The Biggest Loser Diet

The Biggest Loser Diet is a diet plan that’s based on the reality TV show named “The Biggest Loser” which features participants who are overweight/obese and shows their weight loss journey.

(No, it’s not for losers!)

How It Works

The biggest loser diet works on a 4:3:2:1 ratio proportion of food. In this, the largest portion, that is, 4, represents fruit and vegetable servings. 3 represents lean protein servings. 2 represents whole grain servings. The additional “1” represents 200 calories of any food you want to eat.

According to this diet, you eat 3 meals per day along with 2-3 snacks throughout the day. During each meal, you need to incorporate one fruit or vegetable. Thus, at the end of the day, 45% of your calories come from carbohydrates contained in fruits, vegetables and grains, 30% of your calories come from protein, and 25% of your calories come from healthy or “good” fats.

The daily caloric requirement shouldn’t exceed 1200-1500 calories.

Moreover, exercising about 60 minutes thrice a week is also recommended. You need to work hard on this diet because it combines exercise with dieting to give you weight loss results!

You’re also encouraged to keep a food journal while you’re on the diet. You should list everything you eat for about 6 weeks while on the diet. This will help you track your food patterns.

You should avoid beverages containing caffeine and stick to water. Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water per day because drinking water boosts your metabolism!

Pros of the Biggest Loser Diet

The Biggest Loser Diet has many advantages, which are listed below:

• No food is off-limits in this diet. There’s a 200-calorie margin everyday for you to fulfil your cravings! This means you won’t crave food.
• It’s great for heart health. It reduces the level of bad cholesterol in your body and increases the level of ‘good cholesterol’ in your body. Thus, it reduces your chance of getting heart diseases.
• It prevents you from getting type 2 diabetes. Exercising and dieting go hand-in-hand to increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin. When your body’s sensitivity to insulin increases, you have a lower chance of getting type 2 diabetes.
• It helps you lose weight!
• It encourages physical exercise, which is great for your overall physical and mental health. Exercising releases endorphins and improves mood, while protecting you from a number of diseases.
• The diet is full of nutrients so you’ll likely get all of your mineral and nutrient requirements from the diet itself and won’t need any supplements.з

Cons of the Biggest Loser Diet

With every dieting plan, there are some associated cons! Here are a few cons of the Biggest Loser Diet Plan:

• It can make you feel tired and fatigued. The intense physical exercise and calorie cutdown required in this diet can make you feel tired and dizzy.
• It’s time consuming to follow. You need to keep a food journal, plan your meals ahead and spend a lot of time exercising. This can be a little too much for those with a busy schedule.
• It involves a major lifestyle change so it may be hard for people to maintain for a long time. You need to change your eating habits and portions in the diet. It can get very hard in the initial few weeks too during the adjustment phase.
• It can lower your metabolism. When your body receives fewer calories than it’s used to, it lowers the metabolism rate to “store” up the food because your body thinks there’s a shortage of food! Thus, if you lose weight very quickly, there’s a chance that you’ll regain some of it back!

However, these cons aren’t that big and the diet is definitely worth a try!

Foods You’re Encouraged to Eat

Although no food is strictly off-limit since an excess of 200 calories is allowed, the diet does focus on eating healthy, wholesome food that provides nutritional value. Here are a few examples:

• Lean protein like chicken and low-fat fish. You can also eat high-fat fish like salmon because it contains a lot of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
• Whole grains
• Low-fat yogurt
• Legumes
• Fruits like apples, pineapples and strawberries
• Vegetables like carrots, cucumbers and other green, leafy vegetables

Foods You Should Avoid

There are certain foods that you should try to avoid completely, although you can have some of them as part of your extra 200 calories per day. Here are certain foods to avoid:

• Processed, sugary food
• Alcohol
• Caffeine

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

I’m allergic to gluten. Can I still follow The Biggest Loser Diet?

Yes, you can still follow The Biggest Loser diet if you’re allergic to gluten. Just go for gluten-free products when you’re choosing the raw materials for your meals!

I am a vegan. Can I still follow The Biggest Loser Diet?

Yes, you can still follow The Biggest Loser diet. Just incorporate vegetable-based protein instead of meat protein.

Can I drink alcohol in this Diet?

Alcohol should be avoided in the diet. However, if you can’t really resist it, you can add 100 calories worth of alcohol in your day, but no more than that.

What kind of exercise am I expected to do?

You should do any sort of exercise that works for you, whether it’s cardio or resistance training. Both have many benefits!

Other Resources

You can also join the Biggest Loser Club online. The membership costs about $40 per month. The club includes a 6-week diet plan, recipes, and workout plan along with an online support system.

Precautions/ Warning

Do not go on the Biggest Loser Diet if you’re pregnant. It may not provide you the calories you need for a healthy pregnancy.

If you have any other medical conditions or metabolic disorders, make sure you consult your doctor before starting this diet!

So, what are you waiting for? Try out The Biggest Loser Diet yourself and see how it goes for you! Stay consistent and work hard to achieve the results you want. After all, no pain, no gain (or in this case, loss), right?