'I was doing drugs, and it still didn't slow down my eating': 612lb mother who became an addict after she was gang raped loses 170LBS - despite her teen son tempting her with junk food

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A 612lb mother-of-two who was brutally gang raped at a party after leaving home at 17 years old has worked to overcome her past trauma and lose 170lbs in one year despite her teenage son trying to sabotage her progress with junk food.

On Wednesday night's episode of the TLC series My 600lb Life, Kirsten Perez, 38, from Longview, Washington, vowed to lose weight to get her children back after battling drugs and addiction since she was in her early teens. 

'I just want to go to sleep and not wake up. I dread waking up. I feel like I'm in jail, a prisoner in this fat, a prisoner of what I've done to myself,' she said of her 612lb pound frame. 

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Weight loss journey: Kirsten Perez, from Longview, Washington, went from 612lbs to 442lbs on Wednesday night's episode of the TLC reality series My 600lb Life

Emotional eating: Kirsten struggled with a traumatic past and sought solace in junk food

Tough times: The 38-year-old admitted that she felt like a 'prisoner' in her own body 

Kirsten's mother, Cris, told the cameras that her daughter was around 14 years old when she started to 'put on more weight than she should and doing things she shouldn't'.

'As much as I found comfort in food, it was just the beginning of my addictions,' Kirsten explained. 'I was doing drugs and smoking a lot of pot, a lot of acid, meth here and there, and I still didn't slow down my eating.'

Kirsten said she was 15 years old when she really started to put on weight, noting that everyone else her age 'was like 120lbs' and she was around 170lbs.   

'My father didn't hesitate to point out that I was gaining so much weight, which made me feel even more rejected, and I'd run to drugs and food and my family didn't know how to deal with it,' she recalled. 

Wild child: Kirsten really started to gain weight when she was 14 years old, around the same time she began experimenting with drugs and alcohol 

Bad memories: Kirsten recalled her father Kurt pointing out how much weight she had gained, and it made her feel even 'more rejected'. She is pictured with her father and her mother, Cris

Cris said that they realized Kirsten wasn't going to finish high school when 17 and had left them. 

Kirsten admitted she felt like her family didn't want her around anymore, but things got even worse when she left.

After she moved out on her own, Kirsten started doing cocaine and her addictions only got worse after she was gang raped at a party. She became pregnant with her daughter Lexie after selling her body for drugs. 

Kirsten weighed more than 300lbs when she got pregnant for the second time with her son Neiko. 

Trauma: After being gang raped after leaving her home at 17, Kirsten sold her body for drugs and got pregnant with her daughter, Lexie. She went on to have a son named Neiko 

Can't live on her own: Kirsten needed constant assistance in her day to day life, and her mother even had to wash her back in the shower

 Struggles: The mother-of-two admitted that she sometimes wished she wouldn't wake up in the morning 

After giving up drugs, Kirsten moved back in with her parents, Cris and Kurt, and the family made the decision to make a five day car ride to Houston, Texas, to meet with obesity specialist and surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan.

The doctor agreed to treat Kirsten and do hernia repair surgery, as well as weight loss surgery, if she was able to lose 50lbs in one month.

The mom made the decision to stay in Houston with her son Neiko, but her sons presence threatened to derail her progress because he would eat junk food in front of her and cruelly laugh at her because of her weight. 

Neiko ended up moving back to Washington to live with Kirsten's father, and althoughs was upset with him leaving, she knew it was for the best. 

Last chance: Kirsten made the decision to have her parents drive her to Houston, Texas, to meet with a weight loss specialist and surgeon 

Serious task: Dr. Younan Nowzaradan said he would repair Kirsten's hernia and give her weight loss surgery if she lost 50lbs in one month 

'Part of me is sad that he is leaving, but part of me is relieved that he is going because I can't put up with much more of him,' Kirsten explained. 

Neiko, who was full of anger and resentment, was miserable when his grandmother woke up early on the day he was moving back to Washington.   

'Who wants to get up at 5am?' he yelled, and Cris reminded him that they needed to get his bags packed before he goes.  

'Neiko is leaving today to go back to Washington. For everybody's sanity here, not just mine, it's time that Neiko goes back,' Kirsten told the cameras.

Rebelling: Kirsten's angry teenage son Neiko would eat junk food in front of her and laugh about her weight  

Distraught: 'My priority is getting healthy and losing the weight and it's really hard to do when he stresses me out,' she said of his behavior

Choices: Kirsten finally decided that Neiko should move back to Washington and live with his grandfather  

Kirsten's son was angrily cursing while he complained that he had just packed his stuff to move the first time. 

His mom warned him that his grandfather wasn't going to put up with his 'attitude' and his 'problems'.   

'Well, no s**t,' he mouthed back. 'The only reason I act like that was because I didn't want to be down here.' 

Kirsten immediately fired back that he acted the same way when they were living in Washington, and the arguing continued. 

His story: Neiko insisted that his attitude had to do with the fact that he was forced to move against his will, and he said he would be fine when he returned to Washington

Moving on: 'I have been ready to move out since the first day that we got here,' Neiko said before he leaves

 Emotions: Kirsten was brought to tears after Neiko left, but she knew it was for the best 

'I don't feel like my mom is able to be a mom to me. It's more like a sibling like we just fight back and forth back and forth all day,' Neiko told the cameras.  

'I can't take one more second,' he added. 'I have been ready to move out since the first day that we got here.'

After he left, Kirsten sobbed on her bed as she admitted she was torn about him moving back to Washington.

'My priority is getting healthy and losing the weight and it's really hard to do when he stresses me out. I have enough stress as it is,' she explained. 

First step: After losing 49lbs in one month, the doctor approved her for surgery to repair her bulging hernia 

Doing more: While she was on the operating table, Dr. Nowzaradan decided to give her a min gastric bypass as well 

Despite the added stress of Neiko's presense, Kirsten was able to lose 49lbs in one month, and Dr. Nowzaradan gave her hernia surgery. While she was on the operating table, he also decided to give her a mini gastric bypass. 

However, Kirsten struggled with being on a liquid diet and became a 'difficult' patient, who snapped at those who were just trying to help her.

Kirsten ended up gaining 20lbs seven months after the surgery, and she went on to cancel an appointment with a therapist despite her doctor's orders.

Dr. Nowzaradan warned her that he would stop treating her if she didn't go see a therapist, and she finally relented.

'Let me be clear — you go to a therapist, or there is nothing more I can do for you,' he told her. 'Outside of a medical emergency, we are done. Do you understand me?'

Success: Kirsten lost 170lbs in one year, going from 612lbs to 442lbs 

Moment of pride: Kirsten happily gave the doctor a hug after learning how much weight she had lost  

Reunited: Kirsten also had a heart-to-heart with Neiko, and they shared a hug 

Kirsten's therapist, Lola Clay, helped Kirsten understand that her desire to eat was part a self-inflicted punishment she put on herself because she felt partially responsible for her sexual assaults. 

The therapist encouraged her to 'let go of [the] responsibility' and start focusing on the positives in her life.

Kirsten was told to recite the mantra: 'I will not abuse my body with food. Above all else, I will love and respect myself.' 

A year after she started her journey, Kirsten went from 612lbs to 442lbs, losing a total of 170lbs. 

Dr. Nowzaradan told Kirsten that he was proud of her, and they shared a hug after her treatment ended.