S04.E08: Teretha's Story

[HalcyonDays]

Episode synopsis: A Detroit woman who used to represent the city's healthy eating program weighs more than 700 pounds and is confined to her bed, and her only hope may be a gastric bypass.

 

[OhioMom]

This is how bad my week's been....I had a serious brain fart, and was convinced the show was on on Sundays.  I said to my husband last night, "Did we miss the show, because I don't even remember it."  He was as confused as I was.

 

Good thing it's Wednesday!

[Tabbygirl521]

Ooh, it's on right now. She is interesting compared to many of the other folks we see in this show who are undereducated about nutrition, etc. That's all I'll say while this is still airing.

[CouchTater]

I felt so sad watching this ep., maybe because I'm from Detroit, and only a year younger than Teretha, so I identified with her a little. But wow, she easily could have been my grandma, she seemed so old!  What a life, housebound, son and girl friend bathing all your parts, etc. 

I actually teared up.  Of course, part of it was probably the bad week I'm having so far, much like OhioMom.

[Noirprncess]

This was definitely a tough episode to watch.  I really didn't think she was going to get the surgery.  However, I'm glad he forced her to see a therapist.  It seems like she made progress fairly quickly after that point.

[aliya]

Did she honestly tell Dr Now that she was eating 1800 calories a day?  Dr Now's no fool, Teretha, he knows you're lying.  

 

What was that lump on her foot? I haven't seen that before. Usually the people with lymphedema have big legs but normal looking feet.

 

They both looked old. I don't know if the husband was much older than she was, but he sure looked older - and a little out of it mentally, though his speech was clear.

 

I was surprised that the grandchild got the insulin pens from the fridge. I use the exact same (looked like Lantus and Humalog to me) and a purpose of the pen, as opposed to the vial, is to give you some freedom. You keep the pens in the fridge until the first use, then you can keep them at room temp for 28 days or so. Maybe the kid was getting new pens; it just struck me as odd, plus, Lantus is usually taken once a day, at night, to be a base during the next day, so I don't know why she had that with a meal.

 

I found Dr Now's comments about using insulin at her size to be interesting. I wonder what he suggested - especially since the humalog is taken with meals and I'm not sure what other new drugs are taken that way. A lot of the new ones are once a day (been there, tried that, wound up in the ER, went back to insulin). Metformin is OK when you can tolerate it (I can't), but it doesn't help 'cover' carbs at meals. Certainly I would examine how much insulin she was taking and reduce when the calories were reduced, but I was just surprised to hear him say there were other choices. Of course, she could have helped herself by actually eating the 1800 calories; if she was trying to be compliant with the insulin at all, she must have been taking a ton of it, but I bet she didn't take near as much as she should have. 

 

What a story, huh?  Going from food health education (had to smile when she said she ate fried chicken after the demos) to being bed-bound. I feel sad for these people when I think of how much they have to go through with skin surgery,etc. The weight loss is only part of the battle.

[raiderred1]

I thought Teretha was manipulative and actually enjoyed being taken care of by all of her family.  Her son seemed a bit over her antics. She talked a good story but not wanting to walk even a year after surgery and a huge weight loss, no bueno.  She is my age and as someone said upthread she looks so old.  I was shocked to see she was in her forties.

 

All the care she had must have cost soooooooooooo much money.  I still wonder who pays for all of this care?  I don't mind giving anyone a hand up but a handout that never ends rubs me the wrong way.

 

Meh, I hope she finally sees the light and realizes she can walk but I don't hold much hope for her.

[Pepperminty]

All the care she had must have cost soooooooooooo much money.  I still wonder who pays for all of this care?  I don't mind giving anyone a hand up but a handout that never ends rubs me the wrong way.

 

Not just for her but her husband who didn't seem to work and possibly the son/daughter, who may have been paid by Detroit (?) to care for her (it wasn't clear).

 

She kept talking about how sad she was to not be there for her grandkids, etc., and how embarrassing it was to be washed by her son. Well, I'm sure she felt like that on some level but ultimately she loves herself more because she wasn't changing.

 

I would have had to make a change at some point because I'd get bored and sore just sitting there all day. And probably spending a lot of time sitting in my own urine/crap would not be pleasant.

 

As with every one of these shows, I get so mad at the enablers. Let them get their food! If they get mad, tough.

[OSM Mom]

All the care she had must have cost soooooooooooo much money. I still wonder who pays for all of this care? I don't mind giving anyone a hand up but a handout that never ends rubs me the wrong way.

Probably the show pays for some. But probably most of it is our tax dollars.

[OhioMom]

All  I could think as I watched this was, "The heart wants what the heart wants."  And in her case, it was food.  And not the kind Dr. Now wanted her to eat, but the kind she wanted (and her husband) wanted her to eat.  I didn't see the last 15 minutes, so maybe she made a massive turnaround, idk.  As much as she wanted to be healthy, she wanted the food more.  She found a way to get extra food from the staff? How did that happen??

[poeticlicensed]

At the end my reaction was that she has a long road in front of her. After a year she still couldn't stand, much less walk and had to be transported everywhere by ambulance. So I guess she was urinating and defecating in the bed. I did see that she had a catheter bag when they moved her. I cannot even imagine being so obese I couldn't even get up and pee. All I kept thinking is that that bed must be a breeding ground for all kinds of infections.

I was surprised Dr now didn't talk to her at all about her eating habits pre surgery. I was waiting for him to mention that she worked for a healthy eating program. I also couldn't believe that she managed to get extra meals out of the hospital kitchen. How does that happen?

I also just wanted to comment on the size of both her bed at home and her hospital beds. Those things were massive. They must have special beds in that facility to accommodate the super obese. The hospital beds around here are barely bigger than a twin bed

[dahling]

Dr. Now: "I'm checking on Teretha to see if she's made progress and can walk.  If she can't, then I will not approve her for the surgery."

Teretha proceeds to barely put weight on her feet with the assistance of a team of paramedics.

Dr. Now: "Teretha made progress, so I'm approving her for the surgery."

 

Seriously there had to be a lot we didn't see there.  Or were they already too deep in filming the show to not do surgery on her?  She was a terrible candidate!  Gaining weight at home! Getting extra food from the hospital kitchen - what??? Still not walking after a year and 200+ pounds lost???  

 

Very unsatisfying. 

[AZChristian]

At one point she said something like, "They WILL get me what I want" when talking about her husband or son going to the grocery store.

 

My question:  What if they don't?  Was she going to get up and do something about it?  And if she starts yelling, all they have to do is leave the room and close the door.  I don't get the mindset of enablers.

[Pepper Mostly]

"My family is my everything!" Well, not exactly. Fried chicken is your everything. Your family seems to be a distant second. While I had a lot of sympathy for Teretha I also wanted to shake her! She was clearly in pain, embarrassed, and terrified of getting out of bed and onto her own two feet. But she was also manipulative and less than honest. I think she had moments of clarity when she realized that her situation was untenable. But her moments of hopelessness seemed to overwhelm her. As if she was thinking "what's the use, nothing will ever change, why am I giving up what I love for a risky venture?"; Sure its not rational but there it is. She wasn't a nasty prima donna like Penny with her refusal to get out of bed, I felt like she was really, really scared to even try. I hope that she continued with therapy and was able to get control of her life. Her husband is sick and could probably use some help, instead of waiting on her hand and foot.

[islandgal140]

Teretha might be one of the more eloquent participants. Some of her voice overs didn't sound as canned as they usually do. 

 

God bless the son's girlfriend because I can't in all honesty say I would be washing anyone's mama in my front room with a wash rag with a ring on my finger and the benefit of marriage. You can be damned sure that without a ring there is no way on this good green earth that I am lotioning up and powdering down your mama's lymphedemas. No siree!

 

I really wanted to know what was going on with her foot. Perhaps it was the diabetes but it looked awful. It was incredibly swollen and the skin of it looked real bad. 

 

Can you imagine being taught healthy eating by a woman who weighs over 400 lbs (at that time)? I would have got up and left. You can't tell me she didn't get called out on that a few times. Not only that but she was the head of the Program. Damn Detroit! Why?!? There was no excuses for her because if she was lecturing than she should at least be somewhat aware of what healthy eating and portion control are as opposed some others who don't seem to know that bread has carbs. 

 

They both looked old. I don't know if the husband was much older than she was, but he sure looked older - and a little out of it mentally, though his speech was clear.

 

I believe the husband was also quite ill and perhaps on disability himself. She mentioned he had diabetes but also during her therapy session she said that one her her great stresses back when she was younger was that her husband had gone into renal failure and she was still going to work and school and her father also fell ill. So yeah, he doesn't seem like a man in great health. He seemed winded and tired by the smallest task, like putting up a shower curtain. 

Edited February 25, 2016 by islandgal140

[crazycatlady58]

At one point she said something like, "They WILL get me what I want" when talking about her husband or son going to the grocery store.

My question: What if they don't? Was she going to get up and do something about it? And if she starts yelling, all they have to do is leave the room and close the door. I don't get the mindset of enablers.

One of the reasons they may get the food is because it is not just the yelling, it is the nasty tone in the voice that can go on for days and days, the threat you will call Adult protective service that they are not being fed. The young children hearing " You are starving me". An addict can get very nasty for a long time when they do not get their drug.

[Pepper Mostly]

God bless the son's girlfriend because I can't in all honesty say I would be washing anyone's mama in my front room with a wash rag with a ring on my finger and the benefit of marriage. You can be damned sure that without a ring there is no way on this good green earth that I am lotioning up and powdering down your mama's lymphedemas. No siree!

 

islandgal140, thank you for this laugh! I assure you it was loud and sustained. hahahahahahahahaha!

[suzeecat]

I was praying that she made it to Texas to see Dr. Now after being packed into that car for 30+ hours!  I was so afraid that this show was going to be the first one that the patient didn't make it.  I hope to God Teretha gets healthy again but wow, it seems like the only way she can lose weight is when she is in the hospital.  I don't know who I felt more sorry for, Teretha or her family who had to care for her.  It's hard to imagine all those lives revolving around keeping one person fed and alive . . .

 

I screamed at my TV the first time she met with Dr. Now and she told him "my dr. has me on a 2000 calorie diet".  Then she said "no wait!  It's 1,800 calories" (or 1,500 - I can't remember).  Seriously?!?!  I'm surprised Dr. Now didn't just laugh out loud, except that it wasn't funny.  And, shame on her for giving healthy eating talks then going out for fried chicken. 

[poeticlicensed]

Did anyone else catch the shot of the entire healthy eating department? They all looked huge. 

 

I am always amazed when I watch this show to see how someone who is immobile is able to control everyone around her. I am completely mobile and can't even control my damn cat, much less my family. 

[Hero]

I think it's interesting to see how attached to food these people are. Most of the time, they start crying when they are on their diet because they don't get the satisfaction of being full to the point of sickness.

Teretha cried because food didn't bring her comfort anymore because her body was full and her mind was still telling her to eat.

I noticed that the husband gained weight towards the end.

If I was the son's girlfriend, I seriously don't think I could wash his mother.

Edited February 25, 2016 by Suzy123

[Cherrio]

We see this enabler behavior on every show, but I will never understand it.  I think a lot of it comes from the enabler being dependent financially on the addict?   For instance in this show, the son, his girlfriend and children were all living with Teretha, so it could easily be.....don't get me what I want and you can move out.

    I think they don't show the real tantrums either.

    Not one of these people have ever called social services for help with the food addict.   Lack of education?  I don't know.    If I was in that situation and unable to move, I would still call social services to get some help.   Show them the tantrums, the abuse and the demands for food.

          Like Liam (Penny) he was subjected to having to live in Penny's world which consisted of being exposed to way too much, neglect and having to breathe toxins from her not using a toilet.   The kids in this show were subjected to the same kind of things.

           When Teretha complained of her own stench while they were washing her, I am guilty of yelling, what about them you asshole?

[Ocean Chick]

No wonder Detroit is in such serious trouble, if that healthy eating team was any proof.  They were ALL at unhealthy weights.  Obviously not eating healthy at all.  I would have walked out of any class they were having trying to teach me how to eat.  I've been known to point out a doctor's weight problems when they start in on my weight.  Heh.

 

I also agree regarding the washing of the non-mother-in-law.  You want me to be a care giver to your mama?  Better put a ring on it then.

 

When Teretha (I wonder if her mama had a lisp when she told the nurse what she wanted to name her baby daughter?) mentioned her husband being a diabetic and talking about how unhealthy his diet was, I was wondering about her blood sugar.  Good to find out the answer to that one.  And yes, too, about her "1800" calorie diet that she told Dr. Now she followed.  He's much nicer than I would have been, if I had a 700+ pound bedridden woman telling me she only ate 1800 calories a day.  Hog.  Wash.  I only hope that her son will teach his kids healthier habits now that mama is in Texas.  I was happy to see him playing ball with the boys and being active - great start.  Fried chicken can be a once a year treat.  And yes, Teretha - that mess of stir fry your man made had waaaaaaaaay too many noodles for either of your diabetic butts.  Obviously your husband didn't attend any of your classes, eh?

 

I just hope she gets up offa that bed at some point.  Hope we get an update on her.  We didn't get any updates on last year's group, did we?  I don't remember any.

[poeticlicensed]

When Teretha complained of her own stench while they were washing her, I am guilty of yelling, what about them you asshole?

 

I cannot imagine how bad it must smell. I'm guessing that the lather, rinse, roll over and repeat was for the cameras. I just remember when my husband had surgery last year. They told him not to shower for 24-36  hours, because of the bandages and sutures. On top showering very early the day of surgery, he went over 2 days with no shower. I was literally holding my nose helping him into the shower. And he was getting up to use the bathroom so we didn't have that component. Wow, just wow. 

Edited February 25, 2016 by poeticlicensed

[AltLivia]

I have no doubt that Teretha's legs hurt. I had surgery and was immobile (casted all the way up both legs) for an entire summer. I got the casts off and immediately hopped up from the wheelchair, so grateful.

 

It felt like fire.

 

But at the same time, Teretha did this to herself. I don't get how some people on this show don't realize, "It's getting hard to physically get up because I am so heavy," Why not keep walking just to adjust to their new weight (and stay active)? It's not even exercise. It's just...not beaching yourself.

 

How does a person get extra helpings from a hospital staff? Shouldn't that be charted and someone held responsible? How do you give extra food to someone in the hospital for weight loss purposes? What kind of arguing did Teresa have to do?

 

Count me in for the sentiment that Teretha didn't put enough effort into walking to justify Dr. Now's praise. She wasn't even up on her feet by the end of the episode! 

Edited February 25, 2016 by AltLivia

[OhioMom]

I think most of them feel that food is all they have left. They probably don't enjoy a satisfying sexual relationship with their SO's (I could  be wrong); they're not going out as a family and doing things together -- taking trips and vacations, etc.  The don't go out to dinner, out to movies, out to amusement parks.  So taking away the food for them is taking away their last enjoyment in life.

[OSM Mom]

I hope that Teretha got a decent shower or bath in the hospital. All I could think of when they were helping her attempt to stand up in the hospital is her stinky hoo ha in their face as they were helping. Yuck. And she didn't even try and stand. She wouldn't try. God that made me mad. At least make the attempt. No.. Just sit there in bed and complain.

And I was wondering the same thing as the rest of you. How did she get more food from the cafeteria in the hospital?

[Hero]

All of the talk about her stench is making me lose my appetite...lol!

I wonder what all the emts thought when they helped her up. I could not imagine.

[mmecorday]

 

I wonder if her mama had a lisp when she told the nurse what she wanted to name her baby daughter?

Like Ethel Thayer in "On Golden Pond." "It sounds like I'm lisping, doesn't it?"

 

I imagine it was hell all around for everyone in this family. Teretha has to be beyond miserable sitting in that bed day after day. How does one get used to not being able to get up? I have a friend who has ALS and can't move any part of her body now and she was very active before she got that terrible disease. I hope she doesn't watch this show because it would probably make her very angry to see someone who can move refuse to.

Edited February 25, 2016 by mmecorday

[Paradise19]

Something that has bothered me about many of these episodes is that the participant will often point out that a "food addiction is the worst addiction to have," because "food is something you have to have." Well, yes, you need the nutrition from food to survive but the way these subjects refer to it is as if they are just passive participants in life; they can't help that there are bags of Doritos and buckets of fried chicken just waiting to be eaten; I mean, someone's got to eat it, right? It's a matter of survival, right? Our ancestors were hunting for animals and living off nuts and berries; THAT'S food for survival. These people have done this to themselves over a lifetime, tricked their stomachs into thinking they need multitudes of calories to survive. I know what they're trying to say; I just feel that the "I need food to survive; that's why I have an addiction" is a cop-out.

Toward the end of the episode, when Teretha's husband had cooked dinner for them, she said, "Oh, this has more noodles than I thought," and her plate looked to have a rather large portion size on it. Her attitude seemed to be, "Aw, shucks, this has too many noodles, what can you do." For one, you can just NOT eat the noodles, or have a smaller, more appropriate portion size. And her husband said something like, "Looks like too many VEGETABLES to me, hardy har!" These people won't be successful if they can't change the basic way in which they think/talk about their food. Vegetables are not the enemy, and neither are noodles if consumed in smaller, healthier portion sizes.

[Peanutbuttercup]

I've been surprised in the episodes where a patient gets gastric sleeve that Dr. Now doesn't mention later on converting it to a duodenal switch. I don't know if it's just one of those things that the producers have deemed uninteresting to the viewing public, or if maybe Dr. Now isn't qualified/competent to do the DS surgery (only a minority of bariatric surgeons are). But gastric sleeve with duodenal switch is hands-down the most effective weight loss surgery there is -- definitely better than gastric bypass for achieving and maintaining weight loss. And it's commonly used for these super-duper morbidly obese patients who initially can't be under anesthesia for long. You start with the shorter sleeve surgery, then maybe 6 months later when they've lost 150 lbs or so, they have the second surgery which is to add the duodenal switch (even more effective intestinal re-routing than the bypass model). Someone like Teretha really would be an excellent candidate for it.

Edited February 25, 2016 by Peanutbuttercup

[OhioMom]

Something that has bothered me about many of these episodes is that the participant will often point out that a "food addiction is the worst addiction to have," because "food is something you have to have." Well, yes, you need the nutrition from food to survive but the way these subjects refer to it is as if they are just passive participants in life; they can't help that there are bags of Doritos and buckets of fried chicken just waiting to be eaten; I mean, someone's got to eat it, right? It's a matter of survival, right? Our ancestors were hunting for animals and living off nuts and berries; THAT'S food for survival. These people have done this to themselves over a lifetime, tricked their stomachs into thinking they need multitudes of calories to survive. I know what they're trying to say; I just feel that the "I need food to survive; that's why I have an addiction" is a cop-out.

Toward the end of the episode, when Teretha's husband had cooked dinner for them, she said, "Oh, this has more noodles than I thought," and her plate looked to have a rather large portion size on it. Her attitude seemed to be, "Aw, shucks, this has too many noodles, what can you do." For one, you can just NOT eat the noodles, or have a smaller, more appropriate portion size. And her husband said something like, "Looks like too many VEGETABLES to me, hardy har!" These people won't be successful if they can't change the basic way in which they think/talk about their food. Vegetables are not the enemy, and neither are noodles if consumed in smaller, healthier portion sizes.

That's probably one of the ONLY things they say that I can empathize with.  You don't need cigarettes. You can just quit cold turkey and never have another one in your life. I did. But you "do" need food to live. And there is a very, very, very thin line for some people who have lived most of their lives using food for comfort or to fill other needs, between being able to eat celery sticks, raw carrots and baked chicken, and the "bad for you" but good tasting foods.  Fat tastes good. It makes food taste good.  It is a daily battle, and on going battle. 

[ClareWalks]

That's probably one of the ONLY things they say that I can empathize with.  You don't need cigarettes. You can just quit cold turkey and never have another one in your life. I did. But you "do" need food to live. And there is a very, very, very thin line for some people who have lived most of their lives using food for comfort or to fill other needs, between being able to eat celery sticks, raw carrots and baked chicken, and the "bad for you" but good tasting foods.  Fat tastes good. It makes food taste good.  It is a daily battle, and on going battle. 

 

Yes, exactly! You cannot quit eating cold turkey. You have to learn to eat healthy, in moderation. It's like if you're an alcoholic who drinks a bottle of vodka every night, you cannot switch to drinking half a glass of red wine a day for your heart health. You give that shit up completely. 

 

I was really surprised to read the hate for Teretha here, I didn't think she was any worse than anyone else on the show. Yes, she was reluctant to try to stand at first, but by the end of the year she was trying much harder. I don't blame her for being afraid, the woman has been bed-ridden for years. I'm sure her leg muscles have atrophied and I don't think the edema helped either. Supporting hundreds of pounds on your legs requires a person to be in pretty good shape, honestly, at least as far as their strength goes. Is she manipulative? Of course. She is an addict. Addicts of all types are highly manipulative. I don't know, I guess I didn't think she was that much worse than the others. She ain't another Penny, that's for sure.

Edited February 25, 2016 by ClareWalks

[gunderda]

For once I will call BS on Dr. Now expecting her to just miraculously get up and walk after not being mobile for 2 years.  Especially with no assistance.  Her husband is suppose to help her get in and out of bed and let her lean on him? 

 

She probably had little to no muscle tone left in her legs. Not to mention you could tell she had a whole slew of issues with her legs.  Hopefully she will be able to get some of it back .  Some people never recover from that, of course it all depends on their motivation which looked like she had little to none.  She might be happy if she can just get transplanted into a wheel chair to be include in activities. 

 

I think Dr Now approved her for surgery because she made the effort and was able to get herself to sit on the side of the bed.  That wasn't possible before.  Therefore she was making progress.  It expect her to be up and walking was ridiculous and he knows it.

 

I also would like to know how to manage to get more food from the hospital staff. 

 

At the end it looked like she was on the right track so good for her.

 

After watching the skin tight show though I feel bad for all these people who are going to have a ton of lose skin dragging them down.

Edited February 25, 2016 by gunderda

[goodbyeglittergirl]

I hope Teretha continued to find success and is now walking, etc., on her own. She seemed like a nice, bright, capable lady - it's hard to believe things got that bad.

 

I thought Dr. N was kind of short-sighted in his insistence that she stand - clearly she had a lot of leg issues going on, combined with being bed-bound for 18+ months. She needed a ton of physical therapy. 

 

I can't imagine being hospital-bound for SO long just to follow their low cal diet and be monitored, etc. That was a freaking long time. 

[junemeatcleaver]

 

All the care she had must have cost soooooooooooo much money.  I still wonder who pays for all of this care?  I don't mind giving anyone a hand up but a handout that never ends rubs me the wrong way.

 

If only the US held as much contempt towards businesses, the rich and big farms getting "perpetual hand outs" as it does poor, sick people...

 

I wonder if the show will ever address some of the cultural reasons why some people refuse talk therapy.  Teretha was an educated woman who worked in the social work field, I would hazard a guess she's even referred clients to therapists, and she still didn't want to tell a stranger her secrets.  It would be an interesting thing for the show to explore, but that would probably get in the way of all the gorging and bathing scenes.

[non sequitur]

This episode was like Marla 2, only with more health problems and more enablers.  Getting extra food while in the hospital seemed very suspicious.

 

I wonder if the show will ever address some of the cultural reasons why some people refuse talk therapy.  Teretha was an educated woman who worked in the social work field, I would hazard a guess she's even referred clients to therapists, and she still didn't want to tell a stranger her secrets.  It would be an interesting thing for the show to explore, but that would probably get in the way of all the gorging and bathing scenes.

 

Some of the people probably don't want to address their own problems, because it's the first step towards real change.

Edited February 25, 2016 by non sequitur

[aliya]

I've been surprised in the episodes where a patient gets gastric sleeve that Dr. Now doesn't mention later on converting it to a duodenal switch. I don't know if it's just one of those things that the producers have deemed uninteresting to the viewing public, or if maybe Dr. Now isn't qualified/competent to do the DS surgery (only a minority of bariatric surgeons are). But gastric sleeve with duodenal switch is hands-down the most effective weight loss surgery there is -- definitely better than gastric bypass for achieving and maintaining weight loss. 

I thought he did say that he was starting with the sleeve. Having hung around a gastric sleeve FB page these past months, I don't think he came out and said it directly, but for some reason, I figured he would do the other surgery later; quite a few people on the page have had it. I may have imagined it.

 

So, confession time. years ago, I lost my husband. My 14 yr old son and I lived across from a little city grocery store that sold Chunky Monkey. Many times I asked him to go get me the ice cream. Many times he said he'd rather not. I was plump, but working and no bigger than many 'plump' women out there; its not like I was bed bound, but I probably didn't need my own pint of ice cream. I would even go without dinner, thinking that would compensate for eating the ice cream. Looking back, I was probably trying to bring some happiness to a sad time and I liked the idea of my son doing something for me, since I had to do everything else on my own. I never screamed at him or anything, but I certainly used my parental authority to coerce him into doing something he didn't want to do. .

 

It's hard for us to understand why the family members still feed the super obese on this show,but financial dependence, love, or a misguided notion of not wanting the person to be unhappy - lots of stuff contributes to doing something that from the outside, looks almost insane. I could say that for me, it was only a pint of ice cream, but at a deeper level, I think it's the same as people who order 4 pizzas. 

 

A few months ago, I apologized to my son for making him do something that he thought was bad for me. I could have let it go, it's been a long time since then, but I think you need to own your sh$t and what I did was wrong. 

[HalcyonDays]

You don't need cigarettes.

 

As a current smoker, but who had a large gap in time between smoking...(7 years) It's all mental. But to answer? Yeah, you do. You need cigarettes- mentally and physically, until you can wean yourself off them. Fact is, stress in life fucks one up. It takes time, just like the weight loss takes time. The worst part? When you smoke, your appetite is somewhat suppressed. When you stop? Dear god, you want some food.....

[ethalfrida]

Cigarettes have over 500 chemicals in them that inhibit  weight gain and that create addiction.. Not to dimInish your struggle but your dependency was a lot more complex than overeating. 

[OhioMom]

As a current smoker, but who had a large gap in time between smoking...(7 years) It's all mental. But to answer? Yeah, you do. You need cigarettes- mentally and physically, until you can wean yourself off them. Fact is, stress in life fucks one up. It takes time, just like the weight loss takes time. The worst part? When you smoke, your appetite is somewhat suppressed. When you stop? Dear god, you want

 

As a current smoker, but who had a large gap in time between smoking...(7 years) It's all mental. But to answer? Yeah, you do. You need cigarettes- mentally and physically, until you can wean yourself off them. Fact is, stress in life fucks one up. It takes time, just like the weight loss takes time. The worst part? When you smoke, your appetite is somewhat suppressed. When you stop? Dear god, you want some food.....

 

You're not going to die if you stop smoking cigarettes (unless you commit suicide from the stress of quitting), but if you stop eating, you will die. It may take 7 days, but you will die. Especially if you're not drinking liquids, either.  Milkshakes and guzzling litres of soda  can be just as damaging as solid food in the war against obesity.  I was a smoker too.  I know it's not easy.  But it's not a matter of life and death.

[crazycatlady58]

All addictions are hard. If they were easy to stop they would not be an addiction.

[ClareWalks]

Did anyone watch the "Fat Chance" show that came on after this? That trainer has been on another show, but I can't remember which one. He looks SO familiar. I kinda liked that show, although the whole "I have a crush on someone" seems super tacked-on and unnecessary. The lawyer dude was a decent guy and I admired that he was a single dad working long hours and still killed it in the gym.

[Brooklynista]

Did anyone watch the "Fat Chance" show that came on after this? That trainer has been on another show, but I can't remember which one. He looks SO familiar. I kinda liked that show, although the whole "I have a crush on someone" seems super tacked-on and unnecessary. The lawyer dude was a decent guy and I admired that he was a single dad working long hours and still killed it in the gym.

The trainer did look familiar.  The first thought I had was the show MTV had where teens had 30 or 90 days to lose weight...was he the BOOM trainer?

 

I Used to be Fat?  I'm really drawing a blank.

[timesywimesy]

Asa Registered Dietician, it is HUGELY frustrating that for the most part, this show refuses to include this vital component of treatment ( how, what and when to eat ).

But I can almost guarantee you 100% that each one of these participants have in fact been provided with both pre-and post nutritional guidelines. I fault the show for omitting this not so minor detail. Which makes the non-compliant ( I'm looking at you Pauline ) that much more culpable when they fail miserably.

Edited February 26, 2016 by timesywimesy

[ClareWalks]

The trainer did look familiar.  The first thought I had was the show MTV had where teens had 30 or 90 days to lose weight...was he the BOOM trainer?

 

I Used to be Fat?  I'm really drawing a blank.

 

Yes, that could be it! He definitely had a lot of fuckin' slogans back then. I really liked him last night, seems like he has matured since his first television appearance. Also he really pulled off those sweatpants, daaaaamn.

[mrsjoe]

I also just wanted to comment on the size of both her bed at home and her hospital beds. Those things were massive. They must have special beds in that facility to accommodate the super obese. The hospital beds around here are barely bigger than a twin bed

 

So when they talk about Dr. Now being their only hope, the equipment required to work with 700lb patients is a big part of that. The reality is that most facilities do not have the proper tools to operate on someone that large. Even the tools that Dr. Now uses to perform the surgeries laparoscopically are custom as they have to be longer than normal to get to the stomachs and intestines of people who are that big. The cost is huge because the equipment is so specialized and most facilities just don't pay for it, under the assumption that it won't get a lot of use, not to mention that operating on patients that big has the risk of skewing your hospital stats towards higher complication and mortality rates. It's just not worth having to purchase that bed that can support and weigh someone who is over 700lbs for most facilities. Part of me wonders what made Dr. Now and the hospital he uses decide to specialize in this group.

[Typhoo]

  She found a way to get extra food from the staff? How did that happen??

I was in the hospital last year for 5 and a half months and it's not hard to get extra food from the hospital/kitchen staff no matter what the doctor ordered for you. I used to get extra bowls of soup, boiled eggs and egg burritos whenever I marked them down on the no sugar/no salt menus I filled out. I even got extra butter sometimes and was even given full sugar ice cream once when it was mistakenly put on my tray. I'm not diabetic so I ate it. For Thanksgiving I even got a slice of pumpkin pie. Packets of salt would sometimes be on my meal trays when they weren't supposed to be and when I was up and mobile there was food available in the 2 kitchens for the patients on my floor. Free for the taking as long as there wasn't another patients name on it.  I wasn't in the hospital to lose weight but I am morbidly obese and my weight went from well over 500 pounds to 462 lbs by the time I was discharged for home. Food is EVERYWHERE in the hospital so I am NOT surprised that she managed to get extra.

[notyrmomma]

I've been surprised in the episodes where a patient gets gastric sleeve that Dr. Now doesn't mention later on converting it to a duodenal switch. I don't know if it's just one of those things that the producers have deemed uninteresting to the viewing public, or if maybe Dr. Now isn't qualified/competent to do the DS surgery (only a minority of bariatric surgeons are). But gastric sleeve with duodenal switch is hands-down the most effective weight loss surgery there is -- definitely better than gastric bypass for achieving and maintaining weight loss. And it's commonly used for these super-duper morbidly obese patients who initially can't be under anesthesia for long. You start with the shorter sleeve surgery, then maybe 6 months later when they've lost 150 lbs or so, they have the second surgery which is to add the duodenal switch (even more effective intestinal re-routing than the bypass model). Someone like Teretha really would be an excellent candidate for it.

Yes!  I agree, but I don't think Dr. Now does the DS per a quick review of his website.  He does say that with high BMI patients, he does the VSG first then a second procedure later...he doesn't mention what though.  I agree the DS is the best thing out there, but it isn't for everyone. 

 

 

So when they talk about Dr. Now being their only hope, the equipment required to work with 700lb patients is a big part of that. The reality is that most facilities do not have the proper tools to operate on someone that large. Even the tools that Dr. Now uses to perform the surgeries laparoscopically are custom as they have to be longer than normal to get to the stomachs and intestines of people who are that big. The cost is huge because the equipment is so specialized and most facilities just don't pay for it, under the assumption that it won't get a lot of use, not to mention that operating on patients that big has the risk of skewing your hospital stats towards higher complication and mortality rates. It's just not worth having to purchase that bed that can support and weigh someone who is over 700lbs for most facilities. Part of me wonders what made Dr. Now and the hospital he uses decide to specialize in this group.

Dr. Now addressed this topic in one of his interviews.  He basically said that if he didn't do the surgery, the people would die, and therefore it's really not that big of a risk at the end of the day because without any type of intervention, they would die anyway.  It sounds like he is taking this "risk" because I believe he really wants to help people.

 

 

No wonder Detroit is in such serious trouble, if that healthy eating team was any proof.  They were ALL at unhealthy weights.  Obviously not eating healthy at all.  I would have walked out of any class they were having trying to teach me how to eat.  I've been known to point out a doctor's weight problems when they start in on my weight.  Heh.

So this is a bit off-topic, but since I have lately become obsessed with anything related to  weight loss, obesity, fitness, and even fat acceptance, I have noticed a sad trend in obese african american women. I do not want to start a racial discussion here, but I was watching some awards show video on BET (or some similar website) and I noticed that every single woman featured was slighly over weight to morbidly obese.  You don't normally see that in predominately white awards shows/Hollywood in general (although the caucasians are starting to catch up, have you seen the latest Sports Illustrated cover???)  So I did a little research and saw a statistic that 56.6% of African American women are obese, not just over weight!  So since Detroit has a large African American population, the people who went to the healthy eating team for help were probably already desensitized to their size.

[aliya]

So when they talk about Dr. Now being their only hope, the equipment required to work with 700lb patients is a big part of that. The reality is that most facilities do not have the proper tools to operate on someone that large. Even the tools that Dr. Now uses to perform the surgeries laparoscopically are custom as they have to be longer than normal to get to the stomachs and intestines of people who are that big. The cost is huge because the equipment is so specialized and most facilities just don't pay for it, under the assumption that it won't get a lot of use, not to mention that operating on patients that big has the risk of skewing your hospital stats towards higher complication and mortality rates. It's just not worth having to purchase that bed that can support and weigh someone who is over 700lbs for most facilities. Part of me wonders what made Dr. Now and the hospital he uses decide to specialize in this group.

I just re-watched the show about Paul Mason, who was Britain's fattest man. The structural issues came up re his surgery as well. They worried about the floor, doorways, the operating table, things you don't even think of just walking around normally. I ended up being FB friends with Mr Mason and he is just a lovely man; still suffering from various ailments that have come his way, but walking around and enjoying life in the US. Seeing, through his experience, how difficult it is for the super obese to deal with the excess skin and other health issues that crop up post surgery, I feel sad for a lot of them. It's not over with the surgery.

[aliya]

 So since Detroit has a large African American population, the people who went to the healthy eating team for help were probably already desensitized to their size.

 

Yup. I'm black and can tell you that culturally, blacks seem to be less concerned with a little body weight. When Teretha's husband said something like 'she was a little chubby' and the woman was 400 lbs, I had to smile. On one hand, you have plump women who are happy with themselves, dress well, and live their lives without a lot of the self hate and body shaming that I see with white women, but on the other hand, it can be a steady slide from 200 to 300 lbs and health issues.