Anyone watch TLC's "My Big Fat Fabulous Life"?

I've seen the previews but haven't seen an entire episode. Its great how confident she is and sad how some people treat her but I hope she has plans to try to lose some of that weight, itcant be healthy. Fat shaming is horrible but I'm not sure if fat acceptance is good either. *shrugs*

I have no experience with PCOS and the weight gain, acne and hair loss problems are real but I'm like you, I didn't know it caused that much weight gain. I've seen lots of people here on the forums who have PCOS and have lost and kept off weight so it is possible. I saw a clip from an episode and she had to have her mom shave her legs!!

I've seen the 3 episodes so far and I am definitely torn. I say good for her for dancing and not letting her weight prevent her from doing what she loves, but on the other hand she can't really be upset for getting "hate mail" if you are going to allow camera crews to film your life. Like others I am not sure to what degree PCOS would affect your weight, but it seems very excessive to me. Fat shaming is wrong, but I don't think fat acceptance is the answer either.

Her Mom is hilarious. I feel she could appreciate her parents a little more. Like her energy and positive outlook but feel she could take a little more responsibility for her choices and actions.

I watched it. I'm not sure what I think. While I love her personality and sense of humour, I almost feel like she places too much blame on her PCOS. And wow can she shake it! I mean I can't dance like that and I weight less than half of her weight! I will continue to watch because she is such a likable person and I want to see where she takes it.

First, no one should be called names or degraded. And I respect her for loving herself no matter what (If you can't love yourself, how can you expect anyone else to?).

However, she is making excuses for herself by blaming PCOS and that irritates me. A symptom of PCOS is being overweight, but that doesn't mean you are stuck being fat and overweight. As someone who has PCOS and was over 200lbs, she is full of *kitten*. I gradually changed my eating habits -I cut out junk food, soda, fast food and now eat healthy and relatively clean. And I got off my *kitten* and started exercising and I am now a healthy 145lbs with great blood pressure, 21% body fat, a low resting heart rate, and I have stamina to do the things I want to do. Will I ever be supermodel/actress skinny-no, will I ever have a six pack- probably not, but that's okay because I'm the healthiest I've ever been.

She's got the exercising part down, but she needs to take an honest look at what she is putting in her body and deal with any food issues she may have that are the contributing factor for her weight gain.

I saw an advert for it earlier. PCOS has probably played such a minute role in such a weight gain that really she's just fooling herself.

stephanieluvspb wrote: »

I've seen the previews but haven't seen an entire episode. Its great how confident she is and sad how some people treat her but I hope she has plans to try to lose some of that weight, itcant be healthy. Fat shaming is horrible but I'm not sure if fat acceptance is good either. *shrugs*

Fat Acceptance is basically recognising that fat people deserve respect and have every right to be proud of themselves and happy with the way they look whether they want to lose weight or not.

I can't watch the show. I've tried, but I ended up rolling my eyes so much I was afraid they'd just plop out of my head and roll on across the floor.

I think what really bothered me was how she blamed her weight on PCOS.

I have PCOS. But the link between being overweight AND PCOS is really tricky. Women with PCOS produce too much insulin, or the insulin they produce does not work as it should. Since the insulin can't function normally, women with PCOS CAN experience weight gain or difficulty losing weight. HOWEVER, sometimes PCOS can develop after substantial weight gain. There isn't a ton known about it and at least for me, when I was diagnosed, it had me wondering, "Well...did I develop PCOS because I really like donuts and beer and pizza or was there something else?"

I try to reserve judgement whenever possible, especially since I've only seen a small glimpse into this woman's life; however, there can be a plethora of other factors at play. For her to just blame it on one thing seems like finding a scapegoat for what COULD be poor diet or other factors.

Just my two cents.

I love her, and I love her Mom too! She rocks those dance moves! No one should be critical of her... after all, aren't we all here on My Fitness Pal for the same reason~ to be FITNESS PALS? Is she obese? Yes. That being said, no matter what her reason(s) for obesity are, you must give her credit for not using her obesity as a crutch! Whether she blames her obesity on PCOS, or any other syndrome or condition is besides the point... this girl is outside, dancing, enjoying life, going to the beach, and enjoying every minute of it. I can't say that for most healthy people that I know, let alone my obese friends and family. More power to her! We need more positive people on television like her. More positivity and less negativity.... we could all use that!

She was on Dr. Oz the other day but I didn't watch it because, well, Dr. Oz.

I watch the show. I never really thought of her fat acceptance philosophy as anything other than her desire for overweight people to be treated with respect and equality. I agree that being healthy is extremely important...that is why I'm here trying to lose weight. That said, I am glad someone is finally bringing awareness to PCOS.

I also have PCOS. I was diagnosed in 2009 after gaining 60 pounds in three months. During that time, not one single thing about my diet or exercise habits changed. The only thing that did change was that I was under an extreme amount of stress. In my opinion, PCOS is not a one size fits all condition. Each individual experiences it differently. Not everyone with PCOS is overweight, not everyone with PCOS has problems with acne, etc. I do not think anyone can judge another person's struggle (even when it comes to having the exact same condition) until they have walked in their shoes. Yes, it does it seem like she makes poor food choices for someone with PCOS, but maybe that will change as the show goes on. I don't think it is fair to judge her for saying that she gained such a large amount of weight in such a short amount of time though. Maybe it's not true and she's only fooling herself, but maybe she really did have that experience. Maybe her story isn't the same as mine or yours, but that doesn't mean it isn't real. From speaking to many others with PCOS, I've come to understand that we don't all fit in one box.

I, for one, am interested in learning more about her story.

I watched one episode and have recorded the others. I'm kind of on the fence along with several other posters about it. In episode 1 she said that she wanted to start dancing again (which means she hasn't been and probably no other exercise). She also said she wanted to lose 100 pounds, which confirms that she believes she CAN lose weight with PCOS. I am not familiar with PCOS, but it sounds like it is possible to maintain and even lose with this condition.

Yes, she has a "fabulous" life..she is 30 years old, lives with her parents, is unemployed, and hangs out with male friends...I see this show a bit differently...I see her eating pizza, last episode she made herself a banana and mayo sandwich...her Dad tried to get her to eat healthy. ..she goes food shopping with her Mother and splits her pants...okay, reality check. ..she says her Mother eats unhealthy, only canned soup, well...why not just eat the same as her Mom for a week?

I see a lot of "victim mentality" here, and blaming her PCOS for her obesity. Go get surgery, or whatever it takes to get back to normal. Obesity kills, there is "fat acceptance", but reality is she is at risk for diabetes, and a lot of other health problems. She should be on a medically supervised diet. She does not want that...anyone notice the amount of dirty dishes laying around in her bedroom when she was getting ready for a date? I see signs of serious food addiction, and "hidden" eating. ..I know, I have been there and done it myself.

I can say this, because I have been 320, and know the denial...

SconnieCat wrote: »

I can't watch the show. I've tried, but I ended up rolling my eyes so much I was afraid they'd just plop out of my head and roll on across the floor.

I think what really bothered me was how she blamed her weight on PCOS.

I have PCOS. But the link between being overweight AND PCOS is really tricky. Women with PCOS produce too much insulin, or the insulin they produce does not work as it should. Since the insulin can't function normally, women with PCOS CAN experience weight gain or difficulty losing weight. HOWEVER, sometimes PCOS can develop after substantial weight gain. There isn't a ton known about it and at least for me, when I was diagnosed, it had me wondering, "Well...did I develop PCOS because I really like donuts and beer and pizza or was there something else?"

I try to reserve judgement whenever possible, especially since I've only seen a small glimpse into this woman's life; however, there can be a plethora of other factors at play. For her to just blame it on one thing seems like finding a scapegoat for what COULD be poor diet or other factors.

Just my two cents.

LOL! That's what I thought. My eyes were gonna go AWOL. I had hoped the show was going to be more about her sucess/struggle overcoming her battles. I was disappointed that it was more like jersey shore.