Obesity is not only a worldwide epidemic, it is also big, big business. For example, NBC's TV hit, "The Biggest Loser," which features overweight to morbidly obese people struggling to shed as many pounds as possible in a race-like contest, has become an enormous success in many countries around the world.
According to the show's producers, participants are challenged to the breaking point in a rigorous regimen of supervised dieting and exercise and are tested by many real-life temptations as they compete for the grand prize of $250,000. NBC also offers "top-selling fitness DVDs, diet books, club memberships, etc. In terms of dollars and cents, there are certainly no losers here.
From a professional perspective, not surprisingly, I'm highly skeptical of the validity of any incentive-driven, tough-love, boot camp-style weight loss or fitness programs that are so much the hype right now. And I don't merely question the benefits for the actual participants but also for the viewers who take their cues for their own lifestyle choices from shows like these.
No professional health and lifestyle counselor who is worth his or her money believes in quick fixes. The permanent adoption of a healthy lifestyle is first and foremost a matter of choice, a change of one's mindset, if you will. It takes a complete and integrated approach that reaches far beyond a quick, and in all likelihood temporary do-over of outer appearances. As such, it affects the entire person from the inside out.
The majority of patients who come to me for help with a weight issue expect me to hand them a list of dos and don'ts to be followed to the letter. When I say that I don't believe in the prescription of rigorous regimens but rather let them find out for themselves which approach works best for them, they seem greatly surprised. However, once they become more comfortable with the idea of taking responsibility and ownership for their own well-being, they often experience a deep sense of liberation.
Significant lifestyle changes can have equally significant effects on a person's identity. Coming back to the "Biggest Loser" show, I can only imagine what it means for the participants trying to cut their body weight in half in front of a worldwide audience that demands that they perform or find themselves booted off the stage. Their entire lives become a public spectacle and they themselves become actors in it. How can they ever own that, even if they succeed?
Timi Gustafson, R.D. is a clinical dietitian and author of "The Healthy Diner - How to Eat Right and Still Have Fun." Her book is available in bookstores, at Amazon and online at www.thehealthydiner.com - To receive her free monthly newsletter by e-mail, visit her blog at timigustafson.com[[In-content Ad]]
