Last week, I posted the part 1 of a 3-part series of my interview with Kai Hibbard, a Biggest Loser finalist who, despite lawsuit threats from NBC and other threats from Biggest Loser fans, had the courage to talk to me about her experiences on the show.

Just The Biggest

The Biggest Loser is a mammoth juggernaut of a show.  It’s already in its 8th season, and I read tweets every day about people auditioning for season 9.  Trainer Jillian Michaels now has her own show.  There is tons of Biggest Loser themed merchandise, from mugs to scales to Nintendo Wii games.  And, at that, the premise of the show is that it makes fat people, who the show assumes are ALL unhealthy, into allegedly healthy, thin people.

Why Kai

And that’s what I loved about interviewing Kai: she debunked those nonsensical claims with the truth of her experience.  She was willing to share what it was like to dehydrate one’s body for weigh-ins.  She was willing to discuss how the pressure she felt pushed her into severe psychological stress that resulted in an eating disorder.  In other words, she was willing to smash the image of health that the Biggest Loser tries so hard to create.

I wanted to share Kai’s voice because, truthfully, I hope that her words will ebb the flow of fat people who line up to be treated like crap on the Biggest Loser.

For the most part, the blog commenters who reflected on the post were coming   from a place similar to mine.  They expressed gratitude to Kai for being brave enough to share her story and were glad to see that their assumptions about what really happens at the Biggest Loser ranch were confirmed by Kai’s interview.

Reflections

But I want to address two sets of comments that really gave me pause.  The first were those commenters who felt that because she still promotes intentional weight loss (and a diet supplement) that her words are somehow less trustworthy.  The others were those commenters who displayed a "she knew what she was getting into so she has no right to   complain" attitude.

Regarding Intentional Weight Loss & Selling Diet Pills

After Kai contacted me to do the interview, I googled her and saw that, indeed, she does promote a weight loss supplement.   To be honest, that worried me because of what that seeming incongruity might do to her credibility when I posted our interview on my blog.

As Lesley noted over at one of my favorite blogs, Fatshionista:

"In the interest of full disclosure, though she may be anti-Biggest Loser, Kai is still very pro-weight-loss, and may be shilling diet pills.  So, grain of salt."

When I interviewed her, I decided not to ask her about it, because I was more interested in her story and her experiences on the Biggest Loser.

But here’s the thing, when you think about it, the fact that she still believes in intentional weight loss doesn’t affect her credibility at all.  It might even enhance it.  She’s not someone who, like me, believes strongly in Health At Every Size, Fat Acceptance, fat pride, etc. and who would be very happy if every diet program went out of business for good.  She may think that weight loss is an appropriate and worthwhile goal (in fact, it seems obvious that she does). Yet, she still has every right to be offended by the harmful treatment of herself and that of her fellow contestants, and the fact that she would speak out against it, despite her pro-weight loss stance, only lends credibility to the depth and breadth of the invidious actions of the Biggest Loser.

Additionally, I think that nearly all of us in the Fat Acceptance and Health At Every Size communities once believed that dieting and intentional weight loss were good - even healthy.  So, it’s important that we welcome people, particularly open-minded people, into our discourse. I ask that you, no matter where you are in your journey, be open to what Kai has to say.

Regarding Those Commenters With A "She Knew What She Was Getting Into & Has No Right To Complain" Attitude

I was rather appalled at this line of though, I must say.  I’m not sure why anyone would think that they have the right to excuse harmful behavior because someone "knew what they were getting into." Many of you expressed an incredibly blase attitude about the way reality show contestants are treated in general, and yet, just because something is a common practice, it doesn’t make it right.  In fact, because the contestants are sequestered and kept away from family, friends, and the outside world, the producers should have a higher obligation to treat them well.  Intentional mental and physical abuse is criminal, whether that person signed a piece of paper or not.  If you can’t have a little compassion for the situation, please don’t bother to comment further.

Next Wednesday you can read the second part of my interview with Kai Hibbard with an open mind and a compassionate heart - as I know you’re inclined to do.

Oh! And, please join me for my next FREE teleclass—How To Feel Sexy At Any Size.  Click here to register!

Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness. She counsels women and men throughout the country on how to get off the dieting roller coaster, give their bodies what they really crave, and love their bodies and themselves. Golda's counseling and activism work have been featured on CBS's The Early Show, ABC's Nightline and Time Out New York. For more support with healing your relationship with food and your body, get your free copy of Golda's Top Ten Tips For Divine Dining by clicking here.