Austin “Chumlee” Russell, on of the stars of Pawns Stars, is engaged after losing more than 100 pounds after his gastric sleeve surgery earlier this year.
The Blast published photos of Chumlee and his family at Andiamo Italian Steakhouse in downtown Las Vegas, where the family celebrated his engagement to Olivia.
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Before his procedure, Chumlee weighed 342 lbs. He lost 38 lbs during a pre-operation diet. This week, Chumlee was down to 230 lbs after losing 114 lbs.
Chumlee underwent the gastric sleeve surgery with Blossom Bariatrics at Warm Springs Surgical Center in Las Vegas. In a video filmed the day of his surgery, Chumlee said he has struggled to lose weight and to keep it off his whole life.
“I’ve been down, I’ve been up, I’ve been down, I’ve been up. So, when you need a little help to stay down, this is where you come,” Chumlee said. “I’ve already lost 38 lbs on my pre-op diet. They recommend you do it for a couple of weeks, but I’ve been doing it for about five or six weeks now. So that’s going to make my goal to get to 200 lbs a lot better, a lot easier.”
Chumlee said he would “love” to get under 180 pounds, but under 200 is his goal because the last time he attempted to lose weight, he got down to 212.
The History Channel star is not the first member of the Pawn Stars cast to have gastric band surgery. Corey Harrison had the procedure in 2010. At one point, Harrison weighted 402 lbs, but dropped to 210 lbs after the procedure. Harrison said his wakeup call came when his doctor prescribed him preventative diabetes medication.
“I literally drove straight from the doctor to the lap band center and had the surgery almost immediately,” Harrison told PEOPLE in 2014. “Back then, the surgery was too expensive for my bank account, so I had to pay with four credit cards, but it was something I had to do – I was not going to get diabetes!”
At the time, Chumlee also dropped almost 100 lbs., but he later put the weight back on.
“It was time for me to get healthy,” Chumlee told PEOPLE in 2014. “I started at 320 lbs. and now I’m down to 225. When I first began, I eliminated all processed foods except mustard. Now, ‘everything in moderation’ is my motto.”
Chumlee has provided updates since his surgery in February on Instagram. On July 26, he shared a video comparing the jeans he wears today with the jeans he wore before his weight loss. He can now wear jeans with a 34 inch waist.
Pawn Stars finished its 15th season in June with a tribute to Richard “The Old Man” Harrison, who died in June after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Photo credit: Hollywood To You/Star Max/GC Images/Getty Images
