The Biggest Loser

Image by rockymountainhigh via FlickrIt is Tuesday night, so that means I will be watching "The Biggest Loser" on television tonight, much like I have since the current season began nearly three months ago.  Normally, I am not a fan of genre of television referred to as "reality television," but when I heard that former Olympic gold medalist Rulon Gardner was going to be a contestant, I decided to watch.

This is the 11th season of "The Biggest Loser," so it must get fairly good ratings on television.  I think this is probably the second season that I have actively watched the show.  It has been a few years since I watched it, but having rooted for Rulon when he won his gold medal, I had to watch this season.  I watched one full season of "Dancing with the Stars" when Kristi Yamaguchi was a contestant and winner of that contest.  That has been the extent of my reality television viewing.

Regular readers of this blog know that I am currently trying to transform my eating habits and trying to lose weight.  Since starting in mid February, I have lost about 15-20 pounds.  I still have a way to go to be at my "ideal" weight, but I am making progress slowly and steadily.  The best part is that while on my current program for nearly two months, I do not feel like I am depriving myself of anything which is half the battle.  I would like to say that watching "The Biggest Loser" is what inspired me to begin my own weight loss quest.  However, that isn't the case.  It was more a case of just feeling poorly all around.

I will say it is very inspirational to watch the contestants work towards their weight loss goals.  It can also get very emotional listening to them talk about how they got where they are and how they are doing working towards their goals.  The thing about watching a show like this is the fact that it is on television, and so often while watching television, the viewer engages in certain activities.  For me, those activities involved several glasses of red wine and a box of Cheez Its or a bag of chips.  The irony is not lost on me.

There is no doubt that there is an obesity epidemic in the United States these days.  I do not want to come across like a reformed eater trying to change everybody's eating habits, much like a reformed smoker can be the most obnoxious anti-smoking advocate, since I admit I still have a long way to go.  Still, I can not help but wonder how many people sit and watch a show like "The Biggest Loser" who do so with my old eating habits of pigging out on junk food oblivious to the irony of such behavior.  I have never been large enough to be a contestant on the show, and I hope I never do.  I also hope that I will never get as large as I was, nor be as large as I currently am.