'Obese' Contestant LaRhonda Darby Horribly Dehydrated, Hospitalized

tmz.com:

ABC's "Obese" -- an upcoming reality show on losing weight in your very own home -- is off to a really bad start ... because TMZ has learned, one of the contestants has already been hospitalized.

We're told 25-year-old LaRhonda Darby -- one of the show's eight, morbidly obese individuals -- was rushed to the hospital Saturday in Oklahoma City for dangerous dehydration levels. She was given fluids and sent home.

Read the whole story: tmz.com

Comments

[Nuclear Football]

11:55 AM on 11/18/2010

You're not suppose to drink pool water.

[mmike1969]

05:08 PM on 11/17/2010

And the really sad part? That these kind of 'reality' shows on TV now will continue until someone gets killed and then THAT will put a new 'standard' of 'reality' shows...

[IMDATRAINER]

03:13 PM on 11/17/2010

I have always been outspoken about the lack of "reality" in these shows. As a trainer of twenty years I find these shows offensive. Yes, I know it appears that they are doing great things, but when you take a deeper look you'll realize it's not all good. Take a look, it's worth a read.
http://www.angrytrainerfitness.com/2010/11/dying-to-win/
http://www.angrytrainerfitness.com/2010/10/why-biggest-isnt-best/

[shiny73]

04:16 PM on 11/17/2010

Why don't you wait to see what this show is about? My brother-in-law is a professional trainer and is one of the trainers featured in the show. The two contestants that he is working with both have his cell phone number. He cooks their meals and takes them to their houses. He is with them for hours a day working with them to exercise at THEIR levels. It's a sincere connection, as opposed to "The Biggest Loser" where there are teams and the trainers just yell at the contestants.

[GeoNorth]

02:59 PM on 11/17/2010

Dieting is now a spectator sport. Are we really that bored?

[J0E1]

12:20 PM on 11/17/2010

I guarantee before every weigh in on "biggest loser" they stop drinking water and sweat as much out as possible too.  The only difference is that this person is at home and those people on biggest loser are probably treated for dehydration on site.  This is the problem with weighing people for results.  Water weight is huge and you can easily shed several pounds by dehydrating yourself.

[alieninvader]

09:43 AM on 11/17/2010

I think a lot of people run the risk of dehydration, especially when their idea of hydration consists of only caffeinated, sugary drinks.

[maigrey]

11:17 AM on 11/17/2010

Guilty!!!!
Learned my lesson!!! Hyponatremia is baaaaaaaaaaaad. Salt good.

[maigrey]

03:23 AM on 11/17/2010

Okay, as someone who has a wacky pituitary gland (don't tell my insurance company) you really gotta watch those electrolytes. Water, gatorade. Those two are at my side at all times.
Poor woman. I don't watch reality tv. I have reality, I want fantasy. Where's Russell Crowe?

[JJovana]

10:00 AM on 11/17/2010

He's sexy for sure. Man's man, not the androgynous albinos the female race seems to be obsessing over lately.

[maigrey]

11:12 AM on 11/17/2010

LOL... androgynous albinos!!! F&F'd. Team Russell Crowe, not brand no no not that guy.

[interestedinlife]

01:15 AM on 11/17/2010

"Skinny Men Get Dehydrated. Skinny Women Get Dehydrated. Fat Men Get Dehydrated. Babies Get Dehydrated."

[yellowdoggie]

02:01 AM on 11/17/2010

I'm with you, bearschick.

[Js420]

08:37 PM on 11/16/2010

Cant we help the obese lose wieght w/o making shows about it?

[JStading]

01:17 PM on 11/17/2010

No, because shows like The Biggest Loser actually inspire people to go out for a walk and shows them the basics of nutrition and exercise.  I actually have had obese people tell me that the "juice" canned fruit is in is good for me.....it's sugar syrup.  I've had others explain to me that 80-20 beef has only 20% of your day's fat intake.  It's 20% fat by volume, which is much worse. 

If we want to correct the obesity issue in America:
(1) Stop subsidizing corn and milk;

(2) Clean up school lunches.  When kids are obese, they start adulthood without a chance;

(3) All high school should require courses in exercise and nutrition (and economics and accounting, but that's for another day);

(4) All schools need to have either recess or gym.  It makes no sense to have 8 year olds locked into a room for 8 hours so they can study for test prep.  Not only does recess reduce obesity, it also allows people to put what they've learned throughout the day into context. It's needed.

[Yogini411]

07:57 PM on 11/16/2010

These types of shows are sickening. You pray on someone's desperation to get ratings? I couldn't think of a worse idea than to have people trying to do extreme weight loss at home with no supervision. This is an emotional problem which leads to a health problem and should be treated that way. I've never been overweight but have had the other eating disorders and they are all fueled by the same thing: self hatred and shame. I haven't had television for years now and I can honestly see I'm not missing much.

[shiny73]

04:36 PM on 11/17/2010

It's not without supervision. My brother-in-law is a trainer on this show. He is a certified professional. Also, the contestants are required to attend therapy sessions, and there is a doctor involved as well.

Don't make judgements on something that you haven't even seen yet.

[Yogini411]

05:27 PM on 11/17/2010

If there is so much supervision then how did she end up in the hospital. I've read enough about these types of programs to know they are dangerous. I am very physically fit and train hard but these shows push people beyond reasonable limits for viewership. I'm not dissing your brother-in-law. I don't know him. Don't worry, I don't have television so I won't be watching. Simple.

[pbziegler]

04:02 PM on 11/16/2010

What a sick country we are. Blow up your TV, cancel your cable and get a life.

[NorthernCaliforniaDave]

05:49 PM on 11/16/2010

Best thing I ever did!!! F/F

[Angelus2007]

06:43 PM on 11/16/2010

I have a life, but I love my TV, and video games. Having a life and enjoying entertainment are not exclusive of one another.

[ladyvader]

07:47 PM on 11/16/2010

Shows like this one is entertainment? For me it is just another show to dumb down Americans.

[wolfiegirl]

03:49 PM on 11/16/2010

I'm not surprised by this. There is nothing "TV entertainment" about healthy weight loss. It should involve medical and stringent psychological intervention. And it should not be done in front of cameras.

[AngryHarpy]

08:21 PM on 11/16/2010

The Biggest Loser has done a lot of good. It's really not fair to group all weight loss shows together because of this one, imo.

[NoSillyName]

08:34 PM on 11/16/2010

Not from what some of the former contestants say about their experience.

[Js420]

08:42 PM on 11/16/2010

thats show has had several contestants get sick from losing extreme amounts of weight in a short period of time.

[Jerome Morrow]

03:39 PM on 11/16/2010

"rushed to the hospital Saturday in Oklahoma City for dangerous dehydration levels. She was given fluids and sent home."

Ok, maybe she was dehydrated, but if they gave her fluids and sent her home, it wasn't that bif of a deal. Overhype.

[wolfiegirl]

03:54 PM on 11/16/2010

Dehydration is very serious. The fix in this instance was mercifully easy.

[Jerome Morrow]

07:00 PM on 11/16/2010

Fair enough. I stand corrected. But I do still feel that this sorta news reporting tends to overhype. But I could be wrong. :)

[panasonic52]

06:12 PM on 11/16/2010

I was severely dehydrated, and the doctor told me I only had a couple days left. I was put on 3 bags of IV fluids overnight and sent home the next day. By no means did it feel like it was "no big deal". I barely had any energy left in me...all because of one stupid stomach virus.

[Jerome Morrow]

07:00 PM on 11/16/2010

Fair enough. I stand corrected. But I do still feel that this sorta news reporting tends to overhype. But I could be wrong. :)