Photos Reveal ‘1000-Lb Sisters’ Star Tammy Slaton Moving Forward In Weight Loss Journey Without Oxygen Support

Jun 02, 2023

The TLC television series “1000-lb Sisters” has become a guilty pleasure for many people in the United States, as well as anyone who can access it in other countries. It’s a show that follows the lives of Amy and Tammy Slaton, sisters who once weighed over 1,000 pounds together and depended on each other for support. The series depicts their hardships living as morbidly obese women while trying to find their own path to health and happiness.

Similar to “My 600-lb Life,” the show “1000-lb Sisters” has a fan following of people cheering on Amy and Tammy as they navigate weight loss and other obstacles in life, specifically ones related to their health. While many people have grown to adore the sisters for their sense of humor and their relationship with each other, others have pointed out how unmotivated the sisters seem at times to really take care of themselves and take their health situation seriously.

Each season depicts the challenging lives of overweight sisters Amy and Tammy. The two navigate their relationship together, as well as their own personal lives, mixed in with their individual weight loss goals. 

Throughout each season, both sisters try to eat healthier and exercise more to give themselves a better chance at a happier, healthier and longer life. However, many fans have watched as Amy has shown to make much more progress than Tammy. Tammy, too, has also seen her fair share of ups and downs, most notably in 2022, when she suffered a major health scare that would change her entire perspective on life. 

While Tammy’s family and viewers were worried following her health troubles, in May 2023, Tammy gave everyone a reason to be optimistic about her journey after she uploaded a post showing her making drastic improvements.

The Slaton sisters have had some health scares over the years. During the pandemic, Tammy tested positive for COVID-19, according to Distractify. Explaining the severity of the situation, she said, “I was on 15 liters of oxygen and now I’m on three.”

The sisters have also had issues with each other throughout the television series, as Tammy has criticized her sister a handful of times. This rubbed some viewers the wrong way, with one saying, “I like how (Tammy) called Amy lazy for not wanting to take care of her and then the next sentence said she didn’t need a babysitter,” according to Screenrant.

However, sometimes the sisters have lied about their health conditions. In April 2015, Amy uploaded a since-deleted YouTube video explaining that Tammy was in the hospital with Pneumonia, and she asked for donations to go toward Tammy’s funeral, according to Primink. Their GoFundMe raised about $1,000.

Fans were surprised to see Tammy and Amy together just a few days later, looking happy and eating junk food. The sisters said the donated money was given to their mother, but fans speculated that it was actually spent on Amy’s trailer, according to Primink. The sisters claimed they would give anyone who donated their money back, but fans claimed that their funds were never returned.

It’s clear that the Slaton sisters have been through a lot of ups and downs in their lives as they work toward creating the life they want while working to achieve all of their personal health goals. Like most sisters anywhere in the world, while they do lean on each other as cheerleaders in each other’s lives, there have also been times when the pair have butted heads.

The sisters have had issues with each other throughout the television series, as Tammy has criticized Amy a handful of times. One instance, in particular, was when the family went to an amusement park. Tammy was in a bad mood the entire time and did not join the rest of the family except for dinner. 

The family decided to get an electric wheelchair for Tammy, but she refused to use one, claiming she would rather use the mechanical one. She then voiced her suspicions that the family only wanted to use the electric wheelchair so they wouldn’t have to push her around anymore. Fans of the show took to social media to share their opinions on what they believed was Tammy’s irrational behavior. 

One fan said on Twitter, “Tammy has an attitude because the electric wheelchair makes it easier on her family. How freaking selfish can one person be?!”

It’s clear that the Slaton sisters have been through a lot of ups and downs in their lives as they work toward creating the life they want while working to achieve all of their personal health goals.

Over the show’s run, many fans have pointed out that it seemed like Amy was making much more progress than her sister, Tammy. Fans have been rooting for the sisters and have shown concern over times when it seemed like they had fallen off their paths. According to Showbiz CheatSheet, Amy first weighed about 400 pounds when the reality show started and has been depicted as the “skinny sister.” She took a break from trying to lose weight when she got pregnant but got back on track shortly after, getting down to 270 pounds.

Tammy, on the other hand, has struggled a lot with her weight loss journey. She gained weight after filming first began before taking the right steps toward a healthier lifestyle. Tammy said, “I just wasn’t doing what I needed to do. I mean, sometimes I try to eat healthier, and then other days I’m like, ‘What the heck’s the point?’”

A 2020 video showed Tammy eating healthy and hardly using her walker. “It’s an accomplishment being able to take care of myself and to be more independent,” she said. She admitted that she still depended on Amy at times but has been able to take care of herself for the most part. Tammy later checked into a weight-loss facility, according to Showbiz CheatSheet. 

However, in early 2022, Tammy appeared to hit a wall. In a clip from the Season 3 finale of “1000-lb Sisters,” Tammy admitted she was “battling mental health” and depression “big time.” A visit from her bariatric surgeon, Dr. Eric Smith, revealed Tammy was indulging in some major unhealthy habits. These included partying, drinking heavily and a newfound interest in vaping, with Smith expressing she was “putting herself in grave danger” with her activities.

When Smith asked her, “Is it worse when you’re by yourself versus when people are here?” she responded, “By myself,” before adding, “That's why I kinda felt like I needed to just take a break and not think about diets, relationships. Just clear my mind. Just work on me.” Smith then became visibly shocked when he inquired as to just how much she was drinking.

“Maybe eight bottles a week,” she said before Smith remarked, “Like fifths of liquor? Oh wow, Tammy. That’s a lot.”

While Smith concurred that Tammy had every right to make her mental health a priority, he believed she was not going about things the right way and may even be using it as an excuse to indulge in activities that only distract her. He said:

“She says she’s focusing on her mental health, which, if that was true, I’m all about that. But she's not made any strides to actually do it," he said. “So, I’m a little concerned that she’s actually just using that as an excuse to buy her more time to not work on her activity level, making some changes in her diet, or anything further than that.”

He said her new lifestyle was “putting her in severe danger,” and that it “raises a concern for me.”

His concerns appeared to be well-founded when Tammy later suffered a health scare that left her hospitalized and breathing with the aid of a ventilator. She was also put in an induced coma when her body began to shut down. While she later recovered, the harrowing experience taught her some precious life lessons. Her sister, Amy, said the family flew into a panic when Tammy appeared to stop breathing, prompting an immediate rush to the emergency room. She “quit breathing,” and “her body shut down,” Amy said. At the hospital, Tammy underwent a tracheotomy to create a hole in her throat so that a breathing tube could be inserted for her to receive emergency breathing support should she require it. 

In a clip from the show, Tammy’s family expressed real fears she was going to “end up dead” if she didn’t get a handle on her health situation. Another clip showed medical professionals yelling that her “oxygen’s dropping,” before making a beeline for her bed.

In the wake of the near-death experience, Tammy said she would not waste the new lease on life she has been blessed with.

“My near-death experience has taught me not to take life for granted,” Tammy told People. "I now live my life how I want to and not how others want me to. It has also mellowed me out. I try harder to not get mad as easily and try to figure out a way around the situation.”

“I’m grabbing the bull by the horns and taking control of my life again and not letting my body defeat me. I told y’all that this wasn't the end of me,” Tammy said, adding optimistically, “The new and improved Tammy is on the way.”

Since the health scare, Tammy joined a weight-loss rehab facility in Ohio, telling People she was a new woman determined to change her hard-partying ways. The news was also well-received by Smith, who said if Tammy was able to get her weight down to a low of 500 lbs, she could immediately undergo weight loss surgery straight after completing her stint in rehab. However, Smith said she still had a ways to go.

“I told you Tammy, you have real risks,” Smith said in a clip from the show. Tammy’s brother, Chris, then chimed in to say, “If she doesn't get the surgery, she’s gonna die because of her weight.”

However, there was a shining light in the midst of all of Tammy’s health woes: she met Caleb Willingham in rehab, and by Nov. 20, 2022, the pair were married. It was clear Tammy was thrilled about her new role as a wife alongside a husband who understood and supported her through her health journey.

Tammy and Willingham met while she was in rehab, and the pair have only gone from strength to strength since. 

“Our wedding day was perfect, there was so much love in the room,” Tammy told People. “I literally married my best friend.”

Willingham proposed to Tammy in October 2022, and a clip of the sweet proposal was shared with The Sun, which reported that the groom played a huge part in supporting the TV star through their time in rehab. At the wedding ceremony itself, a breathing tube could be seen on both the bride and the groom. 

Since her nuptials, it seems like Tammy has since made remarkable progress in her health journey. Fans were blown away by her dramatic weight loss transformation after she uploaded a TikTok video in December 2022. Although she had a filter on the video that slightly altered her face, it was still obvious that Tammy had lost a significant amount of weight.

People were quick to share their feedback with Tammy on her transformation as they were happy that it seemed like she was taking good care of herself. One person commented, “Tammy you’re looking great!” Another person said, “YOU LOOK SO GOOD TAMMY!!” 

More fans shared their thoughts. A third person said, “You actually look happy.” Another person commented, “You look amazing!”

In May 2023, Tammy amazed fans again when new photos of her emerged online. People were proud that she had been able to lose such a significant amount of weight, and it also appeared that Tammy was getting more of her independence back.

Amy posted a series of photos on Instagram. In the photos, people noticed that Tammy was standing on her own without the help of her walker, which she had been using for quite some time. Fans left plenty of supportive comments to show just how amazed and proud they were of Tammy for making yet another step of progress in her journey.

“Seeing Tammy stand on her own is so heartwarming. Proud of y’all’s progress ❤️,” one person said. Another commented, “Tammy standing on her own? Big W.” 

Another person commented, “Tammy standing there no walker and no oxygen. She looks great. She must feel so good. Hope all is well with you and the kiddos!” Another said, “No trach, no oxygen, no wheelchair, Standing on her own, even doing a little squat This is soo awesome to see! Congrats on the hard work.”

On May 27, 2023, Tammy uploaded a carousel of photos on Instagram that blew fans away. She captioned the post, “6 beautiful photos of myself without filters.” 

Once again, Tammy showed that she wasn’t using oxygen support and appeared to have made significant progress since the start of her weight loss journey. According to the Sun, Tammy has lost about 300 pounds.

Fans and peers left supportive comments on Tammy’s post. A fan said, “You look great, congratulations,all your hard work shows. You are glowing from the inside out. Keep going beautiful .❤️” Comedian Sarah Fraser commented, “Beautiful! Congrats on your health journey, you look amazing and you’re a star.” And Dr. Eric Smith said, “So proud of you❤️”

We can’t wait to see what progress Tammy makes next!

Are you a fan of the TLC series? What do you think about Tammy’s weight loss journey? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family and friends.