It's hard not to get inspired watching "The Biggest Loser." At the very least, you'll back off the chips and dip for the night. And after a full episode, maybe two, a gym membership suddenly seems a must.
The weight-loss competition, which started its 10th season this week on NBC, has helped dozens of contestants lose 100 pounds or more without surgery or drugs. And who knows how many fans got a much-needed push toward eating healthy and exercising?
But like most reality shows, "Loser" is designed foremost to entertain. And what raises the most concern among professionals is the very thing that makes the program pop: Those just-months-in-the-making zaftig-to-zowie transformations can give viewers the wrong impression about quick weight loss.
People come to the gym expecting the results they see on TV, but you simply can't do it that fast and keep it off, says Ed Bogacki, gym owner.
"Losing 30 to 40 pounds a month is just not healthy," he says.
One to three pounds a week is considered safe.
And then there's the isolation factor, Bogacki says. On "Loser" and many other weight-loss shows, the participants go away to a ranch or camp and spend their days focused on slimming down. But the average person doesn't have that luxury -- he or she has to deal with grocery shopping and what the family wants, birthday cakes at work and fitting fitness into an already jam-packed schedule.
Diet and exercise are vital, but losing weight is also about behavior modification, health psychologist Andrea Friedman says. Building an appropriate relationship with food and developing a healthy, active lifestyle are the keys to success.You hear some of that on TV but, as with dieting in general, there are highs and lows with weight-loss shows.Guilty pleasure or just guilt?That get-off-the-couch feeling that comes from watching a reality weight-loss or fitness show is definitely a positive. And it's normal, says Friedman, who, along with psychologists Perry Kaly and Mario Rodriguez, works with clients who have weight-management issues at Florida Medical Psychology Associates.You might think those who are a healthy weight or just a bit chubby would have a hard time empathizing with the much heavier people on TV. They might even give themselves permission to slack off a little, thinking, "Well, at least I don't look that bad."Instead, most of us compare ourselves with the contestants and want to do what they're doing, Friedman says.Throw in a little competitiveness ("Hey, if a woman who weighs 200-plus pounds can roll a tire across the beach on Bravo's 'Thintervention,' I should be able to work out with my dumbbells for a half-hour!"), and you've got some pretty strong motivation.
On the downside, if viewers can't envision themselves duplicating the efforts they see, they may just turn off the show and grab a cookie for comfort.Competition irks, but it works.Several weight-loss shows have been set up as a competition; the person who wins gets a lot of cash.That's realistic enough. Rewards -- on TV and in real life -- are effective, Bogacki and Friedman agree, even if the reward is just bragging rights. And in most cases, the contestants are supportive of each other. In a work situation, they'll stop bringing doughnuts in the morning.At home, friends pair up as workout buddies."It's all about motivation," says Friedman, who supports competitions that span several months and focus on making some real lifestyle changes. Internal motivation is best, though, she says."People should want to lose weight so they feel better," Bogacki agrees, "or so they can play with their kids easier."But even those who are in a supportive competition with friends must go it alone much of the time.The contestants on the "Loser" ranch are surrounded by professionals: trainers, nutritionists, therapists. "Just read the credits at the end of the show," Bogacki says and laughs.Most people can't afford so much help. So where should they start?
At the doctor's office.A family member can cajole. A boyfriend or girlfriend can beg. But most people really listen only when their doctor tells them to lose weight, Bogacki says.You have to find a doctor who will be direct, however."A lot of doctors won't say anything to an obese patient," Friedman says. They'll talk about how to deal with other health issues -- a cold, the flu, allergies -- "but they won't go there," she says.That same forthrightness and consistency can work when it's time to hire a personal trainer, she says, especially for someone who is very overweight.Some people might run from the drill-sergeant types who make contestants wail on TV; after all, if you pay, you have some say. But Friedman says one client told her she had been babied her whole life, with even those closest to her pretending her weight wasn't a problem. An uber-tough, no-flab-left-behind trainer was probably just what she needed, she said.Backsliders send a bleak messageOf course, some shows are more true-to-life than others. On Style's "Ruby," Ruby Gettinger clearly struggles to stay the healthy course. The teens on Style's documentary series "Too Fat for Fifteen" make bad choices when left on their own and pay for it at their weekly weigh-ins.But weight-loss reality programs don't always show that struggle or what happens when the competition is over.Occasionally, fans hear bad news about well-known backsliders and make it work for them; they try even harder. Unfortunately, others use it as an excuse for their own failure. And that's sad, Bogacki says."It not about losing the 50 pounds," he says. "It's about maintenance. That's what matters."
