We’ve got another My 600 Lb Life Robin update today, and it’s another positive one: Robin McKinley and hew nephew Garrett Rogers continue to do well and appear to be working toward further weight loss. Robin has shared new details about she and Garrett’s Where Are They Now? follow-up episode — including a tentative air date — plus info on her plans for future work with Dr. Nowzaradan.
Robin and Garrett were the first pair to be featured on My 600 Lb Life Season 7; their combined weight of over 1,200 pounds. 40-year-old Robin, whose loving husband James made the trip to Houston with Robin and Garrett, had a peak weight of 648 pounds — and was also a smoker, something that received particular attention from Dr. Now.
But it was Garrett’s weight of 607 pounds that had the doctor worried most. He cautioned that Garrett, just 20 years old, was well on his way to becoming “the world’s heaviest person” unless something changed — and fast.
Ultimately, something did change for both of them. By the end of the debut My 600 Lb Life Robin and Garrett episode, the two had lost a combined total of 524 pounds: Robin dropped from 648 to 394, and Garrett went from 607 down to 337. Theirs has been one of the most successful weight loss stories of My 600 Lb Life Season 7 — only Brianne Dias, Brandon Scott, and Justin McSwain have lost more weight when calculated as a percentage of each cast member’s peak weight. (Click here for our feature on the Season 7 cast’s total weight loss.)
As for today? Our latest My 600 Lb Life Robin update doesn’t come with any new photos of Robin; as we noted in an earlier feature, she’s one of the more social media-shy members of the new cast. However, we do have a new pic of Garrett. While it doesn’t show much weight loss, it does display a clearly happier guy:
We also have more information on what to expect from the next My 600 Lb Life Robin episode. Previously, Robin had confirmed that she and Garrett have been filming for an official Where Are They Now? follow-up, and told followers that the episode would focus on her weight loss as it relates to her knee issues. “I am 100% wheelchair bound because of my knees,” Robin explained, adding that she “[doesn’t] get out much anymore.”
Robin has since revealed that, despite earlier reports, she in fact hasn’t moved back to her Kansas home. Instead, she and her husband James are still living in Houston, in order to be nearer to Dr. Now’s assistance. Robin recently told one friend that she “must” live in Houston for “one more year” before returning to Kansas. (She hasn’t said whether Garrett is also still living in Houston.)
Robin didn’t clarify whether she’s staying in Houston solely for her health, or whether her production contract requires that she stay there. But Robin did restate that she’s filming a follow-up, saying “Yes, it will probably air next January.” And elsewhere, Robin told a follower “I think in January 2020” the episode will air and she will be able to leave Houston. (However, as we just learned with our update on My 600 Lb Life Season 6 cast member Karina Garcia, a lot can change between an episode’s intended and actual air dates.)
Robin put her sense of humor on display the last time she paid Dr. Now a visit. Back on February 28th, she checked in at his office, writing, “I like coming to Dr. Now’s office … every patient is an oversized person.”
In more somber news, just a few days ago, Robin asked for prayer and good vibes for her husband James, who is suffering from a mystery ailment. “Asking all my prayer warriors for prayer for my Husband,” Robin wrote, on April 6th. “He is not doing [too] well today.” Though Robin has offered her customary daily Bible verse since then, she hasn’t explained what’s got James under the weather, or whether he’s feeling better.
Finally, both Robin and Garrett’s GoFundMes are creeping toward their goals. Robin has more than doubled her total since we last updated on her progress: as of this writing, she’s raised $1,120 of her $10,000 goal, which Robin says she needs to help defray uncovered medical costs. “I am currently not on insurance,” Robin wrote, “and I am unable pay for my medications and some of my medical expenses.”
Unfortunately, Garrett’s GoFundMe hasn’t gotten as much love as Robin’s. Though he’s raised a bit more money since we last checked in, he’s only up to $188 of his $5,000 goal. You can see Garrett’s GoFundMe here.
Until we get the next chapter in Robin and Garrett’s story, you can stream their first episode on My 600 Lb Life‘s official site.
(Photo credits: My 600 Lb Life Robin update via Facebook, TLC)
John Sharp is Starcasm’s chief editorial correspondent-at-large. Tips: E-mail john@starcasm.net or Twitter @john_starcasm.
