TLC's hit show My 600-lb Life has been on the air since 2012, illustrating the lives
of ordinary people experiencing extraordinary obesity and showcasing their struggles before,
during, and after weight loss surgery.
Here's a look at some of the things you might not know about the reality sensation.
Older than you think
Dr. Nowzaradan, known as "Dr. Now" on My 600-lb Life, is the no-nonsense surgeon in Houston,
Texas, who performs the weight loss surgeries that change people's lives on the show.
Famous for his compassionate-yet-straight-up bedside manner, Dr. Now has performed over
2,000 weight loss surgeries, some of which were on the most challenging patients in the
world.
While some may find it surprising, the Iranian-American doctor is actually in his mid-70s.
In addition to bariatric surgery, Dr. Now performs both general and vascular surgery.
His impressive skills serve as the inspiration for out-of-town patients to move to Houston
for the year-long duration of the program.
Dr. Now's son
Dr. Now's son Jonathan is a TV producer for Megalomedia, an Austin, Texas-based production
company that filmed a 2007 documentary about Renee Williams, a local woman who weighed
841 pounds.
Dr. Now performed weight loss surgery on Williams after other doctors refused.
The documentary became Half Ton Mum in the UK, which led to follow-ups such as Half Ton
Dad, Half Ton Son, and, yes, even Half Ton Killer.
Megalomedia also filmed a number of gastric bypass patients for seven years, which was
edited into the first season of My 600-lb Life.
Jonathan is also credited as an executive producer for 17 episodes in the series.
Special scale
Most of the people on the show don't know exactly how much they weigh until they see
Dr. Now.
Common bathroom scales generally don't measure over 300 pounds, and even scales in a typical
doctor's office aren't built to account for such high body weight.
However, according to a tweet posted by the TLC Network, the scale in Dr. Now's office
goes up to 900 pounds.
"601.
Oh my gosh, you did it!"
Media hounds
Some of the stars of My 600-lb Life are more prone to seeking the spotlight than others.
For example, while the show did note that Steven Assanti, who appeared on the show in
2017, had previously posted some pretty dramatic YouTube videos…
"Thank you for paying taxes, because without you, I would not have this urinal to pee in."
They didn't mention that he was featured on Dr. Phil's "House of Hate" episode in 2007
as "John Assanti."
Pauline Potter was another patient who was featured on Dr. Phil before landing a spot
on TLC.
She had herself named as the Guinness Book of World Records' "Heaviest woman... living,"
and she even appeared on Dr. Drew, claiming she lost weight through marathon sex with
her ex.
"I found that a lot of people in this world are intrigued that fat girls like sex, too."
My 600-lb Life didn't address Potter's previous media presence when they aired her story.
It's possible that the producers wanted to focus on her fight for her health instead
of her tabloid exploits.
Psychological damage
In its earlier seasons, the show didn't provide much in the way of therapy, but later seasons
emphasize its importance.
Without this tool, many participants have a hard time reining in their emotions and
improving their habits.
For example, when Kirsten Perez was a teenager, she was violently attacked by a group of men,
something she blamed herself for.
"I feel like I'm in jail.
I'm a prisoner in this fat.
I'm a prisoner of what I've done to myself."
She wasn't doing well in her attempt to lose weight, even after gastric bypass surgery.
Finally, Dr. Now ordered her to go to therapy, refusing to treat her anymore if she didn't
go.
So Perez went and talked to a therapist, who told her,
"You've written this narrative in your mind where you're just as culpable as the perpetrators,
and you're not."
She told her to let go of such responsibility.
Perez took it to heart and lost 171 pounds by the time the show was over.
All the enablers
Regular viewers of My 600-lb Life know that the stars of the show all have at least one
enabler, if not more, who brings them the food they want.
You might wonder why the enablers don't simply stop bringing them unhealthy food or take
control of the grocery cart at the supermarket, but it's not that simple.
In some instances, the show's participants make their caretakers' lives miserable by
hollering and throwing fits until they get what they want.
"I am feeling very weak, and if something happens to me, you're gonna be very sorry."
In other cases, the enablers are also heavy, and they don't want to change their own diets.
And then there are those enablers who want to be in that caretaker role and fear they
wouldn't be needed if their loved one gets healthier.
Regardless, in order for participants to lose weight, the enabler has to be supportive of
their journey.
If they're not, like Zsalynn Whitworth's ex-husband Gareth, patients will have difficulty succeeding.
"I mean I'm a little bit sad because, you know, you know, I like bigger women, so it's
a little upsetting to lose what you like."
"Untreatable" patients
Dr. Now is a pioneer in laparoscopic surgery, particularly as part of bariatric weight-loss
surgery.
He specializes in people who are "super-morbidly obese," which are patients with a Body Mass
Index of 50 or more.
Given that most participants on the show are at least 600 pounds, that means many patients
have a BMI of 100 or more.
Some doctors who perform weight loss surgery have a maximum limit for a client's starting
weight.
For example, according to their website, the University of California at San Francisco
Medical Center has a weight limit of 450 pounds, since that's the biggest weight their x-ray
machines can measure.
Also, the more somebody weighs, the more the risks increase, as with any surgery.
This is what sets Dr. Now apart, since those who aren't able to get bariatric surgery anywhere
else can come to his office.
Messy divorce
Dr. Now might seem like a low-drama fellow, but he had his fair share when it came to
his divorce.
According to published legal documents, Dr. Now's wife of 27 years filed for divorce in
2002, citing "insupportability" and "cruel treatment."
He filed a counter petition, also claiming insupportability, but in the end, the court
attributed fault in the marriage to Dr. Now.
The court also concluded that throughout the proceedings he had, quote,
"...complicated the discovery process by concealing and withholding records, obstructing discovery,
asserting baseless privileges, failing to disclose essential information, denying access
to records, and failing to comply with court orders."
The court reportedly awarded his wife 70 percent of the couple's joint assets, which was basically
everything but Dr. Now's business.
No quick fix
There's a perception that weight loss surgery is somehow cheating or is a quick, easy fix.
And some people go on My 600-lb Life with that attitude, thinking that weight loss surgery
will make them thin without them having to make lifestyle changes, but that's definitely
not the case.
A few patients on the show didn't change their lives for the better because they continued
to eat compulsively and refused to move.
One particularly infamous participant named Penny who hadn't lost much weight exclaimed,
"Where's my yellow brick road?
Why didn't I get it?
'Cause I'm working hard, Dr. Nowazarden, and I'm doing good."
Meanwhile, she refused to even get out of bed.
Dr. Now often says that weight loss surgery is a tool to use toward a greater goal.
While bariatric surgery will shrink the size of the stomach significantly, thereby lowering
the capacity of food that it can hold, that alone will not automatically spur weight loss.
Adhering to the diet and exercise program the doctor prescribes is essential.
Physical pain
Most of the time, weighing 600 pounds or more can be severely limiting and uncomfortable.
Some of the people on the show have been so heavy they couldn't walk or in some cases,
even get out of bed.
One patient named Lupe hadn't walked in 10 years when she started filming her episode.
Another thing the show documents in detail is the severe pain that the stars suffer with
when they're at their heaviest.
No one on the show is elderly or terminally ill, yet they feel some sort of physical pain
from the moment they get up in the morning until they go to sleep at night.
Childhood trauma
My 600-lb Life shows that in many cases, the severe food addiction is due to the terrible
things the patients endured during their childhoods, such as sexual, physical, and/or emotional
abuse.
Some participants were attacked when they were young and then put on the weight as a
protective mechanism.
Others ate to make themselves feel better.
That's why when participants start losing weight, emotions often bubble to the surface.
Weight loss surgery has removed their coping mechanism, and that can present additional
challenges.
For example, Ashley Reyes was attacked at age 12 by a family member, and it was only
when she went through therapy after surgery to deal with the abuse that she started to
really lose weight.
Not all inspiring
There are many heartwarming stories on My 600-lb Life, like Paula Jones, who persevered
through her struggles, lost hundreds of pounds, and became a motivational speaker.
But then there are patients like James King, who ordered his family around from his bed.
Not only did his daughter have to quit school to care for him, but he also got his father
to refinance his house to pay for transport to Dr. Now's office.
After manipulating his girlfriend, Lisa, she gave in to his food demands, and he gained
over 150 pounds on the show when he was supposed to be losing weight.
Dr. Now finally "fired" him as a patient because James just didn't take it seriously.
Steven Assanti gained notoriety in 2015, before he was on the show, when a Rhode Island hospital
kicked him out for ordering pizza while he was a patient there.
He was also reportedly abusive to the nurses during previous hospital visits.
"You can neglect other patients but you ain't neglecting me, b---."
Significant others
You'd think that having a severe eating disorder might limit your love life, but many of the
participants on the show have husbands, wives, or live-in partners.
One woman, Tanisha Cleveland, had a husband, but he left her during the show because he
wasn't interested in helping her lose weight.
She went ahead and found a new boyfriend, while still bedridden.
Many of the romantic relationships on the show change, some for the worse, after weight
loss surgery.
Some of the partners are overweight as well, and their partners' weight loss threatens
them.
In other relationships, the partner just doesn't want their loved one to change at all.
And then there are those partners who want to feel needed, and their partner's weight
loss scares them.
Christina Phillips said goodbye to more than 500 pounds, and also bid farewell to her husband,
because he preferred the caretaker role to supporting her new life.
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