Biggest Loser – A Few Healthy Suggestions

If you have been reading my blog (or talking to me) the last few weeks, you know that I'm a fan of The Biggest Loser. However, I do have a few complaints about the show...it's too long, the cheesy product placements are annoying, and I'm not cool with the extreme 'temptation challenges'. I am by NO MEANS a health expert, but I do have some suggestions for the producers of the show:

• 2 hrs...Really?! I like the show, but 2 hours is a long time to sit on the couch. Not to mention, this seems completely contradictory to what The Biggest Loser is about! People should be up and moving, not sitting on the couch. A couple of times there has been a clip of Bob or Jillian suggesting some exercise moves to do during the commercial break, but more often than not the 'trainer tip' is something else. I suggest cutting the show back to an hour - at least once half of the contestants have gone home, and have actual workout clips during the commercial breaks. I understand advertising is how shows are able to stay on the air, but wouldn't it be nice to show America different moves to do during the break, maybe keep a little Biggest Loser clock/motivator in the corner of the screen during the break, have Jillian pop up in between commercials to yell at motivate you, or even show all of the contestants doing the move "with you"?! All of the contestants could even wear Cheerios shirts or chant 'Extra Sugar-Free Gum' or something like that. Which brings me to my next point...

• Product placements...ugh!! Obviously they're working somewhat because I know what products are featured on the show (and I'm even mentioning some of them here!), but those cheesy product placements are such a turn-off! They are not believable, and I swear I can tell Bob and Jillian are gritting their teeth when they have to 'sell' this stuff - I'd be willing to bet they'd rather promote real, whole foods! And the Extra '5-calorie snack' campaign ENRAGES me!! According to Webster's, a snack is defined as: " a light meal : food eaten between regular meals". And chewing gum is defined as: "a sweetened and flavored insoluble plastic material (as a preparation of chicle) used for chewing". Did you see that?! Plastic! They are promoting plastic as food!! Ay, ay, ay. I mean it's one thing to promote it as something for your mouth to do to help fend off boredom eating. Or to give you minty-fresh breath, which may make unnecessary snacking less appealing. Or even to help nip a craving for something sweet, when you know you're not actually hungry. But please, PLEASE, stop referring to gum as a snack!! Biggest Loser team, don't you think this sends the wrong message about fueling your body?!

• The temptation challenges are getting a little too extreme. I completely agree that people need to learn to overcome temptations in the real world...but I, for one, have NEVER encountered a situation where someone was willing to give me anything for simply eating more calories than everyone else - you with me? I think the contestants would be better off practicing ordering food in restaurants, grocery shopping, cooking, and being in ACTUAL real world scenarios where they have to resist temptation (smelling popcorn at the movie theater, going to a friend's house for the big game, meeting coworkers for happy hour, etc). In fact, I think most of America would be better off watching the contestants go through these real world temptations and seeing what kind of alternatives are out there. Don't you think it'd be better for someone to take away the idea of swapping seltzer for alcohol every other drink during happy hour as opposed to seeing someone eat 4100 calories in one day, getting up in the middle of the night for 'purge' exercising, and then still lose 10 pounds in a week?! More mixed messages, if you ask me. Which brings me to my last complaint...

• Why isn't exercise 'purging' frowned upon on the show?! I don't remember it being this bad in past seasons, but I can think of at least 4 different times this season where contestants have been shown sneaking off in the middle of the night to get in a secret workout. Isn't this unhealthy?! I know this is a competition, and that contestants on the ranch work out MUCH longer than the average American, but these 'secret nighttime workouts' seem dangerous for 2 reasons. First, your body needs rest! These people workout for hours at a time and their bodies need time to recover. And secondly, this kind of behavior could easily lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and exercise. You shouldn't feel the need to work off everything you eat in a day - food should be seen as fuel, not calories that needs to be burned off. And you definitely shouldn't feel the need to hide anything...I think this is a big red flag in the unhealthy mindset category. I could see where the secrecy could be written off as part of the game - you don't want your competitors to know you might have an edge. But would the same be true if they showed contestants throwing up their food in the bathroom? Or lying about how many calories they ate? It's a competition, yes, but first and foremost (I hope) it is about teaching people to get healthy and stay healthy, both mind and body. If these behaviors are going to be shown on TV, I think they should be addressed, as well.

So, despite all of the criticism I just threw at the show, I still enjoy it. And last night was the episode I love the most....Makeover Week!! Oh, man, I cried so much during this episode. It's just so great to see the transformation these people have made over 4 months, and to see the pride and happiness on their faces. I'm a goner when they tear up and talk about how they feel like they are seeing themselves for the first time. I just feel so HAPPY for them! I know it's sappy, but isn't it great to be able to share in others' happiness?! That you can be put in a better mood by watching someone else experience joy?! That something that really doesn't have anything to do with you can make you actually feel better?!

In honor of Makeover Week, I decided to sport my new running skirt on my evening run.

I suppose it's actually a 'skort' because it has shorts attached to it.

It's nice, because it's a bit more modest than just wearing super-tight running shorts. But I will admit, I kinda felt like I should be headed to the tennis court!

Eats for yesterday included:

Yogurt, strawberries, and Kashi Cinnamon Harvest for breakfast

5-bean soup, crackers with cheese, and an apple for lunch

Carrots with hummus and mixed nuts for snack

A veggie burger/hummus/cheese/red pepper wrap and cantaloupe for dinner

And a 1/2 serving of Kashi Cinnamon Harvest with almond milk for dessert

Notes:

1. Greek yogurt is the best
2. Why am I eating so much soup lately when it's so warm outside?
3. Kashi Cinnamon Harvest = Shredded Wheat + Cinnamon Life (yum!)
4. I need more green!

So, what do you think of The Biggest Loser? Love it? Hate if? Never watch it? Do you have any suggestions for the producers of the show?