Stepping away from my normally scheduled blogging – not that I have a real schedule or anything – I wanted to whip something together real quick like. I apologize for erratic thoughts and half sentences ahead of time because I anticipate there will be many. I try and plan out my posts, writing them over time, but I just have something to say today is all.
In the days following the Biggest Loser finale there is a ton of media coverage on the winner. Everyone has an opinion and social media sites have been blistering with commentary, good and bad. I didn’t watch the finale in real time. I DVR’d it, but I knew something was going on when I couldn’t watch a single news channel because they were covering it and a friend texted me following the show, “OMG, did you see the Biggest Loser finale?”
I didn’t really get into this season. I watched every episode, late, on the DVR, and never got really into any contestant like I have in the past. I felt the season was a little blah. Episodes were cut short, some of the bells and whistles that make the show entertaining had been cut, and Bob being super into crossfit as a primary workout just didn’t appeal to me. But I watched because I always have. I caught the finale the morning after it aired. I knew exactly what the buzz was about as soon as I saw it. And now I know why everyone’s jaws were on the floor.
At the risk of spoilers – and if you haven’t seen the show and want every second of it to be a surprise, please, just skip this post – I will try not to reveal too much, though it will probably be obvious.
There is a lot of talk about the winner. And the extremes we saw on the finale this season. There were a number of extremes, here we watch people who are considered obese chip away at every pound and find themselves at a number that is considered healthy or average. Some would still be considered overweight and some considered underweight. I feel that all three of the final contestants pushed the limits of weight loss to win the big prize, but one winner obviously took this to a new level. A record breaking level.
I don’t want to put them down. The winner showed nothing but excitement and gratitude for the experience. Truly gaining her life back and becoming the person she always knew she was. I’ve been there. I’ve been fat and unhappy, I’ve hated my body. Getting down to my goal weight was a big deal to me in more ways than what is obvious to most. And that is why I just cannot agree with what this person did to win.
My concern, and the concern of most people is how the image of health is portrayed in our culture. And I certainly don’t agree with all the negativity that this person, who worked incredibly hard to reach a goal that she felt was right, is facing. But here is the thing, stick with me for one more second….
Many people are saying that everyone is different, live and let live, and I get that. But the biggest issue I had with the winner’s clear weight issues is that I, 32 years old, being an active person for 4 years now, and in a better place than I was 4 years ago, ping-ponged between shock and “I want to be her” feelings. And I know better! I know what I was seeing was not a person at their healthiest, that’s the irrationality of it all. Does that make sense? Do you see the issue?
That’s the disease. That’s the fight of accepting your body and being ok with it. That is the battle with your weight and personal perception. It is – I am – proof that what TV and the media throws at us in our ever radical portrayal of what is healthy in our culture does affect those who view it. And that is why I struggle to get onboard with last nights reveal. Though I never suffered from an ED in a traditional sense, I do feel I am in a bit of recovery. Trying to accept my body as it is, I feel seeing that, though I clearly know better, I felt I had a little relapse. I felt, “Wow that is just a scary extreme… I wonder if I could get to a weight like that.”
As someone who has dieted in order to get a body I felt proud of, as someone who fights constantly to lose and maintain, as someone one who constantly fights food issues and other mental hurdles when it comes to “health,” I cannot look at the winner of The Biggest Loser Season 15 and say, “Good for you, I know how hard you worked.” Even though I’m sure some people thought I might. I don’t judge the winner either. Every journey is different, but in the spirit of full disclosure I did take to the interwebs to get the scoop. I need to stay strong on my stance that being waffe thin, right or wrong, is not something I can let myself compare myself to.
I take the silence from NBC and the trainers on the show as a sign that we’re going to see a change in the rules. We might see more monitoring of the at home portions, maybe BMI minimums, I don’t know. But I appreciate that, I guess time will tell.