Reality shows depict dangerous, extreme weight loss

Medical professionals recommend losing one to two pounds a week in order to avoid medical complications. However, reality television shows routinely depict contestants losing massive quantities of weight in short time periods, and it has many in the medical field concerned. Stephanie Vander Veur, a researcher with the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple, says that dieters who try to copy reality weight loss shows are at risk for quitting or regaining the weight. "People come to programs like ours and lose one to two pounds in a week and they're disappointed; it sets up unrealistic expectations for the general population."
March 9, 2011 | McClatchy-Tribune Wire Service