Mama June Shannon has been open about her dramatic weight loss, chronicled on the reality show Mama June: From Not To Hot. But she hopes her daughters won't need to undergo the same process she did.
The mother of four recently had gastric sleeve and skin removal surgery. She's also worked with a personal trainer and a nutritionist on the show. In a new interview with People, Shannon said she hopes her children will learn from her example.
"I don't want them to go through what I went through in school or with surgery," Shannon told People. "I've seen them lose and gain weight, but I don’t want them to end up like I did at 460 lbs. Who would want that?"
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People notes that Shannon has been subject to criticism for allowing her daughters Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon, 17, and Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson, 11, to eat ketchup and butter-covered noodles, which they called "sketti." (Shannon's two adult daughters, Jessica and Anna Shannon, are estranged from her, the magazine adds.)
Shannon seems cognizant, though, of the impact that fat-shaming can have on kids, especially when it comes from a family member. "I do worry about their health, but I'm not going to say, 'You got to eat salads all the time,'" Shannon told People.
Shannon also explained that her family sometimes ate unhealthy food because she didn't know how to cook other meals, and they've been exploring new food options together. One example People mentions is that the family now eats more baked chicken, instead of fried chicken.
"Nobody taught me how to cook," Shannon told People. "So it's a learning experience all the time, and we look up new recipes."
As for whether she'd want her daughters to undergo surgery, as she did, Shannon told the magazine that she would support them, though she wants them to understand it's also a lifestyle change. "If they do have to have that done, they've got to realize it's not just a surgery thing," Shannon told People. "You have to change body, your frame of mind, what you eat. Everything."