Losing It, Part I

I have been meaning to blog about The Biggest Loser television show for some time now. I have struggled to organize my feelings about this program in a constructive manner, so I have just sat back, and read what far more articulate bloggers have had to say. However, when I saw that Jillian Michaels now has her very own reality fat-hater show, I could stay quiet no longer.

I first, have to own up to a bit of hypocrisy. Right now, a coworker and I are running a Biggest Loser contest at our workplace. I have also purchased and/or rented various Biggest Loser products: cookbooks, exercise DVDs, etc. I have watched the show on a few occasions in the past, but I usually get too angry to sit through an entire season. I have a strong desire to improve my health, and have been healthfully and diligently working on my weight loss through the past year or so. I’m not knocking the desire or attempt to lose weight – I just want to make that clear.

I’ve always wondered what happened to Biggest Loser contestants after their time at the ranch had expired. I rounded up a couple where-are-they-now articles, and was interested to see that many contestants were not able to sustain their weight loss. In fact, most of the featured contestants gained back at least half of the weight they had lost. Sort of makes me wonder how successful the “scream til they drop” technique works in the long term.

Then yesterday, I came across this post over at Body Love Wellness. I remember watching Kai Hibbard a few years back, and found her to be funny and witty, and somewhat of a kindred spirit. I was really sad and disappointed to hear that she had developed an eating disorder. I was not surprised, however, that the show was so cutthroat behind the scenes.

I think what bothers me is that The Biggest Loser has turned into a resource for folks trying to fight the fat, myself included. And what makes me particularly sad is that the show promotes a really ugly approach to taking care of oneself. Most of the professionals I have consulted with regarding weight loss (nutritionists, psychologists, physicians) have all advocated weight loss that is slow-yet-steady. And more importantly, they've advocated treating myself well. Based on what Kai Hibbard has shared, it appears that Biggest Loser producers and consultants have taken a different approach. From what I can tell, this method has not proven successful beyond a few minutes.

All of this leads me to further question why we're OK with this. I'm continuing this post into a Part II, but I think there is a deeper issue at play. Why are we willing to accept and even delight over a form of abuse inflicted upon others?