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S06.E09: Tamy Lyn's Story


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20 minutes ago, seniorpatriot said:

I understood Tami's fear about not having any help to get her to Houston, she was scared. I did, however notice that it was when Dr. Now first said that he would take her as a patient and eventually get her to weight loss surgery that James starting backing off! And getting kind of mean to her again. (I thought he must have gotten off his bi polar meds or something there was such a drastic change in hi.  He said in the beginning, he liked Big Women, so was that part of it for him?

Sometimes I think these relationships are so unhealthy. The spouse wants a fat woman. Woman wants to get healthy, and without  the roles of caretaker and "patient" dynamic it just doesn't work.

I don't mean to be cruel here, but honestly when they married, Tami was still a knock out even a big size. Poor James, sheesh, somebody hit him with an ugly stick at that age.  SO I think Tami settled for him, thinking she couldn't do any better. 

Oh my gosh, yes! She could have done better looks wise. 

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35 minutes ago, seniorpatriot said:

I don't mean to be cruel here, but honestly when they married, Tami was still a knock out even a big size. Poor James, sheesh, somebody hit him with an ugly stick at that age.  SO I think Tami settled for him, thinking she couldn't do any better. 

I agree. Tami when she was younger and active was very pretty. In those early photos with James there was a LIGHT behind her eyes. Had she not had low self esteem she probably may have still been a plus size woman but would’ve had no issues attracting quality men and wouldn’t have settled at 18. It was awful her mom “checked out” after her Dad died, we will never know but maybe her older siblings couldn’t deal with Mom so they just didn’t concern themselves with Tami as she was growing up .

We saw the light coming back in her eyes as she was losing weight. Once she fixes herself up (better hair style, fashionable clothes) she would be gorgeous again. 

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37 minutes ago, Cherrio said:

Did anyone else notice when Dr. Now first met Tamy he asked about her eating habits, not habit ?

Yes!  I mentioned it on the Live Chat thread because I was so surprised.  But later in the episode he was back to "habit".

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2 hours ago, Pondlass1 said:

I think this is one episode where we need a follow up.  That swinging pendulum was mind boggling.  I want to see how they dealt with it.

I think we were all waiting to see that apron get removed before she tripped over it.  Poor thing!

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Tamy said she got the side of the tub wet and slid in, but I’m not sure how she managed to get out!  Not sure I would have wanted to see that filmed either.

She really was a better mother than some we’ve seen (yes “super mom” Penny I am looking at you).  Though I had a few snarks over her complaining about lack of support (I’ve always had to prepare meals I couldn’t eat for the rest of the family) I was happy that she did so well.  Her weight loss really showed in her face too and it was so nice to see her smile.  She was mobile and self aware enough to know why she had a weight problem and how she got there.  

I could relate to her in some ways and after gaining 25 pounds in a week long binge I need inspiration to get back on track.  It does not help that my maintenance calories are 1200, but that’s just the way it is and if these people can manage it then I have no excuses.

Was it Nikki who also had a large abdomen that hung down and got in her way?  I think it was in her follow up that she had it removed and had to use a wound vac on the incision to help it heal?  

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Tamy’s Story was such a refreshing breath of fresh air. From her first consultation with Dr. Now where she accurately identified the problems with her eating habit, to the focus she put on helping her son instead of only using him as a slave, she showed a large amount of self awareness. I am really glad that she dove into Dr. Now’s directives with both feet and had great success. I hope she continues to get better. Can’t wait to see an update on Tamy.

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(edited)

They showed her get out of the tub.  It didn't appear that difficult for her and I'm amazed, because there didn't appear to be any grab bars or handicap equipment at all! AND she walked out on the wet floor barefoot.  She's too large to risk falling like that.  Very risky, indeed, imo. 

Edited by SunnyBeBe
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What do you know?  A patient who actually did what the weight-loss doctor told her to do, and she lost weight.  I think this is the first episode I've seen where the patient took Dr. Now's diet seriously, and although she said she slipped a few times--my god, think of the ones we've seen who "slipped a few times" and ended up weighing 75 lbs more than they did at the last weigh-in--and were astounded that they hadn't lost weight.  I liked Tammy (she can't force me to misspell her name) and Zachary, too, but I too wondered why Zachary wasn't in school.  Since she was moving to Houston for at least a year, his present school should have helped Z's parents make arrangements with a school in Houston.  At the very least, I believe Z. qualifies for a few hours of in-home instruction and/or therapy.  I hope that was happening and we just didn't get to see it.  And James was kind of creepy although that of course is not his fault and turned out not to be such a son-of-a-bitch after all.  We have to have a followup on Tammy.

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3 hours ago, jpc1 said:

They showed something in this episode that I don't believe I've ever seen:  the patient committing a significant amount of time/effort to an activity focused on his or her child

Yes but. Yes, she did, but when she was supposed to say good things about Zachery, they were about how he treated her. It was all about Tamy, still. Listing just a few more qualities that were really about Zachery instead of Tamy would have impressed me more. 

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18 hours ago, mmecorday said:

I cannot image what it would be like to be lugging around a stomach like that. It looked like a giant scrotum. Now I am fully anticipating that TLC will unveil a new series called "My Giant Scrotum" if they haven't already.

I was so happy for her at the end, though. She really accomplished a lot and I hope she continues to do well.

https://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/strange-sex/videos/worlds-largest-scrotum

 

You can always count on TLC.

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4 hours ago, Miracle Maxie said:

Yes!  I mentioned it on the Live Chat thread because I was so surprised.  But later in the episode he was back to "habit".

He (or his son) must be reading on here because a few episodes ago he also said pounds with an s!

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27 minutes ago, Azubah said:

Yes but. Yes, she did, but when she was supposed to say good things about Zachery, they were about how he treated her. It was all about Tamy, still. Listing just a few more qualities that were really about Zachery instead of Tamy would have impressed me more. 

You're right, Azubah, but your comment prompted me to realize something interesting:  Almost all of the patients on the show, even the train wrecks like Assanti, Oww Mah Leg, and Hit Me Daddy, are capable of talking a good game, even though their actions don't come anywhere close to OK.  Tamy, on the other hand, seemed utterly incapable of talking a good game.  Most of her VOs have her droning on about how she just can't do it without James or, as you said, about what Zachery does for her, or something else that makes her sound petty, infantile, unsympathetic, and unlikely to succeed.  But her actions were almost always spot-on.  If you think about it, that's rare not just on the show, but in society at large.

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17 hours ago, mrsjoe said:

I thought this episode felt off. Like she seemed to have some severe emotional issues but then was so successful. Part of me wondered if there was some acting going on. I know they cut parts of the therapy session, but I was turned off by the way she made it sound like her husband had been having an affair and was leaving her, with no mention of the fact they haven’t been truly married for years, all the while calling him abusive as he tries to help her out. The reality was that they were both barely out of high school and got married because she was knocked up without knowing each other well, so hardly an ideal situation for a stable, happy marriage. Of course, I thought she might be faking her hallway collapse, but the  Dr.  Now explained it was caused by pneumonia, so what do I know?

 

Agreed. I thought a few scenes felt acted, like when the husband comes in and tells her he’s in love with someone else — just didn’t feel like any real emotion there, more like folks replaying something that had happened earlier, maybe. The fall. That little kinipshin fit she threw. If I’m going to watch bad acting, give me a train wreck like Lisa! Still, glad she was successful. 

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4 hours ago, jpc1 said:

Really, Tamy?  Did you learn nothing from your own mother's horrible child-name-spelling skills.  YOUR SON'S NAME SHOULD HAVE ZERO "E"s IN IT.  Change the "e" to an "a" and use the savings to buy yourself a second "m"! 

I judge people by it.  I watched Whitney on Megyn Kelly.  Hey, we'd know she was female even if her name was spelled correctly.
Did we hear any mention of the oldest son?  Other than his birth, and  then a picture when Zach was a baby which show an older boy, nothing, not even his name.
Is Zach doing online school?

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(edited)

Um, she passes out in the hallway and production steps in and is going to call for emergency help, and next thing we see is a total re-enactment of her laying in the hallway with no one around and the kid coming out and finding her. That was fucked up, TLC. I feel bad for Zach's year, and being left with Tamy to be the caretaker. Didn't he have therapists and school where they had been living? At least he was getting some attention before it ended. 

I'm glad Dr. Now sprung for a real therapist for Tamy and not Dr. Baby Voice. Tamy earned it. 

Edited by TVbitch
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Three things -  1. After people mentioned that the nurse/assistant (who surely must be one of Dr. Now's relatives from her looks) never reacted to patient's gain or loss, we see her smiling. And yes, I realize this stuff is taped long before we see it, but anyway...

2.  James doesn't need to go in the office with you, Tamy. He said tell him what happened, it sounds like he's willing to listen to you talk about the visit, jeez louise, get off the guy's back. 

3. Tamy - he's not your husband. You're divorced. You're lucky he came to Houston with you and like a lot of selfish people who take no responsibility for themselves, you can't say thank you, all you can do is argue that he's not doing more. 

I'm not feeling the Tamy love. I think she's weak.

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15 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

On another site, I saw an update from her daughter in law. She said that Tamy is a very sweet and kind woman and an amazing grandmother.

I think I missed something. Zachery is married with a child? Isn't he just in middle school?

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2 minutes ago, Maricopa said:

I think I missed something. Zachery is married with a child? Isn't he just in middle school?

Not Zachery - the older son who wasn't really shown in the episode.

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Hell-O, first time poster here.

I'm looking forward to an update on Tami one of these days. The way her stomach moved like a pendulum I was expecting it to throw her off balance at any moment when she walked.

 

I discovered this program a few weeks ago only to experience retina burn watching the Assanti brothers - an episode so disturbing it affected my sleep that night. Society has dodged a bullet with that sociopath Steven being bed bound. Not someone you want on the loose.

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(edited)

We've had a string of episodes  now where they were doing well weight loss so the weight loss was almost a backdrop and the focus was on the relationships or emotional issues. It's like they had the "space" to show that kinda stuff. There have been a few others with like that one girl who moved down with her family and a significant amount of time was spent on her struggling to find a place to live and then talking about the police raid on her house. I wonder what the other episodes would have been about if the disasters had been doing well on weight loss, like what else would have been focused on instead. The Assanti bros episodes were barely about weight loss at all and were just showing Steven being a horrible person to everyone he ever spoke to.

Edited by missnoa
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21 hours ago, atiyah9369 said:

I also kept saying suck it up buttercup.

I admit that I was thinking, "Put on your big girl panties and deal with it"  However, as we all noticed, Tamy didn't wear panties. 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Tamy say that her siblings were 12 and 20 years older than her?  I think that means Tamy may have been an "oops" baby and her parents were in their 40s-50s when she was born.  It also may explain why the older siblings weren't around for her, they were already out of the house. 

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16 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

They showed her get out of the tub.  It didn't appear that difficult for her and I'm amazed, because there didn't appear to be any grab bars or handicap equipment at all! AND she walked out on the wet floor barefoot.  She's too large to risk falling like that.  Very risky, indeed, imo. 

I saw that. She needed some safety supports in and out of that tub.  I also noticed around her bed area, she could have used some help there as well. Having to grab hold of one little section of her headboard to get out of bed, did not look safe. 

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I liked this episode, and am sorry to see that there are so few replies on this thread. I would much rather see this type of episode than a Steven Assanti or Lisa episode. 

It helped that Tamy Lyn was more articulate than most and more mobile. Instead of watching for two hours only to see the person sit up at the end, here we got to see an interesting couple dynamic. I was so impressed by how Tamy hit the weight goals time after time, but at the same time, I thought she was whiny and self-absorbed in some of her interactions with James. While James was certainly no prince, he had his good moments, too. He still cares about Tamy and wishes her well, but he knows they are better off apart, and he needed to move on (and Tamy needed him to move on, too, so she could become more independent and start her own life anew). There is obviously so much we don't know about their relationship, but getting a glimpse or two of underlying issues intrigued me. 

By the end of the show, she weighed around 340 lb. Once Tamy gets the stomach surgery, that will be another 40-50 lb. I definitely want to see a followup story. I bet, once she has the stomach surgery, she will exercise a lot more and get into pretty good shape. She could probably run rings around Whitney Thore at that point. 

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This series really highlights how the fat deposits itself in different places on different humans.  I have a friend who's quite a bit overweight, she has skinny legs and will probably always have skinny legs, but the fat is all around her torso, boobs, shoulders and especially her back.  She's beginning to get that 'apron' effect with her stomach. But she loves to bake and eat.

I envy her the skinny legs.  If I gain weight it's always my thighs and bum - and it's so hard to lose weight in those areas.

The woman who broke the toilet had rolls of fat around her face.  Yet some of the others featured on this show are vastly overweight but don't even have a double chin.

I guess it's all in the genes.

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18 hours ago, Azubah said:

Yes but. Yes, she did, but when she was supposed to say good things about Zachery, they were about how he treated her. It was all about Tamy, still. Listing just a few more qualities that were really about Zachery instead of Tamy would have impressed me more. 

I noticed that and was going to post the same thing. If someone asked what I appreciated about my kids, I was say I appreciated that they were kind, funny, helpful, etc. She made it all about her. I mean I still think she's a good person but also pretty self-centered. 

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Tamy is self centered.  That most likely will not change.  What is different is that she has changed her eating habits and putting herself first, not food.   

Her story was a breath of fresh air.  Family that did not cater or enable her.  Say what you want about James, by going on with his life, forced Tamy to make the choices to be more independent.  

JMPO, but I feel the enabling families are a big reason most of these patients gain weight and fail following the diet.  

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On 3/8/2018 at 10:18 AM, nlkm9 said:

she did an amazing job losing weight---even though she said she got off track a few times, she really did well. Wonder when they will take that horrible stomach fat--seems like that would be a horrible operation but worth the results. I actually thought she looked lighter at the end. I thought it was great that James stayed with her but in my opinion leaving a week after the surgery was not the best timing. I often wonder how they afford to move and stay in hotels. I wish her the best. I was also thinking, Dr Now must have support groups for these people, I mean so many of them have moved just to be near him, so when the therapist was saying to reach out to someone, dont you think they would have online forums and groups for those who can get out??

Somewhere I saw a pic of Pauline and a bunch of other folks, not all from the show, in a group at Dr Now's office. So, it appears he has them, but between the need for privacy and support groups not really exciting TV, we don't see them.

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21 hours ago, Azubah said:

Yes but. Yes, she did, but when she was supposed to say good things about Zachery, they were about how he treated her. It was all about Tamy, still. Listing just a few more qualities that were really about Zachery instead of Tamy would have impressed me more. 

I noticed that, too.  I was urging her to say "I love how curious you are" or "I love your singing" or anything that wasn't about how he interacted with her.  He smiled, but I bet a comment that was really about him would've made him grin.  I think it's clear that she loves him a lot and even dotes on him, but he needs to know he has worth apart from what he does for her.  He needs to know he's worthwhile all by himself.

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13 hours ago, Kenzie said:

I discovered this program a few weeks ago only to experience retina burn watching the Assanti brothers - an episode so disturbing it affected my sleep that night. Society has dodged a bullet with that sociopath Steven being bed bound. Not someone you want on the loose.

Kenzie, Kenzie, you should check in first, so we could point you to some easier episodes to start with.
Even James K. isn't for newbies, but when you've overcome the Assantis, I guess you could handle him.
And welcome.  Sometimes you might watch Penny, from an early season, who is "doing it her own way," and is still in bed.

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58 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

With her deep fat fryer, making wontons.

"Taking care of her son," isn't that what she claims?
I admit that Penny is one that I just can't bring myself to rewatch.

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(edited)
3 hours ago, aliya said:

Somewhere I saw a pic of Pauline and a bunch of other folks, not all from the show, in a group at Dr Now's office. So, it appears he has them, but between the need for privacy and support groups not really exciting TV, we don't see them.

So, I live in Houston, and the therapist that Tamy saw is actually down the street from my home!  They are eating disorder specialists, and they hold regular group sessions.  I wonder (hope!) the show paid for Tamy to get in one of those groups, as I believe she'd benefit from not only telling her story, but meeting others who share her issues.  When they drove up to the therapy office, I was like, wait....I know that place!

James was not a bad guy, IMO.  They had marital problems long before she decided to have the surgery, and she had moved out.  He allowed her and Z. to move back in, but not "back in" to the marriage.  He didn't have to do that.  He didn't have to drive her to Houston the first time, or move with her into the hotel, and get her through the surgery.  Many, many other soon-to-be-ex-husbands would have said, "see ya".  Especially since he's found someone else now, and was probably missing her.

James didn't sign up to be the husband/full-time caretaker of a 600-lb. wife.  He met a large but fun and active woman, and it morphed into him shopping, feeding, and cleaning her.  I don't blame him one bit for wanting out.  But I give the guy props for getting her through the surgery.

Since she doesn't seem to have close family connections other than Z., I think the primary issue of importance for her would be to make friends.  Connections.  People she can do things with.  Maybe other moms.  I hope she has been able to just make some friends.  She's worked hard.  She deserves it.

Edited by Sterling
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(edited)

An unfortunate looking couple. 

But what a great job Tamy did! She followed the program and what do you know? She lost weight. And A LOT of it. I wish her all the best. 

Edited by hookedontv
I am a snarky bitch.
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I'm kind of surprised so many are defending James, or saying that he doesn't owe Tamy anything.  Yes, he does owe her something if he is her husband and the father of her child.  At the same time, I'm very confused as to whether or not they are actually married.  She kept calling him her husband, but others in the thead were saying that they were no longer married.  

Bottom line, I can't really get past him saying "if it weren't for me, you would be homeless and out on the street."  That's classic abuser talk.  I guess maybe he wanted to leave to push her to do things on her own, but I think he left because he saw she was going to be thinner and more independent and couldn't handle it.  

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Tammy and James were married, and I remember hearing her say that they were no longer living as husband and wife. I assume that means they were sleeping in separate rooms and no longer intimate. By the way, that room they showed that James was living it was really a mess. The rest of the house didn't look too bad. Tammy was one of the few people I've seen on this show who wasn't relying on fast food for most of her meals. She also did all the cooking for the family and we've only seen that probably about half the time at the most.

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On 3/9/2018 at 10:09 AM, Pondlass1 said:

This series really highlights how the fat deposits itself in different places on different humans.  I have a friend who's quite a bit overweight, she has skinny legs and will probably always have skinny legs, but the fat is all around her torso, boobs, shoulders and especially her back.  She's beginning to get that 'apron' effect with her stomach. But she loves to bake and eat.

I envy her the skinny legs.  If I gain weight it's always my thighs and bum - and it's so hard to lose weight in those areas.

The woman who broke the toilet had rolls of fat around her face.  Yet some of the others featured on this show are vastly overweight but don't even have a double chin.

I guess it's all in the genes.

The woman with the bat wings was truly amazing ( I don’t mean that in a good way). I was stunned when I first saw them.

The way they flapped when she walk.  Truly a disgusting sight.

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On 3/9/2018 at 9:09 AM, Pondlass1 said:

I have a friend who's quite a bit overweight, she has skinny legs and will probably always have skinny legs, but the fat is all around her torso, boobs, shoulders and especially her back.  She's beginning to get that 'apron' effect with her stomach. But she loves to bake and eat.

I envy her the skinny legs.  If I gain weight it's always my thighs and bum - and it's so hard to lose weight in those areas.

Don't envy that. It is way worse health-wise to have a lot of abdominal fat.

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I can't get behind all the accolades for James. If he was unhappy in his marriage, he should have communicated about it first and then left if change wasn't possible. Getting involved in an affair and then telling the disabled person they should be happy they aren't homeless are not admirable behaviors IMO.  Sadly, though, the way he handled it is very common. Many people will not leave a secure relationship, no matter how unhappy, without having a new one lined up.

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On 3/8/2018 at 2:53 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

I don't understand how Tamy was able to wiggle around in that bathtub and get in and out of it! That's amazing.  Most very obese people aren't able to do that, from what I have seen. 

Quite true. If they sat down while the water was still running, I imagine that it would dam up in front of them. If they waited until the tub was full, they would displace the water upon sitting down. And, most could not fit the whole of their bodies into standard sized tubs.

16 minutes ago, ChristmasJones said:

I can't get behind all the accolades for James. If he was unhappy in his marriage, he should have communicated about it first and then left if change wasn't possible. Getting involved in an affair and then telling the disabled person they should be happy they aren't homeless are not admirable behaviors IMO.  Sadly, though, the way he handled it is very common. Many people will not leave a secure relationship, no matter how unhappy, without having a new one lined up.

Agreed. I hope that by now Tamy has left him in her rearview mirror.  

Besides, the dude just looked like a weenie.

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On 3/9/2018 at 10:09 AM, Pondlass1 said:

This series really highlights how the fat deposits itself in different places on different humans.  I have a friend who's quite a bit overweight, she has skinny legs and will probably always have skinny legs, but the fat is all around her torso, boobs, shoulders and especially her back.  She's beginning to get that 'apron' effect with her stomach. But she loves to bake and eat.

I envy her the skinny legs.  If I gain weight it's always my thighs and bum - and it's so hard to lose weight in those areas.

The woman who broke the toilet had rolls of fat around her face.  Yet some of the others featured on this show are vastly overweight but don't even have a double chin.

I guess it's all in the genes.

That is for sure, and I have a lot of images I can't get out of my head as a result.

Edited by CoachWristletJen
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On ‎3‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 9:06 PM, aliya said:

I'm not feeling the Tamy love. I think she's weak.

She was using her husband to take care of her and he finally gave up.  And I don't blame him.

On ‎3‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 6:25 AM, skipnjump said:

I admit that I was thinking, "Put on your big girl panties and deal with it"  However, as we all noticed, Tamy didn't wear panties. 

THESE GIGANIC PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS NAKED!  How can that be?  It's disgusting and they're all assholes.  I don't know why Nowzaradin and other drs want to even deal with these fuckwats.

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I grow oh so weary of these people and their “poor me” mentalities. This woman had a sagging udder of pure FAT nearly dragging the ground! This did not happen overnight!!! I have written before that I have survived sexual, physical and verbal abuse and I have battled a weight issue all my life, along with food addiction. I keep myself under control by exercising and trying my hardest not to overeat. I could lose about 30 pounds right now so yeah I am by no means perfect! That said if I watched an udder of fat literally anchoring me I would get my fat self into gear! I cannot believe the audacity of these people either - drop everything and move to Houston and baby me? You got yourself into this mess, grow up and get yourself out! Rant over...

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