[S03.E11: The Skinny, Pt. 2]

53 minutes ago, lovetheduns said:

He looks so not into her, like even his hug, his body language, everything.

I still can't get over her sitting there barefoot.

His body language is projecting fear and anxiety and a good bit of deception. Like the rest of them, it's like they are ALL walking on eggshells less they incur the wrath of Whitney. Gag.

[S03.E10: The Skinny, Pt. 1]

On 8/15/2016 at 8:12 PM, DatFatShorty said:

Didn't Season 3 began with Whitney saying "I'm not prediabetic any more!" (voiceover a dance class, I think). If her weight and eating habits are the same, HOW is that possible?

I know!!! I think she must think that because she got her A1C down out of pre-diabetic range that it will NEVER go back UP to pre-diabetic or into full-on diabetic range. Uh... NO, Twitney. You're looking at long-term acclimatization to sugars which builds up insulin resistance which means... if you want to STAY out of that pre-diabetic range, you really need to KEEP being vigilant about what you eat and cutting out adding sugar to anything and cutting back on carbs and processed sugars. As the "dancing man" told her in that episode, once you get that "diabetic" diagnosis you are DIABETIC even if you get your A1C down out of the diabetic range. WAKE UP, Whitney!!! 

[Small Talk: About Big People]

3 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I agree with too. I never ever said no thin people work hard, obviously many do. I do think that there are many thin people (especially those who are younger) who don't work hard and are just naturally doing the right things. My point was not to knock anyone thin; for most of my adult life I was 108 pounds at 5'6. I did work out but neither I nor my friends 'managed' my food closely, which was the original topic of the post I responded to. As we age, we do need to watch food closely. My posts were entirely about the notion that all thin people work very hard at it and fat people don't which is not universally true. I work very hard at exercise and diet, my sister in law who wears a size 4 never exercises or diets. Not in any way trying to disparage personal trainers or people who work out in a gym-just asking that you keep an open mind that the fat people you see in daily life may be doing these things also. 

One point Whitney makes that I DO agree with is that you see someone, a stranger. on the street and you notice that they are fat or thin or hugely morbidly obese or fit-looking and you make assumptions but you don't know that person so you don't know. You don't know if that thin person is struggling with an eating disorder and sees themselves as overweight or if they're a health-food freak who makes every effort to eat healthy foods and exercise to maintain their weight or if they're lazy with horrible eating habits but have been blessed with the kind of metabolism that let's them stay thin. You don't know if that fit-looking person just loves to workout and exercise and their physique is a consequence of doing something they love to do but they also smoke a pack a day and eat crap and have high cholesterol and health issues. You don't know if that fat person is working really hard to lose weight and trying to eat right and be active and have already lost a lot of weight or if they have a medical issue that makes it impossible to lose weight or lose more than a certain amount of weight or if they're fat but not HUGE and are healthy with good blood pressure, normal cholesterol, are active and try to eat well but don't obsess over it or are huge and just don't care about eating right or being active or trying to do what they can to be healthy... 

You just don't know. And that's what was hopeful about this show when it first came out. Here (supposedly) was a woman who was morbidly obese on a journey to address the challenges to losing weight because of PCOS and learning to eat right, be active, etc. And provide a more positive counter to all the "fat people are lazy" stereotypes/assumptions. Sadly, she has not done that. And more shows us that while fat-shaming is not acceptable, some fat people are just nasty, delusional people. And while the don't deserve to be made fun of based on their size, they can't expect people to be nice to them or feel for them just because of their size. Whitney would be the same whiney, delusional person at any weight, with any kind of hair, with any level of health, as she is today.

[Small Talk: About Big People]

On 8/14/2016 at 7:37 PM, Cinnamini11 said:

One thing I think will help make my responses to doubts about Whitney’s experiences/the validity of her emotional reactions/thought processes* clearer is that doing this to a marginalized group is something that bothers me a lot. As someone belonging to various groups that have their experiences dismissed or looked upon with suspicion, its important to me.

I think this is a big danger with Whitney too. So many people DO have that stereotype that obese people and particularly morbidly and super-morbidly obese people got that way because they eat too much, all the time, are lazy, don't exercise EVER, etc. etc. etc. and Whitney with her behaviour and attitude just reinforces all of the negative stereotypes about fat people and probably even fans the flames of fat-shaming for some people in the world instead of engendering compassion and understanding. 

[S03.E10: The Skinny, Pt. 1]

On 8/12/2016 at 5:04 PM, Pherber said:

I know that there are a litany of medical reasons that cause people to gain weight bc I've been going through it for two decades.  But it's not an excuse to just give up and state, "Well, I like being fat!"  That's a load of bullshit and I'm not buying what Quit's selling, and it's sad that many women are.  She is not a role model for young women by any means.  She's not successful at anything she does, and she has zero accomplishments that anyone should admire.  Some raunchy YouTube videos with mediocre club dance moves?!  She's about as respectable as a Kardashian. 

I think I/the audience in general, might have a tiny bit more respect for her if she DID say "I give up. This is too hard. I just can't do it" and be HONEST about it instead of saying one thing and doing the opposite. Like that comedienne said, come out and say "I hate being fat. I hate that it's so hard to lose weight. I hate that I have a much harder time losing weight because of this PCOS. And I'm just losing the will and the strength to keep fighting it and it's so hard and I just don't know what to do." But instead she spouts all this B.S. bs and claims to love being fat... no excuse for her behaviour. None.

[S03.E10: The Skinny, Pt. 1]

22 hours ago, M.F. Luder said:

Buddy said there was a 20 pound weight difference between them. That may be true, but Buddy is taller and carries his weight significantly different than her. I wouldn't be surprised if Whitney's waist measurement is almost twice Buddy's. Midsection weight is the most dangerous for your health.

 

Two things: in season 2 a thinner Whitney was measured by Tal and her waist was at 50 and hips at 70 (that's what he read out from the measuring tape).

The other: men aren't seen as being as unattractive at a heavier weight than women. Buddy at 20#s lighter than Whitney would have significantly less trouble finding women who were attracted to him and who didn't just see him as "fat" versus Whitney (or most any woman) who would be seen as either "pretty face but SO fat" or just "wow she's fat" and there would be no interest to look past that to whether or not she's "datable". 

[S03.E10: The Skinny, Pt. 1]

On 8/11/2016 at 0:00 AM, Snarklepuss said:

 I was referring to her outward denial.  It's a big river in Africa and her feet are soaking in it.

So maybe THAT'S why she never wears shoes??? 

[S03.E10: The Skinny, Pt. 1]

On 8/10/2016 at 10:40 PM, PityFree said:

OMG I just realized that Whitney can't wear shoes because of..... exhaustion!!!!!

If that's the  case, I'd like to add... just in Whitney's defense... there HAVE been times when I was too tired to put on shoes. Literally and physically TOO TIRED to put on shoes.

AND, if thats' the case, just to call BS on her, I was also too tired to MOVE and so was not out running errands or dancing or on national telly. 

[S03.E10: The Skinny, Pt. 1]

On 8/10/2016 at 9:32 PM, SuzyLee said:

What her friends and family aren't saying (and will probably never say) is like an elephant in the room with them (obvious pun alert).  Just about every time the camera pans to the group, they look wide-eyed and scared to death.

Oh, and Whitney?  That whole bullshit about alternating between three different pizza delivery places is precisely what some alcoholics do with liquor stores.  I should know; I was one until I woke up to my own reality.  You're fooling no one, least of all your viewers/"haters."  

I KNOW, RIGHT!?!???! When she said that I thought, okay - that's the REAL issue. Her body shame is coming mainly from WITHIN and she wants to told (by a REALLY BIG GLOBAL audience) that she is worthy. At this point, that need to be validated and told she's worthy has ballooned into a need to be hyper-validated and told that she's not just worthy but MORE worthy BECAUSE she is fat. 

[S03.E09: Big Fat Breakup]

It has been mentioned that in Season 3 the crew seems to be showing Whitney in a much less flattering light. I've finally gotten to check out some of the Season 2 episodes and it seems like even how she looks is different from S2 to S3. In the season 2 episodes she's got her hair clean and styled attractively and also her make is done and she looks pretty - especially in all the THs she's got nice make-up and she just looks better groomed than she does in the S3 THs. So maybe TLC has indeed gone for the "let's cater to the hate-watchers" angle instead of continuing to buying into Whitney's delusion and lies.

[S03.E09: Big Fat Breakup]

1 hour ago, Teena said:

 ...and my final point--the only person who can fat-shame you, is you.  Whitney (or anyone else) will never stop others from making fat jokes.  Not taking the jokes personally is really the key to this issue.  She really needs to recognize that "fat jokes" are not directed toward her.  Being defensive and implying that she has proven herself by losing (then gaining) 100lbs is counterproductive to the message that (I assume) she wants to deliver.

I'm fat.  I don't deny it.  I don't defend it.  I'm healthy right now, but I know that I won't remain healthy if I don't work on my weight.  To be honest, I've NEVER had anyone randomly call me out on my weight in public, as television would have you believe.  I think the "fat person being laughed at in public" trope is tedious.  In fact, on a trip to Southern Italy last year, I walked up a 1km incline to the top of Mount Vesuvius, in nearly 100F weather, coupled with humidity from the volcano.  I was sweating, out of breath, my body ached and I had a UTI, for which I was taking antibiotics....yet, on my way up, people gave me random phrases of encouragement "you can do it"...."you're almost there"...and those who thought I didn't speak the language gave me the universal "thumbs up".   

When you try hard, it's noticeable.  People, for the most part, want to encourage others.  Don't believe the hype.

I love this post!! I agree that the only person who can fat-shame you is you. Are there issues around fat people being discriminated against or made fun of because of their size (especially someone Whitney's size)?? Absolutely. Should we work to eliminate those situations (where someone is genuinely being discriminated against)?? Absolutely. As Teena wrote though, "fat jokes" aren't going to go away 100%. Can it become less acceptable to make such jokes? Sure. But all I can control is how I react to those jokes (or racist jokes or sexist jokes or religious jokes). If Whitney were SO happy with her body and her life, those jokes would not have bothered her that much. 

I think Whitney's "No BS" campaign is really not so much about ending body-shame and promoting self-respect and by extension, respect for others no matter what they look like, how tall or short or thin or fat or beautiful or unattractive they are. Because she really doesn't PROMOTE anything - she's AGAINST body-shaming. She frames it negatively and that plus her own behaviour and defensiveness and general crap attitude leads me to think she does want people to stop "body-shaming" HER but instead of just respecting her and acknowledging what she is capable of, she wants to be fat-praised. She doesn't want to be equal, she wants to be elevated. It's not about having a full life within the limitations of what she can and can't do physically by really celebrating what she CAN do. It's this insane, delusional insistence that she can do ANYTHING AT ALL. And that's just not true. Not for any of us. I can't run a marathon. I probably couldn't run a mile. Not a runner. If I went and signed up for a marathon today, my family would know that I'd had some kind of stroke or mental breakdown because I CAN'T RUN A MARATHON. If that were THE thing that I were just bound and determined to do, I could start running and work my way up to getting in better shape and get to the point where I could run a mile and get on a whole training program and DOING what it takes to reach that goal. And maybe even with all that I'd find out that I just couldn't -maybe my ankles or my knees or something just wouldn't allow a full 26 miles. Maybe 5ks and 10ks would be my limit. So would I start screaming about body-shaming or would I embrace that I may not be able (even after a lot of work and doing everything I could) run a marathon but I CAN do 5ks and 10ks and so let's enjoy THAT... 

She's a miserable human being - she is NOT happy in her body and probably wouldn't be even IF she lost 100 pounds. So she completely invalidates her own campaign in everything she does.

[Whitney Thore: So She Thinks She Can Dance]

1 hour ago, BethNC said:

Whitney's Big Girl Dance Class is totally bogus!  I live in Greensboro and called the Dance Studio to join her class and the guy at the desk that answered the phone told me that the class was just for the TV show.  What a crock!

And yet on her website (while the calendar is EMPTY) it does talk about the dance class and that it's trademarked so you can't start your OWN Big Girl Dance Class and call it that... whatEVER!!!!! 

[Everyone Is Suddenly A Medical Expert: The Media Thread]

After the diabetes scare in season 2 (just found all of S2 on TLC!) does she ever go back and check up on where her A1C numbers are?? I mean, if she did manage to get the numbers out of the pre-diabetic range that doesn't mean she can just go back and return to her previous way of eating or she'll be right back in the pre-diabetic range if not into full diabetic range. 

Ugh. Why?? WHY am I still watching this train wreck of a television show??? 

[S03.E09: Big Fat Breakup]

10 hours ago, shoovenbooty said:

I've been wondering about Whitney's claims of "starving herself" when she tries to lose weight.

I thought she said she was bulimic?? Which would imply that she still binged and ate all that she wanted/WAY more than she needed and just threw it up. Which mean even if that was a big part of losing the 100#s, it in no way constituted a change in how/what she ate. 

[Small Talk: About Big People]

17 minutes ago, notyrmomma said:

She wears a 5X - remember the baseball team job when she was required to wear the uniform of Khaki pants and the black team shirt?  She couldn't wear the shorts because of "chub rub" so she got khaki spandex instead...only she forgot to remove the tag and her boss had to peel it off.  Those pants were a 5X, and she is no smaller now.

Wait - which episode is that?? Where are past seasons/episodes available streaming?? 

[Small Talk: About Big People]

16 minutes ago, Nutella said:

There is NO WAY she wears 3X (unless it's the special catalogue my 600 lbs life people order from with its own sizing). 

When I weighed 280 lbs, I was a 3X. No way she at 400+ and 5"1 is a regular 3x.

Okay - according the No BS website, she wears Faded Glory 4x leggins from Walmart and Fruit of the Loom brand (no size given) sports bras from Walmart. 

[Small Talk: About Big People]

8 hours ago, Barb23 said:

I agree about the sizing of her clothes, she may wear a 3x but then stretches it to the max.  Isn't it noted on her web site she is wearing a 3x in most items, which are stretchy? Maybe that's why she looks bigger in the skirt she is wearing on the reunion (besides gaining weight).  It doesn't stretch & there's no way that is a 3x, I'm betting on 5x.  

I find it VERY hard - almost impossible - to believe she wears a 3x, even given the stretch of what she does wear. I'd say 4x or 5x. 

[Everyone Is Suddenly A Medical Expert: The Media Thread]

1 hour ago, greekmom said:

Watching the Skinny on the Skinny clip I had one thought. Next season Twit and Kerryn move in together. OMG. Who will break who's will first?  Will Kerryn move back to the bottle or will Twitney actually be shamed to lose the weight?

That would probably end up being on one of the Investigation Discovery shows like "I (almost) got away with it"... because they'd end up killing each other. 

7 hours ago, Cherrio said:

I also heard a rumor that Lennie is scheduled to appear on Sex Sent Me to the E.R. :)

Bwaaahahahaha!!! 

[Everyone Is Suddenly A Medical Expert: The Media Thread]

54 minutes ago, Brooklynista said:

She'll be more than sorry if she only has Dr. Now as an option for skin removal surgery.  While he's skilled at gastric, he lacks finesse for plastic surgery.  Hack job is the term that comes to mind.

Isn't there a show Skin Tight? All about people who have lost large amounts of weight who have excess skin and need surgery to remedy the situation. The one episode I've seen actually had Dr. Now from M600#L consulting with one of the people who had lost a lot of weight by dieting but then did have either a bypass or a lapband. 

Personally, I don't think we'll ever see Whiney on those because I really don't see her losing the weight or changing her habits or attitude, or getting a "real" job... it will be a rude awakening when TLC packs up and moves on the next train wreck. 

[Whitney Thore: So She Thinks She Can Dance]

Watching again the trailers for The Skinny that's coming up next week. Is it just the dress she's wearing or is she even bigger than ever?? 

[Everyone Is Suddenly A Medical Expert: The Media Thread]

6 hours ago, Tosia said:

Instead of No BS, let's have a little " Body Respect" trend.  But that's not a snappy slogan, and God forbid that TLC ever would put on a positive, health-oriented program, with a likable protagonist.  

I really like this too! Even though the No BS campaign is supposed to promote a positive thing, she's gone with negative phrasing. Body Respect makes it a positive/affirmative linguistic statement to mirror what is (supposed to be) a positive campaign/attitude/lifestyle/movement. With the No BS, it's easy to focus on the negatives rather than the affirming aspects of what you're trying to accomplish. 

[S03.E09: Big Fat Breakup]

On 8/3/2016 at 10:00 PM, Brooklynista said:

In what world does a trainer show up to watch a person run up some stairs? I've paid trainers $100 an hour, their time is their livelihood.  They ain't just showing up to cheer you on. TLC is cutting a lot of extra credit checks.

And I love how when it looks like Will isn't going to show up she's just ready to go home. Because it's all about having an audience. Love her, hate her, she HAS to have an audience! 

[S03.E08: Flirting With Disaster]

On 7/30/2016 at 7:38 PM, Tosia said:

IHer post abt skinny  privilege makes me really mad.  Her rationale for everything she does is so illogical, as a poster mentioned above.  I can't.  I just can't fathom living her way and being proud of it. NO BS. 

Skinny "privilege"?? Ummm... Even IF that term were accurate (and one could make the argument that thinner people do get certain considerations in certain situations over someone overweight or super morbidly obese... privilege is maybe taking it too far)... but IF IF IF... here's the thing, a person can CHANGE what they WEIGH! So if this "skinny privilege" is so important for you to have, GET SKINNY or at least skinniER. It can be done. People have lost hundreds of pounds on their own, through programs like WW or Jenny Craig, through weight-loss medications, exercise, special diets, surgery - there are any number of effective methods. And I'd guess that while there is a very slim percentage (pun intended) of overweight/obese people who have factors that affect how much weight they can realistically lose, there is an equally slim percentage of "skinny" people who are just naturally skinny and don't have to think about what they eat or if they exercise and eat/exercise the way Whitney does. 

[S03.E08: Flirting With Disaster]

On 7/28/2016 at 11:50 PM, Brooklynista said:

Whitney looked like the Joker on her video chat with Roy. Weird. I'd never notice her smile like that before. The corners of her mouth turned up in such an odd manner.

YESSS!!!! And she holds that 'face' for a few beats. Is that her "I'm so adorable of you're crushed out on me" face or... ??? I just want to give Roy a hug.

On the theory that he's being paid to pretend a crush... I don't know. I think maybe he's just being nice to her or trying to be nice to her because - well, he seems like a nice guy. BUT also maybe, being a bigger guy and having said that he isn't happy with his weight/how he looks, he feels some empathy for Whitney that the others don't and is making more of an effort to be nice to her and feel more included in the morning show. 

[S03.E08: Flirting With Disaster]

On 7/28/2016 at 6:36 PM, momofsquid said:

I love the way she says she doesn't want to report her food because "I'm a 32-year old-woman!" but when she gets humped by the pig she runs out of the room shrieking "MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM!" like a freaking five-year-old.

Exactly!! And then at one point she actually does admit that she doesn't know how to eat (as in buy healthy foods, make good choices) so... which is it? She's a 32 year old woman who can take care of herself (all evidence to the contrary) or a 32 year old who (for whatever reason) never had to really pay that much attention to what/how she was eating/exercising and now (thanks to PCOS + whatever else is contributing) needs to in order not to be disabled by her weight? And ISN'T THAT WHAT SHE'S PAYING HIM FOR???? So if he says "send me pictures of your food", DO IT! He's probably thinking, taking a quick picture with her phone is easier than writing down everything. GOD!!! Could you IMAGINE her reaction if she'd been asked to write down every beverage/morsel of food that went into her mouth??? Ha! Not bloody likely!