The All You Can Eat Buffet: My 600 Pound Life All Episode Discussion

[PrincessPurrsALot]

22 minutes ago, ChristmasJones said:

I looked for a forum for Skin Tight - but didn't find one.. anyone know if there is a place here to discuss it?

This has been requested through the New Show Forum Requests area of the board.  It hasn't been processed yet.  We can expect it to be completed within a few days.  When it is available, you'll see it listed at the top of the Forums page in the New Forums Added in the Past 14 Days area.   

Soon, @ChristmasJones, we will be able to snark together about people with extra skin and their overwhelming desire to have it removed. 

[ChristmasJones]

yay, thanks PrincessPaws!!

[DC Gal in VA]

On 2/28/2017 at 7:58 AM, Oldernowiser said:

I've never understood why they don't just lend these people a scale so there would be more daily feedback on their weight loss (or that magical thinking "I've been really 'trying' but stress" weight gain). Yes, those high-weight scales are expensive, but compared to shlepping the 600ers to the hospital in a oversized ambulance, it would be chump change.

Then I remember it's television and therefore 75% bullshit. Then I remember it's TLC and therefore 99% bullshit.

So I slap myself upside the head and get on with my life.

Great post Oldernowiser! I totally agree with everything you said.

However your post inspired me to actually do a search for high capacity scales. Turns out there are many companies that sell them, including companies that sell scales originally intended to weigh livestock. Funny thing is that one of those scales only went up to 660 pounds so even those wouldn't be useful for some of the subjects on this show.

I did find this company:

http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/obesity-bariatric-scales.html

They sell different categories of these scales for bariatric patients. The one that caught my eye had a capacity of 600-800 pounds and cost $204.00. Considering the punishment that thing would have to take, I really don't think that price is too bad. This would work for a majority of the folks on this show except for people like Sean who originally weighed in at 919 pounds then ballooned up to 1,003 pounds after he and his mom said they were trying to follow Dr. Now's guidelines. That was an 84 pound weight gain in just two months. Still can't wrap my brain around how it's possible to eat that much food and gain that much weight in just two months!

Both fascinating and quite sad that there is a thriving market for these scales.

Edited March 6, 2017 by DC Gal in VA
To correct typo.

[auntjess]

1 hour ago, DC Gal in VA said:

Sean who originally weighed in at 919 pounds then ballooned up to 1,003 pounds after he and his mom said they were trying to follow Dr. Now's guidelines. That' was an 84 pound weight gain in just two months. Still can't wrap my brain around how it's possible to eat that much food and gain that much weight in just two months!

Was there a follow up on him?  I'll have to look at his thread again.
He was the one who was playing on his phone when Dr . Now was talking to him.

[CarolMK]

I decided to go back and watch one of my favorite episodes from last season, the one with Nikki Webster, the costume/wardrobe coordinator. My gosh, she now looks AMAZING!!! She has stated she only shows selfies of her face as she is still under contract and filming, but she was the one who lost 207 lbs in her first year- from about 650 to 443 or so. She is probably around 300 lbs at this point, maybe less. Her face looks totally different than it did in the show though she does still have the red hair- she's gorgeous! I believe she was 33 when she started and it does  seem like the younger people can not only take off weight faster, they overall look much younger once they've lost a significant amount of weight. Less like to have the sagging skin, at least on their faces. Go watch if you want to see an inspiring story.

[DC Gal in VA]

37 minutes ago, auntjess said:

Was there a follow up on him?  I'll have to look at his thread again.
He was the one who was playing on his phone when Dr . Now was talking to him.

Gee auntjess I don't know. I seem to recall that elsewhere on this forum someone mentioned that he had a Facebook page but I'm not sure. Heh heh, I am one of those dinosaurs who doesn't have a Facebook account! I really don't think his story will turn out well. He was one of the worst, simultaneously narcissistic, manipulative, entitled, bullying and totally disrespectful to his mother, ungrateful, and seemed to think that bariatric surgery was an easy way out. He seemed genuinely angry that he had to put in any effort or take any responsibility about eating right. He actually kept whining about how hard and unfair Dr. Now's guidelines were. Why anyone at that weight would think this process is easy is beyond me. He was only 26 years old so I sincerely hope that he proves me wrong.

[TurtlePower]

Just happened to see Gideon's episode--does anyone else think the wife was kind of bitchy? She went from threatening to leave him if he didn't lose weight to picking him for every other reason--he sleeps too much, doesn't do this, doesn't do that.  Then Gideon went to therapy, started going to the gym and got a good job. I guess that was finally good enough for her--at the restaurant scene I got the "ok, you're good enough to be out with now" vibe from her and she's no skinny minny herself (perhaps she should join Gideon at the gym). 

She was totally irritating the entire episode. 

[Guest]

I was reading the FB discussion page for 600 Pound Life and someone mentioned that Billy Robbins, aka Half-ton Teen, is going to be featured this season on the show. This is AWESOME NEWS (if true). Apparently he can be seen in the season preview with Dr Now yelling at his mother. "You're killing him!" 

ETA: Yup, that's him (I believe) in the first few seconds of this preview (and yes, he's the one who falls out of the golf cart):

Edited March 9, 2017 by Guest

[okerry]

wow, I will definitely watch that - sure hope things turned around, but I don't think they ever will as long as Billy's mother is anywhere in the picture. I remember them very well from the earlier shows - "Half-Ton Teen," I think it was.

[okerry]

wow, I will definitely watch that - sure hope things turned around, but I don't think they ever will as long as Billy's mother is anywhere in the picture. I remember them very well from the earlier shows - "Half-Ton Teen," I think it was.

[Guest]

32 minutes ago, okerry said:

sure hope things turned around, but I don't think they ever will as long as Billy's mother is anywhere in the picture.

Considering he's now appearing on 600-lb Life, it's a pretty safe bet to say that nothing's turned around for Billy. If anything, things got exponentially worse since he filmed Half-ton Teen.

[ethalfrida]

Poor Billy. He is such a nice guy and very open on his FB page. Sends personal messages too. That mother of his is a horrible piece of work! She infuriates me to no end. I will watch also. He is one of the participants who I felt no animosity towards.

[Ocean Chick]

Yes, I remember him from years ago - wasn't he the baby she had to replace the child that died?  And she's kept him infantilized since then?  There's no way he's going to succeed as long as she's in the picture.

[ethalfrida]

2 minutes ago, Ocean Chick said:

Yes, I remember him from years ago - wasn't he the baby she had to replace the child that died?  And she's kept him infantilized since then?  There's no way he's going to succeed as long as she's in the picture.

Yes. I wonder why parents like her are not prosecuted? He was clearly a minor when he began this journey.

[Brooklynista]

Noooo...please don't tell me she is still trying to kill that man.  His story made me so mad.  To see what  a man-child his mother had created and how she had destroyed his life to keep him with her forever.  And sadly she's still at it.

[okerry]

1 hour ago, Giant Misfit said:

Considering he's now appearing on 600-lb Life, it's a pretty safe bet to say that nothing's turned around for Billy. If anything, things got exponentially worse since he filmed Half-ton Teen.

And I have to wonder how fast Mama realized there was money to be made from Billy's horrible condition, and that it paid off in more ways than one to keep him that way.

[CousinOliver]

I've wanted a Billy update for years. If this is true, and not just a doppelganger, I'm thrilled with this news (and sad that he's still struggling.)  

[MillieSparklepants]

On 3/11/2017 at 11:38 AM, CousinOliver said:

I've wanted a Billy update for years. If this is true, and not just a doppelganger, I'm thrilled with this news (and sad that he's still struggling.)  

I saw Half Ton Teen. The most horrifying part was when the hospital worker walked by his mother carrying the bag of the skin they'd taken off him and she asked if she could keep it! That poor kid has no chance as long as she's in the picture.

[OSM Mom]

1 hour ago, MillieSparklepants said:

I saw Half Ton Teen. The most horrifying part was when the hospital worker walked by his mother carrying the bag of the skin they'd taken off him and she asked if she could keep it! That poor kid has no chance as long as she's in the picture.

Wait... She what????? She wanted to keep it????????? I... Just.... No words.. 

[MillieSparklepants]

19 minutes ago, OSM Mom said:

Wait... She what????? She wanted to keep it????????? I... Just.... No words.. 

I know! It's been a while since I've seen it, but unless I had a really awful dream, that's what I remember. She watched the bag pass by and said something like "Is that from him? Can I keep it?" Then she gave the camera this sheepish look and a little giggle, like she wanted us to all think she was joking, but she wasn't really. It was very disturbing.

[OSM Mom]

11 hours ago, MillieSparklepants said:

I know! It's been a while since I've seen it, but unless I had a really awful dream, that's what I remember. She watched the bag pass by and said something like "Is that from him? Can I keep it?" Then she gave the camera this sheepish look and a little giggle, like she wanted us to all think she was joking, but she wasn't really. It was very disturbing.

Ewwwwww. That's just... All kinds of wrong. I remember watching this episode, but I missed this somewhere.. And I am grateful. Either that or I blocked it out. 

[Ocean Chick]

I must have blocked that out as well.  Thankfully.  How creepy is that?  Not to mention sick.

[Tabbygirl521]

23 hours ago, MillieSparklepants said:

I saw Half Ton Teen. The most horrifying part was when the hospital worker walked by his mother carrying the bag of the skin they'd taken off him and she asked if she could keep it! That poor kid has no chance as long as she's in the picture.

Please tell me you hallucinated this part. JFC. 

[fliptopbox]

I posted this in the Tanisha topic, but it probably works better in here, since it;s nonspecific.

I'm always surprised at how little Dr. Now actually makes these people do before giving them surgery. My good friend had a gastric sleeve done about 2yrs ago now, and she told me she was required to see a therapist regularly, a nutritionist for actual nutrition counseling (multiple sessions), and follow a strict diet (including a liquids only diet right before) for months before going in for her surgery. These people on the show are getting off easy. It blows my mind how little the participants are willing to do to save their own asses. Literally.

[CarolMK]

Didn't Billy have weight loss surgery years ago?  I wonder how old he is now- I'm guessing around 22. Will Dr. Now perform another surgery on him? I remember he was 17 the first time on that show Half Ton Teen. He did fairly well for awhile anyway.

[Brooklynista]

7 hours ago, CarolMK said:

Didn't Billy have weight loss surgery years ago?  I wonder how old he is now- I'm guessing around 22. Will Dr. Now perform another surgery on him? I remember he was 17 the first time on that show Half Ton Teen. He did fairly well for awhile anyway.

I really don't want to see Billy.  I know it happens and is happening to him, but the thought of a mother actively killing her child makes me so sad.  I had such hopes for Billy breaking free of that woman and taking the world by storm. Alas, that was not to be.

[SunnyBeBe]

I wonder if Billy is considered a vulnerable adult. Meaning that he can be easily taken advantage of.  If his mom is benefiting financially because he is disabled, then she should be pursued and removed from having any control or influence over his money.   I wonder if that would make any difference in getting protection for him from her. 

I must say that with many of the families we see on this show, we sit the super morbidly obese patient who is around 600 pounds, but, there is also the caretaker/spouse/partner/parent who is often around 300 pounds. Then there are children in the family who often are overweight too and they all sit and devour loads of high calorie and toxic foods in almost a frenzied state.  It's really scary.  It's as if no one thinks....HEY, THE KIDS ARE GOING THIS SAME ROAD AS ME.  A few will comment on how they are giving the kids better food, but, I rarely see it.  I recall the one guy who did well on his eating plan, but, then he was shown pushing high sugary cereal on his son for breakfast.  Was is it?  Do they think they are doing the kids any favors? They couldn't be handicapping them anymore if they were getting paid by the hour.  I think the weight loss program is missing an opportunity to treat the obesity as a FAMILY issue.  

Edited March 14, 2017 by SunnyBeBe

[ethalfrida]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I wonder if Billy is considered a vulnerable adult. Meaning that he can be easily taken advantage of.  If his mom is benefiting financially because he is disabled, then she should be pursued and removed from having any control or influence over his money.   I wonder if that would make any difference in getting protection for him from her. 

I must say that with many of the families we see on this show, we sit the super morbidly obese patient who is around 600 pounds, but, there is also the caretaker/spouse/partner/parent who is often around 300 pounds. Then there are children in the family who often are overweight too and they all sit and devour loads of high calorie and toxic foods in almost a frenzied state.  It's really scary.  It's as if no one thinks....HEY, THE KIDS ARE GOING THIS SAME ROAD AS ME.  A few will comment on how they are giving the kids better food, but, I rarely see it.  I recall the one guy who did well on his eating plan, but, then he was shown pushing high sugary cereal on his son for breakfast.  Was is it?  Do they think they are doing the kids any favors? They couldn't be handicapping them anymore if they were getting paid by the hour.  I think the weight loss program is missing an opportunity to treat the obesity as a FAMILY issue.  

I agree

[AdorkableWitch]

Some of the family members may be getting paid to be a care attendant. 

[Elizabet]

I think that most of these people fail with Dr N because he does not give them a program to follow. These people would not weigh what they weigh if they knew how to eat.  They need to be told what to eat, how much to eat and when and they have to MOVE.  I don't care if it's just lifting their arms or moving their legs, they need to get their blood flowing. The need to drink a lot of water to help flush their systems. They are loosing all this fat and their kidneys and liver are working overtime.  They need balance so they don't have cravings and they need to be held accountable every week not once a month. FISHSTICKS ARE NOT OK, DRIVE THRU IS A NO NO 24/7- JELLO IS NOT FOOD !!!!!!  it drives me crazy when I see them eating like that and then they gain weight.  They should put a stop to him doing this surgery and getting paid to be on this show..... find someone who really helps these people, tough love and support is what they need not this nonsense

[crazycatlady58]

I worked  with a lady whose brother  was one of Dr, Now's patients . I ask her about his experience so far. She said he was supposed  to go to a therapist  that  he had been assigned  to. She said he was given  a very clear diet to follow . The problem  was he would not  do those  things. And just like the show he needed  to lose some wight  before they could  do surgery . So from what she said he was given  plenty  of info/help just could not seem to get it together  to make use of the help. When she  told me this she was almost crying, she knew her brother  was killing himself, had help to stop that, but like James it was I'll start tomorrow  and of course  tomorrow  never comes.

[Ocean Chick]

They are given diet advice.  They are given therapist support.  They are encouraged to work out.  We saw James decide to eat what he was told NOT to eat.  We saw him working out with weights, only to stop at some point.  We usually see the patients meeting with their therapists, even if it's "recreated" for tv, as they can't show a real session due to confidentiality issues.  We've seen other patients working out with rubber bands and weights, and walking, if they were mobile.  Or working out in pools.  We've seen nutritionists come to the homes and throw out banned foods and discuss healthy options.  If James refuses to do what he knows he must do, that's not on Dr. Now.  That's squarely on James' shoulders. 

And really, the show is 2 hours.  There's a whole year of filming to pack into those 2 hours (actually an hour and a half, if you remove the commercials).  Once you've seen a nutritionist throw out food in one episode or two, you don't need to see it in every episode.  It's repetitive, and doesn't make for compelling viewing.  The directors and editors of this show want people to watch, and the easiest way to do that is to show train wrecks, with a few achievers thrown in to give people somebody to root for.  People like Diana.  Or Christina.  Or Amber.

[bengaltoo]

A lot of people who post things here simply do not understand the dynamics of addiction.  As someone who has lost over 100 pounds at least 3 times in my life, it is not as simple as "knowing what to eat and moving more."  I've read it all, tried it all - except surgery, and it is a lifelong chronic problem for many people with no "cure."  It is more than willpower can fix.  It is more than surgery can fix; a lot people undergoing these surgeries have long-term health problems because of it.  There is more to morbid obesity than even the medical/psychological community understands.  Too much money is being made off of fat people for the medical industry or the science industry to find decent solutions. 

A fairly new good read out right now is Sylvia Tara's "Secret Life of Fat."  It chronicles the science behind why so many gain their lost weight back.

Unfortunately, people who are obese are judged by others who are "driven crazy" because of their behavior.  Instead of judgment, how about sincere compassion and hopes that someday there will be a solution.  

[Elizabeth9]

Dr Now frequently mentions movement when patients don't lose enough weight in their month.  He definetly encourages exercise.  

I agree with the above post.  Addiction is about more than having the right information.   But, for the most part, I believe Dr Now is providing ample instructions.  They're not following them for a myriad reasons...

[Otter]

I'm so happy to have found this community.  I don't have anyone to discuss the show with.  And I love "marathon Wednesday" especially the followups that come after the original episode.  

So many of these people are in such deep depressions, Olivia a case in point.  I loved her and so glad she succeeded.  Such a sweetness to her even in the depths of depression (and medically depressed people aren't very lovable or sweet).    

And I remember Billy.  His father never said a word to his wife about her behavior and he was all but invisible.  IIRC, she was sent to a therapist and still didn't get it.  That poor kid.  One of the first morbidly obese documentaries; years before My 600# Life.  The "mom" ruined him.  

And now Zzsalynn is on.  She drives me nuts especially with her baby talk including to Dr. Now.  And what a surprise that her husband wanted her to stay fat, being that he has a fat fetish, which is how she met him.  

Edited March 22, 2017 by Otter

[crazycatlady58]

5 hours ago, Elizabeth9 said:

Dr Now frequently mentions movement when patients don't lose enough weight in their month.  He definetly encourages exercise.  

I agree with the above post.  Addiction is about more than having the right information.   But, for the most part, I believe Dr Now is providing ample instructions.  They're not following them for a myriad reasons...

Is it up  to Dr. Now to treat  their addiction ?  His job is to reduce  the size of their stomach .  I do believe  he provides  then with access  to a therapist  and nutrition  info, but how much should  he be responsible  for? He cannot keep  them " clean" in regards  to their addiction  any more than a G.P. can keep an drug user  clean, they just do their best to keep them alive and point  them where they need to go. Elizabeth9, this is not in response  to your post  I hit the quote  symbol  and cannot get rid of the nox.

[Otter]

25 minutes ago, crazycatlady58 said:

Is it up  to Dr. Now to treat  their addiction ?  His job is to reduce  the size of their stomach .  I do believe  he provides  then with access  to a therapist  and nutrition  info, but how much should  he be responsible  for? He cannot keep  them " clean" in regards  to their addiction  any more than a G.P. can keep an drug user  clean, they just do their best to keep them alive and point  them where they need to go. Elizabeth9, this is not in response  to your post  I hit the quote  symbol  and cannot get rid of the nox.

I agree.  It's only recently that we see the therapists sessions, and those make me a bit uncomfortable.  We have seen nurtitionists and support groups.  Dr. Now just doesn't throw them into the deep end and hope that they swim.  He supplies them with the tools, including the surgery.  Heck, they'd all die if he just released them with no instructions.  It's on them and the families to follow the instructions.  The man even makes house calls!  

Sigh, so many patients cave into the craving and then get sick.  I smoke, quit for decades and took it up again to cope.  I get addiction.  It never goes away.

[Guest]

On 3/9/2017 at 0:31 PM, Giant Misfit said:

 

I was reading the FB discussion page for 600 Pound Life and someone mentioned that Billy Robbins, aka Half-ton Teen, is going to be featured this season on the show. This is AWESOME NEWS (if true). Apparently he can be seen in the season preview with Dr Now yelling at his mother. "You're killing him!" 

ETA: Yup, that's him (I believe) in the first few seconds of this preview (and yes, he's the one who falls out of the golf cart):

 

Quoting myself because I think I delivered actual fake news. I don't think that's Billy Robbins -- it's some other dude. The "You're killing him!" was definitely directed at Lisa, James' wife (who is, in fact, helping to kill him). Just wanted to correct it! 

[Thriftykins]

On 8/3/2015 at 10:40 PM, ethalfrida said:

Part of the counseling could be the required viewing of Fed Up. They should purchase a copy or stream it and have them watch it at the hospital. And serve snacks like salsa on baked potato, watermelon or the ice cream made with just fruit.

Fed Up is propaganda; a slanted anti-corporate hit piece.  The primary point I took from it was "Big evil food companies are breaking into our homes and force feeding our kids junk food!  We need to do something to stop them!  Nobody anywhere has any control over what they eat and do!  Please save us from the evil food companies!"

[Elizabeth9]

19 hours ago, crazycatlady58 said:

Is it up  to Dr. Now to treat  their addiction ?  His job is to reduce  the size of their stomach .  I do believe  he provides  then with access  to a therapist  and nutrition  info, but how much should  he be responsible  for? He cannot keep  them " clean" in regards  to their addiction  any more than a G.P. can keep an drug user  clean, they just do their best to keep them alive and point  them where they need to go. Elizabeth9, this is not in response  to your post  I hit the quote  symbol  and cannot get rid of the nox.

It just seems like the therapist comes several months into the thing on most of the recent shows.  Why not start off with therapy?  That's the only part I don't get.  I was. Medically treated firmly eating disorder, but also received psychological treatment concurrently.  These people are no different.

[ethalfrida]

5 hours ago, Michael Stabosz said:

Fed Up is propaganda; a slanted anti-corporate hit piece.  The primary point I took from it was "Big evil food companies are breaking into our homes and force feeding our kids junk food!  We need to do something to stop them!  Nobody anywhere has any control over what they eat and do!  Please save us from the evil food companies!"

Yes. they do when the general public goes for the advertising, are too lazy and unknowing to cook fresh food and refuse the see the correlation between the proliferation of fast unhealthy foods and obesity. Many people do not want to know. Many people knew before any documentary was published. My own parents educated me on eating well. Fast food was only a rare occasion meal. I do not think it is propaganda. Not at all. What I am leery of is people using the information to undo the good it does or use the information to get their own weird versions of health out there.

[Trees]

On 3/22/2017 at 7:15 PM, crazycatlady58 said:

Is it up  to Dr. Now to treat  their addiction ?  His job is to reduce  the size of their stomach .  I do believe  he provides  then with access  to a therapist  and nutrition  info, but how much should  he be responsible  for? He cannot keep  them " clean" in regards  to their addiction  any more than a G.P. can keep an drug user  clean, they just do their best to keep them alive and point  them where they need to go.

That brings up an important question.  If they're so deeply in their addictions that escape seems unlikely, should he even be putting their lives at risk with the surgery?

Would you put up a heroin addict off the street and put him behind a cash register? No, he's going to steal the money, run to his dealer, shoot it into his veins and go straight back to the gutter.

So why is it appropriate to grab and equally-addicted 600 pound person and order him to start dieting and perform a risky surgery that is likely to fail?

The lack of/small amount of therapy provided for the people on this show is shocking and irresponsible.

[WhitneyWhit]

While watching Lupe's rerun today, It made me wonder if addition to telling them what to eat, if anyone taught them how to eat? When Lupe was in the hospital, they showed her eating a whole chicken breast and a full plate of vegetables, a meal that would be substantial for almost anyone, yet she complained that the portions were to small, but I also noticed that she (like a lot of people we see eating on this show) never once put her fork down, just one bite after the other.  I wonder if anyone (a nutritionist, Dr. Now) ever told them that eating fast won't fill you up? So many of them say that they can't get full, yet they will scarf down a full meal in no time.

[Dru Blood]

On 3/23/2017 at 10:56 AM, Michael Stabosz said:

"Big evil food companies are breaking into our homes and force feeding our kids junk food!  We need to do something to stop them!  Nobody anywhere has any control over what they eat and do!  Please save us from the evil food companies!"

I agree they aren't breaking into our homes.  We just can't get away from them.  They are everywhere.  Believe it or not, this epidemic is partly of our own making.  In my area they actually have a class in elementary school where they show children raw vegetables & fruit and have them guess what they are!  They don't know because their parents don't feed them fresh food!  Everything some people (a surprising amount of some people) eat is processed.  Convenience foods, in my opinion, are conveniently killing us all.

[AZChristian]

I'm putting this in the "all episode" discussion because it really seems to pertain to all of the subjects of this show.

IMO, it would be a good idea for Dr. Now to send a nutritionist to the home or motel room where these people are staying in Houston.  The nutritionist should arrive with the makings of a healthy meal from a nearby grocery store, along with the cash register receipt (to compare to fast food meals).  They should then make up a meal (showing that it's not rocket science), and sit down to eat with the subject.  As they are eating lunch, the nutritionist should teach the subject HOW to eat.  Cut a bite-sized portion, put down the fork, chew slowly and thoroughly, swallow, take a couple of sips of water.  Pick the fork back up and repeat.   Teach them that shoveling without chewing allows them to eat WAY more than they need.  And all of us watching have commented on how FAST these people INHALE huge amounts of food.

Then there should be a follow-up appointment set where the nutritionist shows up empty-handed, and the subject and/or their enabler demonstrate their ability to make a healthy meal, and show that they CAN eat slower.

[Pondlass1]

3 hours ago, Dru Blood said:

 a class in elementary school where they show children raw vegetables & fruit and have them guess what they are!  They don't know because their parents don't feed them fresh food! 

I saw this on TV a while ago during the evening news.  It was mind-boggling.  These children (ages approx 9-12)  could not identify something as common as a potato!  The only veg they all recognized was corn.  They knew bananas but mixed up strawberries with grapes and none wanted the free apple offered at the end.  Looked like inner city kids and most were pudgy.  So sad.

[Dru Blood]

Just now, Pondlass1 said:

could not identify something as common as a potato

Strangely enough, I have even seen the produce manager in our local grocery store give quizzes to the cashiers on what the different fruit and veg. is in an effort to help them when ringing up the produce.  Some can't name even the real obvious ones, but frankly I could understand confusion on things like ugli fruit and celeriac.  Personally, I find all that stuff interesting.  I even enjoy figuring out what the crops are when we drive by them.

[WhitneyWhit]

And sometimes the people at the store can't even identify produce; while grocery shopping last week, my back was towards the cashier as I was placing my groceries on the counter when he asks "Excuse me, but what are these"? I turned around and he's holding radishes.

[Dru Blood]

12 minutes ago, WhitneyWhit said:

I turned around and he's holding radishes.

Yeah, turnips and rutabagas seem to be a bit confusing too.  I don't know why, turnips usually don't have that wax on them and they aren't nearly as huge!  Some people don't even know that beets come in other colors, like golden.  My Mom's dialysis dietitian didn't even know that and she has a degree.

[AdorkableWitch]

On 2/28/2017 at 6:58 AM, Oldernowiser said:

I've never understood why they don't just lend these people a scale so there would be more daily feedback on their weight loss (or that magical thinking "I've been really 'trying' but stress" weight gain). Yes, those high-weight scales are expensive, but compared to shlepping the 600ers to the hospital in a oversized ambulance, it would be chump change.

Then I remember it's television and therefore 75% bullshit. Then I remember it's TLC and therefore 99% bullshit.

So I slap myself upside the head and get on with my life.

I wanted to address this specific idea. Please keep in mind I am only speaking from my own experiences with being over 400 pounds. The scale becomes your master. There becomes a vicious cycle - If the scale doesn't move in the direction I want, I feel like a failure. While I know logically that weight loss is not linear, and your weight can fluctuate between 2% to 3% based on a myriad of reasons including how much water I drink. But I am not logical when I am consumed with my eating disorder. I put unreasonable weight loss pressures on myself. When I fail, I don't know how to cope with it except for engaging in destructive behaviors. I may binge (with or without purging) or starve myself.  To mitigate this, I only weigh once a month when I see either my dietician or my psychiatrist. I don't know what I weigh, and I tend to track my progress on other metrics  - how my clothes fit and my fitness goals.

This disease is very much a spectrum, and I have found that I can fairly easily bounce between starving, purging, and binging. I actually lost 100 pounds eating nothing but 2 cups of vegetables, 2 egg whites, and 1/2 a chicken breast a day. (I was doing KimKins if anyone remembers that shit show.) My hair fell out, and I passed out twice at the gym.

In fact, my biggest issue right now is the same thing. I set alarms on my phone to remind me to eat throughout the day. I know if I don't, I risk binging in the evening because I am so hungry.

I think often of Christina, and how she essentially went the other way with her food, developing anorexia. Post Bariatric Bulimia is actually a big problem.