You've seen the TLC spin on morbid obesity in "My 600-lb Life" now here's Britain's approach. "Supersize vs Superskinny" swaps the diets of anorexic and obese patients in attempt to shock them healthy. Dr. Christian Jessen does interventions including introducing participants to folks with similar problems so they can see the logical outcome of their unhealthy lifestyles. Dr. Jessen went to the US to see how obesity is killing one town and to show obese LJ where his diet would lead, That transatlantic meetup was both heart-breaking and eye-opening.
McAllen, Texas: Fattest city in US
The United States is the fattest country in the world and little McAllen, Texas is the fattest city. Brits are attempting to deal with their own obesity problems--1 in 4 Englanders is obese, while a staggering 36.4% of the US is. Childhood obesity is at 17%. England's NHS is being taxed with $50 billion in obesity costs, while the tab is $150 billion to $204 billion stateside. In an effort to learn from the mistakes of their American cousins, Dr. Jessen met with health workers in McAllen. He learned that the country morgue had to get new plus-size examination tables so pathologists could accommodate corpses of the many morbidly obesethey see.
"We have seen the enemy and he is us"
Dr. Jessen took LJ who weighs twice what he should, to meet morbid obesity in a 40-stone (570-lb) Texan woman and see firsthand how difficult life is for her. LJ was horrified by her backyard baths ("like an animal" he said), lack of hygiene and bizarre toileting--all down to extreme size.
He went with her to weigh-in which required four men, a stretcher and ambulance to convey her. He wept with her as she found she hadn't lost weightforbariatricgastric bypass surgery.
Obesity vs Anorexia: food swap
Jessen takes a more directive method to Dr. Younan Nowzaradan on "My 600-lb Life." In the feeding clinic, he partners too-thin and too-fat people to work on opposing health issues together.
LJ and Katie each tried the other's diet.LJ eats twice the calories a grown man needs while Katie was under-budget by about 500 calories.Both saw the dangers in their eating habits through the other's eyes. Instead of addressing just obesity, Jessen parallels to dangers on both sides of the eating disorders spectrum. It's not just about healthy weight loss, but also medically necessary weight gain.
