What Happened To Karina Garcia & Her Weight Loss

Karina Garcia has had quite a journey since being featured on My 600-Lb Life, which turned her into a famous reality TV star. The TV show’s great because millions of Americans struggle with weight loss daily. My 600-Lb Life has been successful at documenting those stories since it premiered in 2012. As fans await My 600-Lb Life season 12, it’s time to revisit Karina’s fantastic journey.

Karina started My 600-Lb Life at 633 lbs. The show provided her with the necessary means to improve her life for years, as Karina started this weight-loss journey when she was cast on the show in 2018. Sadly, Karina’s weight gain was a reflection of her parents’ neglect. That dynamic caused her to form bad habits that followed her into adulthood. By the time she was 15 years old, Karina had reached 250 lbs.

Karina Turned To Comfort Food In Her Youth

After dealing with asthma during her entire childhood, My 600-Lb Life star Karina saw the condition improve over the years. Once she became healthier, she was expected to work long hours to pay off her hefty medical bills. According to Cinemaholic, the strain, compounded with the loss of her emotional support, led to Karina binge-eating and turning to comfort food. Karina said,

“
I really just wanted a little attention. I wanted a hug, but [my parents] were too busy to give it, so food was my hug. Before school and with my allowance, I would buy junk food: chips, soda, cookies, and cupcakes. Food was always there to comfort me no matter what.”

Karina Is A My 600-Lb Life Success Story

Like most stars of the reality TV series, Karina’s weight-loss journey was an uphill battle from the start. However, with the help of Gilbert Donovan (Lupe Donovan’s husband), Karina was able to get her life back on track. Years after her TV debut on My 600-Lb Life season 6, Karina seems to be sticking to her new lifestyle.

People Still Talk About Karina Garcia

She’s A Hot Topic On Reddit

Karina got noticed on the show, but sometimes, it wasn’t for the right reason. Redditors can be cruel, and one of them called out Karine for overeating. They didn’t like the fact that she ordered (and consumed) a lot of food at one sitting. They said:

“Don’t remember who it was but remember it was from Papa John’s and thought to myself “How the hell do these people afford this?”

Another social media user who was active in the thread indicated that “Karina” was the one who’d done that. My 600-Lb Life cast members are often fat-shamed on Reddit, so this wasn’t very unusual. However, it does show how out of control Karina’s eating habits really were. She was eating portions that weren’t healthy. She was trying to fill some emotional void. However, the pleasure of eating didn’t last. Hunger returned and she grew heavier.

Again, that’s par for the course. People end up on the series because they are addicts. They are driven to eat too much, perhaps to self-soothe. Compulsions like this can be very self-destructive. They can claim a person’s life. Some My 600-Lb Life stars have sadly died, including James Bonner and Gina Krasley.

Karine Garcia’s Family Didn’t Support Her Weight Loss Journey

She Had To Go It Alone

On the show, emotional support from her family was in short supply, as seen in the clip above. Karina couldn’t count on that kind of safety net. She lost her sister’s trust when that sibling paid for her gastric balloon surgery. Karina didn’t maintain her weight loss results following that procedure. When it was time to try again with Dr. Now, the family was skeptical. The clip, via TLC at YouTube, got some interesting comments.

As per the link above, one viewer felt that Karina’s sister, who’d tried to help her for

“so long”

was:

acting so snobby and rude when she’s literally huge too and not changing either.

Another user on the thread, chuckleberryfinn, was absolutely blistering. They made a comment similar to the Reddit remark discussed earlier, about pizzas. However, they went into fine detail:

I watched this episode, she actually ate, before his dinner, 2 large pizzas, 24 honey bbq wings, cheesy breadsticks and 9 brownies all from papa johns and I was so amazed by that level of food intake I had to add it up and it was 12,000 calories, that was epic

Karina had to face her problems alone but she was courageous. Although the gastric balloon didn’t lead to weight loss, she tried again with Dr. Now. He removed that medical device from her body and performed bariatric surgery. The procedure was successful and she lost 235 pounds. Her lowest weight after surgery was 398 pounds. See her post-surgery picture below:

She looks very different, and while this smaller photo is the only one available, it illustrates the power of change. Before, she looked sad and stressed. She clashed with her family. Karina had hope but many failures in her past. What she needed was to find inner strength. Karina had to hit rock bottom before she could rise.

Unlike some people who appear on the show, she did find the grit she needed. She was able to overcome significant obstacles. The woman shown above is dressed in pink and wearing lipstick. She seems to be at peace.

When people dig deep and do what’s often deemed impossible, they can achieve on a grand scale. No, Karina isn’t model size, but she did lose weight. Many people doubted her, but she eventually believed in herself.

Karina’s life wasn’t free from controversy. Fans of the show often remember Gilbert as a controversial figure who pressured his wife, Lupe, to have sex after her surgery. This action resulted in the reopening of stitches and wounds. Her weight-loss journey had dramatic highs and lows. However, she did manage to shed a lot of pounds.

These days, Gilbert and Karina are spending much more time together. This has caused certain fans to question their relationship. Both parties insist that their time together is purely professional, and Karina has remained married for over a decade. Her My 600-Lb Life helped her to become healthy, and she’s an inspiration to all.

Sources: Cinemaholic, TLC