The Biggest Loser Couples

measuring tape
Originally uploaded by the cosmic cat

One of my favorite television shows, The Biggest Loser, started the newest season last night. This time around, instead of competing as individuals, the contestants are group into teams of two. Each week, they're weighed together on a giant scale -- so if one team member does bad, the whole team suffers.

During the first episode, the team members were taken to the hospital morgue to drive home the point that being obese can seriously shorten your life. Personally, I think this was done more for the benefit of television ratings than the contestants. A few years ago, a bad case of upset stomach combined with leaning on my left arm the wrong way convinced me that I was having a heart attack. After spending the night in the hospital and finding out that I was fine, my bad habits didn't change. Sure, I vowed to exercise and eat right, I even bought a treadmill, but I didn't stick to it. Until you're ready to change for yourself, you're not going to change.

Case in point? Lynn, the sixty year old man from the green team, opted to skip a workout that he promised to do with his daughter even after the hospital "wake-up call." In the end, his lack of motivation got him and his daughter voted off the show first. The Biggest Loser always does a follow-up after a contestant is eliminated and it didn't look like the green team lost much weight on their own. At the ranch or at home, people with motivation will succeed and those without it will fail.

The Biggest Loser is on Tuesdays at 8 Eastern / 7 Central. I'd recommend checking it out next week. Despite ratings gimmicks and product placement, the show is very inspirational.