Parents' Guide to

DietTribe

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Weight-loss show highlights the importance of friendship.

TV Lifetime Television Reality TV 2009
DietTribe Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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What's the Story?

DIETTRIBE follows five close friends who act as one other's support system during a 90-day weight-loss journey. With the help of a professional trainer, the friends follow meal plans and take part in rigorous workouts designed to help them each lose 30 lbs. Meanwhile, psychotherapist Stacy Kaiser (known for working with the cast of Celebrity Fit Club), helps the women through the emotional and psychological challenges they face while trying to break old habits and change the way they think about their weight and their bodies.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

While the importance of losing weight is the show's ultimate theme, it also highlights the importance of having a strong support system when you're attempting to make serious health and lifestyle choices. It also sheds light on some of the emotional challenges that people face when trying to lose weight, from self-esteem issues stemming from childhood to being embarrassed about gaining extra pounds as an adult. And, unlike some other exercise/weight-focused series, DietTribe's professionals skip the extreme exercise/drill sergeant method in favor of a firm but more gentle and balanced approach when guiding the women toward achieving their goals.

However, like most weight-loss shows, DietTribe sends a few mixed messages. While the women are being told to feel comfortable in their bodies, they're also being told that they'll look and feel better if they lose lots of weight. The relationship between a woman's specific body type and weight is never discussed, and there's some question as to whether or not they'll be able to maintain their thinner physiques and/or lose even more weight after the 90-day program is over. Still, the show ultimately offers a more positive approach to improving physical and emotional well being and successfully demonstrates how having friends to share the experience with can be both healthy and rewarding.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the kinds of messages that shows about weight loss send to viewers. Do you think it's better to focus on feeling better about yourself as you are than on losing weight to feel better about yourself? Why or why not? Families can also discuss other ways that weight, diet, and body image are discussed in the media. How do advertisers approach these issues? And what do young viewers take away from dramas that feature glamorously thin people or comedies that sometimes poke fun at people's size? Parents: Check out our tips on some of these subjects.

TV Details

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