Overweight Overload

Since starting this blog I've become more sensitive to the societal bombardment of weight loss advertisements. This is the generation of instant gratification, and weight loss is not exempt. This week on The Biggest Loser, a show that in some ways promotes healthy weight loss, and in other ways gives people false hope, a contestant was upset and angry about losing only four pounds that week. This contestant was a woman, and she was under 200 pounds. While that may sound heavy to the average reader, in relation to other contestants on the show, she is relatively light. Losing four pounds in one week is a lot for most people, in fact a healthy weight loss is one to two pounds per week. But despite this knowledge, many people are disappointed when they can't seem to drop five or ten pounds a week.

Although we are in an economic recession, there are some businesses that are still thriving, and one of them is the diet and nutrition supplement business. Apparently we have grown impatient with good old fashioned diet and exercise, and now need to turn to something new. This instant gratification culture has left us wanting faster results with less work. We watch commercials thinking, well if Kim Kardashian used it and it worked, I should use it too. What we fail to realize is that Kim Kardashian has made a living off of looking good. Her job is predicated on her looks, and in order to maintain the career that she has built, she must eat right and exercise constantly. While she may in fact use diet supplements, the truth is that there is no magic pill out there, and so in order to look like Kim Kardashian, more than just the supplements she endorses are needed.

Even those who pride themselves on teaching people healthy weight loss practices can fall victim to the seduction of money the supplement business has. Jillian Michaels, one of two trainers on the Biggest Loser. These trainers pride themselves on teaching people to lead healthy lifestyles. They do not recommend surgery for even contestants who are morbidly obese, but instead believe that eating healthy and exercising are enough for anyone to lose weight. While the show has its fair share of advertising and product placement, they always advertise healthy foods, and natural products, never diet pills or weight loss supplements. However, outside of the show, Jillian Michaels began endorsing diet pills, despite her stance on the show that healthy weight loss can be achieved through diet and exercise. She is not only endorsing diet pills, but it being sued because the diet pills do not work.

In this culture of instant gratification, is there any way to make people realize that when it comes to weight loss slow and steady win the race? As society becomes filled with more options, such as the lap band, diet pills, and in some cases gastric bypass surgery, it seems as if diet and exercise will only get pushed out and forgotten about.