S06.E07: Joyce's Story

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

Joyce needs home health care 24/7 and hasn't left the house in 3 years. But getting to Dr. Now in Houston is just the first step, and when he prescribes therapy where Joyce must revisit an unhappy past with her mom, it might be more than she can handle. 

My prediction if Lola is involved:

She's writing a letter to Mommy, 
Her address is somewhere, who knows?
I've written "Dear Mommy, I hate you
And blame you for all of my woes"

Instead of a stamp, I put greases
The postman says that's worst to do
I've written a letter to Mommy
Saying "I loathe you"

I've written a letter to Mommy
Saying "I loathe you"

[For those of you familiar with the song, sorry, not sorry, for the earworm! The kitty is cruel today.  Bwahahaha!!!!]

This is the regular episode thread. It will open after the US East Coast showing. 

Original  air date 2020.02.12

[88Keys]

You guys, for real- what was wrong with the mom?  She just looked so vacant most of the time.  

[Minivanessa]

5 minutes ago, 88Keys said:

You guys, for real- what was wrong with the mom?  She just looked so vacant most of the time.  

Good drugs, probably.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I bet Mommy and Dawn were sharing the good stuff.   They both looked stoned through the entire episode.   Mommy certainly was calm when Lola and Dawn called her out 

I bet the mysterious disappearing hair dye was because Joyce couldn't go to a regular salon, so Mom just used the 21 day wash out kind, and it disappeared quickly, or the spray in stuff.  

I don't believe a word Joyce said.    When she claimed she gained 60 lbs from sitting up in the transport to Dr. Now's office, she showed exactly what kind of liar she is.     I don't believe the 'abuse' either.   

Edited February 13, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[goofygirl]

Sorry I missed out on the live chat! I managed to catch only about 30 minutes of Joyce and that's about enough for me.

The denial is real, people!  Not only for Joyce but Dawn and her Mom.  The 3 of them sitting around with NOT ONE WORD SPOKEN said it all.  Dawn & Mom seemed so happy Joyce managed to walk through the sliding door and sit down on the patio.  This seems to be the extent of Joyce's exercise regimen.  Seriously???

Think Joyce has probably found some medical transport back to KC - she's not in Houston anymore.  And speaking for my hometown... THANK YOU! BYEEEEEE!

[OlyBinewski]

Elephant in the room.....opiates.  No one is having normal emotions!

[Concerned]

1 minute ago, OlyBinewski said:

Elephant in the room.....opiates.  No one is having normal emotions!

The first words out of her mouth to Dr Now was that she was in pain. Sounds like she wanted a prescription.

Dr Now was probably delighted she left. She was so non compliant, she was just a waste of time. If they do a WATN, she will be above her starting weight, or dead.

[goofygirl]

She's gonna explode!

[Carboncat]

17 minutes ago, OlyBinewski said:

Elephant in the room.....opiates.  No one is having normal emotions!

Yes, it sure looks like it.

[Carboncat]

Just for fun:  the last ad I got on Live Chat was a full size 53' ATF moving van, back open, ramp down.  "Only pay for the space you need".  Apropos of Joyce and her transport issues.

Don't know how to cut-and-paste, but had a chuckle.  Thanks peeps for a fun chat!

Edited February 13, 2020 by Carboncat
misspelling

[Spenser]

Time for “600 lb. House.”

Follow Joyce, Gina, Penny, and Schenee as they live their fun-filled lives.

Lola could be the sorority mom figure, wearing a new wig each day.

 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Joyce's victory lap, er, 6 foot walk to the patio during which she stepped over a half inch threshold reminded me of Monty Python's Upper Class Twit of the Year event, the matchbook jump. 
 

[nokat]

It's just starting on the west coast, will go to the regular thread. 
 

[nokat]

You all have so much fun in here. I read before I can watch.
 

[nokat]

25 minutes ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

Joyce's victory lap, er, 6 foot walk to the patio during which she stepped over a half inch threshold reminded me of Monty Python's Upper Class Twit of the Year event, the matchbook jump. 

 

My victory walk did look a bit like Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks. It was a back injury though, not fat. 
 

[IvySpice]

Points to Mama Joyce for the preparation of what actually looked like yummy homemade lasagna. For the most part, the crap these folks eat does not appear to be worth the shoveling. But other than the family-of-twelve portion size, that looked good.

[nokat]

Just now, IvySpice said:

Points to Mama Joyce for the preparation of what actually looked like yummy homemade lasagna. For the most part, the crap these folks eat does not appear to be worth the shoveling. But other than the family-of-twelve portion size, that looked good.

Oh yeah, learning that food can be tasty without all of the calories is a big part of losing weight.  Is certain one portion of that lasagna was full of flavor, so you don't need to eat the entire thing.
 

[Carboncat]

15 minutes ago, nokat said:

It's just starting on the west coast, will go to the regular thread. 
 

Here the cable channels air programs at East Coast time, so I join it at 5:00.  Can't seem to get West Coast chat, but no matter, I love Live Chat with my East Coast and Midwest/South pals!

(It's weird when we visit New Jersey.."Morning Joe" etc.. starts at 3:00 am out here...I should be in the shower etc. before it's over, not 9:00 am!)

 

[RedDelicious]

Poor Lola was so visibly disgusted by Joyce’s thing hanging down and what looked like some sort of sanitary pad attached to it. 

So much pixelation. You would have thought they could have covered her up a little more, for her sake and that of the medics. 

For crying out loud how high was her friend in the one hospital scene? I thought she was praying but she just couldn’t keep her eyes open!

[edie3]

If I have a thing like that hanging thing, can someone come and paint it to match the only dress I can fit in?  You know, make it blend in?

[nokat]

4 minutes ago, RedDelicious said:

Poor Lola was so visibly disgusted by Joyce’s thing hanging down and what looked like some sort of sanitary pad attached to it.

Thank you for tonight's nightmare. 
 

[Honey]

There comes a point, a certain weight, where you are no longer anything to society, merely a blob with a mouth.  It's best if she just dies in her sleep.

Poor Dawn.  What was she holding in the first scene? She reached up into Joyce's crotch area (they blurred it out) and held something while Joyce moved to her bedside shitter.

It's no wonder she can't breathe.  Can you imagine having all that weight on your chest/lungs?

[Carboncat]

11 minutes ago, Honey said:

There comes a point, a certain weight, where you are no longer anything to society, merely a blob with a mouth.  It's best if she just dies in her sleep.

Poor Dawn.  What was she holding in the first scene? She reached up into Joyce's crotch area (they blurred it out) and held something while Joyce moved to her bedside shitter.

It's no wonder she can't breathe.  Can you imagine having all that weight on your chest/lungs?

I started watching this show, as a skinny person, late nite on the couch, captivated by the struggles, and, yes redemption, of these obese folks.  We can most of us relate to suffering, struggle, and redemption.  And, no" Law and Order is "NOT on24/7 and "Hoarders" started to creep me out.  When somebody described their son's room as a "Bomb went off in a thrift store" I lost interest.

BTW son moved out 2 years ago, is engaged and room is now "Cat Room"  with litter boxes, food stations, cat tree, and Mommy's futon/couch and TV.

I don't know why font changed,  Amber cat totally messed up n key and now font.  Have to press n twice.

There is no redemption with Joyce, no struggle to lose weight, no idea of what a real life is at all.  It is so snarkworthy, and so sad.  Why even waste time with these lost souls who have no desire to even be ambulatory?

I use to cheer pounticipants  who fit into stylish clothes, dated, and found joy.  What's happened?  Month 12 and Joyce makes it out to the porch?  WTF (rigg)?

[sara1025]

Joyce looked older than her mom, wow...

 

And as always, Dr. Now just DOESN'T understand. He may have decades worth of experience with lazy morbidly obese people but he just doesn't understand...lol

ETA: I'm in disbelief of how delusional this woman is, in so many ways. Also, I think she's confusing 1,200 calories with 12,000.

Edited February 13, 2020 by sara1025

[nokat]

Should be in small talk.
 

Edited February 13, 2020 by nokat

[Carboncat]

2 minutes ago, nokat said:

I can relate to the struggle, but not the fat, but just walking, taking a shower. Nothing to do with fat, but an accident. The taking all of your energy to do simple things. It's why I can relate to the shower makes you want to collapse. But then I don't want to eat four pizzas after.
 

It sounds so totally exhausting, to eat like that.

[nokat]

Oh no, I can't watch this. I'm out.
 

[NeitherSparky]

Tom: Aw, look, Joyce made it outside.

Crow: And without medical transport!

(I finished Tom last weekend, lol)

[DC Gal in VA]

6 minutes ago, nokat said:

Oh no, I can't watch this. I'm out.
 

Yes indeed, awful isn't she? Already saw this during the Live Chat but just peeked at the repeat just in time for her "emergency" visit where she told Dr. Now that she thought she was dying/having a heart attack and she's relieved when he tells her she's fine. It's also when he tells her that she already knew she was okay and that she was basically full shit.

Of course, in her opinion, he's being unfair and she's just glad that there was nothing seriously wrong with her. Yeah, nothing wrong with you unless you count being a 4'"11, 44 year old woman who maxed out at 758 pounds. Other than that..............

[Tabbygirl521]

Just finished watching. Who knew Penny had an identical twin. 
 

I kept waiting for Doctor Now to ream the enablers.

when she was preparing to move to Houston and kept talking about how Dawn and mom didn’t want her to go, all I could think was, Why did they feed you into this state? If they hadn’t, you could avoid all the “pain.”

god, she was annoying. And I’m so bummed I missed the live chat because I needed someplace to vent while watching. 
 

this is one case where Lola probably SHOULD have had her write a letter to Mommy. 

Edited February 13, 2020 by Tabbygirl521

[Leilani]

Joyce is harder to look at  then Stephen Assante's legs and she looks like she's 74, not 44.

Why do they all eat on paper plates, seems like it would be more cost effective for them to 'invest' in real dishes. I suppose it could be because they're too immoble to wash dishes but most ususally have enablers to clear after them anyways.

[sara1025]

Just now, Leilani said:

Joyce is harder to look at  then Stephen Assante's legs and she looks like she's 74, not 44.

Why do they all eat on paper plates, seems like it would be more cost effective for them to 'invest' in real dishes. I suppose it could be because they're too immoble to wash dishes but most ususally have enablers to clear after them anyways.

I also wondered about the paper plates. I then wondered what brand they were, because the fact that they stayed intact with nearly 20 lbs of food on them was really quite remarkable.

[Leilani]

1 minute ago, sara1025 said:

I also wondered about the paper plates. I then wondered what brand they were, because the fact that they stayed intact with nearly 20 lbs of food on them was really quite remarkable.

Lasagna is an expensive entree to make with all that cheese not to mention the calories. It's just mind boggling the mother would serve her such a huge portion AND garlic bread.  Maybe Dawn and the mom took out a life insurance policy on her and killing her off with the fattiest foods possible.

[magemaud]

This episode was referred to as a “snooze fest” on the live chat, but I think it was more of a “whine fest.” 

“It’s haaaard...”

[Tabbygirl521]

Joyce will get bigger and bigger as a way punish her mom until the end of time - I guess for abandoning her for a new hubby. (I would be resentful too, but I hope not self-destructive). Dawn and mom will continue to feed Joyce’s addiction for reasons I cannot fathom.  Is Dawn afraid of not having a job if she quits enabling and Joyce actually loses weight (you know, somewhere in an alternate universe)? 

If mom was so outraged when Joyce started getting big when a child, what turned her into a feeder? 
 

I can’t help it; I love Lola. 

Edited February 13, 2020 by Tabbygirl521

[auntjess]

2 hours ago, DC Gal in VA said:

Yes indeed, awful isn't she?

But not "grab the snacks, 'cause I don't want to miss a minute of this shitfest" awful, boring awful, like sad sack Melissa's third update awful.
Before she left KS, or when she first got to Houston, wasn't she walking outside?  When did she regress.
We never saw much of what she ate in Houston, except what looked like a pudding cup, and that dish with salad things cooked with sausage.
Why no dietician?

[AVM]

My God  Joyce is 4 11 and as big as a large lounge chair .How many months in Texas and never thought to go set outside ? or Open the sliding doors ?  Delusional people.. thinking she made progress .

Edited February 13, 2020 by AVM

[nokat]

4 hours ago, DC Gal in VA said:

Yeah, nothing wrong with you unless you count being a 4'"11, 44 year old woman who maxed out at 758 pounds. Other than that..............

Is happy you watched for me, because good lord and butter, that weight at that height? I started watching, and thought no, this one is just going to be depressing. Live chat was about ten pages after the first hour, so I knew it was going to be a train wreck.
 

[libgirl2]

4 hours ago, sara1025 said:

I also wondered about the paper plates. I then wondered what brand they were, because the fact that they stayed intact with nearly 20 lbs of food on them was really quite remarkable.

I recognized the plate from Aldi. I have some!

[nokat]

I have some really sturdy paper plates, but they are meant for a barbecue, not daily use. You can stack on some ribs and potato salad. But what am I thinking, joyce could probably put an entire cow on one.
 

[Minivanessa]

Oh man. I can't believe I tuned into the show at like 2 minutes after it started, and hung in for the whole thing. Of course, our live chat here made it possible. 

Gawd. Joyce was such a manipulating liar who lies. I think she'd lived in her own little (well, huge) bubble for a long time, being waited on hand and foot and probably kowtowed to 24/7. And it had gone on for so long, that she really didn't understand that she couldn't just lie her way out of any discomfort when dealing with Dr. Now. Or his scales. 

She had her fakey little-girl voice (which deepened when she was trying to run her game on Dr. Now and he wasn't biting, heh), and a way of saying oh yes I get it when getting instructions from the doctor and therapist. Which she pretty much ignored.

It was just fucking amazing how much SHE understood about her body and her mind, and how much MORE she knew about those things than Dr. Now, or Lola. Dr. Now's diet didn't work. Lola's therapy really didn't work either because this stable genius somehow wasn't given a chance to unload something very important in that session with her mother.

Lies. Excuses. More lies when the excuses aren't working. Then deflecting blame onto Dr. Now's World Famous Broken Scale and his Notorious Erroneous Diet.

Maybe she was always a manipulator and finally slid over into self-delusion over time. Anyway, that is one seriously effed up human unit. I'm truly amazed she's still alive and can't imagine she'll live to an old age.

[AZChristian]

Dr. Now should have a set of weights in his office (near the scale would be a good place).  When a person is weighed for the first time, the weight set should be modified so that the amount of weight a person needs to lose is on the bar.  Then the person should have to try to lift it.  When they start to whine and moan about how they could NEVER lift that weight, it should be pointed out to them that they are carrying that much excess weight every second of their lives.

Rather than hitting the 600-pound magic number to qualify for surgery, they should have to be able to lift the bar.  Meeting that goal would involve weight loss AND physical training to strengthen muscles.  "You lift that bar - even a half inch, you will be scheduled for surgery.  And by the time you do so, you will have already made significant changes in your life."

This Joyce was a waste of the oxygen she insisted she needed.  That one plate of food she made (with the "egg whites" that were suspiciously yellow) was probably HER 1,200 calories PLUS 1,200 calories for Dawn.  Maybe Mama's, too.  And yet she insisted that she was only eating 1,200 a day and needed to cut that down.  Even if she cut down what SHE says was 1,200 a day, she'd still be way over 1,200 a day.

The delusion was strong in this one.

ETA:  Along those same lines (giving an actual visual example of what is expected) - Right after Dr. Now tells them he's putting them on a 1,200 calorie diet, the nutritionist should come in THEN with the food list and with visual aids of how that looks on a plate.  A piece of meat or fish about the size of a deck of cards, and 2/3 of the meal made up of steamed or raw veggies.

Honestly, these people are so deluded about what they're doing that he needs to SHOW them EVERYTHING about what the program involves on Day 1.

Edited February 13, 2020 by AZChristian
Adding another bright idea.

[dahling]

I'm confused. Why did we not see a calling out of her enabler (Dawn)? Why was there no insight about what she was actually eating?   The one thing we saw was a demure "egg white omelet with peppers" but the serving size looked massive, and I saw sausage in it in the close up. My TV is big.  I wondered why Dawn and "Joyce Mom" (did she have a name? how demeaning) just sat around in the apartment staring into space, but duh drugs.  

For once, I watched the therapy scene, to see Joyce confront her mom and then.... waaaah waaaah (sad trumpet noise)... utterly useless.  If Lola had called me "Joyce Mom" (insert my child's name), I would have been all, "my name is Dahling, mmmkay?"

Dr. Now has probably heard it before, but "my body can't lose weight on 1200 calories" was a new one to me.  That goes right next to the "the surgery didn't work" bingo square. He dealt with it with aplomb, but I don't see how he manages to deal with these people day in and day out without the occasional f-bomb. Maybe he saves them for when the cameras are off. Or maybe he's actually a saint. 

[KateHearts]

It's hard to understand that someone who would lie to this extent (similar to "the sky is green.  YES IT IS.  YOU MUST HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOUR EYES BECAUSE THE SKY IS DEFINITELY GREEN!!") and stick by their lies- in front of family, a doctor, the entire TV audience- could ever get out of their predicament. Joyce certainly depicted this. She is so firmly rooted in her fantasy world (the scale is broken, I am eating only 1200 calories a day, standing for 12 seconds is hard on my body) that a few sessions with Lola the Therapist isn't going to scratch the surface of her issues.

She has an excuse for everything:

I can't get medical transport so I am missing my appointments, which is dooming me to fail (Dr. Now's fault)

I am too nervous to ask my mother to come to therapy with me so months have gone by since I've gone back to Lola (the universe's fault)

My mother and I have a volatile relationship and I blame her for my getting fat in childhood (mom's fault)

I find it fascinating that she can just sit there as Dr. Now calls her out, say in a girlish voice, "ok; yes, I'll do that" and then have a complete change in attitude when she adds "IF you provide me with medical transport!!"  There is such a severe personality defect here ... one thing Dr. Now needs to emphasize is that NO ONE gets to this point without some sort of severe psychological issue and he needs to start them in therapy from day 1.  No negotiating.  My sister had a gastric sleeve done (and she was not nearly 750 lbs) and there were counseling and group sessions required months before surgery was on the table.

He means well, but you can't take people like that and just say "you are lying; you are eating 5x what you should; you are playing games" and expect them to snap out of their level of delusion and start doing the right, healthy thing.

[Minivanessa]

13 minutes ago, dahling said:

 "Joyce Mom" (did she have a name? how demeaning)

Joyce's mother was also named Joyce. That's why Lola addressed her that way. I think she may have said "Mom Joyce" or "Mother Joyce," but in the situation I didn't think it was inappropriate.

Edited February 13, 2020 by Jeeves

[RedDelicious]

8 hours ago, nokat said:

Thank you for tonight's nightmare. 
 

Eeek, I’m sorry 🤢

Shout out for your avatar - Bill the Cat! He’s my mood on most days 😸

[Minivanessa]

So, do we know if Joyce has moved back to Kansas?

We know she won't go anywhere without medical transport, so someone will have a big bill to pay for that move. I don't think it will be Dr. Now's office or the TV show. I wonder if she's more tech savvy than we saw on the show, and there will be a GoFundMe campaign for that before long. 

ETA: I found this article about her which links to her FB page. (It has spoilers about the episode but if you've read this thread this far you've had spoilers aplenty anyway).  I'll have to look at FB later. But I got a chuckle from the article when it referred to Joyce as a "reality star." A good reality check on what it takes to be a reality star. 🤣

Edited February 13, 2020 by Jeeves

[dreadfulLeigh]

What would her weight have been as an average sized, say 5’ 6” woman? I feel like the 4’ 11” is throwing off my perception. And I’m not sure in which way. She looked like a half melted blob. 

[AVM]

10 minutes ago, dreadfulLeigh said:

What would her weight have been as an average sized, say 5’ 6” woman? I feel like the 4’ 11” is throwing off my perception. And I’m not sure in which way. She looked like a half melted blob. 

Dr Now said Joyce at 4 11" should weigh no more than 100 lbs , meanwhile she weighed more than seven people ! Joyce wanted to go back to her life in Kansas ? Lying in bed ?

Edited February 13, 2020 by AVM

[calpurnia99]

Before her weigh in, after she lost 200 pounds in 2 months on a 1200 calorie a day diet, she was back home. At this point BEFORE HER WEIGH IN WITH DR. NOW to show she can lose on her own- she was trying to tell us or the camera  that  she had not lost weight.  She was telling the cameras that 1200 calories was too much food for her body to lose weight on,-- because she knew she'd gained,--and she was trying to tell us she had been eating 1200 calories a day religiously. She knew she was due to have a bad weigh in. I mean how the fuck would she know that if she was sticking to the diet? Sorry caught in your lying lie, you liar. 

 I think some people interpreted this as meaning she was saying she couldn't finish 1200 calories, that it was too much food but that wasn't her point. Her point was that HERbody at 550 will only lose weight on 800 calories, that she is a special snowflake and her body is beyond the laws of Science. 

She liked this line so so much she tried it on Dr. Now and his comebacks are stuff of legend:

You're delusional if you think that!!

ha ha ha ha ha ha

My favorite was

You need therapy

I've had therapy

well YOU NEED MOREI 

She definitely stuffed her face her whole life to punish her mother.