Although the 11th season of TLC’s My 600-Lb Life has yet to land an official release date, in September 2022, Dr. Now announced to fans on Instagram that an “All new season is coming soon.” As fans continue to await the official release date of the newest season, reliving some of the most inspirational cast members and their motivational journeys seems only fitting. After all, losing weight is half the battle — keeping it off is often the most challenging part.
While the weight-loss journeys of many cast members in My 600-Lb Life ended tragically, the biggest success stories are a reminder that the show can work wonders.
Christina Phillips
Christina Phillips weighed over 700 pounds when she appeared on season 2 of the TLC reality show. She didn’t leave her house for two years due to her weight, something she had struggled with since childhood. Her inspirational journey on My 600 Lb. Life began with fear, futility, and a darkness that only makes her success story more delightful to learn about.
After getting gastric bypass surgery, Christina vowed to shed 500 pounds and ended up getting down to a staggering 183 pounds by the end of her journey on the show (per InTouchWeekly). Since appearing in 2014, Christina has become a mother of two boys, Ethan and Ezra (according to her Facebook and Instagram page), with her latter bio reading: “Living life to the fullest now.”
James Jones
James Jones weighed 750 pounds when he joined season 2 of the acclaimed TLC reality TV show, flying to Houston to meet with Dr. Now to seek help. With a history of family obesity to overcome, Jones was motivated not to follow the same path as his father, who passed away due to his weight problems.
Five years after appearing on the show, James toldStarcasmin 2019 that he whittled his weight down to 239 pounds, marking an astonishing 511-pound weight loss in the process, one of the biggest weight-loss feats in show history. According to the picture above posted to James’ Facebook page in September 2022, he looks like the happiest and healthiest version of himself anyone has seen since 2014.
Milla Clark
Milla Clark weighed 751 pounds when she joined Season 4, vowing to lose weight for her five children for whom she was too inactive to truly take care of. When her husband passed away during filming, Milla’s profound heartbreak led to extra pressure to get healthy for her family. Once losing enough weight to qualify for surgery, Milla dropped nearly 600 pounds.
According to InTouchWeekly, Milla reduced her weight to 155 pounds, losing a record-breaking 596 pounds during her inspirational sojourn. Going by Milla’s Instagram, she is happy and healthy in 2022 and has the energy and athleticism to spend quality time with her five children, including gifting her son James his first car two months ago.
Chuck Turner
Chuck Turner weighed 693 pounds when entering season 2, often overeating to cope with his wife’s tragic death and developing obesity much later in life. A fan favorite who was real, relatable, and easy to root for, Chuck ended up shedding his weight down to 260 pounds by his reunion episode in 2015 (per InTouchWeekly).
Chuck became so motivated after dropping 433 pounds that when his second marriage began to fizzle, he was confident enough to go on his first blind date, saying, “There is a lot to look forward to. A friend of mine wants to set me up on a blind date. I am looking forward to getting out there and meeting someone, but right now I am going to focus on making more progress” on his reunion episode (via InTouchWeekly).
Amber Rachdi
Amber Rachdi weighed 660 pounds at the start of season 3 of the controversial TLC reality show, candidly opening up about her bouts with anxiety and a devastating eating disorder that only made fans support her journey even more. Amber has not only dropped more than 400 pounds since her time on the show in 2015 (per InTouchWeekly), but she’s also become a bona fide social media influencer who has 261,000 Instagram followers, often documenting her journey on the platform to inspire fans.
Far more confident in her own skin, much healthier now, and less anxious than before, what’s really great about Amber’s staggering transformation is how she never lost her self-deprecating sense of humor. Remaining grounded through the process only makes Amber’s journey more heartening and easy to relate to.
Janine Mueller
Janine Mueller weighed 678 pounds when she joined season 6, spending a decade prior immobile as a result of her weight. At age 55, Janine was determined to make drastic life changes to improve her health and lifestyle, which she has done by dropping a whopping 431 pounds and using her success to inspire others.
Although she uses a walker, Janine is much more active than before and even began dating again following her transformation (per InTouchWeekly). What really makes Janine’s astonishing journey so special is how she has used her platform to partner with Paparazzi Accessories to “channel my creativity and be able to encourage ALL women to see themselves as BEAUTIFUL at any size.”
Melissa Morris
Prior to appearing in season 1 of the sort-of-real TLC show, Melissa Morris had already begun documenting her weight issues in Half Ton Teen in 2009. Her seven-year weight-loss journey defines commitment, hard work, and perseverance that only makes her transformation more uplifting and inspirational, going from 653 to 157 pounds (per TV Showcase) and losing nearly 500 pounds in the process.
As the inaugural cast member who shared her weight-loss journey before anyone else, Melissa paved the way for 10 years of like-minded co-stars who had the courage to share their vulnerabilities and make deliberate efforts to change their lifestyles. In her Instagram post made 14 weeks ago, Melissa stated “my weight has stayed the same for the last 6 years – after the birth of my 3 baby.“
Cillas Givens
Cillas Givens measured in at 729 pounds at the start of season 7, becoming so sedentary that he couldn’t care for his daughters in the way we wanted and needed to. By the end, he redeemed himself by cutting his weight by more than half and getting down to 341 pounds.
As seen in his “Where Are They Now?” episode (via YouTube), Cillas is unrecognizable now, but the best part of Cillas’ dramatic body transformation is that he’s now able to spend quality time with his daughters, which he was too bedridden in the past to do. Watching Cillas take his kids to the petting zoo is one of the most heartwarming moments in show history.
Marla McCants
Marla McCants weighed roughly 800 pounds to begin season 3 of the sometimes questionable TLC medical show, citing her ex-husband’s abusive abduction as a reason for her weight gain (per InTouchWeekly). In 2019, Marla revealed to Sister Circle Live (via YouTube) that she dropped a stunning 560 pounds over two years and has since dedicated her life to serving as a motivational speaker and philanthropist to help others in a similar position.
With a big beautiful smile to reinforce her happy, healthy lifestyle in 2022, Marla spearheads “Leading Our Shared Stories” (L.O.S.S.), a grief and loss support group that she hosts and often promotes on Instagram. Paying it forward proves what a great heart Marla has and how helping others is just as important as personal health.
Paula Jones
Paula Jones weighed 553 pounds to begin her season 2 journey, citing fear of death and leaving her children behind without a mother as the primary reason for getting healthy. She shed 269 pounds in one year following surgery, using her progress to host a weight-loss empowerment summit in Atlanta in 2018 (per InTouchWeekly).
Now healthy enough to be there for her children, Paula shared news of her son’s car accident in 2022, acknowledging that eating was not the best way to handle the stress in a candid Instagram post that shows how honest she is with both of their ongoing health battles.