How Is ‘The 6000-Lb Life Diaries’ Different From ‘My 600-Lb Life’? Inside Dr. Now’s Shows
The famed bariatric surgeon is at the center of both 'The 6000-Lb Diaries' and 'My 600-Lb Life.'
Published Jan. 2 2025, 3:34 p.m. ET
While there are many types of shows within the reality TV genre, a new show about weight loss tends to come into the zeitgeist every few years. In 2024, Lifetime began previewing the first season of a show documenting weight management featuring a face familiar to many My 600-lb Life fans: Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, aka Dr. Now.
The series, The 6000-lb Diaries with Dr. Now, follows several morbidly obese people hoping to change their lives through weight loss.
Fans who have watched Dr. Now on 600-lb Life know he can get them into shape based on what they've seen from his long-running TLC show.
The 6000-lb Diaries premieres on Lifetime on Jan. 6, 2025. Simultaneously, My 600-lb Life has continued to air new episodes, though some believe the show is nearing its end. So, is The 6000-lb Diaries different from My 600-lb Life, or is it preparing us for the show's end that brought us Dr. Now? Here's what we found out!
How is 'The 6000-lb Diaries' different than 'My 600-lb Life'?
The 6000-lb Diaries and My 600-lb Life have a common goal — to help others in need lose weight and make healthier options for their body and lifestyle. Participants in both shows also have Dr. Now to guide (and possibly shame) them through their goals. However, fans should know the shows have several differences.
The 6000-lb Diaries' synopsis from Lifetime states it will show "ten morbidly obese individuals as they fight for a chance to live the life they have always wanted, both for themselves and for their loved ones.” The individuals' combined weight totals 6000 lbs., hence its title. The premise slightly differs from My 600-lb Life, as participants from that show typically show their process of losing 600 lbs. in a year.
Another difference between the shows is the participants on The 6000-lb Diaries will share their weight loss journeys through intimate video diaries and confessional interviews. While My 600-lb Life doesn't have a daily diary they share with viewers, they use confessionals and voiceovers to document their process. The individuals on both shows also share the food they're used to eating before starting the process, with one 6000-lb Diaries participant stating she was "doing what I do when I can’t cope" as she revealed several plates of food.
Additionally, although Season 1 of The 6000-lb Diaries has ten participants, fewer than My 600-lb Life, the series focuses on each person weighing 600 lbs individually. So, the show won't venture much from My 600-lb Life in that regard, as the TLC show shows one different person struggling with their weight at a time.
Is Dr. Now leaving 'My 600-lb Life'?
Dr. Now announced the debut of The 6000-lb Diaries via Instagram on Dec. 10, 2024. He said the show was his "new" venture during his announcement. Additionally, Lifetime has promoted the series as the surgeon's "new home" in the Season 1 trailer.
Though Dr. Now and Lifetime have become bosom buddies, TLC fans shouldn't worry about not seeing him in future My 600-lb Life episodes. He will remain on the Lifetime show and My 600-lb Life simultaneously. 600-lb Life — which has seen multiple lawsuits and several of its cast members' deaths — returned for Season 13 on Jan. 1, 2025.