REALITY weight-loss show The Biggest Loser claims to be all about health – leading a new “social movement” against the “obesity crisis”.
But many authorities – and those suffering from disordered eating – say it actually contributes to bad health.
Parading and humiliating obese people, dangerously rapid weight loss, severe calorie restriction, pre weigh-in dehydration and punishing exercise do not develop healthy patterns for long-term health.
Whenever the series returns, Melbourne woman Jodi, 24, (who asked her surname not be used) avoids TV.
Seeing the show, or even ads for it, can trigger harmful eating patterns.
As a recovering binge and restrict eater, and accredited exercise scientist, Jodi says just hearing about TBL makes her feel “sad, pathetic, not good enough”.
“My logical self knows that I’m not overweight or obese, but my eating disorder tells me I am,” Jodi says.
“Contestants receive so much praise and recognition for their weight loss, which contributes to me linking my self-worth with my weight.
“It makes me aware that other people notice my weight and might judge me on it.
This makes it harder for Jodi to trust her treatment team, which encourages her to take small steps, eat mindfully and exercise in a healthy way.
Hearing trainers screaming at contestants that they are just weak undermines professional advice.
“I’m concerned as this is being passed onto the fitness industry, where trainers now think it’s OK to train clients at those same intensities.”
The show can also scare people off exercise. Researchers in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation found that watching a short video of The Biggest Loser fuelled negative attitudes toward exercise.
“People are screaming and crying and throwing up, and if you’re not a regular exerciser you might think this is what exercise is – that it’s this horrible experience where you have to push yourself to the limits, which is completely wrong,” says Tanya Berry, Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity Promotion.
Authorities say that because the only measure of success is scales, the show is purely about weight-loss not about overall health. The fact that contestants can’t even cover their bodies in a lightweight top during the weigh-in shows TBL is about sadistic voyeurism – and fuelling a $414 million weight-loss industry.
Eating disorder professionals say the show makes their work harder, as clients believe what they see on the show is realistic in daily life. Sarah McMahon, co-director of BodyMatters Australasia, says there is no evidence to support long-term sustained weight loss and behavioural change in most contestants.
“These clients are typically young and have poor media literacy and limited education about exercise and physiology,” she says.
“It makes a humiliating public spectacle of them under the guise of ‘self- improvement’. They will actively participate in their own persecution because the dream of being thin has been sold so convincingly”.
Dr Rick Kausman, Director of The Butterfly Foundation and author of best-selling If Not Dieting, Then What?’, says if you wanted to make a show that helped people be healthy, you’d do the opposite of TBL.
“Instead of shaming you would use compassion.
Research shows self-compassion helps us take care of ourselves much better than self-criticism.
Instead of a focus on weight, small meaningful changes in behaviour are much more likely to be sustained.”
“Rather than inspire people to make change, the show is more likely to make people mentally and physically unhealthy.
“Stigma around weight acts as a barrier for people seeking health care.
“Studies shown that patients are less likely to see their doctor for regular check-ups for fear of being told off about their weight.” he says.
“This is a disaster for preventative health”.
If we truly cared about helping people be healthy, we’d take this manipulative and highly emotional propaganda off-air immediately.
As published 7 April 2013
5 Responses
Well said Melinda. Reality TV has very little to do with reality. The intention is to elicit disgust and horror from viewers who think “I would never let myself become like that”, whether it is the overbearing stage mums on Toddlers and Tiaras or the obese contestants on TBL. There is no reason contestants need to be humiliated or depicted as pigs other than to gain ratings from shocked viewers.
Belittling, stupid, cowardly, weak.
We have recently had the call for the public shaming of overweight people: this was done in the name of public health and it was likened to shaming people who smoke. But even for smoking it has not been found to be effective – people just hide their smoking. The only way to hide a weight problem is to become completely socially withdrawn.
Another example of this is the demands by people that airfares are charged by body size. Recently a South Pacific airline has introduced this measure.
Anecdotally, it is always obvious when TBL is being aired – the abuse hurled in the train often becomes about weight and body shape. So, yes, it is influencing society, and not in a good way.
Interesting because this post has just prompted me to have the thought process that whilst on the show (and fat) they are made to remove their tops for weigh in, whilst in the finale (when they tend to be more slimline) they are allowed to keep their tops on.
In response to Helen, I’m not sure if you have ever seen someone who was very obese lose a significant amount of weight, especially in a short time, but they may be keeping their tops on because of loose skin. If weight is lost too fast or if a very large amount of weight is lost your skin doesn’t keep up with the loss. They might be trying to hide that by keeping the contestants in shirts as they lose more weight.
The way the contestants are made to go about losing weight is incredibly stressful to the body. The very act of losing weight is a stress on the body, which the weight loss industry and mainstream media rarely cover: undereating leads to moodiness, fatigue, etc. You have to undereat to drop weight.
Finally there’s a difference between being a “healthy weight” vs. being actually healthy. It is fully possible for a person to be overweight but in good health, and there are lots of slender people in poor health. A person’s body shape/weight alone is not indicative of their risk for disease.
It is NEVER ok to shame someone for their appearance, even if one thinks they are “helping” a person get healthier. NEVER shame people for their weight.