S10.E01: Nathan's Journey

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

When Nathan's weight gets in the way of the only healthy thing in his life - his job as a drama teacher - it's a wakeup call for him. But changing his life might mean a falling out with his wife, Amber, who is also overweight, unless she can lose too. 

The show is back for season 10.  New poundticipants.  Let's hope for a new script to go along with the new season.

Original air date 2021.11.03 

[jacksgirl]

Couldn't keep up with live chat, but looks like it is 10 pages. I liked Nathan more than Amber. She vacillated between being supportive and sabotaging him. Amazing how healthy her daughter was. Hoping for a follow-up. 

[ams1001]

30 minutes ago, jacksgirl said:

Couldn't keep up with live chat, but looks like it is 10 pages.

Too bad; there was some good snark. And socks.

30 minutes ago, jacksgirl said:

I liked Nathan more than Amber.

I think we all did.

[LEILANI2]

I'm aghast that she thinks she above him in terms of weight management. Like dude, you're both huge.

[LeesburgLee]

Did Nathan have, or try to have, Elvis sideburns?

[SunnyBeBe]

9 hours ago, LeesburgLee said:

Did Nathan have, or try to have, Elvis sideburns?

I thought there was something odd going on there.  Lol. I found it odd that his face seemed to appear full, even at the end.  He had good weight loss. Most people have a slightly, slimmer face after doing that.  
 

I’d like an update on them.  I hope she hasn’t held him back.  She didn’t seem to like Nathan very much.  I hope he’s found some happiness.  Some people choose to be a martyr.  Hope he doesn’t take that role.  
 

Anyone know if Amber had the bypass?

[AZChristian]

She said one word that really shows who she is.  She talked about Nathan's "little journey."  How condescending was that?  Since when is a journey to save someone's life considered "little"????

[OoogleEyes]

12 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Too bad; there was some good snark. And socks.

Sometimes the side conversations are better than the show itself!

[CrazyInAlabama]

I hope Nathan had skin removal/lymphedema surgery while he still had a support system.   I suspect that if he gets down enough weight that Amber will boot him out.  I don't think she wants a relationship of equals, but only one where she can criticize, and demean the other person.   Nathan needs to get back to work, keep his own health insurance, and prepare to live on his own.       Nathan will have zero claim to visitation, no health insurance unless he gets his own, and will be broke.   

I hope Nathan continued to do well, had his lymphedema surgery, and is getting healthy, and happy.

[mmecorday]

Honestly, if I had a home as filthy as theirs, I would not want to invite cameras in to see how I was living. I kept having to remind myself that I wasn't watching an episode of "Hoarders."

[sagittarius sue]

To answer Aliya's question;

Also, is it a law in Texas that you have to have 4+ dogs AND live in run down housing?

Only in Palestine...Texas....yuk yuk.

[ethalfrida]

She said he was disgusting. But didn't you just know Dr. Now was going to encourage her to get a grip on her own negligence?

[steff13]

I am only about halfway through the episode.  I enjoyed Amber's comment about how she can't control him, she can only control herself, and then he lost weight and she gained.  He didn't lose what he should have, but he didn't gain, sister!  

[knuckles491]

The wife is awful.  Nathan needs to lose 502 lbs. of ugly fat.

[Mothra]

I was glad to see that Dr. Now (lord how I've missed that guy) seems to have abandoned the prescribed diet in favor of a simpler calorie-limited diet, which allowed Nathan to eat the foods he liked (bacon!) instead of foods that probably would be foreign to him and not taste good to him.  We were spared the trip to the supermarket where the pounditicipant had to be puzzled and dismayed as he scootered through the produce department.  I think eating the foods he liked and still losing weight makes it more likely Nathan *might* have long-term success.  Yay for Dr. Now for not persisting in a plan that hasn't worked for lo! these many years and trying something different.

I also liked the fact that Dr. Now did not attend to Nathan's medical problems--that awful-looking open wound and his mysterious apparently taint "growth"--but stuck to weight loss.  Maybe he referred Nathan to another specialist for his skin treatments.  Sure hope so.

And another yay for Dr. Paradise (whom I've also missed like Easter candy) for advising them to shop for food and to eat separately.  I think that in situations like this, where both partners need to lose massive amounts of weight, there is sabotage, including self-sabotage (like Tammy and Amy) in a sort of sick competition between the two and monitoring of the other which makes the situation untenable.  Dr. P. realized from the start that the wife didn't think much of her husband and might not want to see him succeed.   Again, not continuing a method ("you can help each other") which has been unsuccessful for billions of years.

A likeable pounditicipant, a villainous spouse, mysteriously normal-sized child, filthy double-wide, and dogs!  I didn't see any tattoos, but otherwise--Perfection!

[ams1001]

2 hours ago, Mothra said:

mysteriously normal-sized child

lol...I found myself wondering what her dad looked like. 

[watchingtvaddict]

5 hours ago, Mothra said:

I was glad to see that Dr. Now (lord how I've missed that guy) seems to have abandoned the prescribed diet in favor of a simpler calorie-limited diet, which allowed Nathan to eat the foods he liked (bacon!) instead of foods that probably would be foreign to him and not taste good to him.  We were spared the trip to the supermarket where the pounditicipant had to be puzzled and dismayed as he scootered through the produce department.  I think eating the foods he liked and still losing weight makes it more likely Nathan *might* have long-term success.  Yay for Dr. Now for not persisting in a plan that hasn't worked for lo! these many years and trying something different.

I also liked the fact that Dr. Now did not attend to Nathan's medical problems--that awful-looking open wound and his mysterious apparently taint "growth"--but stuck to weight loss.  Maybe he referred Nathan to another specialist for his skin treatments.  Sure hope so.

And another yay for Dr. Paradise (whom I've also missed like Easter candy) for advising them to shop for food and to eat separately.  I think that in situations like this, where both partners need to lose massive amounts of weight, there is sabotage, including self-sabotage (like Tammy and Amy) in a sort of sick competition between the two and monitoring of the other which makes the situation untenable.  Dr. P. realized from the start that the wife didn't think much of her husband and might not want to see him succeed.   Again, not continuing a method ("you can help each other") which has been unsuccessful for billions of years.

A likeable pounditicipant, a villainous spouse, mysteriously normal-sized child, filthy double-wide, and dogs!  I didn't see any tattoos, but otherwise--Perfection!

I’m fairly sure Dr. Now has not changed his approach instead Nathan decided to modify it himself.  He mentioned something to the effect of being a little creative so he he could eat food he liked, and not get bored. When I saw him making mac&cheese on the stove with all that butter I didn’t think he would lose BUT His plan worked for the first stage.  Post surgery his creativity and his wife’s sabotage hurt him. 

[Elizzikra]

6 hours ago, watchingtvaddict said:

I’m fairly sure Dr. Now has not changed his approach instead Nathan decided to modify it himself.  He mentioned something to the effect of being a little creative so he he could eat food he liked, and not get bored. When I saw him making mac&cheese on the stove with all that butter I didn’t think he would lose BUT His plan worked for the first stage.  Post surgery his creativity and his wife’s sabotage hurt him. 

Didn't he say that he ate ice cream? I'm pretty sure that Dr. Now's plan doesn't include that, whether he has modified it or not.

[Mothra]

2 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

Didn't he say that he ate ice cream? I'm pretty sure that Dr. Now's plan doesn't include that, whether he has modified it or not.

The thing is, you *can* eat ice cream and lose weight, if you keep your total calories per day at 1200.  As far as weight loss is concerned, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, whether it comes from celery or bacon.  It's the number of calories consumed that matters, and if people can foods they like without going over 1200 calories (or however many) per day, they will lose weight.

I understand that what he eats will be more important after the wls, but just for losing weight, eating what you want in calorie-controlled amounts is a great way to lose weight and one that can be maintained over the long haul.  My weight loss, maintained for at least seven years now, recently reached 120 lbs, so I know this works (I did not have wls, so I don't know how it would work with that).  Actually, I did not count calories but limited myself to a normal serving as specified by the carton (ice cream:  1/2 cup), but it's the same idea.

[Elizzikra]

13 minutes ago, Mothra said:

The thing is, you *can* eat ice cream and lose weight, if you keep your total calories per day at 1200.  As far as weight loss is concerned, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, whether it comes from celery or bacon.  It's the number of calories consumed that matters, and if people can foods they like without going over 1200 calories (or however many) per day, they will lose weight.

I understand that what he eats will be more important after the wls, but just for losing weight, eating what you want in calorie-controlled amounts is a great way to lose weight and one that can be maintained over the long haul.  My weight loss, maintained for at least seven years now, recently reached 120 lbs, so I know this works (I did not have wls, so I don't know how it would work with that).  Actually, I did not count calories but limited myself to a normal serving as specified by the carton (ice cream:  1/2 cup), but it's the same idea.

I don't disagree but I can't imagine Dr. Now approving ice cream no matter how well it fits into calorie counts...

[jojo3couleurs]

16 hours ago, Mothra said:

I was glad to see that Dr. Now (lord how I've missed that guy) seems to have abandoned the prescribed diet in favor of a simpler calorie-limited diet, which allowed Nathan to eat the foods he liked (bacon!) instead of foods that probably would be foreign to him and not taste good to him.  We were spared the trip to the supermarket where the pounditicipant had to be puzzled and dismayed as he scootered through the produce department.  I think eating the foods he liked and still losing weight makes it more likely Nathan *might* have long-term success.  Yay for Dr. Now for not persisting in a plan that hasn't worked for lo! these many years and trying something different.

I also liked the fact that Dr. Now did not attend to Nathan's medical problems--that awful-looking open wound and his mysterious apparently taint "growth"--but stuck to weight loss.  Maybe he referred Nathan to another specialist for his skin treatments.  Sure hope so.

And another yay for Dr. Paradise (whom I've also missed like Easter candy) for advising them to shop for food and to eat separately.  I think that in situations like this, where both partners need to lose massive amounts of weight, there is sabotage, including self-sabotage (like Tammy and Amy) in a sort of sick competition between the two and monitoring of the other which makes the situation untenable.  Dr. P. realized from the start that the wife didn't think much of her husband and might not want to see him succeed.   Again, not continuing a method ("you can help each other") which has been unsuccessful for billions of years.

A likeable pounditicipant, a villainous spouse, mysteriously normal-sized child, filthy double-wide, and dogs!  I didn't see any tattoos, but otherwise--Perfection!

You forgot the robot!!! That was something new!! 

[watchingtvaddict]

6 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

Didn't he say that he ate ice cream? I'm pretty sure that Dr. Now's plan doesn't include that, whether he has modified it or not.

Yep, he mentioned ice cream, too. 
 

3 hours ago, Mothra said:

The thing is, you *can* eat ice cream and lose weight, if you keep your total calories per day at 1200.  As far as weight loss is concerned, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, whether it comes from celery or bacon.  It's the number of calories consumed that matters, and if people can foods they like without going over 1200 calories (or however many) per day, they will lose weight.

I understand that what he eats will be more important after the wls, but just for losing weight, eating what you want in calorie-controlled amounts is a great way to lose weight and one that can be maintained over the long haul.  My weight loss, maintained for at least seven years now, recently reached 120 lbs, so I know this works (I did not have wls, so I don't know how it would work with that).  Actually, I did not count calories but limited myself to a normal serving as specified by the carton (ice cream:  1/2 cup), but it's the same idea.

A calorie is a calorie but I believe the plan Dr. Now places them on is to prepare them for post surgery life (high protein, low carb) . So, although he lost weight,  he didn’t follow the program and that led to more compromises after surgery. 

[Twopper]

9 hours ago, watchingtvaddict said:

A calorie is a calorie but I believe the plan Dr. Now places them on is to prepare them for post surgery life (high protein, low carb) . So, although he lost weight,  he didn’t follow the program and that led to more compromises after surgery

Yes!!! I was just going to say the same thing.   Also the doc's plan also probably is one that reduces fatty liver which I have seen to be a problem that has been addressed on other bariatric shows.  Because Nathan was mot disciplined enough to follow the diet before the surgery, he was unable to follow it afterward.  in addition to the mashed potatoes, I would bet he also ate ice cream  which if slightly melting is almost liquid. 

I would love a follow up show to each season where Dr Now is sitting on his couch watching snippets from each episode and commenting.

[TazDevil]

6 hours ago, Twopper said:

I would love a follow up show to each season where Dr Now is sitting on his couch watching snippets from each episode and commenting.

That would be AMAZING!!!!  Get on it TLC!!

[Emma C]

Ugh! How awful is that woman???? She is just a nasty person.

[Mothra]

20 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

I don't disagree but I can't imagine Dr. Now approving ice cream no matter how well it fits into calorie counts...

But why not?  I agree that 1200 cal/day of ice cream would not be healthy or good for anybody, but a *serving* of ice cream (1/2 cup; 120 to 140 calories)?  If it helped the pounditicipant lose weight?  I think Dr. Now would approve.

[crazycatlady58]

26 minutes ago, Mothra said:

But why not?  I agree that 1200 cal/day of ice cream would not be healthy or good for anybody, but a *serving* of ice cream (1/2 cup; 120 to 140 calories)?  If it helped the pounditicipant lose weight?  I think Dr. Now would approve.

Because they are also preparing themselves for the change in what they can eat after the surgery. Their stomach will be very small and they have to eat carefully. When your stomach can only hold 2 tablespoons ( I think that's correct) you can't waste that space on ice cream you been to eat protein and vegetables.  This is my understanding,  I could be wrong. 

[lilysmom]

8 hours ago, Twopper said:

Yes!!! I was just going to say the same thing.   Also the doc's plan also probably is one that reduces fatty liver which I have seen to be a problem that has been addressed on other bariatric shows.  Because Nathan was mot disciplined enough to follow the diet before the surgery, he was unable to follow it afterward.  in addition to the mashed potatoes, I would bet he also ate ice cream  which if slightly melting is almost liquid. 

I would love a follow up show to each season where Dr Now is sitting on his couch watching snippets from each episode and commenting.

Sort of like a "Pillowtalk" version of 600 lb. life!!

[AZChristian]

9 minutes ago, lilysmom said:

Sort of like a "Pillowtalk" version of 600 lb. life!!

In that case, I want Nurse Cassandra to be sitting next to Dr. Now.

[Twopper]

26 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

In that case, I want Nurse Cassandra to be sitting next to Dr. Now.

they can be eating grapes and oranges.

 

1 hour ago, Emma C said:

Ugh! How awful is that woman???? She is just a nasty person.

Seriously.  I missed part of the show on Wed during the live chat when my daughter called so I went back to see what I missed which included her complaining about how she was a care taker for her husband.  I am sure there were a few things she had to help with, but I didn't see her as a caretaker.  She was the sole breadwinner at the time of filming so I can understand her being unhappy about that, but she was working.   We have seen the full time care givers on this show, and it is a hard job.  He was able to cook, move around, and take a shower by himself.   Quit complaining woman!

[CrazyInAlabama]

Unfortunately, if you didn't DVR or watch this episode, they're not having a rerun of it before the new episode on the 10th (Julian).  

I really hope there's an update on Nathan, and Amber.    I hope they're both getting healthier, and happier.  

[Elizzikra]

Quote

Because they are also preparing themselves for the change in what they can eat after the surgery. Their stomach will be very small and they have to eat carefully. When your stomach can only hold 2 tablespoons ( I think that's correct) you can't waste that space on ice cream you been to eat protein and vegetables.  This is my understanding,  I could be wrong. 

This, but also Dr. Now thinks of his patients as having food addictions. To him, I think even a little bit of ice cream to would be akin to an alcoholic having a shot of vodka a day. 

Quote

which included her complaining about how she was a care taker for her husband.  I am sure there were a few things she had to help with, but I didn't see her as a caretaker.  She was the sole breadwinner at the time of filming so I can understand her being unhappy about that, but she was working.   We have seen the full time care givers on this show, and it is a hard job.  He was able to cook, move around, and take a shower by himself. 

I didn't like her but to be fair, Nathan said she helps him shower when she is home in the mornings; he only showers on his own when she has to work. She also said at the beginning that there were things she had to do that "no wife should have to do" for Nathan and he asked that they not be discussed, so I think she did more caretaking than we were shown. 

[Mothra]

14 hours ago, crazycatlady58 said:

Because they are also preparing themselves for the change in what they can eat after the surgery. Their stomach will be very small and they have to eat carefully. When your stomach can only hold 2 tablespoons ( I think that's correct) you can't waste that space on ice cream you been to eat protein and vegetables.  This is my understanding,  I could be wrong. 

I get that.  I think the point in Dr. Now's having patients go on a strict (for them, anyway) diet before surgery is two-fold:  demonstrate that they are capable of controlling what they eat (your point--and I agree with it) and to lose weight to make the surgery safer.  My point is that if Nathan is capable of meeting his weight-loss goals while including bacon and ice cream in his diet, he is meeting both those criteria:  he is demonstrating he can control what he eats in terms of calories and (more important) how *much* of that he eats, and he has lost enough weight while eating bacon and ice cream to make surgery safer.

I don't have personal experience with wls, but I know from watching this show that what you eat becomes much more important after the surgery because the tiny amounts you can consume have to contain a lot of protein to keep you healthy, and I'm sure Nathan's post-wls diet will not include ice cream and bacon because as you say he won't be able to waste valuable, severely limited stomach capacity on non-essential foods like that.

My original point was that, as Nathan demonstrates, it is possible (and imo preferable) to lose weight while eating foods you like rather than foods from a prescribed list of foods you don't find tasty or filling.  I was talking *only* about weight loss, not about what a patient has to eat after wls.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

My original point was that, as Nathan demonstrates, it is possible (and imo preferable) to lose weight while eating foods you like rather than foods from a prescribed list of foods you don't find tasty or filling.  I was talking *only* about weight loss, not about what a patient has to eat after wls.

I understand and I don't necessarily disagree with you. I was more responding to your statement that Dr. Now wouldn't have a problem with this. I think he would. I think he is very strict about what he wants his patients to eat.

[Mothra]

Another change (besides apparently not giving his patients a list of foods) I noticed was that Dr. Now was not at all strict about their meeting his weight-loss goals per visit and making them wait a long time for surgery.  Time was that if you didn't lost 20 pounds in two months, you'd have to lose that 20 plus 20 more for your next appointment in two more months.  It seems like now if you lose any significant amount of weight, even if you don't lose what he tells you to, you're approved.  I don't know how I feel about this.

On the one hand, a lot of his patients are in mortal danger--they need to have this surgery to save their lives, and to delay it over a matter of pounds lost might be putting them in big trouble.  He might feel like any successful effort to lose any amount of weight is demonstration enough that they are serious about this.

On the other hand, to succeed after wls, they are really *really* going to have to control what they eat and how much, and it seems to me that it's as dangerous to screw up the after-surgery eating protocol as it is to delay the surgery until the poundici[ant shows she "gets it" about food.

I wonder if the long hiatus in shows was spent in Dr. Now doing research about this stuff.   A lot of things seem to have changed, mostly I think for the better.

[rlc]

On 11/4/2021 at 11:58 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

hope Nathan continued to do well, had his lymphedema surgery, and is getting healthy, and happy.

And I hope he finally has sex - preferably with someone other than Amber.

[nytonc]

I, too, was shocked at the weight loss diet that included ice cream and bacon and actually allowed Nathan to lose weight.  I thought Dr Now eschewed carbs and sugar.  I’m so happy it worked for Nathan.  Now all he needs to do is dump pickle puss Amber the Sabotage Queen.  She wouldn’t crack a smile even when she lost a few lbs.  Glad I didn’t have to listen to Dr. Lola.  Her baby voice makes me want to eat everything in sight and write letters to all of my family telling them how they ruined my life.  Not really but you guys get it…

[IvySpice]

Can we talk about how outstanding Dr. Paradise is at his job? He's so candid while still being kind. And he knew exactly what question to ask Amber: "Do you respect him?" Nope, no, she does not. Both spouses had to sit with that truth.

[Mothra]

On 11/5/2021 at 11:34 PM, jojo3couleurs said:

You forgot the robot!!! That was something new!! 

Yes!  Dr. Now is using the DaVinci robot!  I had kidney surgery with that, and I had almost no post-surgery pain or even discomfort.  I'd had surgery through the belly button and didn't expect the robot to make much difference, but it was amazingly easy to recover from the effects of the surgery itself.  Recovery from partial kidney removal is another thing, but at least post-surgical pain was virtually non-existent.

[Mothra]

On 11/6/2021 at 6:37 PM, Twopper said:

they can be eating grapes and oranges.

 

Seriously.  I missed part of the show on Wed during the live chat when my daughter called so I went back to see what I missed which included her complaining about how she was a care taker for her husband.  I am sure there were a few things she had to help with, but I didn't see her as a caretaker.  She was the sole breadwinner at the time of filming so I can understand her being unhappy about that, but she was working.   We have seen the full time care givers on this show, and it is a hard job.  He was able to cook, move around, and take a shower by himself.   Quit complaining woman!

She also made a point of saying that she had to help Nathan with something Nathan didn't want her to mention because it was something no wife should have to help her husband do.  What a shitty (is that a clue?) thing to bring up--she might as well have said "and I have to wipe him."  He asked her not to mention it, and she didn't say the specific thing.  Is this passive-aggression?

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think Nathan thought as long as he stayed under 1200 calories, that Dr. Now would approve.   That's what caused the issues after surgery, he was eating too many high calorie items after surgery, went back to solids way too soon.   

The Da Vinci robot like the one Dr. Now used starts at $2 million, I'm sure they have even more expensive ones. 

Edited November 10, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Sukabe]

On 11/8/2021 at 1:25 PM, Mothra said:

Yes!  Dr. Now is using the DaVinci robot!  I had kidney surgery with that, and I had almost no post-surgery pain or even discomfort.  I'd had surgery through the belly button and didn't expect the robot to make much difference, but it was amazingly easy to recover from the effects of the surgery itself.  Recovery from partial kidney removal is another thing, but at least post-surgical pain was virtually non-existent.

Very interesting, thank you for sharing! Respect for Dr Now, he is in his late 70s and still pioneering stuff.

[MsVixen]

Hello Fellow Pounders!!!  How dare the season start earlier than it was announced in the TV Guide!  I had to catch up with this episode "On Demand".  Surprisingly, it was a better episode than some of those from season 9.  At least we got a surgery.

Wife lost 306 pounds by weight loss surgery and gained it all back????  WTF???  BTW, I didn't know there was such a thing as a Revision surgery.

Anyway, I will see y'all tonight and y'all had better bring the SNARK!!!!

[CrazyInAlabama]

Supersized on Nathan is on TLC 7-9 Central tonight, probably reruning later tonight.  

[Scarlett45]

Hi everyone- I forgot the new season was to start so I’m just getting this episode. I am watching the episode now. I have Discovery+ now, so no ads at least. 
 

I already don’t like Amber. She’s so judgmental, and she’s almost as big as him!!(counting for gender and height differences). I understand wanting to work on your weight together, but Amber isn’t exactly an encouragement. She’s such a downer. 

 

On 11/4/2021 at 9:47 AM, AZChristian said:

She said one word that really shows who she is.  She talked about Nathan's "little journey."  How condescending was that?  Since when is a journey to save someone's life considered "little"????

Absolutely. She’s got nothing but contempt for him. And she’s a hypocrite because she’s struggled with her weight just as much. You’d think she’d have some compassion. 

[Persnickety1]

I watched the supersized version last night (missed the original airing), and Amber was a passive-aggressive piece of work with what seemed to be a lot of underlying hostility towards Nathan.  That "your little journey" comment combined with her subsequent comments about "that's a lot less food than you're used to eating...do you think you'll still be hungry?" (paraphrased) were just over the top.  I did love his clap back of "I think it's better not to think about it."  

Nathan ordered something called Swiss chicken, I believe, but there goes Amber ordering potato soup, which is likely not on anybody's weight loss plan.  Ugh.  Probably thinking she could tempt Nathan to change his order.  

Nathan seemed like a good guy, so I hope he continued his weight loss "little journey" (ugh) and Amber found a more appropriate direction for her underlying anger.  

Now I'm going over to the live chat thread to read the delicious snark contained therein.  

[Scarlett45]

6 minutes ago, Persnickety1 said:

I watched the supersized version last night (missed the original airing), and Amber was a passive-aggressive piece of work with what seemed to be a lot of underlying hostility towards Nathan.  That "your little journey" comment combined with her subsequent comments about "that's a lot less food than you're used to eating...do you think you'll still be hungry?" (paraphrased) were just over the top.  I did love his clap back of "I think it's better not to think about it."  

Nathan ordered something called Swiss chicken, I believe, but there goes Amber ordering potato soup, which is likely not on anybody's weight loss plan.  Ugh.  Probably thinking she could tempt Nathan to change his order.  

Nathan seemed like a good guy, so I hope he continued his weight loss "little journey" (ugh) and Amber found a more appropriate direction for her underlying anger.  

Now I'm going over to the live chat thread to read the delicious snark contained therein.  

My internet was acting up, so I didn't finish the episode yet. But what really got me about Amber, was that if they got married, decided to lose weight together, she lost a bunch and he just kept gaining, her attitude would not be appropriate or helpful, but I would understand her disappointment more. What has she done to help the situation?

Also, and I know I have my own bias here, because I have been a caregiver essentially my entire life- all this attitude because you have to take care of your spouse. You MARRIED THEM, you signed up to be a caregiver for them if they needed it! (or earn an income to hire someone) "in sickness and in health"- no? Now I am not excusing spouses that abuse food or drugs or alcohol and make life more difficult for their family, and if someone does not want to get healthy and try to get better, you have a right to decide to leave (a marriage isnt a prison sentence).

But I have been a caregiver for my sister, my Mom, my grandfather (when he was alive) because they needed care. Thats just life, I consider that just being a part of a family. But again I grew up with elderly and disabled persons that needed 24/7 care so I didn't know any different until I moved away to college.

[Scarlett45]

I finished the episode. Nathan got off to a slow start but I think he could be successful if he doesn’t let Amber sabotage him. 
 

His step daughter seems to care a lot about him. I think he’s a nice man who’s got low self esteem so he lets Amber bully him. I think Amber has low self esteem but she takes it out on him. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I am cutting Amber a little slack, I doubt she anticipated marrying another teacher would result in her being the breadwinner, and having her husband waiting at home for her to help him with some things.    Also, I bet that old double wide they lived in was a rental, and probably all they could afford.    So, Amber is the support for the husband, the daughter, and maybe helps her parents too, so they are probably not doing very well financially.   Emotionally, I bet it's a big strain on the relationship to go from equals, to being the caretaker, and bread winner.    I hope that Nathan going back to work, and getting healthier, will help everyone.   

[Hellga]

I can't figure out why Amber and Nathan got married, they seem to not even like each other, and not have much in common - except for food.  No wonder there is a lot of resentment... financial and health troubles can rock even the most loving relationships, and these seems to have started not at the point of love but... well, I hope it was convenience rather than despair.  I think I slept through most of the episode so I just put it back on...

Why did the whole family need a shit ton of snacks for a three hour drive is beyond me. 

Also, did they ever say what subject Amber teaches?

Dr. Paradise is great, as always.

At the end of it all, I think Nathan has a chance, but Amber probably will fail long-term and drag him down with her.  he would be better losing her along with the other excess weight in his life...  though their relationship did seem to improve towards the end of the episode, I still wasn't feeling it on their final 'date'.

Edited November 22, 2021 by Hellga