The Biggest Loser - the elusive quick fix

Jason and I recently watched "the Biggest Loser". Oh my goodness, how times and have changed and how much we have evolved. I remember watching this as a young impressionable woman and this got me thinking once again of how all this messaging, social media and in real life, slowly forms our self worth and societal expectations.

However, a much more important topic to raise after watching the documentary is a conversation I have often with clients and have written about before, the illusive quick fix. Everyone is looking for a short cut to pain relief, weight loss, improved health and even medical cures. This is such an import conversation to have, not only with yourself, honestly, but also with your health care providers when making important decisions.

So what to I mean but the "quick fix"?

"an expedient, often temporary solution,

especially one that merely postpones having to cope with an underlying problem"

I understand the need to band aid issues to buy time. I do it all the time, usually small innocuous issues related to less consequential matters. We likely have all certainly tried a quick fix to lose weight for an event, but we know its temporary. I think the problem comes in when the quick fix becomes the habit, and we don't seek solutions to underlying health conditions and complications. I have grown up in a culture of diet pills and tonics, none of which ever did any good for anyone. I am grateful that medical science is at least making breakthroughs in weight loss and health related issues leading to the discovery of the GLP-1 medications now available that have real promise in improving many lives, this is such a far cry from the days of caffeine pills!

This topic is one that I have researched and pondered often, the GLP-1 conversation, the "Ozempic" conversation. I have friends who have to consider these conversations for themselves and the children, yes, children may fit in this category too. I am, as many are, nervous of potential long term effects, and the truth is, it is a forever drug, not a temporary one, so it needs to be prescribed and managed seriously. Unfortunately, as with everything in this world, abuse is not far behind. People who really don't need it, are taking it for the wrong reasons, we see this all over the world, and my biggest fear, is not the benefits of the weight loss, there is no doubt I support the correct medical use of this potentially transformative drug, but the emotional need that some people take it for, the lack of emotional support in dealing with issues that may be underlying. The quick fix.

The Biggest Loser surprised me in so many ways. I really enjoyed watching it, granted, I think I only watched the first 2 seasons and it seems it got a lot more dodgy after and later on in the series. I was really sad at the serious lack of emotional and medical support. We live in such a cruel cultural society that seems to want everything in extremes for greatest profit. I would never consider what the contestants put them selves through on that show a easy solution, but rather the system that got them there as well as never dealing with some underlying issues lead to a very unhealthy short term solution. When you are struggling with any health condition, you can become so desperate that you will buy anything and endure anything to feel better. The truth behind most things is that it takes time, internal work, and consistency for real and meaningful change. Ultimately, these contestants were not treated as individuals aiming for meaningful change, but rather characters in there lab experiment.

Ss what is my advise. When you are faced with a health challenge, unless it an emergency, take some time to understand the problem, not what Google thinks the problem is, but really seek to understand, with a health care professional as needed. Then, find real, long term meaningful solutions. A short cut may not be as it seems, and you may end up with bigger problems in the end.