1000-Lb Best Friends’ Vannessa Cross’ Weight Loss: See Her Incredible Transformation in Photos

June 2016

Vannessa shared an Instagram photo cuddling an adorable cat in her arms prior to her fame on 1000-Lb Best Friends. She admitted that her weight began to rise around this time after her husband died. “That’s what turned me from where I [was at] 350 pounds throughout my entire life — but when he passed away in 2016, my life spiraled out of control. I gained probably at least 100 pounds [and] actually at my biggest I was 500 pounds,” she told Us Weekly.

May 2021

Vannessa appeared in a selfie amid her weight loss battle. She needed to get below 400 pounds to become a candidate for bariatric surgery.

August 2021

Vannessa shared several photos on Instagram, telling fans in the caption, “My journey is hard” about her weight loss battle. 

January 2022

The TLC star’s face was noticeably slimmer by early 2022 than it had been in photos from the year prior.

February 2022

The reality star is seen during a confessional on a 1000-Lb Best Friends that aired on February 14, 2022, when her weight was just under 450 pounds.

February 2022

During a February 2022 episode of 1000-Lb Best Friends, which was filmed in 2021, Vannessa revealed to Dr. Charles Proctor that she had started a diet and wanted to lose enough weight to undergo bariatric surgery. The first time she saw him, Vannessa weighed in at 446 pounds, then later returned at 427 after dropping 20 pounds by dieting. Sadly, during this visit six months later, Vannessa found out she was back up to 441.6 pounds and nowhere near being ready as a candidate for surgery.

March 2022

Vannessa was looking much happier and healthier with her slimmer frame in this March 24 selfie.

She celebrated reaching her target of getting under 400 pounds and becoming a candidate for bariatric surgery in the show’s episode that aired on March 21, 2022. Vannessa weighed in at 398 pounds after “working my ass off, watching what I eat, exercising and doing more than I’ve ever done.”

April 2022

Vannessa looked happy and healthy while promoting her new podcast.

“I had a blast please go listen please please….. Please be sure to subscribe to ‘1,000LB Best Friends Podcast’ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts!” she captioned this April 2022 photo via Instagram. “Also leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.”

May 2022

The TV personality gave a glimpse at her impressive weight loss progress while sharing a selfie on May 29.

September 2022

Fans told Vannessa that she “looks so good” in a selfie shared via Instagram.

December 2022

She’s back! Vannessa said she felt “amazing” while showing off her new look in the season 2 trailer for 1000-Lb Best Friends.

January 2023

Fans told Vannessa that she looks “amazing” after she posted a video of herself admiring fireworks on New Year’s Day.

September 2023

The TLC star rocked black leggings and a lavender tank top after one of her trips to the gym. Vannessa loves sharing workout videos on Instagram, which includes plenty of time in the treadmill as well as lifting weights. In January 2023, she told fans, “Y’all, it’s been a little over 1 year since having surgery and I’ve lost over 100 pounds! I still see the ‘big’ me, but I’m so glad I did it!”

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Vannessa still carried loose skin from her weight loss, which she eventually had surgically removed.

“I got turned down by a couple plastic surgeons, which blew my mind because it wasn’t nothing but a bunch of hanging skin,” she told People in October 2024. “But finally, I found a doctor that accepted me and I had my plastic surgery.”

“I had Betsy May chopped off, honey!” Vannessa said of her stomach pouch. “She gone! She’s swimming somewhere!”

November 2023

Vannessa showed off her massive weight loss while posing with the man who helped her journey begin, Dr. Charles Proctor.

“Now paging my favorite doctor! It’s been almost 2 years since I had bariatric surgery and one of the most important things is maintaining a strong connection with your doctor … especially if he’s as fine as mine!” she playfully wrote in the caption.

December 2023

The reality star revealed her “new obsession” was the casual healthy restaurant Sweet Green.

Sharing a photo of her favorite meal, she wrote, “Y’all have been asking me what I eat, so here’s my go-to order: Spring mix, wild rice, banana peppers, coleslaw, crispy onions, herb roasted chicken, and a little ranch dressing.”

Vannessa added, “I can’t eat the whole salad in one meal, so I eat it for two — lunch and again for dinner. So glad I found another healthy meal that tastes so good and doesn’t upset my stomach!” while adding, “This isn’t an AD y’all!”

April 2024

“I had to (go) cold turkey when it came to the fried foods, fattening foods and breads when I first started this journey to lose weight. Those were my addictive foods: honey buns, pastries, candy bars and then of course, fried chicken, fried fish, French fries,” Vannessa told Today.com in October 2024.

Eventually she learned how to eat healthier versions of her favorite foods. “I know how to make fried chicken that’s not fried at all and that is healthy, but it’s seasoned, it’s flavorful. I know how to do broccoli in so many different flavors that you can have a sweet to a heat. I’ve learned how to modify the healthy foods,” she added.

October 2024

Vannessa wowed in figure-hugging black pants and a belted red shirt in a promotional photo for season 3 of 1000-Lb. Best Friends. It showed the incredible results of her extra skin removal.

“All I wanted was to be normal,” she told People in October 2024. “When I lost all my weight but still had that hanging skin, going to gym, every time I ran, you heard the fat roll slapping. People would look. You’re wearing a tank top and you got your bat wings hanging down and they hear ‘pap pap pap.’”

“Now I get to go to the gym and run and have no issues whatsoever. That is amazing. I actually live life now. Instead of being the big person that’s just existing, I’m living,” Vannessa gushed.