Who is Cillas Givens? 'My 600-lb Life' star went from DEAD to being DAD of 3 pretty girls and 2 pit bulls
'My 600-lb Life' is a show eclipsed by controversy. Moments of it being associated with happiness are rare. Cillas Givens' weight loss journey is one such rare example of a happy moment on the show and it proved to be the best thing for this North Carolina resident.
Givens' journey was chronicled on Season 7 Episode 17 and two seasons later, he's making a comeback on the show's spinoff 'My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now', which will air on May 5. Before it goes on air, here's a quick update on Givens' life as he went from being almost dead to being a proud dad of three daughters and two pit bulls.
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Who is Cillas Givens?
Cillas Givens is among a handful of individuals who managed to get a grip on their health while filming the show. He did go from bad to worse initially. Viewers might remember that he was rendered immobile, became confined to his bed and constantly needed oxygen because of the strain his weight was having on his organs including his lungs.
This somehow helped put things into perspective for him. Givens decided to bounce back stronger and do all he could to get better, considering he had his wife Jessica Erin Givens and three stepdaughters — Brooklyn, Emily and Nevaeh — to take care of. This is when Givens contacted Dr Now and began his weight loss journey. Givens was 729 pounds when he started and over the next couple of months persevered through all the challenges as he tried to stick to his diet and do exercises that he was instructed to do by Dr Now. At the end of the episode, all his hard work paid off and he was 388 pounds lighter.
Did Cillas Givens get weight loss surgery?
Dr Now had cleared Givens for surgery after he stuck through the weight loss plan and showed him the determination to get better. According to an article, Givens underwent gastric bypass surgery which helped him lose weight rapidly.
A couple of patients who had undergone the surgery on the show died due to multiple causes, the biggest reason being heart failure. Givens on his part has managed to keep himself and his heart healthy after filming his episode which aired in April 2019.
Where is Cillas Givens now?
Givens' social media is proof that he is thriving and looks like he is thoroughly enjoying this life. He works as a Supervisor at ContactUS Communications and apart from his day job, Givens along with Jessica founded a Facebook group called 'Lets's Get Healthy'. "Let’s find the motivation to lose weight together! Let's use this group to build up and motivate each other! We can do great things with each other’s help! Post your weight here and have some accountability! Find love and support here to keep going," is the motto of this private group which had 934 members at the time of writing this article.
Like this group, Givens' Instagram account is also set to private but people who wish to see his recent photographs to gauge how far he has come can do so through his personal Facebook account. His account id is @cillasray and while there aren't a lot of updates about his personal life, Givens has documented at least the weight loss aspect of his life. Here are a couple of photos that show off all the hard work Givens has put into improving his physical being.
'My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now' airs on Wednesdays at 8 pm ET on TLC.