Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition

Normally I don't watch the show but something about Sally grabbed my attention. Maybe she reminded me of so many women I've known. Weighing in at over 300 pounds was shocking. I don't know why since we've all seen this type of show in the past. Maybe it was the sadness in her eyes as she spoke about her three year old son. She wanted to be alive to raise him with her husband. Her story was a bit different from most. She was not an overweight child. She gained weight after a terrible accident that broke her leg and ankle in several places. After being examined by her physician she was cleared to proceed with the personal trainer, the star of the show. I don't know about you but if I had come home from a trip away for extensive personal training I probably would be thinking about the comfort of my home and being surrounded by all the things that I love. While Sally was away the trainer's "team" renovated her living room and kitchen. They removed her sofa, TV and other items, painted the walls bright blue and moved exercise equipment into the space. They had cleaned out and organized her kitchen so there was nothing left that wasn't on her meal plan. I can't imagine how difficult this must have been for her husband and son. To top it off there was a camera mounted in the ceiling pointed at the exercise equipment so the trainer could log onto his computer and see what she was up to. Sally could never reach her weight loss goals so everyone was very disappointed in her. She had plenty of excuses...some of them legitimate. Eventually she was sent to see a counselor to get to the root of her food issues. In my opinion the counselor should have been the first stop not the last. Many people overeat to comfort themselves because they have not successfully dealt with emotional traumas and issues. Self-loathing is usually lurking underneath the surface from one diet failure after another. It took Sally a year to lose the weight through regular, daily exercise and eating fresh foods in proper proportions. She qualified to receive surgery to remove 6 square feet of loose skin. Recovering from that kind of surgery must be very painful. The show ended with her looking very beautiful and happy. I hope that her husband, who didn't look very supportive in the beginning, will help her keep the weight from coming back on. It's important for anyone living in the home of a morbidly obese person to do their part by not bringing fattening foods and beverages into the home. No one has that kind of willpower day in and day out and will eventually fall back into unhealthy behaviors. Here's the episode on ABC: http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/extreme-makeover-weight-loss-edition/episode-guide/207-sally