Making a change. During the Wednesday, June 16, episode of Too Large, teacher George Covington explains his past struggles with his weight and how it is has affected him in every aspect of his life.
“My whole life, I’ve always been big. I can remember being put on diets as young as preschool, even in elementary and middle school. Nobody called me George. Everyone just described me as ‘that big guy.’ So, I was always defined by my size,” Covington explains in Us Weekly‘s exclusive sneak peek.
George then shares how other people’s perception of him changed his outlook on himself.
“It kind of felt like I wasn’t good enough, because of my size, I wasn’t worthy,” he says in the clip. “After that, I mean, I stayed to myself or appeared to be happy and jolly when deep down inside I was miserable.”
George, who teaches kindergarten, details how his job affected his weight gain over time.
“Food was definitely a defense mechanism,” he added. “Once I became the teacher, I didn’t exercise that much and that’s when the mobility really became an issue.”
It didn’t help that George also has to deal with offensive comments from his student’s parents.
“A lot of parents they go to the front office, and they complain about their kids being in my class. I had one parent say, ‘What if he falls on the kids?'” he says.
Too Large, which premiered earlier this month on discovery+, follows people who are struggling with cases of dire obesity and are hoping to get help from renowned bariatric surgeon Dr. Charles Procter.
The episode description highlights George as “a kind-hearted kindergarten teacher who weighs nearly 700 pounds.” While his family starts to be concerned for his health and his future, George is more determined to lose weight for love, specifically for his ex-girlfriend.
George may be focused on changing his appearance to win back his ex, but he also explains how losing weight would help him connect with his students more.
“When I come to my classroom in the morning, I normally stay at my desk all day because I can only walk about 10 feet or so before I have to take a breather. So, my coworkers actually really help me with my students,” he clarified in the video from the upcoming episode. “I would love to be able to sit on the floor and teach with my kids or take them on field trips. That does make me feel bad because I feel like they are missing out on something.”
New episodes of Too Large drop on discovery+ every Wednesday.
