"I felt worthless" — My 600-lb Life star Jonathan details the struggles of his childhood

My 600-lb Life season 13, which documented Jonathan's journey, premiered on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Titled Jonathan's Journey, it showcased the cast member struggling to manage his weight and ultimately seeking the help of Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, popularly known as Dr. Now. Like most patients on My 600-lb Life, Jonathan's childhood played a major role in increasing his weight.

From experiencing the consequences of a broken family to dealing with the lack of food, multiple factors encouraged Jonathan to turn to unhealthy eating habits to cope with his unhappiness at an early age. It eventually caused his weight to spiral out of control and reach the 400-pound range while still in junior high.

During a confessional, Jonathan said that his appearance often made him stand out, which the other children took advantage of and bullied him for. Although it upset him, he could do nothing about it except skip school as much as he could.

"But what I really wanted was to feel loved. Most of the time when I was at high school, I felt worthless," Jonathan said in the confessional.

In addition to struggling to manage the weight, Jonathan dealt with the consequences of his father's alcoholism and brother's decision to leave home. However, it was Jonathan's parents' deaths that pushed him to an unforeseen place. Weighing in at 641.5 pounds, the Illinois resident was determined to turn his life around and start afresh.

---

"We'd have, like, popcorn for dinner" — My 600-lb Life star Jonathan recalls when his family experienced a shortage of food

In one of the segments of the My 600-lb Life episode, Jonathan confessed that his food addiction started with "home troubles." Although his family house had electricity, it did not have sewage or plumbing. As a result, Jonathan's family got the water from his grandmother's house next door through a garden hose. In addition, the family also faced a shortage of food at times.

"There's been times where we were so much out of food, that we'd have, like, popcorn for dinner," Jonathan said.

Since the My 600-lb Life star understood the value of food, he would diligently obey his mother when she advised him to eat everything served so he would not go hungry later on.

However, when his mother had the money to buy food, she would make him everything he liked to eat, particularly deep-fried items. During a My 600-lb Life confessional, Jonathan revealed that that was when he started to put on weight.

Jonathan further disclosed that his father was an alcoholic and would get intoxicated whenever he had the chance. It not only impacted the atmosphere at home but also complicated everyday living.

"I remember my dad getting drunk a lot, yelling at us, and he would say things that were hurtful and it was mostly aimed at my mom. He would also take it out on my brother and I as well," Jonathan added.

Consequently, Jonathan turned to food to feel better, claiming that it helped him ignore everything that happened at home.

He encountered another hurdle when his elder brother decided to sever ties with the family and move out. Since Jonathan was only five when his brother left him, he struggled to understand his reasons and felt "terrible" not having him around.

"I think it broke our bond and after that, I felt alone and neglected so I turned to food," he said.

Early on in school, Jonathan realized "something wasn't right" about him. He had to custom-make his jersey and pants since he was "too fat to fit into the regular-sized ones." As he inched closer to the 100-pound mark, he expressed that his weight made him feel like an "outcast," granting others the opportunity to ridicule him.

Even then, Jonathan could not realize that his eating habits made him "overweight." By the time he reached junior high, he weighed 400 pounds and began to lose control of his mobility. Jonathan confessed that he used his weight to knock out his bullies so they would not bother him anymore.

Eventually, he began skipping school to avoid the bullying. As a result, Jonathan's mother set him up to transition into a homeschooling environment. The My 600-lb Life cast member ultimately finished his schooling from home. Although it relieved him, it did not change his eating habits, which worsened as he entered college.

---

My 600-lb Life airs every Wednesday at 8 pm ET only on TLC.