My 600-Lb Life Stars Who Lost The Most Weight
The following article mentions addiction, mental health struggles, and sexual abuse.
Since 2012, TLC's "My 600-lb Life" has been a must-watch series, showcasing the experiences of morbidly obese patients as they attempt to shed weight in order to qualify for life-changing bariatric surgery. Over the years, audiences have witnessed weight losses, difficult defeats, and even the tragic deaths of former "My 600-lb Life" stars, shedding light on the very real physical and mental health problems obese people may face.
Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, aka Dr. Now, has been a part of the show since its premiere, meeting patients in Houston with his trademark golden stethoscope and advising them on the weight they'll need to lose before he can operate. "Taking care of these people, that's my job. I never worked a day in my life," Dr. Now told Houstonia Magazine in 2017.
However, it often takes more than just a trip to Dr. Now's office before participants of the show can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sheer grit and determination are needed to get to their pre-surgery goal weight. Here are the "My 600-lb Life" stars who lost the most weight.
Angel Parrish lost 309 pounds
Season 3 of "My 600-lb Life" saw several stars undergo significant weight loss journeys, including Angel Parrish who was 42 years old and 570 pounds when she was first introduced. "I feel like I am helpless everyday, held prisoner in my body. It hurts. I hate it," she said on the show.
Around age 14, Parrish had a baby who she gave up for adoption. As she shared on the show, the grief surrounding that experience was the catalyst for her food addiction. Nearly three decades later, Parrish took a major step toward changing her life: She reached out to Dr. Now.
Parrish qualified for gastric bypass surgery, which Dr. Now performed. However, after the procedure she had to have a feeding tube inserted to treat malnutrition. Despite this setback, Parrish continued on her weight loss journey and had dropped 309 pounds by the end of the episode. In 2018, she posted several photos on Facebook, showing off her transformation, seeming to have lost even more weight since her time on "My 600-lb Life."
Brittani Fulfer lost 333 pounds
Season 4 of "My 600-lb Life" introduced us to Brittani Fulfer, who was 605 pounds. "I don't remember a time, waking up, that didn't hurt. Every single molecule in my body is painful," she said on the show. Fulfer had a childhood that was tragically marred by instances of sexual abuse, which she cited as the reason for her comfort eating.
Driven to change her life, Fulfer followed Dr. Now's diet and exercise plan in order to qualify for gastric bypass surgery. She then received a second surgery to remove her excess skin, resulting in a total weight loss of 333 pounds. In addition to her weight loss journey, the reality star also sought treatment for her knee, which had been injured after supporting her excess weight over the years.
Fulfer remains to be one of the greatest success stories of the show, as she dropped the pounds through sheer determination. She shared a photo update on Twitter in 2017, a year after appearing on "My 600-lb Life," in which she posed in a bathing suit and smiled confidently.
Teretha Hollis-Neely lost 339 pounds
Teretha Hollis-Neely was 47-years-old when she appeared on Season 4 of "My 600-lb Life," weighing in at over 700 pounds. Completely bedridden due to her weight, she relied heavily on family members for her basic needs, including her 3-year-old grandson. "I am literally a prisoner from my weight, and I can barely move now. Having my son and his girlfriend touching my personal areas is very, very uncomfortable, but this is my reality. It's messed up. It's real messed up, and it's repulsive," she said.
Hollis-Neely was sexually abused as a child and as a result of the trauma, she developed a decades-long food addiction. After seeking the help of Dr. Now, she successfully lost 210 pounds in preparation for her weight loss surgery. The procedure aided in an additional 129 pounds lost. Hollis-Neely was back on her feet shortly after, however a mass in her leg made it difficult for her to continue with the exercise program. The mass was removed and she entered a rehabilitation program for her leg, but this was again unsuccessful.
Hollis-Neely has posted regular updates to her Facebook page, showing her weight fluctuating at times. Her initial loss totaled at 339 pounds.
Paula Jones lost 342 pounds
When Paula Jones first appeared on "My 600-lb Life" in 2014, she weighed 542 pounds. After her husband died from weight-related health issues, and having already suffered a stroke and meningitis herself, Jones was ready for a significant life change. "It hurts to walk, it hurts to do just about anything. I know it affects my kids. My eight year old said it. She said, 'mommy I don't want you to die,'" she said on the show.
Jones' compulsive eating habits stemmed from being molested during her childhood. She'd long resented her mother for not protecting her enough, but the two had an emotional reunion on the show. Addressing this grief head-on was a positive step for her weight loss journey. After receiving gastric bypass surgery, her excess skin continued to cause her grief and she was informed that a surgery that would remove it wouldn't be possible until she reached 270 pounds.
After taking on a workout regimen, Jones eventually qualified for the surgery, and she lost a total of 265 pounds while on the show. However, she didn't stop there. In a 2016 Instagram post, Jones shared that she had reached 200 pounds, bringing her weight loss total to 342 pounds.
Janine Mueller lost 366 pounds
Janine Mueller was 629 pounds when she appeared on "My 600-lb Life" and relied on her scooter to get around. "It's embarrassing because I know everyone's looking at me and probably making comments. I just feel like I'm a freak show," she said on the series. Mueller's eating habits had been a focal point throughout her childhood, as she said her mother had her on a diet and taking diet pills before grade school.
Mueller boarded a plane to Houston and sought help from Dr. Now, who placed her on a strict 1,200-calorie diet in order to get her to the point where she would qualify for weight loss surgery. However, she struggled to keep it up and was admitted to a hospital where her diet could be more closely monitored. She told Newsweek, "My true goal is to lose enough weight to get knee surgery, lose the scooter and go dancing. On the top of my bucket list is to go to Paris."
Mueller eventually qualified for surgery after losing over 100 pounds, dropping an additional 366 pounds post-op. She demonstrated her transformation through Facebook posts, one of which she captioned, "I flew! Look y'all, NO seatbelt extender! That hasn't happened in over 30 years!!"
Amber Rachdi lost 377 pounds
At just 23 years old, Amber Rachdi (who goes by they/them pronouns) weighed 660 pounds and feared for their health. Appearing on "My 600-lb Life" in 2015, they relied heavily on their boyfriend and family's help with simple tasks and had severe anxiety, claiming they were concerned about dying young. Despite Rachdi's concerns, they managed to shed enough weight to qualify for gastric bypass surgery through diet and exercise, which resulted in a 377-pound weight loss. Following their surgery, Rachdi began going to therapy. They learned how to identify triggers and cope with their anxiety in productive ways.
Today, Rachdi is a social media influencer with over 265,000 followers on Instagram. They frequently share selfies and updates on their journey, including a photo captioned, "By popular request, not-a-headshot. I'll never be thin but I think I've made peace with it." Rachdi's journey was an uplifting one and they now use their platform to spread messages of positivity.
Olivia Cruz lost 378 pounds
In Season 2 of "My 600-lb Life," Olivia Cruz was introduced as a 46-year-old aspiring chef who weighed 578 pounds. At the time, she was entirely dependent on her mother, with whom she lived. Before the show, Cruz had already received two weight loss surgeries that had proved unsuccessful. After Dr. Now performed her third surgery, Cruz dropped down to 200 pounds. However, she found herself struggling to lose any more weight due to her other medical issues.
She did eventually receive a surgery to remove her excess skin. TLC followed up with Cruz in "My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?" where she demonstrated that she was now able to walk around without the assistance of a cane. She said, "My biggest dream has been to become a chef. ... But I had to stop training because I couldn't stand and move around like I needed to. But now that I can stand all day, I'm going back to pick back up where I left off. I'm so excited about that."
Although Cruz's social media has remained fairly inactive for the last several years, in her most recent post, she appears to be happy.
Chuck Turner lost 450 pounds
So many former stars of "My 600-lb Life" look different now, including Chuck Turner. He initially weighed nearly 700 pounds at the beginning of his episode, which aired in 2014. As he shared with viewers, he gained the majority of his weight after his first wife was tragically murdered. Turner went on to remarry a woman named Nissa. However, as viewers saw in Season 2, their relationship began to unravel as Nissa felt Turner treated her like "a servant." At the time, he was all but immobile and unable to help around the house, and he'd had to scale back on how much work he did with his wrecker service company.
In a desperate attempt to save his relationship, Turner turned to Dr. Now. By the end of the episode, he had lost 350 pounds and reconciled with Nissa. The following year, he appeared in a follow-up and shared that he'd lost an additional 100 pounds, bringing his total to a 450-pound weight loss. On his "My 600-Lb Life: Where Are They Now?" episode, Turner said that while he'd been able to work more and felt more comfortable in social situations since losing the weight, his relationship with Nissa did not work out in the end. They got divorced, with her taking custody of their son.
Melissa Morris lost 496 pounds
In the debut season of "My 600-lb Life," we met Melissa Morris, a woman who weighed 653 pounds. She had been struggling with her fertility and wanted to lose weight in order to start a family with her husband. Following a successful bariatric surgery, Morris' weight dropped down to 157 pounds, resulting in a near-500-pound loss. This is where we left her at the end of the episode, but over the next several years, she continued to struggle maintaining her desired weight.
A decade after her episode aired, Morris revealed in the "Where Are They Now" follow-up that she had two children with her husband after her weight loss surgery, which caused her to put some of her weight back on. "The last time I got my weight checked, I was back up to around 270 pounds. Most of that weight gain has been from my pregnancies," she explained.
Today, Morris has 25,000 followers on Instagram and often shares photos of her children, occasionally commenting on her weight loss journey.
James Jones lost 511 pounds
Viewers were moved by James Jones' story when he was introduced in Season 2 of "My 600-lb Life," weighing 750 pounds. Having already lost his father and sister within six months of each other to obesity-related complications, Jones feared he was destined to repeat history if he didn't make a significant change. He managed to lose 22 pounds before he even met with Dr. Now.
Following a strict diet, Jones was able to drop another 53 pounds, qualifying him for gastric bypass surgery. By the end of the episode, he had received surgery to remove his excess skin. He reached 376 pounds.
In 2019, about five years after his episode aired, Starcasm caught up with Jones to chat about the latest in his weight loss journey. "I weighed 239 [pounds] last month when I went to the oncologist," he shared. Jones added that he had gone on the show "to inspire people," but hasn't been interested in the attention it brought him. His latest Facebook update was a selfie posted in 2021, and the comment section filled with compliments and positivity.
Christina Phillips lost 548 pounds
Christina Phillips had spent two years in her family's home, primarily confined to her bed, when she appeared on Season 2 of "My 600-lb Life." Weighing 708 pounds, she relied on her family and then-husband heavily and had already been suffering from several weight-related complications.
During the filming of her episode, Phillips divorced her husband, who she claimed was an enabler of her lifestyle. Now with a strong support system around her, she followed a diet plan that helped her lose 267 pounds before she received surgery from Dr. Now. Following the procedure, which resulted in an additional 269 pounds lost, Phillips also received a surgery to remove her excess skin, which left her weight at 172 pounds.
Despite struggling with her body image following her massive weight loss, she still shares updates on social media, including a reel on Facebook in January 2023 that showed off the changes she's made over the years. "From my highest recorded weight of 708lbs to 160lbs in the second picture. ... It's been almost 10 years since my surgery and I'm still doing pretty good," the caption said. Phillips has also shared that she is now the loving mother of two boys, and is expecting a little girl in October 2023.
Milla Clark lost 596 pounds
Milla Clark was 46 years old and weighed 751 pounds when she appeared on the show in 2016, having struggled with her weight since childhood. The mother of five had reached a point where she was entirely sedentary. Her husband, who also struggled with health issues, died during the filming of the episode.
Two years after she began her journey, she was approved for weight loss surgery and lost 274 pounds. Clark continued to stay the course, dropping enough weight to be considered for her skin removal surgery, as well as knee replacement surgery that allowed her to walk again without the aid of a walker. She managed to reach 172 pounds, giving her a total loss of 596 pounds, becoming one of the biggest success stories of "My 600-lb Life."
Today, she remains active on social media and has shared several updates to Instagram, including a full body mirror selfie of a smiling Clark. She also regularly shares photos taken while she's out and about her nearest and dearest. What's more? She's also found love again.
Samantha Mason lost 650 pounds
When she first appeared on Season 9 of "My 600-lb Life," Samantha Mason was an 811-pound fetish model, and has said she had previously been 950 pounds. Her food addiction began in grade school after her parents divorced. She later dropped out of school at the age of 17 and had her daughter.
Her job entailed filming herself eating and uploading her videos to a fetish website, which was dedicated to those interested in large women. As good as it might've been for her bank account, she had significant concerns about her overall health. As she explained on the show, "There's no question that this job has been unhealthy for me, because I found the perfect community to reinforce my worst habits." She eventually reached out for help out of fear that she was at risk of losing her life.
In October 2020, Mason shared an update of her weight loss journey on TikTok, stating she had major abdominal surgery to remove dead tissue and had lost a total of 320 pounds over a span of several months. Then in June 2023, she shared another medical update on TikTok, stating that she was hospitalized for a skin infection and her doctor had told her she needed to lose more weight. In the video, Mason said, "I've had a gastric sleeve and I've lost about 650 pounds." Today, she still struggles with her mental health and comments online about her weight.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).