“Too Large” is a reality series that centers around the lives of morbidly obese individuals who try to lose weight with the help of bariatric surgeon Dr. Charles Procter. The first season has six episodes, and each episode shows the determination of the participants as they go through the challenges of their journey. The first episode is about Meghan Crumpler and Vannessa Cross, two best friends who decide to lose weight together.
Meghan became a favorite, or at least my favorite. This is a fighter who, at 41 years-old, realizes that she wants to live longer, healthier, and have a family of her own. She owns her weight and size, and do not blame others for them. She also has an amazing support system, as her boyfriend, Jon, does the exercises with her and helps her through her weight loss journey.
Vanessa, on the other hand, did not even want to start losing weight to begin with. Well, throughout a big part of the episode, she would rather root for Meghan than do the work herself and lose weight. This is revealed to be a façade as later in the episode, after she discovers that she is 440lbs, Vanessa reveals to be unhappy and wanting to lose weight. She wants more for herself but is also scared. We get a look at the real Vanessa, the one who suffers with food addiction but is also full of excuses as to why she is not losing weight. This brings us to our next subject, the reason why Vanessa is not losing weight.
Why Vanessa Is Not Losing Weight
First of all, Vanessa and Meghan are like day and night, completely opposite to one another. Sometimes, I had a hard time comprehending how they are even friends, to begin with. But again, opposites do attract each other. Vanessa did have a tough upbringing and a hard life in general. I would give her that. She is a single mother of two, struggling to make ends meet. Then, the pandemic struck, making everything even harder. I totally understand that. But, and this is a big “but”, Vanessa makes a lot of excuses for everything in her life including her weight. “Meghan has support. I don’t.” “I go to the food bank. Meghan doesn’t.” And so on, and so. The same song in a loop over and over. It gets tiring. Vanessa has no accountability at all, and this is one big reason why she is not losing weight.
Another reason holding Vanessa back is the fact that she thinks and acts as she knows better. When she finally agreed to embark on a weight loss journey, her nutritionist gave her a plan to follow to be eligible for bariatric surgery. Vanessa ditched that plan, and instead, went rogue doing her own thing. Here is the thing. Numbers don’t lie. If your math is right, in this case, following the plan, then the number on the scale would have been what was expected. You can’t go rogue on a plan when you’re a beginner. Document everything. Weigh your food; have a journal for your food and your mental. Having everything down helps you see where the problem is if any. And my guess is that it was the food. Vanessa was eating more than she needed or should have. Adding on top of that the fact that she is also full of excuses, always and would also play the “poor me” card a lot, she had a recipe for disaster. Calories don’t care about your situation. Eat more than you need, gain weight; eat less than you need, lose weight. It’s not rocket science. Trust me, I studied and graduated in rocket science.
The biggest reason why Vanessa did not lose weight was that she has a food addiction. Food addiction is a mental illness, and without treatment, it would be almost impossible for Vanessa or anyone to lose weight. Many people think that food addiction is a game or even an excuse for poor choices and decisions. But it is not the case. In this instance, food literally has control over you, which makes it nearly impossible to turn down. We see that when Vannessa weighs herself for the first time in the episode and learns that she is 440lbs she is devastated for three minutes, and then she rushes right to a drive-through, where she orders what would be a meal for five… for herself. Food addiction is real, and until Vanessa seeks help for it, she is less likely to lose weight. And if she does, it would be temporary, and she would fall right back into her habits and would gain back the weight that she has lost, and probably even gain more.
Meghan’s Determination
There are five stages of behavior change:
- precontemplation: build awareness for my need to change;
- contemplation: increase my pros for change and decrease my cons;
- preparation: commit and plan;
- action: implement and revise my plan;
- maintenance: integrate change into my lifestyle.
Meghan started the episode in the Preparation phase. She was ready to make a change for herself, had a plan, and was also determined. On top of all that, she also had an excellent support system in Jon, who also followed her plan for support. Starting the episode at 496lbs, Meghan did her absolute best to qualify for bariatric surgery, and she did. Her diligence paid off, and at the end of the show, she had lost a whopping 160lbs! Through her journey, she also learned better and healthier habits with her alimentation, and even tried to teach Vanessa. Of course, it was a lost cause here because of the reasons that I enumerated above.
Meghan’s fighter mind was definitely refreshing to see, as well as how determined to live longer and start a family. She was definitely my favorite, and to my eyes, an excellent role model to every obese or morbidly obese individual who attempts weight loss. She is great proof that weight loss is possible and attainable as long as you truly want it and fight for it. You cannot just wish it into existence. Instead, you have to do the work, sow the seed before you can rip the benefits. I would love to hear your thoughts. Have you watched the show? What did you think of this episode? Let me know in the comments!