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S03.E01: I Wanna Be Fat


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8 hours ago, okerry said:

I do remember the Ruby show. She turned out to be an awful narcissist who was only in it for the attention. The show kept hinting that she was so hugely obese due to some childhood trauma, but never explained anything - quite possibly because there was nothing to explain. She never lost any weight and the show just faded away. Don't know what happened to her.

I completely agree with you. Being more accepting of women whose bodies are not model-perfect is one thing. Telling people that being morbidly obese is a great way to live is not helping anyone and may indeed be harming many.

Ruby is on Facebook. I track her down every so often to see wassup. Lots of face pictures. Looks like she's still very big. 

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1 minute ago, aliya said:

Ruby is on Facebook. I track her down every so often to see wassup. Lots of face pictures. Looks like she's still very big. 

I think of Richard Simmons every time I hear about her, but she wasn't one of the morbidly obese helped by him, was she? I looked at Google and it seems not, but now racking my brain for who (specifically) he did help. That Michael guy, right? Wasn't there a woman too or am I not remembering correctly?

I am sorry things turned the way they did for her, addictions are monsters. Sometimes even the best help, most access to resources, and tons of support can't be enough to turn things around.

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(edited)

Can we just take a moment to pause and realize that doctors classify "morbidly obese" as:

"An individual is considered morbidly obese if he or she is 100 pounds over his/her ideal body weight, has a BMI of 40 or more, or 35 or more and experiencing obesity-related health conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes."

(from University of Rochester Medical Center)

SmartBMIcalculator.com returns these results when you input her info:

"Are you sure that you have entered your height and weight values correctly? A body mass index of 60 and higher is more than this calculator can handle."

In RED font.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/) lists her BMI as: 71.8 (height 5'1; weight: 380)

That is more than double for the baseline for "morbidly obese" qualification, with NO complications, ie: diabetes, pre-diabetes.  She passed morbidly obese ages ago (I'd wager to guess her 250 weight bs to be as thin as she wants to get is STILL morbidly obese for her!) and she is gaining, not losing.

My point in all of this is not to shame her, I don't want her to hate herself. It is to look at reality and how UNhealthy she is...and IMO, how dreadfully unhappy she is.  I think she goes overboard trying to prove happiness when she's really covering shame and self-hate. I hope I'm wrong, but I also hope she finds whatever mindset she needs to actually start turning her life around and get healthy. Her parents will either end up burying her or die while knowing their daughter is fast behind them, with decreasing quality and quantity of life in her very short future.

I went and checked and YES, her target weight of 250 still places her WAY over morbidly obese range; BMI of 47.3 at that weight!

Edited by lallalla
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^^even if she lived for a minute, I think her quality of life at that size can't be great.  Having to get joints replaced because they wear out faster is a real thing as someone pointed out above as they knew someone who had multiple joint replacements before 40.  How great is your life when you have to have someone around to shave your legs?  How great does it feel that you are in your early 30's and you've fallen out less than an hour into a dance marathon?  Does "chub rub" really feel awesome?  Because it sounds awful.  To try to sell that the constant pain is all just delightful is silly.  Even if we're not talking about aesthetics, and just quality of life, is Whitney really trying to sell that her quality of life is fabulous?

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1 minute ago, RCharter said:

^^even if she lived for a minute, I think her quality of life at that size can't be great.  Having to get joints replaced because they wear out faster is a real thing as someone pointed out above as they knew someone who had multiple joint replacements before 40.  How great is your life when you have to have someone around to shave your legs?  How great does it feel that you are in your early 30's and you've fallen out less than an hour into a dance marathon?  Does "chub rub" really feel awesome?  Because it sounds awful.  To try to sell that the constant pain is all just delightful is silly.  Even if we're not talking about aesthetics, and just quality of life, is Whitney really trying to sell that her quality of life is fabulous?

"Quality of life"...this!

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I can't even with her any more.

I don't blame her for my personal issues, but I guarantee she fuels many with disordered eating like myself, into reverse thinspiration.

She makes me MORE set on NOT eating, for fear I ever get like that. I realize I can't blame her for my perspective and mindset, but I'd guarantee you others feel the same, just as they do the other extreme, using her to justify gross intake of calories.  She is NOT a spokesperson for healthy body image and that she was asked to be at some "eating disorders awareness week" is both grossly ironic and a mockery to people with eating disorders of every end of the spectrum, from anorexia, to bulimia, to over-eating. 

Disgusting.

PS- Others need your cross, Whitney, step down.

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^^well I certainly don't think she needs to be at an "eating disorders awareness week" trying to sell the world some fiction that she doesn't have some sort of eating disorder, and that morbid obesity is somehow super fun.  

But its interesting, I had never considered the opposing view -- that Whitney may be inspiring people to simply not eat.  I can see that, especially since Whitney wants to make it seem like she is eating normally and her weight is mostly caused by the PCOS/health conditions and not by her eating.

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On 6/9/2016 at 4:15 PM, PityFree said:

I didn't know that! Thank you for correcting me. I learned something new today.

I learned I have another reason not to take up running. : )

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2 minutes ago, aliya said:

I learned I have another reason not to take up running. : )

LOL - I took up running in my 20's and if you're young its wonderful.  When you get older and joints start to hurt it sucks, but boy....what a feeling!

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Just now, RCharter said:

LOL - I took up running in my 20's and if you're young its wonderful.  When you get older and joints start to hurt it sucks, but boy....what a feeling!

I have a friend who just turned 40 and has been running for years. Her doc just told her a few months ago that it's all over; no more running for her. She's a doctoral student now and her school doesn't offer PT in its health plan, so now she can't even get PT for her pain, etc. 

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19 minutes ago, aliya said:

I have a friend who just turned 40 and has been running for years. Her doc just told her a few months ago that it's all over; no more running for her. She's a doctoral student now and her school doesn't offer PT in its health plan, so now she can't even get PT for her pain, etc. 

I'm almost there, and I have worked double time to try to protect my joints.  I take a day off each week, I don't do outside running, I invest in good shoes.  I'm sure your friend did many of the same things, but running can get addictive so its easy to overdo it.  That stinks about her health plan.  My health plan is a pain about it too.  But I went to see a PT just to get an assessment ($125) and they gave me a bunch of stretches to do at home.  Now I go in a few times a week to get my feet wrapped ($10 each time) and they will generally discuss my overall condition with me and give me more stretches to do based on how I feel.  

I certainly would prefer PT sessions since I'm terrible about actually doing the stretches, but maybe she can do something like that just to get some help/stretches start to alleviate the pain.

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At first I really liked Whit's no body shame message ( and still do). I really liked her positive attitude despite her difficulties, but I realize now that she's in denial. Whitney clearly has a food addiction, and she's not even TRYING to eat healthier. Nothing her family and friends do will change that. No amount of mock funerals or interventions will change it. Only Whitney can change it, and get help for her eating disorder. But right now she's deep in the throes of denial with all her excuses and minimizing behavior.This really should not be glorified on television, but what else can one expect from TLC?

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56 years old, run 5 miles daily. Love the feeling. When I can't do it anymore, I'll walk. Whitney does remind me of Ruby. Both delusional. Ruby talked about having babies when she was in her mid 40's, ain't gonna happen. On a supervised diet, Whitney could lose 2 pounds a week, that's 100 plus a year. She'd look and feel so much better. Whitney is a fame where, she loves the attention being fat brings.

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Not to get too far off topic, but running is rarely the problem - running improperly is. That of course includes needing to take more recovery time afterward as we age. Aging sucks, LOL. Fortunately I have always been terrible at running...hence my username. I can walk faster than I used to jog, and without the shin splints :)

I am also curious to know how much/what Whitney eats in a day, just to get a clearer picture. She SAYS she does the right things, but who knows? She also said last season she gets "coffees" and we discovered that she actually meant "mocha frappuccino monstrosities." 

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15 hours ago, lallalla said:

Can we just take a moment to pause and realize that doctors classify "morbidly obese" as:

"An individual is considered morbidly obese if he or she is 100 pounds over his/her ideal body weight, has a BMI of 40 or more, or 35 or more and experiencing obesity-related health conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes."

(from University of Rochester Medical Center)

SmartBMIcalculator.com returns these results when you input her info:

"Are you sure that you have entered your height and weight values correctly? A body mass index of 60 and higher is more than this calculator can handle."

In RED font.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/) lists her BMI as: 71.8 (height 5'1; weight: 380)

That is more than double for the baseline for "morbidly obese" qualification, with NO complications, ie: diabetes, pre-diabetes.  She passed morbidly obese ages ago (I'd wager to guess her 250 weight bs to be as thin as she wants to get is STILL morbidly obese for her!) and she is gaining, not losing.

My point in all of this is not to shame her, I don't want her to hate herself. It is to look at reality and how UNhealthy she is...and IMO, how dreadfully unhappy she is.  I think she goes overboard trying to prove happiness when she's really covering shame and self-hate. I hope I'm wrong, but I also hope she finds whatever mindset she needs to actually start turning her life around and get healthy. Her parents will either end up burying her or die while knowing their daughter is fast behind them, with decreasing quality and quantity of life in her very short future.

I went and checked and YES, her target weight of 250 still places her WAY over morbidly obese range; BMI of 47.3 at that weight!

I was kinder. I didn't know her height so I used mine thinking we have to be around the same at 5'4 and still got that message in red font.  A target weight of 250 is not a goal weight. She should aim for 160.  

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I'm watching and the bumper during the episode has Whitney saying " I'm an hourglass with xtra minutes" .    Whitney sweetie, you're a circle. She is in full fledged denial thinking just because now at 30-something she kept her A1c number below 6 that she'll stay healthy . Her body will break down at 370 as she ages.  This is how she supports herself financially now - stay fat =$$$ from TLC.   I yelled YES! at the YouTube comment they showed on screen.  There are moments I think I kinda like her but she's always ON which is annoying - can't decide.

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(edited)

I still maintain that she's like Ruby because she thinks she can do it without medical intervention.  Sorry, she's too far gone from diet and exercise now.  Plus doesn't she maintain that she lost the 100 pounds only though some unhealthy manner like purging or not eating at all?  Or does she always bring up the 100 pound loss in the sense of "I did it once, I can do it again" (or, spoken like a true addict, "I can quit anytime")?  Anyone here ever watch that show Extreme Weight Loss with Chris Powell (my boyfriend, LOL, love that show)?  She's bigger than those people!  Now I'm a big believer in diet and exercise, but when you get north of a certain weight (say BMI of 45 or so) one should concede to look the medical way to take the weight off quickly.  I get so annoyed when people label weight loss surgery as "the unhealthy way" to lose weight.  It's kind of like any pharmaceutical drug that you take, you are introducing an unnatural substance in your body to fix one problem and perhaps make another, but ultimately the benefits outweigh the risks.  Someone like Whitney would have to have nearly "perfect" diet days every day for the next two + years in order to lose enough weight to just fit in the overweight category (looks like at 5'2 she would have to be 160 just to be overweight, so she needs to lose about 220 pounds).  Ruby couldn't do it and Whitney won't be able to either.  How would someone who got to that weight in the first place do such a thing without medical intervention? (by the way, there's not just surgery, there are some new weight loss drugs that are showing promise).

And about the eggs, here's my public service announcement for the day: DO NOT use a whisk to make scrambled eggs please.  USE a fork!  What are you making an egg souffle?  No.  Scrambled eggs are the best when the yokes are moderately broken and still look streaky.  Also, you scramble them just seconds before pouring them into a hot buttered pan (preferably cast iron), with a pinch of salt and pepper and maybe a splash of milk.   Then lower the heat to medium, don't go nuts with the spatula, and pull them off just when the eggs are still slightly runny (they will dry off before you serve them).  Sprinkle some shredded cheese on top and viola, the best scrambled eggs ever.

Edited by notyrmomma
spelling counts!
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On 6/9/2016 at 0:24 PM, flappa1016 said:

I have two older relatives who have recently been dealing with incontinence issues so I was researching it for them.  It's very common in young people who have not had children, who engage in athletic activities.  Gymnanstics, running  and tennis are 3 examples that were given.  Apparently activities that are hard on the joints also weaken pelvic floor muscles which lead to incontinence.  If Whitney's pounding her joints by dancing, it's quite possible her pelvic muscles are weakened.

Eh, I kinda doubt this is the major reason she has stress incontinence.  Being morbidly obese is one of the major risk factors in this kind of urinary incontinence, especially in women.  All that fat around the bladder doesn't help.  I'm sure the exercise doesn't help either.

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16 hours ago, RCharter said:

But its interesting, I had never considered the opposing view -- that Whitney may be inspiring people to simply not eat.  I can see that, especially since Whitney wants to make it seem like she is eating normally and her weight is mostly caused by the PCOS/health conditions and not by her eating.

She doesn't seem to realize that she's "inspiring" to people the same way My 600-Pound Life is inspiring to people - to show them the real horror that awaits them if they don't turn it around now.

I agree that Whitney's real problem is that she is a food addict, just as Ruby is/was. Would love to see Whitney change the focus of her show to deal with food addiction. So many folks have the same problem. It might really be "fabulous" to figure out how to deal with THAT.

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(edited)
1 hour ago, notyrmomma said:

I still maintain that she's like Ruby because she thinks she can do it without medical intervention.  Sorry, she's too far gone from diet and exercise now.  Plus doesn't she maintain that she lost the 100 pounds only though some unhealthy manner like purging or not eating at all?  Or does she always bring up the 100 pound loss in the sense of "I did it once, I can do it again" (or, spoken like a true addict, "I can quit anytime")?  Anyone here ever watch that show Extreme Weight Loss with Chris Powell (my boyfriend, LOL, love that show)?  She's bigger than those people!  Now I'm a big believer in diet and exercise, but when you get north of a certain weight (say BMI of 45 or so) one should concede to look the medical way to take the weight off quickly.  I get so annoyed when people label weight loss surgery as "the unhealthy way" to lose weight.  It's kind of like any pharmaceutical drug that you take, you are introducing an unnatural substance in your body to fix one problem and perhaps make another, but ultimately the benefits outweigh the risks.  Someone like Whitney would have to have nearly "perfect" diet days every day for the next two + years in order to lose enough weight to just fit in the overweight category (looks like at 5'2 she would have to be 160 just to be overweight, so she needs to lose about 220 pounds).  Ruby couldn't do it and Whitney won't be able to either.  How would someone who got to that weight in the first place do such a thing without medical intervention? (by the way, there's not just surgery, there are some new weight loss drugs that are showing promise).

I agree with you.  I think the reason Whitney is trying to convince herself and the world that she likes being fat and can be fat and healthy is because she is afraid she'll fall back into her old purge/starve pattern and end up ultimately gaining all the weight back anyway.  And I think she'd rather put off dealing with that fear as long as she can get away with it and not be diabetic - Of course we know that she's doing more damage to herself than just potential diabetes by not losing some weight, but she's latched onto that success as some sort of excuse for why she doesn't really need to lose weight.  I think she thinks she'll deal with that later when she absolutely HAS to.  But duh, by that time the damage will already be done.  She needs to take steps NOW while she's still young enough to not have such bad permanent damage to her body that there's no turning back.  I think she needs counseling to get beyond this fear of hers.  Why no one in her life sees this as her major stumbling block right now is beyond me because she's pretty much blabbed about it for 2 seasons now. 

I also agree with you that Whitney has a rough road ahead of her, and that she will need to be on a pretty "perfect" diet for pretty much the rest of her life.  I think she is well aware of that, and I do understand wanting to put that off.  After all, when I was her age I could pretty much eat anything I wanted (I did exercise and was pretty athletic) and my mother used to tell me to "enjoy it while I could".  And I did.  But Whitney is rather young to have to face the fact that her time is already up and she doesn't have the luxury to be able to put it off any longer.  That must really suck.

I also agree with you that she should look into medical weight loss or new diet pills, whatever.  I really think she would be an excellent candidate for that.  I have a feeling that once she gets the stubborn weight off she won't have that big a problem keeping herself within a reasonable weight range.  She doesn't have to be stick thin but 200 lbs. would be a big improvement.

Edited by Snarklepuss
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2 hours ago, notyrmomma said:

And about the eggs, here's my public service announcement for the day: DO NOT use a whisk to make scrambled eggs please.  USE a fork!  What are you making an egg souffle?  No.  Scrambled eggs are the best when the yokes are moderately broken and still look streaky.  Also, you scramble them just seconds before pouring them into a hot buttered pan (preferably cast iron), with a pinch of salt and pepper and maybe a splash of milk.   Then lower the heat to medium, don't go nuts with the spatula, and pull them off just when the eggs are still slightly runny (they will dry off before you serve them).  Sprinkle some shredded cheese on top and viola, the best scrambled eggs ever.

I am in the school of there not being a wrong way to like eggs.  The classic French recipe calls for a fluffier, lighter, creamy egg, with no streaks of white, so for that a whisk is probably better.  If you like your eggs less creamy and more streaky, use a fork.  The method depends on how you like them.

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Does anyone think that maybe Whitney has binge eating disorder and we're just not seeing it on camera? At her weight and age, if she were following a diet of 1500-1800 calories a day, the weight would be coming off really quickly. But I don't think she's ever addressed what exactly she's been eating, she just has made references to eating healthier and not being pre-diabetic anymore. I too remember Ruby. She admitted later to cheating, both on her diet and when she was weighed for the show. As I recall, Ruby did lose over 100 lbs during the first 2 seasons but she stopped abruptly after that and the show was cancelled in season 4. 

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I doubt dear Whitney will allow what she eats to be shown on tv. She knows she doesn't eat healthy, not matter how she tries to convince us and herself. She would have to truly focus on her diet and add in real exercise for the next 3 or more years to lose close to 250 pounds!! That's daunting and it absolutely makes me want to keep any weight gain in a more manageable 5-ish pound range.  I'm working on losing 35 pounds now, 15 to go and I'm struggling with "good" days and "bad" days. If I had 250 to lose, well maybe I'd be too overwhelmed and scared. She should admit it, a lot of people could relate.  She's ridiculous cause while you can like who you are as a person, there's no fabulousity at nearly 400 pounds at 5'1"! 

I was laughing today cause that incessant infomercial for Shawn T's new exercise program was on at the gym. It's the dance your way to losing tons of weight and getting fit and it reminded me of Whitney. If she danced like she claims then I'm confused on the weight gain, although it's so what she's consuming. I can't lie though, I love that infomercial! Lol  

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I doubt dear Whitney will allow what she eats to be shown on tv. She knows she doesn't eat healthy, not matter how she tries to convince us and herself. She would have to truly focus on her diet and add in real exercise for the next 3 or more years to lose close to 250 pounds!! That's daunting and it absolutely makes me want to keep any weight gain in a more manageable 5-ish pound range.  I'm working on losing 35 pounds now, 15 to go and I'm struggling with "good" days and "bad" days. If I had 250 to lose, well maybe I'd be too overwhelmed and scared. She should admit it, a lot of people could relate.  She's ridiculous cause while you can like who you are as a person, there's no fabulousity at nearly 400 pounds at 5'1"! 

I was laughing today cause that incessant infomercial for Shawn T's new exercise program was on at the gym. It's the dance your way to losing tons of weight and getting fit and it reminded me of Whitney. If she danced like she claims then I'm confused on the weight gain, although it's so what she's consuming. I can't lie though, I love that infomercial! Lol  

 

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(edited)
1 hour ago, CarolMK said:

Does anyone think that maybe Whitney has binge eating disorder and we're just not seeing it on camera? At her weight and age, if she were following a diet of 1500-1800 calories a day, the weight would be coming off really quickly. But I don't think she's ever addressed what exactly she's been eating, she just has made references to eating healthier and not being pre-diabetic anymore.

Whitney is dishonest about what she eats. Not sure if she is just dishonest to the audience or if she is dishonest to herself as well. Last season she went to a nutritionist and said that she didn't eat "anything" all day, just drank coffee, then made poor choices for dinner which she felt was causing her obesity (in addition to PCOS). Later, her friend said the Whitney drinks Starbuck's Frappucino's all day long. Obviously black coffee is a lot different from a Frappucino which is basically a milk shake. That's when I knew that Whitney was making no honest effort to loose weight.

Then, of course, there was the time that Buddy found her in her car in a parking lot eating a quart of ice cream. So, yes, I would say Whitney has a binge eating disorder.

Edited by absolutelyido
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(edited)
8 hours ago, notyrmomma said:

.  Someone like Whitney would have to have nearly "perfect" diet days every day for the next two + years in order to lose enough weight to just fit in the overweight category (looks like at 5'2 she would have to be 160 just to be overweight, so she needs to lose about 220 pounds).  Ruby couldn't do it and Whitney won't be able to either.  How would someone who got to that weight in the first place do such a thing without medical intervention? (by the way, there's not just surgery, there are some new weight loss drugs that are showing promise).

 

I am 5'2.5 and I know, we all have different body types and carry weight differently, but I can assure you, she would still look chunky at 160 and that is (as you mention), still overweight.  I only got to that weight when pregnant with severe early onset preeclampsia (my bp was 290/170 when I went in for a 31 week assessment; I had painful amounts of edema gain, stretching my skin to the point of almost bursting, not to mention, killer headaches, I was just over 170 and had over 58lbs of literal water weight..as in, I looked like I could been juiced on Willy Wonka..it was clear it was massive swelling, though).

So while I know that kind of weight gain is different and looks different, it's still an idea of what 160-170 looks like..at someone taller than her!

160 is chunky for that height. I am sorry to use such a word, I know it's usually associated with shaming and insults, that's not what I intend, I basically want to reinforce what you've said: she has to tow such a ridiculous line to get to even the upper end of her recommended BMI, it will be nearly impossible without serious medical intervention.

(note: I usually run on the thin side, so I feel my self-perception is geared toward ultra-thin but I don't usually view others in the same lens, I am far more forgiving and willing to see them as "normal", even when they are overweight.)

 

Not even sure if my semi-but-not-anecdotal example makes any sense. :/

Edited by lallalla
I write like an idiot...
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My biggest beef with this show is that we get little, and probably no, honest information about Whitney's health.  

Regardless of how much fault she bears for having gotten to where she is, I think the most recent research suggests that our bodies establish a set-point-weight that they want to maintain, and that when we gain weight and stay at that higher weight for a period of time the set-point ratchets up.  So I do think it's going to be very difficult for Whitney at this point.

That being said, "I love being fat" notwithstanding, if TLC said the only way she gets another season is if she gets bariatric surgery, she'd be all in.

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6 hours ago, okerry said:

She doesn't seem to realize that she's "inspiring" to people the same way My 600-Pound Life is inspiring to people - to show them the real horror that awaits them if they don't turn it around now.

I agree that Whitney's real problem is that she is a food addict, just as Ruby is/was. Would love to see Whitney change the focus of her show to deal with food addiction. So many folks have the same problem. It might really be "fabulous" to figure out how to deal with THAT.

THIS, all day, yes!

And as others have said, I do believe she has a binge eating disorder, she certainly has disordered eating. One can have that in a form that causes starvation (or near) or the other extreme, as *we* all seem to recognize. She'd do more for people struggling with all manner of body image disorders if she'd be more open and honest about issues like these.

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I'm an evil, horrible person. I wonder if she did actually ever have a "binge and purge" problem. I know you can have that any weight, I don't want to think that way just because of how average to severely over-weight she's trended. Maybe it's also her attitude of having 1 million conditions and excuses that makes her seem less than authentic.  I HOPE she hasn't struggled with that aspect of disordered eating and I hope she never will.

9 minutes ago, Alapaki said:

My biggest beef with this show is that we get little, and probably no, honest information about Whitney's health.  

Regardless of how much fault she bears for having gotten to where she is, I think the most recent research suggests that our bodies establish a set-point-weight that they want to maintain, and that when we gain weight and stay at that higher weight for a period of time the set-point ratchets up.  So I do think it's going to be very difficult for Whitney at this point.

That being said, "I love being fat" notwithstanding, if TLC said the only way she gets another season is if she gets bariatric surgery, she'd be all in.

Science about fat cells certainly speaks to this. They never go away, even if you get thin. So your potential is to forever get that big again..and then, of course, bigger!

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She needs to learn that not totally embracing the "truths" and lifestyle choices she presents to the public is not the same as "fat shaming". This whole route she takes to promote "fat acceptance" is ridiculous and conveniently absolves any and all self-responsibility.  She wants us to feel guilty if we even disagree with her, because that is the same to her as hating her. Whitney's litmus test for "hate" doesn't require any horrible comments or actions, simply not eating up every word she says. Look at how she even shames and hates on any medical professional that doesn't acquiesce to her specific philosophy, she pushes them into a corner, doesn't even allow them to express understanding alongside recommendations to change her habits. 

She is a bully, really.  

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(edited)
4 hours ago, lallalla said:

I am 5'2.5 and I know, we all have different body types and carry weight differently, but I can assure you, she would still look chunky at 160 and that is (as you mention), still overweight.  I only got to that weight when pregnant with severe early onset preeclampsia (my bp was 290/170 when I went in for a 31 week assessment; I had painful amounts of edema gain, stretching my skin to the point of almost bursting, not to mention, killer headaches, I was just over 170 and had over 58lbs of literal water weight..as in, I looked like I could been juiced on Willy Wonka..it was clear it was massive swelling, though).

So while I know that kind of weight gain is different and looks different, it's still an idea of what 160-170 looks like..at someone taller than her!

160 is chunky for that height. I am sorry to use such a word, I know it's usually associated with shaming and insults, that's not what I intend, I basically want to reinforce what you've said: she has to tow such a ridiculous line to get to even the upper end of her recommended BMI, it will be nearly impossible without serious medical intervention.

I am just about exactly that height and when I weighed 160 I fit nicely into a size 8, but that's not my idea of "chunky".  "Shapely" maybe but not chunky.  I have photos to prove it, too.  It really DOES depend on whether one is big or small boned and how one carries their weight - Also how much muscle they have.  I know that was always considered an excuse but there is some truth to it.  I am just on the verge of being big boned (I measured my wrists) and always had very muscular legs from avid bike riding. It's hard to tell with Whitney but I would take a guess that she's medium boned and also pear shaped so she might not look too different from this if sagging skin were factored out.  BTW, I was 50 years old in these photos.

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Edited by Snarklepuss
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7 hours ago, CarolMK said:

Does anyone think that maybe Whitney has binge eating disorder and we're just not seeing it on camera? At her weight and age, if she were following a diet of 1500-1800 calories a day, the weight would be coming off really quickly. But I don't think she's ever addressed what exactly she's been eating, she just has made references to eating healthier and not being pre-diabetic anymore. I too remember Ruby. She admitted later to cheating, both on her diet and when she was weighed for the show. As I recall, Ruby did lose over 100 lbs during the first 2 seasons but she stopped abruptly after that and the show was cancelled in season 4. 

Whitney has talked about having a binge/purge disorder on the show, but I don't think she owns up to having one now, only when she was dieting.  She is avoiding dieting because she doesn't want to fall into the disorder pattern again.  She's afraid the dieting will make her obsess about her weight and start the binge/purge thing again.  I'm reading between the lines of what she has plainly said on the show and in interviews.  Last season they had a "podcast" version where she talked about it a little more than on the show itself.  So I would infer from this that she is not in the binge/purge pattern right now.  That doesn't mean she's eating right either.  Right now I just think she's eating more than she should if she is to lose any weight.  Her condition may make it more challenging to lose weight especially if she's insulin resistant.  She doesn't even have to be eating ginormous amounts of food to stay the same weight, but to lose any she'd probably have to go way down to 1500.

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7 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

I am just about exactly that height and when I weighed 160 I fit nicely into a size 8, but that's not my idea of "chunky".  "Shapely" maybe but not chunky.  I have photos to prove it, too.  It really DOES depend on whether one is big or small boned and how one carries their weight - Also how much muscle they have.  I know that was always considered an excuse but there is some truth to it.  I am just on the verge of being big boned (I measured my wrists) and always had very muscular legs from avid bike riding. It's hard to tell with Whitney but I would take a guess that she's medium boned and also pear shaped so she might not look too different from this if sagging skin were factored out.  BTW, I was 50 years old in these photos.

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You are beautiful!  The bmi chart is just a guide - it's more like a guide to get the doctors to finally STFU about one's weight and stop blaming every problem on it.  I range from 150 - 155 and i am 5'6 so I usually still hit overweight on the bmi scale.  I am down from 318.  i would actually like to get  down to the 140 - 145 range, but the plastic surgeon didn't recommended it (I have lots of skin - although he said it would only take about 4 pounds off when it is gone)- he told me to stop getting so hung up on the numbers as it's all in the way you look and feel.

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(edited)
1 hour ago, notyrmomma said:

You are beautiful!  The bmi chart is just a guide - it's more like a guide to get the doctors to finally STFU about one's weight and stop blaming every problem on it.  I range from 150 - 155 and i am 5'6 so I usually still hit overweight on the bmi scale.  I am down from 318.  i would actually like to get  down to the 140 - 145 range, but the plastic surgeon didn't recommended it (I have lots of skin - although he said it would only take about 4 pounds off when it is gone)- he told me to stop getting so hung up on the numbers as it's all in the way you look and feel.

Thanks so much for saying that but these photos were taken 8 years ago - I only wish I were that thin and "beautiful" today, but that's more OT than I want to get in this thread.  I never post photos of myself but I wanted to prove the point that it's not about the numbers because no two people carry weight the same and there are a lot of factors that go into the number on the scale.  At this point all I would really hope for with Whitney is that she gets down into the 200s.  Even if she were to settle around 225 it would still be a vast improvement.

Good for you on your weight loss - I agree with your doctor about not needing to lose more and not getting hung up on numbers.

Edited by Snarklepuss
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On 6/11/2016 at 11:00 AM, DNR said:

 She is in full fledged denial thinking just because now at 30-something she kept her A1c number below 6 that she'll stay healthy .

I love that she thought that was such an AMAZING achievement and was so proud of the fact that she still didn't have diabetes. Quite a low bar to aim for.

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8 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

 I never post photos of myself but I wanted to prove the point that it's not about the numbers because no two people carry weight the same and there are a lot of factors that go into the number on the scale. 

Yup. On the gastric sleeve page, I see women who weigh less than I do and look like they weigh almost twice  what I do. When I did the consultations, the doc only wanted me to lose about 70 lbs. Well, shoot. With a little mindfulness, I could make that effort on my own without the surgery. Yet, when I look at these other women, I see why they wanted the surgery. They don't look anything like me (even my son says so, so it's not just me). I understand that blacks have denser bones; so I'm assuming I can weigh more than whites and look like I weigh less. 

Whitney might have to go the surgical route, but there are people who post testimonials on Forks to Knives and Dr. McDougall (veg*n) and Dr Fuhrman (prefers veg but very small amounts of meat are allowed) who have lost 200 lbs; also on Raw Food Boot Camp. You can see similar results when people do low carb. Shoot, people lose weight (I'm talking >100 lbs and recognizing that 200+ is probably an outlier) on Weight Watchers and Nutrisystem. She just has to choose something and stick with it - but she doesn't want to do that.

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29 minutes ago, aliya said:

 

Whitney might have to go the surgical route, but there are people who post testimonials on Forks to Knives and Dr. McDougall (veg*n) and Dr Fuhrman (prefers veg but very small amounts of meat are allowed) who have lost 200 lbs; also on Raw Food Boot Camp. You can see similar results when people do low carb. Shoot, people lose weight (I'm talking >100 lbs and recognizing that 200+ is probably an outlier) on Weight Watchers and Nutrisystem. She just has to choose something and stick with it - but she doesn't want to do that.

She also needs therapy to deal with her eating disorder.  She could do all this, and keep the show,and its title.  She'd still be fat for quite a while, and doing something to improve her health would make her seem a whole lot more fabulous.

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I think setting a goal of 160lbs is probably so daunting for Whit that I don't see how that can be motivating.  You lose weight and get healthy little steps at a time and every pound would help her health she would be better off focusing on small achievable goals and accumulate them over time.  In some ways she has completed some goals, she just isn't increasing her expectations of herself.  For example, when her friend was talking about the bike riding and he said something like "just getting on the bike cannot continue to be your goal" so Whit isn't pushing herself a little bit more each day/week/month/year. 

As others mentioned it would be interesting to see her diet as when we found out about the "coffee" that explained a lot of calories.  We all often lie to ourselves about how many calories are in things, I know I can do that myself as portions are way way way smaller than I think in my head so I have to measure these days.  Yeah, it sucks not to be able to eat everything you want when you want it but lots of us just have to be realistic about that and think of treats as a once in a while thing, not an everyday thing.

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20 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

I am just about exactly that height and when I weighed 160 I fit nicely into a size 8, but that's not my idea of "chunky".  "Shapely" maybe but not chunky.  I have photos to prove it, too.  It really DOES depend on whether one is big or small boned and how one carries their weight - Also how much muscle they have.  I know that was always considered an excuse but there is some truth to it.  I am just on the verge of being big boned (I measured my wrists) and always had very muscular legs from avid bike riding. It's hard to tell with Whitney but I would take a guess that she's medium boned and also pear shaped so she might not look too different from this if sagging skin were factored out.  BTW, I was 50 years old in these photos.

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I don't think you look big at all, you look a good size and fabulous! So, you are right.  I know some of my perceptions are because I DO suffer from body image issues and disordered eating.  I cried for about 20 mins today because I am at my "fat" weight and have awful, painful, huge ovarian cysts and uncomfortable water swelling and PMS swelling, just adding to the weight (125lbs, whichI know is not overweight for my height, it's just mentally, not a number I like to be at.)

I didn't intend anything rude about that weight and I hope I didn't come across that way.  While 160 would still be overweight for her height, you are very right, it doesn't mean she would look chunky and she certainly would be far healthier than at 380 or 250. :)

 

You look fantastic!!!!!

If Whitney's confidence is not fake, I do wish I had a few ounces of that.

She is really quite beautiful (and it wouldn't matter if she were ugly as sin), I hope she will do things that are in her best long-term interest.

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On 6/11/2016 at 8:01 PM, lallalla said:

THIS, all day, yes!

And as others have said, I do believe she has a binge eating disorder, she certainly has disordered eating. One can have that in a form that causes starvation (or near) or the other extreme, as *we* all seem to recognize. She'd do more for people struggling with all manner of body image disorders if she'd be more open and honest about issues like these.

 

3 hours ago, mamapajama said:

She also needs therapy to deal with her eating disorder.  She could do all this, and keep the show,and its title.  She'd still be fat for quite a while, and doing something to improve her health would make her seem a whole lot more fabulous.

We also saw when Babs made her clean her room and it was full of dirty plates and wine glasses.  And that was back in season 1 when she was pretending to eat healthy.

I agree that if she would work on her problems her show would be a lot more interesting than manufactured drama, and I think that could have been true for Ruby too, but neither of them is willing to admit they have a problem so they lose out not only in their health but also in their attention seeking :)

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On 6/11/2016 at 1:35 PM, CarolMK said:

Does anyone think that maybe Whitney has binge eating disorder and we're just not seeing it on camera? At her weight and age, if she were following a diet of 1500-1800 calories a day, the weight would be coming off really quickly. But I don't think she's ever addressed what exactly she's been eating, she just has made references to eating healthier and not being pre-diabetic anymore. I too remember Ruby. She admitted later to cheating, both on her diet and when she was weighed for the show. As I recall, Ruby did lose over 100 lbs during the first 2 seasons but she stopped abruptly after that and the show was cancelled in season 4. 

I'm fairly certain she has an unhealthy relationship with food.  A very unhealthy relationship.  I highly suspect secret eating, and with her own place it could allow her to really have more opportunities to engage in unhealthy habits.

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I was also wondering what Whitney said about when she first started gaining weight- it was when she went away to college, wasn't it? She put on over 100 lbs in a year or so. She blamed having PCOS for the weight gain, but as I remember she said nothing else about why it happened. I know I gained 20 lbs my first year away at college since it was always served buffet style . She mentioned she lost 100 lbs sometime after that and then gained it back but I'm not exactly sure of the timeline.

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21 hours ago, princelina said:

 

We also saw when Babs made her clean her room and it was full of dirty plates and wine glasses.  And that was back in season 1 when she was pretending to eat healthy.

I agree that if she would work on her problems her show would be a lot more interesting than manufactured drama, and I think that could have been true for Ruby too, but neither of them is willing to admit they have a problem so they lose out not only in their health but also in their attention seeking :)

Didn't Buddy also comment on this since they've been living together?

I thought she fussed at him for it?

16 hours ago, RCharter said:

I'm fairly certain she has an unhealthy relationship with food.  A very unhealthy relationship.  I highly suspect secret eating, and with her own place it could allow her to really have more opportunities to engage in unhealthy habits.

Not to mention, she also has no problem secret eating in her car, it seems.  Remember the huge tub of ice cream consumed in the parking lot and the massive amounts of trash, to include food containers, spilling out of the back of her SUV?

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On June 9, 2016 at 7:34 AM, Barb23 said:

 I know this is mean but I was expecting her  to bounce right back up like a ball when she fell. 

 

I have to tell you, I read this earlier today and laughed and laughed to myself. You don't know me, but I secretly high fived you in my head. Here it is 5 hours later, I'm watching TLC, and Whitney's commercial came on, all the serious emergency room scenes and I think of this. Whitney bouncing back up like a rubber ball and I get the giggles. All by myself. Best. Comment. Ever. I had to come on here just to tell you. Your comment made my day. 

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3 hours ago, lallalla said:

Didn't Buddy also comment on this since they've been living together?

I thought she fussed at him for it?

Not to mention, she also has no problem secret eating in her car, it seems.  Remember the huge tub of ice cream consumed in the parking lot and the massive amounts of trash, to include food containers, spilling out of the back of her SUV?

I don't remember Buddy's comment in particular but I believe it if you say it happened!  Because that's how she is.  Being "caught" eating ice cream in the car was meant to be part of the show, but having all of the garbage and food containers falling out of her car was probably another accident.  Which some may call a cry for help - but only if others are willing to call her on it.

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Isn't the No Body Shame campaign actually just a no fat shame campaign?. I don't see any other body types represented and I think it's important to consider everyone. Especially now that the media is making thin girls feel like they need butt implants to be normal and songs saying "fuck you skinny bitches". So, thin females feel like they need to overeat junk just to prove that they aren't anorexic. I know this first hand. I have two daughters. One of them is shapely and the other is what Nikki Minaj would refer to as a "skinny bitch" I find this so incredibly offensive and sad for my daughter who looks at herself in the mirror and asks me if she'll ever have a big enough butt. I tell both of my daughters they are beautiful and just keep being healthy. But my skinny daughter does feel shamed. Nobody cares about that as long as 300 lb Whitney can feel good about herself. I know overweight people have felt bullied or been bullied. Not in my presence because none of my "overweight" friends ever complained. One of them was the most popular girl in my school. But I do get that morbidly obese people have probably been picked on. That doesn't mean we need to make thin people feel like shit now as some sort of weird revenge tactic. 

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Someone like Whitney shouldn't go on TV-lets face it, fat people aren't accepted unless they hate themselves.Trying to say you love yourself while being fat won't fly with the American public. Of course, I think Whitney should lose weight, she is very obese. Here is why is is very difficult for obese people to lose: No matter how much weight she could lose, she will still be fat. She will still be called fat, she will be told she makes no effort to lose, she will probably always wear plus size clothes. If she loses a lot of weight she will face comments on how she won't keep it off and looks bad anyway. I was never as big as Whitney, but I know how it is to know you have so much to lose, it won't even matter to most people. That said, she should do it anyway for herself. 

 

Some facts about fat people: Fat people are just like every other person, some will lose quickly, some will lose slowly even if they are on the same diet. Age, medications, medical conditions, problems with mobility, all contribute to how quickly people lose weight. If I lost a pound for every time I've heard the statement "All fat people immediately lose tons of weight if they make the slightest effort:", I would be quite thin. This is simply not true. Also not true: All medical issues are caused by being fat, and all medical problems go away if the person loses weight. Nope. Most medical problems that fat people have are the same problems anyone else has: Allergies, cancer, arthritis, thyroid issues, blood pressure issues etc. Some things like blood pressure and diabetes can be improved with weight loss, but most conditions cannot and do not. 

i'm not sure why Whitney is doing this show: it seems like she wants to show us she is living a fabulous life, then we see things about losing weight. So is it a weight loss show or not? The dance-a-thon looked completely fake, they kept stopping which is not what you do in a real dance-a-thon, and Whitney seemed out of breath and ill from the get go. I would like to see her lose weight, but she would have to do while staying away from all social media (And I really hate it that someone posted a picture of her on the other thread with the comment "Man the Harpoons". She may not be likable, but she is still human. 

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Omg, Madding Crowd, I noticed that "man the harpoons" comment too and I couldn't believe what I was reading. I was completely appalled. We're not here to make fun of her whether we like the girl or not. Don't be cruel.

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(edited)

Well, I do think this board is for snark, and lets face it, TLC has become the channel for snark watching...or snark TV.  I think, at this point, Whitney has to know that, and continues to agree to the show.....so I guess there is some assumption of the snark.   

I do think that views are changing somewhat about weight, but I think that truly, the most important thing is how you feel about yourself.  I realize its tough when society tells you that you're all wrong.  Right now, I have about 15-20 pounds to lose, and even when I weighed less, I'm sure some people would have called me fat (I live in Southern California....the expectations are a little harsher)....and those people could go suck an egg because I liked the way I looked and I think I had the confidence to go along with it.

However, I think that women that are a little bigger are more accepted by society and are even gasp! seen as sexy.  I actually think men are attracted to curves...or I guess the ones I have met.  I remember thinking that there had been a shift change when someone like Christina Hendrix was seen as the most beautiful woman on a show full of beautiful people.  And her wardrobe on MadMen consisted of some pretty fitted clothing.  Even at awards shows you'll see someone like Melissa McCarthy looking as glamorous as everyone else.  I do think it sort of stinks when someone who is just a little bigger, or even average size in Hollywood loses weight and makes every single magazine cover because obviously its some super miracle that they lost weight and now they are automatically sexier.  And when someone in Hollywood gains a little weight, they are splashed all over the National Inquirer in a bikini like its a huge scandal.  You would have thought Christina Aguilara had contracted some deadly disease when she gained some weight.

As for body acceptance of skinny people vs. fat people.....IMHO, they just aren't the same situation.  Society is constantly telling people that being fat is some sort of great sin.  Its not the same pressure and distaste that skinny people have to deal with.  A skinny person may be told to "eat a sandwich" as a joke....and it may hurt them.  But there are people who will flat out tell a fat person that they can't eat this, or they can't eat that....I remember reading an article once where a woman said that someone was actually taking things out of her shopping cart and telling her "you don't need that."  Even with greater acceptance of overweight people, there are still heavy societal pressures to be skinny.  I mean, think about how many billions of dollars are spent every year on weight loss....how much is spent on weight gain?  Yes, there is the Nikki Minaj song about "fuck skinny bitches," but in context I think her message was more about how fat girls or curvy girls are sort of pushed into the corner of the club because they aren't seen as "sexy" like skinny girls.  So, I think it was more of a "fat girls get out there and strut your stuff!" type of message...probably given the wrong way.

How often is a person told "you look so great!" after they lose weight....and how often is a person told "don't worry, you still look good" after they gain weight.  Weight loss is seen as some magic way to look awesome, and when you gain weight....well you better hope you have a pretty face, because your body is clearly a disaster zone.

Edited by RCharter
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7 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

Some facts about fat people: Fat people are just like every other person, some will lose quickly, some will lose slowly even if they are on the same diet. Age, medications, medical conditions, problems with mobility, all contribute to how quickly people lose weight. If I lost a pound for every time I've heard the statement "All fat people immediately lose tons of weight if they make the slightest effort:", I would be quite thin. This is simply not true. Also not true: All medical issues are caused by being fat, and all medical problems go away if the person loses weight. Nope. Most medical problems that fat people have are the same problems anyone else has: Allergies, cancer, arthritis, thyroid issues, blood pressure issues etc. Some things like blood pressure and diabetes can be improved with weight loss, but most conditions cannot and do not. 

i'm not sure why Whitney is doing this show: it seems like she wants to show us she is living a fabulous life, then we see things about losing weight. So is it a weight loss show or not? The dance-a-thon looked completely fake, they kept stopping which is not what you do in a real dance-a-thon, and Whitney seemed out of breath and ill from the get go. I would like to see her lose weight, but she would have to do while staying away from all social media (And I really hate it that someone posted a picture of her on the other thread with the comment "Man the Harpoons". She may not be likable, but she is still human. 

ITA, you are so right about medical conditions, age and medications, etc. contributing to weight loss.  I have often said that I think Whitney wouldn't be one of those people who sheds weight easily.  I was never one myself and it gets harder as one ages.  I am about one step away from trying yet another medically supervised weight loss program.  I admit that since those photos above were taken I've gained 65 lbs.  Menopause was rough on me and came with yet another metabolism change, which was yet again for the worse.  Even my weight loss counselor said that maintaining weight during menopause can be difficult for some women.  And now at 58 diets don't seem to work for me at all anymore.  They work for about 10 lbs. and then I reach a nasty plateau and can't get off of it.  All my girlfriends my age say the same thing.  Age is a bitch.  My point is, if Whitney could get her head out of her ass she'd realize that now is the time to get serious about weight loss while she is still young.  I can't imagine that Babs isn't telling her this stuff, but it doesn't help that she doesn't have a weight problem herself.  My mother warned me about everything so I at least had someone to give me a reality check about the future.  Otherwise I'd probably be morbidly obese by now and not just 50 lbs. above what I would feel is a comfortable weight for me at my age.  People don't know how hard a person has fought just to stay the weight they are.  That's another thing. 

The problem with Whitney is by making herself the target of public criticism she's actually making it harder on herself to fight her negative self image which only contributes to her denial and self sabotage.  She can't be deaf, dumb and blind to all the criticism online.  She acts like it means nothing but I doubt she is that impervious to it.  It's got to feed into some self hatred she is hiding - And her outward veneer of "loving" being fat is a damned lie.  That's just a defense mechanism.  I doubt anyone is buying it.  This "No Body Shame" thing has become for her a way to deny her own negative self image and thus not have to deal with that or losing weight, but no one is buying it so it's not going to really help anyone either.  What is she going to stand for, "Be like me and deny how much you hate yourself by telling everyone you love being fat"?  Umm.....Just go see a therapist, honey, no one's buying it.  I would have more respect and compassion for her if she were for real instead of holding to this charade.  Get out the box of kleenex and admit how much you hate being fat, and how much you really want to overcome your demons and personal obstacles to losing weight, and how people's negative opinions and comments hurt you.  People would relate more to that and have more compassion for you and perhaps other obese people because it would be real.  Being a real person would make people not want to body shame her at any weight.  Holding to her ridiculous denial induced stupidity only makes people hate all the more.  Next week in the previews they talk about her friends staging an "intervention".  Perhaps they see what's going on and in their own way want to help her get her head out of her ass.

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