Am I the only one that feels this way??

In the past few days I've seen a number of different articles bashing the show "Biggest Loser" for various reasons. The one thing they all seem to have in common is that they villainize the show as some evil plot against humanity. I've seen some that suggest the show causes increases in anti-obesity sentiment in society. Others that suggest the show actually ensures that it's contestants will gain back all their weight if they don't stick to the diet plan after the show is over. Am I the only one that thinks this is exactly as it should be?

Why as a society should we be comfortable with obesity? We're all probably aware of the number of studies that show obesity in the US is the top driving force behind high health costs. Obesity is a central cause for a myriad of health issues and some studies are now even pointing out correlations between the US' fat problem and the lower life expectancy in the US as opposed to other similar nations (Canada, UK, etc). I'm not suggesting it is ok to discriminate or bully people, but at the same time why should we go out of our way to try and make people comfortable with the idea of being seriously overweight. Why is that OK? As far as I'm concerned, if a show like "Biggest Loser" makes people uncomfortable with obesity, good. Obesity is not a good thing, it has very real negative impacts on those that are obese and in most cases the people they come into contact with daily. Why do we have folks like Honey Boo Boo on TV like they're rockstars?

With regard to the show, the complaints that weight loss methods used ensures the participants won't keep the weight off if they don't stick to the diet plan make me scream DUH!! If these people leave the show and start eating to much and not being active, OF COURSE they're going to gain the weight back. People need to learn that there is no quick fix. There is no "I just lose the fat and then I can go back to normal". Normal is what made you fat in the first place. You need to define a new normal in the way that so many of us here understand. If it means you're counting calories and paying for gym memberships the rest of your life then so be it. There is no autopilot when it comes to being healthy, we have to be active participants in that lifestyle for it to work and that's exactly what it takes.....work!!

I don't judge people for being overweight. However, there is no denying the impact their obesity has. There is no mistaking that except in very rare cases of specific diseases, they are the only ones who are responsible for it and they are the only ones who can change it. We can blame our parents for not teaching us to eat right, blame food companies for making all the good food bad for us, etc. While those may be ancillary details that do come into play, it's still our body and we need to take responsibility for it. If a show like "Biggest Loser" can inspire even a handful of people each season to get out and make a difference in their lives then mission accomplished in my eyes and lets keep it going. I'd love to see them start to open up franchises of "Biggest Loser" clinics where people can take what they see on the show and work with a trainer to actually accomplish those same results.


*** BTW, I'm sure it's no coincidence that the most recent articles I've read on this topic were written by a Bariatric Surgeon, a pharmaceutical researcher and Senior VP of a gym franchise chain that competes directly with Planet Fitness.