So last night (Tuesday 3rd of Jan) we had UK’s Biggest Loser on ITV, The Fat Fighters on C4 and Biggest Loser USA on Sky Living. As a personal trainer I am fascinated by these shows. I like to see how other trainers work, how they motivate people, what nutritional advice they give people.
I do have to ask though, is it right that the public (including myself) are watching people who have serious eating disorders where they will be mentally / physically / emotionally tortured on TV… could you imagine the public uproar if the same was to people at the other end of the scale suffering from anorexia or bulimia?
The Fat Fighters Channel 4 Episode 1 – review
Embarrassed is all I can say. It does not portray personal trainers in a good light. It could be the way the show has been edited but it seems to me that all the trainers are trying to do is get 5 minutes of fame and be as weird and extreme as possible. Tracy, the girl who was taking the personal training, actually quit the training and it took the trainer to go to her house to convince her to come back. Once she was back on the show he got another personal trainer to teach her a dance workout so she would enjoy training. This is one of our core beliefs at forward fitness and it amazes us how few personal trainers listen to their clients. If you enjoy training you will be more likely to stick at it and get the results you are looking for.
What is The Best TV show for weight loss?
Of the 3 shows The Biggest Loser USA in previous seasons have dealt with the emotional issues behind the weight gains to a point. Both Bob & Gillian use NLP techniques to try and help the contestants understand their triggers.
This season of the UK version seems to have followed the format of the US show so it will be interesting to see if they just publically butcher these contestants or actually try and help.
It would be interesting to see what the contestants are actually getting to eat, there seems to be a serious lacking in nutrition education or education as to the type of training they are doing or why for the viewer.
These programmes would be miles better for the view if they were more education based rather than focusing on the trauma that each contestant is feeling!!
If you are interested in losing weight and don’t want to be shouted at, mentally or emotionally tortured please drop us an email at jenandelle@forwardfitnessglasgow.com or thorough our contact page