Speaking of Obesity.............

I was invited to a South African dinner party the other night. Pumpkin fritters were served as hors d'oeuvres . They were quite good; they were also quite greasy. Yes, one woman started wiping grease on her legs and shared that she was moisturizing.

Well we got into this discussion about that awful show The Biggest Loser; and how motivational it is.

Motivational!!! Are you people nuts? These people are losing record amounts of weight - rapidly. Some people would even say it is neither safe nor healthy.

Motivational? Their job is to lose weight. Anyone reading this post could lose weight in record numbers if you had no responsibilities, like work or family, and could just focus your day on weight loss.

Now don't get me wrong, I do believe that to spend 24 hours per day on your weight loss takes commitment, dedication and courage; and I applaud those contestants for that, but I would hardly call this reality. It seems to me that we shifted an addiction from eating to starving or exercise?

I'm sticking to my guns here. I have been speaking and working with obese folks since 1993, and here is what I know, the most successful do not go from one extreme to another. The most successful make changes that are real and they can live with. The most successful surround themselves with people who understand that rapid weight loss is dumb, stupid and unsafe. Wanna meet some of those people? Don’t forget; three days until The Gift of Weight Loss Begins!

I'll tell you what is motivational. When you see someone who you know is working on their waistline, eat 1/2 of a pumpkin fritter and ask someone if they would like to share an Amarula ice cream coffee drink with shaved chocolate; while spending several hours overlooking the Boston Skyline laughing. That's motivational.