The reality show ‘My 600-Lb Life,’ which is broadcast on TLC and was created by Jonathan Nowzaradan, debuted on the network in 2012
The viewers have always found it inspiring to follow the weight loss travels of the many people from throughout the United States who initially appear on-screen weighing 600 pounds or more.
These individuals’ weight loss journeys have always acted as motivational stories. The general audience is always ready to be informed on the cast members’ personal life because of the amount of effort that some of these cast members have put into their bodies.
The same can be said for Wess Schulze, who made his debut in the eleventh season of the show and immediately won the hearts and minds of the viewers. If you have been wondering what exactly he is doing these days, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered.
Table of Contents
Wess Schulze (My 600-Pound Life): Life Story
Wess, who was 36 years old when he entered the TLC show, was intent on turning his life around and achieving the goals he had set for himself in the future.
While he was talking about his life, he stated that his parents had gotten a divorce when he was just a young child. Wess was only a toddler at the time.
As he was growing up, his older sister was the one responsible for his upbringing because his father was frequently absent due to his work.
The cast member continued by revealing that another member of his family had a “sexually abusive” relationship with him in the past.
The young youngster found himself in a difficult situation, and in order to soothe himself, he sought solace in his favourite foods.
When Wess first began participating in the weight loss programme that was broadcast on television by Younan Nowzaradan, he weighed 705.1 pounds.
On the other hand, he was intent on undergoing a physical transformation and stuck to the regimen that was prescribed to him with great diligence.
The producers of the TLC show followed Wess for the first year of his attempt to lose weight, documenting his progress as he continued to make remarkable strides forward.
Wess’s tendency to keep to himself made it challenging for him to discuss his past and present life in such an open and honest manner.
transformations as a result. He had dropped 227.5 pounds throughout the course of this time, bringing his current weight down to 477.6 pounds.
At that point, the participant from the reality TV show was overjoyed about the advancements he had achieved and was eager to see how much further he could go. The connection between Wess and his father has become fraught at times since since Wess disclosed to his father that he is gay.
Nonetheless, the dad did everything in his power to be there for his son throughout the process of transition, which Wess acknowledges meant a great deal to him.
Wess Schulze (My 600-Pound Life): Where Is He Now?
It appears that Wess has continued to focus on improving his physique and is making progress in his effort to lose weight. In a post he made on Facebook in February 2023, he expressed his contentment at having accomplished so much in the pursuit of his goal.
“OMG, I AM FREAKING OUT! I’ve just finished trying on a new pair of pants… 11 inches, which is roughly equivalent to wearing five sizes smaller than I used to! In addition to that, they are approximately one size too big!” he elaborated.
In point of fact, the reality TV star has been incredibly ecstatic with his time on the show, and he has been joyfully promoting the TLC series through his various social media accounts.
It would appear that Wess is still working at the same company where he was employed during the period that he appeared on the television series.
Nonetheless, the fact that he is now able to utilise his workstation without difficulty indicates that his journey to lose weight has improved the quality of his life.
Wess’s consistent attendance at workouts lasting one hour, which he does multiple times each week, has unquestionably contributed to his success in reaching his objective.
Wess Schulze (My 600-Pound Life): Television Show
About his private life, it would appear that he keeps a strong connection with the majority of the members of his family.
During the course of the television show, Wess discussed the difficult relationship he had with his father. On the other hand, it would appear that certain aspects of his life are beginning to become better.
Wess was asked about the same topic by Distractify, and he responded, “It’s continually evolving.” “Yesterday was better than today, and tomorrow will be better than today.”
“Today was better than yesterday.” Wess overcome the challenges of his past in order to make positive changes in his life and begin a new chapter.
His tale is nothing short of motivational because of this. We hope that he continues to maintain his positive outlook on the future and send our warmest wishes his way.
Wess Schulze (My 600-Pound Life): Childhood
When Wess was a kid, he already had a passion for cuisine. Wess’s conception of what a proper serving size ought to be was skewed as a result of the fact that his father was an excellent cook and would offer “large” portions of food to the family’s children.
The cuisine was a rare bright light in an otherwise “doom and gloom” childhood, which he would link with love. He would provide elaborate dinners to his wives on special occasions.
When Wess’s parents divorced when he was just three years old, Wess’s dad was awarded custody of his son.
Because his father was a truck driver, he was gone from the house for long stretches of time at a time. When Wess was a little child, his older sister, who was seven years older than he was, was often required to take care of him.
The absence of his father was another factor that contributed significantly to the tragedy. Wess was subjected to sexual assault at the hands of a male family member when his father was away on business.
The consumption of food evolved into one of his coping strategies after he experienced traumatic events. The fact that he was overweight also caused people to avoid him. Wess states, “If nobody desires me, then nobody can damage me,” and this is the crux of his argument.
Wess’s father, upon learning that his son was gay, conveyed to him the message that his sexual orientation would not be tolerated in the family. After that, he forced him to talk to the pastor of the nearby church.
Wess Schulze (My 600-Pound Life): High School
Due to the fact that Wess’s father did not welcome him, Wess felt emotionally abandoned.
When he finally enrolled in high school, he weighed 345 pounds. Wess found out he had a passion for theatre while he was still in elementary school, and he pursued that passion all the way through junior college, where he had the opportunity to meet other LGBT individuals. He also became interested in going out to parties, and this became yet another coping method for him.
He quit school and spent his student loans on binge eating and substance abuse instead of attending college.
Wess relocated to Houston in order to find work at an office there; nevertheless, the experience of moving to a large city where he did not know anyone brought on feelings of sadness. Throughout this time, he did not stop eating in excessive amounts.
By the time he was 33 years old, he had been fired from his work, had to give up his apartment, and was forced to live with his parents.
After three years, he is now living on his own thanks to a job he found online. Although his father still lives nearby, he now has his own apartment and has the support of his father as he works to lose weight.
Wess Schulze (My 600-Pound Life): Parents
Wess went to see Dr. Now in Houston, and his father drove him there. Wess estimated that he weighed somewhere in the low 600s the last time he checked his weight.
He was aware that he had put on some weight in the intervening time, but he was taken aback when the figure that appeared on the scale read 705 pounds.
Wess’s dad helped him clean out his stockpile of junk food back at home, and he now comes over to help Wess walk and engage in various forms of exercise first thing in the morning.
Within the first few months, he made tremendous strides towards recovering his walking abilities. Yet, the lymphedema in his leg makes it exceedingly difficult for him to walk.
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Wess Schulze (My 600-Pound Life): Checkup
Even though Wess was told by Dr. Now at his initial check-in that he needed to lose 100 pounds, he has only shed 10% of that total.
Naturally, Dr. Now challenged Wess about why he had only dropped 10 pounds, and Wess admitted that he had not adhered to the diet that had been prescribed for him, which consisted of 1,200 calories per day.
Wess was able to achieve an astounding weight loss of 89 pounds by the time he reached the fifth month of his treatment with Dr. Now, bringing his total weight loss to 99 pounds.
Wess was taken aback by his encounter with Dr. Now, but he claims that the latter helps individuals emerge from their fantasy worlds and into the real world.
Because he doesn’t want to see them be wounded, he acts in this manner. He doesn’t want to watch them perish. He desires for them to have a life.”
In addition, Wess took full responsibility for his failure to lose weight and refused to place the blame on anyone else. The fact that he had lost 10 pounds served as a wake-up call for him.
He committed himself to his 1200 calorie diet and started working out with more intensity.
At the end of the fifth month, Wess had lost a total of one hundred pounds, which prompted Dr. Now to provide his approval for surgical intervention. Dr. Now did, however, forewarn him that if he presented himself at the hospital without having lost any weight, he would be discharged and sent home.
Wess Schulze (My 600-Pound Life): Surgery
- Wess must not have lost any weight before the surgery because Dr. Now used his robotic equipment to operate on him. This indicates that Wess’s weight loss was unnecessary.
- By the seventh month, Wess had lost a total of 157 pounds and was feeling fantastic about his progress.
- Since the operation, he has shed 34 pounds, but Dr. Now was unsatisfied with this result and expected him to have shed at least 40 pounds at this point.
- Wess was 7 pounds short of his target of 25 additional pounds when he attended his subsequent weigh-in.
- Dr. Now had a hunch that Wess’s compulsion to eat was related to his emotional state; hence, he suggested that Wess seek professional counselling to assist him in resolving the difficulties he was experiencing in this area.
- Wess didn’t feel very enthusiastic about going to therapy, but he was aware that this was something he needed to do.
- Wess disclosed that he had been sexually abused as a youngster throughout the course of his taped consultation with Dr. Paradise. He stated that he had not really discussed this traumatic experience with anyone else.
- Dr. Paradise came to the conclusion that significant aspects of Wess’ identity and reality are, to a large extent, still being disregarded and covered up by his family structure.
- When Wess first started his adventure with My 600-Pound Life, he was in a pretty hopeless place, but thanks to the show, he has gone a very far way since then.
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