A morbidly obese woman weighing 704 pounds was denied gastric surgery by doctors on TLC’s My 600lbs Life – after gaining 30lbs.
Lisa Fleming, 49, from Mobile, Alabama, had pleaded to doctors for help after discovering maggots in the folds of her skin.
She was put on a controlled diet in hospital by Dr Younan Nowzaradan ahead of planned weight loss surgery, during which time she managed to lose 87lbs.
However, when she was sent home she managed to put on 29lbs after secretly eating junk food – with nutritionists discovering she had donuts and ice cream in her fridge.
Lisa was then kicked off the hospital program by Dr Nowzaradan after he discovered she had gained weight.
He even suggested that she was ‘manipulative’ after she had an epic meltdown and tantrum.
At the end of the show, it was revealed that she had managed to lose a total of just 58lbs over the course of the year.
Lisa Fleming, 49, weighed 704 pounds and discovered maggots in the folds of her skin before realizing she needed help
During TlC’s My 600lbs Life on Wednesday, Lisa revealed how she started out as a ‘regular child, having fun, doing things, playing’.
Growing up with five brothers, she admitted her dad spoiled her and constantly told her he loved her while her mother struggled to verbalize her affection, cooking Fleming whatever she wanted to show she cared instead.
‘That’s how she showed it, by cooking,’ she added.
However, Lisa, who is now hoping to get weight loss surgery, added that food was also used as a punishment.
Lisa eventually pleaded to doctors for help, after being left bed bound for several years
However, she was kicked off the weight loss program after doctors discovered she managed to put on 29lbs after eating on junk food
She had been put on a controlled diet in hospital by Dr Younan Nowzaradan, during which time she managed to lose 87lbs. However, she quickly gained back some of this weight
‘I remember this one time, I asked for some cake and she wouldn’t give it to me,’ she explained. ‘I didn’t understand so I just stuck my finger in and rubbed all the icing off the cake.
‘My mama caught me and said, “I know ain’t nobody done this but you,” and she sat me down and said I had to eat the whole cake but after an hour my dad came and threw it in the trash can. He always saved me.
Lisa also revealed that her parents’ divorce when she was nine-years-old added to the trauma and during this time, the only thing that made her feel better was eating.
‘Ice cream was my friend at night. I had my own bowl, I had my own spoon and I kept it hid in my room until my mom found it one day, but that didn’t even stop me.’
Lisa managed to lose a total of just 58lbs over the course of the year, after not following doctor’s advice
Doctors found she had been eating junk food, and discovered ice cream in her fridge
For the first time in years, she was able left the same bed her mother died in due to obesity as she was taken to hospital in an ambulance
By the age of 11 she already weighed 120lbs.
Her weight continued to shoot up over the years until she weighed over 400lbs.
After the death of her mother passed away from cancer, she gained another 100lbs as she sought comfort in food.
‘One day I just couldn’t get up and move,’ Lisa explained.
She said she knew it was time to make a change when she became completely bedridden and eventually found maggots in the folds of her skin.
Lisa described how her weight continued to go up through her life, until one day she woke up and ‘just couldn’t get up and move’
She explained how her issues with weight had began as a child, when she would comfort eat
Lisa has been reliant on the help of others after being left completely bed ridden for years
And for the first time in years, she was able left the same bed her mother died in due to obesity to make a six-hour trip, meeting with expert Dr. Younan Nowzaradan in Houston in order to ask for his help.
Appearing in the episode of My 600lb Life, Lisa admits: ‘I’m tired, I’m hungry, and I’m not looking forward to having the paramedics move me out of this bed.’
Seven paramedics were needed to remove the woman from her bed, down a ramp and onto an ambulance.
They also had to use her bed sheets to help life Fleming out of the bed.
‘The paramedics have to reinforce the ramp they’ll use to get me out of the house,’ she admitted. ‘I can’t believe it’s come to this.’
Appearing on Wednesday night’s episode, Lisa shared how a traumatic childhood signaled the start of a lifelong battle with her weight
Growing up the only girl in a household of boys, Lisa admitted that her father used to spoil her as a child
When Lisa’s parents divorced when she was nine, she used food to comfort herself, sneaking snacks like ice-cream into her bedroom
Although her mother used to cook her whatever she wanted as a child, Lisa’s problems didn’t start until later and by the age of 11, she weighed 120 pounds
Lisa said she started out as a ‘regular child, having fun, doing things, playing’ before her issues with her weight began
Her weight began to spiral out of control after her mother’s death, going up to over 500lbs
Seven paramedics were needed to remove Lisa from her bed, down a ramp and onto an ambulance as they took her to hospital