S06.E14: Jennifer & Marissa's Story

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Our latest Poundticipants are a mother/daughter team . . . .

Quote

Jennifer and he daughter Marissa are stuck in a codependent relationship that has put both of their lives in jeopardy, with a combined weight of over 900 pounds.

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

[calpurnia99]

Boring episode after last weeks! Snooze fest.

[mmecorday]

Dawayne? Dafuq?

I would have freaked out too if I were moving into a strange place in the dark.

Jennifer looked amazing at the end of the show. How could her mother possibly have looked the other way when her husband was abusing Jennifer at such a young age? I will never understand why some women think living with a dirtbag is preferable to being alone. Call me insane, but I like being in a relationship with someone who cares about me and will always look after my best interests.

[auntjess]

But Jennifer looked the other way when Marissa was having a bad childhood too.  (At this point, don't remember whether she was molested or just ignored.)
I didn't realize, until the cooking lesson, that Jennifer was ignorant on cooking and cleaning; I'd assumed that she was just too big to do it.  At this point, my sympathies are with Marissa.
Puzzling things, Jennifer does stairs, but why doesn't she have a cane, if not a wheelchair?
Why no wheelchair to meet them at the airport?  They may not have traveled, but haven't they seen the show?
Taking drinks on the plane? Guess they're wearing Depends, because I don't know if they could manage the toilet.
What was Marissa's job? 
Why did they trust Jennifer to get the apartment? (It does look more run-down, than all the others, except the drug bust place.)
I thought Dawayne was the breadwinner, but maybe Nicole(?), Marissa's friend, is.  Marissa could work, too.
They rushed through all the post-op bits, first time getting out of bed, etc.
I'd like to see less of the childhood trauma, and pre-Houston stuff.  
Road trips are my favorites.
And it just occurred to me, that Marissa didn't have to do a shower.

 

[Toaster Strudel]

The mother didn't know how to cook? She had to be taught how to fry a steak?

[auntjess]

42 minutes ago, Toaster Strudel said:

The mother didn't know how to cook? She had to be taught how to fry a steak?

Yeah, without rewatching it, I'm trying to remember who lived with parents or grandparents.
But in the era when the husband was beating her, and making Marissa watch, wasn't she doing the cooking and cleaning?
 

[BooBear]

Well I fell asleep at the end so I didn't get to see how they did. That isn't a criticism I just was tired. And also not spitting bricks in anger as I was last week.  But my heart went out to them and they truly seemed to be trying.  I thought Jennifer was a beauty hiding under all that fat.  Marissa was good looking but that blue hair. Eeeks.  I could tell Jennifer had lost weight the first time she went for a walk. She was moving faster than the first time she left the house.   I will never understand the trips to Texas. It seems to derail all the participants and be somewhat cruel. Why can't Dr. Now have everything done at a local doctor and then fly out there for the surgery?  For the pre surgery visits he could be on videoconference.  It seems insane to fly them to Texas for a 3 minute visit.  They also seemed to make the mistake that a lot of large people do, thinking exercise will assist in weight loss to a much greater extent than it does.   I think I needed this one after last week.

[AVM]

Some people should never have children ,Jennifer is a example of one.

[Pepper Mostly]

7 hours ago, Toaster Strudel said:

The mother didn't know how to cook? She had to be taught how to fry a steak?

And Marissa said put the pan on medium heat! Get that pan hotter than hell and sear both sides, then finish it in the oven! that was one sad, unappetizing looking steak.

1 minute ago, AVM said:

Some people should never have children ,Jennifer is a example of one.

Jennifer is one, a perpetual child. With her meltdowns and doe eyes, helplessly wringing her hands when confronted with any bump in the road.

[gardendiva]

How is it that they both lost 200 lbs each and I could hardly tell the difference?

[Trees]

Don't the show writers and producers have any imagination?

Every show - same script, same voiceovers.  I have taken to DVRing and fast-forwarding over many scenes.  "I am scared".  "I am [insert feeling] right now".  "This is my last chance."  "I HAVE TO do this!" 

What makes me the craziest is they make some statement in the voiceover, then add "BECAUSE" and repeat that crap all over again." I hear "because" and I mute or fast forward.  Same lines, every damned show.

Plus, that shower scene is just awful.  You see one, you've seen them all.  No need to see it again.

And the surgery details?  Again, fast forward.  Closeups of blood, fat and surgery tools?

They could do so much more interesting stuff and completely omit those voiceovers.  How about more actual "interviews" where they are speaking?  Show more of the struggles of daily life.

Interview some landlords.  Find out how people go about finding housing when they're that size.  Show them at work if they do, like Marissa.  Explain how they get those clothes they wear.  

Explore food addiction and show that it's really a thing.  Demonstrate more of the therapy that the successful folks need to do.

The results of this show - I want it to be so much better and I'm disappointed time after time because they're missing a great opportunity. The topic is SO interesting and they throw it away with tedious, unimaginative voiceovers and wasted shower scenes and nonsense.

Oh and what I'd REALLY love to see on this show?  Just about every one has rape/molestation in their backgrounds.  How about a follow up on what happened?  Did anyone call the police?  Did they get any therapy for it?  Did they testify at a trial?  If the molester is still free, and a family member, do they still have to see him?

15 minutes ago, AVM said:

Some people should never have children ,Jennifer is a example of one.

Remember that she has a son who is living with her abusive mother.  How is he doing?
And she gave up another son to adoption.  I wonder if he will go looking for her some day, like on the "Long Lost Family" show?  If he does, imagine his gratitude at having been given up?  

Edited April 12, 2018 by Trees

[Pepper Mostly]

13 minutes ago, Trees said:

What makes me the craziest is they make some statement in the voiceover, then add "BECAUSE" and repeat that crap all over again." I hear "because" and I mute or fast forward.  Same lines, every damned show.

Don't forget "its hard to get good healthy food on the road, so we're forced to eat entire buckets of chicken and extra cheese pizzas"

[AVM]

1 minute ago, Pepper Mostly said:

Don't forget "its hard to get good healthy food on the road, so we're forced to eat entire buckets of chicken and extra cheese pizzas"

Amazing they can find fast-food but not a grocery store  near the hotels,all these people have diets to follow......long before their moves !

[SunnyBeBe]

I find it amusing that they put up a warning for graphic surgery scenes, but, the most obnoxious scenes come long before that. lol 

Also amusing is that these patients act as if they have never seen the show.  I mean really? They don't know about how it's going to work?  And how about planning the food for the trip in advance?  You can pack cans of tuna and chicken breast.  I've eaten green beans out of a can before.  Even disallowed food item like a banana would be better than pizza and burgers.  So, there really is not excuse.  The way the daughter seemed to laugh about it though......strange.  

Towards the end, I wondered when the daughter's friend was going to hop on the scale.  I think she gained quite a bit living with them. 

[suzeecat]

The scene where the four of them collapsed onto two beds in the hotel room, fully clothed, just ready to fall asleep, seemed so strange!

I LOL'd about "having to" eat pizza on the road and as long as we're eating pizza, let's do double cheese! 

Great ideas, Trees, for changing up the show a bit.  Yeah, I don't really need to see Dr. Now pull half of a stomach out of someone's gaping surgery site. 

[SunnyBeBe]

This might seem odd, but, do people routinely order pizza with extra cheese?  Just curious. 

[ChicksDigScars]

As self conscious, co-dependent and just plain PETRIFIED as Jennifer was the entire two hours, my guess is that she freaked out about filming a shower scene. Notice, she was totally covered throughout the show. We never got blurred crotch shots (thank you, Jesus), either.

[gardendiva]

3 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

This might seem odd, but, do people routinely order pizza with extra cheese?  Just curious. 

Yes. It’s a thing.

[ChicksDigScars]

50 minutes ago, AVM said:

Amazing they can find fast-food but not a grocery store  near the hotels,all these people have diets to follow......long before their moves !

As I mentioned in the live chat, there are now more Subway franchises than McDonald's in this country. There's also Panera in most larger cities that they drive past. Not to mention any grocery store with a DELI. Most have salad bars. With plastic containers and utensils so that you can eat on the go.  So , when we get the "we're on the road and all we can eat is fast food," or "we're stuck in a hotel, so we eat out a lot," excuses, it's 100% pure bullshit.  

 

13 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

This might seem odd, but, do people routinely order pizza with extra cheese?  Just curious. 

I prefer extra tomato sauce. Yeah, I know that's strange. 

Edited April 12, 2018 by ChicksDigScars

[gardendiva]

I agree @ChicksDigScars. It gets on my last nerve when they whine about being forced to eat fast food. I just want to shake them and yell “THINK! Solve your own problems instead of this helpless victim mentality you find yourself in!” It is such self-limiting thinking. Vegetables and lean meats and even hard boiled eggs are readily available in most grocery stores.

Edited April 12, 2018 by gardendiva
Changed syntax for clarity

[SunnyBeBe]

I have some family members who routinely order extra stuff like extra salad dressing, extra sour cream, extra cheese on chili cheese fries, extra whipped cream, extra syrup on the side, double cheese on burgers, etc., but, I've never known them to order extra cheese on pizza.  Odd.  Oh, the people I am describing are very obese. They don't think twice about asking for all those extras either. They have done it since they were kids and when their parents should have nipped it in the bud. That's another story. 

I guess it's part of the culture in the home.  More is better and quality isn't that important. 

Edited April 12, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[ChicksDigScars]

Or, you know....the PRODUCE SECTION of the grocery store? Lots of bags of cut fruits and veggies. Hell, there's even single serving cups light veggie dips, if they HAVE to. Or salsa. You can dip cut veggies in salsa.  

 

Yeah, yeah, I know. Most of these people have never eaten a celery stalk in their lives. Which is why some can be 600 pounds and MALNOURISHED.  

[CoachWristletJen]

49 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I have some family members who routinely order extra stuff like extra salad dressing, extra sour cream, extra cheese on chili cheese fries, extra whipped cream, extra syrup on the side, double cheese on burgers, etc., but, I've never known them to order extra cheese on pizza.  Odd.  Oh, the people I am describing are very obese. They don't think twice about asking for all those extras either. They have done it since they were kids and when their parents should have nipped it in the bud. That's another story. 

I guess it's part of the culture in the home.  More is better and quality isn't that important. 

I'm not overweight, but I do like ordering it with extra cheese. It's really good! That being said, I don't dip every bite into ranch dressing like the woman did last night. Also, I don't eat the entire pizza.

[CoachWristletJen]

It always amazes me how limber some of these big people are in their legs. Like when the mom was sitting on the floor of the apartment they were moving into watching everyone else do things, her legs weren't in a split but they were pretty far apart. It seems like sitting that way with her legs sprawled out on either side of her would be miserably uncomfortable considering that she doesn't move or stretch much. I've seen some of them sit with legs even wider spread than that.

[AZChristian]

2 minutes ago, CoachWristletJen said:

It always amazes me how limber some of these big people are in their legs. Like when the mom was sitting on the floor of the apartment they were moving into watching everyone else do things, her legs weren't in a split but they were pretty far apart. It seems like sitting that way with her legs sprawled out on either side of her would be miserably uncomfortable considering that she doesn't move or stretch much. I've seen some of them sit with legs even wider spread than that.

She has so much fat in the top of her legs that she has no choice.  She CAN'T bring them any closer together.

[calpurnia99]

It's a long road to travel, but you have to take the first step in the journey. 

Cue: obese person laying in bed saying: When I wake up in the morning I am in so much pain. I feel like I  am suffocating under all this fat. I often am surprised I am alive and didnt die in my sleep.

I have to rely on so-and so to wipe my ass, wash me and do everything for me. I hate that. 

Cue: shower scene

Then: BRING ME MY BREAKFAST I'M HUNGRY

Cue 14 eggs, some kind of fatty meat and a loaf of bread/biscuits/rolls piled on the plate enough for 6 people which is consumed in bed while lying down

Cue childhood story:

I was not a fat child but then I was molested/abused by my stepdad/mothers boyfriend so I turned to food for comfort- I just wanted to eat

When I was 8 I weighed 200 pounds then my dad/mom was doing drugs/drinking so they divorced and

This caused me to eat even more so by the time I was in High School I was 350. Right after high school I got raped again/got involved with drugs. This made me turn to food EVEN MORE AND i GOT EVEN BIGGER!

I then met my partner so and so and he didn't mind that I was 500 pounds because I was jolly. Cue partner: I didn't mind he/she was big he/she just have a loving spirit'

Then we got married and I miscarried/my dad died/my grandmother died. This was so traumatic that I had to eat EVEN MORE and I got EVEN BIGGER

you all know the rest eventually this person is in DR Nows office and he says 

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR EATING HABIT

[steff13]

I didn't watch closely, but this episode seemed boring.  I thought Jennifer was really pretty. 

[TurtlePower]

2 hours ago, Pepper Mostly said:

And Marissa said put the pan on medium heat! Get that pan hotter than hell and sear both sides, then finish it in the oven! that was one sad, unappetizing looking steak.

Jennifer is one, a perpetual child. With her meltdowns and doe eyes, helplessly wringing her hands when confronted with any bump in the road.

It's amazing how many people out there don't know how to prepare food properly. Medium heat? MEDIUM? It's gotta be an eye opener when they do learn the right way: Oh, THIS is how it's supposed to be! When I was a kid, I hated zucchini because my mom cooked it wrong. She made bland mush. Later in life, I reluctantly tried it in a restaurant and it was incredible: Firm, flavorful, bit of sear on each slice. I now love zucchini. 

Learning to cook is key for these people, especially learning to make healthy foods palatable and enjoyable. 

Edited to Add: My mom STILL cannot cook vegetables, despite all the resources out there. Everything is cooked into mush. 

Edited April 12, 2018 by TurtlePower

[sempervivum]

Why doesn't the show have nutritionists teach these people to take SMALL BITES and then TASTE each bite before gobbling it down? I was struck yet again last night watching Jennifer eat that first 'breakfast' that Marissa prepared for her: at least 8-10 (more?) eggs, what looked like half a pound of bacon, 3 enormous hockey-puck biscuits with at least a cup of cream gravy on each one! I don't think it took more than a minute for her to shovel it all in. She said after a few bites 'MMMMM Tastes so good', but honestly, how can she tell? The food isn't in her mouth for more than 2 seconds and then it's down the hatch. and even later in the show, every time we saw her eating she had huge spoons and/or took bites that were so big she could barely contain the food in her mouth. Why haven't these patients been taught to take small bites and then to savor each bite for, say 10 seconds before swallowing? 

I wonder how much of the addiction is simply to the act of 'filling up'.  

Maybe if the show would explore more behavioral issues, they could cut out all the naked shower/ 'bleach my folds' scenes. Then maybe they would be able to get some patients who aren't lower economic class- I think it's kind of shameful the way the show makes it seem as if this is a class issue.

[dreadfulLeigh]

2 hours ago, Trees said:

 

They could do so much more interesting stuff and completely omit those voiceovers.  How about more actual "interviews" where they are speaking?  Show more of the struggles of daily life.

Interview some landlords.  Find out how people go about finding housing when they're that size.  Show them at work if they do, like Marissa.  Explain how they get those clothes they wear.  

Explore food addiction and show that it's really a thing.  Demonstrate more of the therapy that the successful folks need to do.

 

I’d really like more in the moment interviews. I don’t think the cheesy ass voiceovers are necessary at all. These people just don’t have the emotional depth or ability to emote period to make any kind of interesting or palatable voiceover, otherwise they probably wouldn’t be super morbidly obese. I know this is stupid cheap reality tv, but where’s the pathology, the steps they have to work through in therapy? It’s all surface on and gloss. It hurts, but why does it hurt? Specifically? Breakdown the person’s thought processes. It’s too much to walk. Why? Is it all physical? Or is something going on mentally? Yeah I’m sure we can all guess most of those things, but it’d be a bit of a change up in format to delve into things other than their folds once in a while. 

[Pepper Mostly]

3 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

I wonder how much of the addiction is simply to the act of 'filling up'.

I used to watch Man Vs. Food, wherein the host took on enormous eating challenges that some restaurants seem to enjoy (you know, eat this entire huge meal/pizza/sundae within a specified time and win a Tshirt). The key, the host said, was eating as fast as possible. If he ate slowly he would fill up like a normal person and not be able to finish. Shoveling it down outruns your stomach's signal to the brain that its full, for a short time, anyway. If these people would slow down they'd be satisfied with less.

[Pepper Mostly]

10 minutes ago, calpurnia99 said:

I was not a fat child but then I was molested/abused by my stepdad/mothers boyfriend so I turned to food for comfort- I just wanted to eat

I always wondered where these kids got access to so much food that they gained weight in such a spectacular fashion. We didn't have cookies or treats in my house when I was a kid (my mother got tired of me and my brothers fighting over them). If I was eating 5 PB&J's a day someone would notice. I got an allowance, and it was enough to buy a candy bar or two, nothing more. Where are they getting all the food they're eating? Little 8 year old Jennifer sauntered over to the fridge and ate all the eggs and bacon? How did she cook it, if she still, at 42, has no idea how a stove works? Did she steal money from her mother's or grandma's purse and go buy a half gallon of ice cream and eat it on the spot? I'm really curious.

[mmecorday]

What on earth was Marissa making for her and her mother? It looked like thinly sliced steak on iceberg lettuce. Some sort of attempt at a healthy cheese steak? Who puts sour cream on cheese steaks? Sometimes I think this show should be called "What Not To Eat."

[BooBear]

20 minutes ago, mmecorday said:

What on earth was Marissa making for her and her mother? It looked like thinly sliced steak on iceberg lettuce. Some sort of attempt at a healthy cheese steak? Who puts sour cream on cheese steaks? Sometimes I think this show should be called "What Not To Eat."

At least it wasn't spaghetti with sugar on it.

[calpurnia99]

59 minutes ago, Pepper Mostly said:

I always wondered where these kids got access to so much food that they gained weight in such a spectacular fashion. We didn't have cookies or treats in my house when I was a kid (my mother got tired of me and my brothers fighting over them). If I was eating 5 PB&J's a day someone would notice. I got an allowance, and it was enough to buy a candy bar or two, nothing more. Where are they getting all the food they're eating? Little 8 year old Jennifer sauntered over to the fridge and ate all the eggs and bacon? How did she cook it, if she still, at 42, has no idea how a stove works? Did she steal money from her mother's or grandma's purse and go buy a half gallon of ice cream and eat it on the spot? I'm really curious.

My mother hid or locked up the cookies because my brother and I would have ate them. But some of these low income people keep tons and tons of snacks in the house. Just chips and crap every where. My mother doled out 2 cookies to each of us and then locked them back up. Of course this made me crave them so now I have a weight problem and I blame her. My lower income friend whose house was filled with junk food, never touched it she was thin as a rail. At her house was boxes of chocolates on the counters, cake, cookies, chips and all sort of shit just out on the counters. I was in heaven when I went over there I was around 13 when I was hanging out with this girl. She was not interested in any of it. I think hiding treats from kids could backfire like it did in my case.

anyway it IS a good question, someone had to notcie them eating and gaining!

[libgirl2]

2 hours ago, gardendiva said:

I agree @ChicksDigScars. It gets on my last nerve when they whine about being forced to eat fast food. I just want to shake them and yell “THINK! Solve your own problems instead of this helpless victim mentality you find yourself in!” It is such self-limiting thinking. Vegetables and lean meats and even hard boiled eggs are readily available in most grocery stores.

 

The nearby gas station where I live has healthy options like hard boiled eggs, fruit cups, and small salads! 

I call it laziness, much easier to phone up and get a large pepperoni than it is to actual think about what you can eat. 

Edited April 12, 2018 by libgirl2

[AZChristian]

I also think that once they've fallen off the 1,200 calorie wagon (for example, eating a WHOLE pizza with EXTRA cheese, dipped in Ranch dressing because fast food is their ONLY choice when on the road), the next day they think they're back on the diet when they only eat 3/4 of a pizza.  That's got to be the mentality of "I cheated a little."  No, eating ANY pizza on a low carb diet is cheating a lot.

BTW, pizza delivery services also offer salads.  The same person who brings you a pizza can bring you a variety of salads.

[dahling]

1 hour ago, mmecorday said:

What on earth was Marissa making for her and her mother? It looked like thinly sliced steak on iceberg lettuce. Some sort of attempt at a healthy cheese steak? Who puts sour cream on cheese steaks? Sometimes I think this show should be called "What Not To Eat."

Marissa called it "taco boats".  And I don't think those were steaks, I think they were ground beef patties. 

Poor Jennifer has apparently lived her entire age at a developmental age of 5.  Who cooked for her kids when they were little? It makes me sad.  Her life is like a how-to manual for What Not To Do. 

I'm betting that shithole apartment in Houston was beyond anything she'd ever seen in Bend, Oregon. I would have cried, too. 

[knuckles491]

It seems to me that the psychologist, whom I have seen on another episode, is a man.  Am I crazy?

[CoachWristletJen]

1 hour ago, calpurnia99 said:

It's a long road to travel, but you have to take the first step in the journey. 

Cue: obese person laying in bed saying: When I wake up in the morning I am in so much pain. I feel like I  am suffocating under all this fat. I often am surprised I am alive and didnt die in my sleep.

I have to rely on so-and so to wipe my ass, wash me and do everything for me. I hate that. 

Cue: shower scene

Then: BRING ME MY BREAKFAST I'M HUNGRY

Cue 14 eggs, some kind of fatty meat and a loaf of bread/biscuits/rolls piled on the plate enough for 6 people which is consumed in bed while lying down

Cue childhood story:

I was not a fat child but then I was molested/abused by my stepdad/mothers boyfriend so I turned to food for comfort- I just wanted to eat

When I was 8 I weighed 200 pounds then my dad/mom was doing drugs/drinking so they divorced and

This caused me to eat even more so by the time I was in High School I was 350. Right after high school I got raped again/got involved with drugs. This made me turn to food EVEN MORE AND i GOT EVEN BIGGER!

I then met my partner so and so and he didn't mind that I was 500 pounds because I was jolly. Cue partner: I didn't mind he/she was big he/she just have a loving spirit'

Then we got married and I miscarried/my dad died/my grandmother died. This was so traumatic that I had to eat EVEN MORE and I got EVEN BIGGER

you all know the rest eventually this person is in DR Nows office and he says 

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR EATING HABIT

This is wonderfully apt. In fact I've read it twice and I'm still laughing!

The 600-pound life formula.

I would love it if they slipped in some Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey into the intro...

"The first thing I learned was to forgive myself. I told myself, go ahead, do whatever you want. It's okay by me."

8 minutes ago, knuckles491 said:

It seems to me that the psychologist, whom I have seen on another episode, is a man.  Am I crazy?

Steven Assante had a male psychologist. He even lit a bunch of candles for him to offset the smell in his apartment.

I think Steven wanted to make out with him. Not that it was ever going to happen, like, EVER.

[Pepper Mostly]

1 hour ago, BooBear said:

At least it wasn't spaghetti with sugar on it.

that was dessert.

[CoachWristletJen]

1 hour ago, dreadfulLeigh said:

I’d really like more in the moment interviews. I don’t think the cheesy ass voiceovers are necessary at all. These people just don’t have the emotional depth or ability to emote period to make any kind of interesting or palatable voiceover, otherwise they probably wouldn’t be super morbidly obese. I know this is stupid cheap reality tv, but where’s the pathology, the steps they have to work through in therapy? It’s all surface on and gloss. It hurts, but why does it hurt? Specifically? Breakdown the person’s thought processes. It’s too much to walk. Why? Is it all physical? Or is something going on mentally? Yeah I’m sure we can all guess most of those things, but it’d be a bit of a change up in format to delve into things other than their folds once in a while. 

I would really like to see this as well because you know they're telling themselves some pretty f'd up stuff. There's just no other way to say it.

And, they need to get that stuff into the light so to speak, have it evaluated by an objective outside party who can explain to them, "No, you won't die if you don't have wontons." Or, whatever it is they're thinking. I'd really like to know!

Nobody eats to the point where their child is wiping their a$$, and then continues to eat without being f'd in the head. And, they all throw temper tantrums like gigantic babies when they don't get their food. It's messed up.

[JunkFoodTV]

Quote

2 hours ago, CoachWristletJen said:

It always amazes me how limber some of these big people are in their legs. Like when the mom was sitting on the floor of the apartment they were moving into watching everyone else do things, her legs weren't in a split but they were pretty far apart. It seems like sitting that way with her legs sprawled out on either side of her would be miserably uncomfortable considering that she doesn't move or stretch much. I've seen some of them sit with legs even wider spread than that.

I have to admit I do try sitting like that out of curiosity. And the waddle walks. 

[LordOfLotion]

To change up this show, I would like to see then do a segment exactly the way they do it now-- I want to see the wake up, shower, ginormous breakfast, and sob story. I would dump the cheesy narration and make them do a sit down interview with a regular journalist, Chris Wallace style, and make that whole thing shorter. The interview could be partially done as a voice over to the whole living montage to keep it short. We know what they do and how they do it. If there's something sensational going on like a back porch hose down or a five year old doing the laundry, don't worry; we'll show it.

Then for the second segment, I would bring in a nutritionist shitlord and a home health aide, and kick the enablers out for say the next two weeks, or however long they need to film it. Send them to a hotel or something.  Maybe bring in Gordon Ramsay if you need someone to yell. Have them do what we always say we would do-- give the 600+ pounder three nutritious meals a day, ask them what the hell is going on here, maybe bring in a clean up crew while the aide washes those dirty feet and brings in some underwear. My 600lb Boot Camp. Therapist makes a home visit to pre-empt all the idiotic diet waffling over feelings.

Third segment, we go to see Dr. Now. In the meantime, the enablers have seen the therapist themselves so they know how to deal with Mama Cass or whoever. Dr. Now says his Now-isms and tells the patient you've done the pre-diet, now go home and do this diet. You can do eet!

Going into the fourth segment we see them doing the diet, and then the final weigh in. This is pass or fail for the second episode. If they fail, Dr. Now might continue to see them, but no surgery for now and no second episode. If they pass, they get the surgery and they get a follow up episode the next season.

That's probably medically unethical about 50 ways and I tried to do it to make it just one hour so it would never fly. But I am kind of tired of the same stuff every episode, even though I realize that for re-runs certain elements need to be in there.

[CoachWristletJen]

21 minutes ago, JunkFoodTV said:

I have to admit I do try sitting like that out of curiosity. And the waddle walks. 

I haven't tried the waddle walk but I do a similar pose to hers sometimes in yoga. If she could lean forward and try to touch her toes, she would really have something going on even if she could get nowhere near her toes. Just to try to make that stretch would do her so much good.

It reminds me of a baby that is just learning to sit up. And it would be very uncomfortable to sustain that position day in and day out and yet these very unfit people do just that. It's a reminder of what the human body can do, I guess.

To see someone sitting like an infant and then throwing a food tantrum like one... well, that's good TV. 

Bread and circuses.

I suppose I could strap some pillows to my legs and attempt the waddle walk. It would be a glimpse inside that world. ("What did you do when I was at work today, honey?")

[Hellohappylife]

Another episode where the out of control weight is someone else’s “fault” because of childhood abuse. It’s sad that these people let the same cycle continue on to their own children instead of protecting them from all of the bad. 

Sexual abuse runs in my family sadly,my grandma,her mother,my mother. I’m 25 years old,I’ve never been sexually abused or suffered any other kind of abuse. I had a good childhood,which this show makes me thankful for. My mother,my father, made damn sure of that to break the cycle.  My mother & her 3 sisters spent years being sexually abused by their mothers many boyfriends after the parents divorced and their dad’s brother was one of the guys doing it. Long story short. The brother set a trap basically. Before the dad found out, he a planned camping trip for them, To keep from getting in trouble the brother murdered their dad & made them watch him die. After he killed him he raped them all one more time before turning the gun on himself. The sisters had to run for help covered in their dad’s blood in the dark & luckily found an elderly sweet couple. It’s a fucked up story my mother was 14 her sisters,12,9 & 7 at the time,I tried to keep it short. 

But my point is my parents did everything to protect me so the cycle finally broke. 

 Even threw the trauma my mother & her sisters didn’t let that ruin them,they are not drug addicts,they are not 700 pounds.  

I want to see the people on this show do the same,that’s why I keep watching. Even if it’s easy to snark on them and sadly some times  fun,I’m still human and have hope for people. 

Edited April 12, 2018 by Hellohappylife

[Showthyme]

What makes the Poundticipants decide that today is the day to call Dr. Now? Apparently, it is not having someone turn them over, bathe them or wipe their ass. For most of us, our pants don't zip up, we go beyond that certain size, or a child makes an innocent comment that makes us cringe. 

Jennifer wasn't the worst person that we have seen on this show but she definitely is in the running for the most helpless. She didn't know how to do basic things. Her helplessness and that crying is quite manipulative. 

Why didn't the friend lose any weight? Most of the poundticipants show up with obese enablers/drivers. It is odd that they don't start dieting too. 

[Showthyme]

7 minutes ago, Hellohappylife said:

Another episode where the out of control weight is someone else’s “fault” because of childhood abuse. It’s sad that these people let the same cycle continue on to their own children instead of protecting them from all of the bad. 

Sexual abuse runs in my family sadly,my grandma,her mother,my mother. I’m 25 years old,I’ve never been sexually abused or suffered any other kind of abuse. I had a good childhood,which this show makes me thankful for. My mother,my father, made damn sure of that to break the cycle.  My mother & her 3 sisters spent years being sexually abused by their mothers many boyfriends after the parents divorced and their dad’s brother was one of the guys doing it. Long story short. The brother set a trap basically. Before the dad found out he a planned camping trip for them, To keep from getting in trouble the brother murdered their dad & made them watch him die. After he killed him he raped them all one more time before turning the gun on himself. The sisters had to run for help covered in their dad’s blood in the dark & luckily found an elderly sweet couple. It’s a fucked up story my mother was 14 her sisters,12,9 & 7 at the time,I tried to keep it short. 

But my point is my parents did everything to protect me so the cycle finally broke. 

 Even threw the trauma my mother & her sisters didn’t let that ruin them,they are not drug addicts,they are not 700 pounds.  

I want to see the people on this show do the same,that’s why I keep watching. Even if it’s easy to snark on them and sadly aomethings fun,I’m still human and have hope for people. 

My family is obese - 300+ pounds and I have worked to maintain a reasonable weight because I never wanted it to happen to me. I too, am a sexual abuse victim. With support, the cycle can be broken. 

The problem with sexual abuse and trauma, in general, is that it tells you that you must be less than you are because you somehow deserve the abuse. Sexual abuse victims use weight to make them less desirable so they can avoid sex. There is learned helplessness that comes with victimization. Being 600 pounds puts you in a helpless state so you live what you know. 

Today, sexual abuse victims can tell their story and get help. Our mother's generation was expected to keep quiet about abuse so some of them are talking for the first time.

My therapist said that my obese mother was busy feeding herself instead of me. 

[auntjess]

5 hours ago, Trees said:

And the surgery details?  Again, fast forward.  Closeups of blood, fat and surgery tools?

This is my time to turn the tv to "guide" and check the movies for the next day.
Of course if it's skin removal surgery, I do watch the weighing scene.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, calpurnia99 said:

It's a long road to travel, but you have to take the first step in the journey. 

Cue: obese person laying in bed saying: When I wake up in the morning I am in so much pain. I feel like I  am suffocating under all this fat. I often am surprised I am alive and didnt die in my sleep.

I have to rely on so-and so to wipe my ass, wash me and do everything for me. I hate that. 

Cue: shower scene

Then: BRING ME MY BREAKFAST I'M HUNGRY

/snip

And don't forget: obese person must constantly repeat how "nervous" and "scared" they are before, during, and after all routine and mundane tasks like walking into a doctor's office or stepping onto a scale.