They used to be the kings and queens of carbs.
But they're not pouring Ranch on anything now!
So what can compete with fries, burgers, and donuts?!
From Greek yogurt to keto crust pizza — this is how these 600-pound patients slimmed down!
Melissa is the true OG of the "600-Lb Life" franchise.
With the premiere of Season 1, she was the first patient ever featured on the show.
And she weighed a whopping 653 pounds.
In what would become typical form, the series also profiled Melissa's relationship with
her husband, Chris.
He took on the role of codependent caretaker so that Melissa could eat as much as she wanted.
"Not like I set out to say, 'Ooh I wanna grow up to be the world's biggest lady.
I wanna be 700 pounds.'"
But once she signed on for Dr. Now's program, Melissa was fully committed to the strict
diet.
It all came down to a 1200-calorie daily meal plan, with a goal of 400 calories per meal.
Snacks were totally out.
And it was all about the low-carb, high protein life.
Of course, pasta, potatoes and cereal were out of the question — as were sugary drinks.
And even some fruit, like watermelon, was prohibited due to its high sugar content.
"This is mozzarella cheese.
14 grams of protein.
This is my best friend."
So how did Melissa make it work for her new, healthy lifestyle?
In 2017, she blogged about a meal plan that prioritizes meat and fish, as well as veggies.
She does eat dairy, but in the form of Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, instead of things
like ice cream.
And if she wants something sweet, she looks for alternative sweeteners like Splenda or
Truvia.
These days, she's also a fan of tracking her food on an app so she knows exactly what she's
eating.
Having lost a jaw-dropping 500 pounds, we'll take all the advice she's got!
Fans witnessed another incredible journey in Season 4 star, June.
She first clocked in just shy of 600 pounds, after enduring a lifetime of slowly putting
on the weight.
Her downward spiral began after she welcomed her four kids and wasn't able to get back
to her original size.
Then a devastating tragedy hit when her son died in 2016.
The grief led her to seek comfort in food, which eventually became an addiction.
As her girlfriend and caregiver, Sadi, admitted of the situation,
"I get fast food anywhere from one to two times a day, sometimes three."
But June finally found a solution with Dr. Now.
And after a gastric bypass procedure, she dropped to 389 pounds.
And she's not stopping on her weight loss journey.
So how does she do it?
Offering similar advice to what he gave June, Dr. Now explained in a Cameo video that his
patients eat just three times a day.
And no snacking!
Balanced meals are made up of protein and vegetables, and tally up to roughly 400 calories
each.
For breakfast, the doctor suggested steamed vegetables and an egg.
And for lunch and dinner, a 4 oz. or 6 oz.
portion of meat with — you guessed it — more veggies.
Clearly, the plan worked for June, who lost hundreds of pounds.
As she shared on Facebook in 2016,
"Feeling myself, being in love with me is a beautiful feeling."
Paula appeared on Season 2 of the series — at 542 pounds.
And at the time, she was just 33 years old.
As she explained on the show, her husband had recently died due to complications with
his weight.
And Paula was left to raise their four children on her own.
That's when she finally reached out to Dr. Now.
In preparation for her gastric bypass, Paula embarked on an all-liquid diet and lost 33
pounds.
She even dyed her hair green to symbolize the new direction of her life.
Following a successful surgery, she lost a total of 400 pounds.
And by 2015, she was ready for the next step — getting rid of the excess skin from when
her body was much larger.
Paula followed Dr. Now's low-carb, high-protein diet and has continued to share her food journey
with her followers on Instagram.
She still goes for meals that are high in animal protein, like steak and chicken.
But she'll also do a breakfast wrap filled with spinach and roasted red peppers in a
whole wheat tortilla.
"Can I get a burrito and a cup of ice?
Thank you."
Clearly, she's come a long way since that post-workout burrito, back in the day!
Milla from Season 4 just might be one of the biggest success stories of the entire franchise.
She first appeared on the show weighing a shocking 751 pounds.
And these days, she's nearly one-fifth of the person she used to be, at a slim 155.
But her journey certainly wasn't an easy one.
Milla began overeating as a child when her mom made her eat everything on her plate.
She recalled,
"If we didn't take that food, [my mother] would take that as a rejection.
But my sister was small, and she could not finish her plate.
And I would sneak and help her with her plate so they wouldn't get punished."
"Food was my mother's love to me.
So I just ate everything I was given.
And I just wanted more and more."
Milla then linked up with Dr. Now, and was soon approved for gastric bypass surgery.
And that became the catalyst for her future success.
These days, Milla posts a lot on Instagram about how she does it, sharing snaps of tuna
salad and crackers, pit stops at Jamba Juice, and shopping to prep for healthy homemade
juices.
Milla has also remained dedicated to regular exercise.
She has even revealed her treadmill time after an 8-hour shift at work.
This woman sure knows how to hustle!
The late L.B.'s story is as heartbreaking as it is inspiring.
Having first begun accumulating extra weight after he lost his leg in an accident, Bonner
weighed 650 pounds when he joined the show for Season 6.
He began his weight loss journey — and even got sober along the way — working hard to
improve his health.
L.B.
soon shared Dr. Now's list of acceptable foods for a healthy diet, giving the thumbs down
to caloric heavy-hitters.
Of course, the "no" list included "candies, cookies, cakes, donuts, pies, and ice cream."
Both white and brown rice were also out, as were popcorn and peanuts.
Any sort of meal replacement shakes — with their typically high carb and sugar loads
— were also a no-go.
Instead, L.B kept his eyes on approved, low-carb, low-fat, high-protein foods.
On Instagram, he posted photos of meal prep, with things like Brussels sprouts, green beans,
shrimp, beef, and broccoli.
Clearly vibing on the animal protein with the hashtag "meaty meal prep," he appeared
to be confidently stepping into an incredible future.
"There are times where you'll feel like you lost all hope.
But it's there.
All you gotta do is grab ahold of it and not let it go."
Then, in 2018, TMZ reported that L.B. had taken his own life.
He was just 30 years old.
One of the last Instagram posts he ever shared was an image of the late Robin Williams with
the caption:
"Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.
Be kind.
Always."
Fans first got to know Joe during Season 3 — when he was 792 pounds.
And a major part of his food addiction began during his childhood.
His parents divorced and Joe had a tough time bonding with his dad, who was often physically
and emotionally absent.
When his father was around, he made up for it by letting Joe eat whatever he wanted.
And usually that was fast food.
Joe's mom also recalled on the show,
"Joey wanted to be close to his dad, and instead of his dad being there, he would buy him things
like video games and movies."
And even Joe admitted that he didn't really want all the extra food.
What he wanted was real love and affection.
"I would've given up every one of those things that I had if he had have paid me any attention."
Joe's journey truly began when he discovered that — while he thought he had been eating
relatively healthfully — he was actually consuming over 10,000 calories a day.
That was thanks to bottomless Ranch dressing and frozen Greek yogurt.
Along with a massive diet makeover, Dr. Now also suggested Joe meet with a therapist to
work through the psychological component of his eating.
After following the diet plan packed with satiating meat and veggies, Joe successfully
shed more than 400 pounds.
Another breakout star from Season 3, Laura also turned tragedy into triumph.
As she shared on the show, she had been molested as a child by an older family member.
And she turned to food to heal the pain.
But as she got older, she kept eating for comfort — eventually clocking in at 594
pounds.
Essentially a shut-in, her then-husband, Joey — as well as her mom — were forced to
care for her 24/7.
Throughout her episode, Dr. Now not only helped Laura transform her body, but her lifestyle
as well.
And her relationship with Joey changed, too.
As she became more independent, Joey felt left out, with Laura revealing on the show:
"He looks at me different because I look different."
In the end, the couple didn't last.
And, according to The Cinemaholic, Laura soon began dating again.
In the years since, she has stuck with those healthy eating habits, focusing primarily
on protein and veggies.
On the show, she even skipped the bread, and wrapped lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese in a
slice of chicken breast.
Looks like she's never giving up her fabulous new life!
Season 2's Zsalynn was another story for the ages.
She first graced the screen at 597 pounds, hoping for a new life.
But part of her struggle lay in the fact that her husband, Garreth, had a fetish for heavy
women.
When she began to lose weight, he turned into a wet blanket over all of her hard-earned
progress.
"I've always liked bigger women.
Y'know, why settle for the hot dog when you can have a steak?"
The pair finally called it quits when Garreth continued to push Zsalynn to put the weight
back on.
Then, the stress of divorce, and co-parenting their daughter, Hannah, led to a brief weight
gain for Zsalynn.
She explained on the show,
"Being alone a lot has been a bit of an adjustment for me.
So I've struggled with being depressed when I don't see Hannah for a while."
But Zsalynn wasn't giving up.
After dropping over 250 pounds, she then ditched 52 pounds of extra skin — and got a whole
new lease on life.
Of course, as part of her lifestyle transformation, a healthy diet is key.
And instead of sweets and snacks, she now shops for melons, strawberries, meat, eggs,
milk, frozen veggies, and greens.
Amber debuted on Season 3 at just 23 years old — and 657 pounds.
In a heartbreaking confessional, the star shared,
"I don't like it.
I don't like being this person.
I don't like being this size."
Pulling back the curtain on the mindset around food addiction, Amber noted that eating was
the only way to escape reality.
"There's anticipation before I eat, but it's not enjoyable.
It's a feeling of desperation and sadness."
While a gastric bypass was soon approved, an enormous part of Amber's story involved
changing the enabling dynamic of family members at home.
As Dr. Now quickly discovered, Amber's parents and boyfriend were the ones buying things
like ice cream and making just about everything easily available to the star.
As the doctor explained via People,
"Families can either be enablers or encouragers.
Having a supportive family for patients on a weight loss journey is an important component
to their success.
[…] So they either have to change their dynamic with those enablers or separate from
them if they want to succeed."
Sure enough, Amber totally crushed it.
Of course, these days, the reality stunner even enjoys the occasional beer every now
and again.
But it looks like it's just a small part of a dedicated, ongoing transformation.
Charity joined the show for Season 3, weighing in at 778 pounds.
At 39 years old, she was one of the heaviest participants to ever book the spot.
Because of that, Dr. Now considered the situation to be so serious that he didn't allow her
to return home.
Instead, she entered the hospital where she was put on a 1,000-calorie daily diet.
It was low-carb, high-protein, and with absolutely no outside food allowed.
As she shared at the time,
"I still have a lot of cravings, but I have no choice here.
I only have what they bring me."
It sure worked!
After a month in the hospital, Charity lost 50 pounds.
And Dr. Now sent her home to prep for surgery.
There, the star and her kids ditched the bread, waffle mix, cereal, Alfredo sauce, and Ranch
dressing.
Instead, they opted for healthy veggie chili and a lot more portion control.
Unfortunately, hard times soon befell the star.
According to Soap Dirt, her fiancé had an affair with her sister, and her mom tragically
died of cancer.
Despite having lost 500 pounds post-surgery, Charity experienced a non-fatal overdose on
painkillers.
When she became an alcoholic, her daughter finally moved out.
Fans met Nikki on Season 4, when she was 649 pounds.
Having spent her lifetime dieting, she revealed to People,
"Growing up I was always struggling with my weight, and I was also always on a diet.
My first diet was when I was seven.
And it was usually successful, but then I would always gain it back and more."
Her weight restricted her from doing normal activities and prohibited even the most basic
mobility.
But once Nikki got to work with Dr. Now, he put her on 1,000 calories a day.
At the time, she admitted,
"When he gave me the diet plan, I thought there's no way I could do this.
I had zero confidence in myself because it was so strict.
I was a little panicked.
[…] The thing that was different from the other times I tried to diet was that I knew
that I had to do it.
It was literally do this or die."
Nikki definitely did it.
And she dropped over 450 pounds, and completely changed her lifestyle.
She revealed to People,
"I do a lot of walking, that's my favorite thing to do.
I'll walk at least 2 to 3 miles a day or I try to.
I'll also try to do weight training."
As for her typical meal plan, Nikki posts some of her favorite dishes on Instagram;
fresh veggies with hummus, crawfish with steamed corn on the cob, keto crust pizza, and of
course, salads with good friends, too.
Season 4's Brittani first appeared at 605 pounds and was unable to move without severe
pain.
Her trauma had begun years before when she was sexually assaulted as a child, and used
food to soothe her pain.
Continuing to eat just because she had nothing better to do, she revealed she had maxed out
at 35,000 calories a day.
Once she began working with Dr. Now, Brittani cut back to a 1200-calorie diet, with three
meals a day — and zero snacking.
She also tracked exactly what she ate, focusing on high-protein, low-carb foods.
With a total loss of 300 pounds, she even inspired her husband Bill to lose 80 pounds
of his own!
Explaining how she stays motivated, Brittani posted to Facebook in 2018,
"I saw a shirt, that says 'I don't want to look skinny, I want to look like I can kick
your a–.'
I pretty much love it!
I never want to be skinny!
I want to be strong, and healthy.
Mind body and soul!
To me it's not about getting as small as possible, it is about me being the best me possible!"
"Mentally, physically, emotionally, I'm just a different person now."
Ashley debuted on Season 5, at 725 pounds.
Having struggled to thrive while growing up with a drug addict mother, Ashley was sexually
assaulted as a child by a babysitter's husband.
At this time, feeling unprotected, she developed an addiction to food as security.
Her father then took over raising Ashley, but her mother's absence remained a painful
scar throughout her life.
"I'm throwin' my life away for food.
What kind of person does that make me?"
But Dr. Now's program quickly became a bright spot in her life.
Ashley stuck to the low-calorie diet, and added as much physical activity as she could.
All in, according to Starcasm, she lost a total of 350 pounds.
And it looks like the star is continuing on her journey.
She shares meal pics on Insta, featuring steak and asparagus, a salad and crackers, and an
Asian-inspired stir fry with chicken breast, carrots, and broccoli.
For lunch, she keeps it simple and low carb, with a little ham, cheese, and pickles.
Chay weighed 597 pounds when she first appeared on Season 3.
And after two years, she was nearly half the person she used to be — at 378 pounds and
still counting down!
But her transformation didn't just feature a stunning weight loss.
She also came out as transgendered, sharing on the show,
"I feel like for so long I have lived a lie.
I was trapped in a 600lb body and now I started to believe I can do this.
And once I lose the weight, it will be possible for me to be the person I have always identified
as — and that person is a woman."
"I live my entire life, 24/7, as a woman.
Because that's what I am."
After appearing on the show, Chay has since been working non-stop toward living her best
life.
On Instagram, she shares loads of meal snaps, showcasing her love of hot sauce, baking bread,
and chowing down on prime rib, chicken soup, pork chops, Greek yogurt with grape nuts,
and cottage cheese with toasted flax seeds.
She captioned another post:
"Today's lunch: toasted whole wheat bread, thin layer of cream cheese, smoked salmon,
slice of tomato, Sriracha, and green onions.
Yum!"
Thanks to Dr. Now's guidance, it sounds like these former reality stars have healthy eating
on lock.
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available.
Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at
1-800-931-2237.
You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).