I have always been fascinated with weight loss shows. I would watch Richard Simmons when I was a teenager, and just sob. I know I loved to watch the transformation of the morbidly obese to thin because of Ma.
I also used to watch those early morning workout shows before I went to school. I would take my pulse, but never condescend to actually do the workout. That was for old people. At least 20.

But I had made up my mind to actually work out when I was in my twenties. I was pushing 24 when I met Curtis, and I still hadn’t started that workout routine. He was in the Army reserves, and had training weekends and started working out on his own time to keep his fitness up. He taught me how to do real push-ups and jumping jacks, and before I knew it, we were working out all the time. We bought bikes and rode all over town, and even ran around the track at the High School across the street. I had hated running since I injured myself in the 10th grade going out for the soccer team.

Curtis and I even signed up for an aerobics class at the student recreation center, and I have been hooked on aerobics ever since.

The TV show, The Biggest Loser is one of my favorites. I first caught it in the second season, when I recognized Pete from UM. When I knew him, he was 300 lbs, but by the time he got to The Biggest Loser, he was up to over 400. He lost 180 ish lbs that year of the show, and he started looking his 6’5” height.

The show this season is kind of disturbing to me. It has that Survivor feel to it, where everybody is ‘playing the game,’ and it’s about the million dollars, not the life transformation. It’s hard to feel good for some of the people on the show, because now I’m watching their strategy, not their victory.

Neil, the biggest guy on the show is the biggest strategist. He gains and loses weight to his advantage. This week, when he reached the 100 pound mark in his weight loss, I found myself not caring, because a few weeks ago he’d gained 17 pounds on purpose to get somebody else kicked off the show.

This is the kind of thing that makes Survivor compelling, I guess, but I find it distasteful when you’re talking about playing with gaining and losing weight. Maybe it’s just me.

On the other hand, it is a TV show, and we’re not watching it just to see people drop sizes. I guess that would be like watching grass grow. The drama makes it compelling. So, I watch every week, wondering who will get voted off that week.

I’m embarrassed how much I think about this show. I love how the weight loss success changes the characters. Yes, I know it’s reality TV, but we don’t really know those people, and they are like characters. They seem to get more compassionate, more likable as time goes by. You’re rooting for everyone to succeed, and it is unbelievable how much weight these people can lose in a week.

6 lbs in a week is like nothing, compared to people who average 11 lbs a week. A couple guys lost over 30 lbs in a week.

Usually, the men are more successful on the show. They start out bigger, and have an easier time shedding hundreds of excess pounds. The first three winners of the show have been men. This year, it looks like the women are stacking it so that they can have their first female winner. They are picking off men, one by one. I don’t think they’ll get them all off, but we’ll see.

There is one woman on the show that is really impressive. Kae is consistently losing every week. She has already lost over 60 pounds–that’s more of a man’s weight loss figure. Most of the other women have lost in the 20s or 30 pound range.

Kae’s success makes her a target, but I hope she makes it all the way. She used to be in the army, and she approaches her weight loss with military precision. She does not complain, and she gets the job done. If the show were strictly about who is the most successful, Kae should win.

We shall see. I will definitely be watching.