S05.E05: Doug's Story

[ClareWalks]

I love how Doug was like "if Dr. Now knew I was still snacking, he wouldn't be happy with me." "I have to hide my snacking from Dr. Now so he won't find out." THE SCALE TOLD HIM YOU SNACK, MORON. You are not fooling anybody. I swear, some of these folks think they are so clever, but they're like a toddler who says he didn't eat the chocolate when his face and mouth are smeared with it.

[raiderred1]

I'm very familiar with Wichita Falls(many consider it the armpit of Texas-it's not a very attractive area but the people are nice) and I highly doubt it costs that much to rent a house or even buy one like the one they lived in.  I kind of thought they were still living beyond their means like most folks seem to do these days.  They seemed nice so I wish them well.  I am not even a "kid" person and I thought those kids were adorable.  When the little boy told Doug, "I love eating breakfast with just you." Heart melted.

[poeticlicensed]

13 minutes ago, Hockeymom said:

Yes, I realize you don't need to wear a suit. I don't. However, she was leaving home and heading to a place of employment. Ashley just looked casual to me. To cover a mortgage, two big car payments, car insurance, medical insurance, childcare, utilities, taxes, a large food budget, vacations to the beach, and spending money for Doug to hit the fast food circuit, it must be a pretty substantial position.

I am impressed that someone in the household actually has a real job. In some of the families profiled, it seems like no one works at all.  

[steff13]

6 minutes ago, raiderred1 said:

I'm very familiar with Wichita Falls(many consider it the armpit of Texas-it's not a very attractive area but the people are nice).

I learned about it on an episode of King of the Hill.  :)

Ashley looked a lot like one of the nurses in Dr. Now's office, the one at the end when he approved the surgery.  Just chubbier. 

Does Dr. Now keep apartments in Houston for the people to use?  I'm new to the show, so I don't know if they've ever mentioned it.  I've seen episodes where he's told the client they need to move closer, I was wondering if there were places he had for them to stay while they were there. 

[raiderred1]

16 minutes ago, steff13 said:

I learned about it on an episode of King of the Hill.  :)

 

So funny! High five!

[Hockeymom]

Do people get paid to be on the show? If so, I wonder how much? Maybe that's how they always drive up to Dr. Now's office in brand new trucks! There must be some incentive to let yourself be filmed in the shower - crying, falling, and hitting rock bottom.

[Carolina Girl]

1 hour ago, suzeecat said:

It was confusing to see Ashley gaining weight as the episode progressed.  Doug even said at one point "Ashley is losing weight too!", and I'm thinking "wait, what?!?"  Someone mentioned that she may not be losing because she is nursing.  Actually, breastfeeding burns a lot of calories and is traditionally Mother Nature's way of helping the mom to lose the pregnancy weight.    If they're going to do 2 hr. shows I wish they would cover a longer period of time and perhaps include the skin removal surgery. 

Okay, it's not just me.  I didn't see any weight loss on Ashley - even after a YEAR.  

Re the skin removal surgery and aftermath - I think TLC has a companion show about people with skin removal surgery, but I don't recall them  using the patients from this show (someone else may have more info and be useful here).  And there is always the follow up "Where are they now" segments they do.   I think one or two of them have involved successful subjects getting weight loss surgery.  

[LocalGovt]

19 hours ago, poeticlicensed said:

I'm thinking she is on maternity leave. And he gets SSI. The house was probably hers when they got together since he can't work. 

It's shocking that she doesn't give him hell   about what he eats considering she has been there.

I'm thinking, and I could be mistaken, that they are one of ultra conservative religious types  -- the ones where the wife is a helpmeet, and defers to her husband almost blindly. 

[okerry]

6 hours ago, poeticlicensed said:

I don't mean to be indelicate, but I was having a hard time figuring out how Ashley and Doug managed to get pregnant have babies. I'm talking logistics here. Those babies were tiny and I know he didn't pack on the last 300 pounds in the last year. 

Doggie style might accomplish it, or she lies on her back with pillows under her butt while he stands up in front of her. Please do not ask me how I know this lol.

Paging Whitney Thore . . . 

6 hours ago, poeticlicensed said:

[ClareWalks]

1 minute ago, okerry said:

Doggie style might accomplish it, or she lies on her back with pillows under her butt while he stands up in front of her. Please do not ask me how I know this lol.

I will not ask how you know this, LOL :) But I doubt this guy did ANY of the work in conceiving those kids. Walking into a store tired him out. Unless he is, and this is even less delicate than the OP, a "two pump chump." 

[DayGlorious]

3 hours ago, Pepper Mostly said:

I always figured that the "therapy sessions" are re-enactments, only touching on issues in a general way, for the audience's information. I never put too much credence in them. I do hope that the people on this show get real therapy!

Show formula:

I am fat.

Really, really fat.

I was always a big kid/I was normal until a traumatic event

Got super fat.

I am in pain every minute of the day.

My life is a hell on earth.

My family enables me/has to care for me because I can't get out of bed.

I am desperate for weight loss surgery.

I just love food.

Dieting is so, so hard.

I'm going to work hard to lose the weight so I will be approved for weight loss surgery.

I had weight loss surgery and hate the jello and bullion I am allowed to eat.

The cravings are coming back.

This is so hard.

I'll just have a donut today. I know my body and what I need.

Dr. Now is mad at me because I didn't lose enough weight/gained weight.

I am determined to prove him wrong.

I am going to the gym.

I am going to a therapist.

I have a sudden realization that its up to me.

I have lost a lot of weight and want to continue to lose weight/Dr. Now doesn't know what he is talking about and I will do it MY WAY.

the end.

You forgot one.
Dr. Now says, "This is a very...serious...situation." 
;)

[flappa1016]

2 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

I will not ask how you know this, LOL :) But I doubt this guy did ANY of the work in conceiving those kids. Walking into a store tired him out. Unless he is, and this is even less delicate than the OP, a "two pump chump." 

I was thinking turkey baster?

[cpcathy]

And then when Dr Now says, "You are eating too many calorie."

[Azubah]

There is someone with Ashley's name in the correct area of Texas who is an associate producer for a local morning show. No idea how much that would pay, though.

[Pers]

2 hours ago, steff13 said:

Does Dr. Now keep apartments in Houston for the people to use?  I'm new to the show, so I don't know if they've ever mentioned it.  I've seen episodes where he's told the client they need to move closer, I was wondering if there were places he had for them to stay while they were there. 

My husband and I always say that Dr. Now would make a killing if he rented out apartments to his patients. He could call them "Dr. Now's Bariatric Bunkers". 

Edited February 2, 2017 by Pers

[Azubah]

All that "Dr. Now would be mad at me" stuff bugs me. I realize that these folks aren't paying the medical bills, so their attitude is somewhat different from mine. But I would be telling Dr. Now in no uncertain terms that he was not permitted to speak to me that way. I had a mother, I outlived her, I don't need another one. You may speak to me respectfully or not at all.

[Hockeymom]

I don't think he's being disrespectful at all. These people come to him because they are incapable of handling the situation themselves. In the beginning, he makes them loose weight on their own. Any one of them could have done this at any time. A simple search on the internet will give you the correct diet, and who doesn't know they should get out of bed and take a walk? Apparently, they  they need to drive cross-country to have him point out the obvious.

For whatever reason, they need this structure. They need someone to hold them accountable. They need someone who isn't buying into their bull.

[leighroda]

4 hours ago, steff13 said:

I learned about it on an episode of King of the Hill.  :)

Ashley looked a lot like one of the nurses in Dr. Now's office, the one at the end when he approved the surgery.  Just chubbier. 

Does Dr. Now keep apartments in Houston for the people to use?  I'm new to the show, so I don't know if they've ever mentioned it.  I've seen episodes where he's told the client they need to move closer, I was wondering if there were places he had for them to stay while they were there. 

I'm from Houston, and I don't think he has any apts for the people... there is no shortage of apts in Houston, and it looks like from what we see the apts are in various parts of town, not even always close to his office, so if I had to guess they are on their own as far as finding apts, I could be wrong though, it does seem like the newer seasons tend to be in nicer apts, but I think the earlier seasons tended to be from Texas and in closer proximity.

[ClareWalks]

1 hour ago, Pers said:

My husband and I always say that Dr. Now would make a killing if he rented out apartments to his patients. He could call them "Dr. Now's Bariatric Bunkers". 

Or put up some fake palm trees and call them Bariatric Bungalows ;)

[Armchair Critic]

2 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

a "two pump chump."

LMAO I have never heard that before. My one (and only) experience with a larger built man is he kept dripping sweat on me. 

[NYCFree]

1 hour ago, Hockeymom said:

I don't think he's being disrespectful at all. These people come to him because they are incapable of handling the situation themselves. In the beginning, he makes them loose weight on their own. Any one of them could have done this at any time. A simple search on the internet will give you the correct diet, and who doesn't know they should get out of bed and take a walk? Apparently, they  they need to drive cross-country to have him point out the obvious.

For whatever reason, they need this structure. They need someone to hold them accountable. They need someone who isn't buying into their bull.

The trouble with an internet search for diets is there is too much information. Both low fat and low carb diets have studies that back them up.  We know that Dr. Now is a specialist in morbid obesity and he has patients do low carb and very low calorie, probably based on years of experience that this particular diet works.

i wanted to SMACK Doug's mom.  She stated she abandoned her kids out of love for them since she couldn't control her anger and was afraid she was going to beat them. "I did it for y'all". How about therapy, parenting classes, something? Doug is so afraid of his mom rejecting him again that he keeps reassuring her, the mom who abandoned him.

[notyrmomma]

I was watching the supersize version.  Ashley had the gastric band...no wonder she is gaining weight (lap band, gastric band is one of the least effective weight loss surgeries).  

[Miss Chevious]

4 hours ago, DayGlorious said:

You forgot one.
Dr. Now says, "This is a very...serious...situation." 
;)

And this one. Dr. Now: "Can you tell me about your eating habits?" After his initial how ya'll doing, he invariably asks that.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

I still finishing the episode.  I couldn't make it through 2 hours last night.  In earlier seasons many of us complained we wanted more info on the people.  The problem for me now is they are dragging the episode out to 2 hours but most of it is still the voiceovers of extreme tiredness.  Even the best of them sounds so strained when doing their voice overs.  We're not seeing more of the process.  It's just being dragged out. 

[DayGlorious]

15 minutes ago, Miss Chevious said:

And this one. Dr. Now: "Can you tell me about your eating habits?" After his initial how ya'll doing, he invariably asks that.

Never understood the point of that question. No one gets to 600+ pounds by eating healthy foods and practicing portion control.

Another drinking-game moment: the bath scene. Take a shot if the censors slip up and blur the wrong body part; drink two if some kind of infection or abnormality is involved. 

[CarolMK]

Watching this series the last couple of years has made me wonder if the recent extreme size of people that we see on this show is a result of having a constant supply of junk food, soda, and cheap fast food available. I'd be willing to bet that there were very few, if any, 600 lb folks living before say, 1950. I remember being a huge fan of the Little House in the Prairie books, set in the 1870s-1880s and how difficult it was for the family to feed their family at times. The father hunted rabbits, they grew their own garden and I think the only supplies they got from town once a month were cornmeal, tea and a very few other basics. Most of the families raised chickens and pigs and did their own butchering, made their bread from scratch, etc. It was probably almost impossible to become obese because people had to work so hard and food choices and portions had to be limited based upon what the families had- no refrigerators or freezer existed.  

I don't know how many people in the US fall into the 500-600 lb category but it doesn't seem like there is any shortage of finding contestants for this show. There may not be that many doctors willing to operate of people above a certain weight limit. Does anyone know if regular bariatric doctors impose a weight limit on their patients? At nearly 700 lbs, I wonder where Doug could have gotten help if he didn't live close enough to be treated by Dr. Now.

[OSM Mom]

8 hours ago, raiderred1 said:

I'm very familiar with Wichita Falls(many consider it the armpit of Texas

My husband was in tech school for the Air Force there.  Armpit was too high on the body. More like a festering boil on the buttocks of Texas.  Lubbock was not much better.  Topic?  Doug's twins were too cute for words.  And as for logistics of conception, maybe he was on his back, and could get enough fat out of the way for her to be on top.  And with that said, if anyone needs me, I'll be bleaching my brain.  

[auntjess]

7 hours ago, Carolina Girl said:

Re the skin removal surgery and aftermath - I think TLC has a companion show about people with skin removal surgery, but I don't recall them  using the patients from this show (someone else may have more info and be useful here).

A lot of the more ones from the past 2 seasons get skin surgery, by Dr. Now.  Earlier seasons had that other doctor do it.

1 hour ago, DayGlorious said:

2 hours ago, Miss Chevious said:

And this one. Dr. Now: "Can you tell me about your eating habits?" After his initial how ya'll doing, he invariably asks that.

Never understood the point of that question. No one gets to 600+ pounds by eating healthy foods and practicing portion control.

I think it's to make the person say that they overeat, and stop them if the say they don't know why because they don't eat much, though that line is usually when they gained 50 lbs instead of lost it.
And on the length, the first half hour could be chopped.  I don't need to know all about their life, just cut to the chase.
(An ID show, Murder U. is the same way, and I'm saying just kill'em and let's start there, and spend the time on forensics.)

[Tabbygirl521]

2 hours ago, DayGlorious said:

Never understood the point of that question. No one gets to 600+ pounds by eating healthy foods and practicing portion control.

Another drinking-game moment: the bath scene. Take a shot if the censors slip up and blur the wrong body part; drink two if some kind of infection or abnormality is involved. 

I think he wants to hear what their perception is: whether they are deluding themselves, whether they prepare or fetch their own food, etc. 

(Or what auntjess said!)

Edited February 3, 2017 by Tabbygirl521

[Spicymustard]

14 hours ago, poeticlicensed said:

I don't mean to be indelicate, but I was having a hard time figuring out how Ashley and Doug managed to get pregnant have babies. I'm talking logistics here. Those babies were tiny and I know he didn't pack on the last 300 pounds in the last year. 

Loved the babies. Normally you only know how many months have passed because they tell you, but with little babies, you know it's been a year!

I was wondering the same thing!

[operalover]

Not only all of that, infant twins, 5 year old, unable to move non-working husband and the mom is working and THEY ARE HOMESCHOOLING? That poor boy. Stuck with them all day long instead of getting to go to kindergarten and get some attention from some other adults.  I understand homeschooling, but not in this scenario with baby twins, full time job, husband that can't help.  I guess he has time because he does nothing all day except plan how to sneak out and sneak food. 

And this surgery really doesnt work if you don't constantly control yourself. The wife gained her weight back, he got the surgery and was not really losing, was able to overeat. It's not such a great tool. Rather than a magic bullet, it's like a very small help. 

[Pepper Mostly]

10 hours ago, CarolMK said:

Watching this series the last couple of years has made me wonder if the recent extreme size of people that we see on this show is a result of having a constant supply of junk food, soda, and cheap fast food available. I'd be willing to bet that there were very few, if any, 600 lb folks living before say, 1950. I remember being a huge fan of the Little House in the Prairie books, set in the 1870s-1880s and how difficult it was for the family to feed their family at times. The father hunted rabbits, they grew their own garden and I think the only supplies they got from town once a month were cornmeal, tea and a very few other basics. Most of the families raised chickens and pigs and did their own butchering, made their bread from scratch, etc. It was probably almost impossible to become obese because people had to work so hard and food choices and portions had to be limited based upon what the families had- no refrigerators or freezer existed.  

I don't know how many people in the US fall into the 500-600 lb category but it doesn't seem like there is any shortage of finding contestants for this show. There may not be that many doctors willing to operate of people above a certain weight limit. Does anyone know if regular bariatric doctors impose a weight limit on their patients? At nearly 700 lbs, I wonder where Doug could have gotten help if he didn't live close enough to be treated by Dr. Now.

I think there's plenty of merit in this. In Victorian times if a man was a bit on the cuddly side, he'd be said to look prosperous and healthy. Louisa May Alcott describes girls and women as "plump", and its complimentary. Remember the show "Frontier House"? Gordon Clune lost a lot of weight and was convinced he was starving to death. He was thin but he was much more muscular. Production called a doctor since he wouldn't stop complaining. The doctor practically laughed in his face. He said our ancestors were working hard from dawn to dusk, and didn't have the food choices we do, and while the guy was thin he was not unhealthy, just not getting the vast array of food he was used to.

The thing that really stands out to me is that every single person on this show moans about how they "just love food". I have never, ever seen anyone on this trainwreck eat anything even remotely appetizing. I haven't touched fast food in years, though I do love the occasional pizza (which I get from a real pizza place, not some godawful Pizza Hut or something). I could see it if they were eating fantastic, amazing food and just loved doing that (Chef Paul Prudhomme comes to mind. He was HUGE. But at least he got huge eating outrageously good food. And he eventually lost a lot of weight too). But these guys all claim to just love food and eating. But they eat nothing but junk! (I know junk food is actually addictive) And even when they start to "eat better" their food looks like punishment. Can't they get a fresh vegetable every once in a while?

[suzeecat]

13 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

LMAO I have never heard that before. My one (and only) experience with a larger built man is he kept dripping sweat on me. 

. . . passing the brain bleach . . .

I eye-roll when they say "I've tried every diet and nothing has worked".  I would bet big money that 110% of them are lying.  Having the thought "Man, if I keep this up, I may not be able to get out of bed" does not equal dieting. 

[littlemommy]

1 hour ago, Pepper Mostly said:

I think there's plenty of merit in this. In Victorian times if a man was a bit on the cuddly side, he'd be said to look prosperous and healthy. Louisa May Alcott describes girls and women as "plump", and its complimentary. Remember the show "Frontier House"? Gordon Clune lost a lot of weight and was convinced he was starving to death. He was thin but he was much more muscular. Production called a doctor since he wouldn't stop complaining. The doctor practically laughed in his face. He said our ancestors were working hard from dawn to dusk, and didn't have the food choices we do, and while the guy was thin he was not unhealthy, just not getting the vast array of food he was used to.

The thing that really stands out to me is that every single person on this show moans about how they "just love food". I have never, ever seen anyone on this trainwreck eat anything even remotely appetizing. I haven't touched fast food in years, though I do love the occasional pizza (which I get from a real pizza place, not some godawful Pizza Hut or something). I could see it if they were eating fantastic, amazing food and just loved doing that (Chef Paul Prudhomme comes to mind. He was HUGE. But at least he got huge eating outrageously good food. And he eventually lost a lot of weight too). But these guys all claim to just love food and eating. But they eat nothing but junk! (I know junk food is actually addictive) And even when they start to "eat better" their food looks like punishment. Can't they get a fresh vegetable every once in a while?

I love you forever for referencing Frontier House. The Clunes were such babies, and I remember so well Gordon's mournful expression "I'm soooo thin." Nope. Just, you know. Your ideal weight. :)

[TurtlePower]

34 minutes ago, suzeecat said:

. . . passing the brain bleach . . .

I eye-roll when they say "I've tried every diet and nothing has worked".  I would bet big money that 110% of them are lying.  Having the thought "Man, if I keep this up, I may not be able to get out of bed" does not equal dieting. 

More like denial and a general misconception of calories consumed, calories burned and normal portion sizes. Their perception of "diet" is very skewed and unrealistic--and they want a magic solution like flipping a switch to make them "not hungry" all the time (insert eye roll at their interpretation of "hunger").

People who enjoy overeating do not like being told that the human body actually does not require much food. When I was younger, I was a sub-elite runner and even at my peak, the most I was consuming was around 2500 calories. These days I stick to 1500-1800, and I still work out daily. That's really not very much and it's easy to go over if you're not mindful. So imagine someone who's used to eating a whole pizza with a 2 liter bottle of soda being told "Yeah, here's your 6 ounces of chicken breast and steamed broccoli and a glass of water."

They want it to be easy and when they discover that there's no magic secret, they give up and say they "tried" but it didn't work (because it's hard and takes longer than they want it to). They also don't like learning what "hungry" is. 

[ClareWalks]

There seem to be two fundamental truths about people "trying to lose weight."

1) "Trying" usually consists of following a fad diet incorrectly for about a week, then falling off the wagon because the diet is a joke in the first place.

2) Even though they may have spent decades gaining the weight, they want to lose the weight in a matter of weeks. It doesn't work that way. Imagine if we spent a year gaining weight, then we had a reasonable expectation that it would take a year to lose the weight. But we never do. We expect to lose it in a month.

[Tabbygirl521]

It kills me when the patient says something like, "My wife/mom/kids bring me all this nasty food because they don't like to see me unhappy." But - you ARE unhappy! You are miserable all the time! Are you EVEN MORE UNHAPPY when you only get one triple-meat triple-cheese triple-bacon burger instead of two??

I agree that they really don't seem to enjoy food despite claiming to love it. Not only do they mostly eat crap, they basically inhale it. They aren't savoring a single morsel. 

[Hockeymom]

 What drives me crazy is that many still don't seem to understand what a "healthy" meal really is. I was watching one episode where the woman was so proud to be cooking a healthy meal for her family. It was Kielbasa!!! What?

I know Kielbasa is tasty, but healthy? I'm sure there are some healthier versions out there, but this was just processed, fatty, salty, whatever was on sale from the grocery store, Kielbasa.

I get that no one food is "bad" and that any food in moderation can be incorporated into an overall healthy diet. But first, you need to understand what a healthy diet is. Don't they get support from a nutritionist? Some long term plan? It seems like once they are free to make their own choices, confusion sets in.

How do you go through this entire process and still not get it? Ashley was killing me! I'm sure she loves her children. Yet there she was, feeding her toddler soda, pizza, and greasy bread sticks for lunch - after a breakfast of cinnamon buns and bacon! Kids don't need soda! Ashley knows that. Why sabotage them?

[gunderda]

22 hours ago, Giant Misfit said:

Considering it took him like forever to print that one t-shirt, I don't think that when he was inclined to work he was all that successful at his job. 

Yea printing shirts isn't exactly a sit down job.  You have to go from one spot to another if you're a one man job. Sit at the computer to design it. Move to the printer to print it.  Go from the printer to some other area to 'weed' it (remove areas of the vinyl to reveal the design) and then move to the heat press.  Not to mention hauling around boxes of shirts and whatever else.  There's a lot of movement.  I also imagine along with not being able to move around for longer than 5 min he probably got embarrassed to meet clients.  He said at the grocery store he hoped he didn't run into anyone he knew. 

22 hours ago, Suzy123 said:

Wasn't the calorie limit 600 in other seasons of the show? Dr. Now puts it at 1200.

I was thinking in previous seasons he had always wanted them to lose more within a month too. So that would make sense that he would give lower calorie requirements.  

20 hours ago, Hockeymom said:

Yes, I realize you don't need to wear a suit. I don't. However, she was leaving home and heading to a place of employment. Ashley just looked casual to me. To cover a mortgage, two big car payments, car insurance, medical insurance, childcare, utilities, taxes, a large food budget, vacations to the beach, and spending money for Doug to hit the fast food circuit, it must be a pretty substantial position.

It's probably pretty likely that he's getting disability payments.  And those can be more than enough for someone to live a semi-comfortable lifestyle. 

[Cherrio]

18 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

Or put up some fake palm trees and call them Bariatric Bungalows ;)

Food Habit Hideaways?    1200 Calorie Condos?

[4leafclover]

Some things that were shown during the Supersized episode that might answer some questions:

Ashley is a nurse in a retirement home.   However, it was not clear if she is an RN or LVN and by "retirement home" I'm thinking that means nursing home.  

Doug tried to have WLS once before with a different doctor, even losing 100 pounds yet the doctor still did not approve him for surgery.

He had a small stroke at age 35 at which time he weighed 544 pounds.

Although Ashley served non-nutritional meals to the whole family, after Doug's surgery Cooper was shown eating a meal that consisted of a protein, broccoli and what looked like cauliflower or rice, I couldn't tell.

Ashley had lap band surgery but the band eroded into her stomach and it had to be surgically removed.

[ChristmasJones]

18 hours ago, CarolMK said:

Watching this series the last couple of years has made me wonder if the recent extreme size of people that we see on this show is a result of having a constant supply of junk food, soda, and cheap fast food available.

There is actually research that has identified this being the root cause to the society-wide increase in obesity that began several decades ago. It does not get much press (or conversation on the internet) because its not very exciting (and doesn't allow us to blame the individual, as our culture likes to do).

Lower food costs, over several decades, allowed for the expansion of fast food restaurants, in-between meal snacks, wide-spread production of unhealthy foods filled with processed grains and sugar, among other things.   Here are a few links if you are interested

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140522074749.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/science/a-mathematical-challenge-to-obesity.html?_r=1

https://aaas.confex.com/aaas/2012/webprogram/Session4438.html

for real geeks- here the full publication that is referenced in the first link:  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.3322/caac.21237/full

"After examining available evidence, the authors say widespread availability of inexpensive food appears to have the strongest link to obesity. They write: "Americans are spending a smaller share of their income (or corresponding amount of effort) on food than any other society in history or anywhere else in the world, yet get more for it." In the 1930s, Americans spent one-quarter of their disposable income on food. By the 1950s, that figure had dropped to one-fifth. The most recent data show the share of disposable income spent on food is now under one-tenth.

The authors review the evidence for other factors, and say the rise of electronic entertainment, increased use of cars, a shift in jobs away from those with physical demands, and increased urbanization also contribute to obesity. But they say the evidence for those associations is less strong, saying: "Examining time trends for which there are data, what jumps out are changes in food availability, in particular the increase in caloric sweeteners and carbohydrates."

 

***important to note that this is just looking at the society-wide increase in obesity. Of course for each individual, there are going to be multiple factors involved.  But I think it makes sense that cheap unhealthy food makes it much easier for more people to become overweight, and to reach weights that are featured on these shows.

[PradaKitty]

I remember reading somewhere that we generally crave what is bad for us.  This would definitely apply to most of the fast-food aficionados we have seen on this show.  

[ClareWalks]

I've read a few books on the subject, and another very-controversial cause of the obesity crisis is women's lib. Well, more specifically, the result of women's lib that women were too tired and time-strapped to prepare the sorts of insane meals that our grandmothers spent all day in the kitchen making, so they started turning to shelf-stable products and TV dinners. In the resulting need for more shelf-stable sweeteners and preservatives, high-fructose corn syrup was born, and we've been fucked ever since. (This is definitely the 2-cent version of what the book actually said, but I found it interesting - it was Fast Food Nation I believe.)

It seems like so many of the folks on this show never actually make anything. It's often takeout or frozen. (Penny and her wontons notwithstanding.) The wife in this episode definitely wouldn't have much time or energy to cook. I get it.

Edited February 3, 2017 by ClareWalks
Trying to bring it on topic, oops, haha

[Elizabeth9]

I'm only thirty minutes into this thing, so not too many comments, except...

-TLC: 30 minutes is way too long to drag out the lead up to the first visit to Dr Now.

-Doug:  (while driving down the road, eating some brownie looking thing). I need WLS because I've tried diets, I've tried everything and nothing has worked.

immediate next scene at the drive thru:  Make that triple meat and triple bacon.  And size large!  

This isn't going to end well...

[Hockeymom]

1 hour ago, 4leafclover said:

Some things that were shown during the Supersized episode that might answer some questions:

Ashley is a nurse in a retirement home.   However, it was not clear if she is an RN or LVN and by "retirement home" I'm thinking that means nursing home.  

Doug tried to have WLS once before with a different doctor, even losing 100 pounds yet the doctor still did not approve him for surgery.

He had a small stroke at age 35 at which time he weighed 544 pounds.

Although Ashley served non-nutritional meals to the whole family, after Doug's surgery Cooper was shown eating a meal that consisted of a protein, broccoli and what looked like cauliflower or rice, I couldn't tell.

Ashley had lap band surgery but the band eroded into her stomach and it had to be surgically removed.

This actually does answer some questions. Thank you. I also noticed that Ashley was serving better meals after Doug's surgery. But still, why feed the little boy crap in the first place?  I know they all ate whatever Doug was in the mood for. But if he was having a beer, would they all have one?

And one more thing. We just watched a two hour episode. Why air the supersized one so soon? Now I have to watch the entire thing again?!

[LocalGovt]

21 hours ago, DayGlorious said:

Never understood the point of that question. No one gets to 600+ pounds by eating healthy foods and practicing portion control.

Another drinking-game moment: the bath scene. Take a shot if the censors slip up and blur the wrong body part; drink two if some kind of infection or abnormality is involved. 

I'm thinking he asks that question as a way to lead into him saying, "So, you eat too much, I'm going to put you on  a 1200 calorie a day diet, no carbs.

[auntjess]

1 hour ago, Elizabeth9 said:

TLC: 30 minutes is way too long to drag out the lead up to the first visit to Dr Now.

I really hope they heed this.  Show a few months longer after the surgery.  Crew cost should be the same.

[HelloOutThere]

Agree with all who say TLC is out of control with the episode lengths. 2-hour episodes of this show. THREE HOURS straight of "Sister Wives" (..........or so I've heard.......) Every episode of every show on TLC is "Supersized" now! We are approaching super morbid obesity status in terms of episode lengths. And there don't seem to be a ton of commercials. It's like they're just desperately or lazily trying to fill space. Make it stop! And yet I keep watching....

6 hours ago, Cherrio said:

Food Habit Hideaways?    1200 Calorie Condos?

My roommate suggested a certain home merchandise store come out with a special line of linens and various accessories called "Bedbound and Beyond"

I'll show myself out now...

[Cherrio]

1 hour ago, HelloOutThere said:

"Bedbound and Beyond"

My vote for best line ever in this forum.