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Julie Duffy Dillon (00:00)

Welcome to episode 420 of the Find Your Food Voice podcast. Today we are breaking down the Fit for TV documentary based on The Biggest Loser. Let’s get to it.

Welcome to the Find Your Food Voice podcast. I am Julie Duffy Dillon, your host and registered dietitian. Today we are talking about the Fit for TV documentary. And before I get started at all, I wanna let you know a few ground rules. One, this documentary and so this conversation you may find quite triggering. So I just wanna put a content warning on there for you. Definitely take care of yourself. If this is not the episode for you, we will not feel bad at all. We need you to take care of yourself. And if you do feel like you wanna watch the documentary after listening to this, just know as we talk about in this discussion that there are lots of parts of the documentary that are triggering for many reasons, some obvious and some not.

So what you’re gonna hear in this episode is my team and I talk about where we were in life when The Biggest Loser debuted back in 2004 and how we experienced it back then versus now. And also what we were hoping out of like this documentary, what we were hoping we were gonna see and then actually what we saw. And spoiler alert, we were collectively disappointed. So I don’t wanna spend any more time, let’s just get to this conversation, but before we get to it, a very quick sponsor break.

This episode of the Find Your Food Voice podcast is brought to you by my book, Find Your Food Voice. It is a book for those of you who have tried everything. Maybe back in the early 2000s, you watched Biggest Loser and you thought weight loss was the answer, but you’ve tried them for the last 20 years. And you know what I know to be true? If it hasn’t worked yet, if diets have not worked yet, I don’t think they’re going to, and you’re not alone. Like you are not this anomaly. You actually are the rule, not the exception. Diets don’t work for most people. That’s what we saw in the Biggest Loser documentary. And you know, there is another way. My Find Your Food Voice book was written for you just to show you gently another way. And I can’t be in the room with you as you’re going through some of these steps, but it was intended to be written to be like I was something sitting across from you, helping you with each step.

You can purchase the Find Your Food Voice book using the link below or anywhere books are sold.

Julie Duffy Dillon (02:41)

hello team.

Coleen (02:43)

Hi. ⁓

Rachel (02:43)

Hey guys.

Julie Duffy Dillon (02:45)

Welcome to the chat. Are we ready?

Coleen (02:49)

I think as ready as I’ll ever be for this one.

Rachel (02:52)

Mm-hmm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (02:53)

Yes, this is going to be very interesting. ⁓ we’ve had a few seconds to chat before we push record, but we’ve been holding it in as we get into this conversation. So I’m excited to see what unfolds from it. ⁓ Coleen, can you be our fearless leader?

Coleen (02:57)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yes. So we like, we’re going to start today with a little bit of our chips and dip. And, um, it’s really just an opportunity for us to kind of check in and maybe ground ourselves like before a conversation. So, uh, Julie, feel free to chime in if I missed anything there. Um, yeah, I would love Rachel. Like, do you want to start with your chips and dip and then I can tag on. Okay.

Julie Duffy Dillon (03:32)

No, that’s perfect. Perfect. Yeah.

Rachel (03:40)

So the past like week and a half I’ve been going through a lot of family BS in my personal life and it’s bringing up a lot of a lot of stuff like a lot of old childhood patterns some diet culture BS just like some some gunk ⁓ and I haven’t had a like traditional therapist in about a year and last week I was like you know what I really need to get back into therapy and so

Julie Duffy Dillon (03:46)

Mmm.

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (04:09)

I am interviewing therapists this week. ⁓ and so while that process isn’t like fun, I know it’s going to be really good for future me. So it is.

Julie Duffy Dillon (04:19)

Yes, it’s the hardest part, I think is

Coleen (04:22)

Mm,

Julie Duffy Dillon (04:22)

like looking and then deciding who to trust and then those first few meetings.

Coleen (04:22)

it is.

Rachel (04:27)

Yeah.

Coleen (04:27)

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (04:27)

Yeah. But I know ultimately, and I have some stuff like coming up in the fall that I know I’m going to need a lot of support for. And so it’s like me doing the stuff that’s not so great now, but to set up future me for, for a little bit of extra comfort and support.

Julie Duffy Dillon (04:29)

Yeah.

Yeah.

future Rachel is going to be so happy. Or at least at ease, more at ease with the dynamics. Yeah, good for you. That’s hard work, but good work.

Coleen (04:46)

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (04:46)

Future Rachel is going to be so happy. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Coleen (04:49)

Yeah.

Yes. Also, like that self-awareness is just such

a gift. So yeah, I’m so glad that like.

Rachel (04:59)

Yes, yeah. I will

also shout out my support system that gently reminded me over and over again, hey, maybe you should see a therapist again.

Coleen (05:10)

I love it.

Julie Duffy Dillon (05:12)

That is so great. It’s good we have people like that in our life that can like, you know, gently remind us, hey, you don’t have to just sit here and flail. Yeah. Yeah.

Coleen (05:15)

Yes.

Rachel (05:15)

Yes.

Hey.

Coleen (05:23)

Yeah. ⁓

Rachel (05:23)

Exactly. Yeah.

Coleen (05:27)

yeah, I feel like a little, I feel very similarly to you, Rachel. Like I am in a spot right now that there are some decisions being made, not about my body, but like some things going on in my personal life too, that are bringing up a lot of like diet culture BS from like way back in the day. That’s like really got me.

Julie Duffy Dillon (05:40)

Mm-hmm.

Coleen (05:52)

I don’t know, I feel like I’m getting pulled back under a little bit. ⁓ And not to say that like, I don’t know, it’s hard. I guess it’s really nuanced, because I don’t feel like I’ve had the strong of a pull in a really long time. And I’ve been talking to Rachel about that too a little bit. it’s like, man, I feel like everyone around me right now is on a GLP-1.

Julie Duffy Dillon (06:10)

Good.

Coleen (06:15)

⁓ and they’re just so prevalent, like in media and like even in advertisements, like on the radio and it’s like they’re everywhere. And then I talked to a friend and like, they drop out of nowhere that they’re on one. I’m like, wait, what? Like, and it’s just like, it’s one thing after another. then, ⁓ someone close to me is also like going through something right now and making a decision or a choice about their body that is having some.

Julie Duffy Dillon (06:16)

Mm-hmm.

Coleen (06:44)

effect on me. So I think my chips and dip is really just grounding myself in that regardless of what someone else decides to do with their body, they’re telling themselves a story and addressing that story for them. But that doesn’t mean that it’s telling me a story about my body. And I think that I’m just really trying to ground myself in that. And it’s like,

the story that I’m telling myself is different than my own reality. And it’s just, it’s been really challenging and I have a feeling it’s gonna be a few challenging months. So Rachel, ⁓ I may be needing some extra push from you to find my own, interview my own therapist again, because I feel like ⁓ I’m in a little bit of a downswing here on my own stuff.

Rachel (07:30)

to do that.

Julie Duffy Dillon (07:37)

Yeah, and especially finding a therapist who can appreciate just the whole experience in like fat stigma and body liberation and not dieting and I mean, it already narrows your choices. Yeah.

Rachel (07:44)

and

Coleen (07:51)

Yeah.

What about you, Julie?

Julie Duffy Dillon (07:56)

Well, ⁓ my kids went back to school two days ago. So I feel like it’s like a mini version of when Julie was dropped off at college. It’s like a little mini freedom experience. I, you know, as Enneagram 4 when I’m in health, I go to one, which if you know the Enneagram nuance, the ones are like the Excel spreadsheets, the organized kind of people. And so

I’m leaning into my one trying to just celebrate the routine. ⁓ And yeah, it feels good having a routine. My dog and I are like, yes, we have this routine again and we know what to expect. I love summer and having my kids at home. And I’m also excited for just some routine again. And yeah, I’m still rocking my therapist. I’m like three months ahead of you guys. And let me tell you.

I’m finally getting to the point where it’s like, it gets worse before it gets better. I’m finally like, I think it’s getting better.

Rachel (09:01)

Yeah,

like when I when I was like, Okay, I’m gonna do this. I’m gonna start interviewing therapists that was in the back of my mind. I was like, I remember Julie just started a new therapist. And he was like in such a good place and feeling so optimistic. I can get there too.

Julie Duffy Dillon (09:09)

Yes!

Yes,

but I mean, as you know, we’ve all done therapy before. Like it feels like shit for a while, but you know, it’s cause you’re facing the hard stuff. So, ⁓ well hang in there and let’s lean into the fall. If you’re watching on YouTube, we all coordinated as Coleen pointed out to us before we push record, like somehow we’re leading into like, what is it? Pumpkin spice latte? What is the colors?

Rachel (09:18)

Yeah. Yes. Yes.

Coleen (09:38)

Yeah, like

Rachel (09:39)

Yeah,

Coleen (09:40)

fall vibes.

Rachel (09:41)

a very autumnal colored palette happening.

Julie Duffy Dillon (09:43)

Yes, I love that word.

Coleen (09:44)

Yes.

So we have like a very interesting conversation ahead of us ⁓ because we were planning to talk about something else this episode. like, I don’t know, just a couple of weeks ago, Julie was like, Hey, do you all mind if we chat about this thing that just like popped up? Because we always say like the universe provides like our diet culture IRLs. And so we are very flexible, like with, you know, what we chat about here. And so Julie, do you want to just talk a little bit about

Julie Duffy Dillon (10:07)

Yeah. Mm hmm.

Coleen (10:18)

like what we’re chatting about and then I can dive into the remaining.

Julie Duffy Dillon (10:21)

Hmm.

Yeah, so we are chatting about the Fit for TV documentary, which is based on The Biggest Loser that debuted over 20 years ago. And the three of us all, you know, we were, I don’t know, we were either adults or almost adults. I don’t know how old you all were. I was in my 20s. Yeah, not quite adults, but I mean, you have memories and we’re impacted. Like we were all impacted.

Rachel (10:46)

Not going to dance, but…

Coleen (10:49)

Yes.

Julie Duffy Dillon (10:52)

And ⁓ in different ways, but ⁓ to see the documentary, when it popped up on my Netflix, I’m like, hey, you may like this. ⁓ I had some really strong reactions seeing it pop up. we’ll talk a little bit about what I was hoping to see from it. But yeah, that’s what we’re gonna talk about. And I mentioned the top of the show too, you all don’t.

Coleen (10:54)

Yeah.

Mm.

Mm-hmm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (11:18)

didn’t hear it because I haven’t recorded it yet, but someone else already knows. There’s going to be some topics that we’re going to talk about from the documentary that could be quite triggering. So just let you know as you’re listening. Take care of yourself.

Coleen (11:31)

Yeah. So to that point, when Julie asked, first of all, if we could watch it, I thought to myself like, yes, except I don’t have Netflix. So there’s one barrier for me. And I got rid of Netflix, I think like about six months ago now, just because for those of you who are maybe listening for the first time, I am a mom of an 18 month old and I

Julie Duffy Dillon (11:43)

Mm-hmm.

Coleen (11:58)

don’t have a ton of extra free time to watch ⁓ TV at this point. So we were not really using it, but Rachel was gonna lend me her stuff so I could watch it. And then she actually warned me that there was a lot of stuff in there that could be a trigger. And just right now with where I am, was like, I think I need to just not watch this right now, actually. I’ve got enough.

Julie Duffy Dillon (12:01)

yes, yeah.

Coleen (12:26)

of those around me and I’m trying to like kind of navigate them as best as I can. So the question that I want to pose, I guess to everyone and I can talk about my thoughts is, you know, what we were hoping to see in this documentary. And because I didn’t watch it, I think in my mind, I’m going to start with what I’m hoping to see and then let you guys kind of dive in. But I am hoping that ⁓ they kind of assess the maybe

Julie Duffy Dillon (12:47)

Mm-hmm.

Coleen (12:55)

the harmful narratives that ⁓ came up with this type of show and ⁓ how it could be perceived now as maybe super problematic. ⁓ And so that’s kind of what I would hope to see and maybe some storytelling around people who were on the show or things like that and what kind of effect it maybe had on them, whether that was positive for them or not. ⁓

And so that’s kind of what I would expect to see, but Rachel, like, do you want to hop in on that?

Rachel (13:32)

Sure, so I was hoping for it to be like kind of expose-esque, like this is the harm it caused, like naming that harm, the like accountability for said harm, and like really a discussion, and we’ll get into this more, but like I just remember it being so, like there was so much shame and like the contestants felt so much.

shame and really having that kind of deeper nuanced conversation around like shame as a motivating factor doesn’t actually work for weight loss, for diet culture, for really anything. Like shame as a motivating factor does not work in the long term. And I was really hoping that that would be part of the discussion.

Coleen (14:00)

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (14:21)

Yeah, shame never promotes health. mean, that’s something that researchers have been able to show us over and over and over again. ⁓ Yeah, I was hoping that it would be more of an expose, like you said. I was hoping for an expose, like show me the dirt. ⁓ I want it. And a lot of that comes from, I’ve had conversation with folks who were either on the show,

Rachel (14:24)

No.

Coleen (14:36)

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (14:50)

or no people involved in the show. ⁓ If you work in eating disorders for as long as I have, we all communicate some of these things that we hear, especially on reality shows. so I know there’s a lot of dirt there. It’s not my dirt to share, but there’s a lot of dirt there. And so I was hoping that some of that would come to the surface. And I was wanting accountability. I was hoping to hear lots of like, wow, I’m sorry.

Coleen (15:07)

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Julie Duffy Dillon (15:20)

I’m

sorry. then lastly, how diets and like trying to like flip that shame trigger how that causes harm. Not just that it didn’t work, but I was like hoping that they would be like, yeah, we see how it’s linked to all these things that we know it’s linked to. Yeah. Yeah.

Coleen (15:29)

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (15:30)

Mm-hmm.

Coleen (15:40)

Yeah. I,

not to take us on a totally separate tangent, but there was a contestant on the traders, which I did have Peacock and watch the traders. And there was a contestant on that show who was actually a trainer on the biggest loser. And there was an activity that he couldn’t complete because he’s since the biggest loser. He’s, he’s aged.

Julie Duffy Dillon (15:45)

Let’s go.

Eww.

Rachel (15:59)

this.

Coleen (16:06)

⁓ and he was so, I just remember watching it and him being so upset. He was like, this was my livelihood for so many years. And now I can’t complete this physical challenge because like, it’s like my body is betraying me. And I just thought that was so interesting. I remember thinking about that as like, you know, from a different perspective, like he was one of the trainers on that show and like his identity was tied to like his job, right? Like a lot, a lot of us, like we tie.

you know, our identities to different hats and things like that. And he was like shaming himself kind of live on that experience for him. And I was like shouting at the TV like, your body has changed. Like, it’s okay. We age. And I just like wanted to just give him a hug and like be like, it’s all right. Like our bodies change to do different things as we age. Like, ⁓ my heart just poured out for him.

Julie Duffy Dillon (16:54)

Yeah.

Yes,

yes. that’s such a like, ⁓ gosh, that’s such an important example because it seems so obvious to the three of us. Like, ⁓ no, the diet industry is what like really caused this not, your body’s about betraying you, it was the diet industry.

Rachel (17:16)

Yeah.

Coleen (17:22)

Yes.

Rachel (17:22)

It’s

also really interesting because that trainer was Bob Harper, right? Yes. Yeah, so he… and like, he’s in the documentary. And spoiler alert, I don’t think you would want to give him a

Coleen (17:27)

Yes. Yeah.

Julie Duffy Dillon (17:29)

⁓ it was him. Okay.

because he’s in the documentary. Yeah.

Coleen (17:36)

really? Okay. See,

I didn’t know that.

Julie Duffy Dillon (17:41)

No, you would want to kick him in the shins and never ever want to see him again.

Coleen (17:42)

UGH!

Rachel (17:44)

See ya.

Coleen (17:47)

Bob,

Rachel (17:47)

Yeah.

Coleen (17:48)

my guy, if you’re listening.

Rachel (17:48)

He didn’t learn. Let’s say this. didn’t learn the lessons that you were hoping he learned.

Julie Duffy Dillon (17:53)

No,

1. It’s like love, right? Like a new love when we fill in all the spaces what we hope it’s going to be and then reality hits, it’s like, ugh. ⁓

Coleen (17:54)

No!

Yeah.

Bob, I hope you’re listening.

Julie Duffy Dillon (18:09)

Chances are slim.

Coleen (18:12)

⁓

so taking us kind of back into, you know, biggest loser and maybe just growing up in this, like, I mean, diet culture industry is still very prevalent, but like there was something about like early 2000s diet culture industry, right? Like a little bit different than like how, how it’s going down now. Where were you all in life when biggest loser debuted, which was October 2004 and

Julie Duffy Dillon (18:29)

Yes.

Coleen (18:41)

How did you react to it at the time? Julie, do you want to start?

Rachel (18:47)

yeah, go ahead Julie.

Julie Duffy Dillon (18:49)

Sure. Okay, so October 2nd, 2004, I got married. And I think it was October 4th. I looked up when this actually, The Biggest Loser came out. So it was just two days later. So I was already probably on my honeymoon at that point. But I know I watched the show. And something that if you’ve listened to this podcast for a while or read my book,

you know about the big sob that I experienced and the big sob, which it was like the moment is like this crescendo of like, I was helping people recover from eating disorders, but I was also like a gastric bypass dietician and helping people lose weight. And I couldn’t handle the the stress of like,

Coleen (19:19)

Mm-hmm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (19:40)

I knew I was harming people by putting them on diets basically. And it just was, it’s when it all came together and there was a moment and I started crying in my boss’s office. So that big sob happened in November. And so I was in a place where I hadn’t put everything together yet, but I was well on my way. And so I don’t remember watching every single episode, but I remember my patients

Coleen (19:49)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Julie Duffy Dillon (20:10)

at the time were talking a lot about it, how they would cry watching it because it just was so inspiring and they could relate so much to it. But when I watched it, it felt like they were treating human beings like animals at a zoo. And honestly, as I say that, like, I think animals at a zoo are treated better. There’s more compassion and like…

Coleen (20:12)

Mm-hmm.

⁓ yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Mm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (20:38)

people rooting for that or like trying to protect them. yeah, was something that I found to be ⁓ part of what moved me over the edge. ⁓ And it just was like, it became blarely obvious. And I think this was part of what helped that kind of cook basically and helped me move. So ⁓ I didn’t watch after that first season.

Coleen (20:41)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Julie Duffy Dillon (21:07)

That was it. Until like there was one episode where I had heard, or I mean I seen the commercial, don’t know, the one where like it was basically near the end of the show where like someone came out and she was like scary skinny looking and so everyone’s like, oh my gosh, maybe the biggest, this biggest loser caused an eating disorder. was like, dude has been doing this for like 15 years. Why are we saying no? Anyway, so yeah, that’s.

Coleen (21:08)

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Julie Duffy Dillon (21:36)

That’s where I was. was in my, was 28 or 29, I think. So yeah, fun times.

Coleen (21:42)

Yeah.

What about you, Rachel?

Rachel (21:47)

I was ⁓ a brand new freshman in high school ⁓ and I watched it. I mean, I can’t remember like how long I watched it, but like definitely a significant chunk of multiple seasons. And I was one of those people at the time, like I remember it feeling very aspirational to me. Like this.

Coleen (22:12)

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (22:14)

like, if they can work out for that long every day, I can work out for that long every day. And it definitely was like feeding and encouraging some like deep eating disorder behaviors in me. like, I mean, those seeds had already started to be planted, but like really was, was encouraging those seeds. And at the same time, I remember watching it and feeling.

Coleen (22:18)

you

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (22:42)

almost better about myself because it was like, I’m not as big as them. And I had that like, that dual, this is inspiring and like I too can like lose weight and do these things. But almost like this kind of superiority like I’m, I’m better than them because I’m not that big. ⁓ Which like, looking back on that and reflecting on that it’s like

Coleen (22:44)

Mm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (22:47)

yeah.

Rachel (23:10)

obviously like very fucked up and you know, especially as a 14 year old that I like, was already having those, those thoughts. ⁓ But yeah, that’s, that’s where I was as a 14 year old watching this.

Coleen (23:13)

Mm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (23:27)

Hmm, yeah, I hope you have compassion for yourself too with like recognizing all that because you were doing what you were trained culturally to do. Yeah. Yeah.

Coleen (23:34)

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (23:36)

Absolutely, absolutely.

Coleen (23:38)

Yeah. Yes.

Rachel (23:38)

Yeah. If anything, just like makes me angrier at the system.

Julie Duffy Dillon (23:42)

Good, good,

Mm-hmm.

Coleen (23:46)

Yeah, this again, like this even just talking about this like who brings up a lot. 2004, I was in middle school and my dad worked nights at the time. So it was oftentimes after school, just me and my mom and my brother is eight years older. So really it was just the two of us in the house. And so we kind of had our little routine, right? Like after school, come home, like homework, snacks.

mom cooking dinner, dinner, and then it was like biggest loser time. ⁓ And for a while, we also felt that same like inspirational, like, wow, you know, like, it just must be so hard and look at how hard they’re working. Like, I just remember, though, at some point, I don’t know what episode or even like, I just have the memory in my mind of this like coach, I don’t even know which coach, but like screaming at this person, this person is sobbing and being miserable.

And like, I think even, I’ve always been an empath, but in that moment, I was like, this is not okay. Like, I don’t know, it just like something in me was like so sad. And I like, I remember like talking to my mom about it and being like, they’re miserable. This is miserable. And like, they’re not enjoying this and they’re doing it on national television. I was like, I just felt like this immense like sadness ⁓ for.

Julie Duffy Dillon (24:51)

Mm-hmm.

Coleen (25:12)

these people like on the show. And I think I don’t know if it was my mom or if it was me, but one of us was like, yeah, I don’t really want to watch the show anymore. So we didn’t actually, I think, ever finish watching it. Or like, I don’t know if we ever finished a season. Maybe like we did some of because they did weigh ins, right? And like aired those out, like how much they had lost or, you know, whatever. And but I just remember like

Julie Duffy Dillon (25:35)

Mm-hmm.

Coleen (25:41)

being like, yeah, that was, it was really miserable for them to get there. Like, I, even though like everyone was celebrating them and they always like hyped it up, it was like, but like, was the journey worth it? Like, I don’t know. Like, so, and I mean, don’t get me wrong. Like I had, had plenty of other messed up conversations about food, diet, like exercise, all those things. But like, I think just the people aspect of it for me, like really hit.

Julie Duffy Dillon (25:54)

Right.

Mm-hmm.

Coleen (26:10)

like home and I was like, this is not the show for me. Like, cause it just made me sad. made me really sad.

Julie Duffy Dillon (26:18)

Hmm, especially at a young age. That’s pretty that’s really interesting. I know Yes

Rachel (26:23)

Yeah, you’re so wise, Coleen Even little baby Coleen was wise.

Coleen (26:28)

I didn’t, I don’t know that I knew why it was making me sad. I just felt bad for the people like on there. So, but now looking back at it.

Julie Duffy Dillon (26:34)

Well, if you’re in middle school,

yeah, like middle school is the time developmentally where like our amygdala gets to be full size and the rest of our brain hasn’t finished. It’s like still like a baby brain. so like sadness and like emotions can be so intense. So it sounds like you felt it. Yeah, yeah.

Coleen (26:39)

Ugh.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah. I really did. felt like, and

I think like, you know, even beyond that, like now, even now, I’m like, I’m a super empath. Like if someone’s telling me a story and they like start to cry, like I start to cry, like it’s just, you know, that’s just one of my ⁓ weaknesses and strengths.

Julie Duffy Dillon (27:04)

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah,

but like, no, you could tell that people were in pain and that that was not okay. Yeah, yeah.

Coleen (27:18)

Yes. Yeah.

Yeah. So I guess as we move into this conversation further, for those of you that watched it, ⁓ because I didn’t, what did you get out of watching this documentary, Rachel?

Rachel (27:38)

Honestly, much other than like, it was pretty triggered by it. Like it was, I had to like take breaks watching it. Like I powered through and watched the whole thing yesterday. ⁓ But it was rough. And I don’t honestly think that they said anything about the show that we didn’t already know that like hadn’t already been exposed. And I was really.

disappointed, especially in the last episode, because it still felt like the conclusion was like, well, while the show wasn’t like the best way to go about it, and like, you know, maybe it was a little too extreme, like being fat is still bad and quote unquote unhealthy. And like the ultimate goal is still weight loss. Like all of the contestants that they interviewed for the most part, like, no, think two, I think two were like a T, all of them.

We’re still like

in diet culture. Like there was no end. There were hundreds, I mean there were what’s 18 seasons of it. Like there were hundreds of contestants and it was intentional that they picked who they picked to be interviewed. And I also think two more things. The end screen was statistics about obesity. was like in

Julie Duffy Dillon (28:39)

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Coleen (28:49)

Hmm.

Rachel (29:06)

what 2004 blah blah blah like the O word like rate was X in America and in 2025 it’s X and like it had gone higher and like while they didn’t say it it feels like an intentional implication that like the biggest loser is no longer around and like that is impacting the fact that that O word like has increased.

in America. And it was just like, this is such a wild place to end this documentary on. Like, no nuance, no explanation, nothing. It was just like a black screen, white writing, the two statistics. And it also drove me insane that there wasn’t any sort of nuanced conversation. I mean, there weren’t really nuanced conversations.

Coleen (29:37)

Mmm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (29:44)

Mm-hmm.

Right.

Rachel (30:03)

in the documentary

at all on any level. But the fact that there was no conversation about ultimately what the show was for and like all television was making money, making money for the network, for the producers, for the like directors, for the trainers. It wasn’t really about helping people get healthy or losing weight. It was about making money and

I thought it was really interesting. One of the contestants who ended up winning an earlier season, maybe it was even the first season after he won Jillian Michaels, ⁓ one of the trainers literally said to him, like, you just made me a millionaire. But like, it was just like, he said this thing and then there was nothing after that. was just like, that’s a fact. And the producer kept being like,

You know, like we’re doing this because, you know, we’re helping people and like making people healthier. It’s like, no, this is, it’s about money. Like, ultimately it’s about capitalism and making money and.

Julie Duffy Dillon (31:11)

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (31:18)

it really would have been helpful to have that somewhere in the documentary.

Julie Duffy Dillon (31:26)

Agreed. Agreed.

Rachel (31:30)

Sorry, that was, I just like, pfft.

Julie Duffy Dillon (31:30)

Is it?

Yes.

Coleen (31:32)

I love

hearing your thoughts, Rachel, because I imagine I would feel similarly. And I’m getting heated just with you recapping the things that you took away from it.

Julie Duffy Dillon (31:35)

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Yes. ⁓ is it my turn to unpack? So I think I texted you all right after I listened to the very first interview. I pulled out my notes for mix. I was scribbling on a Google Doc when I was like watching it. And the person who was the season eight winner, I think that’s the person you’re talking about, Rachel. His name was Danny and he was the very first person interviewed and

Coleen (31:51)

Yeah.

Julie Duffy Dillon (32:17)

The reason why I texted you all after I watched his interview is because I thought it was gonna get to the meat of it. Because he mentioned the millionaire thing, but he talked about how he had been shamed his whole life. He said he had lost over 1,000 pounds over 20 years. So I was like, it’s gonna get to the roller coaster. It’s gonna go to how diets cause weight gain. ⁓ He talked about… ⁓

Rachel (32:24)

Mm-hmm.

Coleen (32:24)

Hmm.

Hmm.

Rachel (32:26)

Yeah.

Coleen (32:37)

Mmm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (32:44)

basically being teased and how harmful that was. And he was thinking about the show as like saving his life. But then he went into the, Jillian Michaels told me that ⁓ I just made her a millionaire. And I was like, they’re gonna get to the juicy shit. And that’s pretty much the last time I felt that way was after that first interview. ⁓ the thing that I was very disappointed too, because it,

Coleen (33:05)

Mm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (33:15)

It didn’t.

Okay, how do I say this? I feel like either the people behind it, this is all conspiracy theory as I say this, like don’t know any of this information, but I’m like, why was it made this way? Because it could have been very juicy and it wasn’t. And it could have been very like truth telling and it wasn’t. And it was very selective. I could tell it didn’t go very far. And it did interview people who were like,

Coleen (33:26)

Ha ha!

Mmm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (33:47)

producers on the show and Bob Harper, one of the two core trainers, not Jillian Michaels. But ⁓ it makes me pause to think like maybe that was part of why. ⁓ Because they were able to get some of the people really heavily involved in the show and behind the making it and made the money from the show. Is that why it didn’t say that much bad? ⁓ But when I finished watching it,

Rachel (34:11)

Mm-hmm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (34:16)

I remember thinking, thank God Aubrey Gordon was on it. think, did we see her maybe midway through the first episode? And I was like, yes, they’re gonna have fat activists. So was like, there’s gonna be, Lindy West is gonna be there, Roxanne Gay. I was like, come on, let’s have them. No, they were not on the show.

Rachel (34:20)

Yeah, yeah, she’s the saving grace of it.

Julie Duffy Dillon (34:43)

And there was so little of Aubrey Gordon and I mean, I agreed with everything Aubrey was saying, but I also was like, I know there were probably was more left on the cutting room floor. We needed more Aubrey Gordon and we need more people than just Aubrey Gordon too. ⁓ On the nuance, Rachel, that you were talking about, the harm of the show, the dangers of dieting, anti-fat bias, how it’s connected to racism. ⁓

Coleen (34:54)

Hmm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (35:12)

there was some time on how most people regained the weight. Like they named that the name of the biggest loser study, but they really like poo-pooed the biggest loser study and. ⁓

Yeah, way it finished is like still like it does. seems very 2010 diet culture. Like it wrapped up with this like vibe of like, I need to love myself enough to lose weight for me. Like that’s how every contestant was interviewed and what they, even if they were talking about these negative experiences on the show, they were like, well, now I’m at the time where I need to love myself.

Rachel (35:43)

Okay.

Julie Duffy Dillon (35:55)

enough to lose weight for me. And a lot of the contestants were able to talk about the money side and the problematic side of it, but they still couldn’t like, they didn’t show them talking about how like harmful the show was in some long-term ways. And that’s the other thing that I’ve been privy to is some contestants talking about how it has caused autoimmune disorders for them.

⁓ or like, or in eating disorders too. You know, there was one person on the show or on this documentary who named that they came home with an eating disorder and never had one. And, but I know there’s more person, more than just that one person who experienced that. ⁓ So there was, it kind of felt like more weight loss propaganda more than anything.

And I’m like, what are they teeing up? Is this going to be, are folks on there going to be the GLP-1 spokespeople that we’re going to be seeing?

Rachel (37:04)

thought it was really interesting and did feel very out of place there was in that last episode there was like a few minutes where all of the sudden like all of the interviewees were talking about GLP ones and like the magic of GLP ones. It was like where it just it just felt very like shoved in there. it didn’t really I mean it fit.

Julie Duffy Dillon (37:21)

Hmm.

Hmm.

Yeah, what is it? What’s it prepping us

for?

Rachel (37:34)

Right. It did feel almost a little bit like to your point, like, is this prepping us for? Yeah.

Julie Duffy Dillon (37:39)

Mm-hmm.

The Biggest Loser branded GLP-1. Why not, right? Yeah. And I’m just thinking about this in real time, but like, right when this documentary dropped is also when Jillian Michaels was on CNN talking about how slavery wasn’t that big of a deal and how few white people actually owned slaves. Did you all come listen to that? I know.

Rachel (37:43)

Right.

Coleen (38:04)

Yeah.

Rachel (38:06)

Unfortunately,

or fortunately for me, I did not know about that.

Julie Duffy Dillon (38:12)

my gosh. I mean, you can find them on TikTok. It’s so horrible. And it just really, it makes sense. Even though Jillian Michaels wasn’t interviewed, they had that as like a little snapshot at the end. Like Jillian Michaels did not agree to be interviewed for this documentary. But right around that same time, she’s on CNN minimizing slavery, ⁓ talking about ⁓

gender identity in a way that is very transphobic and ⁓ yeah, like lots of MAGA talking points basically. it just, without saying it out loud, it was saying, no, I mean, she kind of was saying it out loud, ⁓ about the connection with racism and weight. So. ⁓

That’s what I think if maybe someone can do a better job at this kind of documentary and a real expose and connect all these dots that are just hanging there so visibly to the three of us, like to show how harmful this was and how it is connected to oppressive systems. Alas, it didn’t happen in this one.

Coleen (39:14)

Hmm.

I think something that we all do when we see things like this, and I want to name this, Julie, because you also said, you know, every time I thought about this, like I kind of questioned this or I thought about this as just really using our critical thinking when we see this type of content, right? And I think, you know, that’s a helpful reminder to me too, when I see an advertisement or something for a GLP one, like question, okay, who’s paying for this?

what benefit is this truly giving to a person? Really asking those tough questions, those critical thinking questions, because chances are the answers are maybe not at surface level. Maybe it’s a little bit deeper than we’re thinking about on that surface. And I think just as content like this kind of comes back around, like,

I saw a really, it was a great Instagram post the other day. I wish I could remember who the content creator was. If I think of it, I’ll make sure that it gets dropped into the show notes, but it was like a side by side of a celebrity, you know, potentially at a higher weight body. Generally all of these celebrities were people who identify as women. And then there would be all these comments about how this person looked in this higher weight body. And then on the other side,

it was like after they had announced they were potentially on a GLP-1, then that it would be all these terrible comments about like them needing to use a GLP-1 to get into a smaller size body. So it’s just like, it was a really great visual about like, man, people like who identify in a higher weight body, it doesn’t matter what we do, right? Like we’re damned if we do, we’re damned if we don’t. and so I think just to,

Julie Duffy Dillon (41:00)

Mmm. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Coleen (41:20)

like take it back to that critical thinking and remind yourself of like, you know, what are my values? Like that is at the base of like what, you know, what makes me a kind human to another human being? Like what, I don’t know, I just feel like there’s just so much more space in our world for that kind of kindness and like humility and just, you know, some more critical thought about like what’s actually happening.

really under all of these layers of what we might see on the surface.

Julie Duffy Dillon (41:55)

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, I wish the people who made the documentary were using those critical thinking skills. That may be a little unkind that I’m saying. I mean, yeah. ⁓

Rachel (42:09)

kind.

Coleen (42:11)

So as we

wrap up our conversation today, how do we flip the script? Like, how do we make things better?

Julie Duffy Dillon (42:23)

Do you wanna go first, Coleen, or you want, what do you wanna do?

Coleen (42:24)

Sure.

I think that I touched on it a little bit. think some of that kindness can really help. And whether that’s even just starting with you, your own self, ⁓ I think that helps fill our cup a little bit more for that kindness to kind of flow over. ⁓ But I also think that

in this particular case with this, you from what I’m hearing about this, because yeah, I did not watch it, but I really wish there was some option for, you know, anyone who was on that show before to come on and share their true, like, you know, true experience about maybe some of the things that it brought up for them and how they’re healing from some of those, I mean,

I don’t know if trauma is the right word, but maybe it is trauma. ⁓ And so I would have liked to hear about that kind of experience because it might have helped me heal a little bit of that trauma too.

Julie Duffy Dillon (43:21)

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, I think the way to flip the script is for accountability for people who were involved in the show to say, I’m sorry. Was there any I’m sorrys, Rachel? I don’t remember. Like, I think Bob Harper said something like, well, it was a different time. I think that’s about as far as he got to like, I shouldn’t have done it.

Rachel (43:59)

Yeah.

He also like was so smug the whole time.

Julie Duffy Dillon (44:06)

He was a dick.

He was like such an asshole, basically. I mean, I don’t know how else to describe it besides, yeah, very smug. Gosh, I’m totally like, he made me cuss just so early in the morning. ⁓ yeah. Yeah, that’s exactly the smugness. ⁓ And you know, like the thing that was really was, ⁓

made a lot of news is when Bob Harper had a heart attack and ⁓ no one said anything like, here’s this guy that exercises a lot and is very thin and he had a heart attack before his contestants. Like, I know it’s like a small study and small sample size, but like, what about that? And of course people are gonna say, well, that’s just like a genetic or something like that, but.

Rachel (45:03)

But I think, I mean, I think that that, right. And again, like they could have talked about this, maybe the facts that, you know, the, the fear mongering of like, well, you’re in a higher weight body. therefore like, you’re going to have a heart attack, you’re going to get diabetes, you’re going to have high blood pressure, all of these things. And I think Bob Harper is a good example of, well, really there are so many contributing factors to.

Julie Duffy Dillon (45:20)

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (45:33)

If you end up with these diseases and like lifestyle and body size are this teeny tiny portion of the wider picture, including social determinants of health, including genetics is huge. so losing weight is not this like guarantee that you will be healthy.

Julie Duffy Dillon (45:48)

Mm-hmm.

And it may even actually make matters

worse. Yeah. That’s such a great point. Yes. Yeah, like none of us are getting out of here alive. Like there’s no cure to death. And so we can take care of ourselves and promote health. And also like we can take care of each other to promote health. And yeah, I wish there was more on that. they

Rachel (46:03)

Exactly.

Coleen (46:21)

Mm-hmm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (46:25)

The other thing, like the way that I think that this could have been a better documentary, like how we could flip the script on it is like include more fat activists, ⁓ more Aubrey Gordon and other people. There’s so many people who have studied this, who have lived this and don’t be afraid of the conversations that are messy and not finished. ⁓

Coleen (46:33)

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (46:55)

But I think that’s a really hard thing for the United States. It’s to show our cards, to admit fault. think collectively it’s just not something that the country we live in, those in power like to do. that’s the way it felt like just more of that same old bullshit. So why not just leave it messy? Because it is, it’s a fucking mess. And

Coleen (47:20)

Mm.

Julie Duffy Dillon (47:22)

It has to be a mess in order for us to take better care of each other.

Coleen (47:28)

What about you, Rachel?

Rachel (47:31)

I mean, I think.

Julie Duffy Dillon (47:34)

Is it a lost cause?

Rachel (47:37)

I mean, I don’t think it’s a lost cause. Like think we’ve talked about a lot of things that could have improved the documentary. And I think that, yeah, accountability is, was the number one thing. think that, ⁓ like a small thing in talking about like improving the show, not necessarily a documentary. I think maybe it was the contestant, Danny again, had said something like, well, we asked, could there be some sort of aftercare for, know, finish this?

this show and you’ve been working out eight hours a day and you’re in this bubble, can we have some mental health support, some nutrition, some sort of aftercare to help ease the transition back into real life? And they’re like, no, we don’t have the money for it.

Julie Duffy Dillon (48:16)

Mm-hmm.

They have like retreat centers. Remember they have like all that stuff.

Rachel (48:34)

Yes.

Yeah. And so I just think, yeah, accountability, support, and this isn’t necessarily improving the documentary, but I think that this conversation and I think the documentary conversations are in GLP ones, just the world we live in right now in general, I think people on higher weight bodies just like really have to.

take care and protect themselves because we’re being bombarded from so many angles about weight loss again and it’s taxing and it’s totally okay if Coleen was like, I need to protect my piece and not watch this documentary. If you decide I need to opt out of this social thing that everyone’s talking about for my mental health, that’s totally okay.

Julie Duffy Dillon (49:11)

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, yeah, I agree. ⁓

Coleen (49:37)

Well this one won’t be packaged with a pretty bow. We probably won’t be walking away from this one with the warm fuzzies, but I think that’s okay.

Julie Duffy Dillon (49:45)

Maybe after we hang up, we can have some warm fuzzy time and just like take care of each other. Well, thank you for the conversation and listener, let us know if you watched it, what you thought, if you didn’t watch it, what you thought, you know, yeah. Yes, it’s certainly a sign of the times, that’s for sure. What a time to be alive. ⁓ goodness. Well, thank you, team.

Coleen (49:52)

Yeah.

Yeah, we’d love to hear it.

Rachel (50:10)

You

Coleen (50:13)

Thanks, bye.

Julie Duffy Dillon (50:17)

So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this episode of Find Your Food Voice with me and the team. Take care of yourself after listening to this one. And like I said earlier, I hope you can let us know what you thought about the documentary and what you wish they included, what you got out of it. Let’s keep the conversation going. And the place to do that is over on Substack. That’s where I host my newsletter and you can get to it at findyourfoodvoice.substack.com.

Our next episode is a letter episode, a dear food letter episode with special guest, Bonnie Roney from the Diet Culture Rebel podcast. But until then, take care.