Okay, unrealistic aspects aside, I will admit (even though it pains me!) The Biggest Loser does have a positive element that I can stand behind.
Getting to the heart of the matter
If you lined up every person who ever applied to be a contestant on TBL and asked them how they got to where they are you would likely hear the same things repeated over and over. Poor lifestyle choices were a family tradition would probably be at the top of the list. But if the contestants were completely honest the #1 answer would no doubt be that unresolved emotional issues have led to using food as a means of comfort. The Biggest Loser addresses this issue with contestants. The trainers encourage the participants to talk openly about what led them to the dark place that brought them to seek help. It's only when a person admits that they have a problem, is willing to honestly work through the issues that led to the problem and agrees that they need to completely revamp their lifestyle choices that permanent change in the form of weight loss and increased fitness can occur.
If you lined up every person who ever applied to be a contestant on TBL and asked them how they got to where they are you would likely hear the same things repeated over and over. Poor lifestyle choices were a family tradition would probably be at the top of the list. But if the contestants were completely honest the #1 answer would no doubt be that unresolved emotional issues have led to using food as a means of comfort. The Biggest Loser addresses this issue with contestants. The trainers encourage the participants to talk openly about what led them to the dark place that brought them to seek help. It's only when a person admits that they have a problem, is willing to honestly work through the issues that led to the problem and agrees that they need to completely revamp their lifestyle choices that permanent change in the form of weight loss and increased fitness can occur.
You can teach a person about healthy food choices and portion control until you're blue in the face but unless a person knows why they made the wrong choices to begin with they're never going to change. One can learn about the importance of strength training, cardiovascular fitness and stretching but that doesn't mean he or she will automatically include movement into their daily lives. What people really need in order to not just lose but maintain weight loss is a healthy level of self-esteem and a desire to take care of their body because they deserve the best. The Biggest Loser encourages contestants to reflect on the painful events in their lives that have reduced their self-esteem and make changes in their attitudes to correct the situation.
While I don't see myself becoming a regular viewer of TBL I do hope that anyone who regularly views the show and relates to the contestants will be moved to meditate on the reasons why they aren't leading the life that they want. If the show can foster change in viewers and result in a person becoming healthy both mentally and physically than perhaps the show should go on.
What are you thoughts about The Biggest Loser? Have you learned anything from watching that has led to positive changes in your life?
No comment on the Biggest Loser (I can't stand it..at all) but I do agree that it's great that they don't just focus on working out and eating heatlyh, because that's only half of the battle. I have clients who I try to help and then I finally have to tell them that I can't see them until they go to a counselor to get to the heart of their issues. An interdisciplinary team is necessary for many people trying to lose (and gain!) weight. I could tell them to eat more protein and less sugar until I'm blue in the face, but if they don't know WHY they are doing what they are doing, what's the point?! It will never get better.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Karen. Happy new year!
I might regret posting this since I try to avoid contentious issues online, but..
ReplyDeleteI have not watched many series of the BL. I find it totally unrealistic. If you put any overweight person in the same situation, they are going to lose weight. People apply to change their lives and I have no doubt that those who do not get on the show do not suddenly start going to the gym when they learn they will not be accepted.
There is a wealth of information out there for people to get started on healthy eating. My family was doing the Fein Gold program over 8 years ago. They provided everything we needed to cut the crap (chemicals etc) out of our diet.
I also believe that linking eating to unresolved emotional issues is a cop out for most. You can't go through life without having unresolved emotional issues. I have no doubt that the BL picks people who do have some deep emotional issue as it makes for better TV, but does that represent the masses? Do people watch the show and immediately link their health to some past issue which results in them feeling better?
I had an event this year which completely devastated me. For the first time in my life I was floored with an emotional issue. I did not remain on the floor. I got off my butt, dusted myself down and turned that pain into something positive.
It is estimated that 70% of children are wrongly diagnosed with ADHD.. Why? because it is a cop out for other issues. It is so easy to blame a condition or issue on someone else or a disease. My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD. Hense us switching to the Fein Gold program.
When did society get to the point where we are always looking to blame our problems on other factors? Never a day goes by that I do not read some sob news story and think 'Where is your own personal responsibility in all this?'
Most people who lose weight do not appear to have suddenly solved their issues. They take personal responsibility and decide they want it so bad that they will do anything. Losing weight is more important to them than soda, or 600 calorie burgers or a 2,500 restaurant meal.
I am no expert, this is just my personal opinion. I find the lack of personal responsibility and accountable to be a disturbing social issue of today.
I should add, I am not suggesting that real emotional issues do not exist and are the reason for eating issues, or that some people do not require a counselor. I just think it is not the norm.
ReplyDeleteCan't watch it.
ReplyDeleteBzybee-All opinions are always welcome here whether they are in sync with mine or not.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your comment I want to clarify one thing. I don't personally know a single person who hasn't been through some traumatic event in their life. I'm not suggesting that everyone who has ever had a serious problem used food to soothe the emotional pain. What I'm saying is that I don't believe that a person becomes morbidly obese simply because they enjoy eating. I have yet to come to know a person who is carrying an extra 100 plus pounds who doesn't have serious issues that they need to address.
Again, thanks for sharing your opinion. I think you have a healthy attitude about dealing with problems in a proactive fashion.
Well, you finally meet one :) I was carrying an extra 100lbs and got to be obese because I love food. I had a great childhood. Traveled around the world, experienced amazing tasty spicy foods. I have had a great life.
ReplyDeleteI have not had a traumatic event in my life. Sure, something happened this year which sucked, but it was hardly traumatic. My divorce was messy but it did not scare me. I busted my knees in my 20's which sucked big time and had effected my fitness, but it is all part of life. Shit happens.
I think there are many people out there who are overweight because buying fast food is easy, tasty and cheap. I do not believe that 50 years ago people were eating 800 calorie breakfasts, 1400 calorie lunches or 2000 calorie dinners.
The more I research foods and what is being done to our supply, the more the odds are stacked against people.. but it still does not stop them from making a change.
I am passionate about the food being served in schools to our kids. When I was growing up we never had pizza, burgers and candies. It was cooked in the kitchen. It was always a main item and veggies. Some days there was potatoes. The heavily processed foods how being served to kids is obviously having an effect.
When I was a kid we were out playing soccer and riding our bikes everywhere, what are people doing these days? Playing World of Warcraft for 6-12 hours a day or some other game.
Why are obesity levels increasing? Is it because people have become weak and can't deal with emotional issues or do we have more emotional issues these days? I don't know the answer to that btw :)
I value open discussion and love chatting about this stuff. I have no doubt that many people have had traumatic events that turned them to eating. I am in no way saying that does not happen. I just think overall, people are quick to want to find something easy to blame it all on.
The only thing I take from watching the BL is that if you eat right and exercise with a personal trainer for 4-6 hours a day, you will lose weight.
What I would be interested in is this.. if there was no counseling would they lose the weight anyway in that setup? My answer is yes. If there was no counseling, would they keep the weight off when the show ended? Interesting and my bet would be that 50% of them would. Just a guess.
Gosh, got carried away lol
ReplyDeleteI do watch the Biggest Loser... not for the fact of making it seem realistic and that the contestants will go home and continue to live the life they had on the show/at the ranch. In the real world life throws circumstances at you and you just have to deal. YEs it is a contest but life is a contest... living a healthier life is the winning side, letting yourself go and not taking care of yourself is the losing side to life. The contestants are the players int he game and by watching it I am able to pull resources, inspiration and ideas for my own game of life. I can only make the difference with my life and I canlearn from other lives as well.
ReplyDeleteI watch it off and on. I've watched other weight loss shows like Extreme Makeover: weight loss edition (last winter/spring) which was better because there was no product placement which annoys me on BL. In general to me it's taken people to watch Biggest Loser to inspire other people to just even try to do things they never thought they could do. I don't think that's bad. It hasn't been just the people on the show who have lost weight but thousands of others who felt that they could change their lives just from watching the show. To me that's a positive.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on both the pros and the cons. Totally unrealistic and actually sets "regular" people up to be upset with normal weight loss numbers. However, the visual of a transformation and watching people take control is inspiring (with a footnote that methods used are insane). Sorry again to hear about your brother. I hope 2012 is brighter and better.
ReplyDeleteI hear Lauren... I liked it better in the beginning years EXCEPT that they did not admit how many hours they work out & show the injuries like they do now. But as years went on, it just got crazy.. working out super heavy people too much & yes, the injuries.. plus the product placement. I understand that but aren't the commercials enough.... I watch it for yes, the transformations & yes, I do see they discuss the emotional side more. I do also read about how many put the weight back on because it is an unrealistic way to do it... except for those that go home early & do it. Some get it & some don't.
ReplyDeleteI record it but I do buzz thru a lot of it now. I like to learn new exercises from it & wish they would show that more for me! ;-)
Will see how this year goes...
I go back and forth with TBL. I love seeing the transformations, but when I googled what happened to the winners later, the longer it has been, the less successful many of them have been able to maintain their weight. It can be motivating to watch, but it also sets people up with unrealistic expectations.
ReplyDeleteman I just CAN NOT DO TBL.
ReplyDeletebut I may try.
one more time :)
just for you.
I like what you see in the show. I admit I got addicted, slowly, when I started watching it a couple of seasons ago. What I most like about it is that it seems to really motivate people who watch. I am an example. With no job and young kids, my husband and I thought "if they can work out hours a day, we can certainly increase our own time." And we did. I have read that the "weeks" are not always only a week so it does bother me very much that the show sets up others to think they can lose that much in such a short time.
ReplyDeleteHi...new reader here! =) I am currently in total love with the Biggest Loser. In the beginning there were things I didn't really like. But the more I watch, the more I see how many real issues they address. For example:
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning I thought it was really mean to have all those "temptations." But I realize now that that really is life. We can clean out our pantries and refrigerators all we want, but we all have to learn how to be around our own temptations without going to town on them. I think it is healthy to learn that just because it is there, we don't have to eat it. Not everyone has issues with that, but people like me with a sweet tooth AND portion control issues--it is a great thing to learn.
I also absolutely love how they help people overcome their fears, and give them opportunities to do things they never ever thought they could. And then when they do the thing they're most afraid of, something inside them changes them forever. For me, it gives me the guts to try more in life than I might have otherwise done.
As for the emotional issues, I am another one. I hit 311 at my highest, and there is no traumatic event or deep emotional issue tied to it. I simply eat because it tastes good and I don't want to stop eating it. I have had some major tough stuff happen in my life, but I was overweight long before and after that, so I don't believe it has anything to do with my weight.
But I do have to say that I think a lot of people have unresolved emotional things that they don't even realize they have. On the Biggest Loser, a lot of those issues are obvious. But for a lot of people, they don't even realize that they are using food to fill whatever void it is. And it can take years to figure that out. For some they may use their issues as an excuse, but I really think that for a lot of people, they have to get to a point where they are actually able to grow up and take responsibility for their lives in spite of whatever has happened to them. First they have to get to that place where that is actually possible.
I personally love the Biggest Loser. I do not expect the same results for myself. I don't need to pull those kinds of numbers or make a full time job of working out. But the fact is, they have to do things that are hard. So I can take their example and suck it up and do my things that are hard. They have to learn how to make good choices in unusual circumstances, and so can I. NO, it's not exactly the same. But I do learn quite a bit. I especially love learning that I need to stretch myself to accomplish more than I thought I could. To just see how far I can go. I have done that recently--did something I never thought I would be able to do. And it was such a defining moment. Life changing. I look forward to taking more of those kinds of opportunities, and making sure I'm physically ready to conquer things like that when I have the chance. Because nothing feels better than doing things you never imagined you could.
No, it's not realistic for people to lose like they do, that fast. But there is so much good that can be taken from that show, and I love it.
I'm a little late to the conversation... but I wanted to put in my 2 cents worth! I watched a few seasons of the BL for motivation purposes... Didn't work for me. I saw the people and thought "I look GOOD!" - I don't, but convinced myself that I was so far ahead of the contestants at the beginning of the season that I didn't get motivated at all! Also - I hated the yelling. ;o)
ReplyDelete