TLC’s My 600-lb Life doesn’t have a clean track record, what with the many lawsuits it has faced over the years and the controversies it riled up, but it did give many lives the needed nudge. Janine Mueler from season 6 is now an executive for Paparazzi Accessories, Samantha Mason became a TikTok influencer, etc. But, what about Margaret Johnson?
Unlike her contemporaries, Margaret has not been boasting about things like her weight loss journey post the show or how her career is blooming after being a My 600-lb Life participant. Her social media presence is pretty much non-existent, making it next to impossible to find out how she has been doing since season 10 wrapped up. But there are certain sources who have shares updates about her life after the significant progress she made during the show.
The TLC show, which marked Margaret’s reality TV debut, saw her entering her episode in 2022 at more than 700 pounds. She faced many hurdles, including many physical — she was hospitalized since she was having trouble breathing and was afraid it was a heart attack — and emotional struggles (sharing how being subjected to verbal abuse by her father as a child is responsible for her over-reliance on food) to lose weight.
“Margaret’s life at 700 pounds is in need of a jump start. At age 35, she is a mama’s girl. Now, it’s time for Margaret to get out of bed, overcome her food addiction and break away from the comfort of her mother so she can finally live her life.”
– IMDb‘s description of the episode
But the show’s constant surgeon, Dr. Nowzaradan, aka Dr. Now, disregarded her concerns, calling the sudden dip in her health coming from infection and put her on a strict diet plus medicines, which allowed Margaret to drop enough pounds that she soon qualified but ultimately shed enough pounds to qualify for the next step of her journey — getting a gastric bypass surgery.
In a period of 12 months, Margaret lost 236 pounds. But the progress was temporary.
When she made a reappearance in the spin-off, My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?, she had gained weight again, jumping to 548 pounds, and admitted that she was emotionally and mentally more exhausted than ever.
“I’m physically here, but emotionally I’m checked out. I had an emotional breakdown. I hurt in the leg. I’m getting a cellulitis infection again. I feel like nobody cares about me. Nobody loves me.”
Given the downward slide in her status, Dr. Now and Margaret’s mother renewed their focus on her health — she was admitted to the hospital to keep an eye on her nutrition progress and her mother enforced a stricter schedule for her diet — allowing her to reach a new high of 463 pounds.
Where is Margaret from My 600-lb Life now?
As we said, Margaret is on Facebook but is not very active and hasn’t shared any details about her life, but the recent pictures of her she has uploaded on the platform seem to confirm that she continues to be one of the rare success stories of the TLC reality TV show.