Original subtitles

I HATE MYSELF BECAUSE I ALLOWED MYSELF TO GET THIS SIZE.

I AM VERY MISERABLE IN THIS BODY

AND I FEEL LIKE I'M A TICKING TIME BOMB.

I TRY TO CHANGE, BUT SOMETHING ALWAYS KNOCKS ME DOWN.

MY LIFE, IT'S LIKE A LIVING DEATH SENTENCE.

UH! OOH!

AH, [BLEEP]!

THIS IS NO LIFE FOR ANYONE.

OH, JUST PRAY FOR ME.

[ SOBS ]

OW! MY LEG!

SIT DOWN RIGHT THERE. WAIT.

YOU'RE MAKING ME MAD.

ALL RIGHT, THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE.

[ DOOR CLOSES ]

IF YOU HAVE WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY AND YOU DON'T FOLLOW THAT,

YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT.

THERE'S NO MAGIC IN WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Liz: THERE CAN BE SOME REALLY HARD MOMENTS IN LIFE.

AND YOU CAN EITHER USE THEM AS AN EXCUSE

OR AS AN OBSTACLE TO OVERCOME.

[ INHALES, EXHALES DEEPLY ]

OKAY. ONE BIG ONE.

AH!

AH!!

OH, GOD!

AH! AH!

OH, GOD.

THIS IS MY LIFE.

I'VE BEEN BEDRIDDEN FOR YEARS,

AND I HAVE THESE FOUR WALLS TO LOOK AT AND THAT'S IT.

I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE THE SAME THING EVERY SINGLE DAY.

IT FEELS AS THOUGH MY LIFE IS WASTING AWAY.

I CAN'T EVEN GO SIT OUTSIDE ON MY PORCH.

CAN'T DO NOTHING.

AND IF IT WASN'T FOR MY AUNT,

I DON'T KNOW HOW I'D EVEN SURVIVE.

THAT'S ABOUT THE BEST I CAN DO WITH THAT.

LIZ'S LIFE RIGHT NOW IS JUST PURE TORTURE.

SHE FEELS LIKE HER LIFE IS A LIVING HELL,

AND SHE DON'T WANT TO LIVE IN THAT BED.

Liz: HAVE TO HAVE SOMEBODY TURN YOU OVER AND CHANGE YOU...

...I HATE IT.

Sarah: GIVING LIZ HER BATH,

FOR ME, IT IS TREMENDOUSLY HARD,

BUT I HAVE TO DO IT.

I FIGHT BACK THE TEARS AND I PRAY

ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE PROCESS,

AND THAT'S HOW I MAKE IT THROUGH.

Liz: WHEN I SEE MY AUNT IN PAIN, IT'S GUT-WRENCHING.

BUT THE WORST PART, IS I STARTED LIVING HERE

TO TAKE CARE OF MY MOM

AND I CAN'T EVEN DO THAT...

I NEED TO COME ON THAT SIDE.

...BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS TO TAKE CARE OF ME.

SO, I'M ASHAMED I'VE ALLOWED MYSELF TO BECOME SUCH A BURDEN.

AH!

Sarah: CAN'T GET IT, LIZ. I NEED HELP.

UGH!

NO, I GOT TO HAVE HELP ON THIS SIDE.

LET ME GO GET SOME HELP.

AND, UH...

UGH!

I DIDN'T THINK THAT I WOULD HIT ROCK-BOTTOM AT 35 YEARS OLD.

IT'S DEVASTATING.

I HATE MYSELF BECAUSE I ALLOWED MYSELF TO GET THIS SIZE.

[ SOBS ]

COME ON, LIZ, DON'T CRY.

I'M HELPLESS.

I'MA GET IT.

HEY.

Sarah: SO, I NEED HELP.

SO, WHAT I NEED FOR YOU TO DO IS --

OKAY, YOU NEED ME TO PULL HER?

THIS WAY, STAND SO SHE WON'T FALL.

OKAY.

MY MOM CALLS FAMILY MEMBERS ALL THE TIME TO HELP WITH LIZ,

BUT SHE JUST CONTINUES TO GET PROGRESSIVELY WORSE.

BUT MY MOM ABSOLUTELY CANNOT CONTINUE TO LOOK AFTER LIZ

AT THE CURRENT STATE THAT SHE'S IN.

LIZ NEEDS MEDICAL CARE.

**

Sarah: I FEEL HELPLESS EVERY TIME I WALK IN THE ROOM

AND TRY TO DO SOMETHING FOR HER,

AND WHEN SHE'S REALLY, REALLY SO DEPRESSED AND SO SAD.

SO I JUST ENCOURAGE HER AND HELP HER.

AND THE ONLY WAY SHE'S ENCOURAGED IS WITH FOOD.

AND LIZ EATS...A LOT OF FOOD.

COMPARED TO WHAT I EAT AND WHAT LIZ EAT,

I COULD FEED MY WHOLE FAMILY.

BUT EATING IS THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES HER HAPPY.

SO, IF WE DON'T FEED HER, IT'S GOING TO BE BAD.

Liz: FOOD IS THE ONLY THING I CAN LOOK FORWARD TO IN MY DAY.

I ENJOY EATING.

BUT AFTERWARDS, I DON'T FEEL GOOD ABOUT MYSELF.

FEEL LIKE A FAILURE, BECAUSE WHAT I'M DOING,

HOW I'M EATING, IS STEALING MY LIFE

AND MY FUTURE, AND WHO I WAS.

I HAD HOPES AND DREAMS AND I WANTED A LIFE.

BUT THE PERSON THAT I USED TO BE,

THAT PERSON IS DEAD AND GONE,

AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET BACK WHO I WAS.

**

WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL, I WAS A NORMAL SIZE.

BUT I WAS BORN WITH AN ABNORMALITY IN MY LEG.

THE BONE WAS CURVED, WHICH RESULTED IN ONE LEG

BEING SHORTER THAN THE OTHER.

I WALKED, BUT I WALKED WITH LIKE A LITTLE LIMP.

SO, I COULDN'T BE AS ACTIVE AS I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO BE.

BUT I WAS STILL ABLE TO GET AROUND ALL RIGHT AND DO THINGS.

IT WAS JUST HARDER.

AND SOME OF MY BEST MEMORIES AS A CHILD

WAS GOING PLACES WITH MY DAD.

WE COULD BE GOING TO THE CORNER STORE.

I JUST WANTED TO BE WITH HIM.

SO, DESPITE MY SETBACK,

I REMEMBER MY EARLY CHILDHOOD AS VERY HAPPY.

BUT THAT CHANGED WHEN I WAS SIX,

BECAUSE I WAS MOLESTED BY SOMEONE THAT MY FAMILY KNEW.

I REMEMBER BEING SO ALONE AND SCARED,

BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO OR WHO I COULD TELL,

SO I JUST FELT ASHAMED.

I DON'T KNOW IF MY MOM WOULD'VE BELIEVED ME,

AND I DIDN'T WANT TO TELL MY DAD

BECAUSE WE WERE SO CLOSE

AND I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE HIM SEE ME ANY DIFFERENT.

SO, I KIND OF PUSHED IT OUT OF MY MIND,

'CAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT,

AND I JUST TRIED TO PRETEND IT DIDN'T EXIST.

BUT AS I GOT OLDER, THINGS GOT WORSE.

MY DAD DEVELOPED A BAD DRUG ADDICTION,

SO MY PARENTS GOT DIVORCED.

HE LET THAT ADDICTION SUPERCEDE HIS WIFE AND HIS CHILD.

AFTER THAT, MY LIFE WAS NEVER QUITE THE SAME.

I WAS ABOUT 10 YEARS OLD THEN,

AND THAT'S WHEN I REMEMBER TAKING ALL THAT PAIN

AND STARTING TO RUN TO FOOD.

Sarah: I COULD REMEMBER LIZ WAITING ON HER DAD,

WITH TEARS, AND DAD NEVER SHOWED UP.

SO, HER ESCAPE WAS TO GO IN THE KITCHEN

AND EAT TO FILL THE VOID.

Liz: IF I WAS FEELING BAD OR SAD OR UPSET,

FOOD WOULD MAKE ME NOT THINK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.

AND AS THINGS GOT HARDER, I JUST ATE MORE.

WHEN I WAS ABOUT 11,

I HAD TO GO THROUGH SEVEN CORRECTIVE SURGERIES ON MY LEG.

LIZ STARTED HAVING CORRECTIVE SURGERIES,

AND THEN THEY PUT ON HER A CAGE, WE CALL IT,

AND THE PINS WOULD GO INTO THE BONE AND HOLD IT STILL.

Liz: WHILE I WAS RECOVERING FROM EACH OF THESE SURGERIES,

I HAD TO STAY IN BED ALL DAY,

SO THAT'S WHEN I STARTED TO REALLY GAIN.

AND BY THE TIME I TURNED 13, I WAS OVER 250 POUNDS.

AND THEN AT THE AGE OF 14,

MY DAD HAD KICKED HIS ADDICTION FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

AND WHEN HE DID THAT, WE STARTED TO GET CLOSE AGAIN

AND PICK BACK UP WITH OUR RELATIONSHIP.

BUT EVEN THOUGH THINGS STARTED TO GET BETTER WITH MY FATHER,

MY EATING DIDN'T SLOW DOWN.

Reta: AS A TEENAGER, SHE WAS GETTING FLUFFY,

AND SHE JUST STARTED TO GROW AND GROW.

Liz: MY MOM TRIED TO PUT ME ON A DIET, BUT I DIDN'T WORK.

NOTHING DID, SO I JUST KEPT GAINING,

AND BY THE TIME I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL AT 18,

I WAS OVER 350 POUNDS.

BUT EVEN THOUGH I WAS STILL GAINING,

I DIDN'T WANT TO JUST BE STUCK AT HOME ALL DAY.

SO, I STARTED VOLUNTEERING AT MY CHURCH AND DOING DAYCARE.

I WAS LARGE, BUT I WAS STILL ABLE TO DO

WHATEVER I WANTED TO DO.

BUT WHEN I WAS 24, I CROSSED THE 400-POUND MARK,

AND THAT'S WHEN I STARTED DEVELOPING LYMPHEDEMA

ON MY LEGS,

SO THAT STARTED MAKING IT EVEN HARDER TO GET AROUND.

AND THAT'S WHEN MY WEIGHT REALLY SPIRALED OUT OF CONTROL.

BECAUSE WHEN I WAS 25, MY MOM GOT SICK AND I ALMOST LOST HER.

SHE HAD DOUBLE PNEUMONIA, SHE HAD MINI STROKES,

AND WAS HOSPITALIZED, AND ALMOST DIED.

AND SHE NEVER FULLY RECOVERED FROM IT ALL

AND NEEDS DIALYSIS NOW, BUT SHE SURVIVED.

I WAS SO SCARED DURING THAT TIME.

ALL I REMEMBER IS EATING.

AND OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, BY THE TIME I WAS 30,

I WAS OVER 500 POUNDS AND MY LYMPHEDEMA HAD GOTTEN SO BAD,

I STOPPED GOING OUT OF THE HOUSE,

'CAUSE OF THE WAY PEOPLE LOOK AND STARE AT YOU.

I JUST WATCHED TV, ATE, AND WAS HERE.

BUT THEN WHEN I WAS 33, MY FATHER PASSED.

AND WHEN HE PASSED, I COULDN'T MAKE IT TO HIS FUNERAL.

I WAS NOT ABLE TO PHYSICALLY BE THERE, AT LEAST,

TO JUST LEAN OVER

AND HUG HIM OR TOUCH HIS FACE OR KISS HIM OR SOMETHING.

AND EVER SINCE THEN, IT JUST WAS DOWNHILL,

AND I'VE BEEN STUCK IN THE BED.

AND NOW, I KNOW I'M OVER 600 POUNDS,

AND I COULDN'T GET OUT OF THIS BED

NO MATTER HOW BAD I WANT TO.

AND MY WEIGHT HAS COMPLETELY ISOLATED ME.

SO, I'VE BASICALLY BECOME A RECLUSE.

MOST OF THE DAY, I SIT IN HERE DEPRESSED AND SAD,

AND FOOD BRINGS ME COMFORT FOR THE MOMENT.

BUT EVERY DAY, I'M GETTING WORSE,

AND EVERY DAY, MY MOM IS GETTING WORSE.

AND I KNOW I SHOULD BE THERE FOR HER, BUT I'M NOT.

**

AND I HATE FORCING MY MOM TO WATCH ME LIKE THIS...

...BECAUSE SHE'S WATCHING ME DIE WHEN I SHOULD BE THERE FOR HER.

AND I KNOW IF MY FAMILY FINDS ME DEAD IN THIS BED

ONE MORNING, THAT'S GOING TO BE TOO MUCH FOR MY MOM TO HANDLE,

AND SHE'S GOING TO DIE, TOO.

I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF ME

HAVING TO BURY MY ONLY CHILD,

AND I DON'T WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT MY BABY.

SO, THEY COULD JUST BURY ME RIGHT ALONG WITH HER.

Liz: SO, I KNOW I HAVE TO FIND SOMEONE TO HELP ME STOP THIS

AND TO CHANGE, OR MY WORST FEARS ARE ABOUT TO HAPPEN.

**

[ DOOR OPENS ]

OKAY, LIZ, IT'S ME.

Liz: ALL RIGHT. HEY.

HEY. WHAT'S UP?

REMEMBER I WAS TELLING YOU ABOUT

THE WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY DOCTOR?

MM-HMM. UM, I WANT TO CALL IN

AND SET UP AN APPOINTMENT TO MEET WITH HIM.

OH, OKAY.

IF YOU GET THE APPOINTMENT, HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET THERE,

BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING HERE THAT CAN TAKE YOU UP THAT FAR,

'CAUSE WE CAN'T JUST USE A REGULAR STRETCHER.

WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE NO RISK OF HAVING NO SPILLS, TUMBLES.

NO, NO TUMBLES, AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE SOMEBODY

TO HELP DO THE LIFTING.

AND WE GOT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE ENOUGH MANPOWER.

YEAH, 'CAUSE -- SO, WE DON'T NEED

TWO SKINNY PEOPLE DOWN HERE.

YEAH.

I'M TIRED OF THIS LIFE, AND I KNOW I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.

AND DR. NOWZARADAN IS ONE OF THE ONLY DOCTORS

WHO CAN HELP PEOPLE AS BIG AS ME

TO LOSE WEIGHT AND GET THEIR LIFE BACK.

AND I'M REALLY NERVOUS RIGHT NOW

BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE'S GOING TO SAY,

BUT I HAVE TO TRY SOMETHING.

[ CELLPHONE RINGS ]

Woman: Dr. Nowzaradan's office.

YES. HELLO?

YES, MY NAME IS LIZ EVANS.

AND I WAS CALLING, BECAUSE I WANTED TO SEE ABOUT

SETTING UP AN APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW.

Dr. Nowzaradan: Hello? YES, HELLO?

Yeah, this is Dr. Nowzaradan.

OKAY. HELLO, HI, DR. NOW. THIS IS --

MY NAME IS LIZ EVANS.

Hi, Liz. How are you?

I WAS CALLING, UM, TO SEE ABOUT SETTING UP

AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOU,

AND I WAS OVER 600 POUNDS AND ALSO I'M BEDRIDDEN.

I'M NOT ABLE TO.

I-I CAN'T STAND UP.

And are you losing any weight or your weight is going up?

What's going on with that?

I'M NOT -- I'M NOT LOSING ANY WEIGHT.

IT VARIES UP AND DOWN

BECAUSE I HAVE A SEVERE CASE OF LYMPHEDEMA.

Lymphedema is a separate problem.

Your weight and calorie intake is another issue.

OKAY.

Okay, well, your situation does sound very dire,

so I need to see you.

And since you're bedridden and you're not able

to come to the office,

I will suggest we get the ambulance

and bring you to the hospital and assess the situation

and see what the option we have for you, okay?

YES. YES, SIR.

So, the EMT service will call and get all your information

and set a time to pick you up, and we'll go from there.

Okay? YES, SIR. THANK YOU.

All right. Bye-bye.

BYE-BYE. WOW.

I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GOT IT.

WOW! I CAN'T BELIEVE WE FINALLY GOT IT!

I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GOT IT THAT QUICK!

ALL YOU HAD TO DO IS PUT FORTH AN EFFORT.

YES, I'M SO -- OH, MY GOD.

I'M SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW. YOU IN THERE.

THAT'S THE MAIN -- THE BALL IS MOVING

AND THAT'S ALL THAT I WANTED TO DO WAS TO GET THE APPOINTMENT.

OH, MY GOD. THAT'S A GOOD THING.

Liz: I HAVEN'T BEEN OUT OF THIS BED IN YEARS,

SO I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS IS GOING TO WORK

OR IF THEY CAN GET ME THERE TO HIM,

BUT I'M SO THANKFUL AND GRATEFUL TO HAVE THIS CHANCE,

BECAUSE I KNOW I'M NOT GOING TO LAST MUCH LONGER

AND I FEEL MYSELF SLIPPING AWAY MORE EVERY SINGLE DAY.

SO, THIS IS MY LAST CHANCE, AND I HAVE TO TAKE IT.

**

**

**

Liz: DR. NOWZARADAN HAS SET UP A SPECIAL

BARIATRIC EMS SERVICE TO COME GET ME.

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

HELLO?

BUT I'VE NOT BEEN OUT OF MY BED AND OUTSIDE FOR YEARS.

**

SO I'M REALLY WORRIED ABOUT HOW THIS IS GOING TO WORK.

THIS SHEET HERE IS UNDERNEATH ME, SO ROLL THAT WAY.

1, 2...

MY BIGGEST FEAR IS BEING DROPPED OR FALLING.

HANG IN THERE, LIZ.

WHOO, THAT WAS GOOD.

BUT I'M FEARFUL OF NOT BEING ABLE TO GET THIS WEIGHT

UNDER CONTROL AND DYING.

-READY? -ALMOST THERE.

ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT.

AND I KNOW THAT IF I WAS TO DIE,

THAT WOULD LITERALLY KILL MY MOM.

ALL RIGHT. WATCH YOUR ARM, WATCH YOUR ARM, SWEETIE.

SO, I HAVE TO DO THIS.

MY MOM NEEDS ME RIGHT NOW.

MY MOM IS SICKLY.

SO, I JUST HOPE AND PRAY DR. NOWZARADAN JUST APPROVES ME.

THANK YOU.

**

I'M NERVOUS TO SEE DR. NOWZARADAN.

I'M EXCITED, BUT THEN I'M NERVOUS.

GETTING HELP FROM HIM IS MY LAST OPTION.

OH, MY LORD.

I'M NOT AFRAID OF DR. NOWZARADAN BEING STRAIGHTFORWARD,

BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I NEED...

...AND I PREFER SOMEBODY TO GIVE IT TO ME JUST HOW IT IS

AND BE TRUTHFUL AND HONEST WITH ME.

BUT MY BODY IS IN SUCH BAD SHAPE,

AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S TOO LATE FOR ME.

SO, WHAT SCARES ME RIGHT NOW IS IF DR. NOWZARADAN

IS NOT ABLE TO HELP ME AND HE TURNS ME AWAY.

HI, LIZ. HELLO.

HOW ARE YOU? I'M DOING OKAY.

UH, LET'S GET YOU IN THE BED AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON, OKAY?

YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT.

**

1, 2, 3, SLIDE HER HERE.

1, 2, 3!

**

YOU FEELING OKAY?

ANY PAIN, ANY DISCOMFORT?

JUST A LITTLE BIT IN MY LEGS OR WHATEVER, BUT I'M OKAY.

OKAY.

AND WHO IS WITH YOU?

THIS MY AUNT.

YOUR AUNT? YES.

IT'S GOOD TO MEET YOU, TOO.

SO, LET'S DISCUSS A COUPLE THINGS.

HOW OLD ARE YOU NOW?

I'M 35.

THE FACT THAT YOU'RE ONLY 35 AND YOUNG

IS THE ONLY REASON THAT YOU'RE ALIVE RIGHT NOW.

YOU KNOW THERE'S NO WAY YOU'RE LIVING TO YOUR 40s LIKE THIS,

SO YOU REALIZE HOW BAD YOUR BODY IS

AND HOW CLOSE TO DEAD YOU ARE.

AND THAT'S WHY YOU'RE HERE, RIGHT?

YES, SIR.

SO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?

I'VE BEEN TRYING TO CUT BACK SOME,

BUT NOW IT'S JUST TOO FAR GONE AND I'VE BEEN IN THE BED,

YOU KNOW, NOT ABLE TO GET UP TO MOVE AT ALL.

IT'S JUST TOO MUCH.

WELL, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT YOUR ACTIVITY.

WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT YOUR EATING HABIT.

MY EATING HABIT? DON'T MIX THE ISSUES.

OKAY? UH-HUH. OKAY.

SO, EATING HABIT, OBVIOUSLY, OUT OF CONTROL.

BUT WHO IS PROACTIVE TO MAKE THE CHANGES?

ME.

WHY HAVEN'T YOU CHANGED SO FAR?

JUST -- I JUST HAVEN'T.

I JUST HAVEN'T. WHY?

YOU LIKE WHERE YOU ARE?

NO, SIR, NOT AT ALL.

SO, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

I'M WILLING NOW TO DO WHATEVER I CAN,

BECAUSE I'M JUST AT A DEAD END STREET

AND IT'S LIKE, IT'S NOWHERE ELSE TO GO.

WELL, THE STARTING POINT IS YOUR EATING HABIT,

AND YOU HAVE TO REALIZE

THAT YOU ARE THE ONE THAT YOU'RE OVEREATING

AND EVERYBODY ELSE IS NOT FORCING YOU TO EAT.

THEY'RE NOT FORCING ME.

THEY DON'T MAKE ME.

IT'S -- IT'S THE CHOICE.

I KNOW THAT IT'S THE CHOICES THAT I MAKE.

OKAY.

SO, FROM THIS POINT,

YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES.

AND IF YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES,

THEN THERE'LL BE NOTHING WE CAN DO TO HELP YOU.

I'M -- I'M WILLING TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES.

I WANT TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES.

AND YOUR ENABLERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND

HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO SUPPORT YOU.

SHE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A PERSON THAT'S ABLE TO GET UP

AND GO TO REFRIGERATOR OR GO TO KITCHEN TO EAT.

WHO IS BRINGING HER FOOD?

WHOEVER SHE COULD GET IT FROM.

THAT'S -- MM-HMM. OKAY.

HAVE Y'ALL NOTICED THAT SHE'S OVERWEIGHT

AND THIS WEIGHT IS HELPING TO KILL HER?

OH, YEAH. AND THAT HAS TO STOP NOW.

SO, THIS WHOLE DYNAMIC HAS TO CHANGE,

AND IT STARTS WITH YOU, LIZ.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? YES, SIR.

OKAY, LET ME CHECK A COUPLE THINGS.

HOW MUCH YOU CAN DO IN THE BED, FROM TURNING SIDE TO SIDE?

I HAVE TO HAVE HELP TURNING.

MY AUNT'S THE ONE THAT HELPS ME TURN.

OKAY, LET ME SEE THIS MASS ON YOUR LEG.

THAT'S EXTREMELY BIG.

HOW LONG THIS MASS HAS BEEN HERE?

IT'S GROWN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

IT'S GOTTEN BIGGER AND BIGGER.

**

AND THIS SIDE, YOU GOT TO THIS MASS IN HERE --

YEAH, I HAVE THAT ONE HERE AND THEN I HAVE ANOTHER ONE HERE.

SO, THESE MASSES ARE BECAUSE YOUR BODY IS RUNNING OUT

OF PLACES TO STORE FAT

AND THAT'S WHERE THESE MASSES DEVELOP, FROM OVEREATING.

SO, I'M GOING TO ADMIT YOU IN THE HOSPITAL

AND START YOU ON A 1,200 CALORIE A DAY DIET.

AND WE'LL GET YOU TO LOSE SOME WEIGHT

SO THESE MASSES CAN SHRINK.

AND SECOND THING WE NEED TO DO IS GET YOU UP AND WALKING,

AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO SEE WHAT OPTION WE GOT FOR YOU, OKAY?

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT, UH, WE'RE GOING TO RUN SOME TESTS ON YOU

AND SEE HOW THINGS ARE

AND WE SEE WHAT OPTION WE GOT FOR YOU, OKAY?

YES, SIR. BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT,

WE NEED TO GET YOU IN THE ROOM AND CHECK YOUR WEIGHT NOW.

I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT LIZ RIGHT NOW.

BEING IMMOBILE AT HER SIZE FOR AS LONG AS SHE HAS BEEN,

SHE'S ALREADY PAST ANY SORT OF LIFE EXPECTANCY ESTIMATES,

AND THERE IS NO WAY SHE CAN SURVIVE

TOO MUCH LONGER IN THIS STATE.

SO, WE NEED TO GET HER WEIGHT DOWN IMMEDIATELY

AND GET HER UP AND WALKING SOON.

BUT HER LYMPHEDEMA IS ABNORMALLY LARGE,

SO WE WILL LIKELY NEED TO REMOVE THAT,

BUT WE WILL HAVE TO GET HER BODY

TO A STATE WHERE IT WILL SURVIVE THE SURGERY.

BUT I'M VERY WORRIED ABOUT HER PHYSICAL STATE RIGHT NOW,

BECAUSE THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE HER BODY WILL GIVE OUT VERY SOON

AND THERE WILL BE NOTHING WE CAN DO TO HELP HER AT THAT POINT.

Dr. Nowzaradan: OKAY, LIZ.

LET'S SEE WHERE YOUR WEIGHT IS AT.

**

YOU ARE 721 POUNDS.

**

OKAY, LIZ.

I NEED YOU TO UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS

THAT WE GET YOUR WEIGHT DOWN NOW,

BECAUSE YOUR SITUATION IS VERY DANGEROUS, OKAY.

YOU'VE BEEN IN BED AND IF ANYTHING HAPPENED TO YOU,

YOU'RE NOT GOING TO PULL THROUGH.

YES. YOU KNOW?

IF YOU DEVELOP A BLOOD CLOT IN THE LEG OR PHLEBITIS

AND YOU HAVE PULMONARY EMBOLISM, THAT CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS.

SO, YOU'RE GOING TO START WORKING TOWARDS GETTING YOU

TO THE POINT THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO LOSE SOME WEIGHT

AND BE ABLE TO STAND UP, DO SOME WALKING,

AND GET BACK TO NORMAL ACTIVITY, OKAY?

OKAY.

OUR TIME IS VERY LIMITED WITH YOU RIGHT NOW,

BUT WE CAN HELP YOU IF YOU WORK WITH US.

WHATEVER YOU SAY, THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO BE DOING.

ALL RIGHT. SUPER.

Liz: SOME OF THE THINGS THE DOCTOR SAID WERE HARD TO HEAR,

BUT I WAS READY FOR THAT.

THIS IS GOING TO BE SO HARD.

BUT I'M SCARED I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME, LIKE HE SAID.

AND I WORRY THAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME OR MY MOM

WHILE WE'RE APART, THAT I WON'T GET TO SAY GOODBYE TO HER.

SO, I CAN'T LET IT ALL END LIKE THIS.

I WANT A LIFE AND THIS IS MY CHANCE TO FIGHT FOR IT.

**

Liz: I'VE BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL FOR TWO MONTHS NOW.

AND AT FIRST, IT WAS A BIG ADJUSTMENT FOR ME.

THE 1,200 CALORIES A DAY DIET WAS A LOT LESS THAN

I'M USED TO EATING,

AND I REALLY MISS MY FAMILY.

KNOCK-KNOCK. HELLO.

ALL RIGHT, SO YOU READY TODAY?

OKAY. ALL RIGHT.

HERE WE GO.

AND THEY'VE HAD ME DOING UPPER BODY EXERCISE

SINCE I'M STILL HAVING TROUBLE GETTING UP

AND OUT OF BED SO FAR.

HOLD IT.

BUT I FEEL LIKE I'M DOING WELL,

AND I'VE SETTLED INTO A BIT OF A ROUTINE NOW.

ROUND TWO. WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK-TO-BACK.

HERE WE GO.

READY? GO. 1...

AND TODAY, DR. NOWZARADAN

IS GOING TO SEE WHAT MY WEIGHT LOSS IS.

...AND 10. PERFECT.

GOOD JOB.

WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS

WITH LIZ'S WEIGHT.

BUT THE SCALE ON HER BED HAS STOPPED WORKING,

SO UNFORTUNATELY, TODAY, WE HAVE TO PUT HER ON THE LIFT

TO SEE WHAT HER WEIGHT LOSS IS AT THE TWO-MONTH MARK.

WHOA, WHOA!

Man: YES, IT'S STILL GOING UP.

500...

Dr. Nowzaradan: 575 POUNDS, CORRECT?

ALL RIGHT, LIZ. YOU ARE 575 POUNDS.

EXCELLENT.

SO, YOU ESSENTIALLY LOST 146 POUNDS.

IT'S NOT JUST MIRACULOUS, YOU KNOW, A MIRACULOUS THING,

BUT IT'S A START.

WELL, YOU'RE DOING GREAT.

BUT THE CONCERN IS NOW, THAT WE NEED TO GET YOU UP

AND WALKING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

SO, TO DO THAT, WE'RE GOING TO SEND YOU TO A REHAB FACILITY

THAT WILL HAVE MORE OPTIONS TO GET YOU STANDING.

OKAY.

LIZ HAS DONE WELL AND HAS BEEN COMPLYING WITH THE PROGRAM.

BUT THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IS HER FEAR OF WALKING,

BECAUSE OF THE PAIN.

BUT WHEN YOU DON'T USE YOUR MUSCLES FOR YEARS,

IT'S GOING TO HURT WHEN YOU USE THEM AGAIN

AND THAT'S NORMAL.

SO, SENDING HER TO A REHAB FACILITY

WILL HOPEFULLY BE WHAT SHE NEEDS TO GET HER UP AND OUT OF BED.

AND WHILE SHE'S THERE,

WE'RE GOING TO KEEP HER ON A CONTROLLED DIET

SO THAT SHE KEEPS LOSING WEIGHT.

SO, LIZ, ONCE YOU'RE ABLE TO WALK,

THEN WE'RE GOING TO BRING YOU BACK HERE

AND TAKE THE MASS ON YOUR RIGHT LEG OFF.

I KNOW IT'S PAINFUL, BUT YOU HAVE TO TRY HARD

AND PUSH YOURSELF TO GET UP, LIZ,

BECAUSE THAT MASS, IT'S GOING TO BE

VERY IMPORTANT TO GET IT OFF

SO YOU CAN GET IN BETTER PHYSICAL SHAPE

SO YOU CAN TOLERATE WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT, ANY QUESTIONS?

NO QUESTIONS. OKAY. I'LL SEE YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

Liz: I KNOW I NEED TO STAND, BUT I DON'T KNOW

IF DR. NOWZARADAN REALLY UNDERSTANDS HOW HARD IT IS

FOR ME TO ACTUALLY GET UP.

1, 2, 3.

AND GOING TO A REHAB FACILITY IS A BIT UNEXPECTED,

BUT I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE CHANCE TO GET THIS LYMPHEDEMA REMOVED.

SO I'M WILLING TO KEEP TRYING AS LONG AS I HAVE TO.

AND AS IMPOSSIBLE AS IT SEEMS,

HOPEFULLY, I'LL FIND A WAY TO DO IT.

**

**

MISS EVANS.

HELLO. WE ARE BACK.

SO, HOW YOU FEELING?

FEELING ALL RIGHT. WELL, GOOD.

SO, TODAY, WE'RE GOING TO WORK ON ATTEMPTING TO STAND, OKAY.

I'VE BEEN HERE AT THE REHAB FACILITY FOR A MONTH.

OKAY.

AND IT'S BEEN REALLY HARD ON ME.

I GOT IT.

THEY'VE BEEN DOING EXERCISES WITH ME,

BUT I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO STAND JUST YET.

OKAY.

I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO START TO SIT UP

AND GET TO THE EDGE OF THE BED,

WHICH I FEEL IS GOOD PROGRESS,

BECAUSE THAT'S MORE THAN I'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO IN A LONG TIME.

BUT I KNOW I HAVE TO STAND TO GET MY LYMPHEDEMA SURGERY,

SO I'M TRYING EVERY TIME TO DO IT.

ARE YOU READY?

OR YOU WANT TO GIVE IT A MOMENT TO SEE?

HOW YOUR FEET FEEL?

THEY FEEL OKAY.

ALL RIGHT, SO, YOU'RE GOING TO LEAN ONTO THE BALL

AND I'M GOING TO BASICALLY HOLD FROM BEHIND FOR ANY STABILITY,

OR EITHER GOING SIDE-TO-SIDE.

OKAY.

IF YOU NEED IT...

IT'S JUST SO HARD,

BECAUSE PHYSICAL THERAPY IS EXCRUCIATING.

IT JUST HURTS SO BAD.

IT'S LIKE YOUR LEGS ARE AWAKENING.

THE MUSCLES ARE COMING BACK ALIVE,

BECAUSE I'VE BEEN LAID UP SO LONG.

GO AHEAD AND LAY BACK.

AND I JUST HAVE SO MUCH WEIGHT ON MY BODY, STILL.

AND THE MASSES ON MY LEG START TO HANG DOWN AND PULL

AND MAKE IT EVEN MORE PAINFUL.

SO, THIS IS JUST REALLY, REALLY HARD.

OKAY, I JUST...

1, 2, HIT IT.

[ WHIMPERS ]

YOU NEED HELP UP?

MM-HMM.

OW!

WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!

[ SOBS ]

IT'S DISCOURAGING THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO DO IT YET.

BUT I KNOW I HAVE TO, SO I'M GOING TO KEEP TRYING UNTIL I DO.

WHEN YOU FIRST CAME IN AND YOU WAS TOUCHING IT,

YOU KNOW, IT WASN'T --

IT WASN'T AS PAINFUL, YOU KNOW, BUT --

UNTIL YOU PUT WEIGHT ON IT.

YEAH. ONCE I START TRYING TO

PUT WEIGHT ON IT, THEN IT JUST...

MNH-MNH. OKAY.

WE'LL JUST HAVE TO KEEP BUILDING IT UP.

THAT'S JUST THE MAIN OBJECTIVE, TO GET ON THOSE FEET.

TRUST ME, I'M WILL TRY TO GET IT, 'CAUSE I'M TRYING.

ALL RIGHT, HAVE A GOOD ONE.

ALL RIGHT.

I WANT THE LYMPHEDEMA REMOVED AND I WANT WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY,

AND I CAN'T MOVE AHEAD UNTIL I DO THIS.

I JUST WISH I WAS MAYBE A LITTLE BIT FURTHER,

BUT I CAN'T PUSH IT.

SO, I'LL FIGURE IT OUT.

AND WHEN I DO, I'M GOING TO BE SO EXCITED.

**

**

**

I AM VERY CONCERNED LIZ IS RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

SO, WE HAVE TO GET HER UP AND SURGERY

IS THE BEST OPTION TO MOVE HER CLOSER TO THAT.

SO, WE ARE DOING AN ECHOCARDIOGRAM AND RUNNING TESTS

ON HER TO EVEN SEE

IF WE CAN DO HER LYMPHEDEMA REMOVAL.

BUT HIGH RISK FACTORS OF DOING SURGERY ON HER

WHILE SHE'S IMMOBILE ARE STILL A VERY BIG CONCERN.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT SHE CONTINUED TO LOSE WEIGHT

AND IS DOWN TO 506 POUNDS.

BUT WITH ALMOST NO ACTIVITY FOR YEARS,

HER HEART IS MY BIGGEST CONCERN,

BECAUSE IT MAY JUST NOT BE STRONG ENOUGH

TO MAKE IT THROUGH SURGERY.

AND IF WE AREN'T ABLE TO PERFORM SURGERY,

THEN LIZ HAS A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME TO GET MOBILE AGAIN

BEFORE HER HEALTH START TO DECLINE RAPIDLY

AND THERE'LL BE NOTHING WE CAN DO TO STOP IT.

**

Liz: TODAY IS SUCH A BIG DAY FOR ME,

BECAUSE I'M FINALLY GETTING MY LYMPHEDEMA REMOVED,

AND MY MOM IS HERE WITH ME FOR THE SURGERY.

**

THIS HAS BEEN THE LONGEST I'VE EVER GONE WITHOUT SEEING HER,

BECAUSE SHE CAN'T GET AROUND TOO EASILY.

BUT THIS SURGERY IS A BIG DEAL

AND WE ALL KNOW ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN,

SO SHE WANTED TO BE HERE WITH ME FOR THIS.

OKAY.

YOU KNOW ME.

SEE...

WE GOT THIS.

I'M TRYING NOT TO THINK ABOUT THE WORST POSSIBLE THINGS

THAT COULD HAPPEN.

I'VE COME SO FAR IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME,

BUT I STILL HAVE A LONG WAYS TO GO,

AND IF I DON'T GET THIS SURGERY,

THEN I'M NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE PROGRESS I NEED.

SO, I'M JUST TRUSTING I'M GOING TO WAKE UP IN A BETTER PLACE

AND CLOSER THAN EVER TO GETTING MY LIFE BACK.

**

Dr. Nowzaradan: AFTER RUNNING TESTS AND DOING AN ECHO ON LIZ'S HEART,

SHE WASN'T IN A HEALTHY ENOUGH STATE FOR US TO DO HER SURGERY,

PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT SHE HAS AN ENLARGED HEART.

SO, WE'VE BEEN TREATING HER WITH MEDICATION,

AND WE CREATED A WINDOW WITH HER

WHERE SHE'S HEALTHY ENOUGH FOR SURGERY

THAT WON'T LAST THAT LONG.

SO, WE ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS OPPORTUNITY

AND WE ARE DOING THE LYMPHEDEMA REMOVAL

TO TAKE OFF THE LARGE MASS ON LIZ'S RIGHT LEG.

OKAY, READY FOR THE FIRST INCISION.

SO, WE'RE TAKING ALL PRECAUTIONS WE NEED

TO REDUCE RISK IN HER SURGERY.

BUT THIS IS A VERY COMPLICATED OPERATION.

THE LYMPHEDEMA MASS REMOVAL ON LIZ'S LEG

IS AN OPERATION THAT REQUIRE LARGE INCISION

THAT WILL INVOLVE TYING UP HUNDREDS OF BLOOD VESSELS,

BUT HER BODY WON'T BE ABLE TO HANDLE TOO MUCH,

SO WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL WITH HER TODAY.

Reta: EVEN THOUGH IT MAKES ME NERVOUS,

I KNOW SURGERY IS GOING TO CHANGE HER LIFE

AND I WANT HER TO HAVE A BETTER LIFE.

SO, IF SHE WANTS A REAL SHOT AT A NORMAL LIFE,

SHE NEEDS TO HAVE THIS DONE.

Dr. Nowzaradan: ONCE WE REMOVE THIS MASS,

SHE SHOULD BE 20-TO-30 POUNDS LIGHTER,

AND HAVING ALL THAT WEIGHT OFF OF HER LEG

COULD BE A BIG HELP GETTING HER TO FINALLY STAND UP,

HOPEFULLY, TO GET THE POINT

THAT SHE'S GOING TO BE ABLE

TO HAVE WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.

BUT LIZ HAS TO START WALKING SOON AND SHE HAS NO OPTION

IF SHE WANT TO PREVENT HER BODY FROM GETTING EVEN WORSE.

COME ON OVER HERE.

WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THIS THING OFF.

GRAB OVER THE OTHER SIDE OF HER.

OVER, OVER.

THERE.

OKAY, WE CAN START TO SUTURE HER UP.

PUT A FEW MORE STITCHES AND WE'LL BE ALL DONE.

ALL RIGHT, WE'RE DONE.

LIZ'S SURGERY WENT VERY WELL.

OKAY.

LET'S GET THE WEIGHT ON THAT.

AND I NEED ONE MORE PERSON.

**

THIS IS ESSENTIALLY 21 POUNDS,

ABOUT 3, 4 POUNDS OF FLUIDS LEAK OUT,

SO THIS IS ESSENTIALLY 25 POUNDS.

WHEN WE TOOK THIS MASS OUT,

WE PROBABLY TIED ABOUT 400 BLOOD VESSELS.

IT WAS FAIRLY COMPLICATED,

BUT WE HAVE BEEN CAREFUL WITH OUR TIME

AND LIZ IS STILL DOING WELL.

BUT FOR NOW, WE GET HER TO RECOVERY

AND KEEP HER HERE FOR A LITTLE BIT.

BECAUSE IF WE SEND HER HOME AND ALLOW FOR ANY CHANCE

FOR HER TO GAIN WEIGHT

TOO SOON AFTER RECOVERY,

THE LYMPHEDEMA WILL START TO DEVELOP AGAIN IMMEDIATELY.

SO, WE NEED TO KEEP HER IN THE HOSPITAL NOW

TO KEEP HER ON TRACK

AND MAKE SURE THAT SHE'S DOING EVERYTHING SHE NEEDS TO.

HELLO. HELLO.

HOW YOU DOING?

GOOD. ALL RIGHT.

AND LIZ DID VERY WELL WITH HER SURGERY.

WE TOOK THE MASS OFF OF THE RIGHT THIGH,

AND SHE ESSENTIALLY LOST 25 POUNDS TODAY.

-PRAISE THE LORD. -THANK GOD.

AND ONCE IT HEAL, SHE SHOULD BE ABLE TO STAND UP AND WALK.

ALL RIGHT, I'LL SEE Y'ALL LATER.

-ALL RIGHT. -THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, DOCTOR.

HEY, YOU'RE QUITE WELCOME.

I'LL SEE Y'ALL.

**

Dr. Nowzaradan: STAYING COMPLETELY IMMOBILE IS THE GREATEST RISK

LIZ IS TAKING WITH HER LIFE AND THAT HAS TO CHANGE NOW.

**

**

Liz: MY RECOVERY HAS BEEN TOUGH.

I'M CERTAINLY GLAD MY LYMPHEDEMA IS GONE,

BUT IT FEELS LIKE I'M MISSING SOMETHING NOW,

SO IT'S JUST BEEN A BIT OF AN ADJUSTMENT FOR ME.

**

HI, LIZ.

HELLO, DR. NOWZARADAN.

HOW YOU DOING? I'M DOING ALL RIGHT.

HOW YOU DOING? ALL RIGHT.

SINCE WE LOST THAT 25 POUND OF MASS FROM YOUR LEG,

HAVE YOU GOT A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT?

I HAVEN'T.

WHY, YOU AFRAID YOU'RE GOING TO MISS THOSE LUMPS?

NO, I'M NOT GOING TO MISS IT.

I'VE JUST BEEN A LITTLE SCARED TO LOOK AT IT.

ALL RIGHT, LET ME LOOK AT IT AND WE SEE HOW IT'S HEALING.

**

ALL RIGHT, THAT INCISION IS LOOKING VERY GOOD.

Dr. Nowzaradan: LIZ HAS DONE VERY WELL SO FAR,

BUT SHE REALLY HASN'T HAD ANY TEMPTATION WHILE SHE'S HERE.

SO, THE BIG TEST IS GOING TO BE

WHETHER SHE CAN MAINTAIN HER WEIGHT LOSS

BACK IN HER OLD ENVIRONMENT WITH HER ENABLERS.

OKAY, SO YOUR WEIGHT NOW IS DOWN TO 458 POUNDS,

BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN ON A CONTROLLED DIET FOR FIVE MONTHS.

AND NOW THIS REMOVAL OF YOUR LYMPHEDEMA,

YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO STAND AND START WALKING.

SO, WE GET YOU GOING HOME TODAY AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO START

SENDING PHYSICAL THERAPY TO YOUR HOUSE

THREE TIMES A WEEK TO GET YOU UP.

OKAY, THEN.

AND I WANT YOU TO SHOW ME THAT YOU CAN STICK TO THE DIET

ON YOUR OWN AND LOSE 50 POUNDS

OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS.

OKAY. OKAY.

BUT THE PRIORITY IS GETTING UP AND STANDING.

YES, SIR.

IT IS MOSTLY FEAR OF PAIN THAT IS HOLDING LIZ BACK,

BUT SHE CAN'T AFFORD TO STAY INACTIVE.

EVERY DAY SHE IS, HER BODY AND HER HEART GETS WEAKER.

AND IT COULD BE A MONTH OR SIX MONTHS,

BUT HER TIME WILL RUN OUT SOON.

YOU NEED TO WORK HARD AND DO THIS, LIZ.

OKAY.

AND IF YOU HIT THIS GOAL,

I'LL APPROVE YOU FOR WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.

OKAY. SOUNDS GOOD?

YES, SIR. THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT, I'LL SEE YOU LATER.

ALRIGHTY. OKAY.

**

Liz: I'M GLAD TO FINALLY BE ABLE TO GO HOME.

I'VE BEEN HERE FOR SO LONG, BUT I'M PROUD OF THE PROGRESS

I'VE MADE SO FAR AND I KNOW I HAVE TO KEEP IT GOING,

SO THIS IS GOING TO BE MAKE OR BREAK FOR ME,

BECAUSE IF I FAIL AT THIS,

I'M GOING TO LOSE EVERYTHING...

**

...AND I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN.

**

**

-HEY. -HEY.

HOW'S IT BEEN? HOW'S IT BEEN GOING?

IT'S GOING ALL RIGHT.

**

GO AHEAD AND GRAB YOUR STICK.

LET'S DO ABOUT 10 WARM-UPS.

**

YEAH.

**

SHOW ME.

AND I WILL HAVE TO MOVE THIS LEG OFF THE BED, SO...

LOOK AT THAT, LOOK AT THAT, LOOK AT THAT.

SEE?

A GOAL. LOOK AT THAT.

COME ON, COME ON, GIVE IT UP, GIVE IT UP.

LOOK HOW -- LOOK AT THAT.

WOW.

**

ALL RIGHT, COME ON.

**

EXCELLENT.

**

THERE YOU GO.

GOOD, GOOD.

**

HOW DOES YOUR LEG FEEL?

OKAY. NO PAIN?

A LITTLE PAIN, BUT IT'S ALL RIGHT.

ALL RIGHT, AWESOME.

NOW LET'S DO SOME LUNGING FORWARD.

Liz: BUT IT'S STILL A PRETTY PAINFUL PROCESS.

STRETCH ON YOUR BACK. GOOD.

AND IT HURTS TO USE MY LEGS AT ALL,

BECAUSE THE MUSCLES HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO

BEFORE THEY'RE BACK ENOUGH TO USE THEM.

GOOD. HOW ABOUT YOUR KNEES?

LET'S BRING YOUR KNEES UP.

COME ON, YOU CAN DO IT. RIGHT, GOOD.

I LOVE THAT, I LOVE THAT.

I BELIEVE IN ABOUT A MONTH OR SO, HOPEFULLY LESS,

I'LL BE ABLE TO STAND ON MY OWN.

BUT TO BE ABLE TO PUT THAT SHOE ON TODAY

WAS A GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT.

ALL RIGHT. TALK TO YOU LATER.

BYE-BYE. BYE-BYE.

I WANT TO GET WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY

AND I'M WORKING HARD TO HIT DR. NOWZARADAN'S GOAL

AND DO WHAT I NEED TO.

**

**

THINGS HAVE BEEN HARDER THIS PAST MONTH.

I FEEL LIKE I'M STILL DOING GOOD,

BUT FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS,

MY MOM HASN'T BEEN FEELING WELL.

SHE'S JUST TIRED AND DON'T WANT TO COOK,

SO WE'LL EAT WHATEVER WE HAVE.

AND LATELY, WE EAT A LOT OF FAST FOOD.

AND THEN THAT'S WHAT I'LL HAVE, BECAUSE IF I DON'T EAT THAT,

THEN IT'S REALLY NOTHING ELSE TO EAT.

**

PIZZA'S HERE.

Liz: OKAY.

Liz: SO, IT GETS HARD NOT TO ORDER SOMETHING

THAT JUST TASTES GOOD SOMETIME.

THERE YOU GO. THANK YOU, MOM.

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I'M JUST GIVING IN

ALL THE TIME RIGHT NOW.

BUT PIZZA IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE FOODS.

I KNOW I SHOULDN'T REALLY BE HAVING IT,

BUT IT'S JUST SOME MEALS.

YOU WANT ME TO PUT YOU SOME ON -- ON YOUR PLATE?

MM-HMM.

MY MOM DOES SO MUCH AND WHEN SHE'S NOT FEELING WELL,

I DON'T WANT TO ADD TO HER BURDEN.

I THINK THAT IT TAKES TIME TO MAKE THE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS.

IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.

IT DIDN'T COME UP ON HER OVERNIGHT

AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK WITH

OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.

MAYBE IT'LL BE A LITTLE BIT BETTER THAN HAVING LIKE A --

A MEAT LOVERS OR SOMETHING, WITH THE SPINACH

AND THEN THE ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND IT'S A PROTEIN.

THERE ARE BUMPS IN THE ROAD,

THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE ADAPTING TO,

BUT ALL IN ALL, WE'RE GOING TO GET THERE.

Liz: I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR ME TO PROVE MYSELF

TO DR. NOW.

AND MY TWO-MONTH FOLLOW-UP IS SOON AND I'M STILL WORKING HARD.

IT'S JUST SOME MEALS, I HAVE TO GIVE IN.

**

BUT I FEEL LIKE I'M STILL DOING WELL, BECAUSE FOR MOST MEALS,

THEY'RE EXACTLY WHAT THE DOCTOR'S DIET SAYS I SHOULD EAT.

SO, I FEEL CONFIDENT I'M GOING TO SHOW HIM ENOUGH PROGRESS

TO GET APPROVED FOR WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.

**

**

TODAY, I'M GOING BACK TO THE HOSPITAL

FOR MY FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENT.

I'VE BEEN GLAD TO BE HOME, BUT I KNOW IT'S TIME FOR ME

TO GO BACK TO SHOW DR. NOWZARADAN MY PROGRESS.

**

I'M DOING GOOD.

I'M FINE.

1, 2, 3.

**

BYE, BOO. LOVE YOU.

LOVE YOU. I'LL BE BACK.

Man: YOU READY? MM-HMM.

LOVE YOU.

**

Liz: I'M JUST HOPING TODAY GOES WELL

AND THAT I HIT MY GOAL

AND THAT DR. NOWZARADAN IS HAPPY WITH MY PROGRESS,

BECAUSE THE NEXT BIG STEP FOR ME IS WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.

AND WITHOUT IT, I KNOW MY STRUGGLE WITH THE CRAVINGS

WILL GET EVEN HARDER,

AND THAT I COULD START TO GAIN AGAIN.

SO, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT TODAY GOES WELL,

BECAUSE I HAVE TO SUCCEED AND GET MY LIFE BACK

AND I FEEL LIKE I'M SO CLOSE RIGHT NOW...

...SO I CAN'T START TO MESS IT ALL UP.

**

Liz: I'M BACK AT ST. JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL.

I'M WAITING ON DR. NOW

AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO LOSE 50 POUNDS

OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, BUT I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS

BECAUSE I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THE SCALE IS GOING TO SAY.

BUT I'M HOPING THAT I'LL QUALIFY

FOR MY WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY TODAY.

**

HEY, LIZ.

HELLO, DR. NOWZARADAN.

WELL, IT'S TWO MONTHS SINCE I SAW YOU LAST TIME.

HOW ARE YOU GETTING ALONG?

UM, I'M DOING PRETTY GOOD.

I HEAR YOU'RE STILL NOT UP AND WALKING,

BUT HAVE YOU MAINTAINED A DIET?

I DO GOOD AND THEN I DONE HAD A COUPLE OF HICCUPS

HERE AND THERE, BUT OVERALL,

I'VE BEEN TRYING TO STICK WITH THE DIET.

OKAY. TWO MONTHS AGO, WE SAW YOU IN HERE

AND YOU WERE DOWN TO 458 POUNDS

AND YOUR WEIGHT LOSS GOAL WAS 50 POUNDS.

THAT SHOULD PUT YOU AT 408 POUNDS TODAY.

SO, LET'S SEE HOW YOU DID AND WHERE YOU'RE AT.

**

WELL, YOU LOOK TO BE BACK UP OVER 500 POUNDS,

AT 508 POUNDS.

SO, INSTEAD OF LOSING 50 POUNDS, YOU GAINED 50 POUNDS.

THAT MAKES YOU 100 POUNDS OFF OF YOUR GOAL TODAY

AND THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

I GUESS, STILL EATING SOME OF THE THINGS

I SHOULDN'T BE EATING.

YOU STILL CAN'T WALK. NO.

SO, ARE YOU ASKING FOR IT OR THEY BRINGING IT TO YOU?

I MEAN, IF THEY -- THEY BRINGING ME FOOD

OR WHATEVER, CERTAIN THINGS,

THEN IF THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO EAT,

THEN MOST OF THE TIME, I EAT IT.

SO, THEY HELP YOU GET IT.

SO, WE HAVE THE SAME UNHEALTHY DYNAMIC AS WE DID.

NOTHING IS CHANGING.

NO, SIR.

SO, HERE'S THE SITUATION.

IT'S BEEN SEVEN MONTHS SINCE YOU ARRIVED.

WE HELPED YOU GET 150 POUNDS OFF IN THE FIRST MONTH

BY GIVING YOU A DIET THAT WAS HEALTHY.

YOU GO HOME, YOU GAINED WEIGHT.

PRETTY SOON, YOU'RE GOING TO BE BACK TO 721 POUNDS.

THIS IS NOT GOOD.

THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS, LIZ.

FOR TWO MONTHS, WE WENT OVER DIET EVERY DAY WITH YOU

AND LOOK LIKE THAT HAS WENT ALL OUT A WINDOW.

IF YOU HAVE WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY AND YOU DON'T FOLLOW THAT,

YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT.

THERE'S NO MAGIC IN WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.

AND YOU DON'T SEEM TO REALIZE HOW DANGEROUS IT IS

FOR YOU TO STAY IN THAT BED LONGER.

SO, THERE IS NO POINT SENDING YOU HOME WITH ANY GOALS,

BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HIT IT.

AND THIS NEXT TIME, THAT WILL LIKELY KILL YOU.

WE HAVE TO FIX THIS AND WE HAVE TO DO IT QUICKLY.

SO, I'M PUTTING YOU ON A CONTROLLED DIET AGAIN,

BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY TIME TO WASTE IN YOUR CONDITION.

AND AT THIS POINT, WE GOT SOME SERIOUS DECISIONS

TO MAKE ABOUT YOU. OKAY.

BUT I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH YOUR LACK OF PROGRESS, LIZ.

AND I'M GIVING YOU ONE MONTH TO STAND ENOUGH

TO PUT YOUR WEIGHT ON YOUR LEGS AND TAKE ONE STEP.

IF YOU DO, THEN WE'LL KEEP WORKING WITH YOU.

BUT IF YOU CONTINUE TO REFUSE TO STAND,

THEN WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO HELP YOU.

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT, I'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW.

WE NEED TO GET LIZ'S WEIGHT BACK DOWN IMMEDIATELY

AND WE NEED TO GET HER WALKING.

SO, SHE HAS ONE MONTH TO HIT THE GOAL

SHE SHOULD HAVE SIX MONTHS AGO.

WE HAVE DONE ALL WE CAN,

NOW IT'S HER TURN AND HER LIFE IS DEPENDING ON THIS.

**

**

Liz: SEEING MY WEIGHT GAIN

AND HEARING WHAT DR. NOWZARADAN SAID GOT TO ME,

SO I'VE BEEN WORKING MY HARDEST THIS PAST MONTH,

DOING ALL OF MY EXERCISES AND PUSHING MYSELF.

BUT I KNOW MY BIG GOAL IS THAT I HAVE TO STAND.

AND TODAY, IT'S NOW OR NEVER.

GOOD MORNING, MISS EVANS.

GOOD MORNING. HI.

ALL RIGHT, YOU READY TO GET UP?

YEAH. OKAY.

Liz: I HAVE TO DO THIS, BUT I'M REALLY SCARED,

BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS RIDING ON THIS NOW.

HI, LIZ. HELLO.

HOW YOU FEEL?

FEELING ALL RIGHT. IT'S BEEN A MONTH.

ARE YOU READY TO STAND AND TAKE A STEP TODAY?

I'MA SEE.

LIZ HAS BEEN WORKING HARD THIS PAST MONTH.

SHE WORKED WITH THE DIET AND WE HAVE HER BACK

DOWN TO 448 POUNDS,

SO HER WEIGHT LOSS IS IN THE RIGHT TRACK AGAIN.

THE QUESTION IS WHETHER SHE'S WILLING TO STAND TODAY

AND IF SHE CAN PUSH THROUGH THE PAIN

AND SHOW ME THAT SHE'S WILLING TO DO THAT,

THEN I WILL APPROVE HER FOR WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.

IF NOT, THEN WE ARE GOING TO SEND HER HOME,

BECAUSE THE HOSPITAL CANNOT TAKE CARE OF HER FOREVER.

-OKAY. -OKAY.

LET'S TRY THIS.

[ INHALES SHARPLY ]

OKAY, LEAN FORWARD. COME FORWARD,

COME FORWARD, COME FORWARD.

COME ON, LIZ. COME ON.

OKAY, STAND TALL. WHAT'S HURTING?

THE LEG. THE RIGHT LEG?

-OKAY. -GOOD JOB, GOOD JOB.

-THAT HURT. -OKAY.

FEEL LIKE YOU CAN TRY IT ONE MORE TIME?

YOU CAN DO IT, LIZ.

**

-OKAY. -ALL RIGHT, PUSH UP, PUSH UP.

LEAN FORWARD. THERE YOU GO.

OKAY, LEAN FORWARD.

-THERE YOU GO. -YOU'RE DOING GOOD.

Dr. Nowzaradan: GREAT.

COME ON. PUT YOUR WEIGHT ON YOUR ARMS.

THERE GO YOU. ALL RIGHT.

GOOD JOB. FIRST TIME I'VE SEEN YOU STAND.

NOW, JUST TAKE ONE STEP.

ALL RIGHT. COME ON.

JUST MOVE YOUR FOOT A LITTLE.

COME ON. MOVE THAT RIGHT LEG.

COME ON, COME ON. COME ON, PICK IT UP.

COME ON, THERE YOU GO, COME ON.

THERE YOU GO.

IT'S A TINY STEP, BUT I'LL TAKE IT.

GOOD JOB.

HOW YOU FEEL?

FEEL OKAY.

IT'S A LOT OF WORK FOR YOU, HUH?

YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT.

SINCE YOU'RE PUSHING YOURSELF,

I'M APPROVING YOU FOR WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.

THANK YOU, DR. NOW.

BUT AFTER SURGERY, IT'S TIME TO WORK EVEN HARDER.

YES, SIR.

YOU NEED TO KEEP GOING, TAKE ANOTHER STEP,

THEN ANOTHER, UNTIL YOU'RE WALKING AGAIN, OKAY?

OKAY. ALL RIGHT, LIZ.

YOU'RE DOING GREAT.

I'M PROUD OF YOUR EFFORT.

YES, SIR.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.

AND KEEP WORKING.

OKAY. SEE YOU SOON.

LIZ DID VERY WELL TODAY AND I'M PROUD OF HER.

THIS NEEDS TO BE THE START OF HER DOING MORE

AND STARTING TO WALK SOON.

BUT THE FACT THAT SHE'S TRYING AND WITH HER WEIGHT DOWN,

I FEEL SHE'S READY FOR WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.

BUT AFTER THAT, WE'LL NEED TO SEND HER HOME AGAIN

TO SEE IF SHE CAN DO THIS ON HER OWN.

BUT IF SHE GETS OFF TRACK AGAIN,

ANY SETBACK COULD EASILY SEND HER

RIGHT BACK TO WHERE SHE STARTED,

AND SHE WON'T SURVIVE LONG ENOUGH TO DO THIS ALL AGAIN.

**

**

**

Liz: I THOUGHT THE LYMPHEDEMA SURGERY WOULD BE SCARIER,

BUT FOR SOME REASON, I'M MORE SCARED TODAY THAN I WAS THEN.

BUT I KNOW WITHOUT THIS OPERATION,

I'M NOT GOING TO SUCCEED,

BECAUSE I CAN'T DO THIS ON MY OWN.

I TRIED AND FAILED,

SO I KNOW JUST HOW BAD I NEED THIS.

AND AS FAR AS I'VE COME ON MY JOURNEY,

THIS IS THE BIGGEST STEP

I'M TAKING SO FAR TO CHANGE MY LIFE.

**

Dr. Nowzaradan: TODAY, WE ARE DOING A GASTRIC SLEEVE ON LIZ.

SINCE WE HAVE HER WEIGHT DOWN IN THE 400s,

A LESS AGGRESSIVE SURGERY WILL BE FINE FOR HER,

INSTEAD OF A BYPASS.

BUT EVEN WITH HER WEIGHT DOWN,

SHE'S STILL HUNDREDS OF POUNDS OVER HER IDEAL BODY WEIGHT

AND THAT MAKES HER HIGH RISK FOR SURGERY,

SO THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS OPERATION FOR HER.

ANY COMPLICATION DURING THE SURGERY

COULD HAVE FATAL CONSEQUENCES.

WE CAN TURN THE ROOM LIGHT OFF.

SO, WE STILL HAVE TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO PUSH HER BODY TOO HARD,

AND THAT MEANS THE TIME SHE'S UNDER ANESTHESIA

NEED TO BE LIMITED

AND WE HAVE TO WORK FAST.

AND IF THERE ARE ANY COMPLICATIONS

THAT SLOW US DOWN TOO MUCH,

THEN WE HAVE TO END THE PROCEDURE EARLY.

BUT IF WE ARE SUCCESSFUL, THIS WILL HELP

LIZ TO LOSE MORE WEIGHT

AND START TO GET HER EATING HABITS UNDER CONTROL.

BECAUSE GASTRIC SLEEVE IS AN EFFECTIVE PROCEDURE

WHERE WE REMOVE 70% TO 80% OF THE STOMACH

AND LEAVE A SMALL, SKINNY TUBE SHAPED LIKE A SLEEVE.

AND IT WILL CHANGE THEIR METABOLISM TO SOME DEGREE

AND GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO BEGIN LOSING WEIGHT,

BECAUSE THE PATIENT'S FOOD INTAKE IS PHYSICALLY LIMITED.

ALL RIGHT, LOOKS GOOD.

OH, MY GOD.

SO, THIS WILL HELP LIZ

TO WORK TO CONTROL HER COMPULSION TO EAT.

ALL RIGHT, WE'RE DONE.

ALL RIGHT, LIZ'S SURGERY WENT VERY WELL.

ELIZABETH, TAKE SOME DEEP BREATHS FOR ME.

[ BREATHES ]

Dr. Nowzaradan: WE WILL GET HER TO RECOVERY

AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO SEND HER HOME SOON.

SHE WILL BE ON A LIQUID DIET FOR ABOUT A MONTH.

THEN AS SHE GOES BACK ON SOLID FOODS,

IT WILL BE THE REAL TEST FOR HER TO SEE

IF SHE STARTS TO GO BACK TO HER OLD HABITS

OR IF SHE STICKS WITH IT AND STAYS ON TRACK.

SO, THIS WILL BE A CHALLENGE FOR HER TO SEE IF SHE CAN USE

THIS OPPORTUNITY

TO START CHOOSING TO DO THIS ON HER OWN,

AND TO STOP GIVING IN TO HER DESIRE TO GO TO FOOD.

**

**

HEY, LIZ.

HELLO, DR. NOW.

HOW ARE YOU TODAY?

I'M DOING OKAY.

READY TO GO HOME?

YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT.

WHEN YOU GET HOME, YOU HAVE PHYSICAL THERAPY, RIGHT?

YES, SIR.

OKAY, SO YOU NEED TO START GETTING UP

AND START WALKING, OKAY.

THAT'S GOING TO BE THE IMPORTANT THING THAT YOU NEED TO DO.

AND REGARDING YOUR DIET, YOU'RE GOING TO STAY ON CLEAR LIQUID

FOR ANOTHER THREE DAYS. OKAY.

ONLY THREE DAYS. THREE MORE DAYS.

AND THEN AFTER THAT, YOU GO TO STAGE TWO OF DIET,

WHICH IS FULL LIQUID.

MAKE SURE NOBODY BRING YOU SOMETHING SOLID TO EAT

OR GIVE YOU THAT, BECAUSE TO DO THAT,

IT CAN DAMAGE YOUR STOMACH

AND YOU CAN CREATE COMPLICATION.

ALL RIGHT, LIZ, YOU'RE DOING GREAT,

BUT BY THE TIME THAT YOU COME TO OFFICE,

MAKE SURE THAT YOU CAN STAND

ON A SCALE AND CHECK YOUR WEIGHT.

SO YOUR GOAL WILL BE, WHEN YOU GO HOME,

START WALKING, OKAY? OKAY.

ALL RIGHT, I'LL SEE YOU THEN.

ALL RIGHT.

LIZ IS RECOVERING WELL AND WE HAVE HER WEIGHT

DOWN A LITTLE BIT MORE TO 443 POUNDS.

BUT SHE HAS WEIGHT LOSS GOAL OF 50 POUNDS

OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS.

AND WHEN SHE COME BACK HERE FOR HER NEXT APPOINTMENT,

SHE'S GOING TO HAVE TO WALK TO THE SCALE.

SO, STARTING TO WALK THIS NEXT MONTH IS HER SECOND GOAL.

LIZ SEEMS TO BE COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF HER EMOTIONS

BEHIND HER PATHOLOGICAL COMPULSION TO EAT.

SO, WE'RE GOING TO SEND A PSYCHOTHERAPIST TO HER HOUSE

SO SHE CAN START TO DEAL WITH SOME OF THE ISSUES

BEHIND HER EATING TO GIVE HER A BETTER CHANCE.

THE SURGERY WILL KEEP HER CRAVINGS UNDER CONTROL

FOR A LITTLE WHILE,

BUT THEY WILL COME BACK

IF SHE DOESN'T DEAL WITH HER EMOTIONAL ISSUES.

SO, SHE WILL HAVE BEEN GIVEN EVER TOOL POSSIBLE

TO HELP HER DO THIS,

AND THERE'LL BE NO EXCUSE FOR HER TO FAIL.

AND EITHER SHE MAKE PROGRESS OR SHE'S DONE WITH THIS PROGRAM.

**

Liz: I'M REALLY NERVOUS TO BE GOING HOME RIGHT NOW,

BECAUSE LAST TIME, I DIDN'T DO AS WELL AS I THOUGHT.

AND I KNOW I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN AGAIN.

SO, I'M HOPING, SINCE I HAD THE SURGERY,

THIS TIME, IT WON'T BE AS MUCH OF A STRUGGLE.

BUT DR. NOWZARADAN KEEPS TELLING ME

THAT THIS WILL ONLY BE A SHORT-TERM SOLUTION

IF I DON'T START DEALING WITH CERTAIN ISSUES.

AND THE THOUGHT OF DOING THAT IS MAKING ME SCARED.

BUT I CERTAINLY KNOW HOW STRONG THOSE CRAVINGS

AND THE TEMPTATION TO EAT CAN BE.

**

**

**

**

HEY, BAE.

HI, MOM.

HOW YOU DOING?

I'M DOING PRETTY GOOD.

DOING PRETTY GOOD?

LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU GET READY FOR YOUR LUNCH.

YEAH, I'LL BE -- I'M READY FOR IT NOW.

WHAT'S YOUR ORDER, MA'AM?

PROBABLY THE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP.

WILL THAT COMPLETE YOUR ORDER?

THAT'LL BE IT.

I'LL BE BACK IN A JIFFY.

**

HERE LATELY, THINGS HAVE BEEN GOING REALLY WELL

WITH LIZ FOR HER RECOVERY.

SHE'S GREATLY IMPROVING DAY BY DAY,

AND I THINK LIZ IS WORKING DOUBLE HARD TO LOSE THIS WEIGHT.

SHE'S COME A LONG WAY.

Liz: I HAVEN'T CHEATED SINCE I'VE HAD MY SURGERY.

THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT I'M EATING, UM,

LIKE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP, ALL KIND OF SOUPS.

I JUST KEEP ON SWITCHING UP THE SOUPS.

I JUST TRY DIFFERENT SOUPS AND THEN JUST THE BROTH OFF OF IT.

Reta: I AM VERY HAPPY AT THE LEVEL OF WORK

THAT LIZ HAS PUT INTO THIS.

IT SAVED HER LIFE.

THIS IS A NEW LIFE,

A NEW LIZ.

HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT.

I GOT IT, THANK YOU.

MM-HMM.

EMOTIONALLY, RIGHT NOW, I AM DOING GOOD.

I'M IN A GOOD STATE OF MIND, GOOD STATE --

MY SPIRITS ARE HIGH.

IT'S GOOD, THANK YOU.

I WANT TO HIT MY WEIGHT LOSS GOAL

AND I'M TRYING TO EXERCISE AND GET TO THE POINT

WHERE I CAN WALK TO THE SCALE LIKE DR. NOWZARADAN SAYS,

BY MY NEXT APPOINTMENT.

AND I'M ALSO LOOKING FORWARD TO THE THINGS TO COME.

BUT DR. NOWZARADAN HAS ME STARTING PSYCHOTHERAPY TOMORROW,

AND I'M NERVOUS ABOUT THAT,

BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME THINGS I DON'T FEEL LIKE

I'M READY TO TALK ABOUT YET.

AND I'M HAVING A HARD TIME AGREEING

THAT I'M READY FOR THIS.

**

THE THERAPIST IS ABOUT TO BE HERE AND I'M MORE NERVOUS NOW.

I DON'T FEEL LIKE THERE'S MUCH TO TALK ABOUT,

AND WHAT I CAN TALK ABOUT, I DON'T REALLY WANT TO.

SO, I'M DOING THIS, EVEN THOUGH I PREFER NOT TO.

**

LIZ. Liz: HELLO.

HELLO, HOW ARE YOU?

I'M GOOD. HOW ARE YOU DOING?

GOOD, GOOD. IS THIS WHERE I'M GOING TO BE?

YEAH. OKAY.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT

YOUR BACKGROUND, YOUR HISTORY?

HOW DID WE GET TO THIS PLACE?

WELL, WHEN I WAS GROWING UP,

I WAS AN AVERAGE-SIZE CHILD, BUT AROUND 10

I STARTED, YOU KNOW, GRADUALLY PUTTING ON WEIGHT.

WHAT WAS GOING ON IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT AT AGE 10?

MY MOM AND DAD HAD GOTTEN DIVORCED.

AND MY DAD WAS A GOOD FATHER, WAS A GOOD MAN,

BUT HE HAD A SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROBLEM,

WHICH LED TO MY MOTHER DIVORCING HIM.

BACK THEN, I WOULD SEE HIM GO MISSING

OR NOT THERE OR NOT AROUND, AND IT JUST TOOK A TOLL ON ME.

SO, HOW DO YOU THINK YOU DEALT WITH YOUR EMOTIONS?

JUST PROBABLY FINDING COMFORT IN THE FOOD

AND THEN JUST SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL

AFTER, YOU KNOW, SO LONG.

FOOD BECOMES COMFORTING, RIGHT?

SO, THE EMOTIONS WON'T GO AWAY.

EMOTIONS COME FOR US TO EXPRESS THEM.

BUT IF I KEEP TALKING ABOUT THAT SITUATION,

THEN IT PUTS ME IN A STATE OF DEPRESSION.

AND MY FATHER PASSED IN 2015.

THAT'S A SUBJECT THAT I DON'T LIKE TO TALK ABOUT.

I WASN'T EVEN ABLE TO GO TO HIS FUNERAL,

BECAUSE I'M NOT BEING ABLE TO BE MOBILE.

AND EVEN LIKE LEADING UP TO IT, WHEN HE WAS SICK, YOU KNOW,

NOT BEING ABLE TO GO UP THERE TO BE WITH HIM.

BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'MA HAVE TO JUST CARRY

FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.

AND I KNOW THAT IF I GET DEPRESSED,

WHAT DO I FIND COMFORT IN? FOOD.

THERE'S A WAY FOR YOU TO HONOR YOUR SADNESS

AND TO HONOR YOUR GRIEF.

WHATEVER THE FEELINGS ARE, WE ACKNOWLEDGE THEM,

WE EXPRESS THEM, WE DEAL WITH THEM,

THEN WE HEAL THEM.

SO, WE'LL LOOK AT THE FEELINGS AND REALLY TEACH YOU

HOW TO EXPRESS THOSE FEELINGS

AND THEN LOOK AT THE THOUGHTS THAT YOU'RE HOLDING.

SO, IF I ASK HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOURSELF?

OH, I MEAN, I CAN HONESTLY SAY, I'M ASHAMED.

AND THAT'S WHY I CLOSE MYSELF OFF, I HADN'T BEEN OUT MY HOUSE.

I AM ASHAMED THAT I LET MYSELF, LET IT GET THIS FAR.

THE WEIGHT IS NOT ABOUT JUST THE FOOD.

WE KNOW THAT UNDERNEATH, THAT THIS IS A SYMPTOM OF TRAUMA

THAT NEEDS TO BE HEALED.

THE REASON WHY I'M HERE IS TO INVITE YOU

TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE THOUGHTS, THE FEELINGS, THE TRAUMA,

THE SADNESS, EVERYTHING THAT'S BEHIND THAT

SO YOU CAN HAVE A FULL-ON RECOVERY,

NOT JUST THE PHYSICAL ASPECT.

SO, WHAT'S YOUR GOAL?

MY MAIN, MAIN GOAL IS TO GET BACK UP WALKING,

BE ABLE TO INTERACT BACK IN THE WORLD.

THE PROCESS OF FULL RECOVERY IS TO REALLY GOING BACK

TO LOOK AT WHAT'S UNDERNEATH THAT NEEDS TO BE HEALED.

AND JUST BECAUSE WE DON'T REVEAL IT,

AND JUST BECAUSE WE DON'T DEAL WITH IT,

DOESN'T MEAN THAT'S IT -- NOT THERE, YEAH.

WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT ALL ASPECTS OF WHO YOU ARE.

YOU'RE JUST NOT A PHYSICAL BEING, YOU'RE A MENTAL BEING,

AND YOU'RE A SPIRITUAL BEING.

OKAY? OKAY.

I AM SO INSPIRED BY YOUR COURAGE AND YOUR BOLDNESS

TO TAKE BACK YOUR LIFE AND DO THIS JOURNEY.

THANK YOU. OKAY.

OKAY.

BYE. BYE.

I LIKE THE THERAPIST AND I DON'T FEEL LIKE

SHE PUSHED ME TOO HARD,

BUT I FEEL REALLY EMOTIONAL RIGHT NOW.

AND I KNOW THERE ARE THINGS I HAVE TO DEAL WITH

IF I WANT TO GET AHOLD OF THE CAUSE

OF WHY I'VE BEEN OVEREATING.

IT'S JUST NOT AN EASY OR PLEASANT PROCESS.

BUT IF I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THOSE THINGS IN ORDER

TO KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF FOR A LIFETIME, THEN I WILL.

BUT THE SCARY THING IS, I DON'T KNOW ALL THE PAIN AND EMOTION

I HAVE BENEATH THE SURFACE.

I'VE PUSHED IT ALL DOWN AND BURIED IT WITH FOOD FOR SO LONG,

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT AND THAT'S SCARY.

**

**

I'M BACK AT THE HOSPITAL TO SEE DR. NOWZARADAN

TO FIND OUT IF I HIT MY WEIGHT LOSS GOAL.

THE ONLY THING IS,

I HAVE TO WALK OVER TO THE SCALE TO DO THAT.

AND I'M NERVOUS BECAUSE I'VE WORKED HARD AT IT,

BUT IT STILL HURTS AND I DON'T FEEL LIKE

I'M IN A GOOD PLACE TO DO IT.

SO, I'M REALLY SCARED THAT THIS IS ALL GOING TO GO VERY BADLY.

AND IF I FAIL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT WILL BE

AND IF I'LL LOSE ALL THE HELP I NEED.

HI, LIZ. HELLO, DR. NOW.

HOW ARE YOU DOING? I'M DOING OKAY.

Dr. Nowzaradan: LIZ IS HERE TO SHOW ME HER WEIGHT LOSS PROGRESS

AND ALSO TO SHOW ME SHE CAN WALK NOW.

SO, WE'LL SEE IF LIZ STAYED ON TRACK

OR IF SHE'S GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION AGAIN.

BUT IF SHE GAINED AND STILL ISN'T WILLING TO DEAL

WITH THE PAIN, THAT WILL BE UNFORTUNATE,

BECAUSE THAT WILL MEAN

THAT THERE IS NOTHING MORE WE CAN DO FOR HER.

YOU READY TO GET UP AND WALK TO THE SCALE TODAY?

YES, SIR. OKAY, GREAT.

WE'LL GET THE SCALE IN HERE

AND YOU CAN SHOW US WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW.

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

**

**

**

ALL RIGHT.

OKAY, LIZ, YOU READY TO DO THIS?

1, 2...

**

OKAY, YOU HAVE YOUR WEIGHT ON YOUR LEGS.

YOU OKAY?

YOU NEED TO SIT BACK?

MM-HMM.

-WHAT'S HURTING? -WHAT'S HURTING YOU?

Woman: LEFT LEG, RIGHT LEG?

THE RIGHT ONE.

LIZ, YOU FEEL WEAK WITH YOUR LEG OR PAIN?

IT'S -- IT'S -- UM, IT'S LIKE IN THE KNEE WHEN I STAND,

IT BE KIND OF LIKE,

LIKE IT'S GOING TO KIND OF GO OUT OR SOMETHING.

YOU WANT TO GIVE IT ANOTHER TRY?

I'MA TRY TO STAND AGAIN. OKAY.

LET'S DO IT AGAIN.

**

TRY TO PUSH AS HARD AS YOU CAN.

NOW, GRAB THE WALKER.

PUSH ON YOUR HAND, PUSH ON YOUR HAND.

LOOK UP. USE THOSE ARMS, OKAY?

RIGHT THERE, RIGHT THERE.

PUSH.

NOW, BEND THOSE ARMS.

YOU'RE STARTING TO FALL.

SIT DOWN NOW.

RIGHT THERE, RIGHT THERE.

NICE AND SLOW, OKAY.

STOP LEANING BACK, OKAY?

YEAH, DON'T LEAN.

RIGHT THERE, RIGHT THERE.

Dr. Nowzaradan: YOU MAY HAVE CAUGHT YOUR KNEE WRONG ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT

AND TWISTED IT A LITTLE, SO WE NEED TO CHECK IT OUT.

YEAH.

SIT BACK ON THE BED SO YOU DON'T FALL.

Woman #2: SIT UP A LITTLE BIT.

**

[ PANTING ]

OKAY, LIZ, ARE YOU HAVING ANY PAIN?

A -- A LITTLE BIT.

OKAY.

WELL, WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD

AND SEE WHAT YOUR BED SCALE WEIGHT IS.

OKAY.

OKAY, LIZ, YOUR WEIGHT IS AT 391 POUNDS.

SO, YOU LOST 52 POUNDS.

THAT'S EXCELLENT.

ALL RIGHT.

Dr. Nowzaradan: I AM HAPPY WITH LIZ'S PROGRESS TODAY.

I THINK IT IS LIKELY THAT SHE TRIED TO TAKE

THAT FIRST STEP A LITTLE TOO QUICKLY

AND PULLED SOMETHING IN HER KNEE.

BUT WITH WHAT I SEE FOR HER WEIGHT LOSS

AND HOW HARD SHE PUSHED HERSELF TO WALK,

I THINK SHE'S DOING WELL.

AND I KNOW WE'LL GET HER TAKING SOME STEPS HERE SHORTLY.

SHE JUST NEEDS TO START THE PROCESS.

OKAY, LIZ, YOU MAY HAVE A LITTLE SPRAIN IN YOUR KNEE,

SO WE WILL CHECK THAT OUT, BUT I CAN SEE YOU TRYING HARD,

SO I'M APPROVING YOU FOR SKIN REMOVAL,

PENDING YOU START WALKING FIRST.

OKAY.

AND ONCE YOU DO,

THEN WE'LL GET YOU SCHEDULED FOR SURGERY, OKAY?

OKAY.

AND WE CAN GET YOU DOWN TO 200s

HERE IN A FEW MONTHS. OKAY.

SO, I'M PROUD OF YOU, LIZ.

LIZ IS COMING ALONG AND WHAT HAPPENED TODAY

WAS OUT OF HER CONTROL.

BUT DEALING WITH THE PAIN, INSIDE AND OUT,

IS THE ONLY WAY WEIGHT LOSS PATIENTS

WILL SUCCEED IN THE LONG RUN.

AND SHE'S DOING THAT.

SO, I'M CONFIDENT AND PROUD OF HOW SHE'S DOING.

ALL RIGHT, I'LL SEE YOU LATER, OKAY?

ALRIGHTY.

ALL RIGHT, KEEP WORKING ON IT.

**

Liz: I'M A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED IN MYSELF THAT I COULDN'T DO IT,

BUT I REALLY DID TRY MY HARDEST.

AND TO HEAR DR. NOWZARADAN

SAY HE WAS PROUD OF ME WAS SUCH A RELIEF,

SO I FEEL REALLY ENCOURAGED RIGHT NOW

AND I'M GOING TO KEEP WORKING HARD,

'CAUSE I KNOW THE ONE AREA I HAVE TO CONQUER IS WALKING,

AND I'M GOING TO GET THERE, TOO.

**

**

**

**

**

THE DOCTOR SAID HE'S NOT LETTING UP UNTIL I WALK,

SO PHYSICAL THERAPY IS COMING TO MY HOME EVERY DAY,

AND I'M STICKING WITH SEEING THE PSYCHIATRIST

AND TRYING TO WORK THROUGH SOME OF MY EMOTIONAL ISSUES.

I KNOW THERE'S A LOT AROUND MY DAD AND MY CHILDHOOD

THAT I'VE NEVER REALLY LOOKED AT.

I JUST ATE.

AND I KNOW THAT IF I WANT TO STAY IN CONTROL OF MY CRAVINGS,

THAT I HAVE TO KEEP WORKING ON ALL THAT.

HEY, GIRL.

HEY, MAMA.

WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA FOR TODAY?

I'M GOING TO DO A LITTLE THERAPY,

GOING TO TRY TO STAND UP.

HMM.

AND TRY AND SEE IF I CAN TAKE THAT STEP TODAY.

OOH, THAT'D BE GREAT.

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

MISS EVANS? IT'S KENDELL, THE PHYSICAL THERAPIST.

COME ON BACK!

MISS EVANS.

FIRST THINGS FIRST, WE GOT TO SCOOT

TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BED.

OKAY.

[ GRUNTS ]

YOU GOT BIG GOALS TODAY.

YEAH, I KNOW.

GOAL NUMBER ONE -- STANDING.

GOAL NUMBER TWO -- IF WE'RE STANDING,

MIGHT AS WELL SEE IF WE CAN TAKE A STEP AGAIN.

OKAY. MOST DEFINITELY. ALL RIGHT.

AND I SEE WE HAVE A BRAND-NEW WALKER HERE.

YEAH, I GOT IT TODAY.

SO, WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS WHENEVER YOU'RE STANDING UP,

YOU HAVE TO GET YOUR WEIGHT OVER YOUR FEET, OKAY?

SO, YOU HAVE TO LEAN FORWARD.

MM-HMM. ONCE WE GET UP,

WE'RE GOING TO TRY AND TUCK THAT BUTT IN,

WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO GET AS TALL AS WE CAN GET, OKAY.

WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO ROCK, LEFT TO RIGHT.

'CAUSE IN ORDER TO TAKE A STEP,

YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GET THE WEIGHT ONTO THAT RIGHT LEG.

SO, FIRST THINGS FIRST -- NOSE OVER YOUR TOES.

HALFWAY UP, YOU'RE GOING TO REACH FOR THE WALKER.

ALL RIGHT, YOU READY? YOU GOT THIS, LIZ.

1, 2...

UP, UP, UP, UP, UP, UP.

KEEP COMING, KEEP COMING, KEEP COMING.

UP, UP, UP, UP. TUCK THAT BUTT IN,

TUCK THAT BUTT IN. NICE AND TALL, NICE AND TALL.

TUCK THAT BUTT IN.

KEEP COMING UP, KEEP COMING UP.

HOW TALL CAN YOU GET, LIZ?

HOW TALL CAN YOU GET, LIZ?

ALL RIGHT.

NOW, LET'S GO LEFT TO RIGHT, LEFT TO RIGHT.

KEEP THAT HEAD UP, KEEP THAT HEAD UP, LIZ.

KEEP THAT HEAD UP, LIZ, KEEP THAT HEAD UP.

KEEP COMING, KEEP COMING, KEEP COMING, KEEP COMING.

GOT TO SIT DOWN.

THAT WAS GOOD.

Kendall: YOU WERE UP. THAT'S A GOOD STEP.

[ GASPS ]

MOVE THAT RIGHT FOOT UP JUST A LITTLE BIT,

BRING IT BACK, AND THEN WE'LL SIT DOWN.

YOU CAN DO IT, LIZ.

UP, UP, UP, UP, UP, UP, UP, UP, UP.

KEEP COMING, KEEP COMING, KEEP COMING, KEEP COMING.

KEEP COMING. YOU'RE ALMOST THERE.

COME ON, COME ON, COME ON, PUSH IT.

TUCK YOUR BUTT IN, TUCK YOUR BUTT IN, TUCK YOUR BUTT IN.

TUCK YOUR BUTT IN, NICE AND TALL,

NICE AND TALL, NICE AND TALL.

KEEP COMING UP, KEEP COMING UP. WHERE'S YOUR HEAD?

MOVED IT A LITTLE BIT, BUT THAT'S ABOUT IT.

BRING IT BACK.

PULL THAT WEIGHT.

ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT.

HAVE A SEAT. HAVE A SEAT.

ALL RIGHT.

WE GOT ABOUT THIS MUCH FOR THE RIGHT FOOT,

FORWARD AND BACKWARD.

YEAH.

KEEP WORKING ON IT, OKAY?

TO SEE LIZ MAKE THAT STEP MADE ME JUST SO HAPPY,

SO ELATED,

AND I'M SO GLAD THAT I WAS HERE TO WITNESS IT,

BECAUSE IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD TO KNOW

THAT SHE'S GOING TO REACH HER GOALS.

LIZ DID REALLY, REALLY GOOD.

I WOULD REALLY, REALLY JUST BE FLABBERGASTED

IF I COULD JUST SEE HER TAKE SOME STEPS NEXT WEEK.

I'M NOT GOING TO PUSH IT AND SAY, BY THIS WEEKEND,

BUT IF SHE COULD DO SOMETHING FOR ME

BY WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK -- HALLELUJAH,

THANK YOU, JESUS, WE ON THE ROAD.

[ LAUGHS ]

GIVE ME FIVE.

[ BOTH LAUGHING ]

Liz: THIS HAS BEEN SUCH A LIFE-CHANGING YEAR.

ALL BY YOURSELF. MM-HMM.

I THINK THAT'S A FIRST.

I'M HALF THE WEIGHT I WAS, I DON'T HAVE THE BIG LYMPHEDEMA

AND I'M STANDING AGAIN.

SO, IT'S BEEN WONDERFUL AND MIRACULOUS,

AND I KNOW THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS

ARE GOING TO BE EVEN MORE LIFE-CHANGING.

AND THE BIGGEST THING I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO

IS STARTING TO TAKE CARE OF MY MOM.

THAT'S SOMETHING I SHOULD'VE BEEN DOING A LONG TIME AGO.

SO, IT'S IMPORTANT TO START TO DO THAT,

AND I CAN'T UNTIL I CAN WALK.

YES, MA'AM.

IT'S PAINFUL, BUT I KNOW IT'S GOING TO IMPROVE

AS I DO IT MORE AND MORE AND MORE, YOU KNOW.

YEAH.

EVERY DAY, WORK ON IT,

IT'LL START TO GET BETTER, YOU KNOW.

ONE LITTLE STEP'LL TURN INTO TWO AND TWO'LL TURN INTO THREE,

THREE'LL TURN INTO FOUR, FIVE, SIX.

AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, I'LL BE UP AND ABOUT.

A WISE MAN ONCE SAID,

"THE LONGEST JOURNEY

BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP."

MM-HMM.

WHAT YOU DID TODAY WAS A SINGLE STEP.

**

I'VE MISSED OUT ON SO MUCH,

AND I'M NOT GOING TO LET THAT HAPPEN ANYMORE.

I KNOW I CAN DO THIS AND I WILL,

AND I'M CLOSER THAN I'VE BEEN IN 20 YEARS.

SO NOTHING'S GOING TO STOP ME FROM GETTING TO WHERE I NEED.