TLC is doing alot of stories on larger folk today and tonight. I watched the story about the guy who lost 400 lbs. 'the natural way' by dieting and exercising. He was training with the biggest loser guy..Chris something or other. Anyway, definitely a put down of those who have bariatric surgery so once I realized this was an old program, I Googled the guy, and what do you know?? He gained back 300 of the 400 lbs. he lost.

Now I take no pleasure in his weight gain but it shows once again that losing it is the easy part. It's the maintenance that's hard. The 600 lb. people next week has the woman who in the promo says that she could easily be back at 600 lbs. again but that she chooses not to.

That's the reality of our lives. Even with bariatric surgery, we can gain it back. I know...I see folks on this forum all the time struggling with regaining.

I just wish, as many of you also do, that the general public stops seeing WLS as the easy way out...or even as cheating.

Oh..and one more thing as long as I'm posting stuff about these types of shows. What's with the woman on My Big Fat Life? Is she supposed to make us think she's fat and happy? If so, she's not. She reminds me of myself...very self-depricating in order to shield herself from just how unhappy she truly is. Or she's just delusional. She's a very large woman and no one that big can be happy at that size. Not in this society anyway. Smaller is beautiful and anyone who says otherwise is rationalizing. Did you see the guy she met who was a chubby chaser? He didn't care about her...only about her body. That's probably what extraordinary beautiful women experience as well, but it's just an assumption on my part.

Anyway, just some random thoughts while I sit here and watch our mayor again tell us that the city will shut down tonight while the blizzard is upon us.

I am just watching the biggest loser season finale and I am pissed at this show and that dr!

"You did it in a safe effective manner much better than those distasteful weight Loss surgeries that everyone wants to turn to. "

Wtf. We have all lost weight. We all have dieted. And most of us have probably gained it back plus more! This isn't the easy way out but a TOOL to help us keep the weight off!

Ugh!!!

yes that is what he said.. I was so mad when I heard that.. the nerve of that pompous ass. If he was so damn smart why are most of these people re-gaining their weight after losing so much?

The other thing that bothers me about this show is how these personal trainers all have psychology degrees? they constantly are counseling and the contestents are crying throughout the show. It's so fake. Obviously obesity has many causes and these people are not trained to analyze the people psychologically. I never liked the bullying and the whole game show atmosphere.

Wtf. We have all lost weight. We all have dieted. And most of us have probably gained it back plus more! This isn't the easy way out but a TOOL to help us keep the weight off!

So much THIS. No wonder we can't seem to shake the stigma of WLS with jackasses like that Dr making statements like that. Like I said, the hypocrisy!

I am and always have been of the opinion that the weight is a sympton, not the problem. People put on a little weight here and there and this is normal. Putting on 100 or more excess pounds is beyond needing to cut back on sweets or hit the gym once in a while. I don't see long-tern success being attainable for anyone who is unable or unwilling to address the unerlying issues that took them to such a dangerously unhealthy place to begin with. I think the weight loss shows and people we know personally (maybe the person in the mirror?) demonstrate this. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Peace

Oh I'm so glad I didn't watch the biggest loser. I would have been fuming based on what you all are saying about the put down once again of folks who've had WLS. There needs to be a concerted effort to show that those with WLS are able to keep the weight off better than those who have not had WLS. Then maybe it won't be seen as the easy way out but the more permanent solution.

I bet if there was a surgery to help alcoholics stay away from the booze, there would be lots of those surgeries and it would be called a medical miracle. Why oh why are we put down for being fat, and then put down for being successful in losing/maintaining a healthy weight. You can't win for losing I guess. F**K 'em all.

I didn't watch The Biggest Loser but, based on the comments on this thread I was curious about this Dr. Here is an interesting article about his theory with a very good rebuttal.

http://doctorsofweightloss.com/biggest-loser-medical-director-claims-results-better-surgery-8432

Edited January 31, 201511 yr by Inner Surfer Girl

I saw an episode of Big Fat Love or whatever it's called. There was one woman making sure EVERYONE knew she lost 110 lbs, one who who got hysterical when she assumed people were critical, one who was a total " anybody's". These are unhealthy, emotionally damaged people. It isn't entertainment, it's spectacle... the natural evolutionary continuum of the Jerry Springer show. Shameful, exploitative and embarrassing!

Ok. So here goes, i really can't believe some of us are criticizing the people who we once were! So on Whitney and her show why are some of you so in shock a fat person can be happy? Is she not a human and as humans are we not entitled to be happy sad grumpy etc regardless of our size. Fyi there's a lot of unhappy skinny plp too! That being said it's TV reality TV at that. Think about thus for a second. So i like to dance I'm kinda good at it especially for my size i post a video on YouTube and get a million plus views! That means I'm getting a paycheck from YouTube I'd be happy. Second because of that video I'm now a tv star! Making probably around 250 thousand dollars a year hey I'd be happy with that too regardless of my size. Sooo why must she be unhappy???? Second of all about the size 22 model, so when they only show size 0 models we complain when they show fake "plus size" models we complain now they show someone who looks more like some of us do or did at some point we still complain!! Really! And about the biggest looser comment that's marketing. shows like my 600Lb life has opened up the eyes of a lot of plp to weight loss surgery and it's benefits so less plp are singing up to all the other programs the biggest looser has which means they aee losing money. Eg. The biggest looser camp is 2000 a week go for a month that's 8000. So ya when more plp stop paying them money they are going to do and say whatever they need to to get more viewers and ratings etc.

And finally as an obese female all my life really since the age of 6 i feel really bad when plp feel that because we are big we can't be happy. And guess what in my 30 years of life i have been happy sad and all emotions in between some emotions were about my weight some weren't I've experienced my life in all kinds of highs and lows and have lived a normal life and accomplished plenty. I feel and know that all of us humans regardless of sizes have ups and downs in life and good times and bad. I choose to have WLS because i want to be healthy as my weight was causing me a lot of complications and health issues and because of course I'm dying to meet the skinny girl inside of me. Buy I'm very clear that although being skinnier will make happy to some degree it won't mean everything in my life as life so much more than how much i weigh.

Also lets keep in mind skinny plp have health issues too and some of us gained weight because a million different things. Just like some skinny plp can't gain weight for many reasons.

Ok so long story short let's be less judgemental and stop assuming what others feel. Lets focus more on bettering ourselves and doing what makes us happy. Whatever happiness is to you. And reality tv is far from real.

Wishing the best to everyone

@@freshair

I can't speak for the opinions of others but for myself I have to say that the issue I have with presenting extremely obese people in a positive light when the focal of that light IS their weight is exploitative. Making the symtoms of a dangerous, desructive, debilitating, life-threatening addiction seem like an alternative lifestyle choice is UGLY. Replace it with any other similarly destructive addiction and we would not be applauding. The girl trying to be a dance instructor in spite of being a toothless meth addict is not inspiring...she needs help! Or how about in spite of being a black out drunk? The thing we got away with was seeming normal but just heavy when there are, in fact, underlying issues that are just as destructive and painful as the ones that drive any other addiction. We shouldn't be normalizing destructive behavior. Offering compassion, love, help, understanding? Absolutely! But let's not pretend it's OK.

I didn't watch The Biggest Loser but, based on the comments on this thread I was curious about this Dr. Here is an interesting article about his theory with a very good rebuttal.

http://doctorsofweightloss.com/biggest-loser-medical-director-claims-results-better-surgery-8432

To add:

I loved this analogy for why dieting doesn't work long-term:

"...as Dr. Christine Ren Fielding of NYU explains, “long term calorie restriction is extremely difficult to do because the individual is fighting against the body’s natural primitive instinct to EAT”. She said, “Try holding your breath for an hour. Why is it impossible? Because the survival mechanism to breathe is in a very primitive part of the brain and will not allow us to die from holding our breath. This is the same part of the brain where the survival mechanism to eat – and not starve to death – is located.”

@@Folly ok but you're trying to say that we all have food addictions? Not all obese people are obese or over weight because they have a food addiction. And all people are exploitable kate plus 8 small plp big world sister wives 90 day fiancé intervention say yes to the dress and i could go on and on about how tlc has made billions exploiting plp. Let it be known that some plp have hormone issues that cause weight gain some have medications that cause it some have food addictions etc. Let's not generalize. And my biggest point was let's not assume that because someone is over weight they have more issues than anyone else and are less happy than other plp.

To me anyone trying to change their life for the better is inspiring. Let's remember Whitney has expressed that she wants to lose weight and be more active that's why she's wants to teach dance. So if a meth head was cleaning up and doing it in a positive way i would applaud them. I think sometimes the problem with overweight plp being stereotyped is because we stereotype ourselves and let others opinions of us become who we are. Or maybe I've just been to confident with myself!

@@freshair

I can't speak for the opinions of others but for myself I have to say that the issue I have with presenting extremely obese people in a positive light when the focal of that light IS their weight is exploitative. Making the symtoms of a dangerous, desructive, debilitating, life-threatening addiction seem like an alternative lifestyle choice is UGLY. Replace it with any other similarly destructive addiction and we would not be applauding. The girl trying to be a dance instructor in spite of being a toothless meth addict is not inspiring...she needs help! Or how about in spite of being a black out drunk? The thing we got away with was seeming normal but just heavy when there are, in fact, underlying issues that are just as destructive and painful as the ones that drive any other addiction. We shouldn't be normalizing destructive behavior. Offering compassion, love, help, understanding? Absolutely! But let's not pretend it's OK.

@@freshair

I'm not making assumtions about who has bigger issues. And we're not discussing other people, we're discussing the portrayal, exploitation and normalization of morbid obesity. If you want to discuss other exploited people like Kate + 8 I' m not interested at this time.

As a nurse for over 20 years and someone who has worked in hospice, domestic violence and with disenfranchised people I can honestly say that intellectually I accept the probability that obesity occurs with no underlying addiction or destructive emotional or psycological issue but in reality I have NEVER seen it. I have never met anyone who was more than 100 lbs overweight that did not have underlying issues with food addiction stemming from other emotional and psycological problems. Not ever. Not once. You must be the exception.

Peace

I guess I must be @@Folly

Edited January 31, 201511 yr by freshair