S06.E11: Renee's Story

[PrincessPurrsALot]

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A former plus-size model and "big is beautiful" advocate, Renee now realizes the mortal mistakes she has made as her weight swells to 600 pounds and her health deteriorates.

This is the regular episode thread.   It will unlock after the US East Coast showing.

[ShortyMac]

Did she smile even once in the whole episode?

Edited March 22, 2018 by ShortyMac

[calpurnia99]

I dont know why she is still using the wheel chair after losing 250 pounds when in the beginning she was walking okay. The taxi cab injury? Oh My lay yug?

[Deevee45]

People commented on the live post that her Facebook page showed a photo where she was quite large.... just want to point out it looked like it was taken before she went to Houston. 

[mmecorday]

Wow! I think this is the first time we've ever seen someone visit a bookstore on this show!

I'm sure her large breasts caused her a great deal of pain. I don't think I've ever seen natural breast that big.

Again, I thought she was going to be awful, but I ended up liking her. And I liked the fact that her son thanked Dr. Now for helping her.

[b2H]

@mmecorday, we’re she to have that surgery, she would lose 20 lbs right there, not to mention the back pain she must have.

[Starlight925]

The first time Renee smiled was when she was in the pool doing water aerobics.  I think that was a great exercise prescribed by Dr. Now, as it not only took away her excuses of not being able to walk, but it's just fun.  You could see that she was actually enjoying herself, and she even high-fived the instructor.

When she smiled, it looked like she has no upper teeth, hence her lower jaw jutting out improperly.  I wonder if she would get dental care like David (of Benji & David).

She has been through way too much horrific abuse in her life.  I hope she sticks with the therapy and the weight loss and can make some new friends.

[Kenzie]

It would take an Erector Set multi-cable bra worn in NASA's zero gravity chamber to float those breasts upward.

[gardendiva]

She ended up losing about a third of her body weight by the end of the show, but she did not really look different to me at the end. I have noticed this with some of the other patients on this show too. 

[WonTon]

I'm only a little way into this episode (I watch the next day OnDemand so I can skip the shower scenes - which I think are uncessarily humiliating, and the surgery scenes - because I'm a giantic, squeamish baby), but man this is a SAD and weird one. People will pay to watch you eat and sit on them?!?!?!? What have I been doing my whole life??? She's lucky to have her kids - they seem like really decent, loving children.

[SunnyBeBe]

I kept wondering why there didn't seem to be any attempt to harness the breasts.  I would think that if she could have put some sort of contraption on to get them up just a little, it would help her balance, skin and attitude.  I wonder if they will be addressed when she has skin surgery. 

Do you think that these patients just lie in a room with no pictures, decor or view and just stare at the walls for months on end?  When they are housed in Houston, there appears to be no tv, computer or anything for them to do.  Is that healthy?  Or are the cameras filming after they hide all that stuff?  I just don't get it.  It seems a little like solitary confinement in prison.  lol  

Edited March 22, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[Starlight925]

18 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I kept wondering why there didn't seem to be any attempt to harness the breasts.  I would think that if she could have put some sort of contraption on to get them up just a little, it would help her balance, skin and attitude.  I wonder if they will be addressed when she has skin surgery. 

Yes, poor woman, I wondered about the breasts too.  Seems she gave up on trying to wear a bra, and I bet anything she would try would be terribly uncomfortable.

It's so interesting how differently people carry their weight.  We've seen people with cankles so large they can't get a shoe on, but Renee's ankles were relatively small.  And other women with really small breasts but huge amounts of fat in other places.  Poor Renee carries so much in her breasts that it makes her look not so different, despite the 200+ weight loss.

Yes, I certainly hope the breasts are addressed during skin surgery.

[Jen Marie]

Just started watching. I guess Renee never heard of birth control. 

[WonTon]

Is she on some kind of drugs? She seems so out of it and slurring words?!?!? And, please TLC replace that therapist. Her Betty Boop voice drives me nuts!

[seniorpatriot]

This patient's habits were confusing to me. She talked about having to watch her grandkids play through a window, cause she had to stay put in her bed. Then before surgery or much weight loss you see her walking around with a walker, and sometimes in a wheelchair.  Why couldn't she sit outside some every day?  The editing in this show was not so good, as somebody kept messing up the timelines about her. She walked quite well when she wanted to, and yet complained how she was missing so much, because of her weight and not being able to go out, etc. 

As for her kids, maybe they were all sick of waiting on her hand and foot, but they seemed not so caring towards her.  Even the son didn't stay in Houston with her after something. I thought the kids were all rather selfish acting or as I said just fed up knowing she was doing a lot of faking.

Something about her irked me.  

[BuddhaBelly]

17 minutes ago, seniorpatriot said:

This patient's habits were confusing to me. She talked about having to watch her grandkids play through a window, cause she had to stay put in her bed. Then before surgery or much weight loss you see her walking around with a walker, and sometimes in a wheelchair.  Why couldn't she sit outside some every day?  The editing in this show was not so good, as somebody kept messing up the timelines about her. She walked quite well when she wanted to, and yet complained how she was missing so much, because of her weight and not being able to go out, etc. 

As for her kids, maybe they were all sick of waiting on her hand and foot, but they seemed not so caring towards her.  Even the son didn't stay in Houston with her after something. I thought the kids were all rather selfish acting or as I said just fed up knowing she was doing a lot of faking.

Something about her irked me.  

I think the kids were fine. I don't know too many people who could uproot their whole lives to move to another state for a parent who is pretty much in a situation of her own making, especially if they have their own children. Her son did manage to stay with her for two months.

I bet all of them were embarrassed and didn't want to be on tv more than they had to. 

[suzeecat]

For most of the show she seemed very "out of it".  Her eyes didn't focus, her mouth gaped open, she didn't really speak in sentences or even words at times, just "uh-huh" or "yuh".  I think maybe there was some "acting" going on, but by the end she was much more with it.  Those were the most pendulous breasts I have ever seen!  They were just - hypnotizing!  Besides what others have said about her on again off again use of the wheelchair, it really bugged me to see her feet dragging when they were pulling her in the wheelchair.  Why couldn't she put her feet on the footrests?

[Yokosmom]

I was yelling at her to use a wheelchair van for goodness sakes.  Then the son said much the same thing--don't they have specialized vehicles for this?  I think that he was embarassed by all of her yelling--he wanted to get off the street and out of the neighbors' sight ASAP.

Re her children--this is one of the few episodes where the family members were not obese themselves.  

Agree that she will feel 100% better once she gets breast reduction surgery--they looked incredibly painful to haul around.

[SunnyBeBe]

I got the sense the adult kids were done with her behavior and waiting on her. I think that she may have burned some bridges and they were just over it.  I get it. But, you still have compassion and her son really showed that.  The fall in the cab looked fake to me and I think her son knew that too.  She didn't want to face Dr. Now and the fact she wasn't following the diet nor the therapy, so that was her way out.  But, it backfired and she had to face it anyway.  She didn't really injure her laaag. 

When someone in my family went to a wheelchair, I discovered that for people who are in them long term, they often remove the food rests, because they want the patient to use their feet and legs in propelling themselves as much as possible.  If you don't use it, you lose it. That's the saying.  I think that many of these patients that we see on this show have more of a psychological need for a wheelchair than a physical need. They seem to have developed a phobia toward mobility. 

[Tabbygirl521]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

When someone in my family went to a wheelchair, I discovered that for people who are in them long term, they often remove the food rests, because they want the patient to use their feet and legs in propelling themselves as much as possible.  If you don't use it, you lose it. That's the saying.  

Now, don’t be giving these folks any ideas...?

(Seriously, though, thanks for this insight.)

[novhappy]

I'm a new watcher. I've seen mentioned in these threads references to follow up shows. Are there always follow up shows? When are they shown?  

[CoachWristletJen]

4 hours ago, Jen Marie said:

Just started watching. I guess Renee never heard of birth control. 

One thing I've noticed, and I hate to say it, but a lot of people on the show don't seem terribly bright. Renee was another one who sort of said one word at a time. And, her problem solving skills were like, zilch. Once they determined that she had too many limbs to successfully load her into the van, they went back into the house and gave up. That's the part of the show I'm on now, anyway.

James' girlfriend was like that, too. She sort of said one word at a time and didn't know how to do much beyond frying things. It's sad really. Seriously, if they took the mean IQ of people on this show it would be well below the national average.

So, yes, babies by multiple fathers, having them whenever they come out. Maybe paying rent. And,  um, teeth optional.

3 hours ago, Yokosmom said:

I was yelling at her to use a wheelchair van for goodness sakes.  Then the son said much the same thing--don't they have specialized vehicles for this?  I think that he was embarassed by all of her yelling--he wanted to get off the street and out of the neighbors' sight ASAP.

Re her children--this is one of the few episodes where the family members were not obese themselves.  

Agree that she will feel 100% better once she gets breast reduction surgery--they looked incredibly painful to haul around.

This is one episode where the family decided that they just didn't want to put up with the 600 pounder's abusive bullsh%t.  

It's seriously not fair for them to let themselves get so large that they need their children to wipe their asses and bring them food round the clock. It's seriously not fair that some of these people stop being useful parents and do nothing but squall and make demands like petulant children. And, in most cases, the family just goes along with it. 

Not so here. These people were not afraid to say, "We don't want to put up with your crap."

They deposited her in Houston and never looked back. Renee sat there in Houston missing her family, and they missed her... not a bit.

Because she was as Dr. Now described, a burden.

[Noirprncess]

I guess "ow ma lag" is the new catch phrase of the show.

 

I think Renee was a textbook example of a person that's given up on life.  At this point, they are just existing and not enjoying life.

[auntjess]

12 hours ago, Kenzie said:

t would take an Erector Set multi-cable bra worn in NASA's zero gravity chamber to float those breasts upward

Like Howard Hughes designing a bra for Jane Russell.  https://hiddenremote.com/2014/08/05/outlaw-jane-russells-breasts-howard-hughes-quest-build-better-bra/

6 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

When they are housed in Houston, there appears to be no tv, computer or anything for them to do.  Is that healthy?

I've seen TVs, and most have either an iPad or smartphone or computer.

2 hours ago, novhappy said:

I'm a new watcher. I've seen mentioned in these threads references to follow up shows. Are there always follow up shows? When are they shown?  

There are follow-ups on some, and of course the person has to agree to it.  Also, some here follow some of the people on Facebook or such, and will post updates.
I always hope the show gets renewed so we find out.

[Pepper Mostly]

30 minutes ago, Noirprncess said:

I guess "ow ma lag" is the new catch phrase of the show.

I wait for it every episode now. Last night was a real "ow mah laig" bonanza! And a bonus "ow mah arm!". If collapsing with laughter every time I hear that immortal phrase uttered by one of our 600 pounders as they're being shoved into a taxi, ambulance or horse trailer is wrong, I don't want to be right.

[the-grey-lady]

17 hours ago, ShortyMac said:

Did she smile even once in the whole episode?

THIS.

Good Lord, this was one depressing two hours. I wondered more than once why Renee was even bothering with Dr. Now, since she didn't seem to care whether she lived or died. Even Dr. Now's pronouncements regarding her heart and kidney failures were met with almost no reaction. And her backstory was one of the saddest I've ever heard. I so hope we get a happy update on Renee at some point in the future.

[Yokosmom]

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Good Lord, this was one depressing two hours. I wondered more than once why Renee was even bothering with Dr. Now, since she didn't seem to care whether she lived or died. Even Dr. Now's pronouncements regarding her heart and kidney failures were met with almost no reaction.

She did appear happy in the pool.  And I think that when she actually managed to lose some real weight on her own (not in hospital), she seemed a little happy.  But yes, generally speaking, she was pretty down most of the time.

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And her backstory was one of the saddest I've ever heard. 

If her stories about her mother are true, (and I assume that they are) then she had one heck of horrible mother. 

[AVM]

7 hours ago, WonTon said:

I'm only a little way into this episode (I watch the next day OnDemand so I can skip the shower scenes - which I think are uncessarily humiliating, and the surgery scenes - because I'm a giantic, squeamish baby), but man this is a SAD and weird one. People will pay to watch you eat and sit on them?!?!?!? What have I been doing my whole life??? She's lucky to have her kids - they seem like really decent, loving children.

Amen, We got to learn about two perversions "squashing " and watching fat people eat ! i glad it ended good for her ...

[libgirl2]

14 minutes ago, AVM said:

Amen, We got to learn about two perversions "squashing " and watching fat people eat ! i glad it ended good for her ...

While I know she was making money doing that, I can't help but feel people who like that are taking advantage of these people who have issues such as depression and addiction. 

She did seem happy in the pool. 

Edited March 22, 2018 by libgirl2

[cynicat]

51 minutes ago, the-grey-lady said:

Good Lord, this was one depressing two hours. I wondered more than once why Renee was even bothering with Dr. Now, since she didn't seem to care whether she lived or died. Even Dr. Now's pronouncements regarding her heart and kidney failures were met with almost no reaction. And her backstory was one of the saddest I've ever heard. I so hope we get a happy update on Renee at some point in the future.

Renee was hard for me to figure out, although her weird flat affect was screaming depression.  While she didn't seem to want to do much to help herself, she still got into this program on her own and was somewhat self-motivated so that's a bit conflicting. She even did the water aerobics and saw a therapist, 2 things that most people on this show totally blow off.  I guess there's still a survival spark in there somewhere.  I was initially put off by her lack of emotion until she spoke with Dr. Baby Voice and we found out about her mother.  I feel awful for what she went through, and for my first impression. 

[QuinnInND]

With regard to her not smiling. It looked from what I could see that she didn't have a full set of teeth, and maybe that was part of why she wasn't smiling. 

[LuvMyShows]

I had noticed the thin ankles too and was very surprised.

Although she still was big at the end, I could definitely see that she had lost weight.  

The biggest positive emotion I saw her have was when Dr Now approved the weight-loss surgery. 

I would actually think that having the breasts be so pendulous would be much more uncomfortable than rigging up something that keeps them more up.  Just brainstorming here because, well, my wind wandered there ....she could sew two towels together, and make something that would let her basically deposit the breasts, then fold the towel over to keep the breasts in place; strong velcro to fasten in the back, and some kind of strong reinforcement of the towel under the breast area.  

[Granny58]

8 hours ago, seniorpatriot said:

As for her kids, maybe they were all sick of waiting on her hand and foot, but they seemed not so caring towards her.  Even the son didn't stay in Houston with her after something. I thought the kids were all rather selfish acting or as I said just fed up knowing she was doing a lot of faking.

I just figured they had to work (hoping that was the case, anyway).  In the end I liked her son.  He cleaned himself up and was respectful.  

[jacksgirl]

Late to party, was on vaca for live feed and am just catching up. Her naval was HUGE!! Gonna have to go back to read closed live discussion to see how fast someone posted about it. Am guessing first 5 minutes.

[calpurnia99]

I rewatched her ankle was not thin. It was a shadow. Half her ankle was blended into the background by a dark shadow and it made it look like she had a tiny ankle. LOL!

No one has ankles that skinny! And only one ankle looked skinny, the other was normal. Optical Illusion.

[kicotan]

This was one of the saddest episodes I've seen.  All around.  I felt sorry for her for her situation and equally as sorry for her kids for having to deal with her situation,  more than most.  Maybe it is because she didn't seem too bright to begin with, I don't know.

How she managed to only lose 8 pounds in two months on her own was pretty amazing, unless they didn't film the take-out she had delivered, but that whole deal about her kidney failure and heart failure and not being able to breathe~my goodness, if that isn't a wake up call to stop stuffing your face with KFC, what is?

[calpurnia99]

Yeah you have to wonder who helped her set up her online webcam business. I mean someone had to help her, she could never have figured that out on her own. I wonder if this person took a big cut. It also seems that the squashing is such an unusual fetish. I mean how many customers can one have if you have to meet them in person? Looks like they lived in rural Georgia. Maybe the people drive to her? I did hear about squashing on Whitney thors show, they had set up a scene where her and her morbidly obese friend go out to a bar and meet 2 guys. The guys ask them if they were squashers. Of course it was all a set up for the show.

[WhatsUpDummy]

2 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

I would actually think that having the breasts be so pendulous would be much more uncomfortable than rigging up something that keeps them more up.  Just brainstorming here because, well, my wind wandered there ....she could sew two towels together, and make something that would let her basically deposit the breasts, then fold the towel over to keep the breasts in place; strong velcro to fasten in the back, and some kind of strong reinforcement of the towel under the breast area.  

I was thinking maybe a makeshift sarong. Just get a long, stretchy piece of fabric and learn how to wrap it around her chest and shoulders and get those suckers pulled up. I can’t even imagine how painful it is to have breasts that big and heavy hanging so low. 

[aliya]

Yet again we have an obesee who won't get a home health aide and makes family wait on them hand and foot.  Ha! I originally typed "hand and food." No kidding.

Somebody is getting what they want from this set up. You can't tell me that, even in Georgia, the state or county doesn't have someone who can come in - even if it's just during the day. 

I don't know what to call these people - they aren't the 'star' of the show, they aren't really part of a cast, etc. I'm going to call them the 'obesee' from now on unless someone has something better. 

[Mswldflwr]

Gotta say, did not like Rene at the beginning of the show.  I just dislike people who make a career out of playing victim and doing absolutely nothing to help themselves.  It took probably an hour and 45 minutes to decide I was rooting for her.  How sad your life has to be to be okay with being a Squasher and a Feedee.  Granted, she clearly made many poor life choices, but doesn't sound like she had a good base to start with.  I really do hope she continues to do well.  And if the show doesn't choose to do something about her breasts when it's time, I think I'd personally start a crowdfunding for her because those things are just so, so bad.

[xwordfanatik]

I DVR the episodes and watch the next morning.  Those massive boobs made me cringe, I don't remember ever seeing anything like that on this show.

Serious question, can one get lymphedema in the breasts?  It seems like it happens in the abdomen and legs frequently on this show.

Possibly the reason why Renee didn't smile was because of not having upper teeth?  Yeah, I'm sure her kids were more than sick of being her caretakers, I know I wouldn't have the patience.  Kudos to her son that helped her after surgery, and Dr. Now seemed to think Renee would succeed in her journey.

I have to admit, I looked forward to, "ow my leggg" (from the preview) and that I laughed.  I do wish her well, and hope Renee can live independently, and her kids can just visit, and not have to be at her beck and call.  

[QuinnInND]

44 minutes ago, aliya said:

 

I don't know what to call these people - they aren't the 'star' of the show, they aren't really part of a cast, etc. I'm going to call them the 'obesee' from now on unless someone has something better. 

Subject?  That sounds kind of bad too. 

[Mswldflwr]

Participant, contender, case study, player, entrant, contestant, challenger, hopeful, applicant, wanna-be.

[aliya]

10 minutes ago, QuinnInND said:

Subject?  That sounds kind of bad too. 

I'm in human subjects research ethics. Nope, they aren't subjects and they aren't participants. 

[LordOfLotion]

2 hours ago, calpurnia99 said:

Yeah you have to wonder who helped her set up her online webcam business. I mean someone had to help her, she could never have figured that out on her own. I wonder if this person took a big cut. It also seems that the squashing is such an unusual fetish. I mean how many customers can one have if you have to meet them in person? Looks like they lived in rural Georgia. Maybe the people drive to her? I did hear about squashing on Whitney thors show, they had set up a scene where her and her morbidly obese friend go out to a bar and meet 2 guys. The guys ask them if they were squashers. Of course it was all a set up for the show.

You don't have to meet them in person. Some of them just like to watch you eat... or whatever. These guys will order food for the obese women to watch them eat it. If they want to see the women eat pancakes, they will pay for pancakes. They will buy the outfits for the women to wear while they eat the food. I'm sure they will watch other men being squished, and the women will do it, all for a small fee. Use your imagination.

[Stusan]

Speaking of some sort of boulder holder, I've often wondered why someone has never made custom slings (for lack of a better word) for people's lymphademas. There have been several lymphademas where they are hanging in such a way that it would seem that you could make a holster that would at least allow your back and shoulders to take the brunt of the load versus having it swing and pull the skin and pull you down. 

Maybe there's a new business in my future. 

Nope.  I wouldn't want to deal with the people!

[Quof]

Quote

Participant, contender, case study, player, entrant, contestant, challenger, hopeful, applicant, wanna-be.

 

On What Not To Wear, they were "contributors".  You know, instead of "slobs".

[auntjess]

4 minutes ago, LordOfLotion said:

You don't have to meet them in person.

Well you do the squashee, and I thought that was what the fetish was, to be squashed.
Someone mentioned liability, and I was thinking what and insurance agent would say if she asked for a liability policy.

[LordOfLotion]

1 minute ago, auntjess said:

Well you do the squashee, and I thought that was what the fetish was, to be squashed.
Someone mentioned liability, and I was thinking what and insurance agent would say if she asked for a liability policy.

Certainly you would have to meet the squashee in person. I couldn't begin to speculate about insurance.

[aliya]

17 minutes ago, LordOfLotion said:

You don't have to meet them in person. Some of them just like to watch you eat... or whatever. These guys will order food for the obese women to watch them eat it. If they want to see the women eat pancakes, they will pay for pancakes. They will buy the outfits for the women to wear while they eat the food. I'm sure they will watch other men being squished, and the women will do it, all for a small fee. Use your imagination.

I watch this woman on YT who is a big girl vegan. She does a lot of things on her channel - mainly clothes and makeup, and being a big girl doing exercise, but also food. The way she looks into the camera and talks about her food, you can.not tell me that she doesn't know (or isn't getting some Patreon support) from guys who like to see a big, pretty girl, eat on camera. Now that I think about it, she's everything Twit should have been, but isn't.