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Paula Jones From ‘My 600-lb Life’ Lost an Amazing 400 Pounds

Yes, losing weight is all well and good, but much of the struggle is actually keeping off the weight. For many people, including those who appear on My 600-lb Life on TLC, the real work begins after the weight-loss surgery. As doctors will tell you, a healthy diet and exercise must become lifelong habits in order to maintain the weight loss — which is why you won’t be able to stop yourself from cheering when you see Paula Jones today.

‘My 600-lb Life’ Before and After

When she first appeared on the show in 2014, Jones weighed 542 pounds. The then-33-year-old felt “trapped.” Fans might remember the heartbreaking moment when Jones stepped on the scale and said, “I’m huge. I look like a monster.”

Spurred on by the death of her husband due to weight-related causes and worried about dying herself and leaving their four children without a parent, Jones moved from Georgia to Texas to be closer to Dr. Now. Unfortunately, the move caused Jones to actually gain weight, and she also developed a hernia. However, she went on an all-liquid diet and battled back to lose 33 pounds — enough weight loss to have gastric bypass surgery. (The My 600-lb Life doctor advocates for a low-carb, low-fat diet, according to former patient L.B. Bonner.) As a symbol of her impending life change, she dyed her hair green.

In early 2015, Jones had dropped down to 269 pounds, which meant she could finally have surgery to remove excess skin she had accumulated as a result of losing weight quickly. Her sagging-skin-removal surgery was covered in a 2016 episode of My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now? Despite her anxieties about the operation, she remained positive and upbeat. “I am mostly enjoying time with my kids” she said at the time. “I can be more active with them. I’ve learned how to be emotionally healthy as well as physically healthy.”

Paula Jones Now

At her “surgiversary” in 2016, she said she was 400 pounds lighter than when she first began — an amazing feat — especially considering not all My 600-lb Life updates are positive ones.

Today, a few years later, Jones is still on a weight loss journey, but this time, in addition to working on herself, she’s speaking out to inspire others. In her words, she’s “loving life.” And why shouldn’t she? You go, girl!

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