S06.E16: Melissa Morris

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

Melissa has lost 500 pounds and saw her weight drop to 137 pounds, but now faces marital problems and life as a single mom, all while struggling with a gain of 150 pounds.

This is a Where Are They Now? type of episode.  Melissa was one of the early poundticipants.  She has already had a follow up, so she's back for round 3. 

This topic will open after the US East Coast showing.

[calpurnia99]

I am watching on a delay and it is STILL not over. I can't believe I am watching this! A show about nothing. Absolutely bored out of my mind. A 15 minute update on her was enough. 2 hours of nothing happening? What was the point to follow someone boring around with nothing at all going on?

[mrsjoe]

I think what made Melissa’s ep so slow is that her problems were too normal. Lots of people getting a divorce, lots of single moms struggling, lots of people fighting to make ends meet, lots of people weighing in the 200s wishing they weren’t, etc. I tend to watch more for the problems that I don’t see every day!

That being said I could definitely relate to snacking because the kids are snacking and getting overwhelmed and needing chocolate, so I feel like it was a good episode. You root for her because her emotional and addiction issues have not turned her into a complete jerk like so many on the show.

[CoachWristletJen]

26 minutes ago, calpurnia99 said:

I am watching on a delay and it is STILL not over. I can't believe I am watching this! A show about nothing. Absolutely bored out of my mind. A 15 minute update on her was enough. 2 hours of nothing happening? What was the point to follow someone boring around with nothing at all going on?

Glad I wasn't the only one! Melissa's a better person than most of the other ones put together, but this put me to sleep!

She's just to gosh darned stable... by comparison.

[AVM]

Melissa oh brother, the poor me woman,bad marriage and continued to have children with serial cheater ,now she 41 years old and life not fair is her motto and answer to everything...wrong in the world... She needs to grow up ....

[mmecorday]

I remember really liking Melissa the first time around, but I guess I had forgotten just how much this woman cries! The whole time I watched, I kept thinking of the song "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden." It just seems like she expects life to be a certain way and because life is about occasionally chaos, grief and broken relationships, she thinks that her situation is unique. I really am so sorry that her marriage went sour, but the guy was a jerk and she should have seen that out of control freight train about to hit her full on. It is obvious that she loves those children, and I hope she is a good mother to them.

This was boring as all get out. The conference in L.A. looked fun, though.

[dahling]

I sympathize and empathize with her struggle. It’s real and the finish line is never.

However—

I cannot take seriously a motivational speaker who cries this much.

[Miss Ruth]

Before each pregnancy, she found out her husband was cheating, yet she kept pumping them out.  This episode was boring with a capital "B!"  Two hours of her "journey" (I'm beginning to hate that word.) and she accomplished absolutely nothing.  She was so proud to be able to wear jeans again.  Don't these people ever look in the mirror?  Surely, she could find something more flattering than those awful jeans/pants.

[Bonzie]

- Cried too much

- Went right back to bad ways and blamed it on everything. Life is gonna hand you lemons. You have to deal with it without stuffing the face.

- She gained. And I couldn't care less about her being a motivational speaker. I watch to see them hopefully overcome the eating issues.

- Slow/boring. At least she's nice, unlike some of them.

- Has this show really been on that long? Jeez, I'm old.

[Guest]

Melissa is a nice person. That said, Melissa is also a person who needs serious intervention to help her develop coping skills, self esteem, and decision making abilities. No matter how much she loves her children, she should have never had three of them with Chris—who even before the first one was born showed her his true colors. She talks of her "dream job" as a motivational speaker when she already had that job with Dr Now in the past and somehow couldn't seem to keep that. Does she think one day she'll wake up and become Tony Robbins?*  She spouts a lot of refrigerator-magnet slogans and can't even apply them to herself because she thinks they're all bullshit. 

The Melissa I saw last night was no different than the Melissa from 12 seasons ago, minus the hundreds of lost pounds. 

Also, this episode had no business being two hours. There was simply no story there to tell.

*I hate Tony Robbins but was the only example of a motivational speaker with name recognition I could think of. 

[gardendiva]

I said this in the chat but I will say this here too because I am really curious. I wonder if, over the course of 11 or so years since her surgery, with all the snacking and eating of bad foods that she has admitted to, whether she has not stretched out her stomach somewhat. I don’t know anything about bariatric surgery except for what I was able to glean from this show, but she might possibly need a “refresher” surgery if that is ever done. I understand she is emotionally eating and is also a food addict so actual hunger may not even be a factor, but her stomach might have stretched quite a bit and maybe that is another reason why she is struggling so badly.

[Scarlett45]

8 hours ago, CoachWristletJen said:

Glad I wasn't the only one! Melissa's a better person than most of the other ones put together, but this put me to sleep!

She's just to gosh darned stable... by comparison.

If you didn’t know Melissa from 12 years ago, she would just be a “normal” person at a down point in her life. She would be a woman with 3 kids, going through a divorce, who gained weight with her pregnancies and was trying to lose it and restart her career. Perhaps she left her job at Dr Now’s due to her pregnancies.  

I think long term Melissa will be fine IF she stays in therapy, gets some emotional support systems (like her friends) and DOES NOT take Chris back. However I think it’s 50/50 that she will get lonely, and overwhelmed as a single Mom and will either 1. Take him back or 2. Not go through with the divorce and let him come crawling back in a few years. I do think she’s done having children; and she’s committed to caring for them, but in a decade or so when they don’t need her as much the pounds may start creeping back. 

[SunnyBeBe]

I posted about Melissa not too long ago around here, because I was wondering what she was up to.  My research found an article about her journey and it said that she was struggling due to having to steer clear of the junk food the kids have in the house.  I said then, WHY would she keep junk food in the house for the kids.  They don't need it and neither does she.  To me, that indicates very poor judgment.  Why help set your kids up for obesity later on in their lives?  Why don't people think of this?  To me, they use the kids as an excuse to buy it, then eat it themselves.  Just part of the BS.  She told Dr. Now that she eats the kid's cheese sticks.  I assume she meant the fried kind and not string cheese. I wonder if she knows her kids could grow up loving healthy food, not crap that helped make her super morbidly obese.  

I missed the first 20 minutes, so, please chime in if I'm off on this. But, I never saw any real joy in Melissa's life.  She's a the glass is half empty person and she gets in her own way most of the time. I'm no professional, but, was she depressed? Needing meds?  I wonder why they didn't mention that.  

Also, I can understand why a person rejects living each day with a strict diet of food they don't like. WHY oh WHY, don't they stop with this strict diet thing that isn't sustainable and just learn to prepare and enjoy GOOD, DELICIOUS, NUTRITIOUS food, instead of focusing on what they can't have.  Why not enjoy the great foods that you can have?

Edited April 26, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[Scarlett45]

2 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I posted about Melissa not too long ago around here, because I was wondering what she was up to.  My research found an article about her journey and it said that she was struggling due to having to steer clear of the junk food the kids have in the house.  I said then, WHY would she keep junk food in the house for the kids.  They don't need it and neither does she.  To me, that indicates very poor judgment.  Why help set your kids up for obesity later on in their lives?  Why don't people think of this?  To me, they use the kids as an excuse to buy it, then eat it themselves.  Just part of the BS.  

I missed the first 20 minutes, so, please chime in if I'm off on this. But, I never saw any real joy in Melissa's life.  She's a the glass is half empty person and she gets in her own way most of the time. I'm no professional, but, was she depressed? Needing meds?  I wonder why they didn't mention that.  

Also, I can understand why a person rejects living each day with a strict diet of food they don't like. WHY oh WHY, don't they stop with this strict diet thing that isn't sustainable and just learn to prepare and enjoy GOOD, DELICIOUS, NUTRITIOUS food, instead of focusing on what they can't have.  Why not enjoy the great foods that you can have?

I agree with the first paragraph- just don’t keep the junk in the house. 

I do think Melissa is depressed right now- almost anyone would be in her situation it sucks!! Chris was an asshole but they were together 21 years, and that’s ending, she’s got 3 small kids to care for all alone most of the time. I do think she gets real joy out of caring for her kids and she DESPERATELY wanted to be a Mom. I think it’s just going to take time for her to feel better again. 

As to your last paragraph- for some food addicts the strict diet is the only thing keeping them from binging after the effects of surgery aren’t so severe. It would be like telling an alcoholic “oh well why not enjoy the glass of wine you can have and stay away from hard liquor.”- they just can’t. They don’t get the same “high” from the good healthy nutritious food. It’s not appealing to them for a variety of reasons. 

[SunnyBeBe]

14 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

I agree with the first paragraph- just don’t keep the junk in the house. 

I do think Melissa is depressed right now- almost anyone would be in her situation it sucks!! Chris was an asshole but they were together 21 years, and that’s ending, she’s got 3 small kids to care for all alone most of the time. I do think she gets real joy out of caring for her kids and she DESPERATELY wanted to be a Mom. I think it’s just going to take time for her to feel better again. 

As to your last paragraph- for some food addicts the strict diet is the only thing keeping them from binging after the effects of surgery aren’t so severe. It would be like telling an alcoholic “oh well why not enjoy the glass of wine you can have and stay away from hard liquor.”- they just can’t. They don’t get the same “high” from the good healthy nutritious food. It’s not appealing to them for a variety of reasons. 

I appreciate this perspective.  I didn't realize this. Hmmm.....I've been average size most of my life, but, gained some and I have recently lost 50 pounds.  I love good food and enjoy each day eating good food.  I can't imagine not having that. So, it must be horrible to not be able to do that. 

My mom is a strict diet kind of person.  She loves fad diets and anything extreme.  She's lost lots of weight that way, but, sadly gains it back.  She's been on a diet roller coaster for most of her life. I doubt she'll ever change. I've noticed that she can't relate to having a sustainable, healthy eating plan.  She seems to be contemptuous of it.  I've always wondered why.  I don't think she likes nutritious food.  I suppose what you say explains it. 

I still wonder if Melissa always thinks that eating healthy is a chore, burden, horrible, deprivation, etc.......how will she stay with it long term?  

Edited April 26, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[Scarlett45]

15 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I still wonder if Melissa always thinks that eating healthy is a chore, burden, horrible, deprivation, etc.......how will she stay with it long term?  

Melissa has acknowledged she’s an emotional eater. If she never deals with her emotions in another way she will continue to over eat. She won’t get back to 600lbs logistically (that I believe) but she isn’t eating because she’s hungry and she wants to enjoy the processes of satisfying that biological urge. 

I also think Melissa is REALLY sad right now so everything kinda sucks (except for her kids). 

[Jen Marie]

What a yawnfest.

[SunnyBeBe]

I don't view Melissa's kids as being a positive thing from what we saw.  She may love them, but, not enough to provide them a proper diet. And with all that gloom and depression.....it likely creates stress and anxiety on the kids.  Plus, she's modeling emotional eating. When the parent is not healthy, she's not able to be the parent that she wants.  Maybe, she derives joy from them, but, I wish she would consider how growing up with that all  dysfunction will affect them. 

I must have missed why she could not move to be closer to family for support.  Or were they more of a problem than help?  She just seems to need a support system.  

Edited April 26, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[Scarlett45]

2 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I don't view Melissa's kids as being a positive thing from what we saw.  She may love them, but, not enough to provide them a proper diet. And with all that gloom and depression.....it likely creates stress and anxiety on the kids.  Plus, she's modeling emotional eating. When the parent is not healthy, she's not able to be the parent that she wants.  Maybe, she derives joy from them, but, I wish she would consider how growing up with that all  dysfunction will affect them. 

I must have missed why she could not move to be closer to family for support.  Or were they more of a problem than help?  She just seems to need a support system.  

I agree with everything you said, but you could say the same thing about any parent going through a divorce and eating emotionally. Does that mean Melissa will always be this way and her kids will be forever scared by it? I don’t think so. 

I think most parents (no matter what their situation) go through points where their parenting is less than stellar due to illness or job stress or a divorce (etc etc). That’s a part of the ebb and flow of life  

Melissa probably shared custody with Chris- also she’s been in TX 10+ years, she may not want to move at this point. 

I want Melissa in therapy and moving forward, but I think her episode was realistic (albeit boring). The issues of life don’t stop affecting you after surgery and it’s not all sunshine and rainbows because you lost weight. 

[SunnyBeBe]

I didn't find the episode boring, but, I'm a documentary kind of person.  I don't need theatrics to hold my interest, so, I'm not easily bored with this show.  

Does anyone around here follow Melissa?  She said she had quite a few followers. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Scarlett45 said:

I do think she gets real joy out of caring for her kids and she DESPERATELY wanted to be a Mom.

And part of the deal of being a 'mom' is to be a responsible adult who can act as a role model to your children and provide for the needs. What's her behavior showing those kids? She's a human doormat who stayed in a shitty marriage for 20 years and is constantly looking for a "dream job" when she hasn't had gainful or meaningful employment her entire life or attempted to get any job training beyond spouting pseudo-motivational slogans she herself doesn't enact in her own life. 

Her "I'm just a struggling single mom" nonsense falls flat to me. She was struggling with one -- then decided to pop out two more while in the throes of an already decaying marriage to a man who she depended on financially 100%? Tough crap for her. That is absolute poor decision making and that's why I'm disinclined to feel any sympathy for her on that front -- there are other lives involved now besides her own and she's doing nothing but sad-sacking her way through life (or, rather her "journey") and kicking the can down the road for getting her life in gear. That's an awful example to set for one child, let alone three.

[Jen Marie]

Judging by the outside of her house and some of the rooms inside, she may be heading for an episode of Hoarders.

[SunnyBeBe]

She seemed to catastrophize everything beyond normal levels.  That's why I suspected depression.  I hope she's being properly treated. Everything she talked about was SOOOOO hard for her.  I mean, it was like if she were to peel a coupon off a can, she would break down over how hard it was.  I mean.....it was just very over the top, imo. 

Another troubling sign was how she was so insistent that she would NEVER gain up to 400 pounds again.  That's a very dangerous position to take.  It's like an alcoholic saying that they will never drink again.  It's a day by day thing.  Her lack of self awareness, is an indication to me that she isn't ready for being a public speaker and authority on weight loss. 

Edited April 26, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[Jen Marie]

She's definitely depressed. Hell, I'm getting depressed watching her.

[kicotan]

2 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

  I mean, it was like if she were to peel a coupon off a can, she would break down over how hard it was.

Indeed.  I’m a pretty patient person when it comes to folks complaining about stuff but man, oh man, is she predictable with that tedious nonsense of being on the verge of breaking down into tears and somehow I became numb to it within 45 minutes.  Echoes of my mom telling me to “suck it up and go to school” began to creep into my mind after that.

The grass is always greener for our Miss Melissa.  I think that’s her major problem.  When she didn’t have kids, it was the epitome of happiness to think of being a mom and now that she does, the stress of it all is just too much.  When she was almost 700 pounds, the epitome of happiness was losing all but 150 pounds of it and once she was 150 pounds the joy of that wasn’t enough to stop putting junk in her mouth.  I almost fell off my barstool when Dr. Now told her to GAIN 10 pounds because 150 wasn’t a healthy weight EITHER.

Since the Bettie Jo scenario I’ve taken to looking up these folk on social media.  Melissa’s FB page had recent photos of her and her hubby, posing as if they are together and HIS Facebook page lists his status as married.  Methinks they reconciled.  Ugh.

[SunnyBeBe]

Sometimes, you can't save people from themselves. 

[Scarlett45]

24 minutes ago, Giant Misfit said:

And part of the deal of being a 'mom' is to be a responsible adult who can act as a role model to your children and provide for the needs. What's her behavior showing those kids? She's a human doormat who stayed in a shitty marriage for 20 years and is constantly looking for a "dream job" when she hasn't had gainful or meaningful employment her entire life or attempted to get any job training beyond spouting pseudo-motivational slogans she herself doesn't enact in her own life. 

Her "I'm just a struggling single mom" nonsense falls flat to me. She was struggling with one -- then decided to pop out two more while in the throes of an already decaying marriage to a man who she depended on financially 100%? Tough crap for her. That is absolute poor decision making and that's why I'm disinclined to feel any sympathy for her on that front -- there are other lives involved now besides her own and she's doing nothing but sad-sacking her way through life (or, rather her "journey") and kicking the can down the road for getting her life in gear. That's an awful example to set for one child, let alone three.

Our culture does have a single mother martyr complex. I’m giving Melissa no extra sympathy than I would any other person in a similar situation BUT I think that because she was once 673 pounds she’s being held to a different standard. 

Tons of people make bad decisions regarding partners, or career or get depressed sometimes. They fight through it and get better, I don’t think it means they are doomed to fail at life or fail as a parent. 

 

Melissa just seems like a typical person going through a very bad patch in their life. I think she needs something to bring her joy besides her kids because that’s not fair to put that on them, and they will grow up and need her less (both emotionally and physically). I also wonder if she had some post partum given the baby was only a few months old when the episode started. 

Edited April 26, 2018 by Scarlett45

[SunnyBeBe]

With all the medical care and therapists she has seen, I'd think they would have noticed clinicial depression or Postpartum, but, who knows.  Something was way off. 

[Showthyme]

Melissa is someone who is always looking for the next best thing rather than trying to improve what she already has. Yes, she is for the most part a single mother BUT she has 3 children that she longed for. Yes, she had her dream job with Dr. Now before having children, but now she wants to be a motivational speaker. Everyone on this board is a motivational speaker. It doesn't have to be grand to be good. Part of life is learning to love what you got. Melissa needs long-term therapy. 

It is hard to resist snacks when you are feeding children but there are opportunities to burn a few calories chasing around the munchkins. I agree with the poster who said that she could use a little makeup because fixing ourselves up boosts our self-esteem a bit. 

Clearly, Melissa still does not see her size. She was trying on clothes that would flatter and fit someone with a smaller figure. Torrid appeals to women of all ages because they have different styles for larger shapes. The lace blouse was a good option for her but it needed to be in the right size. 

I have an acquaintance who got the sleeve. Lost a lot of weight. Got the skin removal, tummy tuck and boob job and really looked great. She gained back 50 pounds because she likes to socialize and most of that involves getting together to eat. I think it is tough to be on such a significant weight loss journey (sorry for using the J word) and come to grips with the fact that she will never be like that "normal" person who can eat and not pack on the pounds. Oprah had Dr. Phil on back in the day. He was explaining to someone that the skinny bitch who can eat anything sitting next to you is not YOU. 

[Quof]

Quote

Two hours of her "journey" (I'm beginning to hate that word.)

"Why is everything a journey? Why can't I just live? Why can't I just be?" 

George Costanza

[Yokosmom]

I was too bored to finish the episode, but I was sad to see that she was still struggling with her weight.  She did drop around 150 pounds when she kicked her cheating slimeball hubbie out the door.  I don't understand people who keep having kids, thinking that it is going to save their relationship, though.

[CoachWristletJen]

10 hours ago, dahling said:

I sympathize and empathize with her struggle. It’s real and the finish line is never.

However—

I cannot take seriously a motivational speaker who cries this much.

I felt like she would never really have the motivation to be a full time motivational speaker.

That being said, I can see her getting the occasional speaking engagement. She does have a heartfelt message.

[TurtlePower]

I didn't realize at first this was the Melissa from years ago. Last I saw her, she was thin and working in Dr. Now's office. It was sad to see her lose the traction she once had, but at least she's still mobile. I don't see her being a full-time speaker, either, not as a single mom with 3 kids. I like Melissa and hope she gets and stays on track. 

[SunnyBeBe]

Everyone has their story. That's true. She can describe her own journey and I'm sure it is inspiring to some people.  But, to get paid as a motivational speaker......., I would imagine that the resume would need to be a little more solid.  And her confidence level a lot higher.  She has everything she needs for success.  She just has to reach out and take it. 

Edited April 26, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[IOU Payne]

My 250-Pound Life isn't that compelling of a show.  Although Dr. Now's old-skool rapper outfit was awesome (and a shout-out to the brilliant poster in the Live Chat who gave him the hip-hop name of Lil Now-Now), it wasn't enough to keep my interest.  Especially when the tarpaulin skirt made its umpteenth appearance. So, I switched over to Jamie Oliver.

One notable comment that Melissa made was that she didn't care if she inspired people who had 200 or 500 pounds to lose.   I know a few people (myself included) who would like to drop around 40 pounds.  I guess she has no inspiration for us.  Oh well.

Edited April 26, 2018 by IOU Payne

[Guest]

1 hour ago, kicotan said:

Melissa’s FB page had recent photos of her and her hubby,

She must have deleted them; I only see pictures of her and children. Also, slogans.

[Maricopa]

2 hours ago, Giant Misfit said:

and is constantly looking for a "dream job" when she hasn't had gainful or meaningful employment her entire life or attempted to get any job training beyond spouting pseudo-motivational slogans she herself doesn't enact in her own life. 

It's nearly impossible to find motivational speaker gigs unless you are a public figure or have something unique to say, or a unique accomplishment. It's simply not a career for the vast majority of people who try it. Universities and corporate conferences can pay five figures, but they mostly hire former politicians or someone front and center in the public eye -- like astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson (from PBS's Nova), TV personalities/journalists like David Muir, Olympic diver Greg Louganis, or Pakistani Nobel winner Malala. There's not room for a still-overweight housewife with zero job skills in that space. I have a platform where I occasionally get asked to do a keynote...but the most I've made for one is $3K and I average fewer than one a year. In other words, you need a career *before* embarking on a public speaking career...otherwise you have nothing much to talk about.

I also notice that Melissa's "smile" is one of squinting through tears -- and in the current bloated package, hers is not a good image for others aspiring to lost weight. There is little happiness in this woman's life. Since she doesn't seem to work, why not spend the time with her kids doing things like visiting the same farmer's market every week and learning what's in season and how beautiful the colorful produce looks, or checking out kid-friendly cooking class options at the local community center? And then cooking new dishes and veggies together at home? Now *that* could lead to some speaking engagements and a cookbook.

[Maricopa]

2 hours ago, kicotan said:

I almost fell off my barstool when Dr. Now told her to GAIN 10 pounds because 150 wasn’t a healthy weight EITHER.

Indeed, 150 is not underweight for almost any woman unless she's unusually tall; when I hit that # I started looking like Twitney's Pooh-on-the-beach photo. I'm 5'6 and it's 150 is 25 lbs. overweight for me, according to my MD (just got down to 137, yay)! I do not understand why Dr. Now would recommend weight gain unless someone is showing symptoms of anorexic-type eating disorders. Melissa did it once before, and I hope she can get back down to 150-ish. She looked quite good at that weight.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

It's nearly impossible to find motivational speaker gigs unless you are a public figure or have something unique to say, or a unique accomplishment. It's simply not a career for the vast majority of people who try it. 

Plus even if she had a successful public speaking career, I'd think she would have to travel a lot - which would be very difficult with three small children who appear to have a largely absentee father.

I was honestly pretty surprised at what the "career counselor" told her. I get not wanting to dash someone's dreams but she made it sound like this was a totally viable option. I would have much preferred her to have been more realistic with Melissa. I'm not sure what level of education Melissa has or how much she could pursue, but she could be in a helping profession in a lot of ways - from nursing assistant to counselor/therapist. She could get a CNA and work at the hospital where Dr. Now performs surgery - thereby working in bariatrics and having a steady (though probably modest) income. 

[aliya]

Something crossed my mind - Melissa has a history of weight issues. Why in the world would her OB-GYN let her gain 100 lbs? I can't think of any doc who wouldn't be concerned about a pregnant woman who gained 100 lbs w/a pregnancy. Of course, s/he can't control what she's eating, but she says it so matter-of-factly - "I gained 100 lbs with the last pregnancy."  That sounds like a serious medical issue to me, but I could be wrong.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

Why in the world would her OB-GYN let her gain 100 lbs? I can't think of any doc who wouldn't be concerned about a pregnant woman who gained 100 lbs w/a pregnancy. Of course, s/he can't control what she's eating, but she says it so matter-of-factly - "I gained 100 lbs with the last pregnancy."  That sounds like a serious medical issue to me, but I could be wrong.

I'm sure her OB expressed concerns but what could he/she do? Besides counsel Melissa to exercise more and watch her diet, which was probably recommended.

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, Elizzikra said:

I'm sure her OB expressed concerns but what could he/she do? Besides counsel Melissa to exercise more and watch her diet, which was probably recommended.

Yeah they couldn’t exactly stop her from gaining. So I don’t think it was a matter of “letting her”.

edited to add- sounds like she and Chris were done before baby 3 was conceived (makeup sex) so she was probably eating a lot due to depression/anxiety etc. given that she went through two previous pregnancies without gaining that kind of weight I bet it was due to emotional eating on Melissa’s part. 

Edited April 26, 2018 by Scarlett45

[Miss Ruth]

Frankly, after watching several hours of Melissa's "journey" over the course of the past twelve years, and knowing what she is going through now, I wouldn't go to one of her lectures for free.  "Physician, heal thyself." comes to mind.  She could work off some of that fat by cleaning that cluttered house.  Raising three children is hard, but she should have time to do housework.  I kept thinking about how ashamed I would be if a member of my family saw my house like that, not to mention millions of strangers seeing that mess.  I guess, if she can take a naked shower in front of all those people, a filthy house wouldn't bother her.  While I admire her for losing hundreds of pounds, the doctor took off over a hundred pounds in two follow-up surgeries.  The woman has no butt now, but I wonder why Dr. Now didn't "do" her legs.  Hopefully, she will reach her target weight and be able to have upper arms and legs done.  I do feel so sorry for her but, until she makes the decision to do something about it, she will remain in hamster mode.

[dahling]

1 hour ago, Maricopa said:

Indeed, 150 is not underweight for almost any woman unless she's unusually tall; when I hit that # I started looking like Twitney's Pooh-on-the-beach photo. I'm 5'6 and it's 150 is 25 lbs. overweight for me, according to my MD (just got down to 137, yay)! I do not understand why Dr. Now would recommend weight gain unless someone is showing symptoms of anorexic-type eating disorders. Melissa did it once before, and I hope she can get back down to 150-ish. She looked quite good at that weight.

"Normal" weight for people who have never been obese is not the same as "normal" for those who have been obese, and super obese.  I lost almost 200 pounds and I guarantee that at 190 lbs, you would look at me and say I looked closer to 150 or 160. There is a tremendous amount of extra skin and flesh that sticks around, even after some skin surgery.  It's impossible to remove it all.   Since Dr. Now is the MD, I trust him when he told her she was underweight at 157.  Hell, if I got to 157 people would think I was dying.

If memory serves, Christina also got down to around 160 and Dr. Now, noting her hollow cheekbones and protruding clavicle, told her she needed to put on some weight. It's just a different standard because these people's bodies have been changed forever by their obesity. 

Edited April 26, 2018 by dahling

[aliya]

2 hours ago, CoachWristletJen said:

That being said, I can see her getting the occasional speaking engagement. She does have a heartfelt message.

What is it?  I hear a story. Not sure if I hear a message.

[Mothra]

6 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

posted about Melissa not too long ago around here, because I was wondering what she was up to.  My research found an article about her journey and it said that she was struggling due to having to steer clear of the junk food the kids have in the house.  I said then, WHY would she keep junk food in the house for the kids.  They don't need it and neither does she.  To me, that indicates very poor judgment.  Why help set your kids up for obesity later on in their lives?  Why don't people think of this?  To me, they use the kids as an excuse to buy it, then eat it themselves.  Just part of the BS.  She told Dr. Now that she eats the kid's cheese sticks.  I assume she meant the fried kind and not string cheese. I wonder if she knows her kids could grow up loving healthy food, not crap that helped make her super morbidly obese.  

Especially since she said at the beginning of the ep that she was terrified that her daughter would get fat, so she is aware of what her kids should be eating.  You just don't have that shit in the house--nobody needs to eat it.

I like Melissa, and I enjoyed this episode.  That scene of her practically skipping up and down the steps when she first lost a lot of weight put a shit-eating grin on my face that stayed there through much of the show.  She had a hellish couple of years, having a divorce and becoming a single mom of three small children, then her father being so very ill and probably dying.  I think it would have taken alien superpowers for someone not to gain weight living through all that.

I raised an eyebrow at the career adviser's assertion that Melissa could earn a "very good living" as a motivational speaker--like Leah from Teen Mom 2, Melissa's story imo interests a very narrow population, many of whom follow her on sm anyway, so why pay to hear her in person?  And like Leah, Melissa doesn't have an easy manner of speech, particularly in front of a crowd.  I think she would do better to train to do some tech-type job, where hours can be flexible and wages/benefits good, with probable future employment.

It was repetitive, but I found it interesting.  I especially liked Blessed Dr. Now assuring her that she was actually not doing that badly, considering that 95% of his patients can't keep the weight off.  Does he mean that they regain all the weight they lost?  I think a very, very good hypnotist could make a killing doing fake bariatric surgery.  You go through all the pre-op stuff, having the patient meet a doctor who tells them they have to lose 40 pounds to be eligible, then admit the patient to the hospital, where you "prep" them for surgery and then hypnotize the shit out of them.  When they wake up, they experience belly pain and are unable to eat solid foods.  Since the weight loss really depends on the patient's actions, not the surgery, I bet a certain percentage of very gullible people would lose weight without the expense and danger of real surgery.

And--I want a selfie with Dr. Now.

[aliya]

12 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Yeah they couldn’t exactly stop her from gaining. So I don’t think it was a matter of “letting her”.

I said as much. However, Ms Motivational speaker needs to tell me more than she gained 100 lbs when pregnant. Did she lose it? No. Did she gain 30 and tell herself, "Man, I better slow down?" Apparently not. And she's still gaining.  I'm not sure there's much she can tell me to motivate me. 

[SunnyBeBe]

I'm a believer in hypnotism.  I think you have to keep going though. 

Even when you are going through a hard time, is it normal to breakdown in tears over a pair of pants?  I laughed when her friend told her those pants would be ugly on anyone. 

[Swiss]

  Wasn't Melissa the very first person ever featured on My 600 lb life? I'm not sure the show was even titled by that name back then.  I liked her and her episode.    None of the disgusting bathroom/shower scenes and she didn't lay around with her private parts having to blurred out.   I was happy to see her weight loss success and her happiness over having a child...despite it being with that cheater Chris. 

I watched her episode last night and didn't really enjoy the episode.  I was happy that she had finally kicked Chris to the curb but that was after having two more children with him!!  Why did she do that....grrrr.  The rest of the episode was just her repeating the same things over and over again.  I do hope things work out for her. 

[kicotan]

3 hours ago, Giant Misfit said:

She must have deleted them; I only see pictures of her and children. Also, slogans.

Wow!  That was FAST~hmmmmmm...is she trolling me here? 

Her husband’s profile has also disappeared.  I swear, it wasn’t a dream!  February of 2018 at some sporting event or concert all squished together into a selfie with big smiles.