Several years ago someone told me about the show the Biggest Loser. Reluctantly I turned on the TV, since I don't really watch TV, and began watching the show in the middle of the season. The name of the show bothered me right away, but like most of America, I became intrigued. The title of the show bothered me tremendously. I interpreted "The Biggest Loser" as them referring to the contestants as big losers.
Tuning in to the middle of the season, the show would consist of displaying videos/ photos of how they looked at their heaviest, side by side with how they currently looked from all their "hard" work. There would be long winded workouts with yelling, screaming, passing out, and emotional breakdowns. The inspiring weight loss images along with the confidence level was displayed very well. I was pleased to see how happy these contestants looked. They showed them crying for joy on how they're getting their life back with all the hard work and "healthy" eating. They seemed extremely proud. For a quick moment I felt inspired and could see how America was eating this up alive.
My Honest Take after the moment wore off - The workout methods and intensity levels were so over the top I eventually had to turn the show off. Even the form and technique was hard to see, especially when they began to introduce some of my favorite kettlebell exercises. This training style and intensity was clearly done for Hollywood only. To a trained person you can tell it was dangerous and only done to get high ratings for the show. The doctors on this show truly should be ashamed of themselves for backing up this type of physical and mental torture. No human can sustain this type of intense starvation and excessive dangerous way of training over time. Even the winners would eventually gain most of the weight back. What is this show accomplishing? It's portraying an unrealistic over the top way to lose weight and get "healthy". The truth is none of them actually were healthy. It's showing the ALL or NOTHING approach. An approach that is very bipolar.
Check out what some of the contestants from the Biggest Loser have finally had the courage to reveal about the show.
The brutal secrets behind ‘The Biggest Loser’
My point for sharing these extreme examples is to drive home that there is a high price to pay for rushing results. If it looks or sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Calorie restriction, rigid eating structures, obsessive amounts of exercise can only take one so far. I don't deny that one can lose tons of weight with any type of restrictive eating. Isn't the point to find a lifestyle change that people can stick to for the rest of your life? Short term solutions never work. It baffles me how people can keep falling for the dangling carrot trick. It's easy in todays fitness industry with many personal trainers creating this gimmick products promising fat loss and incredible amounts of gains in just a short amount of time. Long term real results that actually stick only happen when habits are changed over time. It's not easy to sell long term longevity training to a society craving results the next day. Hopefully more and more people will understand the value of training for longevity.
The art of patience and practice are very important to learn or improve upon. If people don't have either they will have a very rough time getting to their goal, nor be able to remain on track. Training and nutrition lifestyle changes take time. Depending on where one is starting from, small changes will always be their best bet. My final point - Build up slowly. Get the "no pain no gain" myth out of your head. Welcome the new lifestyle, yet be kind to yourself. Enjoy life and you will see the results happen over time.
Comments