My 600 Pound Life?

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  • MindySaysWhaaat
    MindySaysWhaaat Posts: 401 Member
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    So, I have a confession. When I first when on birth control a few years ago, I would watch shows like Biggest Loser, Extreme Makeover Weightloss Edition (which I still love btw), and this show and I'd just sit there and cry and eat.

    Now I pretty much can't stand Biggest Loser. I haven't watched the 600 pound life show in a long time so I couldn't really comment on that. But I recently started back on that first birth control I ever was on, and since I've been extremely weepy lately (I really hope this goes away - I am NOT a crier) I think I'll stay away from sad tv shows.
  • Lourdesong
    Lourdesong Posts: 1,492 Member
    edited February 2015
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    MindySaysWhaaat wrote: »
    So, I have a confession. When I first when on birth control a few years ago, I would watch shows like Biggest Loser, Extreme Makeover Weightloss Edition (which I still love btw), and this show and I'd just sit there and cry and eat.

    Now I pretty much can't stand Biggest Loser. I haven't watched the 600 pound life show in a long time so I couldn't really comment on that. But I recently started back on that first birth control I ever was on, and since I've been extremely weepy lately (I really hope this goes away - I am NOT a crier) I think I'll stay away from sad tv shows.

    I can't watch Extreme Makeover, and Biggest Loser I don't pay attention to most of it and really only want to see the weigh ins and transformations.

    The PT's really get on my nerves by pretending to be therapists and egg on the people to cry and get angry and all that psycho-babbling bs, it just seems like a circus that is going out of it's way to get people emotional and air their dirty laundry and be foolish.

    600 lb Life doesn't annoy me as much, it keeps its focus on the actual problem at hand, which is overeating and not moving enough. Not rationalizations and post hoc reflections that sound logical but which don't actually follow.
    edited mistake
  • alienbabyjen
    alienbabyjen Posts: 36 Member
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    I've only seen one episode of this show that I think would qualify as humiliating, and I think everyone already knows which one that was, even though she should be mortified at herself. But no, these people are giving us a glimpse of what we could be, of what complacency will get you, what apathy and denial can do. Watching those episodes, I laugh with them at their joyous moment. I cry with them when they succeed (and fail). I learn from them. Most of those people get something they never would've gotten otherwise, if not for that show: a new lease on life. A chance. This is not something you can just learn about on the street, it's not something a doctor can truly express to you in a 5 minute appointment when they say "lose some weight or else." This is a real look at what the future could hold for some of us, if we don't change. That's not entertainment. That's education, regardless of how distasteful some might find the wrapper to be.
  • phugger
    phugger Posts: 2
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    This is my thoughts!! I watch every episode because I can see how easily it could happen. To the comment about the "freak show" I feel sorry for you. These people are no different than drug addicts or alcoholics. It is an addiction. I was 286 lbs and gave fought myself down to 154. I will never go back. I will have to fight all my life. God bless these people and everyone who helped them get the help they needed.
  • ilovemypeekapug
    ilovemypeekapug Posts: 106 Member
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    I watch this show. Pauline was so infuriating! All the help that Dr. N and his staff were giving here and she didn't even try. She is in serious need of psychological therapy. I can't believe she lied to him about not hearing from the physical therapist! She seemed happy and content just to be back down in the "low 500's" so she could get out and play Bingo. She has completely robbed her son of his life.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    huffdaddy3 wrote: »
    watching that show helps me further understand that obesity is a disease, that s over looked

    And a psychological disease at that, just one with horrible physical symptoms. Sometimes I feel like therapy would serve 'them' better than surgery does.

  • butterfli7o
    butterfli7o Posts: 1,319 Member
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    FloraJL wrote: »
    My best friend was on a TLC reality health show. She said sooooo many things were staged. So the question about My 600 Pound Life is, "What here is real and what is made up by the producers to make a 'better' show?"

    Yes, my cousin is on a reality show (not weight-related) and he said practically everything is staged. People are told to act a certain way and do certain things. Hence why I don't watch "reality" shows....
  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
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    I did watch "My Big Fat Fabulous Life". The girl is adorable, but I was surprised at all of the negative comments she made about herself...it was basically fat shaming.(such as calling herself a hippo) I thought the point of her show was to discourage this mentality???
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,834 Member
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    ilovemypeekapug wrote: »
    I watch this show. Pauline was so infuriating! All the help that Dr. N and his staff were giving here and she didn't even try. She is in serious need of psychological therapy. I can't believe she lied to him about not hearing from the physical therapist! She seemed happy and content just to be back down in the "low 500's" so she could get out and play Bingo. She has completely robbed her son of his life.

    I had to turn off Pauline. I felt so bad for her son that I couldn't watch it anymore
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    ilovemypeekapug wrote: »
    I watch this show. Pauline was so infuriating! All the help that Dr. N and his staff were giving here and she didn't even try. She is in serious need of psychological therapy. I can't believe she lied to him about not hearing from the physical therapist! She seemed happy and content just to be back down in the "low 500's" so she could get out and play Bingo. She has completely robbed her son of his life.

    I had to turn off Pauline. I felt so bad for her son that I couldn't watch it anymore


    Did you ever see her turn on the waterworks saying Dr. Now was calling her a liar about the physical therapists calling?
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,834 Member
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    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    ilovemypeekapug wrote: »
    I watch this show. Pauline was so infuriating! All the help that Dr. N and his staff were giving here and she didn't even try. She is in serious need of psychological therapy. I can't believe she lied to him about not hearing from the physical therapist! She seemed happy and content just to be back down in the "low 500's" so she could get out and play Bingo. She has completely robbed her son of his life.

    I had to turn off Pauline. I felt so bad for her son that I couldn't watch it anymore


    Did you ever see her turn on the waterworks saying Dr. Now was calling her a liar about the physical therapists calling?

    Now I wish I didn't turn it off! I stopped watching when the son was trying to get her in the back of the van so they can move to be closer to Dr. Now. I think it was only 15 minutes into the show. I just couldn't stomach it anymore....

  • lemon629
    lemon629 Posts: 501 Member
    edited February 2015
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    I really enjoy this show most of the time. The family dynamics are very interesting (and sometimes horrifying). I don't think it degrades or humiliates the people. The program just shows the reality of their lives. It's not like they are filmed by hidden camera against their will and then made fun of.

    Many of the people's back stories are incredibly sad. So many of these people are very sensitive, emotional people who have been badly wounded. I hope that this show might help non-fat people feel more compassion for obese people.

    I like seeing the people overcome their issues (or at least try) and grow and change emotionally. I feel triumphant for them! It shows how much there is that a morbidly obese person has to do to get to a healthy weight in addition to eating less. And I'd say this is true for most seriously overweight people. It certainly was for me.

    The ones like Penny make me want to punch them. Her and Pauline were unbelievably selfish. I was hoping in the follow-up on Penny it would show that she had changed, but nope. She is stuck in deep denial and her husband helps keep her there. I feel so bad for the two sons. Pauline's adult son who didn't have a life of his own and seemed stunted psychologically, and Penny's young boy who might end up like Pauline's son. Penny claimed to be a good mother yet has chosen to slowly kill herself day by day (with the help of her husband) and can only watch her son's activities from her cart or on video from her bed. I think she has a psychological disorder, perhaps narcissistic personality disorder.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    i dont watch reality tv cause i dont think any of it is actually REALITY. and shows like this... i just get mad and start screaming at the tv and get stressed out.

    my nerdiness wont let me watch anything more fake than ghost adventures and doctor who. LOLOLOL
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    ilovemypeekapug wrote: »
    I watch this show. Pauline was so infuriating! All the help that Dr. N and his staff were giving here and she didn't even try. She is in serious need of psychological therapy. I can't believe she lied to him about not hearing from the physical therapist! She seemed happy and content just to be back down in the "low 500's" so she could get out and play Bingo. She has completely robbed her son of his life.

    I had to turn off Pauline. I felt so bad for her son that I couldn't watch it anymore


    Did you ever see her turn on the waterworks saying Dr. Now was calling her a liar about the physical therapists calling?

    Now I wish I didn't turn it off! I stopped watching when the son was trying to get her in the back of the van so they can move to be closer to Dr. Now. I think it was only 15 minutes into the show. I just couldn't stomach it anymore....

    That's incredibly perceptive of you! 15 minutes in I might have thought she would turn things around for sure. I actually only started watching towards the end, then I caught the beginning of a re-run but fell asleep watching...
  • annas987
    annas987 Posts: 301 Member
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    I think My 600-lb Life is such an interesting show. It really goes deep into the human psyche to what drives people to behave the way they do. My favorite episodes so far have been with Amber and Olivia. They were truly inspiring to me, especially Amber.
  • lemon629
    lemon629 Posts: 501 Member
    edited February 2015
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    I only watched two small portions of Pauline's story, a few minutes at the beginning and the last
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    ilovemypeekapug wrote: »
    I watch this show. Pauline was so infuriating! All the help that Dr. N and his staff were giving here and she didn't even try. She is in serious need of psychological therapy. I can't believe she lied to him about not hearing from the physical therapist! She seemed happy and content just to be back down in the "low 500's" so she could get out and play Bingo. She has completely robbed her son of his life.

    I had to turn off Pauline. I felt so bad for her son that I couldn't watch it anymore


    Did you ever see her turn on the waterworks saying Dr. Now was calling her a liar about the physical therapists calling?

    Now I wish I didn't turn it off! I stopped watching when the son was trying to get her in the back of the van so they can move to be closer to Dr. Now. I think it was only 15 minutes into the show. I just couldn't stomach it anymore....

    That's incredibly perceptive of you! 15 minutes in I might have thought she would turn things around for sure. I actually only started watching towards the end, then I caught the beginning of a re-run but fell asleep watching...

    I only watched the tail end of Pauline's story. Usually when I miss the first part of it, I watch the re-run. However, with this episode, I only watched the first few minutes of it just to see the background. I did not want to see the whole story because the ending was so sickening. She might be even worse than Penny.
  • CA_Underdog
    CA_Underdog Posts: 733 Member
    edited February 2015
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    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    Have any of you seen this show on TLC? I'm just curious of your thoughts...knowing what we've all learned here about eating at a deficit to lose weight and watching these people struggle and have such a hard time giving up fast food, etc. even when it's threatening their lives and costing them their families.
    Is there any particular reason they're making them give up fast food, or it's just a ploy to generate extra drama? I mean, I have no problem integrating Panda Express, Subway, Chipotle, or Five Guys into my diet and still having satisfying servings and losing weight. I really appreciate that all those chains make an effort to load on the fresh vegetables and some of them even provide carbohydrates with healthy doses of fiber. Less dramatic changes are more sustainable. :)

    Maybe I will have to watch an episode when I have down time!


  • kismea
    kismea Posts: 45 Member
    edited February 2015
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    I also see where I could be, through watching this show - and use it as motivation.

    I agree the two gals were MADDENING to say the least.

    Real or not, the stories behind them COULD be real, even if not for them, someone out there is likely living that life... so that aspect doesn't bother me.

    I had some family members (3 of them) who were all between 600-800 lbs. I can only IMAGINE what their lives were like day to day. I only saw them once in a while and was pretty young so really had no idea what their lives were like.

    It's all very sad and scary.
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,834 Member
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    CA_Underdog wrote: »
    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    Have any of you seen this show on TLC? I'm just curious of your thoughts...knowing what we've all learned here about eating at a deficit to lose weight and watching these people struggle and have such a hard time giving up fast food, etc. even when it's threatening their lives and costing them their families.
    Is there any particular reason they're making them give up fast food, or it's just a ploy to generate extra drama? I mean, I have no problem integrating Panda Express, Subway, Chipotle, or Five Guys into my diet and still having satisfying servings and losing weight. I really appreciate that all those chains make an effort to load on the fresh vegetables and some of them even provide carbohydrates with healthy doses of fiber. Less dramatic changes are more sustainable. :)


    I think it's basically because these 600+ pound people don't know how to control themselves around food. They won't go to Wendy's to get a baked potato and a diet soda. Dr. Now wants them to learn to prepare and eat healthy foods.

    I think it comes down to food addiction. A person like say...Pauline...walking into a McDonalds is like an alchohlic walking into an Irish pub on St. Patrick's Day.

  • lemon629
    lemon629 Posts: 501 Member
    edited February 2015
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    CA_Underdog wrote: »
    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    Have any of you seen this show on TLC? I'm just curious of your thoughts...knowing what we've all learned here about eating at a deficit to lose weight and watching these people struggle and have such a hard time giving up fast food, etc. even when it's threatening their lives and costing them their families.
    Is there any particular reason they're making them give up fast food, or it's just a ploy to generate extra drama? I mean, I have no problem integrating Panda Express, Subway, Chipotle, or Five Guys into my diet and still having satisfying servings and losing weight. I really appreciate that all those chains make an effort to load on the fresh vegetables and some of them even provide carbohydrates with healthy doses of fiber. Less dramatic changes are more sustainable. :)

    Maybe I will have to watch an episode when I have down time!

    After weight loss surgery it is important that the patient eat low calorie meals high in nutrition. Otherwise they can become malnourished. They also need to steer clear of easily digested carbs like crackers, cookies, mashed potatoes, and french fries because they clear out of the stomach quickly and allow them to eat too much. And carbonated beverages expand the stomach.

    People who are this overweight and have had weight loss surgery have special concerns that the average person who is working at losing weight does not have.

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