Supersize vs Superskinny (Channel 4 UK)

[1300 Class]

I happened to spot this on the homepage of channel 4 when I was going to their 'net games page. Anyway, is it positive, negative or merely explotation or sensational pseaudo science? I don't recall any threads about it.

Documentary series in which two extreme eaters - one very overweight and the other severely underweight - swap diets in an attempt to change the way they view food and eating

Anyone watched it? Its in its second season apparantly.

[Angellore]

I saw the last series when I was still dieting. Thinking back to it now I remember even then, when I was very body negative how damaging it was. They get someone who eats 'too much' (their words, not mine) and someone who 'doesn't eat enough' (ditto) and get them to live together, I think for a week, and they swap diets. I saw most of the episodes. It's oretty much car crash TV. Same format each week. Usually the fat person eats a cooked breakfast, takeaway for lunch, massive dinner, several chocolate bars, sweets, crisps, cookies etc all day, washed down with litres and litres of coke. The skinny person would only eat say one meal a day and that would just be a sandwich or something. When they swap diets you can see that it is hell for both of them, but they've volunteered, I suppose.

I think it gives the impression that all fat people eat everything thay can get there hands on, and of course, when they are deprived from their food it turns them into angry, sometimes very nasty people, which I think gives a very negative view too. The fat person is almost always over 300lbs and the skinny person under 120lbs. They always point out that the fat person weighs 2 or 3 or 4 times what the skinny person does. And they weigh both in their underwear before and after the experiment, with close ups on the tummy, hips, bum and celulite on the fat, and jutting bones on the skinny.

I would say that overall it is negative on both the fat and the skinny.

The anooying thing is, that when they go back to the volunteers after 2 months the fat one has always lost and the skinny one has always gained, using 'the knowledge they learned during the experiment'. Grr.

I won;t be watching this next series as I know it will make me angry.

[Jon Blaze]

Yea. I've watched it. Angellore is right on point. It's a little reality, a little Pseudo, and some exploitation.

[missy_blue_eyez]

Its ridiculous and just really repetative to be honest. Same thing week in, week out. I must say though they are equally as negative towards both sides. I remember watching one of the episodes where the superskinny was a guy who worked in construction and literally all he ate all day was junk, pretty much 2 bags of crisps and a bacon roll and then would get through the rest of the day popping caffeine pills. They came down hard on him and I gotta say in comparison the supersized persons diet was really quite wholesome in that case.

I have just watched quite an interesting doc on channel 4 by the very lovely Gok Wan - Too Fat, Too Young its called. He's quite sympathetic in it and that and he even did an interview with Dawn French whom promoted the 'Happily Fat' aesthetic which was a nice change to see on T.V.

[Angellore]

Originally Posted by missy_blue_eyez

I have just watched quite an interesting doc on channel 4 by the very lovely Gok Wan - Too Fat, Too Young its called. He's quite sympathetic in it and that and he even did an interview with Dawn French whom promoted the 'Happily Fat' aesthetic which was a nice change to see on T.V.

I missed that because it was on at the same time as CSI, and I won;t miss that for anything! But I love Gok and will watch it if it is repeated.

[weights-gal]

Originally Posted by Angellore

I think it gives the impression that all fat people eat everything thay can get there hands on, and of course, when they are deprived from their food it turns them into angry, sometimes very nasty people, which I think gives a very negative view too.

I remember at least one episode where the larger lady at some pretty good meals: good meat, fish, and had fresh veggies or salad with each meal. Fantastic desserts too, she was a real foodie. the only thing the doctor could say was that she at "too much" of it. He did comments that it was good nutritious food.

On the flip side the skinny guy would eat crisps or a bar of chocolate as a meal.

when it came to diet swapping, the larger lady refused to eat the junk food. not in a nasty way... she just said she wouldn't put that stuff in her body. it was the skinny guy who got mean and defensive in that program hopefully viewers learned to reform their ideas!

[Pookie]

Originally Posted by weights-gal

I remember at least one episode where the larger lady at some pretty good meals: good meat, fish, and had fresh veggies or salad with each meal. Fantastic desserts too, she was a real foodie. the only thing the doctor could say was that she at "too much" of it. He did comments that it was good nutritious food.

On the flip side the skinny guy would eat crisps or a bar of chocolate as a meal.

when it came to diet swapping, the larger lady refused to eat the junk food. not in a nasty way... she just said she wouldn't put that stuff in her body. it was the skinny guy who got mean and defensive in that program hopefully viewers learned to reform their ideas!

Yes I recall that episode, it was nice to see shown that fat people dont sit chomping chocolate all the time, I KNOW my Dr doesn't believe me when I say I dont eat it, nor sweets really... its the vast huge portions of lovely fresh made good food that does me in :P

It is totally sensationalist TV, obesity epidemic/wave/time bomb fuel(whichever buzz word they prefer).

[weights-gal]

Originally Posted by Pookie

Yes I recall that episode, it was nice to see shown that fat people dont sit chomping chocolate all the time, I KNOW my Dr doesn't believe me when I say I dont eat it, nor sweets really... its the vast huge portions of lovely fresh made good food that does me in :P

oh yeah, good food FTW!! (which is why low-carb dieting worked for me anmd not nasty milkshake diets; on a verrrrrrrry quiet side note)

Originally Posted by Pookie

It is totally sensationalist TV, obesity epidemic/wave/time bomb fuel(whichever buzz word they prefer).

They've added the 'time bomb' element to this series by taking the larger participants to visit a lady who is a immobile and needs help with everything including her personal care.

[missy_blue_eyez]

Originally Posted by weights-gal

I remember at least one episode where the larger lady at some pretty good meals: good meat, fish, and had fresh veggies or salad with each meal. Fantastic desserts too, she was a real foodie. the only thing the doctor could say was that she at "too much" of it. He did comments that it was good nutritious food.

On the flip side the skinny guy would eat crisps or a bar of chocolate as a meal.

when it came to diet swapping, the larger lady refused to eat the junk food. not in a nasty way... she just said she wouldn't put that stuff in her body. it was the skinny guy who got mean and defensive in that program hopefully viewers learned to reform their ideas!

Originally Posted by Pookie

Yes I recall that episode, it was nice to see shown that fat people dont sit chomping chocolate all the time, I KNOW my Dr doesn't believe me when I say I dont eat it, nor sweets really... its the vast huge portions of lovely fresh made good food that does me in :P

It is totally sensationalist TV, obesity epidemic/wave/time bomb fuel(whichever buzz word they prefer).

Yeh I think this is the episode I saw with the caffeine pill popping skinny guy. I remember the large lady had a very wholesome nutritious diet and like you say just ate large amounts of what she was eating. I remember her refusing to eat what he had, and also trying to sustain herself on caffeine pills, was ridiculous. I havent seen this new series, but Im not liking the immobility shock tactic, talk about sensationalist!!!!

[Ruby Ripples]

What Angellore said.

I watched part of one episode, and when I saw that they made the participants swap diets for a week, I stopped watching in disgust. There is no reason for that, other than for dubious "entertainment" purposes. The programme is supposed to be about encouraging both people to eat healthily, so to force them to eat unhealthily for a week first, is stupid and unneccessary.

[CurvyEm]

The 'immobile' person is like 26 stone (364lbs) though lol

[knives]

Sounds boring, isn't that a cardinal sin for teevee?

[weights-gal]

Originally Posted by CurvyEm

The 'immobile' person is like 26 stone (364lbs) though lol

y'know, I didn't even stop and think that she was "only" 364 lbs! there are lots of people that get to like 500lbs and can still take care of themselves.

I wonder if there are health issues that haven't been mentioned that could have contributed to her immobility

[fatgirl33]

I saw this for the first time last week, and I just found seeing the anorexic woman on the show was too painful & disturbing to watch. I didn't last more than ten minutes.

Brenda

[mergirl]

Well, the upside is you get to see a fat person in their underwear!
That was the only reason i used to watch it. But i have a real HATE for psudo science and fake 'stories of bravery through adversity'!! Like, 'Celebrity Fit club' there is all this fake science and lifestyle crap in it but really people watch it to see Fat Celebs Humiliate themselves by going on strops and breaking down. Its like the Mauri Povich show.. it totally pretends to be a show with..'stories of bravery through adversity'.. when infact it is a modern day freak show. They should really just have circus music at the begining and Mauri dressed as a ringmaster. 'Roll up Roll up..come see the albino dwarf and really fat man get ready for their wedding day'.. i dont actually know if that was ACTUALLY a show, but they are all along the same lines. I only ever watched them on the off chance i would see a fat person in their underwear!

[Pookie]

Originally Posted by mergirl

Well, the upside is you get to see a fat person in their underwear!

Actually lol this is interesting, as I am curious as to how weight and size can vary so much. Last nights, the woman is just over 18 stone, but she looks bigger in the body than I am at a few stone heavier, then sombody about my weight who looked less in several ways and when a woman of my weight was actually immobile and looked much much bigger.

Its interesting how muscle amount and tone can affect things so much.

[Pearlover90000]

What channel was this show on in the USA?

Just wondering.

THX

PL