What Irene From My 600-Lb. Life Is Doing Now

My 600-Lb. Life is a reality series that brings heart and soul. The TLC favorite chronicles the journeys of morbidly obese individuals who seek to transforms their lives and "transformation" is an optimal word because the changes can be shocking. What makes My 600-Lb. Life so heart-wrenching is the backstory behind these remarkable people and no one who winds up on the show has had an easy life. This was certainly the case for Shannon Lowery and Lashanta White. Not every story on the TLC series ends well though, so the stakes are high.

Irene Walker knows the stakes are high, which is why she joined the TLC series and her story premiered on March 10, 2021, according to Distractify. Irene hails from Houston, Texas, and was 39 when her story aired. She lives in an apartment with "her son, niece, and daughter-in-law" to help her. Irene turned to food for comfort when her mother left her abusive father, the outlet says, and later, when she was in an abusive relationship and became a single mother at 17, food became a coping mechanism.

"Eating is what I do most of the day. It's the only thing that brings me the pleasure that I want. It's what I look forward to constantly," Irene said. "When I'm eating, it helps me forget everything else ... because when I have any of my favorite foods, all the hurt in me is taken away until the food is gone." So what has Irene's journey been like?

Irene Walker faced more difficulties as an adult when she lost her father, mother, sister, and aunt in the span of two years, per Distractify. As an adult, Irene became mother to three more children after her young pregnancy, making a total of four kids.

All of these hardships contributed to Irene's weight struggle, which she spoke about. "My daily life is such a struggle now because of how my size has gotten," Irene said. "It's hard for me to do things because of my weight, so I rely on my family and friends to help me do what I have to do ... I'm able to still get around and do some basic things for myself, like cleaning myself on my own still. So I push myself to do that. But it's hard."

When Irene first met with Dr. Younan Nowzaradan (Dr. Now), she weighed 603 pounds. In order to meet approval for bariatric surgery, she had to lose 60 pounds (via Distractify), and it was a rocky journey. During the following check-ins, Irene had only lost five pounds and later, only seven. But just over a year after she began her journey, Irene had lost 68 pounds.

Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Now had to postpone Irene's surgery, according to The Cinemaholic, so Irene will have to continue losing weight through diet and exercise. She also shared on Facebook a very cute new profile picture and the happy news that she's in a relationship as of January 2021.