The Biggest Loser

The Biggest Loser episode that aired Tuesday, Jan. 12, was very emotional in the beginning.

The doctor was there to talk to the contestants about their health issues. Every season, he said, he tells the group that they are the sickest group to be on the show.

This season is no different, he said. This group was, by far, the sickest group to be on The Biggest Loser.

I'm not a crier - but I had tears in my eyes several times as the doctor showed them how their weight was killing them and making them sick.

One contestant, who is more than 300 pounds overweight, watched as trainer, Bob, was loaded with weight packs representing those 300 pounds. As physically fit as Bob is, he staggered under the weight. As shocking as it was for the contestant, it was equally educational for Bob who knows now how the contestant feels carrying all that weight around.

Another contestant was in tears because she has diabetes.

"Were you told the disease is reversible?" the doctor asked.

The contestant acknowledged diet, weight loss and exercise had been recommended for years.

Why didn't she do it then, the doctor asked.

"Because I was in denial," the contestant answered between sobs.

The doctor showed some scans that clearly showed how the huge layers of fat were smothering their internal organs.

He showed another contestant how much money he would lose over his lifetime because of additional health costs, but most importantly, the loss of a well-paying career he could no longer do because he couldn't pass the physical.

One woman, age 52 I think, has an internal age of 75 years!

I was ashamed because I've been told for years I have high cholesterol and triglycerides and I've flirted with diabetes for quite a few of those years.

After watching the show, I was renewed with enthusiasm. Some of what was said and shown during the show hit far too close to home for my comfort. Yes, by golly, this time I was motivated! I was going to stick to my diet. After all, I had eaten a very healthy hamburger/vegetable soup while watching the show.

But, by bedtime, I remembered the cheese curls in the deep freeze. I had thrown them way, way in the back so it would take some effort to get them out. Like an obsessed person, I opened the deep freeze and dug around until I found the cheese curls - and I finished them while checking my e-mail.

Just this last time. If I eat them all up they won't be there to taunt me. After all, I did buy the ones that had fewer calories and no cholesterol. And what else could I have eaten that would have had fewer calories?

Sometimes the biggest lies are those we tell ourselves.