Chief Dieter
Plan Z Diet
I was asked recently by an exercise enthusiast what I thought of the TV show The Biggest Loser.
Just the posing of the question released a torrent from me. I couldn’t help myself. I just went off on a rant. What I’m going to do here is show you my answer and then spend a bit of time trying to explain myself. Here goes:
I see nothing on TV that is a bigger disservice to the fat people of this nation than that show. I have watched it. The first season I think I watched every episode trying to find the redeeming qualities it might have. I have tried to watch it each season since, and now I can’t get through more than five minutes of any episode before I become so angry I want to vomit. My heart goes out to those people.
I don’t think that show is motivating to the huge majority of potential watchers. It’s just disheartening. It’s demotivating, and leaves people thinking that unless they check into someplace where they will be badgered, berated and tortured for hours on end, they will never lose weight.
I can’t be the least bit unbiased about that particular subject. My apologies if my passion runs rampant. The people on this show believe nothing more than calories in/calories out and the amount of expenditure required is so unreasonable for most people to even dream of doing – it’s sad. I’d much rather see them help people get weight off first and then put them through a tone-up, build-up program that looks attainable. Then I think the show would be an inspiration to the world.
Okay, so that’s the end of my rant.
Some additional thoughts: I do think exercise is a good thing. I believe non-impact exercise is best because it has been proven that high impact exercise (like jogging on a treadmill) will only wear out your joints. We did not evolve to run like that unless we were being chased. That’s why the sports medicine industry has mushroomed. We ache. Joint replacement surgery has skyrocketed. Too many of us started jogging in the 1970’s and wore out our bodies before retirement even hit. I worked with a trainer for more years than I can count. I worked out at my appropriate aerobic level which was monitored by said trainer. I religiously met with that person and went through the paces for an hour at a time a minimum of three days a week. It was a major investment, but as the CEO of The Plan Z Diet I felt that working out was part of my job description. I had to be in healthy shape.
For most folks, working out three days a week for 3 hours total is just about all they can fit into their schedule. Some can’t even fit that amount in. I made it a priority. After 7 years you know how much weight I lost as a result? Nothing. I kept gaining weight. I ate about 800 calories a day most weekdays. I ate a little more on the weekends when I had dinner parties. I kept getting fatter and every obesity expert I consulted was stumped. Many of them thought I was lying because they could not figure it out. Did I get stronger? Absolutely. I could bench press 160 pounds. A lot of guys can’t do that. I could leg lift 500 pounds. That amazing for a woman. I could toss my bag into the upper cabinet on an airplane with one hand but I could barely fit in the airplane seat. Exercise was not the solution for my weight problem. And most people can’t come anywhere close to the activity level expected of the people on The Biggest Loser.
Studies also show that calories in/calories out is not the answer for most. Take me. I went down to 800 calories a day and didn’t lose an ounce. I reported everything I ate to a nutritionist for months. Once I was down to 750 calories and still not losing, he quit. He felt that was starvation level and he worried about me dropping over dead. He did not want to risk his reputation on losing a client to death by starvation. He admitted that to me the day he resigned.
So if it’s not all about calories in/calories out, and exercise won’t make you skinnier unless you do a blazingly large amount of it, then where does that show stand in my credibility rankings? Very low on the list. It’s a reality show. Reality shows don’t garner ratings without drama. My husband renamed The Biggest Loser “Gym Teachers Gone Wild.” I have to admit that’s pretty descriptive. Maybe that’s a good title for a spin-off.
In the interest of self-disclosure I’ll be the first to admit I’m not finished losing weight. I’m still a work in progress. I’m also not going to get in a spandex contest with Jillian from the show. I’ll be happy when I am comfortable in a tank top and shorts. All in good time. I don’t have to get it done in the span of a TV season. But I will get there. For now I’m happy with frame-worthy blood tests that show I’m pretty close to perfectly healthy.
Cheers,
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