1,000-Lb. Sisters’ Amy Slaton Explains Why She’s ‘Not So Focused On Weight Loss Right Now’ (Exclusive)

Since undergoing weight loss surgery in 2019, Amy Slaton has lost 176 pounds. — and her healthier lifestyle helped her achieve her dream of becoming a mother — but The 1000 pound sisters star now says she’s focusing on her mental health rather than her physical size.

“You can’t lose weight without mental health,” she told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview in this week’s issue.

1000 lbs. sisters Tammy and Amy Slaton say weight struggles started as kids: ‘We ate our feelings’ (Exclusive)

After a tumultuous year in which Amy went through a divorce from husband Michael Halterman (the two are parents to sons Gage Deon, 3, and Glenn Allen, 1), her mental health was “the worst it’s ever been,” says Amy, 36. “And it didn’t just affect me, it affected Gage and Glenn as well. So it was just rough.”

Amy Slaton and Michael Halterman in happier times. Amy Slaton/Instagram

In their difficult marriage, “there was no support. There was no love. There was no courtesy. There was only psychological abuse – says Amy, who recently shared with her followers on social networks that she is in a new relationship with boyfriend Tony Rodgers.

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Amy finally realizes the seriousness of her mental health issues after a major confrontation between her and her sisters Amanda and Tammy while on vacation in Florida. “That’s not who I am,” she says of the conflict that will play out sometime during the fifth season of the TLC reality show, which premiered this week. “That’s not the person I want to be”

Amy Slaton photographed for PEOPLE, December 4, 2023.

Diana King

That argument prompted Amy to seek help. “I said I’m not a therapy person — I said, ‘I’m never going to therapy,'” Amy says. “But I went to therapy. And I’m happier.”

She’s been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression and acute stress disorder, “which is like PTSD because of everything that’s going on with Michael,” she says. “It’s a relief to know I’m not crazy. It was something completely different. I don’t just shoot for the sake of shooting. I’m shooting because I’m bipolar.”

He continues to go to therapy, he says, and takes medication for his condition. He tries to maintain his happiness by “talking to Tammy and as much as possible to his children and family. Surrounding yourself with love and light… and puppies.”

Amy Slaton with sons Gage and Glenn in October 2023.

TLC

Her boys seem to have benefited: “Once you’re calm, babies tend to be calm,” she says. Her sister Tammy says the difference is noticeable: “I think the kids are even happier now. Gage, I guess he has anxiety, and when he gets really down, he starts crying and holding his ears. So he doesn’t do that very often anymore.” Amy adds, “He worked a lot there for a while.”

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Amy, who likes to exercise by walking in the park with her sons, says she is committed to raising her boys in a healthier environment than she and Tammy had when they were children. “I try to be there for them as much as possible,” she says. “If they’re not at dad’s, they’re with me. I know my mom couldn’t always do that.”

And, he says, make sure he exposes them to healthy food. “Gage will eat Brussels sprouts. He will eat broccoli. They will eat cauliflower. He’ll eat it all,” she says, although she admits that “he prefers chicken nuggets and fries!” And Glenn, he says, is happy to try new and different foods.

All the ups and downs of the ‘1000-Lb. Sisters ‘Tammy and Amy Slaton

Her hopes for the boys, she says, are simple: “I want them to learn how to be good boys. I want them to learn as much as possible, absorb all that knowledge. I don’t want them to be on the street one day. I want them to actually be contributing members of society.” For more on Tammy and Amy Slaton, pick up this week’s issue, on stands now.

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