Some of the 2012 Biggest Loser contestants
I have never seen a full episode of The Biggest Loser. I flicked over once, years ago, to see the contestants blind-folded and surrounded by chocolates. There was some kind of punishment attached to eating them, and as the crackling of wrappers betrayed the weak ones, they were berated by their team mates. It was like a terrible dream. You know those bizarre nightmares in which the humiliations of your teenage years are combined with adulthood? Imagine a dream in which you, an adult, are shamefully gobbling choccies, on TV, in bike shorts, while other adults express their disappointment in you for letting them down.
I had a little cry that night.
Shows like The Biggest Loser and Excess Baggage create a forum for needy people to get on TV and nasty people to call them names. It’s not about “the journey”. It’s about acceptance, it’s about the Princess moment. It’s about having a bunch of beautiful people congratulate you for making it to their world – however brief your stay will be. It’s even on television, which we all know is only for beautiful people. Well as far I’m concerned, these shows make for ugly television and contribute to ugliness in our community.
You’ve only got to follow twitter during an episode to witness the vile barbs people hurl from their couches. “I will unfollow anyone tweeting nasty things about the Biggest Loser people,” I tweeted last year. “You know it’s wrong to treat others that way, you’ve known it since pre school, so don’t do it.”
It’s hard to insist the contestants be treated with compassion, when the network behind Excess Baggage chooses to publicise the series with full page ads depicting the celebrities crushing the channel nine logo, by sitting on it. I mean seriously, is that how those clever executives were raised? I would be thoroughly ashamed of my children if they participated in the humiliation of anyone, for any amount of money or television ratings, at any age.
Some of the Biggest Loser pictures being used for ad campaigns.This is trainer Tiffiny Hall
The Biggest Loser’s full pagers depict their angelic trainers as naked and faultless pillars of integrity and honor. I guess I’m supposed to aspire to be like them, maybe tear the pages out and stick them to my fridge like I did when I was fourteen and thought I’d never be right as long as I was fat. I’m not even going to ask if those pics are photoshopped, because I couldn’t care less. They just have nothing to do with me. I’m not fourteen anymore. I have pictures of my kids on my fridge, and their growth in contentment and compassion is the only journey I’m interested in taking with what’s left of my fortunate life.
I have said before that I have a perfect body. It has everything it is meant to have, although God knows, great things have been achieved by people with missing limbs and things, regardless of the ‘imperfection’ of their form. My body is healthy, and does everything I ask it to. I can “run around with my kids” even though they’ll try to convince you only thin people can do that. I am a very lucky person, born in a prosperous and free country, where peace reigns. I refuse to believe that I am somehow unlucky because I don’t look like Tiffany in the buff.
Have a look at the advertisement for The Biggest Loser that’s been playing over the summer.
And now have a look at this. It was created in response to those ads.
Meshel Laurie is a comedian and broadcaster. You can catch up with her on Nova’s Drive Show with Tim Blackwell and Marty Sheargold 4-6pm on weekdays.
Did you watch The Biggest Loser? What did you think?
Comments
423 Comments so far
The biggest loser touches the hearts of millions of overweight and unhappy people struggling with finding the motivation to change their life for the better. Obesity is an eating disorder and for most people you can’t just simply join the gym and eat more vegetables to conquer it. I myself have suffered from anorexia and binge eating – 2 very common eating disorders – and as much as people think that having obesity and having anorexia are two completely different things – they are actually very similar. My point is – that during my times of absolute heart ache – all i wanted to do was be locked up. While trying to recover from anorexia (a disorder where you are in complete control of your food), i ended up losing ALL control of everything i knew – giving into temptations and taken over by an inner demon that wasn’t me – a demon that would devour everything in site and then tell me how utterly fat and disgusting i was. During my binge episodes i had absolutely no control over the packets of junk i was opening, or amount of times i would open the the fridge. I can distinctly remember a time where my hands were physically shaking while i was eating something dripping in fat because a part of me was trying to stop, while the other was overriding. Eating disorders are far more extreme than people think – as much as people on reality tv shows appear to be reduced to mice in a cage – the concept of the biggest loser (i.e. literally locking people away from the outside world) is the key to fixing obesity. It is not simply the person who consciously chooses to eat so much and exercise so little that the weight piles on – it is the horrific movement of society which has sucked people into this inescapable trap of being controlled by food. Even people who appear super fit and in control (the typical gym mum ordering her skim milk coffee, half water to save calories) are controlled by food. Food should not take over our life and turn us into something we are not. The problem is so bad that people literally need to RE-LEARN how to live and eat again –> that is what the biggest loser does.
loading...
Being loved doesnt have anything to do with being overweight.
Staying alive to see and meet your grandchildren and not clogging the health system is what having a healthy body weight should be about.
Sure some of the biggest loser contestants havent found love, but there are plenty of thin people that haven’t either. I dont agree with everything that happens on the Biggest Loser but i do agree that you’ll have a better life if you are healthy, and obesity is not healthy
loading...
There is simple truth that beautiful people do better in life. All the rest being equal, they are promoted faster, they have better chances to find a suitable partner, etc. Of course this is unfair, but so is life.
Having a healthy weight and a shapely figure is the cheapest and the most effortless way to be more beautiful.
Of course, you can be overweight, and at the same time happy and loved. But then you can also be all those things with, say, bad teeth or dirty nails. But nobody would seriously claim that they do not wash or visit their dentist because they feel allright and happy even being dirty and stinky?
I mean, come on, you are in a self-denial.
loading...
“I have confidence in sunshine, I have confidence in rain
I have confidence that Spring shall come again!
But besides that which you see, I have confidence in me!”
loading...
http://pinterest.com/kittlviv/health-fatness/
Even the name of the show irks me – The Biggest Loser. The only thing to come out of it, which is little consolation, is some information about food and fitness. Yet its still a massive turd sandwiched between self loathing and punishment. I too am a keen supporter and follower of HAES (Health at Every Size) which gives guidelines on Intuitive Eating and finding a movement/fitness plan that is enjoyable. For every stat or study pulled out of the weight bigotry box, there are other stats, research, scientific and ancedotal evidence to dispute it. The media does not report the continually evolving research that debunks the obesity hoax. Their revenue thrives on advertising diet gimmickry. The only epidemic is fat shaming and body image scrutiny. There is a long road ahead to shift the societal perception and infuse factual knowledge about Fat. Let’s not pretend that weight bigotry is about wanting to see people healthy, its about spreading prejudice that fat people are not socially acceptable.
loading...
http://www.oa.org.au
OA Program of Recovery
Overeaters Anonymous offers a program of recovery from compulsive eating using the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of OA. Worldwide meetings and other tools provide a fellowship of experience, strength and hope where members respect one another’s anonymity. OA charges no dues or fees; it is self-supporting through member contributions.
OA is not just about weight loss, weight gain or maintenance, or obesity or diets. It addresses physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. It is not a religious organization and does not promote any particular diet.
OA members differ in many ways, but we are united by our common disease and the solution we have found in the OA program. We practice unity with diversity, and we welcome everyone who wants to stop eating compulsively. Welcome to Overeaters Anonymous. Welcome home.
loading...
I found a program that has worked for me
OVER-EATERS ANONYMOUS
*Overeaters Anonymous is a Fellowship of individuals who, through shared experience, strength and hope, are recovering from compulsive overeating. We welcome everyone who wants to stop eating compulsively.
There are no dues or fees for members; we are self-supporting through our own contributions, neither soliciting nor accepting outside donations. OA is not affiliated with any public or private organization, political movement, ideology or religious doctrine; we take no position on outside issues.
Our primary purpose is to abstain from compulsive overeating and to carry this message of recovery to those who still suffer.^
I have been able to reach physical recovery….while working on my emotional recovery….I did not do this alone and continue to have daily help and support by way of an Angel in the form of my sponsor and other OA members…..The blessing is you know what is EATING you and you can find the help you need.
Food addiction does not discriminate, the disease will either make you obese and all the health risks that come with it. Anorexic and or Bulimic and try to kill you by starving your body to death.
You cannot think yourself into right living ….you have to live yourself into right thinking……..
lots of love
Fi
loading...
Thanks again for being the voice (or word) of reason.
I battle with my weight and have for years and part of me wants to watch these shows for the tips or points of interest that may help me. But I just can’t bring myself to watch them, especially The Biggest Losers – “Singles”. The assumption that you don’t have love because you are fat and will be able to find love once you lose weight is just beyond insulting. It make me so angry. The advertisements for the show turned me off even before it started.
Thank you again!
loading...
Pingback: Best of The Interwebs! « thescarletapple
I’m loving the show so far, it is awesome. Everyone is so happy to be shedding those KGs that I don’t see how it is wrong.
Yes it is done for entertainment, but it also assists the people on their weight loss journey. As the Bio ages showed most of them are big AND unhealthy. It does not mean everyone is, but if you are classed as morbidly obese, not just over weight then the chances are that you are not fit.
Before everyone moans, yes I know thin people are not necessarily always fit. But they are putting less risk factors their way by being an average size. 18-24% body fat for women, some the people on the show are 40-60% fat.
Keep Biggest Loser on it is inspirational
loading...
Spot on again, Meshel. I agree wholeheartedly. And such a pleasure to read – you write so well
loading...
The show isnt about being ‘thin’ its about being healthy. Fair enough to pick apart the silly challenges and competitive element to the show but the ambition to lose weight and achieve a healthy weight should be commended. One look at these contestants and it is clear that they are far from healthy and need guidance.
I agree you cannot align weight with beauty as there are many heavier men and women far more beautiful than their slimmer friends…and lets be honest beauty is so subjective BUT take a look at the big picture..these people are dangerously overweight, not just carrying a bit of extra xmas pudding and defending their size is being incredibly ignorant of the serious issue that go hand in hand with obesity.
loading...
Maybe Meshel is saying the focus on the show is about being “thin” not being “healthy”.
loading...
Wow, what a response! And so much venom, sad. It is a mistake to equate size and health, they are separate things. There is little research that shows weight loss does anything positive for health. There is excellent research that shows that weight loss fails 95% of the time. The best research is that fitness improves health, at any size. Hence the growing movement Health at Every Size. There is an excellent book with that title by Linda Bacon (fantastic name for someone in this field). Worth a read to challenge what you believe/know in this area. Love yourself, you are perfect as you were created, peace, out.
loading...
There is *a lot* of research actually that shows that weight loss is good for ones health. (Not to mention just using common sense).
I mean, you can’t seriously think your risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer etc are higher if your weight is in a healthy range?? :O
loading...
Yes but you do not have to be *thin* to be healthy. There is a vast difference between aspiring to be healthy (something I think everyone should aim to be) and aspiring to be thin.
The Biggest Loser promotes thinness and in a very unhealthy way. Losing 80kg in 6 months aint healthy. Making small changes in a sustainable way that promotes positive changes over time in key areas of health (ie your heart and lung function, diabetes indicators etc etc) is healthy.
loading...
Being overweight doesn’t make you unworthy Mishel Laurie, it makes you unhealthy! Having a healthy active life is about living a longer healthier one NOT about looking a certain way!
loading...
All well and good Meshel, until I tuned into your radio show last night and heard the promos by your gang of 3 for Biggest Loser comp. pfft
loading...
I despise The Biggest Loser in all of its forms. (And I doubt the name of the show with its double entendres are unintentional..) If they cared about fitness or health in the slightest they would not format the show in this way, period. You need not look like the trainers to be fit and the way participants are treated and pitted against one another is dehumanizing.
loading...
Anyone who thinks that this program actually helps the people involved is delusional. Anyone can lose weight temporarily, especially with that much support. Afterward 95% of them will balloon upwards again and perhaps even gain more weight than when they started. This is not the solution! You can be fat and fit, but not if you keep yo-yo dieting.
loading...
Why? It shows everyone who watches it that there are serious reasons that the contestants have ended up the sizes they are. It shows that it takes hard work and discipline to start to change. It shows that it is emotional and they need to face up to problems in their lives. How is any of that unrealistic?
loading...
The unrealistic expectation of keeping such a large amount of weight off long-term perhaps? I’m all for a show about helping people realise ways in which they could improve their health but the format of Biggest Loser (along with the snarky title) makes me ashamed to be a human being in ‘Modern Australia”.
To make a competition of losing weight in that environment is un-healthy mentally, emotionally and yes, physically….Such rapid weight-loss is incredibly unhealthy – and counter-productive to the body, increasing the likelihood of regaining the weight lost. And could potentially give the ‘contestants’ the mentality that they are failing by putting on weight when they leave the heavily monitored conditions. I may be wrong but I read somewhere that the contestants have minimal support from the show once leaving (such a change to the 24hr support they seem to get while on the show). This is also damaging to their entirety….
loading...
I find the biggest loser I. Poor taste bit like extreme make over. I much prefer ow to look good naked on austar as it helps people make the most of what they have which is a much more positive way to look at things.
I have put on weight myself( I seriously look pregnant) and I still think I should be loved and confident but I also feel a bit ashamed of letting myself get plump. It isn’t healthy and as a health professional I feel I should be able to walk the walk. Must lose 10kg this year( best to set a realistic target). I would feel a bit more comfortable with my public image.
loading...
Ok…..can’t hold my comment any longer.Just the continued ads for this show had me writhing in my seat. Unrealistic, dramatic, unsafe sensationalization of how you would go about dealing with this type of client in the real world of personal training (PT). This show is made for TV only, something viewers should remember. In the real world most trainers are lucky to see clients 1-2 max 3 times a week in our current economic environment. This means clients are taught by good trainers to set goals on a day to day basis…taught to be responsible for their actions regarding exercise….educated on sound balanced nutrition….all while they are living their everyday lives. Yes the majority of clients (surprise) have to work, cook, clean, raise a family etc etc.
They are not locked away, forced to exercise at all hours of the day / night or tempted with high calorific treats deemed to undo their good work thus far.
Now onto the training methods used…yes they may be backed by a medical team who has tested the contestants, however the methods used to train the biggest losers are not sound, safe practice. Having had 9 years lecturing experience in Cert IV fitness and over 25 years industry experience, never have I seen in the curriculum that obese clients should be trained in this manner. Our duty of care simply wouldn’t allow it. Now for the trainers….naked photo shoots…come on really ! Who is this show really about ? I wonder how the contestants feel having to look at those photos regularly. Honestly guys put your egos back in. As for client trainer rapport, if I spoke to my clients the way the biggest loser trainers do I would have a lot of free time on my hands each week. There is much more I could say but, oh, look what just started, the biggest loser part 2. Sorry have to go now, have to find the remote and change the channel.
loading...
Brilliant comment. Thank you for the clarity of your ‘insiders’ view.
loading...
A lot of people are saying that TBL is bullying tv. Who is doing the bullying?
No-one’s being forced to go on the show, they sign up freely and know what they’re in for. I love watching the change from the people they go in as to the people they come out as. It’s one of my favourite shows. Love seeing the transformations.
loading...
Bullshit no-one’s forcing them to go on the show! These people are desperate after lifetime of bullying over their appearance and somehow see this as their only chance to get that to stop. Society, and people like you who ‘love seeing the transformations’, are the bullies.
loading...
Maybe they’re also desperate after years of trying to walk to the bus stop without their knees and ankles and heart and lungs hurting as well.
How is enjoying seeing someone become happy being a bully?
loading...
BEAUTIFULLY said Meshel.
Pay it pay it pay it!
loading...
I think it’s a terrible show, although I’m guilty of sneaking a peak every now and then. The worst part is the ritual humiliation. Why do the female contestants really need to wear crop tops and shorts when they’re at their biggest? And the men in their shorts with the fat hanging over the top. We know they’re big. That’s why they’re there. We don’t have to point and laugh at them from the comfort of our settees.
And now this lots are being touted as Losers in Love. “I haven’t been kissed because I’m fat.” Well, maybe that contributes to their low self esteem, but I’m not a potential contestant and I ain’t getting it either. Am I a Loser?
Hmm, bit of a revealing tangent there. Anyway, I think it’s great that the contestants get something out of it but I hate the humiliation. I hate the way that Michelle and Shannon are being held up as not only fitness instructors but experts on the human psyche. I get that weight causes low self esteem but these people have deep seated issues and eating lettuce and dragging heavy tyres through mud isn’t the way to fix things long term.
On the other hand – it works for some.
I don’t know. I struggle with it.
loading...
You could say the same thing about being in the military, because that’s part of what you do in PT – dragging tyres (and yourself) through mud, doing high or low wires and obstacle courses, survival training… Everyone gets through it and has a great buzz when they do. People can generally do a lot more than they think they can, and I think TBL is brilliant at showing that. If it gets people thinking “If they can do it, maybe I can”, that can only be a good thing.
loading...
“Why do the female contestants really need to wear crop tops and shorts when they’re at their biggest? And the men in their shorts with the fat hanging over the top. We know they’re big.”
So they get an accurate record of their weight. Ideally they should be weighed naked but hey that’s not going to happen, as clothing does add weight and when you’re trying to lose weight every little gram matters!! I get what you’re saying but that’s why they wear as little clothing as possible.
loading...
I doubt an extra 30 cms of fabric (a t-shirt rather than a crop top) is going to make more than a couple of grams, if that, difference on the scales. The crop top thing is all part of the ritual humiliation.
loading...
They actually get weighed naked and the weigh in is just a “reveal” for the show and to tell them how much they weigh. A friend’s dad was on a previous series.
I think they strip so that the difference between before and after is easier to see.
loading...
At the end of the day it is just a tv show and I actually quite enjoy it for what it is. The contestants know exactly what they are getting into, it is not a blind decision. The type of people who say nasty things about these contestants are they type of people who will say nasty things about anyone on their tv screen. Anyone who chooses to go on a reality show would know that there are those types of people in the world. Do they ALL change their lives forever? nope. Is the regime unable to be stuck to in the real world? Probably. However they are given tools and knowledge to take back to the real world and if they regain all of their weight then they likely haven’t stuck to an excersise or healthy eating plan at all. Noone has ever come out of the show and said it had a negative impact on them though.
You don’t have to like the show… but personally I think there are far worse shows. I mean has anyone seen Toddlers and Tiaras? Holey Dooley…
loading...
I can’t watch it anymore. The only season I liked was in 2008 when there wasn’t much crying and whinging. The contestants often carry on and complain as though they were kidnapped off the street and deposited at the Biggest Loser House in the dead of night, instead of entering a competition of their own free will. They whinge about how hard it is in the house; well, what the hell did they expect??? I think it frustrates me the most because they are so lucky, so unbelievably lucky to have that opportunity to have a team of trainers, dieticians and doctors constantly helping them to lose weight. Yeah they’re away from family but they made that choice and they are so ungrateful about the opportunity.
And the CRYING. I hate seeing grown adults have tantrums in the gym/field, hurl abuse at the trainers then sit on the ground and wailing like five year olds. Sure I get the tears when they’re in their underwear being weighed on national television and find out that they’ve lost very little weight and have to answer questions like “are you disappointed with yourself?” “what would your husband/wife/children think if they saw you now?” etc, it’s so cruel and humiliating- but it makes my skin crawl seeing them start crying every five seconds!
I generally don’t approve of making money/tv out of people’s misery and poor health.
loading...
Hi Meshel, you have touched on many points I agree with regarding the commercialism of this show, but many I disagree with by pushing your own weight agenda. I have never watched a full episode of this show until literally now.
These contestants WANT to be on the show and they have not ACCEPTED their weight. Every single person I have watched step up has been in tears and with amazing family support have resorted to going on the show they see as a chance to help them lose weight. They have realised their weight is unhealthy and is stopping them life their best life possible.
Scanning through their family members, it’s pretty obvious obesity runs through most ofthe families and these food traits have filtered down to their children. There was a mother whose son is on the show who never leaves her home because she doesn’t want to be seen in public.
Although I disagree with aspects of the show, I am so happy for all of these people to accept they are very overweight, how this Jas impacted on their personal loves and they want to do something about it.
A lot of the contestants have spoken about emotional eating and not knowing how to cope with very difficult times. There is much that this shows offers such as tools to help with mental and physical strength.
You have accepted your weight and you love your body. This isn’t about you.
A lot of obese people hide behind their sense of humour and pick on these shows. I’m happy that you are happy and healthy. But I worked with an obese woman who tried very diet, tried exercise and tried to get on this show and the amount of people who turned up on her audition day was ridiculous. If there wasn’t a need for this show, to help people who are so lost, who can’t afford other measures and don’t want to ge stomach stapling, I think if this is what you want then go for it. My colleague ended up getting her stomach stapled in the end and she is so unbelievably happy in her weightloss and it’s opened her up to other things.
You said you wouldn’t tell your children to tease someone who is overweight but that’s a given. Maybe you should watch an episode because you might see why these people went on the show. This is their last chance and they don’t want to accept their current weight for many valid reasons.
I firmly believe in a healthy mind and a healthy body. If someone has an obvious weight problem most often than not it’s psychological and people get stuck. I have watched my sister struggle with her weight for years and supported her, it’s tough not only on her but tough on loved ones from wanting to help and trying everything in supportive measures, but frustrating when they give up so easily sometimes too.
This show exists because people keep applying to go on it and it makes a shitload of
money. I personally think the trainers have the tough love thing down pat, but I wouldn’t aspire to have their bodies as they are too muscly for me, but they are personal trainers and most trainers look like this.
What the trainers do well is tough love. Most contestants have been catered to their whole life or family didn’t want to say anything and give them the tough love. Maybe they did but the person wasn’t motivated.
Please watch the show and see why the contestants are there and put the commercial side aside for now.
Or maybe you could offer them advice on
your radio show about how they can love themselves or lose weight? You have been highly succcessful as a comedian and on radio – maybe you should pay it forward. Not everyone comes in the same shape, you may be happy with your own body, but these people are not. They need and want help and this is their choice and they know what they are in for going on tv. Accept it even though you disgree.
Lastly, you mentioned you think your body is perfect. You have kids and can run around after them. There is a woman on the show who tries for 8 years to have children and her
weight was the issue in not getting pregnant. She wants to have her own children and needs help in losing weight. These contestants are brave to go on tv and be so personal. Yes it’s great tv, but in the end most of the Australian public is supportive. Everyone has shit to deal with in life, if you go on this type of show you know there will be edits and negative comments. But they still want to go on the show, it’s their choice and good on them.
loading...
Thank you for reading my mind.
loading...
Well said. We’re talking about people with health problems, big risk factors for disease and often huge emotional baggage as well. As you said, they often come from families where obesity is a problem and as such often just don’t know what to do to fix their problems because they’ve never seen a healthy lifestyle demonstrated. They’re desperate and desperate times call for desperate measures!
loading...
Well said! I totally agree.
My girlfriend recently completed Michelle Bridges 12WBT and has totally transformed both mind and body. Why? Because Michelle actually walks the talk and is tough, but you have to be to get healthy! Whatever these people were doing in their lives wasn’t working, they aren’t happy.
I don’t necessarily agree with many of the comps on the show, but it is part of the show.
It motivates me to be more healthy nonetheless.
loading...
Ok I have a couple of things to say on this article.
Firstly, Meschel I really love your work, sense of humour and sense of self – however I don’t completely agree with your views expressed in your article.
In relation to the ‘commercial’ side of the television show, I really don’t like some of things they make the contestents do – especially the temptations and the voting people off. This is the ‘game’ aspect of the show and frankly I think this is what lets it down. This in my opinion isn’t why people watch the program, and definitely not the reason why I have watched every season of the show so far. I also have some issues with the ‘looking for love’ promotion of the show that they are doing. I completely agree that people need to be happy in themselves in order to be in a happy and loving relationship, but I just wish that they would stop dropping the ‘looking for love’ line into every 2 minutes of the first 2 episodes.
These couple of negatives aside, I don’t think that the show is just “a forum for needy people to get on TV and nasty people to call them names” nor is it about having a bunch of beautiful people congratulate you for making it to their world “. .. What I see when I watch is people who are terribly unhappy with their current lives, particularly due to their lifestyle and weight, being given an opportunity to make a change. I don’t think the trainers are part of some sort of conspiracy to make any of the contestants conform to their own personal body shapes/worlds. They are fitness PROFESSIONALS, they are meant to be the elite of their field. Just as tennis professionals coach a lot of people every day, we don’t berate them for using their expertise to try and help others to do the best that they can. I have to say, I have never seen any episode of this show where any of the trainers have treated the contestants as second class citizens until they reach a particular size/weight at which time they then “welcome them into their world”.
What I see when I watch the show is the trainers trying to support people in developing self confidence in their own abilities and their own self worth.
My biggest issue with this article is the premise that the contestants are being forced to conform to society and therefore be forced into losing weight. THESE PEOPLE ARE UNHAPPY WITH THEMSELVES! Yes this may be influenced by the images they see in magazines or clothes sizes on racks in shops, but its more than like more due to something like, running out of breath walking to the shop, or having heart palpitations, or having their doctor tell them they are at extreme risk of developing diabetes or heart disease.
My point is that while a lot of people carrying extra weight, be it 1kg or 100kg, are happy with themselves and their body, there are just as many people who aren’t and why shouldn’t they be villified for taking the opportunity to change their lives. I think this article is just adding to the whole fat vs skinny issue. This isn’t about weight, this is about happiness and self worth, some people just can’t be content with carrying some extra kg’s and they should be empowered to make a change if thats what they want to do.
loading...
“My biggest issue with this article is the premise that the contestants are being forced to conform to society and therefore being forced into losing weight”- do you think that all these changes are motivated from within, from a place of understanding and self love? If no one had hurled insults at them or called them “fat” all their lives, do you think they would be where they are today? And, if they decided not to lose weight drastically and focus on slowly improving their health, ignoring the scale, do you think society would give them the thumbs up and cease the disrespect? Does someone put themselves in a literal “freak show” because they think the people around them love them regardless what their waist looks life?
It isn’t about weight, it’s about health, and this show distorts both.
loading...
I don’t watch the Biggest Loser and my experience with it extends no further than catching the last few minutes before the next scheduled show. Those few minutes made me feel dirty; not because I don’t like looking at overweight people, but because I don’t like looking at overweight people being used as entertainment and, in my opinion, exploited. I also wouldn’t watch a show about people battling anorexia, gambling or alcoholism (not that I’m saying they’re all necessarily in exactly the same vein, just that they’re all problems people can face).
It seems to lack all respect for those individuals as human beings and I don’t like it. They aren’t characters on a screen, they are real people with real feelings and real struggles and I shouldn’t be using them as entertainment.
As a slight aside, I find it ironic that Ajay Rochester went from hosting the Biggest Loser to being a contestant on Excess Baggage; and I’m supposed to see the Biggest Loser as a quality weight-loss program?
loading...
I HATE this show – but more so because it’s just pain stupid television.
People enter themselves into a competition then whinge and moan and complain about having to resist the bad food and complain about the hard work they need to put in to make the weight disappear.
Plus there’s the crying! Oh my gosh! So, so much crying!
They blame it on not being loved, and being bullied at school, parents divorcing…when really the reason the contestants are overweight is because they did little to no exercise and continued to put crap food in their mouth.
It’s disappointing that a TV network is happy to continue to air the show without actually televising any valuable lessons regarding nutrition and health during the program.
loading...
I love that these people want to change their lives for the better, it’s very admirable, but unfortunately going away for 4 months and exercising 8 hours a day isn’t realistic in the real world.
The shaming doesnt help, either. It’s kicking them while they’re down. They come fix their lives, they dont need to be broken down any more than they already are.
loading...
To me, the show is basically akin to making a show about anorexics and watching them being forced to eat every week. It’s making a spectacle out of someone’s health problems, and teaching people that it’s okay to strive for weight loss rather than health. Why not measure their cholesterol, or test their blood to see if their diabetes (or risk of diabetes) has improved? Why does it have to be the scale?
This quote from JK Rowling sums up my views on the subject, she’s talking about a male cast member on one of the films who just could not understand one of his female cohorts being labeled fat:
““Fat” is usually the first insult a girl throws at another girl when she wants to hurt her,’ I said; I could remember it happening when I was at school, and witnessing it among the teenagers I used to teach. Nevertheless, I could see that to him, a well-adjusted male, it was utterly bizarre behaviour, like yelling ‘thicko!’ at Stephen Hawking.
His bemusement at this everyday feature of female existence reminded me how strange and sick the ‘fat’ insult is. I mean, is ‘fat’ really the worst thing a human being can be? Is ‘fat’ worse than ‘vindictive’, ‘jealous’ ‘shallow’, ‘vain’, ‘boring’ or ‘cruel’? Not to me; but then you might retort, what do I know about the pressure to be skinny? I’m not in the business of being judged on my looks, what with being a writer and earning a living by using my brain…
I went to the British Book Awards that evening. After the award ceremony I bumped into a woman I hadn’t seen for nearly three years. The first thing she said to me? “You’ve lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw you!”
“Well,” I said, slightly nonplussed, “the last time you saw me I’d just had a baby.”
What I felt like saying was, “I’ve produced my third child and my sixth novel since I last saw you. Aren’t either of those things more important, more interesting, than my size?” But no – my waist looked smaller! Forget the kid and the book: finally, something to celebrate!””.
loading...
What a terrific comment. Thanks Jo M. And I just fell a bit more in love with JK Rowling.
loading...
I get the trembles imagining a world without JK Rowling.
loading...
JK Rowling is so articulate, I love that. Great comment!
loading...
Haven’t seen Biggest Loser Australia, but love watching snippets of BL USA as love Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels when she was on. I don’t quite get the video response “I am confident, I am loved …” with that soppy music in the background. Totally get you can be any weight and feel confident and loved. But the ones who go on shows like BL, must be at the last resort, and have no clue as to how to stop killing themselves with food. So they definitely aren’t confident or have self-love. But that doesn’t make them any less then the overweight folk in that video who have self-love and confidence. Good on them for wanting to make a change and to have to get to a point where being on TV, baring their all to the nation is their last resort means they need all the help and support they can get. Yes it’s entertainment, it’s a tv show. But I’m sure the majority of them at the end of it, would not have it any other way.
loading...
I can’t watch The Biggest Loser. I can’t stomach the shaming / humiliation of the contestents, the extreme/dangerous exercise, obsessive calorie counting and black and white thinking (fat = bad, unhealthy, terrible life, thin = good, healthy, perfect life).
To be honest it reminds me too much of when I was anorexic. Obsessive calorie counting, monitoring of weight loss and percentages and constant rumination about food / nutrition. Sure, my problem was sort of the opposite, but not really. Too often the extremes they seem to go to on that show remind me of the extremes of the beliefs I held when I was very ill. And it’s all presented under the guise of health, of helping these people and of “educating” them about food and nutrition. Shudder.
loading...
Last night I watched half the first episode of the Biggest Loser 2012. I did. It came on after the Project, I was already cooking, I didn’t change the channel. Whatever, I watched it.
It broke my heart. I actually cried a little. A bunch of people bared their souls and revealed that they feel like they can’t be loved.
There are people who believe no one will ever love them. Believe they are not worthy. That’s the real tragedy here.
Everyone deserves love. Everyone is worthy of love. Everyone can be loved.
I’ve read some of the comments on this post, some of the things people have had to say, and I just want to say I’m sick of it. Fat people this, skinny people that, we’re all PEOPLE! Why are we fighting between ourselves?
Gay, straight, black, white, big, small, thin, fat, WORSHIP that body. It’s the only one you’ve got.
loading...
When I was in high school a life-long friend asked me if I would go on the biggest loser. I said no because i never had the desire to humiliate myself in public, but it hurt a lot because at that stage I was probably around 80kgs and she thought I was as fat as someone who weighed 130kgs. It still hurts that she asked.
I recently came to realise that a lot of the time I spent thinking I was fat, I actually wasn’t. I wasted years of my life feeling awful because I was coerced into hating myself. I believe that led me to develop real and sustained food problems that led me to getting a lap band 3 months ago.
Don’t ever shame someone for their weight – shame lasts a lifetime.
loading...
It is important for people carrying excess weight to try and reduce their body fat, no one could argue any different. It is also important for people to eat better and be healthier in general. What I object to is sensationalizing people who need extra help to achieve this and cashing in big time. This show is horrible on so many levels.
loading...
I don’t give a rats what you weigh, whoever you are, I only care that you are a caring, empathetic individual. Some of the nastiest people I know are size 12 and can work a designer frock like no one else. The point of The Biggest Loser is that these people will die an early unnecessary death without achieving their true potential. Every day I see operations cancelled because the patient is overweight and the procedure would be too dangerous for them to undergo anaesthesia. Don’t shoot the messengers. The trainers just want people to be happy, healthy and able to live a long useful life. Sitting on a couch, too scared to socialise or even speak to people, and eating fast food fat is not a life no matter how you dress it up. Doing the training will make these people feel Unbelievable and they will realise that they CAN achieve something, and they will understand that they are doing it for themselves and no one else. I did. My ambition is not to fit in a size 12 it’s to be fit and healthy for my son and grandchildren. It took me 52 years to figure it out but I did it. Guess what I am happy and I don’t care what you think!
loading...
I swear that I’ve seen some clothing on Tiffany in the promo shots. Maybe they’ve been cropped! Enjoyed Meshel’s article but judging by all the comments on here I’m beginning to think that I’m the only person who sticks to channel 7. Hang over from childhood I guess…Still though, I wonder how the likes of Adro and Fiona are going?
loading...
Adro is still fit and does ads for gym equipment, and Fiona is a plus size model for various chains (Big W/ Best&Less etc) and looks healthy
loading...
ADRO put a lot of his weight back on after the show. He may have lost weight initially, but he didn’t fix his inner problems. After much failure, he went to ThinkSlim (google it) and was then permanently, psychologically and emotionally ready to lose weight and keep it off. He has been so successful that he is one of ThinkSlim’s major endorsers.
loading...
He looks pretty good on the Workout World ads that are on every second ad break!
loading...
Just found this post, for the record I have never put on more than a few kilos over the last six years! Nor did I use or need to use think slim! Mark was a friend I made and I gave his product an endorsement , I didn’t say at any time I used it personally! I run a rehab now for people over 100kgs teaching them everything I feel is a factor in losing weight in a healthy way and keeping it off! But thanks for that deb!!
loading...
..and why on earth are tiffany and michelle NAKED for crying out loud?? is that how bad the advertising geniuses are at CH10 – they need to resort to both female trainers being naked on bus stops to promote the show? I’m disappointed as i thought both those women would be stronger than to allow themselves to be used like that – notice the male trainers have far less revealing images done of their shoulders only. unbelievable.
loading...
OMG!!! I had a big rant about this the other night! It infuriates me that the two females are the ‘naked’ ones and the boys are just topless. It should have been all four in the same full body shot or not at all. And I lean to the not at all side of things.
Oh and Tiff didn’t want to be naked to she’s actually wearing a crop top and shorts which you can see in the full screen ads
loading...
The guys are naked too – it’s just more noticeable with the girls because guys aren’t forced to cover their boobs like girls are.
loading...
As a overweight single 20-something girl, I have to say that every time I saw the advertisements for this season of The Biggest Loser, despite my better judgement telling me otherwise a tiny voice somewhere in my head said “see, THAT’S why you’re single!”
loading...
Same.
loading...
I have always loved TBL butI admit that I do not like the take that you can’t possibly be loved if you are fat. I certainly hope that this is not their intention.
I am a size 16 and I am fat. I admit that. I feel terrible about myself every single day. I have struggled with my weight all my life and continue to struggle every day. I will be happy when people are accepted, whatever size they happen to be and whatever choices they make.
loading...
Let’s go over what a healthy body is:
1. A healthy body is a fit body– this means you can exercise without hurting yourself, and exercise 2-4 hours a week.
2. A healthy body has a healthy heartbeat, as well as good screenings for cholesterol, and blood pressure.
3. A healthy body has healthy joints and tissues.
4. A healthy body will not typically be fatigued by daily life.
5. A healthy body gets an adequate amount of sleep.
6. A healthy body is nourished by healthy food and gets an adequate amount of calories– not too little or too much.
You can be ALL of these things, and still be fat.
You can be NONE of these things, and still be skinny.
loading...
wow your about to start a riot. Im 45kgs at 159cm and have a bmi of 18 and i am all of those things (ie:perfectly health, fit, strong, nourished etc etc) and so are alot of other people.
loading...
I don’t think Sarah means thin people are none of those things – just that it is possible for someone to be both unhealthy *and* thin.
loading...
She didn’t say skinny and healthy were mutually exclusive?
loading...
6. A healthy body is nourished by healthy food and gets an adequate amount of calories– not too little or too much
too many calories is what causes people to be obease, so you kind of contradicted yourself there
loading...
How exactly does ‘not too little or too much’ mean ‘too many’ in your head? Are you even reading the text you’re copy/pasting?
loading...
yeah I am reading it, eating too much is what makes you fat, bottom line.
loading...
Definetely not…there are bunch of reason people are fat, these including thyroid disorders, cohortisol excess, taking meds, eating disorders, metabolic damage ecc…and even when this is not the case we know that weight is a mixed influence of genetics and lifestyle.
So I’m sorry but it is terribly wrongful to watch a fat person and say he/she must be so because he/she eats too much…
loading...
it doesn’t matter what medical condition people have, the laws of thermodynamics still apply.
calories in > calories out = weight gain
colories in < calories out = weight loss
now you can manipulate your body to burn more or less calories by what you put into it but the math is still sound and you can NOT get fat without consuming more calories than you are burning.
also anonymous who you were replying too can't comprehend what Sarah was saying. She said don't eat too much and don't eat too little, I don't see how you missed that.
loading...
I will also say, I dont judge overweight people, which could be surprising considering how many have taken my comments, My point was that simply put obesity is caused by eatingmore than your body burns, Which the poster above said was no healthy (meaningly or not!)
loading...
Adequate is the word she used…
loading...
Calories in calories out is a gross over simplification of the human body, that completely disregards individual metabolism. We accept the fact that when you diet your metabolism goes down, making it much more difficult to lose weight, or that when you exercise your metabolism temporarily goes up, accelerating weight loss. Doesn’t it make sense that hormones and other factors (medication, environment, genetics, eating history) would also influence your metabolism?
The law of thermodynamics applies to the universe and our body, and that allows room for metabolic difference, which is a HUGE difference.
loading...
How about I rephrase, Eating more calries than what is burned by your basal metabolic rate plus and additional aactivity will make you fat…. No matter how slow it happens, Meaning That if you eat to much for your body you gain weight
And this Is coming from some body with a metabolic disorder, I got over it, ate less, pumped Iron to up the metabolic rate So I can eat almos what my smaller and less acive friends can, but hey, you gotta take what your given!
loading...
How nice it would be if the contestants were given the opportunity to learn how to love themselves without it being attached to weight loss….I’d like to see them happy within themselves before they make the decision to go on this show with the added lure of finding love(love of themselves,love of another,whatever it is).to me the really sad part of this show is is perpetuates the myth that happiness and self acceptance come in one shape and size…sadly it doesn’t.losing weight and being happy are not mutually exclusive….the sooner we as a society accept that,the better.
Finding health and finding love are two separate journeys and it is both dangerous and deceptive to tie them together.
loading...
For me weight and happiness are extreamly closely linked, and it doesn mater what anybody tells me, If I am bigger than a size 10 I sart to hate myself, I dress differently, Im more reserved and go from mild to moderate-severe depression
Maybe its shallow, but is me!
loading...
Yes, why don’t we encourage them into an early grave by insisting that they are fine the way they are. These people are DANGEROUSLY overweight and need help. They are there by choice. Nobody made them go on the show.
loading...
I wouldn’t call fostering self love and showing people to accept their bodies at any possible size, so that they can respect themselves enough to pursue whatever health goals they wish “encouraging them into an early grave”.
If you really think that all “these obese people” need is a good telling off about how ugly and fat they are, don’t you think there wouldn’t be any more weight “problems” left?
loading...
Just wanting to say one more thing (excuse my number of comments obviously a topic that is resonating with me).
A lot of people are arguing that being quite overweight and obese can still be healthy. If this were true, then why is one of the leading causes of death is australia (ischaemic heart disease) heavily influenced by sedentary lifestyles and bad eating habits? not to mention the millions of dollars that obesity related diseases are costing us. It is a massive issue here in Australia, and to look at our kids is worrying.
Now im not saying you cant be healthy and overweight, and I know for some people there are also underlying medical issues with their bodies, what I’m saying is the majority quite clearly are not ifyou look at the statistics. To pretend its not an issue I believe is a mistake
loading...
The kids thing is totally worrying. Sit in any food court of any shopping centre and see what they’re eating. I don’t believe it’s a case of ‘treat’ food. I believe it’s a case of every day. And you can see the effects in their hair, skin, nails and teeth. Not to mention their lethargy and their grumpiness.
loading...
“…one of the leading causes of death is australia (ischaemic heart disease) heavily influenced by sedentary lifestyles and bad eating habits?”
I’d like to point out that your own recognition of two major causes of heart disease does not include obesity.
Now, yes, eating poorly and being sedentary can lead to obesity in some people, but it does not always. There are plenty of people of average to thin body types who also have poor eating habits and are sedentary. In the end, it is the Habits that a person has that may (or may not) lead to disease. Even then, poor habits don’t always lead to disease and healthy habits do not always lead to health.
I would venture to say that most reasonable, thinking people would agree that hours of strenuous exercise, extreme calorie reduction, dehydration, and public shaming are not terribly healthy for anyone. I would imagine, however, that showing someone how to love themselves, enjoy trying new, healthy foods, and participating in joyful movement won’t make anyone cry, thus would not be really great TV fodder. Unfortunate.
loading...
I agree, I hould have worded it better.Sedentary lifestyles and bad eating habits are the major cause of obesity, and therefore heart disease
loading...
Still got it a little twisted, dear. Sedentary lifestyles and bad eating habits are the major cause of heart disease.
It is possible to be thin and have/be at risk for heart disease.
It is also possible to be overweight/obese and not have/be at risk for heart disease.
Yes, sedentary lifestyles and bad eating habits CAN lead to obesity, but it doesn’t always. Greatly increases the chance of becoming so, yes. The problem lies in the obese=unhealthy. Should you really pass judgement on a person simply because you see what’s on their exterior? How do you know that “fat person” walking through the store doesn’t do strenuous workouts every day? Or that their cholesterol level is perfectly normal? You can’t. So the point is: focus on healthy habits. Don’t focus on what you see, because when you focus on what you see and shame a person for what you see, you are inviting unneeded stress which is also a huge factor for MANY diseases.
loading...
And anonymity is rife on the interwebs.
loading...
Not true.
loading...
That’s not true. It was my Dad who did that, but please keep listening so closely to my radio show, nationally on the Nova network 4-6pm.
loading...
The saddest thing of all this is that once the issue of weight is raised – even indirectly like Meshel’s done, we all start turning on each other. Look at the names here. They seem to mostly be women. There have been attacks on the appearance of the trainers. Attacks on Meshel. Attacks on overweight people. Attacks on thin people. Women are our own worst enemies. Always.
These are really important issues. We should be able to discuss them without trying to take each other down.
loading...
I’ve just written a blogpost about this subject. Biggest Loser is based on the irrational concept that somehow you’re less of a person because you’re overweight. What a load of bollocks I say.
That said losing weight can be an amazing journey (I’ve lost 35kg) but the difference was that I chose to like and accept myself before I lost the weight and I did it for myself and nobody else. I have maintained my loss for six years.
http://lastchancetraining.com.au/2012/01/24/giving-the-biggest-loser-a-broadside-in-the-literal-and-figurative-sense/
loading...
Re: The Thin is Good Myth
My husband and his mother have always been considered healthy because they are thin. They have never been well, and as they’ve got worse over the years, have been told by many doctors and specialists that they look healthy, there is no problem or the problem is all in their heads.
Both suffer from an only recently diagnosed haemoglobin disorder which may have been looked into more carefully if they hadn’t both been thin, and it has taken near death experiences to be diagnosed.
My husband nearly died a couple of years ago from heavy metal buildup (mercury and lead) leading to malabsorbtion in the intestines, systemic sodium and mucus buildup and nasty mental illness issues, and is slowly in the process of recovering now after a long and expensive treatment. At one stage he lost 10kgs in 2 months despite eating twice his recommended calories/day.
His mother had tests last week after she stopped being able to digest foods and her weight dropped to 40kgs. They showed she now has no gut flora or Vit D3 (level = 23), despite being an avid gardener and being outdoors many hours/day. Hopefully she can make it back as she’s nearly in her 80s.
loading...
That’s really full on, and I hope they both recover. Hope you are ok too.
loading...
Thanks – it’s been a hard road, and the stress has caused me a lot of health issues too, but every day IS a bonus in our house, and we’ve learned a lot of silly jokes to cope with things.
loading...
Well I am in the response video and I just wanted to say that i am very happy living my fat healthy life.
Shows like this make me feel like I am living in some sick futuristic society where people prey and profit from the shame of others.
Guess what we come in all shapes and sizes.
We have an industry selling a failing product and we have people lining up to buy it because society has shit on them for so long.
I am just glad I found HAES!!!
loading...
I forgot to add, I’m a size 18 and happily married. I was buying groceries today and a complete stranger came up and said “l noticed you and think you’re really cute, can I buy you a coffee?”. so there you go…
loading...