‘My 600-lb Life’: What happened to Kenae Dolphus? The tragic life story that led to gaining a whopping 614 lbs
Every new day is another chance to change your life. If you've seen the trailer of the upcoming episode of 'My 600-lb Life' titled 'Kenae's Journey', you would realize that losing weight is quite a pain and one of the biggest challenges one can face. Losing is just one part of it... and for a person who weighs over 600 pounds, it can be like fighting for their life. After all, the pressure is double. Kenae Dolphus is the latest to join the TLC show and was seen struggling with her body weight in a three-minute clip shared by the network.
The episode will chronicle the 41-year-old Nacogdoches, Texas native's weight loss journey over two hours but before it does, here's all you need to know about the struggles that Kenae has faced all these years until she finally decided to shift the gears and lead steadily towards getting healthy.
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Like many others who have appeared on the series — that has been on the air since 2012 — Kenae stood up for herself as bariatric specialist Dr Younan Nowzaradan aka Dr Now gave her a tough time. Titled 'Standing up to Dr Now', the trailer highlighted an interaction where could be seen shedding tears and begging him to be less hard on her.
Going by the snippet from the episode that included her interaction with Dr Now, she seemed to believe she had come a very long way.
‘My obesity is my fault and I take the blame for it...’
"Kenae's weight-loss plan is pushing her to the limit, but she refuses to let Dr. Now diminish her progress," the caption on TLC's Instagram page read.
In the episode, Kenae explained her plight to Dr Now and said, "I had to clean out my house of all bad foods and I had to learn to cook low-calorie meals." At the beginning of her weight loss program, Dr Now had asked her to lose 100 pounds in order to qualify for the surgery. She began the program weighing 614 lbs and needed to work towards coming down to 514 lbs in two months. Sadly, the trailer clearly revealed that she wasn't able to do so.
How many pounds did Kenae lose?
Kenae lost 22 pounds at the end of two months. Unlike many, who've felt guilty of not gaining the results that were expected out of them, she seemed proud of how far she had come. "I felt good about myself. I made changes. I don't need anyone to walk me to the car. I had not been able to do that in months. So no 22 pounds is not even close to the 100 you had asked me for but it's not zero," she retaliated.
"My obesity is my fault and I take the blame for it," she said. After that, the bemused doctor asked her what does she want him to do for her. In a slightly accusatory tone, Kenae responded, "I guess you've done all that you can, haven't you?" The snarky statement did leave Dr Now and the audience shocked. To add more drama, Kenae also added that the diet he wrote out for her was something that she could've Googled easily.
‘I can Google your diet’
"I can google your diet. That's not what I came here for. In two months, coming here and seeing I had only lost 22 pounds was hard but before that, I had lost nothing. So I am trying to tell you that I am trying," she said at the end of the trailer.
Dr Now didn't seem to buy Kenae's explanation and neither did people who saw the trailer. In fact, she was soon branded the biggest "drama queen" on the TLC show. "And the award for Most Dramatic Actress goes to .........," one commented. "Bravo 👏🏻 Oscar-worthy performance🏆" another wrote. And a third chimed in, "What a Drama Queen!"
The tragedy of Kenae Dolphus' staggering weight gain
Kenae has battled issues with her weight all her life. There was a correlation between food and happiness that didn't help her case. By age 10, she was already 150 pounds and as she reached her teenage years, the scales tipped 200 pounds.
By 17, she was 350 lbs, and since no one in her family ever pointed out that her obesity was out of control, she kept gaining weight steadily. To add to her woes, Kenae's excessive weight didn't come in the way of her life. In fact, she was surrounded by love, with a caring partner and an equally understanding family. It may sound like a perfect tale but for Kenae, it turned out to be a huge loss as no one ever helped her realize how physically restricted she had become.
The struggle with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
The first realization came only when it was time for her to plan a baby and expand her family. She struggled to conceive and the doctors revealed that she had Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). To add to her sadness, her mother passed away, leaving the then-35-year-old Kenae shattered and heavier by a few more pounds.
Remembering her family, she wrote in a poignant post, "Some days the pain outweighs the good memories.... missing my mother and baby brother."
Will Kenae Dolphus ever get the conviction to lose all the extra pounds? What will she do once she leaves the show? Well, only time will tell.
Catch new episodes of 'My 600-lb Life' every Wednesday at 8 pm ET on TLC.
