Biggest Loser or Biggest Winner? Do Tell!
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I’ve just read four fitness blogs on the subject of the TV show “The Biggest Loser”… shamelessly, I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and see if my readers were willing to have their say… could you please post your comments?
Personally, I don’t watch much TV, sorry if that offends anyone but it is not on my priority list of things to do. That being said, I often find myself “socially challenged” when people ask me if I have seen a particular show.
Because of the work I do, “The Biggest Loser” is one show that pops up frequently in my conversations with people.
If you are clueless, this reality show now in its’ eighth season, showcases obese people struggling to lose weight in the name of ratings and big money. The contestants are whipped into shape in warp speed, with weight-loss exercise and nutrition programs, as their personal trainer Jillian Michaels screams abusive remarks at them.
The contestant who losses the most weight wins 1/4 million-dollars… and audiences all over the world love to come and watch.
Fitness professionals are highly concerned about the methods of training used on the program. Very sedentary, de-conditioned and obese individuals are put into physical situations that are way too dangerous for them… sprints, one-mile beach runs, joint-risking high impact moves, over-training as many as 6 hours each day, to the point of vomiting and passing out, and more than one person ending up in the hospital, certainly not a training session I would want on my watch.
If that were not enough, the contestants are yelled at by Ms. Michaels, with gratuitous profanity, humiliating them about their size and physical condition, making them feel badly about their ability, bullying them and bringing down their self-esteem.
Most trainers are not supporting this unsafe training and work ethic, and are highly suspect of the contestants ability to maintain their weight for the long term.
This treatment is not empowering to anyone especially over-weight people who may already have issues of self-worth. When positive supporting environments have already been a proven method of success in treating the over-weight and obese, what impact do you think a very popular show like The Biggest Loser could have on the obesity epidemic?
Does it give an unrealistic view of what is necessary to lose weight, to the point of why bother trying? Will it discourage those who are losing a safe 1/2 pound to 2 pounds a week they are not doing a good job unless they work out 4-6 hours a day?
The argument in favor of the show is it gives hope to people who struggle with weight because the contestants achieve rapid physical and emotional transformations. It suggests that people need to be pushed with “tough love” even if it involves tough work to overcome their food addiction.
It certainly offers a support group and accountability, although not in a positive or safe environment. It does make a case that hard work and proper nutrition will pay off. For some, maybe it is inspiring because the show is so emotionally charged. Do you think it will cause more people to take action, or to lose hope…“If only that were me?”
What do you think… Exploitive TV? Inspirational? Unrealistic?
If you watch the show or if you have any thoughts… I’d love it if you would kindly post your comments.
I am glad to have Lauren in my life helping me improve my 54 year old body. With her help I have lost 28 pounds, have built muscle and tone and i am feeling energetic and healthy. It’s a continuous and slow process but it works!
Oh Lauren..Tuff subject. I for one used to LOVE the show…I watched it always… I was always so thrilled to see the amazing transformation of people. I still am amazed to see a person able to transform their body…just as I am still trying to transform mine. There in itself lies a big problem. WHEN do you finally reach your goal? Do you ever? Isn’t that a scarey thought all in itself because..what happens when you do reach your “GOAL”? Do you just stop what you have been doing…. you go back to your old eating habits…you stop that rigorous exercise schedule that has gotten you to where you wanted to be? Then what? We all know what happens then… Myself like many… you find yourself suddenly fooling yourself into thinking.. OK.. GREAT… Goal accomplished…now i can just sit back and relax for the rest of my life… YES? NO… big NO! You know what you do when you reach your goal? You set another GOAL and then another and another..and you find yourself suddenly challenging yourself in ways you never imagined but at the same time… you are so amazed at what you are accomplishing… YES… YOU are accomplishing goals you never imagined.. WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU EVER WANT TO STOP? We all know what happens to most of those people on the biggest loser. Sure…they lose weight while they are being yelled out and being pushed to do things they never thought they could…but once time passes.. sadly..they are right back to where they began. It is so sad and disheartening… I think that itself is the main reason most people set themselves up for ‘failure’ and never give themselves the real chance to succeed by realizing how important it is to CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE! EMBRACE feeling GOOD. EMBRACE the changes you are able to transform your body into. It’s not supposed to happen overnite.. IF it did.. YOU would miss the best PART.. THEY JOURNEY… THOSE AMAZING PROUD MOMENTS you accomplish each and every day that just makes you want to shout out loud.. DID YOU SEE WHAT I JUST DID!!! Give yourself the chance to not only LOOK BETTER and LIKE WHAT YOU SEE IN THE MIRROR.. but cherish yourself enough to want to take care of yourself.. to just FEEL GOOD… So many people have no idea what it is like to just REALLY FEEL GOOD! They are so adapted to feeling sluggish and lazy.. and bloated and tired and miserable just walking.. THEY have no idea what it is like to jump out of bed in the morning… run up the stairs because you forgot something instead of dreading that slow, aching climb… DO IT FOR YOU…IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU and how you want to spend your life… FEELING GOOD… enjoy the path to a healthier lifestyle.. reveling in feats you only imagined or never even imagined? It’s a slow process… but such a rewarding one. One day you are oogling somebody else because of how they look…and before you know it.. somebody is coming up to you remarking on how incredible YOU look… JUST let the MAGIC HAPPEN… embrace all that you can be! Ask yourself… “IF NOT NOW… WHEN?” i say… start NOW… don’ t wait for WHEN.. haven’t you already waited long enough? Sorry Lauren.. as always… I get carried away…
xoLisa
Atlanta, GA
I weighed 212 lbs on my 49th bday. I am celebrating my #52 tomorrow on 9/28…and I can proudly say … I weight 135 lbs..and better than that.. I FEEL SO DAMN GOOD!
Happy Birthday Lisa… and many more! Now there’s a show… “The Longest Maintainer” You could be on that one Lisa, and doesn’t that feel good!
Thanks Lauren so very much! You inspire all of us… I appreciate that!
xoL
Lauren,
I have watched the show but never the entire season. My initial observation was that people were losing weight but it always seemed unrealistic to me. Who could exercise 6 hours a day? I also never understood what they were eating and who was preparing it for them. Were they learning anything about food or just being denied anything “bad”? How could they keep this up since they were going home without their trainer and accountability partners? I noticed quickly that there were only a few (maybe even just one) contestant that were highlighted after the end of the season as having lost even more weight and also keeping it off. What happened to the rest of them? I was not aware that the trainers were rude to the contestants. I have seen them really pushing them. Maybe some of them learned some discipline (which was obviously missing) while on the show.
It is amazing to me how many people watch the show as it teaches the audience nothing about training, weight loss or proper diet. There are millions of dollars made around these 12 people with no real value to anyone else and most likely no long term value to many of the contestants either. To be “booted off” in front of your partners and general public for not losing “enough” weight after having worked so hard would be humiliating to most. Probably the best excuse to go home with a “why bother” attitude. I am not a reality show fan anyway as I think they exploit the people involved but this one has the potential to do harm long term harm as well. My guess is most contestants go back to their “old” habits shortly after returning home. I think I’ll keep my pound of released weight a week and be happy knowing I’ve changed my mind and my life regarding exercise and nutrition. Some weeks it is enough to know I have treated my body correctly and whether I release weight or not I’m still on the “program” for life!
Hi Lauren – I have watched the show in the past. This year I have not really been “into it” that much for some reason. I love all the stories the contestants have and it is obvious that most of the weight these people carry around is emotional baggage. I like the concept of the show, but believe it is totally unrealistic. I love Bob and Jillian and believe their hearts are in the right place. I agree that these people need a lifestyle change and need to make sure they continue to eat healthy and exercise long after the show is over.
I have not watched the show because I do not really watch TV but I read People and they featured some of the contestants. It did not motivate me to watch because it is not my world. One of the contestants was close to 500 lbs. While I have compassion for her plight that is not my realtiy. My world is the vast majority of people who are not so morbidly obese but who over many years have gained 20, 30 40, 50 lbs and want to get healthy. After years of telling myself that no matter what I did I can never lose weight due to a thyroid problem, I went to the Cooper Center to learn how. It was expensive and I was grateful that I could afford it but I feel sorry for the majority of people who can not. It was a complete and sensible program and gave me lifelong skills. My goal to lose 25 lbs was achieved over a year and a half time frame–very slow. I was in a group with people who had goals of 100+ pounds. They lost about 2 pounds a week and I went for weeks without losing any weight. But once it started coming off it was consistent, it just took a while to jump start my progress. Thank G-d I hung in there. I am now starting a new goal to lose 10 more lbs and it will be much harder than the first goal but I am giving myself the time to work on it.
As someone who is trying to lose the weight I put on after college, I find Biggest Loser inspirational. Fortunately, I’m also capable of separating TV from real life – even “reality” TV. I can’t work out 6 hours a day. I don’t have super trainers like Bob and Jillian. But, I also don’t have as much to lose as the contestants. They NEED to be there, and I’m glad they have that resource. When I’m thinking about cutting a workout short or getting off the treadmill or having “just one” thing off my diet . . . I always remember a scene of a 450 pound man my age on Biggest Loser who struggled to run for five minutes on the treadmill, but he DID it. He COMPLETED it. If he can do it, so can I. For that alone, I’m thankful for the show.
Uhm, not sure why that picture is showing with my comment, but that’s not me!
Well I was going to say that you don’t look like a Joshua!
I am glad you found TBL inspirational to you. We do need to step out of our comfort zones to achieve results and role models are good motivators hands down.
I can only imagine the waivers the contestants must sign… as a personal trainer my first thought is always safety. Contestants have already wound up in the hospital, I worry how far will they be pushed in the name of TV ratings.