RM- you made a lot of really good points.

A lady I "know" on Beginner Triathlete... talks about the same thing... that the show isn't realistic when it comes to a normal person losing weight. She herself has lost 100 pounds, but it took 4 years, not 3 months.

In this day and age of, "I want it to happen RIGHT NOW", the show makes people think that they too could lose 20-30-50 pounds easily... with some gym work and eating a bit healthier. Which isn't realistic at all.

What has always frustrated me about the show is the weigh-in portion. They spend very little time showing what these people eat, how the sleep, exactly how many hours they workout... and then for a 2-hour show, 45 minutes of it is all the weigh-in and the vote off.

With that said, the show does encourage people to get off the couch (after the show?) and to workout. It shows people who think there is no hope... that there is hope... they just need to go out there and find some help and work hard. Unfortuantely, people who are overweight by 100-200 pounds... well, it's really hard for them to go find the help they need and to workout. But it does show them that it can be done.