TLC's My
600-lb Life is back with its third season next month, and its first
subject is so morbidly obese, she is unable to stand or walk for more
than a few minutes at a time.
At
only 24 years old, Amber, from Troutdale, Oregon, weighs 660lbs and
lives at home with her parents and boyfriend of two years. She says she
feels like 'a nasty yucky monster.'
Amber,
who will undergo high-risk gastric bypass surgery as part of the
series, fears she will 'never be able to change' by herself. She suffers
from pain in her back and her shins, and must bathe sitting over a
toilet.
Housebound: Amber, 24, from Troutdale,
Oregon, (pictured) will be first to appear on season three of TLC's My
600-lb Life. She weighs 660lbs and is unable to stand or walk for more
than a few minutes at a time
Amber,
who admits she is 'killing herself' with her over-eating, dropped out
of Portland State University and quit her job a while ago, but hopes
having surgery will allow her to return to her education.
'I feel trapped,' she says. 'I feel miserable. I feel like I have failed myself and my parents.'
The
hit reality series will also follow the lives of seven other morbidly
obese individuals as they undergo gastric bypass surgery in a bid to
shed the weight that has rendered most of them housebound for years.
One
thing all the subjects have in common, aside from their weight
struggles, is at least one traumatic childhood event they point to as a
cause.
Ordeal: Amber, who admits she is 'killing herself' with food, must bathe herself sitting down (pictured)
Susan
is a 37-year-old woman who has never lived on her own. She weighs
almost 600lbs and resides at home in Eddy, Texas, with her mother, who
is her caretaker and enabler.
Susan
traces her weight issues back to the divorce of her parents as a young
child, which triggered depression and 'trust issues.'
I feel miserable. I feel like I have failed myself and my parents
According
to TLC, Susan's life consists of work, the fast food drive-thru, and
sitting in her trailer, and she no longer feels comfortable going out in
public.
Pauline,
50, from Sacramento, California, also attributes the start of her
problems with food to her parents' divorce, after which she says she did
not get enough to eat.
After
her parents reconciled, food was suddenly plentiful again, but Pauline
found she 'didn't know when to stop eating' and had ballooned to over
200lbs by the age of 12.
By the time she was married, Pauline weighed 500lbs and since her divorce, she has climbed to nearly 700lbs.
Desperate for
change: Amber lives at home with her parents and boyfriend of two years,
and says she feels like 'a nasty yucky monster'
Daily struggle: Even getting up the stairs is a monumental task, often leading her to fall
Bettie
Jo is 24 and lives in Potosi, Missouri with her husband of four years,
Josh. Bettie Joe is eager to start a family but at nearly 700lbs, is
unable to.
She
is confined to a chair in her living room and her weight is a constant
source of conflict between her and Josh, who is described as her Jo's
'primary caretaker rather than romantic partner.'
Laura,
40, from San Antonio, Texas, has been gaining weight all her life and
now at 554lbs is 'close to giving up.' She too is confined to her chair
due to lymphedema - a chronic swelling of the body tissue - and skin
ulcers.
Because her husband has multiple sclerosis, neither can properly care for one another, so they live with Laura's parents.
Angel
is 42 and lives in Kerville, Texas. She grew up 'thin and gangly' but
began to put on weight when she was forced by her mother to give up her
baby at the age of 14.
She
had her second child when she was 20 and weighed 300lbs. After the
death of her father and the birth of her third child, Angel fell into a
deep depression and 'ate herself into oblivion.'
She now weighs 596lbs, is nearly immobile and her boyfriend Donnie feels she has 'shut herself off from life.'
Given up: Amber dropped out of Portland State University and quit her job a while ago
Miserable: She hopes that having gastric bypass surgery will allow her to return to her education
Charity,
38 from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been overweight since the age of five,
having been physically and emotionally abused throughout her childhood.
She
gave birth to her daughter Charley at the age of 19, who became her
mother's caregiver when she was only eight. Charley and her boyfriend
now share the care taking duties of Charity, who weighs 787lbs.
Joe,
the only male subject to appear in the upcoming series, is 31 and lives
in Johnson City, Tennessee. He weighs 802lbs and was 'a chunky baby and
a picky eater as a child, who eschewed all vegetables.'
Joe
recently lost his job in IT and now eats, sleeps and lives in the same
living room chair 24 hours a day. He is completely immobile and unable
to bathe himself, and like the rest of TLC's subjects, desperately hopes
he can win his life back after undergoing surgery.
The new 12-part season of My 600-lb Life premieres Wednesday, January 7 at 9 PM (ET/PT).
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