Facebook Alicia Kirgan was 622 pounds when she first appeared on the TLC series "My 600-lb Life" in 2018. Catch up with the reality star ahead of her Season 6 re-run.
Alicia Kirgan was 622 pounds when she first appeared on the hit TLC series My 600-lb Life in 2018. When the love of her life threatened to leave if she didn’t seek help, Alicia decided to reach out to celebrity bariatric surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan in order to shed some weight and regain control of her life.
TLC is airing a re-run of Alicia’s episode at 8 p.m. ET tonight, so fans might be wondering where she is today and what she’s been up to since her episode first aired. The description of the episode, titled “Alicia’s Story,” reads, “A devoted girlfriend and loving aunt, Alicia is all smiles and laughter on the outside, but on the inside she is terrified that her addiction to food will kill her before she can marry her long-time love or watch her nieces grow up.”
The network will also be airing Alicia’s followup episode after her Season 6 rerun, so fans will get a double dose of the reality star on September 2. Here’s what we know about Alicia, her experience with Dr. Now, and where she is today. (Warning: some spoilers on Alicia’s journey ahead! Turn back now if you don’t want anything ruined for you before the episode airs!):
Childhood Trauma & Depression Led to Alicia’s Food Addiction
As is the case with many of the subjects featured on My 600-lb Life, Alicia’s issues with food addiction and weight gain began at a young age after suffering through a traumatic childhood. Alicia’s parents had a rocky marriage and the two would often get into violent fights when her father would come home from the bar, so Alicia turned to food to cope with her stress.
“I started to put on weight at a young age, my childhood was very chaotic,” the reality star notes in the clip above. “I remember feeling like our family was different than others because it was my mom that worked to support a family of four, and my dad would go out to the bars drinking. I felt like my mom was angry, and had a lot of resentment towards him, so when he would come home, there was always a lot of fighting.”
She adds that their arguments would often become “loud and violent,” so her grandmother stepped in to help care for Alicia as she was growing up. “When my parents would fight, she would try to distract me with ice cream, and I remember how it made me feel better, so sugar became the thing in my life that would make me feel better when I was sad or upset.”
Alicia was 160 pounds by the time she turned 7-years-old, and her mother grew concerned after hearing from loved ones that there was “something wrong” with Alicia. “She felt like it made her look bad as a mother, so she would scream at me for eating and tell me I was getting too fat.” She adds, “So my eating just got worse because I was more depressed, and I just kept going. I hit 200 pounds by the time I was 10, and that’s when my life came crashing down.”
Alicia Has Continued to Lose Weight Since Her Episode Debuted & Updates Fans Frequently on Facebook
Although the reality star struggled with Dr. Now’s strict weight loss program, her boyfriend Tim stuck by her side the entire time. He continued to encourage and support Alicia throughout her difficult journey and he motivated her to reach her goals when she felt like giving up. By the end of her first episode, Alicia lost an impressive 186 pounds, which brought her down to 436.
The reality star was approved for gastric bypass surgery in 2018 and returned to the series for a followup episode the following year; the final weigh-in during her Where Are They Now? episode revealed that Alicia lost a remarkable 366 pounds altogether, putting her in the 250-range. She noted at the time that her “whole world had completely changed,” before adding, “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.”
Alicia is active on social media and she frequently updates fans on her weight loss journey and fitness regime through her Facebook page. Her timeline is filled with dozens of workout videos, inspirational quotes and stories about her journey, as well as plenty of before-and-after progress photos. It’s clear from Alicia’s pictures that she’s still losing weight today, and she often gushes about how supportive Tim has been while she continues to focus on her health and fitness.
“Someone must really be feeling me, cause this man rarely even posts to Facebook but this morning he has been blowing this page up with both sweet and funny posts and sharing lots of great photos like this one,” she captioned a sweet picture of the two together earlier this year.
If you’re interested in following Alicia’s ongoing weight loss journey and progress, you can follow her on Facebook here. In the meantime, My 600 Lb Life airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. EST on TLC. You can find more coverage and updates on the cast and subjects here.
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