S09.E14: Chrystal's Journey

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

Having her daughters bathe her is not how Chrystal pictured parenting, but she is so large now that there is no other option.  Chrystal wants Dr. Now's help, but she didn't know that bringing her childhood trauma to light would be part of the deal.  

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

Original air date 2021.03.24

[ams1001]

Bringing this one over from chat...

3 minutes ago, Floatingbison said:

.....and the Primetime Emmy for Greatest Supporting Player . . . .  goes to Chrystal's sports bra.

That thing wasn't supporting anything.

 

[Concerned]

BMI 123. Chrystal used her teen daughters as servants and they looked miserable. Chrystal was a whiner and complainer who had poor hygiene and kept a filthy home. She did lose just over 100 pounds, but no surgery. The entire episode was filmed before the two week shutdown that lasted a year.

[Nuccganggang]

how yall doin?! long time lurker, finally made an acct. i just started watching and i'm only at her first appt with dr now. was anyone else SHOCKED AS SHIT when you saw she weighed 611???? i audibly gasped - but it all made sense when i heard she's only 4'11. dr now has a new leader on the highest BMI board! somehow, i don't think this JoUrNeY will have a happy ending. i feel awful for her daughters 

[GrammyPammy]

That stalk of broccoli was BROWN...you’d think she’d never seen a fresh vegetable before. Oh, wait...

[Teriacky]

Whoa!! Dr. Now told her she stinks!!!

 

[suev3333]

Just had to say.....DAYUM that bacon looked GOOD!   Best part of the show, my mouth was watering,🥓🥓🥓🥓🥓🥓

[NeitherSparky]

Did you see how she reacted when Dr Now told her he would put her in the hospital on a controlled diet if she didn’t step up the weight loss? And THEN she magically lost more weight? She could have done that well from the beginning, she just didn’t want to. She literally had to be threatened with hospitallization. That pissed me off.

I had gastric bypass in 2012. I wasn’t as big as these people and I guess food wasn’t as much as an addiction with me, but I followed every direction I was given by my surgeon regarding the pre-surgery diet and I met every goal she asked of me. The people who deliberately don’t try to help themselves make me angry.

[LoreliLee]

5 minutes ago, NeitherSparky said:

Did you see how she reacted when Dr Now told her he would put her in the hospital on a controlled diet if she didn’t step up the weight loss? And THEN she magically lost more weight? She could have done that well from the beginning, she just didn’t want to. She literally had to be threatened with hospitallization. That pissed me off.

I had gastric bypass in 2012. I wasn’t as big as these people and I guess food wasn’t as much as an addiction with me, but I followed every direction I was given by my surgeon regarding the pre-surgery diet and I met every goal she asked of me. The people who deliberately don’t try to help themselves make me angry.

Yeah. These people just piss me off. I had no sympathy for her but felt really bad for those girls. They don’t have much of a life and are very overweight. Neither girl looked like they lost any weight. Too bad. 
Unlike you I am a food addict but I definitely followed all my doctor’s instructions when I had my bypass in 2000. 
 

I want to thank all the snarkers on the live chat for this episode. Some hilarious stuff!

[essexjan]

I'm 4ft 11 and about 20lbs heavier than I'd like to be, and I'm finding that uncomfortable. I can't imagine adding another 450lbs on top of that. Jeez.

I felt sorry for the two girls. They were obviously trying their best, but children should not be put in the position of carer at their ages. It was clearly too much for them to cope with, judging from the brother's comments about the state of the home when they were moving out. Not the girls' fault at all.

I was astonished Chrystal managed to lose any weight. At one point she said when she was talking about about embarking on her "weight loss journey" that she had no idea how it would turn out, and I said out loud "I can tell you exactly how this'll turn out".  I also LOL'd when Dr Now told her she stunk. (I am going to Hell, I'm sure of that.)

And damn, get a bra , woman. Talk about Swing Low Sweet Chariots...

[AZChristian]

Haven't watched the whole thing yet, but was really surprised when Dr. Now mentioned her personal hygiene.  Yep.  We didn't get a shower or even a bed bath scene . . . because there were neither (probably for days).

And you have to wonder who was cleaning her up after her bowel movements . . . maybe one of the kids she takes care of?????

[lilysmom]

14 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

Haven't watched the whole thing yet, but was really surprised when Dr. Now mentioned her personal hygiene.  Yep.  We didn't get a shower or even a bed bath scene . . . because there were neither (probably for days).

And you have to wonder who was cleaning her up after her bowel movements . . . maybe one of the kids she takes care of?????

I was also surprised that he mentioned her body odor. I can only imagine how badly many of his patients smell, so I'm sure he has developed an insensitivity to some of it, or a very strong professional non reaction. The only other person I can recall his commenting on was Steven What'shisface.  For him to actually tell her that, my immediate reaction was, she must really be bad. He did follow up by saying he was fearful of infections.

BTW, I always thought AZ meant A to Z, not Arizona! 

[AZChristian]

3 minutes ago, lilysmom said:

BTW, I always thought AZ meant A to Z, not Arizona! 

Not even close.  I have way too many faults to be an A-ZChristian.  LOL.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I don't care if Chrystal looses down to her goal weight, she'll still be a miserable, self centered human being.   I feel so sorry for her daughters.    I was amazed that the uncle and brother moved with them to Houston, and stayed there too. 

Any sympathy I had for her was done when the relatives showed up to move her, and she hadn't done anything, and left the apartment full of her garbage, and roaches.      

The hotel showed exactly what kind of person she is, she didn't trip over anything in the parking lot, and she wasn't near anything on the elevator when she cut her finger, that had to happen from her oxygen tank, when she tossed it into the elevator.    If you have to get a first floor room, and accessible, you get a reservation, you don't show up after dark, and expect to have a first floor room available.       And how about her promise to Dr. Now to do anything to lose weight, followed by her epic trip through the drive thru for breakfast, with enough food for 10 people in her order. 

Edited March 25, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[magemaud]

My on screen guide only said “Having her daughters bathe her is not how Chrystal pictured parenting...” but apparently they left out “so she doesn’t bathe anymore” 

Edited March 25, 2021 by magemaud

[ethalfrida]

2 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Not even close.  I have way too many faults to be an A-ZChristian.  LOL.

I thought it meant A to Z also. But I think you mentioned something about Arizona last week and it hit me... 

[AZChristian]

Just now, ethalfrida said:

I thought it meant A to Z also. But I think you mentioned something about Arizona last week and it hit me... 

Think of it this way:  If a really perfect Christian called themselves AZChristian to indicate how good they were, they would be immediately disqualified from using the name because they are full of pride.  LOL.

I'm still here.  Not perfect, not particularly prideful.  Snarky, yes.

[essexjan]

Another reason I'm a terrible person is that the first time we saw her in the wheelchair I exclaimed "Starfish!"

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, essexjan said:

Another reason I'm a terrible person is that the first time we saw her in the wheelchair I exclaimed "Starfish!"

Whenever I fret about the size/shape of my body I need to remind myself that at least I can sit in a chair with my legs closed and don't need to hold one of my feet up with a cane.

[cpcathy]

13 minutes ago, essexjan said:

Another reason I'm a terrible person is that the first time we saw her in the wheelchair I exclaimed "Starfish!"

I thought she looked like a starfish too! I’m sorry to say it made me laugh out loud.

 

[Twopper]

16 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

Chrystal's lack of self-care- no makeup, unwashed/unstyled hair, stinkiness, dirty/non existent clothing-doesn't bode well for her survival. I don't think she even had any tattoos, did she?

She had dark markings on her arms which I figured might be tattoos of letters instead of pictures.  I checked tattoos on my bingo card.

 

3 hours ago, essexjan said:

I'm 4ft 11 and about 20lbs heavier than I'd like to be, and I'm finding that uncomfortable. I can't imagine adding another 450lbs on top of that. Jeez.

I am 6 inches taller than you and I could stand to lose about 35 pounds, and I really feel I would explode if I gained another 20.   I truly cannot imagine  weighing even twice my weight, much less 3-4 times that. 

 

15 hours ago, ams1001 said:

15 hours ago, Floatingbison said:

.....and the Primetime Emmy for Greatest Supporting Player . . . .  goes to Chrystal's sports bra.

That thing wasn't supporting anything.

Last rites. DEAD.. arms across chest.  joined the choir invisible. buried.  

[Twopper]

2 hours ago, sempervivum said:

Chrystal's lack of self-care- no makeup, unwashed/unstyled hair, stinkiness, dirty/non existent clothing-doesn't bode well for her survival. I don't think she even had any tattoos, did she?

Someone on the live chat thought the tats were of zodiac signs.  Pisces and Capricorn, maybe?

[Floatingbison]

5 hours ago, magemaud said:

My on screen guide only said “Having her daughters bathe her is not how Chrystal pictured parenting...” but apparently they left out “so she doesn’t bathe anymore” 

Or she's using the "rag on a stick" method demonstrated on the Simpsons.

 

[Pepper Mostly]

18 minutes ago, Floatingbison said:

Or she's using the "rag on a stick" method demonstrated on the Simpsons.

 

"Adaptive ass-wiping device" is on the Bingo card!

[CrazyInAlabama]

Chrystal had three symbols on her left bicep.  Apparently, zodiac symbols.   (Another poster said what they are)

I still wonder why she didn't stay in California, because there are reported to be at least three bariatric centers that operate on patients who weigh 600+.    Or did she already flunk out of their programs?     

Edited March 26, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[ethalfrida]

Did anyone else think it was exploitive to show the roaches on the walls? 

I don't think the brother likes her very much...

But she had the easiest time of all the participants that have been on the show. She didn't hesitate to move, she had support from her family right away.

But I did laugh out loud when they went through the drive-thru and ordered enough for a houseful of guest over for NBA Sunday game.

[silversage]

I've never seen someone lean so far back in a wheelchair.

I imagine she didn't see a bariatric doc in CA because she wouldn't be on TV.

[Texasmom1970]

The way she plopped in that wheelchair everytime she sat I was waiting for it to give out!

[mamadrama]

19 hours ago, Teriacky said:

Whoa!! Dr. Now told her she stinks!!!

 

I wasn't planning on watching the episode until I saw this! 

[CrazyInAlabama]

The rerun will be next Wednesday, right before the new episode.    I don't think they're doing the Supersized episodes on Thursday evenings any more.  

[mamadrama]

11 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The rerun will be next Wednesday, right before the new episode.    I don't think they're doing the Supersized episodes on Thursday evenings any more.  

It's also already available On Demand and on Discovery+. 😊

[Chatty Cake]

I felt bad for Crystals daughters.  How shameful of her not to get help years ago before she made them her enablers. 
I can see a show in the future “Children of the 600 pounders” 

[magemaud]

1 hour ago, Texasmom1970 said:

 

The way she plopped in that wheelchair everytime she sat I was waiting for it to give out!

 

Or to knock over the unlucky person standing behind her 

[charmed1]

1 hour ago, Chatty Cake said:

I felt bad for Crystals daughters.  How shameful of her not to get help years ago before she made them her enablers. 
I can see a show in the future “Children of the 600 pounders” 

It was especially awful how they’d both timidly ask, “Mom, are you okay?” and she’d shout back at them “NO, I’m NOT okay!” I can only imagine the anxiety issues those little girls have racked up thanks to their mother.

[newyawk]

Chrystal may well be the most disgusting candidate they have ever had on this show. When she was in Paradise's office with those gross stained pants she STILL hadn't changed out of..were those her ONLY pants? Is that her only outfit? 

[newyawk]

Every time I hear someone on this show start a sentence with "I am more than ready to.." I finish it in my head with, "No, you're bloody well not. SIT YOUR ASS DOWN."

I'm so tired of seeing these useless idiots so proud of themselves and expectant that they will get the weight loss surgery when they show up to an appointment having achieved 30% OR LESS of what Dr. Now told them to lose, after having months to do so, and then acting like he doesn't have experience in this field and doesn't know how weight loss works with the morbidly obese when they do what they are supposed to do.  It's like they've never watched the show and have no idea how this works, "Oh, let me give you a participation trophy because you lost a token amount." 

Edited March 26, 2021 by newyawk

[ams1001]

15 minutes ago, newyawk said:

Every time I hear someone on this show start a sentence with "I am more than ready to.." I finish it in my head with, "No, you're bloody well not. SIT YOUR ASS DOWN."

But they're already sitting down. Invariably.

[newyawk]

Well, ya got me there. 

[mmecorday]

Quote

Did anyone else think it was exploitive to show the roaches on the walls? 

I guess watching shows about hoarders has desensitized me to the sight of roaches. Sad, really.

[Bluesky]

Just watched it and am so upset no one mentioned the two girls and their health.  They are old enough to understand how important a healthy diet with portion control is.  The 14 year old looks like she’s the weight her mother was at that age with the 12 year old nipping at her heels.  The grandmother was morbidly obese too.  That piece of trash focused 100% on herself.  

And the crop tops with no support to hold those mud flaps in place.  So foul.  Those poor kids. 

[Mothra]

I liked Chrystal, but she was like every other poundticipant in not paying attention to the damn diet.  "I've been cutting back" and "I've been trying to eat healthy (blecch)" are not things the diet tells you to do.  The diet (and Dr. Now in person) says 1200 calories/day; few to no carbs; three meals/day with no snacking.  What is so hard to understand?  When he asks them how they are doing on the diet, I want them to say "Diet?  What diet?"  We even saw Chrystal perusing Dr. Now's book, without, apparently, reading the words. 

I think Chrystal, like a lot of overweight and obese people, don't really understand how big they are, even after they learn their actual weight.  I used to ask my husband if I were as big as that woman, or that one, when I was 100 lbs. heavier.  I don't think Chrystal really took her situation seriously until Dr. Now told her the next step would be putting her in the hospital on a controlled diet because otherwise her weight was going to kill her.  After that scare, which she took to heart, she was able to lose a lot of weight.

I remember (I think) Dr. Now forcing a male patient--maybe the dread Stephen Assante--to look at himself in a full-length mirror because the patient didn't seem to understand how very fat he was.  Dr. Now said things like "no one should look like that" and "are you happy to be that size?"  If it was Dr. Now doing that, I wonder why he doesn't do that, or some other exercise, to try to break through what I think is denial in the patients that they really need to take the diet seriously.

[cynicat]

12 hours ago, mamadrama said:

I wasn't planning on watching the episode until I saw this! 

I watched, but FF'd through a lot of it.  I may need to go back and watch again because I clearly missed some great parts!

[Caoimhe]

I finally watched this after reading the live chat and this thread.  At least I knew what the cockroaches were when they appeared!  

Let me join the rest of you who laughed as Starfish Chrystal plopped down in her wheelchair.  I don’t even feel bad.

When she whinged about how “no one understands” how hard it is I wanted so badly to slap her.  Sorry but there are MANY people who have food issues and weight issues yet manage to understand the consequences of their decisions.  It doesn’t mean people are perfect, I’ve had some truly horrific days lately where you’d swear I’m on my way to 600-pounder-hood.  But it’s not every day.  And I pick up and try again.

Those poor daughters.  She is no real mother to them, they are her hostages / slaves.  I agree with @Bluesky that they are in real need of counseling themselves, not only about nutrition and health (something Chrystal doesn’t understand) but their emotional health and well being.  She uprooted them with no thought for the impact on their lives because it was important to HER. 

Edited March 26, 2021 by Caoimhe
Typo

[suzeecat]

On 3/24/2021 at 10:11 PM, ams1001 said:

Bringing this one over from chat...

That thing wasn't supporting anything.

 

There were outlines that were definitely NOT body parts!  The thing apparently acted as her purse as well.  EWWEWWEWW!!!!!!!

[AZChristian]

16 minutes ago, suzeecat said:

There were outlines that were definitely NOT body parts!  The thing apparently acted as her purse as well.  EWWEWWEWW!!!!!!!

At one point, she was talking on her cell phone, and that outline was no longer showing in her "garment."  (I can't call it a bra.)  As she had it up right next to her nose, my thought was, "NOW can you tell you have B.O.?"

[Granny58]

On 3/25/2021 at 6:43 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Chrystal had three symbols on her left bicep.  Apparently, zodiac symbols.   (Another poster said what they are)

I still wonder why she didn't stay in California, because there are reported to be at least three bariatric centers that operate on patients who weigh 600+.    Or did she already flunk out of their programs?     

my theory for why people endure this public humiliation is they must get the surgery for free.  

[snarkish]

I finally FF'd through this latest shitshow.

As I mentioned in live chat, I am the same height as Chrystal. I weigh 180 pounds (NOT happy with that, as I regained 16 that I lost during the early lockdown last year). Let me explain how hard it is to find pants in size 14/16 when you have a 25 inch inseam...basically non-existent and capri pants are your best friend, unless you feel like spending a lot on alterations for every pair of pants you buy. Today I went to three stores to find myself a pair of active capri leggings in size XL that were short enough for me. How the Hell she finds any "pants" is a miracle. I wish they would make petite/women's sizes. There's a lot of us little meatballs rolling around!

I can't believe she went out in public in that disastrous "bra/purse" scenario. Her boobs were literally about to spill out of the arm holes. 

After losing over a hundred pounds she's still exhaling like she's doing natural childbirth (I kept doing "hee hee HOO" while watching her).

For someone that out of shape she could sure carry an oxygen tank against her chest, and those things (especially when full) are rather heavy!

The daughters, I'm ashamed to say, came across a little "slow" to me. Total flat effect, outside of what appears as a confused facial expression, not speaking hardly at all, thick glasses. I believe they could use some Dr. Paradise as well. 

Did I recognize the famous "Dr. Now Apartments" with the brick wall and the previously too small bathroom doorways?

Correct me if I am wrong, but after watching every episode of this show for however long it's been aired, this has got to be the most unsuccessful season so far.

ETA: The girls' father is on FB, under "Joe Joe" and Tatiana is "Tatiana Gary". There also appears to be a relative named "Ivory Gary", hence where Ivoriana must have been derived from. (I clearly have no life...). 

Edited March 27, 2021 by snarkish
FB stalking

[CrazyInAlabama]

My guess is the daughters are just fine, except they've never had attention from any adult, and probably their entire lives have been spent in that apartment, or a similar one, just sitting around, waiting on their mother.   I bet they get zero attention from anyone, and their mother certainly isn't interested in them.     I'm hoping that both of them escape into lives of their own, and don't repeat their selfish mother's mistakes.    

[LuvMyShows]

On 3/25/2021 at 2:15 AM, LoreliLee said:

I had no sympathy for her but felt really bad for those girls. They don’t have much of a life and are very overweight.

37 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I bet they get zero attention from anyone, and their mother certainly isn't interested in them.    

In her intro, she said something about how all she can do with her girls is eat.  That just made my blood boil.  Even sedentary, they could watch shows/movies and talk about them, do rug hooking or other arts and crafts, play board games, and that's just off the top of my head.  I also found it funny/sad how at one point she said she was going to make chicken, which really meant sit and watch the girls make chicken.

On 3/25/2021 at 7:05 PM, ethalfrida said:

I don't think the brother likes her very much...

I was confused about something, since I mostly 'watch' by just listening and not often looking at the screen.  When she was in Dr. Now's office for the first appt, the brother was with her, and he asked something that led her to mention her abuse, and I could have sworn her brother was in the office as well.  But then at Dr. Paradise's, it was as though he was going to hear it for the first time.  And if it actually was for the first time, he sure didn't seem surprised or have much of a reaction, judging from how it sounded.

4 hours ago, snarkish said:

After losing over a hundred pounds she's still exhaling like she's doing natural childbirth (I kept doing "hee hee HOO" while watching her).

LOL!  Also, as seems to be the case this whole season, I cannot tell that the people have lost weight, but I used to be able to.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

My guess is that though Chrystal claimed the girls did the cooking, their performance making pancakes, and doing veggies later showed that they never cook.   I suspect that everything in that house is fast food, or something they just nuke in the microwave.