Why My 600-Lb Life Fans Think Dr. Now Is So Lenient

Since its premiere in 2012, most episodes of TLC's hit series "My 600-lb Life," have followed the exact same structure as the pilot. Like a number of other shows on the network, the series follows an individual on the difficult journey to better health. Every installment begins with an introduction of the person being highlighted. They share details about past trauma that resulted in food addiction, their current struggles with health and mobility, and what they'd love to accomplish once they lose weight. Scenes regularly include the person struggling to do everyday tasks, such as showering or simply moving around the house.

Audiences then follow the person to Houston, Texas, where bariatric surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, commonly referred to as Dr. Now, meets with them. Despite his patients all wanting surgery as soon as possible, he almost never immediately approves them for it. Rather, Dr. Now challenges them to lose a certain amount of weight to prove they are capable of beginning to follow a more disciplined diet. To help them on their journey, the doctor helps them set a number of different goals. Notably, it can sometimes take multiple months and numerous return visits for the patients to meet these goals.

Of course, in a show about weight loss, it should come as no surprise whatsoever that everyone has a different opinion about best practices. In fact, some fans of the series who also frequent Reddit believe that Dr. Now is inconsistent and too lenient when setting pre-surgery weight loss goals.

"My 600-lb Life" viewers noticed that, in order to get approved for surgery, Dr. Now's patients are asked to lose different amounts of weight. Of course, this is entirely understandable because every patient arrives with a unique size and different set of needs. However, some fans on Reddit believe that Dr. Now's prescribed goals have increased substantially since the start of the series. 

For example, one Reddit user pointed to the goals set for Amber Rachdi in Season 3. "He only gave her a goal of 20 lbs and she's at like 670," u/1234jd5678 said. "She didn't even make the 20 lb goal and he still approved her. I feel like he got a lot more strict in the later seasons."

Some users guessed that the reason for this inconsistency is that patients in early episodes more closely represented the show's title. "I've noticed more and more of his patients are actually 800+ pounds, so I think that plays a large part in it," u/toripotter86 said. "They're bigger than ever, so he makes their weight loss goal bigger." 

Others felt the shift had to do with a slight pivot in the show's concept. u/sverre054 pointed out, "Early on, his whole thing was he was the only one willing to perform the risky surgery and the patients were close to dying ... Later, it became more about a weight loss journey, not just a last chance."