A&E Fit to Fat to Fit....does anyone watch it?

[ironrose13]

I'm on the second episode. It is kind of eye opening. It has got to take a lot of mental fortitude to choose to gain 50, 60 plus pounds in order to be a support syatem for another person who is overweight. I personally have about 48 pounds to get to my goal weight by June, which is a resonable 150lbs ( I've already lost 25lbs! ). I cant imagine getting to my goal and deciding to eat an extreme unhealthy 8000cal a day diet and not work out at all. So many of the stories are giving me the feels.

 

[hjriley]

@ironrose13 I watched the first episode unintentionally (followed something I had been watching and I was preoccupied) and I thought their attitudes seemed staged, maybe I just have a low tolerance for cheesy dramatics like when JJ was lamenting on being a bad father and husband now that he was more slothful, and his initial commentary on how "simple" it is to lose weight just seemed fake to set the stage for the show. Conceptually I think it's interesting, but I think the similarity between someone losing weight for the first time and struggling with obesity, will have a very different journey from someone who was ripped and got a little fluffy. I know personally once I have built muscle underneath, the process of "renewing" my fitness level is much easier than the first time I started the journey. I would not be impressed if someone compared their efforts in gaining consciously, then losing (in a lifestyle they previously thrived on and were looking forward to returning to), to someone with deeply ingrained issues of food, fitness, and body image. I did like the honesty in acknowledging that unhealthy food IS tempting and enjoyable, and the sense of partnership it created. Mixed bag I guess. I also agree with everyone else in the minimal commentary on food - in episode 1 JJ discusses his calorie needs prior to gaining, and it was a substantial amount of calories if you considered the average audience viewer. Tell your audience what those calories looked like, what you do to maintain your physique, and what your client did to obtain the goals. What was their meal plan like? What was the frequency of their workout plan with and without you? It's not like giving away those "secrets" is going to compromise the fitness industry.

 

[mjmichaels]

@ironrose13 I've been watching it during my cardio workout, very motivating. It is now my second favorite thing to watch while working out (second to American ninja warrior). I agree that I think they should show more about how the diets are constructed for weight loss, they really breeze by that and show lots of binge eating, sweating and workouts. It's entertaining for sure. 10/10 would watch again.

 

[jerseychristiansuperstar]

@ironrose13 I've been watching it. I don't think the show features diet enough. Sure, they make a big deal about how much they eat to gain weight, but barely talk about about diet in terms of losing weight. I feel like that's setting people at home up for some disappointment if they feel like they're going to outrun their forks, as it is.

I also think people aren't giving these trainers enough credit for how hard it is mentally to purposefully gain that amount of fat. Everyone seems focused on this idea that "they still don't understand being fat and out of shape." I've been fat (obese) and out of shape, and while that is mentally and physically hard, I'm 100% sure it would be mentally and physically harder (for me) to gain it back on purpose, regardless of final outcome.

It's an interesting show, for sure. However, I think telling a trainer "you don't understand what it's like" is just another excuse for not putting in the effort though. Everyone comes from somewhere different, no one can ever understand where someone else is coming from. In the end you have to just do what you have to do, whatever that might be.

(Spoilers ahead)

The latest episode featured a trainer (Adonis) who actually went from fat to fit to fat to fit, so he legitimately knew the process already. His client was a whiner, I had no respect for her.

 

[elpida]

@ironrose13 Yep. I was so intrigued that i also bought the book

 

[elpida]

Loving the book, not a book on how to make the change yourself but more a book about the emotional challenges and changes that the trainer went through during his journey.

 

[bigchristiandaddy]

@ironrose13 I just recently saw and ad for it, I knew of the book previously, it looks like the show is following another new person (people?) not the original guy that authored the book. The one main thing that always struck me though is that even if they do gain the weight, they still can't really replicate the experience of someone who has been sedentary long term - we know it is easier to re-lose the fat if you have underlying musculature, meaning they will get better results for the effort they put in than someone who has never been fit - but it is certainly interesting and good of them to make the effort to understand their clients. I can't help but wonder how many will end up struggling with their weight after the show though?

 

[thenviron]

@ironrose13 I'm horrified and intrigued by it at the same time. I did DVR it though so will watch it at some point.

 

[dawn16]

@ironrose13 A lot of mental fortitude or a lot of money...

 

[meganm112611]

@ironrose13 I never heard of it but I will be binge watching it today!