Original subtitles

Octavia: I'VE GOTTEN SO BIG NOW THAT I'M AT THE POINT

WHERE MY WEIGHT IS LITERALLY KILLING ME.

♪♪

Man: AT THIS POINT, I'M KILLING MYSELF.

Woman: IT'S TERRIFYING TO THINK THAT AT ANY MOMENT

YOUR HEART COULD EXPLODE.

♪♪

♪♪

Woman #2: I DON'T WANT TO DIE.

I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN TO LIVE YET.

I HAVE TO CHANGE.

I KNOW IT'S HARD BECAUSE THIS IS THE WAY

WE'VE HAD TO COPE WITH LIFE.

I CAN'T BREATHE.

PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME.

GOD, I'M GONNA DIE.

Dr. Nowzaradan: YOU DON'T REALIZE HOW DANGEROUS THE SITUATION IS.

ANYTHING HAPPEN TO YOU -- YOU GET A COLD OR ANYTHING --

THAT'LL BE THE END.

NOBODY CAN HELP YOU.

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

♪♪

♪♪

Octavia: MY LIFE IS MISERABLE

BECAUSE I'M SO BIG THAT I'M BEDRIDDEN NOW.

AND THE ENTIRETY OF MY BODY JUST HURTS NONSTOP ALL DAY LONG.

AND IT'S SO BAD THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET UP

FOR OVER A YEAR NOW.

SO I'VE HAD TO LEARN TO LIVE

IN A WHOLE DIFFERENT WAY THAT'S DEMEANING.

EVEN WHEN I USE THE RESTROOM, I CAN'T GET UP,

SO I HAVE TO USE UNDERPADS.

I FEEL LIKE A DOG.

AND WHEN I'M DONE, MY ROOMMATE, TYISHA, COMES TO GET IT.

BUT I HATE IT BECAUSE IT'S EMBARRASSING

TO HAVE TO HAVE SOMEONE DO THAT FOR YOU.

BUT I HAVE NO CHOICE

BECAUSE I CAN HARDLY DO ANYTHING ON MY OWN.

OKAY.

WHAT DO YOU NEED? DO YOU NEED TOWELS?

OKAY. OKAY.

ONE OF THE ONLY THINGS I'M STILL ABLE TO MANAGE

IS CLEANING MYSELF.

Tyisha: WHEN I FIRST MOVED IN,

OCTAVIA WAS AT LEAST MOBILE INSIDE THE HOUSE.

SHE WOULD COME FROM THE BEDROOM TO THE LIVING ROOM,

BUT ABOUT A YEAR AGO, OCTAVIA GOT STUCK IN THE BED,

AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD TO COME AND GET HER OUT.

SO NOW WE MOVED OCTAVIA'S BED TO THE LIVING ROOM

BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANT IT TO BE A SITUATION

WHERE SHE NEEDED HELP AND COULDN'T GET OUT.

Octavia: I TRY MY BEST TO CLEAN MYSELF AS MUCH AS I CAN.

AND THERE ARE SOME DAYS I WANT TO JUST SKIP IT.

BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT I HAVE TO DO.

BECAUSE IT'S DANGEROUS AT MY SIZE

IF YOU DON'T STAY CLEAN BECAUSE YOUR BODY CHAFES EASILY.

AND THOSE AREAS CAN GET INFECTED.

BUT WHEN I'M BATHING, MY BACK IS JUST ON FIRE.

IT REALLY FEELS LIKE IT'S JUST BURNING.

ANY TYPE OF MOVEMENT, THAT ALL ADDS STRESS ON MY BACK,

AND IT'S EXCRUCIATING.

I HATE IT.

YOU TAKE FOR GRANTED THOSE LITTLE THINGS

LIKE BEING ABLE TO SHOWER AND BATHE YOURSELF,

AND I MISS FEELING HOT WATER

AND JUST BEING ABLE TO ENJOY SIMPLE THINGS LIKE THAT.

BUT THAT'S NOT MY LIFE ANYMORE.

MY LIFE IS THIS BED,

AND ALL I HAVE THE ENERGY TO DO EVERY DAY IS THIS.

I CAN MAYBE SIT UP ONCE.

BUT MOST OF THE TIME, ALL I CAN DO IS LAY HERE IN BED ALL DAY.

AND ALL I DO IS EAT.

YOU READY FOR BREAKFAST?

YES, MA'AM.

THANK YOU, BABE.

EATING IS MY HAPPINESS.

IT MAKES ME FEEL SAFE.

AND IF I COULD, I JUST WOULDN'T STOP.

BECAUSE I LOVE TO EAT.

Tyisha: EATING FOR OCTAVIA MEANS COMFORT.

IT'S SOMETHING SHE DOES TO EASE THE PAIN

AND THE SADNESS THAT IS INSIDE OF HER,

AND IT'S HARD TO WATCH.

IT KILLS ME.

BECAUSE HOW DO YOU SAY TO HER WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT?

Octavia: AFTER I FINISH MY MEAL,

I'M ALREADY THINKING ABOUT EATING AGAIN

AND WHAT I'M GONNA HAVE NEXT, AND I CAN'T WAIT.

I'M DONE.

THANK YOU.

Tyisha: WELCOME.

SO FOOD AND MY FAMILY ARE WHAT I LIVE FOR.

♪♪

MY SISTER HAS THREE CHILDREN, AND I LOVE BEING THEIR AUNT.

AND THE ONLY TIMES I EVER FEEL HAPPY ARE EITHER WHEN I'M EATING

OR WHEN I SEE THEM.

THEY LIVE NEARBY AND COME OVER ONCE A DAY.

-TITí. -TITí.

-HI! -HI.

OH, LOOK AT YOU GUYS! COME HERE.

HI, TITí.

Octavia: AND IT'S THE ONLY OTHER THING OUTSIDE OF FOOD

I LOOK FORWARD TO.

AND THEY'RE THE ONLY ONES

I'M EVER WILLING TO SHARE MY SNACK STASH WITH.

LET'S SEE.

HERE. THOSE ARE FOR YOU.

-YAY! -[ LAUGHS ]

I KNEW YOU WERE GONNA BE HAPPY.

I LOVE SEEING THE LOOKS ON THEIR FACES

WHEN I GIVE THEM SOMETHING GOOD TO EAT.

FOOD IS HOW I'VE KNOWN LOVE AND IS HOW I SHOW LOVE.

SO THIS MOMENT IS ONE OF THE FEW HIGHLIGHTS OF MY DAY.

THE ONLY DOWN SIDE IS THAT MY SISTER

USUALLY WANTS TO LECTURE ME.

SHE LOOKS AFTER ME FOR A BIT WHILE TYISHA RUNS ERRANDS,

AND SHE'LL TRY TO PUSH ME TO EAT STUFF

I DON'T WANT.

Desire: OKAY, GIVE HER A HUG. ME AND TITí NEED TO TALK.

I WANT YOU GUYS TO GO IN THE BACK ROOM.

-GROUP HUG. -OW.

AND SHE PUSHES ME TO GET UP.

BUT SHE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH PAIN I'M CONSTANTLY IN.

SO WHEN SHE HAS ONE OF HER TALKS WITH ME,

IT HAS AN OPPOSITE EFFECT.

DID YOU GET UP TODAY?

DON'T START WITH ME.

I'M JUST SAYING.

NO, I DIDN'T GET UP.

LEAVE ME ALONE.

MM.

SO, WHAT ARE WE GONNA HAVE FOR LUNCH?

A SOUTHWEST SALAD SOUNDS AMAZING.

I WANT SOME BARBECUE.

DON'T YOU WANT SOME?

I WOULD RATHER HAVE A SALAD, YOU KNOW.

I WANT THE BARBECUE PLACE,

SO THAT'S WHAT I'M GONNA GET.

YOU CAN BURN IT OFF TOMORROW.

DON'T GET CUTE WITH ME.

EITHER YOU CAN GET IT, OR I CAN HAVE TYISHA GET IT,

BUT THERE'S NO REASON YOU CAN'T DO IT.

Desire: I WORRY ABOUT HER A LOT.

SO MUCH SO I KNOW PEOPLE WOULD SAY,

"WELL, WHY DO YOU BRING HER THE STUFF,"

OR, "YOU KNOW SHE HAS A PROBLEM,"

BUT WHEN YOU'RE CONFINED TO YOUR HOME

AND YOU REALLY CAN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE,

THIS IS THE LITTLE BIT OF JOY THAT SHE DOES HAVE,

AND WHATEVER I DON'T GET, SHE'LL FIND SOMEONE ELSE TO GET.

SO WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM THE BARBECUE PLACE?

I WANT THAT COMBO WITH THE RIBS.

EXTRA PICKLES.

SOMETIMES THEY'RE SKIMPY WITH THE FRENCH FRIES.

SO YOU WANT A SIDE ORDER OF FRIES?

I DO. OKAY, THANKS, BABY.

MM.

OKAY. I'LL BE BACK.

-ALL RIGHT, BABE. -ALL RIGHT.

-BYE. -BYE.

BYE! WE'RE LEAVING NOW -- GOING.

Octavia: I'M JUST AS SCARED ABOUT HOW I AM AS MY SISTER IS.

BUT THIS IS HOW I'VE BEEN FOR A LONG TIME,

AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO CHANGE THAT.

IF I CAN GO BACK IN TIME AND UNDO IT ALL,

I WOULD IN A HEARTBEAT, BUT I CAN'T.

THE PAST IS THE PAST.

MY EARLY CHILDHOOD WAS HAPPY,

AND I WAS KIND OF A NORMAL SIZE UNTIL AROUND THE THIRD GRADE.

BECAUSE WHEN I WAS AROUND 8,

THAT'S WHEN I REMEMBER THINGS GETTING HARDER FOR ME.

IT STARTED WHEN MY PARENTS SEPARATED,

AND IT WAS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.

BUT AFTER THAT, IT WAS JUST ME, MY SISTER, AND MY MOM.

MY MOM, NOW BEING A SINGLE MOTHER,

SHE WORKED A LOT TRYING TO SUPPORT US

BECAUSE MY DAD WASN'T AROUND MUCH AFTER THAT,

AND I JUST COULDN'T SEE HOW HE COULD JUST VANISH

FROM OUR LIFE LIKE HE DID.

IT WAS HURTFUL, AND I CAN REMEMBER CRYING MYSELF

TO SLEEP MANY NIGHTS, WONDERING WHERE MY DAD WAS.

BUT FOOD MADE ME FEEL BETTER,

AND THAT'S WHEN MY WEIGHT GAIN STARTED.

I REMEMBER THE NEXT YEAR GOING TO THE DOCTOR

AND FINDING OUT I WAS UP TO 130 POUNDS.

I WAS MORE THAN DOUBLE THE WEIGHT

I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AT FOR MY AGE,

AND THAT WAS A BIG SHOCK.

BUT IT DIDN'T STOP ME FROM GOING TO FOOD AND GAINING EVEN MORE,

BECAUSE THINGS CONTINUED TO GET WORSE FOR ME,

AND FOOD WAS THE ONLY ESCAPE I HAD,

BECAUSE AT 9, MY MOM STARTED DATING SOMEONE NEW,

AND IT WAS AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP.

SO I WAS CONSTANTLY SCARED FOR HER

'CAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN NEXT.

AND I REMEMBER I'D HIDE BUTCHER KNIVES ALL AROUND THE HOUSE

SO I COULD HAVE SOMETHING TO DEFEND MYSELF

AND MY MOM IF I HAD TO.

AND TO DEAL WITH ALL MY FEAR,

I JUST ATE CONSTANTLY DURING THAT TIME,

AND I JUST REMEMBER GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER AND BIGGER.

AND I WAS UP TO 200 POUNDS BY THE TIME I WAS 11.

BUT THE ONLY THING I'M THANKFUL FOR FROM ALL THAT

IS MY MOM GOT PREGNANT

AND HAD MY SISTER DESIRE WHEN SHE WAS WITH HIM.

BUT OTHER THAN THAT, NOTHING GOOD CAME OUT OF

HER BEING WITH HIM,

AND IT ACTUALLY GOT TO A POINT WHERE HE TRIED TO KILL HER,

AND AT THAT POINT, MY MOM FINALLY KNEW

THAT SHE NEEDED TO LEAVE HIM.

SO, ONCE AGAIN, MY MOM HAD TO TAKE CARE OF ME

AND MY SISTER ON HER OWN, AND IT MEANT SHE'D HAVE TO START

WORKING LONG HOURS AGAIN TO PROVIDE FOR US.

BUT OUR NEIGHBOR, WHICH WAS A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY,

AGREED TO WATCH US WHEN SHE DID,

AND HE STARTED TO RAPE ME

EVERY TIME WE WENT OVER TO HIS PLACE.

HE TOOK MY VIRGINITY.

AND WHEN HE WAS DONE, HE GAVE ME $50.

I COULDN'T TELL ANYBODY. I FELT SO ASHAMED.

I FELT LIKE, "WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME?"

I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT'S GOING ON.

AND AFTER EACH INSTANCE, HE GAVE ME MONEY

TO TRY AND MAKE IT BETTER.

I'M LOOKING AT MY MOM,

WHO'S WORKING HARD TO SUPPORT US.

I HAVE ENOUGH MONEY IN MY POCKET TO PAY A BILL,

AND I CAN'T TELL HER WHERE THAT MONEY CAME FROM.

MY WAY OF HIDING THE MONEY WAS TO BUY FOOD,

AND I REMEMBER HAVING BAGS OF CANDY --

LIKE A LUNCH BAG FULL OF CHOCOLATE,

AND AT NIGHT WHEN I'M ALONE,

I WOULD JUST EAT CANDY.

I JUST WANTED TO ESCAPE.

ALL THAT GUILT AND SHAME AND FEAR,

AND ALL THAT WENT ON FOR A FEW YEARS,

AND IN THAT TIME, I PUT ON ANOTHER 100 POUNDS

AND WAS OVER 300 BY THE TIME I WAS 13.

BUT THE ABUSE STOPPED WHEN I WAS 13

BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN MY MOM FOUND OUT.

BUT I COULDN'T EVER GET BACK WHAT HAD BEEN TAKEN FROM ME.

SO I GAINED ANOTHER 100 POUNDS OVER THREE YEARS AGAIN

AND GOT OVER 400 WHEN I WAS 16.

MY WEIGHT WAS STARTING TO SPIRAL OUT OF CONTROL.

BUT IT WAS ONLY GONNA GET WORSE.

AT 16, I HAD NO CONTACT WITH MY DAD,

AND MY MOM EXPLAINED TO ME THAT MY DAD WASN'T MY DAD.

SO THIS PERSON THAT I LOVED SO MUCH,

THIS PERSON THAT I HAD BEEN CRYING FOR WASN'T MY FATHER.

I HAD NEVER EVEN MET MY REAL FATHER.

AFTER SHE TOLD ME THAT, I WAS JUST ANGRY.

I WAS SO MAD.

BECAUSE AT THIS POINT, I FELT ABANDONED BY TWO DADS, YOU KNOW?

AND EVERYONE KNEW.

I FELT LIKE EVERYONE ALLOWED ME TO JUST CONTINUE TO LIVE A LIE.

SO I FELT BETRAYED BY MY FAMILY.

SO I JUST KEPT EATING AND GETTING EVEN BIGGER EVERY DAY.

AND BY MY EARLY 20s, I WAS 500 POUNDS,

AND I STARTED TO OUTGROW CLOTHES THAT COULD FIT ME.

BUT I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO WORRY ABOUT THAT,

BECAUSE WHEN I WAS 23,

MY MOM SUDDENLY PASSED AWAY IN HER SLEEP.

AT THAT TIME, MY SISTER, DESIRE, WAS STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL,

AND IT FELL ON ME TO SUPPORT HER BECAUSE I WAS ALL SHE HAD.

SO I DIDN'T GRIEVE FOR MY MOM

BECAUSE I HAD TO TAKE CARE OF A 15-YEAR-OLD.

OUR LIVES CHANGED AFTER MY MOM DIED.

BUT MY SISTER, SHE WENT, AND SHE GOT A JOB,

AND SHE TOOK GREAT CARE OF ME.

I NEVER WANTED FOR ANYTHING.

Octavia: STEPPING UP AND TAKING CARE OF MY LITTLE SISTER

IS ONE OF THE THINGS IN MY LIFE THAT I AM MOST PROUD OF

BECAUSE MY SISTER, SHE MADE IT.

SHE WASN'T A STATISTIC.

BUT ONCE DESIRE GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL

AND DECIDED TO MOVE OUT ON HER OWN,

I STARTED FEELING THE BLOW OF LOSING MY MOM.

I WAS 30 AT THAT TIME,

AND THAT'S WHEN I STARTED GAINING AGAIN,

AND IT STARTED TO GET HARDER FOR ME TO GET AROUND.

SO DESIRE SAID I COULD MOVE IN WITH HER AND HER FAMILY.

SHE HAD GOTTEN MARRIED

AND HAD A CHILD DURING THAT TIME,

AND THE DEAL WAS I COULD HELP OUT WATCHING MY NEPHEW,

AND SHE WOULD HELP ME WHEN I NEEDED A HAND

DOING ANYTHING THAT WAS TOO HARD FOR ME TO DO.

WHEN OCTAVIA MOVED IN,

I NOTICED THAT THE AMOUNT OF ACTIVITY

THAT OCTAVIA WAS GETTING DIMINISHED,

AND IT WAS MORE DIFFICULT FOR HER TO MANEUVER AROUND.

Octavia: OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS,

DESIRE HAD TWO MORE KIDS,

AND LOOKING AFTER THEM AND SPENDING TIME WITH THEM

WAS THE BEST PART OF MY DAY ASIDE FROM EATING.

BUT WHEN I HIT 39, MY WEIGHT GOT OVER 600 POUNDS,

AND I GOT TO WHERE IT WAS HARD TO GET OUT OF BED.

SO I REALLY COULDN'T WATCH THEM ANYMORE,

AND AS MUCH AS I DIDN'T WANT TO, I MOVED OUT.

BUT WITH MY WEIGHT GETTING WORSE

TO THE POINT WHERE I'M NOW COMPLETELY BEDRIDDEN,

DESIRE HAD TO START COMING BY EVERY DAY TO TAKE CARE OF ME,

WHICH IS WHAT I DIDN'T WANT TO HAPPEN.

BUT, EVENTUALLY, MY BEST FRIEND, TYISHA,

SAID SHE'D MOVE IN WITH ME AND HELP ME,

AND MY FRIEND NICHELLE WOULD HELP OUT SOMETIMES, TOO.

SO THE RESPONSIBILITY OF TAKING CARE OF ME

WASN'T ALL ON MY SISTER.

BUT MY WORLD IS THIS BED AND THIS ROOM NOW.

OKAY, SISTER.

I GOT YOUR BARBECUE.

THANK YOU.

THIS ISN'T A LIFE.

I'M NOT REALLY LIVING.

I'M EXISTING.

I'M NOT ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THE THINGS

THAT I WANT TO DO, PLACES I WANT TO GO.

I FEEL LIKE I'M IN JAIL.

BUT I'M STILL GAINING, AND AT THIS POINT,

I DON'T KNOW WHERE MY WEIGHT'S AT.

AND I'M SCARED TO FIND OUT.

I JUST KNOW IT'S WORSE THAN EVER.

'CAUSE I CAN'T STOP EATING.

FOOD IS WHAT I'M LIVING FOR RIGHT NOW

EVEN THOUGH I KNOW IT'S KILLING ME.

SO ONCE I FINISH ONE MEAL,

I'M ALREADY WORKING ON GETTING THE NEXT ONE.

[ Line ringing ]

-Hello. -HEY, NICHELLE.

-Hi. -HOW ARE YOU DOING?

NICHELLE: Good. I'm okay.

YOU GONNA BRING ME SOMETHING?

Yeah, I'll bring you some snacks.

Be there shortly. -OKAY, BABE.

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

COME IN.

HEY, BABY. -HEY. HOW ARE YOU?

I'M OKAY.

I GOT SOME SNACKS FOR YOU.

WHEN I FIRST MET OCTAVIA,

SHE WOULD BUY ALL THE KIDS TREATS AND CANDY.

I WAS ONE OF THOSE KIDS SHE BOUGHT THE TREATS

AND THE CANDY FOR,

SO I THINK THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE CONNECTED AT.

WE LOVE FOOD, SO IF OCTAVIA CALLS ME AND WANTS SOMETHING,

I WILL FIND A WAY TO GET IT TO HER

BECAUSE I WANT TO SEE HER HAPPY.

OH, I BROUGHT YOU SOME CHIPS AND SOME POP.

I GOT CHOCOLATE IN THE BOTTOM.

WHAT IS THIS?

-PIZZA. -PIZZA?

WE MADE.

-YOU MADE IT? -YEAH.

Octavia: THERE'S NEVER A MOMENT I DON'T WANT TO EAT.

I EAT WHEN I'M HAPPY.

I EAT WHEN I'M SAD.

I DON'T CARE HOW MANY CALORIES I'M PUTTING IN MY BODY

OR WHAT I'M DOING TO MYSELF.

BUT I KNOW I CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS

BECAUSE I'VE GOTTEN SO BIG NOW

THAT I'M AT THE POINT WHERE MY WEIGHT

IS LITERALLY CRUSHING MY BODY.

I KNOW BECAUSE I CAN FEEL IT EVERY DAY,

AND IT'S GETTING WORSE.

Nichelle: FOOD -- IT'S BEEN A COMFORT FOR HER,

AND IT JUST HAS DROVE OCTAVIA'S WEIGHT

TO THE POINT WHERE IT IS NOW.

BUT I'M AFRAID MY FRIEND IS GONNA DIE.

I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO BURY HER.

Octavia: FOOD HAS ALREADY TAKEN EVERYTHING FROM ME.

THE ONLY THING THAT'S LEFT IS MY ACTUAL LIFE.

AND I DON'T WANT TO DIE.

♪♪

♪♪

Octavia: I KNOW MY BODY'S GETTING TO A BREAKING POINT.

I CAN FEEL IT GETTING WORSE EVERY DAY.

SO I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME, AND I'M NOT READY TO DIE.

I REACHED OUT TO DR. NOW'S OFFICE IN HOUSTON,

AND THEY SET A VIDEO CALL WITH ME TO TALK TO HIM

BECAUSE HE MAY BE MY ONLY HOPE AT THIS POINT.

FOR YEARS, I WAS TERRIFIED TO GO TO THE DOCTOR.

LIKE, I WOULD GO WITHOUT HEALTHCARE FOR YEARS

BECAUSE ANY TIME YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR,

EVERYTHING'S YOUR WEIGHT, OR THEY'RE MEAN TO YOU.

YOU KNOW, THEY JUST GIVE YOU A PILL.

NOTHING EVER HELPS OR THERE'S NO SOLUTIONS.

BUT I KNOW DR. NOW ISN'T LIKE THAT,

AND I DEFINITELY WANT THIS PHONE CALL TO BE IT FOR ME,

BUT IF DR. NOW TURNS ME DOWN, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'LL DO.

DR. NOWZARADAN: Hi, Octavia.

HI, DR. NOW.

How are you?

I'M PRETTY GOOD.

It's good to meet you.

SAME.

So, let's talk about some things

so I can understand your situation.

OKAY.

How is your mobility?

UM, RIGHT NOW, IT'S VERY LIMITED --

ALMOST NONEXISTENT.

I CAN'T REALLY GET AROUND OR ANYTHING.

So you're staying in the bed most of the time?

YES.

Are you able to stand up or walk?

-NO, NOT AT THIS TIME. -Okay.

How long have you been bedridden?

A FEW YEARS.

Do you know how much you weigh now?

THE LAST TIME I WAS WEIGHED, I WAS 652.

How long ago was that?

A FEW YEARS.

You think you've gained since that time

or you have lost any weight?

I'VE PROBABLY GAINED.

You look to be close to 700 pounds.

So I would agree that you've been gaining.

What do you eat right now?

CHIPS, CANDY.

Who buys those chips?

MY BEST FRIEND.

If your friend buying those chips for you,

I wouldn't call her best friend.

That's not best friend, okay?

A best friend will help you to lose weight,

not give you bad food.

YEAH.

Who does your cooking and preparing the food?

MY BEST FRIEND. SHE DOES.

SHE'S MY CARETAKER, AS WELL.

So you're likely between 650 to 700 pounds,

and you've been bedridden for a few years,

and you have an enabler taking care of you all day.

RIGHT.

Statistically, we know that you only have a year

or so left to live at this point, okay?

This is a very bad situation if we don't correct it right away.

RIGHT.

So, do you think you need to make some changes?

YES. I WANT TO.

All right, so I'm going to send you a list

of all healthy foods that you should be eating,

And, basically, you need to be on a 1,200-calorie-a-day diet,

high protein, low carb, and only eat three times a day.

No snacking. -MM-HMM.

Okay? And if you stick with this diet,

you're gonna be able to lose 50 pounds easily in one month.

Okay? -OKAY.

And we are gonna find a local clinic

so we can check your weight to track your weight loss

and get some tests run on you

before we consider bringing you to Houston.

I DEFINITELY WOULD LIKE TO COME AND MOVE TO HOUSTON

AND JOIN YOUR PROGRAM.

You live in Kansas City, Missouri?

-YES. -Okay.

Well, that looks to be an 11- to 12-hour drive,

and that's gonna be too risky in your situation.

You could easily develop blood clots in your leg

that would likely be deadly for you,

and being bedridden increases those odds significantly.

So I'm going to send you some exercises that you can do.

OKAY.

You need to start to build up your stamina

and make sure that you can be mobile during the transport

and you're not gonna be fully stationary

and laying down for 12 hours.

Okay? -OKAY.

So that is important that we make sure

that we provide a safe transport to Houston.

-OKAY. -But if we bring you down,

you're also gonna need someone to move down here with you.

Because you're gonna need some support system

because you're not mobile,

and you won't be able to handle everything by yourself.

RIGHT.

Do you have someone other than your enabling best friend

who can do that?

-YES. -Okay.

All right. I have to get back.

If you have any issues, call me, and I'll be checking on you

and see what kind of progress you're making.

Okay? -ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, DR. NOW.

You're welcome, and I'll talk to you later.

Okay? -ALL RIGHT. THANKS.

I THINK THE CALL WITH DR. NOW WENT WELL

BECAUSE HE'S GIVING ME A CHANCE.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE I HAVE THIS SENSE OF PEACE, WHERE, AT FIRST,

I WAS LITTLE JITTERY AND NERVOUS.

BUT I JUST FEEL GOOD BECAUSE I KNOW

THINGS ARE GONNA CHANGE FOR ME.

I FEEL LIKE THIS IS MY LAST CHANCE FOR MY LIFE,

AND IF I DON'T DO THIS NOW, I DON'T THINK I'M GONNA MAKE IT.

♪♪

Octavia: IT'S BEEN A WEEK SINCE I TALKED TO DR. NOW,

AND I'VE DECIDED TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO HOUSTON.

BUT I'M TERRIFIED.

I HAVEN'T BEEN OUT THE HOUSE IN YEARS,

AND I HAVEN'T BEEN IN A CAR IN EVEN LONGER.

SO IT IS VERY, VERY FRIGHTENING TO LEAVE EVERYTHING I KNOW.

BUT I TALKED TO MY FRIEND NICHELLE,

AND SHE'S WILLING TO MOVE DOWN TO HOUSTON WITH ME

BECAUSE DR. NOW DIDN'T THINK IT WAS A GOOD IDEA

FOR TYISHA TO BE THE ONE THAT COMES WITH ME

BECAUSE SHE'S BEEN MY BIGGEST ENABLER.

SO I'VE GOT TO DO WHAT I NEED TO GET MY LIFE BACK ON TRACK.

MY FAMILY AND EVERYONE IS ALMOST DONE PACKING EVERYTHING UP,

AND WE HAVE THE VAN THAT I'M GONNA BE

RIDING DOWN TO HOUSTON IN.

SO I'M JUST ABOUT READY TO GO.

WE JUST NEED TO GET THE MATTRESS IN IT,

AND THEN I NEED TO BE CARRIED TO IT.

SO EMTs ARE COMING TO HELP ME WITH ALL THAT.

BUT I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT IT

BECAUSE IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME

SINCE I'VE BEEN OUT OF THIS APARTMENT.

SO I JUST HOPE THAT THERE ARE NO ISSUES,

AND IT ALL GOES WELL.

-HELLO. -HI, HI, HI.

I'M CANDACE. I'M WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

AND WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU GET TO YOUR VAN.

IS THAT CORRECT? -YES.

OKAY. YOU'VE BEEN ON A STRETCHER BEFORE?

I HAVE, YEAH.

OKAY. THEN WE'LL GET ROLLING.

OKAY? -ALL RIGHT.

I'LL JUST SIT UP ON THE SIDE OF THE BED.

OH, GEEZ.

WHOA. GEEZ.

NOW, THAT AIN'T NEVER HAPPENED. -WE GOT YOU. WE GOT YOU.

JUST SIT LIKE THAT. -OKAY.

HELP ME. -RIGHT THERE.

-ALL THE WAY. -YEAH, JUST STAY RIGHT THERE.

OKAY. COOL.

-COUNT IT OUT FOR US. -TWO, THREE.

I GOT YOU. I GOT YOU.

YOU AIN'T GOING NOWHERE.

COME ON DOWN. -YOU GOT IT.

Candace: WELL DONE.

PUT YOUR HEAD IN THE MIDDLE.

Octavia: IT'S EMBARRASSING TO HAVE ALL OF THIS

JUST TO BE ABLE TO LEAVE MY APARTMENT.

-LET ME GET YOU OVER HERE. -THERE YOU GO.

BUT I'M DOING THIS TO MAKE SURE THIS ISN'T MY LIFE.

OOP! -YOU DON'T TRUST US?

Man: DON'T REACH.

SWING AROUND THIS BREEZEWAY.

OVER HERE.

OHH!

OKAY, TURN.

-ONE. -LET'S GET HER CENTERED.

TWO. THREE.

PASSING THE HEAD. PASSING THE HEAD.

GOT IT.

-GOOD. GOOD. -KEEP GOING.

-GOOD LUCK TO YOU. -THANK YOU ALL. APPRECIATE IT.

Octavia: I KNOW I'M FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE,

BUT IT'S HARD TO BE LEAVING MY FAMILY.

I LOVE YOU.

BE GOOD, OKAY?

-OKAY. -PROMISE ME?

YOU GONNA MISS US?

I LOVE YOU.

BYE.

[ CRYING ]

Desire: I'M DEFINITELY GONNA MISS MY SISTER.

IT'S TOUGH TO SEE HER GO.

I WISH SHE COULD STAY HERE AND SOME WAY

SHE CAN FIGURE IT OUT,

BUT I KNOW IT'S GOD'S WILL THAT SHE GOES DOWN HERE

AND DOES THIS, AND HE'S GONNA TAKE CARE OF HER.

GRANDMA?

-Yes. -OKAY.

WE'RE GETTING READY TO GET ON THE ROAD.

SO I WAS JUST CALLING FOR YOU TO PRAY FOR US.

OCTAVIA'S GRANDMOTHER: You ready now?

-YES, MA'AM. -All right.

Lord, I just thank You right now.

We pray, Lord, that you give a safe journey over the highway.

Keep her encouraged and inspired, oh, God.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen and amen. -AMEN.

I LOVE YOU.

I love you, too, sweetheart.

Octavia: I KNOW THIS TRIP ISN'T GONNA BE EASY,

AND I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO PUSH MYSELF TOO HARD,

BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF UNKNOWNS,

LIKE HOW IT'S GONNA BE LAYING DOWN IN A MOVING VEHICLE,

AND WHAT KIND OF STRAIN IT WILL BE ON MY BODY.

BYE, Y'ALL. I LOVE YOU.

[ SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY ]

BUT I'M CONFIDENT I CAN MAKE IT AS LONG AS I'M CAREFUL.

I JUST HAVE TO BRAVE THE JOURNEY AND GET THERE,

AND ONCE I DO, I'LL HAVE HOPE WAITING FOR ME.

♪♪

THIS IS DAY THREE OF BEING ON THE ROAD TO HOUSTON FOR ME.

I WAS HOPING TO BE DONE WITH ALL THIS TRAVELING

ON THE SECOND DAY,

BECAUSE BEING LOADED AND UNLOADED

SO MANY TIMES TOOK SO MUCH OUT OF ME,

AND I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW HARD THIS WAS GONNA BE.

SO I'M JUST REALLY GLAD I'M GONNA BE THERE SOON.

BUT EARLIER THIS MORNING,

I CALLED DR. NOW SINCE I'M SO CLOSE TO HOUSTON,

AND TOLD HIM THAT I'LL ACTUALLY BE THERE SOON.

BUT WHEN HE HEARD THAT I DID THIS WITHOUT MEDICAL TRANSPORT,

HE WASN'T TOO HAPPY ABOUT THAT.

SO HE TOLD ME THAT WHEN I GET THERE,

HE WANTS ME TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY

SO THAT HE CAN MAKE SURE NOTHING'S WRONG WITH ME.

SO MY FAMILY WILL TAKE ALL MY AND NICHELLE'S STUFF

TO OUR NEW APARTMENT AND MOVE IN FOR ME

WHILE I HAVE ALL MY TESTS BEING RUN,

AND I'LL BE DONE WITH ALL THIS TRAVELING,

AND HOPEFULLY I'LL BE ABLE TO GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY SOON.

♪♪

Dr. Nowzaradan: I'M NOT TOO HAPPY WITH OCTAVIA RIGHT NOW.

I HAVE WANTED HER TO HIT HER GOAL

AND GET TO A HEALTHIER PLACE TO MAKE THIS TRIP SAFER,

BUT IT SEEMS SHE HAD TAKEN THIS UPON HERSELF

TO DO IT HER OWN WAY.

HOW YOU FEELING, OCTAVIA?

-I'M FEELING OKAY. -OKAY.

I WANT TO GET YOU INSIDE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE

SO WE CAN MAKE SURE YOU'RE OKAY.

ARE YOU ABLE TO GET UP AND STAND?

NO.

OKAY, WELL, LET'S GET YOU INSIDE.

NOT ONLY HAS SHE RISKED HER HEALTH AND HER LIFE DOING THIS,

BUT IF SHE HASN'T HIT HER GOAL,

THIS WHOLE TRIP MAY BE POINTLESS FOR HER

BECAUSE SHE WON'T GET BYPASS SURGERY UNTIL THAT HAPPENS.

SO RIGHT NOW, I HAVE A LOT OF CONCERNS ABOUT OCTAVIA,

AND I'M HOPING THIS IS NOT A GLIMPSE

OF WHAT WE CAN EXPECT WITH HER GOING FORWARD.

Octavia: I'M ALL THE WAY ON?

-YES. -OH.

Dr. Nowzaradan: BUT OUR PRIORITY IS TO GET HER IN

AND MAKE SURE SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANY LIFE-THREATENING ISSUES.

♪♪

YOU FEELING ALL RIGHT?

-YEAH. -LITTLE SHORT OF BREATH?

YEAH. I'M JUST HOT.

I'M HOT AND I'M COLD. I DON'T KNOW.

LET ME CHECK AND SEE HOW YOUR HEART IS DOING.

EVERYTHING SOUNDS OKAY.

THANK YOU, BABY.

I'M NOT TOO HAPPY WITH THIS LITTLE STUNT

COMING DOWN HERE BEFORE WE KNEW IT WAS SAFE.

SO THIS IS VERY RECKLESS, BUT WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT LATER.

OKAY.

YOU WERE LUCKY YOU DIDN'T DEVELOP ANY ISSUES

BEFORE YOU GOT HERE, BECAUSE IF YOU HAD,

THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO WAY YOU WOULD HAVE MADE IT.

RIGHT.

BUT WE WILL RUN OUR TESTS AND SEE HOW YOU'RE DOING,

AND WE GO FROM THERE.

-OKAY. -ALL RIGHT?

-THANK YOU. -OKAY.

Dr. Nowzaradan: THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS I'M SEEING

THAT CONCERN ME RIGHT NOW.

AND THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE OCTAVIA

COULD STILL BE AT A GREAT RISK

BECAUSE SHE STILL MAY BE SUFFERING FROM ISSUES

SHE DEVELOPED ON THE ROAD.

THAT COULD BE LIFE-THREATENING FOR HER,

AND IF THAT'S HAPPENING,

HER CONDITION COULD BECOME MUCH WORSE VERY QUICKLY.

SO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE ADDRESS ANYTHING WE NEED

WITH HER BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.

♪♪

♪♪

Octavia: I'VE BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL FOR A COUPLE DAYS NOW.

DR. NOW PUT ME ON A CONTROLLED DIET.

HE SAYS THAT I MAY END UP BEING HERE

OR ANOTHER FACILITY FOR A WHILE LONGER.

BUT I HAD NO IDEA THAT I WOULD BE HERE THIS LONG.

I THOUGHT THEY'D JUST GIVE ME A CHECKUP.

SO I'M REALLY NOT HAPPY RIGHT NOW.

Dr. Nowzaradan: WE FINISHED RUNNING OUR TESTS ON OCTAVIA,

AND SHE CAN CONSIDER HERSELF VERY LUCKY.

SHE HAS NO LIFE-THREATENING ISSUES CURRENTLY

OTHER THAN HER OVERALL WEIGHT.

SO WE STARTED HER

ON A 1,200-CALORIE-A-DAY DIET ALREADY,

BUT SHE'S BEEN VERY VOCAL ABOUT HOW UNHAPPY SHE IS ABOUT THAT.

BUT WE NEED TO GET HER WEIGHT DOWN

AND GET HER UP AND OUT OF THE BED.

HELLO.

Octavia: HI, DR. NOW.

HOW ARE YOU TODAY?

I'M BETTER.

-DOING ALL RIGHT? -MM-HMM.

OKAY.

WE FINISHED RUNNING ALL THE TESTS,

AND, THANKFULLY, ALL YOUR TESTS ARE LOOKING PRETTY GOOD.

OKAY.

YOU DON'T HAVE ANY SERIOUS ISSUES RIGHT NOW

THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS OTHER THAN YOUR WEIGHT

AND LACK OF ABILITY TO GET UP AND MOVE.

OKAY? -OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

LET'S CHECK YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT AND SEE WHERE YOU ARE.

692 POUNDS.

ALMOST 700 POUNDS.

THAT'S VERY CONCERNING. -MM-HMM.

SO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO.

WE STARTED YOU ON A 1,200-CALORIE-A-DAY DIET

SO WE CAN GET YOUR WEIGHT DOWN.

RIGHT.

AND IT'S GOING TO BE VERY IMPORTANT

FOR YOUR WEIGHT LOSS THAT WE GET YOU ACTIVE.

SO WE'RE GOING TO GET YOU TO GO TO REHAB FOR A COUPLE MONTHS

AND SEE IF WE CAN BUILD UP SOME STRENGTH ON YOUR LOWER BODY

THAT YOU CAN GET UP AND WALK AND TAKE SOME STEPS.

OKAY? -OKAY.

BUT AFTER WE DO THAT, THEN YOU NEED TO SHOW ME

THAT YOU'RE WILLING TO WORK HARD LIKE YOU NEED AT HOME.

SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOUR FRIEND TO GET INSTRUCTION

SO SHE UNDERSTANDS WHAT'S GOING ON

BECAUSE SHE STILL HAS SOME ISSUE WITH HER OWN WEIGHT,

AND I DON'T WANT HER ENABLING YOU WHEN YOU GO HOME.

SO THIS IS GONNA BE AN ISSUE THAT BOTH OF YOU NEED

TO WORK AT IT AT THE SAME TIME.

YEAH.

BUT IF YOU'RE STICKING WITH THE DIET,

BE ABLE TO LOSE AT LEAST 50 POUNDS A MONTH.

OKAY.

AND IF YOU DO THAT, THEN I WILL APPROVE YOU

FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

OKAY? -OKAY.

BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY,

EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE UP TO YOU.

-BE UP TO ME. YEAH. -OKAY?

YOU'RE RIGHT. LIKE YOU SAY.

YOU BRING THE HORSE TO THE WELL, BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE HIM DRINK.

SO I GOT IT.

AND WE'LL GET THE AMBULANCE TO TAKE YOU TO REHAB,

AND YOU'RE GONNA START WORKING WITH THEM EVERY DAY

AND GET UP AND DO YOUR EXERCISES,

AND HOPEFULLY HERE, VERY SOON, WE'LL GET YOU OUT OF THIS BED.

-OKAY. -I'LL SEE YOU OVER THERE.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

AND WE'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU. OKAY?

ALL RIGHT. THANKS, DR. NOW.

MM-HMM.

Dr. Nowzaradan: OCTAVIA'S CONTINUED IMMOBILITY

AND SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE

SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASES HER LONG-TERM OUTLOOK.

BUT WITH THE REHAB FACILITY, WE WILL BE ABLE TO WORK

ON BUILDING UP HER STAMINA AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

BECAUSE OCTAVIA DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO WASTE

BEFORE HER CONDITION GETS MUCH WORSE.

Octavia: I'M GLAD DR. NOW'S HELPING ME

AND THAT I HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY.

BUT RIGHT NOW I'M FEELING SCARED BECAUSE I'M BEING TRANSFERRED.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE I'M GONNA BE.

SO MY ANXIETY IS SUPER HIGH,

AND I'M A LITTLE FRUSTRATED RIGHT NOW.

THIS IS JUST A LOT HARDER THAN I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE.

♪♪

10, 11, 12.

I'VE BEEN IN THE REHAB FACILITY FOR ALMOST A MONTH,

AND I'VE BEEN WORKING HARD TO DO ALL MY EXERCISES.

I USE A POLE WITH WEIGHTS ON IT,

EXERCISING MY ARMS AND MY LEGS, DOING LEG LIFTS, TOE CURLS,

SOME STRETCHING -- DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT.

IT'S VERY PAINFUL,

BUT I THINK I'M GETTING THERE TO BE ABLE TO WALK AGAIN.

SO I'M FEELING REALLY GOOD ABOUT MY PROGRESS

AND HOW FAR I'M COMING.

I KNOW I'M NOT WHERE DR. NOW WANTS ME TO BE YET,

BUT I'M GETTING CLOSE,

BECAUSE I'M ALREADY ABLE TO DO A LOT MORE,

AND I'M ABLE TO STAND UP AND GET INTO MY WHEELCHAIR.

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

HEY, MISS OCTAVIA.

WE'RE THINKING ABOUT GETTING YOU FOR A SHOWER.

-OKAY. -SOUNDS GOOD?

SOUNDS GOOD.

LET US KNOW IF YOU NEED ANY HELP.

OCTAVIA, WE WANT YOU TO SIT ON THE EDGE OF THE BED HERE,

AND ONCE YOU GET SEATED,

WE'LL TRANSFER INTO YOUR WHEELCHAIR.

Octavia: IT'S DEFINITELY SCARY

BECAUSE I HAVE THAT FEAR OF I CAN'T DO IT.

ALL RIGHT.

I'M SCARED THAT I'M GONNA FALL OR HURT MYSELF

IN SOME TYPE OF WAY.

♪♪

BUT NOW THAT I CAN GET OUT OF BED,

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO IS TO TAKE A SHOWER,

AND THAT'S BEEN INCREDIBLE,

BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE TO SPONGE-BATH EVERY DAY,

THE WATER'S NOT REALLY HOT.

WHEN YOU GET TO MY SIZE AND BEDRIDDEN,

YOU REALIZE ALL THE THINGS YOU TAKE FOR GRANTED

BEFORE YOU GOT TO THAT POINT, AND A HOT SHOWER,

IT'S BEEN A NICE REWARD FOR ALL MY HARD WORK.

SO YOU CAN TAKE A STAND FROM HERE.

OKAY.

SO I'M REALLY HAPPY WITH ALL MY PROGRESS

BECAUSE I'M WORKING AS HARD AS I CAN.

I DON'T WANT TO MISS MY GOALS

WHEN DR. NOW COMES BACK TO SEE ME.

IF THAT HAPPENS, I'M NOT SURE I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT.

BECAUSE THIS IS MY ONLY CHANCE TO GET THE HELP

I NEED TO SAVE MY LIFE.

AND I CAN'T LOSE IT.

♪♪

♪♪

Octavia: IT'S BEEN TWO MONTHS I'VE BEEN HERE IN REHAB,

AND TODAY IS THE DAY DR. NOW IS COMING TO SEE IF I HIT MY GOALS.

I'VE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD TO GET TO WHERE I NEED,

AND I'M EXCITED AT THE CHANCE TO FINALLY GO GET SETTLED

INTO MY APARTMENT WITH NICHELLE.

I'VE HARDLY SEEN HER BECAUSE SHE'S ONLY BEEN ABLE

TO VISIT ME A FEW TIMES.

SO I'M REALLY HOPING DR. NOW

TELLS ME I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO GO HOME TODAY.

BUT HE WANTS ME TO SHOW HIM

THAT I'VE AT LEAST MADE ENOUGH PROGRESS WITH MY STAMINA

TO BE ABLE TO STAND TO GET MY WEIGHT CHECKED.

BUT THAT MAKES ME REALLY NERVOUS,

BECAUSE I'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET UP,

BUT I'VE STILL NEEDED MY WALKER TO STAND.

SO I HOPE I CAN DO IT.

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

HI, OCTAVIA.

Octavia: HEY, DR. NOW.

ALL RIGHT.

SO ARE YOU READY TO SHOW ME WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW?

BECAUSE YOU ARE ANXIOUS TO GET HOME?

YEAH. I'M READY.

ALL RIGHT.

LET'S FIRST SIT ON THE SIDE OF THE BED.

OKAY.

♪♪

HELLO. -HELLO.

TAKE YOUR TIME.

♪♪

ALL RIGHT. JUST STAND THERE FOR A SECOND, OKAY?

-MM-HMM. -EVERYTHING'S FINE.

GET BACK UP THERE.

♪♪

NOW IS WHEN YOU NEED TO LET GO

AND STAND ON YOUR OWN FOR ABOUT FIVE SECONDS.

MM-HMM.

OKAY.

OKAY. YOU'RE DOWN TO 584.

THAT'S WEIGHT LOSS OF 108 POUNDS.

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

I'M PROUD OF YOU.

SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND SEND YOU HOME TODAY.

-OKAY. -BUT NOW IT'S TIME TO SHOW ME

THAT YOU'RE READY TO DO THIS ON YOUR OWN.

MM-HMM.

SO I WANT YOU TO LOSE 50 POUNDS IN A MONTH,

AND WE'RE GONNA SEND PHYSICAL THERAPY TO YOUR APARTMENT

TWO DAYS A WEEK TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH YOU

AND MAKE SURE YOU CONTINUE TO GET OUT OF BED.

-OKAY. -AND NEXT TIME I SEE YOU,

I WANT IT TO BE IN MY CLINIC, WALKING IN.

-OKAY. -IF YOU DO ALL THAT,

THEN I'LL APPROVE YOU FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

-OKAY. -OKAY?

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

ALL RIGHT, OCTAVIA.

MY HANDS ARE SWEATY. SORRY.

YOU'RE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS.

Dr. Nowzaradan: I THINK OCTAVIA HAS DONE A GREAT JOB

THESE PAST COUPLE MONTHS.

BUT A BIG FACTOR IN THE WEIGHT SHE'S LOST

HAS BEEN A RESULT OF HER ENABLER

NOT BEING ABLE TO VISIT VERY MUCH.

SO THE BIG QUESTION NOW IS HOW SHE'S GONNA DO ON HER OWN

AND IF SHE'S GONNA STICK WITH IT.

SO THIS WILL BE EXTREMELY HARD FOR HER,

BUT IF SHE TRULY WANTS TO SAVE HER LIFE

AND GET HEALTHY LIKE SHE NEED,

SHE WILL HIT HER GOAL BY THE NEXT TIME I SEE HER.

ARE WE GOING OUT? OUT.

Octavia: I'M EXHAUSTED, BUT I FEEL REALLY GOOD.

AND I'M PROUD OF MYSELF FOR GETTING THIS FAR.

BUT I'M REALLY THANKFUL THAT IT'S PAID OFF

AND THAT I'M MORE ACTIVE THAN I'VE BEEN IN A REALLY LONG TIME.

AND I AM EXCITED TO GO HOME.

I HAVEN'T SEEN MY HOUSE, I HAVEN'T SEEN MY FRIEND,

SO I'M EXCITED TO JUST START MY NEW LIFE HERE.

♪♪

YEAH. WE NEED TO MOVE.

ALL RIGHTY. YOU'RE GOOD TO GO.

THANK YOU, GUYS, SO MUCH.

NO PROBLEM.

OH, MY GOD, AUNTIE!

I'M SO GLAD TO BE HOME.

OHH.

FINALLY, FINALLY, FINALLY YOU'RE HERE.

FOREVER.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PLACE?

-I LIKE IT. -ALL RIGHT.

OH, GOD. IT FEELS SO GOOD TO BE HOME.

NOW WE GOT TO STAY ON TRACK.I KNOW.

SO I TALKED TO DR. NOW TODAY, AND HE TALKED ABOUT

YOU COMING INTO THE CLINIC, AND HE WAS LIKE,

"YOU GUYS CAN'T ENABLE EACH OTHER" AND STUFF, SO.

YEAH. I'VE BEEN DOING PRETTY GOOD BY MYSELF.

YEAH. SO WE HAVE TO, UM, YOU KNOW,

REALLY JUST STAY ON TRACK,

BE MORE ACTIVE AND STUFF LIKE THAT, SO.

I'M LIKE, "WE'LL BE OKAY."

WE GOT IT. MY BABIES.

OCTAVIA, WE GOT IT.

YEP.

SEXY, SLIM COMING 2020.

[ LAUGHTER ]

OH, MAN.

THIS IS TOO COOL.

♪♪

Octavia: I'VE BEEN HOME FOR A COUPLE WEEKS NOW,

AND I'M STILL WORKING HARD TO DO MY EXERCISES AND DIET.

BUT I'VE EASED UP A LITTLE ON HOW MUCH I WAS DOING

AND HOW STRICT OF A REGIMEN I WAS FOLLOWING IN THE FACILITY.

NOT A LOT, BUT I JUST FEEL LIKE

WHAT I'M DOING NOW IS MORE BALANCED.

HEY.

YOU WANT TO EAT SOMETHING?

OKAY. THANKS, BABY.

MM-HMM.

NICHELLE IS DOING HER PART BY MAKING ME HEALTHIER MEALS.

THEY MAY NOT BE COMPLETELY FREE OF BUTTER

AND EVERYTHING THAT GIVES GOOD FLAVOR,

BUT THEY'RE MUCH HEALTHIER THAN WHAT I WAS EATING.

HERE YOU GO.

WHAT'D YOU MAKE?

EGGS AND -- SOME PICO.

YES.

MY ONLY REAL WEAKNESS IS CHIPS,

AND I'VE ONLY GIVEN IN A FEW TIMES AND HAD SOME.

SO I'M STICKING TO THE 1,200-CALORIE-A-DAY DIET

WITH ONLY MINOR EXCEPTIONS.

SO I KNOW I'M STILL ON TRACK, AND I'M FEELING CONFIDENT

I'M GONNA HIT MY GOAL.

♪♪

♪♪

TODAY, ME AND NICHELLE ARE GOING TO SEE DR. NOW

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS OFFICE.

HE SAID THAT NOW THAT I'M GETTING OUT OF BED

THAT I SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM GETTING IN A REGULAR VEHICLE,

AND HE'S NOT SENDING MEDICAL TRANSPORT FOR ME.

SO NICHELLE CALLED ME A CAB WITH A RAMP

SO I CAN TRY AND GET IN THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE.

BUT I'M REALLY NERVOUS BECAUSE IT'S BEEN A VERY LONG TIME

SINCE I'VE BEEN ABLE TO FIT IN A NORMAL CAR.

♪♪

TO GET IN THE CAR?

I DON'T KNOW IF I COULD LIFT UP THERE.

I CAN TRY.

HOW ARE YOU GONNA LIFT UP THAT HIGH?

I DON'T THINK YOU -- I DON'T KNOW.

I DON'T KNOW.

THAT'S KIND OF HIGH FOR HER.

DO YOU WANT TO TRY TO GET IN MY CAR

OR DO YOU WANT TO TRY TO WALK UP THIS RAMP?

OKAY. YOU WANT ME PULL MY CAR,

TRY TO SEE IF YOU CAN GET IN THERE?

OKAY.

OCTAVIA, WE'RE ON.

♪♪

HERE WE GO.

ONE, TWO, THREE.

OH.

I GOT YOU.

TAKE YOUR TIME, OCTAVIA.

BREATHE.

YOU GOT THIS.

I LET THE SEAT BACK.

IT'S UP HIGH.

WELL, LAY BACK.

ALL RIGHT. HOLD ON. HOLD ON.

ONE, TWO, THREE.

YOU GOT IT UP THERE. SLIDE IT ON IN.

YOU GOT IT.

-OKAY. -OKAY.

CLOSE THE DOOR.

Octavia: I WAS HOPING WITH ALL MY PROGRESS

THIS WOULD BE EASIER, BUT IT'S NOT.

AND I'M IN SO MUCH PAIN RIGHT NOW.

I JUST HOPE I CAN MAKE IT.

BECAUSE I CAN'T MISS MY APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW.

♪♪

♪♪

Nichelle: WE ARE HERE.

THANK YOU, JESUS.

♪♪

[ GRUNTING ]

[ GRUNTING ]

YOU GOT IT, OCTAVIA?

I DON'T KNOW.

THE CHAIR'S RIGHT THERE.

[ GRUNTS ]

ALL RIGHT. YOU DID IT.

GOOD JOB.

OKAY.

I'M REALLY STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW.

BECAUSE I'M JUST COMPLETELY DRAINED,

AND I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO STAND ON MY OWN

AND GET MY WEIGHT CHECKED

WITHOUT SOMETHING TO LEAN ON FOR SUPPORT

BECAUSE I JUST DON'T HAVE IT IN ME.

BUT I HAVE TO TRY.

OCTAVIA GAHAGANS.

WHEN I LEFT REHAB, I MADE IT DOWN TO 584,

AND DR. NOW SAID I HAD TO LOSE 50 POUNDS THIS MONTH.

SO THAT MEANS I NEED TO BE BELOW 534 TODAY.

OKAY.

AND I THINK I DID THAT.

I JUST HAVE TO STAND TO GET MY WEIGHT CHECKED.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

OH, IT HURTS.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT, AND I'M REALLY UPSET RIGHT NOW.

IT'S OKAY.

GOT TO TRY A LITTLE HARDER NEXT TIME.

YOU'RE GONNA GET IT.

YEAH. -OKAY.

YOU GUYS CAN GO TO ROOM 5.

-THANK YOU. -YOU'RE WELCOME.

Octavia: I THOUGHT I HAD LOST MORE THAN THAT, AND I HAVEN'T.

I KNOW I FELL SHORT WITH MY STRESS EATING,

AND I'VE HAD ISSUES TO WHERE, YOU KNOW,

I HAVEN'T DONE CORRECTLY, SO.

DR. NOW, I'M SURE, IS GONNA BE UPSET

BECAUSE I DIDN'T MEET MY GOAL,

SO I WON'T BE APPROVED FOR SURGERY TODAY.

I KNOW THAT.

WE MADE IT. WE'RE HERE. CAN'T GIVE UP NOW.

I'M DISAPPOINTED.

YOU WIN SOME.

YOU WIN SOME LATER.

I DIDN'T MAKE IT.

WE'LL SEE WHAT HE SAYS WHEN HE COMES IN HERE.

-HELLO. -HELLO.

HI, DR. NOW.

HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING?

OH. WE'RE HERE.

ALL RIGHT, OCTAVIA.

SO YOU'RE ALMOST 100 POUNDS OFF

FROM WHERE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE.

WHAT HAPPENED?

THINGS HAVE BEEN HECTIC FOR ME.

I'M STRESSED OUT. -WHAT DO YOU MEAN "BEEN HECTIC"?

IT'S JUST BEEN A LOT. I'VE BEEN STRESSED.

SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN I'M STRESSED, I EAT.

SO WE'RE GIVING YOU THIS CHANCE TO SAVE YOUR LIFE,

AND YOU TELL ME YOU CAN'T DO IT RIGHT NOW

BECAUSE YOU'RE STRESSED?

BECAUSE THAT'S NEVER GONNA CHANGE.

LIFE IS FULL OF STRESS.I KNOW.

SO YOU MAKE ALL THOSE CHANGES TO COME HERE TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE,

AND NOW YOU'RE NOT CHANGING.

BOTH OF YOU ARE TOGETHER.

SHE'S OVERWEIGHT. YOU'RE OVERWEIGHT.

YOU'RE NOT LOSING WEIGHT BECAUSE YOU HAVE

AN ENABLER TAKING CARE OF YOU,

AND YOU BOTH SEEM TO HAVE NO DESIRE TO CHANGE.

SO WHAT'S THE POINT OF COMING DOWN HERE

AND NOT FOLLOWING OUR DIET?

DR. NOW, I NEED THERAPY.

I NEED HELP. IT'S NOT SOMETHING --

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH.

IT'S AN ADJUSTMENT, DR. NOW.

WE'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT SINCE WE'VE BEEN HERE.

NOTHING YOU ARE SAYING MATTERS.

SO WHY EVEN SAY ANYTHING?

IT'S AN ADJUSTMENT FOR US.

WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?

THIS IS AN ADJUSTMENT FOR US -- BOTH OF US.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DEALT WITH OUR ENTIRE LIVES,

AND WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE,

AND SHE'S NOT A PET, SO I CAN'T TREAT HER LIKE A PET.

SHE'S A HUMAN BEING TO ME, SO I TRY TO TALK TO HER --

WE DON'T WANT HER TO BE TREATED LIKE A PET.

NOT FEEDING HER WHATEVER SHE WANTS DOESN'T MAKE HER A PET.

THAT'S ENABLER LOGIC.

I WANT YOU TO BE SUPPORTIVE --I AM SUPPORTIVE.

AND BEING SUPPORTIVE, THAT MEANS THAT YOU STOP

BRINGING HER UNHEALTHY FOOD THAT'S KILLING HER,

AND YOU BOTH DO THE SAME THING AND BOTH LOSE WEIGHT.

YES. YOU'RE RIGHT.

BUT WE UNDERSTAND THAT.

BUT WHAT I'M TELLING YOU IS, YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE WHY.

YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE RESULT.

NOBODY'S FIXING THE WHY.

IF YOU'VE BEEN ADDICTED TO SOMETHING YOUR WHOLE LIFE,

AND YOU GIVE ME A PIECE OF PAPER, AND YOU SAY,

"HEY, DO THIS," THE PAPER'S NOT GONNA CHANGE ME.

EVERYTHING THAT I'VE BEEN GIVEN

IS STILL NOT HELPING ME TO THE WHY.

ALL RIGHT, OCTAVIA.

DO YOU WANT TO START THERAPY TO ADDRESS THE WHY?

THEN WE'LL START YOU ON THERAPY.

BUT LET ME TRY TO CLEAR SOMETHING UP.

RIGHT NOW, FOR THIS FIRST WEIGHT-LOSS GOAL,

IT IS A MATTER OF CHOICE.

STICKING WITH IT IS WHAT THERAPY ADDRESSES.

THE WHY HAS TO BE ADDRESSED FOR THE LONG-TERM.

BECAUSE DISCIPLINE WILL EVENTUALLY FALL TO TEMPTATION

IF YOU HAVEN'T ADDRESSED A CORE ISSUE AT PLAY.

SO DOING IT FROM SIX MONTHS TO A YEAR,

AND FOR A LIFETIME, THAT'S THE STRUGGLE.

MARK TWAIN SAID, "QUITTING SMOKING IS EASY.

I'VE DONE IT A THOUSAND TIMES."

HIS POINT WAS, STICKING TO IT

AND RESISTING TEMPTATION IS HARD.

MAKING A CHOICE TO CHANGE ISN'T.

OKAY? MM-HMM.

SO IF YOU WANT TO START WITH THERAPY,

THEN WE'LL START TO GO INTO THAT.

AND WHAT I'M GOING TO DO IS GIVE YOU ANOTHER MONTH

TO LOSE 50 POUNDS LIKE YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE.

OKAY? AND IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES,

YOU PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL ME.

OKAY.

THANK YOU, DR. NOW.

-ALL RIGHT? -ALL RIGHT.

NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN, AND BE GOOD SUPPORT FOR HER.

I HAVE BEEN. [ CHUCKLES ]

♪♪

I JUST WANT TO BE BETTER.

Dr. Nowzaradan: INSTEAD OF TAKING RESPONSIBILITY,

OCTAVIA IS BLAMING HER EMOTIONS

AND MAKING EXCUSES TO JUSTIFY HER CHOICES.

BUT IF SHE AND NICHELLE DON'T START TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY,

THEN IN ANOTHER MONTH, SHE WILL BE BACK UP TO ALMOST 700 POUNDS,

AND SHE WILL CONTINUE TO GAIN FROM THERE

AND BECOME IMMOBILE AGAIN.

SO THEY'RE BOTH PLAYING A DANGEROUS GAME RIGHT NOW,

AND THEY NEED TO WAKE UP.

-ALL RIGHT. -I'M SO READY TO GO.

I CAN'T GET OUT OF HERE FAST ENOUGH.

♪♪

♪♪

Octavia: THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS HAVE BEEN HARD.

NICHELLE HAS BEEN REALLY UPSET AFTER THE DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT.

DR. NOW SAYING SHE'S MY ENABLER UPSET HER,

AND SO THINGS HAVE BEEN A LITTLE TENSE BETWEEN US,

AND SHE'S THINKING IT'S BEST IF SHE GOES BACK TO KANSAS CITY.

BUT I DON'T HAVE ANYONE ELSE DOWN HERE,

AND THE STRESS OF IT ALL HAS BEEN TOO MUCH FOR ME.

SO I'M REALLY STRUGGLING.

AND WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON,

I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO START GOING TO THE THERAPY

DR. NOW SET UP FOR ME,

AND I KNOW HE ISN'T HAPPY ABOUT THAT.

SO I JUST HAVE TO GET THIS ALL FIGURED OUT WITH NICHELLE.

BUT IF SHE DOESN'T WANT TO BE HERE,

THEN I DON'T WANT TO MAKE HER FEEL LIKE SHE HAS TO.

HELLO. HI.

WHAT YOU DOING?

[ SIGHS ] JUST THINKING.

HERE'S THE THING. THIS IS WHAT I FEEL LIKE.

I KNOW WHAT DR. NOW IS SAYING --

I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.

JUST -- PLEASE.I KNOW IT'S HARD TO HEAR,

AND I KNOW YOU DON'T WANT TO BE A PART OF THE PROCESS.

I'M ALREADY A PART OF THE PROCESS. I JUST --

BUT YOU'RE NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT,

AND, ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW,

A LOT OF WHAT HE'S SAYING IS TRUE, AND I GET IT.

YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD TO TAKE CRITICISM,

AND I KNOW IT'S STRESSFUL FOR YOU.

I JUST DON'T WANT THAT DYNAMIC.

BECAUSE IF HE SAYS SOMETHING TO YOU,

IT UPSETS YOU, THEN I FEEL BAD

BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE I PUT YOU IN THIS POSITION.

YOU SHOULDN'T FEEL LIKE THAT.

WELL, I CAN'T HELP IT.YEAH.

I JUST DON'T WANT THE TENSION.

IT'S HURTING ME, AND IT'S HURTING YOU.

AND I DON'T WANT THAT.

I'M DAMNED IF I DO, DAMNED IF I DON'T.

IF I DO RIGHT, YOU STILL GET ATTACKED.

IF YOU DO WRONG, YOU STILL GET ATTACKED.

BUT WE DIDN'T DO RIGHT, CHELLE.

I'M NOT LOSING WEIGHT.

BUT WE DIDN'T DO WRONG ALL THE WAY EITHER, OCTAVIA.

WE DIDN'T DO RIGHT. IT'S NOT RIGHT.

OKAY, SO WHAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE WE DID WRONG?

IT'S NOT LIKE EVERY DAY WE GO OUT AND LIKE,

"OH, WE GONNA EAT THIS, THIS, THIS."

RIGHT. I GET THAT.

BUT YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT, OKAY, WE DID GOOD FOR BREAKFAST,

WE DID GOOD FOR LUNCH, WE JACKED UP ON DINNER.

RIGHT. OKAY.

WE'RE DOING THIS EVERY DAY.

SO, BASICALLY, YOU KNOW HOW YOU SAY THE GOOD OUTWEIGH THE BAD.

BUT THAT BAD IS KEEPING ME STUCK.

I UNDERSTAND.SO I'M NOT LOSING WEIGHT.

SO WE ARE MESSING UP.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALL I'M SAYING IS WE HAVE TO OWN IT.

I OWN THAT, AND I FEEL RESPONSIBLE,

AND THAT'S ONE REASON I WAS LIKE,

"FROM THIS POINT ON, MAYBE WHAT I'M DOING AIN'T RIGHT."

THAT'S WHAT I FEEL LIKE.

DAMNED IF I DO, DAMNED IF I DON'T.

BUT IT'S BOTH OF US. I'M NOT SAYING --

BUT YOU'RE NOT BEING BLAMED FOR IT.

YES, I AM.

IT'S NOT LIKE HE'S JUST SAYING, "NICHELLE, NICHELLE, NICHELLE."

HE BLAMES ME, TOO.

I HAVE TO CHANGE. I KNOW IT'S HARD.

I KNOW IT'S HARD FOR ME, IT'S HARD FOR YOU

BECAUSE THIS IS THE WAY WE'VE HAD TO COPE WITH LIFE.

AND NOBODY'S GONNA UNDERSTAND THAT FOR US.

BUT IF WE KEEP DOING THE WAY THAT WE'RE DOING,

WE'RE NOT GONNA BE HERE.

WE'VE BEEN IN SURVIVOR MODE SINCE WE WERE LITTLE GIRLS.

THE SAME STUFF HAPPENED TO ME HAPPENED TO YOU.

[ Voice breaking ] WE'VE HAD THE SAME STUFF.

BUT WE GOT TO CHANGE THIS.

WE DON'T HAVE TO KEEP ON DOING LIKE WE'RE DOING.

WE GOT TO STOP.

WE GOT TO CHANGE.

THIS AIN'T ABOUT ME. THIS IS ABOUT YOU RIGHT NOW.

NO, CHELLE, IT IS.

IT IS FOR YOU.

YOU GOT TO DO IT, TOO.

OCTAVIA, THIS AIN'T ABOUT ME.

THIS IS ABOUT YOU.NO, NO, NO.

I'M TALKING ABOUT LIFE.

I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

I'M JUST SAYING. WE GOT TO DO BETTER.

OKAY.

SO IF YOU WANT TO KEEP GOING, FINE.

IF NOT, I PROMISE I'M NOT GONNA BE MAD.

I DON'T WANT YOU GONE,

[ Normal voice ] BUT I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO THROUGH THIS,

AND YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IT. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING.

OCTAVIA, YOU ACT LIKE YOU DON'T GET UPSET, TOO.

I DO, TOO. OKAY, THEN.

I TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY ON MY PART.

I [BLEEP] UP WITH YOU.

I [BLEEP] UP WITH MYSELF.

SO I TAKE THAT RESPONSIBILITY FULL-FLEDGE ON MY SHOULDER.

SO, YOU KNOW, LET ME BE HOW I AM.

THAT'S JUST ME.

ALL RIGHT.

MM.

Octavia: I CAN'T DO THIS ON MY OWN.

AND I CAN'T QUIT AND GO BACK HOME.

IF I DO THAT, THEN I'LL LOSE EVERYTHING.

SO I JUST HAVE TO SETTLE THINGS WITH NICHELLE.

BECAUSE I KNOW THIS IS MY LAST CHANCE.

♪♪

♪♪

IT'S CONTINUED TO BE A DIFFICULT TIME

BECAUSE ME AND NICHELLE ARE STILL TRYING TO WORK THINGS OUT.

IT SEEMS LIKE ALL WE'RE DOING

IS EITHER AVOIDING EACH OTHER OR ARGUING.

SO I TOLD HER THAT I THINK WE BOTH DESERVE

TO JUST TAKE A BREAK AND THAT WE'VE EARNED A CHEAT DAY.

♪♪

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

HELLO. THANK YOU.

HERE YOU GO. CHICKEN, CHICKEN, CHICKEN.

[ LAUGHS ]

THAT'S MY NAME FOR THAT STUFF.

LIKE, OH, MY GOD.

ALL RIGHT. WHAT'D YOU GET US HERE?

SOME CHICKEN STRIPS.

AND THE DEVIL.

THAT BISCUIT IS THE DEVIL.

Nichelle: FOR OCTAVIA AND MYSELF, THE ADJUSTMENT

HAS BEEN VERY HARD TO GO

FROM EATING WHAT YOU WANT TO 1,200 CALORIES,

AND IF I'VE ENABLED OCTAVIA

BECAUSE THAT'S JUST WHAT I'VE DONE, THAT'S MY BABY.

I LOVE HER SO MUCH THAT I GIVE TO HER.

IT'S HARD TO TELL HER NO.

BUT THIS IS ALL WE KNOW.

I WONDER HOW MANY CALORIES IS THIS?

A WHOLE DAY.

YEAH, RIGHT.

THIS IS MY LAST PIECE OF CARB FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.

I KNOW.

THEN EAT IT! I AM.

THAT'S HOW I EAT.

Octavia: I THINK THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE NEEDED,

BUT I KNOW THERE'S STILL A LOT WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT,

AND I'M STRESSED AND SCARED ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO.

BECAUSE IF NICHELLE DOES DECIDE TO GO BACK,

THEN I'M NOT SURE IF I CAN DO THIS.

♪♪

♪♪

Dr. Nowzaradan: IT'S BEEN TWO MONTHS SINCE OCTAVIA'S LAST APPOINTMENT,

AND SINCE THEN, SHE MISSED TWO APPOINTMENTS WITH PSYCHOTHERAPY,

AND SHE MISSED HER FOLLOW-UP WITH ME.

SO THIS ISN'T LOOKING GOOD.

SO I'M CALLING HER TO FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON.

♪♪

[ Line ringing ]

Octavia: Hello?

OCTAVIA, HOW ARE YOU DOING?

I'm in a lot of pain.

I am hurting so bad.

I went to resume my psych,

and, like, in the front of it is steps, and then it's a ramp,

and I was trying to go up the ramp,

and my body just started breaking down on me.

I couldn't make it, and it's my hip.

My hip is hurting real bad.

DID YOU MAKE IT TO YOUR PSYCHOTHERAPY AND GO IN,

OR YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT?

No, I didn't. It was hard.

SO IF I UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING YOU'RE SAYING CORRECTLY,

YOU HURT YOUR HIP SOMEHOW IN YOUR WHEELCHAIR,

AND YOU'RE HOME WITH A SERIOUS INJURY

THAT YOU'RE JUST HOPING GET BETTER

INSTEAD OF CALLING US FOR HELP?

I don't know.

WHAT DO YOU NOT KNOW?

YOU KEEP MISSING YOUR APPOINTMENTS

AND YOU'RE MAKING EXCUSES.

I'M NOT SURE IF THOSE EXCUSES ARE REAL

OR YOU'RE MAKING THEM UP.

IF THEY'RE REAL, THEN YOU SHOULD GO TO A HOSPITAL

AND HAVE A CHECK AND MAKE SURE THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU.

BUT IF NOT, YOU NEED TO COME IN TODAY

SO WE CAN SEE WHERE YOUR WEIGHT IS AT.

Dr. Now, my hip hurts.

I can't hardly stand on it.

Unless somebody at your end come pick me up

and bring me to the appointment, yes.

But it still hurts.

IF IT HURTS THAT BAD,

THEN WE NEED TO GET YOU IN THE HOSPITAL TO CHECK IT OUT.

BECAUSE WHAT YOU ARE DESCRIBING IS SERIOUS.

SO I'LL SEND AN AMBULANCE TO PICK YOU UP

AND TAKE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL TODAY.

-Okay. -OKAY.

BYE-BYE. -Bye, Doctor.

ONCE WE GET OCTAVIA TO THE HOSPITAL,

WE'LL CHECK HER HIP AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.

BUT I THINK THIS IS JUST MORE GAMES

BECAUSE SHE'S STILL BEEN OVEREATING,

AND SHE WANTS TO AVOID THE SCALE.

BUT WE WILL GET HER TO THE HOSPITAL AND SEE.

♪♪

♪♪

Octavia: AFTER I TALKED TO DR. NOW,

MY HIP STARTED TO FEEL BETTER.

SO I'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET UP AND MOVE AROUND AGAIN.

BUT HE SAID HE WANTS ME TO COME TO THE CLINIC

FOR A FOLLOW-UP IMMEDIATELY.

SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE HEADED.

BUT I DON'T FEEL LIKE I'M READY FOR A WEIGH-IN.

THE PAST COUPLE MONTHS HAVE BEEN HARD.

BUT I'M FINALLY IN A PLACE TO START MAKING THE PROGRESS

I NEED TO HIT MY GOALS BECAUSE I'VE BEEN FOCUSING ON

TRYING TO WORK THINGS OUT WITH NICHELLE.

AND I JUST RECENTLY GOT A HEALTHCARE ASSISTANT

TO TAKE ALL THE PRESSURE AND RESPONSIBILITY OFF OF HER.

SO THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER.

BUT I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO DO WHAT I NEED.

SO I'M HAVING TO DO THIS WAY TOO EARLY.

OCTAVIA GAHAGANS.

Nichelle: HELLO. EXCUSE US.

THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE, I WAS 646,

AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO LOSE 50 POUNDS.

SO THAT MEANS I SHOULD BE DOWN TO 596 TODAY,

AND I'M NOT SURE HOW CLOSE I AM TO THAT.

♪♪

♪♪

I KNEW I WASN'T READY FOR A WEIGH-IN,

SO I DON'T THINK THIS IS FAIR TO HAVE TO DO.

'CAUSE IT'S BEEN HARD.

LIKE, EVERY WEEK IT'S SOMETHING GOING ON.

I'M A STRESS EATER, AND I'VE BEEN UNDER TREMENDOUS STRESS

SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE -- NOT JUST THE WEIGHT LOSS,

BUT MOVING AND TRYING TO GET ADJUSTED.

I MEAN, IT'S JUST BEEN HECTIC.

SO, YOU KNOW, I DEFINITELY KNOW HE'S NOT GONNA APPROVE ME.

PREPARE YOURSELF FOR WHATEVER DR. NOW HAS TO SAY.

IT IS WHAT IT IS.

-HELLO. -HI, DR. NOW.

-HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING? -PRETTY GOOD.

I'M FINE.

Dr. Nowzaradan: ALL RIGHT, OCTAVIA.

IS YOUR HIP STILL FEELING BETTER?

YEAH. I THINK THE PAIN MEDICINE STARTED TO KICK IN.

OKAY. WELL, AT LEAST YOU'RE ABLE

TO GET BACK OUT OF BED AND BE HERE.

SO THAT'S A GOOD IMPROVEMENT. -MM-HMM.

UNFORTUNATELY, WHAT HASN'T IMPROVED IS YOUR WEIGHT LOSS.

YOU'RE LESS THAN 10 POUNDS FROM THE WEIGHT YOU ARRIVED AT.

SO, WE GIVE YOU ALL THE TOOLS,

ALL THE OPPORTUNITY, ALL THE RESOURCES,

BUT YOU'RE STILL OVEREATING, AND YOU STILL HAVE AN ENABLER,

AND NOW YOU'VE GOT, WHAT, TWO PEOPLE TAKING CARE OF YOU?

NO, IT'S NOT TWO PEOPLE TAKING CARE OF ME.

SHE'S HOME HEALTH.

LIKE CLEANING AND --MY HOME-HEALTH PERSON.

THAT'S WHO SHE IS. -WHY DO YOU NEED SO MUCH HELP?

THERE IS NO REASON YOU SHOULD STILL BE RELYING

ON EVERYONE ELSE TO TAKE CARE OF YOU.

SO THE QUESTION IS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR YOURSELF?

I HAVE BEEN TRYING, DR. NOW.

-WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE TRYING? -I SAID I TRY.

IF YOU DIDN'T TRY, YOU'RE GONNA BE 700 POUNDS?

EVEN THOUGH I GAINED SOME WEIGHT,

IT'S NOT LIKE I HAVEN'T LOST ANYTHING.

YOU LOST IN THE HOSPITAL, NOT BY YOURSELF.

DR. NOW, NO, I -- NO.

SOME OF THAT IS ME.

THE THINGS YOU'RE SAYING DON'T LINE UP WITH REALITY.

IF YOU GO HOME, AND YOU DECIDED YOU'RE GOING TO CHANGE

YOUR EATING HABIT,

YOU WOULD HAVE LOST WEIGHT, RIGHT?

SO WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO DIFFERENT THIS TIME?

I'M GONNA HAVE TO BE MORE COMMITTED TO DO

WHAT I NEED TO DO.THAT'S A FIGURE OF SPEECH.

THAT'S NOT ACTION.

YOU DON'T REALIZE HOW DANGEROUS THE SITUATION IS.

ANYTHING HAPPEN TO YOU -- YOU GET A COLD OR ANYTHING --

THAT'LL BE THE END.

NOBODY CAN HELP YOU.

YOUR LIFE IS ON THE LINE,

AND PEOPLE AROUND YOU ARE HELPING YOU KILL YOURSELF.

SO THE ONLY SOLUTION I SEE, IF WE PUT YOU IN THE HOSPITAL,

GET YOU ON A CONTROLLED DIET,

GET YOU AWAY FROM THE PEOPLE THAT BRING YOU FOOD

AND GET YOUR WEIGHT BACK DOWN.

OTHER THAN THAT, YOU GO HOME HOPING AND PRAYING

FOR SOMETHING THAT'S NEVER GONNA HAPPEN.

-CAN I SAY SOMETHING? -SURE.

I JUST STARTED WITH HER FRIDAY, AND I'VE BEEN SPEAKING WITH HER,

AND THE PLAN WAS, I WAS GONNA START A MEAL PREP FOR HER

TO WHERE I COULD MANAGE AND LIMIT, YOU KNOW,

THE THINGS THAT SHE'S TAKING IN, AND I WAS GOING TO GO

TO THE STORE AND GET THE THINGS THAT SHE NEEDS.

YEAH, BUT YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE THERE 24 HOURS A DAY.

CORRECT.

-YOU KNOW, A PERSON LIKE THAT -- -UH-HUH.

IN 10 MINUTES, THEY CAN CONSUME 6,000 CALORIES.

OKAY.

SO YOU MAY NOT REALIZE EVERYTHING YOU'RE UP

AGAINST TO HAVE TO DO THIS.

WHEN YOU GET IN THE SITUATION

THAT THERE IS NO CONTROL IN EATING HABIT,

THERE'S A PERSON IN THE HOUSE THAT HAS THE SAME PROBLEM,

THAT'S GONNA BE VERY DIFFICULT TO CORRECT.

UH-HUH.

SO, HOW DO YOU SEE THAT YOUR ROLE IS GONNA MAKE A CHANGE?

I SEE MY ROLE MAKING A CHANGE BY GIVING HER THE PUSH

IF SHE'S WILLING TO ACCEPT THE PUSH.

SO YOU'RE GONNA HELP HER TO ADJUST HER

EATING HABIT AND STICK WITH IT?

YES.

SO, WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN WITH NICHELLE?

WHAT -- WITH HER? YES.

I'M WILLING TO TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE

WITH NOT ONLY OCTAVIA, BUT MISS NICHELLE, ALSO.

AND ALL I'M ASKING FOR IS GIVE HER

TILL HER NEXT VISIT AND JUST SEE.

IF SHE STILL WENT OVER, THAT'S HER.

THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING.ALL RIGHT.

SO, HERE'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO.

WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU TWO MONTHS,

BUT IF SHE'S NOT DOING WHAT SHE NEEDS THIS NEXT MONTH,

THEN YOU NEED TO TELL ME BECAUSE WE NEED TO INTERVENE.

BUT IF YOU FEEL YOU'RE MAKING PROGRESS WITH HER,

AND SHE'S NOT GAINING AND MAKING EXCUSES,

THEN I EXPECT TO SEE AT LEAST

100 POUNDS WEIGHT LOSS IN THAT TIME.

BUT, OCTAVIA, THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE.

YOU GOT IT?

AND YOU'RE GOING TO THERAPY.

NO MORE EXCUSES.MM-HMM.

SO, WE'RE GONNA RELY ON YOU TO MAKE THE CHANGES,

BUT IF AFTER THIS, WE HAVEN'T LOST ANY WEIGHT,

THEN AT THAT POINT, OUR CHOICES WILL BE HERE

AND GIVE UP OR PUT HER IN THE HOSPITAL

AND ISOLATE HER FROM EVERYBODY, PUT HER ON CONTROLLED DIET.

ARE WE CLEAR ABOUT EVERYTHING NOW?

-YEAH. -ALL RIGHT.

CALL ME IF YOU NEED ANYTHING. -ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU, DR. NOW.

NICE TO MEET YOU.SAME HERE.

THANK YOU.

Dr. Nowzaradan: OCTAVIA AND NICHELLE CONTINUE

TO PLAY A DANGEROUS GAME

WITH OCTAVIA'S LIFE HANGING IN THE BALANCE.

BUT I'M HOPING CALITA IS ABLE TO HANDLE

ADDRESSING THE DYNAMIC WITH THEM

AND HELP GET THINGS GOING IN THE DIRECTION

THEY NEED BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.

BUT IF SHE DOESN'T,

THEN OCTAVIA'S NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO SURVIVE MUCH LONGER.

♪♪

♪♪

Octavia: THIS PAST MONTH HAS BEEN GOOD.

BECAUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG WHILE,

I TRULY FEEL LIKE I HAVE IT IN ME TO CHANGE MY LIFE.

I'VE BEEN GOING TO THE THERAPY DR. NOW SET UP FOR ME,

AND IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER BEEN ABLE

TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS I DID.

I'VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT MYSELF,

AND I REALIZE THAT I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE BACKBONE FOR EVERYONE,

BUT I CAN'T BE THAT FOR MYSELF.

BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE MY HURDLES ARE MOUNTAINS,

WHEREAS, IF I'M HELPING SOMEBODY ELSE, IT'S NOT AS HARD,

AND I HAVE TO FIGURE THAT OUT AND NOT GIVE UP ON ME.

BUT I PLAN TO KEEP FACING WHAT I NEED NO MATTER HOW HARD IT IS.

I KNOW IT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF WORK, BUT I'M READY.

BECAUSE I WANT A NEW LIFE.

SO RIGHT NOW, I'M MAKING SURE I'M DOING WHAT I NEED

AND WORKING AS HARD AS I CAN TO TAKE THE NEXT BIG STEP

AND GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

AND THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT IS TO HIT THE GOAL

DR. NOW GAVE ME BY MY NEXT APPOINTMENT IN A COUPLE WEEKS.

SO I'M STICKING TO HIS DIET COMPLETELY.

AND NICHELLE IS DOING IT WITH ME.

BUT WHEN I FIRST CAME BACK HOME,

ACTUALLY, NICHELLE WAS LIKE, "I WANT SOME PIZZA,"

AND WE DID EAT PIZZA, AND THEN I WAS LIKE,

"I WANT SOME CHIPS," AND I ATE THEM.

I DID, YOU KNOW.

BUT CALITA HELPED US PUT TOGETHER A HEALTHY MEAL PLAN

THAT FOLLOWS THE DIET.

SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN USING, AND, AS OF NOW,

I'M FOLLOWING MY DIET,

AND NICHELLE MAKES STEAMED VEGETABLES, ROASTED VEGETABLES,

LOTS OF CHICKEN, TUNA, AND SALAD.

GOOD OL' JUICY SALAD. [ LAUGHS ]

AND, AT FIRST, IT WAS A BIT OF AN ADJUSTMENT

BECAUSE IT FELT LIKE I WAS BACK IN THE HOSPITAL ON THEIR DIET.

BUT ME AND NICHELLE DECIDED NO MATTER WHAT,

WE NEED TO KEEP A RIGHT MIND-SET AND FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE,

AND IF WE DO THAT, WE KNOW WE'LL BE ABLE TO STICK

TO WHAT WE NEED AND MAKE IT TO OUR GOALS.

Nichelle: I WANT YOU TO KNOW I SUPPORT YOU 100%,

AND I KNOW I'M DOING THE RIGHT THINGS BY YOU

AS FAR AS YOUR EATING,

TRYING TO GET YOU THE RIGHT THINGS TO EAT

BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST FOR YOU,

IT'S FOR ME, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING?

SO I TRY TO APPLY THAT WHEN I'M COOKING,

I'M COOKING FOR BOTH OF US.

I'M NOT JUST LETTING YOU EAT HEALTHY BY YOURSELF.

WE'RE BOTH EATING HEALTHY, AND I NEVER WILL GIVE UP ON YOU.

IT DIDN'T TAKE A DAY TO GAIN ALL THE WEIGHT

THAT YOU'VE GAINED, THAT I'VE GAINED.

IT'S NOT GONNA TAKE YOU A DAY TO LOSE IT,

BUT WE CAME DOWN HERE TOGETHER, WE'RE GONNA LEAVE TOGETHER.

SO, FOR THAT, YOU GOT MY SUPPORT.

ALWAYS. AND I APPRECIATE IT.

YOU'RE MY SISTER.

WELL, HOPEFULLY,

THINGS ARE GETTING READY TO START GETTING BETTER.

AND WE'LL BE WALKING OUT THE SURGERY ROOM

TOGETHER, POP-LOCKING.

[ LAUGHS ]

SEXY, SLIM 2020. YEAH.

Nichelle: EVEN AFTER A COUPLE SLIP-UPS,

I'M ALWAYS GONNA BE THERE FOR OCTAVIA.

THROUGH THICK AND THIN, WE'VE BEEN EVERYWHERE TOGETHER.

WE GOT FAT TOGETHER, WE'RE GONNA GET SKINNY TOGETHER.

SO MOVING FORWARD, I HOPE THAT

DR. NOW APPROVES HER FOR SURGERY SO THAT WE CAN GO FORWARD

FROM THERE AND GET ON OUR JOURNEY.

Octavia: THIS JOURNEY IS DEFINITELY A LOT MORE

THAN I EXPECTED IT TO BE.

I KNOW THAT MY WEIGHT IS NOT GONNA MAGICALLY FALL OFF.

I'M NOT GONNA MAGICALLY BE, YOU KNOW, HEALED.

I CAN'T PRAY IT AWAY.

I CAN'T DO NONE OF THAT.

I HAVE TO WORK FOR IT, AND, YOU KNOW,

I REALIZE THAT, AND I HAVE TO STOP FEELING SORRY FOR MYSELF

AND JUST DO IT.

SO THE NEXT TIME I SEE DR. NOW,

I HOPE AND PRAY

THAT I'M SUCCESSFUL WITH MY WEIGHT LOSS

AND THAT I HIT MY GOAL.

♪♪

♪♪

ME, NICHELLE, AND CALITA ARE AT DR. NOW'S

FOR MY NEXT APPOINTMENT, AND I'M EXTREMELY NERVOUS.

THIS IS GONNA BE THE MOST IMPORTANT WEIGH-IN

I'VE HAD YET BECAUSE MY FUTURE AND MY LIFE ARE RIDING ON ME

HITTING THIS GOAL AND GETTING APPROVED TODAY.

OKAY.

I KNOW I'VE BEEN WORKING AS HARD AS I CAN

AND THAT I'VE MADE PROGRESS,

AND I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH, AND IF IT'S ENOUGH.

IF I HAVEN'T HIT MY GOAL, I KNOW THAT MEANS IT'S ALL OVER FOR ME.

I HAVE FAILED AND LOST THE LAST CHANCE I HAD TO SAVE MY LIFE.

♪♪

Octavia: I'M AT DR. NOW'S TO FIND OUT

IF I HIT MY GOAL OR NOT, BUT I'M EXTREMELY NERVOUS

BECAUSE THIS IS MY LAST CHANCE TO GET SURGERY.

AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT, I WAS AT 684,

AND DR. NOW TOLD ME TO LOSE 100 POUNDS

BY THE TIME I CAME BACK.

THAT MEANS I SHOULD BE BELOW 584 TODAY.

♪♪

♪♪

I KNOW.

[ CRYING ]

LOOK AT YOU.

YOU DID IT.

[ LAUGHS ]

I'M PROUD OF YOU. LOOK AT YOU.

I'M HERE.

DR. NOW STATED THAT IF I DIDN'T LOSE

THAT HE WOULD PUT ME IN THE HOSPITAL

ON A CONTROLLED DIET OR JUST BE DONE.

SO I HAVE BEEN STAYING UNDER MY 1,200 CALORIES.

I'VE BEEN EXERCISING.

SO I'M HOPING THAT DR. NOW

WILL BE OKAY WITH THE AMOUNT OF WEIGHT THAT I LOST,

AND I'M PRAYING THAT I GET APPROVED FOR SURGERY TODAY.

-HELLO. -HELLO.

HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING?

PRETTY GOOD.

ALL RIGHT.

SO, OCTAVIA, YOU'RE DOWN TO 585, HUH?

SO FINALLY YOU'VE FIGURED OUT WHAT TO DO.

RIGHT? YES.

DO YOU FEEL ANY BETTER?

I DO.SO THIS IS GOOD.

AND A BIG THANKS IS DUE TO CALITA FOR COMING IN

AND HELPING YOU AND NICHELLE TO GET BACK ON TRACK.

ABSOLUTELY.

SO, GOOD JOB, CALITA.

I'M ALL SMILES.

THE MEAL PREP -- EVERYTHING WENT WELL,

AND WE'RE STICKING TO IT.

-YEP. -ALL RIGHT.

SUPER.

YOU ALL ARE DOING GREAT, AND, OCTAVIA,

WITH THE RECENT WEIGHT LOSS,

WE CAN GO AHEAD AND APPROVE YOU FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

[ CALITA CLAPPING ]

-OKAY? -THAT'S A GOOD THING.

ALL RIGHT. SO WE'RE GONNA SET YOU UP FOR TWO MONTHS FROM NOW,

AND I WANT YOU TO KEEP LOSING UNTIL THEN.

OKAY.

AND IF YOU DO THAT, THEN WE'LL MOVE AHEAD

WITH YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

BUT IF YOU GAIN, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO YOUR SURGERY, OKAY?

I KNOW. I KNOW HOW IT GOES.

AND I ALSO EXPECT TO SEE YOU WALK IN HERE SOON, OKAY?

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT. GOOD JOB.

GOOD JOB TO YOU, TOO, NICHELLE, AND GOOD JOB, ALL OF YOU.

YOU HAVE ALL DONE GREAT.

SO, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.ALL RIGHT.

WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH, DR. NOW.

-OKAY. -I APPRECIATE IT.

I'M GLAD YOU MADE IT.

GOOD. THANK YOU.

OKAY? NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

I'LL SEE YOU ALL IN TWO MONTHS.

-ALL RIGHTY. -THANK YOU.

[ LAUGHS ]

I'M EXCITED.

FINALLY I'M NOT CRYING.

♪♪

Dr. Nowzaradan: OVER THE PAST COUPLE MONTHS,

OCTAVIA HAS STAYED ON TRACK

LIKE SHE NEEDS AND LOST ANOTHER 58 POUNDS.

SO SHE'S DOWN TO 527 AND DOING WELL.

SO WE ARE MOVING AHEAD WITH HER WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY TODAY

AND ATTEMPTING TO DO A GASTRIC SLEEVE ON HER.

BUT EVEN WITH ALL HER PROGRESS,

OCTAVIA'S WEIGHT IS STILL VERY HIGH.

SO DOING ANY OPERATION ON HER IS VERY RISKY.

SO WE ARE GOING TO MONITOR HER VERY CLOSELY

TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T LET HER GET TO THAT POINT,

AND IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT CAUSES US CONCERN,

WE'LL STOP THE SURGERY.

BUT IF WE ARE SUCCESSFUL, THIS GASTRIC SLEEVE

IS GOING TO BE AN IMPORTANT TOOL THAT WILL HELP

OCTAVIA MAKE MORE PROGRESS OVER THE LONG-TERM.

BECAUSE WHAT THE OPERATION DOES IS REMOVE 80%

TO 90% OF THE STOMACH,

LEAVING A LONG, SKINNY TUBE THAT LOOKS LIKE A SLEEVE.

SO THE PERSON'S FOOD INTAKE IS PHYSICALLY LIMITED,

AND THE PATIENT IS LESS HUNGRY, AND IT WILL GIVE THEM

AN OPPORTUNITY TO BEGIN LOSING WEIGHT.

ALL RIGHT.

WE'RE DONE.

OCTAVIA'S SURGERY WENT VERY WELL,

AND WE WERE ABLE TO DO THE SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY.

BUT SHE HAD A VERY LARGE STOMACH,

AND WE GREATLY REDUCED THE SIZE OF THAT TODAY.

ACTUALLY GOT VERY SKINNY STOMACH LEFT,

AND SHE'S GONNA BE ABLE TO LOSE WEIGHT.

OCTAVIA'S GONNA BE GOING TO RECOVERY NOW,

AND SHE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GO HOME IN A FEW DAYS.

THEN SHE'LL BE ON LIQUID DIET FOR A MONTH.

IN THIS TIME, SHE SHOULD LOSE ANOTHER 40 POUNDS,

AND THEN AFTER THAT, SHE SHOULD LOSE AT LEAST 25 POUNDS A MONTH

UNTIL SHE GETS CLOSE TO HER TARGET WEIGHT.

AND AS SHE LOSES WEIGHT, SHE SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM

STARTING TO WALK SHORT DISTANCES.

BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR OCTAVIA'S LONG-TERM SUCCESS

WILL BE TO GET HER LIVING ON HER OWN.

CALITA WON'T BE ABLE TO HELP THEM FOREVER.

SO, BEFORE OCTAVIA'S HOME SITUATION GOES BACK TO BEING

JUST HER AND NICHELLE AGAIN,

WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT DYNAMIC IS SHIFTED,

AND IF WE DON'T, IT WILL LIKELY JUST SET OCTAVIA UP

TO FALL BACK TO HER OLD HABITS AND START GAINING AGAIN.

SO WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO.

BUT SHE'S COME A LONG WAY, AND SHE'S DOING GREAT RIGHT NOW.

♪♪

♪♪

Octavia: IT'S BEEN A COUPLE MONTHS SINCE MY SURGERY,

AND I'VE BEEN MAKING A LOT OF PROGRESS.

AND WITH ALL MY WEIGHT LOSS,

IT'S BEEN EASIER AND EASIER TO GET UP.

AND UP TO THIS POINT, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO USE MY WALKER

TO STAND AND GET IN A WHEELCHAIR.

BUT TODAY I FEEL LIKE I'M IN A PLACE

WHERE I'M READY TO TRY AND WALK AGAIN.

CHELLE?

CAN Y'ALL BRING THE CHAIR RIGHT HERE TO THE DOOR

SO I CAN GET IN THERE?

THANK YOU.

IF I CAN DO THIS,

THEN A WHOLE NEW WORLD WILL START TO OPEN UP FOR ME.

I JUST HOPE I'M READY.

OKAY.

READY?

I'LL TRY. OKAY.

ONE, TWO, THREE.

OH.

COME ON. MOVE THE CHAIR.

♪♪

JUST PUSH AGAINST THE WALL.

PUT IT AGAINST THE WALL.

RIGHT HERE, BABY.

♪♪

♪♪

I'M ALMOST THERE.

ALMOST THERE. ALMOST THERE. ALMOST THERE.

SIT DOWN. YOU GOT IT. SIT ON DOWN.

YAY.

I MADE IT.

I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!

[ LAUGHS ]

♪♪

♪♪

TO BE ABLE TO FEEL STRONG AND TO GET UP AND DO THAT,

IT DEFINITELY MOTIVATES ME TO KEEP GOING,

AND I'M GONNA KEEP PUSHING MYSELF

'CAUSE I WANT A LIFE FOR MYSELF.

I DON'T WANT TO BE JUST STUCK IN THE HOUSE AND CAN'T DO ANYTHING.

♪♪

Nichelle: I'M SO PROUD OF OCTAVIA.

SHE'S BEEN WORKING OUT ON HER OWN, DOING HER EXERCISES,

AND SHE DID WONDERFUL TAKING STEPS TODAY,

AND SHE'S COME A LONG WAY, SO I'M PROUD OF HER.

[ SNIFFLES ]

I NEED A PAPER TOWEL OR SOMETHING.

I'VE LIVED HERE FOR NINE MONTHS, AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME

I'VE BEEN IN MY LIVING ROOM.

I'M TAKING STEPS TO A BETTER LIFE.

YAY.

SO FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG WHILE, I FINALLY HAVE HOPE.

AND WHEN YOU HAVE HOPE, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING.