TLC's My 600-Lb Life follows the amazing weight loss journeys of people who are looking to
turn their lives around by dropping the pounds. Throughout their time on the hit reality series,
contestants must grapple with an entirely new lifestyle and diet plan curated by the show's
resident surgeon, Dr. Now. Based on how well they adhere to his recommendations, he will
decide whether or not the participants will be permitted to go ahead with some potentially
life-changing surgery. But not everyone follows his instructions to the letter. Keep watching
to discover what happened to Penny Saeger, a woman who refused to embrace the process.
Saeger's weight issues began during childhood, in which she would turn to food for comfort
and to cope with her alcoholic and abusive father. By 22 years old, her food addiction had spiraled
out of control and she weighed a staggering 300 pounds. After she began dating the man who would
become her husband, Saeger gained even more weight, putting on an additional 150 pounds.
At the start of My 600-Lb Life, Saeger weighed a total of 530 pounds.
After arriving in Houston to visit Dr. Now, he informed her that she had a BMI
of 87 and she was subsequently put on a strict 1200 calorie-a-day diet. However,
as her weight loss journey progressed on the show, things became increasingly more complicated.
Over the course of a year, Saeger was only able to drop down to 495 pounds despite severe
warnings from Dr. Now. She found it hard to lose weight because of her refusal to monitor her food
portions. This lack of willingness to alter her lifestyle prompted Dr. Now to accuse Saeger of
being "delusional" about her situation. However, despite her initial reluctance,
she did manage to lose the required 40 pounds in order to proceed with gastric bypass surgery.
Unfortunately, following the potentially life-changing surgery, Saeger reportedly
disregarded the new diet curated for her by Dr. Now, refused to exercise,
and asked her recovery nurses to sneak her additional food. This behavior resulted
in her gaining five pounds, erasing some of the progress she made before surgery.
Dr. Now attempted to convey how serious her food addiction was, informing her that if she didn't
adjust her lifestyle it would be the death of her. Regardless, Saeger walked away from the series
shortly after. In the year following her surgery, it was revealed that she hadn't lost any weight.
Regarding her lack of compliance throughout the entire process,
Dr. Now described her situation as unfortunate. He added that Saeger didn't seem to want to change
after going back home to Maryland, where she would have more control over her food intake.
"You only get out of life, what you put into it,
and in the end your failure or your success is up to you."
With the 2015 launch of the companion show, My 600-Lb Life: Where Are They Now?
speculation resurfaced over Saeger's well-being and health. Although her
progress had stalled at 494 pounds, she remained upbeat, telling TLC:
"It's been a much more positive experience here without someone telling me I'm not
doing a good job. I don't feel the need to be on a scale because it doesn't matter.
I'm better off now than how I was before because I can feel it."
However, doctors disagreed with Saeger's comments. They accused her of creating an
illusion that she was making progress with her weight loss after quitting the show
in an attempt to convince others that she was getting healthier. One doctor added,
"It's not progress if you go back and do the work you were doing before."
On the show, Saeger declared that the person whose judgment mattered the most was herself:
"I'm going to keep doing it like I want, at my own pace. Nothing's
going to change that. I feel like I'm doing well, and that makes me happy."
In the subsequent years, Saeger hasn't provided any insight into her weight loss or mindset.
Life & Style confirmed in December of 2020 that Seager is still living in Maryland. However,
nothing on Twitter or Instagram indicates she has continued to diet or exercise.
Her last informative Twitter post was in 2015 and highlighted her 16th wedding anniversary.
Instagram shows an equally reserved display, with some pictures of her son Liam playing.
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