Why The Biggest Loser Is My Favorite TV Show

I admit. I have loved TV my entire life. It's something that I have had a love/hate relationship with as I try to juggle productivity with sitting on the couch enjoying a TV show. Plus, being honest, there isn't a lot being produced out there that is actually worth my time.

But there is one TV show that I must credit my roommate and long time friend Ashley for introducing me to. It had been on for a few years at that point and I was a little put off by the title. Biggest Loser? That seems really demeaning to me. But she finally got me to sit down and watch it with her and it it has gone from the "Never want to see it" category to "One of my favorites."

Sidenote. There are people and situations involved with the show where I don't necessarily agree with personal lifestyles or methods. But I'm not here to talk about that. Just like I don't want people to look into my own personal life and talk trash based on their own opinions, I'm not going to do the same to anyone else.

What I love about the show is that they show us people who are faced with a challenge. This challenge can be mental, emotional, spiritual but no matter what it manifests itself in their weight. People look down on others who try to drown their problems with alcohol or drugs but nobody talks about the abuse of food as a means to try to drown out emotional and spiritual pain. But that is what is happening. And the scary part is, they are showing us people who are just like us. We all have personal pains, frustrations and hang ups that we either decide to overcome or cower in fear from.

Then what they do on the show is not just teach the contestants about what it takes to be physically healthy, but they force them to face their pains and hang ups and deal with them. The process is dramatic, messy, gross at times and confrontational. Everybody loves watching Jillian, Bob and Dolvett kicking butt.

But there is a reason why we love the finale. The transformation is amazing.

We finally get to see the amazing difference both physically and emotionally achieved by the contestants. The beauty of it, all you have to do is watch what you eat and WORK OUT. No magic! But we all know that is much easier said than done. And so we watch these people on TV and we think, "I wish I could accomplish that" because we know how hard it is!

It was actually a moment just like this where I was watching a previous season posted on Netflix, and the last four contestants were all running a marathon. Ada, a small amazing Asian woman who I looked up to through the show got on the screen and said something to the effect, "You can do this too."

This is when I go, "Yea right."

I start thinking in my head. Yes, I love to run. Yes, I would love to run a marathon. However, I can't go for a long time. I was that kid in P.E. wheezing with asthma and could barely run around the gym. I would constantly get passed by the faster kids. Even today, I can barely keep running for up for one minute. Much less the 4-6 hours it takes to complete a marathon. You had Bob Harper to help you. I got nobody and no time.

This little voice came into my head, "Really Maddie? What about me?"

It was then I realized I was in trouble.

Truth is, I got God. God is the man. He made my body. He made my heart, lungs, legs, mind. He knows me better than I know myself. He's like, the best personal trainer anyone could ask for! He than told me, "I gave you all the things you need to run a marathon. There is nothing different about you than anyone else. What is holding you back is that you are afraid of failure so you are not going to even try."

Ouch.

Then God said, "I want you to run a marathon."

Say what?

So I know you are probably thinking I'm crazy at this point, saying to the world, "God wants me to run a marathon." But it's true. Here's the thing. He's not asking me to quit anything that I have been doing. I'm still doing my job, I'm still hanging with my husband, hanging out with friends and family. I'm not doing this to say, "Hey, look how cool I am." I'm doing it to be obedient to God and through it He is showing me how much I am capable of doing.

I started out in August just running 30 seconds every five minutes. I found a great training program that increased my running time each day. After four months of training, crying, anxiety, asthma and anger, I just ran for a full hour last Friday. I went a whole five miles. I had to get in the shower quick to take care of my asthma that was flaring up. And while in the shower and cried. I never thought I could do that. I never in my life thought that I could run that long, think it was fun, struggle at the end and still make it past my goal. I never thought I could. But I did. All because I was obedient to a call and put in the work to make it there.

I have faced my fears on this journey. I've understood I've let fear reign for too long in my life. I've let laziness keep me from doing things I wanted to. I've realized I held onto things that were keeping me from bigger and better things down the road. I've been blessed on this journey to have my husband right along side me and we have faced some of my biggest fears together (like needles!) and in the process have begun to live healthier lives. 

Am I near to a marathon? Not yet. But I'm closer than I was back in September. So as my 10K comes up and the new season of the Biggest Loser starts I watch with tears as some new people start on a journey so much like my own and I have become very reflect-ful (can you tell?) about all that God has done in my life. I also find it fitting that my 10K at the end of the month is being held by none other...than the Biggest Loser.

So here I am. I'm on the flip side. I used to be that girl on the treadmill feeling stupid for trying to run a minute while the girl next to me was at minute 20. I used to think, "I could never do that." And now I'm the girl on the treadmill turning to the person next to me trying to run a minute and saying, "You can do this."

And I'm not just talking about running.