If he dealt with the underlying issues and concerns, who would buy his diet products?

Dealing with the psychological reasons for overeating is one of DP's Seven Keys found in his Great Tome O'Knowledge.

You know, every time I hear about the Seven Keys I think of Helloween.

As someone who's felt I was overweight basically all my life, whether I really was or not, and who has been up and down the scale so many times it's not funny, I find it hard to believe that simply reading in the Great Tome O' Knowledge about the psychological changes I need to make will be effective - certainly it's not as effective as going to a mental health professional to deal with them. There doesn't seem to be anything special about the diet and apparently the big loser Jim is following something more along the lines of Atkins/carb counting instead of DP's plan which seems to be the more standard healthy eating + exercise.

I think I've seen most of the WLC shows and it seems like only Ann Marie and maybe one or two others had the reasons for their weight gain explored to any extent. I don't buy that little bit of time with DP clearing up all the trauma of being date raped not once but twice for AM, allowing the magic of the WLC to work for her. I know the WLC folks are getting help with exercise and nutrition, but I don't recall hearing they are getting any psychological help other than their time with DP and, of course, the Great Tome O' Knowledge.

hee!
Anyone read any portion of one of DP's books? They are maddening. Back in the Oprah days, I thought he had some good advice, so I bought Life Strategies. But his stories rambled and I wanted to throw the GTOK across the room. What seemed to work on TV translated terribly to the page.

BTW I wanted to slap him silly when Erin was trying to explain some of her feelings in understandable semi-psychobabble and he pulled the old "country boy" bull.

This week on Shill-
Monday/Tuesday: Relationship Rescue Retreat

Wednesday: Parenting 101: Extreme Mistakes?
A 9-year-old has already killed one pet, and is torturing another. When cameras are placed in the family's home, even Dr. Phil is shocked by what's really going on. Also, a mom who lets her 13-year-old daughter drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes is surprised that she's sleeping with an 18-year-old. Can Dr. Phil help a single mom regain control? Plus, a couple at odds about letting their baby sleep in their bed — even when they're having sex. Find out how to raise an emotionally healthy child, and how to avoid parenting nightmares.
The kid who is torturing and killing animals needs real help, not Phil.

Thursday: FUF2
Chris and Stacy are approaching their sixth wedding anniversary and await the arrival of baby number six. But Chris refuses Stacy's request to take their marriage to the next level, and reveals a secret of his own. Has he reached a breaking point? Also, the secret box of sins that Stacy gives Dr. Phil.
A box of sins? My mind is in the gutter. Chris has a secret? That's shocking because he is such a pod person.

Friday: Extreme Marriages
One week before walking down the aisle, Raquel's fiance, Brandon, told her he was gay. Three years and one baby later, his yearning for men is taking a toll on their marriage. Also, Dr. Phil helps a family coming to terms with a sex change. How will they explain to their kids that Grandpa James is now Grandma Jamey, but is still married to Grandma Nancy? Plus, a 25-year-old man who has a hard time explaining that the 53-year-old woman he's with is his wife, not his mother!
His yearning for men is taking a toll on their marriage? Why did they marry?

Almost across the board, serial killers say that their first kills were family or neighborhood pets. I'm not saying this kid is going to be a serial killer, but that is a sign of a very damaged person. If DP takes this kid and his family on without getting them some real help he officialy sucks.

I do have to wonder what kind of an enviroment this kid is growing up in. Shudder ..... It's so scary to think that there are kids like that out there.

What kind of parent lets a kid who killed one family pet have access to another one. "Oh, no, Johnny, we don't kill kittens. Here's another one -- do better with this one, okay?"

Gack.

Word SiameseCatLady. Way back when I was about 20, I read a book by a man who billed himself as a "formerly fat psychiatrist" all about the psychological reasons for over eating. So I've known for many years that I eat to calm anger, comfort loneliness, ease boredom, etc. Understanding doesn't always bring change. I still do it, because it still works! Food is nature's own fine tranquilizer.


----
The Relationship Rescue Retreat looks like some good TV for a change.

Check out this link for a quick jab at various "gurus", including DP. Use the "choose your guru" link in the middle of the article. May reduce your blood pressure from actually viewing these shows.

This looks like a goooood week of television.....



I had to laugh at this one! The stupidity of some "mothers". Of course if you let your daughter do whatever she wants, sex would be the next logical step! This is what happens if you give your children too much freedom.

I got this e-note too about the upcoming shows. My first thought was "what is a box of sins?!".
Sounds like something that would have to do with Karen on "Will & Grace".
And Chris has a secret.... really.... wow.... <yaaaawwwwwnnnn>
Maybe he and Marty from FUF1 can get together and compare notes.
OR, maybe Chris is pulling the plug on this and taking us all out of his misery!! .... sorry, I shouldn't tease like that.

Somehow I get the feeling this is more of what is becoming "crying wolf" on the DrP Show.... HUGE build-ups only to find out it's a BIG NUTHIN'!!
(for all you Roches fans out there).

Maybe Dr. Phil is building all of this up, and then he'll get Chris to confess that he saw a former lover at the gas station -- oooops, sorry.... that's been done already.

So, so tired of the promo of Stacy saying that Chris "hasn't got the balls" to cheat on her. Thousand kinds of wrong for her to mock his (we assume so far) fidelity with her neener neener way. Alleycatting around isn't throwing yourself on a grenade,lady. It only takes motive and opportunity and you've handed him the first one.

(Oh, did I really use the term "alleycatting around"? No, no. I've been Philicized!)

Now that would be a surprise if both Marty AND Chris HAPPENED to see former lovers at a gas station.... who would have ever guessed those two were once an item??
YES!! That's what the whole FUF series needs.... a bizarre-o twist!

RE: Relationship Rescue.... <yyyyaaaaaawwwwnnnnn>
Same Stuff... Different Psychos....
This whole yellling at people to rock their way-past-dysfunctional worlds is turning into all about shock value.
Granted, A LOT of these people are knuckleheads and need a verbal kick in the ass.
It will be interesting in a few years to follow up with a bunch of these folks from the first couple of seasons to see if they've honestly progressed.

The "Earn your way out of a relationship" philosophy just tends to annoy me, but I think that it is more the terminology than anything. My Dad had a 6 year affair on my Mom, confessed it, and begged for another chance. She gave him one, until my uncle saw Dad's car at Skanky Affair Woman's (now, my lovely step-mom of 9 years) house. Should Mom have taken him back? How could she earn her way out of that fiasco. Sometimes, enough is enough and a marriage is irretrievably broken. But, I am one of these people who think that infidelity is an automatic deal breaker.

I also cannot stomach his "soft place to fall" catchphrase that he uses over and over again, usually, because he is usually addressing the FUFs, and they just give him a blank stare. Comforting their spouse is usually about #63 on their to-do lists after, 1. lying, 2. screaming 3. cursing 4. emotional abuse 5. physical abuse 6. using the kids as pawns 7. adultery 8. hiding money 9. insulting each other's families 10. comparing them to previous lovers 11. having other people's children 12. drinking 13. breaking the law 14. refusing to work 15. hiding behind their religion 16. blaming all of their problems on their childhoods 17. watching the teenager next door undress 18. surfing the internet for porn 19. surfing the internet for underage girls- you get the picture.

I don't think they even comprehend a soft place to fall, which the terminology is just, gah- fits in perfectly w/ Robin and her "touching" story about always walking behind Dr. Bonehead with her hand on his shoulder

Does this make you a Phil-estine?




Oh, you beat me to it. But no, that's not it. Chris....used to date....Fabio!


(This only makes sense if you watched the total shark jump of Avg Joe Hawaii finale.)

edited because hanging tags look stoopid

RRR:

What a bunch of wackos! If you get thrown out of premarital counseling, maybe you shouldn't get married. Jeebus....

Hee to the Avg. Joe reference, that FUF I'd actually love to watch!

Today's show was pretty damn boring. If I wanted to see people yell at each other, I would've pushed for my parents to stay married. My mom earned her way out of her marriage due to my father's mental illness. What kind of advice does Phil have for those situations, just let everyone be miserable? Whatever. Another thing, people who have an affair with each other should never ever get married themselves. What do they think is going to fucking happen? Idiots.

Big giant word, borokat. Lots of that hadn't even hit me until you said it - like you can't be their "soft place to fall" until you quit being the nightmarish cliff they're falling from.

In the "enough is enough" catagory I would put my wife saying publicly that I didn't "have the balls" to cheat. I'm all for swallowing your pride to try and keep a marriage together,for the kids sake, but not if your father has become the town's biggest object of pity.

--
Today's RRR: Isn't it creepy when someone breaks down and starts to sob and the camera cuts to the audience all smiling and apppauding?

It's like some kind of strange cult. I expect them to break into a chant of "One of us! One of us! One of us!". I think the audiance is thinking "Ahhh, now they get it." Dorks.

Now that statement should be blown up poster size and hang from the video monitor in Phil's studio!



Word InfrickinFinity! Most of these couples were train wrecks waiting to happen.

Vinnie met Donna when he responded to her domestic disturbance call? Huh?

Mike essentially married his mistress. And Kimberly wonders how she could ever trust him. Heh.

Jennifer & Eric/Paul & Nora: A fine example of people who should have never been married in the first place.

Rob & Deanna: They might have a chance to fix things. Their issues seem to come from outside their marriage.

Rene & Gelsy: They obviously haven't moved out of the "power struggle" phase of their marriage. I found it odd that he was yelling about her spending money. If she isn't spending it on herself, then it must be on those 4 kids under 6!

Dammit, I'm hooked.

One of my favorite DrP montras is "if they do it with ya, they'll do it to ya".


Just the idea of any "therapy" session being constantly interrupted by applause or laughter gives me the heebeejeebees.
I'm pretty sure that's NOT what Freud and Jung had in mind.....

stardancer2001 ..... I'm concerned that you ALREADY have the couples names memorized. ;-)

Damn, Drummouse. I'd love to see Freud go after Dr. Phil. Obviously something went very wrong during Little Phil's toilet-training. ;)

Yay! Either DP takes a stand that says, "Gay people can't change or control thier sexual orientation" and aleniates his freinds in the southren Baptist convention or he says that they can, and her husband just hasn't, and alienates his friends at the pusdopsychology convention. Should be fun to watch him waffle(tm President Shrub) around this one...

Drummouse, I don't memorize that crap. I take notes! {;"D




Hmmm. If Brandon willingly married Raquel and slept with her to make that baby, he would probably be bisexual. As far as I know, gay men do not sleep with women.

My dad and stepmom's relationship is an interesting thing. Dad asked for Mom back, she said, "Aint no way" and one month later, on Christmas Eve, he married stepmom. Stepmom proceeded to fill the house full of pictures of them from high school, making the appearance that they had been married for 30 years, and ultimately trying to erase the 20 that he spent with Mom. Several years later, he confessed to me that he still loved Mom. What 21 year old Borokat was supposed to do with that information, I still don't know.

My point being, in my situation where a man married his mistress, there is a whole lot of denial going on. They are sticking it out and I don't see them divorcing soon, but if Dad cheats again, I think that I will kill him. The real glue holding them together is that they are both in their 50s and feeling like they are at last chance saloon. It is not a marriage that I would have- zero trust and not many friends (they lost alot of them when the affair came out). Dad is pretty guilt ridden, but everything is OK because they both have found Jesus (sarcasm).

I wish that DP would do a show strictly on infidelity and how long lasting and devastating the effects are.

WORD to the infinite power there!
Especially how it affects SO MANY other people and not JUST the significant other (aka: spouse).
It is by far one of the most SELFISH acts.
I have no sympathy for parents who tear apart a family just because they need to "get off". Like I always heard, you don't just cheat on your spouse, you cheat on your kids.... and the rest of the extended family and friends.

Guess this explains why I don't get Erin not telling Martyr where he can hang it!
It also explains why Chris the Washcloth needs to grow a pair and invest in a roll of duct tape for that classy dame of a wife, Stacy!
If there was ever a broad axing to be bitch-slapped (other than Omarosa, of course), it would be that gal!

Did the women actually slap their husbands today?

I don't know about that. I've met my fair share of gay men who were in long term relationships with women, some married, one with a kid, that were gay and trying to (insert an excuse here) but were gay, through and through.

Being gay is about who you are. Having sex is about behavior.

Just as a person who doesn't normally eat raw fish can decide to try sushi, a person who does not normally have sex with a woman can decide to do it. Straight women can have sex with women. Straight men can have sex with men. It doesn't make them gay. It doesn't even make them bisexual -- it means they acted in a particular way on a specific occasion.

Gay people can "do" heterosexual sex. Lots of them do it for years because it never occurs to them that they are gay. Some gay people have straight sex, for any of a variety of reasons, even after they realize they are gay. For instance, some gay people belong to religions that encourage them to marry and have straight sex, and "learn to like it". Others do it because the costs of letting their families know they are gay are too high.

The social, family and religious pressures on people to "be straight" are very strong, and lots of gay people succumb to them. Others make intentional choices to have straight sex on one or more occasions for specific reasons.

When I was coming out in the 70s, there was a lot of agitation among lesbians I knew about "who is a real lesbian?" The only good answer to that is, "A lesbian is any woman who says she is", and I think that the same is true for gay men.

As far as DP, he certainly avoids gay people on his show. But he did have that one "couple" where the guy said he was gay and the woman was so sure she could "change him". and DP basically told her to get a grip and get on with her life, without the guy. I seem to recall that he asked him if he was sure he was gay and uninterested in a relationship with a woman, and when the say said, "Yep," that's when DP told hte woman to move on.

Wow.

I've never watched Dr. Phil because I am allergic to people who become legends in the media's mind, but I have enjoyed this thread immensely. Thank you TWOPers.

You have restored my faith in the basic intelligence of humanity.

BTW... Dr. Phil......You're fat dude. Fat.

Stop giving diet advice.

Because.... You're kinda fat to be lashing out at peeps who like their Hagen-Daz.







My son's third word.

Double post. Sorry.

I thought I did not care about the married couples (and I still don't, really) but wow, that was intense stuff for tv. WTF was up with that "I don't answer questions" comment? And the ha ha they dare to think they can get away with not telling me things smarm? These people must be really screwed up if they are willing to go on tv to get yelled at like this.

Also---is anyone else kinda annoyed at the way Dr. Phil pronounces the word "finances?" I have always pronounced it FIE-nances but Dr. Phil keeps saying fa-NANCES.

What is better that one FUF? Six! On one show! Airing two days a week! Soon, DP will be doing a FUF segment every day of the week. Oh, except the days when Robyn gets to have her "How to be a Real Woman" shows.

Well, first replace everything "real" with plastic. The stuff that you can't replace, get it stapled to five inches skywards so it looks plastic.

Second, look at your wardrobe, including your shoes. Is any of it cheetah-print? No? Well, you have to fix that. And, if you don't own a pair of hooker heels, you need to go out and get about ten pairs.

(This is getting fun, so I have to stop before I spend way too much time on it!)

El De Marge: also, you need a husband. Because if you don't have one of those, you won't have anybody to dress, and then what will you do with your day?

I don't get to see DP now because it's not on at a time I can watch it. When I'm home, I do try to sit in.

To those who say don't marry the person you've had an affair with, I'm all for it.

Except for the fact that my first (of two) ex-brothers-in-law did in fact finally marry his paramour (for lack of better term) after they'd lived together for five or eight years. After a total of 20 years (married and not), they're still very much together.

My sister (who's on her own marriage number three) is married to her paramour (who's on HIS marriage number three) and they've been together probably some ten years or more now. She had a marriage in between, during which she ran around with the guy she's married to now. I know, I know, these people could be their own FUF.

Anyway, to the best of my knowledge, no one's running around on anyone anymore. I think they're the exception, but isn't there always one?

Can I admit that I really enjoyed Drill Sgt. Phil on yesterday's RRR? Give 'em hell, Phil!

I'm not sure why he's bringing in Robin, though. I smell good cop/bad cop.



I think we determined a few pages ago that the couples are going to be slapping each other's hands, not their faces, so it's really not quite as shocking as the promo implies (so what else is new).

Also, Friday's show (Extreme Marriages) looks TOTALLY Jerry Springer.

According to zap2it Dr Shil is being sued.

eta sorry. I can't get the link to work.

Y'all watch Dr Phil with Jennifer (blonde, blue blouse) today. I think he was totally unfair to her. She admitted to being a "right fighter" she laughed at herself, she was as co-operative and honest as she could be and he still felt the need to humiliate her. Mr. Perc and I agreed that there's a difference between a wife telling her husband how to do something around the house (that she's done 400 times and he's done once) and thinking she's smarter than he is. Mr. Perc has far more brains and education than I do but he's just a moron at most household tasks. (On purpose I'm sure.)

Doesn't Miss Perfect (Gelsey?) look like the "King of Queens" wife?

Nora's too strange. Affair? Oh yeah, well that was weeks ago. Then Dr. Phil was so sarcastic with Paul I thought (okay hoped) he might punch him.

Try it this time: class action suit

Surprised, anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Nm, someone beat me to it. :)

Re: the lawsuit: It's about the "Shape Up" weight loss products. "The suit... says the line of Shape Up! products that bear Dr. Phil's name falsely claim that some of the supplements, energy bars and shakes in the line contain 'scientifically researched ... ingredients that can help you change your behavior' and lose weight."

I notice that it says the Shape Up stuff is made by a company "headed by Gary Dobbs, a partner of McGraw's in the trial-consulting firm Courtroom Sciences." I wonder if DP agreed to endorse the products as a favor to Gary Dobbs, or because Gary has some dirt on him, heh heh. It seems like these products have led to nothing but huge credibility problems for DP from the get-go (there was a big, very skeptical New York Times article about them shortly after they appeared, and there were rumors that Oprah was displeased by the deal). Surely someone as business-savvy as DP would know that getting involved in the notoriously shady diet aid industry is not a smart move.

Darn! I thought the lawsuit link was about Bambi Bembeneck pitching out the window to avoid Phil's machinations. That had Lifetime movie written all over it.

The company tthat makes the stuff is called "Nutraceuticals". Har.
Thanks for the link, Hexele!

After watching the last three episodes this afternoon I can now see why PP is so sweet to Robin... and it's because he's discharging all of his sadism and aggression outward and against his guests!

I just can't get over how much of a need he has to invalidate their opinions and humiliate them. These people are coming to him for help and they are getting viciously abused before a live studio audience. I can't believe that APA won't condemn PP for his evil ways!

And since when is Robin qualified to lead a marital family workshop? I thought thought the only degree she had was the MRS so whenever did she find time to get an M. Ed or an MSW that would qualify her to lead these groups?

Once again, PP pulled his "I'm just a country boy!" shit.

Did anyone else notice how PP's guests were blasted by him for using THE VERY SAME LINGO that he has been using? I guess its OK when he's talking about them putting up walls but it's not OK when they talk about it themselves.

Why can't somebody put a stop to this monster?

Donahue was tough but he was never this big an asshole.

I happened to be channel surfing and when I flipped to Dr. Phil (which I don't watch regularly), I saw a woman with blonde hair and a blue blouse. Because I read your post percolata, I stopped and watched. ITA with what you said about DP being unfair. I was baffled. She would say what she wanted to say (which all sounded reasonable to me) then DP would stare her down, until she said "you're right! you're right!". I was all, WTF? Why is she backing down? Then when she tried to explain her point of view more clearly, DP said in a completely condescending way, "ok, you're right" while reaching to pat her hand. What an ass. For the first time, I totally got the "my way or the highway" vibe from him that others have mentioned. I'm not watching his show anymore, especially during sweeps. And I, too, was confused by Robin's presence in the "entertainment" session. I think a person doesn't need a degree to help, but did they even explain why she was facilitating?

Phil comes down hard on people he thinks have the need to be right all the time ... because HE has the need to be right all the time and people tend to dislike in others what they dislike in themselves. Oh, I suppose that wouldn't fly with Phil b/c we can't have people using all those psycho-babble terms and theories ... like HE DOES. Bleck!

You don't have to humiliate someone to call them on their crap, if that's what Phil thinks he's doing.


I have been WAITING for that! You know the Lifetime people were salivating when they heard about it.

Lifetime TV: The channel for women who were battered and the men who battered them. It's sad but true, that channel thrives on tales of women abused and in peril and there's not a single cultural outlet that doesn't refer to women in high-drama situations as somehow being connected to Lifetime TV.

I have to admit, the promos for his RRR looked intrieguing, and I thought I'd be laughing or amused most of the time, but I think most of the time I had more of a pained expression on my face. Obviously all the DP cruelty and drama is for ratings and the television audience, but in terms of actually helping the couples, it's almost like a brain washing camp, where everyone's responses to his questions are wrong, and he's going to emotionally drain them until they turn into zombies like his wife Robin.