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“Biggest Loser” Contestant Wants to Talk to Social Workers!

Shay Sorrells before and after her "The Biggest Loser" eighth season weight loss.

Social worker Shay Sorrells MSW has become probably one of the most popular contestants on  “The Biggest Loser” (Tuesdays on NBC at 8 p.m.).

The Newport Beach, Calif. National Association of Social Workers member was the heaviest ever contestant on the program at 476 pounds. During the eighth season she shed 170 pounds. Now Subway restaurant is offering her $1,000 a pound to lose weight during the ninth season, which premiered Jan. 5.

Shay, 30, wants to reach out to other social workers to talk about her weight loss, career, and how social workers help clients maintain healthier lifestyles . She invited you to send questions to SocialWorkersSpeak.org (submit questions in the comment field).

SocialWorkersSpeak.org will pick the best and post Shay’s answers.

Social workers often help people improve improve health and adopt better eating habits. To learn more visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Eating Disorders and Healthy Lifestyles Web pages. And tell us what you think about Shay Sorrell’s story! Leave comments below.

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18 Comments

  1. Shay, Congratulations!!! As a fellow Social Worker I believe we have to change the “norms” within our field.
    1. Not doing what we preach to our clients, taking care of ourselvesbefore others.
    2. Serving unhealthy food at conferences and trainings.
    3. Socializing around food, let start going for walks together or better yet runs!

    I attempt to bring healthy options into my work place and with the clients I serve. Keep up the great work and helping clean up fellow Social Workers!!!

    cw

  2. I would love to discuss more how we can help lower income persons and families have more affordable access to healthy foods. When you need to put food on the table or into your children’s mouths, sometimes health goes out the window and it doesn’t matter if you’re eating macaroni and cheese or a healthy dinner — you just need to eat! Healthy food, especially natural and organic food, is expensive! There is so much food politics and unequal distribution of “food wealth,” if you will. What can we do to give lower income families access to healthy foods?

  3. First of all, Shay, Congratulations on such a wonderful accomplishment. I look so forward to seeing you at the end of this season even smaller and much wealthier. I would really like to learn more on how you are managing to get in the appropriate meals, snacks, and excercise in the social work world. As all social workers know, we are very overworked and very underpaid. Many days are spent eating fast food and or not eating at all. Now, I realize that is MY responsibility to set the appropriate boundaries; however when I did at least force the lunch issue, I lost money, ultimately lost 2.5 hours of billing a week because our building closed at 3:30pm each day, and then I lost my job, after 9 years. I’m diabetic and chose my health first. There’s other factors like downsizing, but for my next position, I want to plan for a smoother and healthier food plan. Again, congrats and I’ll be communicating with you on the NASW website!

  4. Shay, my question is; what kind of role model do you think you were for your clients when you were morbidly obese? I wouldn’t have wanted you as my social worker since at that time you were the walking poster child for ‘how not to live’. Also, did any of your colleagues have a heart to heart with you to express their concerns for your health?
    I don’t see any difference between a colleague who has erratic behavior related to suffering from alcoholism and a colleague who ‘eats stress’ as a way of coping. Neither way is a healthy coping technique and I would hope(if it were me)my colleagues would pay enough attention to express concern for my well being.
    I am glad you were able to address your problem and I wish you well on your new diet and new mind set. I don’t know if you left your former worksite or not. It sounds like that work environment had a toxic effect on you and possibly others.
    Be well.

  5. Shay, congratulations on your fine achievement. I am rooting for your continued success. What an example you are setting for us! Please keep us social workers informed about your food choices for meals, snacks, etc. I am so looking forward to learning from you, and passing the information on to clients who may benefit.

  6. Shay,
    I was so excited to follow your journey on the TV through Biggest Loser, and was even more excited to feel a sense of connection being in the same profession with someone on the show. I have not entirely gotten full on into the field as I am currently pursuing my masters, but am excited to start the new chapters in my life. I am overweight and often, like others, neglect to put myself before others. As a student I understand the various demands of being a multi-tasker (whether that be being a full time student while also doing an internship, or working in the field 40+ hours a week and having an overloaded caseload)- it’s hard to put in the extra time needed to work out and cook meals at home.

    Change is hard- and it takes a very brave person to take on such challenges head-on. I really admire you for the amazing journey you’ve begun. You have truly been an inspiration to me, not just in the parameters of weight loss and health, but because of the wonderful role model you are to beginning social workers like me. Thank you and Keep up the great work!

  7. Shay,

    I’ve watched your journey and I’m thrilled an MSW is creating awareness about the profession and healthy living.

    I work for Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas (CIS-HOT). CIS is a national drop-out prevention organization and we place social workers on school campuses to help students at-risk to stay in school and achieve in life. Our program is in 27 schools and we’d really love to hear from you. Here’s my question:

    Are you interested in coming to speak with our staff about helping clients have healthier lifestyles?

    We serve over 3000 students each year; you could make a significant difference by training our staff how to teach the skills you have learned.

    Sincerely,
    Robin

  8. Good work, Shay! I do not watch much TV, so I have never seen the Biggest Loser. I do know that people must find their inspiration and motivation from someone or by some path that works. Finding a method that worked for me was almost accidental, but once I got the support, the determination came right along with it. I lost 68 pounds 40 years ago and never regained it. I made a few lifestyle and eating changes that I have maintained, but I think the thing most important for me was to stop being so focused on food and start experiencing the boredom (if you will) of eating to live versus living to eat. If someone had told me my attitude toward food/eating could become what it has become, I would have thought they were nuts!

    I don’t have a question to ask, but I do wish you health and happiness on your quest and in your social work career.
    Sheila Drennen, MSW, LCSW

  9. Hi Shay,

    I watched you on The Biggest Loser last season and I’m also a facebook friend of yours. I am so proud of your successful weight loss and that you are a social worker. My partner and I were so happy when Allie announced that Subway offered you the $1000/lb challenge.

    Here is my question. I get hesitant to bring up a client’s weight unless they talk about it first. I don’t want to offend my clients or make them uncomfortable in any way. What is your suggestion for bringing up this topic?

    Thank you so much in advance. I look forward to seeing how much Subway will be giving you when it is announced on this season’s grand finally.

    Best regards,

    Annemarie Conlon, MBA, LCSW

  10. Shay,

    Congratulations. It has been a joy to watch you these last few months. Thank you for sharing the struggles and the triumphs with us. Looking forward to watching you take bundles of money away from Subway at the weigh-in.

    Here are my questions:

    – Do you see a connection between self-esteem and obesity and, if so, how would you describe it?

    -In the same vein, do you see any connection between learned helplessness and obesity and, if so, what is that connection?

    -From your experience as a social worker, are the causes of obesity common across diverse populations or are they differentially experienced by individuals of different socioeconomic status, race, gender, etc.?

    – What would be the first intervention, and the most important interventions, for a client who asks for help in dealing with weight, eating related issues?

    Thanks for taking the time to share your “lived experience” and expertise with us!

  11. Shay–congratulations. Your accomplishment is something that will inspire many other people to take the necessary steps towards change.

    But regarding the comments of another “colleague” on this discussion board, I find it wholly irresponsible that commentators such as Mr. McMahon find it acceptable to leave such utterly cynical and smarmy statements in the name of social workers.

    It is our responsibility as social workers to refrain from applying our own judgments unto others and to always consider the person-in-environment. Doing otherwise would be an affront to the tenets of our profession.

    As a gym instructor and social worker, I have seen how difficult it is for my clients of both lower economic backgrounds and histories of childhood weight problems to lose weight. The types of negative attitudes espoused by Mr. McMahon only serve to exasperate this situation.

    So, in response to Mr. McMahon’s aversion to receiving services from Shay , I would venture to say that instead of wondering how someone’s weight might affect services, it would probably serve Mr. McMahon to self-assess how his own judgments about weight are affecting his practice.

  12. Shay,

    I watched your struggles on “The Biggest Loser” and was amazed at your resiliency throughout the difficult tasks that you were presented with. As you learned it is not just about diet and exercise, but also the one-on-one counseling that you received from the trainers that put you on track to accomplish your tremendous weight loss.

    Even though I have not had a paying job as a Social Worker yet, watching the interactions of the contestants and their trainers has rekindled my desire to be in the position to help individuals overcome the restrictions to accomplishing their goals whatever they may be. I understand that you have to have the ability to recognize that you are worth the effort, you are important, and that it is essential to know that you have an active part in determining your future .

    You, Shay, have been my inspiration. You have overcome some tremendous barriers. Do you plan to incorporate what you have learned into your practice or with your clients? I believe that everyone could benefit from these lessons. Good Luck!!

    Sincerely,
    Barbara Weyker PTA, APSW

  13. Congratulations! I am the President of the Student Social Work Association at Ohio University. I was wondering if you do speeches because I know the students here would be very excited to see you. If so, how much does it cost and where can I find the information. Thanks!

  14. Hi Shay,
    Congratulation on your weight loss Shay. I work in a diabetes education clinic, and we will be holding a class for people interested in learning to live and eat healthy. I will be applauding their hard work, and addressing their stress, anxiety and depression as it relates to emotional eating, and feelings of being deprived. What do you feel is the most important issue to address in a class like this? I want to stress that we are not going to talk about losing weight,. That will be a side benefit of eating healthy and having an exercise plan. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

    Gillian Dowling, LCSW

  15. Shay,
    Congratulations! I am a new social work student and was so excited to see you on the Biggest Loser.
    My daughters and I all struggle with our weight. It is a constant battle for all of us. I would love to work with helping lower income people learn to eat healthier on a budget.
    I am also a recent North Carolina Child Welfare Education Scholar. When I graduate in May, I will go to work in CPS and continue on to earn my MSW.

    Look forward to seeing you at the end of the season!
    Best Wishes,
    Melissa Lester

  16. Congrats, Shay! I have enjoyed watching you and wish you continued success. I was hoping that you would be willing to share a few moments of your time. I am a social worker in Tuscaloosa, AL, and I am currently coordinating an event for the National Association of Social Workers. The event will be held on March 27th. I wanted to see if you had time to Skype with us and share your message of maintaining a healthy lifesyle or if you would be willing to tape a message. This would mean so much to the social workers in our area and our community. Thank you for consideration.

    If this is not the proper forum for contacting Ms. Sorrells, any assistance that you can provide to reach her would be appreciated.

    Sincerely,
    Daneh Peebles, MSW, LGSW
    danehdill@yahoo.com

  17. Hey Shay, great work your commitment is a model of social work commitment to change!
    I work with consumers of mental health services many of them have weight management struggles. A couple of methods are proving to be very effective at trauma recovery and in turn weight loss behaviors. Specifically, the ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) protocol is used to help end suffering and create valued living with mindfulness. When consumers make the transition from looking from thier thoughts to looking at their thoughts they begin to live with self acceptance,valued living, and commitment that leads to healthy lifestyles. In addtion, guided imagery is very powerful technique to change eating behaviors. Both males and females are using guided imagery to get through each day to realize their healthy values. Don’t run the risk of doing this for the program get into the ACT theory and see if it fits your journey.

  18. Shay –

    I would like to know more about your availability and programming for our NASW Conference in Wyoming in September 2010.

    My mailing address is

    Dianne Lowe-Carpenter, Director of Counseling
    Laramie County Community College
    1400 E. College Drive
    Cheyenne, WY 82007

    Thanks!

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