Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@queentammy86 / TLC
Topics: TLC, Film and TV, Health
Simon Fearn
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Fans of Tammy Slaton have been ‘blown away’ after the reality TV star revealed she’d hit a staggering weight loss milestone.
Tammy rose to fame on TLC’s 1000-Lb Sisters, which documented her and her sister Amy’s attempts to lose weight.
At her heaviest, Tammy weighed 725 pounds. She relied on a walker and wheelchair to get around, and needed help from an oxygen tube to breathe.
Advert
Her mental health also took a beating, with her sharing on TikTok back in February: “I was bitter, unhappy, very super suicidal, depressed, and just mean.”
Her weight loss journey has often been challenging. She’s done multiple stints in rehab for food addiction, on one occasion weighing 15 pounds more than when she went in.
Last year, she also had to deal with the heartbreaking loss of her husband Caleb Willingham, who died aged 40 in July 2023.
Throughout all this, Tammy has persevered, and eventually lost enough weight to qualify for bariatric surgery to help her shed the pounds.
In yesterday’s (October 15) episode of 1,000-Lb Sisters, we see Tammy attending a weigh-in with her bariatric surgeon Dr Eric Smith.
She told viewers: “The last time I saw Dr. Smith was about nine months ago and I was around 420 lbs. He told me I had to lose 100 lbs. before my next appointment. I’m extremely nervous.”
Well, she needn’t have been. It turns out Tammy weighs less than half what she did at her heaviest, tipping the scales at 303.8 lbs - which we can all agree is an incredible achievement.
Dr Smith called Tammy's progress 'unbelievable', telling People: “Tammy has consistently demonstrated her dedication to making sustainable lifestyle changes to maximize the benefits of her surgery.
“I've emphasized the importance of making small, daily adjustments to ensure not only her continued progress but also her long-term success. She's truly committed to her health journey.”
He added that the next step for Tammy is skin removal surgery, which he’s looking to get sorted ‘sooner rather than later’ due to the impact her loose skin is having on her quality of life.
Tammy’s fans have rushed to Instagram to praise her, with one writing: “She has blown me away!! This truly shows you never give up! Tammy had an awful attitude before and bam, she changed! So proud of her honesty and struggles! Go girl!!”
Another said: “I knew a strong headed person like her could do it!! Great job Tammy! And great job to the doctors who never gave up!!!”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.