#1 TLC HAS BEEN DOCUMENTING POWERFUL WEIGHT LOSS STORIES ON THEIR PROGRAM “MY 600-LB LIFE” SINCE FEBRUARY 2012.
#2
Four years have passed since this show hit the airwaves, and TLC is in the process of checking back in with some of the individuals they've profiled thus far on a spinoff aptly titled "My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?"
Christina Phillips weighed 708 pounds when her episode originally aired, and today she's down to 183! Unfortunately, the follow-up show didn't find Phillips in much of a celebratory state of mind. Instead, the 25-year-old confessed she's living in a state of fear. Sadlyand perhaps surprising from a viewer standpointher body image issues are more severe than ever.
"Lately, anytime I see the scale go up, I tend to freak out, and I stop eating for a couple days," Phillips explained during her segment of the follow-up program.
#3 AFTER ADMITTING TO HER DOCTOR THAT SHE’S BEEN ON A 400-CALORIE A DAY DIET, SHE WAS POINTED IN THE DIRECTION OF A THERAPIST.
She's been told that she actually needs to gain a small amount of weight back in order to get the skin removal surgery she has her heart set on, but she simply can't justify this course of action. In addition to her current eating disorder, Phillips is also suffering from a condition called body dysmorphia, meaning she still views herself as her former size.
"I still see myself as 700 or 800 pounds, and people staring at meit just makes me not want to leave the house at all," she said. "I don't know how to change how I feel."
#4 WEIGHT HAS BEEN A STRUGGLE FOR PHILLIPS SINCE CHILDHOOD.
Because so many people doubted her ability to regain control over her size, she said that even now she remains afraid of being a disappointment. Divorcing her husband Zach has been one positive step in the right direction of freeing herself from this unhealthy mindset.
"I was in a really abusive relationship," she said. "And that definitely, I think, has had a negative impact on me. It hurts. In my heart, in my head."
Phillips is by no means the first person who has undergone weight loss surgery only to develop an eating disorder and other side effects, but hopefully she'll receive and be receptive to the professional help necessary on her road to recovery! Viewers are certainly sending positive vibes her way.
