There have been quite a few memorable stories on TLC’s My 600-Lb Life, and one of those is of 530-pound Penny Saeger, which aired back in Season 2. However, unlike others, hers was not the ‘memorable-because-it-was-successful type.’ Penny had been known on the show as the one who notoriously refused the process.
The Attempt
As we all know, the reality show follows obese people and their journey toward turning their lives around through weight loss. To help them drop the pounds, resident surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, more popularly called Dr. Now, has carefully curated a lifestyle and diet plan that will allow them to qualify for gastric bypass surgery. And for Penny, Dr. Now restricted her daily caloric intake to 1,200 from her usual 5,000.
Penny’s battle with weight gain started when she was young, as she used food to cope with her alcoholic and abusive father. It got worse over the years, and by the time she was 22, her food addiction had uncontrollably spiraled, and she had breached 300 pounds. That wasn’t the end of it, though.
When she started dating her husband Edgar, she gained an additional 150, and more when they had their son Liam. According to the Cinemaholic, she had become bedridden, and Edgar had been burdened with the responsibility of being her caregiver.
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After four years, things started to get hopeful when Penny moved from Maryland to Texas to seek help from Dr. Now.
In the beginning, she was very eager to prove that she could shed pounds. Unfortunately, her enthusiasm came crashing down quicker than the snap of a finger. She slowly refused to abide by Dr. Now’s strict diet plan by not monitoring her food portions. Despite her stubbornness, she did manage to lose 40 pounds which was enough to get her into surgery.
Going Back to the Old Ways
'My 600-lb Life' weight loss fails: why Penny didn't lose weight after gastric bypass https://t.co/2sSIJVKKqj pic.twitter.com/owRcSDx4sJ
— Blasting News (@BlastingNews) August 31, 2016
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After undergoing the life-changing surgery, Penny returned to her old ways. She completely disregarded her diet and even asked her recovery nurses to sneak her more food. On top of all that, Penny also downright refused to work out, resulting in her gaining five pounds.
Dr. Now tried to warn her that if she didn’t get her food addiction under control, she could suffer from numerous health issues, and her weight could eventually kill her. Unfortunately, Penny wasn’t hearing any of it.
She was sold on the idea that she could keep doing things like how she wanted and at her own pace. Nothing was going to change that, and she was happy with it. She then decided to get out of the show and away from the public eye.
A year later, with the debut of ‘My 600-Lb Life’s spinoff Where Are They Now?,’ questions about Penny’s progress surfaced. The reality star shared her sentiments with TLC: “It’s been a much more positive experience here without someone telling me I’m not doing a good job. I don’t feel the need to be on a scale because it doesn’t matter.” She also expressed that she felt better off than she did before.
However, the doctors disagreed and even accused Penny of creating an illusion that she was making progress after she quit the show to convince everyone that she was actually getting healthier.
Where is Penny from ‘My 600-Lb Life’ now?
‘My 600 lb Life’ Star Penny Saeger Is Probably Still in Denial Four Years After Weight Loss… https://t.co/mKy0vBvTh7 pic.twitter.com/3Ln4ocll6V
— No1 Doctor (@no1_doctor) January 7, 2018
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A few years ago, rumors that 600-pound life Penny had died were circulating as she hadn’t been active on her social media accounts. It was understandable, considering the amount of hate she got after exiting the show and refusing to make any follow-up appointments. Ultimately, the network dismissed them.
Penny Saeger from My 600-Lb Life has made a few updates here and there – including celebrating her marriage anniversary, getting vaccinated, and joining her son Liam during Halloween – but for the most part, she continues to keep living a private life.