaction are an important part of being a family. After breakfast comes the mad rush to wash dirty faces, have teeth brushed, put on clothes, pack lunches and get the kids in the car for the drop offs. The oldest goes by school bus, but it is quite a challenge getting the others all to school on time. After the customary fight over who gets to use the Spiderman toothbrush, and the mandatory wardrobe changes that the little ones go through before selecting an ensemble suitable for them to be seen in public wearing, we are off!

 Continued in A Day In Our Naturally Intense Life Part 2

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Visionary NYC personal trainer, internationally renowned natural bodybuilder and fitness expert, Kevin Richardson lives in Brooklyn with his wonderful family and 2 cats! Get a copy of Kevin’s free award winning weight loss ebook here!

Naturally Intense Personal Trainer NYC Reviews 

Very often when asked about the feasibility of a system based on 10 minute workouts, many people have a bit of healthy skepticism, that’s why today I would like to show some of the Naturally Intense  Personal Trainer Reviews NYC. Naturally Intense™ NYC personal training clients regularly commute from as far away as Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Boston. Some fly in from as far away as Canada & the Cayman Islands just to experience the Naturally Intense System of Diet & Exercise™ and over the past 18 years of its existence, it has truly cemented its place as an effective method of not only body transformation, but lifestyle change as well for everyone- whether you are an elite athlete, bodybuilder or model or someone simply looking to get into better shape or lose some weight.

Here are some of our Naturally Intense Personal Trainer NYC Reviews, thanks for reading:

 
“I’ve lost over 100lbs using this system, and I can hardly stop telling everyone how well it works! You owe it to yourself to give it a try!” Virginia M. (Read Virginia’s Case Study On How She Lost Over 100 lbs here!)

“Compassion. Dedication. Perseverance! I get so much from working out with Kevin,the training and the diet, and what I have learned over the past year and a half has completely transformed my body! I am so grateful! Thanks, Kevin!” -Trisia T.

 “At age 53, I had been gaining 2 lbs. per year and I could do the math — I didn’t like how I was going to look or feel in 10 – 20 years! So, I started working out with Kevin for 10 minute sessions 2-3 times a week, and within months got my weight down and started to feel stronger. Kevin helped me build up the muscles around my joints so that I rarely had pain anymore from bending, lifting and gardening. He put me on the right path for healthy aging, with a good diet and workout schedule.“- Mindy S.

“A full workout in 10 minutes, not possible! Right? WRONG! A short, focused, and intense workout with Kevin always leaves me exhausted, spent, and looking forward to the next session. It’s a joyful and exhilarating feeling as I try to push through my personal limits and the impossible becomes possible. Kevin’s knowledgeable and informed suggestions about my diet are helping me to drop all those unwanted pounds and it’s great to finally learn from such an experienced and personable expert who not only talks the talk but also walks the walk.” – Tony O

“I can’t say enough about the uniqueness and exceptional quality of Kevin’s services. As a non-jock who has always been gym phobic and never had a particularly great experience with a trainer (although I’ve tried several), I found Kevin extraordinary in every respect. The first time I called him to inquire about his services, he spent an hour answering my questions.  When you work with him, you feel his full attention and as if your are the only person in the world he is focused on.  He has helped me discover at age 61 the capacity to build strength and fitness I didn’t have at 30.” – Bill B.

“Kevin is so amazingly supportive and the workouts are so short, efficient and effective that is hard to talk yourself out of your workout if it only lasts for ten minutes! It is so great to not have to spend hours a week at the gym and it works!” -Alana W.

“I dedicated myself to meet with Kevin 3 times a week for his short, yet extremely intense amount of time (10 minute workouts that you have to see to believe!). I agreed to follow everything he suggested in terms of diet and nutrition and I had it in my mind that I would give it 8 weeks. Five months later I never looked better and I feel great. I owe my newly found motivation to and body to Kevin. Thanks, Kevin for making my dreams a reality!” -Kim S. (Read Kim’s full testimonial here)

“Kevin Richardson is the bomb! He is helpful, informative and he never gives up on you and never lets you give up. I have been working out with him for 8 months and only one day a week for 10 min and following the food plan. I have lost 30 lbs and gone down about 3 clothing sizes! I feel energetic and very strong. All of this starting 5 weeks after a major surgery. Thanks Kevin”- Tia H.

For more Naturally Intense Personal Trainer NYC Reviews please feel free to visit our testimonial pages here and be sure to take a look at some of our Naturally Intense Success Stories here!

The myth of spot reduction

It is a widely held belief that if you exercise one area, it will make the fat go away. I am often told that a personal training client wants to work their arms more or their stomach or butt more since those are their trouble areas and they want to focus on losing as much fat there as possible. Go to any gym and you will see people on the ab and butt machines for hours at a time, day in and day out. But try as you may it will make no difference in terms of fat reduction. Spot reduction, you see is simply a myth and is no more a possibilty than being able to turn lead into gold.

When you work a muscle- it has absolutely no direct effect on the fat that surrounds it. For example- if I had a big gut and worked my abs every day, it wouldn’t do anything to reduce the fat around my waist, only to strengthen and develop the muscles lying underneath. In fact, my experience has been over the years that many people end up with even biger stomachs from working their abdominal muscles too much. Muscles get bigger and thicker as a natural response to increased workloads and so many end up building big blocky abdominal muscles which do nothing but push the fat around them out even more! Unlike what most call show muscles like your arms and shoulders, few of us want bigger abs- the look most seek is a sleeker and tigher midsection, and training your ab muscles day in and day out is not always the best way to get it. The same rules apply to every other muscle in your body from your hips to your glutes, you can work them as much as you want, but you are not going to do anything about the fat around them unless you exercise correctly (which requires moderation and in most cases the assistance of an experienced professional personal trainer), and most importantly- you eat properly.

You lose fat pretty evenly throughout your body, be it from an increase in muscle mass from a properly executed weight training program and adherence to diet, (which will result in long term fat loss) or a caloric deficit from major dietary shifts and increased energy expenditure from significant amounts of exercise (which will make you lose weight, but only temporarily). In either case you will always see the fat loss mostly in the areas where you have the least fat to start with. So if you naturally have a high concentration of fat in in your lower abdominal area, (as is the case for most people- both men and women) that will will be the place that you notice the fat loss the least. That is not to say at all that you are not losing fat in that area, but if since there is more fat in that region of your body, it will appear that you are not losing as much in that area. You will however see fat loss faster in areas where there is less fat, which explains why you will always see a change in your face and lower arm areas when you being to lose fat before anywhere else.
Genetics does play a role in this as does gender. In my experience as well over the years some people are simply predisposed to having low fat concentrations in certain areas. I know of several women that naturally have well defined abdominals- but  have big problems getting the fat around their legs and hips under control. The bottom line is that you work the entire body to reduce fat everywhere and as time goes on, you will see those trouble spots going away slowly but surely! Remember, fat loss is always a marathon, not a sprint- so take your time and don’t try to rush it!

Kevin Richardson is one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City, a prominent health and fitness writer and the founder of the Naturally Intense System of Diet & Exercise™- a system designed to help you do everything from lose weight to build muscle using 10 minute workouts.