I like to see people actually sweat their way to being healthier. But having said that, some of the people getting extremem makeovers did have some serious aesthetic challenges. It wasn't so much about weight, but how they thought the world perceived them.

I can kind of relate and attest to that. When I was small, I was given tetracycline for vague illness that the doctors couldn't really identify (in retrospect it was psychological trauma that should've been treated by a mental health practioner, but that's another story). That stained my developing adult teeth horribly and my having other health issues I ended up with severely darkly stained, small teeth. I had huge gaps between my teeth, and when I was 18, i begged my parents for veneers.

It changed my world drastically. But, as the years went by, the dental technology developed in leaps and bounds. While my veneers were far better than my natural teeth, they still were bluey/grey and quite obviously fake.

So, when I was 35, I shelled out $10,000 (yes, $10K) to have laser gum surgery to increase the length of my teeth and 8 brand new, very realistic veneers. If it changed my world before, this was being catupulted to another galaxy!

Having been in a situation where I was dealt a bad card in the aesthetics department, I can appreciate how much your self esteem changes when you look better because you feel better, too.

On another note, I'm curious how many of those contestants on the Biggest Loser actually kept their weight off??