Facebook/Justin McSwain Justin McSwain pictured on his Facebook page.
Tonight, fans of My 600-lb Life will meet Justin McSwain on an all-new episode.
Now in its 7th season, My 600 Lb Life chronicles the lives of morbidly obese individuals. The show follows their journey as they travel to Houston to meet Dr. Younan Nowzaradan (otherwise known as Dr. Now) who helps them achieve their weight loss goal.
What do we know about Justin? Read on.
The synopsis for tonight’s episode reads, “A college graduate with a once-promising career, Justin has eaten his life away to the point of never leaving the house for anything but food; only the help of Dr. Now’s weight-loss program can restore his hopes of living a happy, productive life.”
Justin is just 27 and weighs 687.5 pounds at the start of the episode. He is a resident of Rock Hill, South Carolina, and makes his way to Houston to meet Dr. Now on tonight’s episode.
A preview obtained by People shows Justin struggling to fit in his SUV on his way to meet Dr. Now. “I’m a little bit worried right now because I’m not sure how big this vehicle is going to be,” he says, walking to the car. “That’s it? This isn’t the car I requested.”
Growing up, according to People, McSwain’s stepmother was strict with his diet. It wasn’t until college that McSwain started eating ravenously– he gained nearly 400 pounds and was reportedly diagnosed with agoraphobia.
According to his LinkedIn, Justin graduated from Winthrop University in 2013 with a BS in Digital Information Design and Digital Mass Media. He has held a number of positions in digital marketing and web development.
Now, it appears Justin is a Digital Media Specialist at McSwain Media, where he has been for six years.
In another preview for tonight’s show, Justin explains that going into the doctor’s office to meet Dr. Now made him anxious because he knew he would have to see his weight. Justin explained that he hoped the number was in the upper 500s, but it was, in fact, 687.5 lbs.
“That number is shocking to see because I knew I was likely in the 600s. But I thought it was the low 600s. So getting help is even more urgent than I thought. And it makes me worry that there’s a great chance [Dr. Now] may say he can’t help me because I’m so big.”
Will Dr. Now assist Justin on his weight loss journey? Only time will tell. Tune in tonight at 8pm on TLC to find out.