S05.E11: James K's Story

[DrNowsWeightScale]

On 3/17/2017 at 0:38 PM, Barb23 said:

Another observation - why don't they use colored or preferably dark colored sheets?  At least it wouldn't show all the "funk".  (Kudos to poster who used that word, love it)  The white sheets were just gross when they showed them either moving or cleaning him. 

On the Assanti episode, (and there are photos of him from his episode online), he's in what appears to be a pair of shorts or underwear. They are beige in color.

I'm not sure if they were originally white and turned beige due to ... funk ... or what, but there is a very large dark-brown splotch on them in the groin area. It looks as though he urinated on himself and the shorts were never changed, hence, the large, dark brown splotch on the shorts. *Place Barf Emoticon here* 

The level of cleanliness in these shows makes me want to hurl. The stains. The hard, yellow, crusty toe nails are difficult to see. Either this show or the Assanti one, one of the guys had what appeared to be green mold covering tree-bark looking texture on their legs. 

[DrNowsWeightScale]

On 3/17/2017 at 1:10 PM, CarolMK said:

One thing I'll admit that this show does for me is to force me to look at my own life and not feel sorry for myself, no matter what the circumstances. Last month I was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer and this past Tuesday I had surgery to remove the lump, and I'll have radiation for a  few weeks starting in a month- hopefully no chemotherapy will be needed. 

I'm very sorry to hear about your cancer and wish you a speedy recovery from your procedure.

This show sometimes also gets me to thinking about my life and choices I've made, and stuff like that.

It also makes you stop and consider, even if you're going through a tough time in life, or somebody did something wrong to you years before, it's not healthy to hold on to the anger or pain against that person, because it only ends up hurting you in the long run. 

I know some of the people on this show say they got to 600 pounds because they were wounded in childhood (parents abused them, or someone molested them, etc.) and I'm sorry all that happened to them, but you can see that they chose to deal with it in an unhealthy manner (in their case, over eating, but with other people, it could be drugs, alcohol, or what have you), which only created even more problems for them. 

[DrNowsWeightScale]

On 3/17/2017 at 1:15 PM, marz said:

Not only that, but I am compelled to exercise my arse off after the show is over.

I know what you mean. I normally jog five days a week (I sometimes also go bike riding and/or on long walks).

On days I feel I cannot possibly force myself to go another ten minutes at jogging, I start thinking about James K., or someone else from this show (especially if an episode was on the night before), and I tell myself, "Oh yes I can, oh yes I can!," and I can hold on for another ten minutes or more.

I like the occasional junk food myself - pizza or a cookie - but on some days, after watching some of the folks on this show, that stuff looks so unappetizing to me. I used to like cheese and pepperoni pizza just fine until this past week's episode of Steve Assanti - his obsession with it, and shoveling it into his mouth. I'm now kind of hesitant to ever have another slice of that stuff ever again.

[DrNowsWeightScale]

On 3/17/2017 at 1:33 PM, operalover said:

It's really hard but a lot of us eat for boredom, stress and emotions. I lost my dad a few months ago so turned to food for comfort but as soon as I hit a point of about 12 pounds over where I want to be, I get with the program. I get myself back on track

I'm very sorry for your loss.

I'm like you are on the weight thing. If I see or feel my weight is getting up there, I start taking measures to cut back. I don't like to weigh myself on a scale - I can just tell if my body is getting larger, and by how my clothing fits what my size is.

As I'm getting into middle age, though, it's taking longer to lose anything. It takes more effort. But I notice if I get 20 - 25 pounds over my preferred weight, and I start increasing the exercise and cutting back on calories (I try to go with 1200 calories per day when trying to lose).

I sometimes wonder about people on the show... I don't know how they get up to 600 or 700 pounds. I notice if I get about 10, 15, 20 pounds over my goal weight.

I have seen a person or two on this show, after they are weighed at Dr Now's office say, "I never realized I was THAT big" when they see the scale say 500 or 600 pounds. Maybe they honestly didn't notice how big they were getting?

Some of the folks on this show, such as James K. and Steve Assanti need to find new coping methods, other than turning to food (well, obviously).

They tend to sit in bed all day doing nothing but looking at an I-Pad. 

I have a moderate tendency or temptation to down a bunch of cookies, ice cream, or pizza if I'm feeling sad or lonely, but I force myself not to do that. Instead, if I'm feeling down, I may go on a walk, a jog, a bike ride, work on a painting, or draw a picture.

You see the folks on this show often sit in bed doing nothing but looking at the internet on a cell phone or i-Pad.

Maybe if they did more to preoccupy their minds - reading literature, take up guitar lessons, start water color painting, knitting - whatever - that would help them take their mind off food, help them find a different coping method, and they could stick to cutting calories easier? Other than looking at the internet on an i-Pad, I don't remember ever seeing any of them doing any thing else.

[Otter]

I've never had a problem with my weight but that being said I can be lump (I'm sitting here in a comfy armchair with my laptop).  Wasn't the case when I had dogs, BIG dogs.  Now I have cats.  Pretty good walking pace with two Great Danes!   The dogs were the motivation to get out and was in the best shape of my life.  I'm trying to get out and walk but gosh, it's much more fun with a dog of any size.  Will inquire to help socialize by walking dogs in a shelter.  

[DrNowsWeightScale]

On 3/17/2017 at 1:46 PM, poeticlicensed said:

RE: the gofundme pages

One of them said (paraphrasing)  that James only drinks water and is physically active, but nothing works. Perhaps they should have taken that page down, given that we witnessed James stuffing himself, and not even leaving the bed to pee and poop.

Does anyone remember the episode of The Simpsons where Homer made a toilet recliner, so he wouldn't have to get up out of his chair during the Superbowl? He built a toilet right into the recliner, if I remember right.

Yeah, I found it. You can see Homer's toilet recliner in this video on You Tube:

Homer Simpson's Toilet Recliner Invention

I think James K. would probably love to have that chair.

Edited April 2, 2017 by DrNowsWeightScale

[DrNowsWeightScale]

On 3/17/2017 at 2:47 PM, wings707 said:

They are not victims.  They are there by choice.  There are always options along the way, in all of our lives.  I am not speaking of disasters that come our way like hurricanes, fires, disease etc.

Well, yes and no. I used to be very codependent, like Lisa on the show (though I was not in the same exact situation as her - I've never been care taker to a 700 pound person).

But when you are in that codependent state, you are sick in a way and need therapy to get out of it. She probably does not realize there is a way out, and another way to deal with problems, conflict, and life. I was encouraged by both parents (my mother especially) to be codependent. My mom also role modeled that behavior for me. At the same time, I was shamed and verbally abused by my father and older siblings, so I grew up with no self confidence.

As part of the codependency brainwashing I got, I was taught that having healthy boundaries and being assertive is selfish, mean, and wrong. 

Lisa may have been brought up in a similar family dynamic as me, or, as she was abused by her first husband, she may have developed codependent behaviors as a coping strategy with her ex husband.

Lisa may not even realize she has a choice or that she can make choices for herself.

I didn't realize until well into my 30s that it was okay and normal for me to make choices for myself, because I was encouraged in my family to be too dependent on my mother. I wasn't taught to develop my own life and to think totally for myself. Any time I did happen to make a choice for myself, my mother would question it so much, she made me feel like I was too inept to make choices for myself, so I let others make them for me.

Maybe Lisa is going through something like that. She could be helped quite a bit by therapy, or at least if she read books about codependency.

[DrNowsWeightScale]

On 3/17/2017 at 3:35 PM, DC Gal in VA said:

Do any of you think it's possible that James spotted poor, abused, downtrodden Lisa all those years ago as an easy mark to fulfill his needs? My thinking is that after becoming her "friend" and comforting her when he saw she was upset with a kiss on the cheek, where she said she fell instantly in love with him, was just the beginning of his grooming process, much like the way a pedophile can spot and groom a young child to get what he wants.

Your theory about James K. might be totally correct. My only doubt is that he doesn't seem very intelligent.

I don't know if the guy has the smarts to concoct and hatch plans in order to hoodwink a woman. 

[DrNowsWeightScale]

On 3/17/2017 at 4:53 PM, cpcathy said:

I noticed Lisa would tell Dr Now how James would get angry and scream when she didn't bring him the food, then Dr Now asked James, James would get all innocent and say something like, "oh, well, I ask her for food, not yell...."

I know it's easy to get frustrated with enablers like Lisa, but I used to be similar to her.

There are times you may find it easier to cave in and give the whiny (or yelling or non-stop complainer)  person what they want to get them to shut up, so you can have some peace and quiet.

I grew up with a few family members who were like that (non-stop complaining), and my ex was like that, as well. Would pout or complain until I caved in to him and he got his way.

I don't think Dr. Now fully appreciates how psychologically tiring it is to listen to another person whine, whine, whine (or complain bitterly) until they get things their way - if you have to live with this person seven days a week, 12 months out of the year.

Now that I'm out of codependency, I'd probably have a way easier time standing up to a non-stop whiner or complainer and just getting up and leaving the room if they start in on me, but back when I was in the thick of it, no. I was taught to tolerate stuff like that.

[DrNowsWeightScale]

On 3/18/2017 at 10:11 AM, Trees said:

I wonder what it was like in that home when James watched the show and heard Lisa's comments about wanting to just walk away from him?

I have wondered that too. Assuming that James K. has seen the episode on TV or online, I wonder what he thought of the parts where she said she would like to leave him but feels obligated to stay?

[DrNowsWeightScale]

On 3/18/2017 at 11:22 AM, operalover said:

Claims she needs money for medical equipment. "medical supplies, treatments, and anything that will help him stay in Texas". For one thing they are staying in Texas no matter what because he can't go anywhere else without a $10,000 ambulance ride. He is stuck there. He doesn't need anymore money to 'stay" there or live there than living anywhere else. 

It would help if she showed a photo of the equipment she was trying to buy and how much it costs. It's so vague. It sounds like she might be trying to buy a forklift to help turn him over. 

Thank you for explaining what was on the newest Go Fund Me page. I clicked the link someone gave to it earlier, but Go Fund Me or someone else deleted it.

[DrNowsWeightScale]

On 3/18/2017 at 6:29 PM, Stephanie1216 said:

well, when they were in Texas and he bitched and whined for Chinese food it was like nails on a chalkboard.   She got him that food to shut him the hell up.

Yep, that right there. That is absolutely one big reason why she keeps giving him the food she knows he shouldn't have - there may be a few other contributing reasons, but that is most certainly one of them. 

[DrNowsWeightScale]

On 3/21/2017 at 3:21 PM, islandgal140 said:

 It is ridiculous because truly the only time I remember see him looking anxiously at the door was when he was waiting for Lisa to come back with the Chinese Food and exclaimed "FOOD!" when she walked in. 

Yep. 

[Trees]

17 hours ago, Otter said:

Regarding Lisa, hits just keep on coming for her.  She shared her daughter's link on her fb, linking to another GoFundMe.  Sigh.  Her misery with James is really her own doing, yet I still feel much compassion for her.  

Post from yesterday:

https://www.facebook.com/lucky2day

Please report this to GoFundMe.  Those of us who did it for their last campaign got it shut down.  I wrote that Lisa is the enabler from this show, with her facebook link as proof that she's behind it, and that their last scam attempt on GFM was shut down. https://www.gofundme.com/mvc.php?route=contact/form&t=donation_page_report&pid=941_Reporting_From_Campaign_Page

[DC Gal in VA]

17 hours ago, DrNowsWeightScale said:

Your theory about James K. might be totally correct. My only doubt is that he doesn't seem very intelligent.

I don't know if the guy has the smarts to concoct and hatch plans in order to hoodwink a woman. 

So glad that you've developed strategies for setting boundaries with people, especially PITA family members DrNowsWeightScale. I know from personal experience how hard that is. Sigh, we can pick our friends, but not our family! Great screen name BTW!

Anyway, I think James is a helluva lot smarter than you give him credit for, perhaps not in a formal education way, but clever in a slick and manipulative way. As I have said elsewhere here about him, the veritable army of people he can marshal to get what he waaaannnnts is amazing! Lisa, Bayley, his best friend and one of Lisa's adult sons to roll him over and clean him, the local fire department, neighbors to pack up his stuff for the move to Houston, that IMHO, hoodwinked physical therapist who thinks he has had some kind of breakthrough with James, and probably even more people he gets to do his bidding, from BED no less. Thank goodness his GoFundMe tries--three of them fell flat, with pretty much everyone seeing through his bullshit.

When it comes to Lisa I have said that I do go back and forth about her. I feel for the abuse she has suffered in her life and also wondered what the Hell kind of upbringing she had to turn her into such a doormat. However, I have also said that when that scum bag asked (demanded?) that Bayley leave school to help care for him and she went along with it, well that really saps my compassion for her. Letting a man treat you like his foot stool is bad enough, but to damage your daughter's future? Uh uh, no, no, Hell no!

[Anchorabu]

Watching this episode again with mom.  When Lisa made him his six egg/six sausage/six biscuit with gravy breakfast, mom looked at me with big eyes and said "he's gonna die."

Yep. 

Also Lisa supposedly had 2 kids with James, Austin and Bayley, while married to her first husband.  What if they aren't James' kids after all and she just told him they were? He's such a manipulative abuser, maybe she was trying to please him. And now that's why she waits on James like she does, perhaps it's guilt. In any case, she's pathologically submissive to him.

Mom just said, "there's something about her that makes me sick!"

About sums it up I guess. 

[Yolo]

10 minutes ago, Anchorabu said:

Watching this episode again with mom.  When Lisa made him his six egg/six sausage/six biscuit with gravy breakfast, mom looked at me with big eyes and said "he's gonna die."

Yep. 

Also Lisa supposedly had 2 kids with James, Austin and Bayley, while married to her first husband.  What if they aren't James' kids after all and she just told him they were? He's such a manipulative abuser, maybe she was trying to please him. And now that's why she waits on James like she does, perhaps it's guilt. In any case, she's pathologically submissive to him.

Mom just said, "there's something about her that makes me sick!"

About sums it up I guess. 

Why are you doing that to Mama Anchorabu again!??

[DC Gal in VA]

5 minutes ago, Yolo said:

Why are you doing that to Mama Anchorabu again!??

Oh no Yolo, we just gotta keep the crazy funny commentary from Mama Anchorabu! It just wouldn't be the same without her priceless observations. 

Anchorabu, please make sure you both join in for scuzzy Steven ASSanti and his brother Justin this Wednesday night. There may even be a drinking game during that episode; goodness knows we'll need something to get through that!

[xwordfanatik]

20 minutes ago, Anchorabu said:

Watching this episode again with mom.  When Lisa made him his six egg/six sausage/six biscuit with gravy breakfast, mom looked at me with big eyes and said "he's gonna die."

Yep. 

Also Lisa supposedly had 2 kids with James, Austin and Bayley, while married to her first husband.  What if they aren't James' kids after all and she just told him they were? He's such a manipulative abuser, maybe she was trying to please him. And now that's why she waits on James like she does, perhaps it's guilt. In any case, she's pathologically submissive to him.

Mom just said, "there's something about her that makes me sick!"

About sums it up I guess. 

Great post!  I wondered about whether James was the bio dad, too.  This "match made in hell" (Lisa & James) seem to lie about everything, so anything is possible.

I love your Mom's take on this show!  My best to you both :)

[Anchorabu]

20 minutes ago, DC Gal in VA said:

 

31 minutes ago, Yolo said:

Why are you doing that to Mama Anchorabu again!??

Oh no Yolo, we just gotta keep the crazy funny commentary from Mama Anchorabu! It just wouldn't be the same without her priceless observations. 

Anchorabu, please make sure you both join in for scuzzy Steven ASSanti and his brother Justin this Wednesday night. There may even be a drinking game during that episode; goodness knows we'll need something to get through that!

 

Haha Yolo and D.C. Gal, mom begged to see it again through On Demand! She said I wanna see Ow Mah Leg again!  

Lisa just hugged James (it's still playing) and mom said, "don't make me puke"! ???

We will be there for the next episode, I love the idea of a drinking game, every time James said Ow Mah Leg, I was tempted to take a shot! ?

Love your spelling of Steven's name, he does put the "ass" in Assanti! ??

28 minutes ago, xwordfanatik said:

Great post!  I wondered about whether James was the bio dad, too.  This "match made in hell" (Lisa & James) seem to lie about everything, so anything is possible.

I love your Mom's take on this show!  My best to you both :)

Awww thx hon! Yep you are so right about all the lying! And if she was married to someone else during her affair with James, who knows whose kids are whose?? ?

And thx, mom says hi! Take care! Hugs to you! ??

[MillieSparklepants]

42 minutes ago, Anchorabu said:

Haha Yolo and D.C. Gal, mom begged to see it again through On Demand! She said I wanna see Ow Mah Leg again!  

Lisa just hugged James (it's still playing) and mom said, "don't make me puke"! ???

We will be there for the next episode, I love the idea of a drinking game, every time James said Ow Mah Leg, I was tempted to take a shot! ?

Love your spelling of Steven's name, he does put the "ass" in Assanti! ??

Awww thx hon! Yep you are so right about all the lying! And if she was married to someone else during her affair with James, who knows whose kids are whose?? ?

And thx, mom says hi! Take care! Hugs to you! ??

LOVE Mama Anchorabu! She tells it like it is. Give her our best please!

[Anchorabu]

1 hour ago, MillieSparklepants said:

LOVE Mama Anchorabu! She tells it like it is. Give her our best please!

Aww thx! Mom says hi and sends her love. ? Now we are watching Nicole. Every time Dr. Now walks into the exam room and says "hellooo" mom says "hello" back and applauds. ?

[okerry]

4 hours ago, xwordfanatik said:

Great post!  I wondered about whether James was the bio dad, too.  This "match made in hell" (Lisa & James) seem to lie about everything, so anything is possible.

It's very possible that Lisa doesn't know who the kids' father(s) is/are. She'd need DNA tests to be sure but doesn't want to go there. I hope the kids find out eventually, just for their own peace of mind.

[DC Gal in VA]

1 hour ago, okerry said:

It's very possible that Lisa doesn't know who the kids' father(s) is/are. She'd need DNA tests to be sure but doesn't want to go there. I hope the kids find out eventually, just for their own peace of mind.

Just wondering okerry if this has occurred to both of his kids and that's why we haven't seen his "son" Austin. Also it may be why he allegedly says he's trying to make amends with Bayley. At least that's what was said in that online story about how one of the physical therapists we saw in his episode has supposedly used his techniques to help him and Lisa see the error of their ways. Maybe, hopefully, Bayley has begun to distance herself from her shitty parents like her brother. One can only hope.

[polandspring]

My husband and I want to start a GoFundMe to fuel our adoption of Bailey.  

FREE BAILEY!

[MissFit]

Serious question: How are the caregivers in these situations not arrested or held responsible for continuing to feed people deadly amounts of food?

If a caregiver was giving negligible amounts of food to their patient, they would be charged with starving them. If a caregiver were to give drugs to a patient every time they demanded them, they would be charged. Why is it that these "caregivers" who are being paid by the government to take care of these people allowed to feed them until they are on deaths door? And why is it that even when the patient has to be hospitalized do they allow the caregiver to continue giving care? Don't the doctors have a responsibility to report this kind of stuff to the proper channels? 

What is it about obesity in comparison to drug addiction or anorexia that allows for this massive oversight in care? I don't fucking get it.  It would be one thing if these people could get up and get food for themselves but many can't so they completely rely on the caregiver. How is this not abuse?

[Nancypants]

On 4/1/2017 at 11:58 PM, DrNowsWeightScale said:

Yep, that right there. That is absolutely one big reason why she keeps giving him the food she knows he shouldn't have - there may be a few other contributing reasons, but that is most certainly one of them. 

I think I'm more annoyed with Lisa than I am with Owmalaygs. All she needs is a spine, some Earplugs + the word No.

[Nancypants]

45 minutes ago, MissFit said:

Serious question: How are the caregivers in these situations not arrested or held responsible for continuing to feed people deadly amounts of food?

If a caregiver was giving negligible amounts of food to their patient, they would be charged with starving them. If a caregiver were to give drugs to a patient every time they demanded them, they would be charged. Why is it that these "caregivers" who are being paid by the government to take care of these people allowed to feed them until they are on deaths door? And why is it that even when the patient has to be hospitalized do they allow the caregiver to continue giving care? Don't the doctors have a responsibility to report this kind of stuff to the proper channels? 

What is it about obesity in comparison to drug addiction or anorexia that allows for this massive oversight in care? I don't fucking get it.  It would be one thing if these people could get up and get food for themselves but many can't so they completely rely on the caregiver. How is this not abuse?

This! Lisa is aiding in assisted Suicide

[Thriftykins]

1 hour ago, MissFit said:

Serious question: How are the caregivers in these situations not arrested or held responsible for continuing to feed people deadly amounts of food?

If a caregiver was giving negligible amounts of food to their patient, they would be charged with starving them. If a caregiver were to give drugs to a patient every time they demanded them, they would be charged. Why is it that these "caregivers" who are being paid by the government to take care of these people allowed to feed them until they are on deaths door? And why is it that even when the patient has to be hospitalized do they allow the caregiver to continue giving care? Don't the doctors have a responsibility to report this kind of stuff to the proper channels? 

What is it about obesity in comparison to drug addiction or anorexia that allows for this massive oversight in care? I don't fucking get it.  It would be one thing if these people could get up and get food for themselves but many can't so they completely rely on the caregiver. How is this not abuse?

Because there's nothing illegal about feeding someone non-poisoned food.

 

You can say that it should be, since the people are severely overweight, but that's a really arbitrary distinction.  There's no single specific incident of the food killing them.  It's a cumulative effect of overindulgence in a non-toxic, perfectly legal substance.

[Otter]

52 minutes ago, Michael Stabosz said:

Because there's nothing illegal about feeding someone non-poisoned food.

 

You can say that it should be, since the people are severely overweight, but that's a really arbitrary distinction.  There's no single specific incident of the food killing them.  It's a cumulative effect of overindulgence in a non-toxic, perfectly legal substance.

This article is from 1998, but it involved a 13 year old girl.  Horrific details are out there if anyone wants to find out more.  It got national coverage because the girl was 680 pounds!  I had all but forgotten it until prosecution was brought up here.  It certainly is a form of neglect, but we're dealing with legally-competent adults.  

http://articles.latimes.com/1998/jan/10/news/mn-6819

Edited April 4, 2017 by Otter

[Otter]

Interesting link that may apply to some who we have met on M600PL, something called Prader-Willi Syndrome.  Scroll down for behavior problems.  Fits James and Steven to a tee.  

 

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prader-willi-syndrome/basics/symptoms/con-20028982

[MissFit]

3 hours ago, Michael Stabosz said:

Because there's nothing illegal about feeding someone non-poisoned food.

 

You can say that it should be, since the people are severely overweight, but that's a really arbitrary distinction.  There's no single specific incident of the food killing them.  It's a cumulative effect of overindulgence in a non-toxic, perfectly legal substance.

Fair enough. Stupid as fuck, but fair enough.

[Mommyof2]

The only GoFundMe this family should ever have is for Bayley's education (you know, the one James and Lisa stole from her)....But, we couldn't even donate to THAT, because you know her father would just take the money to spend on more food to guzzle down!!  ...Poor Bayley. I hope she can manage to get away and live the life she deserves!!! 

My stepson says I don't love him, because,  I paused the tv, went away to check on my daughter, and, I was gone for several minutes so the screen went to black, my stepson came in and didn't know someone was already watching tv, so when he hit the button it starts playing and it happened to be the scene where James is rolled over and his family is cleaning him from behind. My poor boy was like "omg what are you watching!!!" I apologized but he still says I don't love him lol I think he is going to have nightmares. Imagine not knowing what's on tv or expecting it and then there it is. Poor kid.

I've been reading this forum for a while but James is what finally got me to join. I kept thinking as the show went on "ok, there's only this much time left in the show.." and wondering when they were going to get to the part where it was a turning point and he began working toward the surgery for real. They never got to that point. 

I dont think I've ever seen someone where I just absolutely could not find even one redeeming quality in them. (I don't mean with this show, I mean just with life in general.)

[Mommyof2]

On March 20, 2017 at 11:17 AM, kgg said:

Home schooling and cyber school are two different things (I had to learn a lot of this for my old job).  Home schooling has been around forever.  Different states have different standards/regulations.  Some have almost none and others have quite a few.  If I remember correctly, Florida has almost none and Pennsylvania has quite a few.  In some states, you don't need a high school diploma to teach your kids at home.  There is a very powerful home schooling lobby (they are vicious).  The Duggars home school, for example, for religious reasons.

Cyber schools (aka online charter schools) are different.  There are different cyber school companies, and each has their own curriculum.  If a student cannot be in a "brick and mortar" school (for most kids I have encountered, it's more of a "does not want to" situation), then the school district will pay for them to be cyber schooled.  There are different methods of cyber schooling - some are virtual classrooms where kids have to be in front of the computer at a set time every day and there are others that are basically "do at your own pace," where they read on their own and complete assignments and pretty much have little or no interaction with any teacher.

There's no way to take a good inventory of home schooling because each household approaches it differently and there isn't much regulation.  Cyber schooling, however, is a different story.  Kids who are taken out of school and tasked to learn at home via cyber schooling are underperforming compared to their peers in actual schools (http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-cyber-charter-schools-study-20151027-story.html).  And these cyber schools are raking in TONS of money without being held accountable.  If a kid fails a grade in cyber school, the cyber school doesn't give back the money the school district has paid them.  Each district is different, but I've seen kids fail cyber school for two years running and then get put back in "brick and mortar" schools - so when they should be entering 9th grade, for example, they're repeating 7th grade for the third time.  School districts will fork over tax payer money to these private companies and then money that could have been allocated to actual school programs to benefit school programs is cut.

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now.  If Bayley is doing anything, it's an online charter school.  I don't think Lisa is sitting down with her every day at the kitchen table and teaching her algebra.

A lot of kids around here are doing K12. K12 is an online school. They're not doing it by choice, they're doing it because they have no alternatives left- they've been expelled. So they end up doing K12, but they do the bare minimum to pass each class, and the parents aren't there so there's nobody making them actually put genuine effort in. One boy "bragged" (they like you to know how much they're getting away with) that he had gotten through each class last year with ONE point over the limit. So every class he had in one year he scraped by and if he had been one point lower he would have failed. ..They think it's funny.

[chickenella]

12 hours ago, Mommyof2 said:

I dont think I've ever seen someone where I just absolutely could not find even one redeeming quality in them. (I don't mean with this show, I mean just with life in general.)

You haven't seen the latest episode with the two brothers, yet. Part 1 is on tonight at 6 EST and part 2 follows at 8.

[Moloch Must Die]

On 4/1/2017 at 5:22 PM, DrNowsWeightScale said:

Either this show or the Assanti one, one of the guys had what appeared to be green mold covering tree-bark looking texture on their legs. 

Get your barnacles straight! ;) Steven had the green moss growing on his lower leg. James K. had the brown crust on his... thighs?... fat hanging between his legs (not sure what actual body part it was.)

Edited April 6, 2017 by Moloch Must Die
can't do my html tags correctly

[Armchair Critic]

On 4/1/2017 at 7:01 PM, DrNowsWeightScale said:

"Mah legs, mah legs!! Ooow wee mah legs, don't drop me, mah legs!"

LOL that never gets old for me!

[Snarkasm]

On 3/18/2017 at 10:44 AM, Toaster Strudel said:

A gofundme for take out and delivery would be refreshingly honest at this point. "James is a child of God and likes french fries and huge unwrapped burgers and Chinese take out and he likes to leave room for dessert like cheese cake and lemon meringue pie please send $ thank you"

 

[Lizintexas]

 SO this guy James who weighs 700 pounds is killing himself begs for help, gets on tv andgets his Dad to refinance his house to pay for his move to Houston and he does absolutely nothing to drop a pound of weight? GEEZ.Well he sure had a case of insane denial, even after weighing himself he said thes cales were wrong,how could he not know that he was stuffing himself?

 

Heres the jist of it, he and Lisa claimed they were staying on their diet nd wondered Dr Now said he could see on the outside he had gained weight without the scale. Well guess what? I knew too. Every time a bedridden or wheel chair person on this show starts losing the weight their appearance changes and they loosen up start walking or at least the very least he should've been up sitting up in a wheel chair. Also the celulitus begins to get better. He was lying in the bed getting worse every time he got weighed.

[Nancypants]

Does this bed make me look Fat?

[Snarkasm]

7 hours ago, Nancypants said:

Does this bed make me look Fat?

It makes your stomach look huge, all poked out.  O,o

[Nancypants]

22 hours ago, Snarkasm said:

It makes your stomach look huge, all poked out.  O,o

Nope. It's totally the bed

[DC Gal in VA]

Oh my, James' original episode is on right now! Not planning on watching the entire two hours, but damn, I am reminded once again that of all the people featured on this show, I absolutely hate him the most. Yes, even with my recent comments about Steven ASSanti, I still loathe James beyond words.

Unfortunately, finally caught the scene many of you mentioned showing his girlfriend Lisa wearing a short skirt, legs spread, and crotch blurred. Ugh.

[fonfereksglen]

1 hour ago, DC Gal in VA said:

Oh my, James' original episode is on right now! Not planning on watching the entire two hours, but damn, I am reminded once again that of all the people featured on this show, I absolutely hate him the most. Yes, even with my recent comments about Steven ASSanti, I still loathe James beyond words.

Unfortunately, finally caught the scene many of you mentioned showing his girlfriend Lisa wearing a short skirt, legs spread, and crotch blurred. Ugh.

ASSMAN will probably lose enough weight to do the talk show circuit and become a star in his own mind.

James is simply a nobody who we will never hear about or think about in another year.  

[DC Gal in VA]

28 minutes ago, fonfereksglen said:

ASSMAN will probably lose enough weight to do the talk show circuit and become a star in his own mind.

James is simply a nobody who we will never hear about or think about in another year.  

Yes, so true about Steven ASSanti and so infuriating that there will always be a media outlet for his bullshit.

As for James K, I truly hope that you are right fonfereksglen.

Hope you tune in with all of us tonight for the Dottie and June's Live Chat blow by blow!

[themabeldifference]

Maybe people already commented about this, but:

What just ocurred to me: Is James really the "worst" case of obesity we have seen? I mean we have had bedbound people before (Penny, Marla etc.), but they all could move at least a bit. They could sit up by themself, couldnt they? Or at least they could hold up their body once it was in a sitting position (and did`nt need 3 people propping them up). James K. really is total immobile as it seems. Probably does`nt have much functioning musclemass in his entire body. Although he claims he is getting "solid as a rock". Really laught at this totally absurd scene.

[Snarkasm]

2 hours ago, themabeldifference said:

Maybe people already commented about this, but:

What just ocurred to me: Is James really the "worst" case of obesity we have seen? I mean we have had bedbound people before (Penny, Marla etc.), but they all could move at least a bit. They could sit up by themself, couldnt they? Or at least they could hold up their body once it was in a sitting position (and did`nt need 3 people propping them up). James K. really is total immobile as it seems. Probably does`nt have much functioning musclemass in his entire body. Although he claims he is getting "solid as a rock". Really laught at this totally absurd scene.

The delusion is astounding.  Personally, I think his gf/enabler is trying to hurry along his demise.  

[AZChristian]

16 hours ago, Snarkasm said:

The delusion is astounding.  Personally, I think his gf/enabler is trying to hurry along his demise.  

I have to agree.  It's not just that they need a little guidance (which Dr. Now DOES provide) on what to eat and what not to eat.  How stupid does a person have to be to realize how much food they are giving to another person when that person GAINS 160+ POUNDS in TWO MONTHS???  And then gains again for the next weigh-in?

And their excuse is, "He'll get mad if I don't bring him what he wants."  Yeah?  Well, he'll get DEAD if you do.  James needs to be left alone for a week with a couple of 5-gallon bottles of water within reach.  Then he can yell, get mad, and continue to soil himself all alone and see if that sweetens his disposition when whatshername comes back (hopefully wearing hazmat gear).  And he should lose quite a bit of weight in just that one week, which will teach both of them that he can live with a lot less food.

[DC Gal in VA]

On 5/13/2017 at 3:23 PM, themabeldifference said:

Maybe people already commented about this, but:

What just ocurred to me: Is James really the "worst" case of obesity we have seen? I mean we have had bedbound people before (Penny, Marla etc.), but they all could move at least a bit. They could sit up by themself, couldnt they? Or at least they could hold up their body once it was in a sitting position (and did`nt need 3 people propping them up). James K. really is total immobile as it seems. Probably does`nt have much functioning musclemass in his entire body. Although he claims he is getting "solid as a rock". Really laught at this totally absurd scene.

I think that depends on each person's definition of "worst." Gosh, there have been so many multiple train wrecks on this show. If the worst is measured by sheer immobility and complete dependency on others, then James K is unquestionably the absolute worst. There were several subjects who could neither walk nor stand very long or at all, but no one except him couldn't even sit himself up! And, if you recall, his legs laygs were permanently wedged open. Eeeewww! I mean it took FOUR people to bathe him.

Also, his nasty, abusive behavior toward his girlfriend and especially his daughter as well as his financial abuse of his 71 year old father who mortgaged his home to help him which he literally ate away, IMHO, makes him the worst. His level of contentment and lack of shame being in that condition for four years and his refusal to put forth even the slightest effort to lose weight is astounding. The man is laziness, greed, wrath, and all the rest of The Seven Deadly Sins wrapped up into one ginormous, stinky package.

I don't think it was by chance that TLC chose him. The producers were probably high-fiving each other for weeks after their choice.

Edited May 16, 2017 by DC Gal in VA
Clarification.

[okerry]

I agree with the post above. James K reminded me of a gigantic overinflated starfish lying on its back, entirely unable to bend or move. It was one of the weirdest things I've ever seen. I can only imagine the bedsores on his backside and wonder how long anyone can survive in his condition.

He was the worst physically and Steven Assanti was the worst mentally, though I have to wonder how much worse James K would be if he was even somewhat mobile the way Steven is.

Edited May 15, 2017 by okerry