The Biggest Loser

I've been seeing a personal trainer for the past few months, which is one of the best (and most expensive) things I've ever done for myself. Together, we focus on core strength, functional exercise, and fitness. He's never measured my body fat or told me to start juicing. And, for the first time in my life, I actually feel like a strong person.  It's pretty amazing.

The other night, during an exceptionally hard workout that involved these, I told my trainer that I felt like I was on The Biggest Loser. He was a little offended, and I understand why; in fact, I immediately regretted my comment and apologized.  I've only seen one episode of The Biggest Loser, but it was enough for me to confirm that it is a despicable show. It does nothing to teach its contestants how to develop healthy habits and positive body image. Instead, it is two hours of fat shaming.

In the one episode I watched, they put all of the overweight people into a room DECORATED WITH DONUTS, to, of course, emphasize how fat people are slobs with no self-control. YET, the challenge was to eat the most donuts. Because if you ate the most donuts, you got to go to the gym more often. WHAT? This is seriously what happened on the show, you guys.

So, my question is, why are we surprised that a contestant would develop unhealthy eating habits, would lose too much weight, or would gain it all back? The Biggest Loser tells you that if you're fat, you are a loser, and you should do everything you can, as quickly as possible, to become thin and to win. And America eats that shit up (pun intended). It makes us feel good about ourselves, right? But no actual good comes of it. Not for the people on the show, or the people watching*.

*Take it from someone who watches Teen Mom.