S06.E17: One Ton Family: Part 1

[aliya]

3 minutes ago, kicotan said:

I’m still thinking this is an untapped cash cow(no pun intended...). I’m still envisioning the Nowzardian Center for The Super Morbidly Obese.  There are supersized rooms, a gym, pool, nutritionist, therapist & life coach. The cafeteria with only the approved items for an appropriate eating habit has calorie count labels on all the items and once scanned into the system for that person, when they reach their calorie limit, the cafeteria is closed to them for the rest of the day.  A social worker helps them find off site housing once their initial 90 day stay is up.

Sort of like a rehab facility for the food addict.

Back in the 1970's, I had a weekend job as a ward clerk in the clinical research unit at UM's hospital. This where they were starting kidney transplants on twins, sickle cell treatment research, and while I was there, some obesity research. The obese people (I don't recall seeing any of them) were in the hospital for awhile, first eating their usual foods so researchers could see where they started from, then going to the eating plan (which I don't recall ever learning about).

After a bit, they were moved into apartments close to the hospital for something similar to what you describe. It's been many years, but I remember the nurses saying that it really didn't make much difference. Nobody stuck to the plan once they were on their own.  It was the first time I ever heard of someone being too big to drive or to pick up their small children.  I was also told not to respond to the call button from them - that they were so big that when they sat on the toilet, their hips touched the wall and would set off the call button. Jeez. I can't remember my name sometimes, but I remember that.

[auntjess]

18 minutes ago, kicotan said:

I'm still thinking this is an untapped cash cow(no pun intended...). I’m still envisioning the Nowzardian Center for The Super Morbidly Obese.

Who's providing the cash.  I can't see insurance companies or medicaid funding this, and you'd have to be quite well off to pay for it, out of pocket.

[aliya]

1 minute ago, auntjess said:

Who's providing the cash.  I can't see insurance companies or medicaid funding this, and you'd have to be quite well off to pay for it, out of pocket.

Federal grants!  1 million for 5 subjects for 6 months. 20 grad students, and some new equipment for the investigator. There's an obesity problem in the country - I'm pretty sure we can get NIH to fund this, especially if subjects are poor blacks and rural whites. 

[Elizzikra]

Quote

interesting that they all have their own apartments and seeming no source of income. 

Clarence had a job though I don't think that we ever learned what it was. Roshanda almost certainly has disability since she is pretty much bed-bound.

Quote

And why are so many of these people obsessed with the idea of having to help/take care of other people? That's really nice that Clarence was helping his sisters and then his dad, but he clearly did not want to and only did it out of obligation - even when he is eating and smoking himself to death. That guy is 100% a ticking time-bomb and when he has his heart attack, at his age, he's going to drop dead on the spot. So instead of this crazy "I have to do this" attitude, take care of yourself and only take care of others when you want to and are able to. I found it terribly sad that their dad essentially treated them like shit, kicked them out and then crawled back when he needed someone to take care of him. Incredibly sad. 

I think that Clarence took care of his sisters because they three of them seemed to have such a close bond. I think he did want to help them but of course, was stressed out by having to do so. I, too, thought the father had a lot of nerve going to his kids for help when he kicked them out to begin with, but I'm not surprised that Clarence took him back. I've seen that pretty often - a parent treats a kid horribly but when they are old/sick/dying, the kid still feels obligated to care for the parent. Sometimes I think they are trying to have some sort of positive relationship with the parent that they missed when they were kids. Other times I think they are just much better people than their parents were. In some other cases, I think it's just a family, cultural and/or religious expectations - you take care of family (even if family hasn't always taken care of you).

Edited May 3, 2018 by Elizzikra

[DC Gal in VA]

5 hours ago, Pepper Mostly said:

I would die from joy if I saw lovely fat asparagus like that in my local grocery store, I love it so much. I am still reeling from shock that they didn't know what asparagus WAS. Sweet tap dancing Jesus. 

Brandie's a rapper? Of course she is. anyone remember Slim from True Life on MTV? Brandie makes Slim look like LL Cool J. Holy shit. 

Why do all the 600 pounders have such wimpy, dead fish handshakes? 

Like you, I love those fat asparagus spears. Alas, I just came back from the grocery store and all they had were the little pencil thin ones. No bueno.

I also hate those dead fish handshakes unless they have arthritic hands, which I don't think is a problem for them. Just another sign of I really am not into this whole I have to lose weight/diet thing that Dr. Now wants them to do like the rest of their arms folded, side eye demeanor when he's telling them what they need to do.

[LGGirl]

36 minutes ago, auntjess said:

Who's providing the cash.  I can't see insurance companies or medicaid funding this, and you'd have to be quite well off to pay for it, out of pocket.

Insurance companies cover rehab.  I really don’t see the difference.  Addiction is addicition, no matter what the drug.  In the end, the sooner the food addiction is addressed, the less the insurance company will pay in the long run when you consider how much they end up paying in doctor visits and medications.  

[aliya]

4 minutes ago, LGGirl said:

Insurance companies cover rehab.  I really don’t see the difference.  Addiction is addicition, no matter what the drug.  In the end, the sooner the food addiction is addressed, the less the insurance company will pay in the long run when you consider how much they end up paying in doctor visits and medications.  

I wanted to attend a 3 day seminar on how to eat with diabetes and other diseases. Some blood work would be taken and there would be medication review and revision. This was done by doctors and nurses, not some diet guru. My insurance wouldn't pay for it. They would (and continue) pay for my meds to the tune of 14K a year and if I'd wound up in the hospital needing an amputation, etc. This doctor has been doing these seminars multiple times a year for maybe 20 years, but no payment from my insurance. While many diseases react favorably to changes in diet, diabetes has to be one of the few where you can reverse the course of the disease, get off of meds, improve Syndrome X, etc., by how you eat, but no...   Joslin also offers this type of seminar, but they aren't covered, either. 

[GoldaVining]

1 hour ago, iwasish said:

interesting that they all have their own apartments and seeming no source of income. 

Yes. Interesting. So many of the people featured on this show have suffered terrible trauma and it seems like a history of sexual abuse is the main thing when we see very young women who are 600 to 800 pounds by their 20's, but I didn't hear that for these sisters. Maybe I missed it or maybe they didn't share that. What I saw were two sisters who each had their own apartment and couldn't bring themselves to do more than wait for breakfast to be delivered. Roshanda was able to cook meals after Dr. Now put them on the diet so what was preventing those girls from standing up and making their own breakfasts? Bone idle. And then calling out their brother who appears to have a job and wants to keep it? Come on. What do they DO all day?

[AVM]

2 hours ago, Kid said:

Amen. And because you cannot quit eating completely or you’ll die, you need to learn what foods are your triggers and avoid those. You will note, most of the people on the show eat pizza and fried food In mass quantities and those two items are most likely their triggers.

Wrong,Dr Now told other patients they do not need the food,   Fact is fat is stored unused calories  and they could go without eating ....none of them would starve to death  ... They could lives with just water for months.

[libgirl2]

57 minutes ago, aliya said:

I wanted to attend a 3 day seminar on how to eat with diabetes and other diseases. Some blood work would be taken and there would be medication review and revision. This was done by doctors and nurses, not some diet guru. My insurance wouldn't pay for it. They would (and continue) pay for my meds to the tune of 14K a year and if I'd wound up in the hospital needing an amputation, etc. This doctor has been doing these seminars multiple times a year for maybe 20 years, but no payment from my insurance. While many diseases react favorably to changes in diet, diabetes has to be one of the few where you can reverse the course of the disease, get off of meds, improve Syndrome X, etc., by how you eat, but no...   Joslin also offers this type of seminar, but they aren't covered, either. 

You know why they won't pay for it but will pay for the drugs? Money. The drug companies want people to take drugs! 

A couple of years ago, I was having pains in my hip. I went to the doctor, then a specialist. He took an x-ray then wanted me to have an MRI to make sure it wasn't anything life threatening (I was losing strength in my hip and would almost fall). Insurance wouldn't pay. they would pay for me to go to therapy only, which would mean me taking time off from work etc..... 

Edited May 3, 2018 by libgirl2

[aliya]

Just now, libgirl2 said:

You know why they won't pay for it but will pay for the drugs? Money. The drug companies want people to take drugs! 

Ain't no money in vegetables. : )

[knuckles491]

Does anyone remember a show that was on TV about 10 years ago about an obesity clinic in New York?  I think it was called Broad- something Clinic.  I believe the patients stayed there for an extended period of time. One young guy was the director.  People were always finding ways to have  pizza and fried chicken smuggled in. Just looked it up, it was Brookhaven Clinic.

Edited May 3, 2018 by knuckles491
new info

[iwasish]

2 hours ago, kicotan said:

I’m still thinking this is an untapped cash cow(no pun intended...). I’m still envisioning the Nowzardian Center for The Super Morbidly Obese.  There are supersized rooms, a gym, pool, nutritionist, therapist & life coach. The cafeteria with only the approved items for an appropriate eating habit has calorie count labels on all the items and once scanned into the system for that person, when they reach their calorie limit, the cafeteria is closed to them for the rest of the day.  A social worker helps them find off site housing once their initial 90 day stay is up.

Sort of like a rehab facility for the food addict.

These three as kids devised a system to bypass dad’s locked pantry in order to get the food they craved, and also skimmed from the grocery bags after the family food shopping trips. Like sharks they were constantly eating or searching food. 

[CringeWatcher]

4 hours ago, Lunula said:

That was weird, eh? I was pretty impressed that they, particularly Roshanda, all immediately left their appointment and tried to start the new eating plan right away. Taco salad probably wasn't the best option, but considering what they had been eating, I'm surprised their bodies didn't go into vegetable shock.

How on earth did Roshanda lose so much at the first appointment and Brandie did almost nothing - and then they flipped going into the second appointment? Total crock of BS that Clarence is afraid of surgery because of losing his mother after an operation - he doesn't seem to think he really needs to lose weight. He kept pointing to his sisters as the "fat ones" while he was almost 600 lbs. Honestly, I think that's partly an American society thing - woman are FAT but men at the same (or larger weights) are just BIG. 

Clarence, Clarence, Clarence. Yes, you take care of your sisters, and dude, I have nothing but admiration for that. But for a little perspective, and in keeping with the siblings theme, 580 lbs is about the same as me, my brother, and my two half sisters COMBINED. So yeah, weight loss would probably be a really good idea. 

Edited May 3, 2018 by CringeWatcher

[Mothra]

4 hours ago, Lunula said:

That was weird, eh? I was pretty impressed that they, particularly Roshanda, all immediately left their appointment and tried to start the new eating plan right away. Taco salad probably wasn't the best option, but considering what they had been eating, I'm surprised their bodies didn't go into vegetable shock.

How on earth did Roshanda lose so much at the first appointment and Brandie did almost nothing - and then they flipped going into the second appointment? Total crock of BS that Clarence is afraid of surgery because of losing his mother after an operation - he doesn't seem to think he really needs to lose weight. He kept pointing to his sisters as the "fat ones" while he was almost 600 lbs. Honestly, I think that's partly an American society thing - woman are FAT but men at the same (or larger weights) are just BIG. 

What gets me about almost everyone on the show is this concept that if they do not get approved for weight loss surgery, then "all of this was for nothing." Seriously, Roshanda, you lost 155 lbs and you were complaining it was all for nothing? Are you kidding? You lost the equivalent of a 5'8 adult female and you think that was for nothing? And now that you see you can lose weight ON YOUR OWN, how on earth could you think it's for nothing if you can't get surgery? 

And why are so many of these people obsessed with the idea of having to help/take care of other people? That's really nice that Clarence was helping his sisters and then his dad, but he clearly did not want to and only did it out of obligation - even when he is eating and smoking himself to death. That guy is 100% a ticking time-bomb and when he has his heart attack, at his age, he's going to drop dead on the spot. So instead of this crazy "I have to do this" attitude, take care of yourself and only take care of others when you want to and are able to. I found it terribly sad that their dad essentially treated them like shit, kicked them out and then crawled back when he needed someone to take care of him. Incredibly sad. 

I, too, was very impressed by the way this family got right into following the diet, and I was especially surprised that Roshanda was doing the cooking.  If she's able to cook--and once again, how about that 800 lb woman being able to get out of bed and *do* stuff at all?--why was she sitting around waiting for her brother to bring her fried chicken for breakfast?  I thought it was sweet that Clarence felt responsible for his sisters; at one point he actually said that now he was the man of the family.  I think the nasty fight over moving to Houston was rooted in his feeling that his sisters didn't understand what he would have to give up to move to another town for a year.  He had a job, for one thing, and a life.  I truly don't think he resented the daily, local help he gave his sisters, but asking him to give up virtually everything for a whole year was just too much.

And it seemed to me that this group of enormous people managed that trip with much less complaining and drama than any single patient we've seen.

I liked this family.  At first, Roshanda rubbed me the wrong way, especially after I saw all the butter she put in the food she was cooking (although in spirit I was right there with her), but when she turned out to be the most successful--hell, the only successful--one of them, she was so proud it was really touching.  And then, later, when she was the only one who didn't get approved for surgery, I think she felt humiliated and angry and didn't know what to do with her feelings.  There was the expectation that she was going to be the star of weight loss, and then ker-plop.

I'd like more information about dad.  Why, exactly, did he throw mom out of the house?  Was that before or after he started using drugs?  Plus he looked pretty healthy to me.  Why does Clarence think he needs taking care of?

[PrincessPurrsALot]

I was actually impressed that Roshanda was looking up the calories on the taco salad.  Sure it seemed funny that she was asking if the 700 calories included the shell, but she was looking for something they could have that was within the guidelines.  If you're going to go for fast food, that's the way to do it.  How many times have we all said if they were going for fast food there are options?  I can get being tired from the drive and stopping for something.  It was better than when Clarence opted for the chicken tenders and large fries - definitely not Now approved.  

Calories being shown on the menus depends on where you live.  I'm in California.  I can admit that I have changed my mind occasionally about something I was going to get when I saw the calorie count.  When the calories are right in front of you, it's hard to trick yourself into thinking something isn't that caloric. 

[TwirlyGirly]

11 hours ago, zoemom said:

After watching many seasons of watching folks on My 600 lb. Life  I think most of the participants go in, want to see Dr. Now (regardless of their weight) have him do the surgery and they'll magically lose all of their weight instantly.  Food addiction as we've seen can be just as hard to beat just like drugs, gambling or smoking.  I quit smoking 25 years ago, it was the hardest thing I ever did.  Sometimes, after a particularly hard day, when I get in my car I still get a craving to have one.  I thought smoking relaxed me/made me feel better.  Sound familiar???

<snip>

I've been watching "Skin Tight" after "My 600-lb Life", and from what I can remember, many (if not most) of the folks on that program who have had bariatric surgery to lose weight say "After I had the surgery, the pounds just fell (or "melted") away." Which makes me wonder - DOES it work that way for some people? Are there those who, once they've had the surgery, don't need to put in much effort fighting cravings, and DO feel satisfied not only eating the amount of food they're allowed, but also the types of food they must eat? I wonder....

Insofar as smoking - I smoked two packs a day for decades, and just recently (November 2017) switched to vaping most of the time. But I still smoke five cigarettes a day. But, there isn't a doctor around who would ever think to give me the A-Okay for smoking five cigarettes a day. I guess what I'm saying is from my perspective, it's easier to cut back on something than to give it up entirely, so I don't have as much sympathy for these people because of that They can still eat, and they can learn to eat things which are healthy and also taste good. They're not being told they must entirely give up something (eating) they truly enjoy.

 

10 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

<snip>

Did you notice the younger sister in the grocery store and how she had no clue about vegetables? She didn't seem interested to learn either. 

That shocked me, too! She was looking at that cabbage like she thought it must have entered Earth's atmosphere from Mars or something....

9 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I missed that part. I, like you, love asparagus! How could they not know it? This restaurant by us makes them grilled and they are the big ones. So good. They also do a balsamic brussel sprout. I never liked them til I had them there. Yum! 

So many vegetables taste delicious when roasted. I've never been fond of cooked carrots (I do like them raw), then one day I oven roasted a bunch of them and WOW! DO I LOVE COOKED (roasted) CARROTS NOW! A lot of veggies I'm not usually enthusiastic about (like Brussel sprouts) I love when oven roasted.

Roasted asparagus is totally yummy as well. Place the asparagus in an oven-proof skillet, add a teaspoon or two of olive oil, and rub the stalks around in the olive oil real good. Sprinkle with a bit of salt (kosher or sea salt is best) and freshly cracked black pepper. Put the lid on the skillet and roast in the oven at 425 for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven, plate, and sprinkle each serving with a few drops of balsamic vinegar. It's to DIE for!

[pdlinda]

I was interested in the fact that Roshonda put quite a bit of emphasis on her appearance, irrespective of her massive weight.  I noticed her hair was styled and she had elaborate mani/pedi polishes (and maybe decals??)  She also had the latest styles in clothing in a variety of fashions.  Brandi and Clarence, on the other hand, both seemed to pay minimal attention to keeping themselves groomed as well as Roshonda did.  It seemed almost counter-intuitive that Roshonda was the heaviest of the three.

I got the overall impression that none of the 3 seemed to possess the burning desire to renounce her/his lifetime passion and romance with all the foods that got them to the weight they were.  When you get right down to reality the massive changes these 3 would have to make AND SUSTAIN would be so drastic I'm not sure their commitment could ever achieve more than a "yo-yo" boomerang where at best they would lose weight only to gain it back when the slightest setback (read that REAL LIFE) kicked in.

[Suzywriter]

Clarence's self worth seems to be tied up in proving that others--especially his sisters --need him to survive. He encouraged his sisters to stuff themselves and brought them heaps of the food they seemed unable to stop eating.

[Suzywriter]

 HClarence's self worth seems to be tied up in proving that others--especially his sisters --need him to survive. He encouraged his sisters to stuff themselves and brought them heaps of the food they seemed unable to stop eating.

Roshonda would be very pretty and exotic-looking if she smiled.

[Suzywriter]

AND HELLO, Dr. Are-You-Single!

[3girlsforus]

7 hours ago, kicotan said:

I’m still thinking this is an untapped cash cow(no pun intended...). I’m still envisioning the Nowzardian Center for The Super Morbidly Obese.  There are supersized rooms, a gym, pool, nutritionist, therapist & life coach. The cafeteria with only the approved items for an appropriate eating habit has calorie count labels on all the items and once scanned into the system for that person, when they reach their calorie limit, the cafeteria is closed to them for the rest of the day.  A social worker helps them find off site housing once their initial 90 day stay is up.

Sort of like a rehab facility for the food addict.

I think there should be a ‘Hello Fresh’ type service for these people. They are used to ordering all of their food and have no clue about calories or portions. If they could order the food like these meal companies only with their calorie/carb etc requirements, it might help bridge the gap between fast food and real food and reduce the number of people in the grocery store saying ‘that’s asparagus???’  

[Colleenna]

14 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I keep waiting for someone to speak up and say to other family members as they round the drive-thru," Hell no, I don't fast food! We are on tv you idiots. We are being filmed!  Don't you know that we aren't supposed to eat that way?" I guess it won't happen though.  lol Apparently, these contestants, I mean, patients never watch the show before going on it.  If they did, they might make a checklist: vehicle large enough to transport super obese person without killing them, cooler with prepared food for the trip, stove and fridge in new apt so we can prepare our own meals, map with designated places that sell suitable food, calorie book, so we can count our calories. 

I heard someone say the calories on the chart included the sour cream.....lol.  Never heard that before.  

But maths is so harrrrrrrd.

[aliya]

I'm reading stuff over on reddit and was reminded about Brandie in the grocery store saying something along the lines of this would be hard to do every week. W T H??

People go out to work, volunteer, take care of the kids, coach, do shopping, cooking, and laundry - sometimes in the same day. That's why most of us aren't 600 lbs. If you got your fat hips up and took care of yourself a bit more, or maybe helped Clarence deal with your father, maybe you wouldn't have gotten so big.  

I don't mind her not knowing about the asparagus. I'm vegetarian and see stuff I don't know how to cook. If she wanted to stick with food they knew while getting used to the program, I'm OK with that. 

Edited May 4, 2018 by aliya

[aliya]

1 hour ago, 3girlsforus said:

I think there should be a ‘Hello Fresh’ type service for these people. They are used to ordering all of their food and have no clue about calories or portions. If they could order the food like these meal companies only with their calorie/carb etc requirements, it might help bridge the gap between fast food and real food and reduce the number of people in the grocery store saying ‘that’s asparagus???’  

HMR meals   Jennie Craig  Nutrisystem  Optifast  I'm sure there are more.  If they were really serious, they'd ask the store's nutritionist to help with selecting vegetables /salad ingredients to go along with the prepared foods. But that would take a little effort on the part of the obesee and for the most part, these folks don't like making any effort at all. 

I keep thinking what it would be like to have someone bring me everything I needed. I can't even imagine.  Oh wait...amazon...  

[kicotan]

I found just the spot for The Dr. Now Center!  Just a 15 minute drive from his office, a vacant hotel with a restaurant, pool, conference space and 225 rooms!!!

Future Home of The Dr. Now Center for The SuperMO

Wonder if he’d be willing to put up the 4 and 1/4 million $...initial investment of course, so one would have to renovate the rooms and get some gym equipment, furniture, cafeteria trays, that sort of thing.  There would definitely need to be some sort of sponsorship though, to get it up and running.

[NeitherSparky]

12 minutes ago, kicotan said:

I found just the spot for The Dr. Now Center!  Just a 15 minute drive from his office, a vacant hotel with a restaurant, pool, conference space and 225 rooms!!!

Future Home of The Dr. Now Center for The SuperMO

Wonder if he’d be willing to put up the 4 and 1/4 million $...initial investment of course, so one would have to renovate the rooms and get some gym equipment, furniture, cafeteria trays, that sort of thing.  There would definitely need to be some sort of sponsorship though, to get it up and running.

Is it GoFundMe time???

[Colleenna]

2 hours ago, 3girlsforus said:

I think there should be a ‘Hello Fresh’ type service for these people. They are used to ordering all of their food and have no clue about calories or portions. If they could order the food like these meal companies only with their calorie/carb etc requirements, it might help bridge the gap between fast food and real food and reduce the number of people in the grocery store saying ‘that’s asparagus???’  

Or maybe part of Dr. Now's program should include basic low-cal cooking and grocery shopping. Portion sizes. How to count calories. How to read food labels. Seems trivial to most of us, but these things are a mystery to this family.

[Sasha888]

15 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Did you notice the younger sister in the grocery store and how she had no clue about vegetables? She didn't seem interested to learn either. 

I could not believe that. It's not like asparagus is some new, exotic vegetable that's one of the latest, trendy things. I hate asparagus, and I'd have to be half starved to eat it, but for pete's sake I know what it LOOKS like!

I agree with what everyone's saying about the excuse that "there's no kitchen, we couldn't find anything healthy to eat" (not just these 3 but nearly all the people on the show). That's a load of crap. I have some disabilities, and I can't make the elaborate meals I used to. I can still eat very healthy meals - in 1 1/2 minutes I can nuke a healthy serving of vegetables, no stove or oven needed. I've often seen fresh fruit and boiled eggs at gas stations. You just have to be WILLING to walk by the hot dogs and nachos at the gas station and CHOOSE to eat the fruit instead.

And if you can ride your SCOOTER through the grocery store in one location, you can also ride it through the dang WalMart in Houston as well, and pick up a Lean Cuisine or something else halfway healthy, for a couple of weeks until you get into a more permanent housing situation.

That's not even taking into consideration all the delivery options there must be in a city the size of Houston...I'm not going to believe there are absolutely no healthy option that couldn't be delivered right to your door in a large city.

But...what can you expect from people who say "When do I have to START this diet?" right after a doctor has told them that most people don't even make it to 800 pounds...um, he's saying he's shocked you've even lived THIS long, it shouldn't be a big leap to realize you need to start eating better NOW, if not yesterday! I believe that was Roshanda...and by the end of the episode, she wants her surgery even though she's gained back a bunch of weight...cuz you know, she shouldn't have to do it again...

I'm betting Part Two of the episode isn't going to go well. They are either the most ignorant people I've ever seen regarding healthy food, calories, etc, or they are being willfully ignorant - and they're showing no desire to learn.

[Noirprncess]

14 hours ago, kicotan said:

I’m still thinking this is an untapped cash cow(no pun intended...). I’m still envisioning the Nowzardian Center for The Super Morbidly Obese.  There are supersized rooms, a gym, pool, nutritionist, therapist & life coach. The cafeteria with only the approved items for an appropriate eating habit has calorie count labels on all the items and once scanned into the system for that person, when they reach their calorie limit, the cafeteria is closed to them for the rest of the day.  A social worker helps them find off site housing once their initial 90 day stay is up.

Sort of like a rehab facility for the food addict.

They had a center like that in NYC on a previous show minus the luxury aspect.  A number of patients just snuck food in and eventually got kicked out of the program.  I think that show was the forerunner to Dr Now.

[Noirprncess]

19 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

For some reason most of the patients think SALAD is the key.  I don't think they realize that salads are tricky.  They can quickly turn in to a high calorie dish.  Not worth it for me.  I'd rather have a nice lean protein, whole grain side, veggies, etc.  PLUS, a plain salad doesn't fill me up.  It's basically water with little nutritional value, without a lot of other toppings, which can be problematic.  I find that my salads are a little baby greens, bell pepper, cucumber, onion, mushrooms, small amount of beets, and a tad of salad dressing.  I mean half of teaspoon or nothing. You can get those types of salad at Subway, but, not most fast food places.  But, how long will that kind of thing hold you over? My belly would be hurting before bedtime, even if I put some a small serving of chicken on it.

Did you notice the younger sister in the grocery store and how she had no clue about vegetables? She didn't seem interested to learn either. 

 

Salad is the first thing MOST people think is lower calorie food when they want to lose weight.  It can be, until you pour a bottle of salad dressing on it and add all of the “tasty” toppings.  It’s always a little shocking to see entree salads at fast casual restaurants are anywhere from 600 to 1500 + calories depending on toppings.  

 

That at being said, one commonality between every episode of this show is very few patients eat vegetables.  Just imagine if every “snack” they had between meals was a bag of veggies instead of processed, pre-packaged food.  The general lack of fibrous foods in their diet makes it far easier to overindulge in empty foods.

[Quof]

Quote

Salad is the first thing MOST people think is lower calorie food when they want to lose weight. 

My mother did a cardiac rehab program after her heart attack.  We went to lunch not long after and she ordered the Caesar salad, because she thought it was a healthy choice.  

[calpurnia99]

8 hours ago, Colleenna said:

Or maybe part of Dr. Now's program should include basic low-cal cooking and grocery shopping. Portion sizes. How to count calories. How to read food labels. Seems trivial to most of us, but these things are a mystery to this family.

It is part of his program. They said that they worked with  dietitian/nutritionist. They don't show us this on the show but these people get professional help with how to read food labels, and which foods to eat. I am sure they are told about portion size and some cooking tricks. Roshanda said that the nutritionist told her that the fast food calories were posted on line- she never knew that. They all get this help they just do not show it on the show. Of course they could use more or it, but they are not just thrown to the wolves.

[Suzywriter]

The show has chosen dumber and dumber clients for the sake of drama. If every contestant was a hard-working, responsible adult, the show would have been cancelled long ago.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

The show has chosen dumber and dumber clients for the sake of drama. If every contestant was a hard-working, responsible adult, the show would have been cancelled long ago.

The show's patients do seem to come predominately from a lower socioeconomic demographic and I'm not sure why that is. Some of it may be that wealthier patients can afford surgery before they get so big - so they have a wider pool of surgeons who can work with them. I'm assuming Dr. Now accepts Medicaid, which means that he will have a higher proportion of lower income patients. 

As for "hard-working," regardless of how these people got where they are, I think most of them are not physically capable of being hard working (other than the very hard work of just existing in bodies that are so large). They are obese to the point of being disabled so I don't see that they can work hard at a job. Many of them do work hard at their recovery and weight loss though the exercise they do may not look hard to us. 

As for dumb and dumber - I'm not entirely sure how to respond to that. There have been some patients that I think have cognitive issues or learning problems. I think a higher proportion than in the general population have not pursued education beyond high school; in many cases because school was unpleasant for them (due to bullying about their size) or just the logistics of moving around, fitting into classroom desks, etc. Many of the patients have seemed fairly intelligent to me and when they have made progress in their recovery, they do seem to be able to move on and pursue additional education or jobs or whatever. I don't think it's fair to cast them all as "dumb."

[Scarlett45]

22 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

The show's patients do seem to come predominately from a lower socioeconomic demographic and I'm not sure why that is. Some of it may be that wealthier patients can afford surgery before they get so big - so they have a wider pool of surgeons who can work with them. I'm assuming Dr. Now accepts Medicaid, which means that he will have a higher proportion of lower income patients. 

As for "hard-working," regardless of how these people got where they are, I think most of them are not physically capable of being hard working (other than the very hard work of just existing in bodies that are so large). They are obese to the point of being disabled so I don't see that they can work hard at a job. Many of them do work hard at their recovery and weight loss though the exercise they do may not look hard to us. 

As for dumb and dumber - I'm not entirely sure how to respond to that. There have been some patients that I think have cognitive issues or learning problems. I think a higher proportion than in the general population have not pursued education beyond high school; in many cases because school was unpleasant for them (due to bullying about their size) or just the logistics of moving around, fitting into classroom desks, etc. Many of the patients have seemed fairly intelligent to me and when they have made progress in their recovery, they do seem to be able to move on and pursue additional education or jobs or whatever. I don't think it's fair to cast them all as "dumb."

I also think that whatever psychological issues that contributed to them becoming so obese they cannot function well in society, also prohibits them from being a productive member of society (not forever but at least for the moment). Clarence has continued to work and care for his sisters (which gives him purpose) but in 5yrs he will be just where they are if he doesn’t change.

If you’re an emotionally self aware individual, with healthy social relationships and a dose of self esteem you aren’t going to be on this show EVEN IF you have a food addiction and struggle with weight. Tons of obese Americans struggle with weight management and live happy lives (me included) but by the time you get to this level your weight has affected every aspect of your life. I imagine it is being in a prison of your own making. 

[calpurnia99]

2 hours ago, Suzywriter said:

The show has chosen dumber and dumber clients for the sake of drama. If every contestant was a hard-working, responsible adult, the show would have been cancelled long ago.

I don't think so. I think the very dumb get to be 600 pounds and don't have any money at all or any options except Dr. Now through the show. Higher educated people may have found another way. Edited to add what Elizzakra and Scarlett said above, except in a much dumber way.

Edited May 4, 2018 by calpurnia99

[Mothra]

About not recognizing asparagus: that's not an indication of being stupid.  Years ago, I taught third grade in a neighborhood where there were no grocery stores, only corner shops, and few people owned cars.  I became aware that my students didn't know much about food in its natural form, so every week I took in something that they liked to eat but had never seen outside of a can or otherwise processed.  I'll never forget their absolute astonishment when I cut open a pineapple!  When my son's Vietnamese girlfriend brought me a durian, I felt a little like those kids.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

durian

I like to think I'm reasonably intelligent but I had to google it.

[libgirl2]

50 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

I like to think I'm reasonably intelligent but I had to google it.

I watch a lot of the show Chopped so there is very little I haven't heard of. 

[pdlinda]

5 hours ago, Suzywriter said:

The show has chosen dumber and dumber clients for the sake of drama. If every contestant was a hard-working, responsible adult, the show would have been cancelled long ago.

I completely AGREE!!  This latest family was the absolute EPITOME of how far the show seems to have descended into predictable weight-loss failure!! I believe this started with the Asanti boys and the HUGE ratings they produced.  With the exception of James (the one with the prosthetic leg), I can't recall even ONE participant in the latest season that showed any reasonable chance of success.  Maybe they think that's what the audience wants???

[libgirl2]

4 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

I completely AGREE!!  This latest family was the absolute EPITOME of how far the show seems to have descended into predictable weight-loss failure!! I believe this started with the Asanti boys and the HUGE ratings they produced.  With the exception of James (the one with the prosthetic leg), I can't recall even ONE participant in the latest season that showed any reasonable chance of success.  Maybe they think that's what the audience wants???

The more drama, the more of a "freak show", the more audience? I want to see successes. Maybe not everyone does. 

[DC Gal in VA]

21 hours ago, Mothra said:

I, too, was very impressed by the way this family got right into following the diet, and I was especially surprised that Roshanda was doing the cooking.  If she's able to cook--and once again, how about that 800 lb woman being able to get out of bed and *do* stuff at all?--why was she sitting around waiting for her brother to bring her fried chicken for breakfast?  I thought it was sweet that Clarence felt responsible for his sisters; at one point he actually said that now he was the man of the family.  I think the nasty fight over moving to Houston was rooted in his feeling that his sisters didn't understand what he would have to give up to move to another town for a year.  He had a job, for one thing, and a life.  I truly don't think he resented the daily, local help he gave his sisters, but asking him to give up virtually everything for a whole year was just too much.

And it seemed to me that this group of enormous people managed that trip with much less complaining and drama than any single patient we've seen.

I liked this family.  At first, Roshanda rubbed me the wrong way, especially after I saw all the butter she put in the food she was cooking (although in spirit I was right there with her), but when she turned out to be the most successful--hell, the only successful--one of them, she was so proud it was really touching.  And then, later, when she was the only one who didn't get approved for surgery, I think she felt humiliated and angry and didn't know what to do with her feelings.  There was the expectation that she was going to be the star of weight loss, and then ker-plop.

I'd like more information about dad.  Why, exactly, did he throw mom out of the house?  Was that before or after he started using drugs?  Plus he looked pretty healthy to me.  Why does Clarence think he needs taking care of?

Mothra you make great observations about this family. I am actually starting to like them too and am really pulling for them to have the best results possible though I must admit that crazy ass squalling/squealing by Roshanda during the family argument was annoying as Hell and way over the top; totally ridiculous and unnecessary. The looks on the neighbors' faces were priceless as in "Awww shit, here we go again!"

I really like Clarence and completely understand why he is conflicted about getting on board with Dr. Now's program. Of course he doesn't want to give up his drug of choice, super fattening fast food. But I believe it's more than that. He's a hard working young man and to just dump what seems to be a good paying job and move to Houston isn't really a viable option for him. Unlike what I assume the disability and Medicaid or Medicare benefits that his sisters are probably receiving which are transferable no matter where they live in the United States, Clarence's job and any benefits he may have are not. I just always feel afraid for any possible long-term success for any of the subjects who think they can do it their way as he said.

As for him feeling so obligated to take care of his dad, I wonder about that also. I missed it during the show but if dad was a drug abuser there was probably a whole lot of drama and stress going on in that household. I just ain't buying that the only issue that made the father kick their mom out of the house was his daughters' overeating and sneaking food. Since the three children range in age from 29 to 33 years old, I am thinking that the dad is probably in his sixties. Maybe he has early onset Dimentia or Alzheimer's, or some other serious health issue that has caused Clarence to step in and take care of him. Hopefully, next week's episode will clear that up.

As I have already said, I believe that suddenly having dad back in their lives may have caused a lot of stress for the two sisters. I just don't believe that it's a coincidence that Roshanda gained 71 pounds after having her dad back in her life and totally not by her choice.

We have had a lot of discussion here about the fact that many of these subjects have their food addiction rooted in childhood sexual abuse. However, there are all kinds of abuse that can be just as devastating. One of the most, IMHO, is when when a father withholds love, and especially, approval of his female children. As a girl child one of the most important things in her life is the unconditional love by her father. At least it was for me.

My dad died when I was a very young girl, about four and a half years old and, though it's been many decades since he's been gone, I still miss being daddy's little princess and the love he had for me. It's been only in the last few years that I realize that it was after his death that I became an emotional eater trying to comfort myself after losing him and became very overweight when up until that point I was a normal size.

BTW, love your screen name; really takes me back to all of those hilarious, old school Japanese monster flicks!

[kicotan]

2 hours ago, Mothra said:

About not recognizing asparagus: that's not an indication of being stupid.  Years ago, I taught third grade in a neighborhood where there were no grocery stores, only corner shops, and few people owned cars.  I became aware that my students didn't know much about food in its natural form, so every week I took in something that they liked to eat but had never seen outside of a can or otherwise processed.  I'll never forget their absolute astonishment when I cut open a pineapple!  When my son's Vietnamese girlfriend brought me a durian, I felt a little like those kids.

Interesting perspective~akin to socionomic disadvantage where one’s environment while being raised is limited to what is at hand, not what is ideal.

I grew up in a very agricultural area. Going anywhere you passed by fields of peppers, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, corn, artichokes, strawberries, sugar beets, grapes, etc. Roadside stands offered inexpensive vegetables/fruits.  If you didn’t work for a farm, you knew someone who did, in some capacity.  Dairies were also big in the area, as well as a local egg farm.  Fresh seafood was only a 15-20 minute drive to the coast.  I had no problem converting to a vegetarian diet when my Dr. advised it for my medical issues as I already enjoyed a variety of locally grown fruits and vegetables.

[AVM]

How can someone gain 71 pounds and not know it, if you are wearing smaller sizes after the recent loss ?

[DC Gal in VA]

39 minutes ago, AVM said:

How can someone gain 71 pounds and not know it, if you are wearing smaller sizes after the recent loss ?

Actually, though hard for most people to believe, I think it is totally possible. As I recall, she started out at 803 pounds. She then eventually lost 114 pounds which would have put her at 689 pounds (anyone here please correct me if I got these numbers wrong). If those numbers are correct, she may not have been wearing smaller sizes because of the way her weight is distributed. I don't know about anyone else here, but I really couldn't tell that she had lost that much weight. Also, gaining 71 pounds, would be approximately 10 percent of 689. It would be like someone who has 50 pounds to lose instead gained 5 pounds. Very easy to not notice.

What gets me is how in the world could anyone believe they had lost weight while eating what must have been thousands of calories per day above the 1200 calorie daily diet Dr. Now prescribed?

Edited to add: It was mentioned during the Live Chat on this episode that Roshanda was probably the heaviest woman ever featured on M600PL and that would be right but only by 3 pounds. I caught a part of another subject's episode today, Teretha, and she originally weighed in at 800 pounds. BTW, her last weigh in was 461pounds.

Edited May 4, 2018 by DC Gal in VA

[Mothra]

4 hours ago, DC Gal in VA said:

We have had a lot of discussion here about the fact that many of these subjects have their food addiction rooted in childhood sexual abuse. However, there are all kinds of abuse that can be just as devastating. One of the most, IMHO, is when when a father withholds love, and especially, approval of his female children. As a girl child one of the most important things in her life is the unconditional love by her father. At least it was for me.

Child sexual abuse is always the first thing I suspect, too, and the sketchiness of the sisters' early life suggests *something* went on.  When one parent starts using drugs, that's usually the one who gets thrown out of the house, especially when children are involved.  They said they went with their mom "because she's our mom," which makes sense to me, but if the reason they were thrown out was food-related (and I must have missed that), why would the food-offenders have the option of staying?  I think dementia is a good guess, just from seeing the father sitting in the car--he looked kind of out of it--but it may be that he was just worn out from all the packing up.  I hope part 2 will explain some of these things.

[DC Gal in VA]

12 hours ago, Mothra said:

Child sexual abuse is always the first thing I suspect, too, and the sketchiness of the sisters' early life suggests *something* went on.  When one parent starts using drugs, that's usually the one who gets thrown out of the house, especially when children are involved.  They said they went with their mom "because she's our mom," which makes sense to me, but if the reason they were thrown out was food-related (and I must have missed that), why would the food-offenders have the option of staying?  I think dementia is a good guess, just from seeing the father sitting in the car--he looked kind of out of it--but it may be that he was just worn out from all the packing up.  I hope part 2 will explain some of these things.

Yes, you are so right. I too found it off that the drug abuser was the one who stayed and kicked out the mom. I think it's quite possible he could have been a tyrannical, short tempered "my way or the highway" type of person. Add drugs to that type of personality and boom! I sincerely hope there was no sexual abuse. It always breaks my heart and fills me with rage towards the offender when subjects relay those stories. If he had drugs/drug paraphernalia in the home, too bad mom didn't rat him out to the police as a nice going away present from her.

I also look forward to Part 2 to answer these questions.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Pounders,

A big ol' bucket of off-topic posts was moved to the Small Talk thread.  Post recipes!  Discuss fast food!  Make your kitty Mod wonder when she last had an Orange Julius!  All that and more can happen in the Small Talk thread. 

Now off to consider our eating habit for the day . . .

[Trees]

On 5/4/2018 at 9:38 AM, Suzywriter said:

The show has chosen dumber and dumber clients for the sake of drama. If every contestant was a hard-working, responsible adult, the show would have been cancelled long ago.

I had the exact same thought with this episode.  Dr Now walks in, and the 3 of them sat there with motionless faces and blank eyes.  We've seen this time and time again on this show.  "Lights are on but nobody is home."  These 3 are not going to succeed.  Dr Now's words and the meaning behind them are not getting through.

What absolutely killed me was Rhoshanda aggressively telling Dr Now how she just doesn't understand how she MET THE GOAL already so why would he take away "the prize".  

So, so many of these patients focus on Dr Now's goals - like the doctor's goals are for HIM.  No - wake up patients.  The goals are FOR YOU, for YOUR benefit.

These 3 collectively might weigh a ton but their IQ's all merged sure won't produce a particularly impressive number.  Those blank stares = you are going to fail.

Honestly I'm also getting so danged sick of the utter predictability of every single voice-over and format.  I watch these shows on DVR and skip over those scenes where you know it's all about "I am so scared", "I HAVE TO do this, ".... because my life depends on it...", "... the stress" and "I am feeling [fill in the blanks] right now".

Can't we just learn the story and hear people talking in interviews instead of voiceovers?  See more of their struggles with food prep and grocery shopping and managing daily life?