S04.E04: June's Story

[HalcyonDays]

Episode synopsis: 600-pound June copes with the tragic death of her son by eating. After gastric bypass surgery, she must confront the emotional issues driving her food compulsion. If she can stay on track, she can become the mother she desperately wants to be.

 

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

[Noirprncess]

I so thought this episode was about to turn into Penny 2.0. Especially when June went back home and promptly had that huge plate of steak and potatoes.

I felt bad for her partner who had only been with her for a short period of time and got roped into being her home health care nurse.

Thank goodness she's turned things around at the end. Hope she keeps going to therapist and losing weight.

Only thing that annoyed me was the point where Dr Now kept insisting that June had no issues and the pain was all in her mind. I get that she had issues and there seemed to be nothing to be found, but I hate when doctors do this. I had issues for four years simply because my doctor thought I was making up the pain. By chance I wound up at a doctor that correctly diagnosed my issue within 30 seconds of hearing my problem. But that was no thanks to my primary care doctor who wanted to write me off as being crazy and wanting to use the doctors office as a way of getting time off from work.

[Hero]

The portions of food that her girlfriend gave her were huge!

She made so many excuses as to why she gained 20 lbs.

Does anyone else hate the narration? It sounds rehearsed and robotic.

[dahling]

When she was trying to wheedle Dr. Now into letting her eat strawberries on her diet because "strawberries are my addiction," I said to the TV "I'm sure you got to be 600 pounds from eating strawberries."

 

This one wasn't as satisfying as the previous few. I'm glad she was making progress by the end. Anyone else notice that the girlfriend disappeared midway through the episode?

[Pepper Mostly]

Aaaaaaaand we're back to manipulative, narcissistic crybabies. When she was trying to coax Dr. Now into letting her have "two strawberries a day", I rolled my eyes. When she asked, post surgery, for steak and potatoes "with sour cream on top" I snorted. When she "admitted" that she had Chinese food "one time" I said "oh for cryin out loud". Out loud. I loved it when Dr. Now told her to find another doctor if she wanted to keep that shit up. I was surprised that she went to the therapist (who struck me as a great fit for June, very upbeat and positive but clearly not snow-able). In the end it was encouraging to see that June was motivated by her weight loss to keep moving forward, but she was not easy to like.

[operalover]

The mistake Dr Now made was telling her to lose 5 pounds in a month. She was sure she could eat whatever she wanted for 3 weeks and then lose the weight the last few days so she didn't even try. It was too small of an amount so she didn't have the Fear of Now in her. I think he knew she was full of shit about the pain because it was her pattern to make up pain to get attention. She did it over and over and over that is why he didn't listen. It's like the boy who cried wolf, maybe that really was something but the constant fake symptoms no one is going to believe her. 

 

I was laughing seeing her eat a huge plate of the most fattening food saying that she had to because she was so weak to keep her strength up! 

[crazycatlady58]

When she was trying to wheedle Dr. Now into letting her eat strawberries on her diet because "strawberries are my addiction," I said to the TV "I'm sure you got to be 600 pounds from eating strawberries."

This one wasn't as satisfying as the previous few. I'm glad she was making progress by the end. Anyone else notice that the girlfriend disappeared midway through the episode?

I thought she was taking pictures at the end? I agree she was not the most likable person we have seen.

[Yokosmom]

I so thought this episode was about to turn into Penny 2.0.

 

My thoughts exactly.  She was in obvious denial and knew her condition so much more than Dr. Now.  I'm glad that the counseling helped and that she was able to rededicate herself to her weight loss.  200 pounds in a year is nothing to sneer at.  Losing a child is devastating and I can see how it could lead her to spiral out of control.

 

I see a lot of similarities between this show and Hoarders in that, in many cases, the underlying cause of the condition is often abuse or unexpressed grief.

[CourtneyCourt]

I thought she was taking pictures at the end? I agree she was not the most likable person we have seen.

Yeah I saw her partner at the end too. She changed her hairstyle by the end of the episode.

[poeticlicensed]

June's legs were so huge, even after weight loss. Is that water or fat? Dr Now kept insisting it was fat. I was just wondering if super obese patients are given any meds to get rid of water weight? I just remember when my FIL was very ill, he was on a meds to get rid of swelling and water accumulating in his legs. 

 

June looked great by the end of the episode, she didn't even resemble the person at the beginning. I did a doubletake

 

OK, so now for my complaint. All the eps seem to have the same formula, pics of obese person with narration about how they got that way. Cut to first visit with Dr. Now. Patient brings their partner or family member. Dr Now always says to the partner that they are enabling the patient, since they have control over what they make or bring into the house. Everyone talks about it, but as the rest of us are sitting at home yelling at the TV, telling the family member to not given them another taco, they NEVER really show how that dynamic works. I think it would make more sense if the camera could catch one of obese people pitching a hissy over not getting the food they want. I think one time, and it may have been Penny, and she was lambasting her husband for not getting EXACTLY what she wanted from the store. Other hat that one time, it's hard for us to envision what really goes on in those enabling relationships. maybe I'm asking too much, but I think showing it would go a long way to gaining some understanding of why an immobile person can be in so much control. Of course with cameras rolling, everyone (sans Penny) is usually on their best behavior, so I'm not sure the camera would be able to document that. 

[CousinOliver]

The mistake Dr Now made was telling her to lose 5 pounds in a month. She was sure she could eat whatever she wanted for 3 weeks and then lose the weight the last few days so she didn't even try. It was too small of an amount so she didn't have the Fear of Now in her. I think he knew she was full of shit about the pain because it was her pattern to make up pain to get attention. She did it over and over and over that is why he didn't listen. It's like the boy who cried wolf, maybe that really was something but the constant fake symptoms no one is going to believe her. 

 

I was laughing seeing her eat a huge plate of the most fattening food saying that she had to because she was so weak to keep her strength up! 

 

I am assuming that Dr Now gave her only 5 lbs to lose because having lost 40 in 30 days in the hospital she would not have the benefit of water weight/initial weight drop that seems to happen when very obese folks diet for the first time (or the first time in a while.) 

 

She obviously tried to manipulate the narrative in other ways, so I was not too disturbed by him not believing her claims of pain.  Not that I didn't have the lingering, "what if..."  Still (and I know this is highly edited), I don't remember him dismissing claims of pain in previous episodes.  Even in the very early "Half Ton Teen" trilogy, when John Wayne Debose (a largely non-compliant patient who was not showing any signs of pain) asked for more pain meds, Dr Now took his claims seriously. 

[Noirprncess]

Yeah I saw her partner at the end too. She changed her hairstyle by the end of the episode.

At the very end of the episode, it was just June and her overweight daughter.

The scene with the partner taking pictures of them releasing balloons for her son's birthday was at least a month or two before "month 12".. I thought they might have broke up at the end too. Good for her, if so. She seemed to be miserable during most of the time we saw her.

[poeticlicensed]

At the very end of the episode, it was just June and her overweight daughter.

The scene with the partner taking pictures of them releasing balloons for her son's birthday was at least a month or two before "month 12".. I thought they might have broke up at the end too. Good for her, if so. She seemed to be miserable during most of the time we saw her.

I only saw the daughter at the end, so I was guessing they broke up. Enabling relationships are two way streets. Sometimes when one person makes a change, the other bails. 

[SnarkKitty]

I was absolutely sympathetic to June and her loss. But she had to have been well past obese if she was already in the 300s when she gained the remaining weight. I get not caring and numbing yourself. But she tried to give the impression it was the reason she had gotten so big, when in reality, it was what made her big-ger.

 

I think Dr. Now was wrong about Ceilie. She wasn't trying to control her by keeping her fat. She just didn't want to hear shit and didn't want to find a new place to live at the moment. I noticed she was out of most of the rest of the episode also.

[IvySpice]

 

it would make more sense if the camera could catch one of obese people pitching a hissy over not getting the food they want

 

We got a hint of that in this episode when June called up the minimum-wage lackey at Taco Bell to give them WHAT FOR for leaving one item out of like 7 out of the bag. She was NOT having it. Absent cameras, I wonder if more of that would have been directed at the negligent partner who did the food run.

[non sequitur]

I was ready for drama, but this episode was disappointing.   It was cringey when June was calling Dr. Now sweetheart and baby in one of the appointments.  However, a heart attack and stroke are pretty serious issues.

 

I would have liked to have seen what happened with Sadi at the end.  

[junemeatcleaver]

 

But she had to have been well past obese if she was already in the 300s when she gained the remaining weight. I get not caring and numbing yourself. But she tried to give the impression it was the reason she had gotten so big, when in reality, it was what made her big-ger.

 

I didn't get the impression she was blaming all her obesity on her grief.  She admitted she was 300 pounds when she met her girlfriend and said she was always "voluptuous".  I don't really think she minded being fat, it was the lack of mobility and being dependent on someone else for all her needs, good and bad, that bothered her.

 

I liked this episode.  June wasn't an instantly likable person that the audience would root for, or was she completely non-compliant.  She had her ups and downs and a bit of an attitude, but in the end, you could tell she really wanted to change and did almost everything that was asked of her despite her initial resistance. 

[Noirprncess]

I think Dr. Now was wrong about Ceilie. She wasn't trying to control her by keeping her fat. She just didn't want to hear shit and didn't want to find a new place to live at the moment. I noticed she was out of most of the rest of the episode also.

Call me cynical, but with June mostly house bound, the partner had a place to live, a car to drive and food. Once June was more mobile, I'm guessing those items were less available. So, I'm sure that meant it was time to move on.

[Brooklynista]

At the very end of the episode, it was just June and her overweight daughter.

The scene with the partner taking pictures of them releasing balloons for her son's birthday was at least a month or two before "month 12".. I thought they might have broke up at the end too. Good for her, if so. She seemed to be miserable during most of the time we saw her.

I was thinking June's partner watched an episode of Skin Tight and saw what new fresh hell was coming her way and got the hell on.

[Morgalisa]

In the beginning June's partner was driving June's car. Toward the end she picked June up in a nice red truck. I hope they broke up. She seemed kind of passive and June is a lot.

[gunderda]

June's legs were so huge, even after weight loss. Is that water or fat? Dr Now kept insisting it was fat. I was just wondering if super obese patients are given any meds to get rid of water weight? I just remember when my FIL was very ill, he was on a meds to get rid of swelling and water accumulating in his legs. 

It's fat mostly and if she loses enough she'll be able to get it removed but from watching the Skin Tight it seems like the legs are the most difficult part of the body to remove skin due to veins. 

Specifically on this episode Dr Now told her she doesn't have water weight to lose, he said "it's not water weight, it's all fat!" 

 

We got a hint of that in this episode when June called up the minimum-wage lackey at Taco Bell to give them WHAT FOR for leaving one item out of like 7 out of the bag. She was NOT having it. Absent cameras, I wonder if more of that would have been directed at the negligent partner who did the food run.

That type of thing drives me so freaking crazy!!!!! Not only did enough food for a family of 4 (or more), that single item MAYBE cost $2. 

Love me some taco bell but if I was ordering 7 items and they forgot one I'd be ok with it.  If I ordered 2 (like I normally do) and they forgot one, I'd probably be a little po'd but not enough to complain about it.  Taco bell can have my $2 donation.

 

Call me cynical, but with June mostly house bound, the partner had a place to live, a car to drive and food. Once June was more mobile, I'm guessing those items were less available. So, I'm sure that meant it was time to move on.

I was wondering if she was still around or not.  She probably bailed once June was able to take care of herself.  Maybe she felt bad for leaving, was she around when June had her heart attack?? And now that June was able to do stuff herself she didn't feel the guilt of leaving. 

(just a theory)

[silverspoons]

Maybe that one missing item from taco Bell was what caused her to be malnourished before the surgery. It is hard to believe that someone that eats that much can be malnourished.

 

I wish June could have used her spunk and energy towards something productive. When she said she could get rid of that walker and did, she had a spark and that spark needs to be used for something else in her life.  I hope the therapy can help her find an outlet for her grief. I could see her being a speaker in front of teens about her son's story. Even when you are bedridden you can still find a way to help. There are other things besides food, tv and doing whatever she was doing online. I was bedridden with a heart/vascular issue for almost a year. I didn't gain weight. I found all the programs they had cut in our schools and spent my days preparing lessons and after school teaching the kids from my couch. That one year had amazing results for so many kids, from kids that had IEP's that are now honors students, piles of awards won and years later all but one student has straight A's.

 

I wondered about June constant need for medical care. Was it all in her mind, not sure. After a heart attack , stroke and losing a child, I'm sure she was sacred. Those legs alone would scare me for possible clots. If I had major surgery and was in her shape I would be worried all the time. I wonder if she worried about dying and leaving her living kids without her. I wish we could see more of Dr. Now. I can't imagine her spends only 3 minutes with each patient, talking about enablers, and being harsh. I wonder how much time he spends answers questions and concerns and follow up care and when to worry. It seems like we have seen patients over the years have complications after not understanding what they were supposed to do.

Edited January 29, 2016 by silverspoons

[OSM Mom]

I think that it's because they eat all junk food with very little nutritional value. That's why they're malnourished.

[Morgalisa]

I'm sure Dr. Now spends considerably more time with the patients than we see on camera.  They're making tv so lots of edits.  Even after chewing them out, he will sometimes give them a smile and encourage them.  I like it when he talks tough to them; something their enablers don't do.  And I've heard him tell them many times to call him even if it is 3 o'clock in the morning if they are having problems.  I would imagine these 600 pounders are just a small percentage of his clients. Most of the people in the waiting room are not super obese.   His clinic is a weight loss clinic (surgical and non-surgical) and I think the clients have a lot of support.  Remember when Melissa worked for him running nutrition and support classes. She is shown on his web page as one of the success stories, even though the picture they have is when she was much smaller.  Also, Henry is one of the success stories.  His picture shows him much smaller than what he was on the show.  Unfortunately he passed away, but I guess his surgery was successful.  I wonder what the mortality rate is 2 to 5 years after surgery because most of these people have done enormous damage to their bodies.  

[Noirprncess]

Maybe that one missing item from taco Bell was what caused her to be malnourished before the surgery. It is hard to believe that someone that eats that much can be malnourished.

Actually, malnourishment is quite typical.. Notice many have a diet that tends to be mostly foods with very little nutritional value - just a high volume. But, also over consuming has the same effect. Think of your body like a processing plant. Too little food coming in and the processing becomes inefficient. That causes as many problems as too much. Too much food and your body has no real way to deal with it, slows down processing to a crawl. Too many days of too much and you can "break" the system causing it to stop absorbing or "searching" for the nutrients we need.

Ever wonder why some folks on shows like the Biggest Loser use laxatives as a cheat for big weight loss days?. They can literally drop serious weight just cleaning out their bowels of years of waste.

[Oldernowiser]

Wow, that therapist. What's with the six inch dark roots or is that still that ombre look?

When she said to June something about how she hadn't been focusing on her own needs I wanted to run, find her poor partner, and hiss, "Run! Run for your life, quick before she gets home!" because holy mama, how much more self-absorbed could June get?

Seriously, was that therapist for real or is she really an "actress model spokesperson exotic dancer life coach"?

ETA: OMG that plate of steak and TWO LARGE POTATOES with all that cheesy glop on them AFTER her appointment? Yowza.

DH and I had a baked potato last night. We split ONE and didn't eat all of it. I don't know how these people do it, physically.

Edited January 30, 2016 by Oldernowiser

[ChristmasJones]

What occurs to me after watching so many seasons of Intervention, Hoarders, and this show is that there is something more than just a traumatic past at play with the folks who end up on these shows. I will try to explain what I mean.

 

In simplistic terms, lets just say that traumatic events (whether in childhood or adulthood) can lead to complex, intense, negative emotions- grief, fear, anger, etc.  These are painful, and difficult to cope with. Harder when they occur in childhood.

 

But there are plenty of people who fit that category who do not go on to develop serious addictive behavior patterns (hoarding, eating, drugs/alcohol, etc).  So that is the "something more" that is at play with these folks.

 

They have a dual problem to solve: 1. Learn to manage their painful feelings from trauma/loss and 2. Learn to change addictive behavior.  The two problems clearly feed off each other, so its easy to understand why a person would have both.

 

But dealing with the painful feelings is not going to be the only thing needed in order to change. I think sometimes these shows imply that, to some extent. 

[leighroda]

Wow, that therapist. What's with the six inch dark roots or is that still that ombre look?

When she said to June something about how she hadn't been focusing on her own needs I wanted to run, find her poor partner, and hiss, "Run! Run for your life, quick before she gets home!" because holy mama, how much more self-absorbed could June get?

Seriously, was that therapist for real or is she really an "actress model spokesperson exotic dancer life coach"?

ETA: OMG that plate of steak and TWO LARGE POTATOES with all that cheesy glop on them AFTER her appointment? Yowza.

DH and I had a baked potato last night. We split ONE and didn't eat all of it. I don't know how these people do it, physically.

Lol... No lie, my roots have been extremely grown out, to the point that with a short haircut I could have just cut off the colored portion (in my defense, in the last 6 months I have traveled to Texas a few times to work on getting my moms house sold, graduated from nursing school, and been studying for my board exam, and I wear my hair in a ponytail most of the time so haircuts weren't a high priority), but thankfully I cut and colored my hair on Tuesday; so when I saw her hair I was like "oh man, mine must have looked that bad, I have no friends...nobody said anything"...lol.

It's so hard to know what to do about pain, especially when I'm sure there are plenty of people who bs (i.e. Penny). I'm not sure about this one I didn't see the whole episode. I know in school (like I mentioned above I just finished nursing school) we are taught not to attempt to judge pain, that we have to take the patients word for it and treat it as they say, but I'm not sure what doctors are taught. To some degree I do think the tough love is necessary, but at the same time especially when they are as large as some of these patients, I have no doubt that having that much weight causes pain especially in the joints, making it hard to move. I know we obviously don't see everything, but I'm a little surprised we don't see more people utilizing a pool for works outs since it allows for the joints to move a little more freely, and has resistance which is beneficial too.

Overall I'm happy for June, here's to hoping she continues to make progress.

[CousinOliver]

Wow, that therapist. What's with the six inch dark roots or is that still that ombre look?

When she said to June something about how she hadn't been focusing on her own needs I wanted to run, find her poor partner, and hiss, "Run! Run for your life, quick before she gets home!" because holy mama, how much more self-absorbed could June get?

Seriously, was that therapist for real or is she really an "actress model spokesperson exotic dancer life coach"?

ETA: OMG that plate of steak and TWO LARGE POTATOES with all that cheesy glop on them AFTER her appointment? Yowza.

DH and I had a baked potato last night. We split ONE and didn't eat all of it. I don't know how these people do it, physically.

 

Thank you for this! I heard that out of the therapist and couldn't believe my ears.  I can only hope that the little therapy soundbite was not really representative of what they talked about (maybe they discussed that overeating was not taking care of herself?  Maybe?) or the therapist was really easy on her because of her aversion to even trying therapy (which I understand; people suggest it for getting over every little thing.) 

 

But, on the other hand, the some (not all) of my friends describe their therapy in a way that I can only describe as "paying someone to be a yes man."  So, who knows what was going on.

[4leafclover]

@leighroda--congratulations on graduating from nursing school--that is a great and wonderful feat!  I know you'll ace the boards!

[auntjess]

 

Does anyone else hate the narration? It sounds rehearsed and robotic.

It's the music that bothers me.  It's so funereal, I figure the person won't make it.

I was surprised when she finally started trying.  I wonder if she'll start doing exercise.

And who are these people on Skin Tight?  I don't remember seeing them on 600 lb Life, so I just erase it at that point.

[Oldernowiser]

Congratulations, Leighroda!

Gotta believe, though, that if you were going to be on television, you would have moved it up your priority list. The weird part is that the therapist/former pole dancer was made up to the nines and the rest of her hair looked great.

Maybe the ombre hair thing is just now getting to Texas? I remember a couple of years ago seeing Heidi Klum on Project Runway and thinking she looked like she'd fallen on extremely hard times possibly involving substance addiction...I mean girlfriend looked ROUGH...and some kind poster gently pointed out to me that Heidi was "on trend with ombre."

OOooookay, then. Still looks bad to me.

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

But, on the other hand, the some (not all) of my friends describe their therapy in a way that I can only describe as "paying someone to be a yes man."  So, who knows what was going on.

While I absolutely believe psychiatric therapy has value, some (not all of them by any means, but definitely some) people who go to a therapist for years on end are basically paying someone to listen to their whining about their problems, because the other people in their lives don't want to hear it.

[SnarkKitty]

I was thinking June's partner watched an episode of Skin Tight and saw what new fresh hell was coming her way and got the hell on.

 

And who are these people on Skin Tight?  I don't remember seeing them on 600 lb Life, so I just erase it at that point.

 

What's interesting to me about Skin Tight is it follows a show all about gastric bypass, yet with 4 episodes of 8 people weighing between 350-500+ lbs, all but one lost their weight naturally with diet and exercise. Quite the juxtaposition, and produced by Dr. Now also.

 

(since 600lb life is forcing me to see it as part of their show, I guess it's on topic!)

Edited February 5, 2016 by SnarkKitty

[notyrmomma]

On the point of skin tight, have you noticed that many (maybe half) of the women who get excess skin removed aren't even at goal weight and/or they gain weight during the process?   That seems just asinine to me, especially if down the road they  would have to get more skin removed, and that surgery doesn't look like it tickles (and I'm guessing that it's not cheap).  Also, why is having so much excess skin such a Greek Tragedy to these people? They are so depressed, so dramatic.  Bitch Pleeze!  I get pissed off every time I watch it because I want to know  and they wont say 1) how much it costs and 2) how much time they have to take off work.  None of them so far looked like trust fund babies, so how do they do it? 

[leighroda]

I think the extra skin can get in the way of getting to the goal weight, so some may think it's worth it to have a good portion of it removed even if they are not quite at their goal yet... I guess they cut their losses and accept the little extra skin they wind up with or have another procedure to remove what remains once they reach their goal.

Oh, thank you for the congrats on nursing school, I have been limiting my social media time so I'm just now seeing it, but thank you.

Edited February 6, 2016 by leighroda

[Katt]

June said, on ordering fast food, "I have a cell phone, so, you're gonna do it, or I'm going to do it." Yeah, no. I'd have said, "You do it then!"

[Trees]

I just saw this show again.  She sure had a lot of attitude, calling Dr Now "sweetheart" and "baby" and all that nonsense.  I'd like to see a "where are they now" with this one.

[auntjess]

I ended up liking June, and she came around to seeing that Dr. Now was right all along, and she told him that.
Didn't watch her recently, but have rewatched her several times.
I'd like to see an update on her also.