My Big Fat Fabulous Life
elphie754
Posts: 7,574 Member
Not sure if this is considered off topic or not, but not sure what category it belongs in.
Anyway, has anyone here ever watched this show? I didn't see season 1, but after seeing the commercials, I started watching the new episodes from season 2.
If you have, what do you think about it?
To me it seems like she is in huge denial. She says that whe wants to be fat and considers herself healthy. No offense to anyone, but how is being 370 lbs healthy? This takes the HAES claim to a whole new level.
Anyway, has anyone here ever watched this show? I didn't see season 1, but after seeing the commercials, I started watching the new episodes from season 2.
If you have, what do you think about it?
To me it seems like she is in huge denial. She says that whe wants to be fat and considers herself healthy. No offense to anyone, but how is being 370 lbs healthy? This takes the HAES claim to a whole new level.
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Replies
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I've seen bits and pieces of it. She seems to have a fun personality but yes, she also seems to be in denial.
I like her mom. She's funny.3 -
I've watched it for a while, and yes, she is in total denial. I think last week she said she likes being fat, but how on earth can she feel good being that heavy? She does have a bubbly personality, but I think it is covering up how she really feels. Plus, I think she's using PCOS as an excuse also.14
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I tried watching a few episodes in the past. I couldn't watch it. She is truly in denial and blames her weight gain all on her PCOS (I know that disease causes weight gain but not that much). Also she promoting herself as this HAES to a level that is giving people a reason to remain extremely overweight.
I am not trying to offend anyone. I know it's had to lose weight. It's not fun having to give up eating they way you want. Not everybody can have a beach body, but don't try to fool yourself and everybody that will listen to you) into thinking you are perfectly healthy at 400+ lbs.5 -
I hate watch that show. I find her extremely immature for her age. I have no idea how she thinks she is healthy and this weight is good when she can't even shave her own legs.9
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This show is interesting. She says she is ok being her size, she is trying to send a message of positive body image etc. I have never been her size or have PCOS so I don't really know what its like to be her. I don't appreciate the message the show is sending. I would love to see a show that talks about the real struggle of being overweight, why change of lifestyle is the way to do it AND how to appropriatly lose weight for good. But.... Ratings.9
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I've seen bits and pieces of it. She seems to have a fun personality but yes, she also seems to be in denial.
I like her mom. She's funny.
Haha so do I. I don't usually condone people who make jokes about someone weight, but some of what she says is hilarious. The episode I just watched her mom bought her a pig which I have a feeling was supposed to be symbolic. Then when she brought it home, she said something about not wanting to throw her under the bus (dad didn't want a pig) and then after a few second pause goes "I don't think there is enough bus to throw her".I've watched it for a while, and yes, she is in total denial. I think last week she said she likes being fat, but how on earth can she feel good being that heavy? She does have a bubbly personality, but I think it is covering up how she really feels. Plus, I think she's using PCOS as an excuse also.
100% agree.Char231023 wrote: »I tried watching a few episodes in the past. I couldn't watch it. She is truly in denial and blames her weight gain all on her PCOS (I know that disease causes weight gain but not that much). Also she promoting herself as this HAES to a level that is giving people a reason to remain extremely overweight.
I am not trying to offend anyone. I know it's had to lose weight. It's not fun having to give up eating they way you want. Not everybody can have a beach body, but don't try to fool yourself and everybody that will listen to you) into thinking you are perfectly healthy at 400+ lbs.
Exactly.
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I like Whitney, and she sees like such a sweet person, someone I could definitely see myself being friends with. However, like people already mentioned, I believe that she is in denial. She literally passed out because her heart was overworked, and the doctor said that it was because of her weight. That is not healthy! To be honest, I feel like she is afraid of the process. I think that she is afraid of exercise, because of her weight. Although she dances a lot, so she should stick with that. It's her passion, so she should use it to get healthy. But mostly I feel she is scared to change her eating habits. She doesn't have to go on a diet and do any kind of crazy restriction. She should educate herself about proper nutrition and what foods are best for your body. Just make healthier food choices: Fresh over packaged foods, plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, complex carbs, etc... And treat yourself every now and then. She doesn't have to give up her favorite foods to be healthy. She just has to learn about balance and moderation.
It may seem hard and frustrating in the beginning, but if she sticks with it, over time it will get easy. It won't happen overnight, but it will be worth it.
Sorry for the essay, I've just been dying to get that out since I started watching the show. Excuse me for any errors, I'm typing this on my phone.
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I've never watched it, but if she has PCOS she likely has insulin resistance and would benefit hugely from losing weight. Case closed. No health at that size for someone who has PCOS unless she is a genetic freak.
Now that out of the way, how she wants to view her obesity and what she wants (or doesn't want) to do about it I fully support. Not everyone who is fat wants to lose weight or considers obesity a bad thing, and that's alright. People do need to understand what they are getting themselves into though and to be prepared to deal with it, a choice they have every right to make. No judgement from me there. I don't believe there should be any more stigma around obesity than there is around fair skinned people tanning or extreme sports.7 -
TheFemmeFatale wrote: »I like Whitney, and she sees like such a sweet person, someone I could definitely see myself being friends with. However, like people already mentioned, I believe that she is in denial. She literally passed out because her heart was overworked, and the doctor said that it was because of her weight. That is not healthy! To be honest, I feel like she is afraid of the process. I think that she is afraid of exercise, because of her weight. Although she dances a lot, so she should stick with that. It's her passion, so she should use it to get healthy. But mostly I feel she is scared to change her eating habits. She doesn't have to go on a diet and do any kind of crazy restriction. She should educate herself about proper nutrition and what foods are best for your body. Just make healthier food choices: Fresh over packaged foods, plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, complex carbs, etc... And treat yourself every now and then. She doesn't have to give up her favorite foods to be healthy. She just has to learn about balance and moderation.
It may seem hard and frustrating in the beginning, but if she sticks with it, over time it will get easy. It won't happen overnight, but it will be worth it.
Sorry for the essay, I've just been dying to get that out since I started watching the show. Excuse me for any errors, I'm typing this on my phone.
Haha no problem.amusedmonkey wrote: »I've never watched it, but if she has PCOS she likely has insulin resistance and would benefit hugely from losing weight. Case closed. No health at that size for someone who has PCOS unless she is a genetic freak.
Now that out of the way, how she wants to view her obesity and what she wants (or doesn't want) to do about it I fully support. Not everyone who is fat wants to lose weight or considers obesity a bad thing, and that's alright. People do need to understand what they are getting themselves into though and to be prepared to deal with it, a choice they have every right to make. No judgement from me there. I don't believe there should be any more stigma around obesity than there is around fair skinned people tanning or extreme sports.
My issue with it is she's promoting her obesity as being healthy, which it isn't.6 -
80 lbs ago, I was fat and ok (not "happy," but ok) and technically in good health, but I was in pain and had no quality of life. That has to factor into the "health" equation, and if your favorite activity makes you pass out because of your weight, that's no quality of life.4
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I don't watch it, not even sure we get it here and if we do we're probably behind. I have seen a few clips on holiday though. Didn't she once lose 100lbs? Thus proving she is perfectly capable of losing weight she's just not in a place where can/wants to right now.4
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Oh, about the show: I've seen the commercials and found that they annoyed me. I have no interest in watching if that all is what the show is about.2
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She didn't get diagnose with PCOS until after 21 and gaining 200lbs. PCOS wasn't the reason she gained the initial weight.
And there is no one in the medical profession that will agree that someone who's morbidly obese, can lead a healthy life staying that weight.
Can she change? Of course, but that doesn't seem to be what she wants to do currently.
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I don't watch--I can't watch. Anyone who thinks that she is perfectly happy and healthy with a BMI well above 50 is delusional.8
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Saw this once or twice year or so ago. Saw a recent commercial for an episode where she was panicking thinking she was having a heart attack.
So much for fat and healthy.4 -
She makes me sad the same way I see the morbidly obese lass in my office claim to be happy about her size when I can see the pain she is in moving and how she has to drag herself up a flight of stairs with the handrail and how she has to sit before she passes out becasr she's stood up for too long.5
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I agree with all the comments above. I have PCOS too, and it's horrible in a lot of ways, but I found out that the CI/CO equation worked perfectly well for me once I started keeping track of my calories in an honest way. Though, there was a time I was convinced that PCOS made it impossible for me to lose weight. I was buying into the idea that I was completely powerless when it came to weight loss. It's hard to accept that I had control over my weight.
I don't watch the show, and though she seems likeable and funny, it is obvious her obesity is having an impact on her health and family. She's doing quite a bit of disservice to other women who suffer from PCOS.
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PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »80 lbs ago, I was fat and ok (not "happy," but ok) and technically in good health, but I was in pain and had no quality of life. That has to factor into the "health" equation, and if your favorite activity makes you pass out because of your weight, that's no quality of life.
True and everyone deserves to be happy. I had no health problems when I was morbidly obese, but staying at that weight will lead to health problems eventually.VintageFeline wrote: »I don't watch it, not even sure we get it here and if we do we're probably behind. I have seen a few clips on holiday though. Didn't she once lose 100lbs? Thus proving she is perfectly capable of losing weight she's just not in a place where can/wants to right now.
I believe so but not 100% sure.
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suzyjane1972 wrote: »She makes me sad the same way I see the morbidly obese lass in my office claim to be happy about her size when I can see the pain she is in moving and how she has to drag herself up a flight of stairs with the handrail and how she has to sit before she passes out becasr she's stood up for too long.
You don't need to be sad for them. If they say they are happy they probably are. When you have been obese your entire life it feels like the norm and whatever inconveniences they have probably feel like minor annoyances. You need to have been a happy morbidly obese person to understand. I was one. Life was great. So what if stairs made me feel like my lungs were almost literally going to explode? A minor discomfort that lasts a couple of minutes. Sure beats the chronic achilles tendinitis I developed trying to get fit. It feels like more of an obstacle in the way of something I like to do (running) than obesity ever was.
I have never seen the show because I don't do reality TV (too much drama for my taste) so I can't provide a real opinion about it. All I know is that if she is promoting being morbidly obese as healthy or blaming it on a certain disease she is dead wrong. My negative judgement stops there though. I don't believe what she is promoting would have any real impact because it feels more like preaching to the choir. Many obese people often want to lose weight for various reasons, and those who would gravitate towards her opinion often weren't planning to lose weight anyway. I sure as heck don't see a normal weight person listening to her then deliberately getting fat.3 -
I watched some of season 1. When it became apparent that it wasn't going to be a feel good "she beat it" kind of story, I had a hard time watching.
She seems to be willing to make changes in season 2 (or 3?). I'm sure weight loss, and the identity association with the show (fat and fabulous), makes long term weight loss even more difficult.
I wish her all the best.
And yes, Babs is awesome!2 -
VintageFeline wrote: »I don't watch it, not even sure we get it here and if we do we're probably behind. I have seen a few clips on holiday though. Didn't she once lose 100lbs? Thus proving she is perfectly capable of losing weight she's just not in a place where can/wants to right now.
She did and reportedly developed bulimia in the process. I've never watched the show but it sounds like the people saying she's afraid of the process might be right on. I also wonder how heavily the show is edited to send whatever message the producers find convenient to push. It sounds like the haes controversy creates a lot of ratings for them.4 -
I actually just watched an episode randomly. I've never seen it before. It was the episode shortly after she passed out because of her heart.
She was talking about how she can do anything that "normal" people can do.
She then went skiing. When she stood up, she almost immediately collapsed in pain and screaming. Her friends couldn't even pick her up.
the medics had to come.
I'm sorry, but it was hard to watch.6 -
If the penny doesn't drop for her soon, it will be dropped for her, I fear.
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amusedmonkey wrote: »suzyjane1972 wrote: »She makes me sad the same way I see the morbidly obese lass in my office claim to be happy about her size when I can see the pain she is in moving and how she has to drag herself up a flight of stairs with the handrail and how she has to sit before she passes out becasr she's stood up for too long.
You don't need to be sad for them. If they say they are happy they probably are. When you have been obese your entire life it feels like the norm and whatever inconveniences they have probably feel like minor annoyances. You need to have been a happy morbidly obese person to understand. I was one. Life was great. So what if stairs made me feel like my lungs were almost literally going to explode? A minor discomfort that lasts a couple of minutes. Sure beats the chronic achilles tendinitis I developed trying to get fit. It feels like more of an obstacle in the way of something I like to do (running) than obesity ever was.
I have never seen the show because I don't do reality TV (too much drama for my taste) so I can't provide a real opinion about it. All I know is that if she is promoting being morbidly obese as healthy or blaming it on a certain disease she is dead wrong. My negative judgement stops there though. I don't believe what she is promoting would have any real impact because it feels more like preaching to the choir. Many obese people often want to lose weight for various reasons, and those who would gravitate towards her opinion often weren't planning to lose weight anyway. I sure as heck don't see a normal weight person listening to her then deliberately getting fat.
I typically don't do reality to either, but this show caught my attention.I watched some of season 1. When it became apparent that it wasn't going to be a feel good "she beat it" kind of story, I had a hard time watching.
She seems to be willing to make changes in season 2 (or 3?). I'm sure weight loss, and the identity association with the show (fat and fabulous), makes long term weight loss even more difficult.
I wish her all the best.
And yes, Babs is awesome!
I also thought this was going to be an "I beat it" show and that's why it caught my attention but I see that is not the case.1 -
snickerscharlie wrote: »If the penny doesn't drop for her soon, it will be dropped for her, I fear.
I think when you are fat and young, you have the advantage of having a young body that can more easily cope with being obese. It hasn't had a lifetime yet to be wore out. However, carrying around that kind of weight does wear out your body much faster than normal. Hard on your joints and your heart and your liver. Eventually, things start to fail. She is starting to go through that failure now at an abnormally young age. She needs to wake up and grow up and take some responsibility for her life and health before the choice is taken from her by disability and death.5 -
RosieRose7673 wrote: »I actually just watched an episode randomly. I've never seen it before. It was the episode shortly after she passed out because of her heart.
She was talking about how she can do anything that "normal" people can do.
She then went skiing. When she stood up, she almost immediately collapsed in pain and screaming. Her friends couldn't even pick her up. the medics had to come.
I'm sorry, but it was hard to watch.
I'm a horrible person for saying this, but the ski video actually had me laughing really hard. Not because she was overweight and In pain, rather just the way she was falling. I used to do ski patrol when I was in college and I can't even begin to count all the times I have seen people do that. My co-workers and I would occasionally laugh because of it.1 -
I love the show.
I love the show because she serves as a stark reminder of what I do NOT want to become. Like her, I have PCOS. Unlike her, I have one ovary. Like her, I have some weight to lose. Unlike her, I take care of my body. I exercise and I am careful what I eat. I've dropped 85 pounds, even with my untreated PCOS.
PCOS does not make weight loss impossible. It is surely harder than it may be for someone with no chronic medical conditions inhibiting weight loss, but it is NOT impossible. To spout off the excuse that PCOS is the reason for your fatness, and then consume an entire pizza, or marshmallow sandwiches, is to be completely and utterly in denial. Then, she launches a "no body shame" campaign. I don't think we should be shaming one another for our bodies, no matter how big or how small they may be. But I can't help but wonder how you can watch yourself literally killing yourself and not feel ashamed at the physical manifestation of what must clearly be some deep self hatred.
I've been 300+, and I was disgusted with what I'd done to myself. I don't see how you can feel no shame, and have any hope of turning your life around from the "I like being fat" point. It's really sad.27 -
This! Who is she "helping" by coming home from the hospital with a possible heart issue, asking her bubba to bring her a pizza? She is now a mockery and it's sending a false message to those who may watch her and think.... "Its fine, she is obese and famous..."Panda_Poptarts wrote: »I love the show.
I love the show because she serves as a stark reminder of what I do NOT want to become. Like her, I have PCOS. Unlike her, I have one ovary. Like her, I have some weight to lose. Unlike her, I take care of my body. I exercise and I am careful what I eat. I've dropped 85 pounds, even with my untreated PCOS.
PCOS does not make weight loss impossible. It is surely harder than it may be for someone with no chronic medical conditions inhibiting weight loss, but it is NOT impossible. To spout off the excuse that PCOS is the reason for your fatness, and then consume an entire pizza, or marshmallow sandwiches, is to be completely and utterly in denial. Then, she launches a "no body shame" campaign. I don't think we should be shaming one another for our bodies, no matter how big or how small they may be. But I can't help but wonder how you can watch yourself literally killing yourself and not feel ashamed at the physical manifestation of what must clearly be some deep self hatred.
I've been 300+, and I was disgusted with what I'd done to myself. I don't see how you can feel no shame, and have any hope of turning your life around from the "I like being fat" point. It's really sad.
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I've seen a few random episodes of this show in the past.. I actually have a different take on it although most of you will disagree with me. Here are some stats: "In the USA more than one-third (35.7 percent) of adults are considered to be obese. More than 1 in 20 (6.3 percent) have extreme obesity." I think in some way Whitney gives hope to many people (primarily women) who are very heavy and yet unwilling/mentally unable to make the sacrifice of sticking to a strict diet... Yes, many people just don't have the willpower to make the necessary changes. And you know what? It's their lives, their bodies. They wake up every morning and need to go on with their day. They still need to find a way to feel okay and live. She is "proving" that you can live, dance, laugh, have a relationship, do various activities - and be a larger size. And it's okay. Some people will Never find the willpower to go from being obese to being normal weight. It's their choice. For instance, in one of the episodes Whitney organized a bunch of mostly heavily overweight women into a dance group. They got together to practice dance routines and then did a performance in front of a large group of people.. I thought this was wonderful. I do feel that she is making a positive contribution in her own way.9
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I've seen a few random episodes of this show in the past.. I actually have a different take on it although most of you will disagree with me. Here are some stats: "In the USA more than one-third (35.7 percent) of adults are considered to be obese. More than 1 in 20 (6.3 percent) have extreme obesity." I think in some way Whitney gives hope to many people (primarily women) who are very heavy and yet unwilling/mentally unable to make the sacrifice of sticking to a strict diet... Yes, many people just don't have the willpower to make the necessary changes. And you know what? It's their lives, their bodies. They wake up every morning and need to go on with their day. They still need to find a way to feel okay and live. She is "proving" that you can live, dance, laugh, have a relationship, do various activities - and be a larger size. And it's okay. Some people will Never find the willpower to go from being obese to being normal weight. It's their choice. For instance, in one of the episodes Whitney organized a bunch of mostly heavily overweight women into a dance group. They got together to practice dance routines and then did a performance in front of a large group of people.. I thought this was wonderful. I do feel that she is making a positive contribution in her own way.
If it's their choice, and they're entitled to it, why would they need a tv show to justify it?1
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