Marla McCants From ‘My 600-lb Life’ Has Shed More Than 500 Lbs

Sep 30, 2021 by apost team

The TLC reality series “My 600-lb Life'' follows the story of those struggling with their weight and the hardships they face due to being categorized as morbidly obsese. Each episode follows a year in the life of one of these individuals and documents their attempts to lose weight. Some of these individuals are later featured in update episodes where viewers are given the chance to see just how far they have come in their health journey, while others go on to share their story in interviews and personal blogs.

Marla McCants was featured on the third season of the series back in 2015. She started her journey weighing close to 800 pounds at the age of 43, and struggled to not eat piles and piles of junk food. She could barely even stand up on her own, and had become very dependent on those in her life to care for her. It was clear that she needed professional help to change her eating habits and lead her toward a healthier lifestyle.

McCants’ journey wasn’t easy, but she stayed the path and worked hard at getting her weight down and overcoming her issues with food. She also worked closely with weight-loss specialist Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, better known as Dr. Now, to help reach an amazing milestone in her journey to becoming a happier and healthier version of herself, with her appearance drastically changing as the years progress. Since her time on “My 600-lb Life,” McCants has lost more than 500 pounds. Read on to find out more about McCants’ journey and what she looks like today.

According to her personal blog, McCants was born in 1970 in Detroit, Michigan. She is a mother to three children and a grandmother to five grandchildren. When she first appeared on “My 600-lb Life,” she weighed close to 800 pounds, but it was hard for her to wrap her head around just how big she really was. “Even though I weighed that much, I never thought of myself being the size, that huge,” McCants said.

McCants felt like she still had everything under control since she was able to walk, until one day she went to stand up and realized just how much her body ached from the excessive amount of weight she was carrying. “I knew something had to change,” she said. “I had to do something, because I had seen and heard of stories about people being trapped in bed and dying.”

Looper reported that McCants was bedridden after being diagnosed with gout, a condition related to her weight. The self-described “junk food junkie” needed all the help she could get from her loved ones and professionals to overcome her struggles with food and get on the path to a healthier lifestyle. 

McCants’ journey was by no means an easy one, as she admitted that once she started eating, it was difficult for her to stop as she had grown to rely on food as a coping mechanism. Fortunately, she managed to lose enough weight to be approved for gastric bypass surgery that would help her to lose even more weight in the future.  

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According to The List, McCants was down to 534 pounds by the end of her “My 600-lb Life” episode, but her weight loss journey didn’t stop there. She has continued to work on being more mindful of what she eats while staying committed to self-improvement.

Appearing on the talk show “Sister Circle” in 2019, McCants talked about how much work she put in to overcome her struggles with food addiction and where she was currently at with her weight loss journey. She explained that she dealt with extreme childhood trauma which later led to her finding solace in food before it eventually developed into an out-of-control issue. She stayed indoors to stay away from potentially dangerous situations, not realizing that her dependence on food had continued to grow to a hazardous level.

Fortunately, McCants has come a long way since. On “Sister Circle,” McCants revealed that she lost a total of 560 pounds in the span of two years! Even though she recognized that she would most likely always be addicted to food, she now has the tools needed to make sure she doesn’t slip back into her old ways.

The reality now even helps others on their own journeys in overcoming their personal struggles as she is an active member of Lending Our Shared Stories (L.O.S.S.), a support group for people dealing with grief. McCants has definitely overcome many obstacles in her life and has continued to improve herself over the years. It’s easy to see why so many people are inspired by her incredible story.

What do you think about Marla McCants’ journey? Were you surprised to see what she looks like now? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family members and friends, too.