TLC's newest reality drama set in metro Atlanta: "Family by the Ton"

Posted by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog on Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Georgia is only 20th in the country among states with the highest obesity rate, but a trio of morbidly obese metro Atlanta-based family members are featured in a new TLC show called "Family by the Ton," an off-shoot of its popular show "My 600-lb Life."

Created by Atlanta-based Crazy Legs Productions, the six-episode docu-series debuting January 10, 2018, will focus on three cousins - Naomi Anderson, Chitoka Light and Drew Stewart - who weigh a combined amount of almost a ton.

Atlanta bariatric surgeon Charles Proctor Jr. will attempt to guide them through massive weight loss and significant diet and lifestyle changes before they can even have gastric-bypass surgery.

The show begins with Naomi's mom Beverly undergoing weight-loss surgery in hopes of inspiring her daughter, niece and nephew. Naomi would like to start a family but needs to be healthier. Cousin Drew faces his own poor eating habits. And cousin Chitoka hasn't even been able to leave her bed for three years due to morbid obesity. For her to qualify for surgery, she needs to be significantly thinner as well as mobile.

"If you're on drugs, you can hide it," Drew said in a trailer released today. "If you're on alcohol you can hide it. But if you're fat, everyone sees your problem."

"I feel sad and embarrassed that I've let my life come to this," Chitoka said.