‘My 600-lb Life’: What happened to Isaac Martinez? All the tragedies that led this 23-year-old to weigh 661 lbs
Isaac Martinez is the latest one to be seen on ‘My 600-lb Life’ with his story summarized as “Life Revolves Around Food”. The 23-year-old who lives in Hutchins, Texas, recounts his tragedies and weight loss — chronicled in the upcoming episode titled 'Isaac's Journey'.
Scheduled to air on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2021, the synopsis of the episode titled reads, "Isaac helped raise his siblings after his mum suffered a debilitating stroke when he was 10. While learning to cook for his family, he began comfort-eating. Now to avoid eating himself to death, Isaac must learn to take care of himself for a change."
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Wondering how he went on gain those extra pounds and will he be able to shed the kilos? Here's all the scoop from the episode.
Isaac Martinez: A pre-mature baby
Isaac's mother Jayne Martinez was just five months along with her first son Isaac Martinez when she went into labor. The doctor had to pump steroids into her system in order to hold off the early delivery. They were successful at that point. But, when Isaac finally arrived in the world, a long list of life-threatening complications accompanied him.
When did Isaac Martinez from 'My 600-lb Life' start gaining weight?
Since birth, Isaac was a hyper-sensitive kid and that meant he couldn't eat anything without having an allergic reaction. That was the main reason he was an underweight child during his early years. However, things started to get better for him after a point. When he could finally eat without getting sick, it was a moment of joy for his entire family.
Whatever he asked for, he received. But that soon proved to be detrimental for him. The sweet lovin' that baby Isaac received from his family went on to become the building blocks for his obesity. At 6, he had already gained an unbelievable 100 pounds and that's when his overweight journey began.
The tragic life of Isaac Martinez
Narrating his early life, Isaac called the period between seven to 10 years "one of the worst" phases in his life. During that time, he lost his grandmother — who was his second mother. Not just that, Isaac's family lost the house they were living in and had to move in with an aunt. His mom suffered a stroke and had to relearn to function, including learning how to talk and walk again.
Isaac had to assume the role of a mother immediately for his younger siblings — three brothers and one sister, Angeliza. The responsibility of taking care of his mother too fell on his shoulders and he tried to do everything possible in his capacity. By the time he was 13, he had reached 300 pounds. Even then, nothing was out of his reach and he led a pretty sociable life.
The good memories from Isaac Martinez's childhood
Many overweight people do suffer from trauma and insecurity. That was never the case with Isaac... A popular kid in high school, he was never bullied for his size. Did you know he was the runner-up for "the friendliest kid" tag in school? Not just that, he went on to become the homecoming prince in his sophomore year and was also handed over the responsibilities of the class president and student council.
Isaac loved music and played the saxophone, piano, and trumpet while growing up. He was part of the marching band as well.
How did Isaac Martinez from 'My 600-lb Life' become homebound?
Isaac was 16 years old when he reached 450 pounds and that is when his weight started to hold him back. He started to have trouble moving from class to class but despite the difficulties, he graduated. He received a full scholarship from a university in Houston. However, his mother once again fell sick, this time being diagnosed with stage 3 uterine cancer.
Isaac dropped everything to be by his mother's side. He went back to Houston to pursue his studies after his mother got a little better but by that time he had lost his scholarship and had to come back home permanently.
Isaac Martinez and his family's unhealthy eating habits
When Isaac returned back home, he picked up the responsibilities of his mother. His job was to feed the whole family. In the trailer, he can be seen taking out a crate of 60 eggs, syrup, pancake batter, and bacon. However, he isn't able to stand and cook and needs to move to the living room where they have a preparation table set up.
Isaac's mother and his sister Angeliza are close to weighing as much as he does. The rest of his siblings are average-sized and so is his father but the eating habits of the entire family — as seen in the trailer — seem to be extremely unhealthy and that could be one of the prime reasons why Isaac kept gaining weight.
Is Isaac Martinez's family enabling his unhealthy eating?
In the promo, the family was seen polishing off stacks of pancakes, runny eggs, bacon for breakfast. At another point in the episode, stacks of pizzas were brought in for their weekend pizza night. After a while, when the entire family stopped eating pizzas, Isaac continued munching on claiming he wasn't satiated yet.
Sadly, no one tried to question or stop him.
Did Isaac Martinez from 'My 600-lb Life' almost die?
Isaac had lymphedema in his left leg and it got infected after which he made a quick visit to the emergency room. Doctors diagnosed it as cellulitis and started to treat it with antibiotics and during that time Isaac began to lose consciousness and slipped into a coma.
He had also suffered a cardiac arrest and recalling that time, Isaac said he wanted to talk to his siblings because he felt like he was about to die.
What led Isaac Martinez to visit Dr Now for weight loss surgery?
Isaac's near-death experience at the ER was a wake-up call for him and he wanted to live for himself and his mother and that's why he made an appointment to go see Dr Now. Isaac had to travel to Houston which was a 10-hour journey to and fro and he was skeptical about going alone but he made it.
At the weigh-in, it was found that he weighs 661 pounds. Dr Now analyzed his statistics and asked him to lose 80 pounds after which he said he would approve him for surgery. Armed with a 1200 calorie-per-day diet and exercises, Isaac was ready to make a change. He said he had the discipline and willpower but he needed a fire under his butt and a consultation with Dr Now was just that.
Will Isaac take the challenge and lose all the extra pounds? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Catch new episodes of 'My 600-lb Life' every Wednesday at 8 pm ET on TLC.