The reality television show "My 600-lb Life" promises updates from morbidly obese twins Kandi and Brandi Dreier who (between them) weigh over one ton. There were tense moments when Kandi Dreier had to be put in a medically-induced coma after gastric bypass surgery caused her heart to stop. And family counseling unearthed some horrifying connections between obesity and dysfunctional parenting. There are some happy, hopeful outcomes, too.
Bariatric surgery almost kills Kandi Dreier
Actually, it was the blood clot that was dislodged when 600-lb Kandi began walking after surgery that caused cardiac arrest.
So it wasn't the gastric bypass surgery but the extreme obesity and resulting sedentary life that nearly ended the young woman's life. Reality TV Dr. Nowzaradan said she suffered an embolism and put her in a coma to prevent further damage. The sisters are both still thankful for having had the surgery and their impressive weight loss shows why.
Brandi and Kandi weight loss by the numbers
Before bariatric surgery Brandi weighed almost 600 pounds and Kandi weight just over 600 pounds. Brandi and Kandi were rare in that they were twins who shared such a propensity for weight gain. But given the nature of twins to do everything together it's not so surprising. These gals share everything, including a bed.
So having similar bad habits (a junk food addiction, overeating) is very likely. They had to prove they could lose weight and get themselves to a point where weight loss surgery was safe. Both of them lost 70 pounds each in a month on a 1,200 calorie diet. After surgery both "My 600-lb Life" twins went on to shed a whopping 200 pounds by the one-year anniversary.
Frightening roots of childhood obesity
Family therapy revealed that both girls got overweight after being abandoned by their mother, who was a drunken, abusive parent. Comfort eating was the drug of choice. Mom and daughters are reunited but still on tense footing. Mom had trouble remembering which of her twins tried to commit suicide, which understandably caused hurt. Brandi and Kandi are living proof that neglectful, emotionally absent, addicted or dysfunctional parents can drive their children to self-medicate, often with the thing most readily available--food.
