Losing to win!

I absolutely love The Biggest Loser! The show is great - inspiring really.  It’s like a weekly reminder and motivator to stay committed to my own weight loss/health improvement goals. Watching those people fight to win the competition and fight for their health is great anchoring tool - but while watching this week’s episode I saw a dangerous message being sent about weight loss and life that has had me thinking ever since.

The problem with the show goes to the heart of the problem of comparing ourselves to others - in particular, comparing our journey towards a specific goal with another’s journey to the same or a similar goal.  The problem with comparisons is that SOMEONE is bound to fall short - which can both diminish the accomplishments of the person that fell short, and give the person who came out on top a false sense of victory.  This problem with comparisons is clearly the point of The Biggest Loser! They work themselves (and overwork themselves, at times) to lose more weight than their competitors so they can win whatever prizes the show awards.  The awards are a great motivator - but the ultimate prize is the improvement of health and lifestyle that results for ALL the competitors - but there are many times when the show is clearly pushing these people to lose as much as they can solely to beat the other teams and not so much because losing that extra pound or two will be healthful or helpful to their state of being.  And push as they might - the competitors are not in complete control of how much they lose - it’s just not how weight loss works.  Men tend to lose weight easier than women - the heavier a person is the more pounds they have to lose (and will lose) in a given period - and there are other physiological factors that make a difference (like when a woman is on her monthly, for example.)  So was Ed a failure this week because he didn’t lose any weight (I am so sad he’s gone!)?? No. He worked hard like they all did - and from what I saw of his “Where Are They Now?” segment homeboy doesn’t seem to think he’s a failure - but the comparisons and the lack of a result this week is the kind of thing that makes MANY people think their efforts are a waste.

Dangerous. It’s the kind of thing that can totally derail someone from their weight loss efforts.  It’s a bad idea for anyone who wants to lose weight to compare their efforts to another person I think - and I say that from my own experience and observations. It feels motivating at first but as soon as some result doesn’t come through like a potential loser would want it to, the weight loss competition can be what throws the loser off track. That, plus seeing their competitor actually lose, can make the loser a gainer. No good.

Everyone’s an individual with our own individual bodies and circumstances and struggles and these things make our weight loss efforts a very individual journey. No two people will lose weight or inches the same way - and losing a bit less than someone else during one week definitely doesn’t make someone a failure.  The problem with The Biggest Loser is that some people may watch and think that it does. No good.

Check out the guy who got eliminated this week . I like him and his wife the most out of all the couples on this season - and this clip totally demonstrates why.  He’s definitely a success!

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