Reality TV stars usually shock the viewer through dramatic, often negative actions. While that frequently happens with weight loss shows such as “The Biggest Loser,” “My 600-lb Life,” and “1000-lb Sisters,” when patients find excuses, argue or berate their loved ones or the doctor, or ignore medical advice, sometimes the shock is closer to confusion. Casey King weighed nearly 850lbs or 385kgs before joining the “Family By The Ton” TV show in 2018 as a cousin to the main stars, the six Anderson sisters. After a bariatric operation, he shed over two-thirds of his weight, and his BMI (Body Mass Index) would have been in the average range if it weren’t for the excess skin. Nonetheless, his journey was difficult, and he had several obstacles to success.
Casey King lost a staggering amount of weight
Casey “Case” King is a Georgia native who was morbidly obese and weighed 711lb or 322,5kg when he was cast in the show, but his weight peaked at around the number above. Initially, he was reluctant to change anything, stating that he would ‘just eat until I’m dead’, and that he doesn’t plan to lead an active life. Casey cited a history of obesity as early as his elementary school days, and noted that he had to stay naked most of the time to endure the Georgia heat. Luckily, by 2023, he’d shed over 600lbs or 272kgs, and become the show’s most famous success story. He is now active on social media, and talks about his incredible weight loss and improved life. He also plans to undergo a skin removal operation, and wants to stay under 225lbs, 102kgs.
He was a lazy, food-addicted gamer
Casey’s most significant problem came from his food addiction and easy access to food. He admitted to waking up around noon, immediately thinking about what he would eat while sitting in bed, and only getting up to go to the bathroom or grab something at home. While sitting there throughout the day, he ordered food, ate unhealthy food he bought, or had his father bring him meals. Casey would play video games and watch TV before going back to bed, and because he was jobless, the next day would look similar.
Casey also stated that having online friends who couldn’t see his appearance helped him ignore the alarming weight gain. However, contrary to what many addicts do, he never gave up on playing video games during his journey. Instead, he found a balance that didn’t hurt his work or physical activity. Casey stated, ‘Video games are where I escaped. I’m accepted in those virtual reality worlds. No one sees me, and I can be the Casey I want to be, without being judged by my weight.’
Casey’s daily hygiene required work
However, early in the show, as his weight increased, his daily hygiene suffered. His folds and flaps gave him the most trouble, since he had to ‘roll over and wallow, almost like a pig,’ only to reach his legs. Casey also could not clean himself after defecation, because he couldn’t get to all the spots near his back and below him. Moreover, the hot weather in Georgia and restrictive, ill-fitting clothes became a considerable problem; hence, he spent nearly all his time naked. Bathing was another issue; over time, he could no longer fit into a regular-sized bath or shower, and even got stuck in the shower several times, once for nine hours. To solve the problem, his father built him a bathtub from a trough, and put it on his back deck.
Casey returned to leading an active life
Casey admitted that he was always ‘a big kid’ who weighed about 300lbs or 136kgs by the time he left high school, but that he remained active in the past and cited that he loved running, an activity that would be the staple of his weight loss. However, the frequency of his physical activities decreased as he left high school and began working in restaurants.
Over time, he gained weight, crossing the 500lbs or 227kgs mark, and eventually quit his job. Expectedly, eating the same amount of food or more while physically inactive made his weight rise uncontrollably.
To lose enough weight to qualify for the bariatric operation, Casey had to learn to put physical activity into everything that he did, and challenge himself in things that he already liked, such as running or hiking. He started jogging as much as his joins allowed, and has done several 5K races since the early 2020s. He also started doing aqua aerobics, while staying over at his mother’s house.
Furthermore, he realized that having a goal, getting out of the house, and meeting people were crucial components of a happy life. Thus, he found a job at Home Depot in 2020, where he’s worked since.
2 very recent pictures taken at the gym
Posted by Casey King-TLC Family By The Ton on Friday, April 19, 2019
His dad was an enabler
The show demonstrated that Casey wasn’t a functional adult. However, it also showed that he would have no choice but to become one if his father was absent, because he moved in with him after quitting his job and falling in love with food. His dad’s love damaged him more than it helped; he wanted to make Casey happy, and they both enjoyed easy access to food. Thus, they would order Japanese hibachi and sushi by the barrel, before Casey moved on to even larger portions, and began indulging in unhealthy meals.
That wasn’t a problem when he was at his heaviest, however, on a diet plan during the show, the convenience of such food was alluring, compared to preparing healthier variants he now eats
He had to accept his mother’s help
Dr. Charles Procter Jr., the show’s surgeon, proposed a vertical sleeve gastrectomy operation, a form of a gastric sleeve bypass, to help Casey curb his appetite. However, although he predicted a loss of between 70 and 100lbs, 32 to 45kgs in several months to a year, Casey had to work hard to qualify.
That’s where his mother, Casey King, whom he jokingly started calling ‘a drill sergeant,’ came into the picture. She was indirectly responsible for his weight gain, since she kicked him out of her house when he showed no desire to get a job and contribute to the household in other ways. Unlike his father, she was strict about his diet, and kept him accountable when he thought of eating cheat meals. Consequently, Casey dropped to under 700lbs or 315kgs with solid willpower and his mother’s rigorous supervision.
After Dr. Charles reduced the size of his stomach from ‘the size of a basketball to the size of a racquetball’ in 2019, Casey weighed 630lbs or 285kgs. Commenting on the situation, Casey said, ‘Being at my mom’s place is kinda like being at fat camp. I’ll do whatever she says while I’m here, but I feel like I can’t keep this up after I leave.’
Nevertheless, although he still thinks dieting sucks, he focused on simplicity, and stated that finding healthy food choices became more manageable at home. For instance, Casey focuses on eating protein-heavy foods not fried or topped with high-sugar. He also avoids sugary drinks, and consistently drinks water.
Casey had to ignore bad examples
Most people forget that Casey joined the TV show with his morbidly obese cousins, Amy, Ed and Amanda – they motivated each other, but Casey was by far the heaviest. Therefore, his cousins, who weighed between 400 and 450lbs or 180 and 204kgs, could afford to break their diet and exercise plans because their goal weight was closer, and they weren’t homebound and unable to care for their basic needs. Moreover, though jokingly, his mother often offered Casey snacks to see if his resolve would falter when he saw others eating, talking about, or showing the things he craved.
He never dated
One of the most significant consequences of his shut-in lifestyle and excessive weight was his dating life. Casey admits he never got close to people more than on a friendship level.
With that in mind, he lost his virginity at 35 or 36, i.e., in 2019 or 2020, and had only begun dating in mid-2021. While Casey was single in the first quartal of 2023, he revealed that he had six sexual partners, and had to learn everything about girls in his late 30s. He concludes that girls are pretty, smell good, and are fun to kiss and that while challenging to achieve, dating and physical intimacy were things that he was starved for; hence he didn’t know that he wanted them.
While he found this new world exciting, and sex vulnerable and impactful, he wasn’t fully happy with his appearance. Therefore, Casey was uncomfortable undressing in the bedroom, citing that his feeling and desire were there with women, but that his mind wasn’t entirely in it, but believed that removing excess skin would solve the problem.
Casey needed a skin removal operation
On his 37th birthday in November 2021, Casey announced that he was approaching his goal weight, and was currently at 255lbs or 115kgs, 5lbs or 2,5kgs away from the weisght he never imagined was possible. By early May 2022, he was at 247lbs or 112kg; on Valentine’s Day in 2023, he saw 242lbs or 110kgs on the scale, and a TMZ interview in March revealed his weight had dropped to 232lbs or 105kgs.
However, despite his realization that he was the healthiest he’d been since high school, and that he never loved himself more, one problem remained. Although Casey’s weight was still far from ideal for his height, the excess skin made up a significant portion.
That’s where Casey faced three challenges, which he shared during a January 2022 interview with Ethan Klein, the YouTuber behind the channel h3h3Productions. First, waiting until he saves enough money with his Home Depot job would slow his progress, but he was willing to wait. Second, he needed to find a doctor he trusted and could afford. Third, accepting help, especially financially, didn’t work in his favor in the case of his father.
However, he unexpectedly had to face all those challenges at once. Ethan promised to start a fundraiser via GoFundMe, and over 950 viewers and Casey’s fans shattered the initial goal of $15,000, donating over $19,500 by early April 2023. Therefore, he had to accept the ‘outpouring of support from these legitimate strangers and the flood of compliments on his looks,’ both new to him, before he started calling plastic surgeons’ clinics to schedule an operation.
Feels pretty damn good
New lowest weight
From 845 lbs to 266 lbs pic.twitter.com/Tzf5evWCD4
— Casey King (@CaseyKing_FBTT) September 23, 2021
Casey King should reach his target weight
Casey has demonstrated an iron will to turn his life around, and at this point had lost 615lbs or 280kgs from when he was the heaviest, and 480lbs or 220kgs since he stepped on the scale at the beginning of the show.
Moreover, in his TMZ interview in March 2023, he revealed that $18,000 from the GoFundMe fundraiser was in his bank account, that he was meeting doctors, and plans to go under the knife by the end of 2023. With a smaller stomach, a solid diet plan, lots of physical activities, and a happy and active social and professional life, Casey will undoubtedly reach his goal weight and likely get closer to 210lbs or 95kgs once the extra skin is gone.
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