I love tv.  I admit it.  I love cheesy shows that are on VH1, Bravo and E!.  I can tell you who won Rock of Love Charm School, who had to pack up their knives and go home on Top Chef and what’s happening with the Kardashians.  It’s mindless dreck that entertains me to no end.

One of my truly favorite shows is The Biggest Loser (Tuesday nights on NBC).  The premis is simple.  Overweight people live on a campus dieting and getting their butts kicked by trainers Bob and Jillian.  There are challenges involving immunity, visits from loved ones and other prizes.

Each week the contestants face The Biggest Loser scale for their weekly weigh in.  It is not uncommon for someone to drop 20 pounds the first week.  Mind you, we are seeing folks who are at the minimum 250 pounds.  This season, the women weigh between 247 and 350 pounds.  The men weigh  350 to 454 pounds.  We are not talking about 10, 20 or even 30 pounds overweight.   These are some serioulsy heavy and out of shape people.

I don’t care much for the eliminations or the drama between contestants.  I watch purely for the joy of seeing someone literally melt away.   They are worked 6 hours a day in the gym and kept to a low-calorie diet so the results are expected, but I still can’t help but marvel at the transformations.

With such dramatic weight losses, health problems are cured or diminished and the quality of life improves dramatically.

The real challenge comes when contestants go home.   Outside of the confines of the campus they have to learn to adapt to their new lifestyles.  Work, family, friends, responsibility and stress come back in to play and it’s only the most dedicated of contestants who can continue their journey and be successful.

It’s a good lesson for all of us who are trying to improve our health.  If there is one thing to learn from a show like The Biggest Loser it’s that with determination, discipline and hard work, nothing is impossible.

Now go run!

Keli