What reality show documents the lives of individuals with severe obesity?

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What reality show documents the lives of individuals with severe obesity? My 600-lb Life does.

The TLC series follows people living with extreme obesity, usually beginning when they weigh at least 600 pounds. Episodes commonly track about a year of medical appointments, diet changes, mobility challenges, family pressures, and attempts to qualify for weight-loss surgery.

The program centers on Houston surgeon Younan Nowzaradan, widely known as Dr. Now. Patients may first be asked to lose weight through a strict supervised diet; depending on their progress and medical condition, they may later undergo gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy. The show began in 2012 as a five-part miniseries before becoming a continuing series.

A common mix-up is confusing the main series with My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?, its follow-up program. Another misconception is that every participant starts at exactly 600 pounds: the series usually features people around or above that benchmark, and some stories focus on patients below it. The title refers to the show's premise, not a precise universal requirement.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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