James Jones was on My 600-lb Life season 2. When the show featuring Jones aired, he weighed over 728 pounds and required immediate assistance. James also had weight problems that ran in his family.
Many of his family members struggled with being a heavier person, but he didn’t let his family history impede him from trying to get better. He lost over 500 pounds by working hard and following his diet plan.
His story on the show gave hope to many people watching. Today, he stays busy with his work and health goals. Let’s walk you through his progress and highlight what his life looks like now that he’s been on the show.
Where is James Jones Now?
James Jones first appeared in episode 7 of season 2 back in 2014. The then-37-year-old man from Frankston, Texas, weighed 728 pounds when he joined the show.
He was thin as a child and had no weight problems during his early years. But he began gaining weight as he grew older. His eating habits led him to weigh 280 pounds by the time he was 16. His weight kept going up from there.
Joness worked hard to lose the weight and now lives a healthy life. Today, he runs several small businesses. He provides tax and accounting services to customers in his area. Moreover, he sells and delivers firewood to people who need it.
According to his social media, Jones continues to help people learn about obesity issues.
Every year on his birthday, he collects money for the Obesity Action Coalition. This group supports individuals struggling with weight issues and provides them with essential services.
James Jones: Early Life and Family History
Weight problems run through James’ family and create a tragic pattern. During his My 600-lb Life first episode, he explained that both his father and sister died from health problems caused by being a heavier person.
Unfortunately, both deaths happened within six months of each other. As a result, this created motivation for James to lose weight, but also put a heavy emotional burden on him.
After his father and sister both died from obesity-related problems, he started gaining more weight himself. Although he wanted to lose weight, he turned to food for comfort instead.
Consequently, this made him overeat, and soon he became addicted to food. His large body made it hard to exercise or move around much. With each passing day, he was getting closer to the same fate as his father and sister.
Meanwhile, the family bed became a symbol of this tragic pattern. First, James’s sister moved into their father’s bed after he died. Then, she died within six months. After that, he shifted into the same bed.
However, James realized what he needed to do for himself, so he moved to Houston and initiated Dr. Now’s weight loss program.
Weight Loss Success
James received a severe warning from his doctor during his episode. The doctor told him that at his current weight and eating habits, he would not live to see age 65, the same age his father passed away.
James had already started losing some weight before he met Dr. Nowzaradan. He weighed 728 pounds when he first visited the doctor’s office.
His weight loss accelerated after he began working with Dr. Now. Since he was so heavy, he could not get gastric bypass surgery right away. Dr. Now put him on a strict diet that mainly included eggs and toast.
James lost 53 pounds in just two weeks with this diet plan. This weight loss was enough to qualify him for the stomach bypass surgery he needed.
After five months of following the program, James had lost 148 pounds. He then qualified for his first skin removal surgery. Another 76 pounds came off during that operation. By the end of his first episode, he had made significant changes in his life.
He was eating healthier food and exercising regularly. His weight had dropped to 376 pounds. This meant he weighed only a little more than half of what he had weighed at his heaviest point.
My 600-lb Life: James Faced An Accident
Apart from his weight loss journey, James had to deal with a car crash injury that happened in 2018. He was also healing from spinal fusion surgery after this violent crash.
James went off the road and flipped his F350 truck back across a four-lane highway. The crash broke his C2 vertebra and both of his collar bones.
The accident made his recovery much harder because of his extreme weight loss. His weight had gone back up before the crash. Then he lost several hundred pounds in the months leading up to the accident.
This extra stress on his body made it harder for him to heal from his injuries.
James Jones’ Love Life
James Jones keeps his romantic relationships private. His Facebook shows he is single. He was engaged to Summer during his “Where Are They Now?” episode, but she no longer appears on his social media.
He prefers to keep his personal life away from public view. In February 2019, he posted a photo with a female friend at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Louisiana. He noted in the comments that she was just a good friend.
