Tragic My 600lb Life star Latonya Pottain received a chilling final warning from doctors two years before her death aged just 40.
Pottain who appeared on season 11 of the TLC show when she weighed 632lbs in 2023, died on Saturday, May 17 at CHRISTUS Highland Medical Center in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The preliminary autopsy report found Pottain died from congestive heart failure.
Bariatric surgeon Dr Younan Nowzaradan, known as Dr Now, urged Pottain to drastically change her eating habits after she was hospitalized with leg pain after gaining more weight.
With a medication and controlled diet she was able to drop to 594lbs but Dr Now had a dire warning for her if she did not lose more weight.
He said: ‘Now the echocardiogram shows all four chambers of the heart are distended and overstrained.
Tragic My 600lb Life star Latonya Pottain received a chilling final warning from doctors two years before her death aged just 40
Pottain appeared on season 11 of the show in 2023 but legendary Doctor Younan Nowzaradan was unable to help her due to her inability to stick to the diet
‘Your heart is overstrained because of your weight and your lung capacity is restricted because of your weight.
‘So this is a time for you to learn what the healthy eating habits should be.
‘You can’t go back to what you like to eat and what you consider to be a healthy food.
‘We got your heart at a critical place over the past couple of weeks.
‘But if you don’t keep losing weight your heart is going to get to a critical place very quickly again
So change and learn what to do at home because there is something wrong with your eating habit that you’re not losing weight
‘No excuses, because you’re running out of time.’
She also memorably clashed with Dr Now over her dislike of the healthy hospital food.
Bariatric surgeon Dr Younan Nowzaradan, known as Dr Now, urged Pottain to drastically change her eating habits after she was hospitalized with leg pain after gaining more weight
He said: ‘Now the echocardiogram shows all four chambers of the heart are distended and overstrained. Your heart is overstrained because of your weight and your lung capacity is restricted because of your weight
Pottain said: ‘I haven’t really ate since I been here’ the Dr responded: ‘You’re not gonna fade away. You’re gonna be fine.’
Pottain said: ‘I still have to eat something’ with Dr Now retorting: ‘No, you’ve already eaten the food that belongs to the next four years ahead of time.’
Pottain’s brother said he and other family members had visited her at her home on Saturday morning and noticed she was having trouble breathing and told them she was ‘extremely uncomfortable’. He added she didn’t ‘look well.’
A nurse later called Pottain’s brother to tell them Pottain had called an ambulance to bring her to the hospital because she was going into cardiac arrest, which led to her death.
Pottain first appeared on the show in 2023 when her weight had left her mostly bedbound.
In harrowing scenes Pottain proclaimed that food ‘took the stress away’ as her carer brought her breakfast in bed.
She said: ‘That’s what I do to help me cope with things.
‘I know the food is unhealthy and not good for me. But with the habit that I have for long, it’s hard to change it. I’m disappointed in myself for getting to this place.’
She had visited with the show’s Doctor Younan Nowzaradan five years prior when she was 482lbs but had left the weight loss program.
Despite vowing she was determined to change after battling with her weight her whole life, Pottain struggled with the strict new diet and was seen eating fried food – before gaining weight at her next weigh-in.
The preliminary autopsy report found Pottain died from congestive heart failure, the Natchitoches Parish Coroner’s Office revealed
Pottain said her support system – including her fiance (pictured) would help her lose weight but she struggled with the program
In harrowing scenes Pottain proclaimed that food ‘took the stress away’ as her carer brought her breakfast in bed
Last year Pottain took to Facebook to ask for prayers due to her heart issues.
She wrote: ‘Y’all pray for me my heart not working right and there is nothing more the doctors can do here in Louisiana please keep me lifted.’
This year she launched a GoFundMe to get urgent medical care – and revealed her weight was now more than 700lbs.
She wrote: ‘I’m currently getting close to my highest weight of 740 pounds and I worked extremely hard to get it down. Now I currently weigh about 705 pounds and have been bedridden since June 2024 due to severe health issues.
‘After the show aired, I experienced overwhelming backlash, which sent me into a deep depression. My mental health suffered, and I became fearful of undergoing weight loss surgery.
She memorably clashed with Dr Now over her dislike of the healthy hospital food. Pottain said: ‘I haven’t really ate since I been here’ the Dr responded: ‘You’re not gonna fade away. You’re gonna be fine’
This year she launched a GoFundMe to get urgent medical care – and revealed her weight was now more than 700lbs
‘In 2023, I moved to Houston, hoping for a fresh start, but instead, I found myself in an abusive relationship while also dealing with the devastating news that my father had been diagnosed with cancer.
‘Unable to take the emotional and physical toll, I returned home to Louisiana. Unfortunately, my health continued to decline, and I developed severe sciatica nerve pain, which caused extreme stomach cramps. I was prescribed fentanyl, but my body rejected the medication, leading me to begin therapy.
‘Now, I am completely bedridden and unable to get to the hospital because EMTs say transporting me would be a fire hazard due to my weight. Without the ability to work, I have no income to purchase a car or arrange for special medical transportation.
‘I am asking for your help to raise funds for: Medical transportation so I can get to the hospital for urgent care
‘Proper medical treatment and rehabilitation to regain my mobility
‘Basic living expenses since I am currently unable to work
‘This has been an incredibly difficult journey, and I truly want to fight for my health and my life. Any amount you can contribute will bring me one step closer to the care I desperately need. If you are unable to donate, please share my story to help me get the assistance I need.’
The $20,000 appeal raised a little over $1000.
