Kenae’ has an appointment with Dr. Now in this EXCLUSIVE preview of My 600-lb Life, and it’s a very emotional one. Kenae’s only lost 22 pounds of the 100 pounds Dr. Now wanted her to lose, but she thinks it’s progress. “So, no, 22 pounds is not anywhere close to the 100 that you asked me for, but it’s not zero,” Kenae’ says through tears in our episode sneak peek. “In months, in years, I hadn’t lost any at all because I hadn’t tried. I left here with a renewed spirit that I had a chance, and my chance was if I tried to do what you and your program told me to do in the chance that I could have this life-changing surgery that I need. I want to live. I want to live. I don’t want to live for any other reason other than the fact that I feel like God has something else for me. I feel like my God has more for me. My obesity is my fault. It is my fault, and I take the blame for it.”
Dr. Now asks Kenae’ what she wants him to do now. “I guess you’ve done all that you can, haven’t you? You gave me a diet that was written out on paper. I could’ve Googled all of that,” Kenae’ tells Dr. Now. He says that she couldn’t have Googled his diet plan, but Kenae’ refuses to back down.
“I’ve been trying to tell you that I’m not taking this opportunity lightly,” Kenae’ continues. “I’m telling you that in two months coming here and seeing you that I’ve only lost 22 pounds was hard. It was hard, but dammit, before that I’d lost nothing. So I’m trying to tell you that I’m trying.”
Dr. Now doesn’t exactly tell Kenae’ what she wants to hear. “I’d be lying to you if I say that you’re doing good. But the reality is not that,” he says to her.
Growing up, Kenae’ and her mother shared a close relationship and a common love of food. Following her mother’s death, Kenae’s pathological desire to eat worsened, and she found herself weighing more than 600 pounds. After a tornado took the life of her sister-in-law’s fiancé and their home, the whole family moved into one house to take care of one another. Through this tragic event, Kenae’s found a new purpose in life with her husband Rodney, acting as surrogate parents for their nieces and nephews. Now Kenae’ relies on her nieces and nephews to help her maintain basic hygiene and walk around the house. Not wanting to be a burden anymore for her family, she seeks out Dr. Now’s help to control her eating and get her health back on track. However, her refusal to admit lingering pain over her mother’s death has affected her mental and physical health in a way that may challenge her journey to a happier and healthier life. The TLC show My 600-lb Life airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on TLC.