'My 600-Lb Life': Ashley blames stress for not losing enough weight, Dr Nowzaradan says she's making excuses
After being sexually assaulted on different occasions in the past, Ashley Bernard struggled with her weight as she thought it would be the weapon that would protect her. Unfortunately, her weight now happens to be the sole reason why she has reached a point where she has to fight for her life.
Weighing 637lbs, Ashley knew that it was time she focused on her health and started losing weight because, at the end of the day, she has to be there for her daughters. Due to her weight, Ashley found it hard to take care of her daughters and had to seek help from other family members.
She finally decided to work on her weight and set up an appointment with Dr Younan Nowzaradan. Dr Nowzaradan looked at her weight and warned Ashley about how important it is for her to stick to the diet if she wanted to lose weight. He asked her to lose 8lbs in two months.
Ashley agreed but the two months were hard for her. She admitted that it was difficult for her to stay away from eating like she used but assured everyone that she was sticking to her diet. Ashley thought that the hardest part was staying away from the dinner that was made by her mother.
Even though Ashley was on a diet, everyone else was eating the same way they always did and she found this to be the tough part. Despite that, she tried to not overeat or indulge in anything that is not recommended. It was soon time for Ashley to come for her next visit and when she was weighed, it showed that she had lost only 6lbs with her weight now being 631lbs.
Ashley was disappointed and so was Dr Nowzaradan. He told Ashley that she had to work harder and asked her why the weight loss was not happening. Ashley hinted that she would have lost more weight if she had done some physical exercise. She added that the pain on her knees and back makes it difficult for her to exercise.
Dr Nowzaradan told her that her weight loss had more to do with what she ate than how she exercised. Ashley disagreed and decided to enroll in the gym anyway while focusing on what she eats. She started going to the gym regularly and knew that this time, she had to lose enough weight to make Dr Nowzaradan happy.
When she went to visit Dr Nowzaradan again, she weighed herself and realized that she had lost 44lbs and weighed 587lbs now. She was happy to see the numbers but knew that she still had a long way to go. Dr Nowzaradan said though he was happy for her, it still wasn't the weight goal that was set for her.
He told her that if she wanted to get approved for the weight loss surgery, she had to lose 80lbs in two months. Ashley felt disappointed as she had expected Dr Nowzaradan to be more supportive and encouraging. She blamed her stress for not being able to lose more weight and Dr Nowzaradan thought that it was just an excuse that Ashley kept using.
This pushed Ashley to work harder as she continued to go to the gym. Next time around, Ashley had lost 67lbs and she weighed 520lbs. Dr Nowzaradan was happy to see how dedicated Ashley was. He decided to approve her for the surgery but gave her one month to lose more weight.
Ashley agreed but a week before her surgery was scheduled, Ashley was called to come to the hospital to meet Dr Nowzaradan. This got Ashley worried. Around this time, Ashley weighed 468lbs but she was still disappointed as she was hoping to have lost more weight.
She worried that Dr Nowzaradan would refuse to perform the surgery. However, that was not the reason why she was called. He informed her that her medical tests revealed that she had some digesting issues and it was important to treat them before performing the surgery. He added that meanwhile she must stay motivated and ensure she doesn't gain any weight.
Ashley agreed and was ready to push more to lose weight. While Ashley waited for her surgery to get a green light, she was upset about staying away from her daughters for so long. Luckily, after waiting for months, it was finally time for Ashley to meet Dr Nowzaradan for another test.
However, the bad news was that she had put on weight and now weighed 504lbs. Ashley confessed that the stress and worry about her surgery led to her gain weight. Dr Nowzaradan was not happy and told Ashley to lose 80lbs in the next two months and if she managed to go that, only then would he approve the surgery.
Ashley thought it was fair but did not feel too happy going back and forth with the weight loss. However, Dr Nowzaradan told her that gaining 34lbs in just a month was something to worry about. She agreed and decided to push herself even harder. She reminded herself that she was doing it for her children.
'My 600-lb Life' airs on Wednesdays at 8 pm ET on TLC.