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.

For me, Pauline's episode did reinforce the basic requirements for a successful outcome:

Positive attitude

Willingness to accept help

Listen to surgeon's advice

Walk

Drink Water

Focus on Protein

Minimize carbs

Try, even if you think you can't do something

I am sure there are more lessons, but these seem to be the most critical.

Here is a fairly recent article/critique of the Biggest Loser by former contestant Kai Hibbard http://www.xojane.com/it-happened-to-me/biggest-loser-kai-hibbard?utm_campaign=IHTM&utm_source=huffpost_women&utm_medium=pubexchange

Here is a fairly recent article/critique of the Biggest Loser by former contestant Kai Hibbard http://www.xojane.com/it-happened-to-me/biggest-loser-kai-hibbard?utm_campaign=IHTM&utm_source=huffpost_women&utm_medium=pubexchange

What a GREAT piece by Kai Hubbard.

Just GREAT!

Watched "My weight is killing me" last night, It is the story of two doctors, father and son who perform bariatric surgeries. They feature some of their patients and their struggles and successes. One of the guys who was 700 lbs developed blood clots but after they did a vent or something in his leg he improved. He ultimately lost 200 lbs and was able to get out of the bed and walk which was a big move for him . 2nd patient was a lady who had bypass, she started at 450? lost over 200 lbs but had huge bat wings and loose skin hanging down almost to her knees.. Sadly her insurance will not pay for skin removal. Not sure what she will do but it was sad. She works out and has been doing great with her diet , I am praying somehow she gets her surgery. last patient was a 17 year old boy who was already over 300 lbs. They decided to do lapband on him and after 30 days he had lost 35 lbs seems like he will do well, he has diabetes and high blood pressure so it was a decision by his parents and himself to have a healthier life. Pretty good show

I don't think it is fair to project how we feel on another human being. The lady on "My Big Fat Life" has stated that she is indeed unhappy with some of the issues associated with being overweight, and she has even cried onscreen when discussing these issues. I am for the most part happy with myself, because I consider my weight to be a very small portion of who I am. I have accomplished many things in my life, and my weight hasn't hindered me in that endeavor. If anything it has caused me to be more selective of who, and what, I allow to be associated with myself. We each have our own battles, and no one has the right to decide if someone should or shouldn't be happy with themselves. Plus, why should we want someone to be unhappy with themselves. By saying that there is no way she is happy with herself, we are in essence wanting her to be unhappy. Misery loves company. From watching the show I believe that she finally accepted that she was larger, and decided that she wasn't going to let her weight dictate who she was. She utilized her weight as a mechanism to encourage other larger ladies to get out and dance.

wow that article by Kai is a eye opener. I quit watching biggest loser years ago. I think the article was on point about the degrading way they treat the contestants. I used to wonder why those poor women had to go on there in a sports bra and spandex pants.. They were really brave for doing that. I want every obese person to achieve success and become healthier and happier but I feel that show does not help the average person lose weight. Exercise is great and so is eating healthy but they take it to the extreme. In the real world none of us can exercise 8 hours a day. We have jobs, and kids and husbands and a life.

I don't think it is fair to project how we feel on another human being. The lady on "My Big Fat Life" has stated that she is indeed unhappy with some of the issues associated with being overweight, and she has even cried onscreen when discussing these issues. I am for the most part happy with myself, because I consider my weight to be a very small portion of who I am. I have accomplished many things in my life, and my weight hasn't hindered me in that endeavor. If anything it has caused me to be more selective of who, and what, I allow to be associated with myself. We each have our own battles, and no one has the right to decide if someone should or shouldn't be happy with themselves. Plus, why should we want someone to be unhappy with themselves. By saying that there is no way she is happy with herself, we are in essence wanting her to be unhappy. Misery loves company. From watching the show I believe that she finally accepted that she was larger, and decided that she wasn't going to let her weight dictate who she was. She utilized her weight as a mechanism to encourage other larger ladies to get out and dance.

Preach! I'm totally with you

This is a great story on CNN (referencing My 600 Pound Life).

Thousand-pound woman loses over 800 pounds

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2015/02/26/pkg-woman-loses-over-800-pounds.ktrk.html

I swore I wasn't going to watch the second season of My Big Fat Fabulous Life, but I started watching it any way this week.

I truly hope Whitney finds some peace. She comes across as so desperate and in need of attention. Yet, I can recognize so many of her struggles.

[Just a note to Whitney in case she is reading this: Seatbelt extenders. Your car dealer can provide them to you. Usually for free.]

Between her codependent relationship with her family, her health issues, her eating disordered behavior, her immaturity, and her lack of filter, I find her exhausting. After seeing her home movies, it is a very real possibility she has ADHD in addition to her PCOS and pre-diabetes --- which she mentions constantly.

Yet, I think I am still rooting for her to find some peace and answers.

This week she saw a nutritionist who suggested she eat more than once a day.

I know I was initially opposed to WLS, but part of me really wants one of her doctors to bring it up as an option. She is going to Duke for her medical care. I am surprised her father hasn't already. I am not nearly as emeshed with my family as she is and my family brought it up as an option long before I considered it.

So, this is a long post to admit that I am watching the second season but not without being judgemental. Hopefully, I can temper that feeling with more compassion or just stop watching.

I watch Whitney also. Happy she can be so positive about her body and size. I so admire that ....as I could not be happy at that weight.

I get a kick out of her mom...

What a nice family....

I am also surprised no one has mentioned any kind of surgery as an option... Even in passing...

Interested in seeing her take and reaction/ results from pre diabetes next.

I do like that tv shows a happy woman in a very large size. Unusual for our stupid media.

I agree with what most of what was posted, but I have to disagree with the notion that the weight of a person dictates their happiness. I, for one, was not an unhappy overweight person. I had no comorbid conditions or body aches. It wasn't until I reached 310 lbs that I felt myself slowing down, and that was when I decided to have the surgery. I most likely would not have had the surgery if I could have continued hiking and my other activities. My weight makes up about 1% of who I am. It is all of the other great things in my life that influence my happiness on a much bigger scale. If skinny is what dictates happiness then why are there so many unhappy average weight people walking around. Also, one will find that when some people lose the weight they still remain unhappy. This is normally because other factors were the cause of their unhappiness and not the weight.

I agree with what most of what was posted, but I have to disagree with the notion that the weight of a person dictates their happiness. I, for one, was not an unhappy overweight person. I had no comorbid conditions or body aches. It wasn't until I reached 310 lbs that I felt myself slowing down, and that was when I decided to have the surgery. I most likely would not have had the surgery if I could have continued hiking and my other activities. My weight makes up about 1% of who I am. It is all of the other great things in my life that influence my happiness on a much bigger scale. If skinny is what dictates happiness then why are there so many unhappy average weight people walking around. Also, one will find that when some people lose the weight they still remain unhappy. This is normally because other factors were the cause of their unhappiness and not the weight.

This is a bit of a rambling monologue.

Its not exactly a Fat Person Program, but another of the guilty pleasures programs I watch is Sister Wives. Its a reality show that follows the Brown family, a polygamist family who currently lives in Las Vegas.

For anyone who follows the show, you may have noticed that all of the sister wives seem to have had weight fluctuations throughout the run of the show. One season, they even focused on health and weight loss because they were contemplating buying a gym.

This past week there was a special episode focusing on Janelle's story. Janelle is the sister wife and television reality TV person that I most-identify with when it comes to my weight and personality. She is an introvert who is fairly analytical and likes to avoid conflict -- just like me. I think, like me, she is a stress eater and tends to gain the most weight when under tremendous stress.

I wouldn't have considered putting her under the "fat people programs" header except that in the review episode, they showed the scene where she weighed in at the gym and the trainer announced out loud, in front of everyone, her weight and her BMI (I would have killed him). She has inspired me to see her become more active and healthy over the last couple of seasons. It even seems like she is doing some more psychological work that probably goes hand-in-hand with her physical efforts.

One of my favorite scenes of the whole series was when her trainer had her take a sledge hammer to her scale. It was a very satisfying event not only for her, but for me as a viewer.

In a lot of ways, the show is a bit of a train-wreck -- one I can't look away from -- but for someone who is going through the weight loss journey, I look for inspiration everywhere.

Edited to add:

Here is a link to the scale clip. Tell me you haven't wanted to do this?

http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/sister-wives/videos/janelle-and-the-scale/

I actually really enjoy My 600lb life. For the most part the outcome is positive and watching others conquer the beast makes me hopeful that I too will be successful!

I have also started watching a UK version on YouTube called Fat Doctor.

I also thinking watching My 600lb life teaches me the type of mindset I need to have to be successful at this endeavor.

And people like Penny teach me the type of mindset , and stubborn ignorance I need to avoid at all costs! ( that's not my personality but it's still a valuable lesson)

I also feel that some people on the show would not be able to afford the surgery, gym memberships, hospitalization etc without the help of the show and to go on is a personal choice.

If going on a tv show was my only means to having surgery you better bet I would seriously consider it!