She's Gone Batty

Why DO they call those underarm flaps, bat-wings??? I think that is rather insulting to bats, don't you?
Have you seen any of these shows:
"Heavy"
"The Biggest Loser"
"Extreme Weight Loss"
I've seen all three of these shows since I started working on my lifestyle changes. I have been very disappointed. I really wish they would share more helpful ideas, along with the sensational weight losses and contests. I guess that doesn't make for good television ratings though. Here are my notes on all three:

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Didn't they have more of the 'how-to do tips' during the first few seasons? These days, I watch The Biggest Loser to get a tidbit of motivation here and there. What comes to mind from this most recent season was the talk Jillian had where she parroted back to Hanna (or Olivia?) what they used to say to themselves about not being deserving or good enough, etc. I also loved the challenge where they had to carry the weight they lost. I am sure there were other bits I took away from the shows, but overall, I don't like the unrealistic approach of losing so much weight so fast and having to commit to hours and hours in the gym to stay thin.

HEAVY: I liked the earlier episodes better than the later ones. I got more out of this show than the other two. I feel like it was more personalized and was addressing not only the exercise, but the foods, and the mental work to become thinner and healthier. I also think the weight losses were more realistic. Of course I wish I had the money to go to those resorts! Wow!!! Again, I felt the earlier episodes were better than the last ones were, when they changed to the second health resort.

EXTREME WEIGHT LOSS: Big disappointment. I didn't mind the weight loss goal setting. Some people I know have said they had issues with that. They thought the girl was being asked to lose too much, too fast to win a prize.

All I kept hearing in my head were ALL the bribes my father tried giving me in order to get me to lose weight as a young girl! (they didn't work then either) Then the girl on the first episode made the comment that she was working out 4-5 hours a day!?! You couldn't do that if you were on your own and had to hold down a job could you? Maybe it would work if you had oodles of money so that you didn't have to worry about living expenses.

I was dumb-founded at the part about her getting surgery for excess skin removal before she was done losing the weight. The only reason I heard for this was that they said it was because she was chafing. I just think it was too soon for her to have that done. Pass her some Gold Bond powder for crying out loud!

IF I were to lose that much weight, I would hide my flappy little arms until I proved I could keep it off for a while, before spending the money to have it surgically removed. She was in her early 20's for crying out loud! HER skin will shrink back. I will watch a few more episodes to see if they get any better.

COMMENT: Just as an aside...In my 20's (1981) I had gastric bypass surgery and lost almost 200 pounds in one year. Skin does eventually shrink. Now, in my mid-50's I am losing the weight that came back on when I got pregnant, a year after that surgery. I had three (wonderful) kids in five years and gained about half the weight back. I was stuck at 270-280 for 20-some years. As of today I have lost a little over 50 pounds since November and can almost fly like a glider squirrel because of the skin flaps under my arms!
My old skin won't shrink as much as a younger woman's would and I plan to just deal with it....unless maybe...if I win the lottery...then I might consider some tucking here and there! lol