Dietitian Reviews 1000 lb Sisters (Are These People Being EXPLOITED for VIEWS?!)

Hey everyone I’m Abbey Sharp welcome to Abbey’s Kitchen. In todays video, we will be talking about everything wrong with the new hit lifestyle series, 1000 Lb sisters.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease

Thank you to Kristin Willard, RD for her contribution to this video!

Kristin Willard, RD

A FEW DISCLAIMERS

1) The information in this video is for education and entertainment purposes only, so you should always speak to a health care provider about your unique health needs.

2) Please use this video (as with all of my review videos) as educational, not as unique recommendations.

3) Please be kind in the comments.

4) Trigger warning to those with disordered eating tendencies.

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If you liked this video, please leave me a comment below with your thoughts and let me know who you want me to review next!

With Science & Sass,

Xoxo Abbey
Contribution by Giselle Segovia RD MHSc and Rachel Levy

[melissaj]

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.

[charlottecowley]

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.

[ruthzia]

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!

[gracieghul]

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.

[meredithgomes]

I’m so glad you’re talking about this!! Thank you Abbey💗
(Also gotta say purple looks great on you!)

[blairpersyn]

Omg I’ve been watching that show since it began and I’m so excited to hear your perspective on it. I’m a dietitian too!

[VictoriaHealing]

Am I the only one who misses Abbey's old studio kitchen background?....

[madisoncullman]

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.

[samanthaquant]

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).

[gothgirlatheart]

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.

[reginalemoine]

Excellent video, Abbey. I can’t watch the show because it very much feels like the sisters are repeatedly put into humiliating situations, along with being blamed for their weight. The show is especially cruel in the way its editing portrays Tammy. It’s sad.

[cosmicorinne]

I like when you said that the dieticians were telling them what to eat and not HOW to eat. I feel like this happens with all eating disorders. It’s like there’s a disconnect between clinicians and patients where they don’t get we need step by step instructions or a hand hold sometimes bc we have no idea what we’re doing. From the grocery shopping all the way up to the cooking and eating of the meals is a lot of steps.

Sure I could grocery shop for others but had a difficult time leaving the store with anything for myself or what I planned to get, I couldn’t prioritize best by dates so a lot of food would go bad, I’d struggle to create appropriate portion sizes. It’s so much more complicated than just giving someone a meal plan and telling them to eat it and then saying their not trying hard enough when they aren’t successful at it.

[Kat_Ducky_]

Gotta say, you've got the cutest video intro :))

[forrestfey]

The same genre as old time freak shows

[sisterursuline]

It’s not ideal, but I think we should also consider that given how poor these ladies were growing up and into adulthood, their family history of obesity and their low income household (resulting in poor food choices as it was all they could afford) - they likely could not have accessed any of this medical or psychological care without the payment they received from TLC. It’s not perfect but given how extreme their obesity and seeing how positive the results of the surgery were for Chris and Any, and the reality that Tammy could die in the next 5 years without that surgery… in this instance, I believe the treatment is warranted. Of course I don’t believe they should be judged at all, but it is inspirational to see that when they get the psychological help they need, their diet and exercise efforts do pay off and afford them more freedom and opportunity.

[izzybyi]

I'd also like to add lots of anorexics like (me)
Watch it to have motivation to not eat.

[TheBadassplaya]

i would still marry her, love is unconditional, i'm not perfect myself, i have a lot of imperfections, but it doesn't matter, love doesn't judge, i wish i can find a wife like her

[guesswho]

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.

[cyn]

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.

[siarazdan]

I’m so glad you’re doing a video on this. The comment section under their videos has got to be the most triggering and toxic thing ever.