S06.E18: One Ton Family: Part 2

[leFay]

Chili all day and not one vegetable... they must not mind honkin' and tootin' and blowing each other away when the inevitable butt wind breaks free from a 700 pound ass...

[JunkFoodTV]

Lola! Princess puffy sleeves. You make smile! 

[JunkFoodTV]

18 hours ago, Toaster Strudel said:

Is part 2 worth watching? Part 1 was a total waste of my time.

This is my second try at watching part 2 (I'm certain i didn't watch all of part 1). I keep dozing off during the monotone pity parties. Does the fat surround their personalities and suffocate them? Oh lawd the fake ass crying/screaming fits of Rotunda. Bitch please.

If Dr. Now is leaving I'm not sure I can go on....every single time he says "mudder" or "how y'all doing" it makes me very happy. 

[Granny58]

9 hours ago, Jeeves said:

The problem with antidepressants is that it can take awhile for them to start working and it can be really "hit and miss" as to which medication will work for a patient. They aren't instant happy pills. I went through all that several years ago. The best they could ever do with antidepressants for me was find one that didn't make me violently ill, or too spaced-out to function, and probably helped me marginally. And the process took weeks and weeks! AFAIK that's still true, and I'm talking about the current medications. 

they might be better off giving them some 5-HTP.  

[ams1001]

48 minutes ago, JunkFoodTV said:

This is my second try at watching part 2 (I'm certain i didn't watch all of part 1). I keep dozing off during the monotone pity parties. Does the fat surround their personalities and suffocate them? Oh lawd the fake ass crying/screaming fits of Rotunda. Bitch please.

If Dr. Now is leaving I'm not sure I can go on....every single time he says "mudder" or "how y'all doing" it makes me very happy. 

Maybe the new guy'll take over more of the surgery and Dr. Now can focus on his quips in patient consultations. :)

[SunnyBeBe]

I have been curious as to why there is this common theme that seems to permeate the super morbidly obese.  While people differ, I still think there is a common theme with them, including this One ton Family.  They seem to have an overwhelming sense of doom, overpowering fear and almost total loss of hope. (Yes, I get that they are very large and that is in itself depressing.) But, it's as if they have never encountered a challenge, worked hard and overcome it. All challenges are HUGE in their eyes, whether it's having yogurt, not ice cream, lifting a hand weight, walking to the bathroom, standing up, reading their food instructions, EVEN sitting in a chair and doing nothing, just zaps them out.  I think that their mental muscles are just as flaccid as their physical ones are.  They seem to have never tackled anything. I do recall some who were single mothers, but, did they actually raise the kids or did others do it for them? I have read that depriving a child from having a sense of accomplishment is cruel.  I wonder if that is what has happened in their lives. They just never worked hard and accomplished anything 

Edited May 10, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[DC Gal in VA]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I didn't get the impression that the doctors approved that 3 bowls of chili.  It was just that the ladies had determined in their mind that it was exactly 400 calories per bowl, so that's what they were going to stick with.  Obviously, it wasn't correct or they ate more, because if they were correct, they would have lost more, imo. Especially, if you work out. And if you having beans, which is the protein, you don't need meat too, which would be a double protein.  It just adds a lot to your calories.  I wonder if Dr. Now tells them NO green beans, no broccoli, no cabbage, no spinach, no squash, etc.  Just curious, because these people sure do stay clear of them. 

I find that kind of thing frustrating, because to me, it seems like you are setting yourself up.  They are not building skills to eat normally or healthy. It's like a contest or test of endurance.  How long will that last?  I have read around here that the morbidly obese person just has no control or ability to do anything else.  So, I suppose that the physical change that the surgery provides is the only thing that will keep them from gorging on the food.  Still, with the way some of them think......I can't imagine they will stop gorging on all kinds of un-nutritious food, even after the surgery.  

When the brother was complaining about how he just wants to eat what he wants sometimes.....I wondered why he can't set out one day a week to have one meal that he really wants to eat and the rest of time focus on his health.  I wonder if he drives to that little place to get take-outs everyday. 

Well SunnyBeBe I am shocked that you forgot how scared they all were. Really scared. Every single moment of every damned day, scared. Obviously when presented with the option of eating broccoli, spinach or, squash, the thought of eating those foods left them feeling well, scared. BTW, notice that I left out cabbage since we really don't want them eating that on top of three bowls of "low cal" chili a day which may have resulted in a fart-fest of epic proportions! ?

Seriously though, I agree that that approach, like all fad diets, is doomed to fail. And yes, hard as it is to believe, people can put back all the weight lost (and then some) after bariatric surgery, even with a stomach the size of a fist. When I first became aware of weight loss surgery many, many years ago I really couldn't understand how that would ever be possible. However, after seeing stories about Michael Hebrenko, as well as many others, who as I remember lost a record amount of weight and then gained it all back, I realized that it was entirely possible. I guess people like that just eat teeny, tiny meals of fattening food all day long.

As for the brother, Clarence, like his sisters and other subjects on this show, they are woefully (or blissfully?) ignorant of the most basic facts about food. For instance, they don't seem to understand what a treat, snack or, my favorite, a "little cheating" is. What you suggest about him just having one meal per week of something he really likes makes total sense but that would depend on his concept of what "a meal" is. I don't think that anyone in his family has any concept of what that is. I don't know if you remember but early on in Part 1 the two sisters were actually sitting there with TWO huge plates fully stacked, eating like the food was going to sprout legs and run away. I really can't remember anyone on this show starting off with two plates--refills yes--but not two plates! When Clarence would get himself fast food, he sure wasn't ordering from the dollar menu.

Hey maybe next season we'll get a subject who is also a foodie and a great home cook! 

[MrsClaus]

Am I the only one that missed that Brandie had a twin?  Just me?  Ok.  Of course, he was way smaller than Brandie.

[JunkFoodTV]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

Maybe the new guy'll take over more of the surgery and Dr. Now can focus on his quips in patient consultations. :)

The new dr is too sunshine and sugar free lollipops for me. Maybe we could get a "Gordon Ramsey" kinda guy! 

[Mothra]

I kind of understand the three-bowls-of-chili diet.  If they don't have any choices about what they're going to eat for each meal, they don't (ideally) have to think about food.  And the fact that each bowl was 400 calories (and from the size of their servings, I think that was about right) took that much more free will out of the picture.  By that point, Roshanda was desperate to lose enough weight to get the help she needed, and I think the chili was actually a pretty smart strategy for her.

BUT:  1.  As everybody points out, this is not a good strategy for maintaining weight loss.  It's cheating, really, sort of like going on a liquid protein shake.  It doesn't help you learn how to eat while you're losing and once you've lost the weight.

2.  They were surely eating more than the chili.  I know we saw Roshanda overcome her fear of green things and put some kind of salad into the chili, but unless she was dressing the salad with melted ice cream, that shouldn't have made a big difference.  No, they--especially Roshanda because at that weight, the pounds should have been rolling off her on 1200 calories a day--were cheating with something else, maybe something fried. And not just once in a while, either.

This cheating does not bode well for long-term success.  My friend who had gastric-bypass surgery managed to slow and then reverse his weight loss by eating peanut M&Ms all day long.  Literally, constantly, several bags a day.  That, and sips of Coca-Cola throughout the day.

I continue to like this family, although they are the rudest bunch I've seen on this show.  The only "thank you" I heard from any of them was from Clarence, in part 1.  They do all seem defeated and beaten down, Clarence least of all, maybe because he gets out in the world and earns a living, plus the satisfaction he gets from being the one most able to help the others physically.  Roshanda's voice-over comments toward the end, though, perked up, and I think finally qualifying for surgery made a big difference in her outlook.

Dr. Baby Voice's sleeves:  I can't.  I just can't.

1 minute ago, MrsClaus said:

Am I the only one that missed that Brandie had a twin?  Just me?  Ok.  Of course, he was way smaller than Brandie.

I didn't know, either, but in part 1 we learned there was another brother, the one who "did his own thing."  I guess that was Brandon. 

[auntjess]

6 minutes ago, MrsClaus said:

Am I the only one that missed that Brandie had a twin?  Just me?  Ok.  Of course, he was way smaller than Brandie.

No. You mean this Brandi, not the twin one from last season?
Did we see him? I think I still have it, because my sister hasn't watched it yet.

[gigiann]

*What I want to know is how do you find a bowling alley with absolutely no one in it?  Is it possibly totally staged by the producers to make it look like they are out doing activities?

*It looked to me like Roshawnda was putting some sort of chip (like tortilla chips) over the top of the chili.  I didn't see the sister use the chips.  I hope Roshawnda counted those calories.   Also those servings looked to be larger than a one cup serving.

*There is no way lil sis was down to a 3x or 4x.  

[Azubah]

Edited for accuracy. Brandi has a twin named Brandon.

Edited May 11, 2018 by Azubah

[AVM]

No way will these three  ever need skin removal surgery.the yo yo triplets

Edited May 11, 2018 by AVM

[kicotan]

1 hour ago, Mothra said:

Dr. Baby Voice's sleeves:  I can't.  I just can't.

 I couldn’t either...then I realized she successfully distracted me from another wig disaster...she’s a sneaky one!

[Tabbygirl521]

2 hours ago, Azubah said:

Edited for accuracy. Brandi has a twin named Brandon.

Or...it’s her alter ego, Rappin’ Brandon. Did we ever see both of them at the same time?

[SunnyBeBe]

I actually liked the new doctor ok.  I thought the info he offered about how the surgery is part of a 3 pronged approach to weight loss was helpful.   The surgery is just one of those prongs and it doesn't work by itself. I actually think these patients need about a 75 hour class on how the surgery is NOT the panacea that they think it is. And about lifestyle changes is real and not just something on paper.  And, I wish they would offer a class on how the only person who can REALLY help you lose weight is yourself.....NOT Dr. Now. 

[AZChristian]

15 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I actually liked the new doctor ok.  I thought the info he offered about how the surgery is part of a 3 pronged approach to weight loss was helpful.   The surgery is just one of those prongs and it doesn't work by itself. I actually think these patients need about a 75 hour class on how the surgery is NOT the panacea that they think it is. And about lifestyle changes is real and not just something on paper.  And, I wish they would offer a class on how the only person who can REALLY help you lose weight is yourself.....NOT Dr. Now. 

I used to be 120 pounds heavier than I am right now.  I went to an informational session on weight loss surgery (which I would have paid for myself, because I was the one who needed it).  They start emphasizing before you begin the process that WLS is not a panacea . . . it's a tool to help in a complete lifestyle change.  I've looked at Dr. Now's website.  There's a LOT of stuff there that we never see on the show.  I'm sure that people are given the "lifestyle change" talk every time they see someone from his office.  And we know that they are given food lists, etc.  They've been looking for excuses to fail their entire lives.  That's why we keep getting "It's so hard" and "No one is helping me" whining.

[Lunula]

On 5/9/2018 at 10:50 PM, Noirprncess said:

One thing that really annoys me is when the patient says, after walking out of the office, "well, I don't know what to do and  just need help." But, seemingly forget that they just finished talking to Dr Now AND his staff about what they need to do.  It's never clear to them that they have the info they need but refuse to do it because it's not what they want.  There are no magical steps, just hard work and a larger degree of self control.

Yep. Every single time she whined about "no one helping her" I wanted to reach through the TV and smack her. Everyone is trying to help you. Your sister. Your brother. Both doctors. Your therapist. The staff at the clinic. Hello? What are you not getting here?

And seriously, it never ceases to amaze me that so many of the people on this show believe that "other people" can "eat whatever they want" and still maintain normal weights. There isn't one normal weight human being on this planet - other than professional/Olympic athletes, who can eat 3,000+ calories per day and maintain a healthy, normal weight. That person does not exist. Of course, we all have varying metabolic rates and there are definitely people who burn more and can eat a little more - but they are not consuming 5,000 calories every single day, living on a couch and maintaining a healthy weight. It does not happen.

I read once that Michael Phelps, while training for the Olympics, ate 12,000 calories per day. This was when he was in his early 20s, in peak physical condition, with high muscle content and very low body fat, all while training/swimming vigorously for many hours per day. That guy was a calorie-burning machine. I read something similar about Dana Torres when she was competing in the Olympics - she had a very high calorie intake, but burned an insane amount each day due to workouts.

A "normal" person can't eat like this. I am a normal weight and I have to work at it. By "work at it" I mean I watch what I eat, when I feel my clothes getting tight I start using MyFitnessPal to track everything and stay at around 1,600 calories per day. I walk the dogs twice (15-30 minutes) - every single day. I workout 3-4x per week. I am active all day - when I realize I've been sitting too long, I get up, do laundry, run an errand, etc. We don't eat out much, I cook a lot and I almost never drink. 

I'm not trying to put her down, but Roshanda is not normal. It is not normal to be sedentary 100% of the day except when you get up to go to the bathroom. It is not normal to eat 10,000 calories per day. 

[Elizzikra]

Quote

If any of these people just went vegetarian or vegan they would drop so much weight so fast.

Not necessarily. My husband and my daughter are both vegan. Neither lost any weight when they changed their diets (they weren't trying to lose weight and both are slim to start with). Depending on what sort of vegan foods you eat, some people gain weight as meat substitutes often have more calories than the actual animal product they are imitating. And there are plenty of non-healthful vegan foods (oreos, thin mints, potato chips) out there.

So - no credit to these three at all for losing weight? Tough crowd. 

Quote

I kind of understand the three-bowls-of-chili diet.  If they don't have any choices about what they're going to eat for each meal, they don't (ideally) have to think about food.  And the fact that each bowl was 400 calories (and from the size of their servings, I think that was about right) took that much more free will out of the picture.  By that point, Roshanda was desperate to lose enough weight to get the help she needed, and I think the chili was actually a pretty smart strategy for her.

I think this was exactly what it was. I think that Roshanda wanted to remove any margin for error and she knew the chili was 400 calories per serving. It was effective - she lost the weight she needed to lose - even if not healthy in the long term. Plenty of weight loss methods are designed to take pounds off quickly and are not meant to be long term eating plans. This wasn't any different. 

It also was nice to see a family go from eating almost solely fast food to grocery shopping and food prep. 

[kicotan]

1 hour ago, Lunula said:

I'm not trying to put her down, but Roshanda is not normal. It is not normal to be sedentary 100% of the day except when you get up to go to the bathroom. It is not normal to eat 10,000 calories per day. 

Totally THIS^

TLC has taken the old “freak show” of days past and turned it into a modern day source of revenue.  “My 600 Pound Life” and other shows on their roster follow a formula once used at the traveling circus.

“There were four ways freak shows were produced and marketed. The first was the oral spiel or lecture. This featured a showman or professor who managed the presentation of the people or “freaks”. The second was a printed advertisement usually using long pamphlets and broadside or newspaper advertisement of the freak show. The third step included costuming, choreography, performance, and space used to display the show, designed to emphasize the things that were considered abnormal about each performer. The final stage was a collectable drawing or photograph that portrayed the group of freaks on stage for viewers to take home. The collectable printed souvenirs were accompanied by recordings of the showmen’s pitch, the lecturer’s yarn, and the professor’s exaggerated accounts of what was witnessed at the show. Exhibits were authenticated by doctors who used medical terms that many could not comprehend but which added an air of authenticity to the proceedings. Freak show culture normalized a specific way of thinking about gender, race, sexual aberrance, ethnicity, and disability.

Scholars believe that freak shows contributed significantly to the way American culture views nonconforming bodies. Freak shows were a space for the general public to scrutinize bodies different from their own, from dark-skinned people, to victims of war and diseases, to ambiguously sexed bodies. People felt that paying to view these “freaks” gave them permission to compare themselves favorably to the freaks.”

Wikipedia Article “Freak Shows”

[Mothra]

54 minutes ago, kicotan said:

Scholars believe that freak shows contributed significantly to the way American culture views nonconforming bodies. Freak shows were a space for the general public to scrutinize bodies different from their own, from dark-skinned people, to victims of war and diseases, to ambiguously sexed bodies. People felt that paying to view these “freaks” gave them permission to compare themselves favorably to the freaks.”

Often, people who exhibited themselves in freak shows were unable to earn a living any other way, largely because of the very anomalies that qualified them to be freaks.  Except for children and people with intellectual disabilities, freaks usually were grateful for the chance to be independent financially.  (My information is from a great book by Leslie Fiedler, Freaks) These people resented well-meaning attempts to "protect" them from public scrutiny and, often, ridicule; they accepted who they were and had found a place in life.

I think the grossly overweight on this show are often like the kind of freaks you posted about.  They don't want to display themselves at the grocery store, for example, but almost every single one of them has allowed him- or herself to be photographed nude or with private parts exposed (and blurred out, but we know what's there).  I suspect the classic freaks wouldn't want to go to the grocery store, either,, but being presented on stage is a little like being presented on TV--there's a setting which defines what's going on as a performance or even a scientific demonstration, and a minimally acceptable level of good behavior by the audience is assured.  No one is allowed to throw things, for instance, and even if they did, our overweight patients wouldn't know it.

Kicotan, I think you've presented a great idea for a master's thesis in psychology.  I hope you'll get a finder's fee if anyone uses it.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

People felt that paying to view these “freaks” gave them permission to compare themselves favorably to the freaks.

It makes sense. I used to say, half jokingly, that watching Hoarders made me feel better about the condition of my own home (which, while not dirty or hoarded is often cluttered). It also makes me feel terrible though - because other people don't exist to be object representations to make me feel better about myself. I also feel that, at times, conversations here (and on My 600 Pound Life) take a turn for the sanctimonious (and I include myself in that judgment). "If I can eat lean protein and vegetables, so can they" or "If I can get out of bed to go to the gym, they should too." Maybe I'm just waxing poetic on a hot Friday afternoon but I'd say any success I have in any aspect of life is probably half my own work and half luck (born to certain abilities and privileges that have nothing to do with any effort on my part). Who am I to judge and find someone else lacking.

Unless I have jury duty. Then it's totally my job.

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, Elizzikra said:

It makes sense. I used to say, half jokingly, that watching Hoarders made me feel better about the condition of my own home (which, while not dirty or hoarded is often cluttered). It also makes me feel terrible though - because other people don't exist to be object representations to make me feel better about myself. I also feel that, at times, conversations here (and on My 600 Pound Life) take a turn for the sanctimonious (and I include myself in that judgment). "If I can eat lean protein and vegetables, so can they" or "If I can get out of bed to go to the gym, they should too." Maybe I'm just waxing poetic on a hot Friday afternoon but I'd say any success I have in any aspect of life is probably half my own work and half luck (born to certain abilities and privileges that have nothing to do with any effort on my part). Who am I to judge and find someone else lacking.

Unless I have jury duty. Then it's totally my job.

Freak shows were so popular partly because  as dark and dreary as life was for the working class of a particular society (servants in medevial Europe to rural farmers during the Great Depression) AT LEAST they didn’t have it as bad as the subjects of these exhibitions. Persons with dwarfism, conjoined twins, the “fat ladies/gentleman” etc. of course I’m sure these people were glad for financial independence (better than being dependent on their families/charity) but people wanted to view them not only for curiosity but to feel better about their own spot in the social order. “I may be poor and oppressed but at least I am “normal”.” A lot of ableism at play before it was a word.

TLC definitely plays on that, BUT at least it portrays the participants (who have other means of finacial support) as complete human beings not animals to be gawked at. 

[Kid]

On 5/10/2018 at 8:50 AM, Pepper Mostly said:

 

All this, to the nth degree. Roshonda kept droning on about how "she couldn't get the help she needs". Meanwhile, she was getting the help she needed! She had a doctor willing to perform the surgery. She had a therapist. She had a trainer. She had a detailed diet plan to follow. What more did she want?

She wanted the surgery thinking that then she would have to do NOTHING and lose weight. Even though her sister had it already and she saw what her sister had to do in addition to the surgery. But, hey, let’s not confuse her with the facts OR with reality.  

I really had absolutely no sympathy for any of these people. They were not as aggravating as some of the others.  But, they were not likable and I did not applaud their success as I did with others on the show who lost weight.

[Colleenna]

On 5/10/2018 at 9:18 AM, ninjakid said:

Gabriel Iglesias says the categories are: big, healthy, husky, fluffy, daaaamn!, and Oh Hell, No!

I heart Fluffy. He's not so fluffy any more since his diabetes diagnosis. 

[Elizzikra]

Quote

She wanted the surgery thinking that then she would have to do NOTHING and lose weight. 

I don't agree. She was the one we saw exercising from the earliest days after meeting with Dr. Now. She knew there was a lot she was going to have to do. I understand why Dr. Now managed her case the way he did but I can also understand how hard it was for her to feel like she was aiming for a moving target. It wasn't factually accurate but I can understand how it must have felt that way.

[Bonzie]

They all want the surgery thinking it will magically fix them AND they'll be able to eat what they want and be skinny. It doesn't work that way.

Sometimes I feel pity for them. I know what a beast food addiction is and what lies you tell yourself and what excuses you give if called on it. But other times, I want to slap them. Some are so boorish and the man children and the tantrum-throwing women ..ugh.

[IvySpice]

This is a great show to watch 12 hours before I'm going to a fancy buffet with my family for Mother's Day weekend. The sweets table alone is more than I should eat in a week. And it's murder because they have SO MANY different delicious things that even if you just had one little taste of each, you'd overeat...

Nope. Nope. Nope. Thank you, TLC, for the extra boost of willpower. All I have to do is contemplate these patients facing that buffet and I lose 90% of my appetite.

[AZChristian]

9 hours ago, IvySpice said:

This is a great show to watch 12 hours before I'm going to a fancy buffet with my family for Mother's Day weekend. The sweets table alone is more than I should eat in a week. And it's murder because they have SO MANY different delicious things that even if you just had one little taste of each, you'd overeat...

Nope. Nope. Nope. Thank you, TLC, for the extra boost of willpower. All I have to do is contemplate these patients facing that buffet and I lose 90% of my appetite.

On our recent cruise, we saw a LOT of people who looked like they were shooting to be big enough to audition for M600PL.  We always choose sit-down dining for all  meals.  They serve smaller portions than most American restaurants, and we're not tempted to pile a bunch of stuff (which is always more than a person NEEDS) on a plate.

True story:  I once saw a guy at a buffet on a ship.  He had one of those big oval plates (more like a platter).  It was piled high with meats, veggies, mashed potatoes, salad, etc.  It looked like what the two of us would eat in a week - but for this guy, it was all for one meal.  Then he plopped a huge mound of Jello on top if it.  Then he poured gravy over the whole thing.  I don't remember what he looked like (I was too busy trying to pick my jaw up off the floor), but he's definitely the kind of person who ends up at 600 pounds.  We like to dine.  He liked to shovel.

[Colleenna]

14 hours ago, IvySpice said:

This is a great show to watch 12 hours before I'm going to a fancy buffet with my family for Mother's Day weekend. The sweets table alone is more than I should eat in a week. And it's murder because they have SO MANY different delicious things that even if you just had one little taste of each, you'd overeat...

Nope. Nope. Nope. Thank you, TLC, for the extra boost of willpower. All I have to do is contemplate these patients facing that buffet and I lose 90% of my appetite.

This is why I avoid "all you can shovel in" restaurants. They trigger me to pile my plate high with mac and cheese, green bean casserole, potatoes and gravy, and then do the same thing at the sweets station. I swear I should change from saying I'm vegetarian to saying I'm a carbotarian. 

[ShoePrincess]

8 minutes ago, Colleenna said:

This is why I avoid "all you can shovel in" restaurants. They trigger me to pile my plate high with mac and cheese, green bean casserole, potatoes and gravy, and then do the same thing at the sweets station. I swear I should change from saying I'm vegetarian to saying I'm a carbotarian. 

I refer to one of the very popular of those places as the Golden Hog Trough. My in-laws love it for family gatherings. Just watching them pile mountains of food on their plates ruins my appetite. 

[configdotsys]

Haven't read the comments yet... can't wait!!!

Just watched Part 2 of this. Part 1 was not put on On Demand here for some reason.

Rahsanda (sp?) seemed like a miserable person to me. It was very hard to like her. All these people trying to help her and she never seemed to genuinely appreciate anything that anyone was doing for her. The straight face in the gym with the trainer really pissed me off. He was great with her and her half hearted, unsmiling high five really put me off. The straight face on the scale when she lost a lot of weight. The straight face everywhere drove me insane. Nothing made her happy. She could say that her weight made her miserable but when help came along you’d think you’d be appreciative of the support and encouragement. But not her.

The other sister seemed very motivated but I swear she looked no different to me from the beginning to the end of the episode. The brother’s excuses were irritating and of course Mr. I Know Best wound up going back to Dr. Now for the surgery. I think he's very arrogant and views his sisters as someone inferior to him as though he's some kind of role model for these damaged women. Bleh. Go away, Clarence. Deal with you own weight and just stop it. 

This new doctor that was shown: was he on any other episode? I’ve only seen about 6ish episodes of this show and never saw him before. He was like a cardboard personality. I thought he was programmed to say what he said. It just seemed so fake to me. I don’t get why he was even needed her if Dr. Now is the dude, what was the point of bringing in someone else?

 

Edited to add: I CANNOT STAND that sickening psychologist or whatever she is. 

Edited May 12, 2018 by configdotsys
Forgot something important and had to shout it to the world!

[PumpkinPK]

On 5/11/2018 at 8:59 AM, SunnyBeBe said:

I actually liked the new doctor ok.  I thought the info he offered about how the surgery is part of a 3 pronged approach to weight loss was helpful.   The surgery is just one of those prongs and it doesn't work by itself. I actually think these patients need about a 75 hour class on how the surgery is NOT the panacea that they think it is. And about lifestyle changes is real and not just something on paper.  And, I wish they would offer a class on how the only person who can REALLY help you lose weight is yourself.....NOT Dr. Now. 

I agree with all that you said, but the three-pronged approach talk was one of the scenes that made me not care for Dr. Etter.  That was good information, but he sounded like he was reading it straight from a pamphlet.  He didn't offer any of his own insight or experience, or apply it to these patients specifically.  He was just regurgitating info, like a bad book report done by a little kid.

Maybe it's just me, it seems like quite a few people on the forum do like him.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

Nothing made her happy. 

Pretty much the definition of clinical depression.

[TwirlyGirly]

7 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I once saw a guy at a buffet on a ship.  He had one of those big oval plates (more like a platter).  It was piled high with meats, veggies, mashed potatoes, salad, etc.  It looked like what the two of us would eat in a week - but for this guy, it was all for one meal.  Then he plopped a huge mound of Jello on top if it.  Then he poured gravy over the whole thing. 

Jello covered with gravy beats Schenee's spaghetti with sugar any day.

[configdotsys]

2 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

Pretty much the definition of clinical depression.

I feel for her if she is clinically depressed, but these doctors need to have those issues addressed before the weigh loss surgery takes place. How can you be an active participant in your treatment (staying positive, etc.) if you are clinically depressed? Even after the surgery when there is a lull in the dropping of poundage or a food temptation that's hard to overcome, or some other setback, how does one maintain any type of consistency and enthusiastic participation in getting well if their depression was not addressed at all?  I don't get why this is not a critical and required element of their treatment.

My husband had a hip replacement in 2009. Before they would schedule the operation, we had to attend a lengthy class on what would happen, possible things that could happen once he was at home, how to manage things, who to call if we had questions/concerns, etc. We were given a large binder and went over every single thing page by page. There should be something like this plus food seminars that these people are required to attend and demonstrate some level of competency before surgery will be approved. 

[Scarlett45]

4 hours ago, configdotsys said:

I feel for her if she is clinically depressed, but these doctors need to have those issues addressed before the weigh loss surgery takes place. How can you be an active participant in your treatment (staying positive, etc.) if you are clinically depressed? Even after the surgery when there is a lull in the dropping of poundage or a food temptation that's hard to overcome, or some other setback, how does one maintain any type of consistency and enthusiastic participation in getting well if their depression was not addressed at all?  I don't get why this is not a critical and required element of their treatment.

My husband had a hip replacement in 2009. Before they would schedule the operation, we had to attend a lengthy class on what would happen, possible things that could happen once he was at home, how to manage things, who to call if we had questions/concerns, etc. We were given a large binder and went over every single thing page by page. There should be something like this plus food seminars that these people are required to attend and demonstrate some level of competency before surgery will be approved. 

I think the thing with a lot of these participants (especially someone like Roshanda who was over 800s) is that they don’t have the benefit of time to deal with their mental health THEN attempt to lose weight. The weight needs to come off ASAP or they will not be here to be clinically depressed or anything else- they will be in a supersized coffin. 

I have never been clinically depressed- but I do know treatment and working through that takes time. Ideally the two would be addressed together, but I can see how getting the weight off and taking away some of the physical pain they are experiencing can lift their mood and give them the bandwidth to tackle their depression. 

[Mothra]

15 hours ago, PumpkinPK said:

Maybe it's just me, it seems like quite a few people on the forum do like him.

I've noticed that quite a few of us appreciate a good-looking man.  I know I do,

[AZChristian]

9 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

I think the thing with a lot of these participants (especially someone like Roshanda who was over 800s) is that they don’t have the benefit of time to deal with their mental health THEN attempt to lose weight. The weight needs to come off ASAP or they will not be here to be clinically depressed or anything else- they will be in a supersized coffin. 

I have never been clinically depressed- but I do know treatment and working through that takes time. Ideally the two would be addressed together, but I can see how getting the weight off and taking away some of the physical pain they are experiencing can lift their mood and give them the bandwidth to tackle their depression. 

It is true that the full treatment is a lengthy process.  However, anti-depressant medications can begin to work on the brain's chemicals and improve one's outlook within just a few days.  Unfortunately, many of those medications can also contribute to weight gain as a side effect.

[cynicat]

On 5/11/2018 at 6:56 PM, Elizzikra said:

I don't agree. She was the one we saw exercising from the earliest days after meeting with Dr. Now. She knew there was a lot she was going to have to do. I understand why Dr. Now managed her case the way he did but I can also understand how hard it was for her to feel like she was aiming for a moving target. It wasn't factually accurate but I can understand how it must have felt that way.

Whenever Dr. Now is a real hardliner about getting to a specific weight rather than just showing they are motivated, makes me think there's some other health issue going on.  He wanted her to to lose 200 lbs, which is a HUGE variance from the usual 30-50lbs.  Since he wanted to recheck her even with the weight loss, I'm guessing she had health problems above and beyond the usual that would put her in higher than normal danger for the surgery.

[configdotsys]

1 hour ago, Mothra said:

I've noticed that quite a few of us appreciate a good-looking man.  I know I do,

I don't recall seeing any posts that referenced his looks in a negative way. It was more about him sounding scripted, or fake or whatever. 

[Mothra]

55 minutes ago, configdotsys said:

I don't recall seeing any posts that referenced his looks in a negative way. It was more about him sounding scripted, or fake or whatever. 

Oh, I'm sorry.  I guess I wasn't clear.  What I was saying was that maybe some posters like him is because he's handsome.  There have been several posts saying how good-lookig he is.  I was trying for a little levity.

[configdotsys]

1 hour ago, Mothra said:

Oh, I'm sorry.  I guess I wasn't clear.  What I was saying was that maybe some posters like him is because he's handsome.  There have been several posts saying how good-lookig he is.  I was trying for a little levity.

Gotcha. He was a nice looking dude. Not my type though. I think Dr. Now's personality adds a lot to the show. If he is grooming this guy to take over, I just don't see him being something of a bore. A good looking bore! but a bore nonetheless.

[Mothra]

3 hours ago, configdotsys said:

Gotcha. He was a nice looking dude. Not my type though. I think Dr. Now's personality adds a lot to the show. If he is grooming this guy to take over, I just don't see him being something of a bore. A good looking bore! but a bore nonetheless.

Yeah, if Dr. Now retires--and my god, he's 80-something, isn't he?--the whole appeal of the show might evaporate.  Dr. Etter (I think that's his name) seems like a nice guy, but a little dry and impersonal.  Plus, never to hear "your eating habit" again?  No thanks!

[auntjess]

He's 73, b 10/11/44, according to a google search.

[mellowjoi]

One thing this family had to their advantage is they were all still mobile, they wore complete outfits, and everyone had a pair of shoes.  They may not have left the house but they could still get around.  

About the trip to the grocery store, the sister seemed to not even understand the basics of grocery shopping.  As a kid and a teen I went to the grocery store with my mom so when I moved out I knew how to make a grocery list and shop.  I'm wondering how long this group was fed on drive-through meals.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

However, anti-depressant medications can begin to work on the brain's chemicals and improve one's outlook within just a few days.

I don't know of any that work that quickly - six to eight weeks is the standard for starting to see improvement.

Plus I can only imagine how difficult it would be to calibrate an effective dose for patients in excess of 500 pounds - of antidepressants or any other medication for that matter. Dosing guidelines are probably for patients in a "normal" range, or patients about 1/3 the size of the patients Dr. Now treats. I'm not saying that antidepressants wouldn't be effective or that they aren't part of a viable treatment plan but it would be difficult to manage and wouldn't be an immediate fix.

Quote

About the trip to the grocery store, the sister seemed to not even understand the basics of grocery shopping.  As a kid and a teen I went to the grocery store with my mom so when I moved out I knew how to make a grocery list and shop.  I'm wondering how long this group was fed on drive-through meals.

Maybe for their entire lives?

Edited May 14, 2018 by Elizzikra

[aliya]

On 5/12/2018 at 2:58 PM, ShoePrincess said:

I refer to one of the very popular of those places as the Golden Hog Trough. My in-laws love it for family gatherings. Just watching them pile mountains of food on their plates ruins my appetite. 

I just looked it up - there's a real placed named 'Golden Hog Trough'???!!! I don't think I could even go in a place with that name.  Wow.

Quote

One thing this family had to their advantage is they were all still mobile, they wore complete outfits, and everyone had a pair of shoes.

We have really stopped asking for much on this board, haven't we?

Edited May 14, 2018 by aliya

[auntjess]

1 hour ago, aliya said:

We have really stopped asking for much on this board, haven't we?

Our standards are in the toilet, and we're excited when a pounder is able to get to and use, said toilet.