Tammy Slaton Reveals Why She Had To 'Wise Up' And Take Control Of Her Life

Tammy Slaton is happy she got her lifesaving weight loss surgery but admits she never thought it would happen.

Slaton is on the up and up and feeling "great" in her progress to lose weight and not be morbidly obese—the 1000-Lb. Sisters star finally had bariatric surgery in 2022. She had a near-death experience, which pushed her to get serious and stay focused.

"I wised up and got my surgery," she tells PEOPLE magazine. Ahead of the surgery, the 36-year-old was placed in a medically induced coma and put on a ventilator when she stopped breathing.

"I was able to make my lungs strong enough to get my trach [tracheostomy tube for breathing] out, and then recently, the doctor cleared me to be off my oxygen machine during the daytime." This is a massive step for the reality star who was forced to be glued to the machine to live.

Slaton admits that while she still needs the machine, it's significantly less time per day. "Now I only wear my oxygen at night, along with my BiPap machine," she explains. "I monitor my oxygen levels throughout the day and keep my machine on hand in case I need it."

Despite the lingering hiccup, she points out, "I'm feeling great! I'm thankful to be alive, and it's fun to progress as much as I am." The first photos of Slaton without her oxygen tank popped up on her social media last month.

This was the second massive milestone for the TLC star; just before that, she was photographed walking without her everyday assistance, whether in a walker or motorized wheelchair.

Slaton's comments were filled with support and love when she slowed off that she ditched the oxygen tank for the time being. She even decided to share unfiltered photos. "6 beautiful photos of myself without filters," she captioned the post.

Tammy's weight loss doctor Eric Smith loved the look. "So proud of you❤️," he writes. Others were impressed with Slaton's skin. "Your skin looks so good! What do you use on it? Looking so healthy, Tammy."

"Gosh, I like you even better without the filters! You look even more beautiful! ☺️," supported another follower. Slaton had confidence before, but this support will make the reality star happy.

Slaton was 717 lbs when the series started. She is now under 550 lbs. This shocked Slaton and her family as she was so stubborn initially. "When I got on the scale, and I saw the scale was at 534.7, I kinda stopped breathing for a second," she recalled in the latest season.

"I'm like 14 lbs. under my goal weight. From over 700, that's a huge drop." Tammy shared, "I'm feeling thrilled, proud, excited — just all the emotions. I proved everybody wrong. Everybody that doubted me, I finally got mine! My told-you-so moment!"