Losing It with Jillian!: Episode 1- Thoughts. . .

Losing It is a very different concept from The Biggest Loser. Some pros, some cons, but overall I enjoyed the show and thought Jillian Michaels held her own without Bob and Ali by her side.

The first and biggest difference? The show is ONLY one hour in length. By the time I had gotten the old live tweeting engine in full throttle the show was over. I like that it's a breeze to watch and easy to blog about, leaving me some more time to do other things with my day. I am sure that Jillian would want that! I did find it hard to connect with the family and their journey when there are so many characters and issues and only one hour to solve them.

This first episode focused on a "larger than life" Italian family in Wilminton, MA. There is a neck pillow wearing dad, a sausage and peppers cooking mom, a Marilyn pierced daughter, tattooed son, and an even more tattooed daughter's fiancee. The dad and daughter both had gone through gastric bypass surgery but it hasn't fixed them on the inside. The mom has lost and gained weight many times. The son is heavy as a side effect. The family suffers from lack of communication due to a death that occurred at the beginning of the couple's marriage: They lost their son one month after he was born and hadn't ever tried to grieve together. As a result, the family ate their feelings and their family bond and waistlines spiraled out of control.

Heavy, right? Add to that the daughter's pending nuptials in six weeks and you get why I feel we may need a little more time. The Biggest Loser almost spends too much time crafting the characters. Maybe since Losing It is not a show based on votes and game play we can skim over the particulars.

Jillian comes to the family in her usual style with a not so great catch phrase: "You asked and I came!" I think it should be "I am here to kick your ass!", but maybe that isn't so family friendly.

Side note on the family friendly: NBC, why put the show on at 10? Who wants to wait that late? I know the show goes back to 8 pm next week, but why not start there? Oy, Conan was right. . . Don't even get me started.

Anyhoo, Jillian meets them at the gym and the family manages to quit within 5 minutes and get into a shouting match. After Jillian "leaves", the family decides they really DO want the change, and decide to stick it out. So, workout section complete.

Now to diet. The family eats fried chicken, instant mashed potatoes with ADDED butter, and no veggies. The dad even states that if there is anything green in the fridge it is because it's moldy. Didn't the surgeon that performed the gastric bypass give them ANY recommendations for after care? The surgery didn't stick for the dad, and the daughter is just a matter of time. Jillian wakes up early and takes the daughter to shop and to educate her on standing up to her family and forcing them to make the right decisions.

Now to the insides. Jillian takes the mom for a walk and she spills about the loss of her son and how her husband never would deal with it.

Then there is another workout. The mom has turned into a mini Jillian, pushing her husband to the limit.

Then the insides. Family meeting is called and Jillian gets the mom to open up to the family about the loss of their son. Pictures are shown of the child and everyone cries. IT WAS A TOUGH MOMENT. Jillian is not playing with her fully loaded and cocked mind bullet gun.

Then the outsides. The family goes shopping for the daughter's wedding and is unhappy that their outfits don't fit and vow that by the wedding day they will be in better shape. Over dinner Jillian blasts the daughter for turning her parent's compliments about her in her wedding dress to something negative. Which leads to. . .

The insides. And a workout. At the final workout, Jillian gets the daughter to open up about still feeling like a fat kid and urges her to let it go while performing crunches. Then she makes the family talk about their goals for the future. Then there is a group hug.

And it is time for Jillian to go. Much like Mary Poppins, she packs her carpet bag and flies on the wind with her magical umbrella to the next family who needs her.

6 weeks later. . .the daughter is getting married and everyone looks like they are on the road to recovery. Dad has lost 48 pounds, mom has lost 34 pounds, son has lost 25 pounds, and daughter finally feels beautiful.

Mission accomplished.

My questions are what happened in those six weeks? How long did Jillian work them out while she was there? Did she sleep in the house? Who taught them how to cook? I feel like I am watching Lost.

Next week: Hoarding. And weight loss. And grief. And family issues. Looks like a doozie. Get 'em, Jillian!