S03.E14: Marla's Story

[aliya]

I'm trying to remember over the different people - did any of them have responsible jobs before they became morbidly obese? I think one guy was an accountant, maybe that's the only one. I don't know how you go from a heavy set person with a profession to a bed-bound selfish creep. Why would you want to lose your life, your income,  your friends, etc. to feeding your face until you are 600 lbs? So, I'm wondering if this is more a problem of the lower classes or less educated or habitually unemployed? I dunno.

 

When you look at some of the other bariatric surgery shows, many of the patients are 200-400 lbs. They are still in the world. They have jobs and insurance and apparently they found that point that we all ask about - they stopped before they slid to 600 lbs. 

 

Maybe I'm talking to the air here, I just wonder how people can just hang around and eat. I gotta work so I can pay my mortgage. I don't know how a responsible person stops working and starts making fried food in the bed.

[BostonBlonde]

So, I'm wondering if this is more a problem of the lower classes or less educated or habitually unemployed? I dunno.

 

Maybe I'm talking to the air here, I just wonder how people can just hang around and eat. I gotta work so I can pay my mortgage. I don't know how a responsible person stops working and starts making fried food in the bed.

 

It does seem that they are mostly poor/low/no income families. I have yet to see someone eating their way to 600+lbs. from their Versace bed in the east wing. 

 

Not to mention the hoarder/disaster homes seem to be another common theme.

Edited April 10, 2015 by BostonBlonde

[notyrmomma]

I'm trying to remember over the different people - did any of them have responsible jobs before they became morbidly obese? I think one guy was an accountant, maybe that's the only one. I don't know how you go from a heavy set person with a profession to a bed-bound selfish creep. Why would you want to lose your life, your income,  your friends, etc. to feeding your face until you are 600 lbs? So, I'm wondering if this is more a problem of the lower classes or less educated or habitually unemployed? I dunno.

 

When you look at some of the other bariatric surgery shows, many of the patients are 200-400 lbs. They are still in the world. They have jobs and insurance and apparently they found that point that we all ask about - they stopped before they slid to 600 lbs. 

 

Maybe I'm talking to the air here, I just wonder how people can just hang around and eat. I gotta work so I can pay my mortgage. I don't know how a responsible person stops working and starts making fried food in the bed.

You are not talking to the air at all.  I have the same question too, that's mostly why I hang around here.  My latest theory is that these people have underlying medical issues - most likely something isn't firing in their brain to tell them to stop eating.  For some people, hunger is an unbearable pain that can only be managed in one way, and if you never feel full, well then you are destined to eat your way to morbid obesity.  

 

Another medical issue I just found out about from reading this forum is Lipedema.  Here's a Web-MD article on it: http://www.webmd.com/women/guide/lipedema-symptoms-treatment-causes.  Apparently with this condition, you can diet and exercise like crazy and not lose any weight in your lower half (and sometimes you upper arms).  Maybe some of them have this condition without knowing it (Amber!) and were like, no matter what I do, the weight won't come off, so F it!  Bring me boiling oil on a rickety table!

 

I will tell you that the light switch came on in my head last summer when I was 318 lbs.  I also have MS and my neurologist wasn't taking my pain seriously and basically said I should look into weight loss surgery.  By September it was done and i'm down to 214 as of this morning and my pain is 90% gone.  I was ALMOST bedridden before the surgery the pain was so bad--and I am a damn CPA.  I was not going to throw away my career and life like that.  I have been on one diet or another since I was 9 and never managed to keep the weight off for more than a few months, the surgery was my last hope.  For me, the surgery can be basically described as a diet you can't cheat on...well, you can somewhat cheat, but you will throw up  (what people eat on this show after surgery is complete BULLSHIT!  If you really want to see what people eat or what life is really like after bariatric surgery, visit the forums at Bariatric Pal or Obesity Help).  

 

I hope that helped.

[Pixel]

So your neurologist was right? It sounds like he did take your pain seriously and gave good advice on how to lessen it.

Edited April 11, 2015 by Pixel

[ethalfrida]

One of the beliefs that contribute to this phenomena in the African American community is, historically, it is believed that the heavier you are the healthier you are, therefore, makes you strong and able to work harder. In the slave markets no one wanted the scrawny, wiry slaves. Sure to be sick and not worth the money. I've even heard remarks, during my younger adult years, where someone was "fat and just as fine" as they could be. However, in those days the hamburger stands cooked food just the way it was cooked at home and the perk was that the mom did not have to cook on the day the family ate "bought" hamburgers. But now we have fast food that is loaded with sugar, salt and chemicals and some, like Cheetos, contain no food at all. And thus... our Marlas.

 

When you have generations of people brought up with those beliefs and where most practice them, then modern day obesity is not quite as shocking. However, my friend said his dad, a successful physician, was brought up under extreme hardships in Ireland as had most of his family for generations. He would often talk about the disgusting things his dad ate like absolutely all fat on all meats no matter what type it was. He said his dad, having had to do without, could not bear to throw anything away. Yet... his dad was thin and couldn't gain weight for any reason. 

 

So socio-economics may play into it but not always. We have yet to isolate the real reason and even greed or overeating is not a clear cause. But from the people who were showcased on this show they are case studies in overindulgence, attitudes, laziness, slovenly ways and very low self worth. That's the way I see it.

Edited April 11, 2015 by ethalfrida

[HalcyonDays]

Why would you want to lose your life, your income,  your friends, etc. to feeding your face until you are 600 lbs? So, I'm wondering if this is more a problem of the lower classes or less educated or habitually unemployed? I dunno.

Wow, um..Okay...First of all, these people have faced a situation where they HAVE lost their life. Their income, their friends because of their issues. And most likely, they lost friends because of their neurosis. Most people cannot understand this unless one of personally experiencing it, including me.

 

Is this an issue of the lower classes? Probably. Most Likely. Why? Because the rich have the luxury to get the help they need, regardless because of their issues and without legal consequences. Are the "poor" lazy? Hell fucking no. It's the rich with their connections and their entitlement and their arrogant belief that they "earned" what they have.

 

Again, it's really nice to imply or assume that the decision one makes is solely due to familial obligations. Hell no. Hell fucking no. Fact is, addiction affects all classes, but the lower classes are the ones that get caught and prosecuted. The upper classes are the ones running drugs whilst smoking or snorting on their luxury private jets.  But no one fingers them, because they are "upstanding businessmen". Unfortunately, it's the sad reality of life.

[ethalfrida]

And if there be 600 pound rich people I doubt we will see them on these programs.

[cheatincheetos]

On a 13 hr trip you will have to make stops every now & then. If Marla 'won't walk' how did you go to the bathroom?

 

There is no way that she made a 13 hr trip without ever getting out of the car.

Peggy Peepads FTW?

[Muffyn]

Generally there are two types of people we see on this show.  We have the famewhores who have turned their weight issues into their job of sorts.  These are the people who have been on more than one show, have worked in porn, have articles in which they've bragged about their sex lives or in other ways worked to become famous for their size.  The other group are people who are poor and desperate.  This show is their chance to qualify for a surgery they very well may not be able to afford, whether for limited health insurance or the inability to move the Houston to be near Dr. Now.  While the show never states specifically how people are compensated, it seems pretty clear that they are helped to some extent, possibly apartments and rental cars.  Wealthy people, unless they have a great desire for fame and have not learned the difference between good attention and bad attention, are not going to participate in this show.  

 

If we look at the entire series, that vast majority of people have worked.  Some lost their jobs at some point, often seemingly related to their increased weight.  Amber, Chuck and Chay immediately come to mind.  Some did specialty porn but it was not disclosed on the show.  Others seemed to have family support, for example, Olivia.  

 

Marla seems to have severe psychological issues.  She has created a hell that she and her daughter are trapped in.  I feel very sorry for her daughters.  She is a horrible burden to bear.

 

She did say early in the show that she was concerned her legs could not support her weight.  That fear could have fueled some of her behavior.   Of course, the less she tried, the harder it became.  She also seemed stoned out of her mind in the hospital scene with Dr. Now.  She could barely keep her eyes open.   

 

On a weird note, I went to urgent care today with an ear infection.  I was chatting with the nurse.  They had me sitting up on the bed with my legs stretched out in front of me and kept rolling me from one side of the room to the other (the better scope was on one side; ear irrigation system was on the other).  I told them I felt like I was on My 600 lb. Life.  The nurse had recently seen the show and got the reference,  Unfortunately I forgot to tell her it was my Cleopatra moment. 

[cynicat]

If Dr. Now had any integrity, he would refuse to participate in the show if they continued to exploit his patients in this manner.

Will you stop watching?

[Cherrio]

I think Marla's split was highly offensive. This show has been getting more and more offensive every week. Showing these people washing themselves or sitting on the toilet is bad enough, but that scene with Marla was totally over the line. I can't believe that Marla, TL C, Dr. Now, and the FCC allowed it.

If Dr. Now had any integrity, he would refuse to participate in the show if they continued to exploit his patients in this manner.

I think he is listed as producer of the show, so he must have a say in what happens.   He seems to be listed as a real producer, not the courtesy title given to some participants.

 His participation as a doctor on television or off is to do no harm and I think he violates that by the exploitation we have seen week after week.

[ethalfrida]

I don't know if I would stop watching but I am thinking of starting a causes page asking them to back off some on the nudity.

[quaintirene]

I keep thinking if she can raise her leg up like that, she can walk.  It takes a fair amount of quad strength to do that with a leg that has to weigh somewhere over 100 lb...

[stephinmn]

How long was her ex-boyfriend kidnapper on the loose? Was he the baby daddy? Because if he wasn't the girls' dad, did she get out and about later? I am guessing she had the oldest (Adele?) fairly young, since she is only 42 and has grandchildren. I really didn't get that part.

[Tielsmomma]

Wow, um..Okay...First of all, these people have faced a situation where they HAVE lost their life. Their income, their friends because of their issues. And most likely, they lost friends because of their neurosis. Most people cannot understand this unless one of personally experiencing it, including me.

Is this an issue of the lower classes? Probably. Most Likely. Why? Because the rich have the luxury to get the help they need, regardless because of their issues and without legal consequences. Are the "poor" lazy? Hell fucking no. It's the rich with their connections and their entitlement and their arrogant belief that they "earned" what they have.

Again, it's really nice to imply or assume that the decision one makes is solely due to familial obligations. Hell no. Hell fucking no. Fact is, addiction affects all classes, but the lower classes are the ones that get caught and prosecuted. The upper classes are the ones running drugs whilst smoking or snorting on their luxury private jets. But no one fingers them, because they are "upstanding businessmen". Unfortunately, it's the sad reality of life.

Well said!!!

[scowl]

Will you stop watching?

 

I have stopped watching. This show has become like Intervention -- too many people who don't really want to change their behavior even if it's killing them. I don't enjoy hating people on television so, other than rare cases like Amber, I have not had any good feelings after watching. This show has made me less sympathetic to morbidly obese people. I would like to become more sympathetic to other people.

[Corvino]

I'm catching up with the conversation here because I caught up with the show late, On Demand, when my DVR failed on the night. I wasn't offended by the split, since they blurred out the result, merely astonished. (I wondered if I could do that if I tried, but the discussion here tells me no.) On the other hand, I was VERY offended by Marla's attitude. Right up to the 50-minute mark I was increasingly mad at her, and wondering whether they promoted this episode as "heartbreaking" because "infuriating" wouldn't get them as many viewers. I naturally assumed the adjective was because she died, and up till the last six minutes-- sorry, temporary disrespect--I would have been fine with that.

 

Then when she stood up, with all that help and for that pitifully short time, my heart melted when everyone was so happy about it. Sierra! Dr. Now! She herself! It really did seem like relief that she could do it. Being lazy, I understand the dynamic of lying on the couch thinking about getting up and doing something for quite some time and not actually doing it. In her situation, she may have lain there thinking about getting to her feet tens of thousands of times, each time getting more and more apprehensive about it and picturing her legs giving way or her bones snapping as said above. There may have been a lot of fear under the obnoxiousness.

 

So they managed to pull a tiny happy ending out of this tiny first victory. After reading everyone here, though, I am confirmed in my apprehension that there will be no others.

 

If people want to spend even more resources on her, they need to hook her into a harness suspended from an overhead track or, more easily, get her into a walkable swimming pool so she can build up her leg strength and confidence by walking without her full weight stressing her legs until she can.

Edited April 13, 2015 by Corvino

[Corvino]

Oh yes-- also, I could tell that she was losing weight during those months in bed after the surgery, because she was developing whopping upper-arm bat-wings instead of the fully rounded upper arms, with no hanging skin, that she had had before. So I was optimistic about the final weigh-in, and sure enough she had lost enough to be where other people on this show started. 

[Christina]

It may have been colored by my feelings for her during the episode, but I thought that she didn't want to stand because, if she did, people would expect it plus more from her. Based on the posts here, I will give her the benefit of the doubt now and assume that she was afraid of injury. Well, I'll try.

 

For the most part, I have sympathy with the people on the show. Like Intervention and Hoarders, I root for them to succeed, and cheer them through my TV when they do. Very few have angered me. Penny, Pauline and Marla being the only ones that come to mind at the moment. My mom watches these shows, and I know I've seen some with other doctors, like the father/son duo, who have also angered me, but I can't recall them at the moment.

[KarmaG]

And every time the title card that says, "Patient [so-and-so] has found a doctor in Houston willing to help them..." comes on the screen, I have to wonder, is anyone watching thinking, "Oh, I wonder what doctor that could be?" or "Oh, I hope it's still Dr Now! He was the doctor last week." Come on! Just say they're on their way to Houston to see Dr Now and be done with the non-mystery.

 

That part use to bug me until commenters here started discussing older series that were renamed i.e. Big Medicine. I am guessing that screen is done so when they stick this show in syndication, viewers will get info that we currently already have/know.

[aliya]

 "Oh, I wonder what doctor that could be?" or "Oh, I hope it's still Dr Now! He was the doctor last week." 

I'm sorry, I'm still laughing at this. "I hope it's still Dr Now!"  hahaha   I need to get out more.

[cheatincheetos]

This is where I clicked it off last night.  That moment was just too disgusting, and I just couldn't stick around to watch any more, regardless of whether by the end Marla lived, died, or was discovered to be harboring her own unborn twin. 

 

But thanks to the comments here, now I'll make a mental note to catch it one of these days on account of the Penny/Pauline/Marla Worst Of Show trifecta.

Coming soon to a screen near you: The Perfect Shitstorm. Definitely not featuring George Clooney. Or Cleopatra.

[cheatincheetos]

And every time the title card that says, "Patient [so-and-so] has found a doctor in Houston willing to help them..." comes on the screen, I have to wonder, is anyone watching thinking, "Oh, I wonder what doctor that could be?" or "Oh, I hope it's still Dr Now! He was the doctor last week." Come on! Just say they're on their way to Houston to see Dr Now and be done with the non-mystery.

They could just title the show "Dr. Now vs the Not-Nows". As in "Are you going to get out of bed and walk today?" "Not now, don't feel like it."

[ChicksDigScars]

The show seems to be following the same formula as Hoarders and other reality programming. Once you've got the viewers, you need to keep them entertained, Thus, regular storylines about people losing weight are boring. Been there, done that. We need HEAVIER participants. We need to amp up the disgusting. Thus, the "freak show" aspect of this season, as opposed to last.

 

I actually thought that we were going to end the season watching the first funeral of the show. I don't harbor much hope of success for Marla in the long, seeing that most of her family is not far from her in the weight department,

 

Please, Someone THROW OUT that deep fryer. No matter how pissed she gets,

[Madding crowd]

When I saw Marla I saw a woman who had given up on life in every way. She no longer had modesty, the will to get up or the will to have any kind of life. I felt sorry for her and for her daughters. There is no one on earth who has a goal of weighing 800 pounds and being confined in a bed. No one. And while you might think that every person suffering from depression or PTSD or other mental issues should do research and find the exact help they need, but they are not capable of doing that. And she probably was scared to stand up, she hadn't done it in a very long time. She probably had a very deep seated fear of failure.

 

My heart goes out to her and to everyone else who cannot lead a normal life due to mental and physical issues. I hope she continues to lose weight and that her daughters follow suit.

[Micks Picks]

Maddening crowd that was a lovely post. You made me fell better too, and while mine is not an overweight issue I know I have depression and definitely PTSD because of many things, and sometimes it seems that I get in the way of myself.

[notyrmomma]

Did you notice that they cut out the split (vag wash) in the super sized edition of the show.  Thank God!

[BostonBlonde]

Did you notice that they cut out the split (vag wash) in the super sized edition of the show.  Thank God!

 

 

They did? I could have sworn I saw it last night on her Supersize episode....

[non sequitur]

In an added scene, Marla was doing the Penny and making a huge salad with latex gloves from her bed.  It seemed directly copied, but maybe she normally does this.   

 

One of her goals is to visit Dollywood?  That was so random, but it's good to have goals.

[Muffyn]

They did? I could have sworn I saw it last night on her Supersize episode....

After a traumatic event you may feel you are reliving it.  Seeing that vag wash split maneuver was a traumatic event.

[Hero]

After a traumatic event you may feel you are reliving it. Seeing that vag wash split maneuver was a traumatic event.

Lol! That gave me a good laugh!

[HalcyonDays]

When I saw Marla I saw a woman who had given up on life in every way. She no longer had modesty, the will to get up or the will to have any kind of life. I felt sorry for her and for her daughters. There is no one on earth who has a goal of weighing 800 pounds and being confined in a bed. No one. And while you might think that every person suffering from depression or PTSD or other mental issues should do research and find the exact help they need, but they are not capable of doing that. And she probably was scared to stand up, she hadn't done it in a very long time. She probably had a very deep seated fear of failure.

 

My heart goes out to her and to everyone else who cannot lead a normal life due to mental and physical issues. I hope she continues to lose weight and that her daughters follow suit.

 

This post, Madding crowd, deserves all the awards...You win this thread - no, this board, for the year!!

 

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

She probably had a very deep seated fear of failure.

Then she should admit to that, instead of acting bitchy and entitled in a way that drives people away. Her attitude is doing her no favors at all.

As for the daughter switch: I suspect the first daughter was glad to have washed her hands of this harridan and be free to live her own life.

[Miss Ruth]

I think what many people thought was a catheter, was really the drainage tubes from the surgery. 

[StitchPunk]

On Friday, April 10, 2015 at 10:03 AM, Cherrio said:

              I would actually seriously question what kind of personal fetishes their execs and production crew have because no one with even the tiniest bit of common sense and decency would of ever filmed that.

The production crew likely doesn't get much say in what they film. The cinematographers for a show like this are supposed to film everything that happens. Turning off the camera because they don't like what's seen would for sure get them fired. They're just doing their job. And the executives probably have very little to do with what is exactly shown. There's no way they watch each and every show before it airs. That's not their job. The editors decide what gets put in along with directors and likely producers. We made a reality show for a class in film school and there's way more people involved than people realize. It's really not fair to blame people for things that are not their fault. It happens all the time because most people don't realize there are more than around five jobs in film. I had to make an account to point this out.

I agree that she was probably scared to walk. Kidnapping would be an incredibly traumatizing event. People seem to forget that mental health is just as important as physical health. You can't just change, even if you want to. If she wanted to change is another question altogether. 

[Kid]

On 4/8/2015 at 9:06 PM, charmed1 said:

 

Poor Sierra. The only heartbreak I felt was for her. And the other kids who had to ride to Houston with Marla and watch her nearly die. What a manipulative shrew. Sierra was p

 

Addicts don't have families,  they have hostages.  Ask any recovering alcoholic and they will tell you just that.

I just watched the follow up on Marla, and in the first half, she was just as bad with the ordering around as far as Sierra was concerned.  In addition, Sierra is well on her way to her own 600 pound story.

Edited March 12, 2017 by Kid

[Kyanight]

Wow, just saw this episode this afternoon.  I had no idea it was such an old story.  I would bet you a few boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts that Marla has passed away by now.  She wouldn't do ANYTHING to help herself.

 

EDIT:  Oh my gosh - I admit I was VERY wrong!  What a transformation!!  Unbelievable!

 

Edited January 14, 2019 by Kyanight

[DC Gal in VA]

1 hour ago, Kyanight said:

Wow, just saw this episode this afternoon.  I had no idea it was such an old story.  I would bet you a few boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts that Marla has passed away by now.  She wouldn't do ANYTHING to help herself.

 

EDIT:  Oh my gosh - I admit I was VERY wrong!  What a transformation!!  Unbelievable!

 

Wow Kyanight I saw your inquiry about her episode topic and checked online about where she is now. I saw a different photo of her and couldn't believe my eyes! I was about to post that photo but you beat me to it. What I find curious is that, in every update I read, she was referred to as currently weighing 300 pounds. Unless she's 8 foot 5, she looks significantly smaller than 300 pounds.

I am so happy for her. Wasn't sure that she would ever be this successful. Always ecstatic when these participants prove me wrong. I wish her all the best.

[CrazyInAlabama]

What a great update on Marla.    I love the success stories.  

 I hope Sierra has been doing well also.

I think Marla was one who quit Dr. Now, but went to another doctor after, and made great progress. 

Edited January 16, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[Kaj205]

I noticed....that even though this woman's entire life is a shambles and her daughters are trapped in a sort of "hell" ...somehow, Marla has a lovely, perfect manicure?? Priorities? Wow.

[suev3333]

On 4/10/2015 at 3:18 PM, HalcyonDays said:

Again, just my view. Not everyone can combat their demons as easily as those on the outside claim they should be able to. I have my own demons that I am dealing with and for someone to say to me, "just stop doing that" is such BS it isn't funny. Okay, I'll go right out and do that. *eyeroll* Yeah, sure. It doesn't work that way. The demons can be strong and they infect not only the profiled person, but also the family members around them.

Absolutely agree with you .   Tired of the,   "well just stop doing that  ( insert addictive behavior)!     Addiction wouldn't be a word if we could all just STOP.   Hope you are doing well today.   I know this is an old thread but I just watched Marla again.

[swankie]

OMG!!!  Way to go Marla!!! 👍🤗