Whitney Way Thore has been open about her confidence journey since premiering ‘My Big Fat Fabulous Life’ in 2015, including why she doesn’t like focusing on her weight
The hit TLC series has followed Thore for 13 seasons as she navigates her everyday life after gaining 200 lbs. in college and being diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Thore has dealt with weight fluctuations ever since, but revealed in 2024 that she had lost 100 lbs. However, at the time, she shared that she did “not like obsessing over my body.”
In July 2024, Thore told PEOPLE that she faced added pressure with her health journey since it’s been documented on her show.
“I’m a public person. I’m on reality TV. I don’t have any control over what people think about me, how they perceive me, how I’m presented. That’s not in my control. And that’s something that I just gave up a long time ago,” she shared.
Even though Thore hears the outside criticism, she still clarified that she “wouldn’t take it back.”
“There’s been too much good. To know that people have felt happiness and been healed and had someone to relate to, I could never justify saying I wish it had never happened,” Thore said.
Here’s everything Whitney Way Thore has said about her health journey.
Thore lost 100 lbs. from 2018 to 2023
When fans were introduced to Thore on My Big Fat Fabulous Life in 2015, she weighed 385 lbs. At the same time Thore publicly revealed her 2015 weight, she also explained that she lost 100 lbs. from 2018 to 2023.
In 2018, Thore told PEOPLE that she changed her mindset about working out and began to lose weight “without trying.”
“I said that I don’t want to focus on weight loss, I don’t want to weigh myself, I just want to get in here and move,” she said. “And for the first time in my entire life, I’ve actually lost weight without trying, which is pretty wild, because that’s never happened to me ever.”
The reality star continued, “Now I work out for the sake of working out. I work out because it makes me feel good. It’s literally changed my entire life, and that’s the message I want people to know. You can be active and there’s so many more benefits other than losing weight.”
She denied using “medical intervention” for her weight loss
While Thore didn’t specify how she lost weight, she denied going under the knife or using weight loss medication.
Thore told Entertainment Tonight in September 2023, “I think it’s obvious that I have lost some weight and that is true. And people say, like, ‘Is it surgery?’ and I’m like, ‘No, it’s grief, but thanks. I see a lot of chatter online and people have asked me, ‘Have you had weight loss surgery?’ or something like that. No I haven’t.” Thore’s mom, Barbara “Babs” Thore, died in December 2022.
However, the TLC star also said that she does “not judge” people who choose to take weight loss medications like Ozempic or Mounjaro or undergo weight loss surgery.
“I would stand on it the same way I would think about any sort of, like, plastic surgery or whatever — people should do what they want to do. But of course, I just think you should work on being confident and making sure that you’re not doing something for the wrong reasons,” she said. “When it comes to, of course, diabetics who need it and just people who don’t have diabetes, but are overweight and taking it to lose weight, I don’t judge it at all.”
She explained, “I am not that fat person that’s gonna say, ‘Oh my gosh, why are they on Ozempic? Why are they losing weight? They’re betraying me.’ It’s their body … It is really difficult to live in bodies like this and there is no judgment from me if somebody wants to take some semaglutide to lose weight.”
Thore’s weight has fluctuated as a result of her polycystic ovary syndrome
Thore has been open about her journey with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which is a disorder that affects reproductive hormones.
PCOS can also lead to weight gain because of insulin resistance, increased androgen levels and metabolic changes, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
She does not “find it necessary” to talk about her weight and “focus” on it
Although Thore has discussed her health journey on My Big Fat Fabulous Life, she’s also been honest with her followers about how she doesn’t fixate on her weight.
“On the show, I’ll talk about my weight more, but in my personal life, I don’t really find it necessary to talk about how much I weigh. It’s just not something that I care to focus on and talk about,” she told ET.
In 2019, she called out people congratulating her on losing weight and said that she wasn’t trying to be “anybody’s weight loss inspiration.”
“I’ve been reading my comments, and a large majority of them are people congratulating me for losing some amount of weight that you have perceived that I have lost, but I guarantee you that I’m still fat as s—, and this hasn’t changed from day 1,” she said at the time. “I’m just not out here to be anybody’s weight loss inspiration.”
Thore explained that she is a “complex human” who is learning to “love herself no matter what size she is.”
“If you’re inclined to be inspired by me I appreciate that, I see you, but I’m just a complex human being focusing on a lot of other things in life besides losing weight,” she said. “So it’s just not something I will ever feel comfortable saying thank you for. If you’re inspired by me that’s wonderful, I’m glad, but I hope it’s because I’m a woman who learned to love herself no matter what size she is.”
Thore co-founded a fitness and wellness app for people of varying levels of athletic ability
In 2018, Thore co-founded the workout app No BS Active, which was designed to create at-home workouts for those “big or small, old or young, an athlete or a beginner.”
“People were asking me about my workouts ALL the time,” Thore told PEOPLE in 2018. “I’ve gotten such a good response from people, whether they be fat people or people with different abilities, or people who just aren’t confident in their fitness levels.”
She added, “People are getting really excited that there is a workout program that features someone who looks like them and is probably a lot bigger than them, actually … We even have modifications for if you need to be seated and can’t get onto the floor. That was really excluding to a lot of beginners and overweight people.”
She enjoys dancing for her mental and physical health
Thore has been dancing throughout her life, and she’s continued pursuing her love of the sport. Before she started filming My Big Fat Fabulous Life, Thore went viral for her dancing videos.
She still frequently shares photos and videos of her dancing by herself and with others. In January 2025, she shared a video of her taking her first ballet lesson in 22 years.
