Unfit for TV

Standing on a scale in nothing but a sports bra and spandex shorts, Pam Smith saw the number 252 staring at her. Smith, 25, of Martinsville, Ind., wasn't in the privacy of her own home. She was on national television in NBC's third installment of the popular weight-loss show, "The Biggest Loser." \nI'll admit, it takes a lot of guts to expose every flaw to millions of strangers. The premise of the show, at least on the surface, is endearing: gather overweight people from every state in the nation, select 14 lucky ones to stay at the ranch and have two top trainers give them diet and fitness advice. However, my problem is with the show's presentation. \nSmith accomplished a feat in itself by losing a whopping 10 pounds in one week, but this was insignificant compared to other contestants, who lost in excess of 20 pounds in one week. The emphasis on rapid weight loss not only does a disservice to the 65 percent of Americans who are overweight, but it completely misses the target regarding effective weight loss. The National Institute of Health recommends a loss of 1/2 pound to 2 pounds per week. I'm no math major, but that's a big (pardon the pun) difference from 20. Overweight and often impatient Americans think they can achieve such a loss and get frustrated when they fail. Little do they realize it's not their efforts that are lacking, but that the contestants have been required to do nothing but exercise and eat minimal calories throughout the day. Comparatively speaking, "Celebrity Fit Club," a weight-loss show on VH1 featuring B-list celebrities, offers a far healthier and more realistic take on losing weight. The VH1 show requires its contestants to lose from 2 to 6 pounds between weigh-ins. They also have two weeks to meet their target loss. Not only that, but they get to keep their regular clothes on. \nNext, I strongly disagree with the portrayal of the trainers. NBC replaced Jillian Michaels with Kim Lyons, a professional fitness competitor. Not only is her look completely unrealistic for most people to achieve, but it wouldn't shock me if Lyons had a little help from a cosmetic surgeon. On the other hand, "Biggest Loser's" male trainer, Bob Harper, has morphed from a Zen-like master to a recently inked and mohawked hard-ass. The trainers make contestants work out until they puke and put them through strenuous and painful activities. This only fuels the perception that exercise must be unpleasant to be effective, which couldn't be further from the truth. \nI understand why NBC has implemented all of these techniques into "The Biggest Loser." They want drama. They want ratings. They want BIG results. They also want to sell Quaker Weight Control Oatmeal and 24-Hour Fitness, which can be seen in just about every camera shot. \nIt's just a shame that something as simple as maintaining a healthy lifestyle has to be placed in such a negative light.