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

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  • Punkedpoetess
    Punkedpoetess Posts: 633 Member
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    BinkyBonk wrote: »
    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.

    I thought the same thing when I watched this show. I have PCOS and while it makes weight gain easier and weight loss harder, she should not be using this as an excuse for gaining or not losing. At my heaviest I weighed 175 and now weigh just under 145. I run 20-25 miles a week and am in great shape and very healthy. While there are challenges, it's not impossible to lose weight and keep it off with PCOS. Just takes some work and tweaking with food. I eat mostly healthy food now, and am gluten free (I also have celiac disease). I am one example and there are many other examples on MFP that show that PCOS women can be successful with weight loss.

    On a side note, I think it's good to love yourself and accept who you are. I have watched the show and she is a great dancer. I wish I was that good at dancing.
  • kxbrown27
    kxbrown27 Posts: 769 Member
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    She was on Dr. Oz the other day but I didn't watch it because, well, Dr. Oz.
  • Lizabelle1212
    Lizabelle1212 Posts: 252 Member
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    I agree with the above posters that blaming PCOS for a 200-lb weight gain within the timeframe of one year is a little ridiculous. I have PCOS and, while I have gained about 60lbs total since I was first diagnosed, that has also been over the course of 10 years and my weight gain was largely due to a horrible, unhealthy lifestyle of a typical college student (junk food, lots of alcohol, etc) and then I continued to live that lifestyle after I graduated college and started working full time. While I know PCOS did not help things in that department, I also know it was not the sole cause of my weight gain. Judging by how I was living, I'm confident I would've gained the weight regardless of PCOS. I'm a member of the PCOS group on here and also know several other ladies in my life who have PCOS and have never heard or seen any of them state they gained THAT much weight in that short of a time frame solely due to PCOS. I call BS on that part.

    That being said - I think body acceptance and learning to love yourself IS important, but part of loving yourself is taking care of your body. Weighing nearly 400lbs is not taking care of your body. How can you say you love yourself, if you don't even care enough to be healthy?

    I've said all of this without having even heard of the show, but just discovered TLC puts full episodes on their website, so I'm gonna check it out for myself.
  • Jelise143
    Jelise143 Posts: 11 Member
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    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.
  • Atarahh
    Atarahh Posts: 485 Member
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    It's good, but I don't think she is being honest about her weight. I think her dad can be harsh at times. I prefer Big Women Big Love over this show!
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,245 Member
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    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.
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
    edited January 2015
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    She blamed her obesity on PCOS, claimed >2/3 of PCOS sufferers are obese or overweight.
    Guess what ... 2/3 of Americans are overweight or obese I think it's more likely the pizza and everything else she is shown eating that are contributing to her calorie surplus and resultant weight gain.
  • softblondechick
    softblondechick Posts: 1,276 Member
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    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...
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I haven't watched the show but I wanted to chime in that my granddaughter, my biggest cheerleader, says that I was happy and beautiful before and I am happy and beautiful now. I will be happy and beautiful wherever I end up. You see, I have expressed concern that this loss just seems to be it's own runaway train and it is hard keeping my body image current. If that makes any sense.
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
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    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. :smile:

    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.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I've been watching, I do like her attitude and personality a lot. I think she has probably bought in that getting active is going to do the trick for losing weight, and she doesn't realize the extent to which she needs to change her eating to manage the PCOS effectively. I hope she figures it out :)
  • KeepGoinGirl
    KeepGoinGirl Posts: 60 Member
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    I saw that season 2 is starting next week. I really hope she loses weight this season! I think she is a beautiful girl.
  • Yogi_warrior
    Yogi_warrior Posts: 5,465 Member
    edited September 2015
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    Its funny how many here are blaming her for bringing up PCOS. If you haven't battled PCOS, you have no idea what some of them go through. I know lot of people who battled through PCOS but its never easy for them even with eating right.
  • PurringMyrrh
    PurringMyrrh Posts: 5,296 Member
    edited September 2015
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    Sounds like an absolutely awful show with money being the only real end intention.

    If the MFP success stories have taught me anything, it's that there is no real excuse not to better yourself, lose weight, and get healthy. It may be harder for some due to whatever, but it's never impossible.
  • PurringMyrrh
    PurringMyrrh Posts: 5,296 Member
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    kxbrown27 wrote: »
    She was on Dr. Oz the other day but I didn't watch it because, well, Dr. Oz.
    :lol: Seriously.
  • jennmpantoja
    jennmpantoja Posts: 1,086 Member
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    I see it advertised on TV all the time, and I've watched maybe 10 minutes of it. I am not familiar with PCOS at all so I can't say if it really effected her. I understand she used to suffer from an eating disorder before she was diagnosed. I mean great for her that she is so positive and so accepting of herself and her life, I mean she must be doing something right because she's found love.
  • caroldavison332
    caroldavison332 Posts: 864 Member
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    I have 30% disabled feet. Every step hurts and they hurt sitting at my desk. This caused me to move less. Eating the wrong things and shoveling it in like a steam engine made me fat. I believe being over fat gave me PCOS. It probably made her fat too. She appears self indulgent, and rude to her parents. I'd be damned if I would shave my fat daughter's legs. She should expereince the consequences of her decison to eat eto xcess and the wrong kinds of food. ?Ashley? appears not only uninteresting but repelling. For example, she dances with her regular sized friend. He dances better and was praised by her father. This hurt her feelings There is a reason that ballerinas and champion athletes noramlly have a low percentage of body fat. Don't waste your time watching.
  • Snow__White
    Snow__White Posts: 1,650 Member
    edited September 2015
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    RebeccaChemmy wrote: »
    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.
    I have PCOS and gained 60 lbs in four months
    Blew up right before my wedding!!!!
    Didn't get diagnosed till 4 yrs later!
    Got on meds,watched my diet and lost the weight
    Then I surprisingly got pregnant had to stop my meds,gained 50 pounds back but lost that plus some
    Maintaining is almost impossible for me
    I'm either gaining weight or losing it there's no in between for me :(
    It is a spectrum syndrome and thin people can have it too
    There's lots of different symptoms that go with it weight gain is only one of them

    Menstrual problems. These can include few or no menstrual periods or heavy, irregular bleeding.
    Hair loss from the scalp and hair growth (hirsutism) on the face, chest, back, stomach, thumbs, or toes.
    Acne and oily skin
    Fertility problems, such as not releasing an egg (not ovulating) or repeat miscarriages.
    Insulin resistance and too much insulin (hyperinsulinemia), which can cause things like upper body obesity and skin tags.
    Depression or mood swings.
    Breathing problems while sleeping (obstructive sleep apnea). This is linked to both obesity and insulin resistance.

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