Wellness

[drizzellla]

I saw bits of a show. The guy - Chuck - was coming home from the hospital from having the surgery. He was wearing a hospital gown. His wife went straight into the house and he had to walk up the steps by himself. Then his wife was complaining he didn't help her.

It was sad to watch.

[VioletEyes]

I find the idea of watching people who are struggling with obesity, kind of like someone who goes to the circus and watches the side show. It is offensive to me to label this entertainment and I hope the ratings are terrible and the show gets canceled.

I lost a friend to extreme obesity and his battle was terrible for him. He was always hungry and the medications he was put on only added to his hunger. I hope in the future, there are more studies about how some of these food companies are poisoning people with addictive substances made to make people want to eat more. The food is created in the lab and the companies making it, want people to "crave" it. Sugar is addictive and instead of spending money to produce these shows posing as "entertainment" more emphasis should be on prevention and not using obese individuals to provide "entertainment."

[pattypeep]

Raindrops, I watch this show, not as entertainment, but with sorrow. It makes me grateful for the life I have and I hope this show will empower people to change things in their life so that they don't follow in the footsteps of these poor souls.

[Annabellethecat66]

I can understand why some people would not like watching this kind of show. I don't care for these shows, only because I don't like reality shows.

I think it is EXCELLENT that there are shows like this on now. Obesity is a terrible problem in this country.

What is wrong with giving people who have a weight problem hope? Why not look at the up side of this?

[Carmie]

There is a lot more then just eating too much for any human to weigh 600 lbs. If any of us, thin, average or obese ate to try to weigh 600 lb, we probably couldn't do it. We would get sick stuffing ourselves to excess.

There is something wrong that allows a person to gain this much weight. I had a very dear friend who I know must have weighed 600 lbs or more. We went to school together and at one time even worked at the same place. He was always heavy, even as a child. His 2 brothers were rail thin, as was his mother. His father was very large. Both my friend and his father died at age 49. It was so sad to lose him.

I used to watch him eat lunch. He would order 2 cheeseburgers and a diet coke a lot. That was not unusual. Most of the guys I worked with ordered that too. He very seldom ate snacks at his desk. He didn't eat healthy, but he didn't eat like I would expect somone of his size to eat.

I have learned that everyone is different. Our bodies do not work alike. Some people eat a lot and are naturally thin. Others have to watch and count calories every day and still are not thin.

Some people act very smug and put down heavier or too thin people. I find this very ignorant. We all have our struggles.

When I watch this show, my heart goes out to these poor people. I don't find them repulsive. I wish I could work magic for them, but I can't. They sure have a heavy cross to bear..no pun intended.

[SnowPink]

On 1/4/2015 Carmie said:

I used to watch him eat lunch. He would order 2 cheeseburgers and a diet coke a lot. That was not unusual. Most of the guys I worked with ordered that too. He very seldom ate snacks at his desk. He didn't eat healthy, but he didn't eat like I would expect somone of his size to eat.

I bet he was eating a LOT more when no one was looking. Many people like that are ashamed of how much they eat so they hide it.

[Annabellethecat66]

I had a best friend in high school. She had a 22 inch waist. Then through her abusive husband a children who were in trouble with the law, she closed herself off to friends.

I talked to her on the phone maybe a few times in the past few years. She never would meet up with me and kept putting me off. She'd started living with a man who didn't even speak English.

Finally one day 2 years ago I got a call from her. She said, "I've been advised by Hospice to tell my friends if they want to see me they need to come NOW"!

I contacted a friend of ours and together we went to see her. She must have weighed around 350 or so lbs. She was still beautiful (always was inside and out).

She said that she was dying from cervical cancer. She said she'd found out about it; but the Drs just 'wrote her off' because she was so heavy. She was in the living room in a special hospital bed in front of the TV.

She said her sister would come and help her but when her sister when to change the linens she accidentally rolled my friend over on her arm and broke it. The Drs said it wasn't any use in setting the arm.

She was petrified of the man who was there living with her. My friend and I tried to get her to throw him out and have her sister have legal custody. She wouldn't do it.

A few days later flowers I'd ordered were supposed to be sent to her. The florist called me and said the lady who lived there had died (the neighbors said) and no one answered.

My daughter said there are men who latch on to very overweight women and emotionally beat them down, take their money.

I assume that is what happened to my friend. So sad. I'll always remember kissing her good-bye and trying to talk her into letting her sister do more.

I have never sat in judgment of anyone. We all have problems. Some people's problems are more visible than others.

That is why I said I am glad there are shows like the one the OP mentioned. There are people at home who've given up hope who might get hope from one of those shows.

I can understand that there are some people who don't like to watch them (I don't. Too many memories). However, I think they are a good idea no matter why they are on TV.

Just my idea.

[lucylover64]

On 1/4/2015 annabellethecat said:

I had a best friend in high school. She had a 22 inch waist. Then through her abusive husband a children who were in trouble with the law, she closed herself off to friends.

I talked to her on the phone maybe a few times in the past few years. She never would meet up with me and kept putting me off. She'd started living with a man who didn't even speak English.

Finally one day 2 years ago I got a call from her. She said, "I've been advised by Hospice to tell my friends if they want to see me they need to come NOW"!

I contacted a friend of ours and together we went to see her. She must have weighed around 350 or so lbs. She was still beautiful (always was inside and out).

She said that she was dying from cervical cancer. She said she'd found out about it; but the Drs just 'wrote her off' because she was so heavy. She was in the living room in a special hospital bed in front of the TV.

She said her sister would come and help her but when her sister when to change the linens she accidentally rolled my friend over on her arm and broke it. The Drs said it wasn't any use in setting the arm.

She was petrified of the man who was there living with her. My friend and I tried to get her to throw him out and have her sister have legal custody. She wouldn't do it.

A few days later flowers I'd ordered were supposed to be sent to her. The florist called me and said the lady who lived there had died (the neighbors said) and no one answered.

My daughter said there are men who latch on to very overweight women and emotionally beat them down, take their money.

I assume that is what happened to my friend. So sad. I'll always remember kissing her good-bye and trying to talk her into letting her sister do more.

I have never sat in judgment of anyone. We all have problems. Some people's problems are more visible than others.

That is why I said I am glad there are shows like the one the OP mentioned. There are people at home who've given up hope who might get hope from one of those shows.

I can understand that there are some people who don't like to watch them (I don't. Too many memories). However, I think they are a good idea no matter why they are on TV.

Just my idea.

Annabellethecat--I wanted to offer my condolences about your friend as well as to thank you for sharing and hopefully help keep some perspective regarding this difficult issue. Your friend's situation is a good example of how we each have things going on in our lives that influence our functioning--emotionally, physically, mentally, etc. It can often be easy for people to judge or make assumptions from the outside looking in, without knowing the other issues. Bless you for being a good friend with a healthy perspective.

[Renata22]

Drizzella, I don't condone treating anyone like she did, but he was very verbally abusive to her on the ride home. I think she had just had enough.

[Mmsfoxxie]

On 1/8/2015 Shelbybiskit said: Drizzella, I don't condone treating anyone like she did, but he was very verbally abusive to her on the ride home. I think she had just had enough.

Yes, he was verbally abusive to his wife. Wasn't her fault he had to have surgery.