Carboncat

Yes, they are beyond lost, and almost beyond snark. If one of these TLC show's calculated reasons for being on is to make the rest of us feel better about our own issues, then ok.

Going to try to give up the smokes for Lent. Haven't done this before, because I knew I couldn't. I know it will be tough, but I don't want to hear my own whiny excuses. Smoking a whole pack now....

We went whale-watching in 2000 when my son was an ocean-creatures fanatic. Spent that morning on tour of Alcatraz. It was July, I was dumb enough to wear shorts, and smart enough to wear a sweatshirt. We saw dozens of gray whales swimming and spouting from the lighthouse at Point Reyes. The water sparkled. We explored tide pools with starfish and shellfish. Also, though, the wind sandblasted any exposed skin and made walking difficult. That said, we are all lucky to experience the wonders of this world. Enjoy!, Hana Chan.

That's a point. The turkey looked picture-perfect, and no one drained it and stressed over drippings with ice-cube fat-skimmers trying to make gravy. Also no stuffing evident. My feeling is that this is very sad, these folks are far from home and lonely. Plus Thanksgiving is a food holiday...not helpful at all.

Thanks for the updates! Love hearing about your (real life) progress and your renewed joy in life. You are an inspiration. Even if you have to shop for new bras...eeerrrgg, which I don't think many envy. Onward!

I played oboe too! Started with flute.

But even the 99 cent store has serving dishes. Just saying, they didn't try too hard except to anticipate the forbidden calories.

Exactly!

I've noticed this too. It does seem that Dr. Now calls out family members about their own weight issues more often, like with Michael, Shantel's husband, but still... I cringe when I watch a poundticipant try to weigh and measure and cook their "special" diet food when the rest of the family is huge. I remember an early episode featuring a 23 year old young woman in Mississippi (?) who was bed-bound. Her mom, who presented herself as the driver and caretaker for her daughter with the problem, was thicker from the side than the front, like she was wearing an inflatable flotation device under her t-shirt. It made me queasy with concern. Like the only one who needed a diet was her daughter. No one ever called her on the fact that she was dangerously obese too. It seems that the goals have been lowered from the pouticipant achieving their goal weight, being healthy, and wearing cute clothes, to getting to 400lbs, or in the 300's and being happy that they can now fit in the car, or the shower, can walk and cook standing up, and that's ok, that's enough. No, it's not.

Oh yes. My tabby Amber jumped on the laptop during live chat and bent the "n" key, messed up the shift and flicked off the "esp" key. She's jealous of my attention, plus it makes musical noise when she walks on the keys. It's hard enough to operate this thing when I need glasses just to see tv clearly. I did get a mouse from Office Depot for $12.

Oh, but husband-snoring is actually how I joined the Pounders! Onto the couch, alarm clock set, "Law and Order" is not actually on 24/7---there are gaps. So....I discovered TLC, and you know the rest. Long, long time ago, I was a big "Inspector Morse" fan. I read the books, too, as well as watching the PBS series. My husband (not a fan) used to joke that "Inspector Morse" was better than Nyquil for sleeping. We chuckled and bantered this inside joke for years. Was funny then; is poignant now.... Of course Morse was killed off by heart attack in the series, then the author died, then the actor died. No more stories. The personal losses of those involved I'm sure were painful and deep. It's funny how all this wafts down on butterfly-wing air currents to a California housewife and alters her life in a way. No more "Inspector Morse" jokes. White Noise machines help. They are basically an entombed fan. Or a real fan, like my bedside one. I guess i'll have to fire it up soon. Unfortunately we have had zero rain here this month, and are looking at drought again and temps are in the 70's. Might sound good to some, but this doesn't look good for us. Night time temps here are still in the upper 30's. It's concerning. As is the wind. Still have flannel sheets on the beds.

I'm concerned too. He reminds me so much of my paternal grandfather. My family is from eastern Turkey, Marash is the city. My grandfather escaped in 1915 by climbing to the roof of the house while the Turks knifed the rest of the family. Long story short he ended up in Detroit. Only guy who couldn't get a job with Ford. He had a photography studio--prom pictures etc.. High-tailed it to Fresno, CA (Help me out folks with snark here!) the promised land for Armenians in their 1935 Model A. I'm dragging on but, my point is my white-haired grandpa who seemed slow and old, with and accent, lived a rakish life killing, or so he said, a Turk at 15, was chauffeur to King of Jordan, was landscape artist, had ice cream store "Harry's" i.e. Habib's, in Fresno. I thought he was foreign, and boring..... and to be honest when I was young I was really uncomfortable around all this... but he reminds me a lot of Dr. Nowzaradan. Really! Same kind of nose and way of speaking.

Is "Packages of Meat" really the name of your band? Cool! from my boomer self. Good luck! But why are they all super-processed, salt-infused slices? I love them myself, but I'm not on a life-saving diet.

Very well put. Carlton and Shantel are devoted (if overly) siblings. Michael seems to dearly love his wife and kids. What about mom? I'm a mom of adult children, so yes, I'm judging. She was abused by her husband, ok, but how did she sit by when her kids were 200lbs in grade school. "Dad wouldn't let them have ice cream, so I plied them with food to show my love"? I think not intervening or trying to seek help with your children's food obsession and appalling, weight gain is a kind of abuse. The military put mom in a shelter, did they help her family with counselling? I get it too: Military families know how to pack efficiently (not last minute In bags). They know how to make a bed(!) and how to clean. They either chose to ignore it or were incapable. If so, they need serious help. My favorite letter I got from littlesun (my boy) from Camp Pendleton boot camp told me how after everybody scrubbed the barracks for inspection, the drill instructor threw everything to the floor, broke stuff, and barked to clean it up. Mommy payback! Now you know how I felt! That aside, this whole family is mired in food addiction and drowning in it. It's not just about "getting the surgery". I hope for the best for them all, but fear the worst.

Yes, when she said sit wherever is comfortable, they looked so uncomfortable squeezed into a loveseat. Two 600 lb'rs. She needs bigger furniture options, for sure.

Like I said, I re-watched this Thursday. I loved Princess-Purrs-a-Lot's Family Affair intro-- Would they be people you'd love to burn?..... …...No, they are all broke down. Wednesday was too hectic to concentrate with husband arguing about the demos, and me drinking beer and taking smoke breaks. Yes, I have my own bad habits. The house was disgusting, Carlton's floor and squalid room, the filthy sheets. I gag at the fetid smell over the tv. What's up with the formerly abused Mom that she allows 9 people in her house and abets their disability? Big time guilt for sure. The whole family needs therapy, and I don't mean Lola. Oh, the red bedroom walls, the co-sleeping, the filthy walls of the stairway, the TUPPERWARE etc. And Monica agreed online to move to Houston. What the hell is her story? Walking into that house and smelling what she smelled and seeing what she saw? Their affection seemed genuine, but I have to suspect that Pounders' speculations are right: She's homeless and/or troubled, and she will function as a mobility aide and babysitter in Houston. I'll bet Mom and Cash are thrilled about the move. The siblings are sympathetic to me, but the whole family dynamic is toxic. I like Michael and he seems to love his wife and kids, but damn.... He's a feeder, and as big as a house himself. Points that Shantel dresses, does her make-up and and hair, and wears (admittedly crushed-heel) shoes. Which she takes off for weigh-in, of course. Can you imagine the feet that's been on the scale (like Steven Assanti's)? Keep the shoes on! And what's up with Dr. Now wheeling in the scale for the hospital weigh-in himself? What happened to his assistant (brother?). Carlton might be well-meaning, but it's way premature to worry about "working". With his BIL. At home. Dude, you're still 600 lbs. You have at least 400 to go. The "date" scene was stilted and fake. It reminded me of Brandon and his "fiancée" date. I forget her name, but she was superficially similar: white, blond, overweight, and hard to peg emotionally. Loved Brandon.

Yes, I agree, we don't get the sense recently of the "weight-loss journey" over a year with struggle and triumph (I know I keep going back to this), or else trainwreck snarkfest. Instead we get a molasses-speed bathing and hygiene whine and the Stations of the Cross trip to Houston. Time they get to the hospital loading dock the episode's 2/3rds over. I re-watched Thursday night, and still had to fF over parts. And it seems like the bar for surgery is slipping.(I really liked a Pounder's Live-Chat reference to digging the bar out of the ground first!) I believe Dr. Now used to insist his patients get under 400 to be safe for surgery. Now 2 months weightloss is ok. The scene in the park with Shantel and her kids was heartmelting. They are adorable and obviously love each other. But it was odd; she's STILL 400 lbs, folks, and we get the wrap-up music. What happens long-term for this (wholly obese and troubled) family. and Monica? (Ditto). The episode seems unfinished; can we root, or snark? And the park scene seems to have been shot at dusk when to no one else was in the playground. Weird.

Oh, COME ON! There is a food she wouldn't try? Don't like them but even I have had pig feet.. It's like how she intones so self-awarefully how she is killing her future with food while shoveling in 5 cheeseburgers etc. it's kind of like food porn, except fast food really isn't all that attractive.

Yeah, I missed it too, even in the re-watch. And I was totally sober. Whatever happened it couldn't have been that serious.

I noticed they put all the courses,, including turkey, on the table in their cooking pans. On a plastic tablecloth, which is problematic (they melt). I appreciate the Thanksgiving sentiment, despite it being an excuse to overeat, and I appreciate that they have kept their temp rental house way cleaner than their moms' in Columbus, but still... it's Thanksgiving, why not bust out a real tablecloth and some serving dishes? The whole scene seemed so sad.

But they are all broke down... love and late night dances. "Old Enough To Remember the First Time Round With That"...…. thanks!

But gdam, it's so sad. No real self-consciousness of the problem. AT ALL.

As a retired carpenter (local 713) oh ickityickickickick. Sorry,it might be a thing now.

Please don't get me started.

Oh, I'm sorry, but "yick.