S05.E01: Brandi and Kandi's Story

[AmandaPanda]

Quote

Twins Kandi and Brandi have a combined weight of over 1,100 pounds and fear losing each other to obesity, so they decide to make a change together

Note: This is a 2-hour episode.

[Armchair Critic]

They sleep in the same bed? Those twins are really joined at the hip. ACK I always look away at the shower scenes and they are showing both of them naked!

[Brooklynista]

Only 6 minutes in and I'm so confused. They sleep in the same bed?????

Who is financing this house? The car insurance? The multiple food runs? Is obesity considered a disability?

Edited January 5, 2017 by Brooklynista

[Armchair Critic]

Their father and mother were drug addicted, the father was a drug dealer who dealt out of the house and they were both molested. Plus the mother was a drunk. Oh geesh.

Poor things, they looked like adults in middle school.

On a positive note these two are self aware

[Maizie131]

Why couldn't Dr. Now do gastric by-pass on her, but only gastric sleeve?  Did I miss something? 

[aliya]

I can't believe I dozed off (I'm sick and will blame the meds). One minute they're joined at the hip, the next one is walking around by herself and going to the gym. What happened?

[Armchair Critic]

They are very likable so I am happy for them. But because they are more normal there is less weird stuff to gawk at. ;)

[leighroda]

15 minutes ago, aliya said:

I can't believe I dozed off (I'm sick and will blame the meds). One minute they're joined at the hip, the next one is walking around by herself and going to the gym. What happened?

Dr Now did surgery on Brandi first so that Kandi would work to lose weight on her own without depending on her sister.

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, Brooklynista said:

Only 6 minutes in and I'm so confused. They sleep in the same bed?????

Who is financing this house? The car insurance? The multiple food runs? Is obesity considered a disability?

I think they were actually working. Even before weight loss they were a lot more mobile than other people we've seen. 

Edited January 5, 2017 by GussieK

[Armchair Critic]

I knew she wasn't going to die or be brain damaged because this show in a way is an advertisement for Dr. Now and that would scare people off.

[Brooklynista]

Crossfit? Seriously? For 400 lb people who've never worked out before?

Why not sign them up for the NYC Marathon? 

13 minutes ago, GussieK said:

I think they were actually working. Even before weight loss they were a lot more mobile than other people we've seen. 

Then I really need to know why they were in the same bed and not two full sized at least.

[jacksgirl]

Grandma looks younger than mom. Cautionary tale, that's what drug addiction will do. Liked the young women, they are self-aware and very likeable. Wish them well.

[RedKoolAide]

The sharing of the bed was what disturbed me the most. Kandi and Brandi are really codependent. They need indepth therapy and they need to learn to live separate lives.

I'm glad they're making progress in their weight loss. It was nice not to hear a lot of whining and excuses. 

[jacksgirl]

aliya,  Dr. Now intended to do gastric bypass on Brandi, but during the surgery commented something about the lack of room (?) and did gastric sleeve.  With Kandi, he did not even try bypass, just did the sleeve.

Edited January 5, 2017 by jacksgirl

[crazycatlady58]

I to am concerned  about  how Codependent they are, hopefully  the will become  more healthy  mentally  as well as physically .  Very nice young  women  and I too enjoyed  the lack of whining , they knew what was wrong  and did not try to blame  someone  else.

[aliya]

28 minutes ago, Brooklynista said:

Crossfit? Seriously? For 400 lb people who've never worked out before?

Why not sign them up for the NYC Marathon? 

Then I really need to know why they were in the same bed and not two full sized at least.

That surprised me as well. I thought Crossfit was supposed to be pretty intense - from what they showed, I should try it, and I'm 63.

[poeticlicensed]

15 minutes ago, aliya said:

That surprised me as well. I thought Crossfit was supposed to be pretty intense - from what they showed, I should try it, and I'm 63.

 

45 minutes ago, Brooklynista said:

Crossfit? Seriously? For 400 lb people who've never worked out before?

Why not sign them up for the NYC Marathon? 

Then I really need to know why they were in the same bed and not two full sized at least.

Seriously. Not just CrossFit, but in a class of hardbodies. There are low impact classes specifically designed for obese or people's with physical problems. Why not put them in one of those? 

[mmecorday]

Good heavens, this was a hard one to watch. Their childhood must have been an endless, living nightmare. I don't know why CPS didn't intervene at some point. Maybe this was addressed, but why didn't the twins live with their grandmother? She seemed to be very stable and loving.

This one begs for a follow up. I hope they continue to do well. They are so young and have so much to live for.

[aliya]

27 minutes ago, poeticlicensed said:

 

Seriously. Not just CrossFit, but in a class of hardbodies. 

And very attractive hardbodies they were, too!

[Pepperminty]

I liked these girls and hope they heal.

[Aw my lahgs]

I feel for these girls. With that terrible childhood, they didn't stand a chance. I hope they finally have the chance now to get health and happy.

1 hour ago, Armchair Critic said:

I knew she wasn't going to die or be brain damaged because this show in a way is an advertisement for Dr. Now and that would scare people off.

Complications post surgery happen, especially with people that size. I'm sure they would still have show it. This surgery is the last chance for these people and dr Now is about the only doctor taking a chance on these people (other doctors would never take a risk on people that size).

[Gemma Violet]

3 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

 I always look away at the shower scenes and they are showing both of them naked!

I also look away.  I feel like the show strips them of the last amount of dignity they have.  They're taking advantage of their desperation to have free weight loss surgery.  "Yes, you're accepted to be on the show, but only if you agree to a nude scene."  How dehumanizing.

[Guest]

I really liked Brandi and Kandi and felt those two girls' fates were sealed at the moment of conception. They were doomed to become addicts -- and I don't know what's worse -- being food addicts or drug/alcohol addicts. I'm for sure their mother is younger than I - but looked about 20 years older. 

I hope at some point in their lives they can dissolve some of their co-dependency issues but at least I understand some of it. They had absolutely no one in their lives looking out for them. Their home lives were for shit, they must have been tortured in school, and they didn't seem to be very career driven but at least they had themselves to give comfort to one another. (Oh! And that adorable little dog, too!) I wish them the very best. 

By the way, at some point, when they first pulled into Dr Now's parking lot, there was a shot of one of the storefronts with the name, "Dr Cell Phone." It made me laugh out loud. 

[Aw my lahgs]

1 hour ago, Gemma Violet said:

I also look away.  I feel like the show strips them of the last amount of dignity they have.  They're taking advantage of their desperation to have free weight loss surgery.  "Yes, you're accepted to be on the show, but only if you agree to a nude scene."  How dehumanizing.

I don't think the intentions is to strip away their dignity or make use of their situation. I think the reason is different. I think they want to show the reality of being 600 lbs, they want to show how harsh it is. Because there are people that will think - if I gain more weight that's ok, I will just get surgery and get healthy again... It's more of a warning of how hard that life really is. When watching documentaries of people that size I have noticed people often want to show tmi things to show to people how horrid being that weight really is.

Edited January 5, 2017 by Nutella

[CarolMK]

The twins did very well with their weight loss. I think they've done better than almost anyone else I remember pre-surgery. Hopefully their post surgery weight loss will continue. 

I was a little surprised at the end that the weight loss didn't seem to show as much on Kandi as it did on Brandi. They both are going to need skin removal surgery but I don't think it was addressed. I do wonder if the two of them will ever be able to live apart from each other. It was extremely scary to see what happened to Kandi in this episode, I don't remember seeing somebody in a medically induced coma before. 

[Scorpiosunshine]

This episode was very hard to watch, but so satisfying. What a rollercoaster for me as a viewer, let alone living it!

 From the many childhood traumas to Kandi's episode, my heart went out to the sisters for all their pain. I'll admit that I shed some tears. I was just so sad for them, then irritated at the little "mess up", then proud, then scared,  then proud again. 

I'm glad things turned around and we got a happy ending. They sure deserve it. I'm going to root for them pretty hard!

[okerry]

51 minutes ago, Nutella said:

I don't think the intentions is to strip away their dignity or make use of their situation. I think the reason is different. I think they want to show the reality of being 600 lbs, they want to show how harsh it is. Because there are people that will think - if I gain more weight that's ok, I will just get surgery and get healthy again... It's more of a warning of how hard that life really is. When watching documentaries of people that size I have noticed people often want to show tmi things to show to people how horrid being that weight really is.

Are you listening, Whitney?

4 hours ago, aliya said:

I can't believe I dozed off (I'm sick and will blame the meds). One minute they're joined at the hip, the next one is walking around by herself and going to the gym. What happened?

One sister - Kandi - had an abnormal EKG (heart disease) so Dr. Now postponed the surgery until she lost more weight on her own and the EKG looked better.

[RedheadZombie]

2 hours ago, mmecorday said:

Good heavens, this was a hard one to watch. Their childhood must have been an endless, living nightmare. I don't know why CPS didn't intervene at some point. Maybe this was addressed, but why didn't the twins live with their grandmother? She seemed to be very stable and loving.

This one begs for a follow up. I hope they continue to do well. They are so young and have so much to live for.

Grandma says grandad was ill, and couldn't handle two young uns running around.  But if she knew how bad it really was, she would have taken them immediately. 

[DNR]

I understand the twins codependency, saddled with drug n alcohol addicted parents , neglected , the shitty parents allowed any lowlife around them and they were molested . They stuck together to survive and trusted NO ONE. Who could blame them . Luckily grandma seemed very caring   ( she financed the move to Houston as well ) and was a bright spot in their lives .  These young ladies were self aware and I really liked them a lot . I hope they succeed, get some intense therapy and get to live life to the fullest . ( and maybe seperate a little bit) They were young - only in their early 20's . GOOD LUCK BRANDI N KANDI 

**** crossfit ?? Geez ladies , build up to that 

[Tinfoil Hat]

I loved that they were going out of their comfort zones and trying new things. I hope that they find enjoyable activities and new passions, and get more opportunities to experience joy. 

During the CrossFit scene I was saying that the CrossFit people must have paid TLC a bunch of money to make it seem accessible and non-intimidating for people  unaccustomed to hard physical exercise. 

[EtheltoTillie]

I just loved this episode. The sisters may have been codependent but somehow they ended up supporting each other so that they both succeeded, so they should be applauded for that. So different from some episodes where enablers who should lose weight themselves overfeed the main subject. 

As for Cross Fit, I agree that it was somewhat of a plant, but the people were very kind to them there, as they were also at the Planet Fitness club showed earlier in the episode.  In general people at gyms are very encouraging to newcomers who show up and just want to try to get in better shape, but the very overweight won't  know that and will be intimidated at first. 

[notyrmomma]

7 hours ago, poeticlicensed said:

 

Seriously. Not just CrossFit, but in a class of hardbodies. There are low impact classes specifically designed for obese or people's with physical problems. Why not put them in one of those? 

Walking.  When you are 600-lbs walking is enough (tbh, a good brisk walk each day is enough for anyone).  Further, after your surgery (when you are only taking in about 800 calories), you shouldn't even attempt to do such a strenuous exercise.  But whatever, that wasn't cross-fit that they were doing anyway.  Hopefully, our resident personal trainer will chime in on this one.

 

7 hours ago, mmecorday said:

Good heavens, this was a hard one to watch. Their childhood must have been an endless, living nightmare. I don't know why CPS didn't intervene at some point. Maybe this was addressed, but why didn't the twins live with their grandmother? She seemed to be very stable and loving.

This one begs for a follow up. I hope they continue to do well. They are so young and have so much to live for.

In the first few scenes, when they were powdering each other up, I was thinking....creeeeeepy...but when they got into their back story, it made it clear.  They are almost just one person.  They grew up in basically a war zone and had to rely a lot on each other.  I'm disappointed that the grandmother didn't take them when they were young, no one should have to grow up like that.  And God bless them for wanting to mend their relationship with their mother.  I wouldn't piss on her if she were on fire!

4 hours ago, DNR said:

I understand the twins codependency, saddled with drug n alcohol addicted parents , neglected , the shitty parents allowed any lowlife around them and they were molested . They stuck together to survive and trusted NO ONE. Who could blame them . Luckily grandma seemed very caring   ( she financed the move to Houston as well ) and was a bright spot in their lives .  These young ladies were self aware and I really liked them a lot . I hope they succeed, get some intense therapy and get to live life to the fullest . ( and maybe seperate a little bit) They were young - only in their early 20's . GOOD LUCK BRANDI N KANDI 

Why the hell doesn't the show help them with the transportation to Houston?  But I was impressed, this is the first time we saw the patients drive themselves cross country - and wow, 5 days on the road would kill me and I can fit in a car just fine.

I was also a little disappointed when they went straight to fast food when they were stressed about the medical tests.  Why the hell did it take 10 days to read an EKG?????  I thought Dr. Now was being a dick when he scolded them for ONLY losing 4 pounds in that 10 days.  Seriously? Does he even watch this show?  Other patients on this show would have put on 20!  

Overall, I think these two have the most traumatic backstory that we have seen, and despite that, they seemed like the most level headed.  I think they will succeed.  

Random comment: was I the only one who was worried about who would care for the dogs while they were going through all their testing/surgery/ICU/etc? LOL

[Cherrio]

10 hours ago, Nutella said:

I feel for these girls. With that terrible childhood, they didn't stand a chance. I hope they finally have the chance now to get health and happy.

I feel the same about them.  What a nightmare and I give them a lot of credit for surviving it.  

[Guest]

2 hours ago, notyrmomma said:

Why the hell doesn't the show help them with the transportation to Houston?

Yeah, that was all kinds of hinky. I'm thinking that maybe for the "drama" the producers gave Grandma the money and then she claimed she could pay their way. So, in a sense, she wasn't lying that she could afford to help them move. (That's my theory anyway.) I can't see how the show doesn't help pay the travel expenses for the participants. I think with the one exception of the girl who was had a good job in the theater (maybe that was Amber?), most of these folks seem to be on the low-income-to-full-blown-poverty scale. And I would have to assume the show picks up the tab for the new digs in Houston since, again theorizing, most of the participants receive some kind of state assistance that wouldn't be paid if they moved out of state. (Though a lot of the people on the show already live in Texas anyway.) 

 

2 hours ago, notyrmomma said:

Random comment: was I the only one who was worried about who would care for the dogs while they were going through all their testing/surgery/ICU/etc? LOL

You're not alone! 

I really wish someone would encourage people who've been brought up by toxic parents that cutting them out of their adult lives is also as beneficial as trying to establish some kind of relationship with those people. Just because that person gave birth to you doesn't mean you owe them your mental health and well being. You owe them nothing. I hope the girls realize their shitty mother is still a shitty mother and hold no expectation she'll ever change. Her lack of self awareness was on abundant display when she denied her suicide attempt and basically pretended it never happened. That's some A+ gaslighting. 

[AZChristian]

25 minutes ago, Giant Misfit said:

I really wish someone would encourage people who've been brought up by toxic parents that cutting them out of their adult lives is also as beneficial as trying to establish some kind of relationship with those people. Just because that person gave birth to you doesn't mean you owe them your mental health and well being. You owe them nothing. I hope the girls realize their shitty mother is still a shitty mother and hold no expectation she'll ever change. Her lack of self awareness was on abundant display when she denied her suicide attempt and basically pretended it never happened. That's some A+ gaslighting. 

Thanks for this GM.  Having been raised in that type of environment - and trying for YEARS to maintain a relationship with a mother whose way of coping with her guilt was to dump it on me - I cut ties with her when I was about 60.  Well-meaning friends, who had NO idea of how emotionally debilitating it can be to be emotionally abused as an adult, just couldn't understand.  I kept hearing, "But she's your mother.  You only have ONE mother."  (To which I thought, "Thank goodness.")

When she died, I had not spoken to her in about 3 years.  And I only cried for what might/should have been.  I had released any emotion about her the last time I saw her, while she berated and lied about me in front of others.  I walked out and never looked back.

[atiyah9369]

When they were in therapy with their mom, I said forget it. Sometimes its not worth it. Move on with your life and weight loss.

[OSM Mom]

I'm really rooting for the twins to make it and do well.  They seem really nice and surprising together for everything they had been through.  The only asshat was mom. When they were in the van eating McDonald's, I wanted one of those parfaits so bad.  They're so good.

 This episode was a refreshing change from all the nasty self centered people usually featured.  

Yikes. The previews for the upcoming season!!  Was there really someone standing on the porch naked while someone hosed off their nether regions or was I hallucinating?? 

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

Having been raised in that type of environment - and trying for YEARS to maintain a relationship with a mother whose way of coping with her guilt was to dump it on me - I cut ties with her when I was about 60.  Well-meaning friends, who had NO idea of how emotionally debilitating it can be to be emotionally abused as an adult, just couldn't understand.  I kept hearing, "But she's your mother.  You only have ONE mother."  (To which I thought, "Thank goodness.")

Right with you, my friend. Cut ties with father 25 years ago and mother about 10. Life's been so much better without them. I hope Brandi and Kandi can do the same if meth mommy interferes with their happiness. They deserve to have it -- and she was never going to bring it to the table. 

[crazycatlady58]

Yes and while eating at McDonald's  was not  a good  thing ,  they only  had 1 hamburger , french  fries  ect , not 2 of each as we  have seen other people  do.

[gonecrackers]

17 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

Thanks for this GM.  Having been raised in that type of environment - and trying for YEARS to maintain a relationship with a mother whose way of coping with her guilt was to dump it on me - I cut ties with her when I was about 60.  Well-meaning friends, who had NO idea of how emotionally debilitating it can be to be emotionally abused as an adult, just couldn't understand.  I kept hearing, "But she's your mother.  You only have ONE mother."  (To which I thought, "Thank goodness.")

When she died, I had not spoken to her in about 3 years.  And I only cried for what might/should have been.  I had released any emotion about her the last time I saw her, while she berated and lied about me in front of others.  I walked out and never looked back.

I'm right there with you. I probably would've taken it all maybe forever except they started the same crap on my kids & then that was it; no more involvement. The toxic cycle has to end somewhere.

I haven't seen this yet but looking forward to it; they sound quite amazing.

[Ocean Chick]

I'm glad they choose this episode as the premiere.  Two young women to root for.  I hope they continue to do well.  I imagined that the bed sharing was started back in their childhood as a way to maybe lessen the times that they were molested.  That maybe they decided that if they slept in the same bed, that that would hopefully cut down on the number of men trying to rape them.  And that made me so sad for those 2 lost girls.  And once a habit is set, it's hard to break it.

I, too, worry about their co-dependency.  When one of the twins (I think it was Brandi) talked about a future of dating, all I could picture was the surprise on some young man's face when he asks her out for dinner only to be told that he'd be paying for 3 dinners, as Kandi would be joining them.  It'd be like asking co-joined twins on a date.

Yeah, mom was all kinds of rough looking.  MUCH older looking than her own mother.  "This is your face on drugs, kids!"  She did seem to want to support the twins now, which is a plus.  But what hell she put those kids through in the past!  Ugh.

[poeticlicensed]

Mom reminded me of every shitty parent whose kids go on a talk show (e.g. Dr. Phil)  to get the parent to admit that they are responsible for the situation (abuse, neglect, addiction, take your pick) and the parent just sits there and says they can't remember or they nit pick a small detail or they bring up the adult child's bad behavior. Well duh, why do you think kids brought up in a toxic household act out? Mom was a POS. At first I thought mom had cleaned up her act, but then at the end, the girls were so happy because mom didn't drink the whole time (what was it 5 days?) that Kandi was in the hospital. Which means she is still drinking! After all this! I did also note that mom seemed to perpetually have a water bottle filled with something that she carried around with her and the contents were not clear liquid. I'm guessing mom mixes booze and gatorade or some other drink and keeps it with her at all times. I agree with the posters upthread who say that there comes a point when you have to cut ties, simply out of self preservation. 

I also noticed in the previews the person on the porch having their privates hosed down. And a lot of eating scenes where the obese person is literally stuffing food in their mouth. 

As far as the shower scenes, I am repelled, but it certainly does show the viewers and patients just how horrible it is to be that overweight. And showing them stuff food in their mouth. I wouldn't want to be filmed eating. I would imagine its a real appetite killer.  

Edited January 5, 2017 by poeticlicensed

[ClareWalks]

4 hours ago, notyrmomma said:

Walking.  When you are 600-lbs walking is enough (tbh, a good brisk walk each day is enough for anyone).  Further, after your surgery (when you are only taking in about 800 calories), you shouldn't even attempt to do such a strenuous exercise.  But whatever, that wasn't cross-fit that they were doing anyway.  Hopefully, our resident personal trainer will chime in on this one.

*waves* :)

Okay, just watched this one. I like the twins and hope they succeed. But the Crossfit thing...seriously, WTF? *I* wouldn't do Crossfit. Mostly because the Crossfit culture is awful. It's essentially a cult. It is extremely intense and results in lots of injuries for beginners (it seems that "good form" is a distant third priority, behind "lots of reps" and "looking ripped from the waist up"). That being said, what Brandi and Kandi were doing bears no resemblance to actual Crossfit workouts. All they showed was them doing the tiniest wall squats I have ever seen, then pushing on a stationary pole of some sort. If I had an elderly, practically immobile client, that is the sort of workout I would make them do in their first week. It's not only NOT Crossfit, it's not really a workout unless you are very far gone, way worse than the twins were at that point. I believe either of them could have handled an easy circuit weights class, or a moderate water aerobics class, or a Zumba style dance class. Instead they did essentially nothing, in a Crossfit gym surrounded by Crossfit folks. I do wonder how much they paid for the promotion.

[suzeecat]

I couldn't stay up to watch all of it, I left off when the second twin was in ICU.  Scary!  I will finish tonight.

I was really hoping that after second twin had such success losing all that weight that Dr. Now would just tell her "You're doing just fine on your own, don't risk surgery and you'll get there if you continue your diet and exercise".  I mean, really, she already knew what she needed to do, why couldn't she just continue doing that without the surgery?

I loved their cute little doggies!

[Awfarmington]

13 minutes ago, suzeecat said:

I couldn't stay up to watch all of it, I left off when the second twin was in ICU.  Scary!  I will finish tonight.

I was really hoping that after second twin had such success losing all that weight that Dr. Now would just tell her "You're doing just fine on your own, don't risk surgery and you'll get there if you continue your diet and exercise".  I mean, really, she already knew what she needed to do, why couldn't she just continue doing that without the surgery?

I loved their cute little doggies!

I wonder this, too. If they are able to loose all that weight before surgery, why risk your life going ahead with it. 

14 minutes ago, suzeecat said:

I couldn't stay up to watch all of it, I left off when the second twin was in ICU.  Scary!  I will finish tonight.

I was really hoping that after second twin had such success losing all that weight that Dr. Now would just tell her "You're doing just fine on your own, don't risk surgery and you'll get there if you continue your diet and exercise".  I mean, really, she already knew what she needed to do, why couldn't she just continue doing that without the surgery?

I loved their cute little doggies!

I wonder this, too. If they are able to loose all that weight before surgery, why risk your life going ahead with it. 

[poeticlicensed]

11 minutes ago, Awfarmington said:

I wonder this, too. If they are able to loose all that weight before surgery, why risk your life going ahead with it. 

I wonder this, too. If they are able to loose all that weight before surgery, why risk your life going ahead with it. 

The medical literature that is available shows that for the super obese,  bariatric surgery is a more effective intervention than non-surgical treatments, both in the short term  and long term.  It leads to greater body weight loss in a shorter period of time, which leads to the quicker resolution of related health issues (e.g. diabetes, HBP, etc) . In the long term, studies that track patients over the course of 10 years showed that people who had the surgery tended to keep the weight off, while those with non surgical interventions tended to be less successful in  keeping the weight off.

[hisbunkie]

These two women began life as a single cell that split. They have only had each other to rely on their whole lives.  Out on their own at 16, and people are concerned about their sharing a bed, really?  

Their success is not dependent on their independence from each other.  

Bariatric doctors are doing more sleeves (VSG) these days because they find that long term RNY (by-pass) patients have more complications due to malabsorption issues. The numbers of rehospitalizations in sleeves is very, low and almost non existent years out, not so with the by-pass.  Although the by-pass remains the gold standard of Bariatric surgery, especially for those super morbidly obese the discussion continues.

[Ocean Chick]

7 minutes ago, hisbunkie said:

These two women began life as a single cell that split. They have only had each other to rely on their whole lives.  Out on their own at 16, and people are concerned about their sharing a bed, really?  

Not to be pedantic (but I totally am), those 2 were not identical twins, so did not start from a single cell that split.  They were 2 separate eggs that got fertilized at the same time.  The only time I was concerned about their sharing a bed was when I had the thought that maybe the bed couldn't hold that much weight at one time.  And in the future, if they DO decide they want to date and have a life outside of their own company, they will have to learn to have their own bedrooms at some point.

[cpcathy]

Can we please get Kate Gosselin and the Duggars off TLC and get these two a show? I would watch their journey every week, they are low key but I liked both of them and cared about their outcome.

[IOU Payne]

I fell asleep on the couch and missed the last 1/2 hour (thanks, stomach flu!), so I will have to rewatch.  But I admired the way Kandi and Brandi set themselves to the task of weight loss, starting slowly with chair exercises and "graduating" to "Crossfit" (in quotes because from what I've seen, this is not Crossfit).  They showed reasonable portion control when they ate their salads and even when they indulged in fast food.  So I wonder how the twins would have fared doing a plan like Weight Watchers.  It's not as dramatic as surgery, and the long-term outcomes probably are not as good. But I think the lowered risk factors, especially for someone like Kandi with her cardiac issues, would make it a viable alternative.  The positive reinforcement from the group would be enough to make them feel like queens, as opposed to being berated for "only" losing 4 pounds in 10 days.