Bhaswati Borthakur
TLC’s ‘My 600-lb Life’ showcases a myriad of motivational stories about the efforts of morbidly obese individuals to lose weight. The show covers several stages of these journeys, during which the participants — who often weigh 600 pounds or more — adhere to stringent and challenging reforms, such as healthy food and exercise routines, to attain their target weight. Prominent bariatric surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, commonly known as Dr. Now, serves as their mentor. He encourages the cast members in their efforts to lose enough weight to be eligible for the highly desired weight reduction treatment.
The reality show, which debuted in 2012, has featured many individuals as they overcome various obstacles in their journey to losing weight. While the perseverance of some makes their journey much easier, others must go through a long process of struggle to get beyond these obstacles. Joe Wexler had a similar experience during his appearance in season 3 episode 6, but with a compelling ending. Thus, his fans must now be wondering about his whereabouts; if you’re curious to know about him, here’s everything we found out!
Joe Wexler’s My 600-lb Life Journey
Joe Wexler tried his hands at extreme weight loss with Dr. Now in season 3 in 2015. At his first weigh-in, he was a whopping 777 pounds and was miserable in his own body. He admitted feeling like a prisoner in his body and believed that he needed professional help immediately, to avoid being that way until his last breath. The 31-year-old Johnson City, Tennessee native lost his job over the years and struggled to perform basic activities like bathing and moving around the house, rendering him restricted to bed.
An otherwise positive person, Joe had a rough childhood, especially pertaining to his father. Although he was a heavy kid from quite an early stage, his mental trauma began after his parents separated from a strained marriage. He revealed that his father stopped making any effort for him and his sister, which made Joe feel neglected and abandoned. Joe’s bad habits, like excessive consumption of junk food and video games, just spiraled after that. He straight up knew why he was doing that to himself and said, “I would’ve given up every single one of those things that I had if he had paid me any attention.”
Joe thus made a desperate attempt to change his life by moving to Houston, Texas, with his mother to get in touch with Dr. Now. The doctor gave him ample time to follow the recommended diet and lose weight for the bariatric surgery. However, Joe gained another 15 pounds instead, weighing 792 pounds, even after making attempts in the stipulated time.
Dr. Now advised him to see a therapist to deal with his emotional issues with professional help. After Joe poured his heart out to the therapist and let out all his resentments, he was finally able to commit to his weight loss goal well. As a result, he managed to lose 140 pounds and got approved for gastric bypass surgery. By the end of his episode, Joe weighed 592 pounds, bringing down his weight by a total of 200 pounds.
Where is Joe Wexler Today?
Joe Wexler has made several appearances in the follow-up episodes of ‘Where Are They Now?,’ giving his fans some regular updates. Fortunately, Joe has successfully maintained his weight loss process against all odds. After a year of continuing on this journey after his surgery, Joe got approved for excess skin removal surgery and reportedly shed around 500 pounds in total. He follows his balanced diet even today and regularly works out to lose more weight and reach his final target soon.
Meanwhile, around the same time, Joe was also quite ecstatic in his personal life, as he had met a woman online named Sarah and eventually fell in love with her. They got married in a beautiful ceremony on August 6, 2016, after his skin surgery, a bit of which was also documented in the follow-up episode. He was just getting his life together, working an IT job, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and settling down with Sarah and her daughter from a previous relationship in Iowa when he got a piece of bitter news.
After three years of marriage, Joe discovered his wife was cheating on him. Feeling betrayed, he went back to his family in Tennessee and slipped into a phase of overeating and depression. He gave an insight into his situation at that time, saying, “I am currently learning how to love myself again after everything that happened with my ex-wife and the things she did to me. During the struggles with her I went into a deep depression and as a result I didn’t care about myself or what I put in my body so I gained weight.”
However, Joe did not let that be an excuse, and after taking some time off, he returned to his diet and exercise routine. He has come a long way since day 1 of his journey and remains positive throughout the new changes in his life. The reality personality also bought a home in Tennessee and began working for a prominent organization. Then, he reconnected with a friend he had known for over 12 years at the time, got married, and adopted her daughter.
Updating his friends and fans about his life, Joe wrote, “Life has been good. I have been working full time in IT and I am going to school working towards getting my degree (eventually working up to a doctorate in IT). Also, I am a fur daddy to 4 dogs (2 Pomsky’s, a Siberian husky, and a Belgian Malinois). That’s about it really, just trying to stay healthy in these times while trying to live life every day to the fullest.”
Although Joe is living a good life overall, he did share a piece of sad news when he announced that his mother, Robin Wexler, passed away on September 20, 2022. He added that she was battling medical issues and preferred to donate her body to science and medical purposes. Thus, we wish Joe and his family strength to get through this loss and happier times in the future.
Read More: Is My 600-lb Life Scripted or Real?
