I watched another installment of My 600LB Life on TLC Monday night and last night, it was Melissa’s story. Wow, that is the word I use for Melissa, she started at over 700 pounds, yes 700, that is not a typo. She underwent the gastric bypass surgery and began her weight loss journey. Her goal, to have a child, she is married and they want a family, which she cannot have being the weight she is.
I have to admit, it was hard seeing a woman who had allowed herself to get to this size, saying I don’t know how I got here. Well, yes, she did, her husband was her caretaker and enabler. He really wanted to keep her fat, he had a deep need to be a caretaker, and in Melissa he found the perfect person to do that with. He admitted he would buy her 2 huge burgers, 2 orders of fries and soda and candy for one meal.
After the surgery she was a woman possessed, following the doctors orders to the T, it was very impressive. The more mobile she became, the worse her marriage became, her husband was resentful that she was not needing him as much. If you ask me he was a giant whiny baby, we also find out he has cheated on her, multiple times. When she was on the operating table he was busy texting a woman to arrange a “hook-up” for sex. She found out everything after weight loss.
Melissa ended up losing 473 pounds and to date has had 2 skin removal surgeries, she has also realized her dream of having a child. To date she and her philandering husband are still together.
After Melissa’s story aired they played the reunion show, where all 4 people got together to discuss their journeys. We got to see Henry again! How I love that man, his humility, his joyous spirit and his determination. He has kept the weight off, he and his wife are happily married and he is just an amazing man. He is by far my favorite, when faced with adversity he just kept going, never cheating, never despairing, always, always joyous. He said the message he wanted people to take from this is that surgery is not a magic cure, it is hard work and without it he would be dead by now. This was not only life changing it was life saving for the four people featured.
Oh, I have to add, Melissa now counsels other weight loss patients, she is doing great, Ashley has lost more weight since the show aired and I have to be honest I have not seen the other mans story. But he is not doing as well as the rest of them, he has gained weight and Melissa got onto him, telling him he had made bad choices, she held him accountable. Good for her. We should all have someone in our lives who holds us accountable for our bad choices.
Gratefulness, Weight and Henry
I discovered a new television show, on TLC, it is a 4 part series where they have followed four different people from 2004 to 2011 who started out at over 600 pounds and had the gastric bypass. First up was Henry, he lives in Houston, TX and was close to 700 pounds. This is a man who could not walk without the use of a walker, he lost te ability to work due to not being able to get around. They interviewed his mother who said she blamed herself because she allowed him to eat anything and everything when he was growing up. Henry made the decision to have the surgery and make the lifestyle changes. This man realized he was going to have to change, that it was not an easy fix, he would still have to do the work. And work he did, he joined a gym, his first goal to walk without aid, he did it! I have to tell you, I was proud of him, he was working hard. He lost enough that he qualified for skin removal surgery. After the surgery his sister is taking him home and says I have to get Momma a sandwich and stops at McDonald’s. When they get home it shows everyone chowing down on these huge burgers, fries, sodas and shakes. Does Henry falter? No, he does not! He says to the camera this is hard, and gets up and goes to his bedroom and shuts the door. He is determined not to go backwards. By the end of the show, Henry has lost almost 500 pounds, he is down to 275, it ends with footage of his wedding. 53 years old and married for the first time.
I love this man, his determination and plain old-fashioned stick to it attitude was amazing, even when faced with temptation Henry kept going. We could all take a lesson from Henry, set a goal and stick to it, not just with weight, but with anything we want to do. What I took from the program is that anything is possible once you set your mind to it. Even when faced with what seems like an insurmountable goal, like losing 500 pounds, if you do it one step at a time you will get there.
Yesterday I had so many good things happen, my car was fixed, I got to have a small coffee treat with the Irishman, I got to see Jeffrey and Tessa and Alex came home from Mexico. So many things to be grateful for, I believe if we are grateful for even the small things in life the bigger ones are that much sweeter. I am going to end this post with one thing I am grateful for:
I am grateful for the many people in my life that never give up on me.
Angie World 