NEED TO KNOW
TLC’s new show 1000-Lb. Roomies follows the journey of best friends Jaz and Nesha as they try to lose weight
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the roommates speak candidly about what motivates them to finally face their longtime health struggles
After warnings from doctors, Jaz and Nesha are committed to improving their health and will document their journeys on 1000-Lb. Roomies, which premieres June 3 at 10pm ET
For Jasmine “Jaz” Wallace and Nesha Harris, weight has been a lifelong struggle.
The best friends — who star in TLC’s new show 1000-Lb. Roomies — opened up to PEOPLE about their difficult weight loss journeys and why they’re now committed to making healthier lifestyle choices.
Jaz, 41, says she has made countless attempts to lose weight on her own without any real success.
“I tried everything from pills to working out to water aerobics to fasting, just anything possible. Anything that was quick and fast,” she explains. “So I would lose maybe 20 lbs. and then gain it right back, plus double. The heaviest I weighed was 670 lbs.”
“They would put me on nutrition plans, offer medication, but I wouldn’t take any of it serious,” she says. “I would honestly self-sabotage like, it’s not going to work, so why try?”
Courtesy of Jaz and Nesha
Nesha and Jaz
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Meanwhile Nesha, 37, says that although she grew up a “chunky girl,” people told her she was pretty, so she never thought her weight was an issue.
“I just kept going. I kept living,” she says, noting that her heaviest weight was 435 lbs. “My mom, I saw her try every diet in the book. To me, they’re like get-rich-quick kind of schemes. I’ll see her succeed for a little bit, but then after a while, she’ll fall right back off. So with me, I never really gave a real diet a chance.”
Over the years, Jaz and Nesha — who have lived together in Riverside, Calif., for three years — have heard doctors warn them about the harm of carrying too much weight. However, it wasn’t enough.
“My doctors were pretty much letting me know, ‘Jasmine, if you don’t get this together, you’re not going to be around.’ You pretty much already know you’re going to hear that every visit, so it’s just like, yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever,” Jaz admits.
“You kind of get conditioned to hearing it,” Nesha says. “Since I was a little girl, every doctor’s visit, it’s like ‘You’re going to die.’ So it’s just like, man, whatever. Y’all say that if I’m 5 pounds overweight. So I guess it’s devastating news to hear, but I just keep it pushing, honestly.”
Courtesy of Jaz and Nesha
Roommates and best friends Jaz and Nesha
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It wasn’t until Jaz was faced with a significant health challenge that landed her in the hospital that she knew she needed to take her weight seriously. “My body was letting me know: Jaz, girl, this ain’t nothing to play with no more.”
With a 10-year-old daughter at home, Jaz knew she needed to commit to her weight loss journey if she wanted to be there for her little girl. She now has a goal to drop about 200 lbs. and qualify for bariatric surgery.
And as best friends, Nesha decided to join her.
She’s focused on taking “baby steps” in her journey and doing the work on her mental health so that it translates to her physical health.
Jaz and Nesha are now working together on portion control, drinking more water, and staying active. “We just try to push each other and motivate each other, but don’t try to overpower each other,” Jaz notes.
They pair admit that they’re slowly but surely making progress — only falling off the wagon occasionally.
“So far so good. I have my slipups, but I’m human,” Jaz says. “Me and Nesha are Mexican food fanatics. You could give us tacos and we’re happy all day. We could literally eat tacos all day every day.”
“We want the chips, we want the salsa, we want the guacamole, we want the sour cream, we want it all,” she says with a laugh as Nesha agrees. “That’s the hardest thing. But like I said, it’s a journey. We’re learning. So we would do four tacos before and now we’re doing two. We’re learning how to really cut back.”
TLC
1000-Lb. Roomies
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Jaz and Nesha’s weight loss journey will now be documented on TLC’s new show, 1000-Lb. Roomies. They tell PEOPLE that they’re equally excited and nervous about having the world see the ups and downs of their health.
However, they hope that developing a fan base will help them stay accountable and make it easier to stay on track with their goals.
“It’s accountability with a hint of added pressure basically,” Nesha explains. “But I’m excited because I feel like, from the outside looking in, we all judge each other. And to be able to share my story on such a large platform, I feel like it’s just such a blessing.”
“Now that I will have these supporters, I don’t want to disappoint,” Jaz adds. “And I’ll be reaching as many people as I can who struggle with the same things I do. So I’ll get to be a face to let them know: You’re not in this by yourself.”
The series premiere of 1000-Lb. Roomies airs Tuesday, June 3 at 10pm ET/PT on TLC.
Read the original article on People
