Christina Phillips appeared on the second season of My 600-lb-life. She weighed more than 700 pounds, and she was desperately in need of help.
While on the show she began her amazing transformation. Today, you wouldn’t even think she’s the same person!
So how did Phillips do it? And what does she do today? This is her incredible story – and amazing new pictures.
A healthy diet can be a hard thing to maintain. If you have a family, a partner or many interests, it can be time-consuming to cook healthy food, and sometimes it can even be pretty expensive as well.
“My 600-lb-life” television series
Fast food is definitely a trap, sure it can be good now and then, but in the long run it’s bad for your health if you eat too much of it. That’s why we’re always told we should work out, because it really is good for your mind, body, and soul!
There are many inspirational people that teach us how to live a healthy life through exercising, eating healthy and working on our inner peace in order to feel great. But as much as I think these, often physically fit, people can be inspirational, so too are people like Christina Phillips.
She appeared on the second season on My 600-lb-life, and at the time, Christina weighed more than 700 pounds. At most, she ate up to 7,000 calories each day.
With help from her family and Dr. Now, Phillips managed to turn her life around completely. Today, she is like a new person – and also a mother.
So, how did she do it? And what does she look like now? Here’s all you need to know about her incredible transformation!
Christina Phillips gained weight as a young girl. When she turned 22 years old, she weighed 673 pounds. At the time, Christina couldn’t do anything. Getting up and walking to the kitchen was a big challenge.
And according to herself, it felt like she “was going to to die.”
Christina Phillips on “My 600-lb-life”
Going for a car ride by herself was out of the question. Because of her weight, she couldn’t get behind the wheel, and walking far distances was impossible. That meant seeing her friends was very hard, and she even decided to only leave the house in the middle of the night. Why? That was the time she couldn’t pass anyone.
“I’m trapped inside this body that I don’t want to be in,” Christina Phillips said on the show.
Phillips felt miserable, and decided to do something about it. She was accepted onto the second season of My-600-lb-life, and it was the start of an incredible journey.
Christina Phillips, a Mississippi native, went do Dr. Now for help. He told her that she had to loose weight in order to be able to go through gastric bypass surgery. However, at the first check, it turned out that she had gained 17 pounds instead.
In an interview with Houstonia Magazine, Dr. Nowzaradan also known as Dr. Now, said that he didn’t make any money performing the surgeries, but instead focused on giving people a second chance in life.
Weighed more than 700 pounds
“Looking at the moral obligation that we’ve got, you see somebody who has no life who could have a life,” he said.
“We don’t need to be rich. We do make a living, but we don’t need to worry about making a living out of every patient we see.”
So, his motivation truly is to help people have healthy and productive lives, instead of eating their lives away.
“I never let the camera change my behavior toward any patient,” Dr Nowzaradan explained. “I do exactly the same thing if the camera is there or not.”
Speaking to People, Dr. Nowzaradan said that there have been many cases where patients haven’t been able to keep their weight even after undergoing gastric bypass surgery.
“It’s a daily challenge to work with some patients that can be self-destructive, he said. “My job is not to get aggravated, but to find a way to motivate them to work hard to get to their goals. There are times where I think it’s necessary for some tough love and I have to be stern with them, so I show some of my concern and frustration.”
“Even during those times, my job is to find a way to work with them to get their weight to a healthy place,” Dr. Nowzaradan added. “They are the patient because they need help and it’s my job to help them no matter what.”
In fact, Dr. Now actually walked away from several patients because he felt that he could no longer help them.
Christina Phillips’ incredible transformation
“There have been a few patients I felt I could no longer help,” he told People. “I will always be available if they need me. If they won’t stick to the program, at some point, I can longer help them and they are taking resources from someone else who needs it.”
Christina Phillips was on her way to ruining her entire life. In fact, it was already in danger. But following the gastric bypass surgery in 2013, things started to really change.
With a new diet and workout, Christina Phillips completed her inspirational transformation. From weighing 700 pounds, Phillips managed to drop more than 300 pounds. In 2017, she weighed 183 pounds.
Even though My 600-lb-Life changed Phillip’s life, it wasn’t all great afterwards.
On the show My 600-lb-Life: Where Are They Now, where fans got to meet Christina and other co-stars of the show two years later, she said that she struggled with the idea of gaining weight again. Because of that, she would go days without eating if she gained even just a little weight.
“Lately any time I see the scale go up, I tend to freak out,” she says in a clip from My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now. “My fear of gaining weight has crippled me. But I have to move past that fear if I want to live my life.”
“I’m so much happier now”
One year after the show ended, Christina opened up about her new life in an interview with People.
“The simple things in life are enjoyable to me. I know that seems silly but it’s the honest answer,” she said. “Just walking and being able to go to the park with my nephew. [It’s] the most simple thing like taking him to the park or going shopping or driving.”
“I’m so much more happier now. Being able to wake up in the morning and get out of bed without feeling like I’m gonna die, I thank God every morning for that,” Christina Phillips added “I am so blessed to have a second chance at life.”
At the beginning of the show, Christina Phillips were married to her husband Zach. However, as she started loosing weight and beginning to be more independent, Zach didn’t like it. He was very unsupportive of her, and in the end, she decided to divorce him.
“In the beginning I had a lot of people doubt me,” she said. “I was in a really bad relationship. And that definitely, I think, has had a negative impact on me.”
In the same episode of My 600-lb-Life: Where Are They Now, Christina Phillips also revealed that she had found love again following the divorce from her husband. Her friend of more than 10 years, Shane, had become more than just her friend.
Amazing motivation and dedication
The two started dating, and later, they moved in together.
“We’ve gotten to know each other on a really deep level,” Shane said. “We just open up to each other, and we will finish each other’s sentences sometimes.”
For Christina, being active was a key to staying healthy. Shane was a great motivator and helping her get out of the house even though she felt the need to hide arms or legs despite the her sensational weight loss.
“It’s weird when I was 700lbs I couldn’t even get out of the house, but now that I can I still don’t feel normal,’ Christina explained.
Speaking to Women’s Health Magazine in 2017, Christina revealed how she’s been able to keep off the weight.
It’s all been about motivation and dedication, as she continues to work out several times a week, as well as being careful about what she’s eating. As of now, she tries to stay away from “simple carbs”, such as chips, processed foods and sugar. With that, she has reahed as well as maintained her goal weight.
“It definitely wasn’t easy, but after learning about proper nutrition, measuring my portions, and sticking to a certain way of eating,” she said. “I make sure I log everything I eat so that I’m staying accountable as well.
Christina Phillips – son Ethan
“I also meal prep most of my foods so everything is ready, and I’m not mindlessly grazing,” she added. “Making sure I get at least 10,000 steps per day and going to the gym at least four times per week has also helped me maintain my weight.”
Most importantly, Christina Phillips has gotten her active lifestyle back. Now, she explains, she can play with her young nephew and even walk miles without getting tired.
Also, she’s been able to try indoor skydiving.
In February of 2021, Christina Phillips became a mother as she welcomed her baby boy Ethan. Through her Facebook, she’s posted several pictures of her beautiful baby. And also, pictures of herself – and it’s impossible not to be absolutely blown away. In fact, it’s hard to think that she’s even the same person as appeared in My 600-lb-Life back in 2014.
“I know it’s been almost a year since my last update,” Christina wrote on Facebook back in July. “I had Ethan in February and he’s been the greatest thing to ever happen to me, I love being his mommy.”
Being on a reality television series can be very tough. For Christina, it changed her life for the better, but at first, she actually regretted being on My 600-lb-Life.
Sharing her inspirational story
As she was very young, she didn’t realize that the show was going to be edited in ways that she felt weren’t “exactly true.” With that said, people also messaged her with evil comments.
However, looking back on it, she is happy about her being a part of the reality television series.
“I’ve realized that I know the truth and that’s all that matters,” she said in 2019. “I could explain myself to others until I was blue in the face and it still wouldn’t change anything, I am glad to finally be at the point in my life where other peoples opinion of me doesn’t matter.
“I am alive, I am better than I was and all I can do is focus on myself. So I guess the simple answer is, I don’t regret doing the show, I’m thankful for where I am at and being able to share my story with others.”
Christina Phillips turned her entire life around and came out on the other end as a winner. We are so happy to see that she’s doing great. And also, that she now has the wonderful privilege of being a mother. Doesn’t she look amazing!?
Please, share this story on Facebook with friends and family. Hopefully, this will be able to be an inspiration for others that wants to go in the same direction as Christina.
