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‘My 600-lb Life’ Star: I Turned to Drugs After My Dad Mocked My Weight Gain

A woman opens up about her struggles with weight gain and drug use on My 600-lb Life‘s Wednesday, January 25, episode, as seen in Us Weekly‘s exclusive sneak peek.

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The TLC docuseries’ preview clip introduces Kirstin Perez, a 38-year-old who moved out of her family’s Longview, Washington, home as a young teen, fell in with the wrong crowd and began experimenting with drugs while gaining weight. Traumatic circumstances led to her getting pregnant twice, and because she was unable to care for the two children, she gave custody to her parents and ended up on the streets.

Kirstin Perez
Kirstin Perez

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After her weight rose to 600 pounds, and as she continued to battle with drug addictions, she finally moved back home in hopes of getting gastric-bypass surgery and regaining control of her life.

“As much as I found comfort in food, it was just the beginning of my addictions,” Perez tells the camera. “I was doing drugs and smoking a lot of pot, a lot of acid, meth here and there, and I still didn’t slow down my eating. When I was 15 was when I really started to put on the weight, I guess.”

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She points out that a lack of support at home exacerbated the situation: “My father didn’t hesitate to point out that I was gaining so much weight, which made me feel even more rejected, and I’d run to drugs and food, and my family didn’t know how to deal with it.”

Watch the clip above. My 600-lb Life airs on TLC Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.  

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