I don’t want to be fat. I’ve been trying to lose the same twenty pounds for nearly a decade now. I’ll lose ten and put on fifteen. I squeeze into a wedding dress and then indulge on the honeymoon. America is fat and we hate it. Our taste in television shows is indicative of that struggle and our motives to change and improve our health and appearances for the sake of self esteem and self improvement. Some of the most watched television shows of the past several years revolve around the excruciatingly difficult goal of losing not just ten or twenty, but one hundred pounds or more in an effort to reverse the damage and live a higher standard of life. It’s a problem felt by members of the masses, from teenagers to middle aged full-time workers, to single moms and kids in elementary school. Many encouraging and helpful shows are on air to give not only solutions to the battle but to show that it can be done, even if the road is long and the battle tough.
The Biggest Loser
This show’s popularity doesn’t seem to lose any steam whatsoever. Perhaps it’s because so many people nationwide can relate to the emotional and physical battle of finding themselves significantly overweight and overwhelmed by the task at hand. It’s inspiring to see people like us who have been burdened by their weight issue persevere and accomplish what seemed to be impossible. It helps us believe that if they can do it, we can do it too!
image: tvguide.com
I Used To Be Fat
MTV’s weight loss show geared at a teenage and young adult population highlights the struggles of High School seniors who have to come to terms with obesity and highlights the ups and downs of attempting to lose (with the constant supervision of a professional trainer) 100 pounds plus before they begin college. It’s not an easy task and “I Used To Be Fat” addresses a multitude of common reasons behind weight gain and difficulty in losing it, from family stress and relationship drama, to low self esteem and motivation. The thrill comes in seeing teens who had nearly given up smile when the scale goes down and they are able to start an exciting new period of life with a new body as they learn that hard work counts in life.
image: mtv.com
Other shows such as “Ruby” which follows the life of a morbidly obese woman with a heart of gold as she struggles to reclaim her mobility and the life she always dreamed of, touches upon a woman’s struggle to find love and acceptance in an overweight body. Jillian Michael’s, well-known trainer on “The Biggest Loser” branched out in her own show, “Losing It With Jillian Michael’s” as she tackles the poor health epidemic of American families as a whole and helps them take control of not only personal health efforts, but the health of entire families for the future.
image: formerlyfluffy.com
