‘Counting On’ Alum Derick Dillard Slammed by Fans for Latest Post

Derick Dillard rang in the new year with a fresh wave of controversy.

The former Counting On star took to Twitter on Tuesday, Jan. 1, to promote a new story on his blog, The Dillard Family, seemingly encouraging and advising others on how to keep up with their New Year’s resolutions by sharing his story of a drastic weight loss.

“The Key to Keeping Your 2019 Resolutions: ‘Some of you may not know this, but 7 years ago I weighed nearly 400 pounds,” he wrote in the tweet.

The blog entry, titled “The Key to Keeping Your 2019 Resolutions,” went on to detail a drastic weight loss over the course of several years,

“The day was New Years Eve, 2011, and I knew I needed to discipline myself to lose 250 pounds and lose it fast! I didn’t know how I was going to do it nor how I would stay focused, but I was determined that it was going to happen, and nothing could stop me,” Dillard wrote in the post.

The post went on to detail a strict exercise and diet regimen and encouraged those hoping to shed a few pounds to learn the “importance of having S.M.A.R.T. goals.” The acronym, as he explained, stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-sensitive goals.

The tall tale immediately drew criticism from Counting On fans who accused the blog post as being clickbait and abusing other peoples’ struggle to lose weight.

“DO NOT CLICK ON THIS FOLKS, it’s a fake ad to get you to visit their website, lies lies lies!” one person commented below Dillard’s tweet.

“They are scum and just want clicks for money for themselves, even if that means outright LYING,” another person added.

“Oh, I just read the whole thing,” one person wrote. “Shame on you for pretending to have a significant weight problem as clickbait for your blog. You used a lie to get money. I don’t think that’s very Christ-like.”

Dillard is no stranger to public controversy and backlash, with past incidents resulting in him being fired from TLC’s Counting On. His downfall came after he made several tweets regarding I Am Jazz‘s Jazz Jennings, claiming that being transgender is a “myth” and “Gender is not fluid; it’s ordained by God.”

After TLC announced that the network would have no further business ventures with Dillard, the former Counting On star created a GoFundMe seeking donations to help him further serve “through a program at my home church, called the Cross Church School of Ministry!”

His request, which came in the midst of continuous controversial tweets directed at both Jennings, the LGBTQ community, and other TLC stars, quickly drew criticism from fans who dubbed Dillard a scam artist.