Crap, I don't drink...so maybe I'll just take a hit of pot each time someone on My 600 pound life says:

1. Miserable. (ie: my life is miserable)

2. Switches out "my size" for "my weight"

3. This is my last chance.

4. "Dr. Now doesn't understand....."

5. "Weightloss Journey"

6. "Progress"

And TWO everytime Dr. Now says:

1. "What happened?"

2. "you are killing yourself."

3. "Eating habit!"

4. "How you all doing?"

5. "If you need anything, let me know."

6. "I'm proud of you!"

Take off one article of clothing each time the patient fails to meet a weight loss goal.

If it's the Penny Sager episode....just smoke the whole bowl, take ALL your clothes off, and watch in stunned silence with your mouth hanging open.

Edited March 31, 20215 yr by Creekimp13

??? I have to admit, that show is a guilty pleasure of mine.

Me too:)

I have mixed feelings about that show.

a pro is that it exposes more people to bariatric surgery, which hopefully has reduced the stigma somewhat and made people realize it isn't the scary thing it was 30 or 40 years ago

cons:

it's very formulaic , so I can only watch one or two episodes at one sitting. It gets pretty boring - and predictable - after that

it gives more "normal" WLS patients (i.e, those of us who weigh in the 200s and 300s) unrealistic expectations, like they're going to lose 40 lbs the first month, so we see a lot of concerned and upset people when they "only" lost 15 or 20 lbs the first month

I hate the way the people on the show are exploited - like being shown on the toilet or in the shower. Really?? Do we have to see that?

also, so many of these people have really serious issues. I guess it helps with the ratings, but I don't know where they find some of these people. It's so great to see the occasional person on there who doesn't have some serious hangups or issues - but they seem to be few and far between

I've read that some people watch - and far prefer - the UK series, "The Fat Doctor", since it's more realistic, but I've yet to watch it.

Definitely good points about the exploitation. The show is VERY tabloid. But once in a while, particularly in the early episodes....there were some truly inspirational feel-good storie, too. Wish there were more of those! But I also have to admit the Penny Sager episode blows my mind so much I watch it in fascination like a train wreck over and over. That probably makes me a sick monkey. LOL.

Edited March 31, 20215 yr by Creekimp13

8 minutes ago, Creekimp13 said:

Definitely good points about the exploitation. The show is VERY tabloid. But once in a while, particularly in the early episodes....there were some truly inspirational feel-good storie, too. Wish there were more of those! But I also have to admit the Penny Sager episode blows my mind so much I watch it in fascination like a train wreck over and over. That probably makes me a sick monkey. LOL.

they did seem to have fairly normal people the first year or two it was on (not normal in terms of weight, even in comparison to the average WLS patient, but normal in terms of personality). But that hasn't been in the case in awhile. Unfortunately, I think the type of people they go for now might make never-been-obese fans of the show think all of us WLS folks are a bit off the deep end, which we know isn't true...

I read somewhere (but of course, don't remember where) that the participants were required to film at least one bathroom scene.

I also wish there were participants who did not have backgrounds with trauma. Can't we just have some run-of-the-mill people with weight issues.

About 5+ years ago I used to watch the show while eating... No clue why but it ALWAYS happened that way ?

This show, for me, feels exploitive. Honestly, it hurts to watch because it's difficult not to personalize it. My spouse loves these sort of shows, so I'm stuck watching.

Early years you got to see their challenges, then surgery, then a good portion of their post-op experiences. It was uplifting to see these peoples lives change so dramatically for the positive.

The last year or two, it's just the first half of the show exploiting their miserable lives, their failures trying to lose weight, then if we're lucky progress toward surgery. The best ending we get is they are approved for surgery. No payoff with their lives improving after surgery. WTF!

I agree with whoever said the people now seem to have severe emotional issues.

This show is pure misery porn now.

At the weight these people are, WLS actually *IS* the last hope for anything near a normal life. Most often it's WLS or death in a very few years. That really is the choice. Success seems impossibly far away.

There but for the grace of god...

There is no way I could make a game out of other people's pain.

Edited March 31, 20215 yr by The Greater Fool

I was watching this show while on the treadmill every day for a while. Then I got bursitis in my hip from walking every day... (don't go from zero activity to the same exercise every day!) So, I stopped watching. But yes, I wanted to throttle Penny.

I have posted on FB about having surgery and people were supportive, but when I told a few people at work (due to scheduling issues) it was all over the map. I mean, to be fair, most of the people I work with have never met me, because we live all over the country, so they don't know I'm overweight. Two people asked "Is this your choice?" Like someone could force you to have WLS! One person asked my weight LOL. I told her. Weird! I wonder if their ideas of WLS are 600 lb life?

23 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

Weird! I wonder if their ideas of WLS are 600 lb life?

yes - we even see that here on BP. People are thinking they're failures or "slow losers" if they "only" lose 20 lbs the first month. They think they should have lost 40.

42 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

Weird! I wonder if their ideas of WLS are 600 lb life?

My boyfriend was shocked when I told him what I weighed to qualify for WLS. He said, "really? I thought you'd be at least 260." So, there definitely is a sort of stigma regarding how much people must weigh for surgery...

8 hours ago, Creekimp13 said:

Crap, I don't drink...so maybe I'll just take a hit of pot each time someone on My 600 pound life says:

1. Miserable. (ie: my life is miserable)

2. Switches out "my size" for "my weight"

3. This is my last chance.

4. "Dr. Now doesn't understand....."

5. "Weightloss Journey"

6. "Progress"

And TWO everytime Dr. Now says:

1. "What happened?"

2. "you are killing yourself."

3. "Eating habit!"

4. "How you all doing?"

5. "If you need anything, let me know."

6. "I'm proud of you!"

Take off one article of clothing each time the patient fails to meet a weight loss goal.

If it's the Penny Sager episode....just smoke the whole bowl, take ALL your clothes off, and watch in stunned silence with your mouth hanging open.

Damn I need to turn in!

I watch this show, but I really prefer the British show “Fat Doctor”. Not as exploitive and more low key. I watch episodes on YouTube

5 hours ago, Jnfinney said:

So, there definitely is a sort of stigma regarding how much people must weigh for surgery...

I think this show maybe responsible. Before WLS I didn’t know I qualified/insurance would cover it because I wasn’t 600+ lbs ?

Edited April 1, 20215 yr by GreenTealael

51 minutes ago, GreenTealael said:

I think this show maybe responsible. Before WLS I didn’t know I qualified/insurance would cover it because I wasn’t 600+ lbs ?

yea - I thought everyone who got this was the size of the people on that show. I thought I'd be the smallest person in my classes. Nope. I was the biggest.

I also led one of the classes that the pre-ops at my clinic had to go through - did it monthly for three years (until COVID hit). I NEVER saw anyone the size of the people on that show. Everyone appeared to weigh in the 200s and 300s (mostly 200s). Occasionally there was one who might have been in the low 400s. But that's it. And actually, there are surgeons who won't operate on people who have a BMI higher than 60 - and hardly any will operate on people the size of the ones on My 600 lb Life - which is why they have to go to surgeons like Dr. Now who specialize in high-risk bariatric surgery. So I think the show gives people unrealistic perceptions.