minamreeka

I somehow caught a clip of the 22 year old guy who is playing video games at night and sleeping to (gasp!) noon while staying with his parents during a pandemic. What the hell else is he supposed to be doing? Everything is closed, he can't see friends, no one is hiring. If you are writing Dr. Phil because your son is playing video games when we've all been told to stay home then something is wrong with you.

I don't know who this Ragen person is. It is a bizarre thing to say but I think there's also a difference between being at a gym with a trainer and just a regular fat person going to the gym. If you're there as a trainer it protects them from some asshole saying something weird.

I've seen it many times. I've seen people laugh at a fat person at a gym or take pictures of them. I agree some of this is in a person's own head and people feel self-conscious but I've definitely seen people get body shamed at gyms. I also had one overweight friend finally come with me to the gym once and when she was on the treadmill a stranger walked up to her and said "I just want to tell you don't worry-you'll get there. Don't worry you'll be skinny one day!" I'm sure that girl thought her comment was going to be encouraging and helpful but it definitely wasn't and my friend never went back to that gym because she was convinced everybody was watching her. Given she stood out enough to prompt a random girl to just walk up and do that I couldn't really disagree with her.

The salary I'm talking about is what she would have been paid. The Korean government has had really strict criteria in place to get the visa you need for teaching since about 2006 (I can't remember what visa it is). They also enforce salary minimums and the whole industry is actually really regulated, maybe to the point of absurdity because they arrest teachers for visa violations for doing private tutoring lessons. I'm not saying it's incredibly hard to get a job teaching English in Asia, but there are some requirements and it's actually a pretty decently paying job, especially when you take into account cost of living.

There was a time that any idiot from an English speaking country could get a job teaching English but those days are long gone. Today anywhere in Asia you need a minimum of a college degree, a TEFL/CELTA, and/or teaching experience. The jobs pay very well, especially compared to the local economy. Minimum pay in South Korea is about $2,500 dollars a month, free housing, health coverage, meals during the school day, return flight once a year, and a bonus of one month's pay and pension contributions at the end. In Thailand the minimum is about 1,000 a month plus the same benefits. That's just the minimum-more qualified people make more. I taught English in South Korea at the same time Whitney did. What you're saying simply is not true.

I watched this expecting to laugh at her but honestly I can't. I think she's a selfish moron for running and putting headphones on while hiking. I didn't like how she let her dad and friends pull her across the ravine but also it may have been hard for her to do that herself just because her stomach was in the way of the rope; it just wasn't designed for her. But aside from that I think she actually did really well and I have to give her some props for finishing this. It wasn't graceful and she struggled more than her thin friends but I don't care. She did and did it hauling 200 extra lbs that they don't have. I don't care what size harness she had to use or whether she struggled more than she should have. She's clearly in better shape than she was in Hawaii, has lost a considerable amount of weight, and is clearly trying to do better. I can't mock that. I do agree with Whitney that the world is way too harsh on fat people when they try to exercise. Everyone starts somewhere and it's okay to celebrate your own victories. Props to her for finishing it.

I've spent about 20 years of my life in the USA and about 15 years abroad in various countries. I'm also an asthmatic and a klutz, so I've been in the emergency room in 14 countries for asthma related complications or for sprained ankles from falling in a whole in the street (seriously I've done that multiple times). It's shocking how much weight shaming happens in the American medical profession. I have no objection to getting my weight checked when necessary. But when you go to the doctor for strep throat or a sprained wrist, there's no reason for that. Most of the world doesn't check your weight when you go to the doctor for that. It's really a bizarre thing that just doesn't happen other places. I've just never had that happen anywhere else. When weight does come up in other places I've found doctors don't shame you for it but state it as a fact. They may say "You have a high bmi. This could cause a complication for surgery." But it's stated as a fact. There is no condescending tone with it and there is no lecture on weight loss. I know when I'm being shamed and when I'm not and I've only ever had doctors shame me in the USA. This kind of stuff does keep fat people, women especially, from seeing doctors. Especially since most fat people have been bullied at some point due to their weight, people will avoid whatever will bring that kind of treatment again. I feel the medical profession needs to have a 2 part rule of just weighing patients when it's related to the treatment sought or issue presented and then discussing weight in a factual manner and not as disapproval.

I can't help thinking that if the genders were reversed, the mother would be blasted for leaving and the dad applauded for just doing his best. She is a fruitcake but she's at least in the same time zone. If you care about your kids and think she is so horrible then sue for custody or at least see them once in a while.

There are definitely people for whom getting in a standard tub is impossible or just dangerous if you're elderly. But given we got that lovely pixellated shot of her in her tub at home, clearly she can still step over. Between this and the "I cannot shower in the RV so therefore I just cannot shower" thing it's just a weird aversion to bathing. Or if she really cannot shower without whatever assistance she has in her home shower, then make proper arrangements for when you travel or just don't go anywhere. Plenty of disabled and mobility challenged people have to plan ahead and make sure they have proper bathing facilities when they stay somewhere. It's not like this is a Whitney-only problem yet she's just completely unable or unwilling to realize not bathing yourself is disgusting and getting in a hot tub does not count.

I do not understand the not fitting in the bathtub thing. All you have to do is stand in the tub. Sure you can sit but it's not like the water doesn't turn on if you're standing. I'm honestly baffled by this and I think maybe she just doesn't know how tubs work?

I think a lot of the problem is carrying that much weight at her height. Taller people can remain much more mobile even at the same BMI.

I agree completely and I hate that this is one of the only depictions of large women on tv/the media. I find it really disappointing that so many women in the USA feel like they're too fat to exercise, go to a gym, go out in public, or just too fat to be proud of and accept themselves. The message here should be that you can do all of these things but do them at your own pace with whatever modifications you need. Instead it's complete failure due to trying things that are way too hard and complete refusal to listen to your body. I weigh roughly the same as Whitney, although I'm a foot taller so I have not had as many mobility issues. I don't let it stop me from trying anything but I do let it stop me from finishing sometimes. I travel the world and do a lot of hiking, but once I tried to climb 2,000 stairs in Sri Lanka and realized I could not make it, so I turned back. I go skiing but I only go for half the day. I mix it up with one day of intense walking and the next day with a more relaxing activity. I do everything someone else does but just with the intensity that I can endure and without putting me or people with me in dangerous situations. Whitney's approach is that she would feel shame in having to admit there are some things you cannot do, can only partially do, or have to quit. I don't think there is shame in realizing your own limitations. She's trying to prove "haters" wrong and show that fat people can do anything when in reality we really cannot do everything an average weight fit person can do. But that doesn't mean we can't go out and do the things which we are capable of doing and take pride in ourselves for living life.

It's irresponsible to go hiking to "test" yourself. If you get into trouble rescuers have to come get you in the boondocks and haul your dumb butt out of there. Go walking on a road where if you have trouble a car can come and get you. I also don't think there is any shame it just admitting there are some things you cannot do/are hard to do. Everyone has some physical limitations. It's much more responsible to just realize you cannot rock climb/mountain climb and just go for a walk in the park. I'm sure some of this is the show wanting to film her doing this but she also constantly does no research into something, throws herself into it, and then is SHOCKED when it doesn't work out.

For a guy who claims he's the "least judgmental he's ever met" he sure was judgmental of the Nigerian guy. He hired an investigator, discovered the guy is who he says he is, and yet comes to the conclusion he is scamming. So how would it ever be possible for Phil to conclude that it's not a scam if the evidence is point to not scam and yet he still pretends there's a huge problem? I'm sure the guy's motives aren't entirely pure but he also seemed to like the lady and maybe there is some genuine affection. They're adults. They're not hurting anyone. If she wants to bring him over to marry him that's her own problem. Maybe he will break her heart of maybe he won't but I feel like "proceed cautiously, don't send money" seems most appropriate here. I thought the woman's family were assholes with the "You're old and overweight he couldn't possibly want you" comments. Nigerian men usually prefer larger women anyway. Way to make her feel like shit and then keep seeking out someone to build up her self-esteem. And in Nigerian culture "fat fish" is a big compliment and something men commonly say to a woman. It's not meant to demean her and you'd think Dr. Phil's staff could find a random Nigerian to tell them that instead of immediately just assuming fat means insult.

I do lift heavy weights. It's not supposed to look like that and she's doing some combination of a squat/good morning. Also at her height and size she will just not be able to do a proper regular squat. She should be doing a sumo squat, which is a wider stance, because without incredible flexibility her height/size ratio will not allow her to do one. I also do not understand this squat set up at all. This isn't a normal squat rack. Normally there are bars on either side so if someone collapses or drops the bar it doesn't fall on them. She should be lifting her max or lifting to failure without one. Her grip and bar positioning is also slightly off center. I don't blame her at all for this though. I actually think she's looking like she's really trying with her workouts. This is the fault of a trainer and a gym. No gym should have a set-up like this (especially for amateurs) and no trainer should watch this without stopping it.