TV Shows about WEIGHT! - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

Smiling_Sara · 01-01-2011, 06:42 PM

There seems to be an abundance of them lately. Which ones are you watching? What station is carrying them?

BuxomPrincess · 01-01-2011, 07:05 PM

I'm going to try the show HEAVY which premiers on A&E on January 17. I am totally opposed to The Biggest Loser. And I'm not aware of any other shows. Am I missing anything good??

DixC Chix · 01-01-2011, 07:11 PM

I watched Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime when it first came out. They started with the weight issues - feet that hurt, clothes that didn't fit, how we feel hot sometimes, etc. Then they stopped completely and just let it dissolve into just another lawyer based comedy romance.

I never watched Biggest Loser since it does not uphold healthy weight loss methods (exercising til you puked? come on!!) It puts obese people on display for entertainment purposes. Based on reviews by others and no direct observation myself, they do not give them skills for a lifetime of healthy living. They do not focus on the mental aspects except at the gym??? It became Survivor for the Obese show.

I watched one on Bravo for one season with the trainer Jackie something. She only briefly worked with one obese woman who stopped going to her gym as Jackie set expectations too high for her. They did not address much in the nutrition area. She came across as obese-phobic. Then it dissolved into lesbian dating drama show.

I have flipped and paused on the Discovery Health Channel when a woman was going through experimental brain surgery to implant an electrode to trigger her satiation receptors. Interesting but never saw a follow-up.

I am curious about the "I'm Heavy" show/documentary on A&E that should premier this month.

JadeBlue14 · 01-01-2011, 07:39 PM

I'm so blanking on the name right now, but there's a show on BBC america, something like 'you are what you eat.' This woman goes through a families kitchen and completely overhauls how they're eating. She tells them what it does to their bodies, and gives them healthy substitutes. She'd even work out exercising routines to get them started.
She'd stick with them for a week, then come back and check on them in a couple months. She'd ask them if they ever wanted to go back to how they were eating. Every one always said how they felt so much better now and couldn't imagine going back.

luckyme0510 · 01-01-2011, 07:40 PM

I don't think exercising until you puke is a big deal. When I was in the Army I used to puke after a run once in a while (more often in the beginning when I wasn't in any kind of shape). I just think it is a natural reaction from your body not being used to being pushed so hard, it's not causing any damange... I think exercising till you puke is better than being not exercising at all, which is what the contestants of the Biggest Loser were doing before they got on the show. I think they've given a lot of people hope that they can lose weight naturally. On the other hand, they definitely do exploit obesity and strip the contestants of all of their pride when they make the women stand up there in a sports bra... completely unnecessary... and I'm not going to even get into the camera angles. But at the end of the day these people chose to go on the show, and at the end they all seem grateful for it. I think I'd go if given the opportunity

Faux · 01-01-2011, 09:13 PM

I watched I Used To Be Fat last week and fell in love with the idea of getting back into losing weight again. I'm waiting for Heavy to premiere too.

emaline29 · 01-02-2011, 01:20 PM

I do find some of these shows go to quite unecessary lenghts to prove the point about healthy eating and fitness which does tend to put me off watching. Having said that if I was given the opportunity to go in for one of these course I would jump at the chance - that is - if only I could jump! (disabled pensioner)..

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Latchkey Princess · 01-02-2011, 03:52 PM

I watched MTV's I Used to be Fat and I thought it was great. The girl on the first show lost 90lbs in 111 days, no money to win, no competition, just because she wanted to be happy with herself. And they showed the reality of it, how hard it was because she was also in school and working, they also showed how she grew in confidence as time progressed, which was something I really liked. It seemed it was really more about the journey itself than what measures she had to take along the way...
I'm also waiting for Heavy to premiere. I watch the Biggest Loser, but have become more and more disenchanted with the show since every season the producers push more and more to have game play be the main focus instead of weight loss and health improvements.

Lady Stardust · 01-02-2011, 08:25 PM

I don't like the biggest loser either. I find it to be humiliating because they make them wear that spandex on weigh-ins, the scheming, the alliances, no thanks.

Regarding puking when you work out: it's different when you're somewhat in shape vs someone who isn't at all working out that hard. You go through that in basic and football training camp but those guys are in ridiculous shape.

Back to the biggest loser, I think it sets up an unfair precedent too. Plus, most people on the show have gained since leaving the show. They lose too much in too short of a time.

I also don't like weight-loss shows in general because they reinforce negative stereotypes about fat people and reinforce the notion that in order to be happy, you have to be thin.

Amy8888 · 01-02-2011, 08:39 PM

Oprah's new network OWN will have a show sometime in the Spring. It is called "Addicted to Food." If you ever watch Ruby, it looks like it will feature the eating disorders clinic Ruby and her friends visited for a retreat.

tytbody · 01-02-2011, 08:39 PM

i want to watch Heavy. i don't think it's stressed enough about the weight in America. If they keep super sizing stuff and asking if you want a larger drink for 25 cents we will continue to enlarge.

I'm glad they are here. We have to fight the food commercials some kinda way.

so more more more. Till it gets through peoples head... food is making them sick.

it's not saying you have to be thin but there is a difference between morbid obesity and healthy weight.

XLMuffnTop · 01-03-2011, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JadeBlue14

I'm so blanking on the name right now, but there's a show on BBC america, something like 'you are what you eat.' This woman goes through a families kitchen and completely overhauls how they're eating. She tells them what it does to their bodies, and gives them healthy substitutes. She'd even work out exercising routines to get them started.
She'd stick with them for a week, then come back and check on them in a couple months. She'd ask them if they ever wanted to go back to how they were eating. Every one always said how they felt so much better now and couldn't imagine going back.

I know which show you're talking about and really like it. It seems much more practical. Changes in eating, moderate exercise to start, things normal people can do on their own. It also shows what moderate weight loss looks like on a body rather than dropping 150 lbs in a few months which no real life scenario can allow for (i.e. The Biggest Loser style).

She visually shows them what they eat in a week - just lays it all out there on the table, sweets, burgers, beers, etc. It's a tad shocking really. I just wonder what happens to all that food after they get their shot for TV. Hope it goes to some use rather than just thrown in the trash.

MiZTaCCen · 01-03-2011, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DixC Chix

I never watched Biggest Loser since it does not uphold healthy weight loss methods (exercising til you puked? come on!!) It puts obese people on display for entertainment purposes. Based on reviews by others and no direct observation myself, they do not give them skills for a lifetime of healthy living. They do not focus on the mental aspects except at the gym??? It became Survivor for the Obese show.

It's not uncommon if you've pushed your body to the limit, it is natural for your body to react and you will vomit. I'm not some 400 pounder thats for sure but even when I've pushed myself far beyond I thought I could I ended up vomiting it just happens.

As for me I don't want tv really. The only show I watch I actually end up watching them on the internet because I don't have cable. I'll probably check out the show Heavy though since alot of people have been talking about it on here...Maybe it'll help with my motivations.

thinner · 01-03-2011, 12:19 PM

i'm anxious to see Heavy though I don't have that channel. i do like biggest loser. it's a game. the people are guaranteed to gain at least some of the weight back because they are out of that bootcamp ranch but it's not always an excessive amount. most of them have learned info on eating and exercise that they didn't already know, and most importantly, that "i CAN do it". some gain a bunch back, but so do people who even had wls. remember, the tv hours for biggest loser do not show them 24/7. i've read that they do have junk food lying around the house if they choose to eat it. i don't have junk food in my own house all the time. i've also read that they spend about 6 hours in the gym every day. so i don't really know what is there that is not shown on the tv, but i am aware that more goes on than just what is shown on the tv.

Lady Stardust · 01-03-2011, 05:24 PM

Thinner, most tv shows are posted online after they air, usually the next day.

I think everyone might also be interested to read up on where TBL contestants are now. The reason why I think TBL is bad is because after you lose weight, you shouldn't gain a lot of it back. If you've adopted a healthy lifestyle, sensible diet, and sensible workout plan, you theoretically won't gain it back. Many TBL contestants have gained 30 plus lbs since leaving. Simply put, while people do lose a ton of weight on the show, its not in a sensible way. Working out 5 hours a day if you are not a pro athlete is not sensible.

I do think some contestants lose more than their bodies want them to and some gain is simply their bodies evening out. It happened to the model Crystal Renn.

Unfortunately I cant post the link, but it's from msnbc and I found it using google.

If TBL wasnt so extreme in their methods and if it was over a longer period of time, I think most of these people wouldn't have gained a lot of weight back. Maybe they're not taught how to maintain. If you look at how successful 3FC people are, I believe it's because it's over a period of a long time and slow and steady and they know how to maintain.

That being said, I'm sure some of the weight gain came from gaining muscle mass, but I still don't think the show sets realistic goals for real people, which is just unfortunate. I'd like to see a show that is realistic for people, but unfortunately that'd be pretty boring and tv execs want drama.