1000-Lb. Sisters’ Tammy and Amy Slaton Say Weight Struggles Began During Their Childhoods
1000-Lb. Sisters stars Tammy Slaton and Amy Slaton opened up about their weight struggles while reflecting on their childhoods.
“I've always had a weight issue,” Tammy, 37, told People in an interview published on Wednesday, December 13. “I was born 9 lbs. 10 oz., and then I just kept gaining.”
After Amy, 36, acknowledged that their “whole family's big,” she said that their diets contributed to their weight. Amy and Tammy recalled having to make their own meals and snacks while their mother, Darlene, worked three jobs to support their family.
“Mom was always at work, so we had to learn how to cook and stuff for ourselves," Amy explained. "And at 10 and 11 you really couldn't prepare healthy food and stuff.”
Tammy said that the “microwave was our [their] friend,” adding that they enjoyed eating “Ramen noodles, bowls of soup, things that were quick and easy.”
The TLC personalities also recalled being bullied in school because of their weight and said they were often the targets of “fat comments.”
Amy and Tammy continued to struggle with their weight when their grandmother, who helped take care of them, died in 1999. “[We] took it hard and turned to food for comfort,” Tammy said, while Amy admitted to “eating [her] feelings.”
While the siblings “leaned on each other” in their attempts to lose weight, it wasn’t until a TLC producer approached them about starring on their own show that they became committed to their health journeys.
“We were already trying to lose weight before the show even got a hold of us, so it was like the perfect opportunity,” Amy said.
Since making their reality TV debuts in 2020, both sisters have hit their weight goals to qualify for bariatric surgery. Amy’s highest weight was 406 lbs., and she qualified for the surgery in 2019 and now weighs 230 lbs. Meanwhile, Tammy’s heaviest weight was 725 lbs. She underwent the weight loss surgery in July 2022 and is now down to 285 lbs.
The reality stars noted that starring on the show has led to criticism from viewers, though they said they have no regrets about sharing their stories.
“By putting our stories out there, we’re helping others see they can lose weight too. They’re not alone,” Tammy told the outlet. “I’ve done more in the last nine months than I’ve ever done in my life. I have my life back.”
Not only have Tammy and Amy shared their lives on the show, but they have also been open with fans on social media. In November, Tammy revealed that she has cut soda — which she calls “sodies” — out of her daily diet.
“I don’t drink sodies that often anymore,” the Kentucky native said in a video posted via TikTok. “I mean, maybe two 12 oz. cans a day, sometimes not even that. Sometimes just one, sometimes not at all.”
Tammy continued, “I mainly drink water now. Or if I do drink something else it’s tea … diet tea or sugar free Gatorades. I do like drinking Crystal Light packets, stuff like that sometimes … but plain ordinary water.”
