S02.E10: Do or Die

[PrincessPurrsALot]

4 hours ago, Mothra said:

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.

 

She could try to check herself into a care facility but, as others have said, insurance is needed.  If she stated suicidal ideation she could enter a mental health facility and be placed on a three day hold for assessment.  I have a friend who did this during a very dark time and was committed for two weeks while she stabilized.  Best choice she could have made.  She is in a much better place now. 

The tricky thing with someone like Tammy is the systems don't view eating until you are damn near 700 pounds the same thing as what is viewed as actively harming yourself.  Perhaps the idea is that it is not immediate enough?   So much of this comes down to if there is someone who is willing and able to pay for her care.  

4 hours 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. 

Dr. Now is a surgeon, not a hospital administrator.  It is not his focus.  Care facilities are under very strict guidelines in most jurisdictions.  That is why specialty groups typically run them.  Most eating disorder clinics in the US are privately run and often are not covered under insurance, so you need $$$ to go.  Tammy may have money from youtube but this is not a wealthy family. 

16 minutes ago, GaT said:

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. 

There are limits as to how much fat can safely be removed using lipo, currently 6-8 pounds.  Those limits are based on healthy folks.  While the allowed volume has expanded over the years, it's still not a lot if you are looking at someone Tammy's size.  Tammy's forehead could be lipo'ed, but they couldn't make much of a difference elsewhere.  The treatment is more focused on sculpting than removing major amounts of fat.  Love handles - goodbye!  Normal sized double chin - be gone!  It is also used as part of larger cosmetic surgeries.  Tammy has few areas that are of a scale that any allowable amount of lipo would be noticeable. Her double chin is beyond the normal scope without a face lift. And she is not healthy enough for the procedure.  It is considered (with very rare exceptions) cosmetic. 

[SunnyBeBe]

This residential program is closed due to covid.  It’s expensive.

https://fitstays.com/listing/duke-diet-fitness-center/

 

 

[DanaMB]

8 hours ago, Kid said:

I am more and more impressed with Chris.

Same. I was pretty much cheering for him with his tough love. 

[mittsigirl]

 I had mostly just listened to this epi, tonight I actually sat down and watched it. While watching Tammy holding the baby, I kept hoping that the huge dandruff flakes on Tammy's head never fell on the baby's face. I was glad that he had a soother in his mouth. I don't believe for one second that Tammy can go to the bathroom and clean herself anymore. I agree that she has gained way more weight than before she got covid, she is much larger now than before. I don't see how she can even properly clean herself in the shower at her size. I hope that she is always sitting when holding that little baby, and even then it makes me afraid that she will somehow drop him. When Amy & Michael were in the park with him, I noticed that Michael has also gained quite a lot more weight, they should have the baby in a stroller or some kind of carrier because just one little stumble over something and the baby could be dropped, it made me nervous watching them walk together like that. And is there a reason why Amy is not nursing him? Some women swear that it helps your stomach go down much quicker, though it never worked that way for me. But then again, if she was nursing, I could see Amy saying that she needed to eat more just to produce enough milk for an excuse as why she is not losing any weight! Chris is doing so well, I hope he keeps it up! I know Amy wants another baby, but she really should give herself some time before getting pregnant again. My heart goes out to Tammy, because everyone wants to be loved and have someone to love. In one of the shows she said that Jerry was going to be her husband someday, but I just can't see him making that commitment to her. If anything, I think that he is going to break her heart and if he does, then that may well be the end for Tammy.  He is no prize but he is to her. Now that Amy has a baby, I think that getting married and having her own family will be on Tammy's mind now, more than ever. If only she would get serious about her addiction, then she could have a more realistic dream about settling down someday. One can only hope for the best for her, but she sure has a very long way to go now that she has gained back what she lost, plus some. 

[mittsigirl]

2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

This residential program is closed due to covid.  It’s expensive.

https://fitstays.com/listing/duke-diet-fitness-center/

 

 

Well somebody makes a lot of money from this place and others like it, I had no idea, thanks for posting this SUNNYBEBE!!

[auntjess]

23 hours ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

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.

When they said that, didn't Michael say that yes, he did indeed need to lose.
And on the one hand there are lots of food delivery places, she could even get them next day from amazon, but living so close together, I don't see how Amy would miss seeing deliveries, and also the trash.

[SunnyBeBe]

There may be some more modestly priced weight loss facilities, but they likely closed during height of covid.  Maybe, they’ll be opening up as it gets under control.

[SunnyBeBe]

Don’t laugh, but years ago I had considered going to the Duke Center for  1 week as my vacation.  Expensive, but at that time, it included your housing and meals.  Plus, medical care, nutrition classes, personal trainer, pool, spa, etc.  I figured I could lose at lease 5 pounds too. 

[auntjess]

10 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”. 

600 Lb Life doesn't gloss over the the feeders, several mothers and James K's wife Lisa.  
 

[swankie]

 

5 minutes ago, auntjess said:

When they said that, didn't Michael say that yes, he did indeed need to lose.
And on the one hand there are lots of food delivery places, she could even get them next day from amazon, but living so close together, I don't see how Amy would miss seeing deliveries, and also the trash.

Food delivery apps  like Door Dash have taken to dropping off the food at the door and leaving.  All of the transactions are done online from the ordering to the payment.  Unless Amy spends her day staring out the window, it's not hard to see why she wouldn't see them.  And I can see Tammy doing her ordering either very early or very late when Amy and Michael are asleep.  Plus, even though we don't see it, more than likely their duplex has back doors.  She might request that they drop the food at the back door.  Face it, she's getting the food from someplace and Jerry doesn't live with her so it's not always from him.  He doesn't even live in Kentucky.  It is true though that when he is there he is buying her unhealthy food.  To me he seems to be insensitive to her dilemma.   When he was asked by production if he feels bad eating his junk food in front of Tammy he said no.  She may love him but Jerry is harmful for Tammy.

[RealReality]

That was remarkable depressing

Gage is cute.

Jerry making it CRYSTAL clear that he cares more about candy than he does about his "girlfriend"  

Jerry just gives me such weird vibes, my spidey senses tell me he is a homeless couchsurfer, he just never seems to have any obligations or places to be.  He doesn't appear to be retired from anything and its probably incredibly easy for him to scam money off of women like Tammy, who are desperate.  

Y'all give me a minute, I'm going to find my comment from last week where I predicted that the season finale was going to be them telling Tammy that she needed to be in a controlled environment.  

 

[RealReality]

19 hours ago, cynicat said:

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.

I wonder if they didn't get to hear earlier than they would have gotten to others.  The average person may let a few things go because being a little short of breath isn't the end of the world and you may think you're okay.  

But with Tammy, who already had a pulmonary condition, any lung problem or trouble breathing would have caused her immediate alarm.

I mean, I'm only spitballing, because I'm sort of surprised she didn't die of COVID either.  

[GaT]

2 hours ago, swankie said:

Jerry doesn't live with her so it's not always from him.  He doesn't even live in Kentucky.  It is true though that when he is there he is buying her unhealthy food.  To me he seems to be insensitive to her dilemma.   When he was asked by production if he feels bad eating his junk food in front of Tammy he said no.  She may love him but Jerry is harmful for Tammy.

I don't know if you saw the post by @ShortyMac in the media topic, but apparently Jerry was living with Tammy for almost a year. 

[SunnyBeBe]

A friend of my brother was in excellent health and fit on Feb. 1. ((He’s a law enforcement officer.)  He struggled with covid and then was hospitalized due to getting worse with breathing.  He’s been on ventilator for weeks now. Without a miracle, he won’t survive much longer.  Not my brother, but his friend. It really is a mystery how Tammy was able to avoid a ventilator and come with only oxygen.  

Edited March 10, 2021 by SunnyBeBe

[RealReality]

16 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. 

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.  

 

15 hours 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.    

Now I don't want to beat a dead horse, but maybe a mildly sick horse?

In that show Heavy, it was before the days of food delivery, but I think their location was fairly remote so I'm not sure there would have been many options (Texas - a big state and Hilton Head Island - an island).  Its been a long time, but IIRC, there was like ONE door in and ONE door out, so if someone was coming to deliver some food, they had to go through the front desk area, which was monitored IIRC.  

What they always did at the start of the show - which was somewhat amusing but fairly illustrative of the problem - is they would go through participants luggage and I'd say about 60% of the time someone had like snuck in like just the worst things you could imagine.  

I think @PrincessPurrsALot has a really good point in that they may be exclusively signed with Sharp Productions or TLC and they may not want to do something that expensive.  But I feel like if it was just for Tammy, the costs may be cheaper.  OMG, what if they did it as like a between season special?  Like the whole family goes to some fitness resort to lose weight.  While I like the scenery wherever they live, watching the Slaton siblings at a posh fitness resort would be so much fun. 

Make it happen TLC!

The link below is just a background on the show - I think its at least tangentially related, right?  If not, just let me know @PrincessPurrsALot and I'll take it off.  But I did think the show was so innovative in providing a 360 experience for the participants and I was bummed it only lasted a season.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_(TV_series)

13 hours ago, lulu69 said:

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

 

I agree with the commenter below that she would like a change, but she doesn't want to put in the incredibly hard work to change.  

I currently would like a pedicure, and I COULD do one on myself, but ugh, I have to get out all the supplies, I have to find a nail polish color, there are so many steps, its too hard.  Now if i could wave a magic wand and get it done, I would.  So would Tammy.  And I can't fault her, at her size it is going to be a LOT of work.

13 hours 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...

Yes, exactly this.  

 

[kathyk24]

I was watching a show on Discovery Health about Prader-Willi syndrome and it reminded me of Tammy. With Prader-Willi you are unable to feel full and it impacts your cognitive ability. Didn't Amy say that their mom locked the fridge so Tammy wouldn't eat everything? We know she ate a month's worth of meals in two days. That could explain why her reaction to certain events is so immature. I know someone with this disorder in real life so it's possible for Tammy to have it.

[Guest]

18 hours ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

Unless someone can pitch it to the notoriously cheap TLC, she is not getting a dedicated care team. 

THISSSSSS. Surely nearly everyone watching this show, not to mention those who participate in it, now that it's a fake TV show. Why can't TLC pay some dietician to come into Tammy's home, remove all of her food, and only cook her healthy, calorie-restricted meals? And then have a revolving door of medical people take care of her physical and mental well being? This is not a documentary. They fake "real" scenes with psychics, baby showers, and restaurants -- why not actually have a REAL scene that's of value? 

As for Jerry. I'm going to have to look it up but I'm gonna guess his IMDB entry reads either, "Rube" or "Scapegoat." I don't even know what to say about his fly "💯" track suit other than: People -- please don't click the sponsored ads on Facebook while you've been hitting the booze hard on a Saturday night. 

Huge laugh at the TLC White Folding Table. I wonder if they buy those in bulk or, more likely, only have one that they tote around to the Slaton's homes when it's not in use with the various participants on My 600 Pound Life. 

[lilysmom]

7 hours ago, RealReality said:

I wonder if they didn't get to hear earlier than they would have gotten to others.  The average person may let a few things go because being a little short of breath isn't the end of the world and you may think you're okay.  

But with Tammy, who already had a pulmonary condition, any lung problem or trouble breathing would have caused her immediate alarm.

I mean, I'm only spitballing, because I'm sort of surprised she didn't die of COVID either.  

I am wondering if Tammy actually had the mild version of the virus that had few symptoms (for an average sized person that is) but they hospitalized her because of her great size and gave her oxygen to compensate. I don't recall hearing she was on a ventilator, but I might have missed that. My mind does tend to wonder off into its own universe when watching this show! If she had a severe case, I think we all know she would not have survived. Just a thought!

[Mothra]

15 hours ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

She could try to check herself into a care facility but, as others have said, insurance is needed.  If she stated suicidal ideation she could enter a mental health facility and be placed on a three day hold for assessment.  I have a friend who did this during a very dark time and was committed for two weeks while she stabilized.  Best choice she could have made.  She is in a much better place now. 

The tricky thing with someone like Tammy is the systems don't view eating until you are damn near 700 pounds the same thing as what is viewed as actively harming yourself.  Perhaps the idea is that it is not immediate enough?   So much of this comes down to if there is someone who is willing and able to pay for her care.  

 

I think it comes down to the fact that while everyone in health care and elsewhere wring their hands and bloviate loudly about the health crisis that obesity presents, especially in the US, we do not as a country have the will to treat obesity as a disease which requires treatment.  Fat people have not lost the stigma of being lazy or unwilling to give up their treats.  There probably are fat people who just don't care, but I'm sure the majority of people suffering from obesity want very much to lose weight, to "get healthy."  God I hate that phrase, along with "eat healthy."  I got to almost 300 lbs eating healthy foods.

The other thing is that we don't have, as yet, any effective treatment for obesity.  Of course, eating less means losing weight, but once someone's weight takes them into the danger zone, they need some kind of intervention that works fast, and we just don't have it.  Limiting someone's (or one's own) food intake *of course* is the way to lose weight--no one argues with that--and there is no magic bullet, but having nothing to offer but diet (and wls for those who can do it) is imo a failure on the part of the medical community.

Further, before I get off my lard box, it's obvious that there are lots of different factors involved in obesity.  Some people, like Tammy imo, seem to have a genuine addiction, as strong as an addiction to heroin.  We wouldn't counsel someone addicted to heroin simply to stop using.  People like Tammy, again imo, cannot help themselves, and drastic measures are called for to save their lives.

And we see lots of folks on weight-loss shows--like Tammy and Amy--whose families are all overweight.  There's clearly something going on there, whether it's genetic or just the family dynamic of abuse of food.

There are mysterious causes for obesity, like Prader-Willi syndrome, where the most ridiculous advice in the world would be to follow a 1200 calorie diet.  BTW, in terms of human rights, there has been a long-running controversy about whether it's ethical to deny food to people with PW (locking the refrigerator, for example) because they are, like Tammy, competent adults who have the right to choose what they eat.

Anyhoo, I think it's long past time for the medical community and the rest of us to start treating obesity seriously, to investigate causes, and try to find treatments that work.

 

[RealReality]

7 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

I was watching a show on Discovery Health about Prader-Willi syndrome and it reminded me of Tammy. With Prader-Willi you are unable to feel full and it impacts your cognitive ability. Didn't Amy say that their mom locked the fridge so Tammy wouldn't eat everything? We know she ate a month's worth of meals in two days. That could explain why her reaction to certain events is so immature. I know someone with this disorder in real life so it's possible for Tammy to have it.

But I thought that Tammy had lost some weight, she had just regained it.  Not from COVID per se, but before the second season?  I would have thought someone would have screened Tammy for it at some point in childhood, but maybe not.  

We may not have a ton of great options for treating obesity, but Tammy's situation seems so dire that if there is any hope for success I think drastic action has to be taken.  She said her lungs were already compromised from a prior pneumonia and I can testify to that.  I had only a mild pneumonia and I never fully retained my lung capacity.  Tammy has now had two pneumonias and so, even with a healthy normal sized human, that may present its own problems.  She is 665 pounds, how much longer than those bad boys hold out if they are already damaged?

Nature vs. nurture is hard.  I'd guess a degree of both.  Their eating habits are atrocious and you don't just come by that overnight.  I remember watching them cook in the first episode and there was soooooooooooooo much food, I remember them making three or four different desserts (one of them was like something with peanut butter).  They have learned over a lifetime to eat like that, you can't turn that Titanic around overnight and not without serious intervention and effort.  

In our house, growing up, there was ALWAYS dessert after dinner.  ALWAYS.  And it would feel so weird to me now if I didn't have something sweet after dinner.  Its just hard to turn these habits around and I think its why Tammy needs a controlled environment.  Its not perfect, but its her best shot at success.  

And while I'm sure TLC is cheap, they have done some other program (I think) where obese people went on vacation.  The Slaton sisters have a show now, there has to be some facility looking for the come up of being on a national TV show, right?  I mean, I assume the trainer wasn't paid at all and just wanted to be on TV.  

If Tammy needs a TV boyfriend next season that trainer guy might be a good fit.  

Poor Tammy, super invested in Jerry and wants him to move in, and Jerry lowkey saying sugary snacks are more important than Tammy's health.  You can really tell how much he cares.  

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Reminder: Do not discuss all folks with disabilities or assume that all obese persons receive government benefits or are qualified as disabled.  We are only discussing the Slatons here.  Comparisons to other obese folks in terms of behaviors, etc., is okay.  However, this includes behaviors only not real or assumed benefits received by the obese.   

[Kid]

18 hours ago, mittsigirl said:

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.

I do and I wipe down all of the food with Lysol. Better safe than sorry. And I have a masters degree. In theater!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Also, I think Amy meant that she did not want to be near Tammy when Tammy openedthe door to get the bags. At least that's how I took it.

Edited March 10, 2021 by Kid

[Kid]

12 hours ago, swankie said:

 

Food delivery apps  like Door Dash have taken to dropping off the food at the door and leaving.  All of the transactions are done online from the ordering to the payment.  Unless Amy spends her day staring out the window, it's not hard to see why she wouldn't see them.  And I can see Tammy doing her ordering either very early or very late when Amy and Michael are asleep.  Plus, even though we don't see it, more than likely their duplex has back doors.  She might request that they drop the food at the back door.  Face it, she's getting the food from someplace and Jerry doesn't live with her so it's not always from him.  

And that is why I was suggesting they take away her phone and take away her computer and deliver her meals to her one meal at a time and in compliance with the doctor's diet.

Obviously, only do that until she loses enough weight to be able to go to a facility and get some psychological help as well as physical health.

Edited March 10, 2021 by Kid

[lulu69]

To clarify my earlier comment that Tammy doesn't want to change, what I meant is I don't feel she's hit rock bottom yet or come to that 'a-ha' moment where she is willing to take a leap of faith and do anything and everything to save her life. To be honest, she may never reach that moment and it's terribly sad.

Btw, I agree that a food addiction can be every bit as vicious as a heroin or alcohol addiction. In fact possibly more so because you still have to eat every day. 

[Cowgirl]

On 3/9/2021 at 10:50 AM, kicotan said:

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?

I thought she was just being funny and asking Tammy to not come near her since Tammy has just had "The 'rona" as she (and all of us in my office) called it. I didn't think about it any other way until I read @mittsigirl's comment above and realized this was likely filmed before information came out saying that it's not as transmittable from surface contact as we first thought. Either way, I think she was mostly just teasing her sister and trying to cheer her up. 

After reading these comments I wonder if I missed something - when did they say that Tammy had to lose weight before she went to a care facility?  

Edited March 10, 2021 by Cowgirl

[readheaded]

1 hour ago, Cowgirl said:

I thought she was just being funny and asking Tammy to not come near her since Tammy has just had "The 'rona" as she (and all of us in my office) called it. I didn't think about it any other way until I read @mittsigirl's comment above and realized this was likely filmed before information came out saying that it's not as transmittable from surface contact as we first thought. Either way, I think she was mostly just teasing her sister and trying to cheer her up. 

After reading these comments I wonder if I missed something - when did they say that Tammy had to lose weight before she went to a care facility?  

At the end of the episode, there was text on the screen about it.  I usually half-watch TV, so I was surprised I caught it.  

[Mothra]

On 3/9/2021 at 2:56 PM, lilysmom said:

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."

I don't think she is told what she wants to hear.  For every "Tammy is the favorite aunt" (which I've heard only once from someone other than Tammy herself) there are at least 50 "how's your diet going?" and "you've got keep at it," things she definitely does not want to hear.  And 50 is a gross understatement imo.

She does have them terrified of her rage when they don't give her the food she wants, but I don't know if that's still the case.  I think that Chris hearing directly from the doctor about how serious Tammy's condition is shook him up, and it seems to me that he has a lot of influence in that family (is there a father around?).  If he stopped giving Tammy what she wants, that's the signal to the rest that it's OK for them, too, to refuse Tammy's food demands.  So that may have changed.

I agree that she gets more attention than anybody else in that family, and I guess she likes it--she'd like it more if it wasn't always in the form of nagging her about her diet.  Now that there's a cute baby around, though, Tammy's going to play second fiddle.  Maybe all the attention going to Gage will give Tammy a chance to see that *not* being the center of attention isn't the worst thing in the world.

I think you're probably right that her central position in that family has a bearing on her emotional illness.  IMO she's starved for praise, and love and acceptance, and the closest she can get to that is to have everybody ragging on her about dieting.  Negative attention is better than no attention at all.

Sometimes, when people really, really want something from you, they behave in a way that guarantees you won't want to give it to them.

PS I'm with you--I need that vaccine to be able to do other things than fret about Tammy!

Edited March 11, 2021 by Mothra

[Snarkastikate]

I like this entire family and hope everyone succeeds.  Like them or not, they are as honest as the day is long.  (Hmm I'm lookin' at you Twitney).  My late husband came from a family like the Slatons.  Grandmother, mother, all 3 kids morbidly obese.  My husband had WLS, he passed from another cause.  Addiction is knowing you're hurting yourself but you just can't stop.  Unlike drugs or alcohol, we gotta eat to live.  Damn!  Stopping is the problem with all addictions.  I need to take off 20 lbs but just can't seem to do it.  And take it from a chubby kid whose mom tried bribes, they doesn't work.  Threats don't either.  If the family were to say listen Tammy we love you but Michael just can't push you around anymore, he's gonna hurt himself, I think that bit of truth would help get her thinking, she seems to enjoy getting out.  I hope she found a bariatric rehab, she's probably hoping for one within traveling distance of her family.  She is funny & intelligent, but jeepers she's a bit if a rageaholic.  Jerry ugh.  Chubby chaser/feeder/fame ho.  Tammy just wants love, hell she'll take anything, per her.  Hope she gives the Jerry thing a rest and gets healthier.   I'm sure he cares for her, but he cares a little more about....well we all know don't we 😖.  If Tammy weighed 645 at the new bariatric surgeon visit, then gained 20 at virtual weigh-in after covid, yup she's inching towards 700.  That's a 100 lb gain in this season alone.  The fact that she not only survived covid but didn't end up bedridden during her hospitalization is a miracle.  It only takes one day to decide you can't get up again.

I think Amy worked hard to get the life she wanted, a family.  I hope she continues to lose.   Gage is adorable!. Michael doesn't speak much, but I don't think it's easy for everyone to act "normal" in front of a film crew & also knowing it will be seen by millions of ppl, yikes!   Hopefully they are in their new home & closer to his job by now.  Best of luck to this family.  Hope Chris quits smoking, that's another bitch. He seems determined to get surgery, good for him.  

Edited March 11, 2021 by Snarkastikate
Typo

[suev3333]

On 3/9/2021 at 1:41 PM, kicotan said:

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

Plenty of "competent adults"  have severe addictions also.  It's not about her choosing to weigh that much.  When you're an addict, sometimes there is no choice.  

[Cowgirl]

17 hours ago, readheaded said:

At the end of the episode, there was text on the screen about it.  I usually half-watch TV, so I was surprised I caught it.  

Thanks @readreaded! I completely missed that.

[swankie]

On 3/10/2021 at 1:54 AM, GaT said:

On 3/10/2021 at 1:54 AM, GaT said:

I don't know if you saw the post by @ShortyMac in the media topic, but apparently Jerry was living with Tammy for almost a year. 

 

See, that's some bullshit!  So TLC is basically just flat out lying to us about just about everything.  My faith in the honesty of reality shows is forever shattered! (Sarcasm) 🤣

That's really typical.  So everything seems to make more sense now.  And those scenes of Jerry leaving and coming back are just him going out to buy groceries. Lol!  

[GaT]

1 hour ago, swankie said:

And those scenes of Jerry leaving and coming back are just him going out to buy groceries. Lol!  

Exactly! LOL

[RealReality]

12 hours ago, Cowgirl said:

Thanks @readreaded! I completely missed that.

The black screen on a reality show brings out my pavlonian response.  I know someone probably died, or something big happened so I run to the TV.  

3 hours ago, swankie said:

See, that's some bullshit!  So TLC is basically just flat out lying to us about just about everything.  My faith in the honesty of reality shows is forever shattered! (Sarcasm) 🤣

That's really typical.  So everything seems to make more sense now.  And those scenes of Jerry leaving and coming back are just him going out to buy groceries. Lol!  

....and sassy tracksuits.

 

Anyways, Jerry being there a year puts their annoyance with him in context.  

[Hockey Addict]

Send her to dr. Now and souther in a hospital with a controlled diet.

[swankie]

2 hours ago, RealReality said:

The black screen on a reality show brings out my pavlonian response.  I know someone probably died, or something big happened so I run to the TV.  

I call it the Black Screen of Doom!  😄

[Persnickety1]

15 hours ago, Hockey Addict said:

Send her to dr. Now and souther in a hospital with a controlled diet.

I actually was wondering if the Slatons could get Tammy's contract revised and ship her to Texas and Dr. Now, too.

Both shows are TLC so it seems it could be a feasible transition.

What with Tammy's attitude and complete lack of motivation to change anything, I guess there's a possibility it was considered but Dr. Now took a hard pass on dealing with her as she's already been through two bariatric specialists and failed miserably.  

16 hours ago, RealReality said:

Anyways, Jerry being there a year puts their annoyance with him in context.  

It certainly does, doesn't it?  

He's living the life, free room and board and a TLC paycheck to boot, sitting around and enabling Tammy to gain another 100 pounds whilst he sits on the couch eating junk food.  

Of course, it's possible he does have a job and TLC has decided that doesn't work with their narrative so they don't mention that, either.  

If Jerry has already been there for a year, Amy and Michael need to take precious little Gage and move as they had planned to do.  Let Jerry continue to be her "caretaker" (and I use that term extremely loosely).  

Fucking TLC and their misleading bullshit.  😕  

Edited March 12, 2021 by Persnickety1

[PrincessPurrsALot]

I don't think Dr. Now would do any better with her.  In the first year, his show was about tracking 600+ lb. persons who had weight loss surgery over multiple years.  He did not require major weight loss to qualify at that time.  Now it's wash - rinse - repeat with more failures than successes these days.  Even if Tammy was hospitalized and put on a controlled diet (something for which she would have to qualify based on another medical condition, not just super obesity - most of the folks hospitalized have either a severe infection or heart failure), without additional help she would just balloon up again when she's released.  

Also, Tammy responds best to praise.  That is no longer Dr. Now's brand.  She needs encouragement, emotional support, extensive therapy, life skills training, nutrition guidance and a million other things to turn this around. 

[RealReality]

In these days of covid it might be hard to get into a facility.  

But id bet there has to be one that would take Tammy at a reduced fee or for free for some exposure.  

Its a risk, but can you imagine how great a facility would look, how great a program would look, how many more people would flock there if they could get results out of TAMMY????

So many people are desperate.  If you can get her to lose weight and change habits, what could you do for someone with just 100 or 200 extra pounds.  People who can still work but are desperate to lose weight and don't want to be on a reality show. 

[Tabbygirl521]

10 hours ago, RealReality said:

The black screen on a reality show brings out my pavlonian response.  I know someone probably died, or something big happened so I run to the TV.  

....and sassy tracksuits.

 

Anyways, Jerry being there a year puts their annoyance with him in context.  

I haven’t yet viewed any of this season. Is Jerry the married guy who popped up with Tamy on FB (I think?) last year? And it seemed then like he was just some sort of famewhore/chubby chaser?

Being in a facility wouldn’t necessarily help Tamy. Did anyone ever see “Brookhaven Obesity Clinic”? I want to watch that again, with added insight from having see 600 in the intervening years. So many patients kept right in ordering multiple pizzas and whatever the hell else they wanted and the staff could not legally stop them. It was so frustrating to watch. 

Edited March 12, 2021 by Tabbygirl521

[kicotan]

1 hour ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

Now it's wash - rinse - repeat with more failures than successes these days.

I’m not sure if they include the statistics in the opening of how many folks successfully go forward-back in the first few seasons I think they said it was maybe 5%?

I realize, by watching this show, more people fail than succeed.  Perhaps this season they are focusing on the failures?

[RedDelicious]

2 hours ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

I don't think Dr. Now would do any better with her.  In the first year, his show was about tracking 600+ lb. persons who had weight loss surgery over multiple years.  He did not require major weight loss to qualify at that time.  Now it's wash - rinse - repeat with more failures than successes these days.  Even if Tammy was hospitalized and put on a controlled diet (something for which she would have to qualify based on another medical condition, not just super obesity - most of the folks hospitalized have either a severe infection or heart failure), without additional help she would just balloon up again when she's released.  

Also, Tammy responds best to praise.  That is no longer Dr. Now's brand.  She needs encouragement, emotional support, extensive therapy, life skills training, nutrition guidance and a million other things to turn this around. 

I agree. Tammy's anger issues also give me pause. She's a Code Gray (combative patient) waiting to happen. Plus the ride in the back of the van with the seats removed is twice as long to Houston as it was to Atlanta (~6 hours versus ~12). I don't know that they could even get her there safely, and medical transport would easily run into deep five-figures. I mean I guess they could put her in a limo-bus. But once she got there I cannot imagine how the eating habit conversation would go. I'd almost be a little bit afraid for Dr. Now's safety because he doesn't suffer fools and their excuses.

[RealReality]

3 hours ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

I haven’t yet viewed any of this season. Is Jerry the married guy who popped up with Tamy on FB (I think?) last year? And it seemed then like he was just some sort of famewhore/chubby chaser?

Being in a facility wouldn’t necessarily help Tamy. Did anyone ever see “Brookhaven Obesity Clinic”? I want to watch that again, with added insight from having see 600 in the intervening years. So many patients kept right in ordering multiple pizzas and whatever the hell else they wanted and the staff could not legally stop them. It was so frustrating to watch. 

I think this could be less of a problem if a) your cell phone is confiscate,  b) the location is remote and c) you are kicked out the minute it happens, no exceptions.  

I think a lot of people in Tammy's position have been able to bully their way through a soft no.  People such as myself don't want to be harassed and bothered. 

MY personal life is too short for that, if it's between my mental health and your physical health id put my health first.  

I will lookup the show, but If everyone is standing at the door with the pizza delivery guy and making it crystal clear that you'll be discharged tomorrow if you eat the pizza you may change some minds.  Maybe not. 

 

[Brooklynista]

7 hours ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

I haven’t yet viewed any of this season. Is Jerry the married guy who popped up with Tamy on FB (I think?) last year? And it seemed then like he was just some sort of famewhore/chubby chaser?

Being in a facility wouldn’t necessarily help Tamy. Did anyone ever see “Brookhaven Obesity Clinic”? I want to watch that again, with added insight from having see 600 in the intervening years. So many patients kept right in ordering multiple pizzas and whatever the hell else they wanted and the staff could not legally stop them. It was so frustrating to watch. 

TLC must keep Brookhaven DEEP in the vault. I haven't seen so much as a rerun since it went off the air.  Was there any controversy around the program? Seems weird they wouldn't even have it on the app.

Brookhaven was my gateway into this obesity obsession. 

[GaT]

9 hours ago, Persnickety1 said:

If Jerry has already been there for a year, Amy and Michael need to take precious little Gage and move as they had planned to do.  Let Jerry continue to be her "caretaker" (and I use that term extremely loosely).

Jerry is gone, he went back to his wife.

8 hours ago, RealReality said:

Its a risk, but can you imagine how great a facility would look, how great a program would look, how many more people would flock there if they could get results out of TAMMY????

Yeah, but think how it would look if it didn't work, the failure would be spread a lot farther just because she's on a reality show & has a YouTube channel. TMZ would be reporting on it, not good publicity at all.

[RealReality]

1 hour ago, GaT said:

Jerry is gone, he went back to his wife.

Yeah, but think how it would look if it didn't work, the failure would be spread a lot farther just because she's on a reality show & has a YouTube channel. TMZ would be reporting on it, not good publicity at all.

I probably wouldn't think any less of a facility if Tammy didn't work out.  She is a....challenge.  But I'm be picking my jaw off the ground if they had even marginal success with Tammy.  Like if she got down to 400, I'd consider that nearly miraculous.  

[winsomeone]

I don't think I would trust Tammy to hold the baby period. She might accidentally drop the poor little thing.

[Mary]

On 3/9/2021 at 9:55 AM, Mothra said:

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 don’t know that Tammy even had Covid.  Due to HIPAA laws, there’s no way to know.  I’m not going to take her word or TLC’s word any more than I would take TLC’s word that Breaking Amish was reality-based or that Whitney Thore actually got bullied in a parade or had her tour bus defaced by bullies.  YMMV.  

[Twopper]

On 3/12/2021 at 5:58 PM, Brooklynista said:

Brookhaven was my gateway into this obesity obsession. 

Yeah, Brookhaven and the show with a Brookhaven -like facility in Ohio really sucked me into the fatty shows. 

I saw the bonus version, and there is a nice segment with Michael doing a photoshoot of Gage.   There was also a discussion about not moving, and Michael apparently really did want to move to be closer to his job.   I think the other bonus part was Tammy and Jerry, and I hit the ff button.

I hope to be back to snark with you next season, if there is a next season.  I really want to see Chris do well.

Oh, the big news from the bonus was that Amy had lost 20 pounds since Gage was born!! so good for her. 

I hope she keeps it up.  Once he starts crawling and then toddling,  she will be chasing him and more pounds should come off.  She really wants another child, so I expect her to be highly motivated.   Michael seems like he might be motivated since he needed bigger pants for work.  If they both want to lose, maybe they can help each other rather than sabotage each other. 

 

[GaT]

22 minutes ago, Twopper said:

Oh, the big news from the bonus was that Amy had lost 20 pounds since Gage was born!! so good for her. 

I'm sure Tammy was so happy for her. 🤣 🤣 🤣

[kathyk24]

4 hours ago, Twopper said:

Yeah, Brookhaven and the show with a Brookhaven -like facility in Ohio really sucked me into the fatty shows. 

I saw the bonus version, and there is a nice segment with Michael doing a photoshoot of Gage.   There was also a discussion about not moving, and Michael apparently really did want to move to be closer to his job.   I think the other bonus part was Tammy and Jerry, and I hit the ff button.

I hope to be back to snark with you next season, if there is a next season.  I really want to see Chris do well.

Oh, the big news from the bonus was that Amy had lost 20 pounds since Gage was born!! so good for her. 

I hope she keeps it up.  Once he starts crawling and then toddling,  she will be chasing him and more pounds should come off.  She really wants another child, so I expect her to be highly motivated.   Michael seems like he might be motivated since he needed bigger pants for work.  If they both want to lose, maybe they can help each other rather than sabotage each other. 

 

I watched Under the knife last night. Amy looks great since her surgery you can really see the weight she has lost. I know people get frustrated when she eats something she shouldn't but I admire her honesty with Dr. Procter she didn't need to tell him that she cheated on her diet.