S07.E03: Robin's Story

[pdlinda]

Just now, CoachWristletJen said:

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

That's the nature of "addiction." 

Food gives them a "thrill" that mimics what other addicts experience with alcohol and other drugs.  The only difference is that with other substances, you can excise them and never touch them again, but with food it's CONSTANTLY a temptation and you need it to live. 

Also, many other "drugs of choice" are not legal so you're constantly involved in the criminal justice system when indulging (that would include drinking and driving).  With food, it is very plentiful and available with no criminal sanctions. 

I often thought that some of the 600 lbers scarfing down huge fast-food purchases while driving (including massive amounts of SUGAR and FAT ) would probably be impaired while driving; however, although there are laws regarding "driving while intoxicated" that usually refers to legal meds being used improperly). 

I don't think I've ever heard of a driver being pulled over for driving erratically due to over consumption of, say, donuts!!

[sainte-chapelle]

17 minutes ago, CoachWristletJen said:

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

That's what gets me though.....most of what they eat is not really food persay. A lot of chips and ice cream and boxed meals. Don't get me wrong I love my chips and other. Garbage in moderation.

[TVWatcher12]

Venting: These people whine incessantly about pain that they have caused! They baby themselves and won’t push through any type of discomfort. I hurt my knee when I fell while running. It killed me to run afterwards but I pushed through. The constant whining and excuse-making gets old after awhile. I have an actual thyroid issue and out on some weight recently. Most of ur was due to that BUT I own my part in it and am now watching my food intake much more closely. Yes I have had some pretty bad stuff happen to me in my life and can very easily be a 600 pounder if I didn’t get up every single day and exercise control and self-discipline. 

On another note, did anyone notice the “salad” they were eating? Big hunks if cheese and Ranch dressing?!

[ams1001]

5 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

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.

I always hated broccoli as a kid*, especially the tops. My mom still makes sure there are enough stem pieces for me to have a full serving if she makes broccoli when I'm at their house for dinner, because that was the only part I would eat as a kid. Now my work's cafeteria has broccoli as the vegetable side so often I wind up eating it at least once or twice a week...and I kind of almost like it. ;)

I will generally not, however, eat raw broccoli. And I like raw cauliflower, but not cooked cauliflower. (I like peppers, whatever color, but not if they're cooked, unless they're in chicken fajitas. 😉)

(*Funny part is I generally liked most vegetables as a kid, and my brother didn't, but he did like broccoli.)

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Pounders,

Please head on over to Small Talk with the discussion of what you do or don't like to eat.  We will let you exceed the titular limit of no more than 3 ounces of commentary.  

There is plenty to say about Robin, her husband and Garrett.  Perhaps you can explain how you spotted them when they were so effectively camouflaged. 

[ams1001]

Sorry, Princess.

I was going to comment on the green camo pants with bright blue camo shirt combo(I think her brother was wearing it). It actually made me squint a little at my TV screen.

Edited January 20, 2019 by ams1001

[Hellga]

I found an article linking their profiles, and Robin's face looks noticeably thinner on recent photo update.  Hopefully she will do well.  Looks like her nephew returned to Kansas, though (I wonder if it has to do with his father's health... )

https://www.ibtimes.com/my-600-lb-life-season-7-stars-where-are-they-now-robin-update-2753455

Edited January 20, 2019 by Hellga

[ClareWalks]

14 hours ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

There is plenty to say about Robin, her husband and Garrett.  Perhaps you can explain how you spotted them when they were so effectively camouflaged. 

The participants on this show need a more customized camoflage print, like "piles of laundry and Mr. Goodbar wrappers, topped with cat hair." Then they would blend in seamlessly, like Navy Seals.

[auntjess]

On 1/19/2019 at 2:14 PM, pdlinda said:

I often thought that some of the 600 lbers scarfing down huge fast-food purchases while driving (including massive amounts of SUGAR and FAT ) would probably be impaired while driving; however, although there are laws regarding "driving while intoxicated" that usually refers to legal meds being used improperly). 

Driving while distracted perhaps.
 

[Katydid]

Screamed at the TV when they stopped at the restaurant while driving to Houston and made a parking space for themselves between the 2 already occupied accessible spaces.  This is a very common problem, and parking on those access lines means that someone who drives a vehicle with a ramp cannot access their vehicle.  It doesn't matter if they have an accessible parking permit, you just can't make as space like that.  I also noted that in parking there they were completely blocking the ramp/curb cut, so someone like myself that uses a wheelchair would not be able to access the restaurant at all. 

[BuyMoreAndSave]

On 1/17/2019 at 9:26 AM, AZChristian said:

HOWEVER, there is a medical scale that asks patients to rate their pain on a scale of 1-10. 

According to this my monthly cramps have gone up to a 9 before....

On 1/17/2019 at 10:09 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 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 think a lot of it has to do with childhood. When I was growing up my mom cooked healthy meals and we didn't eat out very often and my brother and I have never been overweight. We did have junk food too, but we also had things like tofu, lentils, and whole-grain bread all the time, and a large salad at every dinner, and those are all foods I love and eat all the time now. A lot of people from the 70s or so onward grew up on convenience foods and they never really developed a taste for healthy food or learned about healthy food because they weren't exposed to it enough. The patients probably think healthy food has to taste bad and not be enjoyable because that is the cultural signaling they have gotten their entire lives, and they haven't explored healthy food enough to debunk that. Enjoyable healthy eating is in fashion right now but I'm not sure the fashion has spread to the more rural outposts of the US with high obesity yet. I'm surprised that healthy recipe lessons for the patients aren't part of the show's plan.

Edited January 23, 2019 by BuyMoreAndSave

[IvySpice]

Quote

They seem to think that they can never enjoy food again.

Well...they can't, not the way they did before. Even if they learn to like the taste of healthy food, they need to give up using food to numb out the pain in their lives. All of us who love to cook and make our gorgeous salads and seafood and whatnot are experiencing that part of our lives pretty differently from these addicts. If the food continues to be their medicine for all that ails them emotionally, then they aren't going to be successful no matter what they're eating.

[LuvMyShows]

On 1/23/2019 at 5:15 PM, IvySpice said:

Well...they can't, not the way they did before. Even if they learn to like the taste of healthy food, they need to give up using food to numb out the pain in their lives. All of us who love to cook and make our gorgeous salads and seafood and whatnot are experiencing that part of our lives pretty differently from these addicts. If the food continues to be their medicine for all that ails them emotionally, then they aren't going to be successful no matter what they're eating.

Very insightful, and sad.

[Wanda]

Surprise, she has a gofundme page looking for 10,000. I’ve donated to my share of legitimate pages over the years, especially when it involves sick children, but draw the line with people from this show. They are given free surgery and aftercare apparently but so many go this route. For every Justin who takes the opportunity and runs with it, there’s 8 more that prefer to slack off on the hard work and without fail will have a crowdsourcing outlet.

[aliya]

On 1/25/2019 at 6:16 PM, Wanda said:

Surprise, she has a gofundme page looking for 10,000. I’ve donated to my share of legitimate pages over the years, especially when it involves sick children, but draw the line with people from this show. They are given free surgery and aftercare apparently but so many go this route. For every Justin who takes the opportunity and runs with it, there’s 8 more that prefer to slack off on the hard work and without fail will have a crowdsourcing outlet.

What does she mean she's not on insurance? If she's low income, she has insurance or no-cost Obamacare.  If she's lost enough weight to be minimally mobile, she should find a job where she can sit or a home job doing call center work. Something.  I'm not too sympathetic.

[stormy]

I like Robin and Garrett.  I hope Garrett continues to be successful. He's young and he's missed a lot of life because of his weight.

I do not like Robin's husband. Going into her surgery, he said, she's my universe I don't know what I'd do without her.

Well he's been enabling her. Dr. Now even accused him of sneaking food into her at the hospital (although not to his face).

Edited January 28, 2019 by stormy

[CrazyInAlabama]

One article said she used to be a teacher, and there are a ton of online schools (K12, and some others) that hire teachers that only work from home, there are also online tutoring sites that pay very well.  However, I've seen people say they were a teacher, and actually worked at something else, or weren't certified to teach.     The same article also screwed up the nephew's name, and had other statements wrong, so who knows.    

[SunnyBeBe]

I suppose that I have trouble understanding why the obese patients have such a painful experience traveling, but, they are content to lie in bed for months without moving much.  What's the difference in sitting in a wheelchair for 5 hours and sitting in a car seat for 5 hours?  I realize the legs may be more restricted in a car seat, but, you can stop once an hour to move them and walk around a little. And, what do they do when they get to the hotel except lay down or sit down more?

[pdlinda]

There is a law in various states that's equivalent to:  "driving while under the influence of a toxic substance" or something to that effect.  However, again, I do not believe there has ever been an arrest for an impaired driver suffering from sugar/carb overload!!  There probably should be, however, because I recall back in my days of eating myself into a food coma (donuts in the car....many, many donuts) I would experience that sugar "high" and then if the ride was long enough, a sudden drop into a semi-stupor where I could barely keep my eyes open on the road, and, yes, I did have to pull over and take a "nap" because I was dozing off.  I'm sure I'm not alone in this....

[CrazyInAlabama]

Spoiler

I've read that Robin and Garrett are going to be on a WATN this season.     I hope they're doing well, and Garrett is getting the job training he wanted.   I hope her husband is doing OK too.  

Edited November 25, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[Ralphster]

On 1/17/2019 at 11:08 AM, ClareWalks said:

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.

Amen. When I first injured my back, I was screaming in pain, unable to understand basic questions about my name, what had happened to me, etc. I could not speak, only scream. My husband had to answer their questions as I was entirely unable to.

Fast forward almost two years later, and I can be at an 8 and stare dully at the floor, no expression on my face. Being in severe pain for a long time will do that to you. It makes interacting with doctors who don't know me well a bit tricky, as they assume I'm faking it. I still start writhing about and crying when it gets to a 9, though.

On 1/17/2019 at 11:57 AM, 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!)  😄

Being bedridden for almost two years has been pretty depressing, actually. I do all the things you mention but there is a hollow place in my soul where my life used to be.

[Kyanight]

2 hours ago, Ralphster said:

Amen. When I first injured my back, I was screaming in pain, unable to understand basic questions about my name, what had happened to me, etc. I could not speak, only scream. My husband had to answer their questions as I was entirely unable to.

Fast forward almost two years later, and I can be at an 8 and stare dully at the floor, no expression on my face. Being in severe pain for a long time will do that to you. It makes interacting with doctors who don't know me well a bit tricky, as they assume I'm faking it. I still start writhing about and crying when it gets to a 9, though.

Being bedridden for almost two years has been pretty depressing, actually. I do all the things you mention but there is a hollow place in my soul where my life used to be.

Aw, I am so sorry to hear this!  When I wrote that I was thinking of a friend of mine who was a quadriplegic.  He died many years ago, sadly.  But of course he was not in pain - he could not feel anything below his neck.  I can't imagine how difficult life would be to suffer that kind of pain on a continuous basis.  I am very sorry.

[Ralphster]

Dr. Now was entirely in the wrong to dismiss the advice given Robin by the orthopedist. Her knees were bone-on-bone, and the orthopedist had told her that walking on them was just progressively grinding down the bone. Dr. Now is a bariatric and vascular surgeon, NOT an orthopedic surgeon, and there is a reason these two specialties are separate. He got all hot under the collar when the ER gave Angel a feeding tube (which actually made a modicum of sense, given that she was in a state of malnutrition), yet it's all hunky dory for him to dismiss the opinion of someone whose entire specialty is bones and their associated diseases, because... why? It takes an unbelievable amount of arrogance to assume the role of specialist in a field other than that you have actually trained for, and to give patients counterproductive advice like this. Dr. Now needs to stay in his lane, rather than behaving like a hubristic fuckstick. I used to like him back when I'd only seen a handful of episodes, but he has done so many stupid things across the seasons that it's hard to ignore how much of an idiot he is. Due to his overwhelming ego, I can't really stand him anymore.