S01.E04: More Than a Buddy/S01.S05: Doing the Beach

[OnceSane]

Episode 4:

Whitney mulls hiring a personal trainer when her dance class doesn't lead to weight loss, but her mom's candidate prompts more questions than answers.

Episode 5:

A return to the beach is Whitney's goal after avoiding it for nearly two decades, so she tries to overcome her fears in a bold bathing suit.

[AltLivia]

I didn't know where to post, as it's a commercial for the upcoming episode. Whitney says "I don't want to be that fat girl at the beach who is like...*makes a heinous face and mimes dragging her swimsuit over her butt*" and I sit here thinking, "So don't be that person?" Confidence has nothing to do with wearing a bikini (as seems to be the message of the upcoming show). Be confident in whatever is comfortable for you. Comfortable for you to be in physically and happy within yourself, to see yourself in it.

 

Also, I can't stand that ponytail swinging, "We're doing the beach!" thing. It's so obnoxious. I actually like Whitney but sometimes I feel like there's not taking yourself seriously (being funny and silly) and then there's never taking yourself seriously or being taken seriously.

[John M]

From the preview "I need a break!" A break from what exactly? You don't do anything.

 

Whitney mulls hiring a personal trainer when her dance class doesn't lead to weight loss, but her mom's candidate prompts more questions than answers

 

 

Really? I'm absolutely shocked your dance class for a few weeks has not caused to to drop dozens of pounds while you eat pizza and mayonnaise and white bread and judging by your shopping cart tortilla chips, a bunch of cheese and guzzle wine.

 

Is she really this delusional?  Yeah, sure, it was the PCOS that caused all the weight gain. Honey you don't need a personal trainer you need to stop eating so much junk.

[shoovenbooty]

"A return to the beach is Whitney's goal after avoiding it for nearly two decades, so she tries to overcome her fears in a bold bathing suit."

 

I thought she was only 30. Why has she been avoiding the beach since she was 10? Didn't she only start to gain a lot of weight once she started college? Color me confused.

[Shibori]

Ugh. I hate that she says in the opening, "I can dance circles around you." Nope. She seems to be under the delusion that she's an awesome dancer, and weight or no weight, I'm just not seeing it. I see no sign of dance technique and her choreography looks like an 8 year old copying a video.

Also, when you refer to your parents as "helicopter parents" when you just quit your job and moved back in at 30 and have your mom shaving your legs and your dad cleaning your car, you just look like a spoiled, entitled brat. And if your dad wants to fill the entire house with scales, he can because it's HIS FUCKIN' HOUSE! She is awful.

And I have yet to see anything "fabulous" about her life. I see a girl who is miserable and is desperately trying to convince herself otherwise.

Edited January 28, 2015 by Shibori

[bumblebee]

I really feel for this girl I mean the self deprecating humour is a pretty obvious cry for help.  I have a close friend who suffers from PCOS and it is a pain to feel so out of tune with your own body but you can't just give up when the going gets tough. Watching her with the personal trainer and I'm thinking like duh it's not going to all come sliding off with a bit of dancing, that type of kick butt training is what it takes to lose the weight - especially with PCOS. It sucks to have to work "double" hard in some respects because of hormones but that is the reality of her body. I really like Whitney I find myself relating to her a lot and I am rooting that this goes well for her!

[BostonBlonde]

Ugh. I hate that she says in the opening, "I can dance circles around you." Nope. She seems to be under the delusion that she's an awesome dancer, and weight or no weight, I'm just not seeing it. I see no sign of dance technique and her choreography looks like an 8 year old copying a video.

Also, when you refer to your parents as "helicopter parents" when you just quit your job and moved back in at 30 and have your mom shaving your legs and your dad cleaning your car, you just look like a spoiled, entitled brat. And if your dad wants to fill the entire house with scales, he can because it's HIS FUCKIN' HOUSE! She is awful.

And I have yet to see anything "fabulous" about her life. I see a girl who is miserable and is desperately trying to convince herself otherwise.

 

 

 Couldn't agree more..... especially the Bold.

 

 

When she said so casually: "I mean I don't have knees anymore..."  I was in complete WTF mode. 

Edited January 28, 2015 by BostonBlonde

[SoSueMe]

If this is truly unscripted she is not presenting herself very sympathetically. She comes across as narcissistic and spoiled and obnoxious. Someone has to be writing this stuff. I mean really, laughing at her parents at the dog's memorial?

[deedee2]

I'm confused by Whitney. What is her message? Sometimes she says she's happy and comfortable being big, and that the world needs to just accept her as she is. Then, at other times, she laments how big she's gotten, and says she hopes to lose a bunch of weight. She started dancing again as a way to celebrate being able to do whatever she wants at whatever size she is ... but also sees it as a way to shed pounds. At the same time, she says she has no actual plan (diet and exercise) to get the weighloss underway.

 

She also likes to boast about how plenty of men find her size attractive and that she has no problems getting guys. She even goes so far as to say that living at home is a challenge because she doesn't like having to sneak guys into her bedroom. But she ALSO often says things like, "it's been a loooong time since a man has rubbed my butt".

 

I seriously can't figure out what she wants. I wish she'd commit to something - either love her size without reservation, or get on a plan and lose 200 lbs.

Edited January 28, 2015 by deedee2

[Katydid]

The dog memorial service came across as ridiculously scripted. My initial opinion of Babs from week one still remains. She seems like she trying too hard- she comes across as almost cartoonish to me.

[VioletNevermind]

This show is absolutely maddening, but I can't seem to look away (goddamn you, TLC).  My biggest issue (well, one of them) is the fact that Whitney is an enabled, pampered princess who's living in a fantasy world where she thinks she can skate through life without any effort whatsoever.  To quote her dad, "Trying to get Whitney to help out around the house is a challenge."  Whitney's retort was, "I want my dad to know that I'm a functional, 30-year-old person."  You couldn't pay me enough to star in this show and have my dad discuss me as if I'm a child.  Whitney has no excuse not to take care of her laundry and pick up after herself at the very least.  She refers to living at home as being "stressful."  No, sweetheart, you know what's stressful?  Making sure there's enough food in the fridge to feed everyone every day.  Juggling kids' schedules.  Keeping your car in decent condition.  Earning enough money to pay your rent or mortgage.  You know . . . WORKING.  

 

This show wouldn't be so frustrating if a few things were different.  It's one thing to fall upon hard times as an adult and need to rely on your parents once more to get back on your feet.  It happens to the best of us, especially in this tough economy.  Whitney doesn't seem to be one bit thankful for her parents' generosity and willingness to allow her to come back and not pay a dime of rent.  To hear her tell it, her biggest issue is the logistics of sneaking men up to her childhood bedroom without her father hearing (yeah. right.).  My grown child damn sure wouldn't have the option of leaving moldy dishes in her room and refuse to clean her own clothes.  I can't help but wonder what her life will be like at 35 or 40 if this is the way it is at 30.  She doesn't have a care in the world except to focus on herself and her health.  How many of us would kill for that opportunity (but have too much self-respect to create that situation)?

 

This show has a weird, mocking undertone.  Even her friend, Buddy, is treated that way.  TLC's shameless exploitation of anyone and anything possible rolls on . . .

Edited January 28, 2015 by SuzyLee

[purpleflowers]

"A return to the beach is Whitney's goal after avoiding it for nearly two decades, so she tries to overcome her fears in a bold bathing suit."

 

I thought she was only 30. Why has she been avoiding the beach since she was 10? Didn't she only start to gain a lot of weight once she started college? Color me confused.

Whitney mentioned that she was self-conscious about her body even when she was a slim preteen and would hide her body when she was in a bathing suit so it's possible she avoided the beach since she was maybe 12 or 13. 

 

I agree that Whitney seems spoiled and entitled given how she lives with her parents and doesn't contribute to household work, let alone her own personal chores. That is very unfortunate and she shouldn't be taking advantage of that situation. Her parents are pretty supportive. 

 

I was happy for Whitney that she tried out that exercise move that she hadn't done in a long time. I could relate to what she said about people not trying things because they are intimidated by the thought that they can't do them. I think she has a good attitude, and I think it's possible to be body positive and simultaneously have moments of doubt and also have the desire to lose weight for health and mobility. I can understand that her message seems confusing, but I think she herself is trying to find the right approach. I do hope her humor and outgoing vibe are genuine; most of the time I think so, but there are moments when it does seem like she is overcompensating for something. 

 

I would like to know specifics about Whitney's diet. I, like others, am also confused about the conflicting claims she makes about enjoying the company of men. 

Edited January 28, 2015 by purpleflowers

[jacksgirl]

This show is absolutely maddening, but I can't seem to look away (goddamn you, TLC).

 

Yes! I have a love-hate relationship with Whitney. I feel for her since she is an obese woman with true medical issues living at home. But she really is kind of nasty with the butt rubbing stuff. I was impressed at her mobility during the workout. I will have NO sympathy for her if she does not continue the strenuous workouts since it seems that exercise is a must in dealing with her PCOS. Also, the beach scenes..... I would never stare at an obese person on the beach. I would, however stare at a camera crew filming on a beach. Get over yourself Whitney.

[CarolMK]

Whitney should be seeing a doctor as well as a personal trainer. If she continues to gain, she'll easily end up around 500 lbs and at that weight her mobility will start to

be limited. She will likely have trouble keeping up with her dance classes and as shown last night, she might not fit into her car. She really needs a plan to lose 100 lbs

if that's what she wants to do. Maybe getting a Fitbit or some other tracking device would be helpful to show how many steps she taking, calories burned, and if

she follows the online menu input for the day, she'll see in real numbers how much she's eating and how many calories she's burning. I think she's blaming the PCOS

for her weight gain without  assuming responsibility for her diet. Even the personal trainer mentioned the "knife, fork and spoon" contributed to her weight gain.

 

In addition to a personal trainer and doctor/nutritionist, I wonder if maybe a therapist is also in order. I've read she's had bulimia in the past. How did she get

over it, and is she still eating the same amount of food as before, and it showed up in her tremendous weight gain because she's still eating a huge amount of

food but no longer purging?

[goodbyeglittergirl]

This show is losing me because it's so scripted, and it doesn't need to be. They missed a prime opportunity to have Whitney go work out with a trainer in a public gym - THAT would have provided some food for thought on snarky comments and sideeyes from the other gym members. After having read Whitney's blog, I can't even look at her parents the same way anymore. I'm glad Whitney's (hopefully) making some cash off of this show, and I wish her the best, but for her health (mental and physical) she would be better off moving in with a roommate. I think the living with mom and dad is done for the show's sake.

I like Buddy. More Buddy.

Edited January 28, 2015 by OnceSane
snark the show, not your fellow posters

[momofsquid]

God help me, I found myself warming up to Whitney this week. While I had earlier despised her "Love me because I'm fat and fabulous! Or better yet, don't!" shtick, I felt like these episode showed what a big fat facade it is. That poor girl hates herself and is trying to retrain her own brain Stuart Smalley-style. You could see it all over the workout scenes. She's still the self-conscious kid who is ashamed of her body at the beach but she's trying to deny it as loudly as she can. She is horrified by her inability to do a burpee. The tears start whenever she confronts her real feelings, and then she puts her "fabulous" act back on to cover up. Now I really want to see her get on a serious plan to get healthy. I think whether she takes her health seriously or not will determine whether I can continue to watch the show. 

Edited January 28, 2015 by momofsquid

[yogi2014L]

Whitney should be seeing a doctor as well as a personal trainer. If she continues to gain, she'll easily end up around 500 lbs and at that weight her mobility will start to

be limited. She will likely have trouble keeping up with her dance classes and as shown last night, she might not fit into her car. She really needs a plan to lose 100 lbs

if that's what she wants to do. Maybe getting a Fitbit or some other tracking device would be helpful to show how many steps she taking, calories burned, and if

she follows the online menu input for the day, she'll see in real numbers how much she's eating and how many calories she's burning. I think she's blaming the PCOS

for her weight gain without  assuming responsibility for her diet. Even the personal trainer mentioned the "knife, fork and spoon" contributed to her weight gain.

 

In addition to a personal trainer and doctor/nutritionist, I wonder if maybe a therapist is also in order. I've read she's had bulimia in the past. How did she get

over it, and is she still eating the same amount of food as before, and it showed up in her tremendous weight gain because she's still eating a huge amount of

food but no longer purging?

She obviously didn't get over it- she just stopped purging. She is still binge eating. The amount of calories it takes to maintain her weight even without the dancing is HUGE. Probably 3K+ just to maintain, never mind gain. Binge Eating is an eating disorder too. There is a reason ( I think) she never really mentions the food aspect when she is talking about weight loss..she is a binge eater and either isn't ready or doesn't know how to stop.

 

She absolutely needs a therapist, maybe some outpatient intensive therapy...She needs to redefine her relationship with food. Maybe go to Over eaters Anonymous. Many programs actually encourage bulimics to go to OA during treatment as you can be addicted to both bingeing and purging. 

Edited January 28, 2015 by yogi2014L

[SongbirdHollow]

I actually don't think that someone of Whitney's size should be doing burpees. It looks like a really good way to injure herself. I think that dancing is fine for her as a workout, plus I agree that a pedometer would be a really good idea, to measure exactly how much she moves. Most of all, though, I think she needs a nutrition plan. All that garbage in her car and in her bedroom points to bingeing. Lastly, after reading her blogs, it seems like she definitely has daddy issues and could use some therapy. JMHO.

[Snarklepuss]

Such great comments, what to add?  I agree with everything.  She is not doing women with PCOS any favors by coming off as (pardon my language but it fits) a big fat slob.  And I say that about her personality, not her size.  You can be heavy and have manners, modesty and personal integrity.  This woman has none.  Her self awareness is down at zero as well.  It's so blatantly obvious that everyone on this board has noticed how she is in denial about  herself.  She is full of it that she "loves this body".  If she loved it she wouldn't be acting like someone who doesn't have one ounce of respect for themselves.  I've seen hookers that have more class and self respect than she does.  She has internalized the lack of respect she gets from most of the rest of the world and so acts less than respectful of herself.  It's very sad, but as a result she does no favors to herself and to other women with PCOS.

[bumblebee]

"I'm confused by Whitney. What is her message? Sometimes she says she's happy and comfortable being big, and that the world needs to just accept her as she is."

"I seriously can't figure out what she wants. I wish she'd commit to something - either love her size without reservation, or get on a plan and lose 200 lbs."

This! lol I feel like you have articulated what I was struggling to put into words regarding my feelings towards Whitney. Sometimes I empathize because she seems aware of her problem and wants to make changes, then she flips and says love me as I am. It is much more enjoyable/ relatable to watch her in the moments when she confronts her issues and makes it seem like she is serious about documenting the challenge.

As someone who has lost substantial weight before I know it takes 100% commitment and that means letting go of any delusions that you are "happy the way you are" as harsh as it is, clearly you aren't, whether health reasons or body image reasons.

[PityFree]

These episodes bugged so much. Her parents - especially Babs - were so fake. Dad buys 14 scales? Only if he knows it will be on TV. I mean, yeah, you can return the ones you don't keep, but what a PITA. The dog memorial struck me as super staged, too. 

 

The cat breath-sniffing scene had me dry heaving - but that is mostly because I am not a fan of cats. Still, even Buddy thought it was gross. 

 

Her dad is seeming more and more like a control freak, old-fashioned a-hole. I mean, I get that men are visual. But leave your daughter's swimsuit choice alone. You are a grown, married man and if you don't understand that confidence is what is ultimately attractive, then you haven't learned anything in your life. Also, it is a swimsuit. You are going to be able to see her whole body whether it is a bikini or a one piece. You can tell if someone is overweight in either style. When you are that close to naked what matters is functionality and comfort. If your daughter can swim and move around without worrying that it will become transparent or fall off or be too tight, then it is fine. 

 

The seat belt scene had me scowling at my TV. A safety belt should fit properly. It isn't just a matter of being able to fasten it no matter what. It needs to rest across your body properly in order to provide the best protection. Whitney should probably think about getting an extender for the belt so it sits across her chest and hips PROPERLY.  

 

Finally, I do wonder why she only wears skin tight, spandex clothing. 

Edited January 28, 2015 by PityFree

[non sequitur]

I would think the tight spandex wouldn't be helping her rash from earlier.

 

Everything with her mother seems rehearsed and fake now.  Also the butt massage scene was really fake.  Maybe the woman on the beach was taking a picture because of the camera crew/ celebrity aspect.  If it wasn't also staged.

 

Whitney's friend Ashley seems kind of depressed, especially during the swimsuit shopping.  I thought all of the suits looked fine, the second halter top one with the design was pretty.

[John M]

 It needs to rest across your body properly in order to provide the best protection. Whitney should probably think about getting an extender for the belt so it sits across her chest and hips PROPERLY.  

 

An unfortunate science lesson, seatbelts are designed to anchor to your hipbone/chest, at her weight it doesn't make much of a difference. If she was in an accident her skeletal/muscular system would keep going after her fat was stopped by the belt causing major internal injury.

[TVHappy9463]

I went to the TLC site in the hopes of contacting Whitney and beg her to go to a nutritionist, therapy or join WW. I am a former fat girl and there is not such thing as healthy fat and her disease is only compounded by her poor food choices.  TLC is the "the learning channel" right, we are not learning anything except not what to do.  How long before Whitney is on my "600 lb Life".

[John M]

A question I am left with is, did she honestly think she was going to lose weight "dancing". Her "dancing" could best described as light aerobics. I understand that it is hard as hell to do light aerobics when you are carrying around 260 extra pounds but it's still light aerobics. I'm a runner and I doubt I would burn off the calories in that banana/white bread/mayo abomination in a 23 minute 5k.

 

Girl needs get a grip, if she honestly thought she was going to lose a significant amount of weight in a few weeks of "dancing" she needs a serious intervention, PCOS or not she isn't doing anything that would be a meaningful move towards a healthy weight.

A question I am left with is, did she honestly think she was going to lose weight "dancing". Her "dancing" could best described as light aerobics. I understand that it is hard as hell to do light aerobics when you are carrying around 260 extra pounds but it's still light aerobics. I'm a runner and I doubt I would burn off the calories in that banana/white bread/mayo abomination in a 23 minute 5k.

 

Girl needs get a grip, if she honestly thought she was going to lose a significant amount of weight in a few weeks of "dancing" she needs a serious intervention, PCOS or not she isn't doing anything that would be a meaningful move towards a healthy weight.

[aliya]

I forget what she was doing, but Whitney was having a 'conversation' with her parents outside by the car. My son is 37 and lives with me while getting his PhD. If he ever spoke to me that way while living under my roof, he'd have to go find a room in student housing. We have a good, friendly relationship, but there's a line and Whitney seems to cross it frequently.

 

OK, 2 things 1) I know about fat acceptance and all that, but was it wrong for her father to think that a 1 piece would have been more appropriate? I have no problem with Whitney going out to the beach and doing her thing, but why in a bikini? Isn't that just inviting the looks and stares?

 

2) I did find it interesting to hear her talk about things that were starting to bother her - chairs, movie seats, car seat belt, etc. Folks always post 'why didn't people change when they were 300 lbs and started to see problems; maybe they wouldn't have gotten to 500 lbs.'  Now I get it. I could also finally picture people who got to that point and just gave up. It's gonna be a hard road for Whitney and I'm sure others get to her point and just give up. If you get big enough, you're not going out to work anymore, though you might get something to do at home - giving you 24 hr access to the fridge and eating all day, making things worse. I know some gamers on YT and they are massive - big to start out with and then all day in front of the computer doesn't help. Once they get disability due to weight, it's like they don't even bother any more. So, I'm glad Whitney is starting to see the light now, but I have no idea whether she'll lose weight based on her current eating and activities.

[purpleflowers]

Maybe Whitney's dancing techniques don't look impressive or advanced because of her size. It's possible she is still doing complex moves but her size prevents her from fully executing them. She really looks like she knows what she is doing to me. 

 

I really hope that if she has an eating disorder, she seeks treatment for it. I hope binge eating will continue to be regarded more as an actual disorder and not just as overeating. I agree that the show is better when Whitney takes herself seriously and determines to do something about her weight. 

And yeah, the scripted parts were so obviously scripted. 

Edited January 29, 2015 by purpleflowers

[CarolMK]

You can follow Whitney Way Thore on Facebook if you like and you can comment on her page. I decided to follow her but I didn't want to add her as a friend. I'm not a super fan so I doubt that I'll comment on her page. 

[Snarklepuss]

Color me completely confused.  Now I hear she has an eating disorder?  I don't remember hearing her mention that on the show.  Can someone explain?  Is the eating disorder a misguided attempt to lose weight?

[silversage]

I find her so loud and boisterous. She's doing a TV show not a pep rally.

[greekmom]

I have to agree with a lot of the posters above.  Whitney is spoiled and lazy. I’m thinking she is hanging onto Buddy in case her Prince Charming doesn’t come and Buddy is her plan b. 
In regards to the whole beach fiasco, the woman taking a photo was mostly likely surprised that there is a camera crew at the beach and taking a photo of the whole scene. NOT YOU Whitney.  Gawd. This is one of the things that irks me about her.  She thinks that everyone is looking at her, gawking, admiring, etc. Sorry honey, we are not your parents. We don’t focus on Y-O-U.  Personally, in my honest opinion, the girl has a very low self –esteem issues along with her health issues. PCOS is not the be all and end off catalyst of her extreme weight gain.  She really needs to go on a low carb, high protein diet. Cut off the sugars and salts as well.
I am envious of Whitney for one thing. She is very lucky in getting a do-over. Not many adults get that.  She gets to move back home rent free (I’m presuming), with doting parents.  If I was in Whitney’s place I would take major advantage of the situation to get my life in order.  Get a full time job, do dance on the weekends, keep your room and car clean.  Save your money for your own place.  Take advantage of the fact you have time and work out.  See a doctor about going on a special diet. I am sure her parents would support her in shopping and cooking for the special food.

[CarolMK]

I don't think it was mentioned on the show, but on Whitney's blog she had mentioned that she used to be bulimic. This could explain why she was a relatively normal weight until college. I'm assuming she stopped the bulimia but she continued to overeat. She blames the PCOS, but as many have confirmed here, that alone is not the reason she

gained weight until she reached 380 lbs. Anybody in that weight range has some type of food addiction whether it's bingeing, chronic overeating or bulimia. Even with her

dance classes, she must be eating twice the amount of food that a normal person eats (4000 calories per day vs. 2000) to stay at that weight.

[yogi2014L]

Color me completely confused.  Now I hear she has an eating disorder?  I don't remember hearing her mention that on the show.  Can someone explain?  Is the eating disorder a misguided attempt to lose weight?

Some of us have speculated that Whitney is a binge eater (which is an eating disorder).

Apparently she was bulimic in the past per another poster. 

[purpleflowers]

Some articles about Whitney have mentioned that she was bulimic and anorexic in the past. So far, I haven't read anything about whether she is a binge eater, but I hope someone can confirm whether that is true or false. 

 

Also, as far as whether Whitney works or has worked in the recent past, her No Body Shame website states that she is a producer for a radio show. I don't know if that's true in the present day though. 

Edited January 29, 2015 by purpleflowers

[Shibori]

She apparently left the radio job to do this show.

[deedee2]

She apparently left the radio job to do this show.

So, that means she considers this show her new employment and she moved back home as part of the job. Totally manufactured situation, in other words.

[greekmom]

So, that means she considers this show her new employment and she moved back home as part of the job. Totally manufactured situation, in other words.

She really should have talked to former TLC alumni.  TLC money isn't employment. It's a little something something extra - a bonus.  She should have kept her day job.

[PityFree]

It would be a much more interesting show if she had kept working at the radio station as producer. Whitney unemployed is not an interesting show.

[Christi]

Honestly...why does Fat Surgery not ever even get mentioned? Her parents would foot the bill for sure.

I realize that is a very hard thing to go thru, but her stomach looks like its about to smother her in her interview segments.

Whit seems to enjoy attention, and Im sure her friends and parents would cater to her every need

[grayson]

Again, I like Whitney. A previous poster noted,

 

Whitney is spoiled and lazy.
In regards to the whole beach fiasco, the woman taking a photo was mostly likely surprised that there is a camera crew at the beach and taking a photo of the whole scene. NOT YOU Whitney.  Gawd. This is one of the things that irks me about her.  She thinks that everyone is looking at her, gawking, admiring, etc. Sorry honey, we are not your parents. We don’t focus on Y-O-U. 

 

 Whitney is self-conscious in all situations and felt particularly vulnerable at the beach. As viewers, we do not know what or who the woman was photographing. Whitney was courageous to wear a bathing suit in a public setting where she might have been subjected to ridicule.

 

Whitney is boisterous at times, but she has also provided valuable insight into the challenges of the morbidly obese including: fitting into theater seats and walking through narrow spaces between tables at restaurants.   After years of isolation and depression, she is learning to navigate in her environment without self-loathing. She is occasionally awkward as she develops her new persona who embraces opportunities and takes risks, but she is also endearing. I enjoy her laugh.

Edited January 31, 2015 by grayson

[Barb23]

I don't think it was mentioned on the show, but on Whitney's blog she had mentioned that she used to be bulimic. This could explain why she was a relatively normal weight until college. I'm assuming she stopped the bulimia but she continued to overeat. She blames the PCOS, but as many have confirmed here, that alone is not the reason she

gained weight until she reached 380 lbs. Anybody in that weight range has some type of food addiction whether it's bingeing, chronic overeating or bulimia. Even with her

dance classes, she must be eating twice the amount of food that a normal person eats (4000 calories per day vs. 2000) to stay at that weight.

I agree. I only read a small part of the blog when she started college. It seems she was a party girl & I'm sure all that alcohol contributed to the weight gain. She sounded like even when she was a teenager she was questioning her lack of periods & her doctor shrugged it off. As a teenager, shouldn't her mom have gotten more involved? I know things are private between a Dr. & a patient, even a teenager, but it seems like Ashley & her mom have a good relationship where this would have been discussed. They could have easily found another doctor or gotten a second opinion if Ashley didn't like her doctors answer.

[greekmom]

Again, I like Whitney. A previous poster noted,

 

 

This assessment seems rather harsh. Whitney is self-conscious in all situations and felt particularly vulnerable at the beach. As viewers, we do not know what or who the woman was photographing. Whitney was courageous to wear a bathing suit in a public setting where she might have been subjected to ridicule.

 

Whitney is boisterous at times, but she has also provided valuable insight into the challenges of the morbidly obese including: fitting into theater seats and walking through narrow spaces between tables at restaurants.   After years of isolation and depression, she is learning to navigate in her environment without self-loathing. She is occasionally awkward as she develops her new persona who embraces opportunities and takes risks, but she is also endearing. I enjoy her laugh.

I maybe harsh but like you said we as viewer do not know exactly what old lady was photographing.  Since this is a TLC show, I bet my bottom dollar that the lady was taking a photo of the fact people were filming and not the fact that Whitney is in a bathing suit.   I don't find anything courageous about wearing a bikini and going to the beach at any size you are.  All types of people, are most critical of themselves and their own worst enemy.  She really needs to get over herself. 

In my honest opinion I don't see her as the type to be isolated.  Before TLC she had a job. She has mentioned she has had plenty of friends (i.e. Buddy, dance partner and some close girlfriends). Depressed - probably due to her weight and medical problems.  

I understand that being obese has it's challenges.  I feel for her. I've been there.

But my opinion of her stays from what I have seen so far on the show. Again, TLC editing. 

[Morgalisa]

 

 

She blames the PCOS, but as many have confirmed here, that alone is not the reason she

gained weight until she reached 380 lbs. Anybody in that weight range has some type of food addiction whether it's bingeing, chronic overeating or bulimia.

I just read part of her blog and I feel I have a better understanding of her.  She grew up listening to her mother speak constantly about how much she hated her own body and how much weight she had gained and how ugly she was.  (I guess that's why her mom eats soup all the time).  So, her mother has modeled unhealthy behavior all Whitney's life.  Her parents sent her to a nutritionist when she weighed 140 pounds and that had an impact on her. So she already had an unhealthy connection with food consumption and her body image and that didn't help.   She started taking anti-depressants at an early age and those are notorious for causing weight gain.  Plus PCOS.  It's kind of like the perfect storm to me.   She talks about not being comfortable bringing food into her parents' house and going thru a drive thru and eating in the car.   Sure she overeats and eats the wrong kinds of food.  She has seen a therapist but I think she needs more specific therapy to address her depression and her disordered eating.  Dancing is not going to solve this.  JMO/YMMV.

[Literata]

After struggling with my weight and binge-eating most of my life, I lost 65 pounds in 2013 and have maintained a healthy weight since then. It hasn't been easy, and I certainly sympathize with anyone dealing with a weight issue. The mechanics of weight loss come down to calories in, calories out ... so Whitney is obviously taking in more calories than she needs.

But there is SO much more to losing weight than the mechanics of it ... you have to be in the right head space, you need a good, solid, sustainable plan, and you need emotional support. I know why bingeing is an issue for me, and I acknowledge that, but in the overall scheme of things, I need to make the decision to not let it define me.

Whitney may or may not get there on her own. It's a process, and for anyone to judge it is disingenuous. I agree that she opened herself up to criticism when she agreed to star on a TV show, but she also has the right to embrace and enjoy the life she's living now. I applaud her for that. Being overweight is difficult enough without allowing depression and poor self-esteem to overwhelm you.

Whitney's a smart girl. She'll figure things out. When she's feeling that it's the right time and is able to do the work, she'll lose the weight.

[shoovenbooty]

I agree. I only read a small part of the blog when she started college. It seems she was a party girl & I'm sure all that alcohol contributed to the weight gain. She sounded like even when she was a teenager she was questioning her lack of periods & her doctor shrugged it off. As a teenager, shouldn't her mom have gotten more involved? I know things are private between a Dr. & a patient, even a teenager, but it seems like Ashley & her mom have a good relationship where this would have been discussed. They could have easily found another doctor or gotten a second opinion if Ashley didn't like her doctors answer.

When I was a teen, I had no idea what PCOS was. The sudden weight gains during times of less activity, and the weight losses when I got back into sports, cheerleading, etc., were seemingly normal. Missing my periods was shrugged off by mom as, "Your body will regulate when you're older/more mature." And to be honest, I considered myself lucky not to have periods every month, like my friends and sisters did. It was only when I got married in my mid-20's and couldn't get pregnant that I became concerned, went to an OB/GYN, had testing, and was diagnosed. So I can see why those issues may not have been addressed when Whitney was a teen, because they may have seemed like "normal teen growing-up" issues to her and her parents, that she would grow out of.

I haven't read her blog, but why aren't the issues and problems she discussed there, addressed in the show? It might make it easier to understand her issues that she blames on PCOS.

PCOS can cause weight issues, but it bugs me that--on the show, at least, since I haven't read her blog--she attributes all of her weight gain to PCOS. I wish they'd give us an idea of just how much she's actually eating per day. On this show, her car is full of trash which is presumably from drive-thrus, but we are only shown her eating a smidge of pizza here and a bite of sandwich there. She would have to be eating thousands upon thousands of calories per day just to maintain the weight she's at.

Edited January 31, 2015 by shoovenbooty

[CarolMK]

If Whitney's mom eats soup a lot of the time, then her father probably does too. I have a feeling that Babs doesn't do much cooking at all if she's relying on canned soup

for a lot of her meals..while it's fine sometimes, homemade is so much better imo, tastier, and you can make a lot and freeze for later (most kinds...my personal favorite

is broccoli cheese soup that doesn't freeze, but my version is a lot lower in calories and sodium that Panera Bread's). So, Whitney most likely eats on her own, and that

probably is stuff like pizza, fast food, etc. Isn't the average Big Mac, fries and Coke meal from McDonald's about 1600 calories for just one meal? If Whitney has one meal

a day out, it's probably close to how many calories she needs for the whole day. A latte at Starbucks can be 400 calories, if she's a coffee drinker and I think the average

slice of plain pizza is around 350 calories. So I'm guessing that Whitney is on the go a lot, has little to no idea how to cook for herself and relies on the drive in. That;s

pretty much the same with the former Ruby tv show. Fast food twice a day, that her nephew would pick up for her when she got too big to fit into a car and drive. And an

entire Hershey bar for a snack that was probably 700-800 calories. And Ruby never thought that "she ate very much", even when she was up to 700 lbs.

[Snarklepuss]

Whitney's mom doesn't look like the kind of woman who has a real weight problem.  Whatever body dysmorphia she has is exactly that.  I doubt her soup eating diet is what keeps her thin.  It looks to me like it comes down to genetics.  Whenever I see an older woman who is thin I think it has to be genetics because most of the time they're not athletic nor do they know the first thing about good nutrition.

 

When I was Whitney's age I could eat anything I wanted and still weigh 100 lbs. soaking wet.  And I didn't always eat so healthy, either.  It wasn't until my mid 30s that I started to see the scale creep up despite becoming very athletic to combat it.  It became an uphill battle but I was able to manage my weight with diet an exercise for a long time until after menopause.  Now no matter what I do it seems like my body does what it wants.  It was the exact same story with my mother, grandmother and great grandmother.  I can only sympathize with someone like Whitney who has PCOS because whatever it is that causes post menopausal women to have great difficulty managing their weight is similar. 

 

I am very educated about nutrition and was successful at managing my weight for many years.  Now despite my best efforts nothing works.  Case in point - I have had a stomach flu for over a week.  I have not been eating that much and what I have eaten has come down to a couple of fruits, some sliced chicken and maybe an egg or some oatmeal every day, plus of course plenty of water.  Has the scale reflected this?  No.  This would not have been the case when I was younger.  That said, I wish the show would give us more of an insight into Whitney's diet struggles.  Perhaps she has tried and failed and now has in a way half given up.  I would like to see her go on a supervised diet and see how she fares.  Unfortunately, if she fails, I'm sure a lot of the viewing public won't believe she's really trying.  I got tired of going to doctors and being told I was lying about what I was eating.  Instead of trying to find out what was wrong with me, the doctors and nutritionists always put the blame on me.  Perhaps Whitney has been down that road and doesn't want to set herself up for that kind of disrespect again.

[sofaslug]

I just caught the beach episode yesterday. Something about the whole episode just felt forced / not genuine to me. Having had issues with weight I can understand the struggle. Getting the PCOS diagnosis (not wanting to have kids, the fertility piece didn't bother me as much as the hair loss where I wanted it and sprouting it where I didn't was annoying). Having to take the anti-androgens to reduce the testosterone levels in my system. Yeah, I get that weight becomes a challenge. One of the first things my doctor spoke to me about was weight.

That being said, I also had to be out in the world. I've held down a job (funny thing about landlords, utility companies, banks, etc...they want their money.). And, even though they really can't afford it, my parents offered to help out financially. I just believe there comes a time in a person's life where they stop looking to mom & dad to pay their bills. I also took part in activities I enjoyed or had an interest in. I had relationships as a large woman. Have been fortunate to be in a long term relationship with someone who wasn't a "chubby chaser" but someone I had some common interests with.

So, I guess I agree with what some others have posted. I think Whitney comes off as narcissistic, entitled, somewhat immature, attention seeking woman. Not sure what you're trying to convey, Whitney, but for me, at least, I'm not sure I'm interested enough to sit through 5 more episodes.

[absolutelyido]

I think Whitney has absolutely no idea of what an appropriate amount of food to eat a day is. If she went on Weight Watchers or another program, I think she would literally be shocked at how much she should be eating vs. how much she is actually eating. She'd also learn which foods are loaded with fat, sodium & calories vs. those that are loaded with protein, fiber & vitamins.

[swankie]

A question I am left with is, did she honestly think she was going to lose weight "dancing". Her "dancing" could best described as light aerobics. I understand that it is hard as hell to do light aerobics when you are carrying around 260 extra pounds but it's still light aerobics.

 

 

Watching this, I felt bad for the people who signed up for her dance class thinking they would lose weight.  If she's not losing weight doing it, I highly doubt they are either.  I wonder how much she charges each of them for it.