‘My 600-lb Life’ on TLC captures the motivational weight loss journeys and struggles of several morbidly obese individuals over a period of time. Every individual joins the show with the goal of reducing their excess weight, which is around 600 pounds, by cruising through demanding changes in their food and lifestyle habits. They are assisted in this journey by Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, i.e., Dr. Now, a famous bariatric surgeon. He provides them with personalized diet and exercise plans to lose enough weight to become eligible for weight loss surgery.
The reality show, which debuted in 2012, has seen various distinct individuals over all its seasons with different backgrounds and stories that lead to their weight gain. They also go through several hardships in their journey to weight loss. Ashley Dunn Bratcher, who appeared in season 4 of the show, also had a challenging journey but kept her spirits up throughout the whole process with utmost determination. Now that she’s been away from the cameras, her fans must be curious to know where she is. If you’re eager to know about her as well, here’s everything we found out!
Ashley Dunn Bratcher’s My 600-lb Life Journey
When Kerens, Texas, native Ashley Dunn Bratcher appeared in season 4 in 2016, she was 27-year-old and weighed around 725 pounds. She lived with her husband, Jacob, a long-haul truck driver, and her 5-year-old son, Patrick. Because of her weight, Ashley was completely dependent on the two of them for everything around her house except bathing. She primarily depended on her son for household chores like doing the laundry and preparing microwave-heated breakfast because she was physically incapable of moving around for too long.
On the show, a devastated Ashley said, “There is not a day that goes by that I don’t have pain. It’s gotten so bad now that I’m afraid I’ll be completely immobile soon. I’m good to stand for maybe five minutes.” Ashley’s uncontrollable relationship with food began at a very early age, stemming from her childhood traumas. After her parents divorced when she was 5-years-old, Ashley and her siblings lived with their mother, who was a drug user.
Ashley and her siblings were dropped off at their babysitter’s home for long hours. She added that when she was 6, she was repeatedly molested by the babysitter’s husband. As the eldest among the siblings, Ashley felt responsible for them, remained silent throughout such traumatic times, and instead turned to food for escape. “I felt like I had no one to protect me, so I turned to food to deal with it all,” she said.
Food became her only comfort, and although they were later taken in by their father, a safer environment could not change her relationship with food. Thus, due to such severe emotional damage, her weight reached up to 400 pounds by the time she graduated high school and kept increasing with time. Ashley did see a glimmer of hope when she managed to lose around 95 pounds after Patrick’s birth, but she could not sustain that routine for long.
It became a constant cycle of eating huge meals, being depressed about her weight, and then eating again out of her misery. Ashley was shattered by her own situation since she could not take care of her son and instead had to be dependent on him. Thus, she decided to make her journey to Dr. Now in Houston and get into better shape to live a healthier life with her husband and son. Dr. Now made a calorie-restricted weight loss regime for Ashley for her to follow to lose some weight before she could get approved for surgery.
Ashley took his advice quite seriously and managed to lose a surprising 123 pounds, much more than what she was asked. She then got done with the gastric bypass surgery and was advised against under-eating, so she didn’t lose essential nutrients. There were some bumps along the road after that, like a time when Ashley overdosed on painkillers leading to hospitalization from ulcer formation. She also had to undergo a gallbladder operation during her time at the hospital. However, even with so many hurdles, in the end, Ashley successfully lost around 330 pounds.
Ashley Dunn Bratcher is Leading a Happy Life Today
Ashley Dunn Bratcher kept maintaining her balanced diet, and her weight had come down from 725 to 397 pounds at the end of the show. Elated at her own triumph, Ashley was determined to continue the process meticulously and did so too. Thus, she eventually got much healthier to move about easily and take care of her son as she always wanted. She has become much more confident around her friends and family and doesn’t shy away from living life to the fullest.
Ashley appeared in the follow-up episode on ‘Where Are They Now?’ in 2018 and gave an update on her weight loss journey. In that episode, she underwent excess skin and fat removal surgery to get rid of those excess parts. Later, she happily announced that her weight had come down to 300 pounds. Ashley also talked to People about her ways to stay on track. She said, “What I’ve found that helps me is when I do get that craving, I try to think about that and think about what I’m feeling.”
She added, “If it’s true hunger, then, you know, I’ll eat something. But if I’m feeling angry, happy, sad, I try to revert my mind to something else. I go for a walk. I play with my dogs. I might journal. It’s a learning experience.” Apart from keeping a check on her eating habits, Ashley has much more going on in her life than before. She hangs around with her family more confidently, takes care of Patrick, goes shopping with him or to his school, and so on.
Ashley and her family are also huge fans of the NFL, and the Dallas Cowboys team is the favorite of this Texan native. She often shows support to the team on her social media and even shared that they watch them every year. Not just that, Ashley also excitedly shared that Patrick once got to play on the Dallas Cowboys field. The mother of one posted a photo in 2017 and wrote, “My little man turns 8 today and he’s getting to play on the Dallas Cowboys field. So proud of the little man he’s becoming.”
Living in Kerens, Texas, Ashley and Jacob are also doing very well together and often enjoy their time visiting fun places and having barbeque sessions in their backyard. The couple celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary in June 2022. Thus, we only wish them a healthy and happy future together.
Read More: Is My 600-lb Life Scripted or Real?
