When Keeping Up with the Kardashians debuted on E! in 2007, Rob Kardashian had the world
on a string.
But after splitting with pop star Rita Ora in 2012, he turned to junk food to cope, and
as his weight ballooned, his self-esteem evaporated.
Kardashian was reportedly even afraid to step out in public and be photographed.
"If I don't get some...this together, then I won't want to like hang around everybody,
y'know what I'm saying?"
But by 2018, he managed to finally shed some pounds and get back within reach of his ideal
weight.
So just how did he do it?
This is Rob Kardashian's dramatic weight loss transformation.
Trending with milkshakes
By 2014, Kardashian was making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
In a now deleted throwback Instagram post, he revealed that his problem worsened when
he started drinking milkshakes.
His weight gain was so dramatic that he wound up trending on Twitter because of it.
He wrote, in a series of since-deleted tweets:
"So I found out I was trending for being fat.
Thank you all it really made my day.
[...] I'm aware that I'm fat that def ain't a surprise to me lol and my only therapy will
be in the gym, anyways had to say something."
Too fat for the cameras
Kardashian's Twitter rant came just days before his sister, Kim Kardashian, was due to marry
rapper Kanye West in Italy.
Despite making it all the way to Paris, he ended up flying straight back to LA because
he didn't want to be seen at the ceremony.
"When Rob flew to Paris, he read some nasty comments about himself, and he just didn't
feel comfortable, and he didn't wanna see all my guests."
According to TMZ, Rob had,
"[...] become so insecure and depressed about his appearance [that] he refused to be in
the family wedding pics, despite his family's encouragement."
Kardashian confessed to People,
"I'm 6'1" and at my most I probably weighed 300 pounds.
There were cameras at the airport on our trip there and I was very unhappy with the person
I saw in all the pictures."
A little 'tough love'
When newlywed sister Kim returned to the States, she told Andy Cohen that Rob sent her "a long
email" on the morning of her wedding explaining his reasons for bailing.
But Kim wasn't feeling sympathetic, saying,
"I try to encourage him and once you just don't make that change for so long and it's
not happening, I get frustrated."
And Kim isn't the only Kardashian to have lost her patience with Rob.
Sister Khloé told People in 2015,
"I've been really trying, but I have my moments and I do snap.
I've offered to get a chef, I'm like, 'What's your excuse?'
But it's not just that.
I can't win life for Rob.
I have to wait until [he's] ready to do it for himself."
Passing on rehab
Rumors started circulating in 2014 that Kardashian was headed to weight loss camp.
But he quickly shot down that story, in a since-deleted tweet, writing,
"To the blogs saying I went to fat camp or rehab, LOL.
Then why am I still fat you fools?
Y'all must have run out of real news."
The Kardashians tried to stage a family intervention, but as soon as Rob caught wind of the plan,
he split.
An insider told Radar Online in 2017,
"He's refusing rehab, he doesn't want any fat farms, no more therapists, no more interventions,
diets, and meddling sisters.
Serious concerns
Rob is said to have suffered from depression ever since the death of his biological father
in 2003, with his weight issues only making matters worse.
In a 2015 episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, his mother, Kris Jenner, said she fears the
worst is yet to come, admitting,
"If I don't help him do something drastic, he's going to die."
She later told a therapist on the show,
"It's just like you're waiting for this horrible thing to happen and there's nothing you can
do about it."
A devastating diagnosis
By the end of 2015, Rob's weight was threatening his life.
In December of that year, he was rushed to a hospital after falling ill, due to complications
from diabetes.
According to TMZ, Rob then became determined to shed the extra weight and get healthy in
the new year, but one whistleblower claimed his lifestyle only got worse.
The insider told Radar Online,
"He thinks nothing of having two or three tubs [of ice cream] in the afternoon.
It's wreaking havoc on his diabetes, not to mention the added stress the weight is putting
on his heart."
Hiding out
Rob reportedly became so disheartened about his appearance that he withdrew from society
altogether, holing up in his mom's house and becoming a total recluse.
But Khloe told WonderWall in March 2015 that his issues weren't just physical ones.
She said,
"Over the last year, Rob has become very introverted and has a kind of social anxiety.
I know he can get to that happy place and he will."
A few weeks later, Kim revealed her thoughts about Rob on Today, saying,
"I think he's just going through a phase where he's not comfortable in his own skin.
He is working really hard to get back to where he really wants to be."
But Rob's friends weren't so sure he could do it.
One insider revealed to Hollywood Life,
"His weight affects his mood and then his mood affects his motivation to eat well and
work out, it's a vicious cycle."
Support from the pros
While those closest to Rob were warning him about his weight, there was one person who
thought he was fine just the way he was.
Rob's former Dancing with the Stars partner Cheryl Burke told the Allegedly podcast of
his fluctuating weight:
"I'm surprised that he's making it a bigger deal than it is.
Cause I think that it's fine."
Losing it with Blac Chyna
Rob finally managed to get his diabetes under control in 2016, according to CNN.
It was the first big victory in his battle with obesity, but Rob didn't do it alone.
He revealed that his romance with model Blac Chyna turned out to be the catalyst he needed
in order to make positive changes.
He told People at the time,
"She's surrounded me with a lot of positivity.
From the moment we met, I knew I wanted to be more than friends."
According to TMZ, his new flame encouraged him to cut carbs and red meat, and hit the
gym five days a week, with no cheat days.
With her help, he was able to shed an impressive 40 pounds.
Packing it on, again
Blac Chyna gave birth to Rob's daughter, Dream Kardashian, in November 2016, but less than
a year later, the two separated under very nasty circumstances.
"So yeah, I am not feeling so good."
After the breakup, Rob started to pack on the pounds.
A friend told Radar Online,
"He's the biggest he's ever been.
He's well over 300 pounds now [...] and he's a heart attack waiting to happen."
Radar's source claimed Rob had been "comfort eating big time", and claimed,
"He's got major anger and addiction issues, brought on by a chronic lack of self-esteem
over his looks and his position in the family.
He's lost the will to live and if it wasn't for his little girl he'd probably not have
made it."
According to The Belfast Telegraph, Kim allegedly urged mom Kris to stop "enabling" Rob's unhealthy
lifestyle with financial support.
Baby motivation
According to Hollywood Life, Rob started joining Kylie for workouts every other day as she
aimed to shed her baby weight, after giving birth to daughter Stormi in February 2018.
Before long, he was looking slimmer than he had in years.
A source revealed,
"Seeing the weight fall off has been huge in helping Rob get his confidence back.
Kylie challenged and pushed Rob to be better for Dream, and that's all the motivation he
needed."
The insider claimed Rob finally agreed to stick to his diet, though having a young child
in the house has helped amp up the activity level.
The source claimed,
"Rob is staying disciplined and sticking with a strict nutritional program that he's been
put on to get his weight down as well, and it makes it easier for him since Dream keeps
him pretty active already.
He's having a blast chasing her around."
Fans got to see Instagram evidence of Rob's weight loss, on his 31st birthday in March
2018.
Did he secretly get surgery?
As of June 2018, skinny Rob is back.
But did he really lose all that weight through exercise and healthy eating like he claims?
According to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Blac Chyna alleged Rob underwent
a series of cosmetic procedures at costs totaling $100,000.
Chyna reportedly made those claims while defending herself against allegations that she had deceived
sponsors by going under the knife.
Whatever the case, we're hoping Rob is feeling happy and healthy these days - and here's
hoping for more good news to come!
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