Weight Loss Reality Shows

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Weight Loss shows are meant to inspire us, motivate us off the couch and get us moving, but there is a lot we don’t see on shows like The Biggest Loser &  Extreme Makeover Home Edition and many shows like them

In Season 15 of The Biggest Loser, Rachel went from 262 pounds to 105 lbs. People were openly asking if she lost too much too quickly. Many directed questions to the trainers, they in turn said “Talk to the producers”

Chalene Johnson, creator of Turbofire said that she is not a fan of the show because of the fact that they do not do weight loss in a healthy way. The unnamed contestant that reached out to her to help her lose weight was so focused on the scale that she would only drink water, tea and ate very little food. This is unhealthy and gets your body STORING fat and eating muscle as opposed to actually burning fat and building muscle with it.

Bluntly, these weight loss shows don’t tell you a lot. In The Biggest Loser for example the contestants are working out for SIX hours a day. These are people who’ve RARELY worked out for ONE hour, let alone SIX! Because their bodies aren’t used to the stress, it shocks the body and of course that’s why they put up such big numbers for the week—which could be less than an actually full week. Kai, from Season 3 said that she never knew how to dehydrate to fool a scale prior to her stay on The Biggest Loser, they all were under enormous pressure

Now let’s also talk about something else we never see in the show: Medical Staff waiting in the wings in the event one of them collapses. There have been times in The Biggest Loser & Extreme Makeover Weight Loss when someone has nearly passed out or had an anxiety attack

Also, remember something: We are in fact seeing a year’s worth of results in Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition…or what is supposed to be a year. Often Chris is there for a briefer time than we’re lead to believe in the first phase and the contestants often isolated from their families for a part of the latter phases of the journey

Yet, there is one show I really really like from the UK called Supersize v. Superskinny

The reason I like this show is as follows:

Doctor Christian is a British doctor that gives us a sample of what a week’s worth of food looks like for both of them. After that they are in the Feeding Clinic and swap diets.

Most often the Supersize has MASSIVE portions of everything we’re told NOT to eat and the Superskinny has caffeine, chocolate, energy drinks with very little food. The two have to eat the other’s diet and the swap shows each of them what is wrong with their diets

After the feeding clinic they go home with a plan that will increase the Super skinny’s caloric intake and decrease the Supersize’s intake.

Criticisms I hear

Dr. Phillippa Diedrichs, a researcher at the University of West England’s Centre for Appearance Research, warns against taking this view that it’s harmless fun

She said: 'Reality shows that focus on weight loss tend to heavily promote the idea that the body is malleable, and that any size, weight, or shape can be obtained.

I’d have to disagree with her if she’s saying that one can’t get the body that they want and that it’s somehow genetic

Another constant criticism of these shows are the dreaded F word: Fat Shaming

Society both shames bigger people and comforts us with you’re big boned, or just have baby fat…anyone who understands the science of the body realizes that it smells like bullshit

The other part of the criticisms I’m sure I’ll hear is that they show us morbidly obese people who have headed down a path that our Supersizer could end up on if they don’t change their lives. It’s a necessary shock because obesity related diseases can be prevented. Our countries are too busy searching for a magic pill to eat Spinach and Kale and Broccoli

Thoriffic Thursday will be Excuses I’ve heard over the years for Being Overweight