'1000-lb Best Friends' Vannessa Cross bids farewell to 'Betsy Mae'
In '1000-lb Best Friends' Season 3, Episode 5, Vannessa Cross’s long-awaited skin removal surgery became a reality. Vannessa had been making rounds to different doctors, hoping to get approval for the surgery. However, she was often left disappointed, as no doctor was willing to take on her case due to the complexity of her situation. Fortunately, she was able to work with Dr David M Whitman, who, despite acknowledging the challenges, agreed to perform the surgery.
The '1000-lb Best Friends' Tuesday, November 26 episode showed Vannessa going through the five-hour procedure. Now, she’s struggling to cope with the challenges that come after it. Notably, Vannessa's transformation has been remarkable. She once weighed 450 pounds, but thanks to her unwavering commitment to a strict diet and exercise routine, she now weighs under 200 pounds.
During an earlier conversation with her co-star, Ashley Sutton declared that Vannessa was finally out of the “fat b***h club.” While Vannessa admits she still feels like one of them, Ashley insisted that once Vannessa was out of the operating room, she wouldn’t be considered overweight anymore. It seems Ashley might have been right, as Vannessa is likely to weigh even less after the surgery. While it's clear she has left the overweight club, the 'fat mindset' continues to follow her.
'1000-lb Best Friends' star Vannessa Cross' struggles after skin removal surgery
After her extensive skin removal surgery, '1000-lb Best Friends' star Vannessa Cross found herself in intense pain. Despite saying goodbye to the excess weight she had nicknamed "Betsy Mae," Vannessa admitted to struggling to get up. She revealed that standing up left her unable to breathe properly. Thankfully, her sister, Jackie, was by her side, helping her through the tough moments.
Earlier in the episode, Vannessa shared with her co-stars that she wouldn’t be able to be intimate for at least six months due to the surgery. However, she humorously admitted she might attempt it within two weeks. Vannessa has a long road ahead as she copes with the challenges that follow her surgery.
'1000-lb Best Friends' star Vannessa Cross shares her 'biggest goal' post-surgery
After her skin removal surgery, Vannessa Cross revealed her next big goal: a Brazilian butt lift. In an interview with People, the '1000-lb Best Friends' star admitted that she's somewhat "addicted" to plastic surgery, citing her easy and painless recovery from the skin removal surgery.
"My next goal is a BBL. I want my Brazilian butt lift," she said. "You know, white girl, no butt ever in my life. Mommy and daddy didn't have butt, so I'm going to need my plastic surgeon to give me one of them pretty little round booties."
'1000-lb Best Friends' star Vannessa Cross still feels she's 400 pounds
Despite her incredible weight loss transformation, Vannessa has admitted to struggling mentally with fully accepting her thinner body. She encourages others embarking on significant weight loss journeys to consider therapy, stating, "Mentally in my head, I’m still 400 pounds. I still back up when I walk around counters, I still get further away from people when I’m walking in a line at a grocery store. I have found myself turned sideways to move the belly out of the way and, and it’s not there," she shared, according to Today.
'1000-lb Best Friends' season 3 airs on Tuesdays at 10/9c on TLC.
