‘1000-lb Best Friends’: Everything We Know About Dr. Charles Procter, TLC’s Fan-Favorite Bariatric Surgeon
Fans of the TLC reality show 1000-lb Best Friends will certainly recognize Dr. Charles Procter. The bariatric surgeon has worked hard become one of the best, even if it is not always easy. Bariatric surgery involves helping people improve their lifestyles. Along the way, these doctors often have to help patients who hit hard times or don’t qualify for the weight loss surgery they hoped for.
Luckily, Dr. Procter is one of the best in the country. He takes pride in helping his patients be as successful as possible. Here is everything we know about Dr. Procter, TLC’s fan-favorite bariatric surgeon:
Dr. Charles Procter on ‘1000-lb Sisters’ and ‘1000-lb Best Friends’
TLC fans know Dr. Procter got his start on 1000-lb Sisters, before getting his own show in 2021 called Too Large. Both reality shows were extremely successful, and the bariatric surgeon began making regular appearances in the newest reality series 1000-lb Best Friends.
While Too Large revolves mainly around various obese patients weighing over 500 pounds, the other two shows are a bit more personal. 1000-lb Sisters features Amy and Tammy Slaton as they embark on their weight loss journey with Dr. Procter’s help.
1000-lb Best Friends is similar, except instead of sisters, the show features the story of four close friends who struggle with morbid obesity. These four friends try to create new, healthier lifestyles to lose weight and become eligible for bariatric surgery. In addition to their dietary and exercise changes, the women work closely with Dr. Procter as he does his best to keep them on track.
Dr. Procter’s educational background
The Atlanta-based weight loss surgeon is one of the best in his field. But he didn’t even want to become a doctor in the first place. Leading the team at Beltline Health Weight Loss Solutions, Dr. Procter graduated from Miami University before going on to attend the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine.
According to BeltlineHealth.com, he was actually the vice president of the school’s pre-law society. His father, also a bariatric surgeon, encouraged him to follow in his footsteps and personally trained him in the field. Dr. Procter explains, “Towards the end of my training, I thought I wanted to become a trauma surgeon. It was my father who talked me out of that.”
In addition to helping others, the surgeon documents his own exercise journey with weightlifting on Instagram. The fitness buff is proud to have been one of the first bariatric surgeons to adopt the fully robotic approach to sleeve gastrectomy, roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and duodenal switch procedures.
Dr. Procter’s personal life outside of TLC reality shows
Although helping people requires many hours of work, it doesn’t mean that Dr. Procter doesn’t make time for fun. When he is not working, the surgeon is a family man who enjoys attending University of Georgia Bulldogs football games with his wife Dr. Nirali Patel, a dentist, and their three sons.
Having lived in Moscow, Russia, for a while, Dr. Procter has a strong interest in the politics and culture of Russia. He absolutely loves what he does, saying that bariatric surgery allows him to go on an “amazing journey” with his patients.
The doctor adds, “To see someone’s life make such a radical change in a positive direction over and over again is the best job in the world!”
