Facebook Alicia Kirgen and Pauline Potter are the subjects of tonight's episode of "My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?" Click here for updates on the cast today.
Alicia Kirgan first appeared on My 600-lb Life in 2018. The reality star weighed 622 pounds at the time, and was worried her longtime boyfriend Tim Carter would leave due to her struggles with food addiction. In an attempt to shed some weight and regain control of her life, Alicia sought out the help of celebrity bariatric surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan during Season 6 of the show.
The TLC description of tonight’s April 29 episode, which also features former cast member Pauline Potter, reads, “Alicia’s relationship with boyfriend Tim comes under the microscope in the 2nd year of her weight loss journey. And now in her 4th year, Pauline must beg her way back onto the program after quitting in a huff when her last weigh-in didn’t go so well.”
Here’s what we know about the reality stars and their progress ahead of the new episode of My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?. (Warning: Spoilers on Alicia and Pauline’s stories ahead! Turn back now if you don’t want anything ruined for you before the episode airs!)
Alicia, Who Dropped 366 Pounds, Defended Her Boyfriend Tim Ahead of the April 29 Episode
Alicia’s weight-loss progress has slowed, and Dr. Now fears her boyfriend may be to blame. See her story tonight at 8/7c on #My600lbLife: Where Are They Now?
During the April 29 episode of My 600-lb Life, Alicia gives viewers an update on her journey today, and sheds some light on her relationship with Tim. The episode takes place just over a year after her last episode ended, and seven months after she received her weight loss surgery.
By the end of her first TLC episode, Alicia was down to 424 pounds, and by the end of the April 29 episode (two years after she began her journey with Dr. Now), she lost a staggering 366 pounds, putting her in the 250-pound weight range, according to Distractify.
“My whole world has completely changed,” Alicia tells the camera during tonight’s episode. “I’m feeling more independent than ever, and I’m starting to figure out who I am and all the things I want out of life, so I couldn’t be happier.” She adds, “I’m really excited because, for so many years, I felt like this hideous creature that everybody was whispering about and secretly laughing at because of how large I was,” Alicia confessed. “But now, I feel good about myself for the first time in my whole life.
Sadly, the new episode doesn’t portray Tim as a very supportive boyfriend. He makes a comment about Alicia become a “little mouthy” when Dr. Now asks how he’s been dealing with Alicia’s newfound independence, which Alicia blamed on poor editing just hours ahead of the episode’s debut on April 29.
“This man is and always has been nothing but loving and supporting! It really is amazing how easily they are able to completely flip the script,” she wrote on Facebook. “Honestly I don’t care at all what is said or thought about me, but Tim made so many sacrifices and worked so hard to make this possible, just to have his name and image dragged through the mud in the name of profit. It is really shameful.”
Pauline Has Managed to Keep the Weight Off & Still Lives in Houston
When fans first met Pauline, the reality star weighed almost 700 pounds and relied heavily on her son to take care of her and help her get around since she was barely mobile. After moving to Houston, Dr. Now nearly cut her from the program because she wouldn’t get a handle on her compulsive eating.
After he ordered Pauline to be hospitalized in order to keep closer tabs on the reality star’s eating habits, she eventually started making progress and dropped enough weight to receive her gastric sleeve surgery. By the end of her episode, Pauline was down to 529 pounds, with the total weight loss of 149 pounds.
Sadly, her first followup episode revealed that Pauline had developed a pain killer addiction after her weight loss surgery, but she eventually got her life back on track and managed to continue losing weight. According to The Cinemaholic, Pauline’s last follow-up episode revealed that she had lost a remarkable 300 pounds in total and finally qualified for skin removal surgery.
These days Pauline is still living in Houston, where she continues to work on her health and fitness. She runs a YouTube channel where she periodically updates fans on her well being, and, judging by her Facebook page, she’s managed to keep the weight off.
My 600-lb Life airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. EST on TLC. You can find more coverage of the Season 8 cast and their journeys here.
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