# Britain's fattest teenager regains 16st (224lbs) in 16 months...



## joswitch (Nov 2, 2010)

Georgia Davis has been in the papers over here a few times.
She weighed 33st (462lbs) when she was sent to a US "fat camp" and lost a great deal of weight - in about nine months or so- within an environment where someone else was controlling food. 
Georgia got down to 18st (about 240lbs) at her lowest.

Upon returning home, she returned to her previous eating habits and now weighs 34st (476lbs), just 16months afer getting back to Wales.

Besides illustrating the usual OMGTEHDEATHFATZFREAKSHOW of the media, and the dramatic whiplash of yo-yo dieting / ractchet gaining... I think both the media and the medical establishment have missed the point about what Georgia's problem(s) are....

She says that she began to overeat following the death of her Dad when she was very young. She is currently caring for her 55 year old mother who has heart disease and her 70 year old grandad who has lung cancer.

It seems to me that Georgia is dealing with a hell of a lot while still very young and that she needs help in a whole bunch of ways, not all of which may necessarily, be directly to do with weight / her feeling that she has an addiction...

Specifically, it seems to me that she has been lacking a capable parental figure for some time, and she must be struggling to deal with caring for two ill adults whilst trying to continue schooling... Not to mention issues of grief for her father and probably anxiety for her mother and grandad....

Your thoughts DIMs?

Most recent story, in the papers:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1325509/34st-Georgia-Britains-fattest-teenager-piles-16st-on.html

An earlier account that briefly mentions her role as carer for her family:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7613062/Britains-fattest-teenager-regains-weight-after-losing-14st.html


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## joswitch (Nov 2, 2010)

She's actually been her mother's carer since she was ten.


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## bigjayne66 (Nov 2, 2010)

I mega sympathise with her,hope when she is 18 Georgia might find support from our community,she doesn't need these negative tabloid reports


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## mossystate (Nov 2, 2010)

This thread could get pretty interesting if some start connecting certain dots, at least how it would apply to many.


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## MizzSnakeBite (Nov 2, 2010)

joswitch said:


> Georgia Davis has been in the papers over here a few times.
> She weighed 33st (462lbs) when she was sent to a US "fat camp" and lost a great deal of weight - in about nine months or so- within an environment where someone else was controlling food.
> Georgia got down to 18st (about 240lbs) at her lowest.
> 
> ...



I think it's very sad, and I really relate to it. I'm guessing it's really, really hard to get psychotherapy through NHS? Also, if she was able to be in the U.S for 9 months, I'm going to assume someone else took care of everyone while she was gone...??...why can't they find help now? She really shouldn't have to shoulder all of that, but that's often the way it is. It makes me angry that the media's going after her, but in a way, maybe the media attention will help, otherwise, no one would know what's going on.


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## bigjayne66 (Nov 2, 2010)

I agree,I am only 30 lbs smaller than Georgia so I can relate to her up to a point,especially as I have a mother who is ill,but I rely on my younger sister and niece as i cannot travel much.


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## joswitch (Nov 2, 2010)

MizzSnakeBite said:


> I think it's very sad, and I really relate to it. * I'm guessing it's really, really hard to get psychotherapy through NHS?* Also, if she was able to be in the U.S for 9 months, *I'm going to assume someone else took care of everyone while she was gone...??...why can't they find help now? * She really shouldn't have to shoulder all of that, but that's often the way it is. It makes me angry that the media's going after her, but in a way, maybe the media attention will help, otherwise, no one would know what's going on.



^Very much these points.

When a child is an adult's carer - how do they get respite care?
If they were to tell the social workers they were struggling to cope, might they not be in danger of being removed from their home?

I think that a newspaper, maybe the Sun? paid for her US trip.

And yeah, the media is very happy to talk up lbs and calories, but not one article I've read has asked Georgia if she's had any professional help emotionally or practically, beyond weight.

I thought it was a big red flag, psychologically, that Georgia was quoted in one piece - about her exerience at the weight loss camp - that (following cognitive therapy directed at weight loss) she felt she now knew how to return to *caring for her mother without "destroying" herself*.


Nine months in a supportive environment before being parachuted back in to a situation where you were already struggling that much, does not seem to be adaequate help for her.


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## bigjayne66 (Nov 3, 2010)

mossystate said:


> This thread could get pretty interesting if some start connecting certain dots, at least how it would apply to many.


Looks like the dots haven't been connected


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## joswitch (Nov 3, 2010)

bigjayne66 said:


> Looks like the dots haven't been connected




I thought this thread might attract more interest / comment, too...


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## bigjayne66 (Nov 3, 2010)

If we all show that we care about Georgia,and that we are on her side,it must seem like a lot of the press are against her,I wasn't a fat teen,my weight ballooned in the last 7 years,but I would not want to be in her shoes right now....


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## mossystate (Nov 3, 2010)

To _not_ look at the weightfoodovereatingaddictionwhatever is as dangerous as thinking it is _only_ about weightfoodovereatingaddictionwhatever...and that is why this thread, unless I see other commenting...is mostly a glue trap.


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## joswitch (Nov 3, 2010)

@mossy - no-one's saying don't look at her food issues... What I'm saying is that there's obviously way more going on/underlying than that... And surely DIMs is the ideal place for discussion of all of it - including possible food addiction / depression / media circus etc...
Isn't this kinda thing exactly what Main Board is for?

Excuse badly parsed post... Am on phone...


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## 1300 Class (Nov 3, 2010)

Looking at underlying issues causes newspaper editor's heads to explode.


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## joswitch (Nov 3, 2010)

Australian Lord said:


> Looking at underlying issues causes newspaper editor's heads to explode.



I do not see a down side to this.


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## mossystate (Nov 3, 2010)

@joswitch - I never said anything about where you placed your thread, nor did I say there are not many issues involved in this situation. If this young woman has gone through some CBT with a competent practitioner, then she did get some help that is about more than, " don't eat that ". 
Of course she needs ongoing and real help to address many issues, and she has to have a life she defines and looks forward to. The weight issue is complicated ( it usually is, no matter the whistling and looking up to the heavens ), and one ( one ) of the immediate tools this young woman needs is to get a handle on is what will help her with the overeating. Of course if there is nothing else going on at the same time in terms of counseling her on the root causes of how she is " destroying " herself ( and I am not going to be so arrogant as to suggest she doesn't/shouldn't feel XYZ is exactly that...for and to her ) and the huge burdens placed on a life so young...then her life will continue to be a sad battle, with mostly herself as the lone soldier. 
She needs immediate intervention to ease some of her burdens at home, and an emotional support system, and therapy, so she is not forever reaching for the things ( and not saying it is only food ) that don't ' fill her up '...at all. 
I have seen words of pain from some ( somesomesomesomeinvaryingdegreessome ) fat people, and as long as they put enough of a smiley face on it ( somesomesomesomesome ), and try and love themselves ( but not always so much in a way they define for themselves, as they battle both sides that crook a finger ), they, too, can get as lost in the shuffle as this young woman. I hope you...all of us...are as quick to feel outrage over lack of care and help, no matter if what we see with our eyes delights us.
This kid is pretty much a poster child for people not properly cared for/about. I hope she finds her way, even if she has little help.


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## joswitch (Nov 3, 2010)

mossystate said:


> @joswitch - I never said anything about where you placed your thread, nor did I say there are not many issues involved in this situation. If this young woman has gone through some CBT with a competent practitioner, then she did get some help that is about more than, " don't eat that ".
> Of course she needs ongoing and real help to address many issues, and she has to have a life she defines and looks forward to. The weight issue is complicated ( it usually is, no matter the whistling and looking up to the heavens ), and one ( one ) of the immediate tools this young woman needs is to get a handle on is what will help her with the overeating. Of course if there is nothing else going on at the same time in terms of counseling her on the root causes of how she is " destroying " herself ( and I am not going to be so arrogant as to suggest she doesn't/shouldn't feel XYZ is exactly that...for and to her ) and the huge burdens placed on a life so young...then her life will continue to be a sad battle, with mostly herself as the lone soldier.
> *She needs immediate intervention to ease some of her burdens at home, and an emotional support system, and therapy,* so she is not forever reaching for the things ( and not saying it is only food ) that don't ' fill her up '...at all.
> I have seen words of pain from some ( somesomesomesomeinvaryingdegreessome ) fat people, and as long as they put enough of a smiley face on it ( somesomesomesomesome ), and try and love themselves ( but not always so much in a way they define for themselves, as they battle both sides that crook a finger ), they, too, can get as lost in the shuffle as this young woman. I hope you...all of us...are as quick to feel outrage over lack of care and help, no matter if what we see with our eyes delights us.
> *This kid is pretty much a poster child for people not properly cared for/about. I hope she finds her way, even if she has little help*.




Agreeing with what you're saying here. I'd like to see her get more help.
I don't have any great ideas as to how, atm, and I wonder if anyone on here does?

It very much seems to me, that like a lot of kids, she's not had chance to be a kid - with parent(s) actually looking after her... And that she's been asked to shoulder a helluva a lot, as a carer for adults, way too young...


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## mossystate (Nov 3, 2010)

* remembers that others are reading *


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## bigjayne66 (Nov 4, 2010)

Australian Lord said:


> Looking at underlying issues causes newspaper editor's heads to explode.



I am not sure if this applies in the UK,here it seems the tabloid editors have huge heads with little brains rattling around inside ...


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## danbsc29630 (Nov 4, 2010)

I would love to sing the song "Georgia on my mind" to her.


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## MizzSnakeBite (Nov 5, 2010)

danbsc29630 said:


> I would love to sing the song "Georgia on my mind" to her.



Please elaborate as to why you'd like to do that. Do you think some strange man singing songs to her would help her situation at all?


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## bigjayne66 (Nov 5, 2010)

MizzSnakeBite said:


> Please elaborate as to why you'd like to do that. Do you think some strange man singing songs to her would help her situation at all?



She is probably not in the right state of mind to want to be admired at the moment,however with a little encouragement eventually a more positive attitude towards herself may emerge,
and her weight may no longer feel a burden 
I wonder though what Georgia would think if she knew there were some nice young FA guys,all I would say to these guys is ,if you find her,don't give out the wrong vibes ok as she might be very sensitive to percieved insults,ones that FAs might consider compliments,


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## tinkerbell (Nov 5, 2010)

What a sad story all around. She's so young to have to be caring for her family like that, and needs help. She shouldnt be doing all of that on her own. 

And Bigjayne66, yuck... just yuck. *shudders*


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## KitKat341990 (Nov 5, 2010)

Pretty big girl, I must say.

Hope she gets her goal (again).


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## joswitch (Nov 5, 2010)

tinkerbell said:


> What a sad story all around. She's so young to have to be caring for her family like that, and needs help. She shouldnt be doing all of that on her own.



Exactly. Who wouldn't be tempted to turn to some form of self-medication, given such burdens?


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## joswitch (Nov 5, 2010)

bigjayne66 said:


> She is probably not in the right state of mind to want to be admired at the moment,however with a little encouragement eventually a more positive attitude towards herself may emerge,
> and her weight may no longer feel a burden
> I wonder though what Georgia would think if she knew there were some nice young FA guys,all I would say to these guys is ,if you find her,don't give out the wrong vibes ok as she might be very sensitive to percieved insults,ones that FAs might consider compliments,



I don't think fat admiration has any relevance here, myself. I think it's more about one of the wider aims of size acceptance, which tries to get media / authorities to see fat people as more than just a "weight problem" where all health / social solutions are measured in lbs.... IMO


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## bigjayne66 (Nov 5, 2010)

danbsc29630 said:


> I would love to sing the song "Georgia on my mind" to her.





joswitch said:


> I don't think fat admiration has any relevance here, myself. I think it's more about one of the wider aims of size acceptance, which tries to get media / authorities to see fat people as more than just a "weight problem" where all health / social solutions are measured in lbs.... IMO



I think you are correct in saying this,however I would not have commented if the top reply quoted here had not been posted ,I see this from an SSBBW view ,not from an FA point,I have only encountered admirers in the last 3 years,sorry if anyone found my remarks in bad taste


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## joswitch (Nov 5, 2010)

bigjayne66 said:


> I think you are correct in saying this,however I would not have commented if the top reply quoted here had not been posted ,I see this from an SSBBW view ,not from an FA point,I have only encountered admirers in the last 3 years,sorry if anyone found my remarks in bad taste



I was basically agreeing with you, sorry I should've made that clearer..


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## MizzSnakeBite (Nov 5, 2010)

KitKat341990 said:


> Pretty big girl, I must say.
> 
> Hope she gets her goal (again).



I was going to bite my tongue, but I decided against that. Do you know that there are many members here that are her size or larger? What you said was pretty insulting, so you might think about how you word things.



As for the guy wanting to sing to her.... I have a problem with him sexualizing her during her struggles. This has zero to do with her being SSBBW and him being an FA. If she were slim, and a guy that was attracted to her said he wanted to sing to her, I would have the same problem. She's going through hell right now, and that really doesn't seem appropriate. I don't know if this makes any sense. lol


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## CrankySpice (Nov 6, 2010)

MizzSnakeBite said:


> I was going to bite my tongue, but I decided against that. Do you know that there are many members here that are her size or larger? What you said was pretty insulting, so you might think about how you word things.
> 
> 
> 
> As for the guy wanting to sing to her.... I have a problem with him sexualizing her during her struggles. This has zero to do with her being SSBBW and him being an FA. If she were slim, and a guy that was attracted to her said he wanted to sing to her, I would have the same problem. She's going through hell right now, and that really doesn't seem appropriate. I don't know if this makes any sense. lol



And what if a straight woman had said she wanted to sing to her? Not every act of kindness/compassion from an FA is about OMGTEHFATIZSEXXY. Just sayin'.


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## bigjayne66 (Nov 6, 2010)

MizzSnakeBite said:


> I was going to bite my tongue, but I decided against that. Do you know that there are many members here that are her size or larger? What you said was pretty insulting, so you might think about how you word things.
> 
> 
> 
> As for the guy wanting to sing to her.... I have a problem with him sexualizing her during her struggles. This has zero to do with her being SSBBW and him being an FA. If she were slim, and a guy that was attracted to her said he wanted to sing to her, I would have the same problem. She's going through hell right now, and that really doesn't seem appropriate. I don't know if this makes any sense. lol



I think under the circumstances a big hug or two might be more appreciated


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## MizzSnakeBite (Nov 6, 2010)

bigjayne66 said:


> I think under the circumstances a big hug or two might be more appreciated



Yep 
---


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## gobettiepurple (Nov 8, 2010)

I think the fact remains that behavior modification alone cannot help Georgia, because she clearly has other issues underlying her weight gain. This is a great problem when people are trying to "help" you change your habits . . . 

Habits are hard to break, because in some ways, they were formed out of necessity and persistance over time. Perhaps she would have gotten more "help" from people that wanted to help her carry the immense burden of being a care giver to the sick family members in her life. I mean, being a care giver at 10 is a huge responsibility, and she has lost out on some of her childhood experiences because of it. 

So really, the weight is a physical manifestation of her internal struggle with loving her family members, who are sick, but at the same time, given the amount of care they need, she is imprisoned by her life and circumstances. That would be a more important thing to address in her life than weight, in my opinion.


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## danbsc29630 (Nov 8, 2010)

MizzSnakeBite said:


> Please elaborate as to why you'd like to do that. Do you think some strange man singing songs to her would help her situation at all?



To be nice. Don't read too much into it.


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## mossystate (Nov 8, 2010)

gobettiepurple said:


> So really, the weight is a physical manifestation of her internal struggle with loving her family members, who are sick, but at the same time, given the amount of care they need, she is imprisoned by her life and circumstances. That would be a more important thing to address in her life than weight, in my opinion.



Of course that is the long term/big picture. I would still say that the weight and eating struggles need to be on one of the front burners. The strict focus on weight is short sighted ( at the very least...and physically damaging )...without a smidge of a doubt, and at the same time, she needs real immediate help when it comes to the actual food issues. Not to overwhelm her, as she has enough of that in her life...but to let her know that unbridled anything is causing her immediate harm. I would hope not one person around her suggests another ' program ', if it stands alone.


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## LovelyLiz (Nov 8, 2010)

mossystate said:


> Of course that is the long term/big picture. I would still say that the weight and eating struggles need to be on one of the front burners. The strict focus on weight is short sighted ( at the very least...and physically damaging )...without a smidge of a doubt, and at the same time, she needs real immediate help when it comes to the actual food issues. Not to overwhelm her, as she has enough of that in her life...but to let her know that unbridled anything is causing her immediate harm. I would hope not one person around her suggests another ' program ', if it stands alone.



I agree. Plus, people tend to feel better emotionally too when taking better care of themselves physically. Not saying she has to go on some kind of strict diet, and I don't know her current routine, but incorporating a few more positive, healthy foods and activities could be a good booster to the emotional work she's doing.


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## MizzSnakeBite (Nov 8, 2010)

danbsc29630 said:


> To be nice. Don't read too much into it.



To many women, doing that (unless you know them), would come across as creepy. If I was her, and some stranger, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, I would cross the street... And if I knew the person, I'd think they lost their mind if they started doing that. lol


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## Chimpi (Nov 9, 2010)

Based upon the quoted statements she, Georgia, has made in the article(s), she seems like a very grounded, intelligent girl. I think she feeds on a lot of the negativity she's been given by her peers, doctor(s) and the media, but I'm glad to see she doesn't necessarily drown herself in misery and other forms of self-hatred (though she definitely views her weight negatively).
I'm still a little angered and blinded by how rashly her doctors, peers and the media have labeled her, spoken to her and represented to her, though that's a much bigger fish to fry and certainly to be expected from others in regards to a girl of her size.

I'm not an expert. She obviously has many different issues, which may or may not be related to her eating habits. I think she'd be much better off being shown encouragement, care and positive reinforcement rather than "Fat is bad, don't be it, lose weight," and a different sort of regiment that might include more pampered ways of self-improvement might encourage her to keep her eating habits and exercise habits after such a "fat camp" or weight-loss / healthier-eating process has been given.
I think she fell out of the habits she learned at fat camp and that certainly contributed to the regaining of her weight. It's a pretty common tale, and not just weight related. I hope she finds a way to structure her life according to what she wants and she can gain all that she desires (that is to say, lose all that she desires).


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## joswitch (Nov 10, 2010)

mcbeth said:


> I agree. Plus, people tend to feel better emotionally too when taking better care of themselves physically. Not saying she has to go on some kind of strict diet, and I don't know her current routine, but* incorporating a few more positive, healthy foods and activities could be a good booster to the emotional work she's doing.*



Which, would of course, be way easier for her if she had a functioning parent / guardian....
Or even someone from the Social coming in a couple of hours a day (morning and evening say) to take over caring duties so she has some time to focus on herself.... (which might include excercise / cooking a proper meal)


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## LovelyLiz (Nov 10, 2010)

joswitch said:


> Which, would of course, be way easier for her if she had a functioning parent / guardian....
> Or even someone from the Social coming in a couple of hours a day (morning and evening say) to take over caring duties so she has some time to focus on herself.... (which might include excercise / cooking a proper meal)



Yep, absolutely. I wasn't saying that as some kind of judgment on her lifestyle or a burden to be placed on her alone - just saying that having some good physical habits tend to improve overall mood. We live in our bodies after all.


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## BeautifulPoeticDisaster (Nov 10, 2010)

joswitch said:


> Which, would of course, be way easier for her if she had a functioning parent / guardian....
> Or even someone from the Social coming in a couple of hours a day (morning and evening say) to take over caring duties so she has some time to focus on herself.... (which might include excercise / cooking a proper meal)



From what I saw of her on the telly, she looked like she was from a poor household and if that's true, she may be the carer because they need the money she gets for being a carer and letting someone from the outside in would hinder their income.

I hate the media in this country sometimes...theres always some bad fat talk somewhere!!! I hope she grows some balls, decides what she herself wants for her life and goes for it. If she wants to lose weight, great, her GP should help her find a way to do that. If she ok where she is at fine, but again she needs to tell the media to fuck off. Unless of course the media is paying her, in which case refer to the above paragraph.


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## bigjayne66 (Nov 10, 2010)

BPD,I totally agree with your comments about the tabloid media,it's time they left her alone .


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## joswitch (Nov 10, 2010)

mcbeth said:


> Yep, absolutely. I wasn't saying that as some kind of judgment on her lifestyle or a burden to be placed on her alone - just saying that having some good physical habits tend to improve overall mood. We live in our bodies after all.



Indeedy. And I didn't think for a minute you were judging.


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## gobettiepurple (Nov 11, 2010)

I agree with so many recent posters, that it would be arduous to mulit-post at this point.

I think that [speaking from an especially american perspective ] we have the fascination with other people's problems - we like to hear when marriages fail and people struggle with weight. It fuels whatever consumeristic urge that has been placed with in us to buy magazines, tabloids and other products in order to combat the natural process of life. Life is messy and complicated and it doesn't get any easier just because you are thin, rich and beautiful [please see the paris hiltons and lindsey lohans of the world]. I think seeing other people go through hard times makes us think "our life isn't so bad, look what they are going through" or "I am not as fat as her, so I am not so bad" and it lets us justify lifestyles that perhaps arent really what are best for us in the long term.

Its so difficult to struggle with weight, just within your immediate relationships, I cannot imagine the effect of public commentary on the little self esteem that she had square away for a rainy day . . . and my heart goes out to Georgia for having to make a very public struggle with weight and non weight issues alike.


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## MisterGuy (Nov 13, 2010)

I would fedd her with caek to 1000 ponds.


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## bigjayne66 (Nov 13, 2010)

MisterGuy said:


> I would fedd her with caek to 1000 ponds.



Sorry,that was not an appropriate comment on this thread,I appeal to you to keep that type of thing on the weight boards,if Georgia reads our posts anytime in the future you will scare the poor girl away...


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## MisterGuy (Nov 13, 2010)

bigjayne66 said:


> Sorry,that was not an appropriate comment on this thread,I appeal to you to keep that type of thing on the weight boards



What type of thing, humor?


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## Saoirse (Nov 13, 2010)

lololol...


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## bigjayne66 (Nov 14, 2010)

MisterGuy said:


> What type of thing, humor?



Just thought this was meant to be a serious issue,that's all,there is plenty of room for humor on the boards,especially in the lounge...


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## bigjayne66 (Feb 21, 2011)

Looks like this young lady is piling it on like never before
I refer to today's SUN newspaper
she has gone from 476 lbs to 566 in about 4 months
I love my size,but clearly poor Georgia doesn't,apparently very few people seem to care outside the BBW/BHM community.


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## joswitch (Feb 21, 2011)

bigjayne66 said:


> Looks like this young lady is piling it on like never before
> I refer to today's SUN newspaper
> she has gone from 476 lbs to 566 in about 4 months
> I love my size,but clearly poor Georgia doesn't,apparently very few people seem to care outside the BBW/BHM community.



Her mother isn't helping her, by the sounds of it.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...quarter-of-a-ton-teen-topping-40st-at-17.html

"_She said: "I'd been following a programme of healthy eating in the camp where I'd been living in North Carolina, America, and I'd learned to enjoy low-fat foods like salads, bagels, yoghurt and even buffalo meat.

"I was really looking forward to trying it all out back home but, when I arrived,* my mum said she hadn't had time to prepare any healthy food so we had fish and chips instead.
*
"From that moment on, I had a niggling feeling that things weren't going to work out."

Georgia added: "I'd also learned to love exercise in America, using a gym and playing proper sports like tennis and basketball for the first time. But back home, it soon became obvious it wasn't going to be easy.

"The same facilities weren't available in Aberdare and I couldn't easily afford to join the local gym. I soon found I was becoming much less mobile, just like before."

Without the full support of her mum Lesley, 55, and stepdad Arthur  and with no long-term follow-up package from Wellspring or the NHS  Georgia's old habits quickly returned.

She succumbed to the pressures of looking after her heart-patient mum  for whom she has been a registered carer since ten  and soon became a virtual recluse inside the family's cramped two-bed semi.

Nowadays her only exercise involves aiming darts at a board from a chair placed in the hallway. _"


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## LaurieFA (Feb 21, 2011)

I hate the Sun with a passion and they haven't failed to dissapoint. The usual two-faced gutter journalism. The snide remarks "quarter of a ton" teenager and the full front page image (designed to appeal to the haters) whilst trying (and failing) to make it look like they care about her. Disgusting. 

If it is true that her mother did not support her (I would reserve judgement on that) when she came home from America, then that is a real shame, because she obviously worked hard on her weight loss.


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## joswitch (Feb 21, 2011)

LaurieFA said:


> I hate the Sun with a passion and they haven't failed to dissapoint. The usual two-faced gutter journalism. The snide remarks "quarter of a ton" teenager and the full front page image (designed to appeal to the haters) whilst trying (and failing) to make it look like they care about her. Disgusting.
> 
> If it is true that her mother did not support her (I would reserve judgement on that) when she came home from America, then that is a real shame, because she obviously worked hard on her weight loss.




Yes, it's true, the Sun is mostly evil.


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## BeaBea (Feb 21, 2011)

I want to start by saying how sorry I feel for this girl. For a 17 year old she seems remarkably mature and articulate but being a full time carer is an incredibly hard job to take on and my guess is she is just trying to cope the only way she knows how. 

The thing thats strikes me most about this sad story though is that if Georgia was self medicating with hard drugs this wouldn't be a tabloid story. If she was a teenage alcoholic it wouldnt be a story. She would be a very sad statistic but no-one would be nearly so interested in her or want to see large colour pictures of her on their front page. She would just be one of the countless anonymous people who had struggled to go down the rehab route and hadnt been able to cope once she was un-supported and back in her old (IMO toxic) environment.

Until the media in this country get over their fascination with fat and their incredibly ill-informed ideas then we're never going to make any progress. 

Tracey


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## coriander (Feb 22, 2011)

BeaBea said:


> I want to start by saying how sorry I feel for this girl. For a 17 year old she seems remarkably mature and articulate but being a full time carer is an incredibly hard job to take on and my guess is she is just trying to cope the only way she knows how.
> 
> The thing thats strikes me most about this sad story though is that if Georgia was self medicating with hard drugs this wouldn't be a tabloid story. If she was a teenage alcoholic it wouldnt be a story. She would be a very sad statistic but no-one would be nearly so interested in her or want to see large colour pictures of her on their front page. She would just be one of the countless anonymous people who had struggled to go down the rehab route and hadnt been able to cope once she was un-supported and back in her old (IMO toxic) environment.
> 
> ...



That hadn't occurred to me, but I totally agree. Teenage drinking and drug use is never sensationalized to the same degree that being fat is (at least, from what I've seen). It certainly makes a person think.


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## Gluben (Feb 22, 2011)

I do feel sorry for her, and yes, she is extremely mature and understanding for her age. What puzzles me is that nobody has really offered to help her since her return to the UK.

And I don't trust The Sun either. Sensationalism and bad punning at its worst.


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## Emma (Feb 22, 2011)

Gluben said:


> I do feel sorry for her, and yes, she is extremely mature and understanding for her age. What puzzles me is that nobody has really offered to help her since her return to the UK.



Why should they? She has already had all this help with being sent to america. There are countless other teenagers who are going through hell (I was one of them) who got no help at all. Just because she is fat it shouldn't put her above others who need help too. Shes already got more help than most. 

I'm sorry if I sound unsympathetic but at 17 she is old enough to make her own choices. I was living alone by that point.


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## Gluben (Feb 22, 2011)

CurvyEm said:


> I'm sorry if I sound unsympathetic but at 17 she is old enough to make her own choices. I was living alone by that point.



I don't entirely agree with this. When I was 17, I certainly wasn't confident enough to make my own decisions, and I'm still living with my parents at 23. But yes, you're partly right insofar as she seems rationally minded enough rather than old enough to be able to do something about it


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## CaptianNegro (Feb 22, 2011)

I think most have hit the nail on the head here. IMO it is her circumstance that is the issue not so much the weight, though by no means is a minute problem. The question is however, is there a way for her to be removed from that situation or given more adequate support. The habits she's formed seem to be in direct response to her issues in everyday life. IMO if she were to have a place to stay in a long term stable environment, provided her family was cared for, she would flourish. I know in the U.S. we have assisted living for troubled teens aswell as ailing adults. I'll look into finding this girl the care she needs.


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## CaptianNegro (Feb 22, 2011)

CurvyEm said:


> Why should they? She has already had all this help with being sent to america. There are countless other teenagers who are going through hell (I was one of them) who got no help at all. Just because she is fat it shouldn't put her above others who need help too. Shes already got more help than most.
> 
> I'm sorry if I sound unsympathetic but at 17 she is old enough to make her own choices. I was living alone by that point.



I'm inclined to agree with Em. Her issues are not neccesarily unique but I do believe that as an indivual she is. She may have the same problem as many but her ability to deal with and cope with problems are uniquely her own.


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## joswitch (Feb 22, 2011)

CurvyEm said:


> Why should they? She has already had all this help with being sent to america. There are countless other teenagers who are going through hell (I was one of them) who got no help at all. Just because she is fat it shouldn't put her above others who need help too. Shes already got more help than most.
> 
> I'm sorry if I sound unsympathetic but at 17 she is old enough to make her own choices. I was living alone by that point.



I'm not so sure that she needed more "help" on her return to the UK, insofar as if she had been in charge of her own budget and food choices, she might've been ok?

What she obviously didn't need was active hindrance from someone (her mother) controlling her food choices and refusing to buy anything other than quick-to-fix junk food.


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## Emma (Feb 22, 2011)

joswitch said:


> I'm not so sure that she needed more "help" on her return to the UK, insofar as if she had been in charge of her own budget and food choices, she might've been ok?
> 
> What she obviously didn't need was active hindrance from someone (her mother) controlling her food choices and refusing to buy anything other than quick-to-fix junk food.



You don't know if that is true though. I've seen an updated peice today where her mother has said she has been cooking quite a lot with chicken and turkey and her daughter sneaks out to eat with her friends and is very secretive about sneaking food.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3425526/The-battle-to-save-quarter-ton-teen.html

So we don't know which one is telling the truth. The mother who is the adult, or the girl who could be making excuses. Either way, no one gains 22 stone in a year just by eating fish and chips or a few take aways. So even if this girls mother isn't always providing healthy meals I doubt shes forcing her to eat that much food.


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## KittyKitten (Feb 22, 2011)

gobettiepurple said:


> I think the fact remains that behavior modification alone cannot help Georgia, because she clearly has other issues underlying her weight gain. This is a great problem when people are trying to "help" you change your habits . . .
> 
> Habits are hard to break, because in some ways, they were formed out of necessity and persistance over time. Perhaps she would have gotten more "help" from people that wanted to help her carry the immense burden of being a care giver to the sick family members in her life. I mean, being a care giver at 10 is a huge responsibility, and she has lost out on some of her childhood experiences because of it.
> 
> So really, the weight is a physical manifestation of her internal struggle with loving her family members, who are sick, but at the same time, given the amount of care they need, she is imprisoned by her life and circumstances. That would be a more important thing to address in her life than weight, in my opinion.



This is the most accurate post that I have ever seen. Habits are extremely hard to break. If she gained more than 200 lbs within a year and a half, then some thing is going on with her. That is a lot of weight gain in less than two years! There is an underlying issue that has to be examined. I tend to overeat when I am stressed or something is bothering me.


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## joswitch (Feb 22, 2011)

CurvyEm said:


> You don't know if that is true though. I've seen an updated peice today where her mother has said she has been cooking quite a lot with chicken and turkey and her daughter sneaks out to eat with her friends and is very secretive about sneaking food.
> 
> http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3425526/The-battle-to-save-quarter-ton-teen.html
> 
> So we don't know which one is telling the truth. The mother who is the adult, or the girl who could be making excuses. Either way, no one gains 22 stone in a year just by eating fish and chips or a few take aways. So even if this girls mother isn't always providing healthy meals I doubt shes forcing her to eat that much food.



Yeah, you're right Em, we've no way of knowing what's really going on.


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## BeaBea (Feb 22, 2011)

joswitch said:


> Yeah, you're right Em, we've no way of knowing what's really going on.



I do agree up to a point, but I think its seriously shortsighted that people are focusing on the symptoms and not the cause. Someone needs to get to the bottom of why the weight has come back and then, once that is known, a strategy can be planned.

Ideally the 'someone' will be Georgia herself, and she can decide if the weight is back because she's unhappy, or stressed or maybe just because she is happy being fat. The strategy might be tackling her depression, helping her deal with stress or Georgia learning to live a happy and fulfilled Supersize life at a weight that she deems acceptable, free from outside influences.

The problem with that is, of course, lots of people with an axe to grind, a paper to shift or a diet regime to sell dont believe that its possible to lead a productive life when you're heavy and so they will continue to focus on what the scales say instead of getting to the bottom of what Georgia wants.

Tracey xx


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## Piink (Feb 22, 2011)

CurvyEm said:


> I'm sorry if I sound unsympathetic but at 17 she is old enough to make her own choices. I was living alone by that point.



Maybe so, but sometimes you can't. I have two disabled parents. My dad has been disabled since I was a young child*. My **mother wasn't very far behind. It isn't easy and when you have to care for others besides yourself. . I also had to make sacrifices as well. Which included my eating habits. I had to learn a lot very quickly. Quick meals where the way to go. I needed something I could fix and walk away from to continue other things.

My mother (G-d bless her soul) is now in her late 70's and has dementia. I can't involve myself to much into things as every 20 minutes I have to calm her down and figure out why she is freaking out/destroying her room/etc. 

It's hard for someone, especially for someone young. I have been doing it since I was 15. I'm now 21 and it has only gotten harder.

_*He was born with a birth defect and wasn't supposed to live. He is now 66 and still pushing. But, when I was 4 (He was 45) he fell and broke his back in half. This is where I consider his disability starting.

**My mother is not my birth mother. She was married to my dad when he had an affair with my bio mother. _


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## grubnboy (Feb 24, 2011)

wasn't there a story about her sometime back where she was saying she was happier being fat? 

if i'm not mistaken it showed up sometime after she lost the weight in the US, and sometime before this story showed up. 


really, if she was at the camp in the US, eating normal amounts of food (i'm sure they monitored her intake), and then returns home and within a year regains 225 lbs, that's a pretty clear indicator that it's due to her intake. her mother may be getting junkfood and such, but it's up to her what she puts away. 

that's something to the tune of 787,500 extra calories over the course of 16 months. that's over 49,000 extra calories a month or 1650 extra calories a day. 

given that her weight was around 300, and the body tends to burn about 15 calories per pound, per day, that would average out to 4500 calories a day to maintain her weight, plus the 1650 extra per day, it would put her intake somewhere around 5000-6000 calories a day. 

now we all know that people's bodies are different and that some people have a lower metabolism, the math maybe a little fuzzy, but probably isn't completely off. 

i would say that since returning home she's been eating around 5000-6000 calories a day. junkfood or not, you're going to gain weight eating like that.


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## BeaBea (Feb 24, 2011)

grubnboy said:


> that's a pretty clear indicator that it's due to her intake. her mother may be getting junkfood and such, but it's up to her what she puts away.



With all due respect, if the weight gain is due to emotional factors then it might not be that simple as your dismissive comment about 'what she puts away.' There are plenty of people here who struggle with over-eating as an emotional response to stress who can testify to the fact that eating disorders and food addictions are very real and very difficult to live with and manage - and that they are even harder to overcome.

I'm not suggesting that Georgia (or any other fat person) automatically has an eating disorder and I fully accept that its possible to just love food and to be happy fat, but again I can only say that the focus on the numbers of the scales is utterly pointless in this case. Pages of calculation and speculation about how many extra calories she might or might not be eating doesnt tell us anything about the reasons why she is gaining weight.

The best 'treatment' for Georgia might be a diet, or some psychotherapy, or some help to develop a career path outside of the home, or access to further education, or a change of address, or for the media to clear off and leave her alone in privacy. Any number of things might help but all the time we only look at the symptoms and not the cause we run the risk of missing the point.

Tracey xx


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## grubnboy (Feb 25, 2011)

i never meant to imply that it's just simple over-eating. i understand she could have any number of things going on, eating disorder, emotional issues, etc. in fact it would be pretty hard for someone who didn't have some driving force to eat that much. 

but her over eating is a symptom of the problem, and if you gained 225lbs in 16 months, that's a pretty big symptom, so it stands to reason, a pretty big problem.


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## joswitch (Feb 25, 2011)

grubnboy said:


> wasn't there a story about her sometime back where she was saying she was happier being fat?
> 
> if i'm not mistaken it showed up sometime after she lost the weight in the US, and sometime before this story showed up.
> *snip*



I believe you're thinking of a different girl, who was previously "graced" by the tabloids' superlative nomination. That girl had WLS. There was a thread about it on the WLS board.


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## LalaCity (Feb 26, 2011)

grubnboy said:


> i never meant to imply that it's just simple over-eating. i understand she could have any number of things going on, eating disorder, emotional issues, etc. in fact it would be pretty hard for someone who didn't have some driving force to eat that much.
> 
> but her over eating is a symptom of the problem, and if you gained 225lbs in 16 months, that's a pretty big symptom, so it stands to reason, a pretty big problem.



I don't really think it _is_ that hard to get in that number of calories per day -- I know I could do it if I simply indulged in all the cheap junk food I like without assiduously counting the calories (and many people aren't even aware of the high calorie counts of most fast food, etc.), and without stuffing my face all day, but in just three or four largish meals.

I work hard at keeping my weight in check, counting calories, etc. -- and I'm _still_ fat.


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## grubnboy (Feb 26, 2011)

joswitch said:


> I believe you're thinking of a different girl, who was previously "graced" by the tabloids' superlative nomination. That girl had WLS. There was a thread about it on the WLS board.



oh yeah, i think you're right. 


yeah i mean, my point was just that it's not something you don't know you're doing. you know if you're back in old ways and such. the problems that girl has are her own. i wasn't trying to judge or anything. i only wanted to point out that if a person is gaining that kind of weight in that amount of time, it's going to be because of intake.


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## joswitch (Aug 23, 2011)

An update on Georgia:

There's a video of an interview with her here, where she talks about why she chose to remain in Wales (to take a course in child-care), rather than return to the US "fat camp" for a second time.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/video/lifestyle/health/3304197/Fattest-teen-in-relapse.html

And an update here, in the Daily Heil, which talks about Georgia's family life - which seems to effectively keep her stuck in a rut, in many ways. As of Feb. she was up to 40st (560lbs).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...ns-fattest-teen-LOSING-14-stone-fat-camp.html

Although Georgia is unhappy and is struggling with her circumstances, she still seems to be in a better state, with potential to change, than Malissa Jones, who was Britain's former "fattest teen" who is now literally at death's door with anorexia, following WLS (see thread on WLS board). It was Malissa that grubnboy was referring to, above.


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## swinglifeaway (Aug 24, 2011)

Sad story,

This is a case where people can't see that stress levels can play a dominating role in weight gain, and Georgia definitely has far more than a girl her age should have to deal with. Man I hate tabloids


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## Lady Bella UK (Aug 28, 2011)

http://www.people.co.uk/news/uk-wor...s-fattest-teen-is-ballooning-102039-23377444/

This is from today.

I'm so worried for the poor girl and hope she finds the happiness from within and the support she needs to lose the weight.

Bella :kiss2:


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## bmann0413 (Aug 28, 2011)

Man, it sounds like her life was just a downward spiral since her dad died. I'm glad to hear that she didn't commit the suicide. I sure hope she finds the help and, at the very least, gets down to a healthier weight so that she can feel a little happier.

Maybe there's something we Dimmers could do to help her out?


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## joswitch (Aug 29, 2011)

Georgia seems to be struggling with not having had one truly capable adult in her life, since her father died when she was young. Which seems to be a key issue in her depression. A lot of people self medicate, Georgia seems to be doing so with food, other kids might've turned to drink or drugs...

I think it's very telling that when she was away from home in a supportive environment, away from being the carer for her family, she was a lot happier.

Maybe now she's moving out, things will pick up for her.


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## Qit el-Remel (Aug 30, 2011)

What I have to say has already pretty much been covered here. But here goes, anyway:

There are all _sorts_ of cries for help here that don't seem to be getting heeded. Yes, the fact that she's overeating is an issue, but it's only one issue among many and shouldn't be the sole focus.


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## LaurieFA (May 25, 2012)

Here is the latest news (not good). 





A teenager thought to weigh more than 50st had to be cut free from her home by emergency services because she was too big to leave the house.


A team of least 40 people were called to a house in Aberdare in south Wales after the 19-year-old became unwell.


The woman is reported to be Georgia Davis who was once dubbed Britain's fattest teen.


It is believed care workers, doctors, paramedics, fire crews, council workers and a team of scaffolders spent more than eight hours trying to safely remove her from the terraced house in Heol Y Mynydd.


A spokesman for The Welsh Ambulance Service confirmed it had used a specially reinforced ambulance used for obese patients, known as a "bariatric ambulance", in the incident.


In 2008, Miss Davis, then a 33-stone pupil at Aberdare Girls School, was sent to a US health farm to undergo a strict diet.


Following a nine-month effort, her weight dropped to 18 stone.


Shortly before her trip to the health farm, she said: "If you get to the point where I was, you can't stop eating. It is (an addiction) like heroin. You need help."


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## bigjayne66 (May 25, 2012)

Another story says Georgia has gained 250lbs in a year and is over 850lbs (60st)
Sadly ,that makes her almost certainly the world's biggest teen ever.
I am going to have to make great efforts to peg my weight below 500,I don't want to be humiliated like poor Georgia has been


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## fiddypence (May 25, 2012)

To gain that much weight in such a short amount of time must be the result of severely disordered eating. The fact that she was too big to leave the house means that someone must have been helping her get food, what are they thinking? If she were an alcoholic you wouldn't just keep buying her alcohol.

It's so so sad, but I honestly can't understand how people around her allowed this to happen.


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## Yakatori (May 25, 2012)

fiddypence said:


> "_If she were an alcoholic...I honestly can't understand how people around her allowed this to happen._"


If you spend in enough time in bars, you will notice it's fairly common-place for folks with widely-known problems with substance-abuse to be served, routinely.


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## FA Punk (May 25, 2012)

Yakatori said:


> If you spend in enough time in bars, you will notice it's fairly common-place for folks with widely-known problems with substance-abuse to be served, routinely.



Very, very, very true!


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## Orchid (May 26, 2012)

Georgia Davis is still in hospital. The Sun UK tabloid newspaper had an article about her. She has a Facebook page, you can send her get well wishes.


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## bigmac (May 26, 2012)

fiddypence said:


> To gain that much weight in such a short amount of time must be the result of severely disordered eating. The fact that she was too big to leave the house means that someone must have been helping her get food, what are they thinking? If she were an alcoholic you wouldn't just keep buying her alcohol.
> 
> It's so so sad, but I *honestly can't understand how people around her allowed this to happen.*



If you read the articles that have been written about this poor girl over the years you'll see that her family has issues of their own that appear to have contributed to her condition.

Many people turn to alcohol and drugs as self-medication for the pain inflicted by dysfunctional families. Many people also turn to food (a close friend of mine jokes that "chocolate cake never lets you down").


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## Lizzie (May 26, 2012)

This really is unfortunate. This teenager was already handling responsibilities that I, as an adult, would find difficult. She needs love and support to develop a healthy relationship with food, and it sounds like she isn't getting it. And on top of all of that, she's dealing with headlines about her weight. 

Regardless of whether she loses the weight, I hope that she can find happiness within herself.


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## Qit el-Remel (May 26, 2012)

Lizzie said:


> This really is unfortunate. This teenager was already handling responsibilities that I, as an adult, would find difficult. She needs love and support to develop a healthy relationship with food, and it sounds like she isn't getting it. And on top of all of that, she's dealing with headlines about her weight.
> 
> Regardless of whether she loses the weight, I hope that she can find happiness within herself.


After reading the article over at HuffPo, I'm going to have to agree with pretty much all of this.


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## joswitch (May 28, 2012)

Qit el-Remel said:


> After reading the article over at HuffPo, I'm going to have to agree with pretty much all of this.



Frankly, given Georgia's repeated requests for help, and her virtual immobility over the past year (or two?) I suspect at least one adult in the household (the mother) of Munchausen's by proxy.
When she had just returned from the US having got down to 18st (250lbs) and her mother served her fish + chips, claiming there was nothing else in the house - that was very telling, IMO.


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## kentwildt (Apr 17, 2013)

I heard that she is not doing well. She has a bad infection. I wish her the best and a full recovery.


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## EMH1701 (May 4, 2013)

joswitch said:


> Frankly, given Georgia's repeated requests for help, and her virtual immobility over the past year (or two?) I suspect at least one adult in the household (the mother) of Munchausen's by proxy.
> When she had just returned from the US having got down to 18st (250lbs) and her mother served her fish + chips, claiming there was nothing else in the house - that was very telling, IMO.



Fish and chips are good, but it's like everything else in life, eating them 7 days a week isn't good for you. There's got to be balance in life. Does Britain not have a food stamp-like program for poor families?

Also, her father is alive and living with the family. She wasn't just living with her sick mother. So I have to wonder about his role in all of this.


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## veggieforever (May 7, 2013)

I remember seeing the documentary about her quest to lose weight a few years ago and followed her progress through Wellsprings. I was over the moon when this very young woman beat the odds and lost such a vast amount if weight and looked amazing. So my heart broke when I seen she had regained all her weight and then some. I hope she can muster the same motivation back at Wellsprings and save her own life. She is too young for all this, truly she is. I have no idea how she copes with this dire situation but I am assured the sky is always darkest before dawn. Perhaps she will rise from this armed with knowledge of past mistakes and go on to lose the weight that is literally killing her. I am certainly hoping for the best for her but only she can do it. It's a hard task - but not impossible. There speaks the glimmer of hope for her in that sentence: its not impossible.


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