A 621lb woman has revealed that her adoptive mother put her on diet pills as a child, eventually leading her to become addicted to food after years of being told to watch what she was eating.
Janine Mueller was adopted when she was about two months old, making her the youngest of three children and the only girl in her family. The adoption agency warned her parents that her weight and food intake should be closely monitored because her birth mother was a ‘large woman.’
My mother, god bless her, took that very much to heart and was waiting for me to get fat,’ she explains in a preview clip for Wednesday night’s episode of the TLC series My 600lb Life.
Struggle: Janine Mueller’s weight spiraled to 621lbs after the death of her adoptive parents
Start of it all: Janine was adopted when she was about two months old, making her the youngest of three children and the only girl in her family
Out of control: The adoption agency told her mom that her birth mother was a ‘large woman,’ and she became obsessed with monitoring Janine’s weight as a child
‘For my mom, it was an obsession. She was constantly worried or concerned about my weight — all the time,’ she recalls.
At just three years old, Janine’s mother and her pediatrician decided it was time to put her on her first diet.
‘When I was four, the same pediatrician decided it would be a good idea to start me on diet pills,’ Janine says. ‘That really started to mess me up because the pills had the same side effect as amphetamines.
‘I was basically a four-year-old on speed, and my life was never the same after that.’
Fueling her food addiction: Janine’s mother and her pediatrician put her on her first diet when she was just three years old
Horrific: By the time she was four years old, they had her taking diet pills that had the same side effects as amphetamines
Confession: ‘I was basically a four-year-old on speed, and my life was never the same after that,’ Janine recalls
As she got older, her weight continued to be the ‘central focus’ in her relationship with her mother.
‘My mom was always on me about the diet, always on me about eating,’ she says. ‘I can still in the back of my head hear her yelling at me to stop eating
‘It made me feel like there was something wrong with me and that I was a disappointment to my parents,’ she admits.
‘They had wanted this cute, little daughter, and instead of some cute, little, blonde, darling daughter, they got me.’
Internal pain: Janine says her mom was always on her about her diet, and it made her feel like she was a disappointment to her parents
Morbidly obese: Janine now relies on a motorized scooter for mobility because her knees are so damaged from her increasing weight
Janine’s increasing weight spiraled out of control after the deaths of her parents, and she now relies on a motorized scooter for mobility because her knees are so damaged.
On this week’s episode of the documentary series, Janine makes the decision to travel from Seattle, Washington, to Houston, Texas, to seek treatment from weight-loss surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan.
However, the flight may be too much for her body to take.
‘I know my body’s not going to handle everything I’m putting it through today, but I have to do this,’ she says in a clip shared by People. ‘I’ve tried so many things to get my weight under control, and every single thing has failed.
Feeling exposed: Janine makes the decision to fly to Houston, Texas, to meet a weight-loss surgeon, but she can’t stand people staring at her at the airport
Panic: Janine bursts into tears when she gets to the door of the plane and steps off her scooter, saying: ‘I can’t do this’
‘So I know that this is quite literally my last chance to get the help I need to turn my life around. So I can’t fail at this. But right now, I’m so nervous.’
Janine admits that she rarely leaves her house anymore because she can’t stand to have people staring at her, something she knows is bound to happen at the airport.’
‘I know it’s going to be like a freak show, and everyone’s going to stare and point at the large woman who can’t walk for herself,’ she says. ‘It’s one of the reasons why I hardly go out anywhere, because I hate when people stare. It’s humiliating, and I’m scared out of my mind right now.’
Janine is able to board the plane early, but she starts to sob the moment she gets to the door and steps off her scooter.
‘I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I can’t do this,’ she says.