Self-help shows intrigue me. Even when I have a day full oftasks to accomplish, I can turn on the television and get lost insomeone else's problems. I will never see the guests in person. Iwill never know how their appearances on the show affected theirlives unless the hosts treats their viewers to follow-upepisodes.
Because I love these shows, I enjoyed viewing Dr. Phil -- untila recent trip to the grocery store, where I found Dr. Phil's newestventure.
Dr. Phil's "Shape Up" Bars are a meal replacement andweight-loss aide. They look just like any other nutrition bar, butI felt betrayed at the sight of them.
Dr. Phil, though just like any other television mental-healthprofessional, always struck me as a little more realistic. He has aget-down-to-business attitude, in which he forces people to facethe real issues behind their lives' problems.
His motto is splashed on his Web site: "Get real. Get Smart. GetGoing."
He never advocated the use of meal supplements before. He alwaysstressed that guests should find the inner demons that forced themto hit the fast-food drive-thru three times a day. I never thoughtthat he meant getting real equaled running to the store and buyinga weight-loss supplement.
Dr. Phil never stresses dieting. He advocates lifestyle changes.The new products make me believe that the lifestyle changes mustinclude budgeting for his $2.99-a-piece meal bar.
The idea of putting therapists on television is clever. Itbrings some sound advice to the people who do not have the time,the resources or the confidence to seek help for mental conditions.It might also give some viewers or readers the willpower to do whatthey need to do to improve their lives.
When therapists of any sort get out to the public and giveself-help advice of any kind, they need to be aware of what theycould encounter. People will try to market these people and theirideas, and there is nothing wrong with writing books, selling tapesor giving seminars. These are informational resources that peoplemight need, but for someone who advocates weight-loss methodsthrough lifestyles changes, cashing in on food products isinconsiderate.
It is absolutely demeaning to the people who seek his help. Itsays, "I really don't think you can accomplish this with real food,exercise and portion control."
Meal-on-the-go bars, though popular, will not solve everynutrition problem. I thought a professional with a doctorate inpsychology who used to run his own practice would advocatethis.
Dr. Phil's Weight Loss Challenge seemed like a great way to showpeople that weight loss is not a problem with food, but gettingdown to real emotions and mentalities. I thought that theme wouldstay true outside of his show.
Write to Lauren at lmphillips@bsu.edu
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