For years, viewers have watched TLC's My 600-Pound Life, witnessing morbidly obese patients completely
transform their bodies and lives.
The patients all start out hundreds of pounds overweight, with the devastating health and
emotional problems that come with that.
But all of them have something in common — a desire to change.
Dr. Nowzaradan - or "Dr. Now," as his patients call him - is a bariatric surgeon who performs
weight loss surgeries and coaches his patients along the road to a healthy weight.
While most patients on the show lose weight, here are some of the most stunning success
stories to be chronicled on My 600-Lb Life.
Amber Rachdi
At age 23, Amber Rachdi appeared on the show, weighing 657 pounds and saying that she felt
like a, quote, "nasty, yucky monster."
"I don't like being this person.
I don't like being this size."
Her legs carried a great deal of her weight, and, as a result, she said she couldn't stand
for more than 30 minutes at a time.
After undergoing gastric bypass surgery with Dr. Now, she ended up getting down to 377
pounds within a year — but she didn't stop there.
She ultimately lost over 400 pounds and kept it off, profiling her journey with glamorous
pinup-style selfies on Facebook and Instagram.
Brittani Fulfer
At only 5 feet, 1 inch tall, Brittani Fulfer started out weighing 605 pounds.
She was so motivated to change that she and her husband moved to Texas in order to be
near Dr. Now's office, where she underwent weight loss surgery.
According to Women's Health magazine, she lost almost 400 pounds and dropped down to
222 pounds.
She told the magazine that she is cherishing every moment of her new life, saying that
she had, quote, "no idea [her] life was going to be this amazing."
Melissa D. Morris
Starting her journey at 653 pounds, Melissa D. Morris was forced to ride around in a scooter
to carry out basic tasks like grocery shopping.
After undergoing weight loss surgery, she dropped down to a stunning 157 pounds!
And to make things even sweeter, after 12 years of trying to get pregnant, she finally
became a mom, welcoming three children over the years.
Speaking to TLC in 2017, Melissa shared some advice for people who might want to change
their lives like she did, saying,
"I advise others that the first step towards a healthier life is identifying what you're
doing wrong.
You must first figure that out because you cannot fix what you don't acknowledge."
Christina Phillips
At only 22 years old, Christina Phillips weighed 673 pounds.
According to her, she only left the house at 3 a.m. when she was unlikely to see people.
"I'm trapped inside this body that I don't wanna be in."
With the help of Dr. Now, Phillips had weight loss surgery and experienced a shocking transformation.
In fact, her weight loss ended up being so fast and so extreme that the doctor advised
her to gain 15 pounds in order to be at a more healthy weight.
In 2017, she told Women's Health that she weighed in at 171 pounds and said,
"My life has changed so much since the weight loss!
I can do things I never imagined possible…
I've been able to try indoor skydiving.
[…] [And] I can walk miles without getting tired."
Nikki Webster
At 649 pounds, Nikki Webster's weight was affecting her career in costume design.
Luckily, she had strong support from her family, and she was able to undergo gastric bypass
surgery with Dr. Now.
"That's 455 lb weight loss."
"That number is breathtaking to me."
In 2017, she told People magazine,
"It's hard to imagine now how I used to live.
It's just become so vastly different.
[…] It has been the hardest two years of my life, but it's been the most victorious
and exciting."
In 2018, Nikki revealed on Facebook that she'd gotten married, writing,
"I kind of got married.
He’s the absolute best, and I honestly couldn’t be more happy...It’s been a busy few months."
Paula Jones
When Paula Jones decided to lose weight, she had a tragic yet powerful motivation — her
husband had passed away from weight-related complications, weighing over 600 pounds.
A year later, Jones herself weighed 542 pounds and worried that she too would suffer a life-threatening
complication from obesity, leaving her four children on their own.
Jones moved her family from Georgia to Texas in order to have surgery with Dr. Now.
According to Woman's World, she experienced amazing results, ultimately losing 400 pounds!
The mag reported that her relationship with her kids has also improved, with Jones saying,
"I can be more active with them.
I've learned how to be emotionally healthy as well as physically healthy."
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