AURORA | Reality is more real for Aurorans who watch the ABC show “Extreme Weight Loss”, a show that helps people lose up to half their body weight.
The University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center is involved in the show offering weight loss and management, fitness and nutrition tips. Dr. Holly Wyatt, the medical director of the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center and the show, uses behavioral treatment, diet and exercise to help obese people lose weight and gain control of their lives.
“I am involved in all the medical issues of the show when the contestants are on the campus for phase one boot camp, and I follow them throughout the show. I make sure the benefit of being on the show is greater than the risks,” said Wyatt, who is the medical director of “Extreme Weight Loss.”
The Health and Wellness Center helps the contestants understand weight loss. The show helps motivate, inspire and can be directly applied to people at home whether they want to lose 30 or 150 pounds. People watching the show at home can be empowered to make a difference, according to Wyatt.
Wyatt explained how many of the cases and a lot of what the participants go through on the show are extreme, but the aspect of changing their life is the same as to what viewers see at home.
“Getting used to working out for an hour, rather than six hours a day as seen on the show is still a change people need to go through,” she said.
The show is still about making changes in their lives and getting used to that change. Getting up early and planning ahead of time to workout applies to the contestants and people watching at home, she said.
“Getting uncomfortable in your own body and figuring out why each individual wants to go through this transformation and lose the weight applies to everyone, not just people with extreme cases,” Wyatt said.
The Health and Wellness Center helps with more than transforming peoples bodies, it is also about who they are as individuals, she added.
The show began May 27 and runs through the summer.