S03.E13: Chay's Story

[Null 302]

A 23-year-old man who developed an eating disorder due to a troubled childhood weighs nearly 600 pounds, but must find the strength to take control of his life after losing his emotional support.

 

 

[4leafclover]

I liked him--I hope he is successful!

[Hero]

I like him. He could walk, wash himself, cook for himself, and he wore shoes!

To me, he ddidn't look 600lb, he looked about 300-400lbs.

[Scorpiosunshine]

This was a good episode.

For a while it seemed like he might give up and never get going again, and I'm so glad that wasn't the case. Having his aunt and uncle step in was probably the best thing that could have happened to him at that point.

Even with a few struggles and some "woe is me" moments, he grabbed on to that encouragement, got the momentum going and took off. The therapy seemed to do him a world of good.

Good for him. I hope he keeps up the good work.

For the record, I was touched to the point of getting teary- eyed by the uncle's show of emotion. I'm glad he has that support system.

Edited April 2, 2015 by Scorpiosunshine

[Desert Rat]

I liked him also. Heartbreaking when his grandma died. I could relate to his struggle. I was never overweight until my parents died and I gained more than 50 pounds in less than six months. It was great that he pulled himself together to lose weight.

Please don't think this judgemental, but I wonder if there are gender identity issues with him and his mom which contributed to their addictions and inability to deal with their emotions in a healthy way.

The aunt and uncle were great. I hope the support continues and he is successful.

[brandyelf]

I also liked Chay a lot. I think the fact that he asked to see the therapist in the hospital was a very good sign, and the conversation with his mom was very promising. He's on Twitter as @oheychay, some jerkwads picking on him already. I sent him a supportive note because I really think he's on the right track, with decent support, and I'd love to see him succeed.

[purpleflowers]

I liked Chay a lot! It was encouraging and relatable to see his progression emotionally.  I'm so glad his mother acknowledged her failings as a parent to him because not everyone gets that step in the healing process of feeling like they are being heard. I wish him the best.

 

Maybe this is just from seeing so many episodes already and so many morbidly obese individuals on it, but Chay seemed a lot smaller than 600 pounds. It's amazing how different people look at that weight. 

[feetcuzzyfeefee]

I, too, thought there were some gender issues with Chay -- women's hairdo, carrying a purse, voice, lack of significant facial hair, etc.  I got the feeling that he had a shortage of testosterone (sp?).   When he talked about getting his life back together, he never mentioned anything about a romantic life, which one would think that a 23 year old man would definitely be interested in.  I thought these things might be addressed at some point in the show, but they weren't.   In any event, I liked Chay.  Making the effort to move, finally seeing the light about his weight and what he had to do, actually going into a gym.  Good for him.  Really looking forward to the follow up.

[cheatincheetos]

I, too, thought there were some gender issues with Chay -- women's hairdo, carrying a purse, voice, lack of significant facial hair, etc.  I got the feeling that he had a shortage of testosterone (sp?).  

I thought the long hair might also have been due to social isolation. He wasn't comfortable going to a barber to get it cut, so it just grew.

This was one of the few patients that I remember on the show trying to exercise early in the process. It doesn't just burn calories, but can also help suppress appetite.

[Micks Picks]

I never get through a whole episode of anything.  If it isn't for my own wandering attention, it's somebody at the door. So I saw most of this but not the last 10-15 min, and also caught a good deal but not of Charity for the first time.  Amazed how some of these people actually walk whereas we have seen others, and we know who they are, who just won't do it.  Not even around their own house.  Charity managed to walk and move more with those horrible deposits and the leg than others have.  But I've mentioned before I have a physical problem with years long stomach ulcer at bottom of stomach and now small intestine as well that just won't let me get hardly any food down.  I've imagined it must be like bariatric surgery in a way, with just no capacity, so somebody, explain to me please, how can you pack in a huge cheeseburger with huge fries ON IT as well as on the plate.  I get ready to throw up looking at it.  This boggles my mind.

[mnfe]

I like him. He could walk, wash himself, cook for himself, and he wore shoes!

To me, he ddidn't look 600lb, he looked about 300-400lbs.

 

Not only that, he was the caretaker for his grandmother.  We've seen others at a similar weight need a caretaker themselves, and here he is taking care of a loved one.  I do think he has a bit of advantage in being so young, that probably makes a bit of a difference.  I'm really rooting for Chay.  My heart dropped when his grandmother died and I'm glad the rest of his family was able to step in.  I did look a little sideways at them eating out at that restaurant.  You'd think that if you are encouraging someone to lose weight like that you wouldn't be eating onion rings, etc, in front of him.  And everyone got cake?  They couldn't skip it just this once?

[notyrmomma]

I think Chay was very articulate and intelligent, but it annoyed me that he spent the bulk of the episode dwelling on how terrible his life was and how he needed food to deal with it.  The best part was Dr. Now's monologue that said we all have issues, but we need to find a healthy way to deal with it.  His grandmother was basically his mother, but her dying should have been an immediate wake up call for him...she was no lightweight herself.   If I were his relative, instead of saying "do it for grandma,"  I would have gently said, "do it or you will be in a grave next to grandma."

 

Also, and I'm sure I'm alone here, the gym scenes in these shows always make me roll my eyes.  It's TLC's signal to show you that the person is "trying" - it's just a visual platitude.  To me, I just see a big waste of money.  When you are that large, just walking down the block is plenty of exercise.  The main thing you need to do at that weight is get your eating under control and you can go crazy pumping iron when you weigh 250.

[stormy]

If his grandmother hadn't died, I don't know if his aunt and uncle would've stepped in.

But fortunately they did because if they would have left him on his own, it would have been a disaster.

I felt really good about Chay in so many ways. He finally got it and I hope he's successful and I think he's finally found the family he never had by being able to move in with his aunt and uncle.

[Granny58]

I liked him also. Heartbreaking when his grandma died. I could relate to his struggle. I was never overweight until my parents died and I gained more than 50 pounds in less than six months. It was great that he pulled himself together to lose weight.

Please don't think this judgemental, but I wonder if there are gender identity issues with him and his mom which contributed to their addictions and inability to deal with their emotions in a healthy way.

The aunt and uncle were great. I hope the support continues and he is successful.

it's not judgmental...it's an obvious issue.   stating the obvious is not judgment.  

[notyrmomma]

it's not judgmental...it's an obvious issue.   stating the obvious is not judgment.  

I think there were so many issues going on there...between his selfish mom, a propensity to addiction, sick and dying grandmother, and being at a point at 23 where you still can't take care of yourself, I think it's hard to pinpoint just what the actual problem is.

 

By the way, as seen with Joe in a prior episode, it seems that the extra weight gives males more androgynous look because fat is made up of a lot of estrogen.  His hairstyle didn't help any (I know a couple of guys who wear their hair like this, not my favorite style, personally).

[Bellalisa]

First ten minutes of the episode I thought he was a woman. His grandmother would say Chay but sounded like she was saying She. He even had barrettes and headbands in his hair. I am sure that the general public often referred to him as "Miss" like in a restuarant: And Miss, what would you like to eat? Between the big chest the unisex clothes, the long hair and barettes and carrying a purse I can't blame anyone for being confused. 

He could do a lot more at almost 600 because he must be tall and also being only 23. If he kept going by the time he was 35 he would be 900 pounds and much less mobile with many more issues as we've seen that develop over time. 

[Guest]

When his poor grandmother complained of her chest being very tight, and then we are told she has died "unexpectedly," I was like, "Who didn't expect that?!" It wasn't a surprise she had a heart attack--I kind of assumed that was what was happening when she complained of the chest pain.

I think Chay tried to eat away the issue of his own gender identity much like his mother tried to drink and drug away her own sexual identity. I hope they are both successful in their recoveries. I felt for both of them.

Hopefully Chay will get a follow up show next season. A lovely person who needs a shot at a real life.

[flappa1016]

Also, and I'm sure I'm alone here, the gym scenes in these shows always make me roll my eyes.  It's TLC's signal to show you that the person is "trying" - it's just a visual platitude.  To me, I just see a big waste of money.  When you are that large, just walking down the block is plenty of exercise.  The main thing you need to do at that weight is get your eating under control and you can go crazy pumping iron when you weigh 250.

Amen!  One of my favorite sayings is that weight loss happens in the kitchen, and fitness happens in the gym (or my second favorite:  You can't outexercise a bad diet).  For a lot of people (myself included), exercise stimulates my appetite, so when I was exercising on a regular basis, I could never getting my eating under control and my weight went up.  Once I dropped the exercise and concentrated on the diet, the weight started coming off again. 

[Momof2boyz]

I knew the grandmother was going to die because they showed a clip right at her funeral right before the show aired.  Very sad.  I was so happy that his family (aunt, uncle and cousins) were so supportive.  Even the mother was not that bad.  She seemed very sorry for her bad behavior when he was growing up.  I thought it was odd that they never mentioned her sexuality.  He talked about a drunk abusive stepfather growing up, but it was very obvious that she now a very butch lesbian.  I noticed he seemed very feminine and it reminded me of Joe.  I wonder if low testosterone or extra estrogen has something to due with the weight gain or is a result of it.  Interesting.  He seemed like such a nice person, I am really pulling for him.

[Goshengir1]

I liked this episode and am pulling for Chay to succeed.  I loved the support of his aunt and uncle, so I was surprised and a little horrified that they both got huge pieces of cake at the restaurant.  I wonder if that was a TLC suggestion...Chay is trying so hard to resist his food addiction so hey, lets have you both eat fried food AND cake in front of him, it makes good TV!  When my dad was newly struggling with his alcohol addiction my family didn't order drinks at dinner because it just seemed cruel to drink a bottle of wine in front of him when we knew how hard he was trying to quit. Now he is six years sober and we do order drinks because he's fine with it, but definitely not when he was newly recovering.

[HalcyonDays]

Just a reminder to everyone to please keep the discussion considerate and respectful, and to limit the unnecessarily body shaming and general shaming overall. This Mod Note explains in a little more detail. Thank you.

[Cherrio]

I hope he is continuing with some in depth therapy.He has a lot of issues to deal with, He needs to  realize he has to lead his own life and not live with relatives forever.

I hope the aunt and uncle support him in a healthy way.

         After watching so many of these episodes its obvious to me that an intensive course in what is healthy food is needed before surgery. We have seen this generational obesity time and time again.

[winsomeone]

First ten minutes of the episode I thought he was a woman. His grandmother would say Chay but sounded like she was saying She. He even had barrettes and headbands in his hair. I am sure that the general public often referred to him as "Miss" like in a restuarant: And Miss, what would you like to eat? Between the big chest the unisex clothes, the long hair and barettes and carrying a purse I can't blame anyone for being confused. 

He could do a lot more at almost 600 because he must be tall and also being only 23. If he kept going by the time he was 35 he would be 900 pounds and much less mobile with many more issues as we've seen that develop over time. 

I thought he was a woman at first too. Also, I thought his mother was a man.

[mrsjoe]

I liked this episode and am pulling for Chay to succeed.  I loved the support of his aunt and uncle, so I was surprised and a little horrified that they both got huge pieces of cake at the restaurant.  I wonder if that was a TLC suggestion...Chay is trying so hard to resist his food addiction so hey, lets have you both eat fried food AND cake in front of him, it makes good TV!.

This is exactly what I thought. I wouldn't be surprised if TLC offered to pay for the meal and then just picked the meals for them. The aunt and uncle didn't strike me as "rub it in your face" kind of people like that. It was so nice when he got to work with people like them who seemed to have the right mix of supportive, but honest. How many times have we seen the care-givers just sit there and nod when the patient says how they have been following the steps and are baffled why the weight isn't falling off?

Lots more therapy was shown this time, and I wonder if it's because he actually got way more, or if it's because the audience has been demanding it more, so they are finally showing stuff that was already happening. I was actually a bit surprised that none of the therapy centered around guilt he felt for feeding his grandmother the same heart attack inducing foods he ate. I mean, it's not like he was responsible for her lifetime of bad eating, but I think most would feel some guilt about contributing to the heart attack for at least a few years. But then again, at that point in his life, he probably still didn't know the difference between healthy foods and the kind that kill you. I wish we had a way of knowing if Dr. Now is deficient in teaching this, if things are different for the tv show or it's just that the participants may never get it, no matter how much you try...

[gunderda]

So...... he's with grandma and grandpa to help take care of things... but the moment grandma dies he moves out and leaves grandpa alone??? 

I get that he moved in with them when he was 15 and just stayed there but him saying he had to take care of things seemed like a facade.  And now poor granda has to fend for himself!

 

At first I had to give the aunt/uncle a side eye.... they seemed to not really care until the grandma passed away.  And then at their first dinner talking about it they're eating all that junk PLUS dessert.  I'm all in the camp for you not having to change your eating habits around someone, but that situation seemed a little insensitive. Like they were trying to test him.  I have also never seen an entire family order appetizers, meals AND desserts for everyone at the table. The food looks really good though.

 

I totally feel for Chay thinking he was doing the right thing but didn't lose much weight. I feel like I'm in the same boat.  I don't want to give up everything because it will make me miserable but I'm frustrated at my non-existent weight loss even after working out on a consistent basis for about a month.  In the past I would walk 2-3 miles 2-3 days a week and I would easily lose a pound a week. Now it's not budging!

[EDTV]

the cake thing was def staged by TLC...

[Momof2boyz]

So...... he's with grandma and grandpa to help take care of things... but the moment grandma dies he moves out and leaves grandpa alone??? 

I get that he moved in with them when he was 15 and just stayed there but him saying he had to take care of things seemed like a facade.  And now poor granda has to fend for himself!

 

I believe he was still living with his grandpa, but the aunt and uncle were spending time with him and driving him to the appointments.

[gunderda]

I believe he was still living with his grandpa, but the aunt and uncle were spending time with him and driving him to the appointments.

No - at one point it said he moved in with his aunt and uncle so that they could help him - that's where he had the convo with his mom. 

[Momof2boyz]

No - at one point it said he moved in with his aunt and uncle so that they could help him - that's where he had the convo with his mom. 

OK, I missed that.

[zillabreeze]

 

After watching so many of these episodes its obvious to me that an intensive course in what is healthy food is needed before surgery. We have seen this generational obesity time and time again.

I can't believe some of the "good" choices these people honestly think they are making.  I truly think that Chay thought whole wheat bread was just fine in lieu of white. Some of the other people have gone berserk with fruit and yogurt, which are very high in sugar.  Obesity skyrocketed when "fat free" products came on the market and everyone hogged down on them.

Dr. Now seems to be dropping the ball by not doing some serious education on what carbs really are and how they impact insulin.

"Generational obesity" is the perfect term Cheerio.  When Chay dropped bacon into the deep fryer, I gasped!

[ethalfrida]

A slice of bacon cooked in the microwave between two paper towels is about 80 calories. A slice of bacon deep fried in GMO vegetable oil is two bazillion thousand calories. Add the deep fried canned chemical ladened biscuits with high fructose corn syrup fake maple syrup made me shudder with nausea. I cannot imagine anyone being that unconscious of nutrition that they do not know better. And then his grandma ate it as a steady diet.

 

Lifting weights stimulates the metabolism. True, when it is done correctly you will be hungrier than usual but stimulating the metabolism is what the most inactive 600 pounders need. However, I do agree that it appears gratuitous on the show.

 

I did not see the purse and I re-watched it this morning because I feel asleep on it last night. 

I think he was not encouraged to get over what his mom did to him. Other adults in his life may have repeatedly brought it and he didn't have a chance to get beyond it. Kids, as we have noted in other threads, are usually able to adjust to a lot of "lacking" in their lives if given the opportunity. They will like an individual for who that individual is if other adults in their lives don't keep harping on certain things. 

 

I was thinking if he was allowed to eat and drink all he wanted, would he weigh 600 pounds if he was eating baked chicken, oven fries, fresh fruits, vegetables and water were all he had to choose from? I did see him drinking a lot of water though and thought that was great. 

Edited April 2, 2015 by ethalfrida

[gunderda]

I also made a mental note of how bad that bacon must have been for them but OMGGGGG it would have been so delicious. 

[Galloway Cave]

 

A slice of bacon deep fried in GMO vegetable oil is two bazillion thousand calories. Add the deep fried canned chemical ladened biscuits with high fructose corn syrup fake maple syrup made me shudder with nausea. I cannot imagine anyone being that unconscious of nutrition that they do not know better. And then his grandma ate it as a steady diet.

Someone had to teach Chay how to cook like that and I'm guessing it was his grandmother, so you are right, that has probably been her steady diet her entire life too. The aunt and uncle hopefully pointed that out to Chay when trying to convince him to change his eating habits. I cut out all processed foods and about 95% sugar five years ago in order to loose weight and get healthy (went organic also) and I about died watching the family eat that meal.

 

Dr. Now needs to add an on-campus, few-day cooking class to his pre-surgery check list. These are people who don't read papers or lists or labels. They need hands-on experience. Chay thought he could make his own wheat bread and he would be OK eating that. What's her name (blanking right now) thought adding green beans to the highly-processed Hamburger Helper would be a good thing. I know it would cut down on the drama of the show but it would save so much drama in the lives of these people, which really is the point.

[purpleflowers]

I sure did feel for Chay when he was talking about baking his own whole wheat bread and in the way he thought that was going to help his weight loss. It's true that whole wheat and whole grains can help with insulin and hunger but there's just so much confusing and conflicting information out there on "healthy" eating and it must have been frustrating for him to hear that his efforts were useless from Dr. Now when he was under the impression that he was making steps in the right direction. Of course there are obvious food choices that people from all approaches would probably agree are horrible for you such as deep fried bacon and cake, but then when you get into different kinds of diets and food restrictions, it gets confusing. And also, I believe that there's the element of particular people being able to get away with certain food groups that other people should totally avoid based on their genes and constitution. 

Edited April 2, 2015 by purpleflowers

[Dirtybubble]

I just wanted to give Chay a big hug.  Such maturity for 23 but the scene that the 2nd weigh in at the doctor's office kinda showed his age a bit.  The pouty, arms folded across the chest, I'm not coming back attitude is kinda typical for a young man is age.  The doctor showed no sympathy for his struggles but the psychiatrist seemed to be more understanding.

 

And speaking of the foods he ate, was that honey he was pouring on his fried chicken?  Oof.  Me being from the south as well I can understand the difficulty of eating healthy.  We fry EVERYTHING down here.  Hell we even have fried fat back.  FAT that is fried!  And you have to hunt, HUNT, to find healthy foods.  A tiny section at Walmart with Bocca burgers just doesn't cut it not to mention they aren't that tasty either =(
 

 

I thought it was odd that they never mentioned her sexuality.  He talked about a drunk abusive stepfather growing up, but it was very obvious that she now a very butch lesbian.  I noticed he seemed very feminine and it reminded me of Joe.  I wonder if low testosterone or extra estrogen has something to due with the weight gain or is a result of it.  Interesting.  He seemed like such a nice person, I am really pulling for him.

I wondered this as well.  I figured this was about his weight and not who he (or his mom) might be attracted to sexually so I can understand just keeping it all out.  Plus he seems to be a Christian man so that's a whole other can of worms to deal with.

[Galloway Cave]

 

It's true that whole wheat and whole grains can help with insulin and hunger but there's just so much confusing and conflicting information out there on "healthy" eating and it must have been frustrating for him to hear that his efforts were useless from Dr. Now when he was under the impression that he was making steps in the right direction.

There are several things going on with these patients. Prior to the surgery they need to learn how to "eat healthy" (obviously not eating deep-fried biscuits). But then after the surgery, they need to learn to eat a post-surgery diet, which is very different from anything they have eaten up to that point. My sister had gastric bypass and there are a bunch of rules to follow as far as type of foods to eat/avoid, when to drink fluids and what types, etc. It is all overwhelming when coupled with the emotional side of why they are in this mess in the first place (and the stress of going through a huge surgery to boot). That is why I think the diet/food portion of the surgery event needs to be more than handing the patient a bunch of papers and needs to be more hands-on teaching.

Edited April 2, 2015 by Galloway Cave

[Pepperminty]

Chay seemed intelligent and self-aware. I was sorry he lost his grandmother. I hope (and think) he will be successful, if he wants it.

[Barb23]

I hope he is continuing with some in depth therapy.He has a lot of issues to deal with, He needs to  realize he has to lead his own life and not live with relatives forever.

I hope the aunt and uncle support him in a healthy way.

         After watching so many of these episodes its obvious to me that an intensive course in what is healthy food is needed before surgery. We have seen this generational obesity time and time again.

Dr Now definitely needs to get a nutritionist or two on his team. I'm glad Shay changed his mind about the therapist. It didn't seem like he wanted to go at all at first but ended up realizing he did need her help. At least he brought up his grandmother's death to Dr Now (even tho he didn't like Dr Now's response). The gal from last week didn't say anything to Dr Now about her mom dying & how it affected her eating habits even tho Dr Now probably knew it. I hope they do a follow up on Shay, especially one of those 5+ year follow ups since he is young. Hope he does well.

[Cherrio]

If it had been up to me, because of him being so young I would of sent him to a rehab for a long time instead of surgery.  He needs a lot of help in a lot of area's, plus seeing a totally new and healthy way to live.  Then a half way house after that.     

            Someone in that family has to break a lot of cycles and he might have a chance, although still being in that area lessens his chances.

[gunderda]

Do they have rehabs and halfway houses for food addiction??

[Cherrio]

Do they have rehabs and halfway houses for food addiction??

I have seen at least one Intervention that was about food addiction. The young man went to a rehab, the father too, but the father iirc did not complete the treatment.

           I have also seen another show where the people went to facilities that were for the extreme obese where they lived for a certain amount of time.

[AZChristian]

Dr. Now's process for getting approved for surgery needs to be more structured.  Candidates need to be given a manual that includes SPECIFICS as to what patients HAVE to eat for 2 months (minimum) prior to the surgery.  By learning structure, it seems they'd be more successful with the changes in their lifetime eating habits after the surgery.  The manual needs to include increasing amounts of exercise as well.

 

It would be a real eye-opener for some of these people to know that for breakfast, they are allowed 2 eggs (fried or scrambled in 1 tablespoon of butter), and a half of a grapefruit, with coffee or tea.  Period.  Too many of these folks seem to have cut their intake to 2 DOZEN eggs for breakfast.  With fried bacon.

 

Once they see that they can lose 40 pounds a month at the beginning by following strict rules, it seems they would be encouraged to stick with it.

 

Would it be easy?  No.  Is it necessary?  It sure seems to be.  Is it worth it?  Absolutely.

[aliya]

Well, I liked this guy. A little whiney at first, but not bad at all. Well-spoken and really needing to shed his old self for a new one. I hope it works out for him.

 

But.. what's with the bacon and 2 gallons of oil? Isn't bacon oily enough by itself? You just put it in a pan and the fat oozes out. I can't imagine what their meals look like. And yet it never dawns on them that 'some is wrong with this picture.'  

 

Re his food choices, I bet Dr Now does give a diet plan - he'd be foolish to send a 5-600 lb person, with food issues, off to lose weight with not guidance. However, people see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear.

 

Chay wasn't any different than millions of Americans who think whole wheat bread is better than white. I'm not going to go off on a carb thing, I'm just saying that people have difficulties getting past the consumer journalism that passes for health information. Oil is bad? OK, olive oil is healthy? I'll just drown everything in olive oil. You get the picture. We get paid to take an online health assessment at work. I always get points off because I don't do dairy (lactose issues) or meat.  'Add some yogurt to your diet!' No, no thanks, aside from the digestive issues there's whole political issues with factory farming and Big Dairy. I prefer not to participate. But if you are one step outside the dumbed down info for the masses, something is wrong with you. So, I can understand where people are trying and still not getting the results they want, due to their lack of information. Then add that to the belief system  of 'I used to eat 5 Big Macs, now I only have 1 and a large fry' and you see what happens. It's rough going. I don't think most of these people  get the long term support and education that they need. 

 

I thought this episode was a good one.

[Cherrio]

The cooking oil was off the charts.

 I also could not even identify what else was on the plate.    Anyone know?

[Peanutbuttercup]

I really liked Chay. I agree with lots of the comments here -- it was nice to see him being so self-sufficient and even being a caretaker for his family member.

I did some stalking of his twitter follows and they are about what I expected -- tons of drag queens, involvement in the chub/chaser community, LGBT celebrities, gay porn stars, gay Christian groups, lots of singers (I think we have very similar taste in music!), some liberal politicians and . . . Bobby effing Jindal? As a gay person myself, I can tell you Chay, Bobby Jindal is not your friend and you should not be wasting any of your energy reading his tweets or thinking about his evil agenda. Unless maybe it's on the "keep your enemies closer" type of plan.

[Muffyn]

So many of the scenes on this episode seemed staged to me.  There was platitude on top of platitude for most of the talking heads. There was no real sense of tension when Chay spoke to his mother.  He told us it would be difficult but it came off like no big deal.  It almost felt like he was looking for common reasons people will give for their food issues, like he was parroting what he has heard rather than really digging into his own feelings.  (Then again I could have just been really tired and not too clued in or I was thrown by his softer way of speaking).  

 

I think he tried exercising earlier than most of the people we see on this show because his cousin encouraged it; he looked to be very into working out.  There was something both sad and funny about his much smaller cousin doing his side-to-side kick steps while trying to encourage Chad to walk faster.  It was like seeing a tiny dog and a Mastiff.  

 

I would not be surprised if Chay is gay and chose not to make it an issue on the show.  He was willing to show himself showering and washing himself with a long-handled brush (cruelly I kept thinking of the Simpsons episode in which Bart fantasizes about becoming morbidly obese and proudly declares "I wash myself with a rag on a stick!").  He was also willing to be shown being weighed and eating large quantities of food.  He gave the show what it wanted but he didn't give it anything extra.  Horribly they filmed at his grandmother's funeral.  He was able to speak without becoming overwhelmed.  He seems like a person who keeps his emotions in check much of the time.  

 

I also think he may watch enough reality TV to be on to the tricks and just didn't feed them anything too juicy.  The death of his grandmother was a boost for the show (sorry, thinking about it in terms of TV and not the tragic loss of someone he was very close to).  Otherwise his big drama was will he or won't he go to a therapist - he will, the show wants him to, but he didn't exactly have a breakdown or a major epiphany, he guided the conversation quite effectively.  The other drama was will he eat out and not have cake.  Whew!  He was able to resist getting a slice of cake with a film crew and his family watching.  That whole scene seemed so staged that it was ridiculous.  

[Foxsparrow]

Boring episode. Many months passed without any progress, not much to hear except excuses we've all heard before. Sorry he lost his grandmother but it ironically gave him the kick in the pants he needed to reassess his pouty refusal to return to the doc. Lots going on we don't know about with the family, same as in all the episodes.

Louisiana is pushing 33% obesity rate like other southern states. Another 30% are overweight. No signs of stopping. It makes me wonder how Chay and others like him are virtually doomed by their location to keep getting bigger. You grow up with a certain lifestyle and it's tough to change without getting away from the place and the people that influence you. Hope to see he's stuck with the program...that is, low-cal program.

[notyrmomma]

I sure did feel for Chay when he was talking about baking his own whole wheat bread and in the way he thought that was going to help his weight loss. 

They didn't show this, but i bet you a dollar to a donut that diet they gave him specifically said no bread.  Maybe he's like Angel a couple weeks ago and didn't read the instructions (at least they didn't put a FEEDING TUBE in him, LOL).   Dr. Now needs to start requiring everyone to read the directions out loud to him each time.

 

 

My sister had gastric bypass and there are a bunch of rules to follow as far as type of foods to eat/avoid, when to drink fluids and what types, etc. It is all overwhelming when coupled with the emotional side of why they are in this mess in the first place (and the stress of going through a huge surgery to boot). That is why I think the diet/food portion of the surgery event needs to be more than handing the patient a bunch of papers and needs to be more hands-on teaching.

Yes!  I continue to be shocked at these people who either don't read the paperwork or just don't understand it.  They gave me a copy of the surgical instructions when I went in for the information session to learn about having the gastric sleeve, plus the same paperwork again on the day I was released from the hospital from having the sleeve--the nurse actually went through each page with me.  I am also willing to bet a dollar to a donut that Dr. Now's staff does that too....by the way, isn't that what Melissa did?  Didn't we see her actually doing some home visits for the patients?

[ethalfrida]

Well, I liked this guy. A little whiney at first, but not bad at all. Well-spoken and really needing to shed his old self for a new one. I hope it works out for him.

 

But.. what's with the bacon and 2 gallons of oil? Isn't bacon oily enough by itself? You just put it in a pan and the fat oozes out. I can't imagine what their meals look like. And yet it never dawns on them that 'some is wrong with this picture.'  

 

Re his food choices, I bet Dr Now does give a diet plan - he'd be foolish to send a 5-600 lb person, with food issues, off to lose weight with not guidance. However, people see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear.

 

Chay wasn't any different than millions of Americans who think whole wheat bread is better than white. I'm not going to go off on a carb thing, I'm just saying that people have difficulties getting past the consumer journalism that passes for health information. Oil is bad? OK, olive oil is healthy? I'll just drown everything in olive oil. You get the picture. We get paid to take an online health assessment at work. I always get points off because I don't do dairy (lactose issues) or meat.  'Add some yogurt to your diet!' No, no thanks, aside from the digestive issues there's whole political issues with factory farming and Big Dairy. I prefer not to participate. But if you are one step outside the dumbed down info for the masses, something is wrong with you. So, I can understand where people are trying and still not getting the results they want, due to their lack of information. Then add that to the belief system  of 'I used to eat 5 Big Macs, now I only have 1 and a large fry' and you see what happens. It's rough going. I don't think most of these people  get the long term support and education that they need. 

 

I thought this episode was a good one.

Well said...

Well said

[goodbyeglittergirl]

This kid's story broke my heart. I hope he succeeds and goes on to have the most brilliant life!