What Is the Biggest Loser Diet?

The whole point of "The Biggest Loser" television show is to lose large amounts of weight as fast as possible, through both a low-calorie diet and a lot of exercise. This makes for great TV, but outside the strictly regulated environment of the Biggest Loser Ranch, it may not be as effective. Let's take a closer look at the principles of the diet.

Background

"The Biggest Loser" first aired on TV in 2004. It continued for 17 seasons until early 2016. Each season featured 12 to 16 contestants who lived together and competed to see who could lose the most weight by the season's end. To achieve this dramatic weight loss, the participants ate a strictly portion- and calorie-controlled diet and exercised a lot—sometimes for hours a day.

How It Works

The main premise of the Biggest Loser diet is calorie restriction, which is achieved by limiting the amount and kinds of foods included. The diet has its own "food pyramid," called the 4-3-2-1 pyramid. It stands for

• 4 servings of fruits or vegetables
• 3 servings of protein
• 2 servings of whole grains
• 1 "extra" of no more than 200 calories

What to Eat

Fruits, Vegetables, Beans, and Nuts

The diet recommends four servings of fruits and vegetables per day, with three as part of meals and the fourth as a snack. Beans and nuts are good sources of protein and fiber.

Lean Protein

On this diet, you'll eat three servings of protein a day, one at each meal. These should be lean sources, such as grilled chicken or fish.

Whole Grains

This diet limits carbs and calories by reducing whole grains to two servings per day. Whole grains serve up more nutrients and fiber than refined carbohydrates, which is why those refined carbs are not included in the diet.

Low-Fat Dairy Products

Dairy products could count as one or two of the protein servings you get in a day on this diet, but low-fat versions are required.

Caffeine

The Biggest Loser diet recommends avoiding caffeine completely. Since it can increase heart rate, caffeine doesn't pair well with strenuous exercise.

Alcohol (in Excess)

People on this diet can choose to use their 200 "extra" calories on an alcoholic drink, as long as they choose that drink wisely.

Recommended Timing

Eating several times throughout the day may help you feel more full. The Biggest Loser diet allows for three meals and two snacks per day. They are all small portions, but have protein and/or fiber to help defeat hunger.

Recommended Products

The Biggest Loser franchise encompasses dozens of books and workout DVDs, and even a resort where you can stay and live the Biggest Loser program in real life.

Modifications

If you have a particular dietary need or preference, such as vegetarian or gluten-free, it's relatively easy to adapt the Biggest Loser diet to work for you.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Nutrition

The Biggest Loser diet does not cut out any major foods or food groups. Everything is included, so with careful planning (to account for portion size and calorie count), those on this diet should be able to get the nutrients they need. This will mean choosing nutrient dense foods, like the whole grains, lean proteins, and vegetables that are recommended.

Resources

No special foods are required, but help in following this diet is readily available. The Biggest Loser Resort has a website with recipes and tips, and you can find books, cookbooks, food journals, exercise videos and fitness equipment for sale. You can even watch old episodes of the TV show if you find that motivating. But you also don't have to use these tools if you don't feel they benefit you.

Exercise

The need for exercise sets this diet apart from many others. While exercise is always a good idea, especially if you are trying to lose weight, this diet makes it a requirement. The Biggest Loser books suggest following the diet for six weeks and include exercise plans for those six weeks as well.

The Biggest Loser diet is based on smart weight-loss principles and is readily accessible. But it is not for everyone.

Restricted Calories and Fat

Some Biggest Loser diet menus totaled just 1100 calories per day, with only 12 to 16 percent of those calories from fat. Both of these figures are low—probably too low to be either healthy or sustainable, especially if you are adding in a lot of exercise for the first time. Diets which are very low in fat are also less optimal, as your body needs fat to run well. In this diet, the fat is mostly replaced with protein, rather than carbohydrate, which is an improvement over a usual low-fat diet.

Lowered Metabolism

Any time you lose weight, your body needs fewer calories than it did at your prior weight. So you have to get used to eating less to maintain your weight. Sometimes, especially if you lose weight quickly (as is the goal with this diet), it's easy to lapse and regain that weight right back.

How It Compares

The Biggest Loser diet made for great drama on TV, but in real-life practice it is a fairly simple concept that is similar to other weight-loss plans.

USDA Recommendations

Variety

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate guidelines suggest getting a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and low-fat dairy products. This is similar to the Biggest Loser diet's recommendations.

Calories

The USDA suggests a basic figure of 2000 calories per day for weight maintenance, although this number varies based on age, sex, weight, and activity level. For weight loss, the USDA suggests cutting up to 500 calories per day. The Biggest Loser diet generally goes beyond that number. A healthier (but perhaps slower) way to lose weight is to use this calculator to determine your daily calorie need for weight loss.

Similar Diets

Like other diets, the Biggest Loser diet creates a calorie deficit designed to bring on weight loss. Then it revs up that deficit with extra exercise.

Biggest Loser Diet

• Nutrition: This diet includes all major food groups, and its 4-3-2-1 pyramid may help users shift their daily menus to a healthier mix.
• Resources: Books, recipes, and workout videos are readily available, and so are compliant foods (you won't need special ingredients, foods, or supplements).
• Sustainability: Especially as depicted on the TV show, the Biggest Loser diet would be very difficult to sustain. The franchise's resort stays and the plans outlined in its books are also short-term solutions. But you could use the Biggest Loser diet to kick off a weight-loss plan, and then modify it (by increasing calories and fat) to make it a longer-term option.

Low-Calorie Diet

• Nutrition: Like the Biggest Loser diet, a low calorie diet includes all major food groups—and requires a conscious shift to more nutrient-dense foods.
• Resources: You'll need a journal or app to track calories. These are usually free, easy to find, and simple to use.
• Sustainability: If you go too far in restricting calories, this diet will be challenging to stick with. But if you can find the number of calories that works for you, and the right foods to get them from, you can eat this way indefinitely.

Jenny Craig

• Nutrition: Jenny Craig meals are designed to be nutritionally balanced. You can also supplement them with fruits and vegetables, which encourages you to eat plenty of these nutritious options.
• Resources: The Jenny Craig plan takes care of the planning and preparation of many of your meals, so there's less food tracking and calorie counting. Of course, this comes at a cost (about $20 a day for meals, plus membership fees).
• Sustainability: While you are on the plan, there is support built in to help you learn to change your diet for the long haul. So while you probably would not want to continue paying for Jenny Craig for years, you could try to stick with its main principles of calorie control and lots of veggies on your own.

Weight Watchers

• Nutrition: Instead of calories, people using Weight Watchers track SmartPoints. These are assigned so that lower-calorie, nutrient-rich foods (such as vegetables and lean proteins) have very low point values. That encourages users to eat a nutritionally balanced diet that is also lower in calories.
• Resources: Weight Watchers has an app, a website, and in-person meetings to help users change their lifestyle and lose weight.
• Sustainability: The cost is approximately $20 a month. But users who reach their goal weight and then maintain it can become lifetime members for free.

A Word From Verywell

For most people, this diet would not be sustainable, as after a while hunger will assert itself forcefully into the equation. Low-calorie diets tend to set people up for failure in the long run. At the very least, the number of calories should be customized to the individual.

Still, the Biggest Loser diet could be the basis for a workable diet, especially for the way it introduces the importance of portion control and exercise. Anyone who tries it and has difficulty may wish to supplement it with health fats, such as avocado, nuts, olive oil, coconut oil and flax seeds.