Weigh in… on reality television!

“My major difficulty continues to be … regular life. I have no problem eating light most of the time, but whenever I go out to lunch or dinner (or go to someone’s home, or host a dinner party), I eat too much, or at least too much to lose any weight.”

via The Drevitches, Week 15: How Mom Sees It – ParentDish.

Yesterday was a funny day…I received a call asking for an interview related to comments that I made on a panel of social workers that discussed reality weight loss shows like the “Biggest Loser”

I was happy to do the interview and hopefully it will appear soon.

It seems that reality television is here for the long term…and admittedly I have watched my share of it. Although it is not on my DVR schedule and hopefully never will be.

As a clinical social worker, I think that it is necessary to stay in touch with what viewers watch in the media as well as what they listen to. So I have chosen to watch shows like “Say Yes to the Dress“, “Jerseylicious“, “Jersey Shore“, “Wife Swap” and “Super Nanny” to name a few. I am sure there are many more that I should see to understand this cultural phenomenon.

Now that I have viewed some of the”reality” line-up I have decided not to become a regular viewer of any of them as I really do not care what Snooki is up to and what dress appeals to what bride to be …..but sometimes I just enjoy getting out of my reality into someone else’s.

Somehow for me and I am not quite sure why the weight loss reality show has been a different story…although I am not overweight…I certainly could use more exercise. I try to eat healthy and the cooking tips are always helpful on the Biggest Loser. But mostly I watch this show to see how people overcome morbid obesity without surgical intervention.

Because I work in healthcare and witness obesity as one of the reasons for the high incidence of diabetes, I think that weight loss shows are almost a type of public service. Anything that will encourage people to exercise and keep their BMI and their body weight within normal limits for themselves is okay in my opinion.

The Biggest Loser tries to show all aspects of the weight loss issue…why the person is overweight in the first place is sometimes discussed along with family history, the show provides medical coverage during the contestant’s time on the program, they provide diet consultation and education as well as food preparation guidance. The trainers are top-notch and the show gives each contestant a make-over as well as the incentive to win a large sum of money if they actually become the Biggest Loser.

Jillian and Bob should be commended on their work. I wish they had an “app” so that I could listen to them yell whenever I needed to keep exercising and pushing myself.

If only we could plug into an inner voice telling us that we are killing ourselves with too much food and not enough exercise.

How sad is the fact that this generation of young people will not live as long as their parents if their eating habits and lifestyles do not change and become healthier. What a sad legacy!

Prevention is part of the answer to this health emergency but healthcare for obesity and its sequelae could bankrupt an already sick healthcare system so it may be too late for those who are already obese.

So more than just watching the “Biggest Loser“…take away some tips from this reality show and make choices that lead you to a healthier lifestyle.

Get off your butt and get moving and for your own sake stop making unhealthy food choices.