How is Shannon from 'My 600-lb Life' doing now? Fans want to know if she continued to lose weight after appearing on the TLC series.
If you tune into My 600-lb Life, then you've probably noticed the TLC series often ends with a massive cliffhanger. "Were they able to get the surgery?" fans find themselves wondering, along with, "How are they doing today?" That the weight loss journeys are often unresolved highlights how much of a struggle it is for morbidly obese individuals to make — and stick with — the healthy diet and exercise plan given to them by Dr. Now.
Naturally, viewers have wondered: How is Shannon doing now?
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Shannon from 'My 600-lb Life' started out being nearly immobile.
Viewers were introduced to Shannon Lowery, 39, of Tucson, Ariz., when her episode of My 600-lb Life premiered on March 3.
"I hate my life because I'm not even living anymore," Shannon said on the show. "I'm too big to do anything, so my whole world is just my bed right now. I can still get up, but just barely because of how bad it hurts to move all my weight around now."
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She added, "So I stay in this bed all day, and it's miserable. The only activity I get is when I have to get up for my husband, Simon, to clean me, to go to the bathroom, or to eat."
When Shannon's father and stepmother divorced, it had a profound impact on her life.
"He was always working to keep a roof over our head. There was never food at the house because he was always working, so I would go to his work and eat — he worked in fast food," she explained. "And I think that's where my love of food really started. Because my stepmom and my brothers had moved out, and I was all of a sudden alone most of the time. So I used food to help me feel better when I was lonely."
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When Shannon initially met with Dr. Younan Nowrazadan (aka Dr. Now) via a video call, her exact weight was unknown. (She weighed 678 pounds two years prior.) He gave her two months to lose 100 pounds.
However, when Shannon traveled to Texas and met Dr. Now in person, she weighed in at 739 pounds. She was immediately hospitalized in order to address medical issues that posed an immediate danger to her life.
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After two weeks in the hospital, it was deemed safe for Shannon to travel back home. Dr. Now gave her two months to lose 150 pounds — and she had already lost some weight while under a restricted calorie diet at the hospital. Things were looking up.
Unfortunately, Shannon seemed to have gained weight when she followed up with Dr. Now several months after the deadline he gave her. (They were unable to weigh her at her visit because she wouldn't fit on the scale.)
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At this point, Shannon re-dedicated herself to losing weight and started meeting with a personal trainer at a gym to work out.
When she followed up with Dr. Now during month 13 of her weight loss journey, Shannon was able to fit on the scale, which showed she weighed 698.
"I'm happy to see that Shannon has finally started making some progress on her own," he said. "But her body isn't going to be able to hold out long enough if she continues to only lose at this rate."
Dr. Now again gave Shannon the goal of losing 150 pounds in two months — and if she hadn't moved to Texas in two months, then she would need to add another 30 pounds per month to her goal.
"This past month, I've been doing really good," Shannon said 14 months into her journey. "My stamina has continued to get better with how much I'm working out. So I'm trying to get more active and get out of bed more."
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Additionally, Shannon and Simon had found a place in Houston and would be moving there in a couple of months.
"From here on out, I've made a choice to get healthy and to do things to be healthy mentally and physically," she said at the end of her My 600-lb Life episode. "And I'm going to keep pursuing that as my new way of life."
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How is Shannon from 'My 600-lb Life' doing now?
A quick look at Shannon's Facebook profile shows that she is still working hard to live a healthier life. She has been sharing photos of her weight loss progress, including images of her meals and workouts.
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Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Shannon hasn't been able to move to Houston yet due to financial reasons — which means she hasn't been able to get weight loss surgery through Dr. Now at this point.
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We wish Shannon the best as she continues to work toward her goal weight and, hopefully, get the green light from Dr. Now for weight loss surgery.
New episodes of My 600-lb Life air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on TLC.
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