Topic: Thintervention

Addicted to Food: Here’s Hoping OWN Can Do Obesity Better Than NBC

Addicted to Food: Here's Hoping OWN Can Do Obesity Better Than NBC

Oprah is officially getting in on the Biggest Loser genre of TV, starting with tonight’s premiere of Addicted to Food on OWN. It remains to be seen whether she can take on Bob and Jillian for ratings, but what we’re really wondering is whether she can take on America’s problem with obesity. Can she inspire audiences to lose weight? Will her show be a beacon of hope and source of instruction for the millions of Americans who are unhealthy, overweight, and driving themselves to early death and disease by foo, or will she simply provide entertainment that doesn’t really budge the scales? We’re hoping OWN’s brand of weight loss TV can do more for obesity than NBC. More »

9 Best and Worst Weight Loss Reality TV Shows

9 Best and Worst Weight Loss Reality TV Shows

This week, the CW network debuted Shedding for the Wedding, a reality weight-loss competition that has nine overweight couples competing against each other to drop some serious pounds in the hopes of winning their dream wedding. So where does SFW fall within the great pantheon of reality weight-loss TV programming? It may be a train wreck like Celebrity Fit Club or an inspiration like Heavy. To find out, check out our gallery of the best – and worst – of nine weight-loss reality TV shows, including two toss-ups, and let us know whether or not you agree: More »

My Strange Addiction to A&E’s Reality TV Show Heavy

My Strange Addiction to A&E's Reality TV Show Heavy

I’m an addict. Deep down, everyone knows that TV addiction is certainly unhealthy, especially when the drug of choice is reality TV. But my addiction has nothing to do with hoarding, competing chefs, fashion designers, or salon owners, spoiled housewives, eating chalk, or the Kardashian family. I am addicted to Heavy, the latest weight-loss reality TV show. (This one’s on A&E.)

Of course, for years The Biggest Loser has dominated the small screen with its huge participants on NBC, and then there’s Thintervention With Jackie Warner on Bravo, which I’ve blogged about on Blisstree. But Heavy is a completely different animal.

For those of you who haven’t seen an episode of Heavy (A&E calls it a “docudrama”), it follows 22 participants (two each week) as they attempt to make serious lifestyle changes and lose a ton of weight during a six-month in-patient/out-patient treatment program. But this is no contest; there’s no money to be won, prizes to gain, or titles to claim. There are no celebrity trainers with major endorsement deals and product lines. And because of these differences, Heavy is much smarter and more sensitive and comprehensive than any other weight-loss reality TV show out there. More »

Multi-Tasking Myth: Couch Potato Workouts

Multi-Tasking Myth: Couch Potato Workouts

Vital Juice’s workout of the month for November is the “Couch Potato Quickie.” Personal trainer Laurel House demonstrates moves to make you sweat while you watch Thintervention. I’ve done a few commercial break sit-ups in my day, but this video made me wonder: Does anyone really want to lose weight while they’re watching TV? Women are supposed to be great multi-taskers, but much like I don’t believe that we can really get our work done while we shop online, chat with our friends, and neurotically check Facebook, I don’t buy the idea of getting in shape while we’re watching TV, either. And besides, who would want to? (Apparently, a lot of people at my gym.) More »

I worry for a few of the women. What’s going to happen when they proudly present their healthy new bodies, only to be left with their odd-looking faces that have been mistreated by one too many lifts, nips, and tucks? You’ve done unfortunate things to your once-pretty faces (or rather, a professional did those things, we hope), and no amount of cardio or crunches or smoothies will ever change this unsightly fact, especially as you age.

I worry for a few of the women. What’s going to happen when they proudly present their healthy new bodies, only to be left with their odd-looking faces that have been mistreated by one too many lifts, nips, and tucks? You’ve done unfortunate things to your once-pretty faces (or rather, a professional did those things, we hope), and no amount of cardio or crunches or smoothies will ever change this unsightly fact, especially as you age.

– Blisstree Editor-in-Chief Christine Egan on how plastic surgery looks even worse once you’re really in shape, from her post Thintervention Contestants? Lose Plastic Surgery First, Then Weight

Frighteningly Fit: 10 Best Halloween Costumes for Exercise Enthusiasts

Frighteningly Fit: 10 Best Halloween Costumes for Exercise Enthusiasts

Blisstree doesn’t have a burning interest in vampires or Dancing With the Stars contestants, but that doesn’t mean our Halloween costumes shouldn’t reflect our interests. While “watching Roseanne re-runs in our jammy-jams” doesn’t translate very well into a costume, our affinity for exercise might. We found 10 super-sporty Halloween costumes related to our healthy fitness pursuits. Let us know if you have any other low-calorie ideas: More »

This Is Why You’re Fat: Who Do You Think Is Responsible for Overweight Americans?

This Is Why You're Fat: Who Do You Think Is Responsible for Overweight Americans?

We have a slight obsession with the new show Thintervention — Bravo‘s answer to The Biggest Loser. So when we spotted a Q&A with Jackie Warner, our new favorite trainer (and author of This Is Why You’re Fat), we were all ears. As you might expect, she had some interesting things to say in response to TIME magazine’s question about why people are overweight:

On Thintervention, you tell people, “It’s not your fault that you’re fat, it’s your fault that you’re staying that way.” What do you mean by that?
The food industry largely conspires to keep America fat. They want to feed us food that gets us fat and keeps us that way. If you follow what they tell you to do, you’ll gain weight. So it isn’t your fault. But once you have the tips, the tools and the information necessary to take control of your own life — take control of what you ingest — then it’s your fault if you knowingly ingest those things and stay fat. If you simply take control, become a good consumer and make smarter choices, then obviously you won’t stay fat. The pounds can and will come off.

We agree that it’s everyone’s responsibility to be a smart consumer, but are we the only ones who find this logic a little convoluted? More »

The ‘Biggest Losers’ Pay It Forward This Season

The 'Biggest Losers' Pay It Forward This Season

In the latest weight-loss reality show news, the season premiere of The Biggest Loser was last night. Check out what to expect this season with this post from Ilyssa Panitz at That’s Fit.

In the 2000 film “Pay It Forward,” actor Haley Joel Osmet’s character was on a mission to make the world a better place by helping total strangers in need and then asking them to do the same in return for someone else.

Now the folks behind NBC’s hit series “The Biggest Loser” are taking a cue from the movie and making it the theme for the show’s 10th season, which kicks off September 21. More »

Do You Trust Formerly Overweight Trainers More?

Do You Trust Formerly Overweight Trainers More?

We’ve already revealed our secret attraction to weight-loss reality shows like Bravo’s Thintervention and NBC’s The Biggest Loser. And, as The Frisky points out, both shows feature trainers that used to be overweight. Jackie Warner, the trainer behind Thintervention, admitted that she was depressed and overate in college, and that it took hard work to get her back on track. Jillian Michaels, one of two demanding trainers on The Biggest Loser, had been overweight since childhood and used training and exercise to get her super-fit body. More »

Bravo’s “Thintervention” Is Way Better Than NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”

Bravo's "Thintervention" Is Way Better Than NBC's "The Biggest Loser"

So last night I found myself alone, watching the second episode of Thintervention With Jackie Warner (while drinking a glass of vinho verde, of course), which is basically Bravo’s version of NBC’s The Biggest Loser. Warner is the former host of Bravo series Workout; she’s also an author, wellness coach, DVD “star,” and fitness trainer for Hollywood’s leanest. Now, I’ve watched The Biggest Loser a handful of times, mostly because, on a purely selfish/vain level, it makes me feel good to see people who are a lot fatter than I am. If you need to drop 5-10 pounds, The Biggest Loser is the biggest ego boost ever. (Also, as a former Days of Our Lives junkie, I have a soft spot for host Alison Sweeney. Sue me.)

But after watching just one episode, I have to say that Thintervention kicks The Biggest Loser‘s ass, and here’s why:

– The Biggest Losers get sent away to a secluded fat camp where they have to live with and annoy each other on a daily basis. But in L.A.-based Thintervention, Jackie makes the contestants live their sad, boring lives in their own homes, so that they can deal with the daily pressures and stresses of weight loss temptations, fitness pitfalls, and work pressures (which is actually a really good idea in terms of potential long-term success). More »