Introduction Fast Foods! Fast cars! Fast Wi-Fi! There’s no doubt about it… America loves fast. But some things cannot be done in such a quick manner, for instance, losing a dramatic amount of weight. Over the past few decades, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States. The latest World Health Organization (WHO) projections indicate that more than one third of U.S. adults are diagnosed as obese. Being obese or overweight can cause a lot of negative health consequences, from inherent physiological to psychological issues. Some serious impact in health from carrying extra fat can include Cardiovascular Diseases, such as Heart Disease and Stroke, Type II diabetes, Osteoarthritis, and possibly some Cancers (Clark et al, 2001). Although the main reason for losing weight may be for improving health, some people are also motivated to lose weight to help improve mood, appearance, and fitness. In 2004, a reality television show, The Biggest Loser, made its first appearance to the American public with the intention to incorporate all the reasons why people should lose weight. The …show more content…
A show such as The Biggest Loser invites its audience to believe that it is possible to achieve long-term goals in a short amount of time. This ideology of a quick fix can be adhered by individuals with body image issues in regards to being overweight or obese. These individuals are also more likely to purchase weight loss products and undergo extreme activities that are constantly being advertised by our media. What the adherents fail to recognize is the reality of long-term maintenance in regards to weight loss. A study designed to assess long-term weight maintenance of patients completing an intensive weight-loss program found that subjects regained an average of 73.4% of their weight loss during the first three years (Anderson, et al.,