Where is David Nelson now? 'My 600-lb Life' star gets approved for surgery
For the stars of 'My 600-lb Life', years of trauma and abuse often manifest into eating disorders. However, with various socio-economic and mental health issues holding them back, it is not always easy for them to switch to a healthy lifestyle, as they depend on food for comfort.
For David Nelson, his childhood certainly played a massive role in his eating disorders. His biological mother was only 13 years old when she had him and was dealing with substance abuse at the time. David was immediately sent to foster care. He explained that people often take up foster care to gain access to money and seldom care for the children.
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It was here that David began eating as much as he could when he was given food, seeing that there was no guarantee of how long he'd go hungry. When he was three years old, he was adopted by the Nelsons, which was a dark time in his life, as his parents were physically abusive. Not only was he beaten with a belt by his father, but his mother once slapped him so hard she broke his nose. During these trying times, food was his only source of comfort.
Although he weighed 250lb in middle school, David was active and played football and wrestled. But when his adoptive grandmother died, he ended up partying while his adoptive parents were at the funeral. When they returned, his parents threw him out, sending him back to foster care yet again at age 17. During this time, he nearly gained 100lb, and his grades at school also dropped. However, when he met Robin at a foster youth picnic, it seemed like a ray of hope. Despite being discouraged by the foster care system, Robin adopted him and encouraged him to turn his life around. David went from 350lb to 280lb and even enrolled at the University of Idaho. However, his bad habits followed him as he abused drugs and drank. This resulted in him dropping out of college. He managed to find a job working with children with special needs but squandered his paycheck on junk food, leading him to get to his size.
Where is David now?
Despite his many trials and tribulations, by month 10 of the programme, David was down to 671lb, having lost 48lb. He admitted to Dr Now that therapy had played a significant role in helping him get better. Dr Now asked that he lose another 45lb to be eligible for surgery. David was determined, and Dr Now, too, was hopeful, stating that when David struggled, rather than making excuses, he seemed to try harder instead. By month 12, David had lost another 46lb, which put him on the roster for surgery. Even though he was in the clear, David continued to work out, losing an additional 12lbs. While the series confirmed that David would get the surgery, there has been no news on the success of the same or his journey. Unfortunately, it looks like David isn't on social media either or is not active on media platforms.