TLC’s ‘My 600-lb Life’ Returns With More Heartwrenching Stories
Struggling with food addiction and the health issues that come with being morbidly obese makes it hard for some on My 600-lb Life to just make it from one day to the next, let alone make any dreams they have for the future a reality. For those featured on the popular series, they have come to a point where they realize if they don’t make a drastic change soon, that they may not have much of a future left at all. On this season of My 600-lb Life, viewers will follow along as 14 new, two-hour long episodes chronicle the weight loss journeys of the men and women who are ready to change their lives.
TLC recently posted to their Facebook page a sneak-peek video of the new season. TV Ruckus shared that the premiere episode of My 600-lb Life will feature 29-year-old identical twin sisters Brandi, who weighs 587 pounds, and Kandi, who weighs 604 pounds. The sisters grew up in a chaotic environment where they were raised by alcoholic parents and only had each other for support. They rely on each other so much that they both sleep in the same bed. When Kandi suffers a medical emergency that stops her heart and may have caused brain damage, the twins decide it’s time to lose weight. As both women begin their weight-loss journey together, they will have to stop enabling one another to continue their unhealthy behaviors and focus on developing a new lifestyle so they can lose the weight before it’s too late.
On this season of My 600-lb Life, viewers will also meet 45-year-old Tracey. Weighing over 600 pounds, her legs weigh over 100 pounds each, causing extreme disfiguration and pain. James, whose entire family is plagued with weight issues, weighs almost 800 pounds and is confined to his bed after once enjoying life as an active father and outdoors-man. Thirty-three-year-old Steven weighs 782 pounds, and his 27-year-old brother, Justin, weighs 543 pounds, and they started gaining weight after the divorce of their parents.
Struggling with the health issues that often accompany food addictions may be one of the most painful factors of being morbidly obese. According to Monsters and Critics, My 600-lb Life reveals the many layers of trauma, depression, and anxiety that each person in this situation feels. Food addiction drives people to eat almost constantly, consuming large quantities of food over the course of a day. Eventually, their skin becomes so stretched it begins to tear, and they develop sores and other skin diseases. Other issues arise as well such as incontinence, degenerative arthritis, diabetes, and venous stasis disease which causes the extremely large legs as seen in Tracey’s case.
Many of the people on My 600-lb Life are barely mobile, and since movement can be excruciating, they are usually homebound most of the time. Many cannot even leave their beds to take care of their most basic needs without experiencing severe pain. As each participant makes the decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery, they hope to not just transform their bodies, but their entire lives as well.
Extreme changes require equally extreme effort, both physically and mentally. To help those featured on My 600-lb Life, there is bariatric surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan. Known by his patients and fans of My 600-lb Life alike as Dr. Now, he is a no-nonsense kind of man, telling each of his patients the brutal truth about what it will take for them to lose weight. At times what he says makes some of his patients angry, but most of them eventually realize his honesty is exactly what they need. Watching each person on My 600-lb Life gain a new determination and confidence to succeed is inspiring, even when they have setbacks and other challenges that make it difficult for them to maintain their focus.
Will you be watching the new season of My 600-lb Life? Leave your comments, thoughts, and opinions below. RenewCancelTV noted that TLC has already renewed My 600-lb Life for Season 6, which is scheduled to air next year. Season 5 of My 600-lb Life premieres on Wednesday, January 4 at 8 p.m. ET on TLC.
[Featured Image by TLC]
