What If 'American Idol' Judged Weight Loss...

An estimated 37 million Americans watched 'Idol' debut

The runaway blockbuster cultural phenomenon "American Idol" debuted for Season 6 on Tuesday night with another record-breaking two-hour television performance that attracted 37.3 million Americans to watch the best and the worst singers from Minneapolis, Minnesota. This show has become synonymous with our culture because it is people living the American dream and having the opportunity to realize that dream come true.

That's one of the reasons why I LOVE it so much. So, yes, count me among those who tuned in to watch. But as I sat their watching getting up only to check my e-mails a time or two during the commercials, there was something that struck me about this competition as only my twisted mind could concoct.

Here it is: What if "American Idol" judged weight loss?

What?! Yeah, think about it for a moment. You have all of these people who so desperately want to show Simon, Randy, and Paula that they have what it takes to go to Hollywood, right? Tens of thousands of them pack out sports arenas thinking their ability is good enough to land them on the show.

Unfortunately for the vast majority of them, they are either not taking it seriously or are extremely delusional about their talent. Either way, they're not going to go very far without the right performance.

You might be wondering, "What in the world does this have to do with weight loss, Jimmy?!" I'm glad you asked.

How many people go on a diet thinking they know exactly what they need to do to lose weight? In other words, they think they have the "talent" it takes to shed the pounds. With two out of every three Americans currently overweight or obese, the number of people who are going on a weight loss program is higher than it has ever been.

And yet, what has happened to obesity? Are people losing weight like they so desperately want to? Nope. Why? Because their "talent" is not good enough in the analogy with singing. That translates into finding the "right" plan for you to drop the weight.

Just like those people on "American Idol" who look stunned when they are told they can't sing, so too are the people who think they are doing well on their "diet" only to find out it is not helping them at all. While many of the "Idol" contestants are tone-deaf, so too are would-be weight losers "diet-deaf" because they haven't realized what they have been doing before is clearly NOT working.

I don't blame people for thinking they are doing everything right because we have often been told just to cut the fat, calories, and portion sizes in our diet and combine that with regular exercise to lose weight and get healthy, right? But the reality is that plan of action doesn't work for a lot of people because it's not the right plan for them.

That's why livin' la vida low-carb has such potential to help millions of people. It's the Carrie Underwood, Clay Aiken, and Taylor Hicks of the dieting world for a whole lotta people. The best of the best, shining examples of what embodies the very essence of success.

The low-fat, low-calorie diet, on the other hand, is more like William Hueng, Scott Savol, and that dude last night who came in dressed up as Apollo Creed with the American flag get-up and then sang Italian opera music (I'm not kidding--check out all the characters who showed up on the show)! This diet may work in certain circumstances for a selected few, but it is clearly not the best for everyone. Not by a long shot!

If "American Idol" judged weight loss contestants instead of singing, then those who came in with the low-carb "talent" would be sent through to Hollywood while the delusional low-fat devotees would be sent packing and left scratching their heads wondering, "What did I do wrong and how can I get better?"

Aren't you glad we've got the "talent" on OUR side? :)