In preparing for surgery, every evening consists of research for me. Whether it be browsing threads on BP, watching videos on YouTube (actual surgeries & success stories, etc) , following WLS people on Instagram for meal and excercise ideas, watching My 600 lb Life, and now Fat Doctor.

I just have to say- Fat Doctor hits home the most for me. Dr. Summers is my favorite part of it all! His outlook on obese patients is heartfelt. I absolutely love to listen to him talk about the obese and what contributed to their weight gain. He also discusses how society views "fat people" and the prejudice they experience. Fat shaming is a real thing and I know we have all experienced it on at least one occasion. I guess I respect this doctor more because I have been to doctors who chalked excercise and dieting up to being a cake walk and not understanding my lack of success or believing that I was fully dedicated to the program. I have PCOS and while I don't blame it 100% for my weight, it does play a significant role in my inability to lose weight. My younger brother who pitches in the minor league (very fit & healthy) thought something similar about me and my efforts. So when he was home in the off season last year, we walked every morning, went grocery shopping and cooked together (meal prepped for the entire week). He quickly realized that my body did not react to clean eating and excercise like it should and changed his entire perception. For the record, he was always loving and never disrespectful when addressing my weight. He just thought that I did not know how to determine exactly what my body needed to succeed. So, it's nice to see that Summers recognizes that there are multiple factors.

I highly recommend this show to everyone! I watch it on Hulu and I'm on season 3 out of...6 I believe? It truly does show the good, the bad and the ugly (and I mean...the UGLY). It's filmed in England so it took me a quick second to get used to "stones" over "pounds."

Oh....and it doesn't hurt that Dr. Summers is nice on the eyes

I watched all of Fat Doctors back when I was first looking into WLS and shortly after my sleeve surgery. I just recently got turned onto another British WLS show called "Weight Loss Ward", if anyone is interested. It's on YouTube. Not sure how many episodes there are. I'm only on episode two, but someone else on here mentioned the show last week, so I just started watching.

So far I have only found 4 episodes of weight loss ward on YouTube.

Let me know if you find more! I really like the show

Darn. I just looked it up and it seems there are only a total of 5 episodes.

Darn! I must find that elusive 5th episode though

I'm watching Daniel's episode now

......well, @@Daveo ? :'(

That was so sad :-(

Watching his episode brought back a lot of what I was feeling before WLS, I had the same mentality going into it. Either way the there was not going to be anymore pain. I really was so sad for him. All the things he wanted to experience, the different textures he was so excited to be able to feel. Living life in front of a desk and computer was all he had. So sad.

It broke my heart, but in my beliefs he is free and doing everything he wanted. In a way we all have an obligation to live life to the fullest for those who couldn't or can't.

They did at least one sleeve in the series. Can't remember who it was, but I think I just searched for 'fat doctor sleeve' in YouTube.

I've watched all those episodes at least a couple of times - I was annoyed that they have an announcement on the YouTube channel saying Series 5 was coming soon, then it never bloody did!

And yeah, Shaw Somers is a bit of alright, for sure!

@@JamieLogical I'm definitely gonna have to give Weight Loss Ward a go after I finish this series! You're the 3rd person I've seen suggest it.

Hulu has the whole series. They do a lot of sleeves near the end, if I remember correctly. Yeah they are never going to put 5 on youtube.

I forgot, one thing I found interesting about fat doctor is it is the first I had seen and heard of the ballon. They just use the ballon to help people get ready for other perm surgeries. They don't use it as a weight loss solution like it is being sold in the US.

I forgot, one thing I found interesting about fat doctor is it is the first I had seen and heard of the ballon. They just use the ballon to help people get ready for other perm surgeries. They don't use it as a weight loss solution like it is being sold in the US.

I thought the exact same thing!

I forgot, one thing I found interesting about fat doctor is it is the first I had seen and heard of the ballon. They just use the ballon to help people get ready for other perm surgeries. They don't use it as a weight loss solution like it is being sold in the US.

I thought the exact same thing!

As did i! When I first heard of the balloon, the concept confused me and I couldn't understand how it benefitted the patient after removal. Then I saw how it was used correctly on this show and it all clicked.

Speaking of- I still can't believe they placed and removed that thing while the patients were awake. Blew my freakin mind. It was basically the same process as my EGD. Actually...probably a bit more than just the scope they did on me. And you best believe they put me to sleep for that. Lol.

I feel like in a couple years there is going to be a huge blowback on the ballon. It is such an easy out patient procedure. It is being used as a complete money grab in the US. I think it would be perfect for a lot of the patients on 600lb life, but I doubt Dr Now will want them to have to crutch to lose for surgery since he wants them to prove they are ready for surgery.

Watching fat doctor and comparing it to 600lb pound life is like an example of what is wrong with the tough love approach. They don't do tough love on Fat Doctor and I feel they have better responses and outcomes. The patients seems happier and less demoralized. I really don't like Dr Now.

I feel the exact way towards, Dr. Now. I had a hard time reading him from the get go and couldn't imagine being one of his patients when comparing his treatment with my actual surgeon who is much like Dr. Somers. Dr. Nguyen is gentle but CAN be assertive if need be. That's only if you don't follow his guidelines. If he was anything like Dr. Now, I'd probably be looking for a new surgeon.

And yes, I foresee the balloon having the same kickback as the band. While some patients have had great success with it, I think the negative results far exceed the positives.

Edited February 9, 201610 yr by sassyfrass23

Well you can keep your band for years. The balloon only lasts a short time. I don't think you are supposed to have it longer than 6 months. As soon as it comes out people are going to gain.

I haven't seen the show, but am familiar with some of the others such as My 600 lb life, Obese and Pregnant, and some others on TLC. I look at pictures of myself at almost 300 pounds and say, "how did I get there". I, too, have PCOS and I can't blame it for all the gain, but it never made things easy. Poor food choices, not caring about my health, being lazy. People now ask how I stay committed to everything. It is simple...I don't want to die. I was MORBIDLY obese for the better part of 15 years. I was so fat that it could KILL me. I have had 3 family members die before the age of 50. I just had my baby at the age of 38. I want to be a good example for her. Working out is work for me, but I go. Good luck in your journey!

I lost all respect for Dr. Now when Skin Tight started airing and he started billing himself as a plastic surgeon. You are either a bariatric surgeon or plastic surgeon. In all of my research of both (and I did a lot) I never heard of any reputable surgeon claiming to specialize in both. To anyone cosidering plastics, DO NOT go to anyone who claims to specialize in anything other that plastic surgery! It is a HIGHLY specialized field and deserves a surgeon's full focus and attention. Would you go to an orthopedic surgeon for a heart transplant?