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Faith, Modern Perspectives, Young Married Mom

February 14, 2011

Confession Monday

I have a confession.

 

I watch The Biggest Loser.  Sometimes while eating frozen pizza and ice cream.  Other times while eating carrot sticks and yogurt.  But all the time, loving it.

 

You may recall that the first time I watched this show was the night before I realized I was pregnant with Jacob (that was one of the pizza occasions).  I’m not sure if it’s the roller coaster of hormonal changes over the last year or what, but I am so into this show.  I laugh, I cry, and on various levels, I relate.

 

Generally, I’m not a huge fan of reality TV.  I don’t like the elimination aspects, the pitting people against one another.  On the other hand, I do like the moments of creativity and invention, i.e. the dressmaking scenes in Project Runway or the cake decorating on Food Network Challenge.

 

What I like about The Biggest Loser, however, is much the same thing I love about marathons.  Well, my second favorite thing about marathons.  (People do not routinely get engaged on The Biggest Loser, which has been my experience with marathons.)

 

 

Back to the point.  What I appreciate about this show is that more often than not, the “contestants” don’t treat it as a game.  Their experience is about dedicated hard work and encouraging one another.  It’s about putting their all into an action that will make their lives better, and not just for themselves, but also for their families (there is LOTS of talk about family).  The people who move ahead are those who work the hardest and get the best results.  In short, they are the people who refuse to back down from their goals.  They are folks of all ages, with all different backgrounds, but one goal that unites them.

 

I greatly admire this determination and focus. And I think there’s a lesson to be learned here, which might be applied to one’s spiritual life or really any significant aspect of life wanting growth.

 

When someone isn’t putting a hundred and ten percent in, often another teammate will call him or her out on it, saying something like, “If you put all the effort into working out that you put into [making excuses, talking too much, whatever the case may be], you’d be making incredible progress.”

 

For me, this is a good reminder to constantly reflect on whether I’m spending my time on the things that really matter.  Am I using my energy in a way that’s going to achieve something worthwhile?

 

Often, the answer is “not quite.”  Watching this show is helping me to be more aware of myself and my 2011 resolutions—to be more charitable and more disciplined.  It’s a great example, too, of how just about anything in this world can help us to increase in holiness. It’s not just church-going and dedicated prayer time, but every moment and everything that crosses our paths that can bring us closer to God.

 

So that’s my confession today.  That, and I fully intend to eat something deliciously chocolaty for dessert tonight.

  1. Rebecca says:

    Brad and I LOVE the biggest loser. And we almost always eat it while eating some type of junk food. It’s a must! I think what I love so much about it is the freedom that the contestants gain while on the show. The inner healing they go through is incredible to watch (although sometimes I mute the tv because the interviews seem so set up) But to watch them go from start to finish is amazing!

  2. […] more than one occasion, The Biggest Loser has brought tears to my […]

  3. […] Good news, blogger friends: a) I remembered what I was going to write about yesterday, and b) The Biggest Loser is over until January, so you have at least two weeks until I rave about it again. […]

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