S02.E09: First Day on the Job/S02.E10: Fighting the Scale

[RCharter]

I think obese people are made to feel that if they are eating anything other than tiny portions of mostly lean meats, vegetables and fruits that they are "not eating right".  Well, what about the majority of the population that is able to "not eat right" but never gets called on it because they don't get fat?  I personally don't think Whitney eats that much more than the typical woman of her height/age, it's just that it shows more on her because of her medical issues.  Plus nobody can argue that she isn't active enough.  I'm just tired of Whitney being seen as the sole cause of the problem when she has a freaking metabolic issue that impacts everyone who has it differently.  It's starting to look like fat shaming to me, and I'm sorry but I have a hot button with that.  I know what it's like to eat like a freaking bird, exercise and still be a size 16.  So I know it's possible for Whitney to have her issues and NOT be a "binge eater" or whatever.

I know you have your experiences with metabolic disorders, but even at a size 16 you're much, much smaller than Whitney.

 

I truly believe that Whitney secret eats.  She hasn't really hit rock bottom yet to make those tough lifestyle changes.  The thing that Whitney seems to want the most out of life is to not be judged -- not particularly to lose weight.  If you feel like you don't want to be judged, but you really want to eat what you want to eat it makes sense to eat in secret.  She has been around her parents for years, and her parents, while they mean well, are worried about her weight and so they try to help.  I think Whitney sees that as judgment and because she doesn't particularly want to change her lifestyle (IMO) I could see where she learned to eat in secret from her parents.  I could almost feel her dread when her dad was poking around her car, because I would bet there are discarded fast food bags in there.

 

And she has said that she did eat alot in college and began to gain the weight.  I think those habits are hard to break unless you have hit rock bottom and you really want to make those changes.

 

There are people who eat terribly and manage to stay skinny -- but in my experience those people are few and far between.  Most people who are able to maintain a healthy body weight have to put some work into it and have to deprive themselves to some degree.  

[ClareWalks]

Everyone has a cross to bear. Is it fair that some people can eat 10,000 calories a day of disgusting crap and not gain an ounce, while others can just look at a cheesecake and be overweight? Of course not. But everyone has to deal with what they're given. For example, I inherited horrible foot structure and as a result I cannot jog faster than a 13-minute mile without extreme shin splints and stress fractures. When I wanted to finish a marathon, did I just whine about how unfair it is that I have horrible genetics? No, I started racewalking, got fewer injuries, and completed my goal. It took me a bit longer but I got there because I worked with my strengths and worked around my weaknesses. In order to do that, someone has to take a fearless inventory of their own strengths and weaknesses, and Whitney is in total denial of her role in her size. Not really sure why saying so is considered victim-blaming. Whitney is not a victim. She is a woman with issues and she can address them if she chooses to.

[Snarklepuss]

Clarewalks, everyone has to deal with what they're given, but when someone is given a pile of crap that most people would not be able to deal with, I think some sympathy should be shown to them.  I think it's hypocrisy to show sympathy to people with diseases and other disadvantages but not to obese people.  In the US we have a culture of hatred for obese people without even caring about what's causing it, it's always their fault, even though doctors have already said that most of it is in the genes and that it is a disease, people still blame the victims.  There is often very little one can control about one's weight or else 90% of people who go on diets wouldn't gain it all back.  They're all not lazy slobs like people think they are.  A lot of them have legitimate issues that make managing their weight ten times harder than for other people.

Edited October 14, 2015 by Snarklepuss

[ClareWalks]

Clarewalks, everyone has to deal with what they're given, but when someone is given a pile of crap that most people would not be able to deal with, I think some sympathy should be shown to them.  I think it's hypocrisy to show sympathy to people with diseases and other disadvantages but not to obese people.  In the US we have a culture of hatred for obese people without even caring about what's causing it, it's always their fault, even though doctors have already said that most of it is in the genes and that it is a disease, people still blame the victims.  There is often very little one can control about one's weight or else 90% of people who go on diets wouldn't gain it all back.  They're all not lazy slobs like people think they are.  A lot of them have legitimate issues that make managing their weight ten times harder than for other people.

 

I am sympathetic for the issues that are beyond her control, and I am sympathetic that she has a food addiction and binge-eating disorder. What I don't sympathize with is that she is not addressing the latter. Sorry that my recent posts are more about the "she's got a problem" and less about "I feel for her PCOS struggle," but yes, I know that struggle is real and have said that before.

[RCharter]

Clarewalks, everyone has to deal with what they're given, but when someone is given a pile of crap that most people would not be able to deal with, I think some sympathy should be shown to them.  I think it's hypocrisy to show sympathy to people with diseases and other disadvantages but not to obese people.  In the US we have a culture of hatred for obese people without even caring about what's causing it, it's always their fault, even though doctors have already said that most of it is in the genes and that it is a disease, people still blame the victims.  There is often very little one can control about one's weight or else 90% of people who go on diets wouldn't gain it all back.  They're all not lazy slobs like people think they are.

 

You know what strikes me SnarklePuss is that its people like Whitney who make it harder for people like you.  I can tell you, that in my heart of hearts everything leads me to believe that Whitney secret eats.  But because she doesn't want to be judged she blames her conditions for her weight.  

 

And she isn't the only one.  I remember watching a show called "Secret Eaters" on the BBC, and the premise of the show is that there would be a person (or two) and they would be overweight/obese.  And they would swear up one side and down the other that it was so unfair that they were fat, they didn't eat more than anyone else and so it must be some medical condition or genetic abnormality that was making them fat.  At the start of the program the host would ask them to approximate how much they ate in a typical day, and it was always like...maybe 1500 - 2000 calories a day.  

 

So, then they would follow these people around for a week and the truth would come out and these people were eating 2-3 times the amount of calories they had said they were.  Maybe they truly didn't know, maybe they just ate without thinking, but there are a lot of people who are overweight/obese because of the choices they make in life.

 

But when people who are fat because of their choices blame non-existent medical conditions, or when they blame medical conditions that may not be the cause of all their weight gain it casts everyone in a bad light...even those, like you, who are really working at it.

[Snarklepuss]

Everyone has a cross to bear. Is it fair that some people can eat 10,000 calories a day of disgusting crap and not gain an ounce, while others can just look at a cheesecake and be overweight? Of course not. But everyone has to deal with what they're given. For example, I inherited horrible foot structure and as a result I cannot jog faster than a 13-minute mile without extreme shin splints and stress fractures. When I wanted to finish a marathon, did I just whine about how unfair it is that I have horrible genetics? No, I started racewalking, got fewer injuries, and completed my goal. It took me a bit longer but I got there because I worked with my strengths and worked around my weaknesses. In order to do that, someone has to take a fearless inventory of their own strengths and weaknesses, and Whitney is in total denial of her role in her size. Not really sure why saying so is considered victim-blaming. Whitney is not a victim. She is a woman with issues and she can address them if she chooses to.

 

I don't agree with you that she is in denial of her role in her size.  She seems pretty aware of what she needs to stay away from and why.  She has not hidden what she was eating from anyone as the Starbucks and Pizza references will attest to.  And it's apples and oranges WRT your issues because with weight loss there is only one goal, and that's weight loss.  And there's often only one way you're going to get there or else forget about reaching it.  I think Whitney just needs to slow down and not expect immediate results.  If she stays on the diet the weight will eventually come off, more slowly perhaps than for other people, but it will come off.  She may have to walk to the finish line, not run, so in that way she is already doing what you have done yourself, IMO.

You know what strikes me SnarklePuss is that its people like Whitney who make it harder for people like you.  I can tell you, that in my heart of hearts everything leads me to believe that Whitney secret eats.  But because she doesn't want to be judged she blames her conditions for her weight.  

 

And she isn't the only one.  I remember watching a show called "Secret Eaters" on the BBC, and the premise of the show is that there would be a person (or two) and they would be overweight/obese.  And they would swear up one side and down the other that it was so unfair that they were fat, they didn't eat more than anyone else and so it must be some medical condition or genetic abnormality that was making them fat.  At the start of the program the host would ask them to approximate how much they ate in a typical day, and it was always like...maybe 1500 - 2000 calories a day.  

 

So, then they would follow these people around for a week and the truth would come out and these people were eating 2-3 times the amount of calories they had said they were.  Maybe they truly didn't know, maybe they just ate without thinking, but there are a lot of people who are overweight/obese because of the choices they make in life.

 

Shows like that are often made by people who have an axe to grind about proving that fat people are that way because it's their fault.  I guarantee you that anyone they followed around who didn't "prove" their theory was not shown on the show and/or that they actively sought people they know to have issues who would prove their theory.  I would gladly offer myself up for one of those experiments but I would likely end up on the cutting room floor.

[Dirtybubble]

I personally don't think Whitney eats that much more than the typical woman of her height/age, it's just that it shows more on her because of her medical issues.  Plus nobody can argue that she isn't active enough.  I'm just tired of Whitney being seen as the sole cause of the problem when she has a freaking metabolic issue that impacts everyone who has it differently.  It's starting to look like fat shaming to me, and I'm sorry but I have a hot button with that.  I know what it's like to eat like a freaking bird, exercise and still be a size 16.  So I know it's possible for Whitney to have her issues and NOT be a "binge eater" or whatever.

 

 

I understand what you are saying and I agree it sucks major donkey balls when some people have a super slow metabolism and some just are lucky to have a super fast one.  And yeah for a girl her size she does move her body more than the average person so yay for all that BUT you just don't get that big by her PCOS and slow metabolism.  Yeah that probably has something to do with it so she isn't all to blame.   As far as her diet goes, we only see what is shown on t.v. so we have no real idea what her diet is like.  Yeah from what is shown she doesn't eat a lot but something has to be happening off screen to keep these pounds on.

 

 

[ClareWalks]

You know what strikes me SnarklePuss is that its people like Whitney who make it harder for people like you.  I can tell you, that in my heart of hearts everything leads me to believe that Whitney secret eats.  But because she doesn't want to be judged she blames her conditions for her weight.  

 

*mic drop* That is exactly 100% spot on. Well done!

 

Snarklepuss we will have to agree to disagree. I think the main disagreement (because we agree that metabolic disorders make it harder) is that you believe Whitney when she says she is trying her best, and I don't. We can't really know who is right, unless they start showing more on the show. Kiss and make up! :)

[RCharter]

Shows like that are often made by people who have an axe to grind about proving that fat people are that way because it's their fault.  I guarantee you that anyone they followed around who didn't "prove" their theory was not shown on the show and/or that they actively sought people they know to have issues who would prove their theory.  I would gladly offer myself up for one of those experiments but I would likely end up on the cutting room floor.

 

But their axe has been right for at least 5 seasons of shows...maybe more.  My only point being that there are people who are fat because of their poor choices.  When those people undertake to blame medical conditions it casts a pall on those who actually do have a medical condition that is causing their weight gain.  So, its unfair to people like you.  There have been countless shows, programs, and stories that have all shown that many people can lose weight by diet and exercise.  That the weight is gained back doesn't mean that there is an underlying disease, for the most part it just means that people get comfortable and they start to fall back into their old habits.

 

As I've said before -- I think your struggle is real, but I don't think you're the same as Whitney in any way.

Edited October 14, 2015 by RCharter

[Snarklepuss]

But their axe has been right for at least 5 seasons of shows...maybe more.  My only point being that there are people who are fat because of their poor choices.  When those people undertake to blame medical conditions it casts a pall on those who actually do have a medical condition that is causing their weight gain.  So, its unfair to people like you.  There have been countless shows, programs, and stories that have all shown that many people can lose weight by diet and exercise.  That the weight is gained back doesn't mean that there is an underlying disease, for the most part it just means that people get comfortable and they start to fall back into their old habits.

 

As I've said before -- I think your struggle is real, but I don't think you're the same as Whitney in any way.

 

 

Thank you, I didn't mean to suggest that a large percentage of those who are obese are not that way because of poor diet choices.  I know that's true, and they do make it bad for people like me who are for real - The only difference between you and I is that I haven't given up on believing that Whitney is on the up and up about what she's eating.  I'm not ready to do that yet because of her condition and because she seems sincere.  I also think she's smarter than she looks.  But who knows, perhaps if Whitney ate like me she'd be a size 16 instead of a 6x or whatever it is she is.

PS.  OT but worth noting, thank goodness for my corporate cafeteria's "healthy" entrees - Today is steamed cod filet ala "fisherman's stew" with steamed baby kale and onions/pepper/tomato hash on top and just a skant couple of red potatoes.

Edited October 14, 2015 by Snarklepuss

[winsomeone]

I don't think the majority of the population sits in a car crying  and eating a gallon of ice cream. Even the healthy "meal" she was eating, portion wise, was way way too much. Give her another year or so, and she will be on  My 600 pound Life. She dances for a class a couple of times a week, otherwise, how much exercise does she really get? If she is so fit, she would have done a bit better at that job I think.

[RCharter]

I don't think the majority of the population sits in a car crying  and eating a gallon of ice cream. Even the healthy "meal" she was eating, portion wise, was way way too much. Give her another year or so, and she will be on  My 600 pound Life. She dances for a class a couple of times a week, otherwise, how much exercise does she really get? If she is so fit, she would have done a bit better at that job I think.

She had better never be on that show, because that doctor gives zero fucks and it will not be pretty.

 

But, now that I'm thinking about it, has she ever given a reason why she won't consider a gastric sleeve?  Given her size and her health issues it seems like it would be at least an option.

[ClareWalks]

Gastric bypass seems awful, based on the people I know who have had it. First of all, they tend to lose maybe 50 pounds (they NEED to lose 200 or so), and plateau. Possibly even gain the weight back, because the stomach eventually stretches back out. But the people I know also have very limited diets, and I don't just mean they can't eat junk. They can't eat vegetables. Seriously. One girl I know cannot eat raw or cooked veggies, because she can no longer process them. She will vomit. Not surprised to hear that they have vitamin deficiencies. Another guy I know cannot eat several types of meat (including beef). They think getting the surgery stops the cravings and is a magic bullet for food addiction, but it isn't. It just makes you puke up the extra that you eat, and certain types of now-undigestable food. That said, I think if they continue to season 3 of this show, they will show her at least looking into getting that surgery, because it's part of a greater storyline.

[Shibori]

From my perspective, Whitney is doing more harm than good with this show.  I struggle with PCOS, and I certainly don't think she speaks for me, nor do I think she is a good role model for young women who are struggling with weight.  

 

First, because TLC has become the freak show channel and actively courts controversy and the lowest common denominator rather than seeking to educate. Your show is airing between the 80 lb scrotum and 132 lb scrotum specials!  She was naive to think that they'd present a balanced, fair view of the real medical issues and challenges involved- if they were, they'd have chosen a different star.  

 

Second, because Whitney herself behaves like a coddled, entitled brat most of the time, and she's obnoxious (IMO).  That would be true even if you watched the show with the picture turned off, or if she weighed 90 lbs.  She simply doesn't have the maturity to understand that by agreeing to do this, everything she eats on camera and everything she does will be endlessly critiqued by viewers who fancy themselves weight loss experts.  She doesn't show much in the way of self control in any aspect of her life, and her eating seems to go along with that.  So all she's doing is giving more ammunition to the people who get a lot of self satisfaction from saying, "See?  It's just laziness."  Because from what we see on this show, which may or may not be an accurate representation of her life in general, it does appear to be (at least a big part) laziness and a symptom of her general inability to take responsibility for herself as an adult.  So if that's not the case, and doesn't accurately represent her, she has to take some ownership for the continued existence of the show and the message it's sending.  By allowing herself to be filmed gorging on ice cream in her car while in the next scene complaining that she can't lose weight, she's undercutting her own argument, and actively harming the cause.

 

There is so much modern medicine doesn't know and doesn't understand about hormonal disorders and weight gain.  Even articles from reputable sources about PCOS acknowledge that the mechanisms are poorly understood.  We don't know if weight gain is the cause or a symptom.  We know that weight loss can help, but not necessarily why or how- or why it can be much harder with people with PCOS to lose and keep it off.  We don't know for sure why some people with PCOS gain weight and some don't.  A decade ago people with stomach ulcers were told to reduce stress and change their diet, and if they continued to have problems, blamed for not doing enough.  Now that we understand the biochemistry of H. Pylori, doctors no longer blame their patients for eating spicy foods or leading stressful lives, they can address the issue (for many) with a simple course of antibiotics.  We know the oft-repeated 3,500 calorie rule is a fallacy.  A diet that can be life saving for one person could be (literally) deadly to another.  It would be educational to see those nuances illustrated on a show, but this is not that show.

 

The thing that was educational to me about the 132 lb scrotum show (and the 80 lb scrotum show) was the way they presented the medicine of it as compared to this show.  Both men were overweight, but the doctors never suggested that weight loss would solve their giant scrotum problems-though it likely would improve their overall health.  One of the scrotum guys even commented that there's not a lot you can do in terms of exercise when lugging around a giant scrotum in a hoodie.  Lymphedema (which caused the giant scrotum), by definition, is an abnormal swelling, and though obesity is a risk factor, it's often related to the removal or treatment of lymph nodes in cancer patients.  We recognize that certain things can cause abnormal weight gain, but there's a big continuum between 132 pound scrotums (scroti?) and the freshman 15, and science just isn't at a place right now where we can definitively define everything on that continuum as purely behavior based or purely disease based.  None of that changes that Whitney far from the ideal spokesperson for people with PCOS.

[RCharter]

Gastric bypass seems awful, based on the people I know who have had it. First of all, they tend to lose maybe 50 pounds (they NEED to lose 200 or so), and plateau. Possibly even gain the weight back, because the stomach eventually stretches back out. But the people I know also have very limited diets, and I don't just mean they can't eat junk. They can't eat vegetables. Seriously. One girl I know cannot eat raw or cooked veggies, because she can no longer process them. She will vomit. Not surprised to hear that they have vitamin deficiencies. Another guy I know cannot eat several types of meat (including beef). They think getting the surgery stops the cravings and is a magic bullet for food addiction, but it isn't. It just makes you puke up the extra that you eat, and certain types of now-undigestable food. That said, I think if they continue to season 3 of this show, they will show her at least looking into getting that surgery, because it's part of a greater storyline.

I know gastric bypass is a pretty dramatic surgery, but don't they have gastric sleeves now?  I thought that was a little less extreme.  But I'm no doctor.  I'm just surprised in all the conversations she and her parents have had that it has never been discussed.

 

I didn't realize that gastric bypass was that bad though :(

How does the 132 pound scrotum get into a hoodie?  I thought a scrotum would be in your pants?  Am I misunderstanding what a scrotum is?

[Shibori]

At the risk of going too far off topic- the guy started wearing hoodies as pants to accommodate the scrotum.  You can google image 132 lb scrotum hoodie for an illustration- but what is seen can never be unseen.

[ClareWalks]

I know gastric bypass is a pretty dramatic surgery, but don't they have gastric sleeves now?  I thought that was a little less extreme.  But I'm no doctor.  I'm just surprised in all the conversations she and her parents have had that it has never been discussed.

 

I didn't realize that gastric bypass was that bad though :(

How does the 132 pound scrotum get into a hoodie?  I thought a scrotum would be in your pants?  Am I misunderstanding what a scrotum is?

 

I am actually misusing the word "gastric bypass" to include a couple different weight loss surgeries (oops, heh, my bad). The girl who can't eat veggies, for example, I am pretty sure she actually had lap band. 

[RCharter]

At the risk of going too far off topic- the guy started wearing hoodies as pants to accommodate the scrotum.  You can google image 132 lb scrotum hoodie for an illustration- but what is seen can never be unseen.

Nope, that was enough for me, thank you very much :)

[4leafclover]

http://www.people.com/article/my-big-fat-fabulous-life-whitney-thore-tlc-season-two

 

This is an interesting interview that Whitney gave People and it might answer some of the questions asked in the above posts.  It doesn't address why she hasn't tried surgery though.

[ClareWalks]

From the article: 

 

 

 

You talk about PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome, an endocrine disorder) being responsible for your weight gain. But is it completely to blame?

No. I am totally about personal responsibility. My initial weight gain in college was 100 lbs. in eight months. I absolutely blame that on PCOS. It happened out of nowhere, I had no control over it. But since then, of course, I've continued to gain weight. What made me fat was a combination of PCOS and the shame and the stigma that you face being a fat woman in America. When I gained weight, did I want to leave my house? No. When I walked to the gym and people called me a fat ass, did that make me want to go work out? No. Did I want to take really good care of myself? No. But if anybody thinks that I just blame the fact that I'm 380 lbs. on PCOS, that's clearly wrong.

 

Wow. She totally boomeranged with that answer. "I'm totally about personal responsibility! Society made me fat!"

[Snarklepuss]

I don't think Whitney's blaming society for being fat - She's basically admitting that she let society's attitude towards obese people get to her and work against her, which was her responsibility for continuing to gain weight.  I can totally sympathize with that and not wanting to join a gym because of the associated shame involved.  Even at my weight I feel too self conscious and ashamed to join a regular gym or even the workout room here in the office - Let me tell you, at my age and with my leg swelling issues from edema I wouldn't want people I work with looking at me in workout clothes.  I perform miracles everyday thanks to shape wear and clothing choices (Thank you, Stacy and Clinton).  I even joined "Curves" for a while because at least it was all women who were middle aged and working to lose weight like me.  Of course, the Curves near me closed and I think it's over priced plus pretty limited anyway.  So I do my own thing now.  Could I do better?  Perhaps, but I think I'm doing the best I can without hurting myself.  I think Whitney is doing pretty well with the exercise for someone of her size.  It takes phenomenal effort to do even the most moderate of exercise at her size.  I see how limber she is and know she's not in bad shape - A lot of people her size can't even get up from a freaking chair.

[ClareWalks]

 

What made me fat was a combination of PCOS and the shame and the stigma that you face being a fat woman in America.

 

This quote from the article bears repeating. Where was the "I felt awful about myself because of societal pressure, so I turned to food" that is clearly more true and at least carries some personal  responsibility? Whitney claims to be so comfortable with herself and goes to the beach in a bikini and dances in public and such, so for her to claim that she felt too ashamed to exercise rings extremely false. I just wish she were more consistent with her message, that's all.

[Snarklepuss]

I think Whitney is a work in progress like anyone else.  She admits in that article to not always being happy with herself at her weight.  I doubt she would feel self conscious today given how she has gone so far in the opposite direction on TV to show the world the "full horror" of her weight.  I think I just realized now why she does that.  I have been thinking she goes overboard to expose her body on the show - I think it might be an over-compensation for all the years she was too ashamed to let the world see her.  I actually have a lot of respect for her now thinking that because I myself could never show the world my body like she does.

[mamapajama]

I can't stand for an entire baseball game. 

I have plantar fasciitis.

I can't wear shorts.

I can't wear a shirt made of wicking material.

 

Give me a damn break.  I too am overweight, with plantar faciitis.  But I have to suck it up as I work my PT job in retail.  My FT job is teaching.  Whitney has a lot of growing up to do.  I don't think the Grasshoppers boss was unnecessarily harsh.  She seemed to be working really hard to keep her temper under control.  Give a new employee a few passes, because they are new, but let them sit around, (having been told there will be no sitting,) or show up for work appearing as though they have been spray painted?  I don't think so.  Can you imagine them allowing Whitney to wear the nude spandex the first night?  To the fans in the stands, she would have most definitely looked like a very large lady, naked from the waist down, helping people into sumo suits and throwing T-shirts at the crowd.  Surely she knew better.  Surely.

[absolutelyido]

I think Whitney is kidding herself about how much she eats. She told Buddy she was embarrassed he found her eating that huge tub of ice cream in the car. She said that she had never done that before with ice cream, only "a sandwich or coffee". I just don't believe that. Who secretly eats a sandwich in their car?

 

In a previous episode, when Whitney was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, she told Buddy she had to give up coffee which made no sense to me at the time. Later in that episode, one of Whitney's friends stated that cutting back on carbs was really hard for Whitney because her day had revolved around getting frappucinos. So, I think when she says "coffee" she means a venti caramel frappucino with whipped cream and "a sandwich" means a big mac (with fries and a coke).

Edited October 15, 2015 by absolutelyido

[RCharter]

From the article: 

 

 

Wow. She totally boomeranged with that answer. "I'm totally about personal responsibility! Society made me fat!"

Here is my beef with that answer.  At no point is it ever "Whitney's fault."  There is always a co-factor, or another factor that is to blame.

 

100 pound weight gain, entirely the fault of PCOS.  Never mind that most people who are magically gaining even 50 pounds in eight months would see every solitary doctor imaginable to figure out what the problem was.  

 

The weight gain after the PCOS diagnosis.  Not entirely Whitneys fault either.  Its still PCOS's fault, and its society's fault.  It's mean people's fault that she couldn't work out.  There is never any accountability on Whitney's part.  Never mind that people with PCOS have found ways to control their weight.  But if Whitney doesn't work out, its not her fault, its society's fault for making her feel bad.  I give exactly zero fucks when I work out -- I know I both look bad, and sweat like a pig.  But I know that I'm not there to work out for anyone else other than me.  I put on my headphones and do my thing.  And when I'm done I wipe down the machine.

 

In one breath she says she doesn't blame PCOS, but for every stage of weight gain, she blames PCOS.  If its not PCOS, its society.  The only person who seems to have no responsibility for Whitney's weight gain....is Whitney.

[leighroda]

I think Whitney is kidding herself about how much she eats. She told Buddy she was embarrassed he found her eating that huge tub of ice cream in the car. She said that she had never done that before with ice cream, only "a sandwich or coffee". I just don't believe that. Who secretly eats a sandwich in their car?

In a previous episode, when Whitney was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, she told Buddy she had to give up coffee which made no sense to me at the time. Later in that episode, one of Whitney's friends stated that cutting back on carbs was really hard for Whitney because her day had revolved around getting frappucinos. So, I think when she says "coffee" she means a venti caramel frappucino with whipped cream and "a sandwich" means a big mac (with fries and a coke).

I totally agree, I thought it was telling that when she was mentioning these "sandwiches" she said she gets them in a drive thru, I don't know of any drive thrus that offer just regular sandwiches.

[deedee2]

I just wish she were more consistent with her message, that's all.

Thank you!  Whitney's message is all over the map. I can't stand the total lack of focus in her and the show. At least now they're trying to center everything on "No Body Shame", which is an improvement, I guess. But the campaign feels forced to me - like TLC brainstormed a "meaningful cause" for Season 2. Well, TLC did dream it up, of course, but my point is that it feels inauthentic. Not like something that organically developed out of Whitney's passion.

[notyrmomma]

I know gastric bypass is a pretty dramatic surgery, but don't they have gastric sleeves now?  I thought that was a little less extreme.  But I'm no doctor.  I'm just surprised in all the conversations she and her parents have had that it has never been discussed.

 

I didn't realize that gastric bypass was that bad though :(

First of all, Whitney isn't going to lose any meaningful weight without surgery.  Sorry, but this is the truth (see Ruby).  There are three major types of gastric surgery (there is a new one that uses a balloon, but I hear that's just for people looking to lose 20-50 lbs): gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, gastric band.  The most weight loss comes with the bypass, but the pouch does tend to stretch back and you have malabsorption (sp?) for the rest of your life, but you are expected to lose at least 60% of your excess weight.  People do have complications, but most maintain most of the weight loss.  Then there is gastric sleeve where they cut your stomach that is basically shaped like a football, to look more like a banana.  This is the surgery that I got last year and I have lost over 145 lbs and am 20 lbs to a normal BMI.  They say that your stomach will stretch less with this surgery because they cut off all the area that really likes to stretch (hopefully that makes sense) and they also cut out the area that produces the hormone that makes you feel hungry, but I still get hungry sometimes.  Surgeons are starting to do the sleeve more because they are finding it is nearly as effective as the bypass without the malabsorption.  Then there is the band, which is a non-permanent procedure that just limits the amount your stomach can hold.  The surgeon can make it tighter or looser depending on the patient's needs.  This surgery produces the least amount of weight loss but people who have other medical issues tend to get it because of the flexibility.  

 

Back to discussing the show - if they are trying to project an image that we shouldn't judge the obese, why the heck do they keep putting her in these situations that clearly highlight the good reasons why the obese are judged?????

[RCharter]

First of all, Whitney isn't going to lose any meaningful weight without surgery.  Sorry, but this is the truth (see Ruby).  There are three major types of gastric surgery (there is a new one that uses a balloon, but I hear that's just for people looking to lose 20-50 lbs): gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, gastric band.  The most weight loss comes with the bypass, but the pouch does tend to stretch back and you have malabsorption (sp?) for the rest of your life, but you are expected to lose at least 60% of your excess weight.  People do have complications, but most maintain most of the weight loss.  Then there is gastric sleeve where they cut your stomach that is basically shaped like a football, to look more like a banana.  This is the surgery that I got last year and I have lost over 145 lbs and am 20 lbs to a normal BMI.  They say that your stomach will stretch less with this surgery because they cut off all the area that really likes to stretch (hopefully that makes sense) and they also cut out the area that produces the hormone that makes you feel hungry, but I still get hungry sometimes.  Surgeons are starting to do the sleeve more because they are finding it is nearly as effective as the bypass without the malabsorption.  Then there is the band, which is a non-permanent procedure that just limits the amount your stomach can hold.  The surgeon can make it tighter or looser depending on the patient's needs.  This surgery produces the least amount of weight loss but people who have other medical issues tend to get it because of the flexibility.  

 

Back to discussing the show - if they are trying to project an image that we shouldn't judge the obese, why the heck do they keep putting her in these situations that clearly highlight the good reasons why the obese are judged?????

Thanks for the insight, but more importantly congratulations!

[Dianaofthehunt]

I ask again: Why isn't ovary removal discussed in Whitney's case? They're not sacrosanct! If PCOS is causing her such grief, yank those little bastards.

[deedee2]

I ask again: Why isn't ovary removal discussed in Whitney's case? They're not sacrosanct! If PCOS is causing her such grief, yank those little bastards.

I guess the obvious answer is: she may want kids. Although I suppose egg-freezing is an option. Also, wouldn't yanking the ovaries cause the onset of menopause with all its accompanying issues like osteoporosis, increased risk of heart disease, and ... er, weight-gain?

[Shibori]

The name PCOS is a bit misleading here.  There's still a lot about the mechanisms of the disorder that we don't understand.  It is an endocrine disorder that has to do with hormonal imbalances and maybe metabolism.  But the ovarian cysts for which the syndrome is named are generally believed to be a symptom, and not the cause.  Removing the ovaries (or operating on them) can be considered treatment for women who aren't ovulating and don't respond to medication to induce ovulation, but it isn't generally considered an effective treatment for the other symptoms of PCOS.  There really isn't an effective treatment right now.  Medications like Provera can induce ovulation for some women who aren't having regular periods, but it doesn't work for everyone, and not everyone with PCOS has cystic ovaries or irregular periods.  Weight strongly correlates with severity of symptoms, so losing weight and exercise is often encouraged.  But since we don't really understand all the mechanisms of PCOS, that advice may be correct, may be partially correct (for example there may be specific dietary interventions that are more successful or detrimental), or may be as useful as telling someone who is nearsighted to squint harder or telling a type 1 diabetic to make more insulin.

[preciousperfect]

I guess the obvious answer is: she may want kids. Although I suppose egg-freezing is an option. Also, wouldn't yanking the ovaries cause the onset of menopause with all its accompanying issues like osteoporosis, increased risk of heart disease, and ... er, weight-gain?

Can someone that is 400 pounds safely have a kid? Honestly I am asking because I would think no. 

[deedee2]

Can someone that is 400 pounds safely have a kid? Honestly I am asking because I would think no. 

I don't know for sure how safe or unsafe it is, but many women on My 600lb Life had babies while obese, so it's definitely possible.

Edited October 15, 2015 by deedee2

[ClareWalks]

Can someone that is 400 pounds safely have a kid? Honestly I am asking because I would think no. 

 

There is a higher risk of complications including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and premature birth (I believe). Many large women also need C-sections, which are much more dangerous to perform on very obese women. They also can have trouble with anesthesia, including epidurals and spinal blocks. And that's IF a woman that big can get pregnant in the first place, because obesity is one of the more preventable causes/correlations of infertility (largely because of the accompanying hormonal difficulties - same with men, they are more likely to be infertile if obese because of higher estrogen levels).

[OnceSane]

This thread has veered wildly off-topic. Please stick to discussing the episodes only. If you want to talk about Whitney or her interviews, take it to her thread or even the Media topic; if you wish to discuss other shows or your personal life, the discussion belongs in the Small Talk thread. Thanks.

[greekmom]

One thing that really bothered me with the ice cream in the car scene. What if Whitney was an alcoholic? Would people (especially Buddy) be so ok with her drinking it up in the car? Or hiding out in the bathroom with a bottle of gin?  

I actually caught the enhanced episode that has all the positive tweets that I guess people are saying while watching the show. I found them encouraging of Whitney's bad behaviour. 

Does anyone know how much she weighs now? Honestly, she looks bigger. Just makes me sad.