The mother of a morbidly obese boy who was admitted to hospital following health concerns has told how she sneaked him in ready meals in 100 Kilo Kids: Obesity SOS.
Tonight’s episode of the Channel 4 show features fourteen-year-old Tommy, from the UK, who at 23 stone is one of the clinic’s heaviest patients – and despite 18 months of treatment, has put on six stone.
However, despite being put on a strict calorie-controlled diet, mother-of-four Esther is concerned her son isn’t eating properly and takes matters into her own hands.
‘I brought [ready meals] in yesterday to go to the calorie amount but he’s not allowed to have those, even though they’re completely calorie-counted meals,’ she says. ‘I knew he would’ve eaten them so he would’ve been more comfortable with not being hungry. I’m quite disappointed really.’
Tommy (pictured in hospital), from the UK, who is 23 stone and one of the clinic’s heaviest patients, will appear in tonight’s episode of Channel 4’s 100 Kilo Kids: Obesity SOS
Tommy’s mother Esther worries that her son isn’t eating properly – despite being put on a strict calorie-controlled diet – and so brings him in ready meals
The doctor explains Tommy has been in their service for quite some time for morbid obesity and has recently been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, too.
‘Tommy has put on about 12kg in the last five months – that’s a huge amount of weight,’ he explains. ‘How can this happen? It’s just ridiculous. If you’re following a 1600 calorie diet – he’s not being compliant at all.’
When the doctor asks the youngster how he’s been, Tommy replies: ‘I am absolutely ruined, honestly. I’m getting pain a lot in my knees now. I’ve done something to my ankle.’
His mother Esther adds: ‘We’ve been under the service for a while now and we’re 30 kilos heavier. I can’t watch this anymore and he can’t do this anymore. I’m grieving for a child who is still sat here.’
In extreme cases like Tommy’s, the team can take drastic action – and so they put him in hospital as an in-patient to give him around the clock treatment.
‘The aim is to calorie count absolutely everything and to offer him other forms of support and keep a close eye on his weight,’ the doctor explains.
However, when Esther sees her son’s health plan in hospital, she is less than impressed.
‘What the hell is that going to do?’ she complains. ‘I don’t see that’s a very intense plan.’
As the episode progresses, Tommy (pictured) admits he also ate some chocolate which ‘somebody’ has brought in for him
However, on day three of Tommy’s weight loss programme, when the team attempt to cut his usual 4000 calories a day in half and double his exercise, Esther thinks they’re asking too much.
‘He’s exhausted and he’s not getting enough calories to keep him going like that,’ she says to the doctor. ‘You can’t just make Tommy eat three meals a day and stay awake because his body doesn’t allow him to do that.’
‘So, in between those three meals, he needs to be able to rest so he doesn’t crash.’
‘He needs some rest period. Do you understand chronic fatigue?’
She continues: ‘We did agree for Tommy to come in but we didn’t agree for him to come in for it to be totally, “not listen to the parent and take over my child.” We didn’t agree for that.’
But more than a week into his stay and after initially losing weight, the team spots a worrying sign.
‘Are you absolutely starving?’ Esther asks, to which Tommy replies: ‘Not absolutely starving. I’m not going to die.’
But flicking through their notes, a team member notes: ‘I didn’t realise mum had brought ready meals in. I didn’t realise she’d actually brought meals in.’
When confronted and asked why she brought the food in, Esther explains: ‘Because he wasn’t eating what’s here and it’s basically defeating the object.’
At the next weigh in, the team discover Tommy has put on 1kg in four days, and so they question whether he did anything different over the weekend.
‘No, nothing I can think of,’ he says with a slight smile. ‘Nothing obvious anyway.’
Esther adds: ‘He has done nothing but stick exactly to plan. He’s been absolutely spot on and he’s gone up a little bit. I’m just disappointed in seeing this increase.’
However, later in the episode, Tommy divulges a little further and reveals: ‘I had a piece of chocolate. I think that’s about it. Somebody brought it in, this box of chocolates for me. I had one and left the rest for my mum. But I ended up putting on weight somehow.’
100 Kilo Kids: Obesity SOS airs Wednesday on Channel 4 at 9pm