On the February 3 episode of My 600-Lb Life, viewers were introduced to Kenae Dolphus, a 41-year-old woman from Nacogdoches, Texas, who weighed 614 pounds.
After admitting to having food issues stemming from her childhood and explaining that she never properly grieved the death of her mother, Kenae traveled over two hours to Houston to meet with Dr. Younan Nowzaradan in the hopes of regaining control of her life.
“I constantly have a craving. It’s this drive in me that I can’t control but I know it’s taken over my life to the point of where I can barely get around. Even when I’m full, I don’t want to stop because I want that joy that food gives me,” Kenae shared on the show.
Following revelations regarding her infertility struggles, and guilt over bringing shame to her family and her husband, Rodney Dolphus, Kenae butted heads with Dr. Now after he called her out for her lack of progress following their initial meeting.
Luckily, after their brief spat and a therapy visit, Kenae got back on track, and her passion to lose weight and gain the ability to walk to her mother’s grave was reignited.
“You can’t be overweight and happy because of what your weight takes from your life and from the people around you,” Kenae said. “In order to live, I have to lose the weight.”
By the end of month seven, Kenae weighed 517 pounds — having lost a total of 98 pounds on her own. However, she wasn’t able to qualify for surgery yet as her heart was too weak.
At the end of the episode, following 12 months of having her weight loss journey documented, Kenae had lost an amazing 133 pounds on her own and weighed 482 pounds. She revealed that she’s “in the 400s” for the first time in “decades.”
Still, despite her incredible progress, Kenae couldn’t get cleared for surgery due to her heart issues. However, she vowed not to give up or slow down as she remained dedicated to her goal of getting the gastric bypass weight loss surgery. She also remained hopeful that she will one day be approved and is enjoying her life in the meantime.
“I’m not giving up and I’m still losing,” she said at the end of the episode.
While it is not known how much Kenae weighs today, she’s shared a number of new photos of herself in recent months on Facebook. In the photo below, Kenae is wearing a small top, possibly in an effort to show off her weight loss.
In addition to the images Kenae has shared of herself, she has also posted pictures of her family, including the children of the nieces and nephews she was seen with on the TLC series.
In Kenae’s latest social media image, which was shared in December 2020, she was seen posing alongside a female family member in what appeared to be her husband Rodney’s church.
My 600-Lb Life season nine airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on TLC.