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Weight loss shows

Mep

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,461
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
Have any of you watched shows like My 600lb Life, The Fat Doctor, Supersize vs Super Skinny, etc.?

What really disturbs me most is a lot of these people have diabetes and are on insulin. When I see how much they eat at one sitting (most commonly a whole pizza, garlic bread, dessert, plus soft drink which is often not sugar free)... I wonder how many units of insulin they would've had to inject... my guess is they eat an average of 450 g of carbs or more per sitting. I also wonder why they've not been educated about carb counting. It is scary seeing people abuse themselves this badly.
 
I watch My 600lb Life. They have way more problems then diabetes, its sad. They could die any moment from something, diabetes is just one of them. Realizing that they need help and change is good, its very sad they let things get worse and worse for so long but its good to see when they make the first step and try.
 
I also wonder whether the insulin with this level of excess weight and presumably insulin resistance has much effect? They are likely to already have too much of their own insulin as the body pumps it out to try to overcome the insulin resistance. Diet education remains very poor here in the UK.
 
Reactions: Mep

Yes I wonder that too... they'd probably need more insulin due to resistance.
 
Daibell said:
Diet education remains very poor here in the UK.
Click to expand...
I think that is a think in common with other countries.
These shows aren't helping anyone and I find them disturbing because make a freak show about an illness seems to me rude for people that surely needs help.
 
Reactions: Mep
The Biggest Loser was pretty annoying too, since they were causing long-term metabolic damage to get short term dramatic weight loss. Though the look on everyone's faces was pretty hilarious when one contestant a few years ago turned herself into a skeleton to win the competition and make a point. And I never could figure out how it was even remotely fair to expect people who started out lighter to lose as much weight as the huge guys.

But I guess a show about getting people to a healthy BMI and maintaining it for years just wouldn't be sensational enough for TV
 
I can't bring myself to watch those programs. I feel sorry for the people on them and feel they are being treated as a freak show. I did see a Channel 4 program on Tuesday called Super Slimmers. about people who had lost a lot of weight with different diets and slimming regimes. Most of them put back or increased their weight again over the next 5 years. apparently our bodies will adapt, metabolising food to put back on the lost weight.
The few who didn't seemed to have maintained their weight loss by exercising for at least one hour every day.
 
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