Losers!
Greetings all! I’m back from NYC with a slightly puffy face and a lot of stories to tell…oh, and an extra long, extra special, extra informative, extra extra read all about stuff blog coming up later tonight. Of course, God’s Game comes first…da Boys against those smelly Eagles. First place for the D-Men…I can feel it.
But FIRST…here’s something I wrote when The Biggest Loser originally aired. I wanted to reprint this on my blog for two reasons: first, to remind you all of the wrong way to leanness; second to give you plenty to think about until after the game.
How cool AM I, eh?
This reprint was sparked by the cover of Prevention, December 2005. It featured the three “biggest losers” (great title there, Mr. Schweitzer), still quite obese and surely heading for a rough landing in a year or so, and their tips for…
…coughGASPyackPUKEchokeAAAAAAAKKKKKK…
…pardon me.
Fat loss.
This is beyond “blind leading the blind” — it’s more like one form of WMD giving lessons to another. I just wonder if they mentioned, “A few hundred thousand incentives…dollars, that is.” in their 1-2-3 nutritional wisdom. Me thinks not.
Me thinks they should be shot at sunrise, or educated at 8:00am. I’ll let the universe decide, but SHAME on you three!
Oh, coming up after four months of horrid education:
Jon Benson’s new e-book, How To Succeed At Real Estate And Stock Market Investments After Being Given Bad Advice For 16 Weeks By People Paid To Give Bad Advice To People Like Me Who Will Pimp Themselves Out And Do Anything But What It Really Takes To Succeed At At Real Estate and Stock Market Investing, With A Special Chapter On My 16-Week Cure For Cancer After Studying Cancer For 16 Weeks.
The title is a bit short, but other than that…it’s a hit! (I left out an “s” somewhere in that sentence. I’ll let you fill in the gaps.)
Enjoy my wrath, and really helpful stuff coming up after the Cowboys beat the poo out of the Eagles once again for good measure.
Here’s a hint: it answers most all the questions you’ve been posting. Read one, read all.
Tell Me This Is Not Reality…
Pardon me while I remove my kid gloves…they will not be necessary. Those easily offended should switch channels right now and check out what’s on Lifetime.
“Reality television.” You have to hand it to the geniuses from TV Land for coming up with this gem. “Let’s just show people life at its worst—hey, we’ll make BILLIONS!”
It worked. “It” almost always works.
“It” is the insatiable desire to stoop continually lower in order to draw out what’s left of our animal instincts. It’s the process of force-feeding our senses with visual junk food to the point where reality becomes nothing more than a grim blur—a distant line we once drew in the sand, now stirred by the winds of impatience and greed.
After all, Mr. Suave, our fictitious lord of TV Land, knows we’re tired of seeing people beat each other up, eat maggots while their 10-year-old kids participate, and checking out who will be sacked in the next boardroom meeting. He knows we want something really juicy. No worries—there’s a new offering from our digital friends of fun, fame and instant wealth. Even better— it’s disguised as TV that’s “good for you.” It’s manna from heaven, folks—reality TV that helps people lose weight! What could be better than this?
Just about anything.
“The Biggest Loser.” The title says it all, doesn’t it? Perhaps Mr. Suave merely enjoys his double entendres.
The premise, in case you haven’t seen this living room dreck, is quite simple: get as many overweight people as possible to team up and see who can drop weight the fastest. The person who drops the most amount of weight (i.e. muscle, water, and a tad bit of fat) is awarded the honorary title of “Biggest Loser”, along with a hefty sum of cash.
My guess is the money will be used to pay for therapy and medical expenses this poor “loser” will one day incur after playing the “loss at any cost” game.
To be fair, it’s nothing most of us haven’t done in the past. You know—the miracle diets, magic weight loss pills, and “no exercise” promises we’ve all fallen for? Yeah, those. The only difference is that our faces and bodies were not plastered all over the boob tubes in millions of homes, influencing people of all ages to replicate our insanity. Our reward? The hope of jeans that fit again. Millions of dollars would come only if we won the lotto.
Folks, this is the line in the sand. For years we’ve let Hollywood tell us how to think, how to be ‘cool’, what to wear, and even how to vote. Now Hollywood wants to tell us how to lose weight—in prime time, no less. They have the solution to America’s growing obesity problem. It’s penitence for a pound of flesh. The plot is as ancient as the Old Testament, as the movie “Seven” morbidly demonstrated. Only this time penitence comes with a reward in the form of pennies—lots and lots of pennies.
The real loser here is the overweight American media hound. The desperate individual who struggles with their weight, becoming overly enthusiastic while watching someone lose 40 pounds in a week. I can hear the conversation now: “My nutritionist said a pound a week. HA! Look what JOE did!”
Of course, “Joe” is vomiting, depressed and pushed to the point of literal death in the process…but hey, he lost the weight, right?
Wrong.
Joe is ruining his life—nothing short, lest you be deceived by the hype.
Joe (the names have been changed to protect the gullible) has just fallen into the trap most dieters have succumbed to for a long as man has tried to shed his dreaded spare tire. Weight gain, you see, is a slow process. No one gains 100 pounds in six weeks. But lord knows we demand to lose 100 pounds in six weeks! The kid in us screams, “I want it now!” We always seem to listen to that little inner brat.
Now we have our media hero, Mr. Suave, who calmly assures us that our inner screams will result in a dieting process that’s fun and healthy. Hey, it will even make someone really rich!
Mr. Suave’s inner child needs a spanking.
Believe it or not, there are supposed doctors, nutritionists and fitness trainers involved in the production of “The Biggest Loser.” All these people should be stripped of their titles and force-fed gallons of raw butter. OK…perhaps not. But I’m tempted. Talk about the devils leading the sheep. Sure, let’s give a ‘professional’ thumbs-up to this travesty of a television show. We’ll make the contestants and the American people feel all warm and fuzzy about it. It’s all in the name of ‘health’, isn’t it? Sure it is. And war is all in the name of peace.
Friends, we do not need a reality show about a “biggest loser.” We need a nation of real winners. We need a nation that takes responsibility for their health and weight. Part of that responsibility is dedication to patience and effort. By all means, this should be a pleasurable endeavor—something the producers of “The Biggest Loser” would never want to air. God knows we all hate watching happy people on television in this day and age. Misery spikes the Nielsen ratings, you know.
For those of us with our eyes toward the future and away from the screen, pleasure, patience and progress must walk hand-in-hand.
Find a nutrition plan you can stick to for life, not until your wedding, high school reunion, or bikini weather. Make appropriate and realistic lifestyle changes in order to create the foundation for an existence of vitality. Take your body and your health into your own hands. Don’t rely on Hollywood or some fad diet pill to give you what you haven’t earned. The pleasure in this game of fitness is in the journey, and that journey is based on reaping what you sow. Trust me—it’s better than the alternative. I’ve been on both sides of the fence.
I just hope this “winner” uses all that prize money to buy real food, perhaps hire an ethical nutritionist and trainer, and join a gym. My prayer is for this individual to wake up and actually make a lasting difference in their own life and in the lives of the people now watching their every move. He or she will be the “Jared” of this generation. Fame brings with it the responsibility of fame.
This unfortunate person will soon become an unfortunate role model. Let’s just pray that true reality sinks in during this journey. Don’t be fooled again, as Roger Daultry once screamed.
TV Land has cast its anchor and is reeling in the fish on this one. Sad to say, America is taking the bait—and Mr. Suave could not be any more pleased with the haul. The real losers will be the winner of this farce, the people who buy into the drama, and the creators of “The Biggest Loser” when they face their Maker. They have resurrected the demon of Anything At All Cost, all in the name of Big Green.
Personally, I rest a bit easier knowing that karma has a vicious backhand. {10}
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Comments (14)
Elisa said:
Interesting blog! I agree, The Biggest Loser is such a worrisome show. It typifies much that is our country unfortunately. Have we become a collective of inner brats in America? I wonder sometimes as I notice the spoiled rotten kids I see in the mall (most overweight) to the people driving mammoth SUVS and complaining about gas prices; do they really get that they have accountability? We want the quickie fix and the BL gives that sense of false hope.
I’m with you. I hope somehow, “Joe” sees this, thinks twice and uses that money to create some real transformation. It takes mastery to create lasting change in my mind. Mastery means being empowered and having the tools to sustain change. That certainly isn’t the focus of BL.
So, no change in weight this week for me but I have the full outline of stomach muscles and a two pack! I ran 13 miles yesterday (almost a half marathon!) in 1:53:54 - a personal best in a training run. I will credit my enthusiasm to hit the trail, the gorgeous day and the Beastie Boys on the Ipod.
I also noticed trap muscles, tiny but HEY they are there…
My jeans are the true fat loss test for me. They are “bigger” than they were two weeks ago so I know progress is being made. Today is a rest day with Legs/Back tomorrow, an odd combination I know but it seems to work.
Jon, do you experience an energy drop in the Fall? I had sort of a low energy week last week. Despite eating pretty much the same meals, same frequency and basically the same foods I usually do, I couldn’t get my blood sugar to stay level and ended up with that foggy feeling and being on the verge of hungry even after I’d eaten. I keep thinking it might be a thyroid thing so I thought I would bring it up and see if you had any thoughts on what might be the issue. Sorry, I know this isn’t really a Q&A forum…
Hope your team won (sorry don’t really follow God’s game. Wonder if I will be stricken as a result?)
Posted on Nov 14, 2005 07:56 PM
janine hill said:
Gods game?….. but I thought you didn’t like football (soccer to you)….. lol.
Seriously my weight is dropping but my fat percentage is staying the same lately , what am I likely to be doing wrong and how can I correct it.
Also my gym has wireless fat scales and I have callipers they say their scales measures underlying fat and the callipers are wrong….make it better:).
Please.
Posted on Nov 14, 2005 09:26 PM
Elisa said:
Jon will be able to speak better to this Janine, not sure how far into your 10 in 10 you are but I had a similar experience early on. I seemed to lose weight but not fat. I stuck with my healthy eating and it sort of leveled out after a while. I lost fat but not weight.
I wonder if it’s the whole dynamic of equilibrium thing with the body. I am sure the guru of all things fitness will know….;-)
Posted on Nov 14, 2005 09:42 PM
anna said:
hello
after all my problems from last week and my temptations being tested to my limits and winning at every single sabotage talks I steped on the scale and have gained a half a pound. A little dissapointing but just like Elisa i have noticed a difference in my appearance especially in my shoulders and chest. No stomach muscles yet…
And just like Elisa i think i have been strugglling with the low energy as well, but mind you right now here in edmonton is -17C and it comes to the fact that basically we don’t see daylight anymore.
we get up in the moring and drive to work while it is still dark - at work in the hospital-i have no windows - and then we drive home and it is already getting dark. I should seriously start planing for a move into some sunny areas of the world.
As for you blog - you are absolutely right in every aspect. People will exploid anything, even the very ethics that our parents teach us.
the question is “what are you or we willing to do for money” It looks like just about anything…how sad is that?
I wrote my professional ethics paper but when i typed it out it turns out that i am short about 600 words.
I wish i had the same ability as you, jon, so i could talk and talk and all of my talk would make sense.
“should a patient have a right to access his medical file?” that is the question that is very obvious to me but apparently i need to elaborate more.
whatever made me think to start a degree with everything else that i have going on in my life. whoever thought of ethics?!…
have a good evening
Posted on Nov 14, 2005 09:59 PM
Al said:
Hello
I have been reading your blog since you started it and now I got enough courage to express my opinion, way to go Jon, you really are saying what I never had the courage to say before, I was always in very good shape( not muscular, but fit, doing a lot of cardio type w/o) and after I started working for a company in NY and traveling all the time to the point I did not know were I was in the morning, I started to gain weight, and I also started to get very shy about going to the beach or just walking around with no T shirts and then it hit me, I finally realized that I am fat and out of shape, so after a couple of unsuccessful attempts at loosing weight, I finally realized that I needed to loose fat not necessarily weight, and I started to read about it and act on it, and started to eat more frequent smaller calories meal, and doing cardio and weight training simultaneously. I am starting to loose body fat, I have to say that your challenge 10 in 10 seams very easy at first, but if you have been through the weight lost maze you then realize that it is a real challenge, but I WILL SUCCEED, I will not try , I will, now I know it might take me a lot more than 10 weeks but I WILL, I have to say that, I have been discouraged to see some people lose a lot of weight in a short time and I was not, but now I know that I much prefer to not lose weight and lose some fat, than lose muscle weight. one guy at work is a lot fatter than me and yet he weight 20 LBS less than me, but I do feel a lot better than he does and now I know why and I don’t care if I and 20 Lbs heavier. Your pant trick is a good one too, I was doing it this summer and it is such a good feeling and it does boost your self confidence so much, that just that is enough to keep you going.
Again Jon thanks you for your inspiration, and your honesty.
I am Canadian and I have to say it is good to see that not all American have lost their perspective on things, we certainly like you guys, but sometimes it very difficult to back you up, since your point of view is so to the right and excluding of all others, point of view, it very refreshing to see something else, and still open minded.
Best regards.
Sorry for the syntax, I am French Canadian on top of it.
Posted on Nov 15, 2005 12:31 AM
Jon Benson said:
To Al:
I love a brave Canadian. : )
Welcome, Al…and thank you for speaking up. Yes, it’s a challenge, but no more so than choosing to live each day. We process a ton of effort in ‘living’…just think about how much easier it would be just to ‘die’? Yet very few of us (thankfully) opt for that easier position…the easy out.
Why?
Because WE WANT LIFE!!
Challenging? Sure thing…but man, this is LIVING. This is being fully engaged in the process, not just for ‘me’, but for everyone in our lives.
This is more than weight loss…this is shedding fat, creating life-long strategies, and forging a life that inspires rather than drains the energy from others.
Welcome to the journey, syntax and all. : )
Posted on Nov 15, 2005 02:09 AM
Trish said:
I guess that’s the joy of living in a consumer society: we want it, and we want it now! You don’t need money to buy anything - just a credit card or two… so why should having a great body and good health be any different for people like Joe who are the product of a consumer society? or maybe just the product of over-consumption.:)
I thought I’d pass on the following extract from an interview with Jona Lomu one of New Zealand’s great rugby players (God’s sport downunder!), who has been out of the game since 2002 when diagnosed with a renal condition and had to undergo a kidney transplant 16 months ago. He is now back in training and even though being considered over the hill (wrong side of 30), is determined to win his place back in the All Black team this year:
“I’ve never been able to play to my full potential, so I’m keen to find out how good I can really be. I’m not bitter about the things that have happened, because those things made me who I am. I’m positive, and I’m completely confident about what I’m setting out to do. It will be hard, but you have to take the long road to achieve something worthwhile. If you’re willing in the mind, your body will follow.”
Now that’s what I call a 10in10 winning attitude.
Posted on Nov 15, 2005 05:02 AM
Tera said:
To Jon: *standing ovation*
Posted on Nov 15, 2005 06:23 AM
Lori said:
Jon, Welcome back!
Like Janine, I need a little light shed on fat % testing. My body fat was tested using 3 different methods yesterday. Digital calipers at 3 sites came up with 13.6 (I can live with that), handheld impedence came up with 15.9 (I have work to do) and then, the gold standard, water immersion. Ya, I got dunked and it doesn’t lie—so they say. It came up with 17.5 (Oh my God!) All in the same day! I was devastated!
Then I felt a weird sense of acceptance. I was struggling to get down to 11-12% thinking I only had a couple of percentages to go. Now I know better. In a flash, I realized that my goals are unrealistic. The stress of watching the numbers is kinda gone. I will continue to eat clean and exercise because it what feels good, but screw the numbers!
Posted on Nov 15, 2005 07:29 AM
Jim said:
To Al,
Welcome aboard. I, too, found it difficult the to acknowledge that while I’m not carrying as much visible fat as others, I’m still needing improvements to increase my health.
Also, rest assured that at least half of the Americans you encounter believe in an USA that isn’t easily seen today. Don’t watch “Faux News” and you may see more of us. Jon has reminded me that all Texans don’t wear the same stripes as “Dear Leader.”
Peace to all and have a productive day!
Posted on Nov 15, 2005 07:35 AM
Elisa said:
It’s very interesting to get the perspective of the Canadians on these blogs. I lived in London for a year and got to see my country from a different perspective, it’s ugly in some ways I must say. Please know as Jim says, we don’t all follow the “Fearful Leader”. I for one can’t stand the sight of him but that’s another blog.
I was going to joke with Anna and say we don’t have ethics in America just solid contracts with “out clauses” and presidential directives but I didn’t want to get on my soapbox. There are many of us who believe as Jon does. Hopefully, our being real and reasonable will catch on… one can only hope.
Anna, have you thought about getting those light lamps that are supposed to help folks who have SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder? I have a friend who used one while living in London and swears by it - that a few glasses of wine per week but hey, we’re trying to be more healthy on this blog ;-).
Posted on Nov 15, 2005 12:43 PM
Jon Benson said:
To Trish:
I may have to change “God’s Sport” for Him…Her? Them? It? “?”? (agnostic)…” “. (atheist) “Does Texas A&M exist? I don’t know…I’ve never seen it, so…” (aggienostic)
THAT is a great story. There’s a lot of bravery in athletics in general. Ted B. came back this year from a ‘stroke’. The docs said he would die. The docs said he’d never walk right. The docs said he’d NEVER play football again, let alone NFL football.
He’s a starter.
Docs suck…at least 95% of ‘em.
Someone PLEASE PLEASE prove me wrong here. Really. I really do not enjoy having such a bitter taste in my mouth every time I utter the word “doctor”.
For the doctors reading: I envy your profession…truly. You guys and gals amaze me; those of you who are really good at your art. But come ON. What’s up with this debacle we call the American health care system? Are you guys going to let insurance companies and litigious individuals stomp all over the ethics of Hippocrates?
“Do no harm”…that means STOP GIVING DRUGS OUT LIKE CANDY just as much as it means, oh, hmmm…”Don’t cut off an arm to cure a wart”, or something. I think the rules change if you’re in Africa, but that could be a vicious rumor.
Someone please stand up for your OWN rights (I’m still yelling at doctors…give me a moment) and tell Mr. or Ms. Joe Blow Patient to go (insertwordhere) themselves if they want a drug for acid reflux.
Here’s how you do it: “Mr. Blow…let me think of the most delicate way to say this…stop eating pure s—t all the time, do some yoga, and take a freakin’ digestive enzyme you irresponsible dolt. That will be $125, and here’s the papers to file with your attorneys for me hurting your wittle feelings.”
(I’d make a SWELL doc, no?)
Stop buying into the lies the pharmies are pushing and read beneath the studies. Example A: do your homework before you start believing cholesterol is the antichrist. (Or, just visit www.thincs.org and TRY to debate the point with one of their resident geniuses…I’m a ‘non-official’ member because the founder is cool and I don’t have a Ph.D.) It’s NOT. Bad. Wrong answer.
Look, color me stupid with a burnt orange crayon, but when over HALF of fatal MI victims and 68% of heart disease patients have LOW (by your standards) cholesterol levels…hmmm. Yeah.
Don’t believe me? Look it up. I did. For years. Nothing new. Even Framingham stated the “increase” in life-spans for women over 60 and the correlation to ELEVATED lipids. So…yeah again.
May the true “good physicians” rescue us from Insurance Form Hell…that’s “the doctor’s office” to you and I.
Back to God’s Game: last night I lost a bet. I bet a buddy of mine we’d see 10 commercials for drugs; specifically Lipideath….er….Lipitor. They now have the Buddhadamn Lipitor HALF TIME REPORT on Fox. Alas, only 2 drug commercials…but that’s because Pfizer blew their ad budget on Sunday. Smart marketing.
Mark these words (I’m the guy who said, “They’re about to lower TC recommendations to 200” 7 years ago, and again “175” 3 years ago.): “150” TC is about to become the norm. At that point, you’ll see the largest “unexplained” epidemic of depression and suicides in the history of histories…and good ole Pfizer will be right there with the answer: ANOTHER DRUG.
See the game?
Yeah…call me a liberal if you want, but I’m a f-n “liberal-minded conservative”, thank YOU very much, Mr. Stone…and low and behold, I can think and read. Wow. All from public schools…before the guns.
Damn…where was I going now? Oh, right…great post Trish. Sorry about my complete an utter stomp of a response… ; )
To Tera:
Ah, thank you, thank you very much…no applause, just send money…thank you…
To Lori:
Okay; 3 sites are not accurate. Believe it or not, AccuMeasure calipers at ONE site are more accurate unless you’re over 30%. Impedance is the worst of the worst. Hydrostatic…hard to beat, unless the person taking the readings is a numbskull.
Now, the question becomes…who cares? 17.5% for a female is hardly “evil”! That’s just to give you a benchmark. Look at it as just another tool. Next month, 16%. The month after, 15% or less, and so-on. No ‘devastation’ required because (ta-DA!) you were not devastated before, now were you? Nope…and then silly numbers put you under.
Hey, that rhymes.
Please, don’t play the numbers game unless it’s the really simple Jon version: 1 pound in 1 week; fat only please. If you miss a week, it may be muscle gains. If not, give it another week and I bet you’ll see 2. Just stay in the game, and then make the game a fun one to play. You simply cannot lose.
One more thing — Tom Venuto, my business partner, attended my friend’s show this weekend in NYC with me. (Someone asked how “Tom” did…Tom did not compete, my friend Ramsey did, and he didn’t place. Not shredded enough, but give him 4 weeks and a tighter diet and he’s rock.) I was asking Tom about his own body fat percentages before his last show. His response: “You know, I didn’t really check. I’d say it was around 4%, but it’s not about the numbers, it’s about how you look. The same thing is true of weight. I came into my last show weighing only 168…that’s down like 30 pounds! That can mess with a bodybuilder’s head, but you know what? I looked good…so who cares? You can’t let the scale mess with your brain.”
I didn’t take dictation, but that’s a good memory-only quote.
To Jim:
Great comments, Jim…thanks for encouraging Al and myself.
Now, somewhere down the line you picked up the impression that I’m against our beloved Texan leader. How on earth did you get that idea?
Tell me it wasn’t the “Bush Sucks” tattoo I have, because that is a paid endorsement from Gillette.
(badddddaaaaaBING! HeHEEEEEE.)
If you’re laughing, you really ARE invited to my housewarming party.
Seriously, Repub or Dem, you’re welcome here. Just put up with the occasional joke, and bear in mind that few people really know what I think about such things.
Just don’t get me started on Rummy and we’re all fine and dandy. (That goes back to his days with Searle…what a scum-sucking crotch pheasant.)
Oops…I did it again. Just like Britney without the shoe-size I.Q. and plastic (sorry…REAL, no no…real) semi-exposed boobies.
To Elisa:
You asked about energy lulls in the fall I think? Not this comment, but another. No, my energy is consistent. Some people do have SAD issues. It’s all about the lights. Good books on the subject if you need references.
About the politics…okay, so you think Bush has the face only a dung beetle could love, but you’re correct — this is not a blog about such things. You’re correct.
About the blog part I mean.
I like dung beetles. Think about it: their entire existence is to eat —— and die.
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