S02.E09: Labor of Love

[Caoimhe]

Fast forwarded through a lot of this for some reason.   The baby is adorable and Amy and Michael seem so happy.   She is saying all the right things about getting back to healthy eating and teaching her son better than what she grew up with.  Chris looks like he’s lost weight and working in a fast food place that’s a serious challenge because he is never away from food.  I really hope he gets his surgery on next week’s episode, he really has earned it.  He is so right about it being hard to go from eating “a bucket” 🤣 of food to just a plate.

Then there’s Tammy.  Couldn’t bring herself to say anything nice to Amy about the baby, Jerry was the one who offered congratulations and prompted Tammy who still sat there with her scowl.  As someone commented earlier “the 645 pound baby isn’t happy about being displaced by the 5 pound baby”.  That still cracks me up.  Then she says nasty things about Michael who puts his own health at risk by pushing her around in a wheelchair, says she is trying her best with the diet while eating microwave popcorn (and no Tammy, none of it is particularly healthy for someone like you), and complains about Chris not checking in on her.  If her siblings’ children call her their favourite aunt I suspect they’re being prompted by their parents to be nice to “poor Aunt Tammy”.  Or she gives them lots of candy.  

[Cowgirl]

It was painful to watch Tammy sit there with almost no reaction to Gage, while Jerry at least tried to tell them the right platitutes and he even congratulated Michael.  Tammy seems very emotionally stunted. I just started watching this season, but she seems that way when confronted with Amy and Michael's impending move.  When they ask her how she will manage, she just snaps that she can take care of herself and will be okay, but never manifests a plan.  She can be terribly immature in these situations.

[Mothra]

40 minutes ago, RedDelicious said:

I think Chris’s wife’s name is Brittany and his daughter is..Emily?

That was his daughter he was talking to on the phone, right?  She's very pretty.

About Tammy and covid:  I believe it.  I think she seemed less enthusiastic than I expected about the baby because she was sick, and I think she had plenty of opportunities to become infected.  There's Jerry, of course, and all the food delivery people we know she's dealing with, and who knows how many family members have checked in on her.  My money's on Jerry just because her exposure to him was so intense.  He might himself be immune because he's already had it, but even after immunity, even from vaccination, you can still transmit the disease to others, like Typhoid Mary did.

Once she was exposed, there was no way Tammy wasn't going to get sick and wind up in the hospital.  Do we know if she's diabetic, too?  I would assume she is, given her family's predilection and her poor diet and lack of exercise--hell, her lack of movement, period.  It's plain that she has sleep apnea, too--most overweight people do, especially when there's so much fat around the neck.

Do we know how long she was in the hospital?  I'm sure, as someone above suggested, she's going to be one of the many covid survivors who have long-term effects, just because she was in such poor health to begin with.

I wonder if she got any members of the production staff sick, too?

[RedDelicious]

I believe it as well. I tend to think the food delivery angle is less likely bc at least where I live, every delivery service is contactless and the likelihood of contracting it from a surface is low. They put it on your doorstep and go. My bets are on Jerry unfortunately. 

[RealReality]

9 hours ago, Caoimhe said:

and complains about Chris not checking in on her.  If her siblings’ children call her their favourite aunt I suspect they’re being prompted by their parents to be nice to “poor Aunt Tammy”.  Or she gives them lots of candy.  

I was so consumed with the "YOU'RE NOT EVEN GOING TO SHOW HER ACCUCHECK METER ONCE! DAMN YOU SHARP PRODUCTIONS" rage that I forgot all about how annoyed I was at Tammy saying this.  

Chris has a job, an eight hour a day job where he is probably hangry all day.  He manages not only to do that job, but he exercises every day, and he has a personal life.  

Tammy is constantly on the lookout for an escape goat.  Chris, Jerry, Amy.  Someone didn't call her, someone called her, she was devastated that Jerry left, someone brought her the shake, and when there isn't a fallguy or a situation to blame she has really been "trying very hard...BUT"

That she truly feels like Chris's lack of communication was a barrier for her eating well and exercising is so ridiculous.  

She really needs to be in a lockdown facility.  It seems like they are maybe tiptoeing around it, but I think the season finale needs to be someone having "the talk" with her about going somewhere.  Tammy likes positive attention, praise and flattery (who doesn't) and she is very clearly not a self-motivator.  I suspect she sticks to a diet for a day or two, maybe a few hours and then she gets bored, lonely, sad and she just regresses.  And maybe thats why she wanted the constant check ins.  But if she goes to a facility she can have consistent monitoring and positive reinforcement for good habits and redirection for bad habits.  She will have someone else there to motivate and praise her for her efforts and I think Tammy will respond better to that.  Someone to put her on a workout schedule and a forced meal plan.  She will absolutely hate her life for at least two months, but I think it would be so much better for her than whatever she is trying to do.  

 

[CanuckFan]

On 3/2/2021 at 1:56 AM, RealReality said:

I think one of the most jarring things about this episode, until the end, was that I didn't once see Amy checking her blood glucose levels.  

I realize that there is a LOT that goes on that I don't see, but I kinda feel like its irresponsible to have Amy mention at least 4 times that she has diabetes and to not once show her checking her blood sugar.  When my blood sugars were uncontrolled, I remember my doctor telling me that if I ever got pregnant, he would check me into the hospital.  I'm still not sure if he was joking.  

And I also think, knowing that she has diabetes she was especially reckless with her eating habits.  Running high glucose levels could have really hurt Gage and all her little jokes about how "the baby wants Chinese food and gummy bears" is especially awful.  

I have t1 diabetes, and I check my blood sugar, on average, about 4 times a day.  Sometimes more.  Amy has t2 and may be unaware of her high glucose levels, and she is much more prone to have high blood sugar eating a diet of chinese food, gummy bears, gherkin pickels and peppermint patties.  

They should have shown her checking her blood sugar instead of the asthma treatment.  She has mentioned multiple times that diabetes puts her at high risk and if anyone out there is watching, they should not be under the impression that a pregnant t2 diabetic can just eat whatever, not treat high blood sugar and things will turn out well .  IMO Amy got lucky. 

Both articles outline some of the potential birth defects.  I get that this show isn't about health or babies, but I think its just irresponsible and gives the wrong impression to show Amy eating all sorts of crap she should not be eating and NEVER checking her blood sugar.  Why not have her do that instead of asthma treatment or the gratuitous shot of her with the sleep apnea machine?

 

 

Maybe they didn't want to show self administered treatments for some reason? I don't know, it's  a good question. Diabetics typically have large babies, too.

I am diabetic, insulin dependent, so I know it's  not easy and I am far from perfect, so I won't judge her. Right now I'm battling foot and leg ulcers and was just put on iv antibiotics. I hope this never happens to her.

[chenoa333]

11 hours ago, RealReality said:

Chris has a job, an eight hour a day job where he is probably hangry all day.  He manages not only to do that job, but he exercises every day, and he has a personal life.  

Yes!! A thousand times over! I've been on a roller coaster ride of exactly what to think of these 1000 pound sisters. At first I was laughing, then I was a little bit sympathetic. Now I am beginning to see a lot more of the bigger picture and I really don't like either of the sisters.

They found a way to make money on YouTube and God only knows how they got this gig on TLC but they are making bank on their disgusting eating habits and blatant disrespect by Amy for getting pregnant right after weight loss surgery. There are so many people who are morbidly obese who would love to have this opportunity given to them and they would gladly go along with whatever it takes to get the weight loss surgery. But these 2 idiots don't care. They really fucking don't care. They are more interested in being the two clowns in a money making circus.

I wish Chris the brother, and Mike (the slave of Amy) the best. They both seem to be really nice, sincere, caring men. As far as Amy and Tammy are concerned, I could do without ever seeing these 2 opportunists ever again. Good luck in life, baby Gage

 

[RealReality]

3 hours ago, CanuckFan said:

Maybe they didn't want to show self administered treatments for some reason? I don't know, it's  a good question. Diabetics typically have large babies, too.

I am diabetic, insulin dependent, so I know it's  not easy and I am far from perfect, so I won't judge her. Right now I'm battling foot and leg ulcers and was just put on iv antibiotics. I hope this never happens to her.

Macronesia I think is the term for it?  I think I spelled it wrong, but that was the first thing I thought of.  I always would joke with my doctor that if I ever got pregnant I'd have a giant diabetes baby, and then he would (mostly jokingly?) tell me that if I ever got pregnant he was checking me into a hospital.  

I'm so sorry to hear about your complications and I hope they improve.  I think its a very tough disease to manage, and made even tougher because there is so much intervention the diabetic needs to do and people are quick to judge because you CAN control it, but it can be a pain in the ass.  There is so much the diabetic has to do to even hope to stay in good control, carb tracking, glucose checking, calibrating insulin, so on and so forth.  And you're done for if you get a steroid injection or get sick, your blood sugars can be all over the place.  I know it sounds like I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth, but where there is a baby involved I guess I feel a bit differently, because the stakes are so high.  Have you thought about getting a pump?  

I was reluctant at first because I didn't want to be attached to anything, but it has made such a remarkable difference in my glucose control.  And its so much easier to make adjustments on the fly.  You never think of it, but having to get up, get the insulin pen, figure out how much you have to take, how much have you taken, so on and so forth is just a barrier.  

Eventually my endocrinologist was like "listen, which body part do you want to lose?  Because you are going to lose something if you don't get a pump and try to get this under control"  He was so right, I think my A1C dropped by like 3 points just by having it and having a constant basal rate.  

Anyways, let me get off this soapbox.  Sorry for being so off topic, but I am a super annoying advocate for insulin pumps.  LOL.  

[Twopper]

16 hours ago, RealReality said:

She really needs to be in a lockdown facility.  It seems like they are maybe tiptoeing around it, but I think the season finale needs to be someone having "the talk" with her about going somewhere.  Tammy likes positive attention, praise and flattery (who doesn't) and she is very clearly not a self-motivator.  I suspect she sticks to a diet for a day or two, maybe a few hours and then she gets bored, lonely, sad and she just regresses.  And maybe thats why she wanted the constant check ins.  But if she goes to a facility she can have consistent monitoring and positive reinforcement for good habits and redirection for bad habits.  She will have someone else there to motivate and praise her for her efforts and I think Tammy will respond better to that.  Someone to put her on a workout schedule and a forced meal plan.  She will absolutely hate her life for at least two months, but I think it would be so much better for her than whatever she is trying to do.  

The problem with that is that those place cannot prevent a patient from having food delivered or from having someone bring it in.  We saw that years ago on a show about Brookhaven in NYC and another place that I think may have been in Ohio.  Patients that are hospitalized by Dr Now have been known to gain weight thanks to the extra eating they do.   I am quite shocked that didn't happen to the woman last night who lost 70 pounds when she was hospitalized.  I think she started at 739.  She gained all of the 70 pounds back as soon as she got out.

[DanaMB]

2 hours ago, RealReality said:

I was reluctant at first because I didn't want to be attached to anything, but it has made such a remarkable difference in my glucose control.

I resisted for years until December. I so wish I had gone on one sooner! 

On another note, I hate how rude Tammy gets when Amy makes sure she’ll be ok doing things on her own.   I’d ditch that bitch so fast  

 

[swankie]

49 minutes ago, DanaMB said:

On another note, I hate how rude Tammy gets when Amy makes sure she’ll be ok doing things on her own.   I’d ditch that bitch so fast  

The really bad thing is Tammy holds her condition over all of her family's heads.  If they pressure her she'll just give up and they are horrified that they'll lose her.  She bitches and barks at Amy for being concerned about her.  She's a very spoiled 650 pound baby just like Chris said.  I also about lost it when she talked bad about Michael!  He's the one who has to push her inhuman looking ass around all of the time and she disses him.  I wish they would just leave her on her own and get rid of chub chasing freak Jerry.  Let her really see how much she depends on them and maybe she'll stop taking them for granted.  She really is a hateful bitch!

Edited March 4, 2021 by swankie
Added a comment.

[RealReality]

1 hour ago, Twopper said:

The problem with that is that those place cannot prevent a patient from having food delivered or from having someone bring it in.  We saw that years ago on a show about Brookhaven in NYC and another place that I think may have been in Ohio.  Patients that are hospitalized by Dr Now have been known to gain weight thanks to the extra eating they do.   I am quite shocked that didn't happen to the woman last night who lost 70 pounds when she was hospitalized.  I think she started at 739.  She gained all of the 70 pounds back as soon as she got out.

I reference that show heavy that was on a and e for a few seasons.  Maybe it worked out okay for them because I think the facility was in a remote location and it was before grub hub and Uber eats.  

But even with that I think k Tammy would do better in lockdown because while I think she would hate her life she would bask in the attention, positive feedback and structure.  And IIRC, from that show, there was kinda one way in and one way out.  It was almost like a hotel.  I would think they could place cameras and try to correct behavior.  

The 600 pounders live to deny that the pizza is theirs.  I feel like you could maybe stop Tammy. 

But what she is doing right now is not working AT ALL. Maybe they can send her to a facility in Mexico without Uber eats.  

 

She doesn't seem to want to do it on her own.  And while she is annoying I think mentally it must be so daunting.  Change is hard and food is easy.  

[kathyk24]

8 hours ago, chenoa333 said:

Yes!! A thousand times over! I've been on a roller coaster ride of exactly what to think of these 1000 pound sisters. At first I was laughing, then I was a little bit sympathetic. Now I am beginning to see a lot more of the bigger picture and I really don't like either of the sisters.

They found a way to make money on YouTube and God only knows how they got this gig on TLC but they are making bank on their disgusting eating habits and blatant disrespect by Amy for getting pregnant right after weight loss surgery. There are so many people who are morbidly obese who would love to have this opportunity given to them and they would gladly go along with whatever it takes to get the weight loss surgery. But these 2 idiots don't care. They really fucking don't care. They are more interested in being the two clowns in a money making circus.

I wish Chris the brother, and Mike (the slave of Amy) the best. They both seem to be really nice, sincere, caring men. As far as Amy and Tammy are concerned, I could do without ever seeing these 2 opportunists ever again. Good luck in life, baby Gage

 

I think it's unfair to call Michael Amy's slave. She's more independent than Tammy and we haven't heard her insult him at all. The only thing he does that Amy doesn't is drive which is due to her sight not her weight.

[chenoa333]

2 hours ago, swankie said:

He's the one who has to push her inhuman looking ass around all of the time and she dis

That was f'n awesome Swankie! Lol!

[chenoa333]

7 minutes ago, kathyk24 said:

think it's unfair to call Michael Amy's slave.

I agree and I did not convey my opinion/ thoughts clearly.

I meant that Michael was Amy's slave because he is Tammys caregiver by being Amy's husband. 

[kathyk24]

3 hours ago, swankie said:

The really bad thing is Tammy holds her condition over all of her family's heads.  If they pressure her she'll just give up and they are horrified that they'll lose her.  She bitches and barks at Amy for being concerned about her.  She's a very spoiled 650 pound baby just like Chris said.  I also about lost it when she talked bad about Michael!  He's the one who has to push her inhuman looking ass around all of the time and she disses him.  I wish they would just leave her on her own and get rid of chub chasing freak Jerry.  Let her really see how much she depends on them and maybe she'll stop taking them for granted.  She really is a hateful bitch!

Tammy is addicted to food the same way some people are addicted to drugs, I think she enjoys being the center of attention. I lost count of the number of times Amy has tried to motivate Tammy this season. Amy was worried about Tammy at her baby shower which should have been all about celebrating the new family.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Folks, I think we've said all there is to say about Amy's diabetes and what has and has not been shown.  If you would like to discuss your personal experience with this disease, please head to Small Talk.  Thanks! 

[charmed1]

I laughed at Jerry nicknaming the baby 12 Gauge. Somehow, I’d rather him be named after a shotgun than a horror movie character. At first, I blamed Tammy’s lack of emotion towards her sister’s new baby on her not feeling well. But then I remembered she had plenty of emotion for Jerry. “Ah miss youuu. I’m gon’ keednap youuu!” Even if she wasn’t interested in the baby, at least pretend to be happy for your sister’s sake. My goodness. I can’t count how many fake, “Awww, how sweet is she/he?!” I’ve had to muster up for parents who have shown me unsolicited photos of their children. Get over yourself.

[GaT]

On 3/3/2021 at 12:47 PM, Caoimhe said:

If her siblings’ children call her their favourite aunt I suspect they’re being prompted by their parents to be nice to “poor Aunt Tammy”.  Or she gives them lots of candy.  

You don't seriously think that Tammy is willing to share her candy with anyone, do you? I vote for paying them cash. 😁😁😁

[Gemma Violet]

Quote

I wish Chris the brother, and Mike (the slave of Amy) the best. They both seem to be really nice, sincere, caring men. As far as Amy and Tammy are concerned, I could do without ever seeing these 2 opportunists ever again. 

 

Unlike most here, I'm not a fan of the brother.  I get a vibe that he's yearning for the fame his sisters have.  

[Mothra]

On 3/4/2021 at 1:37 AM, RealReality said:

She really needs to be in a lockdown facility.  It seems like they are maybe tiptoeing around it, but I think the season finale needs to be someone having "the talk" with her about going somewhere.  Tammy likes positive attention, praise and flattery (who doesn't) and she is very clearly not a self-motivator.  I suspect she sticks to a diet for a day or two, maybe a few hours and then she gets bored, lonely, sad and she just regresses.  And maybe thats why she wanted the constant check ins.  But if she goes to a facility she can have consistent monitoring and positive reinforcement for good habits and redirection for bad habits.  She will have someone else there to motivate and praise her for her efforts and I think Tammy will respond better to that.  Someone to put her on a workout schedule and a forced meal plan.  She will absolutely hate her life for at least two months, but I think it would be so much better for her than whatever she is trying to do.  

I think you're right--this needs to be taken entirely out of Tammy's hands, and it seems like now is the time.  Amy is right; she has a baby, and she can't devote her life to taking care of her sister any longer.  Tammy's had chance after chance with doctors, and Chris it seems to me did the best he could--with closer to success than anybody else has had--without making a difference.  She needs to be in a totally food-controlled environment, and she needs some kind of vocational or even recreational training so she won't be so likely to spend her days, bored, watching TV and eating (although that sounds like heaven to me).  She's going to die, soon, if some drastic measure like this isn't taken.

Constant feedback is really important, too, and I hadn't thought about that until you mentioned it.  She isn't a self-motivator, but boy did you see her brighten up when that trainer told her she did a good job?  Or maybe it was that he assigned her exercises she could actually complete?  Tammy needs a big, ongoing series of successes to make her believe 1) she can make a change and 2) she's worth it to herself.

And by the way:  Hospitals are a bacteria of breeding ground.

Edited March 5, 2021 by Mothra

[charmed1]

17 minutes ago, Gemma Violet said:

 

Unlike most here, I'm not a fan of the brother.  I get a vibe that he's yearning for the fame his sisters have.  

I’m not either. I’ve noticed the little subtle shady comments he makes about Amy when he’s with Tammy and of course Tammy eats it up (Hee!).

[lulu69]

12 hours ago, charmed1 said:

At first, I blamed Tammy’s lack of emotion towards her sister’s new baby on her not feeling well. But then I remembered she had plenty of emotion for Jerry. “Ah miss youuu. I’m gon’ keednap youuu!” Even if she wasn’t interested in the baby, at least pretend to be happy for your sister’s sake.

This. Even if Tammy is not a baby person per say you'd think the mere fact that her sister and supposed best friend survived a risky pregnancy and birth would be enough to generate some enthusiasm. Frankly, I'm surprised Tammy didn't stick her fingers in her ears like she did when she found out Amy was approved for weight loss surgery.

Amy hit the nail square on the head when she stated in season 1 that if something is not about Tammy or directly beneficial to Tammy, Tammy has no interest in it. 

[cynicat]

Part of me wonders if the producers are deliberately editing to make it look like Tammy doesn't care about the baby.  I take a lot of these shows with a big grain of salt.

[lulu69]

1 hour ago, charmed1 said:

I’m not either. I’ve noticed the little subtle shady comments he makes about Amy when he’s with Tammy and of course Tammy eats it up (Hee!).

The whole family has a mean sense of humor. IIrc, Amy acknowledged as much in season 1, ep 1. Not cool.

On another note, I'd pay to see Chris' reaction when he watches the footage of Tammy blaming him for her lack of weight loss. 

[goofygirl]

Tammy's just soooo unhappy.  I think she can't see her way out of what she's gotten herself into; and she may just see death as her only way out.  She doesn't want to go to counseling and do the work, she doesn't want to limit her food intake....  She seems DONE with it all to me.

Gage IS a cutie pie!  Let's hope (fingers crossed) he didn't inherit his Mom's wanky eyes.

[nokat]

On 3/3/2021 at 11:53 AM, Mothra said:

All that said, I would hope that any diabetic, pulmonary-impaired pregnant woman would look elsewhere (like to their OB-GYN's) for medical guidance.

Yes, this show is about Dr. Now and I hope there is health care other than him.

[nokat]

On 3/4/2021 at 9:50 AM, chenoa333 said:

I wish Chris the brother, and Mike (the slave of Amy) the best. They both seem to be really nice, sincere, caring men. As far as Amy and Tammy are concerned, I could do without ever seeing these 2 opportunists ever again. Good luck in life, baby Gage

They are both good men, at least on this show. Tammy saying Chris wasn't checking in on her often enough as an excuse to eat. Bitch, he rolled your over 600 pound ass around. My back hurt just watching it.

[chenoa333]

15 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

Amy was worried about Tammy at her baby shower which should have been all about celebrating the new family.

I'm becoming very skeptical about anything these women do. If it's a baby shower for Amy, then there should've been many other family/friends there to celebrate. So let those other family/guests worry about Tammy. Or, Amy could be trying to make drama for the TLC cameras.

I didn't see the baby shower episode so Im just assuming there were other able-bodied people there to worry about Tammy. 

Edited March 5, 2021 by chenoa333

[RealReality]

3 hours ago, charmed1 said:

I’m not either. I’ve noticed the little subtle shady comments he makes about Amy when he’s with Tammy and of course Tammy eats it up (Hee!).

I forgive him this because, as someone else pointed out....Amy seems to obnoxiously comment about being the smaller sister all the time.  

I have to think that is exactly how it was growing up.  Amy could deflect attention away from her own weight be redirecting the attention to Tammy.  I remember mom being a real peach, so im sure both girls threw each other under the bus as a means of survival. 

I suspect Chris's shady comments about Amy to Tammy are so that she feels like someone is "on her side"

[Twopper]

33 minutes ago, nokat said:

Yes, this show is about Dr. Now and I hope there is health care other than him.

Nope, no sightings of Dr Now, because Amy and Tammy started out as patients of Dr Proctor in Atlanta.  He did Amy's surgery, but when Tammy wasn't losing weight or gained some back he  found her a new doctor closer to them in Kentucky.  Tammy is now a patient of Dr Eric Smith at the Georgetown (KY) Bariatric clinic.  Chris is his patient now, too.    There are closer clinics so it may be Dr Smith was the only one in Kentucky Dr Proctor could find willing to take Tammy as a patient.    Georgetown is closer than Atlanta, but it is still about 3 hours from Dixon.

[nokat]

28 minutes ago, Twopper said:

Nope, no sightings of Dr Now, because Amy and Tammy started out as patients of Dr Proctor in Atlanta.  He did Amy's surgery, but when Tammy wasn't losing weight or gained some back he  found her a new doctor closer to them in Kentucky.  Tammy is now a patient of Dr Eric Smith at the Georgetown (KY) Bariatric clinic.  Chris is his patient now, too.    There are closer clinics so it may be Dr Smith was the only one in Kentucky Dr Proctor could find willing to take Tammy as a patient.    Georgetown is closer than Atlanta, but it is still about 3 hours from Dixon.

My bad, I got this show confused with My 600-lb life. Thanks for correcting me.

[MagicEyes]

20 hours ago, swankie said:

I also about lost it when she talked bad about Michael!  He's the one who has to push her inhuman looking ass around all of the time and she disses him. 

My mom is in a wheelchair, and Tammy is four times her size. I can’t even imagine how he does it. 

[Mothra]

Once more these obese patients remind me of the people on the hoarders shows.  It's so frustrating to watch the hoarders being taught how to make better decisions about what to hold on to, then watch them on cleanout day want to keep every used Kleenex under the chair.  The line is that it's important to help the hoarders change their behaviors, or they'll just end up back where they were.

The obese patients are given diets and exercise to get their addictions under control.  Why can't they be restrained someplace and starved down to a weight where they can live another year or so?  Human rights aside, it's so they can learn to be responsible--just like the hoarders--for their own self-destructive behavior, or they'll just end up back where they were.  Even Dr. Now's show notes that only 5% of WLS patients succeed. 

Why not simply acknowledge that neither the hoarders nor the overeaters can (or will, or want to, or whatever) change what they're doing?  I think it would make a lot more sense for both groups to "voluntarily commit" themselves, hoarders to somebody else making decisions, overeaters to allowing someone else to have total control over what they eat, and get the job done.  Clean out the damn house, starve off the damn weight.  If the hoarder/patients "gets it" during the process and can continue to maintain, huzzah!  If not, come back three years later and do it all over again.  Nobody dies, nobody is walking around in sewage, family members can relax.

Everybody wins!

[RealReality]

12 minutes ago, Mothra said:

Once more these obese patients remind me of the people on the hoarders shows.  It's so frustrating to watch the hoarders being taught how to make better decisions about what to hold on to, then watch them on cleanout day want to keep every used Kleenex under the chair.  The line is that it's important to help the hoarders change their behaviors, or they'll just end up back where they were.

The obese patients are given diets and exercise to get their addictions under control.  Why can't they be restrained someplace and starved down to a weight where they can live another year or so?  Human rights aside, it's so they can learn to be responsible--just like the hoarders--for their own self-destructive behavior, or they'll just end up back where they were.  Even Dr. Now's show notes that only 5% of WLS patients succeed. 

Why not simply acknowledge that neither the hoarders nor the overeaters can (or will, or want to, or whatever) change what they're doing?  I think it would make a lot more sense for both groups to "voluntarily commit" themselves, hoarders to somebody else making decisions, overeaters to allowing someone else to have total control over what they eat, and get the job done.  Clean out the damn house, starve off the damn weight.  If the hoarder/patients "gets it" during the process and can continue to maintain, huzzah!  If not, come back three years later and do it all over again.  Nobody dies, nobody is walking around in sewage, family members can relax.

Everybody wins!

Hoarders.....that show should be renamed "hypothetical art projects "

 

I didn't know that about Dr. Nows patients.  

[swankie]

There is no doubt Tammy has thrown in the towel.  Anyone who eats 23 prepared meals in 2 days just doesn't give a damn.  What gets me is she did manage to lose 50 lbs before Covid hit and blames the inability to go out during the pandemic for the halt to her progress.  My question is, was she really that more active before Covid?  It's not like she was running marathons before the pandemic hit.  And like Chris said, you have to almost be putting in a concerted effort to gain 50 lbs in one month.  One of the side effects of Covid is the loss of your senses of taste and smell.  I wonder if that will hinder Tammy's eating habits.  Somehow I doubt it. 

Edited March 5, 2021 by swankie
Word correction.

[RedDelicious]

5 hours ago, nokat said:

They are both good men, at least on this show. Tammy saying Chris wasn't checking in on her often enough as an excuse to eat. Bitch, he rolled your over 600 pound ass around. My back hurt just watching it.

Quoting just so I can say “Bitch!” 😆

In all seriousness though what siblings don’t gang up on each other from time to time or crack jokes at the others expense. They tease each other a lot but they all seem to care about their siblings, even Tammy. You could hear her yelling in the van that Aymee needed to get to the hospital when she had that bad case of BH contractions.

[nokat]

1 hour ago, RedDelicious said:

Quoting just so I can say “Bitch!” 😆

In all seriousness though what siblings don’t gang up on each other from time to time or crack jokes at the others expense. They tease each other a lot but they all seem to care about their siblings, even Tammy. You could hear her yelling in the van that Aymee needed to get to the hospital when she had that bad case of BH contractions.

:) it sometimes has to come out.

[RedDelicious]

3 hours ago, nokat said:

🙂 it sometimes has to come out.

I’ve given much thought to the origin of “bitch!” the way Amy and Tammy say it and I’ve concluded it must be Cartman on South Park. Therefore every time they say it my mind automatically translates it to Bitch! Make me some pie! 😆🥧

[nokat]

2 hours ago, RedDelicious said:

I’ve given much thought to the origin of “bitch!” the way Amy and Tammy say it and I’ve concluded it must be Cartman on South Park. Therefore every time they say it my mind automatically translates it to Bitch! Make me some pie! 😆🥧

It's more something I'll say to a friend in a joking manner. I'd never call my sister that in a serious manner. Since you named yourself after an apple, I'll say bitch make me some pie. 

Now I'm hoping I didn't offend you,it is a term of endearment.

Edited March 6, 2021 by nokat

[Twopper]

19 hours ago, nokat said:

My bad, I got this show confused with My 600-lb life. Thanks for correcting me.

it is easy enough to do.   I posted my eating habit on the live chat for 90DF just out of habit.

 

On 3/5/2021 at 9:18 AM, Gemma Violet said:

Unlike most here, I'm not a fan of the brother.  I get a vibe that he's yearning for the fame his sisters have. 

I think the plan from the start of this show was to include him as a "cast member" if they got additional seasons.  I expect there will be at least one more season .  I base this on two other shows that TLC did with Dr Proctor where he treated entire families.  And there was another show where three members of a family from Louisiana went to TX to be treated, but I don't recall if they went to Dr. Now or to someone else.

Of course, Amy's pregnancy and Tammy's weight gain and subsequent dismissal by Dr Proctor has interrupted that script. 

[Mothra]

17 hours ago, RealReality said:

Hoarders.....that show should be renamed "hypothetical art projects "

 

I didn't know that about Dr. Nows patients.  

Yep.  Guilty.

At the beginning of the show, it's on one of those BSJs that tell what the point of the show is.  I don't know if that statistic holds for *all* wls patients, or just Now's, or just patients like Tammy over 600 lbs.  Just from seeing Tammy in (in)action, I'd say her chances of success even with wls are well below 5%.

[Mothra]

22 hours ago, goofygirl said:

Tammy's just soooo unhappy.  I think she can't see her way out of what she's gotten herself into; and she may just see death as her only way out.  She doesn't want to go to counseling and do the work, she doesn't want to limit her food intake....  She seems DONE with it all to me.

I think Tammy was never *out* of what she's gotten herself into, and she didn't get herself into it in the beginning.  From the photos we've seen, she was always the fattest kid in that family, from at least toddlerhood, and as everybody knows, it's really easy to just keep gaining weight year after year, gradually, until you've eaten yourself to death.

I don't think Tammy has ever had any hope at all.  About much of anything.

One thing I think is admirable--and nobody's going to agree with this, I know--but her stubbornness about not following her diet or the exercise instructions, not allowing anyone really to help her, is kind of self-affirming.  She is refusing to be infantilized, this biggest baby in the world, by being told what to do.  She wants to eat what she wants, to do what she wants, which is what adults do.  Normally, only children have their food determined by other people, the adults.  Tammy is an adult, and she ought to be able to make those decisions for herself.

The problem is that her stubborn insistence on being in charge has made it impossible for her to concede that she is wrong, that she has been wrong for a long time, and she ought to at least consider not just doing but embracing what all the doctors and her family (and fans) want her to do.  She needs to internalize, somehow, the idea that she would be in charge of what she eats--maybe don't just give her a diet; work with her to figure out how she can eat the foods she wants in smaller quantities, for example.  And although her health is really teetering, I don't think it's fair to expect her to cut immediately to 1200 cal/day--she just can't do that, now or possibly ever.  Figure out how many calories she ingesting now, and cut it by a third or a quarter, maybe, and then, if she can stabilize her eating at that level, cut it another third or quarter, until she's in some kind of weight range where she's mobile and can care for herself.  This will take a lot longer and may well (probably shouldn't) involve wls.

I think a "goal weight" is a ridiculous idea for Tammy.

Actually, I think "goal weight" is a ridiculous idea, period.  We are all different, and there is room in this world for people of all sizes--we can only hope that everyone can be healthy or at least functional at whatever weight they are.  We all don't have to be size 2 or 12 or 22.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

1 hour ago, Twopper said:

Of course, Amy's pregnancy and Tammy's weight gain and subsequent dismissal by Dr Proctor has interrupted that script. 

I suspect the move from Dr. Procter to a more local doctor was partially due to covid.  Longer travel brought higher risk if they were making stops along the way.

I have always contended that going from 10000 (or whatever) calories per day to 1200 is a recipe for disaster or in Tammy's case from constant eating to one meal a day which is what she did to lose weight the first time.  It is not sustainable for people at this starting point.  Small modifications could have good effect.  Positive outcomes lead to more desire to keep going.  When the number of pounds is the only motivation it's meaningless.  Amy was motivated by her desire for a baby.  Chris is realizing the effects on his ability to enjoy his life and the impacts to his children.  Tammy does not seem to have any real motivation other than being on the show and feeling bitterly competitive with her siblings (Amy more than Chris). She doesn't want to lose weight.  That's her choice. 

[nokat]

7 minutes ago, Mothra said:

Actually, I think "goal weight" is a ridiculous idea, period.  We are all different, and there is room in this world for people of all sizes--we can only hope that everyone can be healthy or at least functional at whatever weight they are.  We all don't have to be size 2 or 12 or 22.

We are definitely differently built. I have two friends who struggle with weight. I could always eat whatever I wanted and it's not fair. I don't do huge portions so there is that. But I've seen difference in families who are heavy and those who aren't.

[Twopper]

1 hour ago, Mothra said:

She needs to internalize, somehow, the idea that she would be in charge of what she eats--maybe don't just give her a diet; work with her to figure out how she can eat the foods she wants in smaller quantities, for example.  And although her health is really teetering, I don't think it's fair to expect her to cut immediately to 1200 cal/day--she just can't do that, now or possibly ever.  Figure out how many calories she ingesting now, and cut it by a third or a quarter, maybe, and then, if she can stabilize her eating at that level, cut it another third or quarter, until she's in some kind of weight range where she's mobile and can care for herself.  This will take a lot longer and may well (probably shouldn't) involve wls.

This^^^^

One of the few people that I recall from 600PL who was successful with her first weight loss goal was a woman named Susan who dropped 153 pounds right off the bat in either 2 or 3 months.    At 650 pounds Tammy needs about 6000 calories a day to stay at that weight.  I think for purposes of tv, they want them to lose fast, not gradually.  Also sometimes if a patient is at deaths door, it make sense to jump start the weight loss.   This is where an expert in nutrition and cooking could really help with food substitutions, although I think Tammy could go online and find out most of this herself if she were motivated, but part of the problem is her identity as a character on youtube.  I think whatever she imagines her life to be like at a much lower weight scares her.   I also wonder if she is really opposed to having children or if that is just part of her defense mechanisms because at her weight she almost certainly can't.  I think the largest woman to give birth was "only" 525 pounds.

I was hoping that Chris would have such a good experience losing the weight he has that he would prefer to delay the decision to get surgery, but, no, he didn't.  

Does anyone know why he was pounding that bag of ice in the freezer?  He left in the freezer so it wasn't like he was trying to break it up for drinks.  Or was it about to fall out?   I refuse to watch again to figure it out.

Looks like, based on the view of the Ohio River, Amy had her baby at Methodist/ Deaconess hospital in Henderson Ky.

 

[Mothra]

1 hour ago, Twopper said:

Does anyone know why he was pounding that bag of ice in the freezer?  He left in the freezer so it wasn't like he was trying to break it up for drinks.  Or was it about to fall out?   I refuse to watch again to figure it out.

I think he was preparing an ice pack for his ?knee?  I think he was complaining that his knee was painful after his exercise.

[lulu69]

2 hours ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

I have always contended that going from 10000 (or whatever) calories per day to 1200 is a recipe for disaster or in Tammy's case from constant eating to one meal a day which is what she did to lose weight the first time.  It is not sustainable for people at this starting point.  Small modifications could have good effect.  Positive outcomes lead to more desire to keep going. 

Normally I am a firm believer in moderation and small sustainable changes for long term weight loss. What I learned from Dr. Now and 600lb Life is that small changes take time to manifest weight loss and these patients do not have the luxury of time. 

The 600+ pounders, Tammy included, need drastic intervention bc their time left to live is so limited. Yes, losing large amounts of weight so quickly is difficult and dangerous but so is carrying it around every day. Anyway, that's my take away from these shows.

Bringing it back to Tammy, I don't see any chance of her success without some hardcore therapy. Girl has some major issues that need to be addressed.

[RealReality]

17 hours ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

I suspect the move from Dr. Procter to a more local doctor was partially due to covid.  Longer travel brought higher risk if they were making stops along the way.

I have always contended that going from 10000 (or whatever) calories per day to 1200 is a recipe for disaster or in Tammy's case from constant eating to one meal a day which is what she did to lose weight the first time.  It is not sustainable for people at this starting point.  Small modifications could have good effect.  Positive outcomes lead to more desire to keep going.  When the number of pounds is the only motivation it's meaningless.  Amy was motivated by her desire for a baby.  Chris is realizing the effects on his ability to enjoy his life and the impacts to his children.  Tammy does not seem to have any real motivation other than being on the show and feeling bitterly competitive with her siblings (Amy more than Chris). She doesn't want to lose weight.  That's her choice. 

I think that for the average size bear (you and me) small modifications work.  

I dont if Tammy could ever do small modifications.  Like she got "healthy popcorn " but likely eats two boxes of it a day because....healthy.   she'd be like those people in the 90s who got snackwell cookies and proceeded  to eat the entire box....healthy!  Lets never forget that someone ordered her a week of portion controlled healthy meals....and she ate 16 of them a day.  

 

I think someone like her may need a drastic change and may need to hate life for a while.  She won't relearn how to eat in measured steps, IMO.  I think she needs a big shake up and  work her way from there. 

Edited March 7, 2021 by RealReality

[IvySpice]

4 hours ago, Mothra said:

She wants to eat what she wants, to do what she wants, which is what adults do. 

That’s what children think adults do. Actual adulting means constantly doing things you don’t want to do. Adults anticipate consequences, follow rules, and accept limits. It’s children who do whatever they want until someone stops them. Tammy has it backwards.