Supersize vs Superskinny

21 April 2011

Supersize vs Superskinny

Dr Christian Jessen's all new feeding clinic is throwing open its doors once more in the most dramatic series of diet swaps ever!   9 supersizers and 9 superskinnies will swap diets as they battle to conquer their terrible eating habits. 

Episode 1 - Louise and Josh- Tue 29 Mar, 8pm, Channel 4

It's non stop tears and tantrums as 21 stone 5lbs Louise Hayes is forced to swap her normal 5-6 course feasts for superskinny Josh Evans ‘s diet which barely features a proper meal. 

Louise is determined to get through the 5 swap as deep down she's terrified her 5 year old son, who's picking up her supersize habits, will end up as big as her.

To help spur her on, Dr Christian has a personal message from America from 41 stone Texan Karen Ferguson who is so disabled by her weight that she's been forced to move into a care home.  And as if that wasn't inspiration enough, Louise is flown out to America to witness first hand, the horrors of being super obese.

Plus for the first time, we explore the lives of 3 women suffering from very different eating disorders.  34 year old Anorexic Emma Paul, who at her worst only weighed 5 stone, 32 year old Bulimic Mina Krishna who binges on up to a staggering 30,000 calories a day, and 19 year old Erin Ruddick who suffers from a life endangering combination of both conditions. 

Across the 8 weeks we see these three women struggle with their individual disorders as they embark on a course designed to help them embrace a healthier attitude to their diets and bodies, overseen by eating disorder dietician Ursula Philpot and consultant Psychiatrist Helena Fox.

 

Episode 2 - Ami and Amy - Tue 5 Apr, 8pm, Channel 4

It's a tale of two Amy's in the feeding clinic as Supersize Amy Green who tips the scales at a staggering 20 stone 8lbs swaps diets with Superskinny Amy Walsh who only weighs 7 stone 10. 

21 year old Comfort eater Amy is gorging on enough food for 3 women and she's terrified that she's going to pass on her poor eating habits to her baby daughter.  Whilst for 18 year old "too busy to eat" Ami her poor diet has left her lacking in energy and confidence.

It's an emotional week for both Amy's desperate to turn their eating habits around but confronted with some harsh truths.

To break Amy's cycle of comfort eating Dr Christian employs shock tactics - he flies her across the pond to meet 29 stone American, Julie Wyatt and experience first hand the life threatening consequences of eating too much food.

Plus our eating disorders' group have to face their fear of foods head on - in the supermarket. Dietician Ursula Philpot challenges them to buy and eat ingredients they'd normally avoid. For Erin who suffers from anorexia binge purge sub type the urge to vomit after the meal proves almost too much to bear.

 

Episode 3 - Dawn and Charlene - Tue 12 Apr, 8pm, Channel 4

It's war in the feeding clinic as Supersized meat addict 47 year old Dawn Grant goes into meltdown when 21 year old Superskinny calorie counting Charlene Sequiera refuses to eat her mountainous meals.

Dawn tips the scales at a whopping eighteen stone four lbs. Over a year this meat maniac is wolfing down two hundred and eight whole chickens, one thousand seven hundred and sixteen rashers of bacon, Three thousand eight hundred sausages, Thirty six thousand slices of deli meat and thirty six kilos of minced beef!!

5 stone 13lbs Charlene's diet is so restrictive that she lacks energy and is constantly sleeping.  This is seriously affecting life at Uni.  Charlene desperately needs to eat more but its one excuse after another until Dr Christian gives Charlene a stern dressing down.

Meanwhile Dawn has a meltdown as she's forced to go cold turkey from her meat and caffeine addiction and confront the real reasons her eating habits spiralled completely out of control.  To stop Dawn ever returning to her old ways Dr Christian has a shocking message from a 43 stone American, Kristena Gibson.  Kristena can barely walk and is terrified she will die young, and if that weren't enough Dr Christian flies Dawn out to Louisiana to experience first hand the reality of life when you're over a quarter of a ton.

Plus this week Dietician Ursula Philpot challenges our girls with eating disorders to have 3D plaster casts of their torsos done to face the reality of what their dangerous eating habits have done to their bodies.

 

Episode 4 - Doubles - Tue 19 Apr, 8pm, Channel 4

It's a Supersize Vs Superskinny first - a double swap!  Cake-aholics mother and daughter Janet and Tara Wells swap diets with too busy to eat Joanne Evans and Keith Linage.

44 year old Janet and 21 year old Tara weigh in at nearly half a ton and they're ticking time bombs.  Their diet of cholesterol crammed Chinese meals and cakes aplenty have left them both morbidly obese and they need to radically change their diets before it's too late. 

Single mum of 7, 37 year old Joanne and 34 year old workaholic estate agent, Keith have no time for food in their hectic lifestyles.  But with a gallery of superskinny horrors Dr Christian shocks them into realising the potential dangers of their deficient diets.

Supersize Mum Janet breaks down after hearing a heartfelt message from 41 stone American Sonia Hernandez, a woman trapped in her own enormous body.  But nothing can prepare this Supersize mum and daughter for meeting Sonia first hand and experiencing the daily horrors of her super obese life.

Plus our group with eating disorders bravely face their food fears head on as they attempt to confront the overwhelming choices offered at a breakfast buffet.

 

Episode 5 - Stu and Alice - Tue 26 Apr, 8pm, Channel 4

In the feeding clinic it's an emotional rollercoaster as Supersize cheese addict Stu Preston takes on Superskinny portion controller Alice Duran.  At 27 stone 13lbs Stu is digging himself an early grave with a knife and fork and desperately needs help.  25 year old mum of 2 Alice weighs a lightweight 7 stone 13lbs by obsessively controlling her diet and weighing her food but she's hiding a supersize secret, she once weighed a staggering 17 stone.

Stu's deadly diet of fast food and excess cheese pushes Alice into meltdown and Dr Christian wades in to confront her about her food phobias.

Stu meanwhile sees a horrifying vision of his super morbidly obese future in the form of 34 stone Tom Watson from Florida.  For Stu, who likes to joke about his size, seeing the similarities between his and Tom's lifestyle finally wipe the smile off his face.  And as if that wasn't inspiration enough, Stu is flown out to the Sunshine State to witness first hand, the crippling effects of super obesity.

Plus eating disorder dietician Ursula Philpot asks the group to look back to childhood times when eating was enjoyable, which forces the girls to face up to the fact food should be fun.

 

Episode 6 - Mark and Dale - Tue 3 May, 8pm, Channel 4

Tonight's it's the turn of the boys as eating machine Mark goes head to head with self-conscious food casualty Dale.

42 year old Mark Hughes is a heart attack waiting to happen.  His continuous consumption of greasy mountains of food has left him 11 stone overweight at 22 stone 3lbs.  He's not slept in the marital bed for 7 years because of his loud snoring, and relations with his wife are becoming tense.  He's checked into the feeding clinic as a last ditch attempt to shift some pounds and start becoming an active dad again.

His diet swap partner is 21 year old Dale who's been running his body on empty and now weighs a lightweight 9 stone 6 lbs.  His skinny frame has knocked his self confidence and left his family worried.

Desperate to change Superskinny Dale wastes no time getting stuck into Mark's colossal portions but the mountains of grease and fat soon turn his stomach - and he just can't keep it down!  This sickening wake up call helps Mark realise just how appalling his diet really is.

And Dr Christian has another shock to make morbidly obese Mark sit up and take notice in the form of a video postcard from 38 stone Californian Mark Beatty.

Mark's excess weight has left him single, lonely and in need of a ventilator to breathe at night.  Mark's visibly moved by his potential future staring him in the face but if that wasn't enough he's flown out to witness first hand the stark reality of his perilous eating habits.

Plus our group with eating disorders are challenged to confront their distorted body images with a day of clothes shopping.  It's a struggle for all of the girls but particularly the youngest member of the group Erin, who has an emotional realisation about the extent of her illness.

 

Episode 7 - Vicki and Danni - Tue 10 May, 8pm, Channel 4

It's a highly emotional week in the feeding clinic as fat and sugar junkie 29 year old Danni Brooke from Lincolnshire swaps diets with 21 year old Superskinny food phobic Vicki Smith from Glasgow.  Danni's constant gorging on cakes and snacks has left her a staggering 24 stone 5 whilst Vicki's picky eating habits have reduced her to a light weight 6 stone 4.  Swapping diets brings extreme emotions to the surface as Danni opens up to Vicki about a foodie secret she's kept since childhood.

Dr Christian shocks Vicki with a superskinny gallery designed to highlight the potential dangers of her appalling diet, whilst Danni breaks down as she gets a wake up call from America in the form of 34 stone Angel Austin.  Angel's excessive weight means she struggles with the most basic household chores and caused her to lose her unborn child.  And if that wasn't motivation enough, Danni is flown out to America to witness for herself, the horrors of being super obese.

Plus, eating disorder Dietician Ursula Philpot takes the remaining 2 members of her group to a spa to try and turn around their feelings of low self esteem.

 

Episode 8 - James and Modasser - Tue 17 May, 8pm, Channel 4

It's one of the tensest swaps yet as 32 year old monster portion king James Collier goes head to head with uninterested under-eater 31 year old Modasser Zafar.

2nd hand car dealer James weighs in at a scale-shuddering twenty-four stone six and it's no surprise considering his love of greasy supersized portions - sometimes getting through FOUR platefuls in a sitting. James is terrified that his steady weight gain will end up giving him a heart attack and prevent him seeing his kids grow up.

Credit controller Modasser is at the opposite end of the scales at a tiny 8 stone 3 he skips meals and rarely finishes a dinner but despite this can't understand why he is Superskinny. His constant picking makes James hit boiling point whilst James' colossal portions sends Modasser to the edge.

James receives a thirty-two stone wake-up call from America, in the form of Mike Eak from Florida. Mike not only lost his job because of his weight but his enormous size has left him incontinent and his lack of mobility has meant he's taken to urinating in cups!  Experiencing the horrors of Mike's life first hand gives James all the incentive he needs to change.

And the remaining 2 members of our group with eating disorders reach the end of the course and celebrate with a 2 course meal as they reflect back on their progress over the 8 weeks.