My 600 Pound Life has been a show that has seen a lot of popularity during its time. It is a TLC reality series that follows individuals who are morbidly obese.
In each episode, a year in the life of one of the individuals is documented and they always attempt to lose weight. Some of them are successful and others, not so much. At times, they are featured in later episodes when they go through a great health journey.
In the second season in 2014, Christina Phillips was featured. She weighed more than 700 pounds at 22 years of age and she had a lot of health problems. Not only was she bedridden, she hadn’t left her house in two years and she had to depend on others for her everyday activities.
Christina realized that it was time to make a change but she also realized that she had a long road in front of her. Since the time she appeared in the reality show, however, she has made a significant difference in her life.
When season two started, Phillips weighed about 640 pounds. Her weight would go up even higher, gaining an additional 60 pounds and weighing in at 708 pounds at the highest. She was morbidly obese and her health was at risk.
She struggled to get by from day-to-day and she was only 22 years old. She couldn’t even walk but a few feet, and this was a time in life when she should be living the best life.
It was impossible for her to hold down a job and she couldn’t clean her own home or take care of her day-to-day responsibilities. She was unhappy, to say the least.
During the episode that focused on Phillips, we learned that she had started putting on weight slowly when she was a young child. When we were introduced to the family situation, it was easy to see that her mother and husband were enabling her.
That is when Dr. Nowzaradan came to document her weight and talk to her about a specific treatment for her. Phillips said that she felt as if she had to lose some weight because her appetite was lower, but her husband Zach, and mother were not so reassuring. The family had been eating a lot of fast food over the past few days.
When Phillips went to Dr. Nowzaradan’s office, she had gained another 17 pounds. Everyone was in shock, but Phillips was concerned that it may have just been excess water. The doctor said that she would have to drink at least 300 gallons of water to make that difference.
The surgeon then said: “You know, that’s very typical. When you got an enabler here, when I ask you a question, the enabler would answer. So, why don’t you let her answer?”
Many people were able to see the difficulties that obese people struggled with in following a diet. Enablers will give them a reward at times, including the cheat meal term and they are only thinking that those will not do any harm.
The doctor explained, however, that it was hard to lose weight and be successful in such a situation. He said: “We need to separate Christina from her enabler, so we’re gonna put her in the hospital.
“Families can either be enablers or encouragers. Having a supportive family for patients on a weight loss journey is an important component to their success. If they don’t have that, it’s almost impossible for them to be successful in the long term, unless they remove those people from their environment. So they either have to change their dynamic with those enablers or separate from them if they want to succeed.”
Not everybody is successful with this type of weight loss therapy but Christina was successful. She entered therapy, determined to understand why she overate, and what she could do to fix the problem.
The doctor said: “Severe obesity is a complex physical and psychological condition with many components. Not realizing how much of their struggle is psychological and not just physical can be the biggest obstacle for change with patients. Many refuse to admit they have any emotional compulsions or compulsive psychological disorders driving them to overeat.”
These days, Phillips is able to do the more simple things in life and she finds a lot of happiness and satisfaction in doing so. She said: “The simple things in life are enjoyable to me. I know that seems silly but it’s the honest answer. Just walking and being able to go to the park with my nephew. [It’s] the most simple thing like taking him to the park or going shopping or driving.
I’m so much more happier now. Being able to wake up in the morning and get out of bed without feeling like I’m gonna die, I thank God every morning for that. I am so blessed to have a second chance at life.”
In an interview, she said: “I stay on track by staying away from simple carbs, such as soda, sugar, chips, and processed foods. I make sure I log everything I eat so that I’m staying accountable as well. I also meal prep most of my foods so everything is ready, and I’m not mindlessly grazing. Making sure I get at least 10,000 steps per day and going to the gym at least four times per week has also helped me maintain my weight.
My life has changed so much since the weight loss! I can do things I never imagined possible when I weighed more than 700 pounds. I’ve been able to try indoor skydiving and I can keep up with my 3-year-old nephew, too! I can walk miles without getting tired. And that’s a long way from when just a few feet made me feel like I was dying.”
She is also now divorced and recovering from an abusive relationship.
These days, Phillips is enjoying the best life and in a Facebook post from 2020, it revealed that she was pregnant with her first child.
We wish her many more happy years.
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