TLC’s ‘My 600-lb Life,’ as we all know, chronicles the stories of morbidly obese people as they try to turn over a new leaf and adopt a healthier way of life.
That’s easier said than done, especially given that the entire process involves both physical and mental components, making things extremely complicated. As a result, while some succeed with the assistance of Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, others, such as season 10’s Dolly Martinez, do not.
So, if you want to learn more about her and how she’s doing these days, we’ve got you covered.
Dolly Martinez’s My 600-lb Life Journey
Although we first met Dolly Martinez as a 25-year-old who has struggled with mobility, hygiene, and congestive heart failure, as well as breathing issues, she has been big her entire life.
After all, her unhealthy relationship with food began when she was a small child, when her father knowingly chose his drug addiction over her family, leaving her mother to support them on her own.
Things only got worse when Dolly was diagnosed with ADD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Bipolar Disorder in kindergarten.
Dolly began to feel singled out at this point, prompting her to seek solace in the one thing she believed would never judge or harm her: food.
As a result, she weighed 120 pounds by the age of seven, which led to bullying and a vicious consumption cycle that caused her to exceed 300 pounds when she was 15 or 16.
Her mother, Staci, had come out as a lesbian a few years before, which didn’t help her situation because she had to hear comments about herself as well.
Dolly eventually dropped out of school and joined Job Corps, but it was in vain.
Because she couldn’t care for herself or hold down a job for long due to her health issues, food became her top priority, which only increased after her father purposefully overdosed on meth.
That was around the time she was living with her boyfriend-turned-husband, Ricky, whom she claimed was not only an enabler but also abusive.
As a result, six days after Dolly gave birth to their daughter, CPS transferred custody to Staci, who obtained full legal custody within a year.
Dolly later moved in with the latter as well before deciding to change her ways.
Dolly, who weighed 593 pounds, appeared determined to fight for a better future and a “more normal life,” but she soon showed her hand by getting angry at her mother for not easing her into the process.
She despised the diet, let her temptations get the best of her, and even went so far as to abandon Staci for a homeless shelter when their viewpoints clashed too much.
Not only that, but Dolly briefly returned to Ricky as a sister wife before moving on with Philip, whom she met at the shelter, only to marry him six weeks later. They lived in a Houston hotel on his disability checks, which no one liked.
Where is Dolly Martinez Now?
Dolly Martinez thought that surgery to help her lose weight would solve all of her problems.
Dr. Now turned her down, though, because she had only lost 40 pounds in a year and her behavior hadn’t changed much after seeing a therapist, Matthew Paradise.
He said that he would keep working with her if she followed his plan, saw a therapist at least once a month, and started taking responsibility for her own life.
He also said that it would be a long time before she could even move to the next step.
She was asked to be independent and take responsibility, and it looks like Dolly may be making small steps toward that. Her social media sites don’t show that she’s lost a lot of weight since her episode was filmed, but she seems closer to her daughter than she did before. It’s not clear if she and Phillip are still in Houston or if they’ve moved back to Fort Worth for good, but the fact that she’s close to her daughter is a big step forward. Really, we can only wish her the best from here on out.
