S02.E07: Alpha 30/S02.E08: Little Big Girl Dance Class

[OnceSane]

7.

Whitney's ready to turn 31, but has second thoughts about inviting Lennie to her party to meet her family and friends on just their second date.

8.

Whitney has a job interview with the local minor-league baseball team, the Greensboro Grasshoppers. Also: Kids are now welcome in Whitney's Big Girl Dance Class, but she's shocked by what they have to say.

[ClareWalks]

Whitney was far less irritating this episode - well, these two episodes. She was a bit loud and crazy at the luau, but it looked fun and I appreciate her mentioning that she was avoiding the pasta salad to stave off the dia-bee-tus. I did wonder if she was hitting the tropical drinks, though. Those are the silent killers. Liked her date in the coconut bra. He at least has a sense of humor.

 

The second episode with the No Body Shame Campaign was better. She was good with the kids and didn't demonize the bullies too much, which is good. As she pointed out, everyone has made fun of someone, and it's just key to understand the reasons they do it and not seek the approval of others too much. I thought she did well in the job interview too but not knowing innings or quarters was insane. Like, actually insane. How someone can grow up on planet Earth (at least, in a colonized part of it) and not know that baseball games have innings is astonishing.

[Dirtybubble]

 

I enjoyed these episodes as well:

 

The Birthday Party:  enh I'm still not sold on Whitney's new boyfriend.  He seemed super, super nervous at the party (which is totally understandable) but IDK, something about him just doesn't sit well with me.  I liked the luau themed party and the dance done at the end.  I wonder if there was an open bar; the margaritas were a nice touch and I had to laugh at Whitney's dad getting a little tipsy.

 

The 2nd episode:  I liked this one as well.  Talking to the kids was nice and I like the idea of having a separate class for kids. 

 

Not enough Baps though!  =(

[bichonblitz]

I like Whitney's parents a whole lot more than I like Whitney. That girl just grates....

[ShowsILoveToHate]

Whitney is a goofball, there's no doubt about that.  But when they show the videos from her childhood, she was *always* that way, just a fun-loving person who laughed a lot. :)

 

That kind of puts her personality into perspective for me.  She's not just showing off for the cameras; this is truly her personality.  I am really enjoying this season so far.  It's nice to see an upbeat, positive person going through the ups and downs of life.  And of course there has to be "story lines" so that the producers and editors can put together a cohesive episode.

 

Anyway, I'm glad she moved out.  It's clear that she feels really good about that.  And she looks to me like she's lost some weight. 

[MrHufflepuff]

The second episode with the No Body Shame Campaign was better. She was good with the kids and didn't demonize the bullies too much, which is good. As she pointed out, everyone has made fun of someone, and it's just key to understand the reasons they do it and not seek the approval of others too much. I thought she did well in the job interview too but not knowing innings or quarters was insane. Like, actually insane. How someone can grow up on planet Earth (at least, in a colonized part of it) and not know that baseball games have innings is astonishing.

 

Yeah, she should have known what innings were.  Because, at the very least, she should have read the wikipedia article on baseball before she went in for the interview.  Even better would have been for her to read some local news articles about the team.  "Quick study" my ass.  To me, she came of as incredibly lazy and entitled in that scene.  But, I'm sure the team would love the free publicity from this show, so she can half-ass her way through a job interview and still get a job.

 

But, I agree, the stuff with the kids was pretty good.

[Christi]

Her smile is so genuine...it honestly makes me smile...but Im a weirdo lol

[suzeecat]

I don't know why I noticed or why I even cared, but I cringed when Whitney left the interview and only shook the hand of one of the three people there.

 

My heart just melted right away when Whitney's dad spoke about watching her mother doing the hula dance with the flower in her hair.  That was so sweet. 

[Snarklepuss]

It looks like Babs needs to learn from Whitney's message about body acceptance.  Her horrified expression at her daughter's nude figure bothered me a little bit - It's her own daughter, after all.  She sees her in tight fitting spandex often enough, she shouldn't be so shocked to see her figure unclothed.  Whitney may be loud and obnoxious at times but she does have a serious message to offer and an ability to connect with young people.  As much as I find her ill mannered and a host of other annoying things, what she is attempting to do is truly admirable.  I hope she is able to succeed with it.  Her new love interest - meh, he seems OK but here we go with a guy with no real career.  She says she finds him handsome - How can she tell with all that hair covering his face?  At times this show is sweet and others the mind boggles, but I do have to say it has a positive message and for that I appreciate it.  Whitney may be quirky and at times hard to take, but she seems like a good egg.

 

ETA:  I wanted to add that I thought she should have eaten some of the birthday food.  Diets are prone to fail if you don't allow yourself cheat days every once in a while like on big occasions such as your own birthday party.  I understand that she is being ultra good to avoid diabetes, but one day here or there of a few off-diet things will not hurt.  Plus diabetics can eat pasta salad once in a while. I don't know why she needs to make such a big issue about pasta.  I suppose it's a slippery slope thing with her but she needs to learn to allow one day every once in a while for her favorite foods.  I spent over 2 decades avoiding my favorite foods and to be honest I don't think I needed to be quite that severe.  I could have had a "cheat day" once a month or something with no ill effects.  Looking back on it, life's too short to go completely without these things.

Edited October 3, 2015 by Snarklepuss

[Snarklepuss]

Gimi, I think Whitney would have that issue no matter where she looked for love given how a guy would have to be into "BBWs" specifically and sorry to say that it limits her pool of suiters quite a bit right off the bat, unfortunately.  I think she basically has to resort to going online to widen the pool enough to find someone.  Also, I think now most young people consider online dating a good way to meet someone and fully one third of all marriages now begin with online dating.

[RCharter]

Gimi, I think Whitney would have that issue no matter where she looked for love given how a guy would have to be into "BBWs" specifically and sorry to say that it limits her pool of suiters quite a bit right off the bat, unfortunately.  I think she basically has to resort to going online to widen the pool enough to find someone.  Also, I think now most young people consider online dating a good way to meet someone and fully one third of all marriages now begin with online dating.

 

I think online dating is just different than it used to be.  My sister met her husband of nearly 10 years online.  

[Snarklepuss]

I think online dating is just different than it used to be.  My sister met her husband of nearly 10 years online.  

 

I think that as more people have gotten into online dating the pickin's have gotten better.  Plus younger people who grew up with the internet don't have the fear and suspicion about meeting people that way that older people did.  So as more people joined the pool of available people increased and actually improved since a lot of "nice" people who were discouraged from joining by friends and relatives weren't as afraid to pursue that avenue.  If they see all their friends doing it, what could be so bad about it?  So they actually improved it by making it acceptable.

Edited October 4, 2015 by Snarklepuss

[Autumn0516]

In the first date episode, it was mentioned that even though they met online, they had mutual friends. Buddy knew him from before as well. So I think that kind of helps the online dating = creepy factor. That doesn't mean he may not be in it for the "fame", but whatever. I have a major crush on Buddy. He seems pretty genuine.

I feared up when she was talking at the school.

[bref]

I liked her a lot in the school scene, too. And those kids in her dance class were killing me. :(

 

I have a crush on Buddy, too. WTF is the matter with Whitney that she doesn't see what's right in front of her?? (I know, I know, she says she's considered and rejected more than a friendship. Obviously a bad decision!) 

[deedee2]

This show bugs me and I just can't warm up to Whitney. How does one 'work so hard' at dieting and exercising and gain 10 lbs?? That's not how things go when you 'work so hard'. And then bawling because she's hungry? I mean, I get being seriously cranky when trying to lose weight (believe me, I get it!),  but you don't get to sob over being hungry when you're gaining weight on your diet!! Am I being too harsh?

[Alapaki]

This show bugs me and I just can't warm up to Whitney. How does one 'work so hard' at dieting and exercising and gain 10 lbs?? That's not how things go when you 'work so hard'. And then bawling because she's hungry? I mean, I get being seriously cranky when trying to lose weight (believe me, I get it!),  but you don't get to sob over being hungry when you're gaining weight on your diet!! Am I being too harsh?

 

 

I don't think you're being too harsh based on what we've been shown.  

 

I understand that "calories-in-calories-out" is a fallacy, and that PCOS screws with the metabolism (my wife was diagnosed after childbirth).  

 

But, for as much as Whitney relies upon PCOS as the cause of her size, and for the extent to which she purports to be concerned about "getting a message out there", I've heard her say remarkably little about what specifically she's doing for her PCOS.

 

Is she seeing an endocrinologist?  Is she under any medical treatment for her PCOS (Metformin, hormone-therapy, or otherwise)?  The visits to the nutritionist are really pointless (from a viewing perspective).  And between talking about not eating at her Birthday Party and apparently going completely cold-turkey on Pasta, it sounds like she's either getting not-great nutritional guidance, or she's not following the guidance she's being given.

[deedee2]

I don't think you're being too harsh based on what we've been shown.  

 

I understand that "calories-in-calories-out" is a fallacy, and that PCOS screws with the metabolism (my wife was diagnosed after childbirth).  

 

In broad strokes, calories-in-calories-out is still the only way to lose weight. You can play around with protein and carbs, meal times, and food combining, but ultimately, you need to burn more than you take in. Sitting in the car, feeling sorry for yourself, and crying into a tub of ice-cream (!) will not do the trick - and PCOS is not responsible for those kind of choices.

[RCharter]

In broad strokes, calories-in-calories-out is still the only way to lose weight. You can play around with protein and carbs, meal times, and food combining, but ultimately, you need to burn more than you take in. Sitting in the car, feeling sorry for yourself, and crying into a tub of ice-cream (!) will not do the trick - and PCOS is not responsible for those kind of choices.

I think in large part that is true, but you have to also watch what is in your calories in.  A while ago, I remember eating soups that were, at most, 200 calories and I wondered why I felt so bloated that it made me unable to run.  I took to the internet and realized that even though soups are low in calories they are sky high in sodium.  Even low sodium soups are high in sodium, but regular soups or even low calorie soups are fantastically high in sodium.  I pretty much gave up on soup, but since I came down with a cold earlier this week I thought about buying some soup since I heard the sodium can be helpful.  I forgot how crazy high soup is in sodium -- like 29-40% of your daily recommended amount of sodium per serving!  Which comes out to appx 60-80% for a can with 2 servings!

 

So, I think you could easily think that eating soup would be good calorically -- I mean, you can eat 3-4 cans of soup and still be eating under 1000 calories, but you would be getting over 300% the amount of sodium, which would have to make you bloated and cause you to retain weight no matter what.  

 

IMO.

 

However, I've always thought that Whitney secret eats, because at her size if you're doing any sort of movement or dance your body should be dropping weight, even if you're just eating a regular amount of food and not dieting.  And if you're dieting and exercising?  You should really be losing weight.  Even if you're eating a bunch of soup.  Gaining 10 pounds at her size doesn't seem possible if she is dieting and exercising.  

[deedee2]

So, I think you could easily think that eating soup would be good calorically -- I mean, you can eat 3-4 cans of soup and still be eating under 1000 calories, but you would be getting over 300% the amount of sodium, which would have to make you bloated and cause you to retain weight no matter what. 

 

IMO.

 

However, I've always thought that Whitney secret eats, because at her size if you're doing any sort of movement or dance your body should be dropping weight, even if you're just eating a regular amount of food and not dieting.  And if you're dieting and exercising?  You should really be losing weight.  Even if you're eating a bunch of soup.  Gaining 10 pounds at her size doesn't seem possible if she is dieting and exercising.  

Yeah, sodium will retain water, but that's not body weight, that's bloat.

 

No doubt Whitney underestimates how much she eats. She needs to keep an honest food journal for a couple of weeks, and face reality. Then she needs to get some useful nutrition advice and a solid eating plan. She needs to start cooking from scratch and using fresh ingredients.

 

I know I said this last season, but I'd enjoy the show a whole lot more if she just got focused on either accepting her size and embracing the amount she eats with no apology, or getting on a weight loss and fitness plan and stop the whining. It's annoying.

[RCharter]

Yeah, sodium will retain water, but that's not body weight, that's bloat.

 

No doubt Whitney underestimates how much she eats. She needs to keep an honest food journal for a couple of weeks, and face reality. Then she needs to get some useful nutrition advice and a solid eating plan. She needs to start cooking from scratch and using fresh ingredients.

 

I know I said this last season, but I'd enjoy the show a whole lot more if she just got focused on either accepting her size and embracing the amount she eats with no apology, or getting on a weight loss and fitness plan and stop the whining. It's annoying.

I agree.  I don't even think its a matter of facing reality.  I imagine she knows exactly what she is eating -- but she wants to eat it and she doesn't want to face the consequences.  A food diary is a great tool for someone who is mindlessly eating and may not realize that they pick up a handful of m&m's here or there.  Or maybe even for someone who eat ice cream out of the tub and assumes they are only eating one serving.  But I truly think Whitney just eats whatever she wants to eat in secret because she isn't necessarily interested in really losing the weight.  She is more interested in being able to complain about how unfair life is because she is fat, even though she diets and exercises, so it all must be the fault of PCOS and its not her fault.  I honestly don't think that she is at the rock bottom yet where she is really motivated to lose weight.  

[deedee2]

I agree.  I don't even think its a matter of facing reality.  I imagine she knows exactly what she is eating -- but she wants to eat it and she doesn't want to face the consequences.  A food diary is a great tool for someone who is mindlessly eating and may not realize that they pick up a handful of m&m's here or there.  Or maybe even for someone who eat ice cream out of the tub and assumes they are only eating one serving.  But I truly think Whitney just eats whatever she wants to eat in secret because she isn't necessarily interested in really losing the weight.  She is more interested in being able to complain about how unfair life is because she is fat, even though she diets and exercises, so it all must be the fault of PCOS and its not her fault.  I honestly don't think that she is at the rock bottom yet where she is really motivated to lose weight.  

True, she most likely knows what she's eating. The food journal (if it's totally honest), is still a great tool, though. A nutritionist can analyze it and break down the numbers in a way that can shock a person into reality. If Whitney thinks she's eating only 2,000 or 2,500 calories, but her food journal suggests it's more like 7,000, then a light bulb might go off and she'll realize that the late-night, stand-at-the-fridge, only-three-spoonfuls of mac & cheese adds up!!

 

But I agree with you: she hasn't hit rock bottom yet, hence the endless stream of whiny excuses for why she can't lose weight.

[Alapaki]

I know I said this last season, but I'd enjoy the show a whole lot more if she just got focused on either accepting her size and embracing the amount she eats with no apology, or getting on a weight loss and fitness plan and stop the whining. It's annoying.

 

 

She is more interested in being able to complain about how unfair life is because she is fat, even though she diets and exercises, so it all must be the fault of PCOS and its not her fault.  I honestly don't think that she is at the rock bottom yet where she is really motivated to lose weight.

 

 

I think there is a lot of truth to both of these.

 

On the one hand, no matter how much she says it, I think Whitney is absolutely not "comfortable in her skin".  If she was, she wouldn't bother "blaming" her size on the PCOS.  

 

At the same time, I do think she's somewhat invested in being "the big girl".  I do think she's attached to her identity as someone who "really is thin" but "got fat because of PCOS" and now has to face all of the struggles.  

 

The entire way she approached that job interview, and the way she conducted herself on her first day on the job showed me that Whitney has a huge sense of entitlement

[leighroda]

I don't think you're being too harsh based on what we've been shown.

I understand that "calories-in-calories-out" is a fallacy, and that PCOS screws with the metabolism (my wife was diagnosed after childbirth).

But, for as much as Whitney relies upon PCOS as the cause of her size, and for the extent to which she purports to be concerned about "getting a message out there", I've heard her say remarkably little about what specifically she's doing for her PCOS.

Is she seeing an endocrinologist? Is she under any medical treatment for her PCOS (Metformin, hormone-therapy, or otherwise)? The visits to the nutritionist are really pointless (from a viewing perspective). And between talking about not eating at her Birthday Party and apparently going completely cold-turkey on Pasta, it sounds like she's either getting not-great nutritional guidance, or she's not following the guidance she's being given.

I think she is not following the advice, at one point ( I'm nots sure if it was this episode) the nutritionist even said not to completely cut out carbs, but Whitney continued to say no carbs (although what she said may not be what she does)

Part of what I don't understand is that she consistently says how she gained all the weight when she was in college, but then she references being picked on when she was 10... Which is it? I mean I get that kids can be cruel and will pick on even a thin person by calling them fat, and maybe she has always been heavy but the pcos made it worse, but in my opinion it feels like she is trying to have it both ways, that she struggled with her weight her whole life, but the weight gain came out of nowhere and she didn't know how to handle it.

Honestly I don't think the pcos is as much of the issue as she makes it out to be. I'm probably going to get hate for this opinion, but to me it were truly pcos (which for sure is a problem, I'm not saying it doesn't exist) she wouldn't struggle so much with the food side of gaining weight. Meaning that cutting out all of the foods and dieting would not be the huge issue it clearly is for her. I know with pcos you gain no matter what, but she has also shown many times that her diet consists of a lot of junk food... I don't feel like I can explain this clearly, but all of that to say if her diet were healthy and she was still gaining the weight, then absolutely blame pcos, but she seems to cheat and cut corners frequently when it comes to her diet, but then acts shocked she gained weight.

[RCharter]

I think she is not following the advice, at one point ( I'm nots sure if it was this episode) the nutritionist even said not to completely cut out carbs, but Whitney continued to say no carbs (although what she said may not be what she does)

Part of what I don't understand is that she consistently says how she gained all the weight when she was in college, but then she references being picked on when she was 10... Which is it? I mean I get that kids can be cruel and will pick on even a thin person by calling them fat, and maybe she has always been heavy but the pcos made it worse, but in my opinion it feels like she is trying to have it both ways, that she struggled with her weight her whole life, but the weight gain came out of nowhere and she didn't know how to handle it.

Honestly I don't think the pcos is as much of the issue as she makes it out to be. I'm probably going to get hate for this opinion, but to me it were truly pcos (which for sure is a problem, I'm not saying it doesn't exist) she wouldn't struggle so much with the food side of gaining weight. Meaning that cutting out all of the foods and dieting would not be the huge issue it clearly is for her. I know with pcos you gain no matter what, but she has also shown many times that her diet consists of a lot of junk food... I don't feel like I can explain this clearly, but all of that to say if her diet were healthy and she was still gaining the weight, then absolutely blame pcos, but she seems to cheat and cut corners frequently when it comes to her diet, but then acts shocked she gained weight.

I actually think your POV makes perfect sense, so no hate here!