TLC/YouTube J.T. Clark is one of the heaviest patients to ever feature on TLC's "My 600 Lb Life." At nearly 900 pounds, the reality star has a long journey ahead of him.
JT Clark, one of the heaviest patients to ever feature on My 600 Lb. Life, weighed nearly 900 pounds when he first traveled to Houston to seek out the care of celebrity bariatric surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan. J.T., an Oklahoma native, has a massive lymphedema on his leg that weighs over 100 pounds, which brings his weight to a total of 892 at the start of his weight loss journey.
The description of Season 8 Episode 4, titled “J.T.’s Story,” reads, “J.T. is almost 900 lbs with a 100-lb lymphedema mass on his leg and a food addiction that is bound to kill him if he doesn’t change. His girlfriend takes him to Houston, but when his behavior drives her away, J.T. is left with only Dr. Now to help.”
J.T.’s episode airs tonight, January 22, 2020 at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST on TLC. (Warning: some spoilers ahead!) Here’s what we know about the Oklahoma native ahead of tonight’s debut:
J.T. Says Food is ‘Better Than Sex’ & He Dreams About Eating
J.T. and his girlfriend Jessica.
J.T. is 32-years-old and hasn’t been employed since he hit 700 pounds at age 25, due to the fact that he couldn’t physically stand upright, according to Distractify. He notes that food is his only source of comfort, and he doesn’t shy away from the seriousness of his addiction.
“Nothing in my life can compete with how food makes me feel,” he shares during tonight’s episode. “Eating is better than sex for me and every time I take a bite it’s like I’m transported to another world.” He later adds, “I can’t imagine my life without it because it is my life. If I’m awake, I’m eating or waiting to eat, and if I’m sleeping, I’m dreaming of food.”
J.T.’s girlfriend Jessica helps care for the reality star, and she makes sure he is well-fed in the process; as J.T. is very forthcoming about his serious food addiction, his girlfriend does what she can to make sure he is fed and happy. However, she eventually gets fed up with his behavior and breaks up with J.T. later on in the episode.
J.T. Faces Many Health Complications Due to the Lymphedema in His Leg
At nearly 900-lbs, the strain of travel takes a tremendous toll on J.T. Follow his weight loss journey on a new #My600lbLife tonight at 8/7c.
After J.T. reaches the point where he’s eating nonstop, weighs “so much [he] can hardly move” and starts to realize that “at any moment [his] heart could just give out,” he finally decides enough is enough and decides to seek out the help of Dr. Now, who helps him get his life, his health, and his addiction under control.
Although J.T. is taking charge of his life and attempting to get help for his food addiction, the reality star faces a variety of issues along the way. Not only does his weight make traveling, exercise and dieting a challenge, the added weight and health issues brought on by his lymphedema makes things even harder.
In the beginning, J.T. traveled back and forth between Oklahoma and Houston to visit Dr. Now. However, it quickly became clear that traveling was too hard on the reality star. In the clip above, J.T. starts to feel sick after returning home to Oklahoma; he worries that the long trip was too hard on his body, and voices how scared he is of the pain he is feeling.
“I’m scared,” J.T. can be heard saying. “My lymphedema hurts a lot, and it’s really swollen. But I’m really hoping it’s not infected, or that my body is breaking down.” The reality star adds, “I’m finally trying to do something to fix things, so I can’t be out of time, because I’m ready to change.”
He Manages to Lose 400 Pounds With Dr. Now’s Help
J.T. Clark is one of the heaviest patients to ever feature on TLC’s “My 600 Lb Life.”
After dealing with the health complications brought on by traveling, Dr. Now eventually advises J.T. to move to Houston so the two can work closely together on his diet. Although he no longer had a loved one to lean on for support, J.T. continued to work hard and eventually reached his weight loss goal, which allowed him get approved for gastric sleeve surgery.
According to Distractify, by the end of his 12-month journey, J.T. ultimately shed a staggering 373 pounds altogether. He weighed 491 pounds at his final weigh in, according to the publication. Although he still needs to have the enormous lymphedema removed from his leg (which will help remove another 100+ pounds from his weight), the reality star is finally healthy enough to operate on, so that will likely be the next step in J.T.’s weight loss journey.
“I feel like all the hard work and all the sacrifice this took is paying off,” he says at the end of his episode. “A year ago, I couldn’t even see a future for myself.”
Tune in Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST on TLC to catch new episodes of My 600 Lb Life. In the meantime, don’t forget to check out this author’s profile for all of your reality TV coverage and entertainment news!
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