i love this show. i learn a lot from it, and it gives the negatives of being underweight as well as overweight, and the superskinnies make me jealous at first, until they list off the negative effects and i feel happy that i'm neither morbidly obese nor way underweight. it also teaches something about portion control and vitamins, which i find interesting.
and as a conversation topic for people who've seen it: would you go on a show like this?
i'd love to go on, but i'm not a "super" size even though i'm still 80 pounds overweight and that looks a lot more because i'm so short... but i'd love to see what my weeks foods look like in that tube
I watch it occasionally, I don't live in the UK so I usually watch it on Youtube.
I really do wish I could go on a show like that. I really feel like all the shows fixate on extremes when those of us in the middle can have just as hard time. When I weight more the pounds seemed to melt off but as I get closer to my goal I plateau more and more and it becomes more and more frustrating. I really wish they would do a show just about those last 40-50 pounds which seem to be the hardest to lose and I also think that is where most people lose their way!
I watch it occasionally, I don't live in the UK so I usually watch it on Youtube.
I really do wish I could go on a show like that. I really feel like all the shows fixate on extremes when those of us in the middle can have just as hard time. When I weight more the pounds seemed to melt off but as I get closer to my goal I plateau more and more and it becomes more and more frustrating. I really wish they would do a show just about those last 40-50 pounds which seem to be the hardest to lose and I also think that is where most people lose their way!
Yeah I watch it on YouTube as well. I'm in New Jersey. I would love to go on an eating disorder documentary just to show you don't have to be underweight to suffer from disordered eating thoughts. Currently all the documentaries i've seen about EDs are about super-skinnies, when people of overweight or even a healthy weight could still be struggling, as I did for many years and am struggling through urges now. People know about Anorexia and Bulimia more now than when I started my habits 10 years ago, but people don't realize that you don't have to be super skinny or super sized to be unhealthy, and just because you're at a normal weight doesn't make you healthy. And I agree. Except for me it seems to be the last 80 pounds that are hard! I haven't updated my weight in a while because I keep bouncing around between 183 and 188, and it's been a while... I'm not sure what else I could do, though if you've seen some of my other posts i'm thinking about studying and trying the Paleo Diet, I DO eat a lot of carbs and that could be why i'm always tired come 3 pm.
So, what I do is follow the Sonoma Diet for breakfast and lunch and Paleo for dinner. I read that when you reach a plateau you just do straight Paleo for two weeks for a change up and then go back to your regular diet. It seems to be working for me. I can't give up carbs straight up so I like the Sonoma diet.
I've started watching these. The show is entertaining, but it bothers me that the supersizes seem more compassionate (and more likely to see the similarity in their food issues).
Maybe, it's my own bias, but it seems that the superskinnies, especially the women are more contemptuous of ther supersize partners.
Rationally, I know why. In the USA and the UK, superskinny, is often a cultural ideal, not only of beauty, but of discipline, willpower, and even moral superiority. Knowing this doesn't make it any less painful to watch.
I wonder what the long-term success and relapse rates are for both groups.
Every episode I've watched, I've wanted to like both participants. I know the show's producers often deliberately choose unlikable and likeable participants for the entertainment value, but I actually find that aspect distracting.
AND I HATE the abrasive "bum" lady.
The show doesn't really offer much in the way of information though. Even at nearly 400 lbs, my eating didn't resemble the diets of many of the supersizes. It seems like most avoid fruit and veggies in all forms (unless you count potato, which I count as a bread).
I'm NOT saying I ate like the superskinnies, I just ate what most people consider a reasonably healthy diet, I just ate quantities that were more appropriate for a family of four than for a single individual.
Conquering hunger and appetite is still my biggest obstacle.
The show doesn't really offer much in the way of information though. Even at nearly 400 lbs, my eating didn't resemble the diets of many of the supersizes. It seems like most avoid fruit and veggies in all forms (unless you count potato, which I count as a bread).
I'm NOT saying I ate like the superskinnies, I just ate what most people consider a reasonably healthy diet, I just ate quantities that were more appropriate for a family of four than for a single individual.
THIS. So much! When I watch shows like this, it makes me think no WONDER there's such a huge stereotype about overweight people and how they eat! Maybe a lot of people do have those kinds of issues where they wake up in the morning and have candy bars and ice cream and chips for breakfast, but I never, even at my heaviest, ate like that! I know I ate more than I should have and I know I ate more unhealthy things than I needed to because otherwise I wouldn't have been overweight, but it wasn't like everything I ate all day was just pure garbage. I wish they would showcase that you can be overweight and eat healthy food, just too much! Why do all overweight people have to be shown as the stereotype?
The show definitely plays off the stereotypes. In every episode, the doctor takes the supersize participant to the USA to show them where they're headed as if the only place to find mega-supersize folks is in the USA. Britain may not have quite as many as we do (YET), but they have more than their fair share. They certainly wouldn't have to travel outside their own borders to find people in as bad a shape.
Of course, I'm sure laughing at the fat Americans, and self-righteously thinking, "at least we're not THAT fat," is all part of the entertainment.
The show almost goes out of its way to avoid describing or portraying any info on the healthy diet plans they're given. In fact, they're handed to the participants almost James Bond style (top-secret dossiers).
Thinking about it - the show only portrays bad habits. From the food segments to the exercise lady and the diet lady. The weight loss diets and exercise gadgets they showcase are all quackery. So at best, the show is an example of what not to do.
The show definitely plays off the stereotypes. In every episode, the doctor takes the supersize participant to the USA to show them where they're headed as if the only place to find mega-supersize folks is in the USA. Britain may not have quite as many as we do (YET), but they have more than their fair share. They certainly wouldn't have to travel outside their own borders to find people in as bad a shape.
Of course, I'm sure laughing at the fat Americans, and self-righteously thinking, "at least we're not THAT fat," is all part of the entertainment.
The show almost goes out of its way to avoid describing or portraying any info on the healthy diet plans they're given. In fact, they're handed to the participants almost James Bond style (top-secret dossiers).
Thinking about it - the show only portrays bad habits. From the food segments to the exercise lady and the diet lady. The weight loss diets and exercise gadgets they showcase are all quackery. So at best, the show is an example of what not to do.
exactly, but i DO learn from it. one thing it taught me is that smoking depletes your magnesium. which is why my daily multivitamin has magnesium in it.
but i like seeing them exchange their diets and i like seeing the food in the tubes, it's my favorite part.
and i can commiserate with the bingers AND the meal-skippers, the small portions and the high calories. i've been all over the scale my whole life (when i went between binging and starving i was constantly putting on then losing then putting on then losing the same 40 pounds) and i've had all the bad eating habits you can think of :P
i also liked in the recent episode i watched where they showed the ingredients and stuff of fizzy sodas and creamy cakes, and seeing all the CRAP that goes into it makes me glad i keep sodas and cakes as rewards for doing well on my diet as opposed to an everyday thing.
but yeah USA isn't the only fat country and it is kinda a we're-not-that-bad-yet type of premise but at least Dr Jessen seems to actually want to help instead of just complain about it!
I am now watching episode 2! Omg...they say "She only eats 1300 calories!!"...don't so many of us eat that few calories as we lose weight?!
But, perhaps if we stayed at 1300 calories once at our goal weight, we'd be underweight as well!?
I just started watching it after reading this thread and this is what kinda surprised me too! But then I thought about it and yes, the losses would slow down but the dieter would eventually get underweight.
One thing I will say, the chicken avocado salad she made in episode 2 looked freaking delicious, I wish I could get the recipe somehow lol
Oh and to the original question... I always SAY I would go on this type of show, but I'm not sure if I really would given the opportunity, I think I would think about all the audience seeing me in my underwear and chicken out
Oh and to the original question... I always SAY I would go on this type of show, but I'm not sure if I really would given the opportunity, I think I would think about all the audience seeing me in my underwear and chicken out
yeah that would bother me a bit too, but i really would like to see like a comparison of me binge eating and me undereating in those tubes, to see the huge differences between them.
Thanks for the thread Alyssa, I never heard of the show before but now I'm hooked! To answer your original question: Even if my size qualified me to go on the show, I'm not sure I would. Unless maybe they compensated me with weight loss counseling, a dietician, and a personal trainer!
It may not be accurate of everyone, and it may make some unnecessary jabs at the US, but I still find it entertaining.
I'm on Season 4, and I really like it. I find it shows what happens on both ends of the spectrum (the vast majority of te participants have crap diets--supersize or super skinny). While it may not be the most educational show (it's an entertains reality program by nature), I do glean some useful tidbits. And I love the British slang and pronunciations
I'm on Season 4, and I really like it. I find it shows what happens on both ends of the spectrum (the vast majority of te participants have crap diets--supersize or super skinny). While it may not be the most educational show (it's an entertains reality program by nature), I do glean some useful tidbits. And I love the British slang and pronunciations
yeah but it is a bit educational, when they are about to send them on their way they talk about the types of foods they should be eating and thats a BIT educational xD and yes i love the UK accent and i think Dr Jessen is a cutie patootie! i also find many of the participants attractive, and for some reason it's usually the supersizers i find more attractive. like, i know i liked big girls/guys, but i didn't realize i liked them that big! i've seriously looked at some of the girls that were like 300 pounds and was amazed that i found them attractive even when they're so so so overweight... i think it runs in the family, my dad has always been with big women, and i've only dated one girl thinner than me in my entire life.
anyone watch Supersize VS Superskinny?
