'My 600-lb Life': James Bedard's food addiction has always held him back
For the people featured on 'My 600-lb Life', dealing with their weight loss journey takes a toll on them mentally and emotionally. Oftentimes, setbacks can even reverse their process. And as frustrating as it may seem, there certainly are a few people who are willing to go the length when it comes to reclaiming their life.
For James Bedard, food has always been an integral part of his upbringing. However, now dealing with food addiction and depression has led him down a dark path. Worried that it will only worsen from here on out, James is all set to make the changes he needs. But what got him to this point? Let's find out.
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For 38-year-old James Bedard, he had always struggled with his relationship with food. James added he was Haitian and thus ate food closer to his culture. His mother worked to support his family and often made large dinners as she worked through the day. With his father not around, James turned to food for comfort.
By age 6, he weighed 100 pounds. This got worse over the years as he entered school. He wasn't interested in academics or sports, just food. He even managed to strike up a deal with the lunch ladies, where they often snuck him food. He'd tell the teacher he was going to the bathroom, only to sneak off to the cafeteria and eat. While he was encouraged to join football due to his size, James was only concerned with eating.
By the time he was 14 to 15 years old, he was 450 pounds. When he graduated, he decided not to enrol in college and began working a security job. This made his food addiction worse, as he now had the income to fund it. At 23, he wanted a change in life and decided to move to Florida. This move seemed life-changing, as it is here that he realized he loved music and what he wanted to do with life. He also met a woman he was smitten with.
They soon began dating and lived together. During this time, his girlfriend had them both on a diet and he even took up two security jobs to support them. However, he fell off the diet and began to gain more weight. He didn't want his girlfriend to end up as his caretaker, as she was already caring for her own mother. James thus moved back to New York and has been struggling with his food addiction and depression ever since. During his first meeting with Dr Now, James weighed 625lb and Dr Now asked him to drop 80lbs to be eligible for the surgery.
'My 600-lb Life' airs every Wednesday at 8/7c on TLC.