flappa1016

I counted 8 eggs in the bowl. That would be 2 per person, which is not outrageous. They were clearly making breakfast for 4 people there, based on the amount of eggs and the gigantic pot of grits (which I noticed no one snarked about, and grits are one of the worst foods a pre-diabetic person with PCOS should be eating - bacon and eggs are fine, but grits will raise insulin levels and excacerbate insulin resistance, both of which are the basic health issues that drive pre-diabetes and PCOS). For all we know, she could have been making a frittata - all of the frittata recipes I have call for a 10-12 eggs. I used to be pre-diabetic, and my husband and father-in-law (who lives with us) are Type 2. We go through so many eggs a week that I buy them from our farmer 10 dozen at a time. My father-in-law has lost 60 lbs. in the 2 years he's lived with us and he eats 2-3 eggs per day, and he is attaining non-diabetic blood glucose levels with no diabetes medications. We just avoid the bread, pasta, rice, grains, etc. He eats an apple (they don't call it nature's candy for nothing), and his blood glucose spikes to 243. Eggs keep his blood glucose levels in the high 80s to low 90s range.

Dr. Now definitely said "no vegetables" in response to Laura saying that's mostly what she eats because the protein makes her nauseous. I just replayed the episode to confirm (it's at the 18 min. mark). He went on to say that vegetables would "make her stomach bigger and bigger". I first noticed this restriction in another recent episode, which surprised me because for most low carb diets non-starchy vegetables are recommended so as to get in appropriate amounts of carbohydrate and fiber. Even Atkins, which is the most restricted, allows for a small amount of non-starchy veg during the induction phase and once you move to the ongoing weight loss and maintenance phases you slowly start adding back more vegetables and begin to include low sugar fruits. Everyone associates Atkins with "bacon all day every day" but it actually includes vegetables in all phases. Of all the veggies Marla could have chosen to eat, I would think that cabbage would be a big no-no. Cruciferous vegetables are notorious for being hard to digest for people with stomach/digestive issues. It's got a really good nutritional profile, but I would think it would be extra hard for a post-bariatric patient to tolerate. That was Noosa brand yogurt, which is made by an American company based on Australian yogurts - it's actually quite tasty and high quality (unlike Dannon and some of the other filler and artificially filled brands): whole milk, honey & fruit puree (which contains added sugar). I love the mango flavor, but, as mentioned, the kinds with the fruit are way too high in sugar. I just checked their website for nutritional info and they have some awesome flavors that I'd love to try, but again, too much sugar. That was an 8 oz. container she was eating from, but they also sell 4 oz. tubs. The nutritional info for mango 8 oz. tub is 12 grams of protein and 31 grams of carb (obviously some of that is the natural lactose from the fermented yogurt). That's the "per serving" nutrition, but it does not say if the 8 oz. container is one or two servings. When I buy the giant tubs of Fage, I only portion out a 5-6 oz. amount and that is plenty filling and I have a normal sized stomach. I'm thinking there is no way she could put away an 8 oz. tub with a reduced size stomach.

I think that the problem with a vegetarian or vegan diet is that practically all of the protein sources are also packed with carbohydrate. Dr. Now is adamant that they not eat veggies, so the only other protein sources for a veg*n would be beans which I'm sure would wreak havoc on their digestive systems because the amount of beans one would need to eat to get adequate protein would also be extremely high in carbohydrate - not to mention the gas it would create. Even tofu would has a too high carb to protein ratio for the amount that would need to be ingested. With meat, it's all protein. I noticed that when she was making breakfast for her husband, she made him bacon and eggs. That's a perfect low carb high protein breakfast! Instead she opens a tub of yogurt, which wouldn't be bad if it wasn't full of sugar. I did a massive eyeroll on that one - yogurts are one of those items that are made out to be healthy, when in reality there is so much sugar that it's not any better than cake or a donut. I follow a low carb diet so as to avoid T2 diabetes (it runs in my family) and I buy plain, unsweetened greek yogurt, and then add in a sugar free syrup or stevia. Once in a while, as a treat, I'll add in about 1/4 cup of low sugar fruit like blackberries, raspberries, strawberries or blueberries. But most of the time I eat an egg-based breakfast to get the satiety of the protein and fat. Does anyone know why Marla has the iv port in her arm? Another follow-up patient had one as well, but IIRC that patient had recently been hospitalized and I assumed it was because they still needed some type of meds to be administered because of the recent hospitalization. I wonder if she is getting skin infections or cellulitis and needs to have iv antibiotics on a regular basis?

Agreed. I think that for many of those on this show, especially those that have been superobese since childhood/adolescence, they are acting out their first loves that most of us experience during high school. I think it's common for every teen to think that the first person they date in high school will be "the one" that they spend the rest of their lives with. Most of the folks on this show missed that part of their lives so combining first love with the fact that they are now adults and adults get married, engagement is the natural progression of things. I worked with a woman who was in a similar situation. She was in her late 30s when she finally lost a lot of weight, but she had no real social skills. She met a guy online (who was barely out of his teens - she lied about her age of course, making herself out to be in her mid to late 20s) and they acted like teenagers in love - constant texts and giggling phone calls and making life plans (all done at work - I can only imagine what went on when she wasn't at work). She gained all of her weight back during their online relationship, yet she still put herself out to be the skinny person she was when they first met. Seriously, how can you think that a real relationship will result from a fiasco where you can't even admit to the person that you are 15 years older than you purport to be, and if you can't send current pictures or skype because you don't want him to see how much you really weigh? There was a lot of eye rolling going on amongst my co-workers over this relationship, and a few of us speculated that she had psychological issues that left her a perpetual teenager that was reflected in other aspects of her personal and professional life. Imagine how much of a treat it became to work with her after her online love found someone local to him that was close to his own age and dropped her like a hot potato.

Did anyone else notice the difference in the skin removal between his episode and Zsalynn's? The contrast was astounding - he looked like Dr. Frankenstein after his surgery, while Zsalynn's scars were far less noticeable. As has been mentioned here before, Dr. Now is like a butcher when he goes to town on these people.

I was so bummed that the forums were down last night when this aired. Agreed that the whole engagement thing was just too rushed and weird. They seemed so . . . awkward around each other. When he announced he was going to the jewelry store to buy an engagement ring, I cringed. I thought for sure she was going to run for the hills, seeing how awkward their previous meeting and skype sessions appeared. Dude, you don't marry the first girl that you date - dial it back some! I checked him and his girlfriend out on Facebook. No mentions, or pictures, of a wedding and her FB status still says engaged. She has kids from a previous relationship, one of whom, a baby, sadly died recently. Lots of screenshots of lovey dovey texts between the two of them (that shit does not belong on FB!) - seriously, they act like they're in high school. I definitely get a hillbilly vibe from the both of them.

Yes! As I'm reading your post my teeth are on edge and I've got my "eww face" on. Remember those dixie cup ice creams with the wooden spoon? Gag. As if the scrape-y texture of those wooden sticks/spoons aren't bad enough, they even have a nasty taste.

This. The amount of calories he needs just to fuel basic bodily functions like respiration, heart rate and the like would be a fairly high number, even if he doesn't move from the bed much. At my highest weight (320), I was eating 2500 calories per day and losing weight - my BMR was something like 3500 calories per day. And that was a sedentary lifestyle (desk job and no exercise other than daily walking) I was able to lose 80 lbs. And thumbs up to the nutritionist that called him out on the pasta and apples - people mistakenly think that fruit is a good choice for people losing weight. They don't call fruit "nature's candy" for no reason. Does it confer some health benefits? Sure. Does it help with weight loss - not for someone of that weight - the sugar in the fruit/starch is keeping his insulin levels constantly elevated (insulin being the fat storage hormone) and screwing with his leptin/grehlin (sp?) levels - those are the hormones that control hunger and satiety. Carrots were a sketchy alternative to the apples, as they are starchy. I would have gone with some low sugar fruits, like strawberries/raspberries/blackberries, if one insists on eating fruits. I live with two T2 diabetics (and I was pre-diabetic before my weight loss) and low sugar fruits (as a once in a while treat) are the only fruits that we can tolerate without jacking our glucose levels. And we always restrict it to no more than half a cup, and always with a fat to blunt the sugar impact. Heavy cream poured over berries is divine!!! Or mixed into plain, unsweetened full fat greek yogurt. He would feel a lot more satiated if he ate some fat with those foods. Nothing wrong with having some butter on those vegetables or cooking an egg or two in some bacon grease or coconut oil. And lastly, his assertion that he had no idea what foods constituted what number of calories?? BS, BS, BS!! I'm sure he and his mom were given written instructions on the types and amounts of food to eat (and Dr. Now confirmed this during one of his repeat hospitalizations). They had internet access, and there are multiple calorie counting apps out there: LoseIt!, My Fitness Pal, Fat Secret, etc. No excuse for that kind of denial. Anyone else notice the eczema/psoriasis he had going on all over his face at one point. Completely gone by the time he was discharged from the hospital. I'm thinking that taking away his access to processed foods and grains made a world of difference to his improved skin condition.

I suspect that the first time we saw her try to stand was after she had been practicing by just sitting on the edge of the bed. Really, how riveting would it have been to watch her sit on the edge of the bed repeatedly over the course of several days? On one of the standing attempts (I don't remember which one), I thought for sure she was going to fall down, and the assistants were just standing there. I was screaming at my tv for them to pay attention and give her some stability! At least she wasn't actually doing the cooking *in* her bed, like Penny. Her family members brought a table in to put the food and cooking appliances on. A bit more sanitary, IMO.

I was a paralegal for more than 15 years in a law firm specializing in domestic relations. There is definitely something else that is not being disclosed that is affecting his parenting/visitation rights. Even if the parents were never married, the father can petition the court to enter a parenting time order. Given his size and inability to care for himself or his daughter, he could still enjoy parenting time that is supervised by either another relative that the court has approved, or by an independent court-appointed supervisor. Edited to change language to "parenting time order", which refers to visitation, vs. "parenting order", which refers to custody issues.

Both my husband and my father-in-law (who lives with us) are T2 diabetics, and five years ago I was prediabetic, so I spend a lot of time in diabetes forums and diabetes Facebook groups. There is emerging evidence that a low carb high fat diet, combined with intermittent fasting, is extremely beneficial to diabetics. Blood sugar levels remain more stable in diabetics that intermittent fast compared to diabetics that eat every few hours. Dr. Jason Fung has a fabulous blog called Intensive Dietary Management that explains the physiology behind IF, and he has an extensive series of lectures on youtube. My husband, who was diagnosed in 1993, and is now insulin dependent, has reduced is insulin requirements by 2/3; and my father-in-law now has fasting BG levels in the 90s, and postprandial readings in the low to mid 100s, without medication.

Amen! One of my favorite sayings is that weight loss happens in the kitchen, and fitness happens in the gym (or my second favorite: You can't outexercise a bad diet). For a lot of people (myself included), exercise stimulates my appetite, so when I was exercising on a regular basis, I could never getting my eating under control and my weight went up. Once I dropped the exercise and concentrated on the diet, the weight started coming off again.

I was shocked when I saw that scene, as well. I haven't had bypass surgery and wouldn't be able to eat that many eggs at one sitting! But Dr. Now did say that the type of bypass that he used on her wouldn't have been as effective as the type he'd hoped to accomplish, and maybe the reason it doesn't work as well is that it can allow the patient to stretch the pouch over time. My husband was in the room with me when I was watching this episode (I usually watch it when he's at work or already in bed). When she mentioned that her lungs were hurting, the first thing he thought of was a blood clot, as he'd had the same symptoms when a blood clot in his leg had traveled to his lungs.

Have you ever heard of the autoimmune issue called Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS)? I don't have PCOS, but I do have HS, and what you are describing sounds very much like HS. You can read more about it on the blog of Tara Grant. She also has a book that was published last year called The Hidden Plague. Based on the Facebook groups that I belong to it's much more common that one would think. You don't hear much about it because 1) most HS sufferers don't discuss it, because of embarrassment; and 2) many doctors are not familiar with the condition. I've been able to reduce my flare-ups (both in frequency and severity) by changing my diet. A lot of women in my HS FB support groups also have PCOS, so I think the conditions go hand-in-hand. HS is definitely hormone related.

I love Gary Taubes. And Nina Teicholz has expanded on his thesis in her book that was published last year (which is the next book in my Kindle queue).

I'm another compulsive overeater/food addict whose parents were diligent about feeding us healthy food while we were growing up. My mom would occasionally have sweets/pop/chips available in the house, but only if there had been a party. We never had fast food growing up, unless a friend's parent would buy it. My parents never, not once, ever brought us to McDonalds. My mom would have a few Sara Lee/Pepperidge Farms frozen cakes in the freezer in case she suddenly needed to produce a dessert if unexpected guests showed up. As a child, I remember sneaking down to the freezer in our basement and bringing a frozen cake up to my room and eating the whole thing, then hiding the evidence. When I got to college it just ballooned because I had no one monitoring my food intake/quality. So the addiction/compulsion aspect of it often overrides the proper nutrition that some parents do impart on their children. I gained and lost weight over and over during my adult life, always ending up heavier than when I started. It wasn't until I was 45 years old that I was able to rein in my eating. Thank god for Dr. Atkins and the low carb/high fat lifestyle, or I'd still be an active food addict. Being able to eat all the satiating fats, while eliminating the grains/sugars that drove my hunger, is the only thing that was able to control my hunger and give me the freedom to overcome the compulsion to eat. That's why my eyes rolled back in my head when the nutritionist came in this episode. I was all "Good for her, for pointing out all the sugar in those seemingly healthy items". But then she talked up the low-fat/non-fat yogurt. No, no, no! When they remove the fat, they add *more* sugar and other carby fillers to replace the taste/mouth-feel of the missing fat. He could have eaten a smaller conainter of full fat greek yogurt, and ended up with less sugar than in the low-fat/non-fat versions! And it would have controlled his hunger for a longer period of time. Also, when she talked about "Great! You have a lot of eggs here". Then followed that with "Have all the whites that you want, but throw away the yolks" WTF????? Yes there is fat/cholesterol in the yolks, but that's also where all the nutrients are located! Heck, even the USDA 2015 dietary guidelines are removing the "fear the cholesterol" hysteria that they've erroneously been promoting all these years. SMH. Oh, and I don't know if any of you are from the Chicago area, but Joe totally reminded me of longtime radio personality Steve Dahl.