I attempted to share some of my thoughts on obesity and health issues, and how NBC was in a unique position to speak to the problem with their huge audience for semi-reality show Biggest Loser.

I attempted to comment on Ali’s blog. Alison Sweeny is apparently a very popular soap star from daytime TV. She started what I read as a pretty heartfelt blog about the show and the participants and weight loss. This was followed by a long string of very deep comments how how beautiful she is, wishing her a happy birthday, and from one 14 year old who had been a fan since he was age 4. You let your 4 year old watch soaps??

I suggested in a comment to Ms Sweeny that she might use her influence on the show to see if they would consider 5 minutes per episode to an earnest discussion of the devastating health impacts of obesity. I offered my last post as an example of the type of conversation that could be kickstarted through such a popular show. That comment never made it past the comment gestapo.

I had commented on Dr Jen’s blog a week or so ago about how great I thought it was that they were having a health professional answer obesity related questions. I suggested that she take the opportunity to take the subjects beyond what to do with the excess skin after weight loss and address some of the deadly consequences of  not dealing with weight loss, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. I looked today and can’t find my comment.

I went to the Biggest Loser comment boards today in an attempt to find somewhere to comment and was greeted with the following:

“The error returned was:

Sorry, you do not have permission to reply to that topic”

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that they don’t want anyone suggesting that there is any focus here other than their little contest. This country is swimming in obesity and rather than take a few minutes to address the downside of that issue, they want to use the whole program, every single minute, to ensure drama driven advertising dollars.

Bottom line. NBC’s Biggest Loser has the potential to be everything they want and have a dramatic impact on obesity education. They are missing, no, ignoring, an opportunity to make a huge difference in the health of this nation. So far, NBC is winning the program. They are the Biggest Loser.

Will I continue the posts on my blog about the impact of obesity on health and life insurance? Of course, someone needs to talk about the issues.