There is much debate and controversy regarding The Biggest Loser amongst experts and the community in general. Of late, I have had a number of people mention this program to me and inquire as to my opinion of it. As much as I love to remain neutral on so many topics, as I truly believe in complete freedom of choice and not imposing my opinion on others, there comes a time when it may be helpful for me to indeed speak my mind in relation to some things.
The time has come for this show.
So, here is where I personally stand on this issue and why. I recall the very first time this TV show came out. Like most, I was intrigued and captured and watched it almost religiously. I loved seeing the journey of the participants and sharing their triumphs – many times they brought tears to my eyes. I really did love the show.
Then something interesting happened. I cannot recall the exact order in which these things occurred, however, they are the clear reasons why I indeed boycotted the show and even started a growing resentment towards it.
Firstly, like most reality shows, reality without drama is never enough to satisfy the insatiable hunger for ratings the producers and television stations have. A clear and sickly dose of drama in the form of nastiness, increased competition, confronting and upsetting situations and what I saw to be absurd challenges began to emerge. I do not enjoy seeing people in pain and discomfort, call me strange if you will.
Secondly, I vividly remember the day I watched in horror as one of the well-meaning “expert” trainers delivered a nutrition talk to the participants and proceeded to throw a beautiful, juicy, delicious and incredibly nutritious pineapple in the bin. I am still traumatised. In her opinion, this fruit is evil and should be avoided as it apparently has far too high a sugar content. Rubbish! Her opinion, rather than the pineapple, belongs in the trash. I was infuriated.
After a while, I began to watch and follow The Biggest Loser less and less, and it seemed each time I turned it on I saw something that made me either twitch with irritation or, more passionately, foam with rage. People scoffing down the very foods that got them to the place of pain they were in simply to win a challenge, contestants exercising to the point of exhaustion and vomiting, battles of craving, hunger, deprivation, guilt and psychological distress, hearts heavy and hurting as they endured prolonged periods from the people and places they love most, real people going through a lot of real pain – I did not find it entertaining.
I am not an angry or negative person and do not enjoy experiencing angry or negative thoughts. I was really beginning to think horrible things about the trainers, the show and the producers. I had to stop watching what I now considered to be an incredibly bad and tragic message to the masses about what lifestyle change, weight and health success was all about.
Recently this show has been brought back into the negative media spotlight with a few serious expert concerns rising to the surface. I must say, I am pleased that some sensibility and truth is finally being offered regarding this demonic and punishing approach towards achieving health.
If you missed the news, past participants have started to spill the beans on the accurate reality behind the mammoth weekly losses, which in all seriousness are completely impossible. In this year’s series, for example, one participant recorded a loss of 16.6 kilograms in the first week, with fellow contestants demonstrating 14.8, 14.4 and 13.8 kilogram losses.
As well as being impossible, this type of rapid weight loss is not only insane, it is also incredibly life-threatening. Just what will be done in the name of entertainment and ratings these days? It honestly makes me livid.
Professor Jenny O’Dea, from the health and nutrition education department at the University of Sydney, intelligently shared that humans burn fat at a rate of about one to two kilograms a week. Anything above this is indicative that the body is eating up its own muscle mass, water, bone density and liver glycogen to survive. She rightly reveals, ”you are risking heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure.”
Hmmm, sounds wonderful. I don’t mind, as long as my bum doesn’t look fat in my jeans….
Why would we as intelligent human beings, for one, put ourselves through such a hideous and horrendous experience, and secondly, watch and support with amusement and glee as others do it to themselves? I don’t get it.
In addition, it has been revealed by these past contestants that in order to achieve such seemingly impressive losses, participants are allegedly encouraged by the trainers to avoid drinking 36 hours prior to weigh in – that’s right, purposely dehydrate themselves whilst continuing to do endless hours of exercise – and then there is claim that participants are in fact weighed fortnightly, rather than weekly.
That explains it.
I thought it was meant to be a reality show?
In all the years I have been working with clients, and myself living a new, healthy lifestyle, I have never seen this punishment approach work in the long term for anyone.
The truth is, long term, life-time success around your energy, health and weight is not to be found where most people are looking. You think this may have begun to become apparent considering that ‘Diet Number Gazillion’ is not any more effective or curative than the hundreds of billions before it.
True success and happiness in these areas derives from somewhere not outside of ourselves, but from somewhere deep within. As long as we continue to rely on the ideas of how we should be, what we should do and how we are wrong, we will meet with disappointment and failure.
No expert out there, no matter how much experience, expertise or distinction, can tell us what is definitively good for us or what the exact method for success is.
If they could, and there was a one-size fits all answer, we would surely have encountered it by now.
The truth is, there is a nutrition expert that lives within you. An intelligence so wise it knows exactly what to eat, when, how and why.
The trouble is we are often too busy and too time poor to actually stop and listen.
We may also be too busy watching shows like The Biggest Loser, reading endless magazine articles on celebrity secrets of success, and digesting one diet book, program and pill after another.
Through this column, it is my intention and hope to share with you a diet-free-forever perspective on achieving true happiness and success with your weight, energy and health.
Week by week, we will share the journey and hopefully together spread the GOOD NEWS health message that is FUN, HAPPY and SIMPLE.
See you next week fellow health buddies,
Bridget Jane
Food Body Lifestyle Guru
Writer, Speaker, Consultant
Bridget@newleafnutrition.com.au
0421 332 243
Image credits: Channel 10