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With season 6 of I Am Jazz premiering this month, fans are waiting with bated breath to find out what happens next on Jazz Jennings’ journey. TLC recently released the trailer for the new season, and at one point Jennings says, “I feel like there’s a 50-pound weight weighing on my shoulder.” This leaves fans with a lot of questions and concerns ahead of the season premiere. 

Jazz Jennings discussed binge eating back in 2018 

Jazz Jennings of 'I Am Jazz'
Jazz Jennings of TLC’s I Am Jazz | David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

The National Eating Disorders Association classifies binge-eating disorder in part as “a severe, life-threatening, and treatable eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food (often very quickly and to the point of discomfort); a feeling of a loss of control during the binge; experiencing shame, distress or guilt afterwards.”

Binge eating is the most common eating disorder in the United States. During a YouTube video made in January 2018, Jazz Jennings opened up about binge eating and how it’s affected her life. 

“I never thought this would happen to me and that I would be going through something like this, but having an eating disorder is very difficult,” Jennings said. “And so many people struggle with it, and I’m one of those people.”

Jennings called healthy eating a “challenge” but said her family had been incredibly supportive.

“So yes, I’ve gained weight, and really the biggest thing I’m trying to do is love my body for what it is,” she said. “Even though I’m trying to lose weight and be healthier, I still have to learn to be comfortable in my own skin right now.”

How it almost affected her surgery

Jazz Jennings of TLC's I Am Jazz
Jazz Jennings of TLC’s I Am Jazz | Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for TLC

When it came to her binge eating, Jennings wanted to change her habits — not just to lose weight or feel healthier, but also because her weight could have affected her surgery.

“I’ve been trying to self-improve, and if you’re watching season 4 of I Am Jazz you see that my weight is something being highlighted,” Jennings said in the YouTube video. “And I visit my surgeon Dr. Marci Bowers, and she tells me that I need to lose 30 pounds for my surgery.”

She continued, “Even though the surgery is on the line and it’s something I’ve wanted my entire life, I still find myself binge eating, or I still find myself eating unhealthy. … It’s just, I don’t know, it’s my depression combined with binge eating disorder, combined with all my other anxieties and thoughts and worries, and it’s an outlet for me to, I don’t know, heal my pain I guess. But I’m trying to find new things, better habits.”

Ultimately, Jennings was able to get her weight down to where she needed to be to go forward with her plans.

What to expect from season 6 of ‘I Am Jazz’

Meanwhile, the trailer for season 6 of I Am Jazz has been released, and it’s a little bit stressful. It looks like Jennings will be dealing with several varieties of drama during the season, as well as a possible medical concern during surgery.

At one point in the trailer, we find out that Jennings has invited her ex-boyfriend Ahmir to her third gender confirmation surgery. The trailer shows her questioning whether it was the right choice to invite him for emotional support.

Viewers also see Jennings struggling with the stress of raising money for her friend’s bottom surgery. And there’s a distressing moment where Jennings is seen breathing rapidly in her hospital bed while someone, possibly her mother, says, “We need a nurse, now!”

Season 6 of I Am Jazz will premiere on Jan. 28 at 9 p.m. EST. 

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