S05.E07: Tiffany (aka 'Pearls')

[Chip]

Tiffany, an autism activist and single mother of an autistic teenager, battles her past history of eating disorders and negative food choices so she can live a longer life and continue to parent her son.

[Brooklynista]

Absolutely not loving the increased Heidi. Nope.

[WhineandCheez]

And from the" Does A Bear Shit In The Woods File" we find out that Heidi had/has an eating disorder.  Say it isn't so!!

 

I didn't like how Pearls was emotionally manipulating her actual son, to get him riled up about not seeing his "brother" anymore. I don't know if I at all feel the ex made a wrong decision about not allowing her to continue a relationship with his son. 

[Ketzel]

As soon as I realized that Heidi and Chris had reversed roles for this episode, I bailed. But I did see Heidi making an overweight, out-of-shape woman run a 5K in inappropriate clothing, with no warning, as an apparent hazing ritual for getting picked for the show. I also saw the same woman diagnosed with a medial meniscus tear in one of her knees a few weeks later, and Heidi making no connection whatsoever between that pavement-pounding run, and the Heidi-imposed subsequent exercise routines, and the injury. Personality aside, I find Heidi a shockingly bad trainer on a technical level.

Edited July 22, 2015 by Ketzel

[ShowsILoveToHate]

I don 't disagree with the above posters regarding Heidi.  I don't dislike Heidi as much as a lot of you do, but I didn't think that having her run a 5K with no prior warning, and in JEANS (the chafing!) was a good idea.

 

But regarding Pearls, I think she did such a good job with her weight loss.  I do agree regarding her former step-son; there really is no point trying to continually pursue a relationship with him at this point.  Who knows, just like with an adoption, maybe the step-son will seek her out when he's an adult. 

 

I give her a lot of credit for how devoted to her son that she is, and the autism community. 

 

The thing is, when I watch this show, I try to concentrate on the contestant, and not the trainers. lol

[ethalfrida]

I don 't disagree with the above posters regarding Heidi.  I don't dislike Heidi as much as a lot of you do, but I didn't think that having her run a 5K with no prior warning, and in JEANS (the chafing!) was a good idea.

 

OMG, I didn't watch it yet but will. A 5K is not easy for someone who actually trained to do their first one.

[MakeMeLaugh]

I would hate to be on this show and for the big reveal, have Heidi precede me on the runway in a short dress over her underweight frame. But I probably would have quit as soon as I learned Heidi would be in charge.

 

Last week Heidi called the contestant out for eating too many calories and not losing weight. This week Chris suggests to the contestant that she eat more calories to shake things up a little and kickstart the weight loss. Do either of them really know anything about this--trainers, yes, but the chemistry and science of weight management?

Edited July 22, 2015 by MakeMeLaugh

[jonesingjay]

Geeze, make a obese woman run a 5k without any preparation and in jeans! Then have her strip down to her underwear afterwards. Unecessary and humiliating!

[Shelby]

Hey Chris Powell - you seem like a nice guy, and a great husband, but you've given away your show to your harpie of a wife and now your show blows. Fine, you see something in her (No clue what), but the rest of us see an annoying, implanted, peroxide bimbo who doesn't give us any confidence in her training ability.

You used to have a nice show! This Heidi-led episode was unwatchable, even with TiVo and FF, because of you forcing your wife on the viewers.

For the sake of this show... Chris, ABC, ditch stupid Heidi! Heidi, be a good wife and get your own career and quit taking advantage of Chris' support and kindness!

[gryphon]

Word, Shelby.  

 

I am glad that Harpi  suggested swimming...but I wish they would have left the step-son drama out of it.  

A 5K in jeans in Texas?  That is torture.  Chafing galore. 

High heel run? I cringe at the damage that could do to a person--back, legs, feet....glad it wasn't that long...but still.  

[ClareWalks]

Hi everyone! I have been lurking for a while, but Heidi has inspired me to not just curse her in my living room, but actually create an account and respond on the boards. I am an ASCM certified personal trainer, have been for 7 years, so I come at this from the perspective of a "fellow" fitness "professional" (I need a lot of air-quotes when talking about Heidi Powell). 

 

People have asked what the hell qualifies the Powells to give nutrition advice. I would like to know this, also, since personal trainers are NOT qualified to give diet plans or specific nutrition advice. It is in fact illegal for us to do so. We can give very general advice such as how many calories to aim for, staying hydrated, and maybe generally "eat healthy foods like veggies/fruit." Anything more specific, we must refer the client to a registered dietician. There are certifications that include nutrition education sufficient for advising on the topic, but I am 100% certain that Heidi (at least, possibly Chris too) does not have them. Heidi's claims that fewer calories = better weight loss demonstrates this. They both seem to have CrossFit training certifications, which I would not respect professionally. Anything that is attached to a specific gym or program tends to have "cash grab" written all over it. 

 

Heidi and Chris constantly berate clients for not losing "enough weight," particularly in the first 90 days. It is beyond unprofessional and completely counterproductive, if the long-term goal is lifestyle change as they claim it is. Also, pushing the client to run the entire 5K almost certainly caused the meniscus tear. Walking the 5K would have been a tough but reasonable challenge. Running it was STUPID. 

[CaughtOnTape]

This week Chris suggests to the contestant that she eat more calories to shake things up a little and kickstart the weight loss. Do either of them really know anything about this--trainers, yes, but the chemistry and science of weight management?

 

This is actually advice that I am currently being given by my nutritionist and trainer.  Both have degrees in their chosen fields and have document proof of other's accomplishments while adhering to their advice.  

I am currently on a meal plan where I eat around 1700-1800 calories 6 days a week.  Fridays are my cheat meal days.  I eat whatever I want for one meal.  Those are also the days where I train the hardest.  

So yes, that is a proven fact that eating more calories can and does kick start a weight loss.  Every person is different.  My friend on the same meal plan that I'm on does not have cheat meals, she has not lost or gained any more weight than I have.

Edited July 23, 2015 by CaughtOnTape

[ClareWalks]

CaughtOnTape that is definitely great advice you are getting! I have also had clients have much more success losing weight by adding calories, especially when they are less than 20 lb over their goal weight. I noticed Heidi abandoned her "eat less! No matter what!" mantra when presented with an ED client. Thank god. 

 

Things they did wrong this episode: making her run the 5K; claiming stair-stepping is low impact (maybe on the way up, but sure as hell not on the way down); not getting Pearls (or not showing Pearls getting) therapy for her food issues; encouraging a woman with a torn meniscus to do a high-heels run; not doing enough follow-through with Pearls (or again, not showing it) to make sure her diet was adequate for her needs.

 

Things they did right: I actually loved the "cheese puff baby" idea, although I would not have forced her to carry it everywhere with her. Or at least made her carry around a smaller bag. I also liked that they let Pearls set her own weight loss goal...although Chris then dismissed it as "taking the easy way out," because he's kind of a prick.

 

Pearls had a fantastic attitude and would be a desirable client for any trainer. She was such an easy client that Heidi could handle her ;)

[ChicagoCita]

Heidi just bugs.  She needs some color -- the clear lipstick and the tan and the nearly white hair just make her look washed out.  Chris seems to have a real sweetness about him, but Heidi, like most people, lacks his level of compassion and charisma.  You know that line about, you've got to stop trying to make "fetch" happen?  That's how I feel about Heidi.  Stop it, she's never going to happen.  Her all-encompassing expression is "WOW," and she appears to lack compassion, at least on screen.  Between hitting last week's lady in the face, and forcing Pearls to run a 5K even though she was close to passing out, she seems more like a torturer than a helper.

 

I'm not very familiar with autism, but Pearls's son -- for all they talked about his autism -- seemed to be missing all the things I've ever read (again, not much) about autism.  He had empathy for his mother, he appeared outgoing and not withdrawn, he seemed to pick up on social cues.  I realize that there are different places on the spectrum, and I'm not judging at all.  I just think if they hadn't spoken constantly about his autism, I would have never given it another thought.  If anything, he seems like one of the sweetest, most supportive kids they've ever shown.

 

As for her stepson, I have to hand it to the father for sticking to his principles and not allowing the contact to happen.  Obviously we don't know what went on in the marriage, but the father seemed have his son's best interests at heart rather than the motivation of being punitive to Pearls.  Maybe the boy has severe separation anxiety and seeing her sets him back. Maybe he doesn't want to see her. We don't know. I do hope there's a reunion at some point in their lives.  (After my dad died, I told my stepmother she was stuck with me, too bad, so sad if she didn't like it.  Of course, she's been my stepmom since 1967, so it's a very different situation!)

 

Pearls looked lovely at the end.  She had such a pear shape to begin with that I was very impressed with her "after" figure. Whatever issues I have with Chris and particularly Heidi's training, they do get spectacular results.

Edited July 24, 2015 by ChicagoCita

[SmithW6079]

Whatever issues I have with Chris and particularly Heidi's training, they do get spectacular results.

 

You mean the final weigh-in? The participants are probably wearing so many tight-fitting garments that it can't help but look impressive. Notice that they never weigh the participants shirtless (or, for women, in sports bars) and shorts at the final weigh-in. To me, that's the real "tell" of how much progress someone has made.

[ChicagoCita]

You mean the final weigh-in? The participants are probably wearing so many tight-fitting garments that it can't help but look impressive.

 

I think it's more than that.  I've lost in excess of 80 pounds, and flab is gonna happen. No way around it.  I've still got another 100 or so to go, and I guarantee you, if you put me in ten pairs of the most powerful Spanx on the planet right now, I'd still look like I have a lot of weight to lose.  Pearls's pear-shape was impossible to ignore, right up until the end.  When I look at the people "before" they look so hopeless, and by the end they are glowing with health.  That's not obtainable by Spanx.

 

I know from looking at my own body that there will be loose skin, there will be scars, that no one will want to pose me for a centerfold. But most of the people trained by the Powells look proportional, they glow, and they're stronger and more fit.  As I said, I don't like all their methods, but I do like the results.

[Shelby]

I think it's more than that. I've lost in excess of 80 pounds, and flab is gonna happen. No way around it. I've still got another 100 or so to go, and I guarantee you, if you put me in ten pairs of the most powerful Spanx on the planet right now, I'd still look like I have a lot of weight to lose. Pearls's pear-shape was impossible to ignore, right up until the end. When I look at the people "before" they look so hopeless, and by the end they are glowing with health. That's not obtainable by Spanx.

I know from looking at my own body that there will be loose skin, there will be scars, that no one will want to pose me for a centerfold. But most of the people trained by the Powells look proportional, they glow, and they're stronger and more fit. As I said, I don't like all their methods, but I do like the results.

Congratualtions on your weight loss, CC!

Ita about Heidi being over tanned, over bleached, and looking washed out. Her beauty choices and state of underweight really age her.

With regard to Pearls (I hate that name, I was hoping it would go when her weight went), I suspect she lost all her pear-ness due to skin surgery. No way she got that proportionate through excercise or 100 Spanx. That mess needed to be hacked off.

[backformore]

Geeze, make a obese woman run a 5k without any preparation and in jeans! Then have her strip down to her underwear afterwards. Unecessary and humiliating!

They always start with the public humiliation of a weigh-in.  Hell, I don't like weighing myself in front of people at the gym.  I am nowhere near Tiffany's size, but I think I'd tear something in my knee if I ran a 5K.   (I could walk it with no problem)   If you don't run, AND you're more than 100 pounds overweight, running a 5K is sure way to injure your knees.  That, and running up an down stairs in a stadium.

 

AND - don't run in high heels!   especially when you've already hurt your knee!  Why not just add a sprained ankle?

[ethalfrida]

And has this society become so immodest that we force chilren to look at a grown woman stripped down to her underwear? That little boy must have going "yuck"! Actually, I don't want to see grown women stripped down to their underwear myself.

[editorgrrl]

Tiffany blogs at putyourpearlson.com, she tweets @tiffypearls, and here's her Instagram: instagram.com/putyourpearlson

[CaughtOnTape]

And has this society become so immodest that we force chilren to look at a grown woman stripped down to her underwear? That little boy must have going "yuck"! Actually, I don't want to see grown women stripped down to their underwear myself.

 

It's underwear.

And should children be shielded from what people look like under their clothing?  We all have the same parts.  

Not to mention, I find it to be pretty brave of these people to strip down and show themselves in front of people as well as on TV.  The only reason they should be insecure about it is if someone's judging them and really, if you can judge someone who is obviously dealing with some serious crap at a time like that....that says more about you then it does about them doesn't it?

If you don't want to look, change the channel, fast forward through that part or turn your head.  It's not THEM with the problem, it's society who thinks looking at someone overweight is shameful.  These people have issues that cause them to eat.  It's a disease and should be regarded as such.  Would you turn away from a cancer patient without hair?  

[ethalfrida]

My concern is for modesty only. 

[backformore]

Not only do I not want to see people stripped down to their underwear, I wouldn't do it myself, no matter what the pay-off.   There is no reason, other than sensationalizing it, to have an overweight person have to appear in public, with their extra flesh showing.   It's not the same as when women post photos of their "curvy'  looks online.  This is public, in daylight, in front of people you work with, and broadcast on TV - in your underwear!  

 

If I was talked into that somehow, I think after the show I would have to change my identity and move to another town. 

 

The people who see my in my underwear -  husband, medical professionals, and ladies at the gym.  That's it.  It's not a matter of shame, it's modesty.

[CaughtOnTape]

Ok, but just because you see it that way doesn't mean it needs to stop or that others do.

If these people had a problem with it, they are able to voice it.  This idea that these contestants on these weight loss shows don't utter a single word in their defense is rather off putting.  They're adults and can speak up if they're against showing themselves off in that way.

 

And there is a reason for it.  These people have spent their lives hiding from their inner demons and pushing down their emotions with food.  Stripping down in front of people you know means you can't hide it anymore.  This is what you've done to yourself.  Why do you think people post before and after pictures of themselves in their underwear online?  So they can see how far they've come and also warn themselves of how easily they got to where they were.

 

Yes, it's sensationalizing it.  Because if you ask me, that's what these people need.  When you have ballooned up to over 300 lbs, SOMETHING needs to shake you out of your fog.  

I'm not speaking out of inexperience either.  I was overweight, the struggle to get healthy is not easy.  Shedding myself of my fears and doubts is when I finally started to lose the weight and make a change.  Letting people see what you've done to yourself is a step in that direction.

 

And use whichever word you want.  Modesty, shame...it is still asking these people to hide themselves because YOU don't want to see it.

[backformore]

And use whichever word you want.  Modesty, shame...it is still asking these people to hide themselves because YOU don't want to see it.

 

No, it's not because I don't want to see it - it's  because I am embarrassed FOR them, at feeling they have to strip down. Stripping down to underwear in public is what you would do if you wanted to humiliate someone, not help them.  There's a loss of dignity involved. 

 

 I'm not sure that any of these people feel strong enough to refuse - or possibly, feel if they DO refuse, they miss out on the chance to go on the "weight loss journey".   

[CaughtOnTape]

No, it's not because I don't want to see it - it's  because I am embarrassed FOR them, at feeling they have to strip down. Stripping down to underwear in public is what you would do if you wanted to humiliate someone, not help them.  There's a loss of dignity involved. 

 

 I'm not sure that any of these people feel strong enough to refuse - or possibly, feel if they DO refuse, they miss out on the chance to go on the "weight loss journey".   

 

Well (and I'm really not trying to be an asshole, I just don't know any other way to say it), but if they're not embarrassed then who are you to be embarrassed for them?  Why should they be embarrassed?  This whole country has an obesity problem, they aren't any different.  I think this is being looked at in a totally negative way and it shouldn't be.  Stripping down to your skivvies and letting the world see what you've done to yourself is freeing.  Especially when you come out the other side and can say you made it through.

I'm not embarrassed for them.  I think they're amazing people who are taking a leap of faith that is scaring the hell out of them.  And really, out of everything they're about to do, stripping down to their undies in front of people is probably the least scary thing for them.  They're about to leave their comfort zone.  Their families, their children, their spouses, their homes, their jobs and try something they're not sure they can do.  

 

It's also quite an assumption to make that these people can't find their voices to say they'd rather not film that particular part of the episode because their afraid the producers will then deny them their shot.  There's a camera crew and a pretty extensive setup happening.  I doubt producers would just pack up and skip town if someone said they wanted to weigh in with their t-shirt on.

Guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this point.  I don't have a problem with them stripping down to their undies.  Apparently either do they since 9 times out of ten the reason they're crying is not because they're in their underwear but because of the number that pops up on the scale.

[Chip]

Let's make sure that this conversation stays on topic about the Pearls episode. I think agreeing to disagree is the best course for the underwear weigh-in topic.

[jonesingjay]

They always start with the public humiliation of a weigh-in.

 

I wonder why they do that. Has that been something they've used on and off since season one? I really can't remember. 

Edited July 28, 2015 by jonesingjay

[gardendiva]

I don't understand how Heidi is able to sell herself as some sort of eating disorder expert or guru. The photos taken from her younger years, supposedly to show "how bad it got" with her eating disorder confused me. She clearly is even thinner now, after becoming an adult and having had several children. How can she not see how underweight she is? She appears to be much more scary-skinny now than when she was a cheerleader.