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S07.E01 Octavia's Story


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What I believe is that what many of the 600+ pounders just don't get is that, along with the surgery, they are going to have to exercise a great deal of discipline every day for the rest of their lives. For anyone who has struggled to lose and/or maintain a healthy weight, myself definitely included, that is just the cold hard reality. The surgery will definitely help, but it's just a tool. Weight loss and weight management is a lifelong commitment.

Can't remember who posted it on another M600PL episode topic but she or he said that they knew someone who got the surgery and, after recovering, on the very same day she was discharged from the hospital, went to a fast food drive thru, ordered and actually ate a big old greasy meal, and promptly broke her stitches! I have no idea what she was smokin' but she had to immediately be rushed back to the hospital for emergency surgery and spent another 30 days there recovering. I can't even begin to fathom that kind of self delusion but it sounds very much like both Octavia and Nichelle suffer from it. What they tell themselves while pounding down enough calories a day to gain over 60 pounds in one "munt" is beyond me.

Edited to add: I don't remember who set the record for massive weight gain on this show in a relatively short amount of time but I believe it was either Sean or good old James aka "Ow mah laygs" King.

Edited by DC Gal in VA
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31 minutes ago, DC Gal in VA said:

What I believe is that what many of the 600+ pounders just don't get is that, along with the surgery, they are going to have to exercise a great deal of discipline every day for the rest of their lives. For anyone who has struggled to lose and/or maintain a healthy weight, myself definitely included, that is just the cold hard reality. The surgery will definitely help, but it's just a tool. Weight loss and weight management is a lifelong commitment.

Can't remember who posted it on another M600PL episode topic but she or he said that they knew someone who got the surgery and, after recovering, on the very same day she was discharged from the hospital, went to a fast food drive thru, ordered and actually ate a big old greasy meal, and promptly broke her stitches! I have no idea what she was smokin' but she had to immediately be rushed back to the hospital for emergency surgery and spent another 30 days there recovering. I can't even begin to fathom that kind of self delusion but it sounds very much like both Octavia and Nichelle suffer from it. What they tell themselves while pounding down enough calories a day to gain over 60 pounds in one "munt" is beyond me.

Edited to add: I don't remember who set the record for massive weight gain on this show in a relatively short amount of time but I believe it was either Sean or good old James aka "Ow mah laygs" King.

I think OML James gained almost 100 pounds at once between visits to Dr. Now, if I remember. I am not sure if I remember Sean; was he the guy that got really thin and looked really handsome, then got sick and bed ridden and gained most of the weight back?

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1 hour ago, Hannah94 said:

I think OML James gained almost 100 pounds at once between visits to Dr. Now, if I remember. I am not sure if I remember Sean; was he the guy that got really thin and looked really handsome, then got sick and bed ridden and gained most of the weight back?

So I did a bit of digging in previous topics for both of them and came up with this:

James K gained an astounding 158 pounds in four months. Then, once again after another stint of hospital supervised weight loss, went home and, under Lisa's loving care, gained an amazing 60 pounds in one week! 

On the other hand, Sean under loving Munchausen Mom's care, went home after an initial weigh in of 919 pounds and gained 84 pounds this increasing his girth to 1003 pounds! What I couldn't find was whether or not this was in one month or two.

So I think that makes James K Mr. Winnah Winnah,  Friiiied Chicken Dinnah!

10 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

James K regained 158 lbs in 4 months.    Sean was sent home at 800, and came back at about 1,000 thanks to his mother.   

Oh wow CrazyInAlabama I think we were posting at the same time! Great minds think alike, lol.😃

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5 minutes ago, DC Gal in VA said:

So I did a bit of digging in previous topics for both of them and came up with this:

James K gained an astounding 158 pounds in four months. Then, once again after another stint of hospital supervised weight loss, went home and, under Lisa's loving care, gained an amazing 60 pounds in one week! 

On the other hand, Sean under loving Munchausen Mom's care, went home after an initial weigh in of 919 pounds and gained 84 pounds this increasing his girth to 1003 pounds! What I couldn't find was whether or not this was in one month or two.

So I think that makes James K Mr. Winnah Winnah,  Friiiied Chicken Dinnah!

Oh wow CrazyInAlabama I think we were posting at the same time! Great minds think alike, lol.😃

It's ok if you eat rice as long as it's friiiiiiiiied because frying it burns the calories/carbs out. Lol

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I think in the second James K episode, he gained 60 lbs in the hospital, when Dr. Now told the hospital staff not to supervise Lisa's visits, and smuggling in food.   That was after he gained 158 in four months on the first episode.        

I thought Sean also gained 200 one time with Mommy help. I think Sean's 1,003 weight is a record for the show, but I'm sure he'll break that someday. 

Octavia was stellar compared to these two.     I'm really hoping that she embraces her new chance, and Nichelle does it with her, and both of them have a great new life.    And both of them get a lot of therapy, to help them cope with what happened to them.   

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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I kept thinking she has amazing hair and how does she keep it looking this shiny and with perfectly shaped curls while staying bedridden.  Cue my disappointment when I read here that it is a wig!   But she still has potential - in the photo from her childhood, before the weight gain, she was such an adorable girl, and her sister and niece too - so if she manages to stick with her progress, she can be gorgeous in a couple years!

There was some discussion of her height in the Live Chat thread - I think she is 5'6", I think It was in one of the subtitle things when talking about her at the age 20.

As far as Nichelle, I wonder whether for her it is more of same food addiction as Octavia has or if it is also a wish, explicit or unknown even to herself, to keep Octavia the way she is because then she is the pretty/skinny friend however obese she may be herself...  At least, the friend's daughter seems to be pretty normal weight in her teens... hopefully she stays that way.

It was sweet to hear how much Octavia enjoyed a hot shower.  As someone who loves hot showers and especially hot baths, I can empathize with her.  And when she started to sit and stand, she seemed to be proud of the work she had done.  But of course as soon as she came home it was "minor" (ahem) exceptions that meant 62 pound weight per month.  That's close to James K. record weight gain per month, isn't it?  At least she never became completely bed-bound again after rehab, that's something.  It was nice to see her start walking again at the end of the episode, too.

At least this show convinced me that cars are really sturdy, seeing how these people put their entire body weight on the handles and the doors without any damage to the vehicles.

Once they got the health aide (Khaleda?  Did they ever spell her name out?) and Michelle finally got on board and realized she needs to to eat properly as well, things started to improve.   Though it would certainly help them if they started eating at a table instead of on a bed!  It *is* a different experience when you set a table nicely!  I was super-impressed when she did lose all that weight and keep losing.  Khaleda is worth her weight in gold (though she is probably working her miracles for a minimum wage...).  And Lola's therapy helped too, I am sure.  

And to answer Live Chat comment about those weights only being 3 lbs... well, judging by the fat bags (if on thighs they are saddlebags, what should these be called?) on her arms, she has at least 20 pounds built-in weights on each!

I actually liked her, and I hope she does well and gets to skin surgery.  I doubt she will ever be at her target weight, but I think she will be quite happy if she is somewhere in the mid-200s, and probably will be fully mobile at that weight.

 

On ‎1‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 12:23 PM, berwoman said:

I miss the days when we'd actually get to see someone work hard, stick to plan and have success.  Now we have to wait until the "Second Year" episodes...  I used to find this show uplifting..  Look at that person work hard and lose weight!  Now I find it depressing - Look at the super-fattie be slovenly, completely unaware and combative!  

Not that this will prevent me from watching, mind you.

Same here!  But at least this episode is not a total train wreck, and she was never really combative and nasty like some people from last season.   And she came around eventually!  I would like to see a follow-up on her.

On ‎1‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 5:38 PM, Kid said:

She did indeed show a lot of insight into the problem and that impressed me. What also impressed me was how she took care of her sister after her mother died. That’s why I was so happy when she turned a corner. This woman is deserving of better unlike some of the people that have been on the show. 

I was actually quite surprised that she went back to overeating.  Taking that responsibility and seeing her sister to have a good life - with a husband and family and a job - I thought that this means inner qualities that would prevent someone from becoming bed-bound.  Maybe not...  at least she did try to have her jewelry business and did not stare at the wall or play video games all day.

On ‎1‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 7:53 PM, TVbitch said:

Octavia definitely needed the therapy, given her history. I was surprised they did not show us any of that, as they usually do. 

I was watching the Thursday's supersized edition, and they did show one episode, Lola came to their home and they actually had a good conversation.  That took place right as Khaleda took over the meal planning, so I think therapy played a role in her spectacular 100-pound weight loss before she was approved for surgery (and continued to lose).

On ‎1‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 9:35 AM, Lesia said:

i know!  No job, no bills, no lawn mowing, no raking, no driving to appointments, no shopping, no schedule to adhere to, NOTHING!

Well, she still has bills.  And she probably has to do all the calling to get whatever benefits she is getting.  And probably has not nearly enough money to support her lifestyle.  And the contracts with the show and all of that.  And the move.  I get it, there is more to her life than just that bed - but still, all of us have bills and money issues and chores we don't want to do - in addition to all the physical work around the house and outside the house that she doesn't do.  She is just stewing around making every molehill into a mountain, I know someone can psyche themselves out over a single task and waste a whole weekend thinking about it and as a result not getting anything done, not that task nor any other - I have done it too - but not weeks upon weeks at a time!

On ‎1‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 1:55 PM, QuinnInND said:

 The enablers need mental health care too. To be able to stop being enablers. Just my 2 cents. 

I agree.  There are all the co-dependence issues there that they probably cannot address on their own.

On ‎1‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 3:04 PM, Globegrl said:

I still struggle with the desire to eat and definitely my eyes are bigger than my stomach syndrome.  I still tend to cook more than what I need.  But I will never say I am cured. 

Addictions was an elective at my school, which I did not take, but in the mandatory section they still gave us a couple lectures, and I remember the professor - who himself was a recovering alcoholic - said that you can never call yourself recovered, it's always recovering, because it is not a solution, it's a process, something you constantly have to be mindful of.  And there is some genetic component to how rewards pathways are wired in the brain, so some people are more pre-disposed to developing addictions than others, when put in the same circumstances. Good luck with your journey!  

On ‎1‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 5:53 PM, calpurnia99 said:

 It's very sad. It was strange, why was it so important to her that I eat it?

She probably didn't take you seriously and just thought you were being shy or coquettish and needed to be talked into taking a bite, that you really, really wanted to do it but didn't have the strength to do it.  That's my guess... and I used to push food on people when I was younger and dumber.

On ‎1‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 10:57 AM, Pondlass1 said:

Fast food and junk food is to blame for the burgeoning  number of 600+ pounders.   I doubt there was even one bedridden obese case 50 years ago when most meals were home cooked and portions small.  All the cooking shows on TV these days, yet most folk I know still stop off at the fast food place for the evening meal.

We're too busy to cook and fast food is cheap and as addictive as heroin.  Portion sizes are now at ridiculous levels.

Most people I know are cooking at home, but yes, with restaurants upsizing the portions, it is hard to maintain a sense of proper portion sizes even at home.  These have certainly grown over the years... and the proportion of frozen/dehydrated/otherwise processed food has grown too, and all of processed food has fat, salt and/or sugar added into it for taste and preservation.  Obesity stats are sad and getting steadily worse every year.  People are exercising more, but as has been said many times here, you cannot out-exercise a bad diet.

13 hours ago, Pepper Mostly said:

The thing is, they consider eating healthy and eating less punishment. Until they decide that they can enjoy eating healthy and try to make it enjoyable they will always cheat, and always feel like they are being deprived. 

Yes, so many of the participants view it as something they HAVE to do, usually temporarily, to get to their goal.  They do not enjoy their new meals and don't even try to make them more enjoyable.  Maybe because they never learned cooking techniques for making healthy food palatable?  Sure, eating excessive fats/sugars/salt distorts taste perception, but after having been on the proper diet for a few weeks, brain resets. so those of them who aren't cheating on a daily or near-daily basis with junk foods should be back to normal taste on the tongue.  In the head, though, maybe they think that if it is not a buttercream-frosted super-sweet cake, it is not a *real* dessert?  Something like that?

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6 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

James K regained 158 lbs in 4 months.    Sean was sent home at 800, and came back at about 1,000 thanks to his mother.   

I rewatched James K last night and I really wish I hadn't. I've never liked watching any of the patients eat but watching James eat was just revolting. He is just a hopeless situation.

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Part of the family talking online about how picked on James K was, they claimed he gained it in 2 months, not 4 the way they claimed on the show.    I think they were trying to prove it was all water, but that much water gained from any heart or kidney problems would have killed him.

Octavia did gain a lot in that one month, but after that she got with the program.    Now if she would find a reward beside food, she could make a lot more progress.   

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On 1/6/2019 at 12:21 PM, AZChristian said:

Did someone say their "treat" was from Popeye's?  Here's a link to their nutritional information, including calories.  I wasn't just appalled at the calories - the amount of sodium and cholesterol are unbelievable.  

Holy s#!t please tell me this is a typo: 2,492 mg sodium in one ounce of their "Bayou Buffalo" dipping sauce. (All the other dipping sauces are between 230 and 350 mg per ounce.)

There used to be a Popeye's near me but I've never eaten there. Doesn't look like I was missing anything good.

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20 hours ago, Kenzie said:

I rewatched James K last night and I really wish I hadn't. I've never liked watching any of the patients eat but watching James eat was just revolting. He is just a hopeless situation.

I have watched his episode more times than I would like to admit. Partly morbid fascination, partly for motivation when I feel like I am going to fall off the "food wagon". Does anyone else here watch this show to help them stay on track? I feel like both the successes and failures can be beneficial, in different ways. The successes are obviously motivational and inspirational. But even the failures keep me going because they are so disturbing that it makes me reevaluate every eating decision I make. 

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On 1/6/2019 at 8:04 PM, DC Gal in VA said:

On the other hand, Sean under loving Munchausen Mom's care, went home after an initial weigh in of 919 pounds and gained 84 pounds this increasing his girth to 1003 pounds! What I couldn't find was whether or not this was in one month or two.

 

I tried to google Sean but the results show all the pounders, so I am not sure which one is him. Do you have a pic of his before and/or after? I will never understand enablers, but as a mom, I could never do that to my child, regardless of his age. Some people try to say "you don't know how you would react unless you are in the situation" but I call bullshit. Love is love. Enabling/killing is NOT love. 

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2 hours ago, Hannah94 said:

I tried to google Sean but the results show all the pounders, so I am not sure which one is him. Do you have a pic of his before and/or after? I will never understand enablers, but as a mom, I could never do that to my child, regardless of his age. Some people try to say "you don't know how you would react unless you are in the situation" but I call bullshit. Love is love. Enabling/killing is NOT love. 

Hi there Hannah94.  Here's a photo of Sean and, in the background his late mom:

My-600lb-Life-Sean-and-Renee-1-620x375.jpg.df95a4cd18cc31bd9e0b322c4280f390.jpg

 

They had a real weird dynamic. Someone here astutely nicknamed them "SeanMom" since, at times, they seemed to operate as one person. Note his deformed left foot. He injured it while he was in high school. Unfortunately, the medical care he received didn't work. But, instead of raising Hell and moving Heaven and Earth to get his foot properly attended to like any sane parent, his mom allowed him to take to his bed and stay there while she fed him and fed him and fed him. Hey, at least he's good at crocheting.

To really get a good idea of what was going on with him and his "mudder" as Dr. Now would say, please read comments from both his original show and the follow-up episode. Of course, your head may actually explode! You've been warned, lol.😊

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4 minutes ago, DC Gal in VA said:

Hi there Hannah94.  Here's a photo of Sean and, in the background his late mom:

My-600lb-Life-Sean-and-Renee-1-620x375.jpg.df95a4cd18cc31bd9e0b322c4280f390.jpg

 

They had a real weird dynamic. Someone here astutely nicknamed them "SeanMom" since, at times, they seemed to operate as one person. Note his deformed left foot. He injured it while he was in high school. Unfortunately, the medical care he received didn't work. But, instead of raising Hell and moving Heaven and Earth to get his foot properly attended to like any sane parent, his mom allowed him to take to his bed and stay there while she fed him and fed him and fed him. Hey, at least he's good at crocheting.

To really get a good idea of what was going on with him and his "mudder" as Dr. Now would say, please read comments from both his original show and the follow-up episode. Of course, your head may actually explode! You've been warned, lol.😊

That picture made me dry heave. Thank you though! I am pretty certain I have seen every episode of 600 lb at least twice/15 times. But I have very blurry memories about this one. Perhaps because I drink a shit ton to get me through....

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8 hours ago, Hannah94 said:

Does anyone else here watch this show to help them stay on track? I feel like both the successes and failures can be beneficial, in different ways. The successes are obviously motivational and inspirational. But even the failures keep me going because they are so disturbing that it makes me reevaluate every eating decision I make. 

Yes, it’s where my username originated, “there but for” controlling my eating that could be me someday.  Octavia was likeable which is a step up from so many other patients, I really hope she does well.

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19 hours ago, Hannah94 said:

I have watched his episode more times than I would like to admit. Partly morbid fascination, partly for motivation when I feel like I am going to fall off the "food wagon". Does anyone else here watch this show to help them stay on track? I feel like both the successes and failures can be beneficial, in different ways. The successes are obviously motivational and inspirational. But even the failures keep me going because they are so disturbing that it makes me reevaluate every eating decision I make. 

To me just seeing them at the beginning of the journey is enough to start thinking about what I am putting in my mouth... not too much, though. I still like my sweets.

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On 1/6/2019 at 7:55 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

James K regained 158 lbs in 4 months.    Sean was sent home at 800, and came back at about 1,000 thanks to his mother.   

Was this the mother who wore the French fry shirt to the appt with Dr. Now?

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This show is becoming a bit predicitable, and i wish it was only an hour long. 2 hours seems too long to sit through watching people either make slow progress or slide backwards in their weight loss. 

It is definitely hard work losing weight, but not impossible. I've gone from 237 to 175 since March of last year on a medically supersvised weight loss program, under a doctor and dietician's care and using 2 meal replacements and one lean/green meal a day, and now only 15-18 lbs from my goal. There are definitely permanent changes I realized I had to make. I used to love cheese, peanut butter, and sweets like cookies/snack cakes and now I barely eat them, except on rare occasions, and even then it's a limited amount. Over time, I don't get as hungry as I used to, and my blood sugar and blood pressure are now normal. Once these people lose a significant amount of weight, they shouldn't be as hungry either. Their continued overeating is simply a behavior that they need to address and take steps to correct. Find other things to do, like walking, hobbies, join clubs, anything that doesn't revolve around food. 

Edited by CarolMK
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I think it was too much weigh between Octavia and the wheelchair for the two of them to do without risking their health, and were worried about what happens to Octavia if it goes wrong.   That was a steep ramp, and it could be the driver isn't allowed to risk injuring himself, or the patient by pushing them up the ramp.  She's around 650, plus wheel chair, and that's a lot of weight to get up the ramp, and to get down at the doctor's office.   

A different weigh-in lady, how can I cope with this?   This is the weigh-in where she gained 62 lbs, with a little cheating.     Is Octavia delusional?  Yes I know the answer, but "I know Dr. Now will be upset, and I won't get approved for surgery"  Not with a 62 pound gain, instead of losing 50.   Why do the poundticipants always demand therapy or some other assistance, as if this would make them gain a bunch, instead of lose?  

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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No, they need a dictator who will ride them about their food, and take no excuses.      I wonder if the personal care assistant is still there?      Octavia was a train wreck until the 90 minute point, but she certainly is trying.    I'm really hoping Octavia, and Nichelle can keep with the program, and both lose a lot more weight.    

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Just now, MutualCore said:

This was easily the most boring episode to date.

It didn't fascinate me much either. Am I wrong for craving some snark-worthy pounders like Schenee (did I spell that right?)? I do like the success stories but the ones who consistently fail (James K, Steven A, Penny) are just mind-blowing to me. They are offered the opportunity of a lifetime, at no cost to them, and yet they blow it while others would love to be offered that same chance but they cannot afford it. 

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On 1/6/2019 at 6:52 PM, DC Gal in VA said:

Can't remember who posted it on another M600PL episode topic but she or he said that they knew someone who got the surgery and, after recovering, on the very same day she was discharged from the hospital, went to a fast food drive thru, ordered and actually ate a big old greasy meal, and promptly broke her stitches! I have no idea what she was smokin' but she had to immediately be rushed back to the hospital for emergency surgery and spent another 30 days there recovering.

I'm still amazed by the number of people on the show -- who have presumably seen the show before and been through whatever pre-show disclaimer process they have -- who seem to think that it's the "surgery" that will make them lose weight, without any recognition that the surgery is just a tool (albeit a powerful one) that they can use in what will be their lifelong pursuit of a healthy weight/lifestyle.

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On 1/3/2019 at 7:29 AM, junemeatcleaver said:

Therapy should be the first thing they begin because most of the participants on this show have experienced major trauma. I suspect therapy doesn't come up until later because TLC wants lots footage of their (assumed) personality disorders on full display.  I do know a psych evaluation is required before bariatric surgery in the real world, I wonder if people on the show get them but that doesn't get shown. 

Several people in my family have had weight loss surgery, and the therapy/counseling/evaluation was of the most perfunctory sort.   I don't think there's any doubt more would be better, though.  

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52 minutes ago, Calamity Jane said:

Several people in my family have had weight loss surgery, and the therapy/counseling/evaluation was of the most perfunctory sort.  

I am not surprised, knowing the state of healthcare today, but nevertheless it makes me sad. 

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On 1/13/2019 at 7:55 PM, Hellga said:

I am not surprised, knowing the state of healthcare today, but nevertheless it makes me sad. 

I looked into surgery and did everything up to the psych eval. The purpose is to make sure you don't have an eating disorder or some mental health issue that would stop you from following the post-surgery program. It's not there to find out why you hate your mother or anything deep. It has nothing to do w/the state of healthcare.  If you need therapy because of some terrible childhood trauma, which many of these people have, the bariatric clinic is not where you should be. I think we see the 'therapy' where the obesee talks about their trauma because it makes for good TV and we can get an idea of what a therapist might say. There's no way any meaningful therapy is being done in one, one hour session. 

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And that's why failure rate is so high and most people regain.   You can't expect long-term success if you don't address the underlying issues, but surgery is the preferred solution for a number of reasons (nothing to do with the show, as the post above was in reference to non-poundticipants) which I understand, but I don't like.  

Edited by Hellga
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On 1/3/2019 at 12:42 AM, Morgalisa said:

Thank God for Calita. I dont think the enabler lost an ounce.  From the looks of her neck, I think she is diabetic.

I think Octavia was very attractive. I love her hair.

@Morgalisa, what is it about her neck that led you to suggest that she has diabetes?

I wasn't watching very closely, but I'm not sure I would have seen what you saw, even if I had been. I'm just curious. I have friends and family with diabetes. Thanks!

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On 1/3/2019 at 4:36 PM, DC Gal in VA said:

Just wondering if anyone else here had the same reaction as I did when, after yet another weight gain and a thorough (well deserved) tongue lashing from Dr. Now, the two sisters seemed to have a "Come to Jesus" moment type conversation?

Octavia spoke quite eloquently to Nichelle about what both of them did wrong and that they both need to own their behaviors and bad choices. Nichelle was being a bit pouty and seemed to just not get it but Octavia pressed on and they both seemed to turn a corner. I admit I choked up when Octavia said that the same abusive shit that happened to her had happened to Nichelle. I felt like the Grinch after he discovered a love of humanity (actually, "Who"-manity is more appropriate) and my snark-filled, dried up raisin of a heart grew three times its size.

And then--SCREECH!--they ordered fried chicken fingers and French fries and proceeded to inhale them.

WTF? Dead. Resurrected. Re-deceased. 

What did you all think about that? I was so damned confused and felt sucker punched.

Did it seem to anyone else that Octavia was not digging into the biscuits as heartily as Nichelle wanted? It wasn't that she wasn't eating, and I admit to not watching closely, but I thought Nichelle seemed irritated that Octavia wasn't as enthusiastic about the cheat day.

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On 1/4/2019 at 5:53 PM, calpurnia99 said:

One night we were out in a group and after a big dinner we went to get ice cream. I do love ice cream but I was full and also I didn't want any because I am lactose intolerant and I suffer from reflux and it was late-- I knew if I ate it I would be in a lot of pain so I said I was not getting any. Well this friend kept insisting that I get some, then she kept trying to get me to take a bite of hers and on and on and on pressuring me to eat it. She just would NOT let it go "don't you want some? don't you want some, I'll buy it for you, just take a bite" . I then realized she must equate food with love.  It's very sad. It was strange, why was it so important to her that I eat it?

I'm guessing a lot is going on there, but it could be a warped sense of hospitality. One of my aunts once explained that when offered food or drink, etiquette required her to say no, but then etiquette required the person to offer again. She said she was allowed to accept the 2nd time it was offered.

As someone who had never heard this rule, I saw a new side of things, so now I try to remember to ask twice, and then I'll drop it.

I don't think it extends to giving someone a bite of my own serving, though...

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42 minutes ago, IKnit4Cats said:

@Morgalisa, what is it about her neck that led you to suggest that she has diabetes?

I wasn't watching very closely, but I'm not sure I would have seen what you saw, even if I had been. I'm just curious. I have friends and family with diabetes. Thanks!

Not everyone who has diabetes has it, but usually people who have it develop diabetes. Its called acanthosis nigricans. The skin gets dark, velvety and discolored. I dont know much about it, but I think I first heard Dr Now mention it to a patient and I looked it up.

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1 hour ago, Morgalisa said:

Not everyone who has diabetes has it, but usually people who have it develop diabetes. Its called acanthosis nigricans. The skin gets dark, velvety and discolored. I dont know much about it, but I think I first heard Dr Now mention it to a patient and I looked it up.

Thank you! I will read up on it as well.

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Just as an alcoholic often has a drinking buddy,  Nichelle clearly misses Octavia as her eating buddy. Nichelle loved eating with Octavia because she could gorge and indulge to her heart's content without any negative comments.

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Just watched this. 

I found myself beyond annoyed when Octavia made that whole big show about lecturing Dr. Now how she needs therapy to figure out the why, and then goes home and is all , "With everything that's going on, I can't make the therapy appointments." No, you need to go to therapy because of "everything that's going on".  Not one of those things going on was a crowded schedule or lack of transportation. All her "goings on" were in her head.

It was infuriating when, after that whole dressing down from Dr. Now after Octavia REGAINED 62 lbs in a month, after that whole, crying heart to heart Octavia had with her "friend" about how she couldn't keep messing up and she didn't want Nichelle to be there and do something she didn't want to do, bish goes and orders fast food chicken and brings the bag to Octavia's room and hands it to her in bed. That's her "baby"? No, that's classic passive aggression.

"I haven't had a chance to.." The only reason she went to Houston is to lose weight. Why hasn't she "had a chance" to pursue her sole purpose for being there? When she got on that scale again and posted a SECOND, CONSECUTIVE massive weight gain, I was hoping Dr. Now would drop her from the program. He is a lot more patient than i would be, I'll say that. 

I'm glad Octavia finally found a third wind and started dropping the weight.  I hope she continues to prevail and move forward successfully.  Calita is a Godsend. Nichelle didn't look too happy that Dr. Now was giving Calita so much credit, lol. Who cares, she deserved it!

One thing I found interesting was Octavia's seemingly mixed attitude towards her appearance in conjunction with her abused background. I understand that after she'd been raped repeatedly, that the extra weight was probably a comfort, and armor for her. But she never slacked with her hair or her makeup or her clothes, she always looked beautiful. It's an odd duality, one that I suspect is common with sexual abuse victims: " Extra weight = don't look at me" vs. "Makeup and hair = look at me".  I hope therapy helps her reconcile and strengthen herself. 

Edited by newyawk
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On 1/6/2019 at 10:40 PM, Hellga said:

Most people I know are cooking at home, but yes, with restaurants upsizing the portions, it is hard to maintain a sense of proper portion sizes even at home.  These have certainly grown over the years... and the proportion of frozen/dehydrated/otherwise processed food has grown too, and all of processed food has fat, salt and/or sugar added into it for taste and preservation.  Obesity stats are sad and getting steadily worse every year.  People are exercising more, but as has been said many times here, you cannot out-exercise a bad diet.

It isn't only the portion size of meals.  It is the large size drinks.  Usually, the portion size on  a bottle of fruit juice or milk will be one cup, i.e. 8 ounces.   I grew up drinking 2 glasses of milk for breakfast, but the glasses were only 8 oz glasses.  If I drink 2 glasses of milk from the glasses we have, it is 32 ounces of milk.  We do have 2 or 3 of the smaller glasses; I really need to get more, and use them properly.

On 1/18/2019 at 3:48 PM, aliya said:

I looked into surgery and did everything up to the psych eval. The purpose is to make sure you don't have an eating disorder or some mental health issue that would stop you from following the post-surgery program. It's not there to find out why you hate your mother or anything deep. It has nothing to do w/the state of healthcare.  If you need therapy because of some terrible childhood trauma, which many of these people have, the bariatric clinic is not where you should be. I think we see the 'therapy' where the obesee talks about their trauma because it makes for good TV and we can get an idea of what a therapist might say. There's no way any meaningful therapy is being done in one, one hour session. 

Well, no wonder there is not quite as much success with the counselors.  With so many people who overeat having a serious trauma in their background it seems like  the therapy should at least uncover some and at least make referrals to therapists that are willing to address deeper issues.   I didn't realize it was one hour therapy and no follow-up.  I had visions of their going to therapy at least weekly while they were in Houston.   This is distressing.  

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On 1/2/2019 at 10:42 PM, Morgalisa said:

Thank God for Calita. I dont think the enabler lost an ounce.  From the looks of her neck, I think she is diabetic.

I think Octavia was very attractive. I love her hair.

I loved her "style!!"  The clothes she wore throughout the show were extremely appropriate and tasteful!  She is the ONLY pounder I can recall who actually presented herself in an unbelievably elegant manner even at her highest weight!!

Her jewelry, handbags and general appearance were also very tasteful and I would personally wear every single outfit she chose in my normal size.

The fact that I saw no tattoos might have had something to do with her very classy appearance, as well!!

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On 1/4/2019 at 4:18 AM, hookedontv said:

I haven’t watched yet but here I am, reading through the comments first. 

I really despise the name Nichelle. 

There. 

I said it. 

I have two nieces who are sisters. One is Nicole, and the other is Michelle. I didn't bat an eyeball at the name Nichelle.

But I get where you're coming from.

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On 1/4/2019 at 8:03 AM, Mothra said:

Me, too.  I'm hoping that because his face was not blurred out in the photograph he was convicted.  If he were only the "alleged" rapist, I doubt that TLC could show his face.

So many of the patients on this show, especially the women (and it seems to me a preponderance of the black women) suffered child sexual abuse, leading them to overeat to the point of endangering their lives.  No one ever approves of rape (I hope, anyway), but to rape a child and absolutely destroy her life merits long, miserable imprisonment without parole.  The rapist might as well have murdered those little girls, as some of them do.  Particularly egregious when the child is placed in the care, at least part-time, of the rapist and thus has no chance of escape to a neighbor or someone else who might help. 

The parent or primary caretaker who put a child in that nightmarish situation should also bear responsibility. This is just as unacceptable as "forgetting" the baby is in the car seat in the back of the mini van on a hellishly hot day. You cannot delegate parental responsibility!

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On 1/4/2019 at 4:53 PM, aliya said:

Back in the day, I used to go to ST conventions (don't judge) and got to meet a lot of the cast. I was able to meet Nichelle and she was gorgeous in person. I've been following her work with NASA and women in science. It's so cool that she was able to turn that role into something that would change people's lives. 

No judgement here! I am now more of a Warrior, but I started out as a Trekkie. And Lt. Uhura is totally AWESOME.

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(edited)

I'm watching Octavia's rerun, and there is so much I forgot.     There certainly was a great array of hunky firemen, EMTs, and who ever showed up to put her in that rental moving truck for the trip to Houston.     Is this the first rental moving van someone used?   

She was so delusional, where she weighed almost 700 lbs on arrival in Houston, and thought Dr. Now would just give her a diet to follow.   I can't believe they only sent four EMTs to hoist her from the bed to the stretcher, and take her home.   That's about 150 lbs for each person to lift. .  

(My guess is the rapist was shown without blurring his face, because he's dead)

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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The rerun of Octavia's first episode is on Discovery Life, and I have to thank her for calling for help, and having so many hunky firemen come to help her.   And for her riding to Houston from Kansas City in a rental van.  

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