Their weight is literally killing them. Cousins Naomi Anderson, 30, Chitoka Light, 49, and Drew Stewart, 43, weigh a combined 2,000 pounds and are fighting for their lives on TLC’s new reality show, Family By the Ton. In a new clip, cameras capture the relatives questioning whether or not they should undergo potentially life-saving surgery to get their weight under control.

“Drew, Chitoka, and I are all debating whether or not to get this surgery, but we’re all scared,” Naomi said in a preview clip for the series. “My whole family is suffering from morbid obesity. If we don’t change things, someone is going to die.”

family by the ton
TLC

Naomi Anderson puts on makeup on her bed.

As the youngest of her cousins, Naomi wants to start a family, but she knows her weight puts her at a greater risk for pregnancy complications. “No one made me fat, I made myself fat,” she said.

Meanwhile, Chitoka’s weight has gotten so out of control she is bed-ridden and hasn’t been outside in three years. “I have struggled with my weight all my life. I’m tired of this bed being my existence,” she said. “I feel sad and embarrassed that I’ve allowed my life to come to this.”

Drew agreed. “I need to knock off this overeating before it kills me,” he said in the clip. “If you’re on drugs, you can hide it. If you’re an alcoholic, you can hide it. But if you’re fat, everyone sees your problem.”

Dr. Charles Procter, Jr., warns them that they need to make a change — and fast. “Many of the family members are eating themselves to death,” he said. “Essentially without the surgery, they could die.”

Family By the Ton premieres Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 10 p.m. EST on TLC.

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