The Biggest Loser?
Currently the Australian Biggest Loser(BL) series is showing and it got me thinking, who is the real winner???
The BL contestants are obviously gaining from the show in exposure to the public and lessons in health. Many previous contestants are now the face of various weight loss products and for the most part have improved their lives. It is this second point where I start to wonder whether the contestants are gaining valuable experiences or are just being used to line the pockets of the shows producers and sponsors.
My first gripe with the show is the format, anyone taken out of their normal routine and blasted by personal trainers for hours a day, will lose weight. What happens when the contestants return home to the same life choices which caused the weight gain. Self discipline isn’t tested when you are being watched 24/7.
My second gripe is the game style of play, I know that this is to get people watching however what is the benefit of sending a contestant away after a week (benefit to the contestant is all I’m concerned about). One idea would be to send contestants away to a wild card camp to continue their training and play for a spot in the main group towards the end. That way they are going to experience the kick start needed to drop the weight. Perhaps even filming a portion of the show from the contestant’s homes and teach them how to balance exercise around “normal” life.
Thirdly, the merchandise is terrible. The shake system of dieting is proven to work over a short period of time but who can really maintain drinking one of these sugar filled protein based meal replacements for any longer than a couple of months!! Whilst on a shake diet what are you learning about food?? What are you going to do once you’ve had enough of the not eating food? Shakes are proven to help drop weight and are great for Yo-yo dieters. I think a show of this popularity should make a stronger stance on healthy eating for life rather than loseing weight for 6 months of every year. I am aware that the BL website does offer calorie calculators and food ideas, however the shakes are the most prominant aspect of their campaign.
For all the exercise purists I guess a TV show isn’t going to satisfy everybody. I would like to see a show which is actually showing you the workouts and meals that the contestants are using. Ideally a concept which follows the current government’s ad campaign about not crossing the line to make a positive change. After all isn’t that what everyone in the fitness industry and government should be working towards ??
February 26th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
How good would it be to actually have the personal trainers on the show actually using the contestants to show how to do specific exercises while they are training them Then have the trainers talk about what muscles they work and why this is a good exercise etc. Then maybe even talk about modifications etc etc. This would ultimately help everyone who is watching. But i guess they wouldn’t want to inform the public too much as they might be out of a job then…
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:53 am
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March 17th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Biggest Loser in good in some ways but extremely bad in others. Peoples lifes are at risk here as they are all extremely unhealthy. The main objective of the show should be to help these people get their life back on track through exercise and diet. The fact that they then turn their weight loss into a game and turn people in the house against each other is just stupid. These people should only have to worry about losing weight. Keep them all in the house and the person that loses the most wins. The show should be about weight loss not backstabbing each other
April 17th, 2009 at 11:29 am
It’s amazing the transformation that some of these people make during their biggest loser journey, but as you stated above how will these people cope once they are back at home and have to live their normal lives. Go to work, look after the kids, buy their own food etc.