Being the beginning of the year people have New Year’s resolutions on their minds. Network executives are trying to figure out how to best capitalize on this and now TV is full of shows about fat, fat people, and weight loss. I’ve DVR-ed most of it and, to be honest, the offerings are hit and miss. Some of its boring, some borderline annoying, and some fantastically inspirational. Over the next week I’ll be reviewing some of the well-known shows and some of the hidden gems. Let’s start off with two of the biggies (no pun intended): DietTribe and Ruby.
Kelly’s (completely unscientific and made up) Rating Scale
Boooo –> Meh –> Cool –> Awesome –> Fantabulous!
(Bad to Great!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Show: DietTribe
Station/Time: Lifetime, Mondays at 10 pm EST
Premise (from show website): “DietTribe” is Lifetime’s new reality series that follows the emotional journey of five friends as they attempt to go from “fat” to “fit.” These women have made a commitment to lose their unwanted pounds together. With the help of professional fitness trainer Jessie Pavelka and psychotherapist Stacy Kaiser (of “Celebrity Fit Club” fame), each woman will change her eating and exercise habits over the course of three months and confront the issues that caused her to gain weight initially.
Reaction: I’ve seen one episode so far (two have shown). It’s nice seeing weight loss approached from a more well rounded perspective then most, as they focus a lot on natural social supports and psychotherapy. There are a couple things that irk me though.
First, I have trouble keeping track of all the different people. This might due with my inability to remember names in general and unwillingness to try with tv shows, but following these five women who, from the first episode don’t seem too distinct, is a bit much for me.
Second, he psychotherapist on the show, Stacy Kaiser, annoyed the crap out of me the first episode. She was very self-focused and went on about her past struggles with weight and passed around pictures. While I get what she was trying to do, I know (from my social work coursework) that this self-disclosure and focus isn’t kosher and felt very self-involved to me. Granted it was the first episode, I’m sure they’ll delve into deeper issues further on, blah blah blah, but I definitely got a negative first impression.
Rating: Meh
Available Online: Yes! You can find full episodes on the Lifetime website here- http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/diettribe/video/full-episodes-season-1/episode-1/6310844001
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Show: Ruby
Station/Time: Style Network, Sundays at 8 pm EST
Remise (from show website): Ruby is a new non-scripted reality series that follows 500-pound Ruby Gettinger’s unforgettable journey to lose weight and inspire others. Savannah resident Ruby Gettinger is beautiful, charming, charismatic and weighs a life-threatening 500 pounds. Style’s cameras follow Ruby’s personal journey to lose weight, get healthy and battle discrimination on the new and highly-anticipated reality series “Ruby.” With no-holds-barred honesty and unwavering optimism, Ruby shares her story, including her past and present battle with obesity, her struggle to find the lost memories of her childhood and her reunion with an ex-boyfriend who broke her heart. Along the way, Ruby seeks to inspire others to take the first bold steps towards a healthier and happier future.
Reaction: In the beginning Ruby was charismatic and charming and funny and you just wanted to be her friend. She hasn’t lost any of that spunk and I think that kind of what is annoying me about the show now: her personality seems a tad bit fabricated. The pace of the show has also slowed down quite a bit. In the beginning she had really interesting stuff happening- an ex-boyfriend re-appearing, beginning her journey, etc- but now, as in real life, her story is more mundane and boring. Like any diet right? You start out full of vigor, excited, everything is bright and shiny! As time goes on dieting is less exciting, more mudane, more… blah. I’ve deleted this series recording from my DVR as it’s just become to slow and repetitious for my taste. Even though I won’t watch the show anymore, I really do wish Ruby the best in her journey.
Rating: Cool
Available online: Full episodes are not available but you can see special extra videos here- http://www.mystyle.com/mystyle/shows/ruby/videos/index.jsp
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reviews Coming Up: National Body Challenge, Oprah’s Best Life Week, Half Ton Mom, You Are What You Eat!
What are your favorite health/weight loss related shows on TV? Do you find them inspirational or do you choose to not watch them at all? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for the link to Ruby
I had heard about this show but as an expat living abroad I hadn’t seen it yet. I too wish her the best!
I just wanted to add that you can get Ruby on iTunes if you don’t get the style network, which I don’t. I’m thinking of buying the first season as I’ve only seen the first two episodes and all the special little videos.
With my work schedule and dropping cable, the only weight-loss show I bother to watch is The Biggest Loser. I know the losses are unrealistic and such, but I like it anyway. I’ll have to peek at these new ones…thanks for the links!
Thanks for the link. Great work
[...] Check out my previous TV is Obsessed with Fat People post covering DietTribe and Ruby! [...]
I haven’t watched DietTribe yet, but I did watch a few episodes of Ruby, and I wondered if that boyfriend was back to get on television.
I am curious about the 1/2 ton shows. Dad, Teen and Mom.
Here via Team Lynn!
I caught the first episode of Diet Tribe. I didn’t have any problem with Stacy Kaiser, probably because I’m already used to her from her time on Celebrity Fit Club. My issue was with the trainer. I didn’t think he was very supportive, and I thought he talked down to the women. That wouldn’t motivate me to lose any weight. =) I probably won’t watch any more episodes. It’s too bad really–I was really looking forward to this show.
I’m hooked on “X-Weighted” on Discovery Health. It follows one person or a couple for six months. They work with a personal trainer, Paul, to set goals, make diet and fitness changes, etc.
What fascinates me about this show is the different personalities. Many of the participants have completely unrealistic expectations going into this, thinking that six months is plenty of time to undo years worth of damage.
The ones with the right attitude and perseverance, though, accomplish great things. I have seen some amazing transformations.
This show doesn’t just celebrate weight loss. Successful participants make significant lifestyle changes, increase their fitness, and become more self-confident and happier with themselves.