Everything Whitney Thore Has Said About Her Weight

Since 2015, Whitney Way Thore has candidly shared her health journey on My Big Fat Fabulous Life.

For 13 seasons, the TLC series has followed Thore’s life after she gained 200 lbs. during college and was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Over the years, she’s faced fluctuations in her weight, revealing in 2024 that she had lost 100 lbs. Despite that milestone, she emphasized she didn’t want to “obsess” over her body.

In July 2024, Thore opened up to PEOPLE about the challenges of going through such a personal transformation in the public eye.

“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,” she said. “That’s not in my control. And that’s something that I just gave up a long time ago.”

Despite ongoing criticism, Thore said she wouldn’t change anything about her experience.

“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,” she said.

Thore lost 100 lbs. between 2018 and 2023

When Thore first appeared on My Big Fat Fabulous Life in 2015, she weighed 385 lbs. She later revealed that she lost 100 lbs. over a five-year period, from 2018 to 2023.

In 2018, she told PEOPLE she’d changed her approach to fitness—focusing on movement rather than numbers on the scale.

“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.”

She added, “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 hasn’t detailed exactly how she lost weight, she confirmed it wasn’t through surgery or weight loss medications.

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight in September 2023, Thore said, “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.'” Her mother, Barbara “Babs” Thore, passed away in December 2022.

Still, Thore made it clear she holds no judgment toward those who choose medication or 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,” she said. “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.”

Thore emphasized empathy for those struggling with weight: “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.”

Her weight has fluctuated due to PCOS

Thore has consistently discussed her experience with PCOS, a hormonal disorder that can affect fertility and metabolism.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, PCOS can contribute to weight gain due to insulin resistance, hormone imbalance, and other metabolic changes.

She doesn’t “focus” on weight in her personal life

While weight is often a topic on her show, Thore told ET she doesn’t center it in her daily life.

“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 said.

In 2019, she pushed back against comments congratulating her for her perceived weight loss, stating she was not aiming 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. “I’m just not out here to be anybody’s weight loss inspiration.”

She added that she’s a “complex human being” and wants to be appreciated for more than her appearance.

“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.”

She co-founded a fitness and wellness app

In 2018, Thore launched a workout app, No BS Active, to provide accessible at-home fitness routines for people of all sizes and abilities.

“People were asking me about my workouts ALL the time,” she 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 that inclusivity was key: “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.”

Dancing remains a key part of her life

Before becoming a reality TV star, Thore went viral for her dance videos—and that passion hasn’t faded. She continues to share dance content on social media, both solo and with others.

In January 2025, she posted a video of herself taking a ballet lesson—the first in more than two decades—highlighting how movement remains a source of joy for her, both physically and emotionally.