Do you watch This Is Us??

This show is AMAZING and if you have no****ched I urge you to give it a shot. 

For those that DO watch, What do you think of Kate and her decision NOT to have WLS?  She went to a weight loss immersion program (AKA Fat camp instead.) 

While I respect her choice,  She is a big girl..and has a REALLY tough road ahead of her, With her overweight fiancee that would rather binge eat than support her, I don't see it ending well. 

I know it isn't real life...but for many of us that WAS real life, just wanted to know how everyone else though about it. 

I really like this show.  I love that they have Kate with a great love interest in Toby.  Even though he was not super supportive at first he has come around in the last few episodes.  I was hoping they would have followed through with the WLS story line to help bring attention to the issue but I do like that they really show the reality of being obese and the true struggle that it is in every area of the persons life.  I think that many people don't get it and seeing it depicted in a real way is a good change as opposed to the typical way that TV puts heavy people portrayed as either being the "happy jolly fat person" or "the lazy slob that don't care".

Agreed, but she still isn't happy with Toby, I cant wait till tonight to see if she ACTUALLY goes in that jerk's cabin or not! Did you know Toby isnt really overweight? He wears a fat suit on the show. He is actually pretty fit in real life, which was a little disappointing to find out. 

Yes I saw that about the guy that plays Toby and was quite surprised by it. 

I am losing a little empathy for Kate now, I think because of how she's treated Toby ...

I hope she pulls her socks up in the next few episodes!

Agreed. She was really ugly to him in the last episode. 

I love that show.

In real life, the actress that plays Kate has it written into her contract that her part requires a lot of weight loss. So, whether her character has surgery or not, she is supposed to lose. But the actress is also on record saying she would never have WLS in real life.

Wow how interesting! 

I really like this show, but I have been struggling with it since I found out that the actor that plays Toby wears a fat suit.  I find that very offensive.  Oh, and before someone says, "Well that's because his character is supposed to lose a lot of weight during the show!!"  -- um, no.  Originally, they were only going to use him for an episode or two.  Therefore, there was absolutely no reason not to use a fat actor for the part.  No one can convince me that there are not plenty of very talented fat male actors that could use a good quality acting job.  Using a fat suit is similar to using a white man to play a black male part -- or a white woman to play an asian female.  It's almost parody -- and I don't like it.

I walk a fine line with this show.  It touches on several issues of race, gender and even fat acceptance -- yet all of them are done from a very white middle-class perspective.  I get it -- that's the target audience.  Mostly, they do a relatively decent job -- some things more unbelievable than others -- 

Coupled with the offensiveness of the fat suited Toby -- I find it sad that Kate's character cannot accept herself -- and that emotionally she is so unhappy because of her weight.  It is very obvious that this show is written by people who are normal-weighted -- because her character and her experience with weight is really done from a thin person's perspective.  I have some issues with that.  There are so few fully developed obese characters in film or television -- and I would like Kate to be more than just her weight.  Her character has so much potential and wonderful qualities -- so I feel frustrated sometimes that most of her plot lines focus on just one aspect of her existence.  

It's painfully obvious that the producers/writers cannot imagine a world where an obese woman could possibly be happy and fulfilled.  Mind you, the woman who plays Kate is absolutely beautiful, her character is intelligent and capable -- but all those pale because in their eyes no one could possibly be happy despite being fat.

I was obese -- but I have always been beautiful and fulfilled.  Somehow I managed to marry not one but TWO normal-weighted and intelligent men.  I have an amazing career, am one of the most capable and competent humans that I know -- have an amazing son and family -- and DAMN IT -- I did ALL THOSE THINGS AT 347 pounds.  And guess what -- I don't think I am the only one like me!  Fat doesn't equal miserable just like thin certainly doesn't equal happy.  

I sincerely hope that they don't have her character have WLS.  I would like at least one show allow a character to be fat and a fully developed person on film.  Of course, if she chose to in real life -- or lost a significant amount of weight in real life for any reason -- that, like any other physical change would need addressed in the storyline.  Otherwise, why not let America address the issues of arguably 30 to 80% of the population?

Well said! I totally felt the same betrayal when I found out Toby wore a fat suit as well!

And I also agree about Kate's character...it is a very shallow existence. Completely consumed by her weight.

The whole fat camp thing is very off putting, like they are setting her up for failure. Anyone who has ever been that happy knows, it rarely works unless you make it your career...and let's face it who has the time or money to live at a camp?! She is a very sad person and has not come to terms with her issues, and does not even seem to be on the right track to do so IMO.