My 600-lb Life, a popular reality show on TLC, has followed the lives of many people who are very overweight. Shakyia Jackson was one of the most talked-about people in Season 12. Her episode, “Shakyia’s Journey,” gave viewers a raw look at her physical problems, emotional problems and ongoing fight for a healthier future. As a 26-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, her story touched people deeply because it was so honest and strong.
At Spiky TV, we’ve taken a deeper look into Shakyia’s life after the show—and the changes she’s made since then. Here’s everything we know about her current situation, health progress, and personal milestones.
Shakyia’s Early Struggles Shaped Her Journey
Shakyia Jackson, who was 26 during filming, grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she had a lot of problems that changed how she felt about food. Shakyia grew up with two siblings and a single parent. As a child, she often didn’t have enough food. Her mother had to work many jobs to make ends meet, so they didn’t have much time to eat together as a family. Because of this lack, Shakyia acted like every meal could be her last, and that attitude stuck with her.
When a neighbour’s concern prompted Child Protective Services to intervene, Shakyia was briefly placed in her father’s custody. However, he soon gave her up, and she bounced between foster homes before reuniting with her mother. By then, her mother had stabilized their home, ensuring food was always available. Food was a source of comfort for Shakyia, especially when she was bullied at school and had her heart broken as a teenager. She weighed more than 200 pounds when she was 11, and her weight kept going up.
There were more problems in high school and college. By the time she graduated, Shakyia weighed over 400 pounds, and the college environment facilitated her access to food, which negatively impacted her eating habits. Her mental health got worse, which made her depressed and made her decide to drop out of college and go home. A traumatic event in 2018, when she was sexually assaulted at work at a petrol station, made her problems worse and made her rely even more on emotional eating. These things led to her being on My 600-lb Life, where she tried to regain her health and life back.
Health Challenges and Her Time on My 600-lb Life
Shakyia weighed 655.7 pounds and had a BMI over 100 when she met Dr. Now in Houston. She was one of his youngest but heaviest patients. She had serious health problems, like lymphoedema in her left leg, which made it painful to swell, and asthma that got worse and made it hard to breathe. Shakyia signed up for Dr. Now’s programme because she wanted to change her life and reach her goals, like finishing college. He told her to follow a strict 1200-calorie diet and lose 50 pounds in two months to be able to have gastric bypass surgery.
Sadly, Shakyia’s journey ran into a lot of problems. She missed follow-up appointments and stopped talking to Dr. Now’s team. It later came out that she had been in a health scare that could have killed her. After coming home exhausted one day, she fell into a coma because her lungs stopped working. Three weeks later, she woke up in a hospital hooked up to a ventilator. Because of this, she had to use a walker and couldn’t go back to her mother’s house because her mother couldn’t take care of her anymore. Shakyia moved into an extended-stay hotel, which was hard for her and tested her willpower.
Shakyia only lost 21 pounds in a year, which was less than the 50 pounds she wanted to lose. She tried hard to follow Dr. Now’s plan. Dr. Now took her out of his programme because she wasn’t making any progress, but he left the door open for her to come back if she could show that she was serious about losing weight and going to therapy to deal with her emotional trauma.
Shakyia also caused a stir by saying on social media that TLC lied about her story and made her problems seem worse than they were for dramatic effect. She said that filming happened between 2022 and 2023, and by the time the episode came out in 2024, her look had changed.
Where is Shakyia Jackson now?
Shakyia is still living in Charlotte, North Carolina, as of 2025, and has not moved to Houston as planned. She hasn’t lost as much weight as she wanted to, but she’s made a lot of progress in other parts of her life. Shakyia now lives on her own, which is a big step since her health scare made it hard for her to move around. She has gotten strong enough to handle everyday life without constant help, which shows how strong she is.
Shakyia has also been working on her relationships. In August 2024, she wrote a heartfelt Facebook post thanking her mother for being there for her during hard times. This showed that their relationship had gotten better, even though they had had problems in the past.
But her relationship with her father is still tense; they haven’t talked since she was hospitalised three years ago. Shakyia’s sister, stepfather, nephews and best friends help her through tough times. She also remembers her grandmother, who died in 2021.
Shakyia is very proud of starting her own crafting business. She makes and sells phone cases, pens, bracelets, beaded tumblers and snow globes. She gets a lot of attention on sites like TikTok. This business shows how determined she is to make a life for herself beyond the problems she has on My 600-lb Life.
In September 2024, she wrote about having trouble with headaches and sugar withdrawal, which suggests that she was still trying to eat better. A Facebook post from January 2025 about an upcoming surgery, with the caption “Who can’t get the surgery 👀👀👀 . Ohkay That’s What I Thought,” suggests that she may have had a weight-loss-related procedure, but she didn’t give any details because of an NDA with TLC.
Shakyia’s Dreams and Future Aspirations
Shakyia has big dreams she’s working toward. While she was on the show, she said she wanted to go back to school, get a degree, join a sorority, and go on a cruise. She still wants to go to college and join a sorority, but she reached a big goal when she went on her first cruise in June 2024. She came back feeling refreshed and motivated. A lot of her Facebook posts are about being happy, and in March 2024 she posted a selfie that showed how happy she was.
Shakyia hasn’t said anything about her weight in a while, but the fact that she only posts selfies and not full-body photos makes it hard to tell what her current weight is. Her posts make it clear that she is focusing on her growth, her business, and small steps towards better health. Fans have come out in support of her, especially after she announced her surgery, and are cheering her on as she continues her journey.
Fans of My 600-lb Life will no doubt continue to root for her. And here at Spiky TV, we’ll be watching closely to bring you updates as her journey continues to unfold.
Read Also: Where Is Angela Gutierrez From “My 600-lb Life” Today? Update
