S02.E10: Do or Die

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

While recovering from Covid 19, Tammy's weight spirals. 

It looks like it's time to bring this season to an end.  Tammy has Covid.  Amy has a baby to care for.  Michael is still a man of few words.  Chris is Chris.  Let's see how we wrap up season 2.

Origina air date 2021.03.08

[Teriacky]

Are these women really as stupid as they seem?

[swankie]

I think Jerry does contribute to Tammy's bad diet when he is there, BUT, he's not there all of the time so I don't agree with Chris that since he's not buying her junk and Amy isn't buying her junk then it automatically has to be Jerry.  Like I said, there's Door Dash, Grub Hub, and grocery stores have delivery apps.  Especially since Covid hit.  All it takes is a phone call or you can place your order on-line and they'll bring it to you.  

I'm glad to see that Chris finally managed to lose the weight, but quitting smoking without gaining it all back is going to be a major challenge.  I know, I've been there!

[SunnyBeBe]

I don’t think they are very sophisticated in some areas of life.  I don’t know their education level. I think they tend to be in denial about a lot.  I do think they may be limited in their view of the world due to limitations when they were growing up.  I also think they try to be funny for the cameras.   I wouldn’t be surprised if Tammy is not around for another season , though. 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Tammy is always looking for someone to blame.  She doesn't want them to blame Jerry but she will just as quickly throw him under the bus to take blame off of her.  I liked the doctor's response when she finally admitted she had a problem.  She needs that kind of encouragement.  It is hard to imagine her really turning things around.  

The longer this show has been on, the more honest it has gotten. It would be nice if both Chris and Amy continue to lose more weight.  Didn't they say something about Michael doesn't need the diet.  Um, he's not exactly svelte.  He is small compared to the siblings, but that's a low bar.

[LeesburgLee]

Amy: “We’re running out of fat people in this family.”

Ummmm..... I don’t think that’s the problem to be focusing on.

[kathyk24]

I'm amazed Tammy survived Covid when thinner people have died from it. Watching Amy with Gage was adorable I think she's torn between wanting to help Tammy and wanting her own life. I'm surprised Tammy wasn't put into rehab after being treated for the virus. I hope Chris doesn't try to quit smoking cold turkey my dad tried and it didn't work. He quit with the help of a hypnotist but he gained weight because food tasted better. I hope Chris gets some advice to help him quit.

[SunnyBeBe]

Yeah, I don’t think they will do surgery on Chris unless, he stops smoking.  
Im floored that Tammy left the hospital only after a couple of weeks.  I know at least half a dozen people who have died from covid and most  of them weren’t nearly as unhealthy as Tammy.  I bet they couldn’t find a facility to take Tammy.  It would take 6 people to turn her in the bed if she couldn’t move,  it would drain the resources of a nursing home or assisted living.  

[seasons]

Spoiler

 

No spoiler, sorry! Fat fingers.

 

I was surprised that the doctor's office couldn't help Tammy find a place for long term care. Especially the weight loss doctor - they must have some resources, no?

Chris is really trying to step up and be the hero (as Dr Phil says). I really like him. They all seem to respect him as head of the family.

Amy's eyes are literally shining when she talks about Baby Gage. And the name Gage Deon /Dion? is growing on me! 

poor Tammy. I really feel for her. I know she can be nasty but she is trapped. By her own hand I know but I don't think life has ever been easy for any of them. 

And Michael really seems to love Amy and Gage And is a real family man. Good for them.

Edited March 9, 2021 by seasons

[GaT]

The first thing I thought of when we found out that Chris had covid too was the trainer. If it was Jerry, you would think that Amy & Michael, & Misty would have gotten it too. The trainer was the only one around only Chris & Tammy.

When Amy & Michael were talking about not moving, Michael said something about wanting to move closer to work. That means he does have an actual job, I wonder what it is?

I can't believe Tammy needs to go into a facility to lose weight, but can't get into one until she loses weight.

[Mothra]

2 hours ago, seasons said:

  Reveal spoiler

 

No spoiler, sorry! Fat fingers.

 

I was surprised that the doctor's office couldn't help Tammy find a place for long term care. Especially the weight loss doctor - they must have some resources, no?

Chris is really trying to step up and be the hero (as Dr Phil says). I really like him. They all seem to respect him as head of the family.

Amy's eyes are literally shining when she talks about Baby Gage. And the name Gage Deon /Dion? is growing on me! 

poor Tammy. I really feel for her. I know she can be nasty but she is trapped. By her own hand I know but I don't think life has ever been easy for any of them. 

And Michael really seems to love Amy and Gage And is a real family man. Good for them.

I wish I could "heart" this post 100 times.  I agree with every single word (except maybe "Gage Deon," but I'm an old lady, and by me spelling Christine with a K is suspect).

[cynicat]

4 hours ago, seasons said:

I was surprised that the doctor's office couldn't help Tammy find a place for long term care. Especially the weight loss doctor - they must have some resources, no?

Perhaps there are insurance issues and they can only find certain ones that will take the plan they have.  After showing the issue on television, maybe some will step up for the PR.  

How Tammy didn't die of COVID is a mystery.  She was already on oxygen, so it's possible that played a role. Otherwise, I've got nothing except to say this is an unpredictable virus and a motherfucker.

[suev3333]

In NY state, at that age, that baby's car seat should be facing to the rear of the car.   I'm not sure how long exactly.  I wonder if other states are different.  It's just safer that way when they're that little. 

 Tammy looked so much bigger on this episode, than last time. It was shocking to see her size.   It's such a shame, and food addiction is a bitch.  I don't think she will lose any weight unless she's in a controlled environment. Her health is in grave danger.  It was sweet how she was with Gage, tho.  And Amy and Michael seem like good parents.

 

[Kid]

6 hours ago, seasons said:

 

I was surprised that the doctor's office couldn't help Tammy find a place for long term care. Especially the weight loss doctor - they must have some resources, no?

I wondered about that myself.  Dr. Now hospitalizes people for months then sends them to rehab.  Of course, Houston is a metropolitan area.  Why doesn't her doctor ship her to Texas in a medical transport?

[Kid]

4 hours ago, suev3333 said:

Tammy looked so much bigger on this episode, than last time. It was shocking to see her size.   It's such a shame, and food addiction is a bitch.  I don't think she will lose any weight unless she's in a controlled environment. Her health is in grave danger.  It was sweet how she was with Gage, tho.  And Amy and Michael seem like good parents.

I believe Amy made a statement about her being 700 pounds now.  I took that to mean that she gained more since the 665 weighin.

If they cannot get her into a facility, why doesn't the family take away her phone, take away her computer and deliver the food she is supposed to eat to her on a daily basis. Not all at once so that she can eat 32 miles in two days. When she loses enough weight to get into facility, then put her in one.

She is still home, supposedly, and everything else they did did not work. If she doesn't have a phone and she doesn't have a computer, she can't call out and get food delivered.

Because, if they don't do something, just about the time when Gage is out of diapers, Amy is going to be diapering Tammy.

Edited March 9, 2021 by Kid

[RedDelicious]

My thought is that Tammy needs intense therapy before she can really commit to any type of program or in-patient situation. We saw how she behaved with Chris when he was putting it on the line with her. He wasn’t disrespectful and he didn’t tap dance around it either. I was afraid she was going to throw something at him and hit the baby, and then she wouldn’t look up from her phone, and I admit, the thought crossed my mind that she had a delivery app pulled up. Tammy’s in a dark, dark place. 

The thought I had about in-patient facilities is (like the dentist’s chair) you have to be at a certain weight threshold otherwise the hospital bed won’t hold you. My guess is the facilities in Kentucky including the one she went to before already have all of their bariatric beds occupied. They cost as much as a really nice pre-owned car too so I would imagine they are in somewhat limited supply. I don’t know, it’s just my guess. 

I do feel bad for Tammy because her situation is getting exponentially worse. She does not respond well to attempts to help her nor does she have the wear with all to make the right choices and changes. She’s trapped in her own head as much as she’s trapped in her body.   

Baby Gage and Little are the sweetest!

Last thought - I loved the scene with Amy at the window being silly, trying to cheer up Tammy. All of them together are a really solid sibling unit and their spouses are good people too. Brittany probably speaks less than Michael but she seems like a nice person. I had a good chuckle; even when Chris was so upset that he had to leave the table for a minute, he was still like “I’m going to come back and clean up the mess I made cooking”. (period and quotation mark should be correct, hehe 😆) That’s Chris. 

I really do hope Tammy gets herself straightened out.  

[Mothra]

In this ep, Tammy looked like she had gained a lot more weight than the scale showed, but "the scale doesn't lie" copyright Dr. Now.  I was filled with such dismay when I saw her, even though I'd read that she had gained back whatever she lost in the hospital, so I shouldn't have been surprised.  And like everybody else, I'm amazed she survived covid, especially covid serious enough to put her in the hospital.  She must--in spite of everything--have some kind of cast-iron constitution to have stayed alive as long as she has.

I really, really hated the way Amy and Chris (whom I adore) kept asking her how her diet was going, and then telling her she better get with it.  God almighty--it's like telling a fat girl she needs to lose weight!  Tammy knows she's morbidly fat, and if she hasn't internalized the message that she's going to die unless she loses weight--I mean really embraced the truth of it in her heart, really *believes* it on the deepest level, all that nagging is going to do is provoke her into a) not wanting to talk about it with people who love her and are trying to help her and b) drive her to eat more.  Because that's how food (eating) addiction works.  Constant nagging is not the way to get someone to lose weight.

I'm glad she has decided to try something different and go into an inpatient program, and I wonder if she would have come to that conclusion without her family confronting her about it as they did.  My heart breaks that right now, when she says she's ready to do it, there's no place for her to go.

You would think, or I would anyway, that some bariatric specialist somewhere would be able to get her into a program.  She's on tv, and they have an online presence.  I am sure that fat doctors do watch shows like this.  If there really is no program that can take Tammy, why can't or won't some enterprising RN, along with a consulting physician, a dietitian, a physical therapist, a psychotherapist--the whole team, again *on consult* so they wouldn't be tied full time to this one patient (except for the RN in charge) set up in Tammy's home?  They would have to hire 24-hr. babysitting service and install cameras to make sure she didn't cheat, but maybe after a month or so Tammy could get down to a size where she could go into a regular facility?  When you're as fat as Tammy, the first couple hundred pounds will come off fast, if she can be forced to comply.

I'm a big believer in positive reinforcement, in finding success in even the smallest act and praising it instead of criticizing all the errors.  The only time I've seen Tammy receive any positive reinforcement for her weight-loss efforts was when that trainer had her and Chris doing exercises, and he told Tammy what a good job she was doing.  She brightened up like a neon sign and did not slag off.  Every other time I've seen her attempt exercise, she has quit after one or two steps.  With the trainer telling her she was doing a good job, she did everything he asked and didn't quit until the set of exercises was finished.

I have a feeling Tammy has received very little, if any, praise for anything she's ever done in her entire life.

[CanuckFan]

46 minutes ago, RedDelicious said:

had a good chuckle; even when Chris was so upset that he had to leave the table for a minute, he was still like “I’m going to come back and clean up the mess I made cooking”. (period and quotation mark should be correct, hehe 😆)

Yes, it is correct in British English. 🙂

[CrazyInAlabama]

A weight loss facility, or assisted living is not a prison.   THey can't stop any patient from ordering food in, or paying someone to bring them food.   They can leave any time they want to.    

[libgirl2]

10 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

A weight loss facility, or assisted living is not a prison.   THey can't stop any patient from ordering food in, or paying someone to bring them food.   They can leave any time they want to.    

Yes, we have seen that on My 600 lb Life among other weight loss shows. 

[SunnyBeBe]

I suspect that medical professionals would not be inclined to offer Tammy help, because she has already shown her refusal to accept treatment from 2 prior doctors.  Even when the last one offered psychiatric help, Tammy refused to accept it.  She and Chris admitted this. 
 

As long as she’s deemed competent, she has the right to do as she pleases regarding her food, phone, housing, etc.  That’s why I mentioned APS checking on her, because at some point, if you’re self neglecting, they can file for guardianship.  If not, you can make plenty poor choices for yourself.
 

I looked online in NC for bariatric long term care facilities and all I could find are some that have bariatric beds, but I think that means for people around 300 pounds.  I don’t think most of their other equipment would cover her.  Plus, the manpower to handle her if she’s not mobile.  Also, nursing home and assisted living care is very pricy. Medicaid covers it if you qualify financially and medically.  She likely makes too much money to qualify.  
 

I don’t think there are any simple answers to fix Tammy. It seems that removing Tammy from the facility she was in to do the tv show was not a good move.  She’s gotten worse since then.  I wonder if they have tried hypnosis.  Imo, it’s worth a try.  

[CanuckFan]

1 hour ago, Mothra said:

 

You would think, or I would anyway, that some bariatric specialist somewhere would be able to get her into a program.  She's on tv, and they have an online presence.  I am sure that fat doctors do watch shows like this.  If there really is no program that can take Tammy, why can't or won't some enterprising RN, along with a consulting physician, a dietitian, a physical therapist, a psychotherapist--the whole team, again *on consult* so they wouldn't be tied full time to this one patient (except for the RN in charge) set up in Tammy's home?  They would have to hire 24-hr. babysitting service and install cameras to make sure she didn't cheat, but maybe after a month or so Tammy could get down to a size where she could go into a regular facility?  When you're as fat as Tammy, the first couple hundred pounds will come off fast, if she can be forced to comply.

If they do something like that, when she gets out, she will just go back to her old eating habits. She has to want to lose the weight bad enough to change and I don't think she's at that point. They may have to try tough love and distance themselves from her until she's ready to buckle down and do it.

Also, Tammy needs to kick Jerry to the curb. He's not helping at all.

[lulu69]

Tammy does not want to change. Period. She may say she does but really she doesnt.

Imho Tammy is stuck as a perpetual 11yr old (around the age the grandmother died) who wants what she wants but doesn't want any consequences for her actions. There's always something to blame - her crappy childhood, the mother, the grandma, Amy & Michael, Chris, Covid, etc etc.

As frustrating as it is, no one can make Tammy lose weight if she's not willing to put in the work or sacrifice in any way.

Edited March 9, 2021 by lulu69

[SunnyBeBe]

Obesity is a complex condition.  There are many theories about it and how to address it.  It seems that Tammy is one of those cases that is very resistant to treatment.  Eating disorders do kill people.  I recall watching documentaries of patients with anorexia. These patients refuse to eat and though they are so thin and weak they are dying, they may still refuse to eat.  Similar to Tammy refusing to stop eating.   I hope something eventually works for Tammy.  

[Caoimhe]

Great that Chris has lost weight, I hope he manages to quit smoking but that’s a really tough one to beat without turning to food in its place. 

Amy acknowledges she needs to lose more weight which is good.  I noticed she didn’t have a very full plate at their intervention!  The baby is sweet but I feel bad for Michael that she won’t move closer to his work because of the human anchor that is Tammy.

Tammy is a lost cause in my view.  You can put her in a controlled environment and she will lose weight, but once she’s out she will just eat and put it back on again.   I’m not sure there is a solution but one thing she was right about is that psychotherapy needs to be for her ALONE.  The earlier sessions they showed were about the food dynamic between the sisters but Tammy has many more issues to work out than Amy.  I just don’t see any real desire or motivation to make a success of anything there.  She says the right things but that’s it.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

As so many of you have said, Tammy is a competent adult who has the right to make her own decisions, even if those decisions are harming her.  She has serious mental health issues.  I agree with @Mothra that she has likely received little praise in her life.  That is why I greatly appreciated the doctor's reaction when she admitted that she couldn't just adhere to the plan.  He praised her for recognizing it and marked it as an important, positive step.  

I could see another team coming in trying to help her - doctors, psychiatrists, nutritionists, physical therapists - except for two issues.  First, we are in a pandemic which makes everything more difficult (and also restricted non-critical folks from care facilities). Second, she is already under a TV contract.  Unless someone can pitch it to the notoriously cheap TLC, she is not getting a dedicated care team. 

[HoneyBeach]

When Tammy was saying something along the lines of "I'm trying, I do want it. I want to lose weight.", I felt that.  I believe her. She really WANTS it to happen, but she doesn't want to work for it.  I feel that way too.  Yes, of course I want to be thin and healthy, but I don't want to exercise or stop eating.  But now I am trying. My highest weight has been 311 and I'm at 273, but it's hard.  I empathize with her, but she also makes me so angry and I think I might just be angry at myself. Hmmmm...

[kicotan]

1 hour ago, CanuckFan said:

Also, Tammy needs to kick Jerry to the curb. He's not helping at all.

I really wish that this show, as well as the 600 lb life show, would STOP just glossing over the feeder fetish that props up 600+ Lb.  people.  Not just the feeders that get off on it sexually, like Jerry, but also the feeders that get off on it emotionally, like their relatives and/or “caregivers”. 

Amy says to Tammy through the window “ I brought you some food!”...they don’t show what was in the bags.  She follows up with the comment “wait 5 minutes to get these bags because I don’t want to get COVID.”  How does that comment even make sense?  How are you going to get COVID from bags you’ve left behind?

There’s no logic with these folks...at all.

[Kid]

3 hours ago, RedDelicious said:

My thought is that Tammy needs intense therapy before she can really commit to any type of program or in-patient situation. We saw how she behaved with Chris when he was putting it on the line with her. He wasn’t disrespectful and he didn’t tap dance around it either. I was afraid she was going to throw something at him and hit the baby, and then she wouldn’t look up from her phone, and I admit, the thought crossed my mind that she had a delivery app pulled up. Tammy’s in a dark, dark place. 

And, during the last visit to her doctor, he gave her a name of a therapist and she could do it remotely. They indicated in this last episode that she's done nothing to move forward with that.

You are absolutely right, she needs intense therapy. But she doesn't want intense therapy because, being in the condition she's in, she can continue to play the victim and make sure that all the family's attention is on her.  Chris was firm with her and extremely fair and she acted like a toddler.  I am more and more impressed with Chris.

Yes, she had it rough as a kid but all of her siblings had it rough as a kids and they are all trying to better their lives. And take responsibility for their lives. And support themselves and their family.

I have struggled food addiction my entire life. And I did not have a supportive family to help me with it. If anything, they made it worse whenever possible. I took responsibility for my life and eating disorder.  Tammy has a loving and supportive family.

The person I really feel sorry for is Amy. She carries the most burden and she truly loves her sister.   During that dinner, when Chris began talking, there was actual FEAR on Amy's face as she anticipated the bully's reaction.

My opinion is that Tammy wants to continue on continuing on. And,  it is for that reason, I have no sympathy. Not to mention, that I cannot stomach a victim mentality.  So, when she is bedbound, the family needs to get her a healthcare worker and move on with their lives.

 

Edited March 9, 2021 by Kid

[kicotan]

29 minutes ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

Tammy is a competent adult

I would disagree.

A competent adult does not choose to weigh 665 lbs.

A competent adult does not rely on others to provide for every basic need.

She’s about as competent as a child...not an adult.

[RedDelicious]

100% @Kid  She doesn't want to do the work. Especially not with therapy, because that would force her to face her issues. I don't think remote is the right thing for her because she can just close the remote session or sit there and be mute. When you're in the therapist's office (and believe me, I've done my time) they are right there in front of you, engaging. They don't really let you completely shut down and stop talking, as Tammy likes to do when she gets uncomfortable.

I feel bad for Amy too and I would not trust the baby with Tammy. Hopefully Amy is fully aware of that and would never leave him alone with her, even for 5 minutes. 

*as a side note, I did have one therapist who had an office with a window to the street below. When I talked about something that was difficult for me, I liked to look out the window while I was talking. She used to kind of crook her neck to try to force me to make eye contact and I'd think (bitch!) can't you just let me express my feelings in a way that is a little less uncomfortable? Lay off! 😄 

[Mothra]

1 hour ago, CanuckFan said:

If they do something like that, when she gets out, she will just go back to her old eating habits. She has to want to lose the weight bad enough to change and I don't think she's at that point. They may have to try tough love and distance themselves from her until she's ready to buckle down and do it.

Also, Tammy needs to kick Jerry to the curb. He's not helping at all.

The problem is, I don't think she'll ever get to that point, and right now, her life is in danger.  I don't think she has time left to sort out her issues or whatever it is that's keeping her from "getting it."  I don't think Tammy is ever going to change in her relationship to food; I think her addiction is too strong.  I think the best she can do is be "in recovery," like other addicts do.  The addiction will always be there.  The important thing is not to let her die from it.  That's why I think when she gains back the weight they've starved off her--and I agree with you, she will gain it back--they have to put her back in lockdown, just like addicts of other sorts have to keep going back and back to rehab.

Edited March 9, 2021 by Mothra
clarity

[PrincessPurrsALot]

26 minutes ago, kicotan said:

I would disagree.

A competent adult does not choose to weigh 665 lbs.

A competent adult does not rely on others to provide for every basic need.

She’s about as competent as a child...not an adult.

She is a competent adult from a legal standpoint.  She may act like a child, throw fits, be non-compliant with the most simple requests, and rely on others for most of her needs while claiming she does not need their help, but she is legally competent to make her own egregious choices. 

[Kid]

53 minutes ago, HoneyBeach said:

When Tammy was saying something along the lines of "I'm trying, I do want it. I want to lose weight.", I felt that.  I believe her. She really WANTS it to happen, but she doesn't want to work for it.  I feel that way too.  Yes, of course I want to be thin and healthy, but I don't want to exercise or stop eating.  But now I am trying. My highest weight has been 311 and I'm at 273, but it's hard.  I empathize with her, but she also makes me so angry and I think I might just be angry at myself. Hmmmm...

You are absolutely correct. She wants all those things but she's unwilling to work for them.  Been there, done that. And it doesn't work. And congratulations to you for starting to take the necessary steps.

[kicotan]

17 minutes ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

She is a competent adult from a legal standpoint.  She may act like a child, throw fits, be non-compliant with the most simple requests, and rely on others for most of her needs while claiming she does not need their help, but she is legally competent to make her own egregious choices. 

I realize from a legal standpoint she is considered a competent adult...but realistically I don’t think anyone could argue that she is.

[Mothra]

4 minutes ago, Kid said:

You are absolutely correct. She wants all those things but she's unwilling to work for them.  Been there, done that. And it doesn't work. And congratulations to you for starting to take the necessary steps.

And the big puzzle to me is, why on earth would she *not* want to work for them?  My personal belief is that she's such an addict that she can't take steps to help herself, at least not at this point in her addiction.  But Tammy is far from the only really, really fat person we've seen on shows like this, and they all seem to have to be dragged kicking and screaming to accept the fact that they have to lose weight or they're going to die, and losing weight means eating less.

If only they could understand that when you're enormous, you'll lose weight almost magically fast if you stick to a calorie-limited diet--if only they could stay *strictly* on the diet for, say, two weeks--or even one week--with no cheating, I think the great feeling they would get when they see how much weight they can lose--fast--would help keep them on track.  But it seems like they can't commit to even that short a period of time.  Dr. Now isn't kidding when he tells his patients they could lose 100 lb in a month if they followed the diet.

If Tammy could stay on the diet for a week, I bet she would lose 50 lbs., which would be a real success for her and a shot in the arm.  But she just can't do it.  And then, later, when the weight loss slowed down, she'd probably go right back to her starting weight.

[Mothra]

26 minutes ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

She is a competent adult from a legal standpoint.  She may act like a child, throw fits, be non-compliant with the most simple requests, and rely on others for most of her needs while claiming she does not need their help, but she is legally competent to make her own egregious choices. 

She is competent, but she could choose to commit herself voluntarily to a facility for a specified length of time, could she not?

She certainly is a danger to herself, if not to others, with her barrelling toward the grave.

 

[Kid]

25 minutes ago, Mothra said:

And the big puzzle to me is, why on earth would she *not* want to work for them?  My personal belief is that she's such an addict that she can't take steps to help herself, at least not at this point in her addiction.  But Tammy is far from the only really, really fat person we've seen on shows like this, and they all seem to have to be dragged kicking and screaming to accept the fact that they have to lose weight or they're going to die, and losing weight means eating less.

If only they could understand that when you're enormous, you'll lose weight almost magically fast if you stick to a calorie-limited diet--if only they could stay *strictly* on the diet for, say, two weeks--or even one week--with no cheating, I think the great feeling they would get when they see how much weight they can lose--fast--would help keep them on track.  But it seems like they can't commit to even that short a period of time.  Dr. Now isn't kidding when he tells his patients they could lose 100 lb in a month if they followed the diet.

If Tammy could stay on the diet for a week, I bet she would lose 50 lbs., which would be a real success for her and a shot in the arm.  But she just can't do it.  And then, later, when the weight loss slowed down, she'd probably go right back to her starting weight.

One of her biggest problems is she keeps talking about eating healthy. What she doesn't seem to get is, even if you eat healthy food, you can't consume 10,000 cal a day and lose weight.  It's not just the choice, it is the amount.

It is why she ate 32 prepared meals in two days.  She said they were like snacks.

[Teriacky]

I would not be in the least surprised to hear that Tammy has passed away. The human body is not designed to carry that much weight. I feel extremely sorry for her snd wish her the best, but at this point she has one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel.

[barshi50]

It was most disheartening to me that their mother had bought a burial plot for Tammy. I think Chris said it was two plots wide because of her size.

Imagine knowing that your own mother (I know they didn't have a good relationship) was so convinced that you were going to die from being morbidly obese that she made arrangements.

That's not much positive encouragement.

[kicotan]

I still don’t understand why Dr. Now doesn’t have a rehab facility for food addiction.  What’s stopping him?  Obviously there are people who, like Tammy, weigh upwards of 600 lbs and don’t/can’t stop eating 4-5 thousand calories a day.  Like an alcoholic or drug addict, they are hell bent on killing themselves, albeit slowly, but still on a death journey.

The end of the episode, where Tammy talks about going into a rehab facility is probably the most poignant and important scene.  She’s unable to adult, successfully.  She can’t stop killing herself with food. 

[Showthyme]

12 minutes ago, kicotan said:

I still don’t understand why Dr. Now doesn’t have a rehab facility for food addiction.  What’s stopping him?  Obviously there are people who, like Tammy, weigh upwards of 600 lbs and don’t/can’t stop eating 4-5 thousand calories a day.  Like an alcoholic or drug addict, they are hell bent on killing themselves, albeit slowly, but still on a death journey.

The end of the episode, where Tammy talks about going into a rehab facility is probably the most poignant and important scene.  She’s unable to adult, successfully.  She can’t stop killing herself with food. 

Limits on insurance. It is unlikely most of these people have private health insurance and even if they did, the insurance would be capped by number or days or a life time limit like they do with other addictions. Another factor is that they don’t go to a doctor like most of us unless it is an emergency so the rehab center would not have enough patients to sustain.

i like your “unable to adult” term. Sadly, it fits a lot of people.

 

[lilysmom]

I have thought about the family dynamics for a long time (seriously, we need to get out of this isolation stuff!!) and I think Tammy controls the entire family. She is constantly being catered to and tiptoed around. She is always told what she wants to hear (Aunt Tammy is everyone's favorite aunt), Everyone is afraid she will get upset, so they do what she wants. She gets the lion's share of attention. What does she have to lose if she loses weight and is able to be independent?? She loses all this attention and control.

I don't know if she is able to think in those terms, but I think she is able to realize that "get skinny, lose my royal court."

[ethalfrida]

I don't understand why more precautions weren't taken after Tammy contracted the virus... they visited, took the baby and were not wearing masks.

[Kid]

Best line of the night was when Chris said "someone is sneaking her food, bitch doesn't leave the house."

I absolutely love him. He is straight talking, decent, and knows how to handle a baby! How many men can do that?

If there is a season three, they should eliminate Tammy and make it about Chris and Amy.  Of course, Tammy may have eliminated herself by then!

Edited March 9, 2021 by Kid

[steff13]

I felt bad when Chris said he failed Tammy as a diet buddy.  There's only so much you can do, she's got to want it.  I like Chris.  I actually like everyone on the show except Tammy. 

[mittsigirl]

4 hours ago, kicotan said:

I really wish that this show, as well as the 600 lb life show, would STOP just glossing over the feeder fetish that props up 600+ Lb.  people.  Not just the feeders that get off on it sexually, like Jerry, but also the feeders that get off on it emotionally, like their relatives and/or “caregivers”. 

Amy says to Tammy through the window “ I brought you some food!”...they don’t show what was in the bags.  She follows up with the comment “wait 5 minutes to get these bags because I don’t want to get COVID.”  How does that comment even make sense?  How are you going to get COVID from bags you’ve left behind?

There’s no logic with these folks...at all.

I know of highly educated, professional people who spray all of their bags, etc. with Lysol after bringing them in the house! Different people believe different things, not only due to how logical people are.

[Pondlass1]

If only there was some kind of brain surgery that could be performed to stop addictions in their tracks.  It’s all a mind thing and we still don’t know nearly enough about the workings of the brain even in the 21st century.

However, on the other hand, mucking about with human brains could be dangerous. We could be manipulated into a certain stations in life.. like bees — workers, drones and queens.

But unless something is done Tammy is going to eat herself to death or at least bedridden. It’s frustrating.

[GaT]

I wonder why lipo can't be used for seriously overweight people like Tammy? That would get rid of a lot of fat, maybe enough for her to have the surgery, which would make her feel full with less food. Of course it won't help with any phycological issues, but she can still work on that & might not feel so defeated. 

[Joan van Snark]

Quote

Last thought - I loved the scene with Amy at the window being silly, trying to cheer up Tammy. All of them together are a really solid sibling unit and their spouses are good people too. Brittany probably speaks less than Michael but she seems like a nice person. I had a good chuckle; even when Chris was so upset that he had to leave the table for a minute, he was still like “I’m going to come back and clean up the mess I made cooking”. (period and quotation mark should be correct, hehe 😆) That’s Chris. 

I agree--they really do seem to care about each other.  I don't know much about the backstory except the little bits and pieces I've gleaned.  Their mom seemed mean and I'm not sure how much the dad was involved.  In a lot of families like that the kids are dog eat dog (every one for themselves) so I'm happy to see that try to help each other.  Chris seems like a cool dude.