Love to travel! 1000-Lb Friend star Vanessa Cross didn’t want to undergo bariatric surgery – until a family tragedy and health scare changed his mind.
“I never wanted to [lose weight]. I’m kind of against it. I have had several surgeries for medical issues throughout my life. So I don’t want to put myself under the knife and myself [was] like to be fat,” Cross, 44, said exclusively Us Weekly while promoting season 2 of her TLC series. “But when I lost my father and then was diagnosed with cancer – and I’m now cancer free, thank God – I woke up to the fact that life is short. Life can be taken from you in a moment. So it’s time to start doing something or give it all up.”
The Georgia native, who has starred in 1000-Lb Friend since its premiere in February 2022, it was initially unable to lose the weight required to pass the procedure. However, he eventually made small changes in his life that helped him achieve his goals – but that didn’t mean it was easy.
“I started putting my life together. The first thing I did, the first thing I did, to lose weight was to cut out soda, cut down on sugar and cut down on bread,” he said. us. “It’s the hardest thing. It’s the most traumatic thing you can do in your life. I’m depressed, I’m angry. When you can’t eat food, when addiction, happiness, joy you’ve been food for years. And I say 20-plus years of my life, 40-plus years, right? It’s been my happiness, it’s been my joy, it’s been my pleasure.”
While Cross said she was “sad” trying to shed pounds, she eventually realized that “in suffering, I found happiness.” Now, she wants others to know that starting her weight loss journey doesn’t have to be torture.
“I don’t want people to think you have to be unhappy and miserable,” she explained. “No, you can be happy and lose weight. You have to make yourself happy. I find joy in coloring, sewing, going out, going to thrift stores, looking for things, like that, that’s where I find my joy, my comfort rather than eating.
The TV personality revealed that she lost a total of 50 lbs over time before being approved for bariatric surgery, but after the procedure, she began losing weight “rapidly,” losing more than 70 lbs in the first six months because she was put on a liquid diet — something Cross called “not easy.”
Now that she’s on the other side of the surgery, the reality star is all about staying positive and spending time with her 1000-Lb Friend costars – Meghan Crumpler, Ashley Sutton and Tina Arnold – and even go out on some dates.
“My stuff, [when I was] Big fat Vannessa, date I always go to her house, do dang things and then I go home. When I say dating now, it’s very different,” she explained, adding that she met two men – a surgical technician and a policeman – who were both “good people”.
While Cross says he wants to remarry, he’s keeping his “options open” and waiting for The One. “When I changed my expectations for a boyfriend who would be more of a husband I changed because my needs changed. My wants changed. I needed someone who was a little healthier so I wouldn’t have to fight or argue about any food. So the options were open. I was doing pretty well with.
If Cross’s romantic life will be featured on the show, fans will have to see, but the mother of two revealed that she is undecided. “Maybe something,” he teased.
1000-lb Friends airs on TLC Wednesdays at 10 pm ET.
Keep scrolling to learn more about Cross’ weight loss journey and life after surgery: