Bhaswati Borthakur
The reality TV show ‘My 600-lb Life’ on TLC showcases the inspiring accounts of morbidly obese people, who are striving to live healthier lifestyles and typically weigh more than 600 pounds. Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, also known as Dr. Now, is a well-known bariatric surgeon who helps with the process by developing unique diet and exercise treatment plans for each patient and assisting them in becoming candidates for weight-loss surgery.
Since its premiere in 2012, many individuals have opted for the doctor’s advice and have demonstrated extraordinary determination and restraint to reach their goals of a healthy weight. One such person is Kenae Dolphus, who was the focus of the well-known show’s season 9 episode 6. She overcame many obstacles and made remarkable progress by combining commitment, self-awareness, and continuous effort in the right balance. Along the way, she also gained a lot of admirers, who must be eager to find out about her latest updates. If you’re curious to know where she is now, too, here’s what we found out!
Kenae Dolphus’ My 600-lb Life Journey
When she appeared in season 9 in 2021, Garrison, Texas, native Kenae Dolphus was a 41-year-old woman and weighed 614 pounds. She lived in Nacogdoches, Texas, with her husband, Rodney, a pastor, and a few of her extended family members, like her nieces and nephews. Kenae was primarily dependent on her nieces and nephews for all her basic needs and had a hard time moving around by herself. For her, food was the source of happiness from her childhood, which was further accentuated by her mother, who offered her food in every good or bad situation.
Kenae’s connection of food with joy and love throughout her childhood continued forever, which was also not discouraged by anyone who saw her gaining weight to well over 200 pounds at the age of 14. Kenae’s weight never held her back from living her life to the fullest, to even getting a job at a nursing home after high school. Thus, her independence grew, with a growing dependence on food, after she was able to afford to eat out all the time. Her eating habits worsened, and she slowly became over 400 pounds, still managing to move around well enough not to get bothered by her excess weight.
When Kenae eventually got married to Rodney and wanted to have her own children, that’s when her troubles began. While trying to have a child, she found that she had Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and developed fertility issues. Another big blow to her life was at the age of 35, when she lost her mother, further blowing her weight gain through the roof. However, when she realized she was putting her life in danger at 614 pounds and was even embarrassed to share her actual weight with her husband, Kenae knew she had to get professional help.
Therefore, Kenae got started with the process enthusiastically with diet and exercise recommendations. However, with a lot of psychological baggage, she could only lose 22 pounds on the first go. But, after Dr. Now’s blunt call out on her issues, she got the mental help required with regular therapy, and ultimately lost 133 pounds by the end of her episode, getting her weight to 482 pounds.
Although this was a great feat on her part, Kenae still couldn’t qualify for gastric bypass surgery because of her heart issues and would be risky for her overall health. Kenae was, however, quite motivated because of her progress and believed that she could lose more weight to reach her goal weight by herself. She bid her farewell by saying, “I know I still have a lot of work to do to get to my goal. So, I’m working hard to keep heading in a positive direction.”
Where is Kenae Dolphus Now?
After losing almost 150 pounds in a span of one year, Kenae Dolphus is well progressing in her weight loss journey even now. She is positive about her journey and taking things slow with a steady decrease in her weight. She follows a restrictive diet and tries different forms of exercise, which she often shares on social media platforms. She tried following a regular exercise schedule while going for water aerobics and later doing long workout sessions at home. Kenae often shares pictures of her extended family as they go through various milestones in their life, including having children.
Kenae and her husband treat them as their own children and thus get super excited about the newest entries in their lives, their grandkids. The whole family enjoys their time together and even takes trips with as many members as possible. They also have a huge role to play in her weight loss journey because of their worthwhile contribution and support to her. Thus, although Kenae may sometimes understandably fall short in her efforts, she is still going well and soon hopes to lose more weight.
Read More: Is My 600-lb Life Scripted or Real?
