What Life Is Really Like For Amber Rachdi Since Their Weight Loss Transformation

Former reality star Amber Rachdi has had quite the head-turning transformation unfold on camera. Back in 2015, they were a participant on Season 3 of the TLC reality television show "My 600-lb Life." At age 23, they weighed a staggering 657 pounds and had trouble walking, breathing, and doing daily tasks by themself. They also struggled with anxiety, which was the trigger for bad habits like overeating. Before they left the show, they lost 377 pounds, and they are now over 470 pounds down— making them one of the most inspiring success stories. 

Lately, Rachdi has been living life loudly, as they remain active on social media. On Instagram, they detail their daily life, the reality of losing an enormous amount of weight, and the struggles of dealing with mental health. Their health issues are not fully behind them, as they are also battling lymphedema, lipedema, fibrosis, and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Not to be labelled as an influencer, their content has been an inspiration for many. Even Grammy Award-winning artist SZA has paid attention to their content, proving that while they are still on their weight loss journey 10 years later, their transparency, humor, and honesty are a needed refreshment for the timeline. For those wondering what happened to Amber Rachdi from "My 600-lb Life" Season 3, there is much to reveal.

Amber Rachdi's fifteen minutes of fame may not be over after all, as the social media numbers keep going up. Since focusing mostly on making Reels, their star has risen, almost overnight. As of this writing, they have roughly 470,000 followers on Instagram, making them one of the most followed participants of "My 600-lb Life."

They amassed their staggering viewership by abiding by the oldest trick in the book: transparency. Constant updates on their weight loss journey, struggles with multiple illnesses, and honest discussions about mental health and body image issues have resonated greatly with the public. It also helps that their fashion and beauty sense is impeccable. In 2024, they had 321,000 followers on Instagram, but that has changed drastically over time. 

In December 2025, they celebrated 400,000 followers on Instagram despite having "never once solicited a like or follow." With an additional 70,000 followers, they are living the dream of many influencers trying to make it in the vast world of social media. It is ironic, considering they do not want to follow that path of influencing — perhaps anti-influencing is their marketing strategy. But whatever it is, the numbers do not lie, and their social media (non) career is thriving. 

For anyone wondering what Amber Rachdi's life looks like today, they have a normal job. Post "My 600-lb Life," they decided not to use their newfound fame to pursue a full-time career on social media, despite having hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram. When addressing their followers on Instagram back in 2024, they revealed that they work in IT and had "never made a dime as an influencer." What spurred the post, in which they posed in a mirror selfie wearing a black dress, was that the rumor mill started swirling on TikTok that they had stopped posting on Instagram because they had gained weight and were "in hiding."

They have also made it perfectly clear that they do not want to be an influencer and are pretty content with their IT job, even though it stresses them out. During a question-and-answer session on their Instagram, when someone inquired if they would be interested in a brand collaboration, they had this to say, "I've never done one and this account is not set up for monetization. I'm not an influencer. I guess if you want me to rate your craft projects I'm not above posting a review but your ad budget is better spent elsewhere." 

While Amber Rachdi may not want to be an influencer, they are using their social media reach for their benefit. Since their followers suggested that they set up a GoFundMe to fund their skin reconstruction surgery, they decided to create one for the sake of their brachioplasty. There was initial hesitation on whether to solicit public help, but thanks to encouragement from followers — and the fact that surgeries are incredibly expensive to self-fund — they eventually caved. Rachdi has lost more than 470 pounds since the TLC show, and is credited as one of the "My 600-lb Life" stars who lost the most weight. 

Since the GoFundMe went live in early 2026, Rachdi has received donations from the general public. At the time of this writing, the account has raised over $25,000 out of the $28,000 needed, which means that they are almost at their goal. 

Amber Rachdi always keeps their followers abreast with anything and everything concerning their surgeries. In a March 2026 Instagram update, Rachdi revealed that they have already successfully undergone brachioplasty in Los Angeles. Described as "one of the most exciting moments of my whole life," they thanked attending plastic surgeon Dr. Shawn Moshrefi and his team for giving their new and improved arms.

Before the operation, Rachdi took to social media to get candid about their nerves and preparation for the life-changing procedure. In the Instagram Reel (as is their new modus operandi), they expressed frustration about not getting their required pain medications from the pharmacy, which was a great disservice to them since it is a requirement for their surgery. However, they did promise fans an exclusive interview with Dr. Moshrefi, which was being edited. For now, from what they have shared on Instagram, Rachdi is still healing post-op and is spending their time resting. 

Before their arms received a major makeover via plastic surgery, Amber Rachdi showed them off as often as humanly possible — and in the most hilarious way. Known by their followers for their dry humor, they take the time to get real about what it is like having loose skin, describing it as "kind of like slime or like those squishy toys ... filled with gel" on Instagram. To address questions on how they style the loose skin, they revealed that they tuck it into sleeves.

Rachdi also entertained followers on social media pre-surgery by embracing their artsy side and drawing actual bat wings on their arms, following suggestions from followers to get their arms tattooed. For context, they fondly call their loose skin bat wings, and what better way to immortalize that name than by using a marker to become a living Batman — a big win for being an adult with free will. Apart from their successful brachioplasty, Rachdi has a long recovery road ahead of them, as they still need to remove the excess skin on their stomach, thighs, and back.

Avid watchers of the TLC reality show will remember that, at the time of filming in 2015, Amber Rachdi was dating a man named Rowdy who was supportive of their weight loss journey. As Rachdi explained (via TLC), Rowdy preferred bigger women and would take them to the grocery store and to doctors' appointments. But at the time they were featured on the show, Rachdi described their relationship as lacking sexual intimacy because they were not in the right mental headspace to be in such close proximity with anyone. Rowdy loved Rachdi, but at the same time did not want their overindulgence to drive them to an early grave.

However, not all couples make it to the finish line; there are many couples from "My 600-lb Life" who broke up after their weight-loss journey, and Amber Rachdi and Rowdy were one of them. Flash forward to a life update in 2025 and the reason for the split is not as dramatic as one would think. "We were young with different and ultimately irreconcilable desires regarding family building," they stated on Instagram. It was a mutual and cordial decision and they remain good friends.

Amber Rachdi is one of the many TLC stars who are unrecognizable today, and that is because they are pouring all their energy into becoming a healthier version of themselves. However, that seems to leave little room for diving into the deep end of the dating pool. Since their breakup with Rowdy, it does not seem like they have openly dated anyone since then, although there were rumors that they were engaged to a man named Steve, but that relationship never materialized into a marriage.

When asked in 2025 whether or not they are single, they responded on Instagram in the most Amber way possible: "Unless you are a 6ft+ tall dommy-mommy goth baddie, Gwendolyn Christie, or prepared to fully fund my skin reconstruction, I am uninterested in your overtures....Away with your foolishness." We're hoping a tall blond wearing all black makes themself known soon!

Amber Rachdi has not let their ordeal get in the way of being their true self. On social media, particularly their active account on Instagram, they post chaotic Reels, sometimes featuring their dogs Rama and Naomi, and discuss their weight-loss journey, how they feel about their loose skin, and the importance of loving yourself. On occasion, they post mirror selfies, but they seem to be a huge fan of Reels, as it allows them to be more in tune with their quirky side.

Whether it is calling their loose skin "bat wings" or calling their baby nose a ski jump, they are doing much better now than they were 10 years ago when they first made an appearance on the reality show that gave them notoriety. And contrary to their hesitation about being an influencer, Rachdi has had a positive influence on those who are active followers or casual scrollers of their content, as they receive a lot of positive messages and comments from those looking into their life today.

It is often said that if one has the ability to make a difference, do it, no matter how big or small the means are; Amber Rachdi has taken that saying to heart. With their public platform, they have openly spoken about body positivity and their support for the movement. As a big person on a health journey — and one they have been on for 10 years — they understand the struggles of going from obese to what they consider a healthy weight. In an unedited Instagram post back in 2019 in which they shared a semi-full body mirror selfie, they revealed that they have made peace with the fact that they would never be thin. In another Instagram post, they were seen rocking a smaller figure in a crop top, captioning it, "Found a dollar tshirt and hacked the bottom off. Fat lady in a crop top? Well, ok."

They also reminded their following on Instagram not to constantly comment about their weight loss because they have admitted that their relationship with food is historically toxic (They used to eat four to five times a day without keeping a record of the calories they were consuming). Posting a bunch of stunning, glammed-up selfies in 2022, Rachdi vulnerably stated that they are learning to take pictures, as imperfect as they are, without the constant worry of flaws. Nobody is perfect, but everybody loves a self-aware, relatable queen.

When Amber Rachdi was over 600 pounds, they were open about their anxiety and how it triggered their binge eating. Food brought them comfort and stopped thoughts of being a disappointment to their family from swirling in their brain. Another cause of their anxiety was whether they would be able to stick to the weight loss program administered by Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, the surgeon who has helped countless patients featured on the reality show "My 600-lb Life."

As for whether they are completely rid of their mental health issues, the answer is no. In a pandemic life update, they informed their followers on Instagram that they are dealing with another problem: depression. However, they were finding healthier ways to deal with it, like gardening, fishing, keeping a low profile, and "shambling around the area and stealing cool plants I find growing in grass lawns and on the sides of walking paths." Rachdi's weight problems started at a young age of 5, and doctors did not believe that they would live past 25. Now 35, they seem to be living life on their own terms. When a commenter tried to compare their journey with that of other participants on "My 600-lb Life," they quickly shut it down on Instagram with a very profound statement: "All of us are trying to improve our lives and live, and so many of us never got the opportunity."

Amber Rachdi may have been lucky enough to get their weight under control, but some of their peers have unfortunately died due to the complications of being in a larger body — and some followers have been quick to point that out. In the same Instagram post, when a commenter tried to tell them that they are better than their former co-stars on "My 600-lb Life" and "very normal and in fact an intelligent one," they were quick to come to their peers' defense. They did not appreciate the comparison of their weight loss journey to that of others because no two situations are alike, especially considering that so many stars from the reality show have unfortunately passed away after the cameras stopped rolling. Rachdi tearfully mentioned their names: Henry Boots, Dottie Perkins, Rob Buchel, Vianey Rodriguez, L.B Bonner, Paul MacNeil, James King, Renee Biran, Ashley Randall, Larry Myers Jr., and Pauline Potter, to name a few. 

Rachdi said her success came from having a better support system and a strong education. As they revealed in response to another comment, their younger sister is a nurse and their brother and his wife are both physicians. So, if the goal of the commenter was to be mean by going as far as asking them why they let themselves get to a weight of over 600 pounds in the first place, Rachdi killed them with kindness in their explanation. 

Being on "My 600-lb Life" change Amber Rachdi's life for the better, but they have no plans of returning to the realty show that made them a household name. Since their incredible weight-loss journey, many thought that they would appear on the follow-up show "My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now," but Rachdi is closing that chapter of their life for good. And there are salient reasons for that. 

Speaking with Starcasm, they stated that their experience was not pleasant and there was a lot of bullying going on behind-the-scenes. "When I would say I had a boundary I didn't want crossed, their first reaction was always to threaten to postpone or cancel my surgery," they revealed. Expanding further, they stated that the first producer they worked with forced them to go nude on camera and when they refused, they were threatened and filmed anyway. "So there I am, filmed in a pink sports bra and briefers in my opening act. That was my first experience with the company, which is a hell of a rough introduction." They, however, spoke highly of Dr. Nowzaradan, stating that he was wonderful and they do not, in any way, regret getting surgery.