Biggest Loser makes me angry

Well, actually…it’s my wife that’s angry and I see her point.

“Replace two meals a day and you’re on your way.”

It’s this marketing tagline, delivered by the winner and runner up of last seasons The Biggest Loser, that has made my wife angry.

Where’s the education?

A program like The Biggest Loser has the potential to educate millions of people on many things health and fitness.  In doing so the producers can encourage positive lifestyle changes that will not only benefit the participants on the program, but many of the people sitting at home watching as well.

The program appears to educate overweight individuals by teaching them healthy nutritional choices to make when preparing meals.  Contestants are seen to be learning about healthy alternatives to the “quick and easy” pre-packaged, microwaveable and fast food take away options.  Couple this with regular intense exercise and all of a sudden the weight begins to drop off.

Sound’s like a good education right?

Wrong!!!!

As soon as the add break comes on, the producers and network that own the rights to The Biggest Loser are regularly advertising a meal replacement program.

What’s more is that they are using last years winner and runner-up of the program to push this product.  Two people who worked their arses off (literally!) and should know exactly what it takes to get long lasting results.  They of all people know that it’s not simply a matter of “Replacing two meals a day and you’re on your way!”

It’s nothing new

People have been making money from meal replacement bars and shakes for many years now….yet as a society we have never been in worse shape. 

The facts is….THEY DON’T WORK

Why not?

I’ll tell you why not. 

People who are successful at losing weight and keeping it off all have one thing in common.  They have made significant lifestyle changes that promote a much healthier and more balanced lifestyle. 

You see, obesity is an ever growing problem in our society.  A thousand different reasons have been put forth to explain why this is so, but when it all comes down to it – PEOPLE ARE MAKING WRONG DECISIONS!

Excuses such as “I don’t have time to cook a meal using fresh ingredients” and “I work to hard and don’t have the energy” are used all too regularly when people choose to opt for the “quick and unhealthy” meal options.

This in turn leads to the development of poor behaviour patterns and before you know it, eating and preparing meals are no longer a priority in people’s lives.  Meal replacement shakes certainly do nothing to change this…in fact they go a long way to reinforcing this behaviour.

So What?

So now it’s time to start making healthy nutrition a priority again…that is if you are serious about achieving long term health and weight loss.  Without re-prioritising and taking some time to plan your nutrition any gains that you might make with replacement shakes are sure to be short lived.

As a Personal Trainer who understands the importance of nutrition when weight loss is your goal, I can’t stress enough that replacement diets have a limited life and will only affect your weight temporarily.  If you are serious about weight loss, you have to train your body with exercise and your mind with healthy food choices and behaviours.

It’s not easy

If it was easy, there wouldn’t be a market for the Biggest Losers Meal Replacement Program! 

I accept that many people need a little assistance and encouragement to achieve their weight loss goals so they can lead a healthier and happier life.  It’s for these reasons that I became a personal trainer – so that I can educate people in leading healthier lives.  If i wanted to make a lot of money quickly…I would have developed a meal replacement program!

So be very careful!  Don’t get caught up in all the weight loss products or put your faith in every fad to hit the market.  Look at what you’re putting into your body and ask yourself - is there a healthier choice that I could make?  And how often have I exercised this week? 

If you think you need to be more active and you need a little bit of help saying no to the cream bun screaming at your from the bakery window, think about engaging the services of a professional and knowledgeable Personal Trainer.  But never replace or skip meals, the novelty will wear of very quickly.