S06.E10: Benji & David's Story

[calpurnia99]

6 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

REf. the weight loss.  I think I've heard that the doctor wants rapid weight loss before the bariatric surgery, because it makes it easier to get to their organs, it also does something to the liver that helps with the surgery. I heard that from another doctor on Family by the Ton.  Also, as Dr. Now has said, they have so much fat stored that they are not going to suffer from too few calories. They could likely last a long time with no food.  This is what I believe, based on what I've heard watching this type of show and this show. 

People are different.  I strive for around 1200-1500 per day to lose weight.  If I ate more, I don't think I"d lose anything. 

 you probably are a middle aged female and don't weigh 600 pounds-- once you hit a certain age it is hard to lose on anything less that 1200-1500 calories a day I agree, but men can eat more than that and still lose.  The less you weigh and the smaller you are, the less calories you need to lose weight due to your basal resting metabolism, which is how many calories it takes just to sit and sleep- to pump the blood and breathe etc..  For a 600 pound man, he could lose rapidly on 2200 calories a day.  Dr Now says all the time that just to maintain 600 pounds you can eat 5000 calories a day- when they gain he knows they are eating 10,00 0 calories a day. When they only lose 11 pounds, he knows they are eating 6000 calories a day.  I just think they have to be starving on 1200 calories, not so much the bed bound ones, but this guy going off to work. he is going to feel constant hunger on that. I would be up all night with a headache.  

[LordOfLotion]

15 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

REf. the weight loss.  I think I've heard that the doctor wants rapid weight loss before the bariatric surgery, because it makes it easier to get to their organs, it also does something to the liver that helps with the surgery. I heard that from another doctor on Family by the Ton.  Also, as Dr. Now has said, they have so much fat stored that they are not going to suffer from too few calories. They could likely last a long time with no food.  This is what I believe, based on what I've heard watching this type of show and this show. 

People are different.  I strive for around 1200-1500 per day to lose weight.  If I ate more, I don't think I"d lose anything. 

I think it shrinks your liver, but I'm just going on memory.

[SunnyBeBe]

I wish they would spend some time on the long range aftercare. Like, what are they eating a year down the road and they are at goal weight. I mean, how much is really sustainable.  

My mom asked her doctor about the Keto diet (no to low carb), if it was safe, etc.  He said, it's okay, because you won't stay on it long enough for it to have any negative effects.  No one does.  It's not sustainable. I'm not sure if that is true, but, I wonder what Dr. Now advises his clients to do for their maintenance plan. 

[calpurnia99]

17 minutes ago, LordOfLotion said:

I think it shrinks your liver, but I'm just going on memory.

This show I saw on Netflix, a weight loss surgery show from Australia, one of the women did lose wieght before surgery, but when they got in to do it, they noticed her liver was huge! The doctor realized she had been still eating candy and sugar and lied to him. This made the surgery extremely dangerous and difficult to do. He somehow managed to do it, but he realized he had been snowed. 

[NeitherSparky]

My bariatric surgeon outright calls her pre-surgery diet a liver-shrinking diet. There was no calorie restriction, no weighing or measuring food, there were just whole categories of food that must be avoided (notably grains, dairy, and fruit). Its similar to the paleo diet in many ways. I absolutely dropped weight on it, it was the only diet I had ever tried in my almost 40 years that worked for me; since I could eat as much as I wanted of the allowed foods I was never hungry. Then (after nine weeks of that) the last three weeks was liquids only and I thought I was going to die, THAT was brutal. Every time I see someone about to have the surgery whine about 2-4 days on a liquid diet I just roll my eyes, lol. The liquid diet continues for a week after surgery but at that point you don't care. Anyways I am always comparing my pre/post surgery process to the patients on this show and am constantly intrigued by the differences - I realise we don't see everything but it does seem like the process is quite different than what I went through. My post-surgery diet progressed slowly through phases of eating only certain things and it seems like the patietnts on the show are back to eating solid, high-fiber things pretty much right away. I think that would have killed me. The biggest thing I always wonder about is drinking with food, my surgeon forbids drinking liquids with food, forever, post-surgery, because washing down your food though your small stomach can not only cause damage but it will also lead you to being hungry sooner (you want the food to stay in there as long as possible, not force it through quicker). In addition, if the food in there is very dense (chicken for example) the liquid literally can't push it through or get around sometimes and the liquid will just turn around and come back out (the only time I did this good thing we were outside!). I am over 5 years out and I still can't drink with food even if I try (I have had to say goodbye to spicy food entirely for this reason) but I have never seen or met another bariatric patient with the same restriction. My surgeon says its because she makes her pouches smaller than other surgeons, out of the very top of the stomach which does not stretch much at all, but I still find it odd that nobody else who had the surgery can't drink with food like me.

Sorry for the wall of text, but one more thing: something else they never seem to touch on on this show, for the bypass patients, is the lifetime of vitamins/supplements one must take every day in order not to die of malnutrition (known as beri-beri). Because of the reduced absorpsion of nutrients in the intestines you have to take allll these supplements every day forever and medical insurance does not cover it. I'm surprised this is never mentioned.

[Caoimhe]

1 hour ago, calpurnia99 said:

 you probably are a middle aged female and don't weigh 600 pounds-- once you hit a certain age it is hard to lose on anything less that 1200-1500 calories a day I agree, but men can eat more than that and still lose.  The less you weigh and the smaller you are, the less calories you need to lose weight due to your basal resting metabolism, which is how many calories it takes just to sit and sleep- to pump the blood and breathe etc..  For a 600 pound man, he could lose rapidly on 2200 calories a day.  Dr Now says all the time that just to maintain 600 pounds you can eat 5000 calories a day- when they gain he knows they are eating 10,00 0 calories a day. When they only lose 11 pounds, he knows they are eating 6000 calories a day.  I just think they have to be starving on 1200 calories, not so much the bed bound ones, but this guy going off to work. he is going to feel constant hunger on that. I would be up all night with a headache.  

I gain weight if I eat over 1200 calories!  I have to drop to 600-800 in order to lose any weight, but it’s the result of almost 50 years of yo-yo dieting so I guess you could say I did it to myself.

I agree that it’s a drastic reduction for someone like Benji, but you can still eat a huge amount of vegetables and stay within the calorie limit.  I think the harder part is the sugar / carb withdrawal at the start! 

[SunnyBeBe]

Thanks for the info NeitherSparky, but, can you say what foods you are allowed? Do you just eat regular food, but, small portions or just protein?

[magemaud]

I only caught part of the show, but I found those rotten teeth closeups more disturbing than any of Dr. Now’s graphic weight loss surgeries. 

[NeitherSparky]

28 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Thanks for the info NeitherSparky, but, can you say what foods you are allowed? Do you just eat regular food, but, small portions or just protein?

You can literally eat as much as you want of anything that’s not on the not-allowed list, which I believe was grains, dairy, fruit, nuts/seeds, coffee/tea/soda, any type of milk (including soy/hemp etc) and potatoes (which wasn’t on the list but I found out after a month that they weren’t allowed, I assumed they counted as a vegetable lol, I hope she got around to adding them to the list). This leaves you with basically a protien and veg diet with water to drink. Avoiding grains is the hardest, there are lists online that help you know what counts as a grain and what doesn’t. You’re also doung protein drinks during this diet as you need to find ones you like for the liquid diet plus you’ll want to drink them pretty much forever afterwords anyways, maybe not every day but its good to have them around. I like the Isopure brand, in water.

[nlkm9]

I just have to say when their "sister" came to take one of them somewhere my first thought was "wow she is really heavy as well". I do not understand the very overweight girlfriends/wives not jumping on the plan since it will help them too. and yes everytime someone says something about their legs I giggle too :). the person who has the screen name oh my laygs slays me:)

[cpcathy]

I kept saying to my husband, "the ENTIRE family needs to do the diet!" They were all basically the same shape! I don't see how one person in a household can diet and be restricted when the rest of the family can eat whatever they want. Especially if the entire family is overweight and could lose a few.

[CoachWristletJen]

6 hours ago, Cherrio said:

I didn't find either brother attractive. They have little pig type ears and eyes.  The single (with girlfriend) brother looked like a mutant version of James Farantino post facelift.

 

 

The older brother reminded me of Lee. Maybe it was the face and the way his lips and jaw were set. He wasn't a wife beater like Lee although he was like Lee in that he was an attention hound, big time. Stick a ponytail on him and he could be Lee..

[auntjess]

Seeing this makes me wonder how the sisters from last season are doing.  I'd like to see any updates.

[LordOfLotion]

3 hours ago, NeitherSparky said:

My bariatric surgeon outright calls her pre-surgery diet a liver-shrinking diet. There was no calorie restriction, no weighing or measuring food, there were just whole categories of food that must be avoided (notably grains, dairy, and fruit). Its similar to the paleo diet in many ways. I absolutely dropped weight on it, it was the only diet I had ever tried in my almost 40 years that worked for me; since I could eat as much as I wanted of the allowed foods I was never hungry. Then (after nine weeks of that) the last three weeks was liquids only and I thought I was going to die, THAT was brutal. Every time I see someone about to have the surgery whine about 2-4 days on a liquid diet I just roll my eyes, lol. The liquid diet continues for a week after surgery but at that point you don't care.

This liquid diet was what I did for 3 weeks prior to having surgery for a hiatal hernia and 2 weeks after, and it was to shrink my liver. I wasn't sure if it was for the same reason in bariatric patients. LORT all I wanted was a steak sandwich after about the first week, because I hadn't been keeping a lot of food down prior to that. I lost about 15lbs right before surgery and ended up losing a total of 40. I need to lose 20 more but I just want some MEAT! LOL

[Hellohappylife]

I was expecting these two to fail BIG TIME,I’m happy I was wrong.

Awesome seeing David change into a new person,you can tell he gained a lot of confidence,started dressing well,did his hair & got his teeth fixed. I’m impressed with his “journey”

How did he go his whole life not visiting a Dentist at age 38? That blows my mind. I’m only 25 & Maybe it’s just the school I went to but my parents had to submit proof of current Dentist & Eye Doctor Checkups at the start of Every new grade. 

That mom should be ashamed. 

Edited March 16, 2018 by Hellohappylife

[NeitherSparky]

2 hours ago, cpcathy said:

I kept saying to my husband, "the ENTIRE family needs to do the diet!" They were all basically the same shape! I don't see how one person in a household can diet and be restricted when the rest of the family can eat whatever they want. Especially if the entire family is overweight and could lose a few.

The mother sat right there during the brothers’ first visit and said to Dr Now, “This whole family’s gonna get healthy!” And then I’m pretty sure the brothers were the only ones who ended up really changing anything. That mentality some overweight people have, that at least they’re not AS big as so-and-so, so they’re okay, I’ve seen that myself. When I was a teenager both my brother and I were overweight, I may have been bigger than him but he WAS overweight (and there was more prsssure on me to lose weight because I was a girl of course), and I was on Slim Fast. I remember offering him some because it was a chocolate one and he loves chocolate, and these words coming out of his face that I will never forget: “I can’t drink that, I’d waste away.” For real!

[Starlight925]

Re:  David's teeth.  I have a feeling he had an all-on-4 implant-supported denture.  

So, it's truly a denture, as in all false teeth, but they are placed in permanently, supported by placement of 4 implants throughout the arch.

It takes several months to complete this process, but the patient leaves with a full mouth of temporary teeth that day, with healing caps placed on the abutments, so they get fully functional, albeit temporary teeth, the same day.

Those temporaries stay in place for several months, until the implants osseointegrate.  He has limited gum/bone structure, so the all-on-4 is a good solution, as only 4 implants need to be placed for the entire arch, rather than individual implants for each tooth.  Then, the entire mouth full of teeth is placed in, over the 4 implants.  It's about $15,000-$17,000 per arch, so a full mouth is $30,000.  I have a feeling the show paid for it.  The dentist he went to is one of Houston's best.

Edited March 15, 2018 by Sterling

[WhatsUpDummy]

In some ways I liked this episode. David did really well and really got his shit together. Well done, David.  Bitchy Benji, on the other hand, and his endless complaining got on my last nerve. He’s pushing 600 pounds and thinks he doesn’t need to do anything because his brother was nearly 800? Give me a break. 

[Trillium]

47 minutes ago, auntjess said:

Seeing this makes me wonder how the sisters from last season are doing.  I'd like to see any updates.

I found one of their Facebook pages. Not a lot of information but a few selfies. They look to be doing well still. I really liked them too. 

[Starlight925]

Yeah, no wonder David struggled so much with his weight his entire life.

His bad excuse for a mother took his siblings to beauty pageants, while David was made to take care of them, and she wouldn't buy him toys or even get him proper dental care.

She just looks like a miserable person.  

I hope he continues with therapy to get to the root of his issues, to stay on his path.  I did just find a recent photo of him, holding a baby, still with his girlfriend.  I wonder if she was pregnant during filming, thus looking like she was gaining weight when she really wasn't?

https://realityblurb.com/2018/03/14/my-600-lb-life-david-bolton-and-benji-bolton-weight-loss-photos-update/

Edited March 16, 2018 by Sterling

[Leemah]

22 hours ago, mmecorday said:

David and Benji, the anti-Assanti brothers.

I didn't think I was going to like David and Benji, but I ended up really pulling for them when I saw their determination to succeed, especially David. When he stepped off the scale during the first follow up visit and saw how much weight he had lost, I had tears in my eyes. And Benji, after a lazy start, really went after his goals when he saw how well his brother was doing. They both looked terrific by the end of the episode. Great job, guys!

Next week it looks like we've got another "Ow, mah leg!"

Oh lord can’t wait!! 

[Mothra]

7 hours ago, calpurnia99 said:

Do you think he says 1200 calories a day and knows they will probably eat about 2200 a day and lose plenty of weight on 2200 a day? To me a low low cal diet like that is deprivation and will backfire.  I say you need to be satisfied to stay on something for the long term. Weight Watchers had this CORE plan back in 2008, which was perfect for me, I felt satisfied and didn't have to count calories, I found foods that were allowed that satisfied me. Its of course not for everyone, but I made it work for me so I stayed on it for 6 months and lost 35 pounds. I felt very little deprivation. It's basically you can eat anything that comes out of the earth in whatever quanties you like, fat free dairy, and no white carbs, but brown carbs in limited amounts such as whole wheat pasta and brown rice,  If I had tried 1200 calories a day, I would have been a total failure. 

Clearly, you will never be a candidate for this show!  You have a healthy attitude towards food and obviously eat to live, not live to eat.

But I have to point out that your objections to the 1200 calorie a day diet sound an awful lot like the objections of the folks on the show who find excuses not to follow the diet and fail to lose weight.  Yes, I think Dr. Now's 1200 calorie diet is just that, 1200 calories, and I do not believe he builds in an extra 1000 calories of "cheating" in his expectations.  Twelve hundred calories a day is plenty for a person who is unable to get out of bed, for one thing, and for another, this is not necessarily the long-term diet patients are expected to follow; it's meant to test patients' ability to feel deprived and not give in--it's intended to be hard for them to stick to, because once they have their surgery, their success will depend on their ability to be careful about what they eat for the rest of their lives.  If they can't control their eating habit, they'll stretch out their stomachs and regain all the weight, and probably more.

I also think it's wonderful to see these morbidly obese patients' surprise and delight when they realize that following a low-calorie diet can allow them to lose immense amounts of weight--almost every patient on this show says she's "tried everything" to lose weight, that "diets don't work for me"--because they've never really stuck to a diet.  They need the surgery to help them eat less, but they still have the important part of the plan:  to control what goes in their mouths.

I think everything you say is true about a person who does not have an eating disorder or addiction.

Edited March 16, 2018 by Mothra
seplling

[auntjess]

1 hour ago, Sterling said:

 It's about $15,000-$17,000 per arch, so a full mouth is $30,000.  I have a feeling the show paid for it.  The dentist he went to is one of Houston's best.

Either that, or got the dentist to do it in return for airtime.
But I'd guess he was at the stage where his teeth were so infected that some intervention was medically necessary.
I'm glad he got them, and I too was astounded that he'd never been to a dentist.
When I was in grade school, very many years ago, you got dental and eye checkups every year, and I remember the orange-colored sheet you had to take home, if you had a cavity.
 

[Starlight925]

2 minutes ago, auntjess said:

Either that, or got the dentist to do it in return for airtime.

I didn't think of that....the dentist doing it for airtime.  Very possible!

I cannot remember not having regular dental visits either.  We were scraping to stay middle class, my mother clipped coupons, my dad worked long hours, but....we always went to the dentist.  Then again, my mom wasn't blowing money on idiotic pageants.

[Light]

8 hours ago, ThereButFor said:

I gain weight if I eat over 1200 calories!  I have to drop to 600-800 in order to lose any weight, but it’s the result of almost 50 years of yo-yo dieting so I guess you could say I did it to myself.

I agree that it’s a drastic reduction for someone like Benji, but you can still eat a huge amount of vegetables and stay within the calorie limit.  I think the harder part is the sugar / carb withdrawal at the start! 

Yes!! Hovering a couple of pounds below the “overweight” BMI, and middle aged, I could stand to lose some, and I gain weight if I eat 1200 calories, maintain if I eat 1000 and have a sedentary day, and I only lose if I net 600-800 (after subtracting about 300 calories of treadmill cardio). I am short, and killed my metabolism too, from years of yo-yo dieting. I found it interesting that David wrote down everything he ate. When he at first lost a ton of weight very quickly,  I do believe he stuck close to 1200 calories, which at 600 lbs is incredibly hard and amazing. I log my intake on  MyFitnessPal and try to say to myself,  “I don’t” instead of “I can’t” (as in I don’t miss my nightly treadmill, I don’t eat wheat, etc,) But my weakness is lifelong sugar addiction, I cheat a lot, and it’s not beat yet.

[CarolMK]

I'm not sure about Dr. Now, but I have a couple of friends who have had bariatric surgery, and both of them had to go on a liquid diet for 2 weeks prior to getting their gastric sleeve surgery. I think it might be Optifast shakes. They are low calorie and high in protein , also very low in carbs. I believe the purpose is to get the patients into rapid ketosis and if the diet is followed correctly and the patient drinks enough water, they lose their appetite. It happened to me when I was strictly following Weight Watchers about 10 years ago, hungry for about the first 3 days and then felt pretty good after that. I managed to lose 83 lbs in 2 years. Then I stopped going to meetings and weighing myself and gained back over 60 the following 5 years. I'm on a new program now through a local hospital, but this series and my own experience has proven that this needs to be a lifetime commitment. I think David will do well overall, and hopefully Benji will too. The real danger is if they stretch out their stomachs from overeating and/or drinking diet soda. Apparently drinking anything with meals is also a problem and can cause weight regain too, as it pushes the food out of the pouch. 

Also in regards to the gastric bypass or gastric sleeve surgery, the liver is right in front of the stomach, and in patients of this size, they have to shrink the liver before the doctor can operate. Weighing in the 600 lb range, their livers must be huge and full of fat. I've heard of fatty liver disease, but never realized until I started watching this series that it can be caused by obesity, not just excess alcohol intake. 

[Tabbygirl521]

I just rewatched. I missed this last night but in a Mom talking head she says that for a treat, she would get the kids $10 worth of 29-cent hamburgers and let them eat all they wanted. Sheesh. 

I think whoever upthread posted that Mom may have had chemo due to BC may be correct. It seems like her hair got linger over time and she quit wearing the cap. 

[cynicat]

7 hours ago, CarolMK said:

Also in regards to the gastric bypass or gastric sleeve surgery, the liver is right in front of the stomach, and in patients of this size, they have to shrink the liver before the doctor can operate. Weighing in the 600 lb range, their livers must be huge and full of fat. I've heard of fatty liver disease, but never realized until I started watching this series that it can be caused by obesity, not just excess alcohol intake. 

The high protein/low fat diet is definitely intended to shrink the liver.  It's even more crucial than it used to be since they are doing these surgeries endoscopically rather than opening the patient up.  It's a really tight space in which to maneuver even in a healthy patient.  Also, fatty livers are very friable which makes them prone to fracture and hemorrhage.  That plus the importance of the patient being able to commit to a plan are both excellent reasons for a pre-op diet and weight loss.

 

13 hours ago, WhatsUpDummy said:

In some ways I liked this episode. David did really well and really got his shit together. Well done, David.  Bitchy Benji, on the other hand, and his endless complaining got on my last nerve. He’s pushing 600 pounds and thinks he doesn’t need to do anything because his brother was nearly 800? Give me a break. 

I'm with you.  I thought Benji was kind of an Eeyore throughout the whole thing and was dragged along because of his brother.  He lost weight in spite of himself, and was still a sad sack at the end.  David was a delight!  Still, I'm thrilled for them both.  

[Pondlass1]

I wonder if Dr. Now knew about those infected teeth before he operated.  

Look after your teeth - not just for looks, but for general good health.  I find cleaning my teeth after a meal tends to stop me wanting a sweet treat.

[HelloOutThere]

Benji was a total case of a sibling in denial of his own problem because he was smaller than his brother. He looked shell shocked when Dr. Now called him out on the first visit and told him he is on the same path as David - and in fact likely to get even bigger than him. Dr. Now handled that convo, and the subsequent ones about Benji’s lack of progress, perfectly. I honestly wish more doctors these days had bedside manners like Dr. Now. No BS and to the point. Especially in these life or death scenarios! My dental hygienist is no BS and I really appreciate it. But judging from the bad reviews I see of my hygienist in reviews of the dental practice online, I am in the extreme minority. 

I haven’t had a chance to read through the live chat thread yet and it’s probably been mentioned there, but did anyone catch the new variation of AH MY LAYG in this episode when David was miserable on that first car ride to see Dr. Now? He let out a nice AH MY LAYG’S NUMB!! I giggled. 

[calpurnia99]

14 hours ago, Mothra said:

Clearly, you will never be a candidate for this show!  You have a healthy attitude towards food and obviously eat to live, not live to eat.

But I have to point out that your objections to the 1200 calorie a day diet sound an awful lot like the objections of the folks on the show who find excuses not to follow the diet and fail to lose weight.  Yes, I think Dr. Now's 1200 calorie diet is just that, 1200 calories, and I do not believe he builds in an extra 1000 calories of "cheating" in his expectations.  Twelve hundred calories a day is plenty for a person who is unable to get out of bed, for one thing, and for another, this is not necessarily the long-term diet patients are expected to follow; it's meant to test patients' ability to feel deprived and not give in--it's intended to be hard for them to stick to, because once they have their surgery, their success will depend on their ability to be careful about what they eat for the rest of their lives.  If they can't control their eating habit, they'll stretch out their stomachs and regain all the weight, and probably more.

I also think it's wonderful to see these morbidly obese patients' surprise and delight when they realize that following a low-calorie diet can allow them to lose immense amounts of weight--almost every patient on this show says she's "tried everything" to lose weight, that "diets don't work for me"--because they've never really stuck to a diet.  They need the surgery to help them eat less, but they still have the important part of the plan:  to control what goes in their mouths.

I think everything you say is true about a person who does not have an eating disorder or addiction.

 

My main and only objection to the 1200 calorie a day diet is constant terrible hunger. This is nothing like the objections and excuses of the patients on the show. Of course they need to feel deprivation before the surgery and they need to follow a plan, but if you are unable to sleep because your stomach is physically hurting from growling, I don't see how one can do it. I think the bedbound ones have less hunger because they are so sedentary. A mobile person is going to be so hungry on 1200 calories a day that they may get headaches and feel faint. Feeling deprivation is one thing but being too hungry to sleep or function is totally another. I understand all the reasons for them losing weight and learning to eat a lot less. I think this can be done on 1500 or 1800 calories a day even up to 2000 calories a day of the right food. Someone going from 10,000 calories a day of junk to 2000 calories a day of healthy foods is going to feel deprived and a big massive change and is still going to lose 10 pounds a week. And they will learn that they can eat much less and healthy and feel just fine, and it's not horrible. 1200 calories a day is horrible due to the extreme hunger pains. I don't feel it is necessary for these people to reach their goals. I feel 1800 calories a day makes a lot more sense and will still lead to a huge rapid weight loss in a person carrying and extra 400-500 pounds.

I do actually  not have a healthy relationship with food. I had been a yo yo dieter all my life and i am an emotional eater, a boredom eater and I love food and I use every excuse to eat. I hate being fat so I have to deprive myself on a daily basis. I have been a diet my whole life. Anytime I have tried 1200 calories or any no carb diet, I have been unable to function or sleep and i only weigh 140 pounds  Being absolutely starving and miserable is not good I don't are if you are about to get this surgery.. I guess no one agrees with me here on this but I can't function on 1200 calorie a day diet, physically I am sick and lightheaded and faint. I don't see how a 600 pound man going out to work could either. 

Edited March 16, 2018 by calpurnia99

[SunnyBeBe]

Maybe, I'm not the best person to comment on a 1200 calorie a day diet. I find that I eat more from habit, boredom, amusement, etc. than hunger.  I don't think I gauge my hunger too well.  I think I can totally ignore it or overeat when I don't even feel it. lol  If I'm real busy, I'll forget to eat, though, I must be hungry.  And, I'll snack at night, when I know I'm not hungry at all.  Poor habits that are hard to break.  Just the other day at work, I was super busy and a colleague said, man, you must be starving, can't you hear your stomach growling? I hadn't even noticed. It was past 2:00 p.m. and I hadn't even thought about eating. Too busy.  I try to plan my eating better most days though. I like to have a certain thing mid morning (combine breakfast and lunch) and then have dinner. My endocrinologist has told me not to worry about skipping meals. he said that barely eating is fine. lol Seriously.  I'm a type I diabetic and he is tops in his field. So, when people are worried that I haven't eaten, I try to explain not to freak out about it. 

On the show it appeared that David wasn't struggling too much with his diet.  Benji seemed grumpy, even though he was cheating.  Still, he lost a lot, so, I wonder how he will do long term. 

Edited March 16, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[ClareWalks]

I thought it was pretty shitty for Mary to just get more and more pissed off as the year went on. She had said at the beginning that she nearly didn't start a relationship with David because of his size (presumably she thought she'd end up his caretaker and didn't want to), which I thought was smart and meant she would be supportive of his weight loss. Then she just put a puss on and never took it off. I don't think she wanted to be "the fat, ugly one" in the relationship. At least Benji's wife would work out with him, even though she didn't seem to lose much weight herself. Mary just sat there scowling the whole time.

[Tabbygirl521]

2 hours ago, cynicat said:

The high protein/low fat diet is definitely intended to shrink the liver.  It's even more crucial than it used to be since they are doing these surgeries endoscopically rather than opening the patient up.  It's a really tight space in which to maneuver even in a healthy patient.  Also, fatty livers are very friable which makes them prone to fracture and hemorrhage.  That plus the importance of the patient being able to commit to a plan are both excellent reasons for a pre-op diet and weight loss.

 

I'm with you.  I thought Benji was kind of an Eeyore throughout the whole thing and was dragged along because of his brother.  He lost weight in spite of himself, and was still a sad sack at the end.  David was a delight!  Still, I'm thrilled for them both.  

I agree about Benji but I wonder if part of his post-weight loss attitude was due to the hurricane-related trauma and all the work to recover his home. He must be so mentally exhausted. 

[cynicat]

7 minutes ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

I agree about Benji but I wonder if part of his post-weight loss attitude was due to the hurricane-related trauma and all the work to recover his home. He must be so mentally exhausted. 

He was a Debby Downer before the hurricane, otherwise I would agree.

[aliya]

On 3/15/2018 at 1:25 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

I wish they would spend some time on the long range aftercare. Like, what are they eating a year down the road and they are at goal weight. I mean, how much is really sustainable.  

My mom asked her doctor about the Keto diet (no to low carb), if it was safe, etc.  He said, it's okay, because you won't stay on it long enough for it to have any negative effects.  No one does.  It's not sustainable. I'm not sure if that is true, but, I wonder what Dr. Now advises his clients to do for their maintenance plan. 

I disagree with your mom's doctor. My endos & doctors have been begging me, as a diabetic, to do something close to keto for years. I had issues being a vegetarian and most people think of keto as meat based. It isn't the easiest thing, but it is certainly doable long term as a vegetarian, less so as a vegan.  You do end up eating a bit more carbs, but there's a big difference between the 40-60 net carbs I eat now and the 300-400 I was eating before.  Many doctors see the benefits of a keto, or certainly low carb, diet for diabetics - and one that they can sustain for a life time, because they have to to keep blood sugars down.  Dr. Bernstein, a Type 1 diabetic now in his late 70's or early 80's, has been treating patients with very low carb diets for decades. He has lived longer than most Type 1s because of his sustained low blood sugars that have not damaged his body with diabetic complications (tho  he had some before he went low carb).

Also, people with hard to treat epilepsy have been living on keto diets for years to reduce seizures. I audit human subjects research and know that there are 1. ongoing studies with keto or keto-like diets and 2. peer-reviewed literature showing the benefits of these low carb programs for many conditions.

I knew for years that low carb was the way to control my diabetes, but didn't know how to do it w/o meat (or eggs,  when I was vegan). Now there are a number of veg*n keto sites showing how to do it and it's fantastic. I'm down to a fraction of my insulin and hope to be off of my meds in maybe another month or so. Many people follow this way of life - it's a choice everyday. Pretty much the same as Dr Now's patients - they are going to have to make choices everyday post surgery. Their long term success is up to them.

Edited March 16, 2018 by aliya

[Tabbygirl521]

2 minutes ago, aliya said:

I disagree with your mom's doctor. My endos & doctors have been begging me, as a diabetic, to do something close to keto for years. I had issues being a vegetarian and most people think of keto as meat based. It isn't the easiest thing, but it is certainly doable long term as a vegetarian, less so as a vegan.  You do end up eating a bit more carbs, but there's a big difference between the 40-60 net carbs I eat now and the 300-400 I was eating before.  Many doctors see the benefits of a keto, or certainly low carb, diet for diabetics - and one that they can sustain for a life time, because they have to to keep blood sugars down.  Dr. Bernstein, a Type 1 diabetic now in his late 70's or early 80's, has been treating patients with very low carb diets for decades. He has lived longer than most Type 1s because of his sustained low blood sugars that have not damaged his body with diabetic complications (tho  he had some before he went low carb).

Also, people with hard to treat epilepsy have been living on keto diets for years to reduce seizures. I audit human subjects research and know that there are 1. ongoing studies with keto or keto-like diets and 2. peer-reviewed literature showing the benefits of these low carb programs for many conditions.

I knew for years that low carb was the way to control my diabetes, but didn't know how to do it w/o meat (or eggs,  when I was vegan). Now there are a number of veg*n keto sites showing how to do it and it's fantastic. I'm down to a fraction of my insulin and hope to be off of my meds in maybe another month or so. Many people follow this way of life - it's a choice everyday. Pretty much the same as Dr Now's patients - they are going to have to make choices everyday post surgery. There long term success is up to them.

This is wonderful! Congratulations. 

Do you know anything about whether a keto  diet is OK for very young children? My grandbabies’ new stepmom is on a keto diet. She is not imposing it on anyone, but I just got to thinking about this in case the kids (3 year olds) start mimicking her eating. They adore her and I could see them copying her. I may copy her myself!

[libgirl2]

28 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

I thought it was pretty shitty for Mary to just get more and more pissed off as the year went on. She had said at the beginning that she nearly didn't start a relationship with David because of his size (presumably she thought she'd end up his caretaker and didn't want to), which I thought was smart and meant she would be supportive of his weight loss. Then she just put a puss on and never took it off. I don't think she wanted to be "the fat, ugly one" in the relationship. At least Benji's wife would work out with him, even though she didn't seem to lose much weight herself. Mary just sat there scowling the whole time.

rumor has it that David has moved on. Nothing confirmed yet. 

[Light]

1 hour ago, calpurnia99 said:

My main and only objection to the 1200 calorie a day diet is constant terrible hunger. This is nothing like the objections and excuses of the patients on the show. Of course they need to feel deprivation before the surgery and they need to follow a plan, but if you are unable to sleep because your stomach is physically hurting from growling, I don't see how one can do it. I think the bedbound ones have less hunger because they are so sedentary. A mobile person is going to be so hungry on 1200 calories a day that they may get headaches and feel faint. Feeling deprivation is one thing but being too hungry to sleep or function is totally another. I understand all the reasons for them losing weight and learning to eat a lot less. I think this can be done on 1500 or 1800 calories a day even up to 2000 calories a day of the right food. Someone going from 10,000 calories a day of junk to 2000 calories a day of healthy foods is going to feel deprived and a big massive change and is still going to lose 10 pounds a week. And they will learn that they can eat much less and healthy and feel just fine, and it's not horrible. 1200 calories a day is horrible due to the extreme hunger pains. I don't feel it is necessary for these people to reach their goals. I feel 1800 calories a day makes a lot more sense and will still lead to a huge rapid weight loss in a person carrying and extra 400-500 pounds.

I do actually  not have a healthy relationship with food. I had been a yo yo dieter all my life and i am an emotional eater, a boredom eater and I love food and I use every excuse to eat. I hate being fat so I have to deprive myself on a daily basis. I have been a diet my whole life. Anytime I have tried 1200 calories or any no carb diet, I have been unable to function or sleep and i only weigh 140 pounds  Being absolutely starving and miserable is not good I don't are if you are about to get this surgery.. I guess no one agrees with me here on this but I can't function on 1200 calorie a day diet, physically I am sick and lightheaded and faint. I don't see how a 600 pound man going out to work could either. 

I do agree that 1200 would be way too hard for a 600 L.B. person to do for a day, let alone a month. Lying awake all night, headaches, etc. If they eat very low carb/high protein it helps with the hunger, but I agree they could still lose weight quickly at first if they took in more calories than 1200. I was very surprised the first time I watched this show and saw Dr. Now say they had to do 1200 cals. That’s hard at a healthy weight!  I agree with you, and suspect it is possible  that he builds in “wiggle room” by making the goal tough, at least at the start.  Once they get closer to their goal weight, they do need to eat close to 1200 to keep losing. I do think David probably did do close to 1200 his first two months because he lost something like 83 pounds at one of his weigh-ins. Amazing!

[Mothra]

3 hours ago, calpurnia99 said:

My main and only objection to the 1200 calorie a day diet is constant terrible hunger. This is nothing like the objections and excuses of the patients on the show. Of course they need to feel deprivation before the surgery and they need to follow a plan, but if you are unable to sleep because your stomach is physically hurting from growling, I don't see how one can do it. I think the bedbound ones have less hunger because they are so sedentary. A mobile person is going to be so hungry on 1200 calories a day that they may get headaches and feel faint. Feeling deprivation is one thing but being too hungry to sleep or function is totally another. I understand all the reasons for them losing weight and learning to eat a lot less. I think this can be done on 1500 or 1800 calories a day even up to 2000 calories a day of the right food. Someone going from 10,000 calories a day of junk to 2000 calories a day of healthy foods is going to feel deprived and a big massive change and is still going to lose 10 pounds a week. And they will learn that they can eat much less and healthy and feel just fine, and it's not horrible. 1200 calories a day is horrible due to the extreme hunger pains. I don't feel it is necessary for these people to reach their goals. I feel 1800 calories a day makes a lot more sense and will still lead to a huge rapid weight loss in a person carrying and extra 400-500 pounds.

I do actually  not have a healthy relationship with food. I had been a yo yo dieter all my life and i am an emotional eater, a boredom eater and I love food and I use every excuse to eat. I hate being fat so I have to deprive myself on a daily basis. I have been a diet my whole life. Anytime I have tried 1200 calories or any no carb diet, I have been unable to function or sleep and i only weigh 140 pounds  Being absolutely starving and miserable is not good I don't are if you are about to get this surgery.. I guess no one agrees with me here on this but I can't function on 1200 calorie a day diet, physically I am sick and lightheaded and faint. I don't see how a 600 pound man going out to work could either. 

 

I fully believe you when you say you can't function on 1200 calories a day, but I think most people would be able to, especially if they were trying to lose weight. The USDA says a woman 5'4" 126lbs between the ages 20 and 50 needs between 1800 and 2200 calories a day to maintain that weight.  The calorie spread covers different levels of activity.  A person that size wanting to lose weight (ha--as if!) would need to cut 3500 calories for each pound lost.  IOW, if she wanted to lose a pound a week, she'd have to cut about 500 calories a day, or go on a 1300-1700 calorie diet.  I do think you're unusual in your sensitivity to reduced calories--even on 1000 calories/day I have never been unable to sleep because of hunger--but what do I know?  I'm glad you're not in a situation where you need to go on a strict diet! : )

Edited March 16, 2018 by Mothra
math is *hard*

[pagooey]

On 3/15/2018 at 9:39 AM, Pepper Mostly said:

I am convinced that someone on the show's production staff reads here, and is giving us a shoutout every time someone yells "Ow, mah laig!". There seems to be one in almost every episode now! And I laugh like a hyena every time because I am a bad person.

I never make it to the live thread in time, living on the west coast...but I read through a bit after it's closed. There was nearly a whole-page flurry of OW MAH LAIG posts and comments that erupted at the appropriate interval in the thread, and that made me howl too. :D

[aliya]

On 3/15/2018 at 6:56 AM, Any day now said:

I really wish Dr. Now would have looked over at Benji’s mother and wife who were at the appointments and say to them “it might not be a bad idea for you to follow the 1200 cal diet.” I mean – I realize that compared to 500 or 700 pounds, 250 to 300 pounds is small – but it’s not. There’s no reason in the world why Benji’s wife could not have gotten rid of all that crap in “her” cupboard and gone on the diet with him. Same with David’s girlfriend. Do they not see?

I agree, but she isn't his patient. If she asked, "Is this something I can do, too?" then sure. But she isn't there for the surgery, she isn't there for his advice, and she doesn't have to stop her poor eating habits just 'cause Benji needs to eat differently. It absolutely makes no sense, looking at her and it being so obvious that she could benefit from a little dietary intervention, but there you are. I'm sure Dr Now has probably done that a few times, only to have family members jump in his face about they aren't the ones there for surgery.

[Granny58]

3 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

rumor has it that David has moved on. Nothing confirmed yet. 

I checked the link upthread and there's a picture of a David with a woman who doesn't look like Mary.  Could just be someone who wants a picture with somebody "famous," or a new girlfriend. 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Pounders,

Let's take discussions of posters' personal diets over to the Small Talk Thread.  Ah, Small Talk, where all of your non-show-specific dreams come true.  Share your personal stories!  Chat amongst yourselves!  Be a Pounder amongst Pounders!  Learn who most recently said, "Ow, mah layg!" (Hint:  It may have been your kitty Mod). 

Thanks!

[Hellohappylife]

On 3/15/2018 at 8:30 PM, Sterling said:

I didn't think of that....the dentist doing it for airtime.  Very possible!

I cannot remember not having regular dental visits either.  We were scraping to stay middle class, my mother clipped coupons, my dad worked long hours, but....we always went to the dentist.  Then again, my mom wasn't blowing money on idiotic pageants.

Exactly! Even if they didn’t have money  growing up it’s still not a good excuse. You’re the mother that’s your job to provide adequate health insurance that’s  why Medicaid exists to help those truly in need.  

Avoiding check-ups will only end up costing you more money & loss of teeth that can’t be fixed. A regular check up would  have easily prevented it. 

Part of me wonders if she did not really want David. She focused her time on the other kids,gave them Medicare all while he was left out of everything in the family. 

Plus her teeth were nothing to brag about. 

[Bubblebuddy]

Is it just me or does David look like the Matchmaker from Mulan? YOU WILL NEVER BRING YOUR FAMILY HONOR.

I feel bad saying that because he was so neat. He genuinely seems like he cares about himself and his family, unlike some people who just want to get on the show.

[Scarlett45]

3 hours ago, Hellohappylife said:

Part of me wonders if she did not really want David. She focused her time on the other kids,gave them Medicare all while he was left out of everything in the family. 

Plus her teeth were nothing to brag about. 

This is possible. David was the oldest yes? Not excusing her behavior (because it wasn’t okay), but I could see her resenting David unfairly for a variety of reasons (violence around his conception, not wanting to have him, anger at his dad etc) and although she cared about him because he is her son, she consciously or unconsciously excluded him emotionally and physically from other family activities. It happens more than you think. 

There are people who do struggle to provide their children with basic needs despite lots of hard work and effort, but not taking your child to the dentist when you are spending money on pagents is not acceptable. 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Pounders,

That shiny gold note above that requests you take personal tales of weight loss or gain, what you eat, why you eat it, what diets you have or haven't done, etc. to the Small Talk thread may seem like a friendly little aside.  It's not.  It's a Mod note directing the conversation to the correct thread.  Heed it.

If you have something to say about Benji and David's episode, THEIR "eating habit", THEIR family, THEIR relationship, Benji's enviable indoor pool . . .  post in here. 

If you would like to share about YOUR or YOUR friend's or YOUR relative's whatever, unless it is directly related to Benji and David, take it to Small Talk. 

Some posts have been moved to Small Talk.  Let's take the extra moment to find the right thread and stay on topic.  

[4N6MAL]

On 3/15/2018 at 1:55 AM, Tabbygirl521 said:

Mary looked heavier to me as time went on. They don’t seem like a long-term success couple. 

My girlfriend said the same thing. But she says it a lot and most of the time I don't see it at all. Benji's wife seemed to be on board at the end.

[lightninggirl]

On 3/15/2018 at 9:09 AM, AirQuotes said:

My only complaint was the guy complaining about not being able to cook "healthy meals" in that kitchen. 

THANK YOU. I was displaced for 3.5 months after Hurricane Irma took out half of my house, and for the first 1.5 months had to live in a similar suite. A two-burner stove and a microwave (or even without) with a full or 3/4 fridge with a freezer is MORE than adequate! I had been on a ketogenic diet for almost 5 months at that point, and was able to cook/keep keto easily in the hotel suite. Just another excuse for Benji in the beginning, but he did lose weight during that time so he didn't even need that excuse.