S03.E01: Where Are They Now? Zsalynn and Christina

[AdorkableWitch]

 

Year 2 of a woman's journey finds her torn between losing weight and saving her marriage; a twentysomething woman gets rid of her negative influences and tries to live a normal life

 

Episode Information from Xfinity Episode Description

[Armchair Critic]

Reminder: The episode is on tonight at 9 pm (eastern time) and repeats again at 11 pm (eastern time).

 

Yay for Zsalynn deciding to get rid of that asshat husband!

Edited January 8, 2015 by Armchair Critic

[AdorkableWitch]

I am sad that Christina and her husband are getting divorced, but she looks AMAZING! I wouldn't even recognize her as the same girl. 

 

Also, yay for Zsalynn for getting rid of her husband and getting therapy. 

[Katydid]

Ding dong, Gareth is gone! Thank goodness. I hope Zsalynn gets the excess skin removed now that she's gotten rid of the obvious reason she was reluctant to lose it. Her top half was so much smaller, obviously the girth on her bottom was the final thing keeping her large enough for his "needs." Loved that she took down all the photos that included him.

Also not surprised that Christina's marriage didn't work out once she started losing weight. Her ex obviously had some kind of creepy caregiver fetish in her initial episode. She looked great at the end and it was nice to see her making up for lost time and enjoying outings with her family.

[RedKoolAide]

I'm so happy for Zsalynn. Gareth was such an abusive, insensitive jerk. Zsalynn looked happier while packing his shit up than she did the entire time I saw her with him. Hannah looked more relaxed, too.

Christina needs to consult a nutritionist and therapist. She acts like if she eats solid food she'll gain the 400 lbs back that she lost. I'm also happy she divorced her husband. I thought he was creepy in her original episode.

[poeticlicensed]

Christina needs to consult a nutritionist and therapist. She acts like if she eats solid food she'll gain the 400 lbs back that she lost.

 

Co-sign on this. Christina will probably never have a normal relationship with food, but a nutritionist can teach her how to eat healthy without fearing she will gain weight. And Christ on a cracker, I could not believe that one of her family members was trying to get her to eat some gloppy potato and cheese laden dish at the restaurant. 

 

One of the big problems with food substitution diets (shakes, prepackaged meals like nutrisystem) is that it doesn't teach healthy eating. So many people who lose weight on these are afraid to stop and eat normally. 

 

I was glad to see Gareth get kicked to the curb!

[aliya]

Christina looked great! I remember when she went to the nursing class last year. She was still very large and using a wheel chair at times. Shame on me for thinking she'd never be able to handle a nursing program. As long as she can get to a good place re eating solid foods, I think she can do whatever she wants. I forgot that she's just 24. She has the world in front of her.

[kleebee]

Evil, horrible Gareth. His total glee while being an abusive asshole is really disturbing. Sociopath.

[PityFree]

I'm proud of Zsalynn for refraining from having the family cat pee on all of Gareth's possessions after packing them.

I would not have been able to show the same self control.

Edited January 8, 2015 by PityFree

[Toaster Strudel]

Very impressive physical changes, but even more so the changes in their personalities.

 

Christina especially, was a passive, lifeless whiner.  Suddenly she is proactive, invested in her well-being, and loving life again.  It's nothing short of a miracle.  WOW.

 

Unexpected was how the weight loss laid bare the fetishist nature of some of the caregivers' dysfunction, Sadly it was truly a fetish and there was nothing else.  The obese persons found health, but the caregivers are still sick.  Kudos to Christina's mother for changing her outlook from enabler to supporter.  Very impressive.

[xls]

Ding dong, Gareth is gone! Thank goodness. I hope Zsalynn gets the excess skin removed now that she's gotten rid of the obvious reason she was reluctant to lose it. Her top half was so much smaller, obviously the girth on her bottom was the final thing keeping her large enough for his "needs." Loved that she took down all the photos that included him.

Also not surprised that Christina's marriage didn't work out once she started losing weight. Her ex obviously had some kind of creepy caregiver fetish in her initial episode. She looked great at the end and it was nice to see her making up for lost time and enjoying outings with her family.

Zsalynn already got rid of about 180bls of abusive/ deadbeat excess skin! Glad  both women are free of the men dragging them down. Damn, Christina looked great She's got a cute little curve in her cheeks when she smiles.

Edited January 8, 2015 by xls

[yogi2014L]

I was also SO HAPPY to see both women lose their creepy, enabler (and in Zsalynn's case abusive) husbands. The scene where her daughter yelled at them to get a divorce broke my heart. I hope they are all much happier!!!

 

No offense, but in my opinion you have to be mentally ill to get to 500+ lbs in the first place, I am so happy that both ladies are doing so much better now. Christina especially. She was so bad off at such a young age and had no independence or confidence. She was totally passive in her own life. I hope she stays on track, seeing how much happier she was being independent truly awesome. Glad Zsalynn is going to therapy too :-)

 

I wish they delved into the long term side effects of that extreme weight gain and loss. I would be curious to how their bodies are today/how much damage gaining 600 lbs/losing 400 could cause.

[Taylorh2]

Anyone know how much Christina weighed when she got married ?

[RedKoolAide]

I was curious as to how Zsalynn was going to support herself and her daughter. She was a stay at home mom before, right? Did she say she worked and I missed it?

[Cherrio]

I was happy to see the both of them are still losing weight, getting healthier and lost those two creepy husbands.

[AdorkableWitch]

I was curious as to how Zsalynn was going to support herself and her daughter. She was a stay at home mom before, right? Did she say she worked and I missed it?

She seemed to have a job during the update.

[Pepper Mostly]

Christina looked so good. She's really pretty, in a Katie Holmes kind of way. Good for her. Zsalynn--good for her for losing the weight and getting healthier, but her face looks terrible--all the strain and worry so clearly etched there. Hopefully with a lot of good care and therapy and fun times with her daughter, those worry lines will smooth out a little. And of course, with toolbag Gareth gone, she can smile more! I loved those pics she and Hannah took--a look at the future.

[MrsClaus]

One thing, they started off with two positive examples.  I was so glad they both got rid of the husbands.

[Hero]

I am so glad Zsalynn left her husband. He had this smug look on his face that I wanted to slap it off. 

 

What always got me in Zsalynn's first segment, was when her daughter yelled from another room, "why did you have to marry him?"

 

It is nice that they both look so happy now. I hope we see an update on Zsalynn after her skin removal. 

 

 

Christina looked really good. Her and her sister have an awesome relationship and it was nice to see that she supported Christina throughout her journey. 

I always thought that something was off with Christina and her ex- husband. He probably got off on helping someone who couldn't take care of themselves. 

[yogi2014L]

I am so glad Zsalynn left her husband. He had this smug look on his face that I wanted to slap it off. 

 

What always got me in Zsalynn's first segment, was when her daughter yelled from another room, "why did you have to marry him?"

 

It is nice that they both look so happy now. I hope we see an update on Zsalynn after her skin removal. 

 

 

Christina looked really good. Her and her sister have an awesome relationship and it was nice to see that she supported Christina throughout her journey. 

I always thought that something was off with Christina and her ex- husband. He probably got off on helping someone who couldn't take care of themselves. 

The scene with Christina on the beach with her sister was so nice!! She is lucky to have such a good support system. 

[Armchair Critic]

Christina is 20 years younger than Zsalynn so her skin was able to bounce back better.

[PityFree]

I noticed that Zsalynn had a lot of grey hair. (Didn't notice if she colored it by the end) That can wash people out and make her look older in the face.

[cynicat]

I forgot that she's just 24.

 

I forgot that Christina was that young.  She didn't just drop all that weight, she dropped years.  Before the weight loss, I thought she was much older.  She looks amazing, and it's great to see her smile.

[gunderda]

At the end I was very worried about Christine. Yes she looked great BUT it's because she was practically starving herself. She was only eating protein shakes.  That's how she got so skinny. I hope she can get help for that - she will likely gain some weight back when she gets back to eating normal food and I hope she doesnt find anything wrong with that. 

 

I'm surprised it took Zsalynn over a year to get rid of that crappy husband.  Maybe she couldn't do it financially before but thank god she was able to during the update.

[Bellalisa]

Christine really had a tough road being surrounded by such ignorance. Her family, her lifestyle and the culture she lives in is one of total ignorance. I don't know how she overcame that, I really don't. These people have no clue about nutrition and eating.  If I remember her mother was constantly feeding her crap.  Didn't they sneak fast food into the hospital? I really admire her so much for how far she has come in that environment especially. She looks great! You would never know she was once 700 pounds! I hope she can continue and get the hell out of there.

 

There are a lot of these sickies like Gareth. It's so gross. I'm glad he is gone@

[Shibori]

Yeah, I was pretty nasty about her family when I commented on the original episode, and I'm pleasantly surprised she's been so successful, particularly in that environment.  I'm still wondering how they got that shiny new truck!

[Oldernowiser]

Gareth made me want to slap my television and I am not a violent person. So, to review, his wife was supposed to remain fat and happy about it while slowly dying just so that his "physical needs" would be met? Then there's not being there before surgery, showing up late to pick her up afterwards, taking her through a drivethru and taunting her with the crap he was eating, and last but not least, snarking about why she hadn't lost more weight while simultaneously bitching that he didn't want her to lose too much.

What a truly loathesome waste of air.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Oldernowiser

[PityFree]

Gareth made me want to slap my television and I am not a violent person. So, to review, his wife was supposed to remain fat and happy about it while slowly dying just so that his "physical needs" would be met? Then there's not being there before surgery, showing up late to pick her up afterwards, taking her through a drivethru and taunting her with the crap he was eating, and last but not least, snarking about why she hadn't lost more weight while simultaneously bitching that he didn't want her to lose too much.

What a truly loathesome waste of air.

I really hope she used the tape of Garreth on the show to get massive alimony out of him. 

[Spooneroonie]

 Didn't they sneak fast food into the hospital? I

They may have. So many of the folks on this show have done that, so they all sort of run together after awhile.

[Brooklynista]

Sneaking food has always been a theme on these shows.  The familes always feel SO BAD that their 800 pound precious family member is starving on dhiet approved hospital food that they have to bring in the vitamin rich McDonald's and Popeye's.

[AdorkableWitch]

I wonder if Christina isn't living in Houston now. Being away from her family would help.

[Oldernowiser]

I have the perfect match for Gareth...Penny.

That way they could torture each other and Edgar and Zsalynn could be a sweet, loving couple.

Win/win.

[Sims Addict]

I wish they delved into the long term side effects of that extreme weight gain and loss. I would be curious to how their bodies are today/how much damage gaining 600 lbs/losing 400 could cause.

 

Agreed! I have gained and lost the same 30-40 pounds since my pre-teens...and each time I try to drop weight now in my late 30's it gets harder each time. I can only imagine the physiological and biochemical ramifications of such a massive amount of weight gain and loss. It seems that no matter what they do, their bodies will never be "normal." They will always have scars from the skin removal surgery, lymphodema (per Christina's segment), and mobility issues. Sad.

[Oldernowiser]

I watched the original Christina episode today...holy hell she was 22!!!! The people in their late 30s you can sort of understand because the years and the pounds add up, but 22!!!??? Yikes! And her sisters were a healthy weight.

There's more going on with some of these patients than current medical science can explain. At that age and with two healthy weight siblings, a thin husband, thin father, and even her mother wasn't super obese, and since there are only 24 hours in a day...even if she ate every day all day it still doesn't seem like someone could get to 600+ pounds that fast.

I didn't see the WATN episode so I'm glad to hear she continues to do well.

[AdorkableWitch]

I watched the original Christina episode today...holy hell she was 22!!!! The people in their late 30s you can sort of understand because the years and the pounds add up, but 22!!!??? Yikes! And her sisters were a healthy weight.

There's more going on with some of these patients than current medical science can explain. At that age and with two healthy weight siblings, a thin husband, thin father, and even her mother wasn't super obese, and since there are only 24 hours in a day...even if she ate every day all day it still doesn't seem like someone could get to 600+ pounds that fast.

I didn't see the WATN episode so I'm glad to hear she continues to do well.

One thing we don't know with the rest of her family is are there any addicts. If we saw someone deteriorate from drugs that fast, you wouldn't be surprised. I wouldn't be surprised if there are other addiction issues.

[Brooklynista]

One of the upcoming new episodes also has a really young person. And there was also Billy, who was more of a set of special episodes. I think his mother was the worst, and I know it's not part of this series, but Dr Nowzaradan was also his surgeon and IIRC, recommended the same key advice: get away from your family because they're not helping.

Billy's mother almost seemed obsessed w him. She was so distraught at the thought of him getting better and becoming independent. Poor Billy seemed so defeated the thought of going out and learning to drive, meeting girls or going to school didn't really spark any motivation to want more from life.

A lot of these families seem to want the obese family member to stay disabled. To either continue to collect county benefits and not have to work or to feed whatever caregiver fetish they have. The cycle is just sick.

Edited January 18, 2015 by Brooklynista

[Toaster Strudel]

There's more going on with some of these patients than current medical science can explain.

 

Very bad luck with recessive genes.

 

[Mrs. P.]

One of the upcoming new episodes also has a really young person. And there was also Billy, who was more of a set of special episodes. I think his mother was the worst, and I know it's not part of this series, but Dr Nowzaradan was also his surgeon and IIRC, recommended the same key advice: get away from your family because they're not helping.

Billy's mother was the worst enabler I've seen on these shows about the morbidly obese. However, I think I remember that she had another child who had died at a young age. I decided that she was operating out of grief and guilt when enabling Billy. It was really sad.

[CherZ]

Just saw this episode and was happy for them both.

 

I remember reading on line that Zsalynn and Gareth ran websites for guys who are into very large women - she was the model, so he was probably worried about losing income. He's also a stone cold jerk and no amount of editing could hide it or exaggerate it, he was totally a lout. I also rewatched the original episode and I remember hearing that Gareth was Hannah's biological father so I found it telling that she was like "why did you marry him?" Poor kid.

 

Christine looked good, sorry about the lymphedema, that seemed to really be the start of her weight problem.

[CarolMK]

I re-watched Christina's original episode and I can't quite figure out how she got to around 700 lbs at age 22 either. In the opening, she mentioned that her parents were always "arguing and fighting" and she felt that she had to protect her little brother and sister. Yet the entire family, including Grandma, moved from Mississippi to Houston for Christina to have this surgery. I had thought maybe there was abuse in her background...but honestly I thought her father was very supportive, encouraging her to go for walks, etc. I do think Christina married very young since she had mentioned her mother and husband were taking care of her for 2 years before her surgery. I wonder if it was severe depression on her part that caused her to gain so much weight, and in the beginning, certainly her mom and husband were not helping at all.

[cynicat]

I've watched so many Intervention episodes that I'm convinced that I must be an expert by proxy. Everything about Christina screams early abuse.  It may have been someone outside the immediate family which is why they're all still with her.  I can easily see gaining that amount of weight in a short period of time.  It's been shown that some of the people on these shows eat 10,000+ calories per day. 

[Muffyn]

I wouldn't be surprised if Christina had some kind of trauma or assault.  It is great to see her doing so well, not just physically but also in turning her life around.  She seems so much more likely to be successful than some of these people because she has clearly defined goals.

 

I am concerned for Zsalynn's daughter,  Her father is a major ass.  Her mother seems to have an overly dependent relationship with her.  I can't help it.  Zsalynn creeps me out.  

[Vivigirl10]

 

I am concerned for Zsalynn's daughter,  Her father is a major ass.  Her mother seems to have an overly dependent relationship with her.  I can't help it.  Zsalynn creeps me out.

I'm relieved that I'm not the only one who was bothered by Zsalynn.  I have grave concerns about her little girl.  There were complicated reasons why she herself stayed with her abusive husband, but the fact that she continued to keep an innocent child in that environment makes my blood boil.  I am highly confident that Gareth was emotionally abusive towards Hannah too and Zsalynn witnessed it and allowed it to go on for many years.  Can you imagine the damage this will cause Hannah in the future?  Selfish, selfish, selfish....that's all I see in Zsalynn.  I am happy that she's seeking therapy but worry if even through that process she's really fit to care for Hannah. 

 

Zsalynn seems easy pickins to fall right back into another abusive relationship. 

[Brooklynista]

There one one scene in the original where Hannah was upset by Gareth yelling at Zazlyn. Greta told her to "take her anger out on the vacuum cleaner". It was then that it was obvious that he had no regard for any woman. Fat, skinny, daughter or not.

Hannah didn't belong in that house with that man.

Edited February 6, 2015 by Brooklynista

[DangerousMinds]

I think at least part of the reason it took her so long to leave Gareth was money related.

[KarmaG]

I think at least part of the reason it took her so long to leave Gareth was money related.

 

I think it was that and she honestly loved him. They had a child together. She hoped they could work it out. Can't say I blame her for trying.

[Cherrio]

Small World    (couldn't help myself :)

 

I am sitting here online and glancing at the tv. They are running the update episode of Zsalynn.  She is at the therapist and I notice the name of the woman. I think, she looks familiar and I used to know a family with that name.

 I google and sure enough, she is the one of the children from the family I knew. An older half sister from his first marriage, I knew the second family.

[JunkFoodTV]

On 1/7/2015 at 9:27 PM, PityFree said:

I'm proud of Zsalynn for refraining from having the family cat pee on all of Gareth's possessions after packing them.

I would not have been able to show the same self control.

I wouldn't have needed the cat to pee on his stuff.... ;-)

[auntjess]

I'm seeing this listed with a new date, but think it must be this same one, because it's not in anywhere near prime time.