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my 600 pound life-pennys story



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Did anyone catch tonight's episode of "My 600 pound life"? It was completely eye opening about how important it is to be mentally prepared for this surgery. Penny had the VSG and 1 year after surgery she had gained 5 pounds. She never dipped below her pre surgery weight of 490 pounds...she had an excuse for everything. She refused to walk or stand and remained bed ridden. She lied to the doctor that she was doing EVERYTHING right when she was indulging in fried foods and carbs. Addiction can makes complete fools out of us, although after watching this episode I would say Penny wasnt just a victim. It was a powerful thing to see pre-op and I recommend you guys watch it!

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Ive seen several of those and all that I have seen they have all gained most if not all of their weight back.. Tells you you have to keep your eyes on the prize and as my surgeon said to me.. " im giving you the tool to have a normal life its your job not to abuse it!!".. So So true. -195lbs. 10-15 to go and i am done but Ill never forget,.

Christian

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Hey Katt I saw it but tuned in a bit late so I didn't realize The VSG is what Penny had. this WLS journey is definitely something we all have to be mentally prepared/ready for. Over the years I've had a horrible relationship with food. If I was bored I ate, something big happens it was oh let's Celebrate with a huge meal, or when I was down I turned to sweets to pick me up. I'm definitely not proud if that but I'm thankful along this journey I've learned a few things about myself. Addictions are nasty and can be hard to break but definitely doable. I wish everyone much success during their own personal journey and if anyone is struggling with an addiction to food there is hope/help. The first step is acknowledging the problem exists. Put you a good support system in place, take it one day at a time, learn your triggers, plan ahead for lunches and outings with friends, don't be defeated by set backs as sometimes they do occur so just forgive yourself and move on. This is a journey not a race embrace it. We didn't put this weight on over night or settle into our unhealthy habits in a day so with the continued support we offer to one another on these boards and a CAN DO attitude we will all reach our goals.

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How very sad. I am watching it now. As I am exercising between teaching my online English classes. Ahe says she is ready but she threw it away.That poor little boy!

Edited by Bronco0605

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I watched it last night too and really wanted to give that husband a kick in the A**!!! He was absolutely 100% her enabler. If he didn't keep feeding her she would have lost weight and then maybe have gotten out of bed to get her own food. Did you hear near the end when she was lying to the doctor about what she was eating, the doctor left the room and the wife said I am hungry and the husband said, "Do you want some ice cream?". How unbelievable!! I don't feel sorry for either of them, but for the poor child who will undoubtedly be living without a Mother really soon or worse suffer morbid obesity also.

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I just recently discovered this show and I LOVE it!!! I watched Penny's episode, last night, and I was so p!ssed and upset with her and her husband! She used every excuse known to man and I found myself getting more and more irritated with her. It's hard to feel sorry for people who do not take advantage of something so great. I couldn't get over the stuff she was eating just 3 months after her surgery. Shocking!!! It's definitely an episode to watch to see what NOT to do after WLS!

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She now has a FB page...she blames the crew, the editing, nutritionist,the doctor....everyone but herself..and she is getting slammed.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Penny-Saeger-My-Life/547231915372526?ref=ts&fref=ts

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Holy Crap!

I haven't seen the show but may need to watch it so I will know never to take my new tummy and chance for a healthy life for granted.

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I watched it last night too! It was very hard to watch. But it's important to remember that everyone is fighting their own battle that we know nothing about. It's hard to watch people make mistakes but who are we to judge? She needs emotional and spiritual help just like any other person who is addicted to drugs.

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I just watched it and found it so nauseating and disturbing! I think they should have brought in a psychiatrist for her. I can't believe she lost nothing! It's terrifying to see how mental this is. I have had several 400lb.+ over weight people in my family and it seems like each of them have had an enabler like her husband. This episode really scared me.

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I taped it and when I got home I watched it twice because I thought maybe there was something there that should have been a red flag. She seemed to say all the right things before surgery - so who would have known she really has this "fantasy land" type of dealing with life as the Dr mentioned. When she finally went back to see the dr and was telling him how much weight she had lost and she had gained 5 lbs...extreme denial I would say or perhaps she really does have a mental issue that has not been addressed. When the NUT came to her house - oh man, she was hateful to say the least.

This was truly the saddest case of the series so far.

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I just wrote a comment on Penny's FB...

Edited by pinksjo1

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I really hated what her poor son had to go through..and it really bugged me that she had recieved finacial support from so many people and just blew it. Its one thing to stumble but to be so damn arrogant about it...

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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