Biggest Loser thoughts
cindiva65
Posts: 335 Member
I admit I watch the Biggest Loser...every year I swear Im not going to but it is like an accident scene that you know you really don't want to look but end up gawking as you pass by regardless.
Well last night we had it on and my fiance said "This show is terrible". He said, "They are putting these people with eating disorders in a room filled with junk food for 4 hours to test them. If this show was about alcoholics and they forced them into a room with a fully stocked bar people would be outraged!"
He had a good point. People with other forms of addiction problems seem to get a lot more sympathy and respect than those with eating disorders... they are simply looked at as if they are lazy and that's it. I know this is a TV show and everything is amplified for drama and shock value but would they have done such a thing to the contestants if they were suffering from alcohol or drug abuse?
What do you all think about this......food for thought (pardon the pun
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Well last night we had it on and my fiance said "This show is terrible". He said, "They are putting these people with eating disorders in a room filled with junk food for 4 hours to test them. If this show was about alcoholics and they forced them into a room with a fully stocked bar people would be outraged!"
He had a good point. People with other forms of addiction problems seem to get a lot more sympathy and respect than those with eating disorders... they are simply looked at as if they are lazy and that's it. I know this is a TV show and everything is amplified for drama and shock value but would they have done such a thing to the contestants if they were suffering from alcohol or drug abuse?
What do you all think about this......food for thought (pardon the pun
) 0
Replies
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I'm glad i got an ipad for xmas..now i can play on it while they do all the dime store psychology on the show. hate that part, like the challanges.. love the workouts and weighins.0
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lol Mike that's what I was doing...I was on MFP planning my meals for today!0
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Yeah I agree that a lot of these shows go for shock tactics and I guess it's for the benefit of us at home, for us all to be appalled at the volume of food and see if they can be 'broken' like some kind of gameshow
I guess the difference between alcoholism, drug addiction and food disorders is that they often advise a person that has a drink problem to completely abstain from any alcohol. With a food addiction that's impractical as we all need food to live, we can't cut it from our lives.
It comes down to choice, the choice of food we eat, the choice to exercise or watch tv etc
I think they should always focus more on the peoples attitudes throughout the process, how hard they find week 1, week 2 they try new healthy recipes, week 3 their endurance in exercise grows so that us watching at home can realise that while it's hard at the start, making those choices doesn't have to be a gruelling test of willpower.
A lot of the shows criticise people who have fallen into years of habit and just do what they have done for a very long time. Yes, we all need a kick to make us realise its time to change but no one said when they were a child:
"When I grow up I want to be morbidly obese with chronic health problems"
Help those who want help, the people know they're fat, they don't need someone yelling in their face on tv!0 -
What I didn't understand is why they couldn't work out in the room? pace around? Squats? Lunges etc. That was what seemed cruel to me. First time ever watching the show. I'll probably watch again next week. My roommate and I are doing the card workout today. But instead of thrusters --dips.0
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I love the show, it's like a parody of modern western culture. A reality TV competition to lose weight and win money. That is just genius, and it's funny to see all of them wobbling around. Makes you feel better about yourself, no?0
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I also just chatted with my roommate about this. She brought up a good point...The challenge was reflective of childhood obesity. and how KIDS sit around with junk food and video games that their PARENTS provide. A 10 year old doesn't grocery shop so he doesn't have say in what he is surrounded by. So he is in the same situation of crap good and comfy couches all the time.
They should have emphasized that point of it being a KIDS environment.0 -
I agree Chuckles. First thing I would have done was to look for a way to work it to my advantage the best I could. Move the food stuff to one corner of the room and the furniture to the side of the room and get moving....unless they were specifically told they could not do that?0
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Yes Chuckles, we discussed that too. We were saying how if we buy the "junk food" and have it in the house readily available of course we are going to eat it. We often think we are treating our kids (mine are grown and gone now) by buying them the stuff they want but in essence we are creating an unhealthy environment. Kids (and adults) will only eat what is available in the the house!0
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Hate that show...but then again I hate all "reality" t.v. I personally don't know how any of that stuff is entertaining...but apparently I'm in the minority as there seems to always be a new one popping up and their ratings are through the roof.0
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I really like watching the Biggest Loser! I loved the idea to do exercises to a deck of cards...definitely thinking about trying that sometime!0
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What I didn't understand is why they couldn't work out in the room? pace around? Squats? Lunges etc. That was what seemed cruel to me. First time ever watching the show. I'll probably watch again next week. My roommate and I are doing the card workout today. But instead of thrusters --dips.
That card workout was both ingenius and looked like torture.0 -
I don't remember if they were told they could NOT exercise while locked away...but if they did, you can bet it was edited for effect.
I watch the show for entertainment. I know the results are not "typical", it's still motivating nonetheless.0 -
Hate that show...but then again I hate all "reality" t.v. I personally don't know how any of that stuff is entertaining...but apparently I'm in the minority as there seems to always be a new one popping up and their ratings are through the roof.
I couldn't agree more!0 -
I thought the junk food room was really useless. This is basically how they were already living, and being with temptations isn't really a helpful tactic.
Also, what is with the disappointment of losing 2 pounds? I know they want to lose it asap, but a loss is a loss. They make people feel like they are failing if they don't have a high loss each week.0 -
The point of the losing team being stuck in that for 4.5 hours was to illustrate the 4.5 hours per day that many children spend in front of a TV and video games, eating unhealthy snacks. All of the contestants talked about feeling lazy and sluggish after being there that long, which is important to remember for our kids and ourselves: doing nothing typically leads to doing more nothing.
I also wondered why they couldn't get up, walk around, do tricep dips off the table or couch, something. They didn't exactly try to fight the inactivity, but maybe they were not allowed to. Allison said a few times they could not work out in there.
It is a TV show competing for ratings, and people seem to love drama, so that will always be there. I personally really like The Biggest Loser. I read during the crybaby fits and melodrama, then come back to it when they are working out or doing the competitive challenges.0 -
What I didn't understand is why they couldn't work out in the room? pace around? Squats? Lunges etc. That was what seemed cruel to me. First time ever watching the show. I'll probably watch again next week. My roommate and I are doing the card workout today. But instead of thrusters --dips.
I was wondering the same thing. But they may not have been "allowed" to! I love the deck of card workout!! Go Bob! I did like what Francelina did the first day...dowse it all in orange juice!!0 -
I just started watching this show, and I think what they are doing is amazing. Showing these adults what it is like to live the life of an obsessed child or any child for that matter, it takes serious self control not to eat that kinda food. And honestly if they can sit in there for that long with out eating it then those people deserve to be on the show... just my opinion. Wont lie I wanted to try the Bubble Gum Pit it looked fun ahaha0
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What I didn't understand is why they couldn't work out in the room? pace around? Squats? Lunges etc. That was what seemed cruel to me. First time ever watching the show. I'll probably watch again next week. My roommate and I are doing the card workout today. But instead of thrusters --dips.
I'm confused. I watched it and they did a card workout in the room- why do you say the couldn't work out?
The show is half workouts which is interesting and half forced weigh in drama. I wish they'd cut the weigh ins down to an efficent 2-4 minutes and focus on the really important aspect of weight loss: what they're eating and how much, food prep, etc.0 -
The reason they had the group in there was to help people realize how sedentary our kids have become. As they stated in the show, most kids spend 4 hours either watching tv or playing video games. While it would be difficult for an adult with an eating problem to face a room such as that, the main point was to illustrate to America what kids are doing or not doing.0
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Hate that show...but then again I hate all "reality" t.v. I personally don't know how any of that stuff is entertaining...but apparently I'm in the minority as there seems to always be a new one popping up and their ratings are through the roof.
I agree there are WAY to many, I never watch TV much at all anymore. I call them "fake-ality" shows. BL is no different....certainly not reality!!! I only watch it to get some motivation to exercise and get healthy. I see the results they get albeit extreme and I am able to take what I can from it and apply it to my own real life. I never exercise til I puke etc. Craziness. If I can lose 1-2 lbs a week Im very happy!0 -
I did wonder if they could have done some sort of physical activity while in the room. Even playing the pinball machines would have had them moving a little.
I did like the fact that orange juice was poured over the food to avoid temptation. Of course in real life that's not necessarily an option. You have to learn to say "NO" and opt for something healthy. In the case of our children we have to be the ones to provide the healthy snacks.0 -
I actually watched that same episode last week. With me myself having a type of eating disorder, I thought at first that it would be a crazy idea for the contestants to have to go into that room. Then as I thought about it, it's actually a good challage for a persons mind. For me, I'm been in a similar situation before and although it was tough, it actually got me to realize after a while that I didn't need to eat everything I saw. Yes it was tempting, but I was still able to hold back. It then taught me later that I can do the same things in my home while everyone else is eating something that may look really good.0
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we also cracked up last night because they kept making a big deal about the 4 hours of TV that kids watch....and the show itself is 2 hours long.0
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I couldn't watch it. I saw a commercial where Julian was hanging off one of the contestants back. I thought...'what the crap?!' I guess I just feel like its cruel and unrealistic. Then again, it is a show, and they choose to be on it. I just don't find it inspiring or entertaining. To each his own.
Jac0 -
we also cracked up last night because they kept making a big deal about the 4 hours of TV that kids watch....and the show itself is 2 hours long.
lol I thought the same thing. This is the first year I'm watching this show, and I had no idea it would be 2 hours every week. It's really draining, so I might stop watching!0 -
we also cracked up last night because they kept making a big deal about the 4 hours of TV that kids watch....and the show itself is 2 hours long.
I don't have able so I can catch it up on Hulu the next day and its only 1 hour and 20 some odd minutes. Woohoo I saved some lazy couch time. :laugh:0 -
it definitely doesnt need to be that long.....I could have done with 30 minutes of it!0
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Also, what is with the disappointment of losing 2 pounds? I know they want to lose it asap, but a loss is a loss. They make people feel like they are failing if they don't have a high loss each week.
Yes! I was going to bring this up. Losing 2 pounds a week is healthy. Losing more than that is extreme. That's what bothers me. I do like watching the workouts and seeing how hard people push themselves. I wish they would focus more on nutrition since that is the biggest factor in losing weight. I didn't really watch the junk food room part. I did my laundry instead. :-) I also think they should do more with the psychology of it. People are overweight for a reason and you can't change until you figure out why.0 -
I missed the working out to a deck of cards.....what was that?0
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I walk my treadmill while watching biggest looser!0
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