Are TV diet shows making us fat?

Posted on Apr 18th 2007 5:16PM by Martha Edwards

Filed Under: Celebrities and Entertainment, Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment

A group of British TV Diet Show alumni are confirming what so many are saying these days: Diets don't work. The three reality-show stars were part of three difference weight-loss shows, and each says that while they initially lost some weight, they've gained it all back, sometimes with a few extra pounds as well! The problem, one contestant says, is that, "the focus is on getting to the end of the series, rather than beyond it." She's right; experts say it again and again -- diets don't work. Only long-term lifestyle changes will make a long-term difference. TV shows don't reflect this -- they show you a weight loss program that fits into an even 13 episodes, and they don't detail the day-to-day life of someone trying to lose weight, someone who doesn't have a personal trainer or chef on hand, and who is not losing for a televised competition. Being embarrassed on National TV is a pretty good reason to turn down a few extra helpings, but that kind of pressure doesn't apply to a normal person.

Maybe these stories aren't fully representational of weight-loss program participants, but I think it proves a good point: a healthy lifestyle is something that needs to be maintained everyday, not just during sweeps. What do you think?

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Tags: biggest loser, BiggestLoser, diets, reality tv, RealityTv, tv

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

dirty_belly 4-20-2007 @ 9:10PM

I suggest not watching television and find a way to get off the couch and exercise, eliminate ingesting animal grease, and listen to live music.

Laurie 4-20-2007 @ 9:12PM

If the only way you can lose weight is to make money than you need help.

BP 4-20-2007 @ 9:36PM

I believe that eating organic foods, without chemicals and pesticides (which alter the functions of your digestive system and build up in your tissues), and choosing meats and dairy products which don't contain hormones (which can cause your own hormones to become unbalanced) or antibiotics (which can kill the good bacteria in your digestive tract and make it harder for you to absorb nutrients), is the best lifestyle change anyone can make. I've seen people lose weight simply by switching to organic meat and dairy products. Also, stop drinking soda. Not only is it full of empty calories, the phosphorus in colas can actually leach calcium from your bones, making them prematurely brittle. Also, that much sugar can cause an insulin spike, which leads to a crash, which leads to you thinking you're hungry when you aren't, which leads to eating more sugar...
Go green, buy organic, save the world, save your health.

Karen 4-20-2007 @ 9:58PM

After over 44 years of dieting I am here to tell everyone they do not work. Over the last two years I have lost 50 pounds and have kept it off. The best part is no misery and no major exercise. The secret for me is eatting every few hours, walking and moderation in a lifetime food plan.

Kat 4-20-2007 @ 10:21PM

The reality is this. We live in a society of excess and life has offered us the comforts of modern technology. I believe we have lost our essential connection to our environment and the world at large. Society has disconnected to thier spiritual life and look to things that offer immediate gratification. We are bombarded with so many messages that "having more equates being more than someone else thus, we strive for the wrong kinds of things." So many people have addictions of all kinds that they don't even understand that they have. The United States government allows so many dietary products to be filled with sugars and unnatural substances so that companies can save money while mass producing processed foods. People need to be educating themselves about food and perhaps understanding that the best thing you can do for yourself is to eat things that are as natural as they were created. Feed your spirit and learn what it means to love yourself and other people. I really think that we live in such a self-centered, narcissistic society. We need to get in touch with looking at the world from a global perspective. Start with your with your own home and work for the good of the universal world at large.
I know that diets don't work. There are weightloss companies that taught that thier program is the best. Perhaps in the short term, some of them will work but most will not work in the long term. From my own personal journey, I found a program called Overeaters Anonymous. It's built on the 12 Step program that is used for Alcoholism and other addictions. If you have an underlying eating disorder, it is something that can change your life if you learn from it. Look at how many people are now obese in the world. Look at the statistics of people that have had gastric bypass surgery (and that is the hot new business market) that promises success where none was found. So many of those people have transferred one addiction to another. It's not about the diet. It's something void in your life that you need to figure out.

Don't trust the media to tell you what's best for you. It's all propaganda and big business. Look inside your heart and you will find the answer.

laura 4-20-2007 @ 11:08PM

You can have an eating disorder and be fat.

mo 4-21-2007 @ 2:13AM

I think that the best way to loose weight is to stop eating when you are full , eat as healthy as you can and exercise. We all also need to realize we have different body types and genetics and we can't all be rail thin but we all dont have to be overweight and unheathy. I want to loose about 10 or twenty vanity pounds and I usually do it by exercisisng and not overeating

Eric 4-27-2007 @ 11:56PM

Diets don't work for the long run, it has to be a lifestyle change. This time last year I weighed over 220 lbs at 6'0 tall. Now I am currently at 170 and that is where I plan to stay. I work out 5 days a week at the gym and eat a lot of protein so I don't lose muscle. I stick with the lean meats and wild salmon and tuna. I marinate and grill them every day and eat them for lunch with some brown rice. I usually eat 6-8 meals a day, going no more than a few hours in between meals to help keep my metabolism burning. I have found that making the simple switches really matters. I don't use a personal trainer or follow any diet. The only advice I usually seek is from my monthly subscription to Muscle Fitness magazine. They have great articles on foods and supplements, as well as different workouts at the gym to work those dormant muscle fibers. Eating healthy is not expensive. In fact, I have found it to be cheaper than not eating healthy.

You are what you eat. There are no shortcuts with losing weight. The same principle holds true in life as well. If you want it, you have to work hard to get it, otherwise you will not learn your lesson from the years of neglect and will just end up being back at square one all over again. your body will thank you for the long hard work.

Kimberly 4-21-2007 @ 6:03PM

I, for one, am so sick of hearing everyone whine about being over weight. I myself am about 55 lbs overweight. This year I have decided to do like my Grandmother and her mother and so on. I have a one acre garden. I will grow and store my own vegetables. My Uncle has fruit trees and my neighber has other fruits that they grow and sell. While I know that doing it yourself can be a lot of work, it's MUCH, MUCH healthier! While buying organic is a great choice for many, it's very expensive in some cases. So, why not grow organic? I am also raising my own beef and pork. Ever hear of mutton? It's goat or sheep, and much healthier for you. Yes I have a sheep that I'm raising too for food. Granted, I am very lucky to live in the county and able to do these things. Those that live in the city can grow thier own veggies in container gardens. Instead of going to the grocer to buy to meat, go to a slaughter house or you local butcher store. Yes, I know they still exist. I have "googled" it. LOL! Not only will you feel better physically, but mentally also. I am a firm believer in that the FDA and Gov't are behind the growth hormones in our meat supply and in other grocery items as well. The problem with that is that when we are fully developed and grown, the hormones are causing us to crave more food, thus we get fat. Yes, we've all been told that when we are full put the fork down. But how many of us can actually do that? It's really not a joking matter. Our country is known world wide a gluttonous people. That's not something I want tagged to me, is it appealing to you? Think about it.

alex 4-23-2007 @ 9:37AM

Remember the first three letters of DIE-t. Fitness and not being fat in general is a direct function of the long-term, habitual practice of healthy eating and physical activity...not intermittent regimens punctuating the longer, more regular everyday practices of eating poorly and not exercising. The idea of "finishing" a diet seems illogical in its own right...to me that just indicates exactly what the article says--the impending return of the old, crappy habits.