TLC has definitely dipped into exploitative territory with a lot of their content. Their weight-focused shows and their family reality shows are, in my opinion; the worst examples.
they’re also set up for failure because they are not taught what tasty healthy meals are and how to make them. Amy went through the store buying random vegetables without knowing what to make, and later Tammy doesn’t know what to make although her fridge is full. Because of this I think they believe healthy food doesn’t taste good.
@@anamandic4540 but at the same time you can't really fully blame them, especially when the default advice around eating healthy (especially from doctors that do the bare minimum) is "eat salad", nothing actually helpful that tells people how to properly make healthy food they'll enjoy, not food that makes them miserable.
@@chaaaargh I was privileged to have been exposed to a variety of foods growing up, and even I was kind of nervous to buy and cook a leek the other day because I have never cooked or had it before.
1000% agree with poverty breeds scarcity mentality. Growing up in poverty led me to make choices like....at the office catered lunch where there are chocolate or vanilla cupcakes for dessert it's not chocolate OR vanilla it's AND because I don't know when I will get the opportunity to have either one again. And this is the subconscious reason that I want both because by this time I could afford to buy my own cupcakes so OR instead of AND wouldn't have been a big deal but I didn't consciously understand this then or understand how the trauma of my poverty still stayed with me far longer even after I could afford to buy my own things. It took me YEARS to make this breakthrough of understanding this. And now I realize from a taste standpoint I would much rather have vanilla. So now that's my choice, vanilla not both.
Absolutely. I still “clean my plate” even when I’m full because as a child we didn’t have a lot of food and I’m trying so hard not to pass that food scarcity mentality down to my kids.
I just think about my mom just trying to keep us alive. No thought of nutrition because how can you. Even if we had access to healthy foods that was not even on anyone’s mind.
yeah, this is what developed my binge eating. i always have this mentality that i’ll never be able to eat ever again even if i’m an adult now and buy my own food and i know it’ll be there tomorrow, i still need to clean my plate or eat everything in sight
@@keshaestevan3623 it’s not like the comments are helping. People working towards weight loss in fact want to resist the plan and rebel even more when they read these negative comments.
One of the things that blows my mind on the show is that they're given diet plans of about 1,200 calories per day. Imagine going from 12,000 calories a day to somehow reducing to 1,200 a day! Its such a difficult goal.
I've often wondered if the doctor say 1200 calories knowing they will go well over and probably get more like 2000-3000 a day. Which for someone 500lbs would produce weight loss.
Yea that’s just not enough food. I am 130 and I eat about 1800 to 1900 calories a day. 1200 for them they are probably starving I said when I was losing weight.. I don’t want to starve and I made sure of that.
Part of it is to greatly reduce the size of the liver which is enlarged in obese patients before surgery. It gets in the way and makes an already highrisk surgery more difficult and dangerous. Also after surgery they can barely eat so need to be able to handle that, if they overeat they could kill themselves so they need to be prepared. I understand it for these reasons. Its drastic for sure.
What bothers me the most about TLC is the fact that they let the people on their shows spread misinformation - a lot of the time the hire a dietitian who basically shames people for their lifestyle instead of improving it. You should def watch 1000 pound best friends. I’d love to see your review!
Well, I think Abby is also shaming people when she uses rude tone and make fun of people who are not doing it right according to her! I often wonder if she uses the same way of speaking when a patient/client go to her... Everybody is on a different journey, no one is perfect and sometimes people just don't know!
Re: fatphobic hatewatching, I had to leave the reddit group bc so many ppl seem to watch this to reinforce their misguided “welfare queen” narratives, and WAY too much discussion of one’s worth in regard to disability and how much one deserves resources. It was exhausting. Loving your tone and approach here. And thank you for fostering compassion and real empathy on this platform.
I got in an argument with a co-worker and he told me I should be on My 600 pound Life. It kind of took my breath away. I'm not close to 600 pounds, which isn't really the point. It was just the idea that this show had become another fat insult.
@@catherinemccormick6002 our manager was coming over to break up the fight and heard everything. Other employees also saw that he started the whole. He got fired.
I think the problem often lies in the fact that instead of treating their trauma (the root cause of the binge eating, because it's pretty much always psychological), they just put obese individuals on a diet, which just doesn't make any sense. If you want them to be healthy, recommend therapy to them, so that the trauma which causes the overeating in the first place, can be treated.
I work in the addiction field. You would be surprised how many patients who are not psychologically prepared for the weight loss surgery come to rehab for an alcohol related addiction. They essentially replaced the food with alcohol. I believe the criteria has been modified in Canada for potential patients to work with a psychologist prior and post op to ensure it is long lasting especially if it is covered by Medicare. They have really put procedures in place where patients are treated by a multidisciplinary team of therapists, dietitians, personal trainers etc.
@@AbbeysKitchen It is easier to switch to alcohol as after these surgical procedures their stomachs shrink and are not able to consume certain foods or in the quantities prior to the operation. Alcohol is an easy cross addiction as it is a liquid so it will not stretch the stomach. There was a long study on the impacts of alcoholism for people who received bariatric treatment. I am happy the Canadian government is addressing this and will only do the procedure for those that are ready. Although this isn't the criteria for Canadians who decide to do the procedure privately. They do not do any screening. Ironically, the patients I worked with at my rehab who had gastric bypass all had it done privately. They told me there was no warning or information prior to surgery (alcoholism risk as it is over 60%) and no counselling or aftercare offered.
@@dolcemaddalena Wow, that is fascinating. I think it depends a lot on where you go on the kind of treatment you got. My mother and I looked in to it and the place we went to was gung-ho to get us in, no screening, just, 'we can get you into surgery in 6 weeks!'. And they seemed disappointed when we said, no we were there for their 'medically supervised weight loss program" (which is a VLCD (very low calorie diet) and also a joke). We went through a 12 week program and the full extent of their counseling was a required group once a week that sometimes didn't even have a staff member in attendance. And neither food-addiction nor alcohol addiction were ever mentioned, although both of us told them we had attended OA in the past.
I've heard about that happening quite often. People replace the "food addiction" aka coping mechanism , with another one. Such as drinking, extreme exercising, extreme dietary restrictions etc...
Childhood obesity stogma? Check. Childhood trauma? Check. Scarcity mentality? Maybe. Talking to my nutritionist today, we talked about my tendency to eat what's open. All of it. Because with multiple siblings, growing up meant that if someone opened the ice cream, you took your share even if you weren't hungry because otherwise you'd miss out on the treat. I wanted to address what that Dr said about it being "that simple". My answer to that is: simple like traditional chocolate mousse. Traditional chocolate mousse only has 4 ingredients. It's SIMPLE, uncomplicated. But anyone who has made it knows it's not easy, which is why there is now a quick version. Egg whites on the ingredient list means there are several ways it can go wrong. So it is with weight loss. Simple? Sure, to an extent. But with so many underlying factors, it isn't easy. I've never cared about my weight, never been on the diet seesaw. But as a 45 yr old woman, I now face autoimmune disease, diabetes, and high cholesterol (side effect of the meds -- not duet related). I need to lose weight -- I WANT to lose weight and try not to beat myself up for not doing 20 yrs ago, when it would have been easier, if not exactly easy. 😞
Yes family with four other kids here if I didn’t eat a bowl of chips when they got back from the grocery store I was out of luck. It makes you feel like there’s food scarcity even if you could just ask for more when a parent when to the store next. I definitely think that had to do with my Ed also a lot of trauma,this comment is so accurate. Also I am losing my weight in my twenties so I now this will not happen again because it’s been so hard to lose.
You’re right. Simple doesn’t equal easy. It’s true that, on paper, weight loss is an energy deficit equation. But it’s not easy. My method to make it easier is to use small 7” plates, and chopsticks to slow me down. I also eat my protein first. Protein is satiating, more so than bread, so I eat my meat, and my vegetables. Then I decide if I want to get up and get my dinner roll or pasta salad. And, as soon as I’m no longer hungry, I scrape and wash my plate and put it away. I don’t start my day with cereal, so I’m not starving for lunch.
I've only been exposed to this show through other youtubers reacting to it, and seeing this gave me a whole new, and way more sympathetic perspective. The media we consume really does matter, but I don't usually think about it in the moment. Thanks for being a good teacher!
I grew up in a rural area with unreliable access to transportation. We we're poor enough that my mom went without food to feed us. Fortunately my mom grew up with homemade food and learned how to cook and fed us as best she could on their budget. I also have PTSD from childhood trauma. I am grateful for my parents instilling in me the value of home-cooked food. It could very easily be a different outcome. Like the ladies in the 1000 Pound Sisters.
We were really poor growing up too which meant only home cooked food. My dad a was dirt poor immigrant from Korea. It’s hard for me to get out of the “clean your plate” mentality because of it but honestly looking around at my peers, we were lucky to have learned how to cook and be happy eating the basics.
They did offer therapy for both Amy and Tammy and in later episodes they do attend. I watched the entire series of 1000lbs Sister and actually loved it. Yes, there were some poor decisions made for "good tv" but the actual struggles are real and the entire family is just loving and have hilarious personalities. I am always rooting for every member to better themself in any way, even if it's just them having a good time or being proud of their journey or just reaching a small goal of increased mobility.
Thank you so much for this. It is so wonderful to have a knowledgeable professional tell me that it's more than just a lack of self discipline. I wish people could see how much I want to lose weight, but instead all they see is the weight. People discounting me and making assumptions about me because of my weight is heartbreaking. I think I am on a good path now with healthy eating, but it is a struggle every day.
Imo I think some people assume that mental health problems are a symptom of being fat - when in reality being fat can be a symptom of mental health issues. When I lost weight I was shocked when I realized oh wow I'm still depressed. And I no longer had nothing to blame other than myself and my mental health.
I've seen some talk about it being a sort of cyclical situation, where mental health> change in habits> change in body appearance> change in treatment from others > change in mental health. That they could have the chance to feed into and affect one another. I've also had the experience where as my mental health improved (and my disability inflammation) my weight also went up. I'm the heaviest I've ever been but my CRP levels are at an all time low, so I can totally empathise with you on that. Hope you're managing okay friend
Thank you as always for your compassionate take ❤ You are by far the YTer who has helped me the most in recovery from ED and reaching a healthy weight.
I actually think this show is a great example of what can happen if you don’t get the help you need. She needs therapy and help to save her life and I like that the show examines the realities of the difficulties of food addiction
I use food as a comfort (yes, childhood trauma and low income household) and would love videos exploring this topic more. I’m trying to lose weight for my health and your videos on making meals balanced and hunger crushing have helped a lot so far as being healthy is my long term goal.
I was always baffled watching weight loss shows by doctors who actually suggested exercise for morbidly obese people like Tammy. I cannot *imagine* exercising - even just light walking - while holding 450-500 lbs in my hands, which is how much more Tammy weighs than I do. Like, who would consider that reasonable? How is that not bonkers?? There is a 99.99% chance I’d injure myself trying something like that. People like Tammy need to have a purely dietary focus for a long time until they’ve lost enough weight to be able to engage in physical activity without potentially ruining their joints and backs for life.
@maron kasukabe idk if it’s more bonkers than risky. Heavy weight with movement can negatively impact your joints and muscles w/o good form. Weight loss when people are as big as Tammy can happen with just a couple of changes in diet. If they removed sodas and fast food completely, and stuck to Whole Foods with some yummy sweets for dessert, she could easily shed 100 lbs because she’s just that heavy. Extreme weight loss needs to be holistic in order to be sustainable and successful. If Tammy were to injure herself now because too much physical strain was put on her joints, then the chances of her being able to move more when she actually has more mobility goes down. If you’re weighing the risks with the benefits, the better option is to halt the physical activity until Tammy can get to a weight that allows for more easy mobility of her body.
The reason I watch you and no other of these type channels is the way that you refuse to fat-shame, and talk openly about food-addiction. I love that you talk about the mental and emotional connections to food. One doesn't get to weigh large amounts without an abnormal relationship with food. It truly isn't a matter of "will-power".
If you read a lot of the works by progressive food historians point to the high scarcity period of the 1930s and 1940s combined with the post war growth of high sugar, salt, and fat, highly processed food, combined with a de emphasis on honing cooking skills in childhood are a significant explanation for the increase in obesity and particularly morbid obesity. We know that historically a fairly high number of people especially women, especially as they aged and had more and more pregnancies, were fairly likely to be in the modern “overweight” BMI category or even in the lower end of the “obese” category. But very very high weights were very uncommon except among the wealthy and royalty. In the 1930s most of the world faced high increases in poverty due to the Great Depression and some areas such as Ukraine experienced genocidal forced famines. In the early 1940s there was little choice around food in much of the world and often there was malnutrition, starvation, or famine, and there were also forced famines in Bengal in India and elsewhere. This meant that our grandparents and great-grandparents worldwide were programmed psychologically and physically to hold onto weight, to gain weight, and to encourage their kids to eat high calorie foods.
Right before i started my first diet when i was 13 i figured i was already fat so i might as well just get fat enough to have surgery at this point. What a messed up thing for a 13 year old to think. Especially a 13 year old that really wasnt all that fat. My heart breaks for that little girl i used to be.
Thank you for bringing up food deserts and societal impact on food accessibility. People often don't think about the relative cost of trying to eat healthy--both in dollars (like the cost of ingredients or "healthy" food vs fast food) and in time (preparing fresh food takes more time than getting fast food)
And the cost in human labor. People who work 12+ hours a day (which is not that uncommon in the states) often don't have the energy to come home and cook. Also, moving in a larger body can be exhausting (speaking from experience) and make simple tasks like cooking much harder. Add other conditions that can cause discomfort like plantar fasciitis, joint issues, etc. and it can be a real challenge.
To be honest I don’t mind either of those shows as much as My 600 lbs Life. At least they show the women as human beings with lives beyond being obese, and we see aspects of their personalities beyond appearing sad and hopeless.
Nerding out a little....I work as a research assistant and I have done some work contributing to the Obesity Guidelines in Canada. Really cool to see you reference it!!! Great video Abbey!
Telling someone to just eat less/move more while ignoring the underlying causes is just as bad as telling someone who is clinically depressed to “just be happy”.
I would be really interested to know your take on the recent ‘gut healing’ trend and whether it has any scientific basis. It seems a lot like repackaged wellness/diet culture on the surface! Definitely agree that the world needs more empathy!
As someone that suffered from acid reflux disease? I can tell you that changing what I ate? Fixed it...until I fell off the wagon and caved into all the carbs and sugar. It does work, but as someone that has different ED'S? It's hard for me to stick to. Especially my binge eating, because I will eat anything and everything
i feel like a lot of those products do work, but if you actually have a very shitty gut it's not going to do much after a while lol. i feel like most wellness stuff only works for the people who don't really need it...but then again i'll contradict myself by saying gut health is very important and vital for everyone so
Thank you Abbey, I feel like when you speak privately about these sisters, and we are not listening, you are just as respectful as when you did this video. People are people and deserve the benefit of the doubt. As always you are compassionate and helpful to the people you review. It’s obvious they need help. And you dissect the circumstances with good insight and tips. Thank you.
So true about the war comment. My grandpa grew up on a farm and was in the Korean War and he freaked one time when I threw away a half eaten peach. (I was 6 and getting too close to the weird looking pit grossed me out). The scarcity mentality was intense.
Thank you so much for this video! Being morbidly obese as well with basically all those factors (bullying because we were poor and then because I gained weight, childhood trauma and so on) is really hard and also harsh. I went to an “Adipositas Centre” (living Switzerland, but I am from Austria) a few weeks ago because I wanted to start talking with a dietitian too since I just started therapy for my depression and taking meds for the first time… and they STRAIGHT UP put me in front of a surgeon for a stomach bypass who said “I don’t care about your story and you will not have time to tell me anything about you, but I will tell you everything you need to know about this life changing surgery”. He did not mention one risk. Not even one. He just sold it as the best thing that could happen to me. I cancelled going there now and got back to my dietitian whom I have had before (had to quit because of financial reasons, last year and before me having therapy). Honestly I am not shocked anymore, every doctor (and human being if we are being honest) just sees my obesity and no matter what I do the first thing I hear is always “lose weight”. A radiologist who is also an internist told me I have severe signs for a chronic disease and I should get that checked out asap but no one will listen to me, I have literally nowhere to go to where they would look for a chronic disease because all they see is fat. I don’t know what else I can do, I just can’t seem to find a way to lose weight and keep it off. 😞
I'm so sorry for your negative experiences. I hope you are able to find the help you need to feel better. I also have a video about weight loss and sustainable nutrition tips that you might find helpful: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lDNbBQAHKdg.html
I’m so sorry about your experiences Lexi. Truly heartbreaking to hear. I’m sending you so much love and healing. You’re amazing and I’m cheering you on from afar! I believe in you and I hope you find the help and support you need for your health journey 🤍
100% true! I had bariatric surgery in 2019 and in one year had lost 160 pounds. I have since gained 70 pounds back. Food is a coping mechanism and like you said weight loss surgery is not brain surgery. It takes a lot to change the way you think about food.
This video is amazing Abbey- the first half of my life I grew up with my mom and grandma who are both morbidly obese and we are McDonald’s and Chinese food pretty much every day- I remember when I went to live with my dad and stepmom who ate much healthier - it was shocking for me and hard for at least a few years to adjust to a whole new way of eating and viewing food. Also cooking is a skill! If no one ever teaches you how, it makes making healthy meals much more difficult.
I love how you lead with empathy and compassion (and bodily autonomy!) always, I’ve never been able to watch videos discussing diet adjustments/weight loss-related things because they tend to lack that perspective in a truly wholehearted way (sadly even people with the best intentions can end up spreading harmful things). what makes me even more happy is how you also support this gentle perspective with science, including sources! I wish that science was common knowledge. I wish people stopped repeating things like “fat shaming works actually.” Casual fatphobia is so pervasive, ingrained, and ACCEPTABLE to people, its thoroughly affected my psyche my entire life, still doing so into adulthood. I still see it everywhere. I do everything possible to avoid it in obvious community spaces on social media/youtube/reddit/etc since breaking free from the “social media self harm” cycle, and yet it manages to find me in bizarre and unexpected places. It’s like stepping on a landmine in the middle of a serene beach; I’ll check the comments on a post/video completely unrelated to fat people and suddenly get blasted with a random upvoted comment including casual fatphobia reminding me how normalized sh*tting on fat people is, with zero nuance, zero sympathy, zero understanding. So thank you for being a safe/comforting zone and, I believe, fostering a community that continues that kind of positive behavior in your comment sections too. It’s been incredible encouragement on my own health journey (physical AND mental) wrt weight + relationship with food🙂❤️
Just like everything on the internet, I’ve seen videos that are encouraging to the sisters (ReacThing RU-vid channel) and has positive comments. This show worked for Amy
Thank so much for this video. I struggled with binge eating disorder for much of my adult life and video really speaks to my journey. Every day can be a struggle for me especially once a binge begins. It may be over a week before that binge ends and I resume "healthy" eating and exercise again. Thank you for shedding light on this growing problem.
Abby, I’m a long time fan of yours, but sometimes I feel like you can’t help but see things through your experience of being a thin person. I disagree that the show breeds “fear, disgust, and prejudice.” If you felt those things watching it then speak for yourself. I have so much compassion and love for the whole family. I love this show and the siblings relationships. I don’t agree with their conclusions of saying “surgery is my only way to survive”. But I love watching them grow over the seasons as people, parents, and siblings. Even the mom, Darlene, who is blamed for the way they turned out, gets a chance to redeem her narrative in this season. She shows so much love and affection for Amy who is struggling so hard. The siblings support her endlessly even as they complain about having to do so. They care endlessly for each other! The loyalty is so heartwarming and beautiful! Even Dr. Smith just WONT give up on Amy and cares so much about her. You might disagree with their conclusions about weight loss surgery but they made that choice and it’s helped them live fuller lives (in their own words).
I’d like to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for making this video. I’m just over a year post-op from my sleeve gastrectomy, and although I knew it wouldn’t be a quick fix going into it, the surgery brought upon a wholeeee new set of issues surrounding food. This video brought me so much comfort I can’t even begin to express it. THANK YOU, Abbey❤️
That particular episode that showed tammy's dr telling her she had to put things as a priority was him telling her she had to go to therapy and walk 70 steps a day if she wanted to get to her ultimate goal of lossing weight. I agree that they don't assist as much as most of us would like, but there is only so much a dr can do. If they meet with you regularly, give you the information to start new eating habits; it is out of their hands what the patient does in their lives after.
I wish as a society that we treated morbid obesity as a mental health issue. I also wish mental health was given the same respect as the more outwardly visible physical health.
***Long comment alert*** Not sure if they covered it in the series (I haven't watched it) but they could get their genes checked (that's the least TLC can do for exploiting their lives). I say this because I'm doing my PhD in genetic forms of obesity, and I know that more often than not obesity, especially morbid obesity, has genetic etiologies in addition to psychological and socio-economic factors. More and more large population studies are now identifying genetic mutations and variations in humans which could affect their feeding behavior, motivation to exercise, mental health, and glucose and fat metabolism. Coincidentally, I read about one such study today that looked at association between genetics, obesity and childhood trauma in obese individuals in Nevada. The paper is titled 'The impact of ACEs on BMI: an investigation of the genotype-environment effects of BMI'. My point is, if people struggling with their weights can get their DNA sequenced (not the 23&me kind, but a clinical diagnostic test in consultation with their physician), and if they have obesity causing mutations, it might take some weight off their shoulders and take control of the narrative. As Abbey rightly said, weight gain is often mischaracterized as the disease of the lazy. In fact, factors causing obesity are beyond an individual's control and knowing one's genetic makeup might shed some light on that. This could also be a motivation to push the scientific community to develop therapies that will actually help people manage their weight better. I understand that DNA sequencing is expensive and may not be accessible to everyone. But maybe we as a society can come together to raise funds for them and provide them with some psychological relief. Sorry for the long post, but I needed to get this off my chest.
I would be more likely to believe that they are obese because of learned behavior from their family and ancestors. I am a firm believer that stress, trauma cause changes in the body. I would need to dig deeper into this study. It sounds like "cause and affect" or Chicken before the egg sort of thing.
Super interesting!! Have you heard of nutrigenics? I don't know much about it but I imagine it's going to be an emerging field which tailors diets to an individuals genetics
Thanks for doing your part helping the complexities of obesity become public knowledge. It’s so sad the trauma people go through, the more people that understand obesity can be one of the long term consequences of trauma, the better!
Abbey I found you recently and I just love you are your channel so much. I’ve been struggling with an eating disorder for a few years now and you gave me the courage to attempt recovery! Thank you so much for making videos, keep doing this!
Thank you for this video! My mom had the surgery and lost a LOT of weight.. BUT looking back at it she would rather have lost the weight herself. Her cravings came back, the amount of supplements she needs to take every day is crazy, she still has dumpings and it still is a daily struggle to keep the weight of! She reached out for mental help now 4 years post surgery. So thank you for adressing this.. love your vids ❤️🙌🏻
It always astounded me on My 600 lb life when they travel to see Dr Now and he literally hands them a 1200 cal diet with no other tools when they clearly have deep rooted psychological issues with food and expects them to stick to it! Setting them up for failure
I think luckily there is more awareness now of those systemic factors, much as there’s still work to do, but that only does so much. If there aren’t resources available to realistically allow people to overcome barriers, the barriers remain.
I'm sorry but if you get to 600 or more pounds, you did it to yourself and it's one of the health conditions more visible then smoking, drugs, drinking etc. People look at them like they are sick and delusional (Tammy specifically) if they think they are healthy. People judge alcoholics, smokers and drug addicts the same way. Promoting larger bodies enables people to not make important health changes. Encouraging losing weight is good. Encouraging eating better and being more active is good. But when larger influences say their bodies are fine they are promoting to others its acceptable to lead an unhealthy lifestyle. They should be ashamed of that, not necessarily shamed for their body.
Reading through the description, and just realized that 10% of your merch proceeds go to Sick Kids!! 😭😭😭😭 As a Sick Kids Mama, can I just say THANK YOU so much!!! 💕💕💕💕💕💕
You are fantastic. I am blown away by the nuance in your analysis-- from a sociological perspective and a dietary approach. I so appreciate you addressing elitist mentalities that accompany the judgement of food choices for folks that may come from disenfranchised backgrounds. The world needs more of you.
We grew up poor, on food stamps. My parents did not speak English. My mother, however, used what little we had to cook simple, healthy food (single ingredients cost less than premade food a lot of the times...beans, rice, eggs, etc) and we did not eat much processed foods... even though we could have. My mother still made the choice to do the best she could to keep us healthy with her limited resources. School lunches also helped (we got those free as kids w a voucher bc we were poor and also super embarrassing for us, kids). I'm not judging others, but my point is, being poor did not prevent us from eating mostly healthy food even though we didn't have a lot of it.
The one thing I will disagree with you Abby I don’t think that Aimee would have been getting weight loss surgery had it not been for the help of the show. From Tammy standpoint I think you are 100% right but from Aimee standpoint I think this show was a glorious help to change her life for the better.
I hate all reality TV. It all makes me cringe. All of them, no matter the subject because it exploits people for intertainment. As a therapist, I do find that even if the person agrees, it doesn’t mean it won’t harm them.
Food addiction is an eating disorder. Whether restricting calories or overeating, both have mental health issues. The only difference is that thin is more societally acceptable than being overweight so it is veiwed differently.
TLC has a history of exploiting individuals and their experiences for profit. As someone who’s watched it’s awful to see how people talk about Tammy and her weight. I feel like the show and comments have drained Tammy’s motivation. She hasn’t been the nicest (from what they’ve filmed) but she deserves grace and support.
Something that should be said is that the cost of nutrient dense foods depends on the country. For example, in italy, pasta and vegetables are very inexpensive, you can make a plate of pasta with veggies with 1 euro. And pasta IS healthy, it all depends what you eat it with and how much of it you eat (the average dose written on the packs of pasta is 80g). Proteins are definitely more expensive, but you can go to discounts and get white meat and veggies and pasta and some eggs and still eat healthy… but this only applies to Italy. Of course, I know there are many other factors contributing to obesity other than the cost of food but all I’m saying is that the cost may depend on the country.
Thank you for talking about weight loss surgery and the negative impact it can have. I don’t think a lot of people realize this and sometimes I feel like providers offer it as an option for people when there is so much more going on.
I've observed that foods like produce or fish aren't prioritized where budgets are tight. With some families I know, they'll buy the meats and cheaper carb based foods that stretch, last longer (not as perishable as veggies), or are covered by coupons or government subsidies. Produce is less calorie dense and can help manage their weight better, but the priority is putting food on the table, not necessarily health. Also, I live in a food desert where healthier choices cost more. A couple dollars at a local bodega or discount store can get a family a bag full of snacks for the day, versus a couple dollars might get a couple bananas for one person at the local supermarket. I remember getting boxes of crackers at the 99 cent store for snacks because that was the best I could do at the time. Thankfully things are better, and I can make better choices.
Saw an advert on the TV for this program just this morning in the UK, and my first thought was "I wonder if Abbey has seen this yet?" As always a great insightful discussion.
I've suffered from binge eating disorder which has now morphed and I've recently been diagnosed with bulimia. I'm obese, and I HATE it. I feel so insecure. However, now I'm in treatment for my eating disorder, they've specifically told me not to try a diet to loose weight and actually told me to eat more while I build a better relationship with food and have therapy. To tell these women that they need to instantly cut calories and exercise more is setting them up for failure and its outright cruel. Im a big believer of treat the psychological problems first, then the weight.
Im 30 I had a gastric bypass in 2020 I started out a weight of 320 pounds and I am now 158 pounds I eat about 4 ounces of food at a time and I’m not in the best health of my lifetime I feel like I was given a second chance at life.
Agreed. Obesity is not a choice, it is the result of trauma, neglect and bad role models, addiction, and more 😓we need to stop looking at them like they are some other species.
I've always thought that shows exploiting things like obesity, hoarding, etc. appeal to people because they watch it and think "at least I'm not that bad"
unrelated to the contents of the video, but you look extra glowing today! idk if it's something with your hair, makeup or the color shirt you're wearing, but whatever it is, it's extra dazzling on you today 🧚♀️🌟
When I went on the pre-op diet I had 2 shakes a day and one soup ( like Progresso). I ended up losing 20 lbs in 2 weeks and I cried so much. I was miserable. I agree with Abby - if I had to do it all over again i would have done more research. I'm so thankful for my surgery though.
abbey got her degree! loving this content. this really solidified for me that many nutritionists cannot differentiate between health/wellness and fatphobia. as you pointed out...it's the DEEEP rooted assumptions, stigmas, and ideas related to fatness that perpetuate unhealthy or problematic coping mechanisms to begin with. if i hadn't been stigmatized as a child, would i even have the same issues with food and my body that i have today????!! that's so sad to me
I'm glad you're reviewing this. I'm not an expert, but have done a little research on effective long-term weight management strategies, and I have questioned the little information we actually get about their weight-loss plan. Also, why is this doctor not more aware of best practices dealing with the morbidly obese? Doesn't make sense to me.
Thank your ending this the way you did 💕 I lost one of my best friends three years ago to liver failure as a result of years of post-gastric bypass drug abuse due to constant pain. Growing up, she always talked about The Surgery as a panacea that would totally change her life. Sadly it ultimately took her from ours 😔 I watched the show because I felt so connected to their story and it almost felt like I had my friend back for a moment, but reminded me of the danger of glamorizing surgery as a panacea without a thorough understanding of what it entails. I only wish my friend understood that too. Fatphobia k*lls is not hyperbole
I think these people are adults of sound minds and have decided to monitize their situation. Do I think TLC's content is gross and exploitive? Yes. Do I think we should police others choices to profit from that exploitation? No. The sisters can choose to be on the show just like you and I can choose to watch.
Your thoughts on the scarcity mentality are so intriguing to me. My mother worked a lot and I was partially raised by my father’s aunts who lived through the Great Depression. They were quite successful working women back when most did not work and even though I know they never experienced real poverty, they ate like birds all of their lives and were always slim. I remember one saying that’s from food being so scarce they ate small meals and made what they could find in the stores last just in case the store didn’t have much when they went back. I will say, I live about fifty miles from where these ladies grew up and I believe still live, that area is extremely rural and extremely poor. Just driving through that area and stopping for gas you see extreme obesity that I don’t see here, just a few counties away. I truly believe that is the result of food deserts. There may be one grocery around there and a Walmart.
