TLC Tammy and Amy Slaton
Amy and Tammy Slaton are the two stars of TLC’s newest reality weight-loss docu-series, 1,000-Lb Sisters, and the show will follow their journey as they try to drop enough pounds in order to qualify for bariatric surgery.
While Amy, 31, weighs in at 406 pounds, and her sister, Tammy, 32, is at 605 pounds, the sisters from Kentucky have a long way to go to reach their goal weight, but they’ve reached the point where their lives depend on it. They both are struggling with diabetes and high blood pressure, and the anxiety to lose the weight will cause serious friction between the two. Especially, since because of Tammy’s limited mobility, she’s moved in to live with Amy and her husband.
In a preview clip, “Amy said, “We started this journey together, but there’s only so much one person can do.” After argument where Tammy asks her to “get the f*** off my back,” she added. “In some ways we drifted apart from each other, because of the fighting, but we’re still sisters and we love each other.”
Here’s what you need to know about Amy and Tammy Slaton:
1. Tammy and Amy Are You-Tube Stars & Their Fans Reached Out To TLC To Help Them
Because Tammy and Amy regularly leave their home, they decided to start a YouTube channel to connect with people. On their channel, for which they have 130K subscribers, they regularly post funny videos that document their lives. However, behind all the humor, lies serious health issues for which neither can afford to ignore, which is why the agreed to join TLC’s docu-series.
“Doing the show is one way to give us a different light because you can only show so much on YouTube,” Amy told The Courier Journal. “This is actually day-to-day stuff that we deal with.”
2. Amy Is Married To Husband Michael
One of the biggest inspirations for Amy to lose the weight is because she and Michael are ready to start a family. After living together for four years, the couple married in March but are struggling to get pregnant. Amy said that she’s been dealing with her weight since she was 10 years old.
“I alway wanted to be a mom. I feel incomplete as a woman because I can’t have a kid,” Amy reveals in the premiere episode. “My husband Michael means the world to me. He’s really supportive of helping Tammy.”
3.Tammy Tried To Kill Herself Last Year
Tammy Slaton (front), Amy Slaton (back)
Tammy admits that aside from doctor’s visits, she hasn’t left her house in six years. Suffering from serious depression, “I attempted to killed myself last January,” she told People. “I had a feeling that if I didn’t make changes now, I wasn’t going to live past 35.”
Because of her extreme weight, Tammy has limited mobility, and must use a walker. Over the past decade, she’s found herself in the hospital numerous times due to two blood clots, gout, bouts of pneumonia and other medical procedures. At one extremely low point, she was placed on life support.
4. Changing Up Their Diet Plan Will Be A Huge Hurdle
Viewers will see Amy and Tammy struggle with diet and exercise. The sisters’ favorite snack, “dressed bananas,” which is a banana dipped in Miracle Whip dressing and rolled in chopped peanuts, is no longer an option. They will also need to get active, and will learn how to use exercise equipment for the first time.
“It’s still a battle,” Tammy said. “I do wish that restaurants would have more options that are healthier, and it would help if the healthier foods were cheaper.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty bad,” Amy agreed. “You go to McDonald’s and you can get a cheeseburger for a dollar, but a salad costs like five.”
5. Amy & Tammy Have A Tumultuous Relationship With Their Mother Darlene
Darlene Slaton
“My mom worked two to three jobs at a time and my grandma was basically our mom,” Amy told The Courier. “When she died, our whole world changed.” With their mom never home, their older siblings out of the house, and not knowing how to cook at ages 10 and 11, they resorted to frozen foods and pizza.
“It’s what we did to survive and that stuff is not good for you,” Tammy said. “Depression and just trying to live all kind of caught up with us.”
1000-Lb Sisters will premiere live on Jan. 1, 2020 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on TLC.
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