Author Topic: My 600lb life - ZOMG!  (Read 12314 times)

Metalcat

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #50 on: August 01, 2020, 08:30:34 PM »

Each of them has conscious control of one side, but there's a huge part of movement that's unconscious and part of the deeper nervous system, which the girls share.

 OK, but this unconscious, deeper nervous system is located where?
Quote
So basically, each of them can decide what they want their side to do, but the underlying systems that actually turn that desire into movement are all coordinating to make the movements happen.
There have got to be times when the two brains have not made the same decision,
one is on the gas and the other is on the brake, sometimes in an emergency situation, you can either speed up or slow down. I think that one probably has a stronger personality or at least more stuborn and they more often take the lead and the other backs off.
Quote
I used to poke brains for a living.

It's difficult to explain, but basically, below their conscious level, their two brains are cooperating for more unconscious tasks. It's not as clear cut as two separate brains that discretely control two different sides.

They consciously feel only one side and they consciously control only one side. Meaning, that's the stuff that they are aware of and can describe. So only one brain will register awareness of feelings on one side. However, that doesn't mean that that brain doesn't get plenty of signals from the other side. It does, just not that she's aware of.

A simple example is that both brains need to process the signals from all four inner ears in order to maintain balance. If they were truly separate from the neck up with no communication between the brains, they wouldn't be able to stand without falling over.

The brains talk to each other, they just do it in the background. The subconscious brain is not a location, it's a function. That's like asking which part of your computer does the work you can't see or control on the screen.

One probably does have more control over movement than the other. If they're both right side dominant, then it's probably whomever controls the right side.

ETA: wait, wtf, you drive with one foot on the gas and one on the break???
« Last Edit: August 01, 2020, 08:33:48 PM by Malcat »

iris lily

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #51 on: August 02, 2020, 09:03:57 AM »
I’ve been watching Abby and Brittany, the conjoined twins from Minnesota, for years now. Their reality show didn’t take off, in my opinion,  because actually these two girls are just too damn normal and the show was not crafted to produce drama. They’re cute normal Midwestern girls. Not much to see here folks after the first half hour of introduction to them.

The main interesting thing is how they coordinate movement, as discussed above.

Last I heard they turned 30, and they had classroom teaching jobs.
« Last Edit: August 02, 2020, 09:09:17 AM by iris lily »

GuitarStv

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #52 on: August 02, 2020, 09:27:53 AM »
I'm mostly very sad for those people - both the 600 pound life and hoarders shows. All of the episodes I've watched, they're very damaged people. Abuse, depression, tragedy, etc.
Yes. I don't think someone else's aimless suffering should be my entertainment. This show is simply the modern version of the circus freakshow. It's not respectful of people as human beings.

I don't think people would watch, or produce, a show that focusses on panning the lifestyles of cognitively disabled people or people with other genetic abnormalities. Focussing on the morbidly obese seems to be in the same category to me. You are getting off on watching someone with major and deep-seated problems. It's not something that I could ever enjoy or even feel comfortable watching.

There are plenty of reality TV shows that do this already.  Shows where women prostitute themselves to 'get' a particular man.  Shows where people with mental problems related to hoarding things have others invade their homes and take away their things.  Shows where mentally deranged housewives argue and fight with one another over nothing.  All of this type of television is kinda unsavoury.

Just to be fair, there are also shows where men "prostitute" themselves to "get" a particular woman.  And shows--some of the most profitable out there--where men subject themselves to crippling injuries both physical and mental--to bang into one another and move a ball around.  I assume we consider those equally "unsavoury".

I had to think about this for a bit.  Obviously the men prostituting themselves to a rich woman are exactly the same.  But sport is somewhat different, as most people involved in sports would be involved in the sport recreationally if no paid professional options existed.  The same claim can not be made for prostitutes (the woman or man wouldn't be fucking the John if money wasn't involved).

I'm not generally a fan of professional sports and hate the tremendous waste of money we spend on them as a society and import given to them.  But I might also be a hypocrite.  I'm generally happy to watch a boxing match, wrestling match, judo/BJJ tournament, or (highlights of a) cycling race . . . but my interest is because these are areas that I compete in or have competed in as an amateur.  It's possible to pick up tips and ideas to improve your own performance from these viewings.  When large quantities of money get involved, often I do feel that something is lost from the sport - instances of questionable judging, cheating, doping, back room dealing all tend to come up and can seriously diminish much of what is most interesting.

So, in conclusion, male prostitutes - equally unsavoury, sporting - not ideal but on a slightly different level.

Metalcat

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #53 on: August 02, 2020, 09:37:25 AM »
I'm mostly very sad for those people - both the 600 pound life and hoarders shows. All of the episodes I've watched, they're very damaged people. Abuse, depression, tragedy, etc.
Yes. I don't think someone else's aimless suffering should be my entertainment. This show is simply the modern version of the circus freakshow. It's not respectful of people as human beings.

I don't think people would watch, or produce, a show that focusses on panning the lifestyles of cognitively disabled people or people with other genetic abnormalities. Focussing on the morbidly obese seems to be in the same category to me. You are getting off on watching someone with major and deep-seated problems. It's not something that I could ever enjoy or even feel comfortable watching.

There are plenty of reality TV shows that do this already.  Shows where women prostitute themselves to 'get' a particular man.  Shows where people with mental problems related to hoarding things have others invade their homes and take away their things.  Shows where mentally deranged housewives argue and fight with one another over nothing.  All of this type of television is kinda unsavoury.

Just to be fair, there are also shows where men "prostitute" themselves to "get" a particular woman.  And shows--some of the most profitable out there--where men subject themselves to crippling injuries both physical and mental--to bang into one another and move a ball around.  I assume we consider those equally "unsavoury".

I had to think about this for a bit.  Obviously the men prostituting themselves to a rich woman are exactly the same.  But sport is somewhat different, as most people involved in sports would be involved in the sport recreationally if no paid professional options existed.  The same claim can not be made for prostitutes (the woman or man wouldn't be fucking the John if money wasn't involved).

I'm not generally a fan of professional sports and hate the tremendous waste of money we spend on them as a society and import given to them.  But I might also be a hypocrite.  I'm generally happy to watch a boxing match, wrestling match, judo/BJJ tournament, or (highlights of a) cycling race . . . but my interest is because these are areas that I compete in or have competed in as an amateur.  It's possible to pick up tips and ideas to improve your own performance from these viewings.  When large quantities of money get involved, often I do feel that something is lost from the sport - instances of questionable judging, cheating, doping, back room dealing all tend to come up and can seriously diminish much of what is most interesting.

So, in conclusion, male prostitutes - equally unsavoury, sporting - not ideal but on a slightly different level.

Well, ostensibly on these shows they are trying to find romantic connections, which is absolutely something people do, unpaid, in their normal lives.

I say ostensibly, because a lot of those people are doing it to become famous, not to prostitute themselves literally to the person for money.

So I don't see how engaging in dating with the aim of fame and profit is any different fundamentally from engaging in sports for fame and profit, except that in the dating context, people aren't getting their brains permanently damaged through repeated blows.

Sorry, I don't see how sport is somehow morally superior here.

GuitarStv

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #54 on: August 02, 2020, 09:46:40 AM »
I guess it's the motive.  If you're in sport for fame and profit, then yeah, I agree with you . . . that's pretty icky.  But I'd be surprised to learn that was the motivation for most professionals.  (And if you're in it for fame/profit in any of the amateur stuff I've been involved in, you're going to give up really, really soon . . . because there isn't any.  :P )

Metalcat

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #55 on: August 02, 2020, 11:34:59 AM »
I guess it's the motive.  If you're in sport for fame and profit, then yeah, I agree with you . . . that's pretty icky.  But I'd be surprised to learn that was the motivation for most professionals.  (And if you're in it for fame/profit in any of the amateur stuff I've been involved in, you're going to give up really, really soon . . . because there isn't any.  :P )

Is what you are saying is that professional athletes all have pure motivations and are all just there for the love of the game???

The professional athletes I've known.are 100% only willing to put up with the horrible injuries and bullshit of their careers because they're paid well to do so and because people give them lots of love and appreciation for it (ie: fame). I dated a professional athlete, it's a totally different world from hobby sports, and it can be extremely ugly.

Sure, there are athletes who claw their way to the pro level with no ambition towards fame or profit, but I think they're about as common as people who go on dating shows for fun and to possibly make a romantic connection.

GuitarStv

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #56 on: August 02, 2020, 12:01:50 PM »
That hasn't been my experience.  This might be dependent on the sport you're going pro in.  Maybe things are different in the big ball sports . . . but I've known and trained under people who have done many professional fights (in boxing, Muay Thai, and MMA).  My old BJJ coach won three televised UFC matches that I saw, and he never had enough money to quit his day job as an instructor.  :P  Unless you manage to make it to the very highest of the highest echelons of these sports you really aren't getting much in the way of fame or cash . . . so I can't see it really being a primary motivation.  Unless they're all really deluded.

Metalcat

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #57 on: August 02, 2020, 01:19:15 PM »
That hasn't been my experience.  This might be dependent on the sport you're going pro in.  Maybe things are different in the big ball sports . . . but I've known and trained under people who have done many professional fights (in boxing, Muay Thai, and MMA).  My old BJJ coach won three televised UFC matches that I saw, and he never had enough money to quit his day job as an instructor.  :P  Unless you manage to make it to the very highest of the highest echelons of these sports you really aren't getting much in the way of fame or cash . . . so I can't see it really being a primary motivation.  Unless they're all really deluded.

Ah yes, I do know some MMA folks who get themselves severely injured with no possibility of any significant personal gain. They're a special breed for sure. One of DH's frat bros has been doing fights for years.

On the flip side, I've known a lot of "ballers" and hockey players who very openly dream of the kinds of cars they would buy if they made it big like their idols...so...no, I'm not buying that all wannabe professional athletes are immune to the pull of fame and fortune.

BTDretire

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #58 on: August 03, 2020, 08:49:48 AM »

ETA: wait, wtf, you drive with one foot on the gas and one on the break???
Hmm, ya, they probably don't control the pedals that way, but, I would like to know for sure. They do steer with with arms consciously controlled by different brains. Thanks for the ideas about unconscious control and unconscious connection of the two brains. Still fascinated by it all.

Just Joe

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #59 on: August 03, 2020, 09:59:08 AM »
https://youtu.be/K57IcN9DWXo?t=655

There is their description of driving. Also, they can ride a bike.

Villanelle

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #60 on: August 03, 2020, 11:35:54 AM »
I'm mostly very sad for those people - both the 600 pound life and hoarders shows. All of the episodes I've watched, they're very damaged people. Abuse, depression, tragedy, etc.
Yes. I don't think someone else's aimless suffering should be my entertainment. This show is simply the modern version of the circus freakshow. It's not respectful of people as human beings.

I don't think people would watch, or produce, a show that focusses on panning the lifestyles of cognitively disabled people or people with other genetic abnormalities. Focussing on the morbidly obese seems to be in the same category to me. You are getting off on watching someone with major and deep-seated problems. It's not something that I could ever enjoy or even feel comfortable watching.

There are plenty of reality TV shows that do this already.  Shows where women prostitute themselves to 'get' a particular man.  Shows where people with mental problems related to hoarding things have others invade their homes and take away their things.  Shows where mentally deranged housewives argue and fight with one another over nothing.  All of this type of television is kinda unsavoury.

Just to be fair, there are also shows where men "prostitute" themselves to "get" a particular woman.  And shows--some of the most profitable out there--where men subject themselves to crippling injuries both physical and mental--to bang into one another and move a ball around.  I assume we consider those equally "unsavoury".

I had to think about this for a bit.  Obviously the men prostituting themselves to a rich woman are exactly the same. But sport is somewhat different, as most people involved in sports would be involved in the sport recreationally if no paid professional options existed.  The same claim can not be made for prostitutes (the woman or man wouldn't be fucking the John if money wasn't involved).

I'm not generally a fan of professional sports and hate the tremendous waste of money we spend on them as a society and import given to them.  But I might also be a hypocrite.  I'm generally happy to watch a boxing match, wrestling match, judo/BJJ tournament, or (highlights of a) cycling race . . . but my interest is because these are areas that I compete in or have competed in as an amateur.  It's possible to pick up tips and ideas to improve your own performance from these viewings.  When large quantities of money get involved, often I do feel that something is lost from the sport - instances of questionable judging, cheating, doping, back room dealing all tend to come up and can seriously diminish much of what is most interesting.

So, in conclusion, male prostitutes - equally unsavoury, sporting - not ideal but on a slightly different level.

I can buy that most of those men would perhaps be playing the occasional ball game if they weren't getting paid or on TV. But those men and women would be dating and having sex if they weren't getting paid or on TV.  So I don't think your differentiation makes much sense.  They might not be dating or having sex with *that specific person*, but nor would your sport-prostitutes be playing that game with those teammates against that other team in that stadium.  So on both cases, same activity, but entirely different circumstances.

All parties are selling their labor for money via the entertainment industry (assuming when you refer to the prostitutes you are talking about the perfect healthy people making their own decisions to be on a reality show about dating that doesn't require but probably encourages some level of sexual activity, which they are free to enter into, or not).

People who sell access to some aspect of their life--dating, throwing a ball, whatever--for the entertainment of others seem pretty damn similar.  Although on a dating show, I'd guess (because I don't watch them) that most of the time they are at least having safer sex, meaning the changes they are taking in order to get that fame and money are less dangerous that those of many of the professional athletes.  So which is more unsavory: watching someone make out with someone they don't know very well, or watching them brutalize their body and likely cause permanent physical and mental damage which varies from minor to crippling to life-ending?  IOW, fucking (if/when that's what happens on those shows) seems far less risky than bashing your head repeatedly against something and bending your knees in ways they don't naturally go.  So as a spectator, paying for the former seems far less unsavory than paying for the latter. 

(Not to mention the fact that what most professional athletes do sexually but not on public cameras is likely at least as frivolous as what those on dating shows do.  Same behavior, they just aren't broadcasting it.  Does that make it meaningfully better?) 

It's just easier to be judgmental about someone's sexual choices than their sporting choices because that's what society does, especially with women. 

Metalcat

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #61 on: August 03, 2020, 11:52:52 AM »

ETA: wait, wtf, you drive with one foot on the gas and one on the break???
Hmm, ya, they probably don't control the pedals that way, but, I would like to know for sure. They do steer with with arms consciously controlled by different brains. Thanks for the ideas about unconscious control and unconscious connection of the two brains. Still fascinated by it all.

Nobody really steers consciously with their arms though. You consciously decide where to go, and then the brain and body process an astronomical amount of information and make it happen.

Very, very, very little of what the body does is consciously controlled. And it's not as black and white as "here's the brain and here's the body and one controls the other." It's more like a complex network with a central processor.

Also, the system will adapt to virtually anything during development. So it doesn't matter if the normal way it's set up wouldn't work for conjoined twins, because their system would have just adapted to figure it out.

That's what I used to research: how the brain and nervous system will just grow differently if under different circumstances. Rats who have had one inner ear removed before they develop hearing will have the normal growth on one side of their hearing/balance parts of their brain and the other side just re-routes itself in ways that make sense with one ear.

Whatever the circumstances in it's way, the system just works around them.

GuitarStv

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #62 on: August 03, 2020, 01:41:20 PM »
I'm mostly very sad for those people - both the 600 pound life and hoarders shows. All of the episodes I've watched, they're very damaged people. Abuse, depression, tragedy, etc.
Yes. I don't think someone else's aimless suffering should be my entertainment. This show is simply the modern version of the circus freakshow. It's not respectful of people as human beings.

I don't think people would watch, or produce, a show that focusses on panning the lifestyles of cognitively disabled people or people with other genetic abnormalities. Focussing on the morbidly obese seems to be in the same category to me. You are getting off on watching someone with major and deep-seated problems. It's not something that I could ever enjoy or even feel comfortable watching.

There are plenty of reality TV shows that do this already.  Shows where women prostitute themselves to 'get' a particular man.  Shows where people with mental problems related to hoarding things have others invade their homes and take away their things.  Shows where mentally deranged housewives argue and fight with one another over nothing.  All of this type of television is kinda unsavoury.

Just to be fair, there are also shows where men "prostitute" themselves to "get" a particular woman.  And shows--some of the most profitable out there--where men subject themselves to crippling injuries both physical and mental--to bang into one another and move a ball around.  I assume we consider those equally "unsavoury".

I had to think about this for a bit.  Obviously the men prostituting themselves to a rich woman are exactly the same. But sport is somewhat different, as most people involved in sports would be involved in the sport recreationally if no paid professional options existed.  The same claim can not be made for prostitutes (the woman or man wouldn't be fucking the John if money wasn't involved).

I'm not generally a fan of professional sports and hate the tremendous waste of money we spend on them as a society and import given to them.  But I might also be a hypocrite.  I'm generally happy to watch a boxing match, wrestling match, judo/BJJ tournament, or (highlights of a) cycling race . . . but my interest is because these are areas that I compete in or have competed in as an amateur.  It's possible to pick up tips and ideas to improve your own performance from these viewings.  When large quantities of money get involved, often I do feel that something is lost from the sport - instances of questionable judging, cheating, doping, back room dealing all tend to come up and can seriously diminish much of what is most interesting.

So, in conclusion, male prostitutes - equally unsavoury, sporting - not ideal but on a slightly different level.

I can buy that most of those men would perhaps be playing the occasional ball game if they weren't getting paid or on TV. But those men and women would be dating and having sex if they weren't getting paid or on TV.  So I don't think your differentiation makes much sense.  They might not be dating or having sex with *that specific person*, but nor would your sport-prostitutes be playing that game with those teammates against that other team in that stadium.  So on both cases, same activity, but entirely different circumstances.

All parties are selling their labor for money via the entertainment industry (assuming when you refer to the prostitutes you are talking about the perfect healthy people making their own decisions to be on a reality show about dating that doesn't require but probably encourages some level of sexual activity, which they are free to enter into, or not).

People who sell access to some aspect of their life--dating, throwing a ball, whatever--for the entertainment of others seem pretty damn similar.  Although on a dating show, I'd guess (because I don't watch them) that most of the time they are at least having safer sex, meaning the changes they are taking in order to get that fame and money are less dangerous that those of many of the professional athletes.  So which is more unsavory: watching someone make out with someone they don't know very well, or watching them brutalize their body and likely cause permanent physical and mental damage which varies from minor to crippling to life-ending?  IOW, fucking (if/when that's what happens on those shows) seems far less risky than bashing your head repeatedly against something and bending your knees in ways they don't naturally go.  So as a spectator, paying for the former seems far less unsavory than paying for the latter. 

(Not to mention the fact that what most professional athletes do sexually but not on public cameras is likely at least as frivolous as what those on dating shows do.  Same behavior, they just aren't broadcasting it.  Does that make it meaningfully better?) 

It's just easier to be judgmental about someone's sexual choices than their sporting choices because that's what society does, especially with women.

My goal was not really to judge the sexual choices of prostitutes, it was to explain why I'm not a fan of 'reality' television . . . but point taken.

talltexan

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #63 on: August 17, 2020, 06:41:43 AM »
I’ve been watching Abby and Brittany, the conjoined twins from Minnesota, for years now. Their reality show didn’t take off, in my opinion,  because actually these two girls are just too damn normal and the show was not crafted to produce drama. They’re cute normal Midwestern girls. Not much to see here folks after the first half hour of introduction to them.

The main interesting thing is how they coordinate movement, as discussed above.

Last I heard they turned 30, and they had classroom teaching jobs.

I noticed the plural. It's good that they have complementary skill sets. I can imagine it would be miserable to be an artsy-type and have to be present while your conjoined twin was designing a jet engine or something.

CraigLePaige

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #64 on: September 29, 2020, 09:16:01 PM »
I recently read a tweet that said, "Y'all eat like you got free healthcare!"

This comment included a picture of a KFC donut chicken sandwich, which, you guessed it, substituted the bread slices on the chicken sandwich for glazed donuts.

GuitarStv

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #65 on: September 30, 2020, 07:06:38 AM »
I recently read a tweet that said, "Y'all eat like you got free healthcare!"

This comment included a picture of a KFC donut chicken sandwich, which, you guessed it, substituted the bread slices on the chicken sandwich for glazed donuts.

You say that like it's unhealthy.  Donuts are made of nuts, right?  And nuts are healthy . . . right?  Right?  :P

economista

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #66 on: September 30, 2020, 07:50:10 AM »
This thread got me interested in watching the show and I've watched quite a few episodes on Hulu over the past few months. I actually find it really, really sad that these people have no idea what a healthy diet really is. Deep fried chicken is healthy because chicken is healthy, orange juice is healthy and doesn't count as consuming sugar, etc. You can also see that they have been raised to eat incredibly unhealthy foods by their family members, all of whom are usually quite large themselves, if not 600 pounds. It hurts my heart when I see the patient trying to stick to their healthy diet, but then still going through the McDonald's drive thru because "my kids still have to eat." It is easy to see why the childhood obesity epidemic is so bad.

I don't think I updated this thread after my mom came to stay with me a few months ago. She had gastric bypass surgery 2 years ago and she is a skeleton now. She still hasn't stopped losing weight and she has become unhealthy in the other extreme. One day when she was here I kept track she only ate 500 calories, and they were all empty calories devoid of any nutrition. I tried talking to her about healthy eating and how to eat healthy and she still doesn't get it. With her "healthy diet" she is allowed to eat <10g of sugar at one sitting - so she will honestly sit down and eat 5 sour patch candies as one meal. Because each individual candy has 2g of sugar, she can have 5 and stay under her limit, SO SHE THINKS IT IS A HEALTHY MEAL. At each of the *actually healthy* meals I cooked she took no more than 2 bites and said that is all her stomach can hold. At one meal she actually threw up afterward and said I must have put in things she can't have; that isn't true and I actually looked up the dietary guidelines following gastric bypass when I made our meal plan. I even substituted quinoa in place of rice because quinoa was on her "highly encouraged to eat" list - she had no idea what it was. She would rather eat a slim jim for her meal - it has protein!

At one point I got really frustrated and almost lost my temper. Instead of the meal I cooked she ate those processed cheese and peanut butter cracker sandwich things instead. I made a comment about how that wasn't a healthy meal and it didn't have any nutrients. She got really irritated and said it was on her list of approved foods so she can eat it. I told her it might be on the list of approved foods, but it doesn't mean that it should be the only thing she eats for a meal! It also doesn't mean that it is "healthy" and it certainly isn't healthier than eating a balanced meal. It just means it is something her stomach could process when she started solids again after her surgery. I've found that she completely has blinders on - she looks at the list of foods they gave her and sees 3-4 processed, packaged items that she recognizes and wants to eat, and sticks with those and completely ignores the 100 other healthy raw foods on that list that are full of nutrients. On her first day here she tried saying she couldn't eat what I cooked because it didn't have a label and she doesn't eat anything without a label to check the sugar content and calories. She made it sound like it was a really good thing and she said before her surgery she had never looked at a label in her life, and now she is so good and checks every label. I pointed out to her that we try to only buy things that don't have labels, because if it has a label it probably isn't healthy. She didn't like that comment at all. 

Sibley

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #67 on: September 30, 2020, 08:56:27 AM »
economista, it sounds very much like your mother has an eating disorder. Can you encourage her to talk to her doctor and get a referral to someone who can teach her how to eat healthy?

I suspect it's quite common for people who get to such massive weights to basically need professional help to redefine everything. What is a healthy weight, what is a healthy meal, how to cook, how to shop.... when your norms are so badly skewed, it's not easy to fix.

CraigLePaige

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #68 on: September 30, 2020, 10:30:45 AM »
I recently read a tweet that said, "Y'all eat like you got free healthcare!"

This comment included a picture of a KFC donut chicken sandwich, which, you guessed it, substituted the bread slices on the chicken sandwich for glazed donuts.

You say that like it's unhealthy.  Donuts are made of nuts, right?  And nuts are healthy . . . right?  Right?  :P


I'm dumbfounded by what some people consider to be normal eating habits.

I currently have two co-workers, both guys I'm their mid twenties, who drink about 4-5 energy drinks a day. Like it's nothing. Our shop doesn't have heat so in the summer months they drink more, you know cause they, "Gotta stay hydrated!"

We have FREE water bottles in the lunch room. I would put a whole case in the fridge on Monday and it wouldn't be used by anyone but me so instead I just refilled one or two bottles as I drank them or would bring my own cup with ice and use it throughout the day. The cases would then sit there until they were used by customers who hardly drank them since we offer free refreshments (Soda, seltzer flavored water and coffee).

Apparently water isn't hydrating enough :(

Metalcat

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #69 on: September 30, 2020, 11:01:58 AM »
economista, it sounds very much like your mother has an eating disorder. Can you encourage her to talk to her doctor and get a referral to someone who can teach her how to eat healthy?

I suspect it's quite common for people who get to such massive weights to basically need professional help to redefine everything. What is a healthy weight, what is a healthy meal, how to cook, how to shop.... when your norms are so badly skewed, it's not easy to fix.

I know very little about weight loss surgery, but for some reason I had assumed that it always came with ongoing nutritional and psychological counselling.

That might just be in Canada though.

economista

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Re: My 600lb life - ZOMG!
« Reply #70 on: September 30, 2020, 11:14:04 AM »
economista, it sounds very much like your mother has an eating disorder. Can you encourage her to talk to her doctor and get a referral to someone who can teach her how to eat healthy?

I suspect it's quite common for people who get to such massive weights to basically need professional help to redefine everything. What is a healthy weight, what is a healthy meal, how to cook, how to shop.... when your norms are so badly skewed, it's not easy to fix.

I know very little about weight loss surgery, but for some reason I had assumed that it always came with ongoing nutritional and psychological counselling.

That might just be in Canada though.

Yes, I have tried talking to her about it and she isn't willing to discuss it. From her point of view she is following all of the rules and doesn't need any additional nutritional counseling. She is also someone who vehemently refuses any kind of mental health counseling (even though I've never met someone who needs it more) and she looks down on people who do see a therapist; she is very non-PC and thinks therapy is for "liberal nutcases." When my sister's doctor put her on anti-depressants at 15 years old there was almost a major family falling out when she told me that mom told her she's crazy and should be locked up in a mental hospital.

My brother and I have talked about her situation extensively and we have to take the approach of "she's an adult and she's going to do what she wants to do." We have to let her make her own decisions and we can't want it more for her than she wants it for herself. It is heartbreaking to watch her slowly kill herself, because that is what she is doing, but she does it by smoking too. I either have to ignore 99% of what she does and make very hesitant comments whenever it seems appropriate, or completely cut her out of my life. For now I'm trying my hardest to keep some form of relationship with her.