Tuesday, February 10, 2009

The Biggest Loser is Not for Winners

I made the mistake three weeks ago of turning on the show "The Biggest Loser" on the day that I discovered I had lost 6 pounds after a week of dieting.

Now in the real world 6 pounds in one week is a major achievement, almost on par with winning an Oscar. But on "The Biggest Loser", 6 pounds is cause for an all out attack that includes being sent to a shark tank and the very real threat of being kicked off the show, sent home in shame, not as the biggest loser, but as a loser with a big L on your forehead. (Okay, I made up the shark tank thing, but the rest is true).

So how does the average dieter at home process this when they have successfully lost their 1-2 pounds that week (recommended by all dietitions) and are now sitting down in front of the tv with their low-fat cottage cheese and celery sticks.

Now admittedly, these people don't have such silly distractions as family and work to keep them from their weight loss. Their whole lives revolve around that gym where they exercise 30 hours a day until they puke and then exercise some more.

Yeah, that's the exercise plan I want. The one where you end up puking. Honestly, if I had to deal with morning sickness, six of my children wouldn't exist. But let's all get on that band wagon of making yourself sick. I guess that accounts for some of the weight loss.

And lets not forget the professional trainers that gleefully work people so hard that ex-marines break down sobbing. And that was the nice trainer who gloated over that accomplishment.

One guy dropped 18 pounds in one week and he didn't even deliver a baby. I can see what his body is saying "Where the heck is our arm? Don't we have an arm around here somewhere? Quick hang onto every pound because we're losing parts!"

I keep wondering when these people will snap, grab their trainers and serve them on banquet tables with apples in their mouths. Of course this is after the torture process where they pelt them with doughnuts and peanut brittle screaming "this is for the time you made me run up that mountain while I was having a heart attack," and "that's for the time you bridled me and tried to ride me like a horse while holding a twinkie in front of my nose."

Far better to watch "Ruby" the real life story of a severly obese Southern Belle who still lives in the real world as she tries to lose weight. She has friends both male and female who adore her. She's heroic and honest about her journey and most of all it's realistic. Nobody is making her puke and she's able to maintain her dignity.

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Anne Bradshaw is having another contest. This time it's for the CD by Sara Lyn Baril. Click on Not Entirely British and have a look see.

6 comments:

Stephanie Humphreys said...

Shows like the biggest loser make me quite content to be overweight. As much as I'd like to be skinny again, I'm not into that much pain.

Josi said...

LOL--I still vividly remember having my first baby, and stepping on a scale two days later to find out I'd lost two pounds. I blamed my sudden tears on hormones, of course. Did you see the follow up Oprah on some of the BL winners? A couple had kept it off, but most of them were 50 pounds overweight again. How can you live a normal life and yet still exercise? The gal that had kept it off spends 2 hours in the gym every day--she's singer with no children, big surprise.

Unknown said...

Anna Maria - So sorry you didn’t win the contest on my blog this week at Not Entirely British.

Thanks for taking part. Hope you will enter again soon. This week’s prize book is well worth winning.

Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen said...

I can't help but agree with you. No way can we put our bodies under that much pressure without eventually rebelling and eating and sleeping and being NORMAL. That's why 1-2 pounds is better and Most likely to succeed. And that's why your surprising 6 pounds is something to cheer about. Good job!

Julie Wright said...

That was the best and funniest blog post I've read in a long time. LOVED it!

Cindy Beck, author said...

If anything is a big loser, it's that show.

Can you see that I'm making an "L" on my forehead? :)