Prideful and Envious

Every week as I sit down to watch my favorite television show—The Biggest Loser—I am both proud of the contestants and envious. I am proud of the men and women who turn over a new leaf and work to obtain a healthy lifestyle. I even become emotionally attached to these people and shout words of encouragement at the TV during challenges. However, I am also envious of their perseverance and determination to regain control of their life and their health. Although I could stand to lose a few pounds, I am not overweight, but I am afraid that I could become overweight. As I sit on the couch and watch the contestants enduring grueling “last chance workouts,” I shovel handfuls of popcorn or spoonfuls of ice cream into my mouth. Many of the people in my family are overweight—some probably morbidly obese. When I hit my early twenties, I noticed definite changes in my body and I can tell that my metabolism took a nosedive. I’ve put on 30 pounds in the last four years and only the first 15-20 pounds were a healthy weight gain following my extremely poor eating habits in high school. A limited budget and a diet of awful college dining hall food are only exacerbating the issue. Recently I’ve felt very sluggish and my confidence in my ability to turn this train around is waning. So, I guess I’ll go sit on the couch, watch The Biggest Loser, and try to glean some motivation from the extraordinary work this season’s contestants are doing.

 -speak k[no]w