A Star From My 600-lb Life Finally Discussed Her Experience On The Show

Amber was just 22 years old when she first got involved with the reality show that launched her to fame — or infamy as some might say. But she weighed an astonishing 660 pounds at the time. Amber was without doubt enabled by her mom, dad, and partner, with whom she resided in the Oregon city of Troutdale. 

Not only did Amber’s size leave her housebound, but it also meant she found it difficult to stay on her feet for longer than 30 minutes. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the reality star was sorely lacking in self-esteem, even admitting that she felt like a “nasty monster.” Yet within 12 months of being part of the show, Amber had shed more than a third of her original body weight.

Yes, Amber found herself 267 pounds lighter by the time her first season on the TLC show had wrapped up. The reality star achieved this by undergoing a gastric bypass operation that shrunk her stomach — it now looked like a baseball rather than a football. But if the procedure was going to work then Amber would also need to quit turning to food for comfort.

Early on in the show, Amber freely admitted that she used food as a coping device. In one episode she says, “I have a lot of anxiety, and I am at peace when I eat.” And Amber also revealed that she’d still reach for her favorite foods even when physically unable to take another bite.

This desperate situation wasn’t exactly helped by the behavior of Amber’s nearest and dearest, either. Her mom, Patty, would happily serve Amber her favorite dishes several times a day in a bid to help her relax. Plus, partner of two years, Rowdy, was just as guilty of making things worse. He was also a feeder — but claimed he was merely doing it out of love. And yet they could all see how restricted Amber’s life was as a result.

Amber’s size meant that she rarely ventured beyond the front door. When she did, it would be on a trip to the grocery store, where she and Rowdy would stock up on more snacks and ingredients. Shockingly, the reality star believes that having Rowdy in her life made her 200 pounds heavier, describing him on the show as “the kind of guy that prefers bigger women.”

But it wasn’t all Rowdy, of course. In fact, Amber’s weight problems began from a very early age. When she was just five years old, she came in on the scales at 154 pounds! Amber followed this trajectory and continued to get bigger into her teenage years, with the situation getting so bad that she couldn’t complete college. This also meant that by the time she appeared on My 600-lb Life, the reality star had never had a job.

Sadly, Amber seemed resigned to a life of being housebound when the cameras first started rolling. In an early episode, she says, “I’ve tried so hard, so many times, to change the way I eat. But I can’t. I’m already such a failure. Why not just keep failing?” Amber also admitted to feeling very embarrassed on the rare occasions that she did venture out in public. And one particular incident mortified her more than any other.

Amber was actually on her way to Houston for a life-changing, and no doubt even life-saving, consultation when the humiliation occurred. After the footrest on her custom wheelchair became damaged, the reality star was forced to travel around the airport on a luggage cart. And, naturally, this unusual method of transportation didn’t go unnoticed by other passengers.

Several onlookers made cutting remarks, while others got out their phones and hit record. “That woman just snapped a picture of me, and I’m not sure I like that,” a visibly upset Amber says in TLC’s footage. “I’ve never had so many people so blatantly stop and take pictures of me.” And things didn’t get any better when Amber got on the plane.

For one, Amber struggled to fit into the two seats that she’d booked, and secondly, the stress of the whole situation caused her to be sick — on multiple occasions. Amber later said that she’d never fly again due to the embarrassment and exhaustion it had caused her. Flying sure isn’t the easiest at the best of times!

In the end, though, the difficult flight proved to be worth it. Amber and her family were so encouraged by their meeting with bariatric specialist Dr. Nowzaradan, or Dr. Now for short, that they upped sticks from their Oregon hometown to Houston just to be nearer to him. And this was even after the doctor dished out some pretty stark home truths. 

“This is a bad situation,” Dr. Now explained to the Rachdi clan. “Amber is surrounded by enablers.” And he made it clear that before Amber would be eligible for the operation, she’d have to shed 20 pounds. Thankfully, the expert’s words seemed to hit home, and Amber began whipping up her own low-calorie dishes. She also started walking again — even though it caused her immense pain.

Then, three months after meeting Amber, Dr. Now said he’d perform the gastric bypass — clearly not too worried that his patient was still 3 pounds short of the target he’d given. The operation went well, and yet it wasn’t long before the reality TV star became plagued by anxiety attacks. So, in a bid to combat her mental health issues without resorting to food, Amber started therapy.

Within four months of her surgery, Amber had shed an impressive 92 pounds. This meant she could now drive and was becoming far less reliant on her parents and boyfriend. And it gets better. Two months after that, Amber decided to go for some retail therapy at a plus-size clothing outlet having dropped a further 53 pounds. This must have been a real milestone for her!

A full year after that concerning introductory session with Dr. Now, Amber weighed 390 pounds. That’s 267 pounds lighter than she was at the start of the journey! So, confident that Amber was now on the right path, her parents headed home to Oregon. They felt it was time to give their daughter and Rowdy some space. But was this wise, given his history as a feeder?

Some were likely skeptical. But Amber seemed determined not to fall back on bad habits. She said, “I surprised myself. I’m shopping for myself, I’m eating healthy and I’m working out. I’ve taken control of my life.” But the TLC star was still a long way from the end of her weight-loss journey.

Amber was told by Dr. Now that if she lost a further 140 pounds he’d give the go-ahead for more surgery. And this particular procedure would remove some of the loose skin that had appeared as a result of the immense weight loss. Hopefully, Amber would then be able to fulfill some of her life dreams.

The star, you see, had some pretty big personal plans. She talked of finishing her education, for example, and of finding a job. She also wanted to walk down the aisle and maybe even one day become a mom! But fans had to scour her various social media pages to find out whether any of these ambitions were in fact fulfilled.

Yes, unlike many other My 600-lb Life stars, Amber decided against filming any episodes charting her post-reality TV life. She did often take to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to keep fans updated, though. And in 2017 Amber did a Q&A that proved that she’d reached the weight-loss milestone suggested by Dr. Now.

When asked by a fellow gastric bypass surgery patient when her body started to function properly again, Amber replied, “Hair started coming back in after about 10 months, stopped falling out after eight. I had hecka bad acne for about a year. Menses came back at about 480 pounds, then vanished again at 250, probably because of the hormone dose of my IUD being sufficient to stop it. It just takes time. Hang in there!”

Amber was also keen to point out that such surgery isn’t a lifelong fix. She said, “I think mostly what it does is buy an overweight person time to learn new habits, get into therapy, and learn to make better choices on their own. Tons of folks need revision [more surgery] if they don’t focus their energy on learning new skills while the surgery is super restrictive.”

And Amber wasn’t afraid to admit that she may need additional surgery herself in the future if she doesn’t keep putting the work in. “Dr. Nowzaradan likes to say he has no permanent success stories,” the TLC star said on her Q&A. But while Amber has nothing but good things to say about the medic who helped change her life, it seems she was left upset by the other healthcare professionals involved in her journey. 

A Facebook follower asked how the healthcare industry could have better helped Amber through the ordeal. And she said, “It’s not so much the words [that] were hurtful so much as seeing firsthand that their perceptions of obese patients negatively affected my healthcare. I am shy and kind of quiet by nature. My healthcare records read like a description of someone very loud and belligerent and unintelligent. That is how some doctors assume all obese patients are.”

Unfortunately, the medical profession wasn’t the only place Amber experienced negativity while filming My 600-lb Life. In a 2018 interview with reality TV website Starcasm, the TLC star was asked why she hadn’t agreed to a follow-up episode like most other participants. And it turns out that the makers of the show were to blame.

Speaking straight from the heart, Amber began, “I had a bad experience working with the production company. I filmed with a lot of different field producers and a couple [of] different showrunners. The experience was very disorganized and jarring, and there’s not a whole lot I can say using my grown-up tact.”

So, what exactly did these various producers and showrunners do? Well, Amber claims that they weren’t always the most punctual of workers and that they often insisted on reshooting scenes that were very tough to recreate. Most damningly of all, though, was the accusation of bullying that Amber made against them.

Amber explained, “When I would say I had a boundary I didn’t want crossed, their first reaction was always to threaten to postpone or cancel my surgery. I know the field producers don’t have that power. But they appeared to be used to using this tactic a lot on non-compliant cast members, which is next-level unethical.”

A candid Amber then recalled the time she was pressured into appearing nude on camera while in the shower. The reality star was told that her surgical procedure would be canceled if she didn’t comply. But a strong-willed Amber refused to be coerced in such a manner. She added, “Needless to say, it didn’t work, and so there I am, filmed in a pink sports bra and briefers in my opening act.”

Amber revealed that this was during the very early stages of filming, describing it as a “hell of a rough introduction.” The reality TV star went on to add, “Basically, I found their professionalism wanting. For the sake of not getting any more ugly, I’ll just leave it at that.”

My 600-lb Life viewers will no doubt be relieved to hear that Dr. Now is as professional in real life as he is in front of the cameras. Amber gushed, “He’s truly wonderful. I don’t for a moment regret my surgery.” But it appears as though her doctor’s bedside manner is one of the few positives Amber took from the experience — apart from the weight loss, of course.

Amber told Starcasm, “Ultimately the experience was stressful and deviated greatly from what I had consented to, with long filming hours and lots of medical debt.” Luckily, the TLC star’s rough ride on the show hasn’t impacted her life too much. And she’s now achieved many of the goals that she set out at the end of her season.

Amber, for one, is now a wife — though not to the man you’d expect. After recognizing that having a feeder for a partner probably wouldn’t be good for maintaining her healthy lifestyle, the reality star said goodbye to Rowdy. And fans still haven’t got a glimpse at her husband. 

And although Amber is not yet a mother, she and her husband do have a number of dogs to look after. The reality star concluded her interview with Starcasm by acknowledging just how content she is with her new life. But Amber doesn’t believe that My 600-lb Life can take all the credit.

Amber explained, “The show began filming when I was 22. I’m turning 28 this year. I think many of the ways my life has changed can be chalked up to age and time and not necessarily my weight loss alone. Life is complicated. In that, maybe I’m not the inspirational lifestyle role model people are looking for; I’m just someone coming out of youth trying to be a functional adult after a pretty wild ride.”

One thing’s for sure: Amber definitely isn’t done with all the hard work. She still heads to the gym for a workout three times a week to ensure she doesn’t ever go back to her pre-reality TV figure. “I’m working on myself… I’m trying to live my life the best way I know how,” Amber told Starcasm.

And judging by her Instagram account, which has racked up more than 200,000 followers, Amber has stuck to her word. In her bio, the TLC star writes, “I was REAL fat. Now I’m just normal-fat. Life ain’t bad.” And since My 600-lb Life, Amber has done a few fuller-figure modeling gigs.

Plus, Amber will often give advice to those who are on a similar path to the one she’s been on. During her 2017 Facebook Q&A, she reached out to those who’d also had weight-loss surgery and recommended they ignore anyone who is sitting near them while eating. “People are way too self-centered to care about what you eat, unless they’re just genuinely curious about how bypass dietary restrictions work,” Amber reassured her followers.

And Amber isn’t afraid to tell it like it is over on Twitter, either. A pinned tweet on her profile reads, “‘Hey, can you give me advice on how to help my overweight friend lose weight?’ Yeah, you can tell them to ditch you for better friends who don’t do this.” But ever-frank Amber isn’t the only My 600-lb Life participant who’s revealed the dark things that happen behind the scenes. Oh, yes, there’s plenty more where that came from.

Wanting to shock their audience into watching, My 600-lb Life offers participants money to include a scene of themselves bathing. Because of their size, the stars are often given sponge baths. Producers even dangled cash in front of Nicole Lewis so she’d show how her boyfriend helped her bathe outside.

The physician on My 600-lb Life, Younan Nowzaradan (Dr. Now), is often the first person to tell a show participant their actual weight. Most at-home scales only measure someone’s weight if it's fewer than 300 pounds; Dr. Now’s in-office scale measures up to 900 pounds. And there's a big reason why Nowzaradan is at the center of the reality hit.

Dr. Now’s son, Jonathan Nowzaradan, works for Megalomedia and is the driving force behind My 600-lb Life getting picked up by TLC. Jonathan filmed his dad while he treated Renee Williams, who weighed 800-lbs and was struggling to regain control of her life. Renee’s surgery, along with footage from a few other patients, became the first season of the show.

As of 2020, Meglomedia, the show’s production company, has been sued by 10 cast members. Several of the suits arose because the show refused to pay for their weight loss surgery, only to renege on their word. The company allegedly claimed if they didn’t like the surgery footage, they wouldn’t pay their stars.

The subjects of My 600-lb Life suffer from an addiction to eating, which can be linked to horrific abuse in many cases. Ashley Reyes, for instance, explained that her childhood trauma made her feel so belittled and scared that she relied on food for support. “So, I would eat to gain back whatever little happiness I could,” she said. But rather than healing that trauma, producers make cast members expose their inner demons in gut-wrenching ways.

The film crew isn’t known for respecting participants’ limits. It’s “so exhausting to the point that there are days that I don’t even want to film,” Steven said. “And I try to avoid being filmed, but the camera crew — especially one of them in particular — is so persistent that he will continue to knock on the door, and knock on the door.”

Even though their weight may severely impact their lifestyle, many My 600-lb Life stars are in relationships. If they successfully shed their weight, however, these romances can fall apart. Some cast members found that their significant others were only with them because of their larger sizes. From time to time, they actually discourage the stars from losing weight!

Some of the surgeries Dr. Now performs are considered incredibly risky by other doctors. Though his patients often lose weight due to bariatric surgeries and other procedures, they’re still considered high-risk. Getting on My 600-lb Life can be a last resort for some participants since they’ve been turned down by other doctors.

Besides getting bariatric surgery, a high percentage of participants also get other medical procedures on-camera. Ashley Dunn Bratcher had her gallbladder removed. Other patients underwent skin removal procedures to improve their post-weight loss mobility — when they lost weight, their skin couldn’t shrink enough to fit their smaller frames.

The medical professionals on My 600-lb Life have their hands full with more than just patients. When someone falls victim to active addiction, there’s normally an enabler who's knowingly or unknowingly sabotaging their recovery. From undermining healthier habits to showering their loved ones with the unhealthy foods they’re addicted to, enablers can ruin any progress.

The decision to make a major lifestyle change isn’t for everyone. Some of the people on My 600-lb Life have no interest in improving their health. James King was famous for gaining 150 pounds, being a horrible person to his loved ones, and getting kicked off the show.

There are a variety of ways My 600-lb Life show guests support themselves financially. Penny Saeger sells jewelry and works with her friend’s business. Other participants, like Zsalynn Whitworth, sell lewd pictures to adult websites, which was how Zsalynn met her ex-husband.

Because of their mobility issues, the guests on My 600-lb Life can be living in unsanitary environments. A camera operator witnessed a home filled with cockroaches and other pests. The family didn’t clean up after their pets either, so their home was covered with dog waste.

Being on My 600-lb Life gives participants a taste of fame, and some have monetized their celebrity. Steven Assanti created his own YouTube channel filled with unnerving videos, and he now films Cameos too. Pauline Potter landed herself a guest spot on the Dr. Phil Show with the claim that she was the Guinness Book of World Records’ “Heaviest woman living.”

When a show guest receives bariatric surgery, they can sometimes have unrealistic expectations about the medical procedure. The surgery itself doesn’t make them lose weight — they still need to create physical habits and learn how to have a healthy relationship with food. It’s a long process.

In early 2020, the CDC created guidelines to help keep Americans from catching COVID-19. Their restrictions made a variety of shows stop filming. Ironically, My 600-lb Life didn’t listen and continued shooting into March 2020. Because it's a medical show with high-risk patients, this stands out as an extra-terrible decision.

The show exploits obese individuals with few options by tempting them with money — at the expense of their privacy and emotional well-being. “I went from no one knowing I existed to being harassed all day on social media, my business, and phone calls. I wouldn’t do it again,” Justin McSwain said.

In recent seasons of My 600-lb Life, therapy has become a major part of participants’ recovery. Counselors like Dr. Lola Clay help participants address the reasons for their weight gain, which is often linked to the management of past trauma. With their help, people on the show are more likely to keep their new healthy habits. Still, not every doctor on the show has a spotless record.

Like Megalomedia, Dr. Now has also been sued by patients. One show guest’s case claimed Dr. Now left a tube inside of her during an operation. Another person, Colleen Shepherd, sued on behalf of her dead daughter. Colleen claimed Dr. Now and the medical team didn’t adequately provide post-surgery care.

Because of the impact their weight has on their general health, many participants suffer from other dangerous medical conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure. Tracey Matthews had lymphedema, a build-up of lymph fluid, which put her at risk for lymphangiosarcoma. This illness can kill someone in just a few months.

My 600-lb Life isn't about showing real people, either. If there isn’t a script, there is a coach. TLC shows are guilty of giving “roles” to their talent, even if they don't make sense. Reality TV showing real people? Nah. We want to see people at their absolute worst… right? These manipulative tricks are used for all sorts of "reality programming" too.