Anyone watching "Extreme Weightloss" on ABC??

I'd never heard of the show until I came across it last night.  I watched the 2nd hour.

I was amazed by the girl's determination - she was inspiring.  I was so happy that she finished the marathon, even when it looked like she may not be able to fight through the pain in her knee. 

Typical of a TV show, though.  She was able to deal her demons within the two hour timeframe of the show - what a neat and tidy coincidence.  Funny how that happens on TV.  The reality is that she will likely struggle with her emotions and the feelings of abandonment without professional help and counselling.  The TV program conveniently forgets to mention that it will be a very long process.  I applaud her ability to reach her goal without WLS - something I tried to achieve countless times with very little and short-lived success. 

Although entertaining, these shows are very focused on the "after" photos.  The produce the shows to cater to the masses - the majority of whom don't fully understand the struggle faced by people who need to lose a very substantial amount of weight.  The TV network cares about only one thing - and the health and welfare of the "contestant" is not it. 

I'd probably watch it again, but I will always wonder if the participants of the show are truly getting the emotional support they need to maintain their weight loss. 

Jo-Anne

Love that show! Very inspirational and cudos to her for doing it in a year without WLS

It must have been an extreme amount of work.  I agree- kudos to her!

I saw it too last night and it made me reflect on my future decision to take the WLS route. Grant it, I'm fully aware of the Hollywood spin they put on these shows as some of you have pointed out more or less. For sure...kudos to her for doing it without WLS, Lord knows I tried countless times. It makes we wonder if there's something wrong with me ...but then I remember what Nurse Yarrow from OWMC said to me on my first visit "Its not always a matter of will power and strength and in fact, it rarely ever is".

I've watched that show in the past, and also watched fairly regularly Biggest Loser.

I know that realistically, it is very hard to keep weight off after extreme measures like that.

The thing that I like about both shows though is that they put a fair amount of emphasis on dealing with inner demons, and looking into the mind and emotions for reasons for weight gain.  This is something that I know is the crux for many people in this battle that we face and I am grateful for the reminders.

I watched it and I found it made me feel lazy ... so it motivated me. I like that this show takes place over the course of an entire year (and not just a few months like biggest loser) Much more time to take the weight off and more time to work through eating issues.

Last night's show made me want to tattoo my goal weight on my belly .... ok ... maybe not LOL

I also like that it took place over a year.  It makes it seem a bit more realistic.  Ummmm...PLEASE do not tattoo your goal weight on your body!  LOL 

hahaha I will absolutely NOT put my goal weight on my belly. Although it would be extra encoragement to save up for plastics to get it cut off! LOL

Now that's funny! :)

I watched it the week before when there were a male and female set of twins that were under his and his wife's supervision...it was very interesting to see how living in the same household enabled their bad eating habits and the sabotaging.

I think ANY program that can get obese or previously obese people to listen is great..sure you may not agree with the methods or the rate of weight loss..just remember not everything works for everyone..and KUDOS to those who follow Chris Powell's rules as I am sure that type of substantial weight loss requires 24/7 dedication.

I am now at 4 years post-op...each month gets more difficult as time goes by I was recently on vacation in Europe for 17 days..ran out of Splenda about 4 days before the end of the trip...and I was panicked a bit..I had to actually use Aspartame..not something I wanted to do..but in my mind 4 days of using it was better than resorting back to sugar.