What do I think of “The Biggest Loser” TV series?  I think it’s terrible and cruel, and merely entertainment, not a program that overweight people should do.  In its 8 seasons on the air, I have always found it to be the absolute wrong way to go about losing weight.

Why do I think and say this, after so many contestants have lost a lot of weight?  I think some of the techniques (tactics) may be unhealthy, and potentially dangerous.  Losing weight so fast puts lots of stress on the body and mind.  Going from a sedentary life to a high-pressure exercise routine is never a good idea.  Suddenly making drastic changes in eating may be too much for the body to handle.

Making weight loss a competition for fame and fortune seems exploitative, and nowhere near the best incentive to get healthy.  Using cruel “temptations” of favorite foods and high fat/high calorie items seems mean.

The “exercises” seem way too extreme to me, and grueling, designed for embarrassment and humiliation.  The trainers look way too overzealous and obsessed, and push too hard, in my opinion.

Teams and individual contestants are provided with refrigerators of their favorite “bad foods” in dining rooms, which I think is ridiculous at best, humiliating and mean in general, and likely the worst incentive or trick one could ever do to someone who is struggling with obesity and overweight.

Promotional messages and websites claim that “The Biggest Loser” is designed to promote health.  It seems to me it’s only about exploitation and making millions at the expense of suffering people with eating disorders, emotional struggles, and spiritual crises.

We’d love to know what YOU think about “The Biggest Loser,” and what the best way to get healthy is for you.  PLEASE COMMENT!

PS:  Some of you are seeing ads connected with “The Biggest Loser,” on this website and my column.  Please know that I have nothing to do with the ads whatsoever, and have no control over them at all.  They probably show up because I wrote about the show, and they are automated, but I’m not certain of that.  NC.