Is
anyone else watching Fit to Fat to Fit on A&E? I was intrigued by
the concept from the very beginning and now, four-and-a-half episodes (I'm watching one right now) in, I’m
definitely hooked. Here’s the basic
idea:
A
trainer in amazing shape has four months to gain a certain amount of
weight (we’re talking about 40, 50, 60 pounds here) and then he (so far,
they’ve all been men) will
work alongside their client/partner who is looking to lose at least
that much weight. They will work together for four months and then
we’ll see their transformations.
The
idea is that the trainers get to see how they feel eating a bunch of
crappy food and not exercising and carrying the extra pounds so they can
gain an understanding of
where their client is mentally and physically. The trainer and clients
meet up after the initial four months and they get started right away
with a workout. The trainer puts the client through his/her paces, then
the tables turn and the trainer does the
workout. So far, all the trainers have suffered and struggled through
that workout but I have to wonder if some of that is for the audience
(us watching and their client). Not all of it; I'm sure they are still
feeling the workout, but it seems like they could possibly be
exaggerating their reactions for the show.
I
like the focus on the trainer at the beginning, but I don't feel like
the focus shifts enough to the client in the second half of the show. I
want to see more of that person working hard to lose weight while they
adjust to their new lifestyle within their old lives. Have their
families changed their eating habits too? When are they getting in
their exercise? Did anything knock them off course? How do they deal
with cravings and social situations?
One
thing that isn't clear is how much the trainers are working out once
they are allowed to exercise again. Since they go to a gym for work,
it's easier for them to get in anywhere from a "normal" amount of
exercise to what most people would consider an excessive amount. I'd
like to see them roughly match their client's schedule. Sure, they can
do their training of people as their job, but they can't use any more
than an hour (comparable to a lunch hour for most people) during a
normal work day for exercise and even then they have to remember that
they need to be presentable and ready to get back to work an hour after
they start so they don't actually have 60 minutes to work out. Before
and after work, they can exercise as much as their life allows as long
as it doesn't vary greatly from what their client is able to do.
Real
life for most people doesn't mean working in a gym and exercising for a
living. it doesn't mean taking care of only yourself. It doesn't
allow for specialized meals for one. I think the show should work a
little harder to truly put the trainers in the shoes of their clients.
They need to know how truly difficult it can be to lose a lot of weight
when it isn't your job, and your actual job and commute takes up 10 or
more hours of your day.
Even though I think there's room for improvement in the show, I think the concept is a really good one. Not only does it help the trainer see how the client may be feeling, but the client has that much more appreciation for the trainer and what he is willing to do to help.
And on that note, I'm going to get back to this episode and see how this pair does together.
