A morbidly obese amputee whose weight climbed to 642lbs has run for the first time in more than a decade after managing to shed almost half his body weight.
James ‘L.B.’ Bonner, 29, who is from Lexington in South Carolina, saw his weight spiral out of control after years of unhealthy eating as a child – made worse when he sought comfort in food after losing a leg to an ATV accident at 25.
Having already had his movement restricted by his size before losing his leg, when he hit 642lbs, James was so heavy there were fears his prosthetic limb would snap under the strain of supporting his frame.
But after turning to the surgeons on TLC show My 600lb life for help, the 29-year-old managed to shed a staggering 316lbs (22st) – and was fitted with a new prosthetic that allowed him to run on a track for the first time in 15 years.
Tragedy: James ‘L.B.’ Bonner, from Lexington, South Carolina, weighed more than 600lbs after having his right leg amputated following an ATV accident in 2013
In the latest episode of TLC series My 600lb Life he is able to run for the first time in 15 years after losing 316lbs (22 stone)
After losing the weight L.B. was fitted with a new prosthetic, which allowed him to run again.
The show’s surgeons performed a gastric sleeve operation on L.B., but his initial progress was slow – it took two months for the first 38lbs (2st) to drop off.
The show’s Dr Nowzaradan referred him to therapist Lola Clay to try and establish the emotional issues behind his struggles with food, and L.B. admitted he felt his family were disappointed by his size – prompting him to seek comfort in still more food and drink.
After Clay helped L.B. to resolve things with his family, the relief appeared to ramp up his weight loss, as he began eating well and even took up cycling.
His bad eating habits began as a child when he would be spoiled with unhealthy treats, and he continued to overeat when he lost his leg
An ATV accident in 2013 damaged L.B.’s leg so badly that doctors were forced to amputate it.
Despite his increasing size and the loss of his leg, L.B. was still managing to get around on his own, and said he didn’t see a need to lose weight.
He revealed that his overeating began when he was overfed as a child by his doting Aunt Dora, who would spoil him because he was the only boy in the family.
In the episode he is fitted with a new prosthetic leg and foot after losing a huge amount of weight
The extra weight he carried was putting too much pressure on his old prosthetic, and was putting it at risk of breaking
L.B. had a gastric sleeve operation, but lost just 38lbs (two stone) as he continued to overeat to cope with his difficult home life
‘I was adopted as a newborn because, after having three girls, my parents decided to adopt a boy, and so they got me,’ he said on the show.
‘Since I was the only boy in our whole family, I was the one who was going to continue the Bonner name, so it was like everyone was raising [me], including my aunt.’
In her own testimonial, L.B.’s mother recalled how she and her husband had always wanted a son, noting that they ‘felt so blessed to be his parents.’
‘Everybody wants to have a son, especially me,’ L.B.’s father Buddy said. ‘That’s all I dreamed of: having a boy, giving him my name, letting him carry on my life.’
During a session with therapist Lola Clay he admitted he felt his weight disappointed his family and that he ate and drank to comfort himself.
He would argue with his mother when he refused to open up about his feelings, leading him to continue the same unhealthy lifestyle he’d had before the operation
Start of it all? L.B. says his Aunt Dora (pictured) would spoil him with food as a child
Buddy explained that his entire family wanted to share in L.B.’s adoption. L.B. spent so much time with his Aunt Dora and Uncle Sam, he considered them second parents, calling them ‘Ma Two’ and ‘Dad Two.’
‘I was always excited to go stay with my aunt and uncle,’ he recalled. ‘Every time I would get down there, the first thing she’d do is go open up the cabinets and say: ‘Whatcha want?’
L.B. said his aunt always had beef sticks, pigs in the blanket, and snack cakes for him to munch on.
‘I guess that’s when I started associating that comforted feeling with food,’ he said, but his mom admits he was downright spoiled.
He tipped the scales at 150lbs (10 stone) when he was just eight years old and continued to overeat to cope with the death of his beloved aunt
As he progressed through therapy he took up biking riding and the weight began to fall off
He also overhauled his diet and began eating healthier food, and now weighs 326lbs (23 stone)
The smaller prosthetic made it much easier for L.B. to walk and even run on the track, which he enjoyed as a teenager
‘Whatever he wanted at night, if it was a piece a cake, if it was ice cream, whatever it was, Dora would get up and fix it,’ she said.
When he would finally come home after spending a couple of days at his aunt and uncle’s house, his mom said he would scream, cry, and refuse to go to sleep until he got the food he wanted.
L.B. admitted he ‘gained a lot of weight’ over the following few years of his life, explaining how he tipped the scales at 150lbs by the time he was just eight years old.
It was soon after that tragedy struck.
‘When his Ma Two died. It’s like this little boy was just crushed,’ his mom said. ‘It was just like his whole world fell apart.’
Responsibility: L.B. was the only male child in the whole family to carry on the Bonner name
Boy of the family: L.B. was a newborn when he was adopted by his parents, who desperately wanted a son after having three girls
Doting dad: His father Buddy said all he ever wanted was a son to to give his name to
Bad habits: L.B. says the first thing his Aunt Dora would do when he was visiting her house was open the cabinets and ask what he wanted to eat
Although he was heavier than his peers growing up, L.B. didn’t let that stop him from playing sports in high school. However, a torn ACL ended any chance of him having a successful football career.
According to The Lexington Ledger, L.B. started partying and drinking heavily, which eventually led to him dropping out of high school.
As L.B.’s drinking increased, so did his weight. Things only got worse for him after his accident.
It wasn’t until the one-year anniversary of his best friend’s death in 2017 that he realized he needed to do something to change his life.
L.B. reached out to the producers of My 600lb Life, and the team paired him with Houston-based weight loss surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan.
Out of control: After a few years of eating whatever he wanted at his aunt’s house, L.B. started to pile on the pounds
Unhealthy: By the time he was eight years old, L.B. weighed 150lbs
Cycle of addiction: L.B. turned to food for comfort after his aunt died right before his ninth birthday, and his weigh continued to spiral out of control