Original subtitles

David: IT'S A STRUGGLE EVERY DAY TO DO ANYTHING,

AND NOBODY SHOULD HAVE TO LIVE THE WAY I DO.

**

AH! AH!

Woman: MY LIFE IS WASTING AWAY, AND I HATE IT.

Woman #2: I TRY TO CHANGE, BUT SOMETHING ALWAYS KNOCKS ME DOWN.

**

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

UGH. OH! OW! [ BLEEP ].

THIS IS NO LIFE FOR ANYONE.

**

OH, JUST PRAY FOR ME.

[ SOBS ]

OH, MY LEG!

-SIT DOWN RIGHT THERE. -YOU'RE MAKING ME MAD.

ALL RIGHT, THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE.

[ DOOR SLAMS ]

David: YOU CAN SIT THERE AND LAUGH AT ME ALL YOU WANT.

I DON'T CARE. -HE'S NOT LAUGHING AT YOU, SON.

YEAH, YOU ARE. BOTH OF YOU ARE.

Rhonda: I AM NOT LAUGHING AT YOU, SON. I'M CRYING.

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

**

David: WE OFTEN VIEW LIFE AS EITHER A TIME OF JOY OR A TIME OF PAIN,

BUT MAYBE IT'S MEANT TO BE BOTH AT ONCE,

AND HOW WE BALANCE THAT DETERMINES HOW WE GROW.

[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]

**

**

**

David: I WAKE UP EVERY DAY HURTING.

**

MY ANKLES HURT. MY KNEES HURT.

MY BACK HURTS.

IT'S LIKE I'M BEING PUNISHED

[ GRUNTS ]

BECAUSE IT'S SO MISERABLE TO DO ANYTHING,

AND I'VE BECOME ALMOST IMMOBILE.

I CAN ONLY STAND FOR MAYBE 2 OR 3 MINUTES AT A TIME.

[ GROANS ]

SO IT'S A STRUGGLE EVERY DAY JUST TO DO ANYTHING.

**

NOBODY SHOULD HAVE TO LIVE LIFE THE WAY I DO

AND GO THROUGH WHAT I GO THROUGH.

AND I CAN BARELY FIT THROUGH THE DOOR ANYMORE,

**

AND IT'S HARD TO EVEN TAKE A SHOWER,

BUT IF I DON'T, I'LL GET INFECTIONS

BECAUSE ALL THE CHAFING FROM MY FAT HANGING DOWN

CREATES THESE OPEN SORES THAT I HAVE TO KEEP CLEAN.

**

AND WHEN I SCRUB PARTS OF MY BODY WITH A SCRUB BRUSH,

IT HURTS. IT'S LIKE NEEDLES.

AND IT'S PAINFUL.

BUT I HAVE TO DO IT.

BUT I CARRY MOST OF MY WEIGHT IN MY STOMACH

AND IN MY THIGHS, AND IT PULLS.

IT PULLS ON MY BACK, AND THERE ARE TIMES IT GETS SO BAD

THAT I JUST HAVE TO QUIT WHATEVER IT IS I'M DOING

AND JUST TRY TO GO LIE DOWN.

AND WHEN I HIT THAT WALL, IT'S SCARY

BECAUSE IT'S LITERALLY A FIGHT TO GET BACK UP AT THAT POINT,

AND IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO ME

OR I FELL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'D DO.

**

MY GIRLFRIEND LIVES HERE WITH ME AND HELPS TAKE CARE OF ME,

BUT THERE'S NO WAY SHE'D BE ABLE TO GET ME BACK UP.

OH.

[ GROANS ]

SO THE ONLY OTHER PERSON THAT COULD HELP ME IS MY BROTHER,

BENJI, WHO LIVES NEARBY,

BUT WITH HOW BIG MY BROTHER IS GETTING,

HE WOULD PROBABLY END UP ON THE FLOOR WITH ME

IF HE HAD TO TRY AND LIFT ME.

**

HE HELPS BRING ME MY MEALS A LOT OF TIMES,

AND I FEEL LIKE MY EATING IS INFLUENCING HIM

AND HOW HE'S GAINING WEIGHT TOO,

SO I FEEL LIKE I'M NOT ONLY DESTROYING MY LIFE,

BUT I'M DESTROYING HIS, TOO.

**

Benji: I KNOW MY WEIGHT IS GETTING OUT OF CONTROL,

AND I LOOK AT MY BROTHER AND HOW HARD IT IS

FOR HIM TO DO ANYTHING,

AND I KNOW I'M LOOKING AT MY FUTURE.

I DON'T STRUGGLE AS BAD AS DAVID YET,

BUT IT'S STARTING TO GET PRETTY BAD FOR ME TOO,

AND I CAN SEE MY BODY STARTING TO FALL APART LIKE HIS.

I'VE HAD THESE SORES, I GUESS,

EVER SINCE I STARTED GETTING REAL HEAVY

AND WISH I COULD GET RID OF THEM.

FEEL LIKE YOUR SKIN IS ABOUT TO TEAR.

GOT LYMPHEDEMA IN MY LEFT LEG.

IT SWELLS UP.

I ONLY HAVE THE LYMPHEDEMA ON THE ONE SIDE

COMPARED TO WHERE MY BROTHER HAS IT ON BOTH SIDES.

I DON'T WANT TO END UP LIKE DAVID,

SO I NEED TO GET THE WEIGHT OFF

SO I CAN BE HEALTHY SO MY WIFE, AMANDA,

AND THEN MY DAUGHTER, LORELEI, WON'T HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF ME.

BUT ME AND DAVID JUST LIKE TO EAT ALL THE TIME,

AND SINCE I'M STILL THE MORE MOBILE ONE,

AFTER I GET DRESSED,

I RUN, GET US BOTH BREAKFAST BEFORE I GO TO WORK.

**

Woman: THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING JACK IN THE BOX.

HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

I NEED TO GET A SAUSAGE CROISSANT, THEN A NUMBER 27.

I NEED A LARGE SWEET TEA, FIVE BREAKFAST JACKS

AND FIVE HASH BROWNS ALSO.

OKAY.

THIS IS YOUR FIVE HASH BROWNS.

THIS IS YOUR 27 AND YOUR SAUSAGE CROISSANT,

AND THIS IS YOUR BREAKFAST JACKS.

-ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. -THANK YOU.

**

Benji: I KNOW THE CONSEQUENCES I'M FACING RIGHT NOW,

BUT AS BAD AS IT'S GETTING FOR ME,

I KNOW DAVID IS FAR WORSE OFF,

AND PRETTY MUCH ALL DAVID CAN DO NOWADAYS IS SIT AT HOME AND EAT.

I TELL HIM MYSELF THAT HE NEEDS

TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIS WEIGHT,

AND HE SAYS HE DOES, SAYS HE DOES,

BUT IT'S ALL IN, LIKE, A DENIAL STAGE FOR HIM.

DAVID IS KILLING HIMSELF EVERY DAY.

David: COME IN!

WHAT'S UP?

David: I'M BARELY LIVING LIFE RIGHT NOW,

AND THE ONLY THING I REALLY HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO IS

BENJI BRINGING ME SOMETHING TO EAT

BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY THING I CAN ENJOY ANYMORE IN MY LIFE.

LEGS LOOKING BAD AGAIN?

YEAH, IT'S SWOLLEN.

YEAH. THEY'RE SWOLE UP PRETTY BAD.

IT MAKES ALL THE PAIN AND ALL THE WORRY GO AWAY,

BUT I KNOW IT'S KILLING ME, AND BENJI IS NOT FAR BEHIND ME,

AND I FEAR THAT, BY THE TIME HE'S MY AGE,

HE'S GOING TO FIND HIS SELF JOBLESS,

SITTING IN A HOUSE, NOT BEING ABLE TO HELP HIS SELF.

HEY, YOU WANT ONE OF THESE HASH BROWNS?

FULL OF GREASE.

BUT WE BOTH TRIED EVERYTHING TO STOP IT,

AND FOOD HAS BEEN SUCH A HUGE PART OF OUR LIVES FOR SO LONG.

YOU FULL?

YEAH.

YEAH, ME TOO.

AT THIS POINT, IT'S JUST HOW IT IS WITH US.

I PROBABLY ATE TOO MUCH.

YEAH, I THINK YOU DID.

**

I'VE STRUGGLED WITH MY WEIGHT MY WHOLE LIFE.

I WAS THE OLDEST OF SIX KIDS IN OUR FAMILY,

AND WHEN I WAS REALLY YOUNG, MY DAD WAS ALWAYS WORKING,

SO MY MOM AND GREAT GRANDMOTHER TOOK CARE OF ME,

AND HOW THEY'D KEEP ME QUIET

WAS THEY'D JUST GIVE ME SOMETHING TO EAT.

WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY FOR TOYS

AND THINGS LIKE MOST PEOPLE DID,

SO YOU COULD BUY A BOX OF TWINKIES

OR MAKE TWO DOZEN CUPCAKES

AND GIVE THEM TO YOUR KIDS, AND IT WAS HAPPY.

IT WAS LIKE GETTING A PRESENT TO US.

Rhonda: A TREAT FOR MY KIDS SINCE WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY IS,

IF WE HAD AN EXTRA $10 OR $20,

THEY USED TO HAVE CHEESEBURGERS FOR $0.29,

AND WE WOULD RUN DOWN, AND WE'D GET $10 WORTH,

AND I WOULD LET THEM EAT HOWEVER MANY THEY WANTED

BECAUSE THAT WAS A TREAT.

Benji: WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, WE ATE PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING

FROM PIZZA,

SPAGHETTI, LASAGNA, HAMBURGERS, FRENCH FRIES,

SO WE JUST HAD SNACKS CONSTANTLY.

**

David: SO I STARTED GAINING WEIGHT RIGHT FROM THE START,

AND I REMEMBER BEING CHUBBY.

I WAS ALWAYS DIFFERENT AND BIGGER THAN EVERYBODY ELSE,

AND I JUST TOOK IT AS BEING NORMAL,

AND SO, BY THE TIME I WAS 6, I WAS ALREADY UP TO 100 POUNDS.

**

BUT I STARTED TO REALIZE HOW DIFFERENT I WAS

WHEN MY MAMA STARTED ENTERING MY YOUNGER BROTHER

INTO THESE BEAUTY PAGEANTS, AND SHE WOULDN'T LET ME DO IT.

**

Benji: WHEN I WAS REALLY YOUNG, I REMEMBER DOING BEAUTY PAGEANTS

WITH MY MOM,

AND IT WAS A LOT OF FUN

BECAUSE IT WAS ALWAYS LIKE I WAS THE CENTER OF ATTENTION,

AND I WON A LOT, SO I LIKED IT.

David: AND I NEVER UNDERSTOOD, WHY WASN'T I GOOD ENOUGH

TO BE IN THOSE BEAUTY PAGEANTS?

AND THEN IT STARTED TO REALIZE WHEN I GOT OLDER IT

WAS BECAUSE OF MY SIZE.

A FAT KID CAN'T BE IN A BEAUTY PAGEANT.

THAT'S NOT BEAUTIFUL.

I FELT LIKE MY SIBLINGS WERE MORE VALUED THAN ME

BECAUSE THEY WERE ALL OFF DOING THAT BEAUTY-PAGEANT STUFF,

AND IT WAS JUST ME AND MY GREAT GRANDMA AT HOME,

SO DURING THAT TIME, SHE WAS KIND OF LIKE MY MOM.

DAVID STAYED A LOT WITH MY GRANDMOTHER.

SHE WAS ELDERLY, BUT SHE WAS...

YOU KNOW, SHE LOVED DAVID, AND HE LOVED HER,

AND THAT WAS WHO WAS WITH HIM ALL THE TIME.

David: SHE WAS MY BEST FRIEND, AND THEN,

WHEN I WAS AROUND 8 YEARS OLD,

ONE DAY, I WAS SITTING THERE WITH HER, AND SHE FELL DOWN,

AND THEN, WHEN SHE PASSED AWAY, I DIDN'T HAVE NOBODY.

AND THE ONE THING THAT MADE ME HAPPY WAS FOOD,

AND WHEN I ATE, I GOT BIGGER,

AND WHEN ANY OF THAT EMOTION STARTED COMING BACK,

I'D JUST EAT SOME MORE.

SO AGE 10, I WEIGHED AROUND 145 POUNDS,

AND IT WAS SUCH A SAD AND LONELY TIME FOR ME

BECAUSE I WASN'T CLOSE TO MY MOM OR MY OTHER SIBLINGS,

SO I FELT LIKE THE OUTCAST,

AND TO DEAL WITH IT, I'D KEEP EATING AND GAINING.

SO BY THE TIME I WAS 14,

I BALLOONED UP TO OVER 300 POUNDS,

AND THROUGH THE REST OF HIGH SCHOOL,

I STARTED REALIZING A PATTERN,

AND IN THAT PATTERN, THERE WAS NOBODY THERE.

MY MOTHER WAS GONE WITH THE OTHER KIDS.

MY DAD WAS AT WORK, BUT THERE WAS THAT ONE THING

THAT MADE ME HAPPY

THAT NOBODY WAS GOING TO TAKE FROM ME.

IT WAS THAT REFRIGERATOR.

SO FOOD WAS A BIG COMFORT TO ME,

AND IT HELPED ME DEAL WITH THE LONELINESS.

SO I KEPT GAINING,

AND BY THE TIME I WAS 18, I WAS WELL OVER 400 POUNDS,

AND I KNEW THINGS WERE GETTING BAD.

I REALLY THOUGHT DAVID WOULD GROW OUT OF THE WEIGHT

AS HE GOT OLDER AND GOT OUT OF SCHOOL,

BUT HE NEVER LOST NO WEIGHT.

David: AND IT'S DURING THAT TIME MY WEIGHT GAIN

AND EATING HABITS STARTED TO INFLUENCE BENJI

BECAUSE I HAD MY LICENSE

AND HAD TO START TAKING BENJI TO SCHOOL WITH ME,

AND I COULD GO ANYWHERE AND GET WHATEVER I WANTED TO EAT,

AND A LOT OF TIMES, I'D TAKE BENJI WITH ME.

**

Benji: DAVID WOULD BE HUNGRY OR HAVE A CRAVING, AND I'D GO WITH HIM,

AND WE'D JUST EAT, AND SO I KNOW I WAS GAINING A LOT THEN.

BY THE TIME I WAS 16, I HAD HIT OVER 300 POUNDS,

BUT I WAS ALWAYS AROUND 200 POUNDS LIGHTER THAN DAVID,

SO IT DIDN'T SEEM TO BE A HUGE ISSUE,

AND I DIDN'T WORRY ABOUT IT AS MUCH.

**

David: BUT AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, I CONTINUED TO GAIN WEIGHT.

THERE'D BE DAYS WHERE I'D FIND MYSELF

GOING TO THIS DRIVE-THROUGH RESTAURANT

AND GETTING FIVE OR SIX MEALS AND PUTTING IT TOGETHER

AND JUST SITTING IN A PARKING LOT OR A PARK

AND JUST EATING BECAUSE I WAS HAPPY.

I MEAN, THERE WAS NOBODY TO TELL ME NO,

AND I GOT BIGGER AND BIGGER.

AND IN THE MIDST OF ALL THIS, I STILL HAD A LIFE,

AND I'D GO OUT, AND ONE NIGHT, I WAS AT A BAR,

AND I MET KELLY, AND WE HIT IT OFF.

WE WERE TOGETHER. SHE GOT PREGNANT.

WE ENDED UP GETTING MARRIED AND HAD MY DAUGHTER, TRINITY,

SO THINGS WERE GETTING A LITTLE BETTER,

BUT WHEN I MET KELLY, I WAS 400 POUNDS.

I PROBABLY GAINED MAYBE CLOSE TO 100 POUNDS DURING OUR MARRIAGE

OVER THE NEXT 7 YEARS OR SO, AND IT MADE HER RESENT ME.

KELLY COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE.

SHE HAD MET SOMEBODY ELSE, SO SHE ENDED UP CHEATING ON ME,

AND WE SEPARATED.

AND WHEN SHE TOOK MY DAUGHTER WITH HER, I WAS ALONE.

I FEEL LIKE THERE WAS A POWER OUT THERE TAKING THINGS FROM ME.

IT WASN'T MEANT FOR DAVID TO BE HAPPY.

IT WAS MEANT FOR DAVID TO BE THE FAT KID THAT NOBODY LIKED,

SO MY WEIGHT GAIN JUST TOOK OFF AGAIN,

AND OVER THE NEXT 4 YEARS, I GOT UP TO OVER 600 POUNDS.

I THINK LOSING HIS WIFE IS WHEN HE REALLY GOT DEPRESSED,

AND THE MAJORITY OF THE WEIGHT REALLY STARTED STACKING UP.

David: IT WAS THE DARKEST TIME OF MY LIFE,

AND I EVEN HAD A FALLING OUT WITH BENJI,

AND WE DIDN'T SEE EACH OTHER OR TALK FOR A WHILE.

**

Benji: WHEN I WAS HALFWAY THROUGH MY SENIOR YEAR,

I DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL TO GET A GED

AND STARTED WORK DRIVING A TOW TRUCK,

AND I WAS ONLY AROUND 350 POUNDS THEN.

BUT TOW-TRUCK-DRIVING LIFE, IT'S DIFFERENT.

IT'S DIFFICULT.

SITTING ALL THE TIME, BOREDOM JUST LEADS YOU

TO EATING THE FAST FOOD ALL THE TIME,

BUT OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS,

I'D ONLY GONE UP 50 POUNDS OR SO TO 400,

AND THEN, WHEN I WAS 20, AMANDA AND I STARTED DATING.

Amanda: BENJI'S SIZE NEVER BOTHERED ME.

I DON'T LOOK AT PEOPLE FROM THE OUTSIDE.

I LOOK AT THEM FROM THE INSIDE, AND HE HAS A REALLY BIG HEART,

AND THAT'S WHAT ATTRACTED ME TO HIM.

SO WE GOT MARRIED, AND AMANDA AND I HAD OUR DAUGHTER, LORELEI,

WHEN I WAS 23.

I WAS UP TO 450, BUT THAT WAS STILL 200 POUNDS LIGHTER

THAN DAVID.

RIGHT AROUND THAT TIME IS WHEN DAVID AND ME

HAD A FALLING OUT OVER MONEY.

I THOUGHT HE WAS LYING TO ME, AND I COULDN'T TRUST HIM,

SO I'D STOPPED TALKING TO HIM FOR A WHILE,

BUT EVENTUALLY, WE WORKED THINGS OUT.

SO THAT WAS A FEW YEARS AGO,

AND IT'S WHEN WE STARTED EATING TOGETHER AGAIN,

ONLY, NOW I BRING HIM THE MEALS

SINCE HE HAS A REALLY HARD TIME DOING ANYTHING.

David: FOR A WHILE, I WASN'T SURE IF MY LIFE

WAS EVER GOING TO BE GOOD AGAIN.

I WAS 30 YEARS OLD, OVER 600 POUNDS AND ALONE,

BUT A COUPLE YEARS LATER WHEN I WAS 32,

I MET MY GIRLFRIEND, MARY, THROUGH A DATING WEBSITE.

NEXT THING YOU KNOW, ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER.

SHE MOVES IN WITH ME, AND SHE'S BEEN WITH ME EVER SINCE.

WHEN MARY AND I STARTED DATING, I WAS OVER 600 POUNDS,

BUT I WAS MOBILE.

I MEAN, I COULD DO A LOT MORE THINGS.

I COULD TAKE HER TO A RESTAURANT OR TAKE HER TO A MOVIE.

I KNEW MY WEIGHT KIND OF BOTHERED HER,

BUT SHE LOOKED PAST THAT.

Mary: WHEN WE FIRST STARTED DATING,

I WAS VERY HESITANT ABOUT HIS SIZE,

BUT I FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS PERSON.

HE'S AN AMAZING PERSON, AND WE'VE BEEN LIVING TOGETHER

FOR ABOUT 3 YEARS NOW.

David: NOW OUR RELATIONSHIP IS NOT WHAT SHE SIGNED UP FOR

BECAUSE SHE HAS TO TAKE CARE OF ME,

AND I FEEL LIKE I'M JUST THIS BURDEN TO HER AT TIMES.

AND I CAN'T EVEN PROVIDE FOR HER, SO SHE HAS TO WORK

ON TOP OF ALL THAT.

AND SHE HAS TO WORRY EVERY SINGLE DAY

IF I'M GOING TO MAKE IT

BECAUSE, A YEAR AGO, I WENT TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.

THEY TOLD ME I HAD PNEUMONIA.

I WAS HAVING SEVERE RESPIRATORY FAILURE.

I WENT INTO A COMA.

THAT WAS THE SCARIEST MOMENT FOR ME

BECAUSE I HAD THIS PERSON THAT I LOVED,

AND I'M SITTING IN THE HOSPITAL THINKING,

"THERE'S A CHANCE I'M GOING TO LOSE HIM."

David: I WOKE UP 2 WEEKS LATER NOT KNOWING WHERE I WAS

OR WHAT HAD HAPPENED, AND THERE'S NO QUESTION

I'M GETTING TO MY BREAKING POINT

BECAUSE MY BODY HAS ALREADY STARTED TO GIVE OUT,

AND BY GOD'S GRACE,

I HAVE BEEN GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE,

BUT EVEN THOUGH I KNOW HOW CLOSE TO DEATH I AM,

I STILL CAN'T SAY NO TO FOOD.

FOOD HAS BEEN A BIG PART OF MY LIFE.

MY FAMILY, WE LIKE TO HAVE GATHERINGS.

WE LIKE TO BE TOGETHER.

WE LIKE FOOD.

WE LIKE TO BE HAPPY.

SO WE GET TOGETHER EVERY WEEK TO EAT.

THERE'S ALWAYS CAKE.

THERE'S ALWAYS DESSERTS.

**

BUT IT'S HARD FOR ME TO GO ANYWHERE.

-YOU ALL RIGHT, BABE? -YEAH. I'M GOOD.

David: I CAN JUST BARELY MAKE IT.

**

I WORRY ABOUT DAVID EVERY DAY OF HIS LIFE, EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE.

[ SNIFFS ]

HE'S GOT TO GET HEALTHY. WE ALL HAVE TO.

THIS WHOLE FAMILY HAS GOT TO GET HEALTHY.

I'M WORE OUT. [ PANTS ]

YOU NEED A SHORTER DRIVEWAY. [ BREATHES HEAVILY ]

I HAVEN'T WALKED THAT [PANTS] FAR IN 6 MONTHS.

**

OH, GOD.

HOLD THE DOOR, BABY. OKAY.

DAVID HAS GAINED ABOUT 150 POUNDS SINCE I'VE KNOWN HIM.

HE'S PUTTING SUCH A STRAIN ON HIS BODY

WITH THE WEIGHT THAT HE IS.

I FEEL LIKE, IF DAVID DOESN'T LOSE THE WEIGHT,

THAT HE'S GOING TO DIE...

-WHAT'D YOU JUST SAY? -THAT'LL WORK.

[Voice breaks ] ...THAT I'M GOING TO LOSE MY BEST FRIEND

AND THE PERSON I LOVE THE MOST.

Girl: COME ON.

I DO FEEL LIKE DAVID IS A TICKING TIME BOMB

WITH HIS WEIGHT

AND THE WAY EVERYTHING IS IN HIS LIFE RIGHT NOW,

AND HE'S GOING TO DIE SOON,

AND I DESPERATELY WANT HIM TO BE OKAY

AND GET THE HELP HE NEEDS.

David: I KNOW BENJI AND I, WE'RE BOTH KILLING OURSELVES,

BUT BENJI USUALLY TELLS ME I'M THE ONE WHO HAS TO WORK

BECAUSE OF HOW BAD OFF I AM, BUT IN A FEW YEARS,

HE'LL ACTUALLY BE WORSE OFF THAN ME,

SO I NEED TO CHANGE,

BUT I WANT MY BROTHER TO SEE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR HIM, TOO.

BUT I KNOW THAT I'M ABOUT TO LOSE EVERYTHING,

AND I'M VERY WORRIED THAT MY FAMILY

IS GOING TO HAVE TO BURY ME

AND THAT MY 13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER

IS GOING TO HAVE TO WALK NEXT TO HER FATHER'S COFFIN

AND PUT ME IN THE GROUND.

AND IT WON'T BE LONG BEFORE THE SAME THING HAPPENS TO BENJI.

**

**

**

David: TODAY, I'M GOING TO SEE A DOCTOR HERE IN HOUSTON,

AND I TOLD BENJI, "WE EITHER DO THIS TOGETHER OR NOT AT ALL,"

SO HE AGREED TO GO WITH ME.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN,

BUT I FEEL THAT MY WHOLE LIFE IS RIDING ON THIS DOCTOR'S VISIT

AND SEEING DR. NOWZARADAN.

[ EXHALES SHARPLY ]

AND I'M HOPING IT'S NOT TOO LATE FOR ME.

[ DOOR CREAKS ]

HELLO.

HOW YOU FEELING?

-I'M ALL RIGHT. -YOU READY TO GO?

YEP.

ARE WE WAITING ON BENJI?

HE'LL BE HERE IN A MINUTE.

OKAY.

ARE YOU SCARED?

LITTLE BIT.

HOW MUCH DO I THINK IT'S GOING TO SAY?

HONEST.

SEVEN HUNDRED.

I DON'T KNOW, THOUGH. I'VE BEEN LOOKING A LITTLE THIN.

WHERE? IN YOUR FEET?

YOU'RE FUNNY.

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ] HOLD ON. I'LL GET IT.

-HEY, BABY. -HEY.

Y'ALL GOING TO GO IN MY CAR WITH ME?

YEAH.

YOU RIDE IN THE FRONT SEAT, DUDE.

I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN FIT IN THE FRONT SEAT.

-OH, YES, YOU CAN. -YEAH, YOU CAN.

YOU FIT IN YOUR PICKUP TRUCK.

YOU CAN FIT IN THERE.

Rhonda: READY TO GO? LET'S ROLL. [ GRUNTS ]

NEED A HAND UP?

-NO. -UGH.

**

David: I'M WORRIED ABOUT GETTING TO THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE.

IT'S ONLY ABOUT A 45-MINUTE DRIVE, BUT THE FURTHEST I GO

IS ABOUT 5 TO 10 MINUTES

TO GET FAST FOOD OR GO TO THE SUPERMARKET,

SO I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE PAINFUL,

AND I JUST HOPE I CAN MAKE IT ALL THE WAY THERE.

[ ENGINE STARTS ]

**

**

COMFORTABLE, DAVID?

-NOPE. -NO, HE'S NOT.

**

Rhonda: ALL RIGHT. YOU GOING TO BE OKAY?

NO, I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE IT ALL THE WAY THERE.

YOU'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT ALL THE WAY THERE?

NOPE. NO WAY. OH.

DO WE NEED TO MAKE A SEAT CHANGE?

OH.

JUST A SECOND.

OH, MY GOD!

IT HURTS.

OH, MY LEG IS NUMB.

OH, GOD.

I CAN'T BREATHE.

[ PANTING ]

[ GRUNTING ]

**

WE'RE GOING TO RENT A U-HAUL NEXT TIME.

TURN THE AIR ON HIGH.

THE AIR IS ON, DAVID.

YOU ALL RIGHT, SON?

NO, MOM, I'M NOT ALL RIGHT.

Amanda: DON'T YELL AT HER.

I'M HURTING, AMANDA.

OKAY BUT DOESN'T MEAN YOU YELL AT YOUR MOTHER.

HAVE SOME RESPECT.

**

I'M TIRED OF BEING LIKE THIS.

THIS IS NO WAY TO LIVE, HURTING,

UNCOMFORTABLE ALL THE TIME WHILE PEOPLE MAKE FUN OF YOU.

NO ONE IS MAKING FUN OF YOU, SON.

WHAT ABOUT BENJI?

SIT THERE AND LAUGH AT ME ALL YOU WANT.

I DON'T CARE. -HE'S NOT LAUGHING AT YOU, SON.

-YEAH, YOU ARE! BOTH OF YOU ARE. -I'M NOT LAUGHING.

I AM NOT LAUGHING AT YOU, SON.

I'M CRYING.

**

Benji: DAVID CAN'T KEEP GOING LIKE THIS,

AND WHEN HE STARTS TO HURT, HE JUST BREAKS DOWN,

AND IT ALL GETS MUCH WORSE,

SO I'M HOPING WE BOTH GET HELP TODAY.

OH, I CAN'T FEEL MY FEET.

BUT HE REALLY NEEDS IT RIGHT NOW...

OH, I GOT A CRAMP.

...BECAUSE I DON'T THINK HE HAS MUCH LONGER.

[ GROANS ]

David: I DON'T KNOW IF DR. NOWZARADAN CAN HELP ME.

UGH. OH!

I'VE BEEN REJECTED NUMEROUS TIMES FROM OTHER SURGEONS,

BUT I'VE BEEN PRAYING EVERY DAY

THAT THE DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT GOES GOOD.

Woman: DAVID AND BENJI BOLTON?

David: BENJI, YOU GO FIRST.

I NEED TO SIT DOWN FOR A MINUTE.

Benji: NO PROBLEM.

Benji: THE LAST TIME I HAD MY WEIGHT CHECKED,

I WAS IN THE LOWER 500s,

SO I FIGURE THAT'S THE RANGE I'M IN.

**

IT'S A LITTLE HIGHER THAN I THOUGHT,

BUT MY CONCERN IS HOW HIGH DAVID'S IS GOING TO BE.

I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY BAD, AND I REALLY HOPE

HE'S JUST NOT SO HIGH THE DOCTOR

CAN'T HELP HIM TODAY.

**

**

David: I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT.

[ SAD MUSIC PLAYS ]

SEEING THAT NUMBER ON THE SCALE IS STILL A HUGE SHOCK,

ESPECIALLY WITH MY FAMILY HERE.

SO I'M REALLY EMBARRASSED RIGHT NOW.

NOT GOOD.

**

AND I'M SCARED.

I'M REAL SCARED.

THIS IS THE LAST CHANCE FOR BOTH OF US,

BUT I DON'T THINK BENJI REALIZES HOW DRASTIC THIS IS.

AND WE MIGHT FIGHT LIKE BROTHERS FIGHT,

BUT I LOVE HIM, AND I'M WORRIED ABOUT HIM,

SO WE'RE GOING TO GET THE HELP,

AND WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS, BENJI.

YOU JUST GOT TO PUT IT IN YOUR MIND THAT YOU WANT TO DO IT.

THAT'S THE MAIN FACTOR AT THIS POINT.

**

-HELLO. -HELLO.

-HELLO. -HOW Y'ALL DOING?

-I'M DOING ALL RIGHT. -ALL RIGHT.

I'M DR. NOWZARADAN.

I'M DAVID.

NICE TO MEET YOU, DAVID.

-I'M BENJI. -NICE TO MEET YOU, BENJAMIN.

-I'M AMANDA. -THIS IS MY WIFE.

-I'M BENJI'S WIFE. -GOOD TO MEET YOU.

-I'M RHONDA. -I'M THEIR MOM.

OKAY.

SO YOU GOT A WHOLE FAMILY HERE.

ALL RIGHT. SO, DAVID, LET'S START WITH YOU.

YOU ARE 747 POUNDS, SO TELL ME WHY YOU THINK

YOU'RE AT THIS POINT.

I CAN'T CONTROL IT.

I'VE TRIED TO CONTROL MY DIETING AND WHAT I EAT,

LOW CARBS, HIGH PROTEIN.

YOU KNOW, I CAN EAT ONCE OR TWICE A DAY

AND STILL GAIN WEIGHT.

OKAY. DON'T GIVE ME THAT.

YOU'RE HERE TO GET HELP, SO DON'T START THIS ALL OFF

BY SAYING YOU DON'T EAT THAT MUCH,

AND SOMEHOW, YOU'RE OVER 700 POUNDS.

IF YOU WANT HELP, NO EXCUSES. YOU GOT THAT?

YES. YOU'RE RIGHT.

I DON'T ALWAYS STICK EXACTLY TO THE DIET.

I'LL END UP EATING PIZZA OR PASTA.

AND THAT'S WHY YOU GAINED THE WEIGHT, RIGHT?

-YES. -ALL RIGHT.

SO YOU'RE 35, AND YOU'RE NOT THAT FAR

FROM REACHING OVER 800 POUNDS AND BECOMING IMMOBILE,

SO YOU REALIZE THERE'S NO WAY

YOU'RE GOING TO SEE 40 LIKE THIS.

SOMETHING WILL FINALLY PUSH YOUR BODY TO THE LIMITS,

AND YOU PROBABLY WOULDN'T EVEN SURVIVE A BAD COLD RIGHT NOW,

AND YOU NEED TO CONSIDER MAKING A TOTAL LIFE CHANGE

IF YOU WANT TO LIVE.

IF YOU DO THAT, MAYBE WE CAN HELP YOU.

OKAY? -I'M READY TO MAKE THE CHANGE.

ALL RIGHT. GOOD.

OKAY. BENJAMIN, YOU ARE 582.

YES, SIR.

AND YOU ARE QUICKLY APPROACH 600 POUNDS.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN STRUGGLING WITH YOUR WEIGHT?

I'VE BEEN OVERWEIGHT FOR A GOOD 20 YEARS.

AND WHAT SEEMS TO BE THE CHALLENGES

WITH YOUR EATING HABIT?

MOST OF MY HABITS WHERE I WORK NIGHTS,

AND I EAT IN THE TRUCK, OR I DON'T GET OUT,

AND I DON'T GET NO EXERCISE OTHER THAN JUST GOING TO WORK.

IT'S THE EXERCISING, I THINK, THE BIG PART OF NOT...

EXERCISE IS NOT PART OF YOUR PROBLEM, OKAY?

EXERCISING TO BURN FEW HUNDRED CALORIES

DOESN'T HELP WHEN YOU'RE EATING 5,000 TO 7,000 CALORIES A DAY,

SO YOUR PROBLEM IS YOU'RE TAKING TOO MANY CALORIE,

AND, BENJI, YOU'LL BE AMAZED

HOW FAST YOU'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GAIN WEIGHT

TO GET UP TO YOUR BROTHER'S SIZE,

AND AT THE RATE YOU'RE GOING, YOU'LL BE HEAVIER THAN HIM,

SO YOUR LONG-TERM OUTLOOK ISN'T MUCH BETTER,

AND YOU BOTH NEED TO TAKE YOUR SITUATION VERY SERIOUSLY.

-YES, SIR. -ALL RIGHT.

I'M GIVING YOU BOTH A 1,200-CALORIE-A-DAY, LOW-CARB,

HIGH-PROTEIN DIET

THAT YOU'RE GOING TO START IMMEDIATELY,

AND I WANT BOTH OF YOU TO INCREASE YOUR ACTIVITY, OKAY?

I'M READY TO DO IT.

AND IF YOU WANT WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

THEN I WANT BOTH OF YOU TO LOSE 40 POUNDS OVER THE NEXT MONTH

TO SHOW ME YOU'RE WILLING TO DO THIS.

I MIGHT LOSE 50. -HMM?

I'M GOING TO LOSE 50. -OKAY, THAT'S FINE.

WE'LL MAKE IT 50 FOR YOU, DAVID.

BUT BENJI CAN STILL DO 40, OKAY?

-SOUNDS GOOD. -ALL RIGHT.

I'LL SEE YOU BOTH IN A MONTH.

I EXPECT TO SEE SOME GOOD PROGRESS FROM BOTH OF YOU.

GOT IT? -ALL RIGHT.

Rhonda: THIS WHOLE FAMILY IS GOING TO GET HEALTHY.

ALL RIGHT. SUPER.

DAVID AND BENJI HAVE A UNIQUE DYNAMIC

THAT IS GOING TO BE DIFFICULT TO CHANGE,

BUT BENJI IS VERY QUIET AND DIDN'T INTERACT A LOT.

HE LET DAVID DO MOST OF THE TALKING,

SO I'M CONCERNED HE'S NOT TAKING THIS VERY SERIOUSLY RIGHT NOW

AND GETTING THE GRAVITY OF HIS SITUATION,

BUT THIS ISN'T TOO UNCOMMON

WHEN YOU HAVE TWO LARGE FAMILY MEMBERS

WHEN ONE IS BIGGER THAN THE OTHER ONE.

THE SMALLER ONE USES THE FACT THAT THEY AREN'T AS BIG

TO JUSTIFY THEMSELF

THAT THEIR SITUATION ISN'T AS BAD YET,

SO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO

TO TURN BOTH OF THEIR SITUATIONS AROUND.

David: I'M VERY WORRIED FOR MY BROTHER

BECAUSE I REMEMBER WHEN I WEIGHED 500 POUNDS,

AND I WAS IN THE SAME SHAPE HE IS IN RIGHT NOW,

AND WE BOTH HAVE DAUGHTERS THAT WE NEED TO SEE GROW UP

AND GET MARRIED.

WE GOT A MOTHER THAT NEEDS US TO TAKE CARE OF HER,

SO WE NEED TO DO THIS.

I HAD TO SAY "50."

Rhonda: YOU CAN DO IT.

YEAH, IT'S GOING TO BE EASY.

IT'S NOT GOING TO BE EASY.

YOU GOT TO DO IT.

ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO.

Benji: I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING THE DOCTOR SAID.

I'M SURPRISED I LET MYSELF GET AS HEAVY AS I AM,

BUT I FEEL LIKE HE WAS A LITTLE HARSH.

BUT I'M REALLY GLAD THAT DR. NOW IS WILLING TO HELP DAVID,

AND I'M READY TO START THIS JOURNEY.

IT'LL BE A LONG PROCESS, BUT WE CAN DO IT.

David: WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PUSH EACH OTHER

AND GIVE EACH OTHER CONFIDENCE

THAT WE CAN GO THROUGH THIS JOURNEY TOGETHER.

Benji: I KNOW THIS IS HIS LAST CHANCE.

**

David: IT'S BEEN A COUPLE DAYS SINCE WE SAW DR. NOW,

AND ONCE WE CAME BACK,

MARY AND I GOT RID OF ALL THE FOOD

IN THE HOUSE THAT WASN'T ON THE DIET.

I STARTED EATING HEALTHY,

AND IT'S BEEN A BIT OF AN ADJUSTMENT,

BUT I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS, SO I'M DOING IT.

DR. NOW ALSO WANTED BENJI AND I TO GET MORE ACTIVE,

SO I'VE TRIED WALKING, BUT IT HURTS TOO MUCH RIGHT NOW,

SO I'M HOPING I CAN BUILD UP MY STAMINA,

BUT RIGHT NOW I HAVE TO TRY AND DO SOMETHING

THAT I CAN DO IN ONE PLACE,

AND I'M NOT GOING TO LIE, IT'S TAKING ALL I GOT.

AND A LOT OF TIMES, I FEEL LIKE I'M GOING TO PASS OUT.

SO I JUST TAKE A BREAK,

AND THEN I TRY TO KEEP GOING AND DO AS MUCH AS I CAN,

BUT IT'S VERY LITTLE RIGHT NOW.

I KNOW I HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE

AND THAT IT'LL GET BETTER IF I DON'T GIVE UP,

SO THAT'S WHAT I'M DOING,

AND I'M PUSHING MYSELF TO DO MORE EVERY DAY,

AND HOPEFULLY I CAN START WALKING MORE SOON.

[ GRUNTS ]

**

I'VE CONTINUED TO PUSH MYSELF TO STAY ACTIVE,

AND MY STAMINA HAS INCREASED A WHOLE LOT,

AND THAT FEELS INCREDIBLE BECAUSE, A FEW WEEKS AGO,

I COULD BARELY MAKE IT OUT OF MY ROOM,

SO I FEEL LIKE I'M DOING REALLY GOOD,

AND I'M STICKING TO THE DIET LIKE I NEED,

BUT IT'S A STRUGGLE EVERY DAY.

FIGHTING AN ADDICTION IS LIKE ROLLING A THOUSAND-POUND BOULDER

UP A HILL.

I MEAN, YOU CAN PUSH AND PUSH AND PUSH.

IT'S ALWAYS GOING TO ROLL BACK ON YOU, BUT SOME DAYS,

YOU GOT TO STEP OUT THE WAY AND LET IT ROLL DOWN THE HILL,

AND YOU GOT TO CLIMB OVER THE HILL.

JUST SAY, "YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M NOT GOING TO LET THE BOULDER

PUSH ME NO MORE."

**

-HEY, BABE. -HEY, BABE.

YOU'RE HOME EARLY.

I KNOW.

I JUST GOT BACK FROM... I WENT WALKING A MINUTE AGO.

THAT'S GOOD, BABE.

ARE YOU HUNGRY?

YEAH, WE CAN EAT.

YOU WANT ME TO GO FIX YOUR MEAL FOR YOU?

-YEAH. -OKAY.

Mary: DAVID IS DOING REALLY WELL,

AND I'M PROUD OF ALL THE PROGRESS HE'S MAKING,

AND I'M ACTUALLY A LITTLE SURPRISED

WITH HOW MUCH HE CAN DO NOW.

**

THE ONLY COMPLAINT I HAVE REALLY IS THAT HE EXPECTS ME TO EAT

LIKE HE DOES RIGHT NOW,

SO HE CAN GET A LITTLE JUDGY ABOUT MY FOOD CHOICES,

BUT I'M OVERALL TRYING TO EAT HEALTHY, TOO.

**

David: THERE ARE TIMES MARY ADDS A LITTLE

THAT'S NOT IN THE DIET TO WHAT SHE'S EATING,

AND THAT MAKES IT A LITTLE HARD FOR ME NOT TO STRUGGLE.

THAT SANDWICH GOOD, BABY?

YEAH, IT IS.

YOU KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF CALORIES AND CARBS

IN THOSE BREAD AND PRETZELS.

I KNOW, BABE, BUT I DIDN'T EAT LUNCH TODAY,

SO I SHOULD BE OKAY.

IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT.

BUT I'M PROUD OF YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE EATING ALL YOUR FOOD

THAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE EATING.

LIVE OR DIE, THAT'S WHY I GOT TO DO IT.

**

WE GO BACK TO DR. NOW IN A WEEK,

AND I FEEL CONFIDENT I'M MAKING PROGRESS.

I JUST HOPE THAT IT'S AT LEAST A 50-POUND LOSS

LIKE IT NEEDS TO BE,

AND I HOPE BENJI IS DOING THE SAME.

I KNOW HE'S TRYING, AND I JUST WANT US BOTH TO HIT OUR GOALS

AND GET APPROVED.

**

-DADDY! -WHAT?

-COME PLAY! -WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?

YOU WATCH ME ON THE TRAMPOLINE.

-ALL RIGHT. -COME ON! COME ON!

LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO!

Benji: WE'RE WORKING TO STICK TO THE DOCTOR'S DIET

THE PAST FEW WEEKS,

BUT SOME OF THE CHANGES HAVE BEEN A LITTLE HARD,

BUT I'M MAKING ADJUSTMENTS I NEED.

THE HARDEST PART IS PROBABLY THE FACT THAT MY FAMILY

IS STILL EATING THE MEALS THEY ALWAYS DO.

-ME GET IN THERE? -YEAH!

YEAH, I DON'T SEE THAT HAPPENING.

Benji: IT'S NOT FAIR FOR THEM TO HAVE TO SUFFER FOR ME TO DO THIS,

AND IT'S A REALLY HARD DIET FOR ANYONE TO COMPLETELY DO.

WHAT? -COME ON!

PEEKABOO! I SEE YOU!

Benji: I THINK SOME OF IT'S TOO DRASTIC.

Y'ALL READY FOR DINNER?

Lorali: UH-HUH!

Benji: THEY'RE CHANGES SOMEONE LIKE DAVID NEEDS TO MAKE

BECAUSE DAVID HAS A LOT MORE HE HAS TO LOSE,

BUT I'VE BEEN DOING A LOT TO LOSE WEIGHT

AND MAKE MY OWN PROGRESS,

AND I'VE ADJUSTED MY DIET A GOOD BIT.

ARE YOU SURE YOU CAN EAT ONE BEEF AND ONE CHICKEN?

I DON'T KNOW HOW BIG THEY ARE, WOMAN!

OKAY. MAYBE A HALF A BEEF AND A HALF A CHICKEN?

YEAH!

I DO HAVE MY CHEAT DAYS, BUT EVEN WHEN I DO THAT,

I MAKE SURE MY PORTION SIZES ARE SMALLER,

SO I FEEL GOOD ABOUT HOW I'M DOING RIGHT NOW,

AND I'M WORKING HARD TO SHOW EVERYONE

THAT I CAN MAKE A GOOD AMOUNT OF PROGRESS BECAUSE I WANT HELP.

I JUST DON'T KNOW IF I NEED THE SAME SOLUTION AS DAVID.

Amanda: [INDISTINCT]

**

I'M GOING TO SEE DR. NOW AGAIN IN A FEW DAYS

FOR OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT,

AND I JUST HOPE DAVID HITS HIS GOALS AND GETS SURGERY

BECAUSE DAVID HAS TO HAVE IT.

THERE'S NO OTHER WAY FOR HIM, SO HE REALLY HAS TO DO THIS.

**

**

David: WE'RE ALL HEADED TO SEE DR. NOW SO THAT BENJI AND ME

CAN HAVE OUR FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENT,

AND I'M FEELING GOOD.

AFTER JUST A MONTH, I'VE MADE ENOUGH PROGRESS

TO WHERE THIS DRIVE ISN'T JUST PAINFUL THE WHOLE TIME,

BUT I'M NERVOUS IT'S NOT GOING TO BE

50 POUNDS WORTH OF PROGRESS,

SO I JUST REALLY HOPE TO HIT THE GOAL I NEED,

AND I'M HOPING BENJI DID IT, TOO,

BUT HE'S NOT REALLY LOOKING A WHOLE LOT SMALLER THAN HE WAS,

SO I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH HE LOST,

BUT I'M REALLY HOPING WE BOTH MADE IT.

**

Benji: I'M FEELING GOOD ABOUT TODAY.

AND I'M CONFIDENT I'M GOING TO SEE GOOD PROGRESS ON THE SCALE.

AND I'M HOPING IT'S THE SAME FOR DAVID.

DAVID AND BENJAMIN BOLTON?

**

David: I KNOW I NEED TO TURN MY LIFE AROUND,

BUT THIS WON'T MEAN AS MUCH TO ME IF I START GETTING BETTER

BUT HE KEEPS GAINING AND GETTING WORSE.

**

SO IF ONE OF US DOESN'T MAKE IT,

I'M NOT SURE IF I WANT TO MOVE AHEAD

AND LEAVE THE OTHER BEHIND.

**

**

Benji: TODAY IS OUR SECOND APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW,

AND I FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT.

I HAD A WEIGHT-LOSS GOAL OF 40 POUNDS,

SO I HAVE TO BE AT OR BELOW 542.

**

THAT'S A LITTLE DISAPPOINTING.

I WAS HOPING FOR MORE OF A LOSS,

BUT I REALLY HOPE DAVID HIT HIS GOAL TODAY

BECAUSE HE NEEDS TO DO THIS.

**

David: IT'S THE MOMENT OF TRUTH.

I HAD A WEIGHT-LOSS GOAL OF 50 POUNDS,

SO THAT MEANS I HAVE TO BE AT OR BELOW 697,

AND I REALLY NEED THAT NUMBER THAT COMES UP TO BE BELOW THAT.

**

[ CRIES ]

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.

YOU KNOW WHEN YOU FAIL AT SO MUCH STUFF DURING YOUR LIFE,

AND YOU FINALLY FOUND ONE THING

THAT YOU ACTUALLY DIDN'T FAIL ON,

FOR A MOMENT, IT JUST GRABS YOU.

[ CRIES ]

**

I PUT IN THE WORK.

IT PAID OFF, SO I'M HAPPY FOR MYSELF.

**

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

-HELLO. -HOW'S IT GOING?

HOW YOU ALL DOING?

David: WE'RE DOING ALL RIGHT. HOW YOU DOING?

ALL RIGHT.

SO, DAVID, YOU LOST 83 POUNDS.

THAT'S GREAT. IN 1 MONTH, THAT'S VERY GOOD.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT HOW WELL YOU HAVE DONE?

GREAT!

I'VE CHANGED MY WHOLE WAY OF THE WAY I EAT.

I WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN IN A BOOK.

WELL, YOU SHOWED ME THAT YOU'RE WILLING TO WORK HARD,

AND THAT MEANS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE A GOOD CANDIDATE,

SO I'M APPROVING YOU FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY, OKAY?

ALL RIGHT. I JUST FOLLOWED YOUR RULES.

OKAY. SUPER.

WE'LL GET YOUR SURGERY SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEEK.

THAT SOUND GOOD?

GREAT!

ALL RIGHT.

BENJAMIN, YOU DON'T SEEM TO HAVE DONE AS WELL.

NO, SIR.

YOU ONLY LOST 11 POUNDS, SO YOU'RE NOT READY,

AND I STILL NEED TO SEE MORE FROM YOU

BEFORE I'M CONVINCED THAT YOU'RE READY

FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY, OKAY?

-YES, SIR. -NOW HOLD UP.

David: WE'RE DOING THIS TOGETHER.

IS IT OKAY THAT I WAIT TO HAVE MINE AFTER BENJI IS APPROVED?

SO THE GOAL IS TO LOSE WEIGHT.

AS LONG AS YOU KEEP LOSING WEIGHT, THAT'S FINE.

YOU CAN WAIT AS LONG AS YOU WANT,

BUT IF YOU STOP OR YOU GAIN...

NO, NO.

...THEN YOU WILL NO LONGER BE APPROVED,

SO IF YOU WANT TO DO THIS,

I WANT YOU TO NOT FEEL OVERCONFIDENT

THAT YOU LOST WEIGHT AND GO BACK

AND DRIFT AWAY FROM THE DIET. -OH, NO.

AND EVERY POUND YOU LOSE DECREASES THE RISK OF OPERATION

AND ENSURE YOUR SUCCESS FOR THE SURGERY.

SO I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THAT.

JUST STICK TO IT.

AND, BENJI, I NEED TO KNOW YOU'RE SERIOUS,

SO I WANT YOU TO LOSE 50 POUNDS OVER THE NEXT 2 MONTHS.

ALL RIGHT.

SO I'M GIVING YOU YOUR BROTHER'S GOAL,

BUT TWO MONTHS TO DO IT, OKAY?

-YES, SIR. -ALL RIGHT.

BOTH OF YOU, DON'T SLACK OFF, OKAY?

OH, NO. I WOULDN'T DARE.

I WORKED TOO HARD.

ALL RIGHT.

I WILL SEE YOU BOTH IN A COUPLE MONTHS.

-ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. -ALL RIGHTY.

MM-HMM.

DAVID OBVIOUSLY DID VERY WELL THIS PAST MONTH,

BUT BENJI HAS TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY

BECAUSE HE IS AT THE BRINK OF THINGS

GETTING MUCH WORSE FOR HIM RAPIDLY,

AND NOW MAY BE HIS ONLY CHANCE TO TURN IT AROUND.

David: SEEING THAT NUMBER TODAY AND HEARING THE DOCTOR TELL ME

I DID A REALLY GOOD JOB FELT INCREDIBLE,

AND I'M EXCITED I GOT APPROVED FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

BUT I WANT THAT FOR BENJI, TOO,

BECAUSE I SAID FROM THE BEGINNING,

I WANT US TO DO THIS TOGETHER.

MAYBE WAITING TO GET MINE WILL MOTIVATE HIM TO DO THIS WITH ME.

Benji: I'M A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED.

I'M FINE WITH NOT HAVING WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY RIGHT NOW,

BUT I WANT DAVID TO HAVE IT,

SO I'M NOT TOO HAPPY THAT HE'S GOING TO WAIT

BECAUSE HE NEEDS TO GET HELP NOW,

AND TO PUT ANY OF THAT ON ME IS UNFAIR,

SO I'M JUST UPSET RIGHT NOW.

**

YUP. I WANT TO DO IT.

AMANDA AND ME ARE EXCITED BECAUSE TODAY ME

AND HER ARE MOVING INTO A NEW HOME.

I WORKED HARD TO GET TO WHERE I AM, AND IT'S PAID OFF,

BUT IT'S A LOT OF WORK, SO DAVID CAME OVER TO HELP ME.

BUT I'M WORRIED ABOUT HIM PUSHING HIS SELF TOO HARD

BECAUSE THIS IS A LOT OF HEAVY LIFTING,

SO I DON'T WANT HIM EXERTING HIS SELF TOO MUCH.

I KNOW DAVID STILL WANTS ME TO WORK

TO GET GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY,

AND I AM WORKING HARDER TO TRY

AND HIT MY GOALS AT THE NEXT APPOINTMENT

BECAUSE I DO WANT TO GET HELP,

BUT I'M STILL NOT 100 PERCENT I WANT TO GET SURGERY.

BUT I PLAN TO SHOW HIM AND THE DOCTOR WHAT I CAN DO.

**

David: I'M REALLY PROUD OF BENJI FOR HOW WELL HE'S DOING IN LIFE,

AND THAT'S WHY I REALLY WANT HIM TO LOSE WEIGHT,

TO HIT THE DOCTOR'S GOALS,

AND I DON'T THINK HE REALIZES THAT HE HAS TO DO THIS,

OR HE'LL END UP JUST LIKE ME.

I LOST MY FAMILY AND EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF MY WEIGHT,

AND NOW I'M TRYING TO REBUILD MY LIFE.

IN A LOT OF WAYS, HE'S SEEING ALL HIS DREAMS COME TRUE,

BUT THE LONGER HE'S LIKE THIS, THE MORE HE'S RISKING ALL THIS,

SO I'M TRYING TO BE THERE FOR HIM MORE NOW.

YOU KNOW, NORMALLY, I WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE SHOWED UP.

I'D HAVE DONE EVERYTHING I COULD TO GET OUT OF IT,

BUT I'M HOPING HE SEES HOW COMMITTED I AM,

NOT JUST TO MY PROGRESS BUT TO HIS,

AND THAT ENCOURAGES HIM TO DO MORE,

BUT NO MATTER WHAT, I'M STICKING TO MY DIET

BECAUSE I'M NOT LETTING MY CHOICE TO WAIT A LITTLE

LEAD TO ME LOSING MY SURGERY APPROVAL.

I SEE MYSELF PROGRESSING, YOU KNOW,

GETTING THE GASTRIC BYPASS,

BUT I WANT THAT FOR BENJI AS WELL.

**

I KNOW I HAVE TO STICK WITH IT TO MAKE SURE

I HAVE JUST AS MUCH PROGRESS OR MORE

WHEN I GO BACK TO SEE DR. NOW,

AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL BOTH GET APPROVED THEN.

**

**

Benji: I'VE BEEN WORKING TO DO BETTER FOR THE PAST MONTH.

I'M DOING MORE OF THE DIET, AND I FEEL LIKE I'M DOING WELL.

THE ONLY TIME IT'S REALLY TOUGH IS WHEN I'M ON THE ROAD WORKING.

BECAUSE THERE AREN'T A LOT OF OPTIONS

TO GET FOOD QUICKLY, SO IT'S JUST NOT EASY.

DAVID AND MY FAMILY DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW HARD IT IS

TO BE OUT ON THE ROAD.

[ GRUNTS ]

I WORK ALL DAY TO PAY THE BILLS,

AND NOW I HAVE ALL THE STRESS OF DAVID GETTING SURGERY,

AND IT'S NOT FAIR FOR THEM TO JUST EXPECT ME TO DO WHAT I DO

WITHOUT SOME LEVEL OF COMPROMISE.

Woman: WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU TODAY?

I NEED TO GET TWO OF THE CHICKEN STRIPS,

THREE OF THE CHICKEN SANDWICHES, A LARGE FRY,

AND A LARGE CHOCOLATE SHAKE.

OKAY.

THEY DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW STRESSFUL IT IS

TO HAVE TO GO ALL DAY AND WORK LIKE I DO.

**

SO I'M DOING WHAT I CAN, EVEN THOUGH I DON'T FEEL LIKE IT

WAS FAIR WITH HIM PUTTING THE SURGERY ON ME.

**

I DIDN'T ASK FOR THE RESPONSIBILITY

TO HAVE TO DO THIS FOR DAVID SO HE CAN MOVE AHEAD,

AND I DON'T FEEL LIKE I NEED ANYTHING AS DRASTIC AS HIM,

SO AFTER I QUALIFY AND DAVID GETS THE SURGERY,

I'M NOT SURE I WANT TO MOVE AHEAD WITH MINE,

SO I'M DOING THIS FOR HIM.

THEN I'LL FIGURE OUT MY OPTIONS BECAUSE I'VE PROVEN

I CAN DO A LOT OF THIS ON MY OWN ALREADY BY LOSING WEIGHT.

I DON'T THINK I NEED AS MUCH HELP TO TURN MY LIFE AROUND.

**

**

David: ME AND BENJI ARE HEADED TO OUR FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENT

TO SEE DR. NOW,

AND I FEEL LIKE I DID REALLY WELL AGAIN THIS PAST MONTH,

AND I CAN EVEN FIT IN THE FRONT SEAT

WITHOUT BEING IN CONSTANT PAIN, BUT I HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT BENJI.

HE'S OUT ON THE ROAD WORKING A LOT,

SO I KNOW HE'S EATING ON HIS OWN,

AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES ME A LITTLE WORRIED

ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT HE'S GOING TO HIT

HIS WEIGHT-LOSS GOAL TODAY.

DAVID AND BENJAMIN BOLTON?

Benji: I FEEL LIKE I WORKED HARDER THIS PAST MONTH,

SO I'M NOT REALLY WORRIED ABOUT MY WEIGH-IN.

I HAD A WEIGHT-LOSS GOAL OF 50 POUNDS,

AND IF I DID THAT, I'M BELOW 521 TODAY.

**

THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A SHOCK

BECAUSE I THOUGHT I HAD DONE BETTER THAN THAT.

Woman: OKAY, DAVID, IT'S YOUR TURN.

David: I'M REALLY DISAPPOINTED TO SEE BENJI'S NUMBER,

BUT THE ONLY THING TO MAKE IT WORSE

IS IF I MESS UP MY CHANCES.

I WAS 665 LAST TIME, AND I HOPE I STAYED ON TRACK.

**

I WOULD'VE NEVER THOUGHT I CAN LOSE THAT MUCH WEIGHT ON MY OWN.

I'M SO RELIEVED AND EXCITED RIGHT NOW, BUT I'LL BE HONEST.

THIS IS GETTING REALLY HARD, AND I'M SCARED

IF I DON'T GET SURGERY NOW

THEN I'M GOING TO START TO SLIP UP.

BUT I'M WORRIED ABOUT BENJI, TOO.

-HELLO. -HELLO.

HOW Y'ALL DOING?

-GOOD. -ALL RIGHT.

DAVID, YOU ARE DOWN ANOTHER 58 POUNDS IN LAST 2 MONTHS.

THAT'S GREAT.

SO YOU LOST TOTAL OF 141 POUNDS SINCE FIRST TIME I SAW YOU.

OKAY, BENJAMIN, YOU LOST ONLY TWO POUNDS

OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS.

THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE, AND THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR IT.

EVEN WITH YOUR BROTHER WAITING ON HIS SURGERY

UNTIL YOU GET APPROVED TO MOTIVATE YOU,

YOU STILL DIDN'T MAKE THE PROGRESS YOU NEED,

SO YOU STILL ARE NOT APPROVED FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

BUT, DAVID, YOU HAVE SHOWN THAT YOU'RE DEDICATED,

AND YOU'RE READY,

SO YOU STILL HAVE THE OPTION OF MOVING AHEAD

WITH YOURS IF YOU LIKE.

DO YOU WANT TO WAIT AGAIN?

David: ACTUALLY, IF IT'S OKAY WITH YOU, BRO,

IT'S GETTING HARDER, SO I MIGHT NEED TO DO IT.

Benji: I WANT YOU TO.

OKAY, GREAT, THEN I'LL GET YOU ON THE SCHEDULE FOR SURGERY

FOR A FEW WEEK FROM NOW.

AND, BENJI, IF YOU INTEND TO DO THIS,

THEN THE GOAL IS THE SAME.

COME BACK IN 2 MONTHS, AND HIT THAT 50-POUND WEIGHT-LOSS GOAL.

SO YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO START TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY

AND ASK YOURSELF IF THIS IS SOMETHING YOU REALLY WANT TO DO.

OTHERWISE, THERE IS NO POINT IN US

PLAYING THIS GAME ANY LONGER.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?

YES, SIR.

THEN YOU HAVE ONE MORE CHANCE.

-GOT IT? -ALL RIGHT.

DAVID, GOOD JOB.

I'LL SEE YOU SOON. -ALL RIGHT.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I AM HAPPY TO SEE THAT DAVID HAS CONTINUED TO DO WELL,

BUT HE LOST 83 POUNDS IN THE FIRST MONTH,

AND NOW HE HAS LOST JUST UNDER 30 POUNDS A MONTH.

IT IS STILL GOOD PROGRESS BUT A DRASTIC DROP

THAT WILL LIKELY CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT MONTH OR TWO,

SO I THINK IT IS GOOD DECISION TO MOVE AHEAD WITH HIS SURGERY.

BUT I'M NOT SURE BENJI HAS BEEN SERIOUS ABOUT THIS AT ANY POINT,

SO I'M GIVING HIM ONE LAST CHANCE,

AND IF HIS PRIME INSECURITY IN THE FACT

THAT HE'S THE SMALLER ONE,

THEN IF HE DOESN'T CHANGE VERY SOON,

THAT NO LONGER WILL BE THE CASE.

David: I'M REALLY GLAD THAT I'M MOVING AHEAD

WITH MY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

BUT I WANTED BENJI AND ME TO DO THIS TOGETHER,

SO THAT'S WHAT'S TAKING AWAY FROM THIS MOMENT,

BUT ONCE I GET MY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

MY FOCUS IS ON MAKING SURE BENJI DOES THIS, TOO.

**

I'M HEADED TO MY BROTHER'S TO GO HANG OUT

WITH HIM FOR A LITTLE BIT.

TOMORROW IS MY SURGERY.

I FIGURED I'D GO GET A LAST QUICK SWIM IN WITH HIM.

I'M STILL DOWN ABOUT THE FACT

THAT BENJI STILL ISN'T APPROVED FOR HIS SURGERY,

SO I'M HOPING TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT IT IS

TO ME THAT HE DOES THIS, TOO.

**

BECAUSE I'M NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO WORK

TO GET MY LIFE BACK IF HE'S STILL GAINING

AND ENDS UP WHERE I'VE BEEN TO RISK LOSING EVERYTHING,

SO I NEED HIM TO DO THIS.

[ KNOCKS ON DOOR ]

SUP?

HOUSE LOOKS GOOD, MAN.

[ GRUNTS ]

ARE YOU ABOUT READY TO GO? -YEAH, YOU WANT TO GET IN?

YEAH, MAN, I GOT A LOT OF STUFF TO DO.

David: SINCE THIS JOURNEY STARTED, MINE AND BENJI'S RELATIONSHIP,

WE TALK A LITTLE MORE.

SO IT BROUGHT US A LITTLE CLOSER TOGETHER.

WE'RE IN THE SAME PROCESS.

YOU KNOW, WE GOT THE SAME GOAL.

KIND OF MOTIVATE EACH OTHER.

NOW THAT BENJI HAS GOT A POOL, YOU KNOW,

WHEN I'M ABLE TO GET THIS WAY, YOU KNOW, I STOP BY.

WE JUMP IN THE POOL, HANG OUT A LITTLE BIT.

YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A GOOD TIME, JUST KIND OF TALK.

SO YOU READY TO GO TO SURGERY TOMORROW?

YEAH, TOMORROW MORNING.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT?

I'M READY, MAN, BEEN READY.

I PUT IN THE WORK, MAN,

BUT I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS WITHOUT YOU.

I'M JUST WAITING ON EVERYTHING TO GO THROUGH.

WITH YOU, YOU'LL BE UP NEXT,

SO I NEED YOU TO HIT YOUR GOAL AND GET APPROVED.

ALL RIGHT, BROTHER.

I'M TAKING YOU AT YOUR WORD, THEN,

BUT SHOULD'VE DONE IT A LONG TIME AGO.

JUST GOT TO WANT TO DO IT.

YOU KNOW, HE'S MY LITTLE BROTHER,

I WOULD'VE LOVED TO HAVE SEEN HIM

GET HIS BEFORE ME,

BUT THAT'S NOT THE CASE.

BUT I NEED HIM TO DO THIS WITH ME.

**

**

IT'S THE DAY OF MY SURGERY, AND THE CLOSER I GET TO IT,

I'VE BEEN GETTING A LITTLE MORE NERVOUS,

A LITTLE MORE ANXIOUS.

GOOD TO GO, HUH? YOU READY?

David: I GUESS.

I COULD TELL MY FAMILY IS VERY NERVOUS FOR ME.

MY MOM WAS NERVOUS.

MY DAD IS ANXIOUS, BUT I'M REALLY THANKFUL

THAT MY FAMILY IS ABLE TO BE HERE

WITH ME AND SUPPORT ME, ESPECIALLY BENJI.

IF THEY WEREN'T, I'D BE A LOT MORE AFRAID RIGHT NOW.

-SEE YOU LATER. -BYE, BABY.

YOU GUYS CAN FOLLOW US OUT, TOO.

David: IT'S A MAJOR SURGERY, AND THERE'S A LOT OF RISK

BECAUSE ANYTHING COULD GO WRONG, YOU NEVER KNOW.

BUT I KNOW THIS IS GOING TO CHANGE MY LIFE,

SO THIS IS SOMETHING I HAVE TO DO.

Dr. Nowzaradan: TODAY, WE ARE DOING A GASTRIC BYPASS ON DAVID.

HIS WEIGHT LOSS WAS STARTING TO SLOW,

AND HE WOULD EVENTUALLY START TO GAIN AGAIN

IF HE'S NOT GIVEN A TOOL LIKE WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

AND GASTRIC BYPASS IS THE MOST AGGRESSIVE OPERATION FOR THAT.

ROOM LIGHT OFF.

GASTRIC BYPASS IS AN OPERATION

THAT WE REDUCE THE SIZE OF STOMACH BY 90 PERCENT

AND BYPASSING THE UPPER PART OF SMALL INTESTINE,

SO IT IMPEDES THE ABSORPTION OF FOOD INTO THE BODY,

AND THIS LIMITS THE AMOUNT OF FOOD

THAT THE PATIENT CAN EAT AT ONE TIME

AND ALSO CHANGES THE PATIENT'S METABOLISM

SO THEY FEEL LESS HUNGRY.

AND IF WE ENCOUNTER ANY ISSUES WITH HIS OPERATION,

WE WILL HAVE TO CONSIDER ENDING IT EARLY

TO MAKE SURE HIS BODY DOESN'T HIT ANY LIMITS

BECAUSE, IF IT DID,

WE LIKELY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO BRING HIM BACK.

**

Rhonda: I'M TRYING TO STAY POSITIVE,

AND I'M JUST HOPING THAT EVERYTHING GOES WELL

BECAUSE I'M ALWAYS BEING TOLD

HOW STRONG OF A PERSON I AM BY PEOPLE,

BUT I DON'T THINK I COULD TAKE LOSING MY SON.

**

LITTLE WIDER. OKAY.

SUCTION UP THERE.

ONCE WE REMOVE ALL THE PHYSICAL DRIVE TO EAT,

THAT IS WHEN THE PATIENTS ARE MOST WILLING TO SEE

AND ADMIT THE EMOTIONAL DRIVE THAT INVOLVES A CORE ISSUE

THEY NEED TO DEAL WITH.

ALL RIGHT. BACK.

BUT IF THEY DON'T DEAL WITH WHAT THEY NEED

AND CONTINUE TO TRY TO OBEY,

THEY CAN EVENTUALLY STRETCH THEIR STOMACH

BACK OUT TO EAT MORE IN ONE SITTING.

ALL RIGHT. LOOKS GOOD.

ROOM LIGHT ON.

LET'S CLOSE IT UP.

WE'RE DONE. ALL RIGHT.

DAVID'S SURGERY WENT VERY WELL.

THERE WAS NO COMPLICATION WITH THE SURGERY.

SO WE'LL GET HIM TO RECOVERY NOW, AND IN A FEW DAYS,

HE SHOULD BE FEELING A LOT BETTER.

HE WILL STAY ON A LIQUID DIET FOR 3 TO 4 WEEKS,

AND HE SHOULD LOSE 30 TO 40 POUNDS EACH MONTH AFTER THAT.

ONCE HE RECOVERS, WE'LL KEEP A WATCH ON HOW HE'S DOING,

AND IF HIS WEIGHT LOSS STARTS TO SLOW...

HOPEFULLY BY THAT POINT, HE WILL BE READY

TO EMBRACE THAT STAGE OF THE PROCESS.

**

**

Benji: SEEING MY LACK OF WEIGHT LOSS AT MY LAST DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT

WAS A WAKE-UP CALL,

AND I WANT TO KEEP MY PROMISE TO DAVID,

SO I'M WORKING EXTREMELY HARD RIGHT NOW, AND THIS PAST MONTH,

I'VE COMPLETELY CHANGED THE WAY I EAT.

I'M ONLY EATING WHAT'S ON THE DIET,

AND THIS TIME, THERE ARE NO EXCUSES AND NO COMPROMISES.

I'M A MEAL PREPPER NOW.

THIS IS SOME CHICKEN THAT I MADE FOR LUNCH.

I KEEP MY SUGAR-FREE JELL-O THAT I MADE

AND SOME VEGETABLES IN HERE,

SO THIS IS WHERE I KEEP ALL MY FOOD THAT I CAN EAT,

AND IN HERE, THIS IS A SECTION THAT I CAN'T HAVE.

THIS IS WHERE MY FAMILY KEEPS ALL THEIR STUFF THAT THEY EAT.

THE ONLY THING I HAVE IN HERE IS MY TURKEY SAUSAGE THAT I EAT.

THIS IS THE OTHER DUNGEON OF MY FAMILY.

THEY KEEP ALL THEIR CARBS AND EVERYTHING.

THIS IS ALL THEIRS, AND I STAY OUT OF THIS PART OF THE HOUSE.

**

I'M NOT LETTING THE FACT THAT AMANDA AND LORALI

AREN'T EATING LIKE ME BE AN EXCUSE,

AND I'M PACKING A PREPARED MEAL,

MY WATER AND A COUPLE HEALTHY SNACKS

EVERY DAY WHEN I GO OFF TO WORK, SO NO MORE FAST FOOD.

IF IT'S NOT ON THE DIET, I'M NOT EATING IT

BECAUSE NO MATTER WHAT, I'M GOING TO DO THIS,

AND I'M ALSO GETTING IN MORE ACTIVITY,

SO IN THE MORNING, I'M STARTING MY DAY WITH A WALK.

SCOOTER, COME ON.

WHEN I'M AT WORK, I'M TRYING TO STOP EVERY HALF HOUR

AND GET UP AND WALK AROUND FOR 5 MINUTES,

SO BETWEEN ALL THAT, I FEEL LIKE I'M DOING WELL.

I'M PUSHING MYSELF TO HIT THE GOAL

SO THAT WHEN DAVID RECOVERS FROM HIS SURGERY,

I CAN GO IN FOR MINE

BECAUSE I NEED THIS TOOL, JUST LIKE HE DOES,

TO DO THIS FOR THE LONG RUN,

AND I DON'T WANT TO LOSE THIS CHANCE.

**

David: IT'S BEEN ABOUT A MONTH SINCE MY SURGERY,

AND I'M FEELING GREAT.

IT WAS TOUGH FOR A BIT,

BUT I'M ADJUSTING BACK TO NORMAL LIFE.

[ GROANS ]

SINCE MY SURGERY, I REALLY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO DO

NO STRENUOUS EXERCISES,

BUT NOW I'M EXCITED BECAUSE DR. NOW

CLEARED ME FOR SOME HEAVY LIFTING,

SO I'M GETTING BACK TO MY ACTIVITY

BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO LOSE MY PROGRESS WITH MY STAMINA,

BUT I STILL HAVE TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERDO IT.

**

BUT I'M HAPPY WITH ALL THE PROGRESS I'M MAKING.

**

LOOKING AT MYSELF IN THE MIRROR, I CAN TELL THE CHANGES.

I CAN TELL IT IN MY NECK, YOU KNOW, MY ARMS, MY CHEST.

I CAN TELL THE WEIGHT I'VE LOST IN MY STOMACH.

MY SKIN IS STARTING TO DROOP DOWN.

IT JUST MEANS PROGRESS.

BUT NOW, I JUST NEED BENJI TO DO THIS, TOO,

AND I HOPE THAT APPROVAL FOR HIM IS COMING SOON,

AND AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, HE NEEDS TO DO IT

AT THE VERY NEXT APPOINTMENT TO MAKE GOOD ON HIS PROMISE,

OR HE'S GOING TO BE HEARING FROM ME

BECAUSE HE'S NOT BACKING OUT OF THIS.

**

Benji: RIGHT NOW, I'M HEADED TO SEE DR. NOW FOR MY FOLLOW UP,

AND I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT TODAY'S WEIGH-IN.

I KNOW I'VE PUSHED MYSELF EXTREMELY HARD,

AND I'VE STUCK TO IT FOR THE WHOLE 2 MONTHS

WITHOUT CHEATING OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT,

BUT AFTER MISSING THE GOAL BY SO MUCH LAST TIME,

IT JUST MAKES ME NERVOUS ABOUT WHAT IT'S GOING TO BE.

BENJAMIN BOLTON?

DR. NOW TOLD ME I NEED TO LOSE AT LEAST 50 POUNDS,

SO I JUST REALLY HOPE I'M AT OR BELOW 518 TODAY

BECAUSE I KNOW A LOT'S RIDING ON THIS.

**

YAY.

I'M JUST REALLY EXCITED ALL MY HARD WORK PAID OFF THIS TIME.

SO SINCE I HIT THE GOAL,

HOPEFULLY I'M ABOUT TO GET MY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY APPROVAL.

**

-HELLO. -HELLO.

-HEY. -HOW Y'ALL DOING?

-GOOD. -DOING GOOD.

ALL RIGHT, BENJI, LAST TIME I SAW YOU,

YOU STILL WEREN'T MAKING ANY PROGRESS.

RIGHT.

AND THIS TIME, YOU LOST 62 POUNDS,

SO YOU'RE DOING A LOT BETTER NOW.

I'M BACK ON TRACK.

BUT I'M STILL A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT

YOUR LACK OF PROGRESS IN THE BEGINNING,

SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU NEED TO NOT GO BACK AND FORTH ON

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE SUCCESS RATE PROBABLY

AFTER SURGERY IS NOT VERY GOOD,

SO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE PHYSICALLY

AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY READY FOR SURGERY?

-YES, SIR, I DO. -OKAY.

WELL, WE'LL DOUBLE CHECK ALL THAT, AND IF YOU ARE,

THEN I'LL MOVE AHEAD WITH YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

THAT SOUND GOOD?

-ALL RIGHT. -BUT HERE IS THE DEAL.

YOU DIDN'T LOSE WEIGHT IN FIRST 3 MONTHS,

SO I'M GOING TO SCHEDULE YOUR SURGERY

FOR A MONTH FROM NOW TO SHOW ME

THAT YOU CAN STICK WITH IT, OKAY?

ALL RIGHT.

AND IF YOUR WEIGHT LOSS SLOWS, OR YOU GAIN,

I'M NOT MOVING AHEAD, AND WE'LL BE BACK TO SQUARE ONE,

SO DON'T GET COMFORTABLE AND START SLIPPING, OKAY?

-NO, SIR. -OKAY. SUPER.

ALL RIGHT. SEE YOU LATER. -THANK YOU.

Dr. Nowzaradan: I'M HAPPY TO SEE BENJI IS GETTING SERIOUS

ABOUT HIS WEIGHT LOSS AND HITTING HIS GOALS,

BUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE HE'S WILLING TO STICK WITH IT

AND KEEP DOING WHAT HE NEEDS.

Benji: I'M EXCITED TO TELL DAVID I DID IT,

THAT I'M MAKING GOOD ON MY PROMISE,

BUT I'M MAKING SURE I DON'T SLIP UP

AND DO ANYTHING TO MESS UP MY APPROVAL,

AND I KNOW IF I DO, IT'S GOING TO BE A HUGE SETBACK FOR ME,

SO I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN.

**

**

**

Dr. Nowzaradan: TODAY, WE ARE PERFORMING BENJI'S SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY.

WITH GASTRIC SLEEVE OPERATION, WE REMOVE APPROXIMATELY

70 TO 80 PERCENT OF THE STOMACH,

AND AFTER WE REMOVE THE STOMACH, WE LEAVE A LONG, SKINNY TUBE

THAT CONNECTS THE ESOPHAGUS TO THE SMALL INTESTINE.

IN THE SHORT-TERM, SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY

CAN BE AS EFFECTIVE AS GASTRIC BYPASS.

BUT THE PATIENT'S FOOD INTAKE IS DRASTICALLY LIMITED.

SO GASTRIC SLEEVE IS GOING TO HELP

BENJAMIN EAT MUCH LESS AND LOSE WEIGHT

AND REACH HIS GOAL WEIGHT.

Lorali: I'M NERVOUS FOR MY DAD.

MY DAD HAS BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD TO LOSE WEIGHT,

AND I THINK THE SURGERY WILL HELP HIM A LOT.

**

BRING A FORCEP.

OKAY. I HAVE THE STOMACH.

ALL RIGHT. LOOKS GOOD.

ROOM LIGHT ON.

LET'S CLOSE IT UP.

**

ALL RIGHT. WE'RE DONE.

BENJAMIN'S SURGERY WENT VERY WELL,

SO WE'LL GET BENJI TO RECOVERY,

AND IF HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS OR ISSUES,

HE'LL BE ABLE TO GO HOME IN A COUPLE DAYS.

AFTER THAT, HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOSE AT LEAST

40 POUNDS THIS FIRST MONTH,

THEN AROUND 20 TO 30 POUNDS EACH MONTH AFTER

UNTIL HE GET CLOSE TO HIS TARGET WEIGHT.

SO WITH BOTH HIM AND DAVID,

I EXPECT THEM TO BE ABLE TO STAY ON TRACK

AND LOSE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF WEIGHT NOW.

**

David: WHILE BENJI IS RECOVERING FROM HIS SURGERY,

I WENT BACK FOR AN APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW,

AND I'M STILL LOSING WEIGHT, BUT IT'S SLOWING SOME,

SO DR. NOW TOLD ME HE THINKS IT'S TIME

I START DEALING WITH SOME EMOTIONAL ISSUES.

I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH IT, BUT I'M REALLY NOT SURE

I HAVE ANY ISSUES TO DEAL WITH

BECAUSE I FEEL GOOD RIGHT NOW.

-ARE YOU DAVID? -YEAH.

I'M DR. PARADISE. COME ON IN.

GOOD TO SEE YOU. HAVE A SEAT.

SO I'M GLAD YOU MADE IT.

OH, YEAH.

SO TELL ME ABOUT WHAT BRINGS YOU IN TODAY.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

I WAS AT 700 POUNDS.

THAT'S BIG.

I'VE BEEN LOSING WEIGHT, AND IT'S A LOT TO TAKE IN, YOU KNOW?

SO WHAT WAS CHILDHOOD LIKE FOR YOU.

I WAS THE OLDEST.

I HAD TO HELP MY MOTHER TAKE CARE OF MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

SO YOU WERE THE SORT OF CARETAKER IN THE FAMILY?

THAT WAS YOUR ROLE?

I TRIED TO DO MY PART, YOU KNOW.

HOW ABOUT YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, DID THEY HAVE ROLES?

FOOTBALL, CHEERLEADING, BASEBALL, BEAUTY PAGEANTS,

FFA, 4-H.

BUT, YOU KNOW, LIKE, A BEAUTY PAGEANT

WOULD MAKE A KID FEEL SPECIAL, RIGHT?

OH, YEAH. I MEAN, IF YOU WIN.

BUT, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, BENJI DID WIN.

-HE DID? -MULTIPLE NATIONAL TITLES.

WHERE WERE YOU FOR THAT?

I WAS TOO BIG.

THEY'RE GETTING ALL THIS RECOGNITION,

AND YOU'RE GETTING THE OPPOSITE, RIGHT?

-YEAH. -IT MUST HAVE BEEN VERY PAINFUL.

SO IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU IGNORE THAT PAIN AND SUFFERING.

YOU SAY THE WORD PAIN AND SUFFERING...

-THAT'S ON YOUR ARM. -I MARK IT.

-YEAH. -IT'S PART OF MY LIFE I LIVED,

SO I LOOK AT IT AS A MEDAL OF HONOR, YOU KNOW?

SO THE BIG QUESTION I HAVE RIGHT NOW

IS HOW DO YOU GET BACK TO LIFE

WITHOUT GETTING BACK INTO THAT PAIN AND SUFFER MODE?

IT'S VERY SCARY.

YOU KNOW, I THINK ABOUT IT EVERY DAY, YOU KNOW?

-YEAH. -DR. NOWZARADAN TOLD ME THAT.

THIS ISN'T A FIX.

THIS ISN'T A MAGICAL CURE.

AND I'VE GAVE UP ON MYSELF MANY TIMES, AND...

WELL, WE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN, RIGHT?

SO I HEAR THIS, LIKE, SUPER POSITIVITY COMING OUT OF YOU,

ALL THIS OPTIMISM,

AND IT'S ALMOST INEVITABLE THAT STUFF IS GOING TO COME UP.

IT'S JUST LIFE, RIGHT?

SO WHAT'S YOUR PLAN FOR DEALING WITH

WHEN THINGS GO DOWN, WITHOUT EATING FAST FOOD,

WITHOUT REGAINING THE WEIGHT,

WITHOUT GETTING BACK INTO THAT PAIN AND SUFFER MODE?

IF SOMETHING COMES ALONG THAT WANTS TO HINDER MY PROGRESS,

I'LL JUST PUT MY HEAD DOWN, PUSH THROUGH IT AND KEEP FOCUS.

OKAY.

SO MY GOAL FOR YOU IS TO GET BACK INTO LIFE,

TO DEAL WITH THE PAIN

AND HAVE A DIFFERENT RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD.

YES, SIR. YES, SIR.

GOOD. IT'S GREAT TO MEET YOU.

VERY NICE TO MEET YOU.

David: DOING THIS TODAY HAS HELPED ME REALIZE

THAT MAYBE THERE ARE SOME ISSUES

THAT I NEED TO MAKE SURE I DON'T IGNORE AND THAT I DEAL WITH,

BUT I ALSO HEAR HIM ABOUT THE FACT THAT I'M LOSING

WHILE THINGS ARE GOOD AND POSITIVE,

SO THE GOAL NOW IS TO MAKE SURE THAT

WHEN TRIAL COMES

THAT I DON'T LOSE FOCUS OR START TO GIVE IN.

I'M READY TO DEAL WITH IT RIGHT, TO GET THROUGH THEM

WITHOUT GOING BACK TO OLD HABITS AND GAINING AGAIN,

SO I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT I DEAL WITH THINGS

AND FOCUS ON WHAT I NEED AND HELP BENJI DO THAT, TOO.

**

**

**

Benji: OUR HOME HAS BEEN DESTROYED,

AND MOST OF OUR BELONGINGS ARE GONE, TOO.

SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO DEAL WITH IT ALL THE BEST WE CAN,

AND THIS IS JUST A REALLY HARD TIME FOR US AS A FAMILY.

I KNOW AMANDA AND LORALI ARE REALLY UPSET

BECAUSE WE LOST JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING WE OWNED,

AND WE'RE STILL NOT SURE JUST HOW BAD IT IS YET

BECAUSE WE'RE STILL ASSESSING ALL THE DAMAGE

TO SEE IF ANYTHING IS SALVAGEABLE.

BUT SO FAR, NOTHING HAS BEEN.

**

Amanda: HAVING THIS HOUSE FLOOD AND BE RUINED IS DEVASTATING.

WE LOST A LOT OF PHOTOS AND MY WEDDING BOOK, THAT WAS DAMAGED.

I THINK ALL OF THIS SITUATION IS REALLY AFFECTING BENJI.

HE'S JUST STRESSED OUT.

I JUST HOPE HE DOESN'T GAIN ANY OF HIS WEIGHT BACK.

HE'S DONE SO GOOD.

Benji: I WORKED HARD TO GET THIS HOUSE FOR MY FAMILY

AND PROVIDE FOR THEM AND GET HEALTHY,

AND RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THIS, TO JUST LOSE EVERYTHING,

IT JUST SEEMS LIKE A BIT OF A RAW DEAL

BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A PLACE TO PREPARE HEALTHY MEALS RIGHT NOW,

SO I CAN'T DO THAT, AND MY ONLY REAL OPTION RIGHT NOW

IS FAST FOOD FOR THE FAMILY,

AND I DON'T REALLY HAVE TIME FOR AN EXERCISE ROUTINE

RIGHT NOW BESIDE LIFTING THINGS AND CLEANING UP THIS PLACE.

WE JUST NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE

TO REBUILD AND START OVER,

AND I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT FOR A FOLLOW UP WITH DR. NOW,

AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF I HAVE TIME FOR THAT.

WITH THIS TRAGEDY AND MY FAMILY'S LOSS,

STICKING TO THE DIET AND THE DOCTOR'S PROGRAM,

IT JUST ISN'T MY HIGHEST PRIORITY RIGHT NOW,

AND I DON'T KNOW WHEN THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE

BECAUSE I JUST HAVE TO FIX MY LIFE RIGHT NOW.

**

**

David: IT'S BEEN A ROUGH MONTH.

I DIDN'T REALIZE, WITH THE WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

THAT IF YOU HAVE BAD TEETH, FOR A PERIOD OF TIME,

THERE CAN BE ISSUES WITH THEM,

WHICH NORMALLY ISN'T A PROBLEM FOR PEOPLE,

BUT MY TEETH, THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN BAD,

SO IT'S BECOME A REAL PROBLEM,

AND THEY'VE STARTED HURTING A LOT.

MY TEETH HAVE STARTED TO CHIP AND BREAK AND HURT EVERY DAY.

I CAN'T EVEN BRUSH MY TEETH ANYMORE.

**

ONCE AGAIN, ANOTHER TOOTH BROKE RIGHT OFF LIKE IT WAS NOTHING,

AND I REALLY HOPE SOMETHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT THEM.

BUT AS BAD AS THIS PAST MONTH HAS BEEN FOR ME,

IT'S BEEN ESPECIALLY HARD FOR BENJI.

HIS HOUSE GETTING DESTROYED IN THE HURRICANE

WAS TOUGH FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY,

SO WHEN I HAPPENED, I WENT OVER TO SEE HOW HE'S DOING

AND TO TALK TO HIM

BECAUSE I DON'T WANT THIS TRIAL TO STRESS HIM OUT TO THE POINT

WHERE HE'D START GOING TO FOOD JUST TO DEAL WITH IT.

WE HAD A GOOD TALK, BUT HE AND AMANDA ARE WORKING TO REBUILD IT

AND, HOPEFULLY, THEY'LL BE BACK TO NORMAL AGAIN,

BUT MY PAIN IS JUST SO BAD NOW, I HAVE TO GET HELP,

SO TODAY, MY SISTER IS GOING TO COME HERE.

SHE'LL GIVE ME A RIDE TO THE DENTIST.

**

-YOU READY TO GO? -YEP.

ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO.

David: BUT I'M WORRIED NOW.

I MAY HAVE AN INFECTION OR SOMETHING

BECAUSE THE PAIN IS UNBEARABLE.

BUT I'VE NEVER BEEN TO THE DENTIST IN MY LIFE,

SO I'M A LITTLE SCARED ABOUT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

BUT EVEN THOUGH I'M TERRIFIED OF THE DENTIST,

I KNOW I HAVE TO GET THIS TAKEN CARE OF.

I CAN'T GO ON WITH THE PROCESS OF LOSING THE WEIGHT

AND FOCUSING ON MY DIET AND EXERCISE WITH ALL THIS PAIN.

**

[ CAR DOOR SHUTS ]

I HOPE THE DENTIST TODAY, THAT HE'LL BE ABLE TO TELL ME

THAT HE CAN GIVE ME SOME KIND OF RELIEF

AND MAYBE SET OUT A GAME PLAN

ON WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO FIX THIS SITUATION.

-DAVID. -THIS IS DAVID.

-HOW YOU DOING? -NICE TO MEET YOU.

-I'M DOING ALL RIGHT. -HOW YOU FEELING TODAY?

HOW IS EVERYTHING FEELING OVERALL?

EVERY DAY, MY MOUTH HURTS.

IT IS SO PAINFUL.

ALL RIGHT.

I'M GOING TO LEAN YOU BACK, AND WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE

THAT EVERYTHING IS CLEAR FOR YOU TO SEE.

ALL RIGHT.

THAT RIGHT THERE, THAT BLACK.

YOU SEE THAT, DAVID? -MM-HMM.

THAT'S A CAVITY.

I COULD TELL YOU THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED OVER SOME TIME.

THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR QUITE A WHILE,

SO IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE TIME TO GET THIS BACK TO NORMAL.

IT'S GOING TO TAKE ABOUT A GOOD MONTH TO MAKE THAT TRANSFORMED.

DAVID HAS SEVERAL THINGS GOING ON IN HIS MOUTH.

HE'S GOT INFECTION FROM BROKEN TEETH.

HE'S GOT RAMPANT TEETH DECAY ON MOST TEETH.

HE'S GOT DIET ISSUES FROM THE PAST

THAT HAVE AFFECTED ALL THIS,

AND SO WHAT WE'VE GOT TO DEAL WITH

IS TAKE ALL THE BAD TEETH OUT THAT ARE BROKEN,

INFECTED AND THEN JUST RESTORE HIS TEETH

TO A NORMAL SHAPE, SIZE, AND APPEARANCE THAT HE'S HAPPY WITH.

**

**

Benji: IT'S BEEN A REALLY LONG MONTH.

ME AND MY FAMILY HAVE BEEN LIVING AT A HOTEL

EVER SINCE OUR HOUSE HAS BEEN DESTROYED,

AND IT'S BEEN REALLY HARD,

AND THE MOST CHALLENGING PART IS IS JUST NOT KNOWING

HOW LONG EVERYTHING IS GOING TO TAKE

TO BE ABLE TO GET BACK IN THE HOUSE.

SO WE'RE ALL JUST DOING WHAT WE NEED TO GET THROUGH THIS TIME.

IT'S CRAMPED HERE FOR A FAMILY, AND THAT'S STRESSFUL,

AND WE DON'T HAVE A FULL KITCHEN,

SO WE'RE STILL NOT ABLE TO REALLY PREPARE

A LOT OF HEALTHY MEALS.

WHAT WE EAT HAS TO BE FAST AND SIMPLE,

SO FAST FOOD IS THE OPTION SOMETIMES.

IT'S DIFFICULT BECAUSE WE CAN'T COOK GOOD, HEALTHY MEALS,

SO WE'RE JUST HAVING LITTLE THINGS ON THE GO.

IT'S JUST NOT WHAT WE'VE BEEN USED TO FOR A WHILE.

**

Benji: BECAUSE OF THE SURGERY, I CAN'T REALLY OVEREAT,

SO IT'S NOT LIKE I'M GOING OFF THE RAILS RIGHT NOW,

AND I'M STICKING WITH IT THE BEST I CAN

AND TRYING TO DO AS MUCH AS I CAN.

BUT THE OPTIONS ARE VERY LIMITED.

I'M AT LEAST TRYING TO EXERCISE,

BUT THERE AREN'T A LOT OF OPTIONS TO DO THAT, EITHER.

WE'RE IN THIS SMALL AREA,

AND THERE'S NO GYM OR PLACES TO WALK AROUND HERE.

SO AMANDA AND ME TRY TO WALK THE STAIRS

WHEN WE CAN AND GET SOME EXERCISE IN,

SO I FEEL LIKE THAT'S AT LEAST SOMETHING.

I'M DOING EVERYTHING I CAN RIGHT NOW.

IT'S JUST HARD, AND I STILL CAN'T MAKE IT A PRIORITY,

SO I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO KEEP UP

WITH ALL MY DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS RIGHT NOW, EITHER.

THERE'S JUST SO MUCH GOING ON BETWEEN WORK

AND TRYING TO GET THE HOUSE BACK,

BUT DAVID DID TALK TO ME TO ENCOURAGE ME,

AND HE REMINDED ME OF MY PROMISE THAT WE'RE DOING THIS TOGETHER,

AND I TOLD HIM I INTEND TO KEEP IT,

BUT HE TOLD ME HE WASN'T GOING TO ANOTHER DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT

UNTIL I COULD MAKE IT AGAIN,

SO I TOLD HIM TO JUST GIVE ME A COUPLE MONTHS AND I'LL BE BACK

BECAUSE I HAVE A LOT OF THINGS ON MY SHOULDERS

I HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF FIRST,

BUT WHEN I GO BACK FOR MY NEXT APPOINTMENT,

I'M JUST HOPING I STAYED ON TRACK.

**

**

Dr. Montz: CAN YOU SEE?

David: THIS HAS BEEN A HARD JOURNEY FOR ME AND BENJI,

AND I FEEL LIKE WE'RE GETTING OVER A HUMP RIGHT NOW.

I NEVER COULD IMAGINE MY LIFE WOULD CHANGE SO MUCH

IN JUST A YEAR.

AND I AM REALLY THANKFUL

FOR ALL THAT HAS HAPPENED OVER THE LAST YEAR.

YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY SINCE DAY 1.

MY GIRLFRIEND IS CALLING.

UH OH, SHE WANTS TO SEE.

Mary: Let me see them.

ARE YOU READY?

I'm ready.

Oh, they look so good.

ALL RIGHT. I LOVE YOU.

-Love you, too. -ALL RIGHT. BYE.

David: I'M MAKING SO MUCH PROGRESS,

AND BENJI IS GETTING HIS HOUSE BACK IN ORDER,

SO THINGS ARE GOING WELL.

LOOK AT YOU. YOU'VE GOT SOME PEARLY WHITES.

-YEAH. -FEELING GOOD?

DON'T EVEN LOOK THE SAME.

David: BUT HE'S BEEN REALLY BUSY AND TIED UP WITH HIS HOME REPAIRS

AND GETTING HIS LIFE BACK IN ORDER.

THAT AND WORK HAVE TAKEN ALL HIS TIME,

SO HE JUST HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO GO SEE DR. NOW,

AND OUR NEXT CHECKUP IS IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS,

AND I TOLD HIM THAT HE HAS TO MAKE IT TO THIS ONE,

AND HE SAID HE WILL.

I JUST HOPE HE'S BEEN ABLE TO STAY ON TRACK LIKE HE NEEDS,

AND I HOPE THAT HIS PROGRESS IS GOOD.

**

**

Benji: ACCORDING TO DR. NOW, TO STAY ON TRACK,

I NEED TO HAVE LOST AT LEAST 30 POUNDS A MONTH.

I DID MAKE IT FOR ONE FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENT

RIGHT BEFORE THE HURRICANE HIT,

AND I WAS 398,

SO THAT MEANS I SHOULD BE AT 278

TO HAVE STAYED ON TRACK.

WOW. THAT'S A LITTLE MORE THAN I THOUGHT.

GOOD JOB, BENJI.

THAT NUMBER IS A HUGE RELIEF RIGHT NOW.

David: I WANT TO MAKE SURE THIS NUMBER IS AS LOW AS POSSIBLE.

I WAS 456 THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE,

AND I'M FEELING GOOD ABOUT MY PROGRESS.

**

DANG!

THAT'S AMAZING.

WE SET OUT TO DO THIS TOGETHER

AND TO GET OUR LIVES BACK TOGETHER,

AND TO SEE THAT HAPPENING, IT'S JUST INCREDIBLE.

-HELLO. -HELLO.

-HOW Y'ALL DOING? -DOING PRETTY GOOD.

-DOING FINE. -ALL RIGHT.

DAVID, YOU'RE ALMOST HALF OF THE PERSON YOU WERE BEFORE.

OH, YEAH.

WELL, YOU'VE DONE GOOD, AND YOU KEEP LOSING WEIGHT,

AND WITHIN A FEW MONTHS,

YOU'LL BE READY FOR SOME EXCESS SKIN REMOVAL.

SOUNDS GOOD.

BENJI, YOU'RE DOWN A TOTAL OF 324 POUNDS.

EXACTLY.

FIVE POUNDS MORE THAN DAVID, YOU CAUGHT UP WITH HIM.

I WOULD HAVE NEVER GUESSED THAT, SO HOW YOU FEEL WITH THAT?

-FEEL GOOD. -GREAT. ALL RIGHT.

SO WE STILL GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO,

BUT OVERALL, I'M PROUD OF BOTH OF YOU.

YOU'VE DONE VERY WELL.

STICK WITH THE PROGRAM, AND WE'LL FIGURE OUT SKIN SURGERY.

-I'M READY. -ALL RIGHT. SEE Y'ALL LATER.

David: WE AREN'T AT OUR TARGET WEIGHTS YET,

AND WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO,

BUT I'M JUST SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW,

AND I'M REALLY PROUD OF BOTH OF US

AND HOW FAR WE'VE COME IN JUST THIS SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT MORE WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO

ON OUR OWN AND TOGETHER.

**

**

FOR MOST OF OUR LIVES, ME AND BENJI HAD TO MISS OUT ON STUFF.

WE WERE JUST TOO BIG.

I COULD BARELY GET AROUND AND GOING OUT ON SOMETHING

LIKE A BOAT WAS OUT OF THE QUESTION,

UNLESS IT WAS A REALLY BIG BOAT,

SO WE CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER THE LAST TIME

WE WERE ABLE TO GO FISHING.

BUT WITH HOW SMALL WE BOTH ARE NOW,

WE CAN START TO DO SOME OF THOSE THINGS.

WE'VE LOST A BUNCH OF WEIGHT TOGETHER.

NOW, WE LIKE TO GET OUT, DO A LOT MORE STUFF.

IT'S BROUGHT US A LOT CLOSER TOGETHER.

A DAY LIKE TODAY MAKES ME GRATEFUL TO JUST BE ALIVE.

A YEAR AGO, I WAS A DEAD MAN, BUT NOW,

I HAVE A LOT OF HOPE FOR MY FUTURE.

I HAVE A LOT OF HOPE FOR MY BROTHER'S FUTURE.

IT'S STILL NICE TO BE OUT HERE, EVEN IF WE DON'T CATCH NOTHING,

JUST TO GET OUT HERE AND RELAX.

IT WAS HARD LOSING ALL THE WEIGHT,

BUT NOW, I SEE THE DIFFERENCE,

SO I'M JUST REALLY HAPPY TO BE WHERE I'M AT.

**

I WAS ON MY WAY TO 600 POUNDS,

AND THAT REALLY LIMITED BEING WITH MY FAMILY.

BUT THIS IS THE LIFE I WANT,

AND I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK

TO MAKE SURE IT STAYS THERE.

I KNOW HARD TIMES WILL COME AGAIN,

AND I KNOW, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS,

I CAN GET THROUGH IT WITHOUT COMPROMISE

OR GIVING UP CONTROL OF MY LIFE.

I'M SO THANKFUL FOR THE LIFE AND THE FUTURE I HAVE NOW,

FOR MYSELF AND WITH MY FAMILY.

**

David: WHEN YOU'RE AS BIG AS WE WERE,

YOU DON'T FIT IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE,

AND NOW, WE DO, AND SO WE CAN GO OUT

AND DO THINGS WITH THE PEOPLE WE CARE ABOUT,

SO I'VE BEEN TAKING MARY OUT ON DATES.

I WAS 600 POUNDS WHEN SHE FIRST MET ME,

AND NOW, I'M SMALLER THAN SHE'S EVER SEEN ME.

STRIKE ONE!

AND I FEEL LIKE A WHOLE NEW PERSON.

YOU'RE DOING BETTER THAN ME.

AND I CAN START TO GIVE HER THE LIFE SHE DESERVES

AND NOT ONE WHERE SHE'S JUST TAKING CARE OF ME ALL DAY,

SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT OUR FUTURE,

AND I'M NOT MESSING UP MY LIFE BECAUSE OF FOOD EVER AGAIN.

AND I'M NOT LETTING BENJI GO BACK EITHER.

I KNOW BY DOING THIS TOGETHER,

WE'LL KEEP EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE,

AND I'M MAKING SURE FROM HERE ON OUT,

I'M GOING TO LEAVE MY LIFE TO THE FULLEST.