For some people who’ve dropped hundreds of pounds, losing the weight is only half the battle. Often, they’re left with excess skin that makes them feel ashamed of their bodies. And that’s where My 600-lb Life: Skin Tight comes in. Ahead of the third season premiere, check out our primer on the reality spin-off below.

Season 3 is upon us

TLC is getting viewers amped for the March 7 premiere of My 600-lb Life: Skin Tight. “In the dramatic new season, Dr. Nowzaradan returns with other top plastic surgeons across the country to work with subjects looking to undergo a full-body transformation through skin removal surgery,” the cable network says in a press release.

Season 3 will consist of 13 hour-long episodes, each one focusing on two or three individuals hoping to shed the skin now that they’ve shed the pounds. (And we’ll also get a couple “Where Are They Now?” specials toward the end of the season.)

“Viewers will once again be invited to join the transformative journey,” TLC says. “With each episode culminating in powerful reveals and physical changes.”

This season boasts astounding statistics

During the course of this third season, Skin Tight will feature 29 people who have lost a total of 6,818 pounds — nearly three and a half tons! Now these folks are seeking Dr. Now’s help achieving the physiques they deserve after all that hard work.

“I lost 320 pounds, but I’m still reminded of being the fat girl,” says one patient in TLC’s sneak peek from the season. “This extra skin is a punishment worse than death,” says another.

We’ll meet Stephanie and B.J. in the season premiere

In the March 7 season premiere, we’ll follow Stephanie, a woman who experienced depression and weight gain after childbirth. But then she was inspired by her baby son persevering through a heart defect, a seizure, and a life-saving surgery, and she vowed to lose weight for him. She ended up losing 200 pounds, and now she wants her excess skin gone. (We’ll also meet her mother, Darcy, who also wants skin removal surgery after she herself dropped 140 pounds.)

Elsewhere in the episode, we’ll witness the transformation journey of B.J., a man who stopped abusing drugs and overeating when he became a father. He went from 500 pounds to 150 pounds, and now he hopes to lose the excess skin that only serves as a reminder of his past.

Don’t forget to tune in to see how they fare — My 600-lb Life: Skin Tight premieres on March 7 at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.