WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMMES

Yesterday evening I watched a TV show called weighing up the enemy on channel 4, presented by Dr Christian.  The basis of the programme is to get 2 overweight people to compete against one another to win a financial incentive.  They then have to show each other what they would spend the money on.

 

The 2 gentlemen on the show was Andrew a huntsman, and Karl a vegan dog groomer (you can see where this is going).  Karl takes Andrew to see a fox, who was found abandoned as its family had been shot dead by hunters.  If he wins he would spend the money on building a new enclosure for the fox.  Andrew was absolutely disgusted by how the money would be spent if Karl won, and took Karl to show what he would do with the money and took him to a gun shop.  If he won he would be getting an add on night vision attachment for his riffle so he could shoot animals in the dark – and even chose to elaborate ‘like foxes’.

 

I am still debating with myself this morning if I agree with the concept of this programme.  I agree that for anyone who is overweight that there needs to be a goal to motivate that person to lose the weight.  However I disagree that the 2 contestants put against each other have been strategically selected so they also clash morally!  However I can see that it makes the ‘motivation to succeed’ high.  Unfortunately I fell asleep on the last 15 minutes so I have to find out who won this evening on catch up.  (Please let it be Karl!).

 

What the programme does prove and I completely agree with is that in order to succeed you must have a goal!  When I did my weight loss it was because I had a Bridesmaid dress to fit into within 20 weeks for my sister’s wedding in Cuba (Bride and Bridesmaid very slim size 8).  I also think that without proper planning, guidance and help from someone experienced you are setting yourself up for failure.  A lot of people don’t seek a personal trainer because of the cost, but I find that if you pay for a block booking it enforces you to go because of the money you have spent.  It’s the same with people who pay for 12 week programmes which can cost around £300.00 – more reason to follow the plan and persist due to the money you have lost. 

 

I tried many fad diets in the past that had zero cost and I failed each one, partly because there was nothing tying me to that diet and because mentally I wasn’t that ‘fussed’ – I had not hit rock bottom, and I didn’t have a goal other than ‘I should loose a few lbs’.

 

Afew people recently asked me why I have a prep coach for my comps when I know what I am doing myself?!  The reason behind this is because my personal opinion on my appearance can cloud my judgement.  Everyone is more critical of themselves in the mirror!  It’s also very hard for someone to be honest with themselves.  I would rather have a prep coach who is brutally honest and says what he thinks, even if the opinion may hurt me.   If I am down, my prep coach is the one person that understands how I feel and is non biased.

 

Losing weight is a roller coaster of a journey both mentally and physically and embarking on this alone is going to be even tougher and your open to failure, especially if you don’t have a network of friends who are able to support you!