My 600-lb Life: Carlton and Shantel’s Story

Carlton and Shantel Oglesby, brothers and sisters from Columbus, Ohio who each weigh over 600 pounds, are the subjects of tonight’s episode of My 600-lb Life. Although the Oglesbys live in the same house, the two rarely see each other because neither sibling can make the journey to the other’s room due to mobility problems caused by their weight.

The TLC description of Season 8 Episode 7, entitled “Carlton and Shantel’s Story,” reads: “Shantel’s brother, Carlton, lives downstairs, but she hardly ever sees him because with more than 600 pounds each, neither of them can make the stairs safely. They need Dr. Now’s help to free themselves from a deadly spiral of co-dependent feeding and reform their relationship with their brothers”.

In an anticipation shared by TLC, the Oglesbys brothers explain that they started using food as a defense mechanism when the father abused his mother.

“Food has always been an important part of my life and Carlton’s,” Shantel says in the clip above. “That’s how we felt love and felt safe.” He explains that their father was in the army, so the family moved around a lot and the Oglesbys had to struggle with the constant change of scenery. Shantel notes that she didn’t like being the “new kid” at school all the time and adds, “I think that’s why Carlton and I got so close, because we only had each other.

The reality star reveals that she was 9, and Carlton was 7, when they realized that her mother had been abused by her father. “I did my best to hide it from my brother. When my father would get angry, I would put my brother in a room and turn on the music and then go get something to eat.

Carlton adds, “When things got bad and my dad did what he did, Shantel always helped me get over it and make things better, usually by taking something we liked to eat and bringing it to me.

My 600-lb Life: Carlton Was 786 Pounds and Shantel Weighed 638 When They First Began Their Weight Loss Journey With Dr. Nowzaradan

Carlton Oglesby weighed 786 pounds and Shantel tipped the scales to 638 pounds when the two decided to seek the help of the famous bariatric surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan. When we first meet the couple, Shantel and Carlton live at their mother’s house with eight other people (including Shantel’s husband and children and Carlton’s girlfriend), and although the brothers consider themselves very close, they rarely see each other. Shantel lived on the second floor, and both stars of reality struggled to make the journey up and down the stairs to see the other.

“I’m not going out anymore,” says Shantel in tonight’s episode. “I haven’t been out of the house for years and now I feel like I’m living to eat.” The reality star adds: “Food is like a drug to me and I have to have it all the time. Food is the only thing that makes my day better.”

Carlton and Shantel Oglesby decide to travel to Houston to begin Dr. Now’s weight loss program, and with the love and support of their spouses, children and loved ones, they make the trip to Texas. Unfortunately, Shantel ran into some problems along the way, and after the pain of the trip to Houson became too much, Dr. Now decided to meet the Oglesbys halfway.

After assessing the situation with Shantel and Carlton, Dr. Now notes the seriousness of their situation and says they have “a lot of work to do to make a difference before it’s too late. He adds that it is officially “a matter of life and death” and that brothers and sisters must stop being each other’s facilitators if they are to succeed.