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Surprisingly, TV Reality Show Not Healthiest Path To Weight Loss
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Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd)
11/25/09

In reply to Surprisingly, TV Reality Show Not Healthiest Path To Weight Loss
JD Roth, an executive producer of the series who created its current format, said that while the show was extreme, "it needs to be extreme in my opinion."

"For some of these people this is their last chance," he said. "And in a country right now that is wrestling with health care issues and the billions of dollars that are spent on obesity issues per year, in a way what a public service to have a show that inspires people to be healthier."

I guess to them peeing blood is healthier than fat, which is not only unhealthy, but icky, yucky, and gross. What a selfless public servant.
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Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd)
11/25/09

@Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd): Those first two paragraphs are from the NYT article, in case it's not obvious.
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Edited by Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd) at 11/25/09 4:36 PM

SUNNY1
11/25/09

@Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd): "I guess to them peeing blood is healthier than fat"
I read this wrong at first, and thought you meant peeing fat was better than peeing blood. Needless to say, it was a bit of a scare.
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Vivelafat says Sweep the leg, Johnny.
11/25/09

In reply to Surprisingly, TV Reality Show Not Healthiest Path To Weight Loss
I love how people STILL continue to say "Eat less and exercise a little more and you will lose weight." HONESTLY! If it was that easy don't you think I would have done it? Why is it so hard to understand that not all people lose weight the same way? I mean, everyone knows that person that can eat whatever the want and not gain a pound, why is it so inconceivable that there are people who can eat healthy and not lose a pound?

* If one person replies with "But for the vast majority of fat people....." I will fucking self-combust.
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Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd)
11/25/09

@Vivelafat says Sweep the leg, Johnny.: Well, what if it's a lifestyle change and not a diet?

*kidding. don't burst into flames just yet.
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rixatrix
11/25/09

@Vivelafat says Sweep the leg, Johnny.: I think there are several reasons - I know if I don't measure my food, and I mean weigh it out by grams, I'm either over or underestimating how much I'm eating. People can blow their deficit just by eyeballing. Also, the people who eat whatever they want and stay thin also tend to skip meals, move around a LOT, or exercise some other form of natural balance. Me, I like to sit around on the couch and watch movies, so I have to be conscious of how much I'm moving all day long (not just workouts) to see the scale move.

I've recently gotten into the work of Leigh Peele, she's a personal trainer, and a genius. Honestly. If you *are* looking for help with weight loss (not that you should or need to, but I do believe you can accept yourself as you are, and still want to change - or at least, that's how I feel), you should google her. Or if you want to PM me, we can chat.
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zombies.like.lattés.too
11/25/09

@Vivelafat says Sweep the leg, Johnny.: what you're describing is called the fundamental attribution error. It's a basic belief that whatever problems befall us personally are the result of difficult (read: special) circumstances, while the same problems in other people are the result of their bad choices.

It's that type of cognitive dissonance that allows pro-lifers to take THEIR children to the abortion clinic while demonizing all the other sluts who were careless and got pregnant.

Same thing applies to fat hatred and the belief that we're fat because we're uninformed and lazy.
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Vivelafat says Sweep the leg, Johnny. promoted this comment

Vivelafat says Sweep the leg, Johnny.
11/25/09

@zombies.like.lattés.too: I love smart people. And I love it when I find out that my mostly guttural rants actually have name. So basically what I am trying to say is you are now hearted.
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Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd)
11/25/09

@rixatrix: Are you joking?
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Vivelafat says Sweep the leg, Johnny.
11/25/09

@rixatrix: Thanks, but I'm not. (and I know you are trying to be helpful, which is why I'm not offended) I recently lost a shit ton of weight by not eating. The medication that I am on makes it so that I eat less that 500 calories on most days. I am less healthy now than I was when I was fatter.
The point is, I tried everything, measuring, exercise, EVERYTHING, but nothing stuck until I was literally starving myself because of my medication. Did I have less will power than others? Was I less committed? Not on your life. What works for one person won't work for another, and I don't see why that is so difficult to understand. Why must we insist on universalizing our experiences?
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rixatrix
11/25/09

@Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd): I don't know, are you laughing?

What exactly do you find so funny? My post came from a place of non-judgmental sincerity, so either you think I'm stupid or just a jerk. Please do elaborate.
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Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd)
11/25/09

@rixatrix: Vivelafat says she's not offended, so I'm not going to get into it.
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Vivelafat says Sweep the leg, Johnny.
11/25/09

@Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd): My response was the same as yours, but it's the day before Thanksgiving and I'm feeling charitable. Also, rixatrix has a track record of descent comments so I can only assume that the s/he hasn't been around long enough to know my very loud opinion in this matter.
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Vivelafat says Sweep the leg, Johnny.
11/25/09

@rixatrix: The humor of what you just said is that most of us have heard it a million times. "x is brilliant, it will change the way you lose weight," or "most diets don't work, but this one will"
Most of us have heard the "they just move more," and the "you don't really know how much your eating" before, and the truth is, we believe it be bullshit. We believe that the truth is the majority of diets (and yes lifestyle changes are a diet) don't work in the long term.
There are many here on Jezebel that believe differently and it has inspired a range of discourse ranging from civil to not-so-civil. Either way, each is entitled to their opinion.
Also, I have been extremely vocal about my opinion (given my screen name and all) so, it could be seen as humorous that you offered me weight loss advice. I just assumed you didn't know because I know your commenting history, but if I didn't know you, my response would probably have been quite different.
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TheUptightMidwesterner
11/25/09

In reply to Surprisingly, TV Reality Show Not Healthiest Path To Weight Loss
THANK YOU NYT!! I get so mad at this show for pushing all these totally dangerous, reckless expectations on the public. Losing 16 pounds in one fucking week is totally not right unless you have given birth to twins. Working out for 5 hours every day is not normal EVER.
God, I hate this show. It needs to be taken off the air, like, yesterday.
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spamanda
11/25/09

In reply to Surprisingly, TV Reality Show Not Healthiest Path To Weight Loss
I've often wondered how many people on this show were also starving themselves to loose that extra pound or two.
Also, I really like to watch Biggest Loser while eating ice cream. I do this a LOT.
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kemperboyd
11/25/09

@spamanda: I watch it eating crisps (chips) and chocolate bars, usualy drinking Irn Bru. I do not feel guilty. *ok I feel a little guilty*
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Edited by kemperboyd at 11/25/09 6:06 PM kemperboyd was starred kemperboyd was unstarred

Sputnik_Sweetheart
11/25/09

In reply to Surprisingly, TV Reality Show Not Healthiest Path To Weight Loss
trainer Jillian Michaels says, "Contestants can get a little too crazy and they can get too thin. [...] It's just part of the nature of reality TV."

It really makes me uncomfortable that this came out of the mouth of someone whose job is to guide people to better health. "Sure, it's kinda dangerous, but you wouldn't believe how good the ratings are!"

Edit: Ok, I just read the full quote at NYT and it is not as bad as it reads here. However, I still think it is pretty irresponsible for a trainer to shrug off unhealthy weight loss (and I don't necessarily mean just starvation, dehydration, etc, but the accelerated pace of the loss is also unhealthy) as the "nature of Reality TV."
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Edited by Sputnik_Sweetheart at 11/25/09 4:28 PM Sputnik_Sweetheart was starred

morninggloria
11/25/09

In reply to Surprisingly, TV Reality Show Not Healthiest Path To Weight Loss
The best part of The Biggest Loser is the shameless promotions and how they try to pass them off as genuine, totes casual conversations. "Hey, brosephs! It's Jillian Michaels, just chilling at the kitchen table. Want to have a conversation about Multi Grain Cheerios? Or Ziplock bags?"

Cut to the contestants, usually very bad at acting, testifying about the merits of this particular Proctor & Gamble product.
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GirlFailer
11/25/09

@morninggloria: What? You don't casually hang out with your buds discussing how convenient putting your Multigrain Cheerios in Snack Sized Ziplock Bags is? They make the perfect 100 calorie snack bags!
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bluebears
11/25/09

@morninggloria: this is something that annoys me about Bravo reality shows, particularly Top Chef.
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sassyredhead
11/25/09

@morninggloria: Have you noticed how sneaky they have gotten this season? I am just about to buy Bob's pep talk to Amanda and BAM!...here's the Extra Gum ad. Makes me feel so gullible.
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NellMood
11/25/09

@bluebears: I haaate it on Top Chef. "We drove in our Sequoias to Whole Foods to buy Whole Foods brand chicken broth, which we packed in Gladware." It's so unnatural sounding when they try to work the product placement into conversation.
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SUNNY1
11/25/09

@GirlFailer: We may not sit around discussing Cheerios and Ziplocks, but my friends and I do go to clubs and talk about Yaz.
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GirlFailer
11/25/09

@SUNNY1: Is one of your friends an attractive, young OBGYN? OMG mine too!

#tips
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SUNNY1
11/25/09

@GirlFailer: She didn't go to med school for nothing!

#tips
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biancajames
11/25/09

In reply to Surprisingly, TV Reality Show Not Healthiest Path To Weight Loss
I saw an episode of this show for the first time recently (at the gym ironically, I don't own a TV) and was HORRIFIED. Encouraging people to lose 12 pounds in a week is suicide and sends the wrong message to people who want to lose weight in a healthy sustainable way.
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bluebears
11/25/09

In reply to Surprisingly, TV Reality Show Not Healthiest Path To Weight Loss
It sounds horrible and morbid but I'm surprised someone hasn't dropped dead on that show yet.
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didntmeanto
11/25/09

@bluebears: Me too! I admit this is a guilty pleasure of mine and know that people have come close. At times it has felt a little weird watching it, like uhm...are these people okay?
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LaFemme
11/25/09

@bluebears: That thought has crossed my mind as well. A lot of the people make it pretty clear they do NOT normally exercise, and then the trainers have them doing all these crazy strenuous stunts... seems like a good way to give yourself a heart attack.
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bluebears
11/25/09

@didntmeanto: I hardly ever watch it, I find the show incredibly boring actually. To many like, dramatic pauses type moments.

#tips
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BetteD
11/25/09

@bluebears: Ugh. I know. I can't watch that show, it just makes me depressed on about eighty different levels.

Teaching people who already obsess about food to obsess more about food and also obsess about exercise in order to lose vast amounts of weight in a competition is anti-health.

Once upon a time, I had an eating disorder. Recovery came from NOT making food and exercise the centerpiece of my goals and self-worth. It came from re-discovering the things I love to do other than binge, purge, over-exercise and starve on an endless loop.

Now when I go for a run it's because it makes me feel good and powerful and helps me relax. When I eat something healthy it's because I'm respecting my body, not trying to meet some standard.

These shows feed into (sorry for the pun) our society's need to exalt extreme behavior. They have about as much to do with health as the celebrity diets featured in Star and Us Weekly.
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bluebears
11/25/09

@LaFemme: yes, the level they have them exercising at seem incredibly intense from the get go, which is just not healthy. Not because they're over weight but because, like you say, they normally don't exercise.
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bluebears
11/25/09

@BetteD: agreed. I love running and it has nothing to do with weight loss, its an enjoyable activity. I feel like everything that is emphasized on that show is so almost punitive if that makes sense.
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didntmeanto
11/25/09

@bluebears: The way they do the weigh ins is painful. My husband is right with you - he's pretty tolerant of my reality tv watching - (even sitting through Say Yes to the Dress) but that is one show I watch when he is not around. Its not something I'm proud of...
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bluebears
11/25/09

@didntmeanto: I don't judge, I watch all the Real Housewife shows religiously.
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RunningCori
11/25/09

@bluebears: On the first episode of the season they had them all run 1 mile on the beach. One contestant collapsed not far from the end, ending up in the hospital for what looked like a week. She did end up coming back, but then she wasn't allowed to exercise because she had astoundingly high levels of an enzyme that indicates serious muscle damage. And she still lost large amounts of weight!

I;m really surprised that most of them don't have shin splints, or other overuse injuries...
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bluebears
11/25/09

@RunningCori: me too! and honestly I bet they do but that gets edited out. I'm sure they sign all sorts of confidentiality agreements.
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RunningCori
11/25/09

@bluebears: You ooccasionally see someone with shin or knee wraps, but they never talk about it unless they have to. I remember a couple of stress fractures from last season, but they didn't go into. (And what a teaching moment that would've been!) And I say this as a person who has been running for a little over 2.5 years who was continually suffering from shin splints until I was diagnosed with a leg length discrepancy. (And I finally finished a marathon last Sunday!)

#tips
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bluebears
11/25/09

@RunningCori: congratulations! that's awesome.

#tips
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rah29
11/25/09

@BetteD: So well put. I think that's what's so scary about the show--the idea that weight loss can and should be the be-all-end-all of your life, and that your self worth is tied up completely in your weight. Even the 'inspirational' aspect of it feeds into that--it's always emphasised how weight gain was a sign of the contestants' lack of self-worth, and how their weight loss is, omg, the single greatest accomplishment of their lives. I've read interviews with former contestants and they always make me so sad. They repeat mantras over and over like 'food is fuel, not a pleasure'. Now, food isn't a cure for emotional problems. But it's clear that the contestants haven't learned to have a 'healthy' relationship with food. They've learned to see it as part of an equation, which is exactly what they're told on the show. Obsession with food in order to lose/maintain weight is not really better in terms of a well-rounded, healthy life than obsession with food as an emotional crutch.
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phantom lady
11/25/09

@RunningCori: I think it was last season that they showed some of the contestants with ice bags ace bandaged to their legs. I remember thinking Its about time you show those at home there is a lot of pain going on.
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tiredfairy
11/25/09

@BetteD: You put this so perfectly. I know some people think this is inspirational, but what I mostly see is substituting one unhealthy behavior for another and exploiting people in the process. But because one version "looks" healthier and is more socially acceptable, people don't see the problem. It still revolves around obsessive behaviors, viewing food and the body as an enemy, and the focal point of your life and worth. In the end, it's just not healthy.
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curiousgeorgiana
11/20/09

In reply to Project Runway Finale: Armor, Sci-Fi & Tears

I've said it before but: Irina. Please see Jillian Season 4 for the correct way to do armor inspiration w/ hats.
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jhuang
11/20/09

@curiousgeorgiana: Just seeing these three pictures reaffirms my thought about how sucky this season's designs were. :( Hoping it's better in January!
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linnyt is a walking cliché
11/20/09

In reply to Project Runway Finale: Armor, Sci-Fi & Tears
This is the first season of PR where I missed episodes and never bothered to watch them later. I did remember that the finale was on that night but I watched King of the Hill instead. I don't even like that show but it doesn't stab me in the heart like bad PR does.
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mllej
11/20/09

In reply to Project Runway Finale: Armor, Sci-Fi & Tears
After putting up with this entire season, I could not even be bothered to watch last night. I put on The Wire and called it a night. Sigh.
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Zombie Ms. Skittles
11/20/09

@mllej: I didn't watch any of the finale. I am probably going to watch the first few episodes of the next season, but if it continues in this vein then I'm giving up on the show. I'll find something else to watch Thursday nights, like House reruns or something.
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mllej
11/20/09

@Zombie Ms. Skittles: Same here. I was going to hop over to Gawker's liveblog to at least see who won last night but instead asked someone to PM me on Facebook. Used to be the PRun finale was not to be missed.
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mariamariamaria
11/20/09

In reply to Project Runway Finale: Armor, Sci-Fi & Tears
Snagglepuss exit stage left: HAHAHAHAHA! I never noticed his, uh, gentrified wildcat leanings, but OMG so spot on!
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pearlsdream
11/20/09

@mariamariamaria: I never noticed it either, but ahh it fits together like a puzzle piece!
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sympathyforthebasementcat
11/20/09

In reply to Project Runway Finale: Armor, Sci-Fi & Tears
I feel like Heidi should have been disqualified from the judges table for wearing that outfit.

The rest of my opinions (bc everyone cares:

Carol Hannah: Should have won. Consistently good, but the judges seemed to dismiss her, and never take notice. Her collection was the most well-made and aesthetically-pleasing, and since none of the collections were ground-breaking or interesting, that counts for a lot.

Irina: I feel like they decided she would win 3 weeks in. Her collection was monotonous, and no one piece stood out. The hats looked really forced with some of the pieces, and I don't know why she needed that extra element of cohesion when each piece looked the same anyway. Also: her urban armor back-story was blah and lacked nuance.

Althea: I've already forgotten her collectio, except that it was very Lindsay Lohan 2008. Totes high fashion.
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Alessar
11/20/09

In reply to Project Runway Finale: Armor, Sci-Fi & Tears
I had a thought last night of how this season could have been redeemed.

Heidi: "Designers we like bits and pieces of your work but overall it's just not strong enough. I'm sorry, but you are ALL AUT."
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AnnieSaBu
11/20/09

@Alessar: That would have been honest, dramatic, good TV. This was sad. It was like watching The Hills, where you just think, "really? you want me to believe you mean what you're saying here? 'cause I don't."
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hfree
11/20/09

In reply to Project Runway Finale: Armor, Sci-Fi & Tears
Carol Hannah's blue 13th dress was the best thing on that runway. I really wanted her to win for it, even though Irina's collection on whole was better. I just didn't want Irina to win. I don't know if it was because of her personality or because I hated those hats.

Did anyone notice the total bitch face Irina had when the judges were praising the other collections? It was like she was thinking "Are you fucking kidding me? Just give me the prize already so that I can take off these damn boots."
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dialing_footnoterphone
11/20/09

@hfree: I agree with everything you said. Especially Carol Hannah's dress (the look on Irina's face when she said that their 13th designs were amazing was great) and Irina's hats. I wanted to step on them and see if they kept their shape.
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