Changing the channel
My recent posts seem overly serious and somber to me. Maybe it's my foot pain. That's been rough this weekend. So, let's change the channel.
I don't like to admit how much TV I watch. So, admitting that I really like VH1's Celebrity Fit Club, that's a stretch for me. But I do like it. And I do watch it. Watching TV does not create foot pain for me.
I have to admit, it's encouraging to see real people go through this same issues that we do, when we're thinking about our weight and our health and getting fit. I like seeing what real people at different heights weigh, and how they look, and what goal weight those trainers set for their 100-day program.
I like seeing them offer the same lame excuses we use: "I have big bones." "I'm too busy." "I hate exercise." "I just had a baby." "I'm an Italian." "I had to eat M & Ms to put myself to sleep last night." "I couldn't do it, because of my heart." (when her cardiologist wants her to do all this activity.)
With Season 4, it's interesting to me to hear the stories from Tina Yothers, regarding her mother, and from Carnie Wilson, regarding herself, about the weight loss and weight gain following gastric bypass surgery. (I'm highly opinionated regarding surgery for weight loss, and I'm sure I'll offend people later by offering my thoughts on that in a post all of its own.)
I'm also a fan of several of the Season 4 contestants, specifically Nick Turturro, from NYPD Blue, which I watched obsessively, at least, once that little red-headed boy was gone, and Vincent Pastore, who played Big Pussy, in the first season(s?) of The Sopranos. (I know, I could link to all those folks and their shows. I'm too lazy today.) I find Bone Crusher appealing and amusing. I hope he finds a way to cut through all that jokester nonsense layer and get real about his health and his family. I hope he's there for wife and their five children as they grow, and to meet their children as they arrive.
Hmm. None of these fat people have diabetes, or if they do, nobody's talking about it. Does that seem odd to you?
It's encouraging to see their same reactions to the weigh-ins, including joy at a low number, and frustration at a high number. They've got the same disconnect between behavior and the weight numbers as do people in my lunchroom at work. When the trainers point out their observations of behavior, both eating and exercise, the contestants still insist that they followed the diet faithfully or that they worked as hard as they could physically. Ha! I know how much I lie to myself on that point.
It's interesting to see the different styles of encouragement offered to the contestants, and their willingness and unwillingness to accept different styles of encouragement. I know it is not my favorite thing to have teammates screaming, "COME ON!" at me if I really think that I'm doing my best. I don't respond well to public shaming, although I didn't think that there was a lot of public shaming going on there during the last episode. That was the big blow-up episode.
Geeze, it's not like the contestants didn't sign up for this. They did, they did sign up for this.
At some point, whether you're famous, infamous, semi-famous, or famous in your own mind, you have to find a place of acceptance, that this is the reality of your life, this is how fat you are today, this is your diagnosis, this is how you look, this is the size you wear, this is your prognosis if you're unwilling to make any lifestyle changes. And that this is the cost of making a lifestyle change.
I'd love to see a three or four year follow-up with these contestants, and with the contestants featured on the other big weight loss shows. I'm interested in long-term success, not just short-term weight loss. And I hope to see all of those contestants lose weight and keep it off and keep up a regular exercise program. I don't like seeing how much they're trying to sell the books of the expert panelists.
PS. I have an appointment with my podiatrist for Monday, 9/11. I'm wearing a pedometer today so I can gather information on approximately how many steps per day I'm doing. I'm hoping the podiatrist has some options, and that I'll be able to accept that this is the reality of my feet right now.
I don't like to admit how much TV I watch. So, admitting that I really like VH1's Celebrity Fit Club, that's a stretch for me. But I do like it. And I do watch it. Watching TV does not create foot pain for me.
I have to admit, it's encouraging to see real people go through this same issues that we do, when we're thinking about our weight and our health and getting fit. I like seeing what real people at different heights weigh, and how they look, and what goal weight those trainers set for their 100-day program.
I like seeing them offer the same lame excuses we use: "I have big bones." "I'm too busy." "I hate exercise." "I just had a baby." "I'm an Italian." "I had to eat M & Ms to put myself to sleep last night." "I couldn't do it, because of my heart." (when her cardiologist wants her to do all this activity.)
With Season 4, it's interesting to me to hear the stories from Tina Yothers, regarding her mother, and from Carnie Wilson, regarding herself, about the weight loss and weight gain following gastric bypass surgery. (I'm highly opinionated regarding surgery for weight loss, and I'm sure I'll offend people later by offering my thoughts on that in a post all of its own.)
I'm also a fan of several of the Season 4 contestants, specifically Nick Turturro, from NYPD Blue, which I watched obsessively, at least, once that little red-headed boy was gone, and Vincent Pastore, who played Big Pussy, in the first season(s?) of The Sopranos. (I know, I could link to all those folks and their shows. I'm too lazy today.) I find Bone Crusher appealing and amusing. I hope he finds a way to cut through all that jokester nonsense layer and get real about his health and his family. I hope he's there for wife and their five children as they grow, and to meet their children as they arrive.
Hmm. None of these fat people have diabetes, or if they do, nobody's talking about it. Does that seem odd to you?
It's encouraging to see their same reactions to the weigh-ins, including joy at a low number, and frustration at a high number. They've got the same disconnect between behavior and the weight numbers as do people in my lunchroom at work. When the trainers point out their observations of behavior, both eating and exercise, the contestants still insist that they followed the diet faithfully or that they worked as hard as they could physically. Ha! I know how much I lie to myself on that point.
It's interesting to see the different styles of encouragement offered to the contestants, and their willingness and unwillingness to accept different styles of encouragement. I know it is not my favorite thing to have teammates screaming, "COME ON!" at me if I really think that I'm doing my best. I don't respond well to public shaming, although I didn't think that there was a lot of public shaming going on there during the last episode. That was the big blow-up episode.
Geeze, it's not like the contestants didn't sign up for this. They did, they did sign up for this.
At some point, whether you're famous, infamous, semi-famous, or famous in your own mind, you have to find a place of acceptance, that this is the reality of your life, this is how fat you are today, this is your diagnosis, this is how you look, this is the size you wear, this is your prognosis if you're unwilling to make any lifestyle changes. And that this is the cost of making a lifestyle change.
I'd love to see a three or four year follow-up with these contestants, and with the contestants featured on the other big weight loss shows. I'm interested in long-term success, not just short-term weight loss. And I hope to see all of those contestants lose weight and keep it off and keep up a regular exercise program. I don't like seeing how much they're trying to sell the books of the expert panelists.
PS. I have an appointment with my podiatrist for Monday, 9/11. I'm wearing a pedometer today so I can gather information on approximately how many steps per day I'm doing. I'm hoping the podiatrist has some options, and that I'll be able to accept that this is the reality of my feet right now.
posted by Lori Rode @ 12:17 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home