S07.E20: Vianey & Allen's Story

[ZeldaZee]

2 hours ago, Drogo said:

Next time someone asks to borrow money I'm going to redirect the conversation to how much phone battery they have remaining.  Masterful, Jason.

I did like that. I particularly liked how Junior and Johnny were so pissed off– Hell, I would be, too! If someone was asking me to take on as much commitment as a long-haul uHaul drive (and I've done those), then not even have it together to have the recent pay stubs etc handy for the apartment (but somehow have the old ones), and then not even be able to scrounge up enough so I could crash at a Motel 6 after driving your shit over multiple states...I'd be Goddamn furious, and if I was Junior's Mom or Johnny's wife I'd be Goddamn livid.

Edited May 17, 2019 by ZeldaZee

[swankie]

21 hours ago, Hannah94 said:

At the beginning, I thought there was no chance in hell with this couple after watching their food orgy....that was absolutely disgusting.

OMG!  I had the worst stomach ache after watching them scarf down all of that food back to back.  And after eating a whole pizza herself, she asks for his last slice?!  And then they have dessert?!  But the kicker is, she starts wondering what they'll have for dinner!!!  I didn't think it was humanly possible to eat that much food without getting sick.  I mean, they didn't just eat one plate of spaghetti but two.  And it was right after a huge breakfast, followed by a pizza apiece!!!  I mean, they definitely win the prize for the most food eaten in one sitting.  😯

Edited May 17, 2019 by swankie
Correct typo.

[ZeldaZee]

9 minutes ago, LuvMyShows said:

My husband has all of you beat.  He was driving down the highway and porta-potties flew off a truck!  Somehow he managed to dodge all of them. 

Many years ago I was driving with my father down a little highway in Florida, early summertime, behind a flatbed truck loaded with fresh watermelons.

Let's just say...ever play Mario Kart?

[Hannah94]

4 minutes ago, swankie said:

OMG!  I had the worst stomach ache after watching them scarf down all of that food back to back.  And after eating a whole pizza herself, she asks for his last slice?!  And then they have dessert?!  But the kicker is, she starts wondering what they'll have for dinner!!!  I didn't think it was humanly possible to eat that much food without getting sick.  I mean, they didn't just eat one plate of spaghetti but two.  And it was right after a huge breakfast, followed by a pizza apiece!!!  I mean, they definitely win the prize for the most food eaten in one sitting.  😯

I felt like I was violating their "personal space" after their multiple foodgasms. It was truly disturbing - how they laid back and moaned almost like it was ecstasy after the 5-6 scenes of both of them eating copious amounts of food that could feed an entire village. I hated these two at the beginning of the episode. They made me physically ill. But somehow they changed their tune (unlike Angie aka Jaba the Hutt) and I really liked them by the end. Amazing progress for both of them! 

[newyawk]

8 hours ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

Isn’t “Dead to Me” AWESOME??

It's SO, SO GOOD!! I am on the last episode and am sad I have to wait for new stuff, lol. 

[Tosia]

7 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

My husband has all of you beat.  He was driving down the highway and porta-potties flew off a truck!  Somehow he managed to dodge all of them.  Thank goodness I wasn't with him, or I would be permanently scarred and never able to use a porta-pottie again without flashbacks!

I simply do not understand this...and they really mean it!  How do you do nothing all day, except eat?  Not even a board game, or cards, or coloring, or surfing the Internet, or even watching TV.  And when they say it, it's as though there just aren't even any other possibilities for something to do other than eat.

I think they play video games online ad nauseum, but for some  reason, this is never mentioned.  

Maybe because it has become a stereotype--a,fast person online, in their bed,   all day and night.

Edited May 17, 2019 by Tosia

[Tabbygirl521]

8 hours ago, newyawk said:

It's SO, SO GOOD!! I am on the last episode and am sad I have to wait for new stuff, lol. 

Same here! We watched the first episode without knowing a thing about it - but we both love Applegate and Cardellini, so we gave it a shot. We ended up binging the whole thing. 

And some people are so bored with life that they eat themselves up to 600+ poundS and say that only food brings them joy. Come on! Turn on Netflix! LOL. 

[Elizzikra]

Quote

My husband has all of you beat.  He was driving down the highway and porta-potties flew off a truck!  Somehow he managed to dodge all of them.  Thank goodness I wasn't with him, or I would be permanently scarred and never able to use a porta-pottie again without flashbacks!

I was going to post about a car tire that bounced off my windshield and continued on its merry way down the Washington Beltway but porta-potties win. And ewwwwww...

[Caoimhe]

1 minute ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

And some people are so bored with life that they eat themselves up to 600+ poundS and say that only food brings them joy. Come on! Turn on Netflix! LOL. 

But Netflix + eating go together really well!

[Tabbygirl521]

8 minutes ago, ThereButFor said:

But Netflix + eating go together really well!

This is true! I’ll add wine. BTW, I was sad not to be in Live Chat last night because my eating habit was half a pizza, and i wanted to share that with people who would appreciate it  😂

Our local joint has specialty pizzas that incorporate Indian food and we had a butter chicken pizza. They go super light on the cheese so the pizzas aren’t gut bombs, but I still almost always stop at two pieces. Not last night! 

[Natalie68]

16 hours ago, alegtostandon said:

So glad you are OK,  Natalie68. It's terrifying when something comes flying at you & there is no way for you to avoid it. 

They were a great breath of fresh air after last week.  I started drawing my own conclusion at the beginning that they were going to fail & was so impressed by their progress. 

This visual had me laughing, my dogs looked at me and walked to the other side of the room. Could almost see them shaking their heads

This reminded me of a time several years ago when this group I belong to was having a benefit carnival.  I had spent the whole night blowing up balloons before realizing I need to transport them.  I ran up & bought 5 huge Rubbermaid trash barrels & filled them with balloons,  snapped the tops on & put in the back of the truck.  The tops blew off on the freeway & balloons were flying everywhere! 

We have a friend named Vianny.   We all say "V-Annie",  everyone pronounced hers as "VanE".

In addition to clothes,  they both wore shoes too! 

THANK YOU!!!!

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Pounders,

The tales of highway escapades are fun, but it might be time to take them to Small Talk.  That is, unless you had a personal run in with Vianey and Allen's errant mattress of doom.

[atiyah9369]

On 5/16/2019 at 12:36 AM, Barbara Please said:

Allen and Vianey really rallied at the end. I wasn't so optimistic when V said she needed her carbs, and Allen was secretly cheating.  

Vianey was so desperate to have the  surgery that she was more upset that it didn't happen even though she almost died . 

When they showed the interior of their home, my first thought was: "Wow, it needs a good cleaning" and secondly, "Wow, someone sure loves hot pink." 

My mom said who has all of that hot pink? LOL

[atiyah9369]

On 5/16/2019 at 7:24 AM, gardendiva said:

But...why didn’t they go back and get that mattress? They pulled over right away, so it wasn’t that far bacK. The two helper guys who packed up all their stuff could have walked back and retrieved it, no?

They should be glad that it didn’t cause an accident. Someone could have easily been killed if that suddenly flew into their vehicle on the highway going 70mph. 

The whole mattress situation was frustrating to me.

I kept saying go back and get the freaking mattress!!! They didn't have it anything in their truck strapped down.  Bless their hearts.

[atiyah9369]

15 hours ago, Drogo said:

Next time someone asks to borrow money I'm going to redirect the conversation to how much phone battery they have remaining.  Masterful, Jason. 

These grapes pair well with this episode.@PrincessPurrsALot

That was hilarious. Sorry can't help you. Get off the phone and save your battery. BYE

[suev33 3]

🤣 food orgy ....that is exactly what that was!  I can't believe how fast she shoveled that spaghetti into her face.   Holy pasta!

[suev33 3]

One slice, er I mean, one pizza for each of them.  Wow

[Drogo]

2 hours ago, atiyah9369 said:

On ‎5‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 12:36 AM, Barbara Please said:

When they showed the interior of their home, my first thought was: "Wow, it needs a good cleaning" and secondly, "Wow, someone sure loves hot pink." 

My mom said who has all of that hot pink? LOL

It was like a damn Barbie Dream House.

But like, also the stuff of nightmares.

[pdlinda]

16 hours ago, swankie said:

OMG!  I had the worst stomach ache after watching them scarf down all of that food back to back.  And after eating a whole pizza herself, she asks for his last slice?!  And then they have dessert?!  But the kicker is, she starts wondering what they'll have for dinner!!!  I didn't think it was humanly possible to eat that much food without getting sick.  I mean, they didn't just eat one plate of spaghetti but two.  And it was right after a huge breakfast, followed by a pizza apiece!!!  I mean, they definitely win the prize for the most food eaten in one sitting.  😯

I lost about 100 lbs 15 years ago and have kept it off (got out of a bad marriage and that helped a lot to ID WHY I couldn't stop eating....)  ANYWAY, when I saw that scene it was almost like something "triggered" in me and brought me back to those long-ago days when I started to eat (especially carbs) and I literally could not stop...it was like a runaway train...horrifying, terrifying and altogether horrendous when you cannot (not will not) stop eating, eating eating...anyway, that's why I watch this show religiously.  It points out what could have happened to me had I not had a # of positive influences in my life and the burning desire to change my life for the better.

These two, of course, took my behavior to unimaginable lengths and depths and that resulted in them experiencing a lot more physical damage than I ever had.  HOWEVER, I was very encouraged with the fact that each had empathy for the other and genuinely possessed the compassion and consideration regarding what each was going through so the inevitable crises each experienced could be shared.

I'll be very interested in their "Where Are They Now" show that, hopefully, will air next season.  I hope they do better than Dottie who has a massive transformation but then squandered a lot of her progress on how she dealt with her recovery from the first skin removal surgery (smoking and doing other inappropriate things).

It's never a simple road recovering from food addiction.  I live it every day but never waver because of the knowledge that getting "back on track" after an "indulgence" could take years!!  I'd prefer to STAY ON TRACK (one day at a time).

[Elizzikra]

Quote

a personal run in with Vianey and Allen's errant mattress

So THAT'S what the kids are calling it these days!

[ams1001]

10 hours ago, Tosia said:

Maybe because it has become a stereotype--a,fat person online, in their bed,   all day and night.

That was Casey at the beginning of the last season of Family By the Ton. He was like an internet meme come to life.

[gonecrackers]

17 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

My husband has all of you beat.  He was driving down the highway and porta-potties flew off a truck! 

Holy Shit!

[SunnyBeBe]

Can someone tell me how this ended.  I missed the last part. 

[parrotfeathers]

17 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Can someone tell me how this ended.  I missed the last part. 

Not sure where you stopped.   He got the surgery first and she is continuing to lose weight but at the ending had not gotten the surgery.  They were very happy and were going out on real dates and looking forward to being intimate for the first time.

[SunnyBeBe]

1 minute ago, parrotfeathers said:

Not sure where you stopped.   He got the surgery first and she is continuing to lose weight but at the ending had not gotten the surgery.  They were very happy and were going out on real dates and looking forward to being intimate for the first time.

Yes, thanks.  That's what I needed. 

[MillieSparklepants]

I started out extremely annoyed at these two for their lack of self-awareness. They seemed so helpless and honestly bewildered that they couldn't get the magic surgery without having to change anything. And holy food orgy! Did they really eat three giant meals in half a day and then start planning dinner? The move to Texas was painful and I was angry that they didn't seem to care at all about leaving a mattress on the road or causing an accident.

What did they do with those poor dogs when they were sleeping in the truck?

But, it was heartbreaking to see how alone they were. They literally had no one besides each other. It's not hard to see why they'd become so codependent. I hope they continue to make progress.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

What did they do with those poor dogs when they were sleeping in the truck?

They didn't end up sleeping in the truck - an aunt or someone gave them the money for a hotel. But I assume the dogs would have slept in the truck with them if they had stayed there.

[Ben.w]

I want to give props to that nurse or medical assistant who calmed Vianey after she was revived. Vianey was upset she didn't get the surgery, but that woman was really reassuring and she calmed Vianey down. Great job to her.

[Elizzikra]

19 hours ago, Ben.w said:

I want to give props to that nurse or medical assistant who calmed Vianey after she was revived. Vianey was upset she didn't get the surgery, but that woman was really reassuring and she calmed Vianey down. Great job to her.

I noticed that too and I thought she was awesome! 

[Otter]

They seemed to be nice people and did well.

Watched for the first time just now.  Both are the epitome of addiction and in their case food -- one meal was enough food for me for a month!  At first I thought "here we go with the excuses" when Allen had the plan to wean them off junk food.  But by Godfrey, it worked!  

But just think of all the money they could have had for a cheap motel but for the money spent on delivery for one food orgy.  

I wish them well.  

[slasherboy]

On 5/15/2019 at 10:28 PM, newyawk said:

JFC. That changes everything. Thanks for explaining it, it will make it more watchable knowing that.  Poor guy.  Sorry, Allen!!!

This is a bit OT, but funny AF.  A few months ago a Jeep pulled into a handicapped spot next to me and I didn't see the tag hanging from the mirror.  I was in a pissy mood so I said out loud to my sister and 2 friends in my car, "Well, h e'd better have a good gd reason for taking that spot, that's all I can say!"  Imagine my chagrin when the Army veteran with a handicapped tag on his license plate and 2 artificial legs got out of the Jeep.....

Best of luck to this couple who weren't hell-sent and had 2 cute doggos.

[watchingtvaddict]

I wish this couple well. It was interesting to see that they didn't sabotage each other. When  one wasn't doing well the other didn't try to convince their partner to just give up with the idea of losing weight. Both were focussed when they needed to be focussed. 

[Granny58]

On 5/16/2019 at 7:09 PM, ams1001 said:

They can stop explaining to the audience who Dr. Now is, too.

I have gift cards for Netflix and I keep seeing commercials for this show. It might be the thing that finally gets me to set up an account.

Try Black MIrror (or is it Dark Mirror?) too.  It's like the Twilight Zone. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I love that they've both done so well, and hope Vianey's surgery is safe, and she comes through easily.      

[pdlinda]

On 5/17/2019 at 2:41 PM, pdlinda said:

These two, of course, took my behavior to unimaginable lengths and depths and that resulted in them experiencing a lot more physical damage than I ever had.

I did want to mention that although I never experienced organ damage from all the years of being so overweight my joints suffered greatly.

I had both hips replaced (in 2008 and 2017) and I'm due to have my right knee replaced this October.

BOTH ortho surgeons made special mention of the fact that my "small size" would contribute greatly to the success of the operation and recovery and they were right,  

To this DAY, when someone makes a remark like "you're tiny" I immediately snap backward to see who they're talking about because I still don't see myself as "tiny."😃

Regarding our "poundicipants", knowing what I do about maintaining a low weight, when I don't see as many "where are they now" episodes for all those we know and love, I immediately think that maybe many have slipped back into old ways of coping with life.

Knowing the challenges of daily "work" to maintain weight loss it is not surprisinng.

[Pretty5Vacant]

Vianey (I've never heard that name before) was really pretty in her older pictures, she still is. I liked this couple, they seemed like they really do love each other. Plus, there was no personal insults thrown around in this episode. What a nice change from some of the dozies this season. Hope that they are still doing well 

[CatherineM]

55 minutes ago, Pretty5Vacant said:

Vianey (I've never heard that name before) was really pretty in her older pictures, she still is. I liked this couple, they seemed like they really do love each other. Plus, there was no personal insults thrown around in this episode. What a nice change from some of the dozies this season. Hope that they are still doing well 

It would never occur to me to call members of my family or my husband some of the things we hear on this show. I’m especially thinking of what Angie or Maja called their partners. My 6’5” 300 lb. husband would probably cry if I said stuff like that to him. Or laugh assuming I was joking. 

[Pretty5Vacant]

16 hours ago, CatherineM said:

It would never occur to me to call members of my family or my husband some of the things we hear on this show. I’m especially thinking of what Angie or Maja called their partners. My 6’5” 300 lb. husband would probably cry if I said stuff like that to him. Or laugh assuming I was joking. 

They do this even with the cameras rolling! So they must really be like that with no cameras around. And/Or they play it up more to show what a badass they can be

I mean "badass" in quotations, because they're all talk

[crazycatlady58]

45 minutes ago, Pretty5Vacant said:

They do this even with the cameras rolling! So they must really be like that with no cameras around. And/Or they play it up more to show what a badass they can be

I mean "badass" in quotations, because they're all talk

I don't know, I have no problem with the idea that most of the verbally abusive would strike you if you were in arms reach, or throw something at you with the intent of hitting. 

[B in Lee]

On 5/16/2019 at 3:35 AM, Hannah94 said:

This episode was a pleasant surprise. At the beginning, I thought there was no chance in hell with this couple after watching their food orgy....that was absolutely disgusting. Sweet baby Jesus. But they really made a turn around. Ol boy lost 133 pounds between doctor visits; is that a record, fellow pounders? I cannot recall.

And re: Lola, she certainly is a character (various wigs, clothes, lil baby bird voice, etc) but I actually like her for the most part. I miss Dr. Paradise; where has he been?

During their Sad Story segment, did I really see them eat two enormous helpings of spaghetti and meatballs EACH? Was all that food, including the ice cream and the pizza ONE FEEDING?

And then they started talking about "what's for dinner". Oh, boy. This one's gonna be a long, uphill haul for Dr Now.

[ProTourist]

3 hours ago, B in Lee said:

During their Sad Story segment, did I really see them eat two enormous helpings of spaghetti and meatballs EACH? Was all that food, including the ice cream and the pizza ONE FEEDING?

It's hard to know with the editing on this show. They may have put together footage from two or three meals to make it look like one huge meal. I wouldn't be surprised.

Edited May 23, 2019 by ProTourist

[CrazyInAlabama]

The spaghetti certainly looked tasty.   

The trip footage with the bonus scenes are bizarre.     I bet Dr. Now had the drive thru footage for the fish, and chicken place before the couple arrived at his office.     

They should have put the mattresses inside the box truck, not out in the rain, or to fly to freedom on the highway.   

If they wanted to save money, there must have been cheaper motels than the places they stayed at on their pilgrimage to Houston.           Plus, motels with outside first floor access to the rooms would have saved the long hauls down the hallways.   

Edited May 24, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[mamadrama]

On 5/19/2019 at 8:09 PM, slasherboy said:

This is a bit OT, but funny AF.  A few months ago a Jeep pulled into a handicapped spot next to me and I didn't see the tag hanging from the mirror.  I was in a pissy mood so I said out loud to my sister and 2 friends in my car, "Well, h e'd better have a good gd reason for taking that spot, that's all I can say!"  Imagine my chagrin when the Army veteran with a handicapped tag on his license plate and 2 artificial legs got out of the Jeep.....

Best of luck to this couple who weren't hell-sent and had 2 cute doggos.

I feel you. I once got behind some seriously slow moving vehicles. I was in a hurry and I passed them...only to find that they were a funeral procession. Boy did I feel like a jackass. 

Am I alone in thinking that this couple was what we'd refer to as "low functioning" when I was a social worker? I started out annoyed at them, but then it became clearer that they weren't the average dingbats on this show. There seemed to be something "off" there, so I set the bar much lower for them. I'm actually rooting for them to keep it together. They seem like nice people and I feel like they're the kind of folks who need to be guided when it comes to their eating habit and weightloss journey. Hope they can stick with Dr. Now. 

[Natalie68]

6 minutes ago, mamadrama said:

I feel you. I once got behind some seriously slow moving vehicles. I was in a hurry and I passed them...only to find that they were a funeral procession. Boy did I feel like a jackass. 

Am I alone in thinking that this couple was what we'd refer to as "low functioning" when I was a social worker? I started out annoyed at them, but then it became clearer that they weren't the average dingbats on this show. There seemed to be something "off" there, so I set the bar much lower for them. I'm actually rooting for them to keep it together. They seem like nice people and I feel like they're the kind of folks who need to be guided when it comes to their eating habit and weightloss journey. Hope they can stick with Dr. Now. 

I did think they were a bit slower.  It may be that neither was given a good start in life.  My grizzly old heart was softened by their love and care for each other.

[Jeeves]

45 minutes ago, Natalie68 said:

I did think they were a bit slower.  It may be that neither was given a good start in life.  My grizzly old heart was softened by their love and care for each other.

I've never been a social worker, so I'm not an expert on what "low functioning" means. But I had the same thoughts about them as the episode unfolded (disclosure: I watched last week, but not tonight's supersized one). They were nice but somehow not totally well-equipped to cope with life in some ways. I found myself hoping that they had, or would have, some support and protection. Sadly, it seemed they didn't have much by way of family. I wonder if they will get out a little more and maybe make friends now that they are losing weight? They were a bit of a lonely little two-person unit. 

[mmecorday]

Among the juicy tidbits from tonight's supersized episode: Both Vianey and Allen believe in ghosts!

 

[ProTourist]

1 hour ago, mmecorday said:

Among the juicy tidbits from tonight's supersized episode: Both Vianey and Allen believe in ghosts!

I do too -- nothing like personal experience to make one a believer!

[mamadrama]

6 minutes ago, ProTourist said:

I do too -- nothing like personal experience to make one a believer!

This bit of information actually makes me like the couple even more. 

[missnoa]

On 5/17/2019 at 11:14 AM, atiyah9369 said:

I kept saying go back and get the freaking mattress!!! They didn't have it anything in their truck strapped down.  Bless their hearts.

I'm so glad I wasn't the only one. Like, you can't afford a new one, WTF did you just leave it there?? 

[mamadrama]

14 hours ago, missnoa said:

I'm so glad I wasn't the only one. Like, you can't afford a new one, WTF did you just leave it there?? 

I kept thinking that editing must have cut that part out. Otherwise, why would someone on such a tight budget leave such an expensive and pricey item in the road? (And where it could possibly hurt another vehicle.) I've moved a lot and we've had things like beside tables fall off the truck. Little things that didn't cost a lot of money. We've always gone back and retrieved them, even when they were completely busted up. It's courtesy to the other drivers as well as to the environment. If we haven't been able to retrieve them because their location made going into the road dangerous, then we've called the police. The last thing I want is to cause someone to wreck because my coffee table decided to play Dumbo.