A few weeks ago on the biggest loser, Allison introduced us to the White Team. The White Team is the team that – as Allison said on the show – was picked as team number 12. Why is that significant? Simple. Only 11 teams make it on to the show. During the March 29, 2011 broadcast, they showed a video of Allison going to speak with the White Team before the season started. She told them that they were team number 12 and not going to be on this season of The Biggest Loser.
Then, as The Biggest Loser loves to do, Allison told the White Team that they could earn their way on to campus by losing the weight at home. Well, the March 29th broadcast was the due date for the White Team to meet their weight loss goals. You can watch the entire episode that I’m referring to by watching the video at home. If you want to see the White Team’s story, then fast forward to about the 8:30 mark. I suggest fast forwarding to the 8:30 mark and watching the show through the story of the White Team, which only lasts about 7 minutes or so.
Now, if you watched the video above, you know that neither Vance nor his mother Leann lost the amount of weight necessary to make their way on to the ranch. But, what I liked most about this little segment, was what the White Team had to say – something that I really feel needs to be repeated over and over again on The Biggest Loser. What both Vance and Leann said was that they don’t get to spend their entire day at home losing weight; they don’t get to make weight loss their “job” each day.
I applaud Vance and Leann for their great weight loss successes thus far in their journey. However, their message of their story is one that absolutely must be shown side-by-side with The Biggest Loser. And that message is that you can’t sit at home and watch The Biggest Loser and think, “I can do that. I can lose 100 pounds in 6 weeks!”
Sure, you can lose all of that weight in a short period of time if you are a contestant on The Biggest Loser or if you don’t have a stifling daily routine. For example, I lost 125 pounds when I was in graduate school because I was working a part-time job and going to school part-time which gave me a lot of free time. But if you have a job (or two… or three), a family, a commute, bills that absolutely must be paid, etc. – then I strongly urge you to watch the weight loss success on The Biggest Loser with measured eyes.
Yes, you should be inspired by the people who are transforming their lives on The Biggest Loser (I certainly am). But remember this: for the vast majority of people who watch the show, even at your best your successes will be akin to the White Team’s experience in the video above. Are those successes something to be celebrated? Yes! But will the weight fall off of you as quickly as though if you were on the ranch? No.
Just trying to bring a little bit of reality to reality television.
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