He is only 31 years old, yet his life had effectively come to an end. By his side is only his mother, who looks after her grown son—a task she can no longer manage, as he weighs over 350 kg…
Overweight since childhood, he never faced any restrictions regarding food; he ate whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. This was the result of his mother’s unconditional love and constant care.
Joe’s parents divorced when he was young. He remained with his mother, who began to care for him with intense devotion—a level of care that has continued to this day, even though Joe is now 31…
Living with obesity, he existed entirely under his mother’s care. He knew nothing beyond eating—constantly eating. He had no relationships and no friends; his only escape was video games.
He had become so obese that he could barely move, teetering on the verge of being completely bedridden. His mother, meanwhile, was no longer physically capable of looking after a son of his size…
Weight loss: At a certain point, Joe finally realized that his body had reached its limit and that he was on the brink of death—having barely had a chance to truly live. He came to the clear realization that he had to lose weight and change his life.
Unable to overcome his food addiction on his own, Joe applied to join the program “My 600-lb Life” (known in some regions as “Peso 300 kg”) and was accepted as a participant.
Joe Wexler became one of the most successful participants in the show’s history. Viewers followed his life and weight-loss journey for three years. He took the process very seriously, adhering to a prescribed 1,200-calorie diet—though he did experience a few setbacks. After a year, having proven that he had conquered his food addiction, he underwent weight-loss surgery to reduce the size of his stomach. In one year, Joe lost 91 kg, bringing his weight down to 262 kg.
Personal life: Joe met Sarah within an online community for people trying to lose weight. At first, they only communicated digitally, and feelings began to develop through their correspondence.
He was afraid to meet her in person. He knew he weighed 250 kg and felt he looked terrible. But Joe took a chance and arranged a date with Sarah. To his surprise, she didn’t reject him—she truly loved him.
Sarah became his source of support and strength. She helped him and motivated him to take action. Joe wanted to propose, have a wedding, and make her happy; consequently, he committed himself to a weight-loss journey.
In total, over the course of two years, Joe lost 200 kg. He underwent surgery to remove excess skin—of which he had a significant amount—that had been preventing him from walking normally.
The wedding: Upon reaching a weight of 150 kg, Joe proposed to Sarah, and they were married. Sarah had a daughter, whom Joe adopted. He finally had a real family.
During the first year of their marriage, Joe lost another 50 kg, reaching a weight of 100 kg. It felt as though he had achieved the impossible; his life had changed radically, becoming rich, interesting, and happy.
Joe at a weight of 150 kg:
Divorce: Sarah and Joe’s marriage lasted only two years. Joe was prone to jealousy and would often use the threat of divorce as a form of manipulation. Sarah eventually grew distant and began to cheat on him.
Joe suffered deeply from his wife’s betrayal and the subsequent divorce. He fell into a depression and regained some weight. He spent about half a year in this state, but eventually, he managed to recover. He began losing weight once again and learned how to live without Sarah. Joe’s weight at the time of his marriage – 100 kg:
A new life: Today, Joe is 38 years old. He began his studies and started working in the information technology industry. Following his divorce, his dogs (he had four) helped him overcome depression; they provided a distraction and motivated him to keep moving forward.
Recently, Joe remarried. Interestingly, he has known his wife for 12 years—they were even friends for a time—but romantic feelings only developed recently. His new wife has a daughter, whom Joe has adopted.
He admits that he is at peace with himself and is happy. His weight has not increased; he still weighs around 100 kg.
