Monday, March 9, 2009

The Biggest Loser

The Biggest Loser is a show about obese people that go to a ranch in Texas to lose weight and see who can be the biggest loser. This season they decided to do another Biggest Loser Couples show. Each couple is closely tied to each other; Mother-daughter, best friends, husband -wife, etc. They compete against the other couples to see who can outlast who in various competitions and weigh-ins. They have the help of top trainers who tell them exactly what exercises to do and what to eat. In the first week, the heaviest contestant ever to be on the show, Daniel loses an amazing 30 pounds! When I saw this I was hooked. I have watched every episode this season online.

These people are an inspiration to other obese Americans. It sends the message that it can be done. Do obese Americans really need a show to motivate them to exercise and eat right? I think the answer is yes. Obviously they have been so unmotivated in their lives that they became overweight in the first place. The difference between the television show and real life is that it's not that easy. There isn't access to the support of the other contestants, free training, and food. What can be done for the obese Americans to make it easier for them to lose weight and become more healthy? The show seems to motivate obese Americans, but it is solely about entertainment. It doesn't give much insight into the kind of exercise to do, and food to eat to become more healthy. Obese America needs a show that does just this. I think to stop the epidemic of obese Americans, schools need to incorporate nutrition into the curriculum starting in pre-school.

2 comments:

Jennifer said...

I agree that they don't give enough info on diet and exercise on the show. I belong to the biggest loser on-line and there they tell you what exercises to do each day and even gives you a meal plan based on your information. There is also different chats and "challenges" that you can join in order to have the commraderie that you get from the show. It is wonderful. They also have experts from the show answer questions that you may have about your specific program or any other questions you might have.

Hannah said...

I agree, healthy habits need to start at a young age in school. Sadly, the people on The Biggest Loser haven't either been taught or stuck with the "right" choices. I did watch this last season of the show and I really liked the twist they had this time-where a team member has to go home and lose they weight on their own. I thought it helped to show people that "yes" they can do it without a personal trainer. All they have to do is find a work-out routine and look up healthy recipes. There's this cooking show on KSPS, and the woman makes all her recipes fro, scratch with no cholesterol and less than half the fat as it would normally be made. Obese people just need to make the decision for themselves and they'll have no trouble finding help.