Tragic Events That Led to 'My 600-lb Life' Destinee Lashaee's Dramatic Weight Gain

The first ever overweight transgender female to be featured on TLC shares her life story, and experiences in a YouTube video. The clip displayed the series of struggles with obesity, by Destinee LaShaee; her journey through the years which resulted in an obsession with food.

27-year-old, African American, Destinee, projects herself to the world after she shed over 200 pounds. In the program 'My 600lbs Life." Born and bred in Louisiana as a male child, she was named Matthew, and never had the proper parental care, as her teenage mother, got locked up for theft. While her father, on the other hand, abandoned her.

Placed in social welfare, she revealed that her addiction to food started from age 9, and her weight began to build up. At such a tender age, she resorted to eating to "dull the pain." Before she turned 16, she already weighed 350lbs.

Subsequently, she came out as gay at 18 but got criticized by her relatives. In dealing with the backlashes from family, she turned to food for solace. Suffering greatly from the hurt of stigmatization, she fell into depression, the more she ate, the more she gained weight.

Her first surgical transformation occurred, when she was 22; at this time, her food abuse had led to her weight scale being over 400lbs. At 25, her brother died, after experiencing an adverse effect from minor surgery.

In a bid to deal with her loss, she continued to wallow in hurt, and swallow even more food. By the time she was 27, her weight gain was at 668lbs.

However, she realized that if she didn't control her eating habits, it would probably end her life. So she contacted Dr. Nowzaradan, an expert in vascular and bariatric surgery. In her words :

“ So as impossible and hopeless that it seems to me to try and change and give up eating as I do, I am ready to try and find a way before it is too late.”

She was given a time frame of two months, to lose 80 pounds, but shed only 24. The doctor gave her an extension of two months again, and she lost only 17.

After she got threatened that she will be taken off the show, Destinee, engaged herself in psychotherapy, adopted a healthy eating menu, dealt with the guilt of being responsible for her brother's death, and then lost an outstanding 62 pounds, compared to her previous results.

Successfully, she gained eligibility for gastric sleeve operation after her improvement and has since been on a journey to healthy living, shedding more and more weight.

The transgender stops at nothing to show off her body in photos uploaded on her Instagram; she seems to be having the time of her life. Her doctor alongside TLC's "My 600lbs Life" is greatly relieved at her success, and happiness.

But the show recently expressed their deepened sadness, as Sean Milliken who was featured on the show three years ago, died at 29. Sean who lost a whopping 400pounds, and had continued to progress after he lost his mother, shortly afterward, gave up the ghost.