There is no denying that the Gulf region receives many of its popular culture influences from the West, especially when it comes to food and entertainment. It may be time to take another, healthier cue in stressing proper diet and physical exercise by imitating one of America's popular TV shows, The Biggest Loser, and adapting the format to a locally produced program. TV formats are regularly copied and localized (with proper licensing fees paid, of course) around the world. The massively popular American Idol, itself a clone of a British show, has been adapted in the Middle East with poetry as the medium. Now, a pilot program is currently in production in Kuwait to replicate The Biggest Loser, the American version of which can be seen on MBC. There is no reason the same thing cannot be done in Saudi Arabia, combining entertainment with a health message to attract viewers while drawing attention to the obesity epidemic that has swept the region. In the American version, obese contestants work under the supervision of a physical fitness expert to knock off the kilos. Weekly weigh-ins are the highlight of each episode with those losing the least amount of weight eliminated from the competition. In the end, the person losing the most weight is the winner. There's no evidence that The Biggest Loser has had any effect on the obesity rate in the US or elsewhere. There can be little doubt, however, that it has inspired a good many people to emulate the successful dieters on the show and to make an attempt to lose their own extra weight. It is impossible not to be inspired by someone you have watched shed 100 kilos. In Saudi Arabia, there has been a lot of talk about the obesity crisis and it seems logical to begin to combat it with one of the major factors in its rise: television. The inactivity associated with the couch potato syndrome has been partially responsible for many Saudis' weight gain. As long as overweight Saudis are glued to the TV, it's time to use the TV to get them off their duffs. __
