'My 600-lb Life': Meghan feels like a prisoner in her body as she tries to turn life around by losing weight
Megan Davis' relationship with her stepsisters made growing up difficult. She would often be bullied by them and there were times when she felt like an outcast among them. While her sisters decided to ignore her, one thing that always loved her back was food. This was the start of Megan's unhealthy relationship with food.
To make things worse, Megan's mother Donna was not home for the most part, owing to her commitments. As a result, Megan spend a lot of time with her dad who would always let her eat what she wants. This made Megan lose control over what she was eating and it ultimately led her to put on more weight than she thought she would.
Later, her parents decided to separate and for a while, Meghan tried staying with her mother. Unfortunately, their relationship turned sour and Megan decided to move in with her dad. This resulted in an out-of-control need for food and other habits. She found herself getting engaging with a bad crowd, which prompted her to move back with her mother.
Despite moving back, her food habits did not change as her mother would often buy her things that she should not eat. After struggling for years, Megan finally decided to go and meet Dr Younan Nowzaradan, hoping she would feel better.
Megan had reflected how she felt like a prisoner in her body and wanted to feel happiness while also being healthy. She hoped that Dr Nowzaradan could turn her life around. She finally got a chance to see him when she and her mom traveled to Houston. Upon reaching, she realized that she weighed 604 lbs.
She felt glad that it wasn't as bad as she had expected but knew that she couldn't let her weight increase. When she met Dr Nowzaradan, he was concerned that Megan weighed 604lbs at the age of 24. To make matters worse, she had several health conditions and was on nine medications. Right from having blood clots that clogged her lungs and heart to being on blood thinners, Dr Nowzaradan worried why Megan still didn't understand the seriousness of her condition.
He asked her to come back after two months and to follow the strict diet he gave her. He kept her on a low protein and low carb diet. He also told her to lose 80lbs in two months while advising her to exercise as well. Megan agreed and knew she had to turn her life around.
However, once she started, she found it hard to stick to the diet because it consisted of things that she hadn't eaten before and neither did she like them. Her mother tried to change the diet plan a little but Megan realized that the steps she was taking to lose weight were not helping her when she went for her second appointment.
Megan weighed 590lbs and had lost only 14lbs. Dr Nowzaradanwas disappointed and asked her what she had been doing differently. Megan failed to give him a proper answer and Dr Nowzaradan asked her to work harder and stick to the diet.
Megan decided to take matters in her hand and did a one-day trial at a gym. Unfortunately, that did not last long. After a couple of weeks, Megan decided to buy a weighing scale at home and she realized that she hadn't made a lot of progress. She blamed it on her mother as she stated that her mother went back to eating things that she shouldn't, which made it difficult for her to stick to her diet.
Regardless, she tried to push herself with the hope that she will be able to reach the weight loss goal of 80lbs and get approved for the surgery. When Megan visited Dr Nowzaradan for the third time, she realized she weighed 558lbs and had lost 32lbs. While it wasn't the weight she had wanted, she was happy that it was more than the last time.
Looking at how her progress was not getting the result that she wanted, Dr Nowzaradan suggested that she move to Houston. Megan agreed but decided to meet her father before moving.
One thing that always acted as a bond between them had been food. Immediately after meeting her dad, Megan decided to order pizza, chicken wings and pasta. She thought that one meal would not do her any harm. After that incident, she moved to Houston and decided to turn towards healthier eating.
She still had trouble controlling herself when her mom would eat fast food. However, she knew she had to get approved for her surgery. After sticking to her diet and doing exercises at home, Megan hoped that she would get some good news after meeting Dr Nowzaradan.
This time, even though Megan had lost considerably more weight, Dr Nowzaradan worried about how she would handle the surgery as she was on a lot of medication. He informed her that he would approve her for the surgery if she managed to stick to the diet and do well. Megan took this as a challenge and knew it was the last step before she could get approved.
However, her mother often ordering fast food made it hard for her to stick to her diet. She tried to stay focused and knew that she was just 30lbs away from getting approved. Finally, the day had come when Megan weighed herself. This time, she weighed 492lbs and had lost 29lbs.
Dr Nowzaradan was happy that she reached her weight loss goal and decided to run some tests to see if she could undergo the surgery. Unfortunately, her test results showed that her gallbladder had some problems. Dr Nowzaradan revealed that there was a possibility for it to rapture.
Until the tests came out in a good form, Dr Nowzaradan asked Megan to stick to her diet so they could perform the surgery immediately after her tests came out in good shape. However, Dr Nowzaradan warned her not to spiral down. Megan was a bit disappointed but she knew she should lose weight. She decided to stay positive and try working harder until she can finally get the surgery done.
'My 600-lb Life' airs on Wednesdays at 8 pm ET on TLC.