Buy Walking VideosBiggest Loser Diet Turns Deadly?
The headline on the National Enquirer was pretty dramatic. It claimed that the Biggest Loser diet had turned deadly. What was going on here?
Paul Marks weighed 303 pounds when he started with The Biggest Loser. He was eliminated back in February and has since had some medical problems.
According to the National Enquirer:
“Paul is fighting for his life. He’s had five surgeries since being voted off the show, and has had a bout with gangrene. And it’s all because of ‘Biggest Loser.'”
Of course, the quote from the show tells another side of the story:
“It is our understanding from sources close to Paul, and from Paul himself, that his doctors believe that losing weight on the show may have saved his life.”
The article doesn’t say WHY Paul had five surgeries and nine inches of his colon and appendix removed. Weight loss alone couldn’t cause a problem like that, could it? He must have had a problem with his colon that was separate from the weight loss. The only other mention of this was a brief interview on TV Guide’s website:
He is really, really sick. In the past two months he’s spent six weeks in the hospital. He’s had ruptured diverticula and he got a colostomy, which got gangrenous. He’s had [several] surgeries.
What do you think? I know that the doctors at The Biggest Loser watch the contestants like hawks and any little thing that happens, they ship the contestants off to the hospital. Do you think the weight loss caused Paul’s sickness?
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May 30th, 2008 at 6:01 am
I think the weight loss probably had nothing to do with why he got sick, but with all of the medical attention he had on the show, it may have been a catalyst for being diagnosed and treated.
May 30th, 2008 at 11:58 am
First, consider the source – the national enquirer. Anything and everything they print is suspect.
Second, I agree with Monica. I was probably found because he was so closely monitored. I don’t think any of those things came on quickly. Sounds like it’s probably been building for years.
Losing weight can kill you!!! Can I have a twinkie then 🙂
June 6th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
The mention of diverticulitus is the likely reason for the surgery and partial removal of his colon. My father had this and 1/3 of his colon was removed in surgery.
This is not a condition which develops overnight and there are several causes of it. One big one that I read about was lack of fiber. Presumably, someone who has not watched their intake for a long period of time would probably not have gotten enough fiber in their diet.
Diverticulitus is a condition where pockets develop on the colon wall, much like bubble wrap. They can rupture, causing internal bleeding and may sometimes be cauterized, but if the damage to the wall is too great, a section is removed. It’s a serious surgery and has a significant heal time (they basically cut open the abdomen to get to the area), but if they’ve caught it, he should be just fine.
The tabloids are always creating sensations; it’s what they exist for. Personally, I prefer “The Weekly World News”; at least it has regular updates on Batboy or the 89 year-old who just became a mother- after a 16-year pregnancy. 😉