The Biggest challenge

The latest fad that has gripped the national television audience for much of the last decade is the proliferation of reality shows. With the coming of Survivor the door was open. Although most of these have very little to do with reality, the term stuck.

I watch only a few of these as most seem to be nothing more than wannabees working their way up the ladder. Not that I hold that completely against them. In this world you do what you have to do to get to where you want to go. That for me is just not interesting. Two that I do enjoy are Survivor and Big Brother. Those shows seem to be more about game play and strategy. Many of the other shows are about getting your name out there and hooking up.

Then, there is The Biggest Loser. If there was a show that was about reality this is it. I began watching mostly due to My Beloved. She likes these programs. Then a funny thing happened, I got hooked. TBL is more than just a game show for the overweight. It is about people changing their lives; its about saving their lives. I have always believed most of the population that is obese is because they want to be. Not that they want to be fat, they just don't want to do anything about it.

For years we have listened to media reports and studies with anecdotal evidence that told us its not our fault we are fat (as a population). I have contended if you stay in motion you are less likely to put on weight. Now, I am not the poster boy for fitness however I am within tolerable ranges for my age and height. This show has proven that. Every contestant has lost huge amounts of weight and for the first time in years hold their lives again in their own hands. They have done it with exercise and not eating the calorie intake of a third world nation at each meal.

It's not always easy to make changes in your life for the better. I can sympathize as I remember the challenge it was eight years ago when I quit smoking. It was one of the hardest things I ever did. But I did it. After the show the contestants must go home and learn to live a new life. Many keep the weight off, some do not. They got that way because they lied to themselves. They couldn't do this or they couldn't do that, or it's not my fault because I have this condition. The true condition was, they quit, plain and simple. If you look at photos of the US population from the forties and fifties we were not a fat people. We did this to ourselves, no excuses.

If you want to be inspired The Biggest Loser is a show that will challenge you to do things you didn't think you could. It's not just about weight it's about all the challenges in life. Life's not easy, but then no one said it would be.