Sport dietician's take on "the biggest loser"

I disagree with the article and don't think that anyone can make a real assessment of the show based on one or two episodes. I'm what's considered morbidly obese. On Wednesday, I weighed in at 286 lbs., I'm 5'3 and I'm 34 years old. Here's what I've learned from the Bigggest Loser:

Fat people can exercise. As we get fatter and fatter, there is an ACTUAL FEAR that exercising will cause you to have a heart attack, that you'll pass out, etc. Watching people on TBL workout gave me the incentive to workout myself.

You have to eat to lose. I'm not sure what episode the author saw... but there have been several episodes that I have watched where BOTH trainers have told the contestants that they NEED to eat more.

Losing the weight can make you a better person. Contrary to what the author said... losing weight can make you a better mother, a better father, a better employee, etc. Don't get me wrong... I'm a wonderfully nice person! But as a fat mom, I wasn't able to play with my son as much as I would have liked. I haven't been able to take him to amusement parks for fear that the seat belts/fasteners might not fit around me. I've often been tired, cranky or just plain sick. Healthy, thinner people have more energy - which makes them more positive, more helpful and more easy to be around.

Do they send people home??? Yes... they do - but they also bring them back to show you how amazingly well they have done at home. TBL teaches the importance of a support system. It gives the contestants a "kick start".

I think Jillian would be a great trainer for some people. Quite frankly, she reminds me of my sons football coach. Would I like working with her? Probably not. Why? I'm a wuss. I would respond much better to Bob's kinder and gentler approach. But, if you watch the show you know that the trainers care about every single one of the people on their team.

After watching TBL, it made it much easier for me to commit to "trying again" to lose weight - because I saw that it can be done in a year or so... that I wasn't confined to losing a pound a week. When you SEE how quickly the changes can take place - it makes it easier. Do they lose weight quickly? Yes, at first. Fat people lose weight faster... they have more to lose. I know that it's a life long change - but you don't want it to take a lifetime to see results.

As for contestants getting angry at each other for not losing "enough". It's important to realize that they're coming into the whole thing much like many new people on MFP... they don't realize that ANY loss is a loss! They don't realize that they have to eat to lose. They don't realize that some weeks the scale is just not going to budge not matter WHAT you do... they're learning, just like us.

With that being said... I'm down another 3 pounds! YAAAAY ME!