‘My 600-lb Life’: Dr. Now On Why His Job Is a ‘Daily Challenge’
Dr. Younan Nowzaradan of TLC’s reality series My 600-lb Life isn’t afraid to take a tough-love approach when it comes to working with his severely obese patients. On the show, he often calls out those whom he suspects aren’t being honest about their diet. Those conversations aren’t always easy, but Nowzaradan – aka Dr. Now – says they’re necessary to motivate his patients to reach their goals.
Dr. Now says he sometimes has to be ‘stern’ with his ‘My 600-lb Life’ patients
People travel from around the U.S. to visit Dr. Now at his Houston office. All have reached a point in their lives where they are seriously thinking about bariatric surgery. But in order to qualify for a gastric bypass or other procedure, they need to lose weight. That can be a huge challenge, and people who appear on My 600-lb Life of often hit roadblocks as they attempt to shed enough pounds to be eligible for weight loss surgery. Others are able to get the surgery, only to face fresh challenges after the procedure.
Dr. Now admits that sometimes his patients can be difficult.
“It’s a daily challenge to work with some patients that can be self-destructive,” he told People in 2017. However, he said it’s his job, “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,” he added.
On My 600-lb Life, he’s bluntly called out patients whom he thinks are expecting weight loss surgery to be “a magic fix” and warned them that if they don’t change their behavior they’ll end up “eating [themselves] to death.” And when people fail to stick to the diet plan he’s given them, he doesn’t want to hear excuses.
“If you want to do this, then lose that weight,” he told a man named Aaron (via YouTube). “If you don’t, then we don’t need to waste more time playing games … you need to take this very seriously because the clock is ticking.”
The ‘My 600-lb Life’ doctor says he wants all his patients to get to ‘a healthy place’
Dr. Now’s no-nonsense demeanor can rub people the wrong way. But he says he’s driven by a desire to help people improve their lives.
“[M]y job is to find a way to work with them to get their weight to a healthy place,” he said. “They are the patient because they need help and it’s my job to help them no matter what.”
Unfortunately, not every patient’s story has a happy ending.
“There have been a few patients I felt I could no longer help,” he said. “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.”
Dr. Nowzaradan says many of his patients need to address underlying psychological issues
One reason that Dr. Now’s My 600-lb Life patients often face challenges in their efforts to lose weight? They don’t always address the underlying issues that led them to become obese.
“Severe obesity is a complex physical and psychological condition with many components. Not realizing how much of their struggle is psychological and not just physical can be the biggest obstacle for change with patients,” Dr. Now said. “Many refuse to admit they have any emotional compulsions or compulsive psychological disorders driving them to overeat.”
Dr. Charles Procter, a weight loss surgeon who appears on TLC’s 1000-lb Sisters and the discovery+ series Too Large, agrees. He says if people don’t address their mental health, they likely won’t be able to keep the weight off long-term, even with surgery.
“There is such a big psychological component to this,” Procter told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “That’s lost on a lot of people. It’s not just getting the surgery. The bigger leap is changing your lifestyle completely in order to make this work and be successful long term.”
My 600-lb Life Season 11 premieres on Feb. 1, 2023, at 8 p.m. ET on TLC.
For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.
