The first night there was talk about the yellow team having difficulties conceiving. I'm wondering if the stress from that was the only "real" reason for her wanting to end the marriage. If so, I hope they can find some kind of renewed relationship.
What did the orange team win????

:lol3:
You didn't miss it - the primary thing was called long before BL came on in CA...they never announced it that I could see. :dunno:

I thought Blue Team should have gotten calling cards for finishing the challenge. But it had to be a hard decision (I can't really imagine they used strategy...IMHO White won't be around much longer).

The Hall of Shame thing was interesting...everything would look like a huge number if I multiply by 365. Over the course of a year I will have consumed quite a bit of a lot of things...including healthy stuff. A good wake up call, tho. :eek: Just seeing oneself talking so passionately about unhealthy food would make me think twice.

- Melissa

I did say developmental models (Freud, Jung, Erikson, Bowlby, AInsworth - I do not consider behaviorism a developmental model). My bachelor's degree had a behavioral focus, but my master's degree is in developmental psychology, so I am admittedly biased. It's been over 10 years since grad school, so I don't have research citations, but if you're interested Mary Ainsworth's work and more generally Attachment Theory and attachment disorder researcy are great places to start.

If the child is indeed over two, which it does appear, I would be considerably less concerned. Regardless, I think it is insane for anyone to believe that TBL is the only way weight loss can be accomplished. Does that mean we shut down this site because "it can't" be done at home? Two young adults in a household both commited to weight loss would be the ideal for many of us. I can't help but assume the quarter of a million dollars is the bigger pull, call me cynical.

And Purplefirefly while I agree that past seasons have shown large losses in weeks 2 and 3, the losses in this seasons first week were INSANE - again don't think it should be a surprise to anyone.

As for Audience manipulations you said it yourself "Remember you are seeing an edited version of what she says and they are going to play up the shock value for the sake of TV". -- Pretty much the definition of audience manipulation, I just think it's overly transparent on the show. Maybe it's no different than other "reality" or more accurately "unscripted" shows, but this is really the only one I've ever watched regularly. In fact, I think the only other "reality" show I've seen more than a few minutes of is a couple episodes of "Fear Factor."

Part of my frustration is that I keep trying to compare it to more "documentary" type shows. I want to know how it "really" works. I want to know that a week is 7 days, and whether a contestant drank three gallons of water before the first weigh-in.

"Little things" like the seesaw challenge. The laws of physics made it an incredibly unfair challenge. Contestant couples who were the closest in weight would have an extreme advantage, and the couple with the greatest difference in weight would be the most disadvantaged.

I guess what I want to see is more shows on how real people are able to really lose weight in real life. However, since there's a shortage of those shows I watch what's available and then gripe. It's not a perfect show, but at least it shows fat people as real human beings, with real lives and real problems and not subhuman idiots (or as with most media portrayals, completely nonexistent).

I'm not gonna say who my favorite is because I swear every time I pick someone to root for they go home...so upsetting! I was kinda hoping purple would fall below, for whatever reason I dont like them, but I have no reasoning why.

I keep forgetting to say this though, but who else thought the balloon challenge last week looked like fun? I wanna do that! I also thought the teeter totter challenge looked like all kinds of fun too! I REALLY dont like the temptation challenges, I'm finding it hard to see where that kind of thing is reinforcing or necessary. Just seems cruel and then the trainers come and degrade them a little more.

I had to laugh reading someone's comment on how doing this was "taking the easy way out" all I gotta say to that is WOW!! Easy..working out hard 4-8 hours a day and being away from family. I wonder if Bob and Jillian would think what they are doing is so easy.

Another one here that was a little bored. And I too didn't want to hear the calls home so got up and did things. I just thought it so unfair that the cards went to the least deserving people...especially Neill, ugh! I just thought they should have given them to the two teams who actually finished the challenge...so unfair. Didn't matter if they had kids at home or not, they deserved it.

Not really liking the two brothers...and I hope it's not a repeat of the same...two brothers winning.

Bette Sue is still getting on my nerves...maybe it is just that goofy looking hairdo. :dunno: I was sorry to see her fall but was so hoping she would have gone home. What a fall, ouch, poor thing. She's lucky she didn't hurt herself and I too wonder why they are not using the clip things.

I think right now my favs are the orange team, yellow team, and the blue team...I would love to see the Blue team take it for sure I think.

I guess I wasn't so sad that the brown team was booted...something about them I just didn't like...maybe because she hate the candy, lol. But..I was glad to see the end and how they went on to lose weight...they looked great. Another but...but, she said she was at 184 and in a size 9-wth! I find that hard to believe...that is a pound less than me and there's no way I will ever believe she got in a size 9...no matter how differently built we are...no way!

Anway, hoping the episodes get a little more interesting and...there are more with the challenges instead of Neill...had enough of him already!

COLLEEN...I totally agree with your post 100%!

MELISSA...I thought they looked like fun too! Made me and DD talk about going to the park to play. But also remembering times when they were growing up that we went to the park and played together. So many times we went and you would not believe the number of mothers just sitting on the sidelines not playing with their kids. I just see all the missed opportunities to spend time with the kids and to get in exercise! I never passed an opportunity to play on the merry-go-round, swings or see-saws...I was right there with them, lol.

I would really reconsider using the word insane. Attatchment theory is just one theory of many many many theories in the field of psychology and you said "most", that was what I was questioning. Also, I dont remember saying that TBL is the ONLY way to lose weight, obviously not or why would any of us even try. What I did say was that for these people, doing it at home wasnt working and they needed extreme measures. Perhaps the prize is additional incentive, hey I wish I had it too. Reinforcement is a pretty major princple of behavior modification.

What I dont understand is all the negativity. I have serious problems with degrading another persons parenting decisions because they are trying to better themselves to be better parents to those children they had to chose to leave for a time. I'm guilty of stating that I dont like a person on the show for one reason or another but personally draw the line at vicious attacks on their personal lives. Those are just my own decisions and everyone is entitled to their own. Just makes me sad to see it happen. I can only imagine being in their shoes, how it must feel to make a choice to leave my child for 4 months, the guilt that would go along with it, not to mention all the other demons a person has to fight in the weight loss journey and then to have people saying I was "causing long term psychological damage"? But again we are all entitled to our opinions, mine is that the child is going to be better off because of all of this.

My almost-three-year-old still won't go to gym daycare, but you know what I do? I hire a sitter for an hour. On the days that DH is not home in time for me to go to the gym before I collapse, I have our neighbor over at $6/hour to watch the kids while I go work out. If you can leave him for three month, you can leave him for an hour a day....


Yeah....I don't know where she buys her pants, but I am going! I know that at 173, I was a 14, but could cram into a 12. At 157, I am solidly a 12, but can cram into a 10. Maybe there is a store called, "The Lies We Tell Ourselves". I would shop there in a heartbeat!

old navy!! Their sizes are big, my dd who normally wears a 5 or even 7 in some sizes wears a 2 at old navy. Hey, maybe I can fit my big butt into a 10! LOL!

LOL..I'm not sure how I feel about Betty Sue. I know I get tired of her facial expressions but the girl has spunk! And determination in spades. Looks like next week is a pretty emotional one for her.

~melissa

I'm telling you... they are keeping them for extracurricular activities! :devil:

And speaking of clip things....what are the women using to hold their shirt sleeves up? I try to tuck mine into the strap of my jog bra, but depending on what I am doing, they just don't hold.

Melissa...Okay, I am heading to old navy, lol!

Chellez...:lol: Must be because they are not using them for what they need ot be used for!

Pink...you are right. But then that's what makes the world go round...we all are different and have different views. Would be such a boring place if we were all the same wouldn't it?

Actually Melissa, My original statement was "According to most psychological developmental models" not most psychological theories. By developmental models, I precisely mean those which address development in terms of "stages" of development and "critical periods" for such development. I still stand by the statement, but substitue "many" if you prefer.

As for "insane" I did not mean the word clinically, of course, and I do not know what you mean by vicious attacks. Criticism is not an attack. My personal opinion is that a child's development take precedence over the parents desire for self-improvement. On a completely personal not, I cannot fathom leaving such a small child for three months even for a million dollars and a dream body. Just imagining the sacrifice not only on my part, but that forced upon the child would motivate me to do it at home. $250,000 and quick weight loss, weighed against three months of my child's life and a lot of hard, slow work at home. Professionally, if these parents were clients, I would advise them against subjecting their child to such a long (at least potentially) separation from both parents if they can at all help it, which in this case, they can. There ARE alternatives. In my estimation, there are BETTER alternatives. Stating so, is not a vicious attack, just a personal observation and opinion, that is based NOT solely on my "feelings," but opinions backed by empirical evidence and my own clinical experience. Does that make it incontrovertible? Absolutely not. There are other opinions, and those that hold them are free to state them.

I do not believe that being in this competition will in any way change their parenting skills for the better or worse, or that the child will necessarily be better for it. It is just as possible (well actually statistically more likely) that they will go home (with or without any prize money) and return to their former habits and will be no better or worse parents for it.

I do not believe that parenting choices are sacrosanct. I believe that discussion of what is and is not best for children is open to discussion, and does not constitute a vicious attack, particularly in a forum such as this where we are stating opinions, not in any way influencing or affecting these parents' choices.

again...you have no clue what the situation is, only what you see on tv so I really question you being so quick to judge and make recommendations. Thats the last I'm gonna say on the topic because obviously we feel differently and I choose not to judge someone on things I'm clueless about. So thanks for the discussion but for me it ends here. Good luck White team!

~melissa