Plot Synopsis

FAMILY BY THE TON is a one-hour reality series that follows morbidly obese cousins Naomi (age 30), Drew (43), and Chitoka (49), as they embark on weight-loss journeys. Along with the guidance of Dr. Charles Procter Jr., this family must overcome their anxieties and inspire each other to change. The series opens with Beverly, Naomi's mother, undergoing weight-loss surgery in a last attempt to turn things around and hopefully inspire her daughter, niece and nephew to follow in her footsteps. In helping her mother recover from her weight loss surgery, Naomi sees firsthand the frightening complications involved in recovery, but is motivated by her dream to start a family. Meanwhile, cousin Drew must overcome his denial of how addictive his eating habits have become before he even begins to consider moving forward with surgery. Finally, cousin Chitoka has been bed-bound for over three years due to her morbid obesity and must literally take her first steps in the right direction in order to qualify for surgery. As viewers are invited into this dramatic family affair, will Naomi, Drew and Chitoka be able to encourage each other's progress or continue enabling each other's deadly habits?

Season 2 of FAMILY BY THE TON premiered on Wednesday, January 2, 2019 at 10pm ET/PT on TLC. The Anderson family is back and continuing their incredible weight loss journey with the guidance of Dr. Procter, but first viewers meet a new family facing the life and death consequences of morbid obesity and turning to the good doctor for help. Out of the four members of the King family in Jackson, Georgia -- cousins Casey, Amanda, Amy and Ed -- Casey is the largest, weighing in at over 700-lbs. Casey spends most of his time eating mountains of food in his bedroom while playing video games for hours on end, enabled by his dad who will do anything to keep him happy. Casey's cousin Ed is a father of two, but his weight of 450-lbs is dangerously life-threatening and must be managed for the sake of his daughters. Meanwhile, cousin Amy might weigh the least in the family at almost 400 pounds, but she sees a future of struggle and limitations that she doesn't want to accept. And while everyone faces a weight that is life or death, it is far more precarious for Amanda. With a diagnosis of endometrial cancer, Amanda is untreatable as long as she continues to weigh 650-lbs and must lose half her body weight if she ever hopes to have her cancer surgically removed. When she decides to have bariatric surgery it forces the rest of the family to confront their harmful lifestyles and consider doing the same. All four cousins make a pact that they will go on a weight loss journey together and fight the family legacy of obesity threatening their lives. In the second half of the season, viewers once again follow the Anderson family and see where Drew, Naomi and Chitoka are after their weight-loss surgeries. Unfortunately, they begin to discover that surgery is not a solution on its own, and that a healthy lifestyle with diet and exercise are crucial. As time passes, the challenge of continuing to lose weight and stay on track grows. Although she sees their progress begin to waiver, their 650-lb cousin Shavonne is now desperate for a change and decides to follow in the family's footsteps, seeking approval for weight-loss surgery. In time, Shavonne learns that she needs to find motivation within herself and in doing so, will hopefully be able to motivate her cousins to follow through in their weight-loss journey together as a family.
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On Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at 10pm ET/PT, TLC premiered the Season 2 finale of FAMILY BY THE TON. In the season ender, "The Andersons: Risks and Reveals," Shavonne undergoes high-risk bariatric surgery. Chitoka struggles to lose enough weight to be approved for skin tightening surgery. Drew works up the courage to go on another date. The family throws a party for Shavonne to reveal her weight loss.