S07.E03: Robin's Story

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

Robin and her brother Chris are both obese and already lost a sibling to obesity.  They plan to visit Dr. Now together when Chris suffers a stroke and can't go. However, Chris' son Garrett, already 600 lbs. at 20, may join the journey with his aunt.

It's a potential two-fer, or three-fer!  Two 600 lb.+ people heading to Dr. Now.  Will they succeed?  Will they fail? How much will Dr. Now request they lose in a "munt"? 

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

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Pounders, What do we do? We avoid discussing how money is being snatched from the public's wallet for the participants unless it’s specifically revealed on the show. Anything else is pure speculation not to mention also a slippery slope toward talking politics. 

[88Keys]

I missed the beginning of the episode.  Can someone tell me what Robin's tragic backstory with her father was?  It was mentioned in the live chat thread but I didn't get the details.

[babyhouseman]

31 minutes ago, 88Keys said:

I missed the beginning of the episode.  Can someone tell me what Robin's tragic backstory with her father was?  It was mentioned in the live chat thread but I didn't get the details.

He was abusive to her mother and punched Robin in the face. She took care of him before he died. That was big of her. 

[sainte-chapelle]

On top of that Her boyfriend (not the man she is with now) beat her so bad she miscarried and can never have anymore children. Her story is very sad.

Edited January 17, 2019 by sainte-chapelle

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, sainte-chapelle said:

On top of that Her boyfriend (not the man she is with now) beat her so bad she miscarried and can never have anymore children. Her story is very sad.

I only saw bits and pieces of the show. I didn't see this part. How awful. It does seem her husband cares for her very much. 

The one thing I noticed with most of these episodes and last week with Brianne, when these people on on the diet, they lament the fact that they miss all their junk food. They show them eating a salad or something with a grim expression on their faces. I don't recall Brianne complaining about the diet unless I missed it. 

[AZChristian]

Lots of comments in the live chat about how Robin used numbers like 100 or 1,000 to rate her pain on a scale of 1-10.

I don't doubt she was in pain.  HOWEVER, there is a medical scale that asks patients to rate their pain on a scale of 1-10.  The picture I've attached below is a good example of how doctors rate each level of pain.  On this scale, I would think Robin is about an 8.

If you exaggerate the number, you are teaching a doctor to assume you are exaggerating about everything else - usually to your detriment.  My brother once reported his pain to a doctor right after a partial knee replacement as a 20 on a scale of 1-10.  When he said this, he was eating lunch, answering the nurse's questions as she updated the (long) list of medications he takes daily, chatting with me, and being examined by the doctor who asked him his pain level.  When he said it was a 20, the doctor looked a bit confused (because his knee should have still been numb from the surgery).  Doctor said, "Let me order something for your IV that will make you feel less pain."  Injection.  Twenty minutes later, doctor came back and said, "Are you more comfortable now?"  Brother said, "No.  Still a 20."  Doctor said, "Maybe your knee is in a bad position.  Let me fix that."  He gently lifted and slightly turned the leg - at which point, brother had to be peeled off the ceiling, because it was painful that the leg was moved.  I looked at him and said, "Okay.  That's an improvement.  Now you're at an actual 10 on the pain scale the doctor is using."

Hyperbole is not a good thing when describing medical issues.  

[Pepper Mostly]

55 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

The one thing I noticed with most of these episodes and last week with Brianne, when these people on on the diet, they lament the fact that they miss all their junk food. They show them eating a salad or something with a grim expression on their faces. I don't recall Brianne complaining about the diet unless I missed it. 

Yes, this is never addressed! All of the 600 pounders regard healthy food, salads, vegetables, lean protein, as punishment, and feel sorry for themselves because they'll never be able to eat "good food" (which is actually terrible, bad for you, full of bad stuff food) again. Someone needs to give them cooking lessons, show them how to make healthy food delicious. Their "healthy" food always looks so depressing.

I once went to a spa for a week--Norwich, in Connecticut, which at the time had the chef who'd invented "spa cuisine". We all ate like queens, every day, the food was delicious and there was plenty of it, but it was very low in calories, lots of salad, fiber, moderate amounts of protein. I had quinoa for the first time there. The recipes were creative and we never ate the same thing twice. Starting at 10 AM, there were bottles of Evian water and lovely trays of fresh fruit everywhere (lest we grow faint from hunger between meals!). Food that is good for you can be enticing, delicious, and satisfying. I don't know why we always have to see someone glumly chopping up iceberg lettuce or heating up a can of green beans. Our subjects aren't people of means but if they can afford to go to the store and buy 20 bags of chips and frozen pizza, they can spend that money on a box of quinoa and some fresh vegetables. They seem to have plenty of time on their hands. Take a little ownership of your weight loss! Challenge yourself to make good food that you can enjoy eating! They seem to think that they can never enjoy food again.

Edited January 17, 2019 by Pepper Mostly

[libgirl2]

17 minutes ago, Pepper Mostly said:

Yes, this is never addressed! All of the 600 pounders regard healthy food, salads, vegetables, lean protein, as punishment, and feel sorry for themselves because they'll never be able to eat "good food" (which is actually terrible, bad for you, full of bad stuff food) again. Someone needs to give them cooking lessons, show them how to make healthy food delicious. Their "healthy" food always looks so depressing.

I once went to a spa for a week--Norwich, in Connecticut, which at the time had the chef who'd invented "spa cuisine". We all ate like queens, every day, the food was delicious and there was plenty of it, but it was very low in calories, lots of salad, fiber, moderate amounts of protein. I had quinoa for the first time there. The recipes were creative and we never ate the same thing twice. Starting at 10 AM, there were bottles of Evian water and lovely trays of fresh fruit everywhere (lest we grow faint from hunger between meals!). Food that is good for you can be enticing, delicious, and satisfying. I don't know why we always have to see someone glumly chopping up iceberg lettuce or heating up a can of green beans. Our subjects aren't people of means but if they can afford to go to the store and buy 20 bags of chips and frozen pizza, they can spend that money on a box of quinoa and some fresh vegetables. They seem to have plenty of time on their hands. Take a little ownership of your weight loss! Challenge yourself to make good food that you can enjoy eating! They seem to think that they can never enjoy food again.

I agree, good food can be enticing and delicious. Their palates are just used to grease and junk. Years ago my ex and I were on vacation seeing his cousin. We ate pizza, stuffed peppers.... real heavy foods nothing fresh. On the way home we stopped somewhere that had a salad bar. We were so excited as we were craving greens and veggies. 

[Pepper Mostly]

Exactly. And seriously, once you give up fast food and junk it doesn't take long for it to be really unappealing. I haven't had fast food in years. We used to get it on Friday nights when my son was little for a treat, but now I'd rather make myself a sandwich at home than eat that dreck. I am no Skinny Minnie, either. I love my pizza (from a local pizza place, not a chain!) and I love my cake (home baked, by me, not from a box). But I also love salad and fresh fruit. when I saw one of our 600 pounders spurning gorgeous fat asparagus I actually think I emitted a small scream.

[JunkFoodTV]

Recently at my sister in laws home she was making frozen chicken nuggets for her grandkids. I popped one in my mouth and immediately spit it out. I begged her to not feed those babies that CRAP! So gross. 

Also am I the only one that thinks the non obese people look anorexic? Robin's husband and that girl that was there for the ice cream party both look so thin. Is it just from being in a room with huge people? I need to find me some fluffy friends! I also was taking bets that Robin was closer to 700 lbs. Have to admit I was a little disappointed. 

[libgirl2]

8 minutes ago, JunkFoodTV said:

Recently at my sister in laws home she was making frozen chicken nuggets for her grandkids. I popped one in my mouth and immediately spit it out. I begged her to not feed those babies that CRAP! So gross. 

Also am I the only one that thinks the non obese people look anorexic? Robin's husband and that girl that was there for the ice cream party both look so thin. Is it just from being in a room with huge people? I need to find me some fluffy friends! I also was taking bets that Robin was closer to 700 lbs. Have to admit I was a little disappointed. 

I remember a friend of mine who's son would almost only eat those nuggets. I don't think I ever bought a package for my son when he was little. He ate everything especially home cooking. The kid was eating sushi at like 7! 

They did look very thin.... that girl especially. I was trying to figure out how she ended up in this family! 

Edited January 17, 2019 by libgirl2

[CoachWristletJen]

Robin said she gets excited to be in the grocery store around all of the food? These people get way too excited about eating.

[libgirl2]

10 minutes ago, CoachWristletJen said:

Robin said she gets excited to be in the grocery store around all of the food? These people get way too excited about eating.

For many its all they have. 

[calpurnia99]

2 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Lots of comments in the live chat about how Robin used numbers like 100 or 1,000 to rate her pain on a scale of 1-10.

I don't doubt she was in pain.  HOWEVER, there is a medical scale that asks patients to rate their pain on a scale of 1-10.  The picture I've attached below is a good example of how doctors rate each level of pain.  On this scale, I would think Robin is about an 8.

If you exaggerate the number, you are teaching a doctor to assume you are exaggerating about everything else - usually to your detriment.  My brother once reported his pain to a doctor right after a partial knee replacement as a 20 on a scale of 1-10.  When he said this, he was eating lunch, answering the nurse's questions as she updated the (long) list of medications he takes daily, chatting with me, and being examined by the doctor who asked him his pain level.  When he said it was a 20, the doctor looked a bit confused (because his knee should have still been numb from the surgery).  Doctor said, "Let me order something for your IV that will make you feel less pain."  Injection.  Twenty minutes later, doctor came back and said, "Are you more comfortable now?"  Brother said, "No.  Still a 20."  Doctor said, "Maybe your knee is in a bad position.  Let me fix that."  He gently lifted and slightly turned the leg - at which point, brother had to be peeled off the ceiling, because it was painful that the leg was moved.  I looked at him and said, "Okay.  That's an improvement.  Now you're at an actual 10 on the pain scale the doctor is using."

Hyperbole is not a good thing when describing medical issues.  

AC Christian this clip is for you, you will never look at the pain scale in the same way again: go to about 4:28 if you dont have time for the whole thing, that is where he does the pain scale..

Edited January 17, 2019 by calpurnia99

[sainte-chapelle]

18 minutes ago, CoachWristletJen said:

Robin said she gets excited to be in the grocery store around all of the food? These people get way too excited about eating.

I love the grocery store. We cook from scratch and it is exciting looking at all the new and exotic ingredients I can try. ..I don't think that is what Robin meant though. 

[kj4ever]

1 hour ago, Pepper Mostly said:

Exactly. And seriously, once you give up fast food and junk it doesn't take long for it to be really unappealing. I haven't had fast food in years. We used to get it on Friday nights when my son was little for a treat, but now I'd rather make myself a sandwich at home than eat that dreck. I am no Skinny Minnie, either. I love my pizza (from a local pizza place, not a chain!) and I love my cake (home baked, by me, not from a box). But I also love salad and fresh fruit. when I saw one of our 600 pounders spurning gorgeous fat asparagus I actually think I emitted a small scream.

I lost over 65 pounds a couple of years ago and eat a pretty clean diet.  Fast food and most chain restaurant foods taste like nothing but salt and grease to me now.  

[libgirl2]

6 minutes ago, kj4ever said:

I lost over 65 pounds a couple of years ago and eat a pretty clean diet.  Fast food and most chain restaurant foods taste like nothing but salt and grease to me now.  

We gave up restaurant chains ages ago. I remember going to Outback and having mahi mahi. Now I love salt but it was so salty I could barely eat it. Ugh! We eat at local places or small local chains that maybe have 2 or 3 locations. The difference in the quality is amazing. Though we did give up one place. I ordered chicken breast with mango salsa. The chicken had fake grill marks and was obviously pre-cooked and frozen..... I couldn't eat it. That was the second and last time we went there. 

[Pepper Mostly]

You can really tell the difference. My husband loves take out and fast food and I rarely join him for it. Every once in a while I say OK thinking "hey, it'd be nice to have a cheese steak" or something, but the thing is, they're rarely good! Once I've finished it I think "wow, that really wasn't so great". If I'm going to have something bad for me, it has to be super fabulous. I love pizza from my local pizza joint, so if I'm giving myself a Saturday night treat I'll order from there. No PIzza Hut or Little Caesar's. The closest I get to junk take out is Five Guys, and I get that maybe three times a year. I love food too, good food. I love brunch, and will hoover up a plate of eggs benedict with glee. But to get to 600 pounds on McDonald's and Wendy's and chain store pizza and claim to "love food" is so weird to me. Yes, its addictive, and yes, our chubbers have psychological issues and addictive personalities. They sound like the junkies on Intervention.  I don't see enough effort on the part of Dr. Now and his team to address that. I wouldn't mind, in a two hour show, if they cut a few scenes with the subject droning about how scared or nervous they are (in a flat monotone) and included some more work with the nutritionist!

[Dollardraw]

Robin and her family live in a really small town in the middle of nowhere, about 40 miles from me.  I’m not sure the rinky-dink Thriftway there actually has any exotic ingredients like quinoa or unusual fresh produce, even if they wanted it.  Sometimes I can’t find unusual things I’m looking for and I live in one of the biggest cities nearby with a good grocery store and a supercenter.  And the good-for-you food is way more expensive than pre-made food.

[ClareWalks]

The pain scale exaggeration was so annoying to me. IMO a 10 is pain so bad that you pass out. In the delivery room I tapped out for an epidural when I started reporting an 8.5.

[Kyanight]

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

Robin said she gets excited to be in the grocery store around all of the food? These people get way too excited about eating.

"For many its all they have."

 

I totally disagree.  Even if the person ends up bedridden because of their weight, there are many enjoyments in life.  Talk to a friend on the phone.  Play games or read message boards on a computer.  Listen to music.  Watch your favorite shows.  READ books that take you to other amazing places/worlds/whatever.   There are quadriplegic folks who enjoy a myriad of things beyond eating food.

It is always a choice.  We all choose our interests and where we choose to focus our attention.   

While it isn't all they HAVE, it's an addiction and it becomes all they WANT.   (Just my opinion - not trying to stamp on anyone else's opinions!)  :D

[Henri205]

Hi!  Waves to all the 95/495 regional peeps. Salisbury MA here. It would be fun to organize a group viewing/snarking event.  Enjoy all your comments and eating habit updates. Raisin Bran and cottage cheese here. 😘

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, Dollardraw said:

Robin and her family live in a really small town in the middle of nowhere, about 40 miles from me.  I’m not sure the rinky-dink Thriftway there actually has any exotic ingredients like quinoa or unusual fresh produce, even if they wanted it.  Sometimes I can’t find unusual things I’m looking for and I live in one of the biggest cities nearby with a good grocery store and a supercenter.  And the good-for-you food is way more expensive than pre-made food.

Here's a bit of the Thriftway's website:  "Fresh fruits and vegetables are what really makes Meade Thriftway a special place to shop. Hundreds of items are displayed throughout the entire year. Special care is taken to ensure the freshest produce is delivered at the best price around! Variety is plentiful in this signature department for Meade Thriftway."

And I must respectfully disagree with your last sentence.  If we were talking about similar portion sizes, there might be a question as to cost, but these people need to eat about 1/4 of what they are currently eating.  So take what they are spending on junk food and buy a lot LESS "good-for-you" food . . . and the actual cost is lower.  In the Thriftway ad, they are offering Yoplait yogurt for $.39 PER SERVING.  Folks on M600PL think that a half-gallon of ice cream is one serving - which Thriftway will sell you for $3.49 . . . almost TEN TIMES more than the yogurt.  And each of those bags of chips and munchies was at least $2.50 . . . and they had a bunch of them.

While they were rolling through the grocery store on Robin's episode, they had her electric cart and the cart Garrett was pushing FULL of packaged, processed food.  Not one fresh item in either basket that I could see . . . as they walked right past the bananas which I assume were at the beginning of the produce section.

I'd love to have seen how much they spent on those groceries, not to mention the bags of food that Garrett brought in for breakfast.  

Cost is not the real issue for healthy eating - it's more an issue of quantity and poor choices.  Trust me, I am no skinny minnie; hubby and I are both classed as "obese" on the charts.  And we have each lost about 25 pounds over this past year to improve our health.  But the two of us TOGETHER weigh less than 2/3 of what Robin weighed when she started.  Our food bill is probably only 1/4 of what she spends.  We eat a lot of fish and chicken as our proteins, with lots of not-exotic fresh veggies and fruit.  We would do very well at Thriftway.  

[libgirl2]

55 minutes ago, Kyanight said:

"For many its all they have."

 

I totally disagree.  Even if the person ends up bedridden because of their weight, there are many enjoyments in life.  Talk to a friend on the phone.  Play games or read message boards on a computer.  Listen to music.  Watch your favorite shows.  READ books that take you to other amazing places/worlds/whatever.   There are quadriplegic folks who enjoy a myriad of things beyond eating food.

It is always a choice.  We all choose our interests and where we choose to focus our attention.   

While it isn't all they HAVE, it's an addiction and it becomes all they WANT.   (Just my opinion - not trying to stamp on anyone else's opinions!)  :D

Many of the people on the show who have the hardest time don't have anything else. They lay there just waiting for their next meal. Even Brianne mentioned getting up to her chair and waiting for food. Yes, some read books, knit, watch TV, game.... but the food is always the highlight of the day. But I agree, its a an addiction and it can be one that takes over everything in your life as any addiction can. 

[calpurnia99]

Yes the idea that healthy food cost way more than shit food has been debunked many times. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

      By buying huge family packs of items like chicken, and even getting it on sale and freezing, you can save a bundle.     The food costs of highly processed items, and items like sodas, that the post surgery patients aren't even allowed to have, is way higher than the cost of fewer, better quality unprocessed items.     Even if you live pretty far from a huge grocery store, like Robin and family do.   You could go and stock up on items on sale once a month, toss them in a couple of coolers so they survive the trip, and put items in smaller portions and freeze.     

There were family friends who had a live in mother-in-law, seven kids, and always did the family packs, freezing ahead,    They ate very well for very little money, and I loved being invited to their house for dinner, because the mother-in-law was a genius at using spices, and changing up recipes.    You don't have to eat poorly to save on groceries, it just takes a little planning and effort.      The mom actually spent a lot less time prepping and cooking than smaller families did.   

I really wonder if something was wrong with James, because over the 10 months, he seemed to get thinner, and more fragile looking over the filming.     

I love the progress Robin, and Garrett made over the 2 hours, and I hope they both continued that at home, and Garrett does keep changing and can live his own life.   I hope Chris (Robin's brother, in case I got that name wrong), gets with the program, and improves his health.   

Edited January 20, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[silversage]

Robin hid her cheating with food really well. Usually we see them cheating stating they are having a hard time on the diet and deserve the cheat. She didn't even deny it to Dr. Now.

[libgirl2]

23 minutes ago, silversage said:

Robin hid her cheating with food really well. Usually we see them cheating stating they are having a hard time on the diet and deserve the cheat. She didn't even deny it to Dr. Now.

I mentioned in Brianne's thread that when Doctor Now told her she was going to die if she continued as she was, she took it very seriously and even seemed scared. For the first time of me ever watching this show, this was the most serious I had seen someone. I didn't get that with Robin. At least she didn't deny the cheat

Edited January 17, 2019 by libgirl2

[auntjess]

7 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

They did look very thin.... that girl especially. I was trying to figure out how she ended up in this family! 

The one who came with the grandmother?  She might have been a granddaughter, but I wondered if she was a paid caretaker.

[Pepper Mostly]

6 hours ago, Dollardraw said:

Robin and her family live in a really small town in the middle of nowhere, about 40 miles from me.  I’m not sure the rinky-dink Thriftway there actually has any exotic ingredients like quinoa or unusual fresh produce, even if they wanted it.  Sometimes I can’t find unusual things I’m looking for and I live in one of the biggest cities nearby with a good grocery store and a supercenter.  And the good-for-you food is way more expensive than pre-made food.

OK, maybe quinoa's a stretch. But produce doesn't have to be "unusual".  A bag of apples or oranges is cheaper than 10 bags of chips. 10 cups of yogurt is cheaper than 2 gallons of ice cream. They are buying huge quantities of awful food. If they're going to make changes and eat healthier, they'll be eating less, so they should be able to shop smarter and not spend more money. 

4 hours ago, Henri205 said:

Hi!  Waves to all the 95/495 regional peeps. Salisbury MA here. It would be fun to organize a group viewing/snarking event.  Enjoy all your comments and eating habit updates. Raisin Bran and cottage cheese here. 😘

Hey! North Shore represent!! I think an area meet up would be a blast! 

 

Edited to add: Oh, um, yeah, what @AZChristian said. GMTA? I posted before reading.....

Edited January 18, 2019 by Pepper Mostly

[Wanda]

So on rewatch, she didn’t use soap or shampoo for her “bath”. That could contribute to the hygiene issues Dr Now mentions later. And her first meal of the day that Garrett brings is burger and fries? Almost everybody else that’s the one meal that’s actually cooked....a big ol helping of eggs, biscuits, bacon, sausage covered in a vat of gravy. These are red flags.

[88Keys]

Pretty boring episode.  I really do like the episodes where people succeed more than the trainwrecks, but episodes like Robin's are neither.  They aren't crazy enough to be fun, and they aren't successful enough to be uplifting.  I have my doubts about Robin.  She did get the surgery, but I don't know if she will keep going or not. And she seemed really beat down by life.  I think she needs counseling to really be able to move forward. 

Garrett made good progress, but I got the impression he was doing it more for Robin than himself.  He's young enough not to feel the sense of urgency that an older person will feel.  I hope he continues and doesn't backslide.  

[Hannah94]

9 hours ago, Pepper Mostly said:

You can really tell the difference. My husband loves take out and fast food and I rarely join him for it. Every once in a while I say OK thinking "hey, it'd be nice to have a cheese steak" or something, but the thing is, they're rarely good! Once I've finished it I think "wow, that really wasn't so great". If I'm going to have something bad for me, it has to be super fabulous. I love pizza from my local pizza joint, so if I'm giving myself a Saturday night treat I'll order from there. No PIzza Hut or Little Caesar's. The closest I get to junk take out is Five Guys, and I get that maybe three times a year. I love food too, good food. I love brunch, and will hoover up a plate of eggs benedict with glee. But to get to 600 pounds on McDonald's and Wendy's and chain store pizza and claim to "love food" is so weird to me. Yes, its addictive, and yes, our chubbers have psychological issues and addictive personalities. They sound like the junkies on Intervention.  I don't see enough effort on the part of Dr. Now and his team to address that. I wouldn't mind, in a two hour show, if they cut a few scenes with the subject droning about how scared or nervous they are (in a flat monotone) and included some more work with the nutritionist!

I don't understand the obsession/addiction to McDonald's and similar places either. I haven't eaten there in years but I remember the last time I gave it a try, I spit out the first bite of the burger and threw it away. It was NASTY, just absolutely disgusting. I can get down on a burrito in a bowl (without the tortilla) from Chipotle; now that is delicious! Not the healthiest thing in the world but not the worst either - lettuce, rice, beans, tomatoes, guac - but definitely not gunk like a nasty fast food burger. Just eww. If you must eat a burger, Five Guys is most definitely the place to get one, I must confess. 

[Hannah94]

Woah, wait. I am watching the super size episode of Robin's journey. They just said James speaks German, French, and Spanish. Impressive! I cannot fathom learning 3 additional languages. I speak very limited Spanglish as it is. 

[princelina]

9 hours ago, Kyanight said:

"For many its all they have."

I totally disagree.  Even if the person ends up bedridden because of their weight, there are many enjoyments in life. 

I think both of these are true - and Garrett was an interesting case study with regards to this.  They didn't give any of his "story" until the end - where we find out that he hasn't graduated from high school, has always been interested in welding as a career that runs in his family  -  yet at the age of 20 he had dropped out of school, and his life consisted of fast food and grocery store runs to eat in seclusion with his obese aunt, and from what we saw his family deemed that acceptable.  (After the grocery store trip she said that while it was hard, she and Garret had a car full of lovely food to look forward to eating at home.)  Without this show he likely would have continued that sad existence until his dad and his aunt died, and he was bedridden with a relative bringing him the bags of food.  It wasn't until after the surgery that they even found out that they could do fun things like game night, which they certainly could have been doing at 600 lbs. but they had other things on their minds.

2 hours ago, 88Keys said:

Garrett made good progress, but I got the impression he was doing it more for Robin than himself.  He's young enough not to feel the sense of urgency that an older person will feel.  I hope he continues and doesn't backslide.  

I feel hopeful for him that he wants to learn a trade, get a job and a place of his own, and support himself and help his dad.  At his age a proper sense of purpose and responsibility and the opportunity to have a life might be more motivating than a sense of urgency that an older and more debilitated person would be feeling.

I liked James and found him to be more supportive than most family members we see on this show, and I noticed he had a job besides caretaker, but I wonder what he was escaping from.  To be in your late 30s and able to move to another town to marry a woman you met once is suspect (and that's without factoring in the fact that she was morbidly obese and already needing help with normal life activities.)

I will be looking for the "where are they now" on these guys.  I liked them and wish them the best :)

[AZChristian]

20 hours ago, calpurnia99 said:

 

Funny!  Thanks for sharing it!

[Hellga]

9 hours ago, Hannah94 said:

Woah, wait. I am watching the super size episode of Robin's journey. They just said James speaks German, French, and Spanish. Impressive! I cannot fathom learning 3 additional languages. I speak very limited Spanglish as it is. 

Depends on what you do and what you enjoy.  Among people I know personally, the most languages someone speaks is 13 (I speak only five myself, though I dabbled in a few more).  I had read that around the world speaking multiple languages is more common than speaking just one (people speak their native language + whatever regional language is dominant in the area so they can speak with people from outside their immediate area + a major world language or two that they learned in school if they had a chance to get some education).

James does seem like a nice man, though I have to wonder about getting married on the second date...  though they did talk online for a few months by that point.  And I do know of several families where they got married after one date - and they have been married for decades, so I guess sometimes you just know.  I wonder more about him being so thin while his wife is so obese.  I wonder if he had always been that way, or if he is just so freaked out by the idea of gaining weight after seeing what it is doing to Robin that he is borderline anorexic?  

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think there are two reasons people go for fast food, or processed over more quality items, one is you get a whole lot of food off of specials or dollar menus, or combo meals, and it's the way they were raised and are used to eating.     They think it is decent food, it's easy to just drive through and pick up, and you don't have to expend effort.   Highly processed grocery food is either ready to eat, or you just toss it in the microwave or oven, and it's done a few minutes later, so it's not only easy, it's not work.    

Edited January 19, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[Azubah]

13 hours ago, Hannah94 said:

They just said James speaks German, French, and Spanish.

It's possible his family moved around a lot when he was young. Maybe a military family?

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think Garrett was only doing the program at first for Robin, and in his dad's place.    After he started losing a lot of weight, and felt a lot better, then I think he was committed to it.     I think the fact that he now saw a future, where he could work, and have a life of his own motivated him.     I expect Garrett to be a success story.  

[pdlinda]

21 hours ago, Wanda said:

So on rewatch, she didn’t use soap or shampoo for her “bath”. That could contribute to the hygiene issues Dr Now mentions later. And her first meal of the day that Garrett brings is burger and fries? Almost everybody else that’s the one meal that’s actually cooked....a big ol helping of eggs, biscuits, bacon, sausage covered in a vat of gravy. These are red flags.

Also, I noticed Robin's rotting teeth and wonder about her oral hygiene. 

With the abundance of sugar, salt, fat and chemicals she consumed, it's easy to assume her oral health is awful. 

I got such a kick out of David (from the benji and david episode) who got those magnificent new teeth (not dentures) that completely changed his life and his appearance (smile).  Those teeth cost a "pretty penny" as I had a total remake of my mouth and it was extremely expensive.

 For Robin, I'm thinking she might have no choice but to go the route of dentures (even that's expensive but maybe covered by insurance).

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think the teeth David had are some kind of temporary dentures that fit over the decaying teeth, during the process to remodel his mouth.   I suspect David will end up with full dentures.    I grew up with a lot of people who never took kids to the dentist, and I know adults that are have huge phobias about the dentist, or think it will break them financially to get treated.      I hope Robin either goes to one of the dental denture mills, where they take the remaining teeth out, and do dentures for a decent price, because her teeth look very bad, and that can kill you with infections.   

 I wondered if the teeth are what started her cellulitis infection?     Her teeth looked so painful, and that must be agonizing for her.  

Edited January 19, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[Wanda]

Bad teeth are more the rule than the exception on this show.

[Kenzie]

50 minutes ago, Wanda said:

Bad teeth are more the rule than the exception on this show.

At my highest (300) it was difficult and embarrassing to get into a dentist's chair. She probably hasn't seen a dentist in decades.

[CatherineM]

At 600 lbs. I couldn’t fit in the dentist’s chair. When I found one without arms or liftable arms, the hydrolics wouldn’t position me to let them work on me easily. I had to settle for dental students. Even now that I’m half the size I was, dentists can be cruel. I went to a new one this week to find out that my former dentist hadn’t repaired the teeth I paid to have capped. He just put the cap over the damage hiding it. I’m looking at losing some teeth because of it. 

[TurtlePower]

Finally watched the episode. The one thing that stuck out to me were the ashtrays all over the place--that house must have smelled ATROCIOUS. Those kinds of homes were always the worst when I was an EMT. You walk in, you have a sick patient, and you're about to throw up yourself (sorry, I know that's terrible). 

 

On 1/17/2019 at 8:09 AM, Pepper Mostly said:

Yes, this is never addressed! All of the 600 pounders regard healthy food, salads, vegetables, lean protein, as punishment, and feel sorry for themselves because they'll never be able to eat "good food" (which is actually terrible, bad for you, full of bad stuff food) again. Someone needs to give them cooking lessons, show them how to make healthy food delicious. Their "healthy" food always looks so depressing.

 

I've noticed that, too. Half of the problem is changing their palette and the other half is learning to prepare the food properly. I grew up hating zucchini because my mom cooked it into mush. Now that I know how to prepare it, I eat it often. I'm sure it's the same with lots of other foods for these folks--of course it's going to taste bland/bad unless they know how it's best prepared. 

Regarding palette, that's a fact. I grew up in a plant-based sugar-free home. We are just about everything we ate. When I was a teenager, I tried a Little Debbie cake and spit it out. Tasted like chemicals, not food. Once these folks change their palettes, the junk food won't seem as appealing. 

Edited January 19, 2019 by TurtlePower

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, TurtlePower said:

Finally watched the episode. The one thing that stuck out to me were the ashtrays all over the place--that house must have smelled ATROCIOUS. Those kinds of homes were always the worst when I was an EMT. You walk in, you have a sick patient, and you're about to throw up yourself (sorry, I know that's terrible). 

 

I've noticed that, too. Half of the problem is changing their palette and the other half is learning to prepare the food properly. I grew up hating zucchini because my mom cooked it into mush. Now that I know how to prepare it, I eat it often. I'm sure it's the same with lots of other foods for these folks--of course it's going to taste bland/bad unless they know how it's best prepared. 

Regarding palette, that's a fact. I grew up in a plant-based sugar-free home. We are just about everything we ate. When I was a teenager, I tried a Little Debbie cake and spit it out. Tasted like chemicals, not food. Once these folks change their palettes, the junk food won't seem as appealing. 

I was not a veggie eater as a child. About 15 years ago, I made a decision that I was going to like broccoli. It took a few tries but now I love it. And I recently started to eat brussel sprouts. I find as I get older I enjoy veggies more. Still won't eat cauliflower or red peppers but we can't be perfect.

[calpurnia99]

On 1/18/2019 at 9:04 AM, AZChristian said:

Funny!  Thanks for sharing it!

It ruined the pain scale for me, I keep thinking of the cracked femur ward: Who had the audacity to say they were a level 10?

I go through periods where I lose my taste for salad, vegetables and fish. I think it ties in to depression.  I know this can be delicious but when this happens I just do not want to eat it. I imagine these people are in permanent depression.  All I want is white rice etc, comfort foods, and vegetables just doesn't cut it. I'm back on them now, I make a slow cooker full of them every week so I have them. I heard that tip about the slow cooker and I'd never used it for anything other than stews or meat based dishes. I add raw carrots, red pepper, zucchini, squash, mushrooms and a few other things. I hate chopping vegetables too but this is something I need to force myself because you need to eat veg for health. 

[CoachWristletJen]

On 1/17/2019 at 12:30 PM, sainte-chapelle said:

I love the grocery store. We cook from scratch and it is exciting looking at all the new and exotic ingredients I can try. ..I don't think that is what Robin meant though. 

I love the grocery store, too, but these people have a level of excitement about food that makes me uncomfortable.