S04.E120: Where Are They Now? Laura and Marla

[Armchair Critic]

Quote

After successfully cutting over 300 pounds, Laura has become much less dependent on her husband, but their relationship has changed as a result; one of Dr. Now's most challenging patients, Marla returns, and fireworks are seen again.

Edited May 12, 2016 by Armchair Critic

[Armchair Critic]

I give Dr. Now credit for not going off worse on Marla. She wouldn't get out of bed or follow any directions from Dr. Now yet expected to get skin surgery and got an attitude with him. Who pays for the EMTs who had to bring her to the appointments? Although Dr. Now dropping her may have helped her because she probably felt like she had to prove him wrong and that motivated her. Her poor son, I hope that he will be able to have his own life. At least she did thank Dr. Now at the end, although I wonder if that was suggested to her to help redeem her image.

Good for Laura, I am happy for her. But these women get with men who are caretakers because face it how many normal men go for that large of a woman who is immobile, then wonder why the guy feels unneeded when they lose weight and become more independent. As for her wanting people to think she is beautiful, sorry but even if she gets to be a normal size she will never be a looker. I will say she had slim calves and ankles for being so heavy.

[Azubah]

It was so interesting how much better Marla behaved with a different doctor! The new doctor told her all the same stuff, but somehow the tone of voice was different. Marla didn't instantly get passive-aggressive. Goes to show how important doctor/patient fit is.

[Guest]

She wouldn't get out of bed or follow any directions from Dr. Now yet expected to get skin surgery and got an attitude with him.

I can't believe she expected to get skin surgery* when she wouldn't even get out of bed. I mean, at least do the bare minimum woman. And damn if she didn't have an impressive array of wigs.

*I swear this phrase was used 100 times this episode. I got sick of hearing it. Maybe they should change the title of these follow ups to, "The Quest to Chop the Flesh."

I'm still amazed at the shabbiness of Dr Now's strip-mall medical practice. I would think for all his financial success (from TLC) he'd at least invest in signage that's one step below a Cash for Gold store.

[Albino]

33 minutes ago, Armchair Critic said:

Her poor son, I hope that he will be able to have his own life. At least she did thank Dr. Now at the end, although I wonder if that was suggested to her to help redeem her image.

Good for Laura, I am happy for her. But these women get with men who are caretakers because face it how many normal men go for that large of a woman who is immobile, then wonder why the guy feels unneeded when they lose weight and become more independent. As for her wanting people to think she is beautiful, sorry but even if she gets to be a normal size she will never be a looker. I will say she had slim calves and ankles for being so heavy.

I thought that was Marla's daughter?  Or am I mixing her up with another difficult patient?  Her daughter had super short hair and was overweight as well...she got very angry with her mom for not trying to stand and stormed out once or twice.  

I feel like a pig for saying this about Laura because she seems like such a nice person and did so great, but her forehead is really more like a onehead.  I've never seen anyone with such a low hairline in my life.  I guess when you weigh that much your forehead is the least of your worries.

[junemeatcleaver]

It was Marla's daughter, not son.  Her name is Sierra.

Marla didn't have the greatest attitude but I think it's possible that she and Dr. Now were incompatible as patient and physician.  It happens, not everyone is a perfect match.

Hopefully once Laura gets under 250 pounds she'll finally dump her asshole husband.  The only bad thing is he'll go after another woman who he can control and feel superior to.

[Armchair Critic]

Oops didn't realize that was Marla's daughter, I wasn't looking that closely and she had short hair.

[Stripper Glitter]

Marla is a piece of work. Can't blame Dr. Now one iota.

[Noirprncess]

You can tell Laura wasn't eating enough protein because her hair was thinning heavily in the front.  Her dislike of meat made me wonder one thing, why wouldn't a plant based diet like a vegetarian or vegan diet work?. Especially if she continued to avoid carbs and kept her sugar intake very low.   His advice to avoid drinking milk and yogurt was interesting.

 

Marla, like so many others, seemed to think the surgery would magically fix everything without her ACTUALLY doing anything.  I get the personality clash between her and Dr Now but her attitude really fuels that clash.  I'm glad he dismissed her as a patient.

[flappa1016]

56 minutes ago, Noirprncess said:

You can tell Laura wasn't eating enough protein because her hair was thinning heavily in the front.  Her dislike of meat made me wonder one thing, why wouldn't a plant based diet like a vegetarian or vegan diet work?. Especially if she continued to avoid carbs and kept her sugar intake very low.   His advice to avoid drinking milk and yogurt was interesting.

I think that the problem with a vegetarian or vegan diet is that practically all of the protein sources are also packed with carbohydrate.  Dr. Now is adamant that they not eat veggies, so the only other protein sources for a veg*n would be beans which I'm sure would wreak havoc on their digestive systems because the amount of beans one would need to eat to get adequate protein would also be extremely high in carbohydrate - not to mention the gas it would create.   Even tofu would has a too high carb to protein ratio for the amount that would need to be ingested.  With meat, it's all protein.  I noticed that when she was making breakfast for her husband, she made him bacon and eggs.  That's a perfect low carb high protein breakfast!  Instead she opens a tub of yogurt, which wouldn't be bad if it wasn't full of sugar.  I did a massive eyeroll on that one - yogurts are one of those items that are made out to be healthy, when in reality there is so much sugar that it's not any better than cake or a donut.  I follow a low carb diet so as to avoid T2 diabetes (it runs in my family) and I buy plain, unsweetened greek yogurt, and then add in a sugar free syrup or stevia.  Once in a while, as a treat, I'll add in about 1/4 cup of low sugar fruit like blackberries, raspberries, strawberries or blueberries.  But most of the time I eat an egg-based breakfast to get the satiety of the protein and fat.

Does anyone know why Marla has the iv port in her arm?  Another follow-up patient had one as well, but IIRC that patient had recently been hospitalized and I assumed it was because they still needed some type of meds to be administered because of the recent hospitalization.  I wonder if she is getting skin infections or cellulitis and needs to have iv antibiotics on a regular basis?

[swankie]

5 hours ago, junemeatcleaver said:

Marla didn't have the greatest attitude but I think it's possible that she and Dr. Now were incompatible as patient and physician.  It happens, not everyone is a perfect match.

Marla was just being a first class entitled douchebag.  Her attitude stunk.  She had no reason to speak to Dr. Now the way she did.  She expected to get skin surgery without losing the weight.  They aren't going to keep operating on someone who is immobile and at risk of getting blood clots because of the lack of mobility.  She acted like a spoiled petulant child who threw a fit because she couldn't get her way.  I think the only reason she cooperated with the other physician is because she was eating crow and realizing that all of the doctors required the same thing; that she get her unappreciative ass up out of the bed and walk.  I swear I saw red every time she would put her stinkface on.  Getting all of these services for free should make them humble but instead, Marla felt entitled to them, like somebody owed her something.  She should be kissing Dr. Now's feet instead of disrespecting him.  Up until now I thought Penny and Pauline were the worst, but for me, Marla wears that crown now.  Smdh

Edited May 12, 2016 by swankie

[Armchair Critic]

3 minutes ago, swankie said:

 I think the only reason she cooperated with the other physician is because she was eating crow and realizing that all of the doctors required the same thing; that she get her unappreciative ass up out of the bed and walk. 

Yes that's how I saw it too.

[Noirprncess]

I too had to eye roll the yogurt only because the fruit added ones are SO high in sugar.   She could get her protein by eating a PLAIN Greek yogurt and adding in a little cinnamon or vanilla for extra flavor.  Even as you suggested, adding low sugar fruits, fresh or frozen.

 

I also think you have to consider non traditional meals for breakfast.  Especially if you follow a high protein, low carb diet.  The typical American breakfast choices are just too high in sugar and carbs for regular consumption. Once you ditch the thinking that "I can only eat this (set type of foods) for breakfast", it makes life a LOT easier.   During the winter I had soups for breakfast because I like hot meals, while during the summer it might be a salad with a protein.

 

I don't think Dr Now said she "couldn't" eat vegetables, in fact he said to her to eat protein with her vegetables.  But, he said she wasn't JUST eating vegetables based on the size of her belly.  I suspect she was starting to over eat or over drink to try to get rid of being light headed but all of things she wasn't supposed to eat.

[Armchair Critic]

Also that yogurt container she was eating from looked big like it was a couple portion sizes. Hopefully she divided it up.

[junemeatcleaver]

Quote

She should be kissing Dr. Now's feet instead of disrespecting him.  Up until now I thought Penny and Pauline were the worst, but for me, Marla wears that crown now. 

I think that's the problem.  You have to keep prostrating yourself to a doctor you're incompatible with because the viewers at home may feel uncomfortable with your attitude?  That's not the point, the point is for her to lose weight and get healthier.  If that goal was accomplished by finding a new doctor and "sticking it" to Dr. Now, so be it.  That's more you can say about Penny who's somehow better than Marla.

[Azubah]

Suddenly disliking a food that you used to like is a common effect of bariatric surgery. If Laura needed more protein Dr. Now should have guided her to the protein shakes and soups that many folks use just before and after surgery. Of course real food is better, but if you just can't stand it, the shakes are better than nothing. My bariatric doctor had a list of products that met the protein/carb/fat recommendations.

[gunderda]

5 hours ago, Noirprncess said:

I don't think Dr Now said she "couldn't" eat vegetables, in fact he said to her to eat protein with her vegetables.  But, he said she wasn't JUST eating vegetables based on the size of her belly.  I suspect she was starting to over eat or over drink to try to get rid of being light headed but all of things she wasn't supposed to eat.

Nope, he did specifically say "no vegetables"  and I think even Marla made the same comment.  She wanted eggs but they didn't have any so she told her daughter to cook her cabbage and she goes "Dr Now says Im not suppose to eat vegetables.... but I'm eating cabbage"

which if I were going to eat a vegetable when not allowed... cabbage is probably my last choice lol 

A lot of veggies are considered carbs.  If you're doing the atkins diet (I think that's the one?) you arent suppose to eat them either.  Whatever diet that you aren't suppose to eat any carbs.

5 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

Also that yogurt container she was eating from looked big like it was a couple portion sizes. Hopefully she divided it up.

It looked to me like she only had a few bites and put it away.

And to me it looked like a greek yogurt container.  Only greek yogurt comes in fancy containers lol 

Also what's interesting... Marla's new doctor was requiring her to get down to about 250 before skin surgery.  When Marla was at the 350 range and had all that loose skin I bet Dr. Now would have done her skin surgery so she essentially kicked herself in the butt by having an attitude with him.  

[Guest dutronc]

Marla was a real study in the psychology of WTF. I thought she was absolutely like Penny and Pauline, but then when she moved back to Nashville, she was a completely different person, and much more likeable. Part of it was probably not a good fit with Dr. Now, but also like someone else mentioned, she had to extract herself from the whole she dug with her obstinate mindset, and moving gave her that chance. She also moved in with her other daughter, and was back with family and familiar environments. Her slow progress with walking also made me wonder if she had been more truthful than I gave her credit for about her inability to stand at all. There was probably some hidden drama with Sierra, who I guess stayed in Houston. I cringe-watched during the call to Dr. Now because I thought she was going to yell at him again, but it was a nice, somewhat redemptive moment.

[Ocean Chick]

I, too, was just over Marla and her attitude.  Glad she got over it as well.  Yes, honey, when the doctor tells you that you have up be able to walk before he does surgery, just telling him that you "think" you lost weight - even though you can't stand long enough to get weighed - isn't going to make him change his mind.  I hope she continues to lose weight and manages to keep it off.  And gets her surgery.

Laura was something else again.  And don't even get me started on that sad sack of a husband!  Talk about dead weight.  All that whining about Laura not NEEDING him.  What a dumb ass.  It's soooooo much better to be WANTED than to be needed.  I hope someone hits him upside the head with a clue-by-four.  And Laura, poor thing - I've never seen a hairline so low.  And her sisters all had the same issue.  Plus they were ALL significantly overweight as well.  Laura looks so much better the few times she dialed back the makeup.  All that heavy makeup made her look like a cartoon.  Do people really outline their lips like that these days?  I thought that trend had died in the 80s!  I hope she continues to lose and gets the surgery she needs.

ETA:  Yes, Laura's thinning hair was a bit tragic, though I thought she had that same problem before she started losing weight?  I've heard bariatric surgery can mean one doesn't get the nutrition they need, which can make you lose hair.  I was almost afraid we'd see her looking like a monk at some point.  Hope she's taking the supplements she needs to stay healthy.  She's never going to be a beauty, but hopefully she gets to the point where she can walk down the street and not be stared at - just look normal.

Edited May 12, 2016 by Ocean Chick

[Hero]

Everytime Marla rolled her eyes I wanted to slap her. Her attitude was so fucking terrible. She acted like it was a privilege that Dr. Now got to work with her. Honestly, Dr. Now should have dumped her as a patient months ago. 

 

Laura's relationship with her husband is so odd. I was kind of hoping that she would leave him, because that relationship is so unhealthy. He's telling people that she shouldn't have had the surgery and she claims that it's because he loves her? Um, I don't think so.  

I definitely understand why a lot of the people on this show just settle for a person. It's hard to find love sometimes. Especially when you don't look like what some people think is "normal."  

But, that relationship is fated to doom.

Edited May 12, 2016 by Suzy123

[flappa1016]

Dr. Now definitely said "no vegetables" in response to Laura saying that's mostly what she eats because the protein makes her nauseous.  I just replayed the episode to confirm (it's at the 18 min. mark).  He went on to say that vegetables would "make her stomach bigger and bigger".  I first noticed this restriction in another recent episode, which surprised me because for most low carb diets non-starchy vegetables are recommended so as to get in appropriate amounts of carbohydrate and fiber.  Even Atkins, which is the most restricted, allows for a small amount of non-starchy veg during the induction phase and once you move to the ongoing weight loss and maintenance phases you slowly start adding back more vegetables and begin to include low sugar fruits.  Everyone associates Atkins with "bacon all day every day" but it actually includes vegetables in all phases.

Of all the veggies Marla could have chosen to eat, I would think that cabbage would be a big no-no.  Cruciferous vegetables are notorious for being hard to digest for people with stomach/digestive issues.  It's got a really good nutritional profile, but I would think it would be extra hard for a post-bariatric patient to tolerate.

That was Noosa brand yogurt, which is made by an American company based on Australian yogurts - it's actually quite tasty and high quality (unlike Dannon and some of the other filler and artificially filled brands): whole milk, honey & fruit puree (which contains added sugar).  I love the mango flavor, but, as mentioned, the kinds with the fruit are way too high in sugar.  I just checked their website for nutritional info and they have some awesome flavors that I'd love to try, but again, too much sugar.  That was an 8 oz. container she was eating from, but they also sell 4 oz. tubs.  The nutritional info for mango 8 oz. tub is 12 grams of protein and 31 grams of carb (obviously some of that is the natural lactose from the fermented yogurt).  That's the "per serving" nutrition, but it does not say if the 8 oz. container is one or two servings.  When I buy the giant tubs of Fage, I only portion out a 5-6 oz. amount and that is plenty filling and I have a normal sized stomach.  I'm thinking there is no way she could put away an 8 oz. tub with a reduced size stomach.

Edited May 12, 2016 by flappa1016

[CarolMK]

I wish that we knew exactly what Dr. Now's diet is for his patients, because it does seem that a lot of them have a hard time sticking to it without some form of cheating. So far I think I've seen it's supposed to be 1200 calories a day, with 3 meals a day, no snacking, and either low-carb or no carb. Although the calorie count might be lower than that, at least in the beginning. I'm hoping for the best for Laura because she did make significant progress the second year. Marla finally did too, once she changed doctors and finally was able to start walking again. I wish we knew what prohibited her from walking to begin with since pretty much all the patients except Penny were able to do some walking when they first saw Dr. Now.

[gunderda]

22 minutes ago, CarolMK said:

I wish that we knew exactly what Dr. Now's diet is for his patients, because it does seem that a lot of them have a hard time sticking to it without some form of cheating. So far I think I've seen it's supposed to be 1200 calories a day, with 3 meals a day, no snacking, and either low-carb or no carb. Although the calorie count might be lower than that, at least in the beginning. I'm hoping for the best for Laura because she did make significant progress the second year. Marla finally did too, once she changed doctors and finally was able to start walking again. I wish we knew what prohibited her from walking to begin with since pretty much all the patients except Penny were able to do some walking when they first saw Dr. Now.

If I had to stick to that diet I would have a hard time not cheating either.  No carb, no veggies - I have no idea what that leaves!  Other than proteins like meat, chicken and fish.  But what do you eat with them?  Salads obviously are ok but the salads are eat are lettuce, cheese and tomato and I would imagine the type of dressing is severely restricted too.  I love the fatty dressings but I can do a balsamic every once in awhile but I can't imagine all that acidity is good for the stomach. 

Not to mention it takes awhile for most of them to become fairly mobile again so they have nothing else to do but sit around and think of food all day.  I have a full time job and I'm constantly thinking about food lol

In terms of walking, I think Marla was just being lazy and stubborn.  I get that it will be hard for her to walk again but it seemed like if she tried to just stand and couldn't succeed then she didn't want to do it.  Plus she probably liked being waited on hand and foot.  She also had to have had some form of intense physical therapy that we didn't get to see.  You don't go from not being able to stand with help from multiple people to standing by yourself just overnight. 

[mmecorday]

I was under the impression that the woman with Marla was her girlfriend, not her daughter.

[Dirtybubble]

15 hours ago, Albino said:

I feel like a pig for saying this about Laura because she seems like such a nice person and did so great, but her forehead is really more like a onehead.  I've never seen anyone with such a low hairline in my life.  I guess when you weigh that much your forehead is the least of your worries.

Ok here's the thing with Laura, she needs a MAKEOVER!  Badly!  The fuchsia lipstick and black eyeliner are doing her no favors.  And yeah she needs a new haircut, something with bangs.  The way she beats her mug is too harsh; soften up her features and update her hair maybe try a more natural hair color and she could be a looker.

 

1 hour ago, mmecorday said:

I was under the impression that the woman with Marla was her girlfriend, not her daughter.

No you're thinking of June, she is the one with the gf.  Another unhappy love life it seems as well...

[Ocean Chick]

I think Marla was just too afraid to try to stand/walk.  And when Dr. Now insisted that she do so, she got her mule-face on and decided she wasn't playing by his rules.  She's probably fallen in the past and had to be hauled up by a lot of people and it embarrassed her, so she wasn't going to risk it, even with help.  And the more Dr. Now pushed, the more she pushed back.  She got a fresh start with her TN doctor and decided to try and found she could do it.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Ocean Chick said:

She's probably fallen in the past and had to be hauled up by a lot of people and it embarrassed her

Hmmm.  Possibly.  But as I recall she sure wasn't embarrassed to lift her leg high to the heavens and expose her hooha for TLC viewership.  She's stubborn, spoiled and expects to get everything her way and when she doesn't she displays her pout face.

I wouldn't want her as a friend (too exhausting) but I will applaud her for getting where she is today.  Her weight loss is evident and for the sake of her children and grandchildren I hope that she continues to get her strength back.  

[HelloOutThere]

3 hours ago, mmecorday said:

I was under the impression that the woman with Marla was her girlfriend, not her daughter.

Yes, as @Dirtybubble said above, it's her daughter. Who seems to be on an express train to 800 lbs herself. I wish Dr. Now had the opportunity to address the daughter's weight, much like he did with Charity's daughter in the last update, but Marla's stank ass attitude prevented that.

In all seasons of this show, never have I see Dr. Now so pissed off as he was at Marla! "Call your primary car doctor and ask for a new surgeon! You are dismissed from our care!" Wow. Marla deserved that tongue-lashing and then some. Her new female doctor was probably a better "fit" for her personality-wise, but to treat a doctor who literally saved your life so disrespectfully is absolutely inexcusable. For shame!

[Galloway Cave]

Quote

But as I recall she sure wasn't embarrassed to lift her leg high to the heavens and expose her hooha for TLC viewership. 

She sat on that hospital bed with her legs spread at about a 125 degree angle and nothing on but a t-shirt that covered her top roll of fat. Her hooha was exposed to anyone in that house plus the film crew. They were eating dinner, having conversations, she was preparing dinner above that thing- DISGUSTING.

I wonder how long the "better-fit" doc will last when she doesn't cave in to Marla's demands. I know she has lost more weight and was walking some but she still didn't have that precious skin surgery at the two-year mark.

[ClareWalks]

For someone with no shame, Marla sure has a lot of (undeserved) pride.

[Ocean Chick]

33 minutes ago, Galloway Cave said:

I wonder how long the "better-fit" doc will last when she doesn't cave in to Marla's demands

I thought I remembered the female doctor telling her that she has to lose another 100 pounds before she gets skin surgery.  Am I remembering right?  I was shocked that Marla didn't have a hissy fit hearing that. 

[Peanutbuttercup]

16 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

Also that yogurt container she was eating from looked big like it was a couple portion sizes. Hopefully she divided it up.

I'm familiar with the yogurt Laura was eating, and that was a standard 8 oz container. It's very wide but shallow. The thing is, that yogurt runs approximately 300 calories and 40 carbs per serving. No wonder she was gaining weight on it! And foods like yogurt are not going to fill you up after weight loss surgery. That's one reason Dr. Now is so insistent on a high protein diet: it's very filling, which makes it easier to eat less and lose weight.

Sadly, hair loss tends to happen after weight loss surgery no matter how much protein you eat or what kind of supplements you take. No one really knows why, although telogen effluvium is one explanation. If her hair loss is related to her surgery, though, it should have started growing back about 6-9 months post op and I didn't see that. I did want to ship her a couple cans of Nanogen or Toppik -- she doesn't have to live with her scalp showing like that!

Joey seemed like a controlling douchebag with the potential to turn abusive. That kind of jealous behavior, where someone doesn't like you going out without him, or doing things without his knowledge and approval, is a bad bad sign. That he came along to water aerobics to keep tabs on her was super creepy.

[Utahbelle]

I really like Laura in this episode.  Her home was clean and kept nice.  They ate at the kitchen table which was refreshing!  Her diet was lacking but I love the way she tried with exercising and didn't use excuses there.  

I was suprised how thin her legs were, it sure is crazy how everyone's bodies respond differently to the weight loss.  This show fascinates me and I am looking forward to the season finale next week with the transgender patient.  

[leighroda]

The thing with Marla is she did this exact same thing in her original episode, where she refused to get up, refused to be weighed and dr now should have probably dismissed her then (but the show probably had something to do with that) and then in the last 15 minutes did a 180 and changed her attitude...but apparently went back to her ways, so I'm not holding my breath with this new dr before she changed her mind and goes passive again. 

[Lightning]

I'm certain that Laura has/had some Cushing's Disease going on.  Thin legs, huge pendulous stomach, large face, no neck, "hump back'., lots of fat around upper body area in disproportion to lower body area, except for stomach.   I hope she gets her teeth fixed.  For someone who likes to smile as much as she does, those teeth (or lack thereof) really need looking after.   I found Laura to be extremely likeable, someone I'd like for a neighbor and friend.  Marla, no so much.

[swankie]

17 hours ago, junemeatcleaver said:

That's more you can say about Penny who's somehow better than Marla.

I didn't say anything about Penny being better than Marla.  I was saying that Marla had the worst attitude in my opinion.  She was very nasty to Dr. Now because she couldn't get her way.  I don't remember Penny speaking to him that way.  If she wanted another doctor, she could have discussed it with him in a mature way the way Zsalynn did.  Instead she acted like a petulant child.  She's way too old to behave like that, especially to someone who very well saved her life by performing weight loss surgery on her in the first place.  He could have very well turned her away in the beginning.  Marla showed no appreciation whatsoever. 

Edited May 13, 2016 by swankie

[Stripper Glitter]

20 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

Also that yogurt container she was eating from looked big like it was a couple portion sizes. Hopefully she divided it up.

It didn't look like she ate the whole thing. 

[Galloway Cave]

Quote

I hope she gets her teeth fixed.  For someone who likes to smile as much as she does, those teeth (or lack thereof) really need looking after. 

It looked like she had a new set of upper teeth later in the episode.

[Noirprncess]

I can't ever see a world where Marla trumps Pauline or Penny.  Attitude or not, she obviously stuck to her diet enough that she actually lost weight unlike those idiots.  Now, if it was a grunge match of attitudes only, she'd make it to the top three easily.

 

I've always wondered if part of what invoked her attitude was the fact the she didn't seem to get along with her daughter in Houston.  I get the feeling she got more of a come to Jesus conversation with the unseen daughter back in TN.  

 

IF Dr Now is really insisting on a no vegetable diet (which I'm truly baffled over), what the heck does he expect them to eat and no WONDER so many struggle with the diet.  That's truly a diet set to fail.  And how many of them live in laxative hell with no fiber in that diet?  Yikes and no thank you.

[ClareWalks]

34 minutes ago, Noirprncess said:

I can't ever see a world where Marla trumps Pauline or Penny.  Attitude or not, she obviously stuck to her diet enough that she actually lost weight unlike those idiots.  Now, if it was a grunge match of attitudes only, she'd make it to the top three easily.

 

I've always wondered if part of what invoked her attitude was the fact the she didn't seem to get along with her daughter in Houston.  I get the feeling she got more of a come to Jesus conversation with the unseen daughter back in TN.  

 

IF Dr Now is really insisting on a no vegetable diet (which I'm truly baffled over), what the heck does he expect them to eat and no WONDER so many struggle with the diet.  That's truly a diet set to fail.  And how many of them live in laxative hell with no fiber in that diet?  Yikes and no thank you.

First paragraph: nailed it. Marla had a horrible attitude, but Penny and Pauline's actions were the worst.

Third paragraph: I agree! I've always thought they'd possibly have just as much success through therapy and Overeaters Anonymous, coupled with a nutritionist giving them a healthy diet, than getting the surgery. The surgery is great for lots of folks, but the dietary restrictions are quite intense, so it would be the absolute last resort that I would try, personally. Just my opinion :)

[Ocean Chick]

Just the fact that Dr. Now said "no vegetables at all" is enough for me to never want the surgery myself.  I love vegetables, and the thought of never eating them again would just kill me.

[Peanutbuttercup]

2 hours ago, Ocean Chick said:

Just the fact that Dr. Now said "no vegetables at all" is enough for me to never want the surgery myself.  I love vegetables, and the thought of never eating them again would just kill me.

If that really is Dr. Now's philosophy for all his patients -- no worries, @OceanChick. He is an outlier. My bariatric post-op eating plan is definitely on the stricter side (low carb, no grains, no starchy veggies, etc.) and even I am allowed green veggies and some fruit. Truthfully I eat a lot more vegetables now than I ever did at 350+ lbs.

[gunderda]

22 hours ago, Galloway Cave said:

She sat on that hospital bed with her legs spread at about a 125 degree angle and nothing on but a t-shirt that covered her top roll of fat. Her hooha was exposed to anyone in that house plus the film crew. They were eating dinner, having conversations, she was preparing dinner above that thing- DISGUSTING.

AND on this most recent episode she was shown folding clean laundry and placing the piles in that area because there was a blurry area behind the pile of laundry.  So gross.  Like dude... put a towel down so there's a barrier between you and the clean stuff!

[DiTrying]

On 5/12/2016 at 10:20 PM, Noirprncess said:

You can tell Laura wasn't eating enough protein because her hair was thinning heavily in the front.  Her dislike of meat made me wonder one thing, why wouldn't a plant based diet like a vegetarian or vegan diet work?. Especially if she continued to avoid carbs and kept her sugar intake very low.   His advice to avoid drinking milk and yogurt was interesting.

I have the same thinning hair problem and mine is not related to meat (hers may be). Mine is because of chronic anemia. My doc says iron tabs won't hari so I have super thing hair. Hate it!

 

 

[cynicat]

Quote

At least she did thank Dr. Now at the end, although I wonder if that was suggested to her to help redeem her image.

I took that phone call to be an in-your-face to Dr. Now.  "You fired me? Well fuck you, look at how well I'm doing with this nice new doctor I found all by myself."  What a miserable human being.  But if she ends up losing the weight simply to prove Dr. Now wrong, so be it.

There's probably a whole lot more to the diet restrictions that may be related to these people being super-sized at the beginning, and how much stomach/small intestine they have to remove.  The bypass alters so many GI enzymes and I would bet this gets taken to a whole other level with this group.  Being 600+ lbs may be a total cluster when it comes to digestion post-bypass, even more than those who normally get the surgery.  It's a very select population on the far right of the bell curve.

[Muffyn]

The phone call was show shenanigans.  I doubt she would have called Dr. Now if the show didn't set it up.  How often do you call a doctor and get him on the phone rather than a staff person?  So the show had her call Dr. Now to wrap her storyline.  His methodology did not work for her.  They butted heads on everything.  She did do better when she moved back home, had better overall community support and had a different doctor.  Okay.  It happens.  

As for the protein only push we have heard from him in these later episodes, it does seem like a change from earlier when he pushed eat the protein first, no carbs, eat your low-carb vegetables.  Protein only would be very hard to maintain.  We have seen many of his successful patients eating protein and vegetables. 

As far as Marla resisting walking, there are two components to people's abilities, psychological and physical.  Those people who have people ho support their total immobility do tend to have a harder time becoming mobile.  Part of that is that it was supported but a large part is also losing both the confidence that you can support your own weight and losing the musculature to support your body when standing.   So they do not feel as stable and are afraid of falling.  At the same time, the way in which people carry their weight also affects this.  Marla had very heavy legs that were heavy all around.  We have seen people with additional weight to the outside of their legs who could stand better. There have also been several people with relatively thin legs and large bodies who could stand. With Marla's legs she would have a hard time putting her feet close together.  That could give her less of a sense of stability, especially if she has an increased angle in her knees. This is similar to the various people who had really hard times walking until their lymphedemas were removed.    So while I get that she can be a nasty piece of work, I also get that she could legitimately not feel confident on her legs and it took her much longer to be able to work safely.     

[notyrmomma]

To address yogurt-gate, Laura would have to eat like 8 of those 8oz cups a day to gain weight and I doubt she is doing that.  It looks like she couldn't even finish that cup she was eating.  Also, I agree that the eggs would be the best thing for her to eat, but I bet she can't.  Remember, she had the sleeve, not the bypass, which restricts your stomach more.  Her issue is she admitted that she is eating crackers which is the kiss of death!  (for some unknown reason, for me, crackers or anything crispy and low-fat are super easy to eat, whereas a couple bites of chicken breast cause immense pain).  But managing to gain 2 pounds takes real dedication this early after her surgery.

Oh, and to address veggie-gate, I'm sure veggies are allowed, but the problem is that you only have so much room in your stomach and protein is more important.   I think Dr Now was trying to scare Laura by saying veggies would stretch her stomach.  He stomach will stretch a little, no matter what, but it will never go back to its original size.  Also, in that scene where she felt weak and faint, she was DEHYDRATED!  Its hard to drink enough water in order to prevent that from happening.  It happens to me all the time.

Now for Marla, I'm not sure what it was--maybe she wasn't getting along with Sierra, maybe she just needed to be near her grand kids, or maybe she just wanted to prove Dr. Now wrong, but it worked!  I genuinely think Marla thought that they could just cut off her fat, so she would be skinny.  Sorry hun, it doesn't work like that.  Oh and just wait for the fit she's going to have when she realizes that Medicaid won't pay for her skin surgery!!!  She was better off sticking it out with Dr. Now and having him do the surgery for free as a part of this show--I don't think she realizes that getting this skin taken off her arms is a totally cosmetic procedure.

[Armchair Critic]

I had to find that yogurt and try it after seeing it on the show. LOL at myself! The store by me didn't have Mango (a poster here said that flavor was good) but I tried the raspberry and it was delicious. ;) One serving had 12 grams of protein so that may be why she thought it was a healthy thing to eat for her.

[MichelleTX]

Blueberry is so good, my fave! Too high in calories for me tho! ?

[Suzywriter]

On 5/12/2016 at 10:01 PM, Armchair Critic said:

"her poor son"

Marla's offspring was a daughter, Sierra. She dressed and wore her hair in masculine style. I was confused at first also.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Suzywriter