Margaret Johnson Made Major Progress After 'My 600-lb Life' — See How She's Doing Now

It's not often that My 600-lb Life episodes feature truly bedridden patients, but in the Jan. 5, 2022, episode, Margaret Johnson is reliant on remaining in her bed or a wheelchair more often than not. She can sit up on her own if needed, but even when she has physical therapy, she can't move all that much while in bed.

In the episode, Margaret explains why she weighs more than 700 pounds, and as far as stories go on this show, it's one of the most heartbreaking by far.

Margaret explains that her food issues began as a small child when her father, who she says was 1,000 pounds, ate most of the food in the house. Margaret and her siblings nearly starved as a result.

Because of her father's verbal abuse and food deprivation, Margaret turned to eating for comfort and weighed over 100 pounds by the age of six. While Margaret was able to make some progress on the show, she did have a few setbacks. So, where is Margaret now?

After her appearance on Season 10, Episode 10 of My 600-lb Life, Margaret reached the target weight Dr. Now had set for her to undergo surgery. However, in Season 9, Episode 5 of My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?, which aired on May 29, 2024, viewers learn that Margaret started missing appointments. Her weight increased to 548 pounds a year and one month after her initial visit with Dr. Now.

At that time, Margaret continued to struggle with her mental health as she admitted, “I'm physically here, but emotionally checked out.” While Dr. Now proceeded to keep Margaret in the hospital where her diet could be controlled, she continued to throw tantrums and fits. Her behavior made it difficult for physical therapists to assist her with meeting her weight loss goals.

Fortunately, Margaret's mom began setting more boundaries and became less of an enabler, which allowed Margaret to start making some progress with her health. Around a year and three months after meeting with Dr. Now, Margaret weighed 463 pounds, reflecting a total loss of 286 pounds.

After being discharged from the hospital, Margaret ate once a day and increased her water intake significantly. Shortly after, she dropped out of Dr. Now's program, with her mom attributing the decision to all of the progress she had made.

Since there doesn't seem to be a public social media account associated with Margaret, it's hard to say if she has continued down the right path, although we hope that she's living a much healthier lifestyle.

Margaret explains in the episode that her mom, Millie, had gastric bypass surgeries years ago. Even so, her mom had given in to Margaret's cravings for unhealthy food. And at times in the episode, Margaret's mother alternates between treating Margaret almost like a child and lashing out at her out of frustration.

Margaret's mother is (or at least she was) her primary caretaker, and she was there with Margaret for her doctor appointments and follow ups. She seemed genuinely excited for Margaret as she continued to reach milestones in her weight loss journey and assured Dr. Now that she would continue to urge Margaret to eat healthy foods.

Although Margaret and her mother scaled back on their communication with Dr. Now, Margaret said she felt better mentally and had become more independent.

Watch My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on TLC.