We’ve seen dozens of patients try to lose weight through Dr. Now’s program on My 600-Lb
Life over the years, and it’s always sad to see a patient on the verge of success before
returning to their old ways. Here are some of their heartbreaking stories.
Ever since she was a child, Gina Krasley turned to food for comfort and pleasure, even if
she had to argue with and manipulate her mother to get it. But it was the abuse that Krasley
suffered at the hands of her violent father that truly caused her weight to spiral out
of control, causing her to overeat until she weighed over 600 pounds. With her marriage
to her wife Beth in trouble and her life on the line, Krasley turned to Dr. Now for help.
But despite Krasley's best efforts, on the eve of her weight loss surgery, Dr. Now called
the procedure off, as Krasley had regained some of the 64 pounds that she'd lost. By
the end of the episode, Krasley had an ultimatum on her hands: lose 75 pounds in three months
or Dr. Now would no longer work with her.
While Krasley's episode didn't end well, a follow-up episode seemed imminent given the
way things left off. However, it's not likely that we'll see one anytime soon as Krasley
is one of the cast members who have filed suit against the show's production company,
Megalomedia, according to Starcasm.
“I think I’m in shock. I just can’t believe this is happening.”
It looked like things were going well for Bethany Stout for the majority of her episode
of My 600-lb Life. By the eighth month, she had dropped over 100 pounds, after a successful
gastric sleeve operation helped her to get below the 500-pound mark. Clearly she was
putting in the work to improve her health and save her life.
However, it wasn't long after Stout reached that milestone that she started regaining
weight, which quickly pushed her back over the 500-lb mark. Frustrated by her stalled
progress and unwilling to seek out the therapy that Dr. Now wanted her to get, Stout ended
up tearfully quitting the program. By the end of her episode, Stout resolved to lose
the weight on her own, convinced that she could find another way to do it.
Stout still hasn't given up, as is evidenced by posts on her blog and social media accounts.
Hopefully she can find her way to a happier ending.
“I appreciate the help in getting me this far, and I’m trying to do everything I need
to do.”
Some of the stars of My 600-lb Life are more combative than others, which is arguably the
case when it comes to Angela Johns. At 643 pounds, she didn't accept much of Dr. Now's
help, and largely didn't do the work that he asked of her. She appeared to also be abusive
toward her family, resorting to verbal put-downs when they didn't do what she asked of them.
Much of this behavior was likely due, in part, to John's past traumas, which are especially
harrowing. A survivor of sexual abuse, Johns was raised by a parent with serious substance
abuse issues. She also had to give away the baby that she had when she was barely a teenager,
which had been conceived as a result of statutory rape.
Struggling with these traumas seemed to prove too much for Johns, who only managed to lose
about 50 pounds by the end of her episode. That, coupled with her toxicology reports
that found she tested positive for narcotics and her refusal to go to rehab, resulted in
her dismissal from Dr. Now's program.
“I mean, I kinda feel like I did a first step, because coming here was a huge step.”
Leneatha Reed was the last person to appear on My 600-lb Life before filming was suspended
in 2020 due to Coronavirus. Previously, the pharmacy technician had gone viral on the
internet after vowing to lose 451 pounds, according to Good Morning America. The reason?
Reed wanted to be more active and involved in both her daughter's life as well as her
own.
However, in spite of her initial motivation and genuine desire to turn her life around,
Reed found Dr. Now's diet too difficult to follow. For this reason, she started missing
appointments, until it was clear that she wasn't losing the weight necessary to qualify
for weight-loss surgery. By the conclusion of her episode, which didn't end well, Reed
had left the program altogether.
It's not all doom and gloom, though, as Dr. Now said that Reed would be welcomed back
into the program — if she puts in the effort to show she's serious.
“It’s just at this moment I can’t do it.”
Coliesa McMillian appeared on My 600-lb Life in 2020 during season 8. The mother of four
weighed 643 pounds at her peak. And while McMillian did manage to lose a significant
amount of weight and vowed to quit smoking before her episode concluded, things took
a turn for the worse after the cameras stopped rolling.
According to Starcasm, McMillian was admitted to the ICU in the spring of 2020, after she
suffered from a rupture in her gastric sleeve, and she had to be put in a medically-induced
coma. Things were indeed dire for McMillian, though she did manage to rally while in the
hospital after flatlining.
Sadly, McMillian passed away at just 41 years of age in September 2020, as reported by TMZ.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please call the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Administration's 24/7 National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP. That's 1-800-662-4357.