After Leaving Her Abusive Husband, This Woman Lost 525 Lbs And Won Back Her Life

Christina Phillips weighed 708 pounds and hadn’t left her house in two years before she decided to regain control of her life.

“Before I couldn’t walk eight feet without feeling like I was gonna die. Now, I could do just about anything I put my mind to,” she told People.

Christina was 22 when she first appeared on My 600-Lb Life, and had become completely dependent on her family and husband Zach to help meet her most basic needs.

On the show, Dr. Nowzaradan prescribed Christina a strict diet plan and recommended exercise, before she could qualify for gastric bypass surgery.

By the time Christina was 12 years old, she weighed 286 pounds

Growing up, Christina witnessed her parents arguing all the time, and turned to food to cope. By the time she was 12 years old, she weighed 286 pounds. 

By the time she signed up for the popular TLC program, Christina was bedridden and unable to care for herself, so when she lost enough weight to be approved for the life-saving surgery, she became empowered.

“At the beginning I had a lot of people doubt me,” she explained.

An abusive relationship had enabled her

As she continued to make progress, Christina realized her husband was threatened with her newfound independence and that he’d been enabling her throughout their marriage.

I was in a really abusive relationship. And that definitely, I think, has had a negative impact on me. It hurt. In my heart, in my head.

So Christina decided to divorce Zach, who had become unsupportive of her happiness and transformation.

Despite the heartbreak, she went on with the surgery and lost 525 pounds, but instead of celebrating her hard earned success, she began to struggle with her body image.

She needed to adjust to her new reality

“Lately any time I see the scale go up, I tend to freak out and I stop eating for a couple days,” she admitted on an episode of My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?

At this point, Christina was ready to go under the knife again, to remove excess skin but her doctor recommended she consult with a therapist to address her fears, instead.

He thought she was being too hard on herself.

I know I’m not 700 lbs. anymore, but I still feel that way. And I don’t know how to change how I feel.

After putting on extra pounds to be eligible for the procedure, Christina eventually got the surgery and was down to 172 pounds.

Christina wasn't at the end of her challenges

“When I was 700 lbs., I felt worthless, and like I didn’t deserve anything better than the life I had. And now my fear of gaining weight has crippled me. But I have to move past that fear if I want to live my life,” she said.

Her fear of gaining weight led to her developing an eating disorder, but she’s been able to work through her demons and has recently completed her second 5K run.

This Goalcast video will give you pure, unbridled inspiration:

Despite being met with obstacles throughout her transformation journey, Christina has been determined to maintain her physical and mental well-being, and looks forward to the little things now.

“The simple things in life are enjoyable to me. I know that seems silly but it’s the honest answer,” Christina said. “Just walking and being able to go to the park with my nephew. [It’s] the most simple thing like taking him to the park or going shopping or driving.”

“I’m so much more happier now. Being able to wake up in the morning and get out of bed without feeling like I’m gonna die, I thank God every morning for that,” she continued.

I am so blessed to have a second chance at life.

Christina Phillips

Take every win as evidence that you can do it again

Going from 700 lbs. to a healthy weight was not a straight journey for Christina. Along the way, she realized there were other obstacles that needed to be dealt with too.

It is important to be aware that there will always be setbacks along the way to your objective but every time you overcome an obstacle, you gain the knowledge that you'll be able to do it again.

More inspiring transformations:

• This Woman Lost 400 Pounds By Confronting Her Demons
• This Man Lost Over 600 Pounds After Choosing To Live
• At 70, This Woman Defied All Odds By Starting Her Fitness Journey
• This Woman Lost Over 200 Pounds By Shifting Her Mindset