By Dimity McDowell, Experience LifeLike cheese-filled pizza crusts and giant-gulp beverages, reality-based weight-loss TV shows have proven irresistible to the American public. One of the most popular,
The Biggest Loser, regularly attracts more than 10 million viewers a week. Now in its 11th season on NBC, the megahit has spawned a spate of wannabe programs that have helped turn weight loss into a spectator sport.While the shows focus on health and fitness is arguably inspirational, its difficult to say whether the vicarious thrill of watching actually inspires positive changes in viewers most of whom are, lets face it, couchbound through the entire viewing experience. And many leading fitness experts cringe at the shows prescribed weight-loss methods, most of which would not translate well to real life.In a bid for must-watch moments and sky-high ratings, trainers often drive contestants most of whom are moderately to extremely obese to the brink of collapse. Often intent on nabbing a big cash prize, contestants follow diets that are dangerously low in calories and nutrients, avoid fluids to cheat the scale, and work out well beyond the four or so hours required of them each day. The results? Well, lets just say they make for great TV.One contestant on
The Biggest Loser managed to drop 41 pounds in a single week a feat that delighted viewers but horrified just about every health expert who witnessed it. Every behavior that is modeled on these shows is inappropriate, says Michael Boyle, MEd, founder of www.strengthcoach.com. Its the theater of the absurd.Still, for the viewer, it can be difficult to draw the line between reality TV and reality. You see people dropping 10 pounds a week and think,
Why cant I do that? Even if you know rationally that the contestants have experts leading them every step of the way and are quarantined so they can concentrate solely! on diet ing and exercising a situation totally unlike real life witnessing such dramatic successes can subconsciously influence your expectations for yourself.Nonetheless, many viewers love these shows. Roughly as many report being helped or uplifted in some way as report being compelled by sheer drama to watch.One oft-noted redeeming characteristic: The shows regularly stress the complex emotional and psychological role that food plays in the life of many heavy people. Theres usually a psychoemotional factor a traumatic memory, a toxic relationship, a negative self-perception goosing their disordered eating into gear. Bringing that fact to light may help viewers reflect on similar dynamics in their own lives, or help them take comfort in the fact that theyre not the only ones struggling with such issues. As a result, some may wind up seeking the kind of support that could help them pursue weight loss more successfully.But thats not enough to convince most experts that reality-TV weight-loss shows are a net positive for their viewers. I have mixed feelings, says Michele Olson, PhD, FACSM, a professor of physical education and exercise science at Auburn University Montgomery in Alabama. The transformations are undeniably inspiring and might help viewers get moving, but the training methods are very extreme.After cutting through all the hype and drama that these weight-loss shows provide, she notes, important questions remain: Do they offer enough inspiration to offset the unrealistic expectations they might engender? Do they pose a hazard to the overweight population they are purporting to help?
Next: Three Problems with Reality Weight-Loss TV
