Small Talk: Only 2 Ounces Of Commenting Allowed

[observer]

New to this forum, hi all.  

Here are the things that bother me about this program:

1.  Too formulaic.

2.  I don't understand why the participants have to "cold turkey" to prove themselves eligible for weight loss surgery.  Wouldn't it make sense and lead to a better outcome to have them start working with a therapist AND a nutritionist from day 1 of their weight loss journey?  It seems that many if not most of them came from families whose food habits were at the very most marginal. 

I always learned that if ignorance was the problem, education was the answer.  Not trying to be too simplistic here, obviously there are more and deeper reasons for their obesity than lack of exposure to proper nutrition.  But I think it would be helpful to expose them to concepts they might not know.  For instance, how to make low calorie versions of food they like.  Or the relationship between the amount of calories necessary to gain or lose one pound.  Or any number of techniques to get through a craving.

Simply throwing them back into the same environment that fostered the initial problem without giving them any tools seems unnecessarily severe to me.  

[Natalie68]

On 10/25/2019 at 1:48 PM, observer said:

New to this forum, hi all.  

Here are the things that bother me about this program:

1.  Too formulaic.

2.  I don't understand why the participants have to "cold turkey" to prove themselves eligible for weight loss surgery.  Wouldn't it make sense and lead to a better outcome to have them start working with a therapist AND a nutritionist from day 1 of their weight loss journey?  It seems that many if not most of them came from families whose food habits were at the very most marginal. 

I always learned that if ignorance was the problem, education was the answer.  Not trying to be too simplistic here, obviously there are more and deeper reasons for their obesity than lack of exposure to proper nutrition.  But I think it would be helpful to expose them to concepts they might not know.  For instance, how to make low calorie versions of food they like.  Or the relationship between the amount of calories necessary to gain or lose one pound.  Or any number of techniques to get through a craving.

Simply throwing them back into the same environment that fostered the initial problem without giving them any tools seems unnecessarily severe to me.  

Welcome!  Because if they cannot do it before surgery to possibly get some health concerns to be less critical or stick to the plan with the carrot of free surgery dangling in front of them they won't have the will power to stick to the incredibly strict post surgery diet.  They do get the tools.  He gives them the diet to stick to, tells them if they need anything to call, other than sticking them in the hospital to monitor their food he can't do more.  At some point they have to work as hard as Dr. Now on their health journey.

[AZChristian]

My brother recently died.  He was obese, but not in the 600-pound category.  

He was a hypochondriac who LOVED going to doctors.  But he was only happy with the outcome if they gave him pills or surgery. 

I visited doctors with him on occasion, and saw for myself that when they sent him to a nutritionist, he was mentally "checked out" as far as being willing to be involved in improving his health.  Before referring him to the nutritionist in his practice, the doctor told him he needed to lose a significant amount of weight to help his circulatory and kidney problems.  Brother's first question was, "Oh, good.  Will YOU approve me for weight loss surgery . . . because none of my other doctors will."  The doctor said there was no need for him to have surgery - he just needed to improve his eating habits. 

Needless to say, the visit to the nutritionist was a waste of everyone's time.  She gave him simple instructions - with diagrams - to show how much of each food group was appropriate for him to lose weight and improve his health without medications or surgery.  He totally ignored her in the office, and changed nothing.

After he died, I had to clean up the mess (physical and organizational) in his apartment.  As a hypochondriac, he had not thrown away ANY medical records for the last 10 years - they were strewn all over the place.  I felt obligated to go through them to make sure nothing important was being discarded/shredded.  I noticed that over this last year there were several references (including reports from blood work) to his having diabetes (which runs rampant throughout our family).  

Two weeks before he died, his son came to visit, and took him to the grocery store (brother hasn't driven in a couple of years) so he could stock up on groceries.  When I had dinner with his son a couple of days later, he told me that brother had bought FIVE 12-packs of regular Pepsi, and when nephew visited him a day and a half after the grocery trip, brother had already drank a whole 12-pack and part of another.  

We found brother's body while doing a welfare check on him about 3-4 days after he died (he wasn't answering his phone, and there had been no activity on his bank account).  While there is no proof (no autopsy), I will forever suspect that the amount of sugar he was ingesting with all that Pepsi threw him into a diabetic state.  He got up in the middle of the night (probably to go to the bathroom), and collapsed.  Maybe it was a heart attack.  Maybe it was a diabetic coma.  It was - I am sure - something that didn't need to have killed him if he had made even minimal efforts to listen to the doctors about making better choices and eating better.

I see a lot of the 600-pounders as similar in mindset.  All that matters to them is what they want, and as much of it as they want.  How many times have they said, "Dr. Now is my only hope"?  All of these people have smart phones and can figure out how to utilize housing and other financial programs to get them what they want.  Those same smart phones can show them what they need to do to lose weight and improve their health.

We see that Dr. Now gives them their food lists on the first visit.  He tells them how many calories to ingest.  If these people refuse to even make that MINOR adjustment as part of their own choice - and they are NOT paying for Dr. Now's services - why should he foot the bill for anything else when it seems obvious that they will also not heed additional nutritional or mental health counseling?

Sorry for the long post, but I see so much of their behaviors which were similar to my brother's . . . it's always somebody else's job to make their life better.

Edited October 27, 2019 by AZChristian
Clarity

[Carboncat]

9 hours ago, AZChristian said:

My brother recently died.  He was obese, but not in the 600-pound category.  

He was a hypochondriac who LOVED going to doctors.  But he was only happy with the outcome if they gave him pills or surgery. 

I visited doctors with him on occasion, and saw for myself that when they sent him to a nutritionist, he was mentally "checked out" as far as being willing to be involved in improving his health.  Before referring him to the nutritionist in his practice, the doctor told him he needed to lose a significant amount of weight to help his circulatory and kidney problems.  Brother's first question was, "Oh, good.  Will YOU approve me for weight loss surgery . . . because none of my other doctors will."  The doctor said there was no need for him to have surgery - he just needed to improve his eating habits. 

Needless to say, the visit to the nutritionist was a waste of everyone's time.  She gave him simple instructions - with diagrams - to show how much of each food group was appropriate for him to lose weight and improve his health without medications or surgery.  He totally ignored her in the office, and changed nothing.

After he died, I had to clean up the mess (physical and organizational) in his apartment.  As a hypochondriac, he had not thrown away ANY medical records for the last 10 years - they were strewn all over the place.  I felt obligated to go through them to make sure nothing important was being discarded/shredded.  I noticed that over this last year there were several references (including reports from blood work) to his having diabetes (which runs rampant throughout our family).  

Two weeks before he died, his son came to visit, and took him to the grocery store (brother hasn't driven in a couple of years) so he could stock up on groceries.  When I had dinner with his son a couple of days later, he told me that brother had bought FIVE 12-packs of regular Pepsi, and when nephew visited him a day and a half after the grocery trip, brother had already drank a whole 12-pack and part of another.  

We found brother's body while doing a welfare check on him about 3-4 days after he died (he wasn't answering his phone, and there had been no activity on his bank account).  While there is no proof (no autopsy), I will forever suspect that the amount of sugar he was ingesting with all that Pepsi threw him into a diabetic state.  He got up in the middle of the night (probably to go to the bathroom), and collapsed.  Maybe it was a heart attack.  Maybe it was a diabetic coma.  It was - I am sure - something that didn't need to have killed him if he had made even minimal efforts to listen to the doctors about making better choices and eating better.

I see a lot of the 600-pounders as similar in mindset.  All that matters to them is what they want, and as much of it as they want.  How many times have they said, "Dr. Now is my only hope"?  All of these people have smart phones and can figure out how to utilize housing and other financial programs to get them what they want.  Those same smart phones can show them what they need to do to lose weight and improve their health.

We see that Dr. Now gives them their food lists on the first visit.  He tells them how many calories to ingest.  If these people refuse to even make that MINOR adjustment as part of their own choice - and they are NOT paying for Dr. Now's services - why should he foot the bill for anything else when it seems obvious that they will also not heed additional nutritional or mental health counseling?

Sorry for the long post, but I see so much of their behaviors which were similar to my brother's . . . it's always somebody else's job to make their life better.

I am sorry about you brother.  Diabetes is horrendous..  My husband's mother, father and all 10 siblings had it..  My husband is about the only one who is not overweight, but even so this has affected us greatly.  It started when he was an Eagle Scout dad and he burned his shins at campfires (and didn't notice) to the point of gangrene.

Wounds that don't heal, neuropathy where I'm afraid he'll slip in the shower, and he's blind in one eye and can't see well out the other (from diabetes-related macular degeneration).

He does stringently watch his diet EXCEPT FOR WINE, which he steadfastly refuses to accept that it's no good.  He's like an anorexic saying 90 lbs is good!.....80 even better....

So we regularly have 3:00 am crises  where his sugar drops into the 20's and I have to call firemen. He sweats, rolls on the floor and babbles, or worst of all one night burst out into choruses of "Raindrops are fallin' on my head"...

"YOU take the goddam juice!"  "YOU take the damn glucose pill...! He weighs 165, I weigh 105. What can I really do if he won't take the juice or pill?

I'd love to see these cute firemen fully clothed with makeup and teeth in.

I was with a dear co-worker when he had to call for  welfare check on a diabetic sister in distant Merced (we work in Oakland).  Unfortunaely she passed away from diabetes and never pressed the alert button her brothers gave her.  I was in the company truck when he got the news;  so sad.

We are all getting older, we do the best we can for ourselves and our loved ones.  We can only try our best, pray and scary as it is know there's an end of the line for all of us.

[ethalfrida]

On 10/27/2019 at 9:40 AM, AZChristian said:

My brother recently died.  He was obese, but not in the 600-pound category.  

He was a hypochondriac who LOVED going to doctors.  But he was only happy with the outcome if they gave him pills or surgery. 

I visited doctors with him on occasion, and saw for myself that when they sent him to a nutritionist, he was mentally "checked out" as far as being willing to be involved in improving his health.  Before referring him to the nutritionist in his practice, the doctor told him he needed to lose a significant amount of weight to help his circulatory and kidney problems.  Brother's first question was, "Oh, good.  Will YOU approve me for weight loss surgery . . . because none of my other doctors will."  The doctor said there was no need for him to have surgery - he just needed to improve his eating habits. 

Needless to say, the visit to the nutritionist was a waste of everyone's time.  She gave him simple instructions - with diagrams - to show how much of each food group was appropriate for him to lose weight and improve his health without medications or surgery.  He totally ignored her in the office, and changed nothing.

After he died, I had to clean up the mess (physical and organizational) in his apartment.  As a hypochondriac, he had not thrown away ANY medical records for the last 10 years - they were strewn all over the place.  I felt obligated to go through them to make sure nothing important was being discarded/shredded.  I noticed that over this last year there were several references (including reports from blood work) to his having diabetes (which runs rampant throughout our family).  

Two weeks before he died, his son came to visit, and took him to the grocery store (brother hasn't driven in a couple of years) so he could stock up on groceries.  When I had dinner with his son a couple of days later, he told me that brother had bought FIVE 12-packs of regular Pepsi, and when nephew visited him a day and a half after the grocery trip, brother had already drank a whole 12-pack and part of another.  

We found brother's body while doing a welfare check on him about 3-4 days after he died (he wasn't answering his phone, and there had been no activity on his bank account).  While there is no proof (no autopsy), I will forever suspect that the amount of sugar he was ingesting with all that Pepsi threw him into a diabetic state.  He got up in the middle of the night (probably to go to the bathroom), and collapsed.  Maybe it was a heart attack.  Maybe it was a diabetic coma.  It was - I am sure - something that didn't need to have killed him if he had made even minimal efforts to listen to the doctors about making better choices and eating better.

I see a lot of the 600-pounders as similar in mindset.  All that matters to them is what they want, and as much of it as they want.  How many times have they said, "Dr. Now is my only hope"?  All of these people have smart phones and can figure out how to utilize housing and other financial programs to get them what they want.  Those same smart phones can show them what they need to do to lose weight and improve their health.

We see that Dr. Now gives them their food lists on the first visit.  He tells them how many calories to ingest.  If these people refuse to even make that MINOR adjustment as part of their own choice - and they are NOT paying for Dr. Now's services - why should he foot the bill for anything else when it seems obvious that they will also not heed additional nutritional or mental health counseling?

Sorry for the long post, but I see so much of their behaviors which were similar to my brother's . . . it's always somebody else's job to make their life better.

Many condolences for your loss. It is generous of you to share this experience with us. It’s very enlightening.

[ProTourist]

21 hours ago, Carboncat said:

"YOU take the goddam juice!"  "YOU take the damn glucose pill...! He weighs 165, I weigh 105. What can I really do if he won't take the juice or pill?

One other option -- a shot of glucagon. That is, if you'd feel comfortable giving him an injection, and if he'd let you close enough for the jab. Just curious -- what do firemen do for a hypoglycemic episode?

[Carboncat]

1 hour ago, ProTourist said:

One other option -- a shot of glucagon. That is, if you'd feel comfortable giving him an injection, and if he'd let you close enough for the jab. Just curious -- what do firemen do for a hypoglycemic episode?

They have given him injections.  Usually they stabilize him and have me make a peanut butter sandwich.  I've inquired about that, but was given no real answer, like that wasn't possible.  I should inquire again.

Most of the time these episodes can be solved in10 minutes with juice and sheepishness "I did WHAT?"  Without the drama, trauma and expense of 911.

It is so concerning, though.  You always wonder, what if I don't call and he's in real trouble, or even dies?  His sugar has been as low as 24.

[ProTourist]

23 hours ago, Carboncat said:

He does stringently watch his diet EXCEPT FOR WINE, which he steadfastly refuses to accept that it's no good.  He's like an anorexic saying 90 lbs is good!.....80 even better....

So we regularly have 3:00 am crises  where his sugar drops into the 20's and I have to call firemen. He sweats, rolls on the floor and babbles, or worst of all one night burst out into choruses of "Raindrops are fallin' on my head"...

"YOU take the goddam juice!"  "YOU take the damn glucose pill...! He weighs 165, I weigh 105. What can I really do if he won't take the juice or pill?

1 hour ago, ProTourist said:

One other option -- a shot of glucagon. That is, if you'd feel comfortable giving him an injection, and if he'd let you close enough for the jab. Just curious -- what do firemen do for a hypoglycemic episode?

44 minutes ago, Carboncat said:

They have given him injections.  Usually they stabilize him and have me make a peanut butter sandwich.  I've inquired about that, but was given no real answer, like that wasn't possible.  I should inquire again.

Most of the time these episodes can be solved in10 minutes with juice and sheepishness "I did WHAT?"  Without the drama, trauma and expense of 911.

It is so concerning, though.  You always wonder, what if I don't call and he's in real trouble, or even dies?  His sugar has been as low as 24.

I'm surprised his blood sugar is dropping so low if his only 'cheat' is drinking wine, especially if it's dry wine (not sweet). I'm diabetic myself, and with the medications I've been taking for the past several years I can no longer drink alcohol, but before that, when I took another med that did not conflict, I could have up to two drinks in a day, of something like dry wine or scotch and water -- nothing sweet. But not every day; not more than once a week.

I no longer get hypoglycemic since I switched off the med that was stimulating the pancreas to secret additional insulin. Your husband may benefit from a consultation with an endocrinologist -- if his primary care is managing his diabetes -- or checking with another endocrinologist if he already sees one. He may be able to get better control, such as by changing his med or type/amount on insulin if he injects.

You may want to check into keeping a glucagon kit at home. It's common among parents of diabetic children. Sometimes they'll have episodes during the night, and the parents will give them the glucagon shot to bring them out of it. But with a full-grown man who might become physically violent, it may not be possible for a petite woman to get in close enough to give him the shot. Here is some info on the kit:

http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2018/02-mar-apr/what-is-a-glucagon-kit.html

[nokat]

On Sunday, October 27, 2019 at 7:51 PM, Carboncat said:

We are all getting older, we do the best we can for ourselves and our loved ones.  We can only try our best, pray and scary as it is know there's an end of the line for all of us.

Sorry for your loss. Type 2 runs in the family, and we don't tend to be obese. Every time it's checked, my blood sugar is up at the pre diabetes level. But it hasn't changed in years. I don't drink soda, but I do eat a lot of fruit, and eat pasta and bread. I have to eat a lot of protein, though, because I'll feel very sick with too many carbs.
 

[SunnyBeBe]

Are any of you good at guessing weight? I'm good at sizing, but not weight. (For people that I know, I have an uncanny ability to buy the perfect size.)I'm trying to figure out if the weight estimate I read recently around here is close or not.  It's for actress Chrissy Metz. If you don't know her she is appears as a regular on tv series This Is Us.   I won't say what the guess was, but it was about 100 pounds less than what I think it is.  Maybe it's because of 600 Pound Life I get to see lots of weigh-ins, so I know that you can't be that large and only weigh a little bit. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I believe that Ms. Metz lost quite a bit of weight since the show started filming, I don't know if it's just dietary, or another method, but I think she's smaller now.  

It's supposedly in her contract to lose weight, to match the arch of her character having weight loss surgery.     Ms. Metz says she limited her diet, walked a lot, and lost about 100 pounds in five months.   Of course, who knows what the truth is when publicists get involved.   

Edited October 30, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[SunnyBeBe]

32 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I believe that Ms. Metz lost quite a bit of weight since the show started filming, I don't know if it's just dietary, or another method, but I think she's smaller now.  

In the shows that are airing now, she is the same or actually larger than ever.  There is a story out there that she recently lost 100 pounds. Perhaps, that happened after this last season was filmed, but I haven't seen anything that demonstrates that she lost 100 pounds. She doesn't appear to imo. ........

I looked online and found the article about 100 pound loss. It was from Feb 2019. She was on Watch What Happens Live in March and did look smaller, by July she was on again and appeared to be back to original size. So....ikd.

Edited October 30, 2019 by SunnyBeBe

[Carboncat]

12 hours ago, nokat said:

Sorry for your loss. Type 2 runs in the family, and we don't tend to be obese. Every time it's checked, my blood sugar is up at the pre diabetes level. But it hasn't changed in years. I don't drink soda, but I do eat a lot of fruit, and eat pasta and bread. I have to eat a lot of protein, though, because I'll feel very sick with too many carbs.
 

Thanks, this is a really unfortunate reality for many.  My husband is practically the only one of his 10 (then) sibling that is not overweight.  He still developed type-2 at 33.  I remember the constant peeing, the weight loss (!), the burning feet.  

He is doing better since the eliminated glipizide and cut back on the other meds.

He is a total fruit-a-holic, always has been, and here in the fruit paradise of California it is difficult.  I find peaches, plums whole melons hidden in th e meat drawer.

I'm tongue in check of course (me? it's SUGAR-FREE jam!) Oh!  I forgot grapes.  But add that to wine for a diabetic it spells trouble, and because he often won't eat to compensate for the calories, it's not good.

All the time we were raising kids we hardly drank at all;  it was hard enough to get up in the morning.

I'm reminded tonight of one of those "commodity" commercials they played on TV in the mid-70's set to music  "Peaches.... Plums.. California fruuuiittt… deeelicious!!!!!..…..(bump-pa bum...).but not filllliiinnngg!....Calififornia fruuuuiiittt! Maybe 1977.

So hokey, but cute!

Thanks for the concern; I know we digress from show topics, but this diabetes affects so many of us.  Please take care.

[nokat]

54 minutes ago, Carboncat said:

fruit-a-holic

I am one, because we have so much fruit!
 

[Carboncat]

7 minutes ago, nokat said:

I am one, because we have so much fruit!
 

Yes, year round fruit and fruit in the yard, in our case plums oranges and lemons.  We found out a few years ago that the number-one fruit for roof rats are lemons!  Also opposums!

By the way, lemon trees are mean, with 2' spiky thorns like a medieval weapon.  The way to prune is to hook, snap and bring down branches while they're young. And wear gloves.  Sure smells good, though.

My grandpa, who I was very close to, like the son he never had.  "Let's open the barn in the morning!!"  (At that point it was basically a garage with no room for a car...)

He was one of 13 children, and used to tell me fond stories of stealing watermelons with brothers at night in Fresno.  They would crack them open and eat them in the field.  When they were caught, they were already full.  I enjoyed this stuff over donuts at Winchell's with his retired Teamster buddies. The streusel was the best.

The "older" folks even back then used to complain that : peaches, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, etc... don't taste like they used to.

Maybe so.

[Hellga]

Count me among the fruit-a-holics.   My grocery basket is probably 1/3 fruit by weight and by spend every single time...  I did start to eat a lot more vegetables in the last couple years, though.  

[nokat]

I eat a lot more vegetables than I did in my youth. I think it has been mentioned that many of the poundicipants just don't know how to make vegetables taste good. I was lucky enough to get used to fresh out of the garden vegetables, and fresh off the tree fruit. But it is expensive, so if you're living on ramen noodles (college years) you don't eat healthfully.
 

[nokat]

13 hours ago, Carboncat said:

By the way, lemon trees are mean, with 2' spiky thorns like a medieval weapon.

I get scratches from the thorns on the bougainvillea and roses. Has leather gloves, but those thorns will poke through. I once accidentally stepped on a bougainvillea branch and it went  through my shoe and into my foot. I put up with them though because the hummingbirds like them.

Roof rats, ick, I keep trees trimmed and away from the house. I do see opossums in the yard after dark. I put out bird food and water so that's going to attract critters.

[Hellga]

5 hours ago, nokat said:

I eat a lot more vegetables than I did in my youth. I think it has been mentioned that many of the poundicipants just don't know how to make vegetables taste good. I was lucky enough to get used to fresh out of the garden vegetables, and fresh off the tree fruit. But it is expensive, so if you're living on ramen noodles (college years) you don't eat healthfully.
 

Oh yes, nothing compares to fresh produce.  And varieties grown matter, too.  A home gardener can afford to choose varieties for taste or texture, while commercial growers have to choose ones that are disease resistant and keep better.  My mom grows amazing cucumbers (of the pickling variety, but they are super good for eating fresh, too), but I live too far away from her to get them, and cucumbers in grocery stores and even farm markets are very meh.  Besides, a cucumber is only really worth eating in the first 24 hours of being picked, it quickly goes downhill in terms of taste and crunch...  I was able to score some OK Kirby ones (as in, I actually liked them if not enjoyed them, and didn't throw them out after a bite or two) this summer, but I literally felt up just about every single one on the big shelf to find just three acceptable ones!  

[nokat]

1 hour ago, Hellga said:

Besides, a cucumber is only really worth eating in the first 24 hours of being picked

That is true of corn, but it's like you have to run with it to the boiling water.

You are correct about fruit etc not being as good. It is modified to last in trucks. Home grown is usually best.
 

[Carboncat]

6 hours ago, nokat said:

I get scratches from the thorns on the bougainvillea and roses. Has leather gloves, but those thorns will poke through. I once accidentally stepped on a bougainvillea branch and it went  through my shoe and into my foot. I put up with them though because the hummingbirds like them.

Roof rats, ick, I keep trees trimmed and away from the house. I do see opossums in the yard after dark. I put out bird food and water so that's going to attract critters.

Roses are  fierce, and I have many.  I planted bougainvillea--purple and pink all along the back fences.  In 2005 they were overgrown, and doubling back on themselves.  One July day when it was 105 degrees in the kitchen (I was reading the paper) I heard a groan and crash from the back yard..  The prickypear cactus in the corner of the yard had collapsed in the heat and took all the vines on the fences with it. Bouganvillea disaster!  The whole yard was filled waist-high with sharp, sharp sharp bougainvillea.  Took weeks to get rid of, plus had to ferry cactus paddles and trunk out to street yard waste on a furniture dolly after whacking it apart with a framing hammer.  Cactus is heavy!

Unfortunately, a few years later we had a cold snap in December--it was 22 degrees.  I went outside that night and watched 2 of my 3 vines literally turn black and die.

We garden at our own risk.

[Hellga]

2 hours ago, nokat said:

That is true of corn, but it's like you have to run with it to the boiling water.

I have only picked corn once in my life when I was a kid, so I will take your word for it.  I like grocery store corn on the cob, but I can't eat it anymore for fear of breaking my two front crowns again. I am not mentally (or financially! or physically!) ready for implants just yet...

2 hours ago, Carboncat said:

We garden at our own risk.

True of every gardener everywhere, probably...

That bougainvillea story is an appropriate horror story for Halloween!  I thought my weird prickly weed was bad, but it was maybe 15 feet in total length and while thorns were sharp enough to go through thick gardening gloves as if they weren't even there, they weren't too long.

[Colleenna]

On 10/29/2019 at 7:19 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

Are any of you good at guessing weight? I'm good at sizing, but not weight. (For people that I know, I have an uncanny ability to buy the perfect size.)I'm trying to figure out if the weight estimate I read recently around here is close or not.  It's for actress Chrissy Metz. If you don't know her she is appears as a regular on tv series This Is Us.   I won't say what the guess was, but it was about 100 pounds less than what I think it is.  Maybe it's because of 600 Pound Life I get to see lots of weigh-ins, so I know that you can't be that large and only weigh a little bit. 

I think she's about 5'4" , and I have heard that the camera adds 10-15 lbs, so my guess would be 330....

[Starlight925]

Chrissy Metz looks like over 400 to me.  Does anyone know her real weight?

On the show currently, she looks even larger than before, but I wonder if that's prosthetic? I'm wondering if she will show her rumored 100 lb. loss later in the season, as they remove prosthetics, as the current story arc is her insecurity surrounding Toby's "loss"/hotness.  We all know that Toby is not truly an overweight actor, but has been bulked up with prosthetics this whole time, and now they're running a storyline about his CrossFit/weight loss journey, so I'm wondering if they'll layer in Chrissy's attempts at weight loss and reveal, later in the season, something that's being covered up now with prosthetics?

Just thinking out loud here!

[aliya]

On 10/28/2019 at 8:31 PM, Carboncat said:

They have given him injections.  Usually they stabilize him and have me make a peanut butter sandwich.  I've inquired about that, but was given no real answer, like that wasn't possible.  I should inquire again.

Most of the time these episodes can be solved in10 minutes with juice and sheepishness "I did WHAT?"  Without the drama, trauma and expense of 911.

It is so concerning, though.  You always wonder, what if I don't call and he's in real trouble, or even dies?  His sugar has been as low as 24.

This is so scary. I live alone and don't normally have bad lows, but I have had 3 in the past year or so that have freaked me out. I had to come in late to work because I was afraid to go to sleep until I was sure of my readings.  I'm keeping the tablets & Capri Sun in my nightstand. My doctor has said no more night time insulin for me, which I don't always abide by, 'cause my blood sugars would be sky high, so I feel it's a bit of a tight rope. Fortunately, the lower carb I eat, the better off I am, with less or even no insulin needed many days. My mother is also Type 2 and wound up in the hospital after a fall in the house. We thought it was age, but it was low blood sugar. 

I haven't been around a lot since the season ended - how y'all are? (best Justin Wilson voice)

[ProTourist]

Who wants to chip in and purchase a stack of these tee-shirts for the next round of poundticipants? [5XL size, of course.]   😄   😊 

[JunkFoodTV]

21 hours ago, ProTourist said:

Who wants to chip in and purchase a stack of these tee-shirts for the next round of poundticipants? [5XL size, of course.]   😄   😊 

A 5X may be a little "form fitting". 😄

[Hana Chan]

I'm in the tail-end of my workup for my surgery and it's been a long six months of monthly weigh ins to ensure that I'm not continuing to gain weight, a pulmonary consult (thankfully no sleep apnea), cardiology consult (no heart issues), psychological evaluation (nothing of significance), meeting with a nutritionist, mandatory workshops... The only thing still pending is my endoscopy (scheduled for this coming week) and the final workup from my hematologist. After that, I can finally be scheduled for surgery (probably after the end of the year since i know I won't be able to take off two weeks with the holidays - will suck because I'll have a new deductible, but there's no help for that).

What I've learned is that if surgery is going to be used as a tool for weight loss, it's not something you can just jump into. It takes work and dedication and not a small amount of money, You have to really want to do this and it's frustrating to watch this show and see people act like it's an ordeal that they're being forced into. I've weighted out the pros and cons and see the upside of going through this vastly outweighing (no pun intended) the negatives. 

I'm planning several vacations for post surgery as a reward for sticking to it, once of which might be a horseback trek in Iceland. I'd like to visit Japan again and finally see Vietnam. Then maybe South Africa. I'm going to enjoy my life and the only difference is that food won't be at the center of it all the time.

[aliya]

I don't watch much TV these days and haven't seen an ad for the show. Is it coming back? Since last season, I have been filling my time with Amberlynn Reid stuff. OMGoodness - reaction channels, reddit, there's a whole world out there that I never found for this show. Thank goodness I don't have kids at home; they would have starved. 

I miss y'all. I hope we are chatting again, soon.

[Carboncat]

On ‎11‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 7:20 PM, aliya said:

This is so scary. I live alone and don't normally have bad lows, but I have had 3 in the past year or so that have freaked me out. I had to come in late to work because I was afraid to go to sleep until I was sure of my readings.  I'm keeping the tablets & Capri Sun in my nightstand. My doctor has said no more night time insulin for me, which I don't always abide by, 'cause my blood sugars would be sky high, so I feel it's a bit of a tight rope. Fortunately, the lower carb I eat, the better off I am, with less or even no insulin needed many days. My mother is also Type 2 and wound up in the hospital after a fall in the house. We thought it was age, but it was low blood sugar. 

I haven't been around a lot since the season ended - how y'all are? (best Justin Wilson voice)

I'm glad you keep juice and tablets by the bed.  I always worry about choking even with the tablets. As a non-diabetic I recognize certain signs in the middle of the night:  twitching of the legs and arms, and sweating.  Also sleep-talking that's incoherent, like "Where's the remote?" when there's no TV in the bedroom.

My husband reports a feeling of "falling".  Please take care; I understand the need for medication to control damaging highs and the risk of a plummet.

Love to you and fellow Pounders!

[Hellga]

On 11/10/2019 at 1:31 PM, Hana Chan said:

I'm in the tail-end of my workup for my surgery and it's been a long six months 

Good luck!  Hope it all goes well and your hard work pays off! 

It feels good to know you are doing something good for yourself...

[pdlinda]

I just saw a rerun of Brittani Fulfer's "where are they now" episode and I believe there was another subsequent episode where she got the skin removal for her legs??? (Not sure but THINK so).  The big DRAWBACK of watching these episodes on TLC GO is those endless ad breaks that seem to go on FOREVER!!  Does anyone know how to watch the "Where are they now" episodes without such "torture,"  (Yes, I'd be willing to pay to avoid the ads).

[ProTourist]

9 hours ago, pdlinda said:

Does anyone know how to watch the "Where are they now" episodes without such "torture,"  (Yes, I'd be willing to pay to avoid the ads).

Yes, the WATN episodes are available on Amazon, for $3 per episode. This is purchase, not rental. There is also an option to purchase a whole season, which sometimes saves money depending on the number of episodes in the season.

Here is the page; select the desired WATN season at the top:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B00RYCU3KY/

Edited November 17, 2019 by ProTourist
corrected link address

[pdlinda]

14 hours ago, ProTourist said:

Yes, the WATN episodes are available on Amazon, for $3 per episode. This is purchase, not rental. There is also an option to purchase a whole season, which sometimes saves money depending on the number of episodes in the season.

Here is the page; select the desired WATN season at the top:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B00RYCU3KY/

FANTASTIC!!  I'm a prime member and will do exactly that as it's worth it to watch the episodes without "interruption" that I really enjoy.  

I hope a new season finally surfaces in January.  Can't ever get confirmation that new season will be aired.

[nokat]

I should not eat this late, but it's some kind of healthy pizza. Has eaten way too much gateway fruit.

 

[Hana Chan]

Well, it looks like I'm done with all of the testing and I'm just waiting on the results of my endoscopy biopsy (the doctor should be calling me today). My mom just got the call to go in to see the surgeon, so she's likely going to get scheduled for December at some point. I'll be hopefully doing it in January. Both of us are excited and scared but this is the right thing for us to do. The new year is going to start a new chapter of our lives. :-)

[nokat]

You are taking care of yourself. Which reminds me I need to get my boobs flattened. It hurts but necessary.
 

[Hellga]

I have been moving more and eating less since I got laid off, so I am down 4 pounds over the last three weeks... 10 more to go to return to my best shape.  There was a running joke at work that everyone gains 15 pounds after starting to work there - that's exactly what happened to me, though it was more like 6 pounds, then 3 more, then 5 more.   I have high hopes for entering the new year close to my target weight - and with a new job.   

I have had a number of telephone interviews and in-person ones start next week... but one thing is certain, it won't be a nice easy commute anymore.  Either relocation to a completely different area (Boston, New Jersey or Philly) or long commutes to NYC or northeastern NJ... 

[OoogleEyes]

On 11/10/2019 at 1:31 PM, Hana Chan said:

I'm planning several vacations for post surgery as a reward for sticking to it, once of which might be a horseback trek in Iceland. I'd like to visit Japan again and finally see Vietnam. Then maybe South Africa. I'm going to enjoy my life and the only difference is that food won't be at the center of it all the time.

That sounds fantastic! Good luck!!

[CatherineM]

My post weight loss trip was to Rome. Got to meet the Pope. I’d post a picture if it’s allowed. 

[Guest]

11 hours ago, CatherineM said:

I’d post a picture if it’s allowed. 

This is allowed.

[CatherineM]

It was a trip of a lifetime. He’s a link to an article about our visit. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/catholic-couple-brings-the-love-of-family-to-young-people-with-mental-illness-61780

[ProTourist]

Wow Catherine -- you just got back!

Congratulations!!

What a great article and photos.

And that is one groovy necktie your hubs is wearing. 😎 😊

[auntjess]

On 11/16/2019 at 12:38 PM, pdlinda said:

Does anyone know how to watch the "Where are they now" episodes without such "torture,"  (Yes, I'd be willing to pay to avoid the ads).

I almost always record shows, and watch from my DVR, so I can always fast-forward through the commericals.
Other than news, I can't think of anything that I watch as it's being broadcast.
You can have your own marathons of favorite shows, if you like.  I don't save any 600lb shows, but I have Mike Holmes' older shows, and Dr. Pimple Popper, for enjoyment on demand.

[Twopper]

On 11/20/2019 at 10:07 PM, CatherineM said:

My post weight loss trip was to Rome. Got to meet the Pope. I’d post a picture if it’s allowed. 

Wow!!! my daughter did a summer abroad in Rome one year and met Pope Benedict.  The group she was with also attended a Mass where he was present, and someone arranged for them to get several special tours of the Vatican.  She also saw him  close up in several processions;  I teased her about stalking him.

The show with Robin was on either yesterday or the day before.  I dvr'd it to avoid commercials.  The husband creeped me out.  I had seen it before, but so many of them run together in my brain.  I did remember that the nephew went to a welding class at the end so I hope he is doing well.

I hate whoever writes the narration that they read.  This narration seemed to be a never-ending string of run-on sentences. 

By the way, I did lose the 10 pounds that I was told to last spring.  The doc is happy, but I am sure I should lose a bit more.  It will be challenging with the Halloween/birthday/Thanksgiving/Christmas/ Mardi Gras season that we are in.

[Hana Chan]

My mom got her surgical date! She goes in on Dec. 18. We made a decision that I would do my surgery in late January because my insurance is changing at the end of the the year and they don't want to take a chance of me actually being in the hospital when my current insurance expires (which would be bad) and so I can support Mom during her first month of recovery.

So pretty much everything is on track. And at least I get to enjoy the holidays (in moderation).

[Hellga]

Good luck to you and your mom, Hana Chan!

[Hellga]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

This is the one day a year nearly everyone eats a 600-pounder amount of food... and the one day a year you can overeat and not feel guilty about it.

[Carboncat]

On ‎11‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 9:38 AM, pdlinda said:

I just saw a rerun of Brittani Fulfer's "where are they now" episode and I believe there was another subsequent episode where she got the skin removal for her legs??? (Not sure but THINK so).  The big DRAWBACK of watching these episodes on TLC GO is those endless ad breaks that seem to go on FOREVER!!  Does anyone know how to watch the "Where are they now" episodes without such "torture,"  (Yes, I'd be willing to pay to avoid the ads).

At this point, where there is still no beloved Live Chat, I record and skip the ads that way.

[Carboncat]

On ‎11‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 3:40 PM, ProTourist said:

Wow Catherine -- you just got back!

Congratulations!!

What a great article and photos.

And that is one groovy necktie your hubs is wearing. 😎 😊

Love it too!  Wow!