The Biggest Loser

Yesterday someone asked me if I saw the finale of The Biggest Loser. I hadn't, I don't watch the show. I have my reasons, and lucky you, you are about to get to hear them. It's gonna be my two cents worth, it's actually gonna be more like a buck fifty, but it's probably only worth two cents. Remember about slapping me if I get too self-righteous yesterday... That may become reality today.

First, I don't like reality tv. It's not worth me taking the time to watch tv for that kind of drivel. Biggest Loser is probably at the better end of all those shows, but I still feel like it is staged to large degree and just not worth me riding the couch to watch.

Secondly, I'm a little bitter that they have personal trainers and nutritionist that take all the thinking and planning it takes to lose weight out of the equation for them. Granted, they have to stand in their underwear and get weighed on national television, but I'd give anything for a nutritionist and personal trainer to make my journey a little smoother.

Third thing, I feel sorry for them because they have a personal trainer and nutritionist. Oh, the contradiction. A large percentage of these people go home and gain their weight back. My theory is that they take them out of their everyday environment, the place where they live "fat" lives, and they get them results in a foreign land filled with support teams, and send them back home without changing their "fat" place. They may learn that broccoli is better than a big mac, but they don't learn to change their everyday normal. They are basically at summer camp and then have to go back to reality. If you don't struggle through your day to day some and learn to handle your new habits in the same life you are bound to fail. There are triggers all over my life and in my home that make me want to overeat, but I've learned to manage them. Had I lost weight somewhere else and come back home, without all the professional support system that the contestants have become accustomed to, I promise I would gain it back too.

I don't want diminish what these people accomplish. Any major weightless requires blood, sweat, and tears. What they do and achieve is very commendable. I feel like the show sets them up for failure. There is so much more to losing weight than just cutting calories and exercising. At home is where your weight loss quest is won or lost, where you are accountable to yourself, not millions of viewers. Lying to yourself is easy, really easy, and the slope is slippery enough to slide right down. When there are no cameras or an audience to witness your back slide, it becomes pretty easy to do just that, back slide. Also, I feel like Jillian Michaels is evil, mean, and a poor motivator, just sayin. If I'm gonna watch a weight loss show I think it would be Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition. He lives with them for the first part and gets them started and set up, builds them a home gym, stocks their fridge and then leaves them. He monitors them, comes for their weigh-ins and is available at the drop of a hat if they need him, but they have to do the work in their "fat" environment and change it to their "fit and healthy" environment. That's a better deal in my mind. So, kudos to the contestants of The Biggest Loser, and I truly hope they can keep it off, I'm just not gonna watch it.