Disease Proof

I don’t watch reality television, so I couldn’t tell you the difference between Big Brother, Survivor, and Amazing Race, but, one show—The Biggest Loser—is making headlines, for all the wrong reasons; not good for weight-loss? Elizabeth Weil of The New York Times reports:

AS if all the thin people on television weren’t bad enough, now dieters must contend with the jealously inspired by contestants on “The Biggest Loser,” the hit NBC reality series. The 18 obese Americans lucky enough to have been picked are sequestered on the show’s campus, work out with a trainer up to five hours a day, vote people off their teams and participate in challenges like who can run faster than a kindergartner…


…Rob Cooper, 39, from Edmonton, Alberta, who dropped to 187 pounds from 475 pounds on his own, said that the show can be counterproductive. According to his logic, if you’re losing two pounds a week and you’re watching “The Biggest Loser,” you probably think your diet is going horribly. If you lose two pounds a week and you’re not watching the show, you probably think your diet is going great…

…The television show “can actually depress a lot of people,” Mr. Cooper said, especially when their steady weight loss cannot compare to the double-digit zingers on the screen. “That’s the opposite of what you want,” he said…

…Most medical professionals say dieters should lose weight slowly. Not only are they more likely to keep it off that way, but shedding more than 10 pounds weekly, as some contestants routinely do, is dangerous.

Maybe I’m ox-minded, but, I don’t turn to television for diet advice. I’ll just stick with my green veggies. They are extra-weight killers. Here’s Dr. Fuhrman:

Green vegetables are so incredibly low in calories and rich in nutrients and fiber that the more you eat of them, the more weight you will lose. One of my secrets of nutritional excellence and superior healing is the one pound-one pound rule. That is, try to eat at least one pound of raw green vegetables a day and one pound of cooked/steamed or frozen green vegetables a day as well. One pound raw and one pound cooked--keep this goal in mind as you design and eat every meal. This may be too ambitious a goal for some of us to reach, but by working toward it, you will ensure the dietary balance and results you want. The more greens you eat, the more weight you will lose. The high volume of greens not only will be your secret to a thin waistline but will simultaneously protect you against life threatening illnesses.

This certainly worked for me. It’s a huge reason why I was able to lose…to be continued, again.