TLC’s ‘My 600-lb Life’ shows a wide range of inspirational tales about the weight loss attempts of morbidly obese people. The show follows these journeys through several stages when the participants—usually weighing 600 pounds or more — adhere to strict and difficult reforms to reach their target weight. Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, AKA Dr. Now, offers guidelines and specialized diet and exercise plans required to shed extra pounds. They can only then be considered for weight-loss surgery.
The reality series, which premiered in 2012, has highlighted several people as they conquer different challenges on their weight-loss journeys. While some patients achieve their full potential, others experience personal setbacks along the way. Angela Johns, who appeared in season 7 episode 19 of the show, had a similar experience. Her mental hurdles and frequent reluctance made her episode quite a striking one. Thus, since viewers must be wondering where she is now, here’s what we found out!
Angela Johns’ My 600-lb Life Journey
Angela Marie Dunham-Johns, AKA Angie J, was a 39-year-old resident of Massillon, Ohio, when she first appeared in season 7. Desperate to change her life and be more present for her daughter, Desiree, and grandchildren, Angie wanted to move to Houston immediately. She depended on Desiree and her husband, Justin, to make her food, get her groceries and even help her clean up every day. Tipping the scales at 643 pounds, Angie’s helplessness because of her extreme weight made her feel like a burden on her family.
Angie’s childhood traumas played a considerable role in her ever-growing food addiction. Living with an alcoholic mother and a drug-addict father, Angie had a challenging journey of abuse and abandonment. At the age of 8, she was sexually abused by a family friend, but she said it was brushed off when she told her mother about it. Feeling even more abandoned, Angie began turning to food for comfort. To make things worse, she got into her “first relationship” at age 13 with a 27-year-old man, who ended up sexually assaulting her and getting her pregnant.
Angie went through her pregnancy at such a young age only to give her baby away and fall into depression and more food addiction. She then met her first husband, James, and had her two daughters within a few years. Following which, as per Angie, her husband also became allegedly abusive towards her. She met with a few more misfortunes when she was arrested, went to jail, gave birth to another child, and then came out to get addicted to drugs for about ten years.
At 32, Angie hurt her knee and suffered from restricted mobility, which thankfully helped her quit drugs but led her to gain even more weight, becoming over 570 pounds at age 37. After even the rehab center couldn’t keep her away from her addictions for long, Angie decided to take the help of Dr. Now. She was asked to follow a 1200-calorie diet. Although Angie said she was losing weight regularly due to that, it didn’t look like that to the doctor.
Angie also refused to go down to Houston for a recheck, citing family reasons and argued with Dr. Now about the whole process. For instance, when Angie was caught slurring, the doctor’s suspicion that she was on drugs came true at a toxicology test. In the end, she only lost 49 pounds in 8 months, which meant that she couldn’t be approved for weight-loss surgery.
Angela Johns is Leading a Happy Life Today
Angie could not continue with her program but took advantage of the experience. She kept eating healthy and exercising regularly, although she faulted a few times. Angie did have financial troubles and had to open a GoFundMe Page of $1,200 to help her fund her stay in Houston. However, she later managed to go to Houston and get the surgery from Dr. Now. She also informed her fans on social media that she and Justin were no longer together.
In 2020, Angie opened a GoFundMe Page again to fund her excessive skin surgery; she had returned to Ohio for “personal reasons” but needed money to get back to Houston. The page no longer accepts donations, indicating she likely got done with the surgery with the aid of the collection. Furthermore, she got happily engaged to the “most incredible man ever” on December 10, 2021, about whom she hasn’t disclosed much as yet. She also updated her fans about her latest triumph, stating she brought down her weight to 252 pounds and joined the gym to continue her journey.
Angie had a few more accomplishments over time, which made Dr. Now say he was proud of her. She has remained 100% sober, abstaining entirely from drugs and alcohol and even quitting marijuana for good. Lastly, the Sigourney, Iowa, resident also became a church-goer who believes in God and remains grateful for the changes in her life. Thus, we only wish Angie more happiness and love in her future ahead.
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