The season finale of TLC’s popular series “Dangerously Obese” airs Wednesday night, spotlighting the compelling journey of Bryan, who is grappling with the challenges of weighing 600 pounds. This episode captures the pivotal moment in his quest to reclaim his life.

At 41, Bryan, hailing from Virginia, candidly discusses the profound impact his obesity has had on his mental and physical well-being. He shares how his condition has prevented him from fully engaging in life with his friends, family, and particularly, his young daughter.

In a bid to cope, Bryan admits to digitally inserting himself into group photos to create the illusion of attending events that his physical limitations kept him from.

Determined to change his life, Bryan opts for bariatric surgery, placing his trust in Dr. Charles Procter, the esteemed surgeon featured on TLC’s “1000-LB Sisters.” This decision becomes a crucial step in his dramatic transformation, which is unveiled in the series finale.

However, Bryan’s journey is about more than just losing weight; the challenges he faces extend beyond the scale, painting a full picture of his fight for a healthier, more fulfilling life.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail ahead of the finale, Bryan gets candid about living with severe lymphedema, a chronic condition that causes extreme swelling due to lymph-fluid buildup in his left leg.

The season finale of TLC’s hit series Dangerously Obese tells the gripping story of Bryan, who opened up to the Daily Mail about his battle with lymphedema, a chronic condition that causes extreme swelling due to lymph-fluid buildup in his left leg

Bryan’s battle began when his left leg ballooned after a basketball injury, adding tens of pounds to his frame and making even simple movements agonizing

Bryan’s battle began when his left leg ballooned after a basketball injury, adding tens of pounds to his frame and making even simple movements agonizing.

It became such a dominating force in his life that he gave it a name, jokingly calling it ‘George.’

‘There is only treatment, there’s no cure for George,’ Bryan tells the Daily Mail.

Treatment focuses on symptom management through complex decongestive therapy — manual lymphatic drainage, exercises, bandaging, and skincare — but his doctor made it clear just how serious the condition was.

‘Bryan has very, very bad lymphedema… a lot of people have lost their legs because of this… there’s not a lot of cure for this other than… it can be greatly helped by losing some weight,’ his doctor explained on the show’s finale.

Bryan now says the bariatric surgery has been transformative for both his mobility and his lymphedema symptoms.

‘Through the surgery, through losing weight, I’m a lot more nimble,’ he told the Daily Mail.

‘Now that I’ve lost this excess of 300 pounds, I can wrap my own leg and it makes a huge difference,’ he continued. ‘I wrap my leg every day. It’s a ritual. And I’ve had one bout of cellulitis since the surgery, and that’s ’cause I cut my leg and it got infected.’

‘There is only treatment, there’s no cure for George,’ Bryan tells the Daily Mail

Bryan now says the bariatric surgery has been transformative for both his mobility and his lymphedema symptoms

Even his trips to the hospital have drastically decreased.

‘But the three or four trips per year to the hospital? Those seem to be, knock on wood, gone,’ he said proudly.

Humor, Bryan admits, has always been a key coping mechanism.

‘I’ve always been a little bit of a joker, I like to laugh. It’s my favorite exercise,’ he told the Daily Mail.

‘I like being funny and I do use humor to deal with the more morbid side of my life,’ he added, citing lingering effects of childhood teasing.

‘I always learned to live with the childhood teasing,’ he explained. ‘My nickname was ‘Fat Boy’ growing up.

‘And I’ll never forget what I was and where I came from ‘cause all of that makes me who I am today.’

Regarding GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Bryan revealed they weren’t part of his journey.

It became such a dominating force in his life that he gave it a name, jokingly calling it ‘George’

‘Bryan has very, very bad lymphedema… a lot of people have lost their legs because of this… there’s not a lot of cure for this other than… it can be greatly helped by losing some weight,’ his doctor explained on the show’s finale

‘At the time, those weren’t discussed because I was way too large for them,’ he explained.

But he’s more active now than ever.

‘I’m not saying I’m right where I should be, but I don’t feel the need for them as much anymore,’ he said. ‘I’m a lot more active. I move around. I don’t get tired when I walk or run.’

Even sports have returned to his life — though not without incident.

‘I actually just recovered from a broken foot ‘cause I went back to playing basketball, and broke my foot.’

Bryan also shared the status of his relationship with his daughter Sofia. 

The touching reunion on the show happened just before his surgery, after nearly two years apart.

‘Because the show was filmed a while ago, she barely remembers me as a big guy. She barely remembers it,’ he shared.

Regarding GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Bryan revealed they weren’t part of his journey

‘We look at old pictures and stuff, and she’s just like, ‘I barely remember you being that big.’ And she barely remembers me having to rest between pushing her on the swing. 

‘She barely remembers not being able to walk around the mall. Like, she barely remembers that just because I hadn’t been around her for a while.’

‘My second chance with her is what she remembers now,’ he added.

To see Bryan’s full transformation and the incredible results of his weight-loss journey, tune in to the season finale of Dangerously Obese on TLC Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT.