“Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” alum and former child beauty pageant contestant Alana Thompson, 16, is heading to New York City for a weight loss procedure, her manager told TMZ.
Thompson is getting the procedure done just after her 17th birthday this August. Dr. Steven Batash will perform suture sculpt endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, which is a non-surgical outpatient procedure that reduces the functional volume of the stomach by up to 70-80%, according to the doctor’s website.
The site also says that patients will need “a solid commitment to a healthy lifestyle, including exercise and dietary intake” for “long-term success.”
Thompson currently weighs 275 pounds and would like to lose a significant amount of weight to reach her goal of 150 pounds, according to TMZ. She said she fears being overweight is genetic and the only way to lose it is through a weight loss procedure. Thompson’s 20-year-old boyfriend, Dralin Carswell, will be go through the procedure too, TMZ reported.
The “Honey Boo Boo” star has struggled with her weight for her whole life. In the past, she spoke with fans about trying to lose weight naturally, but has so far been unsuccessful.
Thompson’s guardian and half-sister, Pumpkin (Lauryn Efird), gave permission for the teen to get the procedure. She was awarded custody of her younger sibling after their mother was arrested in 2019 for drug possession.
Pumpkin also lost weight recently, and she opted not to have surgery.
Their mother, “Mama June” Shannon, also underwent weight loss surgery and lost more than 300 pounds. Her journey was the subject of the reality series “Mama June: From Not to Hot,” which premiered in 2017 and ran for 5 seasons. Besides bariatric surgery, she also got a tummy tuck, breast augmentation, liposuction, a neck lift, arm lifts, and porcelain veneers.
Mama June spoke with TooFab about why she gained weight following the surgery and how she was happy about it.
“With my weight loss, I have as I like to tell people, gained that healthy Covid weight. I’ve put on probably about 60-70 pounds,” the reality star said. “Am I happy the way I am? Yeah. When I was a size 2 at 150, I was way too damn small. Now I’m 250 and I feel good. Even when I was 500, people didn’t believe I was 500,” she continued.