S06.E12: Sarah's Story

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

A 24-year-old woman weighs more than 600 pounds and is fighting for her life after a difficult childhood with an abusive stepfather and drug-addicted mother.

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

[PrincessPurrsALot]

You know the rules. Let's avoid discussing how money is being snatched from the public's wallet for the participants unless it’s specifically revealed on the show. Anything else is pure speculation not to mention also a slippery slope toward talking politics. 

[AVM]

A happy ending but A very boring show !

[aliya]

I had to do something and couldn't comment before the chat thread closed - I don't think she was able to maintain the straight hair because it's humid in Houston. You have to know what you're doing to keep very curly hair straight; it's probably best to have a relaxer and I bet she just had it blown out.  It looks great at first, and then not so much.  She needs to learn how to work with the curls. She's got tats and is young. She could carry off an edgier cut that took advantage of the curls -though she'd still need product.

[Bubblebuddy]

I was too late for the live chat but I will say this- that shit she was passing off as tater tots casserole is NOT what I'm used to eating. That looked like a pan of baked cheese and maybe one tot. You need the tots, ground meat (I use ground turkey), some cheese, and vegetables (which Sarah would OBVIOUSLY never touch) to make it good, and even then it's the kind of thing that you just feel guilty about liking. Why wouldn't she eat a bunch of mac and cheese or cake or pizza if she wanted to binge?

...anyway, this episode was boring and infuriating. I think she's going to gain all the weight back pretty soon, and one session of therapy is SO not enough for her and her mom. No wonder we only saw the two other daughters for about five minutes each.

[raiderred1]

All i could see was a true PCOS patient in Sarah and her mom. Buffalo back-check. Skin tags,especially on neck-check. Severe weight issues, obesity-check. I am shocked she didn`t have diabetes but maybe she has not been diagnosed but surely she is insulin resistant. I have several friends with this metabolic disorder and it really needs to be addessed by the healthcare industry. My best friend committd suicide 20 years ago and had all the signs of the disease. Now I don't think that is the reason for her suicide but she suffered from bi-polar disorder and I think many mental health issues can be traced back to hormones gone out of whack. It's simply a theory and ymmv. Unfortunately, I had to have a hysterectomy with ovaries removed and the balancing of hormones is truly for real. I have learned more than I ever wanted to about hormones but I can see so many diseases and problems that arise when they aren't fine tuned. I guarantee if they checked Sarah`s hormones her estrogen would be low and her testosterone and possibly her DHEA would be high. The world really needs to care more about women`s health because it is the bottom of the barrel.

I feel bad that Sarah's first experience with the ocean was Galveston. Pick. My husband was born and raised there and we both agree it is just not an appealing place. If they weren't going to leave Texas they should have gone to South Padre Island, much prettier beaches.

[Hellohappylife]

It’s sad how someone so young can get that huge. 

Like Sarah I am also 25 years old & from Dayton,OH (currently live in Milwaukee,WI)

but our lives are so opposite, I’m married,I have career,a social life,I often travel. I don’t see doing simple things like cleaning  my dishes or laundry on my own as an accomplishment. I don’t blame my parents for every wrong thing that ever happened to me. I realized after high school that kind of mindset was getting me nowhere fast.

Sarah’s Behavior & attitude were just so annoying, she took no responsibility for her choices. You can only Blame your parents for so long for every wrong thing that happened to you before you realize you need to let it go & move on.  How you cope with life is totally up to you,leave the teenage angst in the past. Otherwise you’re gonna miss out on some of the best years. 

It continues to baffle me every week how these people let something like Tater Tots ruin their quality of life.  

Edited March 29, 2018 by Hellohappylife

[suzeecat]

This episode really brought home how psychotherapy is just as, if not more important than, the stomach surgery.  Sarah's life so far has been extremely sad and I hope that now that she hasa taste of "normal" life and "normal" experiences that she will keep the motivation to truly change her lifestyle.  I was hoping to see that they eventually got more furniture than those two recliners but, no. 

[WonTon]

I really am SICK of the "we were traveling so we had to eat fast food" excuse. My husband got a job on the East coast six months ago. We spent a week driving from Utah, all the across the country. We managed to eat fairly healthy - Subway for lunch, or fast food places with salads or grilled options (and it's easy enough to Google to see what options any fairly known chain restaurant has to offer calorie-wise) and we would try to take at least a 45 minute walk every evening at our latest hotel. There are choices out there.

[libgirl2]

10 hours ago, AVM said:

A happy ending but A very boring show !

I liked it. I enjoy seeing people actually succeed. She had setbacks but she really focused at the end there. She was also honest with Dr. Now when she cheated. She didn't try to hide it and she went in right away to get weighed. 

50 minutes ago, WonTon said:

I really am SICK of the "we were traveling so we had to eat fast food" excuse. My husband got a job on the East coast six months ago. We spent a week driving from Utah, all the across the country. We managed to eat fairly healthy - Subway for lunch, or fast food places with salads or grilled options (and it's easy enough to Google to see what options any fairly known chain restaurant has to offer calorie-wise) and we would try to take at least a 45 minute walk every evening at our latest hotel. There are choices out there.

Yes, you can eat out and still make healthy choices. Subway is a good example like you said. 

[WonTon]

This had a nice ending and I feel happy for her, but it was kind of a boring episode. Although, when her personal trainer Derrik showed up, I was thinking "oh, ok, this was totally worth it."

Edited March 29, 2018 by WonTon

[libgirl2]

21 minutes ago, WonTon said:

This had a nice ending and I feel happy for her, but it was kind of a boring episode. Although, when her personal trainer Derrik showed up, I was thinking "oh, ok, this was totally worth it."

She worked hard and made no excuses at the gym. I was also pleased to see she wore actual work out clothes. 

[Morgalisa]

Dr. Now asked Mom to go on the diet as well. I dont know if I could see any difference in her. Skinny sister was not having any b.s. They are good candidates for family therapy. ..

The only reason she was able to make that trek thru the airport is because she is young. She could have been a lot more active at home had she not been so intent on punishing her mom.

She didn't look a lot bigger than Fabulous Whitney. Hmm. 

[libgirl2]

Just now, Morgalisa said:

Dr. Now asked Mom to go on the diet as well. I dont know if I could see any difference in her. Skinny sister was not having any b.s. They are good candidates for family therapy. ..

The only reason she was able to make that trek thru the airport is because she is young. She could have been a lot more active at home had she not been so intent on punishing her mom.

She didn't look a lot bigger than Fabulous Whitney. Hmm. 

No she didn't. 

[Trillium]

Note to producers, not all episodes need to be two hours. This was definitely one of them. 

That being said I’d like a brief update on her. I’m on the fence about long term success. I think she’ll hit the 200’s but I can also see her gaining it all back down the road. 

The tater tot binge will live in Pounder infamy.

Edited March 29, 2018 by Trillium

[libgirl2]

2 minutes ago, Trillium said:

Note to producers, not all episodes need to be two hours. This was definitely one of them. 

That being said I’d like a brief update on her. I’m on the fence about long term success. I think she’ll hit the 200’s but I can also see her gaining it all back down the road. 

The tater tot binge will live in Pounder infamy.

She is on FB and posted to the 600 lb page. She can't wait for people to see her "where are they now" episode. She also looks pretty good. Not skinny, but much better than she was. I hope she can keep it off. She is a lovely woman. 

[Delete]

Addiction runs deep in Sarah's family.  Dad was an alcoholic, and Mom was into heroin, and bad marriages. The older sister, Heather, wasn't playing. She had an absolute look of 'I'm not the one' the entire time. 

 

Sarah's spirit animal is Napoleon Dynamite. 

[Noirprncess]

That "casserole" looked revolting.  How much was she eating in order to gain 14 lbs?

[libgirl2]

2 minutes ago, Noirprncess said:

That "casserole" looked revolting.  How much was she eating in order to gain 14 lbs?

I think she must have eaten the whole pan and more. I'm glad she got rid of temptation and only kept healthy foods on hand. 

[SunnyBeBe]

I agree with those who would like to see more of the patient enjoying meals and treats. We mainly get the patient moaning about their dedication and sticking to their diet, like it's a fate worse than death.  They just don't think it will be worth it, like it's cruel and unusual punishment. But, preparing and eating nutritious foods is amazing.  Why can't they ever seem to do that? Does that happen in the post surgery phase?  Before surgery, Sarah showed her plate of carrots and hummus, but, it was like such a downer.  Don't they know how to jazz it up?  Isn't seasoning of their veggies, poultry, fish and meat allowed?  Not salt, so much, but spices, herbs, lemon, etc. ?

[cpcathy]

I was right along with Heather this episode, not playing. I never heard Sarah once own up to her shortcomings, everything was the mom's fault, the stepdad's fault, "Heather won't help me, or move to Houston with me." She never once took responsibility for her actions. I was out before the episode ended, even though I wanted to see her new hairdo.

[Mothra]

1 hour ago, Noirprncess said:

That "casserole" looked revolting.  How much was she eating in order to gain 14 lbs?

I suspect she ate it all.  I can't tell you how much I hate hate hate hearing these morbidly obese people who are about to have life-threatening surgery to help them lose weight excuse overeating by "I deserve a little reward" or some such.  I think my favorite is "you have to have balance"--bullshit.  When you are so fat you are likely to die before you're ten years older, you don't need balance.  You need to do what the doctor tells you to do. 

And I was hoping she would take one (smaller than she took) serving and then *throw the rest out*--in the outdoor trash so she couldn't dig it out of the kitchen trashcan and eat it, but no--she kept going back for more.  And then she said she felt terrible.  That's the way binges go, and I think the only way to stop them is to get the binge-inducing food out of your reach either before or after you've had a reasonable taste of it.  Just throw the fucker out.  Sure, it's a waste, but jeebus; what's more important?  Wasting food or your life?

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, Mothra said:

I suspect she ate it all.  I can't tell you how much I hate hate hate hearing these morbidly obese people who are about to have life-threatening surgery to help them lose weight excuse overeating by "I deserve a little reward" or some such.  I think my favorite is "you have to have balance"--bullshit.  When you are so fat you are likely to die before you're ten years older, you don't need balance.  You need to do what the doctor tells you to do. 

And I was hoping she would take one (smaller than she took) serving and then *throw the rest out*--in the outdoor trash so she couldn't dig it out of the kitchen trashcan and eat it, but no--she kept going back for more.  And then she said she felt terrible.  That's the way binges go, and I think the only way to stop them is to get the binge-inducing food out of your reach either before or after you've had a reasonable taste of it.  Just throw the fucker out.  Sure, it's a waste, but jeebus; what's more important?  Wasting food or your life?

She felt guilt over it, she even said she felt sick over what she did and then she confessed to Dr. Now. 

[Pepper Mostly]

1 hour ago, Noirprncess said:

That "casserole" looked revolting.  How much was she eating in order to gain 14 lbs?

That foil pan looked very well-used. And there was more than one bag of tater tots in the freezer, or I miss my guess. Her foodgasm over such a revolting plate of food was horrifyng. I can see getting all hot and bothered about butter poached lobster or a prime rib or a fresh baked apple pie or even a big bowl of garlic mashed potatoes with plenty of cream and butter and fresh cracked pepper (which I have been known to eat like ice cream). These people are wetting themselves over toaster Wonder bread and tater tots, its so sad. They love to eat, but they sure don't love actual food.

1 hour ago, cpcathy said:

I was right along with Heather this episode, not playing. I never heard Sarah once own up to her shortcomings, everything was the mom's fault, the stepdad's fault, "Heather won't help me, or move to Houston with me." She never once took responsibility for her actions. I was out before the episode ended, even though I wanted to see her new hairdo.

Team Heather. She was not having any of it and I was totally on her side. Sarah thought everyone should drop everything and move! The arrogance displayed was astonishing.

Edited March 29, 2018 by Pepper Mostly

[Mothra]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I agree with those who would like to see more of the patient enjoying meals and treats. We mainly get the patient moaning about their dedication and sticking to their diet, like it's a fate worse than death.  They just don't think it will be worth it, like it's cruel and unusual punishment. But, preparing and eating nutritious foods is amazing.  Why can't they ever seem to do that? Does that happen in the post surgery phase?  Before surgery, Sarah showed her plate of carrots and hummus, but, it was like such a downer.  Don't they know how to jazz it up?  Isn't seasoning of their veggies, poultry, fish and meat allowed?  Not salt, so much, but spices, herbs, lemon, etc. ?

And where was the protein?  I know hummus is made of chickpeas, but without a starch, that's an incomplete protein.  If she's allowing herself 400 calories per meal, surely a lovely broiled chicken breast or even a juicy burger (sans bun of course) would be more satisfying.  Pair that with a salad with fat-free dressing, and that's a much more appealing meal.  IMO.

[Miracle Maxie]

5 minutes ago, Pepper Mostly said:

Her foodgasm over such a revolting plate of food was revolting. I can see getting all hot and bothered about butter poached lobster or a prime rib or a fresh baked apple pie or even a big bowl of garlic mashed potatoes with plenty of cream and butter and fresh cracked pepper (which I have been known to eat like ice cream). These people are wetting themselves over toaster Wonder bread and tater tots, its so sad. They love to eat, but they sure don't love actual food.

Actual food requires actual preparation. There's a learning curve to food prep that is steeper than some people want to deal with, especially when there are fast-food or "dump all this in a roasting pan and cook for an hour at 350 degrees" options. I learned to cook back in middle school home ec (only we called it junior high then - I'm old) but I stopped cooking for various reasons about 40 years ago and it's been damned difficult to pick it up again, even knowing how much healthier it would be for me. I've at least managed to vastly curtail the fast-food trips, but a "cooked" meal for me is likely to be something made fresh at the grocery store that I just have to heat up.

And then there's the necessity for equipment and some actual counter space (which my condo sorely lacks). Not to mention that if you've never had butter poached lobster or prime rib you have no idea that it's more remarkable than a quarter-pounder with cheese. There are obstacles.

[Mothra]

I'm hoping Sarah will get herself down to a reasonable weight--it looks like she's tall and could probably carry more than the 190 lbs. Dr. Now has her shooting for--so that she can function as an adult.  I want her to get her GED--she seems very intelligent--and a job and a boyfriend.  This was one of those cases where psychotherapy really was key; what a terrible childhood Sarah had.  She couldn't get enough of her mother, and now when she had her mother all to herself, she didn't know what to do with her!  Somebody mentioned PCOS, and maybe that's the case, but I want her mother to get liposuction of her neck.  She must surely have sleep apnea, and the fat of her neck seems like it should go with a much fatter body.

While I'm team Heather for not allowing herself to be used when it seemed like Sarah wasn't taking this seriously, I wonder what kind of eating disorder (if any) Heather herself has.  How did she grow up in this family of overweight people and be not just normal, but imo close to skeletal in some parts of her body?  Sarah carried a lot of her weight in her thighs, and I bet Heather has heavier thighs than the rest of her.  I wonder if Heather's unwillingness to be involved in Sarah's "journey" (gak) had anything to do with her own issues with food?  To be really skinny amid all those fat people must take almost supernaturally rigid control, and I wonder if she feared losing that control if she were put into a position where she had to help Sarah make choices in food.  In fact, I bet Heather has an inflexible eating plan of her own.

[Mothra]

8 minutes ago, Miracle Maxie said:

And then there's the necessity for equipment and some actual counter space (which my condo sorely lacks). Not to mention that if you've never had butter poached lobster or prime rib you have no idea that it's more remarkable than a quarter-pounder with cheese. There are obstacles.

They had a small but fully-equipped kitchen in that apartment.  I don't know what kind of cookware they had (other than a disposable aluminum banquet-sized lasagna pan), but you can buy cheap pans at the grocery stores in my area, and I bet they could, too.  So I'm not excusing their not cooking on their lack of equipment.

But I stand and cheer your other point:  these folks likely have never tasted good, healthy, well-seasoned food.  And certainly not the mouth-watering but expensive foods mentioned.  I wonder what the grandmother cooked for Sarah?  I can't remember for sure, but didn't Sarah say she didn't like her grandmother's cooking?  Or maybe it was that Nana was making her stick to 1200 calories.

btw--I went to Junior High School, too, and learned to cook in home ec in the eighth grade (sewing was 7th)

[SunnyBeBe]

13 minutes ago, Miracle Maxie said:

Actual food requires actual preparation. There's a learning curve to food prep that is steeper than some people want to deal with, especially when there are fast-food or "dump all this in a roasting pan and cook for an hour at 350 degrees" options. I learned to cook back in middle school home ec (only we called it junior high then - I'm old) but I stopped cooking for various reasons about 40 years ago and it's been damned difficult to pick it up again, even knowing how much healthier it would be for me. I've at least managed to vastly curtail the fast-food trips, but a "cooked" meal for me is likely to be something made fresh at the grocery store that I just have to heat up.

And then there's the necessity for equipment and some actual counter space (which my condo sorely lacks). Not to mention that if you've never had butter poached lobster or prime rib you have no idea that it's more remarkable than a quarter-pounder with cheese. There are obstacles.

I suppose that is one explanation.  So, I guess I am blessed to have a little cooking experience and am curious enough to read a lot about what provides the most bang for your buck in the nutrition dept.  I guess they just don't have the desire or willingness to explore delicious foods. Maybe, they do later, after we see them featured.  I'll put my turkey, brown rice, multiple veggie dinner against just about anyone's restaurant food any day. It's amazing what you can do with garlic, olive oil, basil, etc. 

[ams1001]

3 minutes ago, Mothra said:

They had a small but fully-equipped kitchen in that apartment.  I don't know what kind of cookware they had (other than a disposable aluminum banquet-sized lasagna pan), but you can buy cheap pans at the grocery stores in my area, and I bet they could, too.  So I'm not excusing their not cooking on their lack of equipment.

But I stand and cheer your other point:  these folks likely have never tasted good, healthy, well-seasoned food.  And certainly not the mouth-watering but expensive foods mentioned.  I wonder what the grandmother cooked for Sarah?  I can't remember for sure, but didn't Sarah say she didn't like her grandmother's cooking?  Or maybe it was that Nana was making her stick to 1200 calories.

btw--I went to Junior High School, too, and learned to cook in home ec in the eighth grade (sewing was 7th)

I think her issue with grandma was just that she was actually paying attention to what Sarah was really eating and that frustrated her.

We did sewing in 7th grade and cooking in 8th, too. I use "junior high" and "middle school" interchangeably, though the school I went to had "Middle School" in the name.

[essexjan]

The sister was super-judgy, and wound as tight as a spring. But, to her credit, she wasn't buying into any of Sarah's bullshit. Heather looked just like her grandma, but Sarah's mom had that same no-neck physique as Sarah. The mother could probably benefit from losing 100lbs too. 

In fact, I've noticed that on this show so many of the family members end up being fatter than the patient by the end of it, a case in point being the wife and girlfriend of Benji and David a few weeks ago. 

I think it'll take a ton of therapy for Sarah to not regain the weight. I wish her luck. 

[kj4ever]

17 minutes ago, Mothra said:

I'm hoping Sarah will get herself down to a reasonable weight--it looks like she's tall and could probably carry more than the 190 lbs. Dr. Now has her shooting for--so that she can function as an adult.  I want her to get her GED--she seems very intelligent--and a job and a boyfriend.  This was one of those cases where psychotherapy really was key; what a terrible childhood Sarah had.  She couldn't get enough of her mother, and now when she had her mother all to herself, she didn't know what to do with her!  Somebody mentioned PCOS, and maybe that's the case, but I want her mother to get liposuction of her neck.  She must surely have sleep apnea, and the fat of her neck seems like it should go with a much fatter body.

While I'm team Heather for not allowing herself to be used when it seemed like Sarah wasn't taking this seriously, I wonder what kind of eating disorder (if any) Heather herself has.  How did she grow up in this family of overweight people and be not just normal, but imo close to skeletal in some parts of her body?  Sarah carried a lot of her weight in her thighs, and I bet Heather has heavier thighs than the rest of her.  I wonder if Heather's unwillingness to be involved in Sarah's "journey" (gak) had anything to do with her own issues with food?  To be really skinny amid all those fat people must take almost supernaturally rigid control, and I wonder if she feared losing that control if she were put into a position where she had to help Sarah make choices in food.  In fact, I bet Heather has an inflexible eating plan of her own.

Sarah said she was the only overweight sibling, so I'm assuming it was just Sarah that had an issue with food.  The mom looked bigger in the early pictures, but not as big as she is now.  Kicking the heroin habit probably did that.

My siblings are both super obese and I'm a healthy weight, but I have to work at it because I do not want to be a super obese person.  The eat fast food ALL THE TIME.  If I eat fast food it's like I'm eating poison I get so sick.  I've never been a big fast food person, but once I started really getting into cooking I get deathly ill from that and some processed foods.  Makes you wonder what it is doing to people's bodies that live off that crap and are used to it.

I have empathy for Sarah for having a sucky childhood, but there comes a time when you have to take responsibility for your own actions.  I wanted to reach through the TV and smack her when she was complaining about her Mom's driving.  Really?  This woman is moving with you to another state because you can't seem to not eat like 10,000 calories a day and you are going to act like that?  I think most of the show she came across and entitled and ungrateful.  What an ugly mixture.

[Mothra]

Once again I consulted https://www.lifespanfitness.com/fitness/resources/calories-calculator

to figure out how many calories Sarah would have to consume daily to maintain her weight.  The calculator goes only to 500 lbs. so that's the weight I used.  I guessed at her height, 5'6", and it seems it takes only 3625 calories/day to maintain that weight.  This is hard for me to believe, but given her sedentary lifestyle, she probably doesn't need so many calories to maintain.  What we saw her eat of the tater tot casserole looked to me like more than 3600 calories!  If I calculate for the same height and weight, but the "extra active lifestyle" she would need close to 6000 calories/day.  So activity counts.

[auntjess]

Wow.  I was expecting much more drama and angst when I heard plane trip.  Oh, well.
She did well until she had her final meal with favorite things.
I agree that she ate all of it.

[jcbrown]

1 hour ago, Pepper Mostly said:

They love to eat, but they sure don't love actual food.

I think this is very well said. Week after week on this show, we see these morbidly obese people shoving crap high-fat high-calorie processed food in their faces. There are certainly socio-economic issues at play here and huge buckets of denial. I wish the show could do more to explore the factors that lead to someone getting to this size, not just on a case-by-case basis as it does now.

[SunnyBeBe]

I wonder about the decisions so many of them make to drive cross country as opposed to flying. Unless, they just do NOT have the money for a ticket, I just can't fathom driving for days, as opposed to flying for a few hours.  How could the pain from the plane be worse? I don't get it.  And she wasn't able to sleep in a bed, so getting to TX fast was a priority.   And then to have a non-functioning car door!  Please, people, couldn't TLC have gotten that fixed?  

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, kj4ever said:

Sarah said she was the only overweight sibling, so I'm assuming it was just Sarah that had an issue with food.  The mom looked bigger in the early pictures, but not as big as she is now.  Kicking the heroin habit probably did that.

 

I wrote it off to that. Better as she is now then on heroin. Work on one thing at a time. 

[Mothra]

19 hours ago, kj4ever said:

Sarah said she was the only overweight sibling, so I'm assuming it was just Sarah that had an issue with food. 

I believe we saw the other sister near the beginning, and she was heavy, sort of the size of the mom.  Sarah was certainly the biggest of the siblings, and it looked like she was the only one who was obese as a child.

Edited to add:  On rewatch, the other heavy woman was Sarah's aunt, not her sister.

 

23 hours ago, WonTon said:

 when her personal trainer Derrik showed up, I was thinking "oh, ok, this was totally worth it."

Eye candy but so much more.  What a sweetheart he was to her.

(I seem to have a lot of time on my hands today, and a lot to say about this ep.  Please forgive my long-windedness; it may be the only thing keeping me out of the tater tot casserole)

It seems like Dr. Now isn't doing full gastric bypass surgeries, just gastric sleeves--and boy, wasn't Sarah's stomach huge!  I remember his saying in an earlier season that the bypass was more effective because it hindered the absorption of so much food.  He did gastric sleeve only as a second choice, if the patient were in trouble during the surgery and he needed to finish up quickly, or if there were physical obstructions, like scar tissue or just too much fat.  I wonder if he's found that the sleeve operations are just as effective long-term--we know that initial post-surgery weight loss is much greater with the bypass, but I wonder about long-term comparisons.

And I have to confess to looking forward to seeing those yellow curds of fat inside patients' bellies--the image of actual fat is so disturbing yet fascinating to me.  And I am ashamed of myself.

Edited March 30, 2018 by Mothra

[essexjan]

40 minutes ago, Mothra said:

It seems like Dr. Now isn't doing full gastric bypass surgeries, just gastric sleeves--and boy, wasn't Sarah's stomach huge!  I remember his saying in an earlier season that the bypass was more effective because it hindered the absorption of so much food.  He did gastric sleeve only as a second choice, if the patient were in trouble during the surgery and he needed to finish up quickly, or if there were physical obstructions, like scar tissue or just too much fat.  I wonder if he's found that the sleeve operations are just as effective long-term--we know that initial post-surgery weight loss is much greater with the bypass, but I wonder about long-term comparisons.

 

I always fast-forward through the surgery, as I'm a squeamo. But I wonder if he did the sleeve rather than the bypass because Sarah had breathing issues that might have been an extra risk if she was kept under for too long. I recall one patient (Pauline?) who had the sleeve, and later when she'd lost enough weight was given the bypass.

Edited March 29, 2018 by essexjan
Formatting

[LuvMyShows]

1 hour ago, jcbrown said:

I think this is very well said. Week after week on this show, we see these morbidly obese people shoving crap high-fat high-calorie processed food in their faces. There are certainly socio-economic issues at play here and huge buckets of denial. I wish the show could do more to explore the factors that lead to someone getting to this size, not just on a case-by-case basis as it does now.

How they got that way is interesting, but what truly interests me is how/when/why people finally arrive at the decision to lose weight (as evidenced by my question a few weeks ago about people's turning points/rock bottom).  One of the things I found fascinating about Biggest Loser, is that here were people who a few days prior to coming on the ranch, were finding any and all excuses to not do what they needed to do.  But once they got on the ranch, they basically did anything and everything so they could keep doing what they needed to do.  It's like they flipped a switch (whether motivated by the $$, or pride, or avoidance of shame, or experiencing success, or whatever), and it makes me wonder about the "why now?" for the My 600-lb Life people. 

[TwirlyGirly]

4 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I agree with those who would like to see more of the patient enjoying meals and treats. We mainly get the patient moaning about their dedication and sticking to their diet, like it's a fate worse than death.  They just don't think it will be worth it, like it's cruel and unusual punishment. But, preparing and eating nutritious foods is amazing.  Why can't they ever seem to do that? Does that happen in the post surgery phase?  Before surgery, Sarah showed her plate of carrots and hummus, but, it was like such a downer.  Don't they know how to jazz it up?  Isn't seasoning of their veggies, poultry, fish and meat allowed?  Not salt, so much, but spices, herbs, lemon, etc. ?

When my daughter was home from college for Spring Break last week, we were discussing the show (she doesn't watch, and seemed horrified I was participating in the live chat - haha!). Anyway, I was telling her the participants in all the episodes I've seen have a few things in common; they're all people who eat really crappy food (and have been, for most of their lives), and are clueless about preparing tasty and appealing food within the dietary constraints given to them. 

Yes, I'm SURE they're allowed to "jazz it up." There are plenty of seasonings (and I don't just mean herbs and spices) that have very few calories but really add flavor. The problem is, they don't know HOW to do this because they're used to getting their flavor from processed/prepared/convenience foods and/or fat. They don't understand flavor profiles or how to add flavor through combining ingredients and seasonings.

My daughter and I started talking about how great it would be if someone were to start a meal kit delivery service offering meals compliant with the ketogenic diet (that's basically what they're supposed to be following, correct?), marketing the service not only privately to people who are trying to lose weight, but ALSO to bariatric surgeons like Dr. Nowzardan to "prescribe" the service to their patients. If the service could employ the expertise of well-known chefs to develop recipes, (like several of the meal kit companies already do, such as Chef'd), you'd get some really great options, I'm sure.

If the patients were supplied exactly what they needed to prepare their meals - delivered straight to their door - it would be easier to change their "eating habit". They'd learn a whole new way preparing foods that would actually taste good. It seems like so many of them, once they're given "the diet",  just prepare a lot of bland, steamed foods that have no taste or visual appeal whatsoever and often give up in disgust (and frankly, I don't blame them sometimes. If those types of meals were all I thought I could eat, I'd probably head to McDonald's, too - and I haven't eaten fast food in well over a decade).

Like other meal kit delivery services, patients would be able to chose from a variety of dishes each week, and the calorie calculation (not exceeding 1200 calories per day, or whatever their doctor required) would be already done for them. I wonder if such a service, prescribed by their doctor, could eventually be considered an essential part of their treatment after bariatric surgery, and thus perhaps at least part of the cost covered by insurance (especially if the use of such a service was shown to increase the success rate of bariatric surgery long-term)? Maybe the cost for one year's meal kit delivery could be added to the cost of the total surgery/treatment package as part of their medical aftercare expenses?

I don't know, but I wish I had a few hundred thousand dollars just lying around doing nothing so I could start that business and see if it would work. I'm not overweight, but I do love good food. I'm lucky I was raised in a home in which tasty, nutritious food was served, so I never developed any bad eating habits. I also love to cook. I feel for many of these people, and wish I could show them they don't have to choose between eating what they're used to eating and being morbidly obese, OR eating tasteless, bland foods and being of normal weight. They can learn to enjoy foods that are healthy and taste really good if they're taught how to prepare them.

[ams1001]

Meal kits designed for their needs aren't a bad idea. Doesn't Dr. Now have support groups? Bringing in someone to conduct some basic cooking classes would be a good start, too.

[essexjan]

8 hours ago, WonTon said:

I really am SICK of the "we were traveling so we had to eat fast food" excuse. My husband got a job on the East coast six months ago. We spent a week driving from Utah, all the across the country. We managed to eat fairly healthy - Subway for lunch, or fast food places with salads or grilled options (and it's easy enough to Google to see what options any fairly known chain restaurant has to offer calorie-wise) and we would try to take at least a 45 minute walk every evening at our latest hotel. There are choices out there.

I totally agree. I did a road trip from Boston to Columbus, OH a few years ago with two friends and we never had any problem finding healthy options. Even McDonalds sells salads. Not the best salad I've ever had, but it was a damn sight better choice than a Big Mac, fries and a chocolate shake.  Subway was fine too. And every diner does a basic fruit platter with cottage cheese or yoghurt, so there was no need to have a gigantic fried breakfast with potatoes, pancakes or waffles.  For one meal we went to Walmart, bought pita, hummous and a salad bowl and made our own sandwiches. (We did stop at Dairy Queen that day though.)

[jabinlbc]

Did I hear her say she was 200 pounds at age 8???

[chickenella]

8 hours ago, WonTon said:

 

I really am SICK of the "we were traveling so we had to eat fast food" excuse. My husband got a job on the East coast six months ago. We spent a week driving from Utah, all the across the country. We managed to eat fairly healthy - Subway for lunch, or fast food places with salads or grilled options (and it's easy enough to Google to see what options any fairly known chain restaurant has to offer calorie-wise) and we would try to take at least a 45 minute walk every evening at our latest hotel. There are choices out there.

 

That sounds like a fun trip! The dinners and nightly walks that is, not the sitting in a car all day part.

[SunnyBeBe]

Twirlygirly,I think you're talking about a pre-made meal that is already cooked and that sounds like a great idea. If, affordable, it would go over well, imo.  I know there are plans like that for regular food. 

  I recently had dinner with a friend who cooked one of those boxed meals from Fresh Market.  It comes with directions on what to do with the food and it serves 4 or whatever you purchase.  She got rolled chicken breast and they contained asparagus and mushrooms. It was divine.  It also had mixed veggies with potato slices to bake in the oven, and rolls.  I was very impressed. I'm not sure if there was a calorie listing on it. She doesn't count calories, but tries to eat pretty healthy.  And oh, it had ice cream for desert.  I skipped that, because it was a very filling meal. 

https://www.thefreshmarket.com/marketmealkits

Edited March 29, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[sidka]

Halfway through... this girl is super infantilized.  Thankfully still quite ambulatory, though. 

[sidka]

17 hours ago, raiderred1 said:

...and I think many mental health issues can be traced back to hormones gone out of whack.

BINGO. I know my depression is linked to my hypothyroidism in ways I never initially considered. The brain can only function as well as what the body provides to it.

Edited March 29, 2018 by sidka

[Pepper Mostly]

@TwirlyGirly, I love your idea! A friend of mine does Blue Apron because she lives alone and doesn't want to live on takeout or cereal all the time, and she really enjoys it. 

And really, its not that hard to learn to cook---as a young woman I could make a salad, scramble eggs, cook spaghetti, and bake a cake or a pie, but I didn't have much interest in cooking for myself. But when I got married I decided one day that I wanted to have dinner parties, so I bought a few basic cookbooks and dove in. I experimented on all my friends. A book like Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything gives you recipes, lists of what you should have in your pantry, in your fridge, and basic cookware. I know these folks are coming from apparently complete unfamiliarity with nutrition, food and cooking, but they can learn. Its not splitting the atom. Google "fast, healthy meals"! Join Jenny Craig, they provide packaged, portion controlled meals. You can buy Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice frozen meals in any supermarket, if you don't want to learn to cook. The variety is endless and they are pretty good. Its like they set themselves up to fail by making those sad little plates of flavorless chicken and canned green beans. 

[TwirlyGirly]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Twirlygirly,I think you're talking about a pre-made meal that is already cooked and that sounds like a great idea. If, affordable, it would go over well, imo.  I know there are plans like that for regular food. 

No - I'm talking about meal kits. You receive all the ingredients to make the meal in pre-measured amounts, and the recipe to make the meal. This would teach the patients 1) How to cook, 2) How to combine flavors to create tasty meals.

 

1 hour ago, Pepper Mostly said:

@TwirlyGirly, I love your idea! A friend of mine does Blue Apron because she lives alone and doesn't want to live on takeout or cereal all the time, and she really enjoys it. 

And really, its not that hard to learn to cook---as a young woman I could make a salad, scramble eggs, cook spaghetti, and bake a cake or a pie, but I didn't have much interest in cooking for myself. But when I got married I decided one day that I wanted to have dinner parties, so I bought a few basic cookbooks and dove in. I experimented on all my friends. A book like Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything gives you recipes, lists of what you should have in your pantry, in your fridge, and basic cookware. I know these folks are coming from apparently complete unfamiliarity with nutrition, food and cooking, but they can learn. Its not splitting the atom. Google "fast, healthy meals"! Join Jenny Craig, they provide packaged, portion controlled meals. You can buy Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice frozen meals in any supermarket, if you don't want to learn to cook. The variety is endless and they are pretty good. Its like they set themselves up to fail by making those sad little plates of flavorless chicken and canned green beans. 

I'm not certain pre-packaged meals are necessarily going to follow the type of diet required by Dr. Nowzardan and other bariatric surgeons. I'm pretty sure they want the patients to follow a ketogenic diet, which is high on proteins, eliminates starches, most fruits, and root vegetables. It's pretty specific, from the little I know. That's why I think meal kits would be a really good option, especially developed by a team familiar with the requirements of the diet and providing meals that meet their nutritional requirements AND taste good. Not that there aren't any ketogenic diet cookbooks; there probably are. But for someone who is used to relying on fast food/processed/ or convenience foods, getting a cookbook and having to navigate a supermarket and portion out ingredients to meet their caloric limits AND try to figure out what to do with leftover ingredients so they aren't wasting any food - that could be quite overwhelming. However, after 6 months or a year or so of being provided with meal kits, they should have enough experience (meal planning/cooking techniques/flavor profiles/etc. to be able to do it on their own.