The Biggest La-hoo-sa-her

I love a good success story whether it be a kid learning how to ride a bike or a tiny rabbit jumping a fence. (This post is actually my success story of the day, as the interwebs malfunctioned and did not save my first draft, but look at me--I came back!) Since I love seeing people's hard work pay off, you might assume that I like NBC's 'The Biggest Loser'. WRONG!

'The Biggest Loser' really grinds my gears for multiple reasons. Is it really a good idea to lose 20 lbs in a week? As a general rule, weight that is quickly lost is also quickly gained. And the whole mindset of 'go hard or go home' is appropriate for fit indiviuals, but these contestants are starting at the very beginning fitness wise. Throwing them into situations where they are squatting over 400 lbs on weak joints or doing high-impact exercises does not exactly equal safety or integrity. Doctors are on hand and drastic times call for drastic measures--but if a contestant hurts himself because he overtrained, that will certainly delay progress even more.

And have you ever tried losing 5 lbs in a week? IT'S HARD, BITCHES. I just know some woman named Henrietta out in North Dakota is throwing on some spandex, attempting to haul 75 lbs worth of gardening supplies on a sled to represent the fat she wants to lose (didn't they do that with sandbags as a challenge once?), and then getting frustrated when the weight isn't peeling off. It's very easy to forget that the contestants on 'The Biggest Loser' have all day and night to exercise and a kitchen with a limited food supply. The average person might have only a few hours a week and access to Ho-Hos. Lethal combo.

Finally, can NBC keep things dignified and please throw them all a tee-shirt for the weigh in?