Bummed Out After Watching "My 600 Lb Life: Where Are They Now?"

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

So I watched last night's episode and it made me really depressed. It was a "Where are they now?" episode that featured Melissa and Ashley, who had bypass 10 years ago with Dr. Now.

Both of them regained considerably. However, I was really upset with Melissa. She was Dr. Now's "golden child". At the time of her surgery she was the heaviest person to undergo bypass. She was over 600 lbs and got down to 150 lbs and looked great. She became a motivational speaker for Dr. Now's patients. Fast forward 10 years and she weighs close to 300 lbs.

Ashley regain 60 lbs I think, maybe more.

So watching the show has made me depressed and fearful that I too will end up like them and regain most if not all of the weight back within 10 years. I know that it doesn't have to be that way that if I stick to it and don't let my bad eating habits return that I should be okay. However, I am still depressed over the episode though.

[Christinamo7 4,042]

well. yes, I would hope for better for them and us. however. from 600 to 300 is not most or all of her weight. and is still, I would think, a significant health benefit. For Ashley, 60 pounds is still way less than before.

We have to stick with the moving our bodies and eating Protein first. We have to view this is a forever lifestyle change.

I do have a friend who had bypass over 10 years ago, and while her weight fluctuates some, she has not gone back to being obese, ever. if anything she leans towards the dangerously low end. it all hinges on personal responsibility

*if* I do gain it all back after 10 years, I will still see it as giving me a good 10 years I wouldn't have otherwise had. and, I would still have the tool to work it again.

[katanne 215]

That show is depressing in general. I've only been able to watch one episode - the one with Nikki the costume designer, who ended up doing really well with the sleeve. But her family situation bummed me out.

One thing to remember is that you didn't start out nearly as heavy as they did, with consequently nowhere near as severe issues with overeating, so a weight regain of 150 is probably VERY unlikely for you. You've posted before about how careful you are with food intake, using Protein shakes for Breakfast and lunch, etc. I can't see you regaining substantial amounts of weight with the way you eat. Also, I'm guessing you don't have family members who are anywhere near as enabling of terrible eating habits as the people on the show. Nikki's dad was sending his daughter six donuts before Breakfast every day, etc.

[JamieLogical 8,708]

I agree with @@Christinamo7 that even with their regain, both patients are probably FAR better off than they would have been without the surgery. I haven't watched the episode yet (have it on my DVR), but it sounds like Melissa is still half the weight she was pre-op. Had she not had the surgery, she probably wouldn't even still be alive 10 years later.

Whether or not you regain a significant portion of the weight you lose is up to you. We say it over and over and over on these forums. WLS is not a magic bullet. It still requires you to be disciplined and diligent every day of your life.

[Falecha 50]

So I watched last night's episode and it made me really depressed. It was a "Where are they now?" episode that featured Melissa and Ashley, who had bypass 10 years ago with Dr. Now.

Both of them regained considerably. However, I was really upset with Melissa. She was Dr. Now's "golden child". At the time of her surgery she was the heaviest person to undergo bypass. She was over 600 lbs and got down to 150 lbs and looked great. She became a motivational speaker for Dr. Now's patients. Fast forward 10 years and she weighs close to 300 lbs.

Ashley regain 60 lbs I think, maybe more.

So watching the show has made me depressed and fearful that I too will end up like them and regain most if not all of the weight back within 10 years. I know that it doesn't have to be that way that if I stick to it and don't let my bad eating habits return that I should be okay. However, I am still depressed over the episode though.

That's awful

Falecha

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

That show is depressing in general. I've only been able to watch one episode - the one with Nikki the costume designer, who ended up doing really well with the sleeve. But her family situation bummed me out.

One thing to remember is that you didn't start out nearly as heavy as they did, with consequently nowhere near as severe issues with overeating, so a weight regain of 150 is probably VERY unlikely for you. You've posted before about how careful you are with food intake, using Protein shakes for breakfast and lunch, etc. I can't see you regaining substantial amounts of weight with the way you eat. Also, I'm guessing you don't have family members who are anywhere near as enabling of terrible eating habits as the people on the show. Nikki's dad was sending his daughter six donuts before breakfast every day, etc.

For me the show is good because it reminds me that I can never let myself get to that point again. I also like to see other people who were far worse than I was overcome their own struggles.

As far as bad eating habits, I developed them all on my own and without any enablers like the people on the show. I cringe at just remembering what my life was like. I routinely ordered a large pizza, salad and bread sticks and consumed them all in one meal. I would then usually also eat dessert. I would binge like crazy. I would eat entire boxes of little debbie Snacks. I would order a dozen cupcakes from the bakery and consume them all in one day. Just terrible. I don't want to ever go back to that.

Edited March 31, 2016 by Proud2BMe

[JamieLogical 8,708]

That show is depressing in general. I've only been able to watch one episode - the one with Nikki the costume designer, who ended up doing really well with the sleeve. But her family situation bummed me out.

One thing to remember is that you didn't start out nearly as heavy as they did, with consequently nowhere near as severe issues with overeating, so a weight regain of 150 is probably VERY unlikely for you. You've posted before about how careful you are with food intake, using Protein shakes for breakfast and lunch, etc. I can't see you regaining substantial amounts of weight with the way you eat. Also, I'm guessing you don't have family members who are anywhere near as enabling of terrible eating habits as the people on the show. Nikki's dad was sending his daughter six donuts before breakfast every day, etc.

For me the show is good because it reminds me that I can never let myself get to that point again. I also like to see other people who were far worse than I was overcome their own struggles.

As far as bad eating habits, I developed them all on my own and without any enablers like the people on the show. I cringe at just remembering what my life was like. I routinely ordered a large pizza, salad and bread sticks and consumed them all in one meal. I would then usually also eat dessert. I would binge like crazy. I would eat entire boxes of little debbie Snacks. I would order a dozen cupcakes from the bakery and consume them all in one day. Just terrible. I don't want to ever go back to that.

I was a binge eater too. It was common for me to eat a whole large pizza, half a bag of Doritos, and a pint of Ben & Jerry's in one sitting. The good news for us binge eaters is that post-op, that is no longer a physical possibility. Are there ways we can gain weight with our sleeves? Sure. But binge eating isn't one of them. I was never a grazer. I kicked my soda habit years before WLS. So I think I'm not at a very high risk for regain post-op. I can't possibly return to my previous unhealthy habit of bingeing. So in order for me to gain weight I'd have to adopt all new unhealthy habits in an effort to eat around my sleeve and I just don't see myself being that self-destructive.

[MIMISAN 404]

I watch the show all the time so that I don't catch myself giving all the same excuses these people use. I get so frustrated with them that I want to scream sometime. Some of those people or so deluded they don't realize that eating 10,000 calories a day is overeating. They always have an excuse. The real truth is that we ALL have excuses but the only way to beat this demon is to quit making excuses and accept the responsibility for what we put in our mouths. Sure people piss me off, or I am bored, or I grew up a poor neglected child, or my husband cheats or whatever. We have to do this for us and quit feeding our pity party.

[Suzanne Hooper 16]

Hi. I'm new, first forum post in my life! Just wanted to say I understand how the show evoked your emotions the way they did. It was really bringing me down also. I had to change the channel half way through as I was getting desperate to hear the happily ever after but was pretty sure there wasn't going to be one. The thing that really stood out for me though was the stressful & unbalanced lives they had which seemed to be am ping up their food addiction issues. So the lesson I took from the show (and the last 30 years of my life) was to ensure my life remains balanced spiritually, mentally and physically and to stay away from any unnecessary stress while insisting that I will care for me first. Otherwise, I'm useless and back to 337 lbs of misery. Believe in you!

[BevBrown34 17]

I also was disappointed with Melissa. Her problem seems to be the no good husband. I figured she would have divorced his tired butt.

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[Bufflehead 6,358]

I wasn't surprised -- obesity is such a hard struggle, even with surgery -- but the show still made me sad. It's hard to watch women (on this episode and on others I've seen) who are so willing to put up with men who treat them like absolute shit. It's also hard for me to watch adults who have been through super morbid obesity and learned how to eat healthy insist that they have to feed their children crap like biscuits and fried sandwiches slathered in grease. Children don't need biscuits and fried greasy sandwiches any more than adults do. It's like these parents *want* their children to grow up to be 600 lbs too. Children of obese parents have a very high likelihood of ending up obese themselves, and IMO those parents have an extra responsibility to teach them healthy eating early on.

Disclaimer: I don't have children so my parenting thoughts should probably be dismissed out of hand.

[JThompson72 17]

I haven't seen that episode but, for me, that show is like a wreck on the highway anyway; just can't stop watching. I cry, I laugh, I get beyond disgusted, but still I watch. At first, it was a there but for the grace of God thing. But then I started seeing some of my own issues in those people. They just stopped fighting (looked away I call it) a little longer than me. I do hate hearing some regress - it just seems so unfair when you've done something so drastic as surgery and then made so many changes. But that's addiction for you - always waiting quietly in the shadows for the tiniest slip and then not letting go.

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[sgc 538]

Honestly, I found it encouraging. Melissa weighed over 600 pounds. She's cut her weight in over half and would be dead by now if she hadn't done the surgery. I haven't had my surgery yet, but I started at 470 pounds. If I'm 235 pounds after 10 years, I'll be thrilled. These people are the extreme and don't represent the majority of weight loss patients.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Once again ... cannot understand why anyone watches that schadenfreude fest.

Most "patients" on that show are severely bananas, with family members who are just as nuts.

The "stars" of that show are recruited / cast for their outlier physical, intellectual, and social issues. I don't think their massive challenges are at all typical of most WLS patients.

I doubt any of the 600-pound *stars* would have qualified for WLS surgery at my surgeon's practice.

As we all know, WLS alone doesn't resolve obesity.

[sgc 538]

Once again ... cannot understand why anyone watches that schadenfreude fest.

Most "patients" on that show are severely bananas, with family members who are just as nuts.

The "stars" of that show are recruited / cast for their outlier physical, intellectual, and social issues. I don't think their massive challenges are at all typical of most WLS patients.

I doubt any of the 600-pound *stars* would have qualified for WLS surgery at my surgeon's practice.

As we all know, WLS alone doesn't resolve obesity.

It's a show for entertainment and of course they will have the extreme cases. No one wants to see just an average 300 pound person get weight loss surgery. It's not a documentary about weight loss surgery. They wouldn't qualify at most surgeons practice. That's why they travel to Houston because Dr. Now is one of the few doctors in the country who will operate on people that size.