The groundbreaking 10-part mini-series, Village on A Diet, premiered last night on CBC. It showcases the people of the small town of Taylor, British Columbia and their quest to lose a collective 2,000 pounds in three months.
Taylor, home to 14,000 residents, 60% of whom are either overweight or obese, has decided as a community to shed the pounds together and become a healthy place for themselves and their children.
Glen Cross, the groundskeeper at the local golf course, heads up the three-month exercise with a team of weight-loss experts — Dr. Ali Zentner, who was obese herself a few years ago; trainers Garfield Wilson and Mike Veinot; psychologist Adele Fox; and Chef Jonathan Chovancek, who will take care of the menus and the cooking along with project dietitian, Maria Thomas.
To figure out how much the town needed to lose the experts got the townsfolk to jump on a tractor scale to be weighed. The result? The community came in at a whooping 28,754 pounds, 1 ton over what they should be.
The Goal?
Lose 2,000 pounds in 10 weeks.
While the show focuses on all parts of the city – from the parents to the kids to the popular pizza spot — every person had their own story to tell about why they wanted to lose the weight.
Jamie, in her mid-20s, is a bride-to-be and wants to lose weight for the big day. Her goal is to lose enough weight to look stunning in her wedding dress.
Colleen Fraser, 47 and at 5-foot-6 a hefty 268 pounds, is worried about her grandchildren. One is only 16 months old and is already considered obese. As the participants go in to get their body/age tests done, Colleen’s tells her she has the body of a 70-year-old . She breaks down when she hears this, but with Dr. Zentner and the rest of the team at her side she is confident she can lose the pounds and help her family.
The experts encourage the citizens through various work-outs like jogging the golf course, doing aerobics and even sorting out the bad foods from the good foods in their fridge — the hardest part for many.
The series is reality TV at its finest. It’s a personal and in-depth look at how a community can come together to help their neighbours and themselves. It’s a celebration of fellowship and hard work.
Catch all the weight loss trials and triumphs every Monday night at 9 on CBC.
For more on Village on a Diet you can check out their website here.
I just read your article which was a great synopsis of Village on a Diet. Just to clarify, I am a registered Psychologist, not a physiologist. My job is to work on the psychological aspect of weight loss and using your brain to be most effective. I look forward to Canadians taking charge of their health and wellness this year!
Thank you so much for clarifying, I have fixed it up the error. Village on a Diet is a great show and we are looking forward to seeing the results of this tremendous effort.
To clarify, Adele Fox is a registered psychologist, not a physiologist.
Hi Adele. Thank you for the comment. Sorry about that mix-up. Looking forward on watching the rest of the series!. Cheers.
Hi no problem. sorry to have posted twice. I wasn’t sure if the first one had gone through! regards, adele fox. http://www.myndcare.com