TV Review: The Biggest Loser

My Biggest Loser Story

NBC's The Biggest Loser is one of the most inspiring shows on TV. It’s also one of the most discouraging. I believe that whether or not this show works for you depends on where you are in your own weight loss journey.

There was a time in my life when I couldn’t stand this show. I was offended by the name when it first came out because it made me think that they were saying that ALL fat people were losers and that they were just looking for the biggest one. Of course, back then I was about 440 pounds and would usually watch the show while balancing a bowl of chocolate ice cream on my belly, so you can probably guess where my negative feelings were coming from.

Now when I watch this show I have nothing but compassion and awe over the accomplishments of the contestants. What created this change in me? Well, it wasn’t in a method that NBC’s The Biggest Loser trainers Bob Harper and Jilian Michaels would approve of—I had Gastric Bypass Surgery.

The decision to have the surgery came after many years of struggling with my weight, losing it only to find myself gaining more not too long after that. What finally tipped the scales (so to speak) was when I saw the following picture of myself that was taken at my daughter’s baptism.


This was what was a special day for my daughter and was definitely something for the family albums, but when I saw this picture, my heart just sank. It really hit me hard how far I had let myself go. Not only did I come to a realization of how bad I looked, but I was also realizing that I was missing many opportunities to spend quality time with my daughters because I was too tired or weak.

So I had the surgery, the Roux-En-Y version, and had very good results. One of the keys to making it a successful experience is to make sure to have a doctor with a great support system—you need to be a part of support groups and there also needs to be a great diet system. The surgery doesn’t magically make everything in your life better, there is a lot you need to do before and after to be successful and it is possible to gain a considerable amount of weight back. It’s more of a great jump-start to get you on a path to losing your weight and it gives you a tool to curb your appetite.

Two years after my oldest daughter’s baptism, my younger daughter had hers and the following picture was taken.


Needless to say, we’re all much happier now. It’s amazing how kids can forget negative things. When my daughters see my “before” picture, they have no memory of me looking like that. But what they do know is how much more we do together. We ride bikes, go on hikes and just spend more time together. We’re all so much happier now.


So, back to the The Biggest Loser, the people on that show have an advantage that I’d say is every bit as “unfair” of an advantage given to someone who wants to lose the weight surgically. How many other times in their lives are they going to be able to have their diets closely monitored and be able to work out for 8 hours or more a day?

Although their methods of weight loss differ from the path that I took, I am very inspired by this show even though my path to weight loss was quite different from theirs. I know what a change losing a significant amount of weight can create in someone’s life. It’s like a whole new world opens up and people start seeing you for who you are and not as some random fat person. For anyone else who struggles with your weight, I’d say just do what it takes and what works for you. Your future is depending on it.

I’m sorry if this “review” hasn’t been as much of a review as a personal testimonial, but I’ve never known my enjoyment of a show to be as affected by my own personal situation as this show has made me feel. I hope that more and more people will continue to be motivated by it to make changes in their lives for the better.