The NBC reality series "The Biggest Loser" is entering its fifth season, and the franchise is so popular that it airs in 90 countries. I must admit that I have never seen the show, but it seems strange that in a country where 66 percent of adults are overweight and 35 percent are obese that a television program about losing weight would be so popular when we know that TV watching contributes to weight gain. But to be fair, I've heard the show relies on old-fashioned exercise and diet to achieve weight loss, with a good dose of public shaming through televised weigh-ins.

The series has spawned five books (along with DVDs, a clothing line, scales, food logs and an online weight-loss subscription for a fee) and the latest book, "The Biggest Loser Success Secrets" (Rodale, $21.95), was published this spring.

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The cover promises "wisdom, motivation, and inspiration to lose weight and keep it off." It features series contestants giving readers tips that helped them be successful losers.

Readability: The book is part inspiration and part photo album. The first third contains vignettes of the most successful people who have been on the show over the past four seasons (no mention is made of the people who were less successful at weight loss), complete with before and after pictures from rotund to radiant for the men and women. There isn't much content, but it might be fun to look at if you are a fan of the show.

Scientific evidence: The book doesn't pretend to give you the latest scientific theories about weight loss. The advice is nothing new. Sprinkled throughout are "toolbox tips" and include things such as "make sure you always have healthy snacks on hand," "don't eat food out of its original container ... measure out your portion and place it on a plate" and "try to put more lifestyle activity into your day." Nothing that we haven't heard a hundred times before.

Extras: There aren't a lot of extras — no recipes, no exercise plans, no calorie counting (probably because the series sells other books on those very topics). However, my favorite part was the collection of 10 easy low-cal desserts. There were a few new ones on the list that might help satisfy your sweet tooth.

Top tip: Rethink your goal weight. Many people have unrealistic weight-loss goals — not every woman will be (or should be) a size 2 and not every man will look like a Men's Health cover boy after weight loss.

Unless you're a die-hard fan of the show, say goodbye to this book. You can get most of this information for free on the show's Web site.