Season three winner of Biggest Loser, Erik Chopin, started the show at 407 pounds. During the course of the show, he lost 214 pounds, and became the winner of that season’s Biggest Loser. At the end of the show, he weighed 197 pounds and has since put most of that back on.
This is not surprising to me. Rapid weight loss is not healthy. I have spent years going up and down in weight. Why? Stress and not watching what I eat. The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to do it slowly. It’s healthier and you stand a better chance of keeping the weight off.
What really caught my attention with this story is that it appears that his wife blames the show for her husband’s weight gain because, after the show was over, they just dropped him. Come on people, you can’t be serious. How do you go on a reality television show for weight loss and blame them for not checking in and making sure you are not gaining weight after the show is over? How is it their responsibility?
Grow up! It is Erik’s responsibility. He signed off to be on the show. He won that season of Biggest Loser. It was and is his responsibility to take care of his body. Unless, of course, they signed a contract saying the show will hold his hand after the season was finished. For some reason, I tend to think that the producers of Biggest Loser did not agree to act as parental figures in Erik Chopin’s life.
I am not the only one that feels this way. I came across this comment on another article ab Erik Chopin and his wife:
“I saw an interview with Eric and he said he liked the fame and his wife seemed to blame the show, saying that they treated him like a celebrity then dropped him.
What do you people want? They kept up their end of the deal. He lost weight and in addition he got half a million. And now they blame the show. Grow up!” - Roger Russell
Face it. There is only one person to blame for what happened. We all know who that is. Do I like Biggest Loser? No. I think it portrays unrealistic weight loss and promotes what will ultimately turn into the yo-yo weight loss and gain system for people that follow the show. What do I do about it? I don’t watch the show. I sympathize with Erik and his struggles. I face the same struggles everyday. The difference is that my husband and I know where the blame should be placed.
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3 comments:
I agree that the show is not to blame for rapid regain. However I don't really watch the show, so I don't know if they also educate them about the importance of keeping up with the healthy eating, exercise, etc. You CAN lose weight rapidly and as long as you commit to a healthy lifestyle you can keep it off. But falling into old bad habits will inevitably lead to weight gain. I've been there and done it and it's only been my fault. It's all about being smart.
I personally love the show. I look at all the people that have changed their lives around because of it. They are very open that it is not a realistic weight loss for someone at home. You really need to take what they teach you to change your life. If you go back to the same habits you had before, then yes you will gain the weight back. I do wish him lots of luck with losing the weight again and hopefully changing his life again. Hopefully this time, his wife will want to be more proactive and help him with it.
What this really highlights is the fact that most overweight comes from internal issues, not lack of exercise or not knowing what to eat. EVERYONE knows HOW to eat right and HOW to get exercise, but there are always internal issues that need to be addressed if you are going to prevent the weight gain. I am working on this myself now. I love the show but I do believe they are doing a large disservice by not addressing the psychological/emotional side of things more than a pep talk here and there from the trainers. Someone needs to be there who can really shine a light on their limiting beliefs and what got them where they are, and help the replace those thoughts and feelings with empowering ones.
In this case I have to say also - What did his WIFE do to support him?? She was there. She was in the house either buying the food or fixing it at least some of the time. She didn't get him help. What did she do to prevent this? And it isn't like he gained it all back quickly, that had to be a long process and she stood by and watched? She could have gotten him counseling or hired a trainer or helped. Yeah he's a grownup and she isn't his parent but he obviously needed support and to pass the buck like she is doing is childish IMO!
Karen
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