btw, I heard that the first weigh in is not always exactly 7 days after their first weigh in, because:
1. Their starting weights from which all their future weight losses are compared were taken at HOME with their family -- this is probably a few days before the programme begins (the TV company and researchers have to travel up and down the country / all over the UK and Ireland).
3. There might actually be 10 days between their initial weigh in and their first weigh in on the Biggest Loser scales in the studio.
Any contestant who is sharp has an extra few days to start guzzling loads of water / low carbing BEFORE they reach the venue, to shift 10 lbs of glycogen before the programme starts (altho choosing to lose all your glycogen immediately before the show would make attempting the first 5K / 3 mile jog extremely difficult! -- altho for all those who did not do that before reaching "fat camp" they will lose their glycogen stores v.v.v. quickly and also be exercising without glycogen stores from about Day 2 onwards anyway !!!).
I know the biggest loss (of the formerly 32 stone man) of just over 2 stone (was it 2 stone 2 lbs or 2 stone 3 lbs?) looks unbelievable but ....
** Back in mid-2008 i did a VLCD and i did it 100% properly (to start with!) because I had never done one before. After 3 days I had lost 16 lbs (of pure glycogen and water) and after 7 days the scales said I had lost 21 lbs (one and a half stone).
** Therefore I am sure it is technically possible for a man of 32 stone (10 stone above where I was when I started the VLCD) to lose a small amount of fat, plus LOADS of glycogen and water totalling approx 30 lbs.
Obviously for me the VLCD only led to temporary loss followed by the usual, predictable "regain" and not long term change, and I do wonder whether this show promotes "healthy" change or even more fixation (for everyone of all weights -- WLS peeps and non WLS peeps) on extreme crash dieting / mad frantic exercising?
