The Biggest Loser Is Not Reality To Me But Reality TV

The two newest trainers to arrive at the Biggest Lose Ranch this season

I love to go home on Tuesday evenings and watch the TV show, The Biggest Loser.  I don't like to watch it "live", but I let my DVR began recording the show and about 45 minutes into it, I start watching.  I have been watching this show since it first aired and have enjoyed every season.  But now that I am on "My Journey To A New Me" I am realizing more and more that this show is more about Reality TV than Reality.


Why do I say this?  Well it was a real eye-openner for me when I went with my BFF to hear the 1st Runner Up contestant from Season 4 of The Biggest Loser, Julie Hadden.  She is an amazing woman!  And I loved her story.  To hear her experiences while on the show, and even before she was selected to join the cast really gave me some great insight to what it takes to become a contestant and what people go through to be accepted as contestants.

The amazing thing to me is that this season there were two very large contestants who had to lose 100 pounds each before they were allowed to make the cast of the show.  One of the contestants has already been voted off, Arthur, and he still has 200 pounds or more to lose.  (He lost 100 pounds before joining the show, and another 100 pounds while on the show)  But he left an extremely obese person. 

The other contestant is one of the youngest contestants to ever be on the show, and this week she is trying to hit the 200 pounds weight loss mark.  She has the most positive attitude and even weeks when she loses 4 or 5 pounds she is happy and upbeat about it.

Yes, you heard me right, her lowest week of weight loss on the show so far this season has been 4 or 5 pounds for one week,  and she has been losing weight for over a year.  This show promotes weight loss, and it is accomplished by controlling the contestants food aka: calorie intake and excercise. 

But the biggest component is EXCERCISE.  The contestants work out 8 to 10 hours per day with their professional trainers. Many of them do additional work outs on their own, or with the loved one who they came to the Biggest Loser Ranch with.

Does this sound like Reality to you?  Who do you know that has an extra 8 or 10 hours per day to work out?  I don't know anyone who does this.  I guess that is the reason that when you see previous contestants come back on the show a year or two later, they have often times started the journey back up the scale.

So if this is not Reality, what is it?  I know what it is.... Reality TV.  It is entertainment just like Dancing With The Stars, American Idol, Survivor, The Apprentice, The Bachelor, and America's Got Talent.  The biggest difference is that the contestants on this show, The Biggest Loser, all have issues that need to be dealt with in order for them to find a healthier person hidden inside of their obese bodies.

I enjoy tuning in each week to check on their progress and to see the drama that is created, more by the producers of the show than the contestants themselves.  And I root for my favorites.
Do I believe that their journey is my journey?  No.  Because not everyone takes the same road to reach their final destination.  But I know for me the journey that I am on is sustainable for me, and I have no desire to detour from my path any time soon.  I am learning that for me, it is not how "fast" I can get to my destination but that I make it to my destination.  I am living more and enjoying myself more than I have in years. 

In conclusion I would like to share a statement that is printed in large letters on one of the walls of the Biggest Loser Ranch.  "It's Not About Winning A Game It's About Fixing What's Broken!"

I agree with this statement, and am learning more about myself and what's broken inside of me with each step that I take on my journey!