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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →In a February 2023 interview with Health Digest, Vannessa Cross discussed joining 1000-Lb. Best Friends, the changes she said supported her weight-loss journey, and the practical strain of filming after surgery. The article reported that she had lost more than 100 pounds by then; those figures describe the interview’s historical account, not her current weight or an independently verified medical record.
How Vannessa Cross joined 1000-Lb. Best Friends
Cross told Health Digest that her friend Meghan asked whether she wanted to take part in a weight-loss television show. She said she was apprehensive at first. The interview presents her entry into the series as a friendship-led invitation, rather than a decision she immediately embraced.
What Cross said about her weight-loss journey
The 2023 interview reported that Cross had lost more than 100 pounds by the time it was published. Cross also recalled weighing 398 pounds the day before surgery, after losing 50 pounds during her pre-surgery diet. These are figures reported in that interview and should not be read as current measurements.
Cross described changing how she thought about food. “I started treating food as an addiction instead of as a pleasure or a joy,” she said. That is her personal description, not a clinical assessment or a general medical conclusion.
The coping strategies Cross described
Cross said she sought therapy and read about food addiction. She also described coloring and sewing as ways to keep herself occupied when managing cravings. These were activities she said helped her; the interview does not establish them as treatment or as methods that will work for everyone.
Cross’s advice to people working toward weight-loss goals
When asked what she would tell people struggling to meet weight-loss goals, Cross emphasized mindset: “The number-one thing I try to tell anyone that is wanting to start this journey and lose weight [is to] start mentally. Start with your mind.”
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She also advised making foods someone is trying to avoid less accessible and reducing portions. Cross framed these suggestions as advice from her own experience, not individualized medical guidance. She pointed out that food cannot simply be avoided altogether: “You do have to eat. It ain’t like a drug, where you don’t have to do it at all and you can still survive. Food, you have to eat”
What made filming difficult after surgery
Cross said long filming sessions made it harder to keep up with the eating and drinking routines she was meant to follow after surgery. She also disliked the bright lights on set. Her comments offer a glimpse of the day-to-day demands behind filming, rather than a broader account of the production process.
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Where to watch: the schedule in the 2023 interview
The Health Digest article listed TLC and a Wednesday 10 p.m. ET/PT broadcast time for the season being promoted in February 2023. That is a historical schedule; the interview does not establish current broadcast times or streaming availability.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.About the interview
Melissa Szaro’s Health Digest interview, published February 1, 2023, focused on Cross’s role in 1000-Lb. Best Friends and her account of weight loss and bariatric surgery. The publication said the interview had been edited for clarity. Its statements about Cross’s health and experience are attributed to her or reported by the article; they are not independent medical verification.
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