My 600-lb Life: Where Is Cindy Vela, The Star Of ‘My 600-lb Life,’ Now

TLC viewers have seen people go through incredible physical and mental transformations on ‘My 600-lb Life’ since the series debuted in 2012. Each episode of this intriguing show follows a morbidly obese individual as they try to shed their weight with the professional help of Dr. Nowzaradan and his weight loss program in Houston, Texas. And because we see every aspect of their addiction and struggle on a deeply personal level, it’s no surprise that we get invested in them for the long haul. So let’s find out what Cindy Vela, the subject of season 9, episode 4, is up to now, shall we?

My 600-lb Life: Cindy Vela’s Story

As per the official synopsis of the episode, titled “Cindy Vela’s Story“: “Cindy is resistant to change and has spent years creating a world that makes her feel safe. When her friend notices that Cindy Vela’s health is declining rapidly due to her size, she urges Cindy Vela to move to Houston and see Dr. Now.” At 45, Cindy, a resident of Portland, Texas, was bedridden and barely able to stand for more than 2 to 3 minutes at a time due to her weight, relying entirely on her paid janitors to help her feed, bathe and continue her daily activities.

“When I wake up, I try not to think about my life and how bad things are. But it’s hard to do that with my body, which hurts all the time because it’s breaking down,” she said at the beginning of her episode. “And I don’t even feel like I’m living anymore … I’m trapped in this bed pretty much all day, every day.”

Cindy Vela further elaborated that food is the only thing that comforts her and provides her with the courage and energy to live, which obviously creates an unbreakable toxic cycle for her, as food is also the thing that keeps her bed-bound and lethargic.

Cindy Vela’s addiction to food began at the age of eight, after she, like most addicts, experienced a trauma that turned her world upside down – being molested by a family friend. At first, she found solace in eating.

But when she realized that her molester might leave her alone if she got old enough, she began to eat more and more. At age 10, Cindy Vela weighed 140 pounds, which then increased to 200 pounds when she was 14. Then, even though the abuse stopped, Cindy still couldn’t stop eating when her parents divorced, and she needed emotional help again.

By the time Cindy hit 30, she tipped the scale at over 500 lbs, following which the hospital visits began. With her lymphedema, diabetes and oxygen support taking over her life, Cindy’s former janitor and friend, Sandy, insisted she see Dr. Now.

However, even after being put on a strict diet, working out, and attending psychotherapy sessions, Cindy was only able to lose about 40 pounds of the 70 she was asked to lose, which wasn’t enough. Talking about her abuse, her father’s alcohol addiction and his death didn’t help either.

My 600-lb Life: Where Is Cindy Vela, The Star Of ‘My 600-lb Life,’ Now

From what we can tell, Cindy Vela is back in Portland, Texas, where she continues to live her life the way she feels is best and safest. Due to the contractual obligations of TLC and “My 600-lb Life,” Cindy Vela can’t talk about her weight loss or any progress on her social media profiles for a while. But apparently, she’s still not active on them. At the end of her episode, Cindy Vela talked about how frustrated she was and how no one cared about what she needed to feel satisfied. But then she admitted that she wanted to move on.

So, for her sake, let’s hope she keeps her words. “I’m going to continue to do my best, and hopefully … I’m in a good enough place to have surgery,” she said before deciding there was “no reason to keep putting myself through all this for nothing. So, I’m going home.” Then, Cindy Vela, still around 600 pounds, left off with a statement that hopefully will manifest, “I’ve learned a lot during this time. So, I can take that with me to practice at home. I will find a way to improve and change my life and have a new life. And I’m still very much looking forward to that.”