Heavy

Monday Night, “Heavy” premiered on A&E. In basic terms, it is a weight loss show. They take morbidly obese persons and give them the tools to lose weight. This show is not the average weight loss show, meaning that it is not a competition and the participants do not spend the full 6months secluded from their family and friends. The first month they are at a facility and then the next 5months they are allowed to work out from home with the condition that they continue to lose weight. If at any point, they regained weight they would have to go back to the facility.  

This week's show documented the journey of a 600+lb man and a 350+lb woman named Tom and Jodi. My heart went out to Tom early on in the episode. He had so much trouble with his health and with walking but he didn't seem to complain that much about it. Jodi on the other hand was quite annoying (at first) and I really thought she wasn't going to do a very good job losing weight. Cutting a long story short they both overcame their physical adversities, they both lost an impressive amount of weight in the 6months period and they both changed their lives for the better. Tom lost 153lbs and regained his mobility. Jodi lost 77lbs, rekindled her relationship with her husband, she become more active in her child’s life and she stood up to her mother who was in her words “a cancer in her life”. I seriously almost cried because I was so happy about the changes they were able to make in their lives.

What I liked about the show:

I liked that the show was more of a documentary rather than the typical weight loss show. The trainers were not yelling at the people or calling them fat and lazy. They appeared supportive and encouraging. I liked that they were not in the facility for the entire 6months. The truth of the matter is anyone can probably lose weight in a strict environment because distractions are removed. However, what happens when the person goes home? They have a higher chance of regaining the weight because they are faced with the same environment that helped to contribute to their weight gain to begin with. I think that having the persons work at achieving their goals at home was an essential part in the program because the weight loss was more in their hands. They had to work around the distractions of home in order to continue losing weight after they left the facility.

Finally, I liked seeing the struggles both persons were going through. Not because I am some sick person who gets pleasure out of seeing, other people struggle. It just made the show feel more authentic. We all know that losing weight isn't easy but some shows make it seem like all you have to do is just exercise hard and poof the weight is gone and all your problems are gone. When in reality it is not like that. Not only do you have to work hard on the physical, you also have to overcome mental and emotional barriers in order to lose weight, especially massive amounts of weight. I think the show did a great job with showing the connection between the two. I believe that there is no way a person can successfully lose weight and be happy without transforming his/herself completely and this means tending to the needs of the body, mind and spirit. 

Overall, I thought the show was inspiring. I am actually looking forward to the next week's episode.