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S06.E02: Janine's Story


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I had to leave to take my sick cat to the vet (why did he have to get sick on 600-lb night?!). Did I read that right? Is there another episode with Janine on next week?

The only question this show answered for me was the mystery of why Janine had no friends. NO ONE would put up with her!

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Where did she get the food  to gain all that weight? Dr Now puts people on special diets , We never saw her shop outside of going to the fast-food place near her old home.

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Dear fat patients on this show:
Stop crying! Stop sniveling! Stop "I can't I can't I can't!"
I swear when I hear this, I want to bust through the screen, fit (oversized) ice skates on their feet, and, with the help of a crane, winch them onto the nearest ice rink. Cry about that. 

I've never seen Dr. Now use a gastric balloon as a makeshift get-'em-there. Will it help Janine? Oh, the suspense. 

Edited by Dianaofthehunt
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This is not how I thought it was going to go...lol. How did you think it was going to go? You would eat 6 waffles, 4 sausages, and a can of whipped cream for a snack and you would be slim by now?

How is she getting her food? How is she getting to the grocery store?

All the whining and sniveling! 

And why did she fly to Dallas? Was she supposed to change planes? This makes no sense AT ALL!

You can't get on and off a plane without 7 people and an emergency stretcher - but you want to do that twice?

Dr. Now is a saint. You know on any given day he sees 6 delusional people like her.

Is there going to be a follow up on her?

Is the indigestion from the balloon because she is shoving a lot of food in?

The niece is really milking her 15 minutes. She is all made up with her red lipstick and really trying to be dramatic. 

Edited by calpurnia99
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The niece is really milking her 15 minutes. She is all made up with her red lipstick and really trying to be dramatic. 

I thought the same thing. She was wiping away tears that clearly weren't there.

I don't think Jan knows what bulimia is.

I wanted to like her too, but after the first plane incident, it was all downhill from there. All those people were trying to help her and all she could do was cry. Wouldn't flying be terribly dangerous for someone who can't move around on her own? I'd worry about developing blood clots.

Sometimes I think these patients think Dr. Now is a sorcerer and he will wave his magic wand and poof! No more big body and they can eat buckets of chicken in one setting without any consequences. 

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36 minutes ago, calpurnia99 said:

The niece is really milking her 15 minutes.

I mean, honestly, I knew nothing about neither one of my grandmothers—and both of my parents were alive to talk about them. And my grandmothers were alive! Who cares? I can live my life without knowing intimate stories of their existence! The niece reminded me of all the other 15-year-olds in the Thespian Group in high school—always living in a state of high drama over the most innocuous things imaginable. 

40 minutes ago, calpurnia99 said:

nd why did she fly to Dallas? Was she supposed to change planes?

Maybe she thought it was a bus that had wings and she could pull the string and get dropped off at the next corner.

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What killed me about the flight was all she had to do was sit there. If the seats on the plane were in the shape of a scooter, she would have made it to Houston.

I wanted to slap the niece. It's all about YOU, isn't it? I bet she got Grandma's personality and that's why these two like to hang out.

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Who the hell is making her travel plans? There has to be a direct flight or 10 between Houston and Seattle.

 

The niece is ready for her closeup now, Mr. DeMille. But seriously, way to make it all about you, girlie.

 

This was depressing. Bah.

Just now, LordOfLotion said:

What killed me about the flight was all she had to do was sit there. If the seats on the plane were in the shape of a scooter, she would have made it to Houston.

I wanted to slap the niece. It's all about YOU, isn't it? I bet she got Grandma's personality and that's why these two like to hang out.

It's really hard to maintain that position in that cramped space when you're that size. Those plane seats were more like a narrow ledge for her. She was probably straining the whole time not to fall off. I get it.

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Wow, yes even the hair! HA HA HA

I the beginning I thought she was more like that one woman that we all liked, the educated one who rented a nice house in Houston. Just because of her speaking style. But she was so full of shit  When she said "they are pushing me to do way more than I'm ready to"- ha who did that sound like Penny? 

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Hey, just recently dove into this show and I am addicted. I'm just now getting to watch the new episode because my husband has to watch The Amazing Race and 911 on Wednesdays.

At first I was definitely rooting for her but then she tried to get on the plane and now I cannot handle her. She just sits around and cries about her situation but she doesn't try to do a thing to change it. I know it's hard but come on. You have got to do some work here, Dr. Now is not a magician. 

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54 minutes ago, Giant Misfit said:

I mean, honestly, I knew nothing about neither one of my grandmothers—and both of my parents were alive to talk about them. And my grandmothers were alive! Who cares? I can live my life without knowing intimate stories of their existence! The niece reminded me of all the other 15-year-olds in the Thespian Group in high school—always living in a state of high drama over the most innocuous things imaginable. 

Maybe she thought it was a bus that had wings and she could pull the string and get dropped off at the next corner.

I would be glad to know the crazy aunt not blood  and was adopted,that would be all i would need to know....for a happy life...no shared DNA

Edited by AVM
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The only thing I learned from this episode is that a gastric balloon is apparently now possible. I think I've heard of this in the past year or so. I'm about 75 lbs overweight myself and the idea of using something like this for 6 months is intriguing. Not that I'd definitely do it, but it's nice to know of another option.  Anyway, I don't think we heard enough backstory on Jan and how she managed before moving to Houston. I just think she might have had some friends and/or family that was helping her who didn't want to appear on camera. And I'm starting to think that before Dr. Now performs any weight loss surgery, the majority of the patients need to go to therapy. Doesn't look like Janine ever did, or if so, we didn't see it. 

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2 hours ago, MsVixen said:

Does anyone have any idea of what's causing her pain when she is flying?  Does she get a refund for the flights?  Could she have traveled by train?  And most importantly, where is the cat?

I’m her age and very overweight (though I weigh less than half what she weighs) and flying is very difficult for me. The seats are uncomfortable and the rows so close together that you can’t move your legs enough to really change the position of your knees very much. After awhile it becomes painful. When I fly, I’m always moving my legs just a fraction this way or that’s just to alleviate the pressure of sitting in one position for so long. I imagine that if you’re so large you can’t shift your position at all, especially when you’re likely in a strained position to begin with, it would become excruciating after a couple of hours. That’s the one time in the whole episode when I understood her tears. (The rest of the time I wanted to run over her with her scooter). 

I have to say I’m thrilled to have the show back on. I’ve been having difficulty getting back on track after a month of holiday eating. I’m already planning low-carb meals in my head for tomorrow.

Edited by Gbb
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2 hours ago, CarolMK said:

The only thing I learned from this episode is that a gastric balloon is apparently now possible. I think I've heard of this in the past year or so. 

I’ve seen ads for the gastric balloons around here (as @Tabbygirl521 pointed out in the chat thread, IN THE SEATTLE AREA, specifically by the Costco near the Sno-King county line). I was curious about when they’d become available, too — Google seems to think 2015. Also that some people have died after having them implanted?

The picture in the ad pretty clearly showed the balloon pill on a string ... just thinking about swallowing that is making me queasy. 

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5 hours ago, joh said:

Poor soul, she said "If I get a rash, it will kill me".  THAT is what will kill you? Not the other twenty diseases for being over 600 pounds!

 

3 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

She actually rode her scooter from her bedroom to her bathroom a few feet away!

And did anyone else see all of the shit that was on the inside rim of the toilet seat after she finished using it and got up?  Clearly the grabber thingy isn't really a good way to wipe a 600 pound person's ass.  I just hope that she cleaned it off before leaving the bathroom and they just edited that part out.  Damned editors could have edited out that whole scene as far as I'm concerned.  I think we've seen enough of these people going to the bathroom.  Ewww!  And using a metal grabber thing to wipe your ass sounds hella painful. 

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6 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I agree she was difficult but the food has to be replaced when th something else or it will never work .

She was supposed to go to therapy but came up with one of her whiny excuses why she couldn’t.  I understand the struggle to not spend the day stuffing your face with junk food when there is nothing else.  It is hard, I will always struggle with not looking to food as the answer to every single emotion or feeeling, but without learning ways to cope I agree that she will never succeed.  I can just see her finding ways to get around the restriction of the balloon!!  

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I almost think she didn't lose the weight on purpose.  A friend of mine is over 500 pounds, and she also had to do a restrictive diet for a couple of months before surgery.  They do this not just to have them be smaller before the surgery, but so they are semi-used to eating less and have less problems once the surgery is done.

My friend could not cope with the small portions and decided against the surgery because she did not want to live her life without having "treats".  I'm surprised she is still alive, but probably won't make it much longer :(

I always think of that on this show when they fail during the pre-surgery period.  I mean they are on TV so they probably feel like they can't say "Screw it I want to be able to pig out sometimes" so they just don't lose the required weight.

 The one thing I couldn't get over - how she says she had no help.  There's no way in hell she didn't have any help.  I mean she wouldn't even be able to clean a litter box herself.  Can you imagine her bending down to scoop a little box?  I don't think the scooter twists like that, and she is not going to do anything unless that thing is involved.  She has to have some kind of home health service.  I mean food, yeah, you can use pea pod or insta cart for that, but just the daily stuff?  No way she had zero help.  No. Way.

I really did feel bad for Janine when they were talking about her childhood.  The diet pills at 4, the constant monitoring of food.  Of course this is going to mess you up.  Then as the show went on I almost felt rage towards her.  Ever the victim, doesn't know why this is happening to her......Give me a break.  She's a master manipulator as are most addicts and I'm sure the people in her life have been manipulated enough that they are done.

Except for the niece that wanted to be on TV.  I'll give props to the SIL.  She seemed to come out to just help her and get out of dodge without having to much attention brought to herself.

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If Penny and Pauline would be able to produce a spawn, the product of their union would be Janine. When she buzzed around in her scooter, she reminded me of Pauline’s “monster” scooter and clearly she was just as delusional as Penny about losing weight. Dr. Now: you gained 67 lbs! Janine: I had a bad week.

Janine needs a lot of therapy, for sure. Unfortunately we don’t know how much she got, or if she made excuses to avoid it altogether. She also needs a remedial math class. Food + More Food does not equal weight loss. 

Hope we see a follow up show on her in the future. 

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3 hours ago, swankie said:

 

And did anyone else see all of the shit that was on the inside rim of the toilet seat after she finished using it and got up?  Clearly the grabber thingy isn't really a good way to wipe a 600 pound person's ass.  I just hope that she cleaned it off before leaving the bathroom and they just edited that part out.  Damned editors could have edited out that whole scene as far as I'm concerned.  I think we've seen enough of these people going to the bathroom.  Ewww!  And using a metal grabber thing to wipe your ass sounds hella painful. 

I noticed that, but I really think it was just the paint was worn off the edge of the toilet seat. The whole thing looked pretty abused: standard toilets aren't meant to bear 600+ lbs of weight. 

SIL did indeed seem very warm, caring, competent, and low drama.  It's not her circus, not her monkeys, but I hope she was/is able to visit more often. 

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10 hours ago, calpurnia99 said:

And why did she fly to Dallas? Was she supposed to change planes? This makes no sense AT ALL!

I believe because she had to change planes in Dallas.

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More than once on the hoarding show I've seen the clean up crew find the skeletal remains of a cat in the hoard. Janine's cat had seriously better sleep with one eye open, and NOT on that bed. How would she even know if she crushed it? 

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4 hours ago, jennblevins said:

I’ve seen ads for the gastric balloons around here (as @Tabbygirl521 pointed out in the chat thread, IN THE SEATTLE AREA, specifically by the Costco near the Sno-King county line). I was curious about when they’d become available, too — Google seems to think 2015. Also that some people have died after having them implanted?

The picture in the ad pretty clearly showed the balloon pill on a string ... just thinking about swallowing that is making me queasy. 

Wonder if they give you some Valium or something before swallowing the balloon. Yes, please.

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The biggest shock of show wasn't her delusional childhood memories or  hospital Bulimia,but its the fact Janine is only 5 ft 3 yet weighs more than 5 average women .together ..no wonder her bones and joints hurt.

Edited by AVM
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11 hours ago, shouldbedancing said:

At first I was rooting for her. I thought she seemed intelligent and self-aware. But then I realized she was totally delusional. I don't know why Dr. Now tried so hard. I feel like he's kicked people out much quicker. She was in the hospital and lost 118 pounds and she was like, when's my surgery. Uh, you're losing the weight now, isn't that the point? I felt bad she was alone but it's apparent why her family stays away. She makes excuse after excuse. She has these fits, is the queen of crocodile tears and then she's speaking in a creepy polite voice. Sister-in-Law (Susan?) was clearly done with her as soon as she got there. She stayed no longer than she said. How do you feel about losing 15 pounds in two months? Oh it's GREAT! Fine, fine, everything's fine - Oh S#%! I'm gonna die! 

I liked when Dr. Now was like, she's either really delusional or completely believes everything she says. Both of them are bad. It just shows you how seriously sick these people are, especially when they are her age and have been that morbidly obese for so long. Now Jonathan is the ultimate scam. I don't know how much she paid him to stand there and say nothing but... she got her money's worth with that. All in all, no hope for that one. Sad.

I completely concur with everything you've said.  I, too, in the beginning thought - "Wow, someone who is cogent about her weight, understands the road ahead and is psyched and prepared to meet the challenge."  Then, no.  Lady, if you are following that 1200 calorie diet, you will lose weight.  Even someone moderately overweight as I am will lose weight.  I have no sympathy for you when I see you stuffing your face with corndogs AFTER being put on the diet and then saying you don't understand why you gained.   I need to lose 40 lbs. but I know that if I'm dipping my hand into the family size bag of Cheetos during the Saints game and the scale goes up that I'm the architect of my weight gain.

It annoys the hell out of me that they go to Dr. Now, get on a program and then bitch about the program's limitations.  Did you think the diet sheet was going to include Twinkies and White Castle?  Oh, and then they bitch about not being approved for surgery.  Uh, why give you the surgery if you're not even willing to put in the work to lose weight on your own.  Sure there are health reasons why Dr. Now tells them to get below a certain weight or lost 100 lbs. in two months - but the latter is primarily designed for him to make sure you are willing to change your eating habits and that the surgery will enhance eating habits that you have put into place.

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10 minutes ago, Carolina Girl said:

I completely concur with everything you've said.  I, too, in the beginning thought - "Wow, someone who is cogent about her weight, understands the road ahead and is psyched and prepared to meet the challenge."  Then, no.  Lady, if you are following that 1200 calorie diet, you will lose weight.  Even someone moderately overweight as I am will lose weight.  I have no sympathy for you when I see you stuffing your face with corndogs AFTER being put on the diet and then saying you don't understand why you gained.   I need to lose 40 lbs. but I know that if I'm dipping my hand into the family size bag of Cheetos during the Saints game and the scale goes up that I'm the architect of my weight gain.

It annoys the hell out of me that they go to Dr. Now, get on a program and then bitch about the program's limitations.  Did you think the diet sheet was going to include Twinkies and White Castle?  Oh, and then they bitch about not being approved for surgery.  Uh, why give you the surgery if you're not even willing to put in the work to lose weight on your own.  Sure there are health reasons why Dr. Now tells them to get below a certain weight or lost 100 lbs. in two months - but the latter is primarily designed for him to make sure you are willing to change your eating habits and that the surgery will enhance eating habits that you have put into place.

Part of the delusion seems to be this idea that surgery will “fix” their desire to eat and/or free them from the consequences of overeating.  The number of patients who are surprised when they still want to keep eating after the surgery is surprising given that they all pay lip service to the idea that it’s “just a tool”.  

Laughing now at Janine saying she had trouble on the plane to Houston because she “hadn’t eaten enough”.  Yes, eating is the answer to EVERYTHING.

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8 hours ago, CarolMK said:

The only thing I learned from this episode is that a gastric balloon is apparently now possible. I think I've heard of this in the past year or so. I'm about 75 lbs overweight myself and the idea of using something like this for 6 months is intriguing. Not that I'd definitely do it, but it's nice to know of another option.  Anyway, I don't think we heard enough backstory on Jan and how she managed before moving to Houston. I just think she might have had some friends and/or family that was helping her who didn't want to appear on camera. And I'm starting to think that before Dr. Now performs any weight loss surgery, the majority of the patients need to go to therapy. Doesn't look like Janine ever did, or if so, we didn't see it. 

They've done the balloon in the UK for a few years. We are only just starting it. The guy I saw on YT who had it, did quite well, but I'm not gonna lie - I think I'd be like Jan and feel nauseated all the time. 

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I agree with everyone that's mentioned mental health.  Opiods, over-eating, hoarding, gambling, (the list goes on) they're all just coping skills.  No one knows how to cope any more.  No one wants to feel.  They want only good/happy feelings and not think about the hardships and realities of real life.  And so the self-destructive habits begin. Block it all out with food because that's the happy place. Oh there's a huge lymphatic lump on my leg and I can hardly wipe my own butt? Well, pass the whipped cream, I'll think about it tomorrow.

At least Janine didn't have an enabler.  It's the enablers that annoy me the most.  But  she was getting to the point where she would become bedridden and not able to even get to her scooter. And then what?  How does one not think about that?

Maybe brain surgery is the answer.  It's all a brain thing.

Edited by Pondlass1
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1 hour ago, Kid said:

I believe because she had to change planes in Dallas.

This is the stupidest thing not to get a direct flight when it takes 10 people to shove you onto a plane. Not only is she mentally ill, she is an idiot. There are at least 3 direct flights a day seattle to houston if not more! I don't understand this at all. Especially after what happened on the first attempt she decided to save $50 she would do it twice? Who is paying the people who are shoving her fat ass thru the plane door? At least she didn't say I feel like Cleopatra!!

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Speaking of all the people responsible for pushing her on/dragging her off the planes, I thought they were all remarkably kind to her.  The worst she was treated during the whole show was the guy who yelled at her in SeaTac when she almost ran him over. 

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12 hours ago, Dianaofthehunt said:

Dear fat patients on this show:
Stop crying! Stop sniveling! Stop "I can't I can't I can't!"
I swear when I hear this, I want to bust through the screen, fit (oversized) ice skates on their feet, and, with the help of a crane, winch them onto the nearest ice rink. Cry about that. 

I've never seen Dr. Now use a gastric balloon as a makeshift get-'em-there. Will it help Janine? Oh, the suspense. 

Oh God! They would break the ice!

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