imcrushingyourhead

Been lurking for quite awhile and figured it’s about time I post. I have PCOS and this season the show is driving me crazy, plus based on some of the comments I’m seeing I feel like Whitney is giving the rest of us with PCOS a bad name. PCOS affects every woman differently but Whitney has symptoms similar to me (the facial hair, weight issues especially in the belly area) and that’s why I started watching the show. But from what we’re seeing, she is making no effort at all to actually manage or improve her symptoms. With the footage of her eating (pizza, froot loops, heaps of pasta) plus the trash heap in her car, we can see Whitney’s (or Vitney’s lol) diet is pretty much the opposite of what she should be eating, and if she considers dancing a few times a week to be enough of a workout then she’s clueless. The type of strength training Will was having her do in their sessions is exactly what she needs. For many of us with PCOS, just cardio isn’t going to be enough. And honestly she should be doing pilates and yoga too. But oh my God, the diet…. Sugar, simple carbs and caffeine… no no no! I’m guessing her insulin and hormone levels are all going nuts, maybe that’s part of why she acts so irrationally. I used to eat like her, lots of fast food and junk. I looked and felt like crap. That type of food isn’t really healthy for anyone but when you have PCOS the damage can be exponentially worse. I’m sure that some of her weight gain was HELPED by PCOS (some of us who are extremely healthy and do most everything right still deal with weight and other problems) but it’s more like PCOS contributed to the snowballing effect… like maybe her habits would have caused a normal person to gain 50 lbs but for Whitney it was twice as much. This disease can really mess you up, physically and mentally… depression and anxiety are really common. I think we’re seeing cracks in the façade she puts up. Who she is is probably normally bubbly and self confident but I think she has to have SOME self awareness to recognize she’s talking a good game but her actions are not backing her up. Reality certainly hit her when she realized how under-prepared she was for this ‘DVD’. And I can see why she wanted Mattie there… Mattie has style and flair (she could be ‘The Nanny!) but isn’t technically so sound that she’d upstage Whit. I think Caitie knows Whit is still pissed at her but she’s trying to put the ‘I was only helping!’ spin on it. Still childish of Whit not to at least say hey you are really awesome too, can we have you as a plan B or something like that. It does seem producer driven that Jessica knew this was so important due to the ‘auditions’ but then she texts last minute that she can’t come. Hmmm… But yeah, it was Whit’s fault if Mattie was not ready. They should have all been practicing together before the taping, plus have a script written. She seems to have this overconfidence that she can do the bare minimum and all will just magically work out. So glad Will is not putting up with her BS (how ironic) and dropped her. If she doesn’t want to make a commitment and put in the effort why should he? I hired a personal trainer for a few months, years ago when my weight got to its highest. Yes it was annoying sending her my food journal and she’d harp on me about one serving of potato chips, but you know what? I needed that reminder that it is empty calories and I could be eating something more nutritious. That’s the point – you NEED someone to ride you because you’ve gotten to the state where you’re not policing yourself enough. My interpretation of the whole giant cookie thing is that she was claiming the cookie itself was a better choice than others she could have made. Yeah girl, I used to be a binge eater and have major food addictions just like you… I know deal-making and rationalizing when I see it. So classic. She has ‘reasons’ for everything but bristles at anyone naming them for what they are… excuses. Whit is afraid of change because she sees it as all or nothing. She needs some expert help – therapists, nutritionists, etc, to show her that there IS a middle ground where she can be happy. There are so many specialists in PCOS out there, if she chose to I’m sure the show could set up meetings for her where she could actually learn to take care of herself. It’s extremely frustrating to see her act like a child and not want to take responsibility… she’s only hurting herself (and stressing out her parents!) I enjoyed Todd speaking his mind and calling her out. He should not have to put on her shoes, what is he, her servant? She doesn’t like how her weight is affecting her but is making no real effort to correct it. No pun intended based on last week’s show, but she seems to want her cake and eat it too :P I agree no one should be bullied or shamed for how they look, but this is the real world and no one at 380 lbs can be healthy and have their body function the way it ideally should. Either Whitney needs to get out of denial, be truthful about her exercise and what she eats and how that affects her body, or she should just give up the pretense, but then stop complaining when she can’t do something… which is soon going to be the thing she loves most - dancing. As we saw in this ep, she’s well on her way. One last thing, as someone who fosters rescued puppies, I HATE when people get a baby animal (or any animal for that matter) and proceed not to learn a thing about how to properly raise it. That’s how animals end up in shelters and one of the reasons why euthanization rates are so high. Babs and Whit let the situation get so bad that Glen had to do the ‘if things don’t improve the animal is going’ speech. Poor piggy… they can be smart, sweet creatures (much like dogs) but they need TRAINING, activity and supervision or of course they’re going to be wrecking the place. DUH.

First off can I say DOGGIES!!!!!!! LOVE!!!!!!! Marley looks like such a sweetie and the other dog (I'm guessing the roommate's?) does as well!! *Ahem* anyways, it was extremely immature of Vanessa to just run away like that. It's one thing if Trey did something horrible but it sounds like she was just looking for reasons to justify why she is afraid and doesn't trust him. Girl is terrified. It's interesting how she's so afraid of Trey hurting her and yet she did to Trey what she was trying to avoid him doing to her. I think he dealt with it all very well. He was trying to figure out where she was coming from and what he could do to make things better, but also stood up for himself. It sounds like he's doing a good job being a husband. Vanessa expects everything to be picture perfect right off the bat and that's just not realistic. I felt bad for her because for years when my husband and I were dating I was pretty insecure (albeit in our case a good bit of it was justified), and it took years for him to be able to mature and take on responsibility, and then for me to feel secure enough not to let little things get to me or see issues that weren't actually there. The difference is Tres is actually recognizing the qualities in a good mate and trying to emulate them, but Vanessa is making mountains out of molehills and expecting him to meet all of her ideals. If Tres feels like he can't even relax for a second then I guarantee you one day he'll eventually act out and then it will all just be a self-fulfilling prophesy for Vanessa. Sam and Neil did ok this episode, I guess?? I got annoyed when she was complaining aloud about Neil being 'fake' and shouting at him to 'tell the truth' (and I think he was annoyed too!). Just shut up Sam. Neil and the roommate seem to be on the same level, can he marry her instead? Though I didn't get any vibes that she'd be into him. Oh well. I did like seeing Sam doing her gym routine, it seemed to relax her too. Neil finally got the spark back in his eyes watching her do all of that. He's definitely an example of still waters running deep (as others have posted). I think he can probably be very passionate but it's not how he'd be with just anyone, there has to be a definite connection. Don't know if that could ever happen with Sam but I suppose we'll see. In the meantime it sounds like he's moving back in with her. Hey who knows, he might just get a key now! Maybe even a closet to put his stuff in? Dare to dream. Ashley and David, WTF...... that's a hot mess right there. Ashley, when you host a party with someone you both are generally doing different things and you don't see each other much till everyone is fed and happy and things start to wind down. I'm confused as to what she actually wanted from him, and I don't think she fully knows either. Why isn't she mad at her friends who didn't even bother to show up? Like not even ONE person?? Oh and thanks FYI for leaving the whole accusation thing till the last minute and then doing a to be continued. Booooooo. I doubt David was dumb enough to go out looking for other girls while still married but maybe his ego has taken such a hit lately that he had a moment of weakness. Funny, I don't see HER leaving that gorgeous house to run back to her little apartment.... Oh and pretty sure I jumped a foot off the couch when Jamie's face was launched at us right after the episode. She's pretty but damn those glow in the dark fangs and fake spider lashes are kinda scary!

I’ve been reading these boards since season 1 and finally decided to jump in! Love the commentary, it’s always entertaining. Ashley and David – Ok, Ashley does seem ‘off’ but I don’t think that she does not have the ability to come up with even one word to name one good thing about someone she’s known for four weeks. My brother is mentally disabled so if she truly had a mental issue I’d give her a lot of slack. However in her discussions with the experts, friends, and even strangers like David’s friends we have seen her open up and express herself and even be quite charming. She’s even loosened up a few times around David and I can sort of see why he is still interested in a relationship with her. I understand people can have good and bad days, but if Ashley had a genuine disability she wouldn’t be able to just completely turn it on and off like that. The one area where she shuts down is in regards to a relationship or lack thereof with David. He may not be her physical type but she acts like he’s Quasimodo. The guy has a great personality but she keeps putting up barriers to even liking that. No wonder he’s frustrated and is getting a bit naggy and desperate. David seems like an all-in sort of guy, he’s probably going out of his mind in frustration that this person who he agreed to marry can’t even be bothered to pay him one compliment. Oh and if this whole thing is making her too uncomfortable and exhausted, then how did she get by as a social worker? And how exactly does she expect to function as a nurse?? If she whines one more time about how she’s “trying so hard” and “giving it 100%” I’m going to throw something at the TV. Vanessa and Tres – I’m liking Tres more with each episode. He’s a friendly, good-looking guy in his 20’s, so no surprise that he enjoyed partying and playing the field before. I’m sure he had no idea what to expect but seems happy with Vanessa and genuinely interested in developing their relationship. He might be realizing she could be the one he’d be ready to settle down and start a family with. The whole preview with the ‘sip and stroke’ (nice name) was such a red herring. ‘Oh no, Tres is drinking! Will Vanessa disapprove?’ What a big ol’ nothing and I’m glad for it. They had a fun night out (complete with Vanessa’s semi-phallic painting ;) and hopefully bonded a bit more. It’s funny, at first I thought Tres was the less mature one, but the more we’re seeing of Vanessa, there is some immaturity evident there as well: sulking and avoidance of wanting to talk about what’s bothering her, the CONSTANT giggling when nervous or dealing with certain emotions, not bothering to give her dog even basic training (very glad they saw a trainer this ep!). I’ve read that when people experience a big trauma their emotional growth can sometimes be stunted to around that age. Her dad abandoned her before she reached adulthood and some of these mannerisms are very adolescent-like. I can see she still has her guard up, which makes sense. But I hope none of this ends up getting in the way of her and Tres’ potential future. I think they are actually really good for each other and Tres was very sweet when he told Vanessa she made him a better person. Neil & Sam – Allright, here’s where I go off: I REALLY wanted to like Sam! She looks more like an average person, she’s an animal lover (her dog is adorable), and her personality isn’t the ‘norm’. HOWEVER…… as soon as she started showing her true colors and crappy attitude during the honeymoon it was the beginning of the end. I think Neil is a really good guy (I’d go for him) but he doesn’t communicate like Sam in that she speaks without thinking, doesn’t care who she hurts, and blows up at the slightest provocation, while Neil is logical, thinks before he speaks, and communicates discomfort or unhappiness subtly until he feels he has to be direct. My eyes rolled up into my head when the first thing out of Sam’s mouth to her mom this episode was to rag on Neil and say he’s passive aggressive. With all her insulting snark and sarcasm, Sam wins the P.A. award, hands down. I would have loved to see Neil actually speak up during the staring exercise when Sam made a game of it, but I think other posters here have nailed the issue on the head – He a) has experienced The Wrath of Sam a few times now when he speaks his mind and just cannot deal with her particular brand of hypocritical craziness anymore and b) doesn’t see why he should bother riling up Sam and get into another fight since it’s quite obvious they’re not going to work out. I think Sam and Neil’s soundbites where they’re saying ‘oh it’s nice to do this together, learn about the other person, blah blah blah’ is just them putting up with this sham marriage and limping to the finish line. I was ok with Sam this episode when they were cooking and she finally chilled out a bit. She is WAY too try-hard “look at me! I’m witty and quirky and I keep it real!” I will admit Sam made me tear up when she broke down about her grandmom. THAT was at least genuine, and I wish we could see more. Though I do think it affected me so much because I just lost my grandmom last year. She passed in the early morning and I was supposed to come visit her that afternoon to say goodbye. Still hurts. Oh and as far as Neil being a hipster goes – I think he’s more metro than anything else. The clothes he wears aren’t ‘manly’ in the western traditional sense but remember he has influence from his Indian heritage, if that makes any difference. Plus when I think of hipsters I think of someone who is initially pretentious and aloof. Dealing with Sam has made him more reserved and shut down (probably starting to get a little bitter too), but remember in the beginning? He was all cheery and silly and open. True hipsters would never show you that side (if they have it) until you actually get to know them well.