stupid double post

While I agree that Stacy is a lazy, over spending, idiot who had no business getting pregnant in the first place - I thought Dr. Phil was seriously talking out of both sides of his mouth at her. One second he's snapping, "Is it the truth that you just have no intention of working?" with a big sneer and a condemning attitude and the next second, he seems to remember where he is and starts trying to save himself with a lot of , "Oh, uh, not that there's anything wrong with stay-at-home moms, they work the equivalent of two full-time jobs, they're great, don't get mad at me, blah, blah, back pedal, back pedal."

How does that work, Phil? What you're asking Stacy to do? I imagine it is hard to get a job when you're pregnant and everyone in the country knows you're irresponsible and have skanky morals. Besides, after the baby is born Stacy may not earn enough to justify daycare, a second car, work clothes and extra taxes. I think she might just be better off staying home, cooking, cleaning, caring for the baby, ironing, and most of all, selling her car and just stopping the spending for a while.

Re: FUF2.... I agree, they are incredibly boring. I'm even interested in all kinds of psychology but there is just not much there. It's a lazy couple who seems more interested in being on "reality tv" (despite how much they complain about it).
NO ONE is making them do this and if they are not ready and willing... they are wasting lots of time and money. Is that not step 1 in recovery... acknowledging help is needed and making an honest effort towards that?? I'm sure there is at least one other family out there that would be willing to work with what DrP has to offer.
I hate to say it but when they show this group is kind of a "who cares?".

Re: FUF1.... These folks need to be wrapping this up! Marty is creepier than he's led on and Erin needs to do something or get off the pot. I hate to think she's stayed in it this long because of the DrP investment. How much longer is she going to allow Marty to do emotional damage to her and her girls? If he were physically abusing them and her, would a decision take this long?? I hope DrP has offered to provide long term therapy for those girls cuz they are going to need it!
I'm kind of hoping since DrP was a football player in school and is much bigger than Marty, that he would just clothesline the creep and call it a closed case!

I'm looking forward to FUF #1 Thursday like you can't believe!

It looks like it's gonna be a total ambush (again).

However, once again I feel very divided.

Dr. Phil clearly has some outside data that Marty didn't know he had -- that proves just how deceitful and skanky and treatment-resistant he is -- and yet rather then confront him with it with it just being he and the four of them off-stage (a good place given the volatile content) DP is once again setting him up for an on-stage-ambush and I don't feel too good about that at all even if Marty is the most deceitful and duplicitous trauma suvivor I've seen in quite a while. Marty needs to be confronted, but MUST it take place in front of a live studio audience? It will be bad for him, bad for Erin, and bad for Those Idiot Girls. In fact, the only people who will likely benefit is DP, his ratings, and we the viewers though I suppose if Erin finally gets rid of him both she and the girls will be in better shape.

However, having offered my voice of concern and moral disclaimer, I have to say I am REALLY looking forward to observing (and replaying) the emotional six car pile-up that's going to happen when Erin and Those Idiot Girls find out The Truth.

I also think this is going to fulfill DP's Alpha Male Obsession where he -- once again -- takes down (yet another) ne'er do well man and proves to said man's wounded family, the audience, and Robin of Troy / The Herbal Menopause / The Botox Worship / The Spring Water Colonics that, aw shucks, he (Patriarch Phil) really is the nicest and most sensitive man on Earth and how lucky Robin is to have him as a husband! I almost feel like we should refer to DP's studio audience (Female AND Male!) as his harem.

As per a previous poster's question, I feel that the origin of this belief that men can be schooled in their women's needs and then make changes to their behavior can be directly blamed on Barbara De Angelis who's every book assumes that men can and will change. Admittedly, there are many men who can and do want to change and be better husbands and fathers but for the the lion share of selfish, insensitive, and skirt-chasing pigs the only time they mend their ways is when their women are poised to leave, when their own natural and created assets aren't quite good enough for them to land a woman of their choosing without extra good behavior to convince her, and/or, where there is an extreme shortage of willing pussy on the market and they REALLY have to be on their best behavior to get what little they can.

As for FUF #2, I thought they were actually better this week.

Stacey is definitely continuing to play DP like a fiddle. She's learning that, in the absence of a progressive ruling body that can kick them to the curb, when dealing with sexist pigs like DP, submissive, sweet, helpless, tears, and worship of traditional values always win the day. Good Job, Stacey!

Chris may or may not be qualified for the job he's taking, we don't know enough about his college education though what we know of his educational track record would suggest he's not entirely qualified and his friend on the inside is pulling some strings.

As for the the Stacey working thing, at this point, yeah, she could work full or part-time (Assuming someone would actually hire a 5 month pregnant woman!) but after the baby's born, in all honesty, full-time daycare is pretty shitty for both mothers and children in terms of early imprinting and attachment. Additionally, the costs of it frequently gobbles up much of the family income. Mothers do need time alone and with their babies but they also need to know that their babies are in VERY good hands when they aren't with them. As for what Chris and Stacey can afford, and what can happen, it all remains to be seen.

I can also respect her frustration and desire not to work outside the home but given the state of their finances and who she married that may be an unrealistic expectation at the moment.

Still, in every marriage, bother partners need to be capable of protecting and providing and nourishing whether they be male or female because life throws you many a curve ball and because its the equitable thing to do.

I've also never met any woman who was OK having a mate who (constitutionally speaking) was unable to bring home the bacon. Interestingly, men often scheme to be taken care of by women too but they do so in ways that make it look like they do not.

Preach it, maggie . There is some kind of societal trend where pregnant women are treated like china dolls, when in reality, women have been birthing babies and working in fields, etc. for thousands of years. Now, I am not referring to women who have had problems with their pregnancy, they need to take it easy. But hell, I am almost 9 months pregnant, and I am headed outside in a few minutes to weed eat my yard and wash my car! And I have heard no evidence that Stacy is high risk, so whatever.

Soap, I agree that DP needs to come clean with his evidence in private, frankly, I am amazed that Marty is still participating in this colossal train wreck. That is not to say that I am feeling pity for him, I hate his most of all, because I think that he has made NO progress and that it is all a sham. I truly cannot see what Erin has EVER seen him in, he gives me the heebie jeebies. I could see the latest affair being with some young girl, or something extra skeevy like that.

Thank the Lord the forums are back! My withdrawal symptoms are starting to subside! (It was a rough night :) )

I know JUST what you mean B-Kat, this is like our post-modern temple of entertainment worship and discussion and community and when it's not available it's very distressing and you really do go through something like withdrawal if it's a regular part of your day and I know it's a regular part of mine.

This is one of the only sites for people who like to tell-it-like-it-is yet who also are capable of acknowledging the limits of perception.

I was going to say that maybe Stacy's reluctant to look for a job because not many places will hire an obviously pregnant woman, but Professor Soap beat me to it.

Crap. There I go, defending Stacy.

Big ole WORD to all the Professor has said. ( He is cooking today!) My first husband was one of those men who had a hundred and one reasons not to work. Quite often the work was simply beneath him but his favorite reason for quitting jobs was the classic "They're all assholes." He was very good and patient in the child care area so it wasn't all that bad when I would take a turn as the main bread winner.

I'm starting to sound like my favorite comedian, Martha "I'm-not-bitter" Smith. I'm all over it now though, really I am.

I know the forums were down yesterday, but I thought by now there would be some comments on Friday's show. Where is all the Robin snark? Mr. loudfan was wondering if Dr. Phil was going to give Makeover Woman a big raise so she can keep up with all the spa treatments, hair coloring, eyebrow grooming (by Julia Roberts' and Oprah's own eyebrow stylist!), etc. that Robin obviously thinks are necessary parts of a woman's beauty rituals. Not to mention the fact that she is constantly referring to "her" team as "the best of the best." It's all very noblesse oblige, the wealthy woman bestowing a small taste of the good life upon a member of the working class. Some of us must make do with the $6.99 shoes from Target instead of the pointy-toed leopard-skin numbers...

Also, enough with describing Philip as "a man" (who must, of course, have only the manliest of offices) and herself as "a girl." Ick.

Despite it all, I still think the Brooks & Dunn Valentine's day gift was very sweet.

Very interesting observation! I find that obnoxious how she insists on referring to herself and her interests as synonymous with "girl"... as opposed to more mature terms. Bless her heart, she's SO stuck in the stereotypes of girls = frilly while men = solid and bold. Her materialism is getting to the point of coming across as snitty... nothing but the best and most expensive! There also ain't a whole lot of being humble or modest.

This show has really taken a turn somewhere! It's turned into DrP and his family instead of what he started on Oprah. The regular guests are falling more inline with Montel's people. The "special" series are getting to be like a bad SNL skit.... pointless and unsure of how to end. How disappointing.

I forgot to record Friday's show and missed out on another Robin-fest, apparently.

I also hate it when Robin refers to herself as a girl. Wake up, lady. All the Botox in the world won't turn back the evil hands of time. You're an old, haggy woman. Deal with it.

I just couldn't watch Friday. My blood pressure is high enough as it is.

I can sort of see why Stacey doesn't want to get a job now that she knows she's preggers. My problem lies with two other things. 1. Why she didn't find a job BEFORE and has let the family languish in near poverty (except they seem to have quite the large house ...). 2. Why the friggin' heck is she pregnant at all in the first place????? Money problems, marital problems, child behavioral problems and they end up pregnant. Whatever.

That was the worst part of all! DP asked them if they'd been planning on having a baby and they gave him some spiel about hoping it would happen eventually and that they weren't using birth control and eventually sort of happened sooner then they planned. My God, Alex probably put more thought into her first pregnancy!

And if Skanky's such a good stay-at-home mom why the confrontation between Chris and Brianne about Brianne starting her laundry at 9:30 p.m. on a school night so she'd have clean clothes. Skanky has only 2 kids at home at the moment and she doesn't even make it a priority to see that one of them has clean clothes?! I'm not saying that Brianne shouldn't be doing laundry or helping out, but by the time I was a teenager my mom was no longer a SAHM and she made sure that we had clean clothes, even if she didn't do the laundry herself but nagged us until we did. Oh, I forgot, my mom was not a skanky 'ho but a responsible adult - that's why I always had clean clothes for school and Brianne does not.

Now, see, that's where my experience is different than yours, SiameseCatLady. When I was a teenager, my mother and father expected me to wash my own clothes, and if I had no clean clothes, then that was a consequence of my flaking off. My father said to me one time when I had no clean clothes that even though it would suck to go to high school one day with no clean clothes, it would suck worse to lose a job because I had to go to a job interview with dirty clothes. He seemed to feel that part of his job as a parent was teaching me to be responsible by giving me responsibilities and letting me fail to live up to them, when the stakes were pretty small. In the hopes, I guess, that by the time the stakes got higher, I would have learned to be responsible.

If Brianne were my kid, she'd be washing her own clothes, too. That's one way she would be learning to manage her time and think ahead, like a responsible adult has to do.

(Not that I think that Stacey is thinking like that -- I figure she's just lazy. I just wanted to point out that letting a kid go to school with dirty clothes can be part of responsible parenting.)

My experience was somewhat similar to your's SorchaRei.

Most of the time, my parents (My Mom and Stepfather!) told me what needed to happen and why -- and usually it was fairly reasonable -- and then allowed me to make my own mistakes and learn what happens when one makes ineffective choices such as eating excessive amounts of unhealthy foods, staying up too late, putting off homework and chores, etc.

The great irony is that, at my Mom's house, aside from our endless battles over finances -- and also over her and my stepfather's tendency towards narcissism, repression, passive aggression, mental abuse, psychotic beliefs, and some questionable values and ideas on parenting -- we really didn't fight about the rules that much or that much that was domestic except occassionally when I felt (and expressed my belief) that they should hire someone to do some of the really crappy jobs the way every other sane middle-class family else in town (who could afford it) did.

But alas, they preferred to go on MANY Expensive Vacations rather then employing domestic help, eating out, getting take-out, or going to the movies, which are choices and a use of money (that to my mind) can make life far more easy and enjoyable in smaller ways and can do so on a daily and weekly basis. I mean, if it's going to be such a sad either/or choice, Weekly Ease & Fun VS. A Dream Vacation, then those things (to me) are FAR more valuable, a FAR more effective use of resources, and a FAR better management of the total potential pleasure available then a twice a year orgasmically blissful and escapist vacation splurge which has been made possible by being cheap and miserable the other 50 weeks of the year. I'd rather be quite a bit happier all of the time then deliriously happy for two weeks to a month and then miserable the rest of the time. One must have pleasures, even small ones, to keep going. But my parents seem to prefer pleasures deferred which enables them to take cruises to Antarctica, trips to Europe & The Middle East, and 3rd World Hot Spots. They also don't REALLY go without as many week-to-week pleasures as they would like everyone else to believe.

However (as long as you're not injuring anyone else or impinging on the rights of others) to each their own I say!

After all, I'm not DP.

My Father and Stepmother and I on the other hand fought endlessly over domestic stuff and finance because they are of the school of thought that Parents In Charge = A Slave Labor Dictatorship where some are "more equal" then others and where its OK to abuse, exploit, neglect, and deprive your kids -- and OK to abdicate all parental ethics and responsibilties -- and you can well imagine how well all of that Narcissistic/Self-Serving/Corrupt/Psychotic BS went over with Professor Soap!

In fact, while the pressures had been building for some time and were complicated, I think the straw that broke the camel's back (that caused me to move out) was, when directed, I refused to rake a HUGE back yard in crappy weather. Fortunately, I had two houses and four parents to choose from! I think they were pretty mad though when I escaped and moved to the "other plantation" for they missed their Number 1 Slave.

I can't fault Brianne for doing the laundry late either.

Whether the task is at home or out at a place of business, doing anything really early, when everyone else is at school or work, or really early late means far less waiting and competition for time, goods, and services -- less metaphoric competition at "the watering hole" -- and since most adults do their maintenance tasks whenever they can squeeze them in, then technically, Brianne is just living the life of a typical young adult on their own a few years early.

In fact, all the things my parents tried to instill-out-of-me when I was younger have proven invaluable to my adult survival including early mornings, late nights, and prioritized procrastination.

Let's try to keep the discussion focused on the show, not on our own experiences. It's fine to bring up your own stuff to compare/contrast with something on the show, but try to avoid entire posts that are really just about you and your life and have nothing to do with the show.

Am I the only one who doesn't see the big deal about starting laundry at 9:30? It would be out of the washer by 10:30 and she could throw it in the dryer and then go to bed, if it's a bedtime issue.

I'm confused as to why Stacy thinks it's a major chore to initiate sex. Isn't she the one that wants sex more frequently? And it's not like most guys are that hard to get in the mood. I mean, if Chris is like just about every guy on the planet, then try the following:

Flip your shirt up, grab your breasts, and yell, "Titties! Come get 'em!"

Sex initiated.


Pregnant chicas aren't supposed to dye their hair, something about the chemicals.

FUF2 has become too much of a car wreck to enjoy watching. They're not trying, they don't care, they're not to the point that they WANT to get better yet.


They must have been shocked. I mean, Stacy has had so many problems with fertility in the past. (eye-roll)

Was anyone else thoroughly offended by the little pop-up bubbles appearing during Friday's scary make-over? "She's never worn high heels!" "She's never had a pedicure!" GOOD FOR HER! Sorry, Robin, but we're not all fembots that need to obsess over our appearance. I've never had a pedicure, and I only wear make-up on special occasions. What a foul non-girly girl I must be! I bet I'll get kicked out of the club.

Kim:

Well, it could be an issue with Chris and Stacy if the dryer is right next to their bedroom door. My parents hated it when I started a load late because they'd have to hear clunk-swish as my jeans dried. If the laundry room is in a separate part of the house, then Brianne should be able to wash her clothes when she wants.

bellemmers:

HA! I'll have to remember that when Future-Mr. SnowDog comes over again.



Stacy shouldn't have dyed her hair, period. It's a nasty, fake color. I liked her hair color before she screwed it up. Ooo, maybe Robin got a hold of her.



Good. Now she won't have to deal with bunions and other lovely foot ailments caused by wearing stupid shoes.

In feudal Japan, they would mutilate and bind women's feet, in the modern world, instead we put women in high-heels despite the fact that we know they wreak havoc on the bones and tendons since the foot and leg are forced to operate in ways contrary to their efficient evolutionary design.

How "sweet" that we always seem to come back to the basics when it comes to men torturing women.

Robin and Phil's neo-con sexism makes me ill. Remember that episode where they role reversed and she ran everything like clockwork whereas he screwed it all up?

The message:

"Women can do everything, but see what happens when you try and make a man be more then a man?"

With Feminism's many Benedict Arnold's such as Robin McGraw, Anne Coulter, Phyllis Schlaffley, and the Laura's (Schlessinger and Ingraham) it's a wonder we ever started fighting for equality to begin with or managed to achieve and hold some semblance of it.

I can't stand women who sell other women out.

My mom would have. Then again, we had an established policy in our household from the moment mom went back to work that "everything stops at 9:00pm," meaning the dishes were done, the washer and dryer were quiet, homework was either done or being completed, and the younger ones had finished their baths.

Mom and Dad put this policy in place because they wanted some peace and quiet for at least part of the evening. It was their house and their right.

Something tells me, however, that the only policy in FUF2's household is "Skanky must give away as many of her children as possible at all times." I guess I also have a serious problem with Little Miss Brianne and her attitude...have felt this way ever since we were subjected to her it's-not-an-audition audition. She smacks of being an entitlement-minded brat who deliberately challenges Chris. And I'm not even bringing up that rat's nest she calls her room.

She's very much her mother's daughter, from her peevish attitude to her propensity to wear too much nude lip gloss.

Yeah, that make-over on Friday was nothing more than a creepy feminization of an already-hot butch woman. (Although, god help me, I did like the eyebrows.)

Why did she have to wear a dress?!? Gah!

I agree maggiegault. The basic concept here is rules are rules.

If 9:30 pm is BratBrianne's bedtime, so be it. The point of rules is defining behavior for the kids' best interests--and so on to learn organization and planning ahead if need be. Chris was right to actually try to enforce rules. Skanky did nothing as usual, when she should have supported Chris.

Boohoo--one time going to school with a different set of clothes than she had planned (and not necessary dirty clothes--don't tell me ALL of Brianne's clothes were dirty!).

BratBrianne is definitely Skanky Jr. and she is learning advanced lessons in how to manipulate men from good ol' Dr. Shill himself. This show sucks.

I am the only one looking forward to Marty's "shocking confession" on Thursday? The preview made me giggle, and then I felt badly, but then I giggled again.

Donny/Thomas bugs me so, so much.

I'm good and tired of every one of the weight loss challengers. I'm sure they're all nice people and I'm happy for their success and I hope they enjoyed their luxurious vacations and that Robin takes them all to have their nose hair trimmed by the very same Nostrologist who trims Robin's and Oprah's nose hair - but that's enough now.

Let's move on to that young woman who spits on her husband! Is Phil really going to make those people slap each other and will that finally be the end of his career?

Then maybe she should consider what my spouse and I did when the children were little and work opposite shifts so there was always a parent at home with the child. With Chris working at as an admissions councelor maybe he could pull some strings and get Skanky a job as a third shift janitor. That pays pretty well.

What got me about Marty was in his past "affairs" doesn't he insist that these were not physical affairs and then we get all the BS that "emotional affairs" are just as destructive as physical ones? I really hate the notion of "emotional affairs" that dictate that a person cannot have friendships with people of the opposite gender. It conjures up pictures of gender segregation and burquas to me.

I am really sick of the WLC people too. Yay, you're skinny. *applause* Now you're better! You don't like food anymore! *applause* Your spouse loves you more now! Dr. Phil loves you more now! Here's some free stuff because you're thin and you deserve to be spoiled! *applause* Now go away.
I just don't want to see ugly-haired guy or crazy-Cleopatra-eye-makeup lady or I-am-more-blond-and-fit-than-the-other-women lady ever again.

Oh but tune in for Extreme-Makeover-pretty-on-the-inside-AND-out-now! lady on May 5...

In my opinion, there are friendships with members of the opposite sex and then there are "emotional affairs". These are not the same thing.

An emotional affair is when you give your time and attention and emotional energy -- that you need to be giving to your spouse -- to another person. (And the word "need" here is key. This does not mean that all emotional energy that you have needs to go to your spouse and kids, but it does mean that you can't withhold all emotional energy from your spouse and then claim that you never did anything to harm the marriage.)

It's what happens when you choose, night after night, to have drinks with this other person and then get home just when it's time to put the kids to bed, and after you do that, you are too tired for anything other than going to sleep yourself.

It's when you have lunch with someone every single day, and you tell her about your secret dreams and start relying on her for emotional support. And then you accuse your spouse of not supporting your dreams, which you have never even bothered to share with her.

It's when you lie to your spouse about how important this other person is. It's when you don't allow your spouse to express feelings like "I miss you when you come home right before the kids' bedtime and then it's your bedtime. I wish we could spend more time together in the evenings", and instead accuse that spouse of trying to control you.

It's when you yourself can't imagine having a friendship with someone of the opposite sex without it having sexual overtones, but you do it anyway.

It's when you choose to spend time with your friend the night before your spouse leaves on a six-week business trip to Asia, because "it's more convenient for her than any other night this week".

It's when you force your spouse to invite your friend to all her parties, but then accept it when your friend says that she doesn't really like your spouse and doesn't want to invite her to her parties.

It's when your spouse wants to know what she did to your friend to make her dislike her so much, and you say, "Well, she knows I am very unhappy, and for some reason, she thinks that is your fault, so she doesn't like to spend time with you because it makes her think of how unhappy I am".

On the other hand, an emotional affair is not a friendship, no matter how deep, with someone else. Friendships have room in them for my friend to have other friends. Friendship doesn't say "Choose me over her". Friendships offer room to grow, and space to be oneself in different ways.

I would never want to be in a marriage with someone who did not have, and did not nurture, friendships with all kinds of different people. But I will be damned if I will spend another second of my life in a relationship with someone who hides emotional alienation in the guise of "You can't control my friendships!"

In the case of the FUF#1, Marty has called these other relationships "affairs", even though he also claims that he never had sex with them. (I will be interested to find out if his definition of "never having sex with them" is purely focused on intercourse, or if he really means they never touched each other at all in a sexual way.)

Re: Weight Loss Challenge Folks....
I agree... enough already. This turned into some bizarre-o thing just like the FUF's. Now we're at the stage where we pile on the gifts! YEAH!!
WHY did they focus so much more on the ones that lost SO much weight and virtually ignore the ones you KNEW were going to be a problem from the beginning?
I saw some of those gals today and they just kinda seemed to be glad it was winding down. Those specific gals have problems MUCH deeper than what brand of crackers they're eating!

I think that's GREAT what they've all accomplished and I wish them continued success. It's just reached the "okay... we got it!" point. :-)

Tomorrow should be interesting as some guy is gonna give DrP an earful about how F'edU the FUFs are! LOL!!

I agree with you; it's a term used entirely too much, usually by insecure women who cannot handle the notion of their men having friendships with other women.

I know, because I used to be one of those women.

However, while mr. maggie would be in trouble beyond his wildest imagination if he stepped out on me sexually, I would personally be much more devastated if it was an emotional "love" affair. I won't get into the whole "sex is different for men" stuff, because I believe that if you are married, your sex is with your spouse, and that's it. Spice it up if you need to, but don't go outside of the relationship.

That being said, after all, it is just sex. A physical act that (if we're lucky) ends in gratification, and everyone can go on with their lives. Men are especially capable of this. They are much more able to differentiate between sex and love.

I wouldn't be a happy maggie if it happened in my marriage, but I think that ultimately I could forgive it.

However, if I found out my mate was having the type of affair where the two of them had their own special little traditions, and their own special song, and their own special restaurant, motel, parking lot, whatever, and they celebrated birthdays together...THAT would kill me. And THAT I would be unable to forgive.

At this point, Erin just needs to cut her losses and move on. Emotional or sexual affair...who cares? Any way you cut it, Marty is a stone-cold sleaze. And you know what REALLY pisses me off? He's a large part of the reason why Alex kept little Nathan. Who can trust a word that man says or any ideas he may have for his supposed family? He thinks with his head, and I ain't talkin' about the one that sits atop his neck.

Yeah, drummouse. All we saw of them was the loaded plates and Jim's snide remark about people "who still love food" just not getting it. I hadn't gotten the message that the program was supposed to make you quit liking food - besides, wasn't that picnic made up of High Response Cost Low Calorie Cost Eat Till You Puke food? They should have been able to have a full plate of it.

SorchaRei Your post made my heart pound. YES. Friends don't let friends drive their marriage into the dirt. The minute I thought I was contributing to the break-up of a family I would back off. That's what, "What God has joined together, let no man put asunder" means.

Yeah I pretty much agree with you guys about enough already. I don't see the point now in doing one of those surprise home invasions to check their "no fail environment". So they have ice cream in their fridge? Its their own problem now if that's what they want. Poor DP's weight loss challenge didn't work??!! Oh no! What shall we do with da chirren! Please.

Thomas and Jim are doing a great job and I guess so is that Kimberley Caldwell looking chick, but shut it already. They all annoy me!

Jim is an ass. Now that he's dropped the weight, he feels he can make nasty comments about his fellow participants. He just needs to shut it, especially making the "queer" comments about Thomas. Sour grapes, anyone? Oh, and dye his hair green and you get the Joker.

I still hate Kim (the contestant, not our mod). Notice how she only said winning didn't matter after she lost? Bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch.

Thomas. While I think it's cool he's lost all the weight and he's not a jerk like some of the others, he should never never wear shorts that ride up. Ugh.

Oh, and when they were doing the search of Jim's bags, this was heard in the SnowDoghouse:

Jim: "They're making a tape of my pe-"
Me: "-NIS!"

Dr. Phil's fatties are surprisingly disappointing. Most of them have achieved some weight loss, and a few have really made dramatic changes, but the way Dr. Phil has been hyping his book, you'd think it was 100% effective. So much for his revolutionary ideas; his is just another diet that works for some, and not for others. And it will be really interesting to see how many of them keep off the weight after, say, 5 years.

Chubby Kim Caldwell sure is acting stuck up, now that she's "thin" (her word, not mine) isn't she? Get over yourself.

And Kim, the blonde with no chin, is shady. I'm glad she got exposed as a cheater on national television. She has always been obnoxious and annoying.

The worst part of today's show for me was in the water challenge. The cameras zoomed in on all the chubbies under water, focusing on their flabby tummies. How expoitive. Totally unnecessary. And they didn't do the same for the more fit contestants, like Jim and Thomas. It was a total "hee! look at the fat lady jiggle!" move. Pissed me off.

It's good to have friends. Chris doesn't have the personality to be a successful car salesman. He'd have been better as a golf pro or clubhouse manager. He is good with people. Very kind and considerate.

His family is squirming at every utterance he makes. This is a very private family whose name is paramount and god forbid, the name might be revealed in future shows! He's acting like an idiot. Christian is not the brightest bulb and for some reason, he thinks he can SAVE this (his) family. Got news, take Chandler and leave! He's been advised to do this repeatedly, Skanky knows this (wah...his family doesn't like me) and voila, the Skank gets pregnant. Bitch! Why doesn't the family like her? They KNOW her and they've seen her interract with the children, humiliating them in front of strangers, tossing her imperiousness without anything to back it up and in general, unattached to anyone and anything. Cold. This, from a snotty little brat without any breeding or good manners who expects everyone to kowtow.



This position is not rocket science. He's got a modicum of education with a degree in nothing really specific. A BA. General Ed. And believe me, he jumped at this position and it was not as DP portrayed. There was no "thinking" about it. This is his saving grace in that he has bennies altho' it will be too late to pay for this childbirth. However, this will be threatening to the Skank. A decent job for Chris? What will she have to berate him about now? AND, deargod, she'll have to COOK dinner on a regular basis for him? How inconvenient for her. And he'll be home at night? What will they talk about?

The whole saga is so disgusting that it's impossible to go on. She's absolutely the worst anyone would want in their family.

FUF1? Does that other idiot Marty get exposed again as having had another affair? And do DP's private snoops out him? This is getting too smarmy and I'm sooo sick of all the boo-hoos from Alex and Katherine. Erin! It's over so get over it.

Have had a tough time getting online to post. Hmmm. Why? Didn't watch the fatties today. I've had enough. DP is going over the boundaries of good taste and I'm sick of it. Talk about taking gross advantage of people's foibles and idiosycrasies.

What a great message to send people. "Now that you're thin, all your problems just disappear, and we give you stuff!" Because heaven knows it's hard being a thin person in this country.

Also I think it kind of wasn't fair. The people that were thinner and/or more fit at the beginning were obviously going to have a major advantage at the end, since they had a better starting place. Couldn't it have been a "Who improved the most?" kind of challenge, if they really want to measure progress?

And they're making a big deal out of the people that have hit goal weight already - gosh, what a shock that they're the people who started out with the least amount to lose. (eye-roll)

(OK, I know Jim lost a whole pile of weight, but he's male, and guys drop weight more easily than women do.)



THANK YOU! I knew she looked like someone else I hate, and I couldn't think who!

Haaaaaaate Barb. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate. Snotty little...

And when did Jim get a stick up his ass? And I'm sorry, but if my spouse was as big a superficial jerk as Jim's was, I'd LEAVE. Everything she said always came across to me as, "Well, I MIGHT be able to love him again, you know, if he lost all that weight." And now it's, "Yay! Jim's skinny!"


Oh my gosh ... THAT'S why there's another one on the way ....

I am kind of annoyed by this whole "food police" thing. Having a less than perfect food in your home does not make you a failure. Dr. Phil should not be encouraging people to make food their enemy. Making something forbidden is a recipe for backsliding. If it truly IS a lifestyle change, it is about having chocolate or doritos or whatever responsibly, not never having them at all. If that one guy can control himself around the chocolate, why shouldn't he have it? My sister is the same way, she buys those high-quality bars and has one square each day. She never has more than one square. Me, I would eat the whole bar at once which is why I never buy that stuff. So for me, not having it around is important. But for other people maybe it is not a trigger food for them. And I can be around other things (like bread) that my sister goes crazy with.

I wish he had talked to them about keeping a food diary and learning what their trigger foods are, then working treats into their lives in a responsible way, as opposed to never having treats.

Word to everyone!

I am so disgusted by this weight-loss challenge that I refuse to watch the show when it's on.

First of all, anyone whose spouse "loves them more" when they lose weight in fact probably doesn't love them at all. Sure, your degree of health and being in shape may affect their level of sexual attraction but it should not affect their mental or emotional regard for you as a person. I've been skinny and fat and I've loved people who were skinny and fat and my affections did not sway based on their physical condition though I will admit that I was less attracted to them when they let themselves go. There are evolutionary reasons why we'll be most drawn to people who are healthy and in shape but that need not affect our loyalty to the people who we care about.

Beyond that, personal experience and recent studies suggest that food can work on the brain in a manner similar to narcotics so these people are in fact doing a few things:

1) They are trying to move beyond an oral defensive structure.

2) They are trying to give-up their substance of choice.

3) They are trying to become more physical after not being physical for a long while.

I have found that weight-loss and health usually starts to happen when you, first, begin to be emotionally healthy and functional, secondly, moderately exercise, and, thirdly, end the drama and romance and obsession with food (The Feast/Famine Cycle) and simply give yourself permission to eat whatever you want, as much as you want, and whenever you want and then FULLY accept the body those choices lead you to and try to understand why you are making those choices.

Initially, there can be some binging, especially if you've played the Feast/Famine game, but in time, once your body learns to trust that it will be fed what it needs, the food gradually becomes less and less important to the point where you start to eat only when you are really hungry and often choose to refrain from stuffing your face.

I think I'm now firmly convinced that the "Debate Dr. Phil" shows are just THE WORST examples of his brow-beating arrogance in action....

DP: Have you seen all the shows?
DrPhil Debater: Most of them....
DP: Well, yeah....mmmhm.....if you had seen all the shows you would have seen that I AM GOD!!!

blecchyblechblech. i hate that i'm so obsessed with this show...

Check the DrPhil.com website. Click on today's show descriptor. At the bottom:

Robin says she NEVER had plans for her own show, etc. (Yeah, right, I bet Oprah pulled the plug on DrShill's pimping of his own family--or actually, maybe not. Maybe Oprah is just protecting her reputation since Shill has gotten out of hand.

Robin says her job is "dressing Dr. Phil." Gag.

I know! DP syas that it is a chance for viewers to voice their opinions, but it is just yet another way for DP to belittle other people's opinions and reign superior over the world. Bow down before the Almighty Phil! This man's ego knows mo limitations.

I am bored. Bring on the Marty smackdown!

Sorry for the double post. Here is the quote from Shill's website.

Recently there has been talk about Robin getting her own show. She sets the record straight saying, "It's just not true at all. It's another example of lies being printed to sell a paper." She says that she is asked about it all the time. "I never asked for one. I've never been offered one. It's not anything I've considered," she says. Plus, she already has a job — dressing Dr. Phil every day!

Again, gag.

masked_spangler, I was thinking the same thing last night. The LAST thing you want to do is start thinking like that. Yikes! If that's the message these people have taken away with them, they are going to fail sooner or later. They're setting themselves up for it.

And word to you, Dr Al. If Jim's spouse really is as shallow as she comes across, she's going to leave him anyway, b/c although he may be thinner, he's not getting any better looking in my opinion.

I was totally sickened by everybody on the show acting like their lives were going to be perfect now that they were thin. That message is just wrong. I mean, I'm really happen for them that they've lost all that weight, and they are probably healthier for it, but in the end, what's her name is still single when she doesn't want to be, Anne-Marie (I think that's her name) will still have to deal with the fact that she was raped twice, etc. Sure, loosing weight can make you feel great, have more confidence (for a while), and adjust your attitude, but if there are underlying problems, they're going to resurface. And I think it's irresponsible for Phil to act like that's not the case. In my opinion, he's acting like everything is perfect now that they've all lost some weight. Whatever.

Wordy mcword to Masked Spangler, Dr.Al, and LisaLyn. I think we can conclude that Dr. Phil's WLC is a big fat failure.

• Quite a large percentage of his group has failed to lose significant weight In Spite of being hand picked for potential from a group of thousands, having all sorts of extra professional support, and the whole TV nation watching.
• His program is too vague for me to have a clear idea about what to do even after watching every darn show.
• He has never addressed the conflict between "safe environment" for the dieter and food for the rest of the family.
• He has set up a bad concept of good food, evil food, without consideration that different foods trigger diferent people.
• He has led people to believe that they have to be rich enough to join a spa or buy an expensive machine in order to exercise.
• He has encouraged people to go below goal weight.
• He has encouraged people to lose at an unsafe rate.
• He has encouraged people to think they still aren't presentable enough even after they lose. (Monica)
• He has encouraged them all to think that once they are looking good their life will be perfect.
• He has encouraged people to compete with others instead of finding their own personal best.

I'm still looking for a good inexpensive program, but I don't think this is it.

Was it Jim who made the comment, "If you still love food, then you didn't do your homework"? Aaaaack!!! Shut up, dude. You just know that Jim is totally planning on a career as a motivational speaker once the WLC is over.

The fact that all of the WLC participants have lost at least 40 lbs each should be cause for celebration. It looks like next time, DP is going to put the smackdown on one of them -- "You could have lost at least 120 pounds by now!" Sheesh. If I was a seriously overweight person watching this show, I would not find it inspiring at all, quite the contrary. "I can never eat ice cream or Doritos ever again, and I'm still worthless until I become Robin-sized."

The best part of yesterday's show was the preview in which a screaming Dr. Phil was commanding the "relationship retreat" folks to slap their partners. And also when the announcer said this series would "REDEFINE TELEVISION." Overdramatic much?

talullahbabe, thanks for the inside scoop on Chris & Stacy. We're lucky to have you around here to confirm our opinions that Chris should have run for the hills long ago!

ETA: percolata, if you are looking for an inexpensive weight loss solution, try Weight Watchers. It worked for me. You can eat anything you want (in moderation, of course) -- no "bad" foods, ever. And there is an emphasis on SLOW, SAFE weight loss in a supportive environment. I too am alarmed at the rate some of the WLC and others who have appeared on DP's show have shed pounds. After the first couple of weeks, 1-2 pounds/week is the absolute maximum you should be losing!

I actually don't mind the WLC shows so much, since some of these folks really have something to celebrate, and at least one of those irritating women mentioned that she was seeing progress in all seven keys...or whatever. But except for the exploitative shows that showed all these poor folks' deep dark secrets, they have only focused on weight loss. That and JJ the food nazi, who I would have to bitch slap if she showed up on my door. (Jim, on the other hand, has gone from fat and jolly to less fat and vicious. Jim: shut it.)



Percolata, this one bugs. I'm sure there are viewers who are watching DP between their first shift job and their second shift job, trying to spend ten quality minutes with their kids and get some semblance of food on the table, who watch this show and think "well, there's no way I can afford the PreCor equipment or to go to a fancy schmancy spa".

IMO they could have spent some time showing how you can work exercise into your life at a much smaller expense. Or better, how to make it a family experience, like an evening walk, jog or skate. BTW, just to come clean, I'm a super-advocate of exercise (but hey, do as I say, not as I do!) over any particular diet plan.

ETA: I know it's been a couple of weeks since someone wrote about "Oprah probably pee-peeing in her Dior panties" but that still cracks my shit up.

Excellent specific points that Dr. Shill has NOT addressed in the weight loss shows/advice, percolata.

And I agree with you loudfan, Weight Watchers, is still a proven healthy plan for losing weight in a healthy, individualized way. I joined 3 weeks ago and have lost 7.6 lbs. It costs $9.95 a week. I started working out last summer, but did not lose any weight because I had not changed my eating habits. WW has a flexible plan and I can still have a cookie, candy, etc. if I so desire. It's just that I desire to lose weight more than have more than that one cookie, candy, etc. Yes, I'm still new at this but hey it's easy so far. And I have kept up with my exercise 5 x a week at least an hour, so I have every reason to believe that I can keep up my committment to WW.

Dr.Shill's WL plan or any of his crap advice is not new. Obviously, it doesn't work as well as hyped either. I have noticed percolata, too, the lack of specific advice for the FUFs or for that matter any of the guests that Shill yells at. What are they supposed to do? I just hate him now. Whenever I see his mug in those milk ads, I color over his face. Ok, I'm 12 sometimes.

I am sorry I just don't believe in diets, per se (excluding Weight Watchers because that is more like a way of life). Unless you are willing to stay on the Atkins, South Beach, etc. diet for the rest of your life, eventually you will stop, and that is when you will gain back the weight. It is just good simple common sense- eat healthy and exercise. But you know, we all know that and so does everyone on that show. That is not the problem.

The real problem is what DP has failed to address. Why are people obese? What are the underlying emotional problems that cause people to overeat or undereat. I cannot speak for anyone else, but 2003 was probably one of the happiest years of my life and I was probably in the best shape of my life last year before I got pregnant. No longer was I using cigarettes or non-nutritional eating to counteract stress and control my weight. And I found that not only my weight stabilized, but my hair looked better and my skin was clearer! My best friend is anorexic/bulimic/compulsive overeater and her problems are not something that can be solved by some asshole food police, there are underlying severe self-esteem issues that are the root of her behavior. For DP to ignore or gloss over these issues is irresponsible.

For what it's worth, Weight Watchers is the only weight-loss plan endorsed by the National Institutes of Mental Health as a means of safely losing medication-related weight. It is viewed as a very healthy, very sound way of shedding those meds pounds. I agree. I lost 11 lbs. on WW two summers ago right after I started lithium. I had gained some weight and wanted to see if WW would help. It did. I quit because I went to Europe, and I never went back...but it's nice to know that it's there, even though my weight has since stabilized.

Shill's program would NOT be sanctioned, I would think, because there is too much pseudo-psychological crap involved in it. I do believe that emotional eaters exist, but there are a million other reasons as to why a person is overweight. mr. maggie has himself a tummy now because he is a) in his thirties and b) happily married. I'm a good cook and he eats heartily!



Not enough WORD!s in the English language for that one. Let's see how it worked for me:

When I was my skinniest...

...I smoked two packs of Marlboros every day;
...I subsisted on SlimFast shakes (remember the fruit ones?) and Diet Coke;
...I stuck my finger down my throat when I would eat real food;
...I was in a verbally and physically abusive relationship with a boyfriend;
...I was on a very tight budget and couldn't afford real food after I bought smokes;
...I was an undiagnosed, unmedicated bipolar.

Now I'm my heaviest...

...I quit smoking;
...I eat real food and love to cook;
...I no longer stick my finger down my throat after eating;
...I am married to man I am madly in love with;
...I have enough money to buy real food, and damn, do I enjoy it;
...I have a correct diagnosis and am in treatment (which makes you gain weight).

You tell me what's preferable. I want to walk up to the Shill and smack him in the face with this list. THIN DOES NOT EQUAL HAPPY. FAT DOES NOT EQUAL UNHAPPY. There is no magic formula. If you're thin, cool. If you aren't, you shouldn't be made to feel like a freak.

And what in holy heaven is up with the attitude that liking food is a bad thing? Who on earth dreams up this stuff? Food is one of the great pleasures of life! We in the Western world are damn lucky that we have enough to eat! Here's an idea, Shill...go over to Iraq for a couple of days and see the children starving in the streets. Then come back and preach how liking food is the root of all evil.

I like food, I like to cook, I like to eat. To me, food is one of life's absolute greatest treasures. I'm not Dom Deluise, but I don't really deny myself something if I really want it. At Costco last night, there was a bag of caramel-filled Hershey kisses. I wanted them. Life is too damn short to berate myself over something like eating chocolate.

Shill also needs to get over himself and his Stepford Wife and realize that each person is different as to their tastes and preferences for women. I don't want to get into heavy stereotyping here, but Shill is thinking like a White Man when it comes to weight loss. In the Hispanic community, a lot of the men like their women curvy...sometimes even a bit chubby, I have found. The same goes for many black and white men. It all depends on what you find sexy. A friend of mine just got divorced after a twenty-year marriage and on his online dating ad, he actually says he prefers a woman who is "curvy/a little overweight." When I asked him why, he said, "I think a woman who can enjoy a good meal is really sexy."

Shill, FAT DOES NOT EQUAL SLOVENLY, either. A person can be overweight and still be immaculately well groomed. One of the most beautiful women I have ever known was 250 lbs. if she was an ounce, and she was the most put-together broad I have ever seen.

Whew!

No joke! He's gotten to be just as "charming" as his wife! (You know those two are alot of fun to be around!! uuuggghhhh....)
He's obviously forgotten what it felt like when she treated him like a dog when he was battling the weight.
He's a smart-ass who thinks he's DrP's best friend cuz he lost the most weight.
Maybe now DrP could work on deflating Jim's ego!
Of course, you could see this coming when we first learned he was a wacky morning dj!! <insert Krusty the Klown laugh here>
AND WHAT IS WITH THE CRAP IN HIS HAIR??!! Does he really think that looks good? One more thing.... someone tell him to sit up straight! LOL!!