Ok, I may well lose readers over this post. Sad but if you
feel that way then don’t let the door hit you in the arse on your way out.
There was an online article yesterday regarding some former “Biggest
Loser” contestants complaining that they have put their weight back on again. Read
it here.
Poor diddums.
They were contestants on a reality game show. The TV station,
producers, crew, even the trainers are there because they are being paid to
provide entertainment. Even Hayley (so
much more sincere than AJ Courtcase) is there for the bucks. It doesn’t have
much to do with how good you are at achieving weight loss at the end of the day,
it is how well you play the game, and after all, that’s why you are there.
The sole purpose is to amuse the public, to make us feel
superior (or inferior as the case may be), to watch people at their worst,
tearing themselves and others down. To
provide a voyeuristic public with a view of fat people at their very worst.
The show takes people who clearly have huge problems, in a
lot of cases horrible personalities and no shame whatsoever, and throws them to
the mercy of some pretty twisted individuals who torture them for our viewing
pleasure. Possibly the worst torture for all is that they are forced to do it in Lycra,
while being screamed at and filmed from terrible angles.
Now these people are fat because they eat too much and don’t
exercise enough. Full stop.
There are reasons why they do this, the past, abuse, family
dynamics whatever. These are the reasons
why mental health professionals exist, to help people deal with the underlying
causes of their “issues” so that they can then take steps to get healthy.
It isn’t really how you look at the end that counts, it’s
that you can be there for your family, be healthy, and lead the life you
want. TV being TV though it is all about
the dream outfit, the make-over, the magazine shoots, dealing with the
superficial rather than the real problems.
Unfortunately, deluded people who are looking for a quick
fix sign up for this show in droves, expecting miracles and when they don’t get
them are looking for someone to blame.
In the article a former contestant who lost 25kg, a great
effort you say, yes, but still dangerously overweight, has now piled on over
40kg since she left the show. And she is angry, I would be angry to, with
myself though, not the show. The show
didn’t make her stop all exercise and eat the amount that it would take to put
on that kind of weight. That is some dedication there. The show stopped when she walked off-stage
and back into her life.
Of course real life is going to get in the way, no-one has 8
hours a day to exercise, not much of a life anyway if you did, but the simple
truth is that if you burn more kilojoules than you consume you will lose weight.
Now to do that you need to get your shit together, review
your life, relationships whatever. Get help sure. You also need to take responsibility for your
own actions. No-one is holding you down and shoving the food into your mouth,
step up and get on with it.
Alcoholics and drug addicts have to go through some pretty
shitty things to get well, so why should food addiction be any different. It is though. You can successfully navigate
life without booze and drugs, it isn’t easy but you can, but you have to eat
food to live…and it is everywhere - every magazine, TV shows galore, billboards.
All of these addictions will trash your life and more than likely kill you, but
there is no sympathy for the fat.
Society would never stand for a show with mentally ill
people working through their problems in such a way but it is socially
acceptable to laugh at the obese, whatever the reason for their size, including
mental illness. To view them as entertainment. The TV stations are just cashing
in on that…it’s their function.
But as long as people line up to get their fat arses on TV
then people will watch.
So if you are really serious about weight loss, get help, go
for a walk, eat your veggies, whatever it takes but don’t blames others for
your own behaviour.
It is sad, but probably the biggest losers are those who learn nothing from their experience.
Note: I am extremely
overweight and struggle every day. It is
a process that I have to work though myself, a position I got myself into. It is no-one’s fault but mine and I own it.
If it was a matter of will power I would be a size 8, I quit smoking cold
turkey several years ago and never looked back, that was easy, I just
stopped. It took a long time for me to
get this size and will take a long time to get healthy again. Everyone of has our own challenges, for
example some people are just born arseholes, and there is no fixing that. I will
do it though….and no Lycra shots I promise! Support is nice but not expected, I
won’t bore you to tears with every kg lost, but I will be putting regular
updates on the blog to keep myself accountable.
xxx
FlogYoBlog Friday 09/09
(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)
*claps loudly* Read my mind, much?
ReplyDeleteI agree totally, and had the same anger when I saw this story. People need to take some responsibility for their weight, they same way alcoholics and drug addicts do. It is hard to change, it is not impossible.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your own weight loss xx
Frickin Amen, sister! I have nothing to add because you've said it all. And yep, I have weight issues too - I'm the one who puts the food in my mouth and I'm the one who sits on my ass all day... I think I will start blaming the TV stations too to get my name in the paper.
ReplyDelete