Image: TenPlay.
On last night’s episode of TBL Families, it emerged two of Michelle Bridges‘ team members had gained weight over the week — and she couldn’t hide her displeasure.
The weigh-in revealed Rob Jofre had gained 600g and Tony was just over one kilogram heavier. Bridges’ face dropped as soon as the numbers appeared on the scales.
“I’m bewildered, gob-smacked, devastated. How did this happen?” the trainer, who had hoped to get all four men into the season finale, said.
“It is disappointing but it’s a dose of reality, and I’m a big believer in small doses of humility from time to time.”
She was also disappointed in Daniel, whose weight loss of 400g was significantly less than what he'd managed in previous weeks.
The Jofre family's measurements weren't the only source of frustration for Bridges. Rob apologetically confessed he'd eaten some bread at 1am after the filming of the 'makeovers', while Pablo explained the team had eaten some muffins on the morning of his birthday earlier in the week.
"My alarm bells are ringing. First bread and now this — what is going on?" Bridges said.
"They had more calories in their diet this week than they needed."
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It goes without saying TBL Families is a competition where the aim is to lose weight (and ostensibly gain an appreciation for living and eating healthily), with the help of each trainer. Of course it's disappointing when one team doesn't perform as well as the others and ultimately loses a contestant.
However, the reaction to this particular incident echoes the food- and weight-shaming sentiment that has been observed throughout this season.
For example, all four trainers were forced to eat like their teams for a week when the show kicked off earlier this year. Bridges joined the Jofres for meals like soft drink, sugary cereal, ice cream and leftover pizza for breakfast, and a burrito “the size of a newborn” for lunch.
At one point she dissolved into tears, telling the family, “I cant believe you eat like this. This is really awful.” Then, on learning she'd gained eight kilograms at the end of those seven days she described the experience as "horrific", adding, “As you can tell, I’m pretty pissed off."
Her fellow trainers Steve "Commando" Willis, Shannan Ponton and Tiffiny Hall have expressed similar opinions.
Accredited Practising Nutritionist and Dietitian Nicole Senior told The Glow she's concerned by the show's focus on shaming contestants for their food choices and using them "like a stick to beat them with".
“We need to avoid establishing a ‘food fight’, if you like, where it’s a constant battle. It’s more helpful if we disassociate food from emotions, especially emotions such as guilt," Senior said.
The thing is, when TBL Families is done and dusted the Jofre family — along with the other contestants — will return to a life without the constant surveillance of health and fitness professionals. Chances are they will enjoy the odd celebratory muffin or piece of bread or other indulgence; they're human, after all. (Post continues after gallery.)
Michelle Bridges on Instagram
So does ringing "alarm bells" over a piece of bread or a muffin in the context of the competition really help in the long run? Probably not.
Senior says making people feel ashamed of their food choices can negatively impact their confidence. “You need a lot of self confidence to change your lifestyle and behaviour," she says.
Hopefully when TBL Families wraps up, all contestants will continue to implement the healthier eating plans they've embraced during their time on the show — without having to feel like failures when they occasionally treat themselves.
Did you watch last night's episode? Did you think it was food-shaming?