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World War III

Caroline thinks people need to ease up on all the social media hate.

By Caroline Manzo

Hope all of the daddies out there had a nice day. I went to go visit mine and my hubby went to work, some things never change.

How to Watch

Watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 14 premiere May 5th at 8/9c on Bravo and stream next day on Peacock.

Let’s talk about Lauren. I’m not sure how many of you have seen a photo of her lately, but she looks amazing. More importantly, she feels great and is finally comfortable in her own skin. I’m very proud of her for putting her story out there; it’s not easy showing the world your vulnerabilities and insecurities, especially at 23 years old. Just to give you an update, Lauren lost 14 pounds on the Perricone diet. Her skin glowed and she felt great, but her lifestyle made it difficult and her young mind started to defy the process. With that she decided to go on a healthy diet as recommended in Dr. Perricone's books, that lasted for a while, but as always the struggle started to affect her personality and she fell into a depression. We spent the summer trying to boost her spirits and get her on the right track, but nothing seemed to work. She hated everyone, everything, and most heartbreaking of all, herself. She was in the hospital twice for panic attacks, and twice for extreme blood pressure levels. Lauren had a complete meltdown while we were camping in California that scared the hell out of us. Al and I decided that we needed to take drastic measures and we suggested to Lauren that she get lap band surgery. We broached the subject once before and she shot us down, insisting that she could take the weight off herself. This time she listened and said she would go see Al’s doctor. We learned that Lauren’s BMI was categorized as obese. This along with her weight fluctuations with yo-yo dieting as well as blood pressure issues put her health at risk.

Lauren went and had the surgery this past September AFTER we finished filming for the season. She lost 20 pounds over seven months and decided that she wanted to loosen the band and try to lose the rest through diet and exercise. She did so in May and has since lost another 10 pounds. She wakes up every morning and meets her trainer at the gym and works out for two hours straight; he also put her on a healthy diet that has now become a lifestyle for her and she’s happy. I think knowing that the band is there and she has a “back up” system to go to gives her the security she needs to reach her goals. Lauren has finally learned to love herself, and we couldn’t be happier. We finally got out little girl back. Love you, LaLa. xoxoxoOK, let’s talk about the showdown on the deck. Note to self -- when the kids leave their bathing suits at my house, do not hand deliver! Chaos ensues!

There is No More Friendship

I’m just going to say this -- you’ve all been watching and clearly there’s a great divide amongst the viewers. That’s fine and obviously expected. I’m not going to break things down and explain myself, you’ve got eyes and ears and I’m sure are more than capable of coming to your own conclusions; and whatever they are I respect them, that’s what makes the world go round. I have one simple request and that’s to stop the hate and arguing on social media sites. The show is meant to entertain, not cause World War III. A healthy debate is fine, hate is not acceptable; not towards me, Teresa, or any of the other ladies and especially amongst the viewers! Play nice with the other children!

I’ll end with that thought, and as usual the saga continues… see you next week!

A Friendship is Over
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