‘My 600-Lb Life’: Dr. Nowzaradan Accepts ‘Anyone’ As a Patient, Under 1 Condition
My 600-Lb Life on TLC is a fascinating show for so many reasons. The series truly exemplifies the triumph of willpower and transformation. One of the reasons the reality show became such a sensation is because of Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, or Dr. Now as his patients call him.
Dr. Now helps morbidly obese individuals achieve their weight loss goals. However, he does have a few rules for My 600-Lb Life show participants and anyone seeking bariatric surgery. They must follow one specific rule if they want to work with Dr. Now.
Patients love Dr. Nowzaradan from ‘My 600-Lb. Life’
Almost everyone who appears on My 600-Lb. Life has great things to say about Dr. Now. He treats all his patients with dignity and respect, which is more than their friends and family can say sometimes. And Dr. Now is famously willing to accept patients who other doctors reject.
“I don’t have a selection process like most doctors have. I don’t have any selection process. Everybody comes and we take care of them,” he said at the 2017 ObesityHelp conference. However, just because Dr. Now is accepting doesn’t mean he just lets any behaviors slide. He does have some specific conditions for patients. And some people just can’t meet them.
‘My 600-Lb. Life’ show participants don’t always qualify for surgery
A recent episode of My 600-Lb. Life followed Michelle Marescott, who gained weight due to food addiction and several personal life setbacks. She visited Dr. Now in hopes of getting the weight loss surgery and changing her life.
However, because Marescott did not manage to lose the 60 lbs. that Dr. Now recommended, so she wasn’t able to get the surgery. Dr. Now asked what happened and Marescott replied, “I’m not sure, I worked really hard.”
“Well, not exactly, you worked hard to lose 40 lbs., but not as hard as you should have,” the doctor replied. “Because if you did the diet you would have easily lost close to 100 lbs. So did you do the diet?”
Marescott admitted to slipping up and eating forbidden foods that prevented her from losing the full 60 lbs. She did not stick to Dr. Now’s diet plan closely enough to qualify.
Giving patients weight loss goals isn’t just Dr. Now being harsh. There are specific reasons why he requires patients to lose a set amount of weight pre-surgery.
The Dr. Nowzaradan diet plan sets up patients for future success
My 600-Lb Life episodes only tell part of the story. Patients go on diets before surgery to prove their commitment to losing weight. Because after getting bariatric surgery, they’ll be forced to alter their diets. They run the risk of gaining all the weight back over time if they resort to old habits.
That’s why Dr. Now insists his patients prove their willingness to commit to the diet. It’s often a huge change compared to how they were eating previously. Dr. Now’s diet plan from My 600-Lb. Life has patients eating between 1,000 and 1,200 calories per day. They’re expected to focus on whole foods and avoid anything processed or sugary.
Many former patients can attest. Dr. Now’s plan is hard but worth it.
