FGT 60: Reality TV Weight Loss Lies

The scariest part of The Biggest Loser is not the yelling or the dramatic weigh-ins. It is how quietly it taught all of us to treat shame like motivation and suffering like “health”, then sent that belief into workplaces, doctors’ offices, and our own inner voices.

We watched Fit For TV and could not stop talking about what it reveals: extreme calorie restriction paired with punishing workouts, dehydration treated like dedication, and producers engineering temptation challenges that look more like humiliation rituals than wellness. We get into how the show’s rules created impossible standards for plus size people, while giving everyone else permission to judge bodies they have never lived in. We also dig into what was missing the whole time: obesity-specialised care, real nutrition education, and mental health support before, during, and after the cameras stop.

From there, we bring it back to real life. We talk about gym accountability, using the Hevy fitness app to plan sessions without panic, and why “staying the course” matters more than chasing a deadline. We also share honest thoughts on modern tools like GLP-1 medications (Ozempic) and bariatric surgery, including the messy feelings that come up when you are trying to choose health without replaying diet culture’s old scripts.

If this conversation hits home, listen, share it with someone who still thinks weight loss is supposed to be fast, and leave us a Spotify comment or review so we can keep making episodes like this.

Transcript

Gym Wins And Staying Accountable

SPEAKER_02 0:40

There we go. Holy, look at all my little flyaways. I haven't washed my hair in a few days.

SPEAKER_01 0:46

The good news is I have a small screen, so I can't I can't tell.

SPEAKER_02 0:51

You know what? I just said I haven't washed my hair in a few days, and that literally was not a jab at anything. It's just my fact of life.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

I can relate. I the last time I washed my hair, actually. Thursday, I think is the last time I washed my hair. And we're Sunday right now. So relatable.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

Yeah. Uh um, I thought we would start the this episode off actually on a really positive note because we ended the last one with me saying, I want to go to the gym at least once this week. And Lisa and I went twice together, even though we're provinces apart. We lined up a time that works perfect for us, and we were able to be accountable to each other, which was awesome. And then I pulled an extra day, and you pulled the same extra day, just but separately, um, going on, I guess technically Saturday morning, but it was Friday night to me. But and I'm so proud of us. Yay! I'm so proud of you.

SPEAKER_01 1:50

Like I'm proud of us, but I'm so proud of you because it's like like I don't know. I just know how it is with the gym.

SPEAKER_02 1:57

And yeah, and I've been talking about it forever, where I'm just like, nah.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Yeah. They're like, I want to go to the gym once, and then you went twice, and then I it popped up on my watch that you went without me.

SPEAKER_02 2:08

And I was like, oh, it's funny too, because that that third day I was like, I really don't want to lift weights. I was tired, and like, you know what? My muscles weren't hurting the next day because I'm not pushing myself crazy far. And like normally I'd start with like 30 pounds of weights, but this time I'm like, nope, tens, because I'm I have no beginning lines, so I did tens and 15s on another thing because it was tens were too light. Um anyway, I'm just like really proud, and we're using that heavy app H E V Y, uh, which is like a social media for fitness, I guess. I love that Tess is on it. I went through my my feed and it was just like test, test, test, test, test. I'm like, oh my gosh, she's a rock star.

SPEAKER_01 2:56

She really is. We all like I don't know if she does this, but I do this. I like if she pops up, I always click like on her workouts, like every single time. And she's like, she's the MVP. She likes all of my work.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

Yeah. I need to remember to sign into certain things because I think I think that you went through and liked them, and I was like, oh, I don't have notifications for everything because honestly, so many different apps. And I've been posting now on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. And I'm like, what am I doing? But weird, I'm getting support on YouTube, uh, which freaks me out because I thought it was going to be more negative. I only had one negative person that on my video where I go to the gym at the end, they were like, sure, you went to the gym. And I'm like, I'm sorry, next time I'll include uh a voiceover since I was not aware you were blind watching my video. But um, I went to their profile. I wasn't rude, like really. Um, and then I went to their profile after and I was like, Oh, I think it's a teenager because he was bugging his sister, and I'm like, oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:00

Like, honestly, like the amount of times that I actually I haven't gotten hate in a long time, but I haven't had like a video like really blow up in a long time. I find this usually when when it happens, but nine times out of ten when it happens, it's one of two people men who don't have any confidence or kids. Yeah, neither of which do I have time to defend myself to.

Posting Online And Handling Hate

SPEAKER_02 4:23

I'm actually getting hate because I'm living in the comment sections these days. So like people don't like my comments, mostly right-wing people. Um, so it's like that kind of negative stuff comes back to me. Want to know the weirdest fight I'm getting on into on TikTok? Um, an argument about folded eggs at McDonald's in Canada. So folded eggs eggs don't really exist anymore, except some people in Canada say it does still exist there, probably for remote places, right? And this person was like, we don't use those in Canada, because it's a video of a folded egg in America. And they were like, We don't use those in Canada, we use real eggs. So opinionated me had to go in the comment and go, hey, actually, at one point we did have folded eggs. I used to make them, and they are real eggs, they just come out of a carton that's already pre-mixed. That comment after, oh yeah, uh, because eggs come in cartons. I'm like, dude, please stop embarrassing yourself. Google is free. You're on a little mini computer. Pre-cracked eggs, buddy. Pre-cracked eggs.

SPEAKER_01 5:33

Yeah, literally egg whites when you buy a carton of egg whites.

SPEAKER_02 5:36

When I said that, I'm like, do you think egg whites that come in cartons are glue?

SPEAKER_01 5:42

And it's just so weird naturally it makes those. Like you put the carton under the chicken and the egg whites come.

SPEAKER_02 5:49

Exactly. Um, so these are the types of discussions I'm having these days on TikTok. And that's the kind of hate I'm getting. Oh, it's real funny, though. I'm having I'm having a great old time.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Um, I'm waiting for a reply back, but I actually applied to be an affiliate for Heavy.

SPEAKER_02 6:07

Mmm, I didn't know you could do that.

The Hevy App As A Tool

SPEAKER_01 6:11

It's I think it's new. I've only seen it over the like I went into my settings and everything, and it was like to become an affiliate. And I'm like, well, I've been using Heavy for over two years now. So and it's one of those apps where I was like, if I'm consistent using it, then I'll pay for it. And then if I'm consistent like with the monthly one or whatever, but then if I'm consistent using it, then then I'll do change to the yearly one. And now they have a lifetime subscription as well where it's like$103, but then it's a one-time done versus the th and I think I calculated it because I think it's$32 a year. So I think I would have to use it for three plus years in order for it to be, you know, worth it for me to get full like the lifetime subscription. And honestly, at this point, I feel like it is because like this is the this app I have used for the last, what did I just say, two years or something like that. And it's probably in the top five apps that I have used through my journey. And it's just the social media platform that's on it is great, and the tracking that's on it is great. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 7:15

Yeah, I think I think I'm gonna stick with Heavy because putting in my workout and then just being able to like the thing that was great about Heavy, oh my god, we're we're we should we should just send them this episode because we're just gonna talk great about them. Um, is that I went through before going to the gym that night, because I if any of you out there freak out about what am I gonna do at the gym, what what is it gonna work like what what muscle am I working out? It separates everything in there. So while I was on break before I was gonna go to the gym, I was like, okay, if I want to do upper body, if I want to target my biceps, okay, then what other muscles? And it shows you the motion of the exercise and what muscles it's targeting. So then also I sent it to Lisa and then she showed me like the different ones that will like work on the same muscles. So then it's like rather than doing multiple of them, you know, like bicep, bicep, bicep. It's like no, like mix them up and whatnot. Uh, it's amazing. Like, I don't think I'm I'm even explaining it perfectly. It's just like try it. Like, and it's just it's really, really great. You put your workout in there and then it stays and it's a saved workout. So then when you want to go and do it again, you just press start and it times it for you. It can you can put a timer in there for like your rests between sets, which is really neat. It's awesome. And then at the end, you can post it to either yourself or you can post it publicly. And then it's like social, it's like it's Facebook from 2007. It's just your status.

SPEAKER_01 8:47

Yes, it is. It's the new threads, honestly. Um, my favorite feature that they actually recently added, I just opened up an empty workout to show this. So when you have an empty workout, up in the top right here, there's like a little picture of a person. And where's my camera? And as you're working out, the muscles that you've used turn blue. So it's like, for example, if I'm doing um leg curls, sometimes leg curls count towards glutes, and sometimes leg curls count towards hamstrings, but hamstrings is your primary like muscle, and I couldn't track what muscles I was actually hitting at to what percentage and everything. And this now does it. So if I'm trying to do like a push-pull split or whatever, it'll give me the percentage of what I'm working on, so I know where I need to add more if I'm working on a workout, just like an impromptu workout or whatever. That's cool. I love this app. I could talk about this app for forever, but we don't have the time for that today. But heavy H E V Y actually Heather showed me this app.

SPEAKER_02 9:56

I was trying to think of who it was. I was like, was it Tess or was it and yeah, it was Heather? And then I think wasn't Heather talking about it on our episode.

SPEAKER_01 10:03

I think so.

SPEAKER_02 10:04

Yeah, and then you were using it, and then you showed me, and I was like, this is cool, but it still took me what a year and a half to really get. Oh my god. I know that's insane. Even Sarah. I don't think Sarah was last year. We wanted to have Sarah on again last year, and it's so it's I don't I think it's been since or either like early 2025 or 2024.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

Time is crazy, yeah.

Fit For TV On The Biggest Loser

SPEAKER_02 10:25

But yeah, yay for us, yay for Jim. We're rock stars. I still hope to go this week. All right, so Lisa and I will be getting now into talking about oh my gosh, name of it got away from me again, fit for TV. It's about the biggest losers. So if you don't know what the biggest loser is, it was a show where whoever loses the most weight wins$250,000, um, which I I know it's still a lot of money, but these days it's like, really? That's it. Um, it first aired in 2004, ended in 2016, uh, with an extra season in 2020. Um, how were we still doing this in 2020?

SPEAKER_01 11:09

I can't believe it was 2020 where it ended.

SPEAKER_02 11:12

Technically 2016, but they tried to do a comeback, I think, what it was.

SPEAKER_01 11:16

Right, right. That makes sense. I that makes sense in my head for 2016 era because that's when things like this really started to start taking a turn. And I don't know, I feel like it was 2020 that really that bod body positivity really started blowing up.

SPEAKER_02 11:32

Yeah. Which is probably another thing we'll dissect with Jillian Michaels. Yes, yeah, starting like from the beginning there, like the main thing was I'll do whatever it takes to be on the show from like almost every single contestant. Um the self-deprecation was crazy. Like, I think it was right in the beginning of the episode. That woman that was standing in a farm and she was like, I'm as big as a cow. And I'm looking at her like, no, like you look like half the size of me. What am I to you, a hippo?

SPEAKER_01 12:07

Yeah, it literally was just like joke after joke, and then some of them like I don't even have words for it. Like, I the only I in my notes I put the videos to get on the show were so sad. Like it just when I saw them, it was there was no love for themselves at all in the videos. And it whether it was you making fun of yourself trying to be like the fat funny person so that they wanted you on the show, or you putting yourself down so that they wanted you on the show. There was no, I like what I've been preaching for years, I love myself, so I need to take care of myself. There was none of that, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:47

No, and I wonder, like, I wrote down like I wonder how that made other people feel, like to hear her say that. But I feel like in those days, it would have been those days, my god, it's literally my 20s. But um there's a few things I've said recently where then Rams will be like, Mark Mighty, like stop it, please. But like how it made those people feel. But I could just imagine how many people were watching Biggest Loser while eating snacks, watching the show. You know what I mean? It's like how people used to like watch intervention and didn't realize like they were drinking a beer while doing it or something, you know.

SPEAKER_01 13:30

It's like well, and didn't one of the contestants say that that's exactly when they went to go do it because they were watching, I think they said I think it was one of the later episodes where it was like season three, um, that she said she was watching and then went, I want to be on that show as she was having a snack. I think it was the sisters that said that.

SPEAKER_02 13:49

Yeah. And they say that like uh one of them was like being on the show is like winning the lottery. I was like, I don't know, I think I'd rather win the lottery than I would I would definitely rather win the lottery. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:02

Um to be fair, like I say that now, but like I don't think I would have been able to say that seven years ago. You know what I mean? Like I'm just at a a healthier mindset now than I am than I was then.

SPEAKER_02 14:19

Well, there's nothing healthy about that show, like not one thing healthy about that show. Like they keep saying, like I I I wrote down here, um, is losing 200 pounds in six months actually healthy? Because they kept saying that people are gonna die because they're unhealthy, waiting to come on the show. But did the show actually teach them anything about how to be healthy? Because it just taught them how to how to develop an eating disorder or exercise, like the what is it, extreme workouts? Like that's actually a that was uh someone on intervention before was on there because she couldn't stop going on her treadmill or something like that, right?

SPEAKER_01 15:00

And it's like obsessive addiction, and the lifestyles that they were showing them were not maintainable lifestyles, like you were living in a house where everybody was going through the same thing that you were going through, where you were just trying to lose as much weight as possible. You woke up, you went to the gym, you had a doctor telling you you need to be eating 1200 calories while you had these two fitness people yelling at you saying no, you should only be eating 600 calories while also burning over 3,000 calories a day. I think that's what they said. What did they say? They said, Oh, they said that they had to burn 60,000 calories a day minimum.

SPEAKER_02 15:44

That's insane.

SPEAKER_01 15:45

Then I the I put this note here afterwards saying an average person burns approximately 50 to 70 uh calories walking one kilometer, flat terrain, moderate pace. So if we did 60,000 calories.

SPEAKER_02 15:59

Are you sure 60,000, not 6,000? 60,000 just seems like out of this universe.

SPEAKER_01 16:04

You're right. Sorry, I'm like 6,000 calories a day. Yes. Uh average person burns 50 to 70 calories walking one kilometer. That's flat terrain on a moderate pace, which means 6,000 divided by the 60 calories, which is the average between the 50 and 70, is a hundred kilometers a day, is the equivalent of the workouts that they were doing every single day for that. Like, what how long were they there? Like, depending on when they got voted off, it was up to like three, five, three or four months, right?

SPEAKER_02 16:35

I think maximum was six months.

The Danger Of Extreme Weight Loss

SPEAKER_01 16:36

Within six months. So it's just like the other statistic that I have with that is for 100 kilometers, that's 290 laps around a football field. Like that is just insane to me. And they had the one contestant on there who lost uh almost 240 pounds in however many six months I think it was. And it's like that's insane. Like, and the fact that this show took off the way that this show did, it just goes to show the what's the word that I'm looking for?

SPEAKER_02 17:13

The hold that it had.

SPEAKER_01 17:15

Yeah, like the standard. It set this standard for people, like people who weren't uh plus size now watch this show and go, Well, if you're fat, you should be able to lose that much weight in this much time. Because these people did it. Dude, it like it just set this new standard for people that is not realistic.

SPEAKER_02 17:33

Yeah, I just literally updated um my story the other, like I think it was on Friday or Thursday, oh Thursday, because I was um editing last week's podcast and you were talking about something and it actually made me tear up. And I it was like the biggest loser did this to us, where they made everyone in society think that losing weight can be fast if you just do it quote unquote the right way, meaning by their standards. Um, and it made us feel less than that we can't do it fast enough. So it's like it actually ruined so much. It ruined us and it ruined the people that are judging us. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 18:14

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 18:14

And I don't think that anyone that's if you've never been in a fat body, you should not be judging it because you have no idea what you're talking about. Even doctors, if you have not been plus size or studied in obesity, you have no idea what you're talking about.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

That I totally agree with that. If you're if you're somebody who like if we have people who specialize in certain parts of the body, then if we have people who are specialized in certain diagnoses as well, that's where it should, the information should be coming from. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 18:46

Yeah, like the bariatric clinic that I'm part of, even the mental health professionals, when I said, like, I wish that you guys would talk to like my therapist to see like where I am with things. And they said, Is your therapist does they do they specialize in obesity? And I said, no, and they're like, okay. Like that, there was just like, there's no, they're not gonna do that. And I'm like, oh, okay. And it's just weird being in that environment where I'm like, oh, these people like really specialize in this stuff, so it's gonna be so different than the the standards for everyone else.

SPEAKER_01 19:17

Yeah. And when you have, I think his name is Danny, the guy who lost uh two Henry. Yeah. So when you all of these people, like they're on they're in a secluded place, you're working out all day, meals are being provided for you, like you you show up, you do the work. That's all you do, though. You know what I mean? Like, there's no there's no family, there's no other um, I'm gonna say triggers around you, there's no work pressure around you.

SPEAKER_02 19:51

There's no way Do they even have TV to watch? Like, I don't think there was anything like that.

Producer Cruelty And Humiliation Challenges

SPEAKER_01 19:55

I don't I have no idea. I didn't see anything like that though when they were talking about it. But I I just you don't have life around you, so they pull you out of life, make you lose all this weight so quickly, and then put you back in life, and then they ask for support afterwards, and they're like, no, that's fine. Because how how in quotation just great for the producers would it be for someone who lost all this weight for this person to then say, I gained it all back on my own, what am I gonna do? And then they could go back on the show and lose weight again. What a great story for television that would be. Because that's all it was. It was just it was let's put these stories on TV and make money off of it. I don't give a shit about this person's health. That's what the producers were. The producers were garbage. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:42

They even they used like shocking like words and visuals and stuff um to get people to lock in watching. They've even said that in the documentary, and it's like it kind of just proves that like Rage Bait has always been here and it's always worked.

unknown 20:59

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 21:00

Um they definitely treated the contestants like they were all puppets. Like, let's make them do stupid stuff to embarrass them, like like making towers with food using only their mouth. Like, are you fucking kidding me? Like that was disgusting. And like bringing them in to like all the temptations and everything, like this isn't real life. This is like, how are we watching this and going, oh yeah? Like, oh, look at them being tempted. Where have you ever, other than like a buffet that you have brought yourself to, when you like just oh, that's it's not we're not in the movie hook, like food doesn't magically appear on the tables, and like we're tempted. This is just so stupid. Like, teach them about these things. Like, why wasn't someone in there teaching them the different calories and like how people do in the videos, like one slice of pizza, but you could have this much of all this other stuff to fill you up and like talk about nutrient-dense food. Like, there was nothing. It's like here's the temptations, see if you do it. Get in a nice close-up on their face while they're stuffing their face full of food.

SPEAKER_01 22:09

It was just it was very and I just it's it just goes to show, and I feel like there's so many shows out there where it's like you can't compare the past to now because we know that some things were bad. But I just looking back on this, it's just it was people's health. Like I don't understand how it was cleared to be okay when it was people's especially you had a doctor on the show and you did things behind the doctor's back reviews.

SPEAKER_02 22:39

Yeah, and if you guys remember last episode, Lisa and I were like kind of talking about that, where it was the doctor we were talking about, where it seemed like he was the only one there that cared a little bit, but he also did have to back off, which is unfortunate, but like he should he I think he still should have stood up a little bit more. But they would have just replaced him. That's the thing. They would have just replaced him and then he they wouldn't have anyone because then they'd have like a toxic doctor there that the studio just wanted.

SPEAKER_01 23:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:10

Like I think it was Danny that the last 10 days of the competition, he was doing a master cleanse. He was not even eating. It's like, would doctors ever approve of that? And have you ever done the master cleanse? No. So I did one day. One day, because it is foul. It's lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. Um, no, I can actually taste it right now. Um, it's awful. I don't know how people ever did it. Uh how long did you have to do it for? Like just 24 hours? No, I think it no, it's like people do it for however long, but I think it's like a 10-day thing. Don't quote me wrong. People do cleanses for you have? Yeah. Throughout the day. Well, I think you're allowed water, like clear fluids. No, you are allowed water, but no food.

SPEAKER_01 24:05

Um water, dehydration and starvation only to cleanse your body.

SPEAKER_02 24:11

Yeah. But like, I don't know. It just seemed like with the biggest loser, they were coming through to like teach people how to be healthy and this is the way to be healthy, but it really just came became more about winning. And it's like you how how many of those contestants did you see locked in where it was just it just became about the prize and not like learning a damn thing? Just what does that scale stay say at the end of the day?

SPEAKER_00 24:34

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 24:37

Like Ryan, he had blood in his urine, which said that he was extremely dehydrated, and Jillian Michaels was so happy that Ryan had won because it just made her a millionaire. Like that guy had blood in his urine.

SPEAKER_01 24:51

I feel like her not being on the show, like the documentary, speaks volumes.

SPEAKER_02 24:56

Yeah, for sure. Like she should have had, like, it's it's like doctors, how if they medical malpractice, they can have their license stripped away from them. It should have been Bob and Jillian as well. Oh my god, and Bob has no regrets. The way that he was talking about everything, just like this is the way it is, and it's like doesn't even kind of say like it's not the way it is anymore. Just like it kind of just shows that it's like it's stuff that you can't get away with anymore. And like I love Julia Roberts, but I do blame her for Bob's fame. Screw you, Julia Roberts.

SPEAKER_01 25:33

I yeah, it's and and but and they show some of the clips. And Jill to this day, I I it wasn't on the documentary because she wasn't on the documentary, but to this day, she still thinks that she saved all these lives and has done this great deed to the world. And it's just like, you know, there was the one part in the documentary where she was laughing at what's his face when he was yelling at the one girl that was like, if you like, if you quit, I can't remember what it was that he was saying, but like basically saying, like, you need to push, you cannot stop, but like how she always stops, and then he would just make her do it again and do it again and do it again, and feeling like she wasn't doing this thing that he wanted her to do, and it was just and she was just sitting there, standing there laughing at the situation, and it's like both of you are garbage for this, yeah. But she says how, like, no, this is like the tough love, because if I didn't do that, you never would have done it. And I'm just like, there's other ways to do these things.

SPEAKER_02 26:41

There was a line in there that said, nothing you do in your entire life will be celebrated as much as getting thin. And I said that line gets to me because it's absolutely 100% true. Society treats thinness as the ultimate.

SPEAKER_01 26:56

Absolutely true.

SPEAKER_02 26:57

And Bob should never have been working with obese people because he had only ever been working with really fit people, which goes back to our point about you have to specialize in specific things. Like it just doesn't make any sense to treat someone that's 400 pounds the same way that you're teaching a cycling session with a lot of really fit people that do it every week.

SPEAKER_01 27:16

Yeah, yeah. I wonder where the producers got the idea.

SPEAKER_02 27:22

Oh, like they they said did they say? Yeah, he said he was walking by a store and he saw um a sign that said help wanted, um, like really fat man looking for a trainer that needs help. Um, and I don't remember exactly what it said. And then he said that's where he got the idea for it. Right. He was the one that looked like such an asshole anyway, the producer. Um, it became a movement after the first season because diet culture is always going to be thriving. Like it's it's sick how much like we work against it, but it's always gonna be there because people always have this idea in their head. And like literally the biggest loser helped put it there, especially for an entire new generation.

SPEAKER_01 28:06

For sure, for sure. Well, and then they made money off of that. Like, there was the biggest loser video games, there was the biggest loser weight loss program, there were um diet program, there was the biggest loser workout equipment that you could buy. Like, there was so much stuff that you could buy that was the biggest loser branded. I remember walking through Walmart and seeing these things at like 12 years old or whatever it was, and you think this is the pro this is the product that you need to buy because all these other people have lost weight and been successful, and this is the brand that's selling it. So this brand must work. I remember being like 12 or 13 and wanting to go on the biggest losers for kids because your whole life you're like you being told you need to lose weight, and you don't know how to lose weight or what you need to do or anything. Like you're just being told you need to lose weight, and now it's like, oh, here's something that you could do, and obviously it works at 12.

SPEAKER_02 29:07

Yeah. I wanted to go on the biggest loser so bad. Like back then, I would send in like things to different places. Like I even sent sent one in for uh someone that was close to me to like intervention because it was like I just those shows really had a chokehold on everyone.

SPEAKER_01 29:24

So I remember uh when I was a little bit older, I was 16, 16 or 17 at this time, at my job then people were getting together and doing their own biggest loser like that. We had that at my job. Yep. And I was, of course, like the highest weight out of everybody, and it's just like everybody's weighing in, and I think we were doing like a percentage, like whoever lost X percentage by X date won the pot or whatever it was, and it was like five dollars or something like that. Um, and I just remember being the biggest one and the entire room going silent when I stepped on the scale, like it was I and honestly, I hadn't even thought of that moment until we were watching this documentary and the and the thoughts of this show made huge impacts.

SPEAKER_02 30:16

Like that being at work, like it's just like a humiliation ritual, which is exactly even like what the audition tapes were look like. Like watching people on those audition tapes, I'm like, are you all just trying to humiliate yourself? Because, like going back to when you said, like, how did the producers get the idea for the show? And it's like they were specifically looking for people that were overweight and unhappy, they were not looking for the happy people or people that were comfortable in their skin. Um, they could literally find millions of people, and that's maybe because people feel miserable based on the beauty standards that are made up. That like, oh my god, do you remember that other reality show back then? What was it like? They were people that were deemed ugly, and they would go and they'd get complete plastic surgery makeovers. God, what was that show called? It was so bad. Like, I'm talking everything done on their face, and then I think the aftermath of that was things didn't settle right, and those people looked disfigured after the show. Like it was so and that yet they were really happy, like, oh, I'm beautiful now. But like, hey, guess what? You have to upkeep Botox, you have to upkeep all these things, and you took people that are struggling humans on like minimum wage and think they're gonna they're gonna be able to upkeep these beauty standards. Like that was crazy. I can't remember the name of that show right now, it's really bothering me.

SPEAKER_01 31:40

There was also uh what not to wear was a big one at the time.

SPEAKER_02 31:44

Oh my god, I actually loved that.

SPEAKER_01 31:46

I I did too, and like it's that's clothes, but it's like the same idea. People couldn't afford to just go out and buy a new wardrobe and like go get your hair cut and whatnot, right? Like, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:58

Yeah. Um, there's different things that I wrote down where I said, like, oh, I have a clip for this, but like technically I don't because it did not screen record. Um, that host Allison, though, um that she was encouraged to like get them to talk more about like their past and whatever. Yeah, yeah, not the first one. The first one was the lady from Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, right?

SPEAKER_01 32:19

Oh, yes.

SPEAKER_02 32:20

Yes. Um, but yeah, she was encouraged to get them to open up, um, but said that she knew that that's not what they wanted, like the cast members, because they've lost all hope in themselves. Um, maybe because that's how society treats them. Like all these people, like it was it was all very miserable people, people that needed to deal, I think, with their mental health before they should have ever been on a show.

SPEAKER_01 32:48

Yeah, I totally agree.

SPEAKER_02 32:49

And I'm really sorry, like I'm sure that no one that was ever on that show is gonna hear me. I'm sorry I'm calling you miserable, but that's literally what they were looking for was people that were so unhappy.

SPEAKER_01 32:58

How different would this show be if it was that they had, I mean, they couldn't, right? Because it was for the views and it was for all of that. And even the producer says, name another show that changed people's lives the way that this one did. But it's like imagine how different this show would have been if it was like the doctor that was on site was actually somebody who like was an advocate for them, you know what I mean? And they actually had a therapist on on the stand or at the place, and they actually had a personal trainer trained for obesity, but you couldn't do that because you're not gonna get views for that. At that point, you're gonna have plus size people actually watching because they want, like, this is what they want. You're not gonna get views from everybody because what this show did was they made it so that plus size people could watch and want that, and thin size people can watch and never want that. Like they did both, you know what I mean?

Contracts Consent And Medical Neglect

SPEAKER_02 33:56

You know, I've often had a dream of you and I opening up our own little like like a house type thing that like almost looks like a BB, and it's where people can come and they would learn from like a nutritionist, they'd also learn from like uh a fitness instructor, like but proper things, but where it is like a TV show as well, but it is based in reality and like so that it helps other people out there as well to be like, you know, and and that the people can notice, hey, by the way, it's not a one size fits all. Like, you don't see that in there. It's like this is this person's targets, this is this person's goal. And look at this person that looks almost exactly like that other person, has completely different targets, you know, like more realistic. And I think that people would enjoy that show as well because it doesn't have to be like a walking humiliation like ritual. It's so crazy. Um, also that one woman that said that she was given the contract and she wanted to go over it with her lawyer, and they isolate you, and it even says in there, like, hey, you might die. Um, and it really, yeah, and it really freaked her out. And they were like, listen, like, we got 10 other people that are willing to sign this contract, so you just gotta sign it or like go, pretty much. And so she just signed it. And wasn't she the one that fainted on her first show or first episode?

SPEAKER_01 35:16

Yeah, she's the one who almost died before I fainted. They made everybody, they were like, if you want to be on this show, you need to run this kilometer in order to do it. And like, I ran a 2K this morning. Yeah, in sand. I ran a 2K this morning in proper shoes on a treadmill this morning, like with like proper hydration and eating right before I did it, and blah blah blah. 2K. They had these guys with no training, no prep, no nothing on sand in the clothes they came in, run 1k. And I think there was a hill on part of it. Like, that's in that's so stupid. So stupid.

SPEAKER_02 36:00

They felt like it was their only hope, though. Was like it was like their last hope was being on the show. I actually I did write down the part with the 6,000 calories minimum a day, and that was like even in their first week. Like, what the freaking insane. Um, but those again with those temptation challenges, like they were just cruel and were making them a walking joke. Um, it was the part where it was like whoever eats the most is allowed to see their family, but by the way, you still have to do your weigh in. Um, that is a perfect thing of when was this ever about health? Yeah. Like at no point. Like, oh, by the way, you can see your family and help your mental health, but you're still a fat fuck. Like, that's pretty much like fuck, man.

SPEAKER_01 36:48

You you have to weigh in after this. And if you if the scale goes up, we're going to scold you, but at least you got to see your family. So you're picking your family or what they're saying in quotations, your health. And it's just like neat that shouldn't be that shouldn't be a this or that like scenario.

SPEAKER_02 37:06

We want to make them puke because it's like that makes good TV. Like you can just see the money in their eyes. So, as the show did get popular, even the doctor did have issues with what they were doing. Um, I mean, how is he ever okay with anything that was going on? But like it was said by the doctor, you can't have a show about weight loss and be safe about it.

SPEAKER_01 37:32

Yeah, he did say that.

SPEAKER_02 37:34

And that's really freaky because even when I'm telling you about what like I have a dream about, um, it's like, well, you could, it's just like, I guess, would it be as sensationalized and as popular? Because, like, like I said, they were using rage bait for it. Like, not even rage bait, just I guess I don't know, because everyone's so sucked into diet culture that they think this is normal.

SPEAKER_01 38:00

I honestly think at the end of the day, no matter what type of show, if it has to do with specifically about plus size people, there's always gonna be rage bait with it because people are always going to think this person just shouldn't be plus size. You know what I mean? And it's not actual rage bait, it's just people are just gonna be mad about it. Like because we've got like the thousand-pound sisters, 600-pound life. Like, there's been other plus size shows that every time people are just like, it just shouldn't have been to this.

SPEAKER_02 38:32

Yeah. So earlier when you were bringing up Tracy and like how she had to cross the finish line and she almost died. Do you remember that she did say that she knows that she died that day? Yes. Isn't that freaky that she decided to stay? Like, I'm so glad. I'm so glad that was the first time where you see a doctor being like, you're not allowed to work out. And Bob and Gillian were so fucking mad. Yes, like what the fuck?

SPEAKER_01 39:02

She wasn't allowed to work out and then stepped on the scale and won that week. Didn't clap for her.

SPEAKER_02 39:08

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:11

Oh my god. It felt so bad for her.

SPEAKER_02 39:14

Oh, so bad. Like, and yeah, with her wanting to keep going after almost dying, like, I straight up wrote down that I blame fat phobia.

SPEAKER_01 39:22

Yeah, exactly. It like her to say that she wants to keep going, it's a matter of like this as we said at the start, it it feels like your last hope. You know what I mean? And she was talking about how everything was with her with her family. Like that was the first note I made, made is how she just felt like her entire life depended on her losing weight in order for it to be better again.

SPEAKER_02 39:48

A lot of my notes that I keep talking about is just saying, like, every time I hear a story, I'm like, where's the mental health professional? Where's the mental health professional? It's just a common thing that I keep writing down. Like Tracy needed to be in therapy to deal with all the challenges of her marriage and her her own self-image. Cause like her marriage falling apart and stuff, like I feel that that was like her going into the show, like it was great for her to have some separation, but she had way too much to deal with. And like, stress is the number stress is a huge killer, so it's like everyone's so concerned about their heart and their everything, like what people think that fat people are gonna die from that no one else in society seems to die from, right? Um, like were they having EKGs? Were they having like any of that kind of those tests done to even know if their heart was good? Like, people are always saying that I must have a bad heart. I even went on live when I did it, and I went and got a stress test done for my heart, and the cardiologist said, You're fine. Like, you're good. Don't come here again. And also, like, with there not being mental health professionals, the doctor did say that he should have been involved in every aspect of the show. Um, he was brought in on the challenges, where he probably would have said, like, if he had been brought in on the challenges, he probably would have said that this wasn't right. Like, he even insisted on Gillian and Bob being in those meetings, and remember, he said like that they didn't even want to be there.

SPEAKER_01 41:17

Yeah, yeah. I can just imagine their faces the entire time just brushing it off.

SPEAKER_02 41:22

Like, like, why wouldn't fitness instructors want to be talking with the doctor, want to be involved? Like, it's very weird. And what it gives me, and this is my opinion. So, what is the word you say? Allegedly, like they seem like anti-vax type people, like the extreme ones that are gonna drink bleach. I'm not talking about all anti-vax. If you're against vaccinations, that's your own choice. You I'm talking about the severe, severe people. That's what it seems like to me.

SPEAKER_01 41:53

It came up, it came off as if they were like better than God.

SPEAKER_00 41:59

Oh, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 42:00

Better than you, I don't need this advice. Like, that's great that you're a doctor, but I actually know how to deal with this.

SPEAKER_02 42:09

And the doctor said, yeah, like you said earlier, that the women should be at 1200 calories, the men should be at 1500. And Denny was when he was doing his, it was he lost, no, sorry, not saying Denny, I meant Danny. Um, 24 pounds he lost in the first week. Like for one, what? Uh 12 pounds in the second week, four pounds in the third week. He was not happy about that, and so he dramatically reduced his calories to 800 while burning six to eight thousand calories. On week four, he lost 15 pounds. He went down to 800 while burning six to eight thousand. That's insane. You should be eating more calories burning all that. Yeah. It's it's 100% like I hate it. Like, yes, the producers, but I hate Jilliad and Bob so much. I'm gonna say that so much. Um, yeah, because the trainers just encourage lower calories. Um, and honestly, in my opinion, out there, I really want to know who's gonna trust a trainer over a doctor. Yeah, but a lot of people will. Because then, like we were even saying earlier, some doctors don't know what the hell they're talking about. Like we need ones that specialize in obesity. But if you actually go to like an obesity clinic, like I'm part of, and I'm part of the Richmond bariatric one, I just saw a nutritionist who said stick with 2,000 calories a week or a week, a day. Freaking hell. Listen to me now making her sound toxic. And she said, like, my maintenance is between 2,500 to 2,700. Um, so 2,000 will have me losing weight. And I'm actually under-eating most of the time right now. I have noticed those three days going to the gym, I have come home starving because like I'm eating way below, not way below, but like below the a quarter less. So on the 2000. And uh, it's like it's just it's things that you have to navigate through, you have to work on, and maybe I'll have to add more protein drinks or something, but it's like it's a constant learning lesson, you know, and like there's things that you have to change all the time depending on how your activity level. And it just seemed like it was a one size fits all for everyone that was on the show. Like that's how they were treating it.

SPEAKER_01 44:29

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely, that's how they were treating it.

SPEAKER_02 44:33

It it it no one has any regrets about how they handled the show. It's just all that this documentary. Was a massive justification in their actions. Yep. And then the contestants telling their stories. But everyone that was involved in the show of making the show, it was just all justifying their actions.

SPEAKER_01 44:54

I don't think I don't think if they'd made this documentary five years ago, it would have hit the same way that it's hitting right now. Do you know what I mean? Like, because if it came out if it came out five years ago, like I think people would still be in I don't know, maybe it would. I I it's hard to say.

SPEAKER_02 45:16

Yeah. Like when you mention how Jillian and Bob didn't clap when Tracy like uh lost weight that first week, it was I feel like they didn't do that because they were proven wrong. Because like she didn't have to burn that many calories to still lose weight, she just like reduced her calorie intake, which does isn't it that everyone says 80% of weight loss is changing just your diet.

SPEAKER_01 45:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 45:42

But they're not gonna follow these people for two years, they want the dramatic stuff done within a very short time frame.

SPEAKER_01 45:48

Yeah, yeah. So they usually say that it's like 80% diet, 20%. They say 80% diet and 20% the gym, but at the same time, it's like everybody's body is going to process things differently. Everybody like different bodies have different metabolisms, uh, different macros are going to do different things for different people. Like it's not a one size fits all. That's like when I first started, I really liked the phrase that was like in eight weeks you'll feel it, in 12 weeks you'll see it, in 14 weeks, like whatever it was. I don't even remember. I hated that one because it was like, if you're not losing at an X amount of point, people aren't going to see it. And again, it was just one of those like people are putting this timeline on this, and it's a short amount of time in order for people to see a difference on things. And so the idea of 80-20, yeah, that's true, but what they were doing is they were flipping the 80-20 of yeah, eat less, but you also need to burn 6,000 calories a day. Like it's just yeah, and at the end of the day, even in like the real world, no matter your balance you do, you're gonna do something differently. Because now people are even looking towards body composition instead of just weight loss. Because, like, technically, if you just want to drop the number on the scale, 80-20 makes sense because you want to eat less, and then if you go to the gym too much, you're gonna bulk up and then you're not gonna actually lose weight. But if you're looking at fat loss, then you it's more of like a balance type thing. So yeah, the the percentages and the statistics that were out on the media now are not accurate.

SPEAKER_02 47:33

Yeah, you gotta wonder who was really running the show and making these numbers because like the doctor wasn't. The doctor said no caffeine on set, and then Danny went and was taking caffeine pills, so it's like, who's actually running this? Because talking about like calorie in, calorie out, and everything, you'd think you'd be relying on the doctor, but it's like he was just there as a as a showpiece, yeah. But and for Tracy, like literally, I'm so I'm so happy he was there for her because he definitely like listen to him, yeah. But he he definitely knew that if he allowed Bob and Jillian to sink their teeth into her, that she'd probably die.

SPEAKER_01 48:14

Yeah, for sure. Absolutely, but at the same time, like for the question that you asked earlier, who's gonna listen to the personal trainer over the doctor, like, how many times did these people go to doctors before and doctors just say you just need to lose weight and you don't have the proper support and you didn't go to a specialist at the because again, this was like 20 years ago, right? So if if if you'd never had the proper support and now all of a sudden this personal trainer is here and they're like, I'm actually gonna make your dreams come true, of course you're gonna listen to the personal trainer.

Stereotypes Villain Edits And Racism

SPEAKER_02 48:49

Um, there was a quote at one point in there, I don't remember who said it, but it said, being seen as a person and not just a body is much rarer than it should be for fat people. That's crazy. Um going on to Joelle. Um, my God, the berating of Joelle by Bob is absolutely heartbreaking. Everyone, like everyone is a hundred percent different, but they're treating everyone the same. Like we were saying earlier, like just sticking uh fat people into a box that were all just unhealthy and have no self-control. Bob said it was one of his proudest proudest moments while laughing about it. Others were even laughing at Joel during it, including Jillian, like when he was berating her. And it's like that that again was just it was a clip, it was a clickbait because you see that happening. It's like, oh my god, what's happening on that show? Like, oh, it's like another fat person making excuses. Fuck.

SPEAKER_01 49:52

Yeah. And meanwhile, the thing that he was trying to get them to do, like the other guy is like falling off the treadmill and throwing up, like the amount of times everybody was throwing up on this show. And it's not like your bot, like your body was already dehydrated as it is, because of the amount that you are pushing yourself, and and a lot of like hydration can also come from the foods that you eat, so you're already not eating a large amount. Like, I can't imagine eating 800 calories and then having to do that much work. Like, that just sounds it sounds like torture, honestly.

SPEAKER_02 50:32

Yeah, and um, you know how like we we keep saying how they pretty much put fat people into a box, treating us all the same, we're all as unhealthy. They did something as well to Joelle that you would hope wouldn't be would people wouldn't stand for today, but most likely it would still happen because it seems like a stereotype. Joelle felt that the producers wanted her to be portrayed as the angry black female, and that is exactly what they did. It felt like they were purposefully pitting Joelle and Carla, Carla against each other. Um, it's just like it they really did because they were doing anything to get under her skin, and that's exactly how it came out, and then she was voted off and everyone just hated her, and like there was no reason. Like, like it just made no sense. Like, I can't even remember what it was that she was like um being contradicting to, but it just felt it like I it just didn't sit with me because it like it just felt like normal things. Like it didn't feel like she was purposely trying to be argumentative or anything. It's like being in that being on that show must have been so tough for everyone, and not everyone's gonna handle it exactly the same way.

SPEAKER_01 51:48

And the show, the show would also just be so mentally and physically exhausting that it's like if anybody says anything to you and you take it the slightest wrong way, you're gonna be set off. Like, I'm sure she's not the only one who was getting upset, but they were she was the only one that they were showing.

SPEAKER_02 52:09

I like the amount of times that I keep writing in my comments about mental health professionals, because I'm like, every time that the contestants opened up their mouth, it kept making me question why there was no mental health professionals on the show. Like, I found it so sad that Tracy thought that if she just lost weight, it would have saved her marriage.

SPEAKER_01 52:28

Totally. I thought the same thing. Like, it just the idea of like there's that much pressure on people to be skinny, that that's what is going to make your life better.

SPEAKER_02 52:40

It's someone quoted saying it was the real life hunger games, and I'm like, oh yeah, like seriously, so much put that on a shirt. Real life hunger games, the biggest loser. Yeah. Um Susan, I think, got, or Susan or Suzanne um got sued for talking about this before, but that the casting wanted her to gain more weight um and not work on her health before the show. Right. Isn't that insane? Like, again, not about health at all.

SPEAKER_01 53:14

Yes, because she was already working on losing weight on her on her own. So when they said when she said that she's been doing that, they're like, no, no, gain it back.

SPEAKER_02 53:25

Yeah, the producers wanted good TV, the doctors wanted health. They got hate mail, hate mail, um, Tracy, because they portrayed Tracy as the villain. Like, do people not understand that reality shows are not actually reality? Like, even the Jersey Shortcast have said like that wasn't their entire like life, the things that we saw. Like, why is it that so-and-so talked to so-and-so? Like, I thought you guys hated each other. It's like, because it's TV. The producers literally even do things or like say things. Like, if me and you were on a show, a producer would say something to you that I did not say, but they that I said, and it makes you like, and then now we're gonna have an argument about it. Like, it's not real, it's all staged.

SPEAKER_01 54:06

Yeah. If you watch, like when you're watching Survivor and you see the little snippet of somebody talking, and then it pans over to like show other things that are happening on the camp and whatnot while you're talking, and then it snips back to the person who's talking, they've taken out a bunch of stuff that that person has just said, and they have now twisted what this person is saying. That's all TV. For some reason, people just think that like reality TV only is these reality shows. Like, if it's stuff like this, it doesn't count.

Life After The Show And Regain

SPEAKER_02 54:38

Yeah, no. And um, like we're all just stereotypes, like to them. Like, it's just every single stereotype of a fat people was portrayed in this show. Like, and you know, it's it again with the not about health thing, Danny, 239 pounds, six months, three weeks, and five days. He did not look the same. It's amazing how different everyone looks like when they lose weight. Um, in 2016, seven years after winning, he went back up to 340 pounds. Why? Yeah, probably because his mental health wasn't addressed.

SPEAKER_01 55:11

And he said how he reached out to them and said, We need help afterwards. And they were like, Nope, you're on your own.

SPEAKER_02 55:20

No. So the show, like, it completely consumed their lives. And like you were saying earlier, it puts them into an environment where they they're not around their family or work or any other distractions. Um, how are they supposed to work out eight hours a day back home and not end up with an eating disorder? Because it's like they need to maintain it. You're putting unrealistic standards there that no one would be able to keep doing. Yeah. It doesn't make any sense. Like, I get that they were doing extreme workouts to get them to a weight, but then their body's used to that. So then it's like if you're doing less, then it's not right, like it just doesn't make any sense to me. Yeah. Yeah. Oh my god, I totally forgot. Do you remember that Susan got weighed in front of her coworkers at her academy of class, academy class? Yes. That is fucking disgusting.

SPEAKER_01 56:12

Horrible.

SPEAKER_02 56:13

If my work did that, I'd be like lawsuit. Actually, apparently happened at my work. Not an actual weigh-in, but a fat thing. And it it it it went up the chain and it was pretty bad. Oh my god. Yeah. Oh, and but like with with what the outcome was, I'm like, can someone call me fat soon, please?

SPEAKER_01 56:37

We all know I love myself. I'll split the pot with you if someone call me fat.

SPEAKER_02 56:43

However, if my work's listening to this, I do not love myself. If someone calls me fat, I will be very, very irritated. Oh yeah. Danny reached out to the show after he reached out to the producers uh about aftercare, and no one was interested.

SPEAKER_01 57:02

Before it cut, before we cut out. That's what I was talking about, was how they were talking about reaching out. Because he reached out and so did Joelle. Both of them reached out and said, uh, hey, we need some we need some mental support here. Like, we're we're struggling. And they basically said, Nope, like that's on you. Like, you put this much work and everything, and you are making this much money, and you can't give them like a gym membership of some sort. Could you imagine if they opened their own gym? Right, like the biggest loser gym.

SPEAKER_02 57:39

The the show literally made millions, and they couldn't be bothered to do that, and all that they did was bring the contestants shame. Like, I never actually applied to the biggest loser for the fact that I didn't want to get weighed on television in my underwear. I know that there's some of them I think were wearing shorts, but still I didn't want to do that. Yeah, it seemed just awful, and it seemed like a humiliation thing. Like, I get not wearing clothes, you're being weighed, like every little bit counts, but no, no, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 58:07

Yeah, but even if you're at the doctor's office, they don't tell you to strip down or stuff like that. Exactly. Like, it's a lot of people.

SPEAKER_02 58:12

I've even been like, should I take off my like watch? Should I take off this? And they'll just be like, no, it's cool.

SPEAKER_01 58:19

It's it's definitely a degrading thing, it's not a it's not an anything else thing.

SPEAKER_02 58:25

Yeah, I think it was Susan that I said, Suzanne that was sued, but it was Suzanne and Patricia that reached out to the media about how awful everything was, and they told the truth. Um, but that was the point where I wrote Bob stands beside behind Bob stands behind everything he did on that show. I think he said that.

unknown 58:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 58:45

It's like I still don't understand. Like how, how after everything, even like with the way the world is, I don't know. It just I in good old 2026, you wouldn't think you'd hear that out of someone's mouth.

SPEAKER_01 58:56

Yeah, yeah. I think I can't remember if it was him that said it or who said it, but they said how uh we were trying to shed light on these ob on the obesity epidemic. I think it was actually one of the producers who said that. And it's just like, were was that was that your goal here? Or were you just trying to make money off of fat people? Like that doesn't that does not look like what it was.

SPEAKER_02 59:19

Yeah, because like they were so mad um that they were being named about like like giving weight loss drugs to people, um, but not about anything else that happened on that show. They were really like focused on that, that they were so mad about that, and they seem like, how dare you say that we did something unethical. Just don't look at our other stuff.

SPEAKER_01 59:40

Yeah, yeah. Not that one. Don't look at that one.

SPEAKER_02 59:43

Oh, and I did write down that Bob's a narcissist. And Jillian's the one that admitted to giving caffeine pills. She just said it, yeah. But everyone else was still denying that it happened.

unknown 59:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 59:59

And saying that caffeine pills are not diet pills, it's like caffeine's literally a drug. Like it is, no matter which way you look at it.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:08

Yeah, yeah. And then before, I don't know if you have other notes before this, but on the note of Bob and how he had a heart attack, like and in when he was talking about his heart attack, he said how this was the first time that he felt like he could actually relate to them. And I was just like, How it takes you having a heart attack?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:34

Like, and the fact, yeah, that he even had a heart attack, and it's like, I thought that was a fat people thing.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:40

Yeah, yeah. What a fitness trainer?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:43

No, people said that Rachel took it too far for how much weight that she lost, and yet the show is not responsible. Bob and Jillian were in horror about how much weight that she had lost, but it's like, wasn't that your goal? Like, wasn't that what you were trying to do? It's like very conflicting information of everything that they're putting out.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:06

Yeah, yeah. And it's just when she I don't actually remember watching, like, because I never really watched the show, you know what I mean? Like, I knew of the show.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:17

I watched like the first two seasons, and like, I mean, what year was that?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:20

Like, I don't remember what I ate for dinner, so and like I was just I was younger, so it's like I wasn't watching the show, but like you knew of the show, because as I said, it was just like the number one, this is how you lose weight at that time. And so when I'm watching the documentary and someone comes out like that, and everybody is just appalled that they're that small, and it's like, well, look what you're doing to people, and you you were they want to do this for money. Like, what do you expect people to do? Where did you expect this to land exactly?

SPEAKER_02 1:01:53

Yeah, it's it just made me think when whatever you just said there, it's like, I wonder how many reality shows or um documentaries we're gonna be expecting about reality shows that we grew up with because like we see a lot of documentaries of things in like the 70s and 80s, and then now it's gonna go in our stuff. It's like I wonder what it was like on the amazing race. Like, think about the stuff that even came out with contestants there and like the domestic abuse that was happening between people. Survivor, I mean, I remember watching the first season of that. I think something probably has been said about those shows already. Oh my god, and then the other one that I don't know if you want to dissect this on this show, I'm thinking, but America's next top model, that documentary. Who was I talking about this recently? Like when they came out with the plus size models, plus size where? That average size woman that just came out? What are you talking about? Yeah, yeah. I I was obsessed with America's Next Top Model. Like my me and my friends would meet up and we'd watch it at their house. Like it was such oh where was it?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:57

I was walking through the mall the other day and I saw plus size model and it wasn't in Torrid.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:03

Oh my God. I keep seeing plus size um mannequins, and I'm like, oh my God, I'll point them out, even like my brother. He's like, oh, cool. But I'm like, nope, that's cool. Like that's really, really cool.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:13

Yeah, you don't I don't think you understand how cool that is. I can't remember where it was, but it was a place that it's like I never would have expected. Honestly, great marketing on them because it was a place I never would have expected them to have a plus size model, let alone, oh, it was uh Le'Veon Rose.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:31

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:32

Right? And I was just like, so two thoughts went through my head. It was I never would have thought that they would have a plus size model, and then it went, wait, they have plus size? Yeah. So like the two things hit me at the same time, which then makes you go, oh, there's a store I could be able to shop at. Like it just like so smart, so smart. And it felt inclusive. It wasn't only plus size models, it was a mix, and it was just like good on them.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:01

I wish places like Swimco were more size inclusive. That'd be great.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:06

What it I'm assuming Swimco is just like swimsuits, just swimsuits, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:11

Uh, and it really pissed me off because like I want like a better like speedo brand, like with the cross on the back, like crisscrossed so that like better for doing laps. Um and it's like you can't get ones like that at Torrid and stuff, they're more like fashion-y type ones. Um, but going back to like Rachel losing a whole bunch of weight and stuff, it's like at the end of the day, the viewers were always mad at the contestants for making certain mistakes or like for doing things or whatever. And it's like, except they were never mad at the people that were doing the harm because they no one viewed it as harmful. Again, going back to them thinking that this is what fat people have to do to lose weight. Yeah, it's insane. Like they people think that just because we're fat, like we have to torture ourselves to like lose the weight, but it's like we didn't torture ourselves to get to that weight. Actually, it was a very enjoyable time in our lives. Or like we were so depressed we didn't notice it happening. Like, it's not, I don't know. I really am mad with all of society, not just the TV show. Yeah, yeah, that's a good point. Oh, I think Jillian said at one point that I personally wouldn't have allowed it to happen, but I was profit profiting off of it.

GLP-1s Bariatric Doubts And New Goals

SPEAKER_01 1:05:32

So, what's the difference between personally and profitably? Like, you know what I mean? Like, it's like that right there just shows where your morals are as a person, really. Uh, the other thing that I had was she was doing another interview, not on this one, but um, it was showing on this one where it was like a TV snippet where she was on. And they were talking about um uh like the GLP one medications and how she's against the GLP one medications. And she says how like you're gonna take these GLP one medications and you're just gonna gain the right weight right back after you're off the GLP one. And I'm sitting here like, what exactly did this show do? Like what have you looked at what this show has done? Have you looked at the statistics of who's gained the weight back? Like from your show, from you doing it, but you're gonna say medications like don't work.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:27

And and you know what's really funny is when I went on to a GLP one, Ozempic specifically, uh I was told, by the way, when you start this, this is something you're probably going to be taking for the rest of your life. And I went, okay. And yet the next year, it was July of 2021 when they launched it and said that they were using it for weight loss as well. Then you see celebrities going on it or people, and then it's just like, oh, it's only temporary. Or you even see comments on social media being like, wow, you've been on this for four years. Like that shouldn't be healthy. It's like it's a medication that's designed to be taken for the rest of your life. It's not, what are you talking about? Like, and I know even with people listening, they'll be like, oh, like my doctor said it was temporary and whatever. It literally has even said on it, like, that this is a lifelong thing because it's like it was designed originally for diabetics. And so it's like now it's being used off the original label. I'm not arguing that, I'm not saying it's wrong, but it's like the realistic point here is that GLP1s aren't a temporary medication, they shouldn't be. Like it's you're on it now. And when you come off it, you're expecting that your appetite's not going to come raging back. You're not learning anything on a GLP one. The GLP one is doing something, and you think like, oh, I know how to portion control. No, it's literally your stomach saying, I can't have that. So when you're not on it, there's nothing telling you you can't.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:04

Yeah, yeah. And even on uh the documentary, they said if this show were to start up today, everybody would be on Ozempic. Like that would be the big part of the show. What everybody would be taking these GLP1 medications. But again, at the end of the show, they wouldn't support them, they wouldn't support them with keeping the medication on for them because they didn't support them on the show as it was. They left the show and that was it. So like yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:36

Do you know that I didn't even realize until the third episode that Jillian wasn't even there? Because I was so shocked throughout it that I was like, oh yeah, she's not even here. Uh Joelle did say a quote in there, um, it's not as quickly as you do it, it's about staying the course. And I really liked that. Cause I mean, that show proved it. And the aftermath. Like, there was no, I don't remember, I don't think there was any follow-ups of contestants that were previously on the show. It was always new people, new people. But there wasn't like follow-ups. Like maybe at the end of the episode, it was like three months later, they're still at it. But it's like, no, I want to see them four years later.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:16

The only one that was like that was uh the two sisters that they kept coming back and like being big endorsers for the show. And even still, when they were talking, you could tell that they still really supported the show.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:32

Yeah. Yeah, which is interesting.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:35

The biggest one like after everything that like Tracy went through and what we see that she went through, and like hearing her side of everything, for her to come on and then say, like, you need to cheer for yourself, that I think was really good.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:53

Yeah, I was totally gonna say that. That that was like the end caption that was the end of my notes. Tracy saying you need to do it for yourself, not an audience, makes me even reflect of our social medias where I'm like, Am I doing it for myself or am I doing it for a pat on the back from others? And I still think that I stand with that I am doing this for myself, but I think the part that gets me into it again, like because I'm going down this journey again, is the encouragement from others, like people recognizing like you are doing this hard thing. And I'm like, Yes, I am doing a hard thing. Thank you for recognizing that, you know? And it does help, but it doesn't help when you do get into the hateful side. So it's like it's a very thin line to do. You just have to make sure you're doing it for the right reasons, yeah, just for yourself.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:44

Yeah, totally agree.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:47

What a crazy show, though. Like, honestly, like you said, you wanted to just watch an episode and then you couldn't put it down.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:53

It was like, Yeah, I could not stop it. And you know me, I don't, I can't sit and watch stuff. I sat and watched all three episodes in one sitting because it was just like it was like a train wreck. Like you could not look away, you could not stop watching all of it.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:10

Yeah. Well, I hope that all of you either watched it or you got a little bit of a gist of it from what we talked about. It it was her horrible, horrible, horrible. I do want to say though that it didn't trigger me. I was worried that it would trigger me into wanting a binge or something, but it didn't. It actually left me thoroughly disgusted with how people treat us in society.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:36

For me, it left me. Well, I I touched based on it last week. For me, it did the complete opposite. It did like I had the realization basically I was talking about last week and at the start of this episode, how this show has made it so that the world who isn't trying to lose weight thinks that you can do it in six months and lose 300 pounds. And everybody who is plus size thinks if I can't do that, now I'm a failure. And it as I said last week, it's like I got to the point where I've lost over a hundred pounds and I felt like I still wasn't doing good enough because I wasn't losing it at a rapid weight. And this show is what part of what set that standard in society. So this watching this documentary actually made me go, holy shit, you are successful, and it made me go fuck what other people think, which I think I needed that refresher personally. So that's what I took from it.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:36

Yeah. I I'm gonna say something, and I really need to preface this before I say it. I am not talking about anyone out there, I'm talking about myself when I say this. I'm not talking about you at all, but this watching this has made me question about having bariatric surgery uh because it feels to me so similar. Where even though these doctors are specializing in obesity and everything, it feels like this is a quick way for you to lose all that weight. Where we're gonna cut out part of your stomach, we're gonna cut out part of your organs that you were given when you were born so that you stop eating, so that you lose weight, and within a year you'll have lost a whole bunch of weight. Um, but you have to now take supplements to because you're not getting proper nutrition anymore. Like you still have to go to the gym, you still have to eat properly and whatnot. But it's just like it's such a dramatic thing to do for weight loss. Now that I've said that, I still understand it's medical intervention, it is necessary for a lot of people, it is a tool, it is not a um, it's not a uh magical cure. It's not a magical sorry, we're laughing because I don't know. I just did something to our Zoom call. Um, but it's not like a magical cure to anything. You still have to eat right and exercise and move your body and all that. But like it's just my brain put these two into a similar category. And I think I just have to work through a lot of my feelings. I'm still going through the process, I'm still on board with bariatric. I'm just questioning questioning a lot of things recently. And I also feel that like with me being medicated now, with being being more mindful, um, I'm just gonna straight up say it because it's a conversation I've had with a couple people now. I truly believe that I haven't tried my best. And I feel that like a part of me, even though I know it's not a quick, easy fix, I think I've convinced myself that I need this tool because I'm not willing to put in all the effort. And I don't know what it was, but James, oh my god, what's his last name? Coppola, Coppola, Coppola, right? What's his last name? I'm getting I'm getting confused.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:03

Oh, on TikTok. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:06

We've had James on here a couple times. Um, but he had a story, and you know, he's always so supportive, he's always sticking up for fat uh for us fat people. Um he said, I'm gonna say something that a lot of you might not want to hear or whatever right now, and it's like, unless you're physically unable to right now because of an injury, like pregnancy or whatever, he's like, uh, I got I can't remember how he worded it, and I don't want to misquote him and like make him sound like a monster, but it was pretty much like, what's your excuse? Why aren't you getting up and moving your body? Like any kind of movement. And James has always been someone like that. I've seen him in the comment sections of tops toxic people. Any movement is good movement. These people, some people haven't ever moved and they went for a five-minute walk. That's great. And so I saw that story and it didn't take long for it to sit with me. And then I put a story up last week where I went, I did it. I went to the gym, James, and he reposted it because I was just like, I'm just so proud of myself. And I was so proud of both of us. And it was like James just saying that, where it was like, what's your excuse? And then I sat back and I'm like, I don't have one. Because it's like for that hour that I have of free time, it's like I'm sitting in my car scrolling TikTok. Why can't I just even scroll TikTok while being on a bicycle up at the gym? I'm here, I have my shoes, I've put fuel in my body. It's like, why can't I just go up to the gym? And I'm I took those steps, and I thank you, Lisa, for helping me. And it's just like I'm really feeling confident about this.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:40

Yay!

SPEAKER_02 1:16:41

Yeah. Yay.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:43

I can tell you have a new spark. Like just as you were talking about that, I I can tell you have a new spark for this, and I'm excited for this next chapter.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:52

Thanks. Normally I have a lighter sitting here, and I was gonna go. Oh god. Um, I'm proud of us. I I just I'm looking forward to this week. Hopefully, we'll and I'm gonna start wearing my watch more because I realize um I wore it the day when I went cycling. I'm like, oh, I can track it now because it does the indoor cycling thing. Yes, but I couldn't track it, I think, through heavy. Oh no, I did. Never mind.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:17

Yeah, your heavy app will connect with it as well, but uh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:22

My fitness pal somehow isn't connecting with anything, so like I have to figure out all that.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:27

I stopped using my fitness pal, actually.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:30

Yeah, I got a message actually from someone today asking if my fitness pal was worth it, like the free version or whatever. And I said, like, I pay for the pro um because I wanted to see the macros and everything and every little bit. I do like it, but I put out there that even though I talk about my fitness pal all the time, I have not used other applications. So it's like I am very biased towards this one. And even when they do updates, it pisses me off. Like I don't like change, so I'm probably not gonna go to another app.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:01

That's fair. Yeah. I stopped using uh My FitnessPal. I switched to MyNet Diary uh for stuff, and I also got the pro on that one, and I love it. I don't know what it is about it that I like more. I don't know if it just looks cleaner or what it is, but I just I love it. I it also does, you know how on My Fitness Pal, where you like complete your day, and then it's like in five weeks you're gonna weigh blah blah blah. In this one, when you complete your day, it gives you an analysis of your day of like, oh, how could we improve? And actually, you did a great day. I also it also does this thing where um if you enter in your calories or your food or whatever, so like if I hold on. So if I look at my meals from yesterday and I type on my oh my headphone is dying. Um if I type in my meals from yesterday and I tap on my breakfast, it gives you like a little grade and it gives food and different like different portions, different grades as well, which I mean isn't great because it's like you got good foods and bad foods, but it's like you know me, I categorize it as like sometimes foods and all the time foods, which is basically how they have it, but that's also a feature that you can just turn off.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:19

Nice.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:20

We should wrap up because my headphone died.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:22

Yeah, for sure. And also I just wanted to say that I've tracked now 136 days in a row.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:28

Yay! Oh, that's what I was gonna say. I ran for 2K today. Um, I went back and looked. I think I ran for 10 to 15 runs last year, and I came to the realization if starting today, if I ran once a week, I would run 39 times this year. So I'm like, I my goal was because everywhere I look for stuff, everything says that you should run three times a week, but I still feel like that would be too much for me. So I'm aiming for two, which would still be like 60 runs this year. So my goal is 50, 50 runs this year.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:58

That's awesome. Uh I'm so happy for us. I feel like this is a new leaf.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:03

Me too. Yeah that's also a great video game. Animal Crossing New Leaf. It was on the BS. I haven't tried it.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:11

Okay, we're gonna we're gonna wrap up here. Um, I hope you enjoyed this. If you know of any other like movies or documentaries you guys have come across that you want to hear about, let us know. Send us an email. Um totally appreciate the new comments I've seen through Spotify. Um, you guys are hilarious. Thank you. Um, yes, you can comment on Spotify. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:41

Bye, everybody. Yay!

SPEAKER_02 1:20:44

I'm gonna add an Oo now.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:47

Bye first because the yay would have cut out if I said yay first. And I was like, well, she needs to say bye first so that I can buy then yay. And then you were looking at me like, say it. I'm like, I can't say it's like say it. Anyways.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:58

See all the thoughts that go into yay. Yay.