Original subtitles

Tommy: I WENT ONLINE AND BOUGHT GRIP SOCKS

BECAUSE I'M TERRIFIED OF FALLING IN THE SHOWER.

I DON'T KNOW IF I'D EVER GET BACK UP IF THAT HAPPENS.

Woman: SOMEWHERE IN ME IS THIS LITTLE GLIMMER OF HOPE.

I JUST WANT TO BE A NORMAL PERSON.

YOU CAN'T DO IT, AND THEN I JUST GET MAD.

Woman #2: IF I DON'T MAKE A CHANGE NOW,

I'M SCARED IT'S GOING TO BE TOO LATE.

NO! IT HURTS!

Woman #2: I REFUSE TO STOP FIGHTING.

I HAVE TO DO THIS FOR MY CHILDREN.

AT WHAT AGE DID YOU FINALLY DISCLOSE?

I DIDN'T.

SO, TO THIS DAY YOU HAVEN'T DISCLOSED TO ANYONE?

NO.

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Tommy: EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE IS A HARD REMINDER

OF HOW BAD I'VE LET MYSELF AND MY BODY GET

BECAUSE MY WEIGHT HAS REACHED A POINT

WHERE I STRUGGLE TO DO EVERY SINGLE THING I NEED,

AND I'M DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE I LET MYSELF GET LIKE THIS.

I DON'T GO OUT. I CAN'T DO MUCH.

AND I GET SAD ABOUT IT BECAUSE I REMEMBER A DAY

WHERE I'D JUST GET UP AND GO.

BUT NOW MY HOME IS MY CAGE, AND THE WAY MY BODY IS,

IS WHAT KEEPS ME TRAPPED HERE.

BUT WHEN I GET UP, IT PUTS PAIN ALL THROUGH

MY WHOLE BODY, AND MY FEET HURT BECAUSE THEY'RE GETTING

STOMPED TO THE GROUND.

MY LEGS ACHE BECAUSE OF THE LYMPHEDEMA,

AND MY KNEES ACHE BECAUSE THEY'RE DETERIORATING.

SO IF I CAN STAND FOR MAYBE 30 SECONDS TO A MINUTE

BEFORE MY KNEES ARE SHAKING AND MY HIPS ARE HURTING

AND I WANT TO JUST KIND OF FALL OVER.

I ALSO START TO LOSE MY BREATH

BECAUSE IT'S HARD FOR ME TO BREATHE NOW.

SO I HAVE TO USE OXYGEN FOR THAT.

AND BECAUSE OF ALL THAT, MY FEAR IS FALLING BECAUSE

I DON'T KNOW IF I'LL EVER GET BACK UP IF THAT HAPPENS.

NO ONE CAN LIFT ME.

I WENT ONLINE AND BOUGHT LIKE 15 PAIR OF GRIP SOCKS.

I EVEN WEAR THEM IN THE SHOWER JUST SO IT GIVES ME

A BETTER CHANCE OF NOT SLIPPING AND FALLING.

RIGHT NOW I LIVE WITH MY FIANCéE, AMANDA.

SHE IS THE ONE THAT TAKES CARE OF EVERYTHING AROUND THE HOUSE,

INCLUDING ME, BUT I STILL TRY TO DO WHAT I CAN TO HELP HER.

AND I'M GETTING UP AND GOING TO THE BATHROOM OR TAKING A SHOWER

IS THE ONLY INDEPENDENCE I REALLY HAVE LEFT.

IF I LOST THAT, I WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO.

PROBABLY WOULD HAVE NO REASON TO EVEN WANT TO BE HERE.

I ALREADY FEEL VERY HELPLESS BECAUSE EVEN DOING THIS

AND CLEANING MYSELF TAKES A LOT OUT OF ME.

AND EVERY DAY I TRY TO DO THAT, IT'S TAKING ME LONGER.

IT'S TAKING ME MORE.

AND IT'S THE SCARIEST MOMENT OF MY DAY,

BEING IN THAT SHOWER AND ON THAT SLIPPERY FLOOR

BECAUSE I'M TERRIFIED OF FALLING.

SO I HAVE TO SIT BECAUSE OF THAT AND JUST BECAUSE

I CAN'T HANDLE STANDING FOR VERY LONG.

SO I USE A BENCH, AND I TRY TO CLEAN

AS MUCH OF MYSELF AS I CAN,

BUT I KNOW I DO NOT GET FULLY CLEAN.

I KNOW THAT I'M NOT GETTING AS GOOD AS I SHOULD

BECAUSE I JUST CAN'T.

I'M TOO BIG.

TAKES TOO MUCH FOR ME ENERGY WISE

TO TRY TO GET TO EVERYWHERE.

SO I JUST FOCUS ON THE IMPORTANT PARTS TO CLEAN,

WHICH ARE UNDER MY FOLDS AND UNDER MY STOMACH

BECAUSE THAT'S THE DANGEROUS AREAS THAT GET CHAFED

AND GET SORES IF I DON'T.

SO I DO THAT AS BEST AND AS FAST AS I CAN

BEFORE I'M OUT OF TOO MUCH STAMINA BECAUSE I HAVE TO TRY

NOT TO WEAR MYSELF OUT SO MUCH

THAT I CAN'T GET OUT THIS SHOWER.

BUT IT DOES TAKE A LOT OUT OF ME,

AND I START TO REALLY NEED MY OXYGEN

BECAUSE OF HOW HARD IT GETS ME TO BREATH DOING ALL THIS.

AT THAT POINT, ALL I WANT TO DO IS EAT.

SO THAT'S WHEN MY CRAVINGS FOR MY FIRST MEAL

START TO GET OVERWHELMING FOR ME.

FOOD IS WHAT I LIVE FOR.

I'D EAT EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY IF I COULD.

IN SOME WAYS, I'M ALREADY CLOSE TO DOING THAT

BECAUSE I EAT LIKE EIGHT MEALS A DAY.

AND AMANDA IS THE ONE THAT COOKS

AND BRINGS IT TO ME TO MAKE SURE I'M HAPPY,

AND SHE ALWAYS MAKES SOMETHING GOOD, VERY, VERY GOOD,

BUT MY FAVORITE IS WHEN SHE MAKES ME

A BUNCH OF BOLOGNA SANDWICHES.

A BOLOGNA AND CHEESE SANDWICH,

THAT'S PROBABLY MY ACHILLES HEEL.

IT'S HARD TO STOP BECAUSE IT'S HARD TO BE HAPPY ONCE I'M DONE.

IF I'M EATING AND I STILL WANT TO EAT,

I'M GOING TO EAT AND I'M GOING TO BE JOYFUL FOR A FEW MINUTES,

BUT I KNOW WHEN IT'S OVER WITH, I'M GOING TO FEEL LIKE

SO THAT'S WHY I CAN'T STOP, AND I DON'T WANT TO STOP.

SO I KNOW I AM A FOOD ADDICT,

BUT I DON'T CARE AS LONG AS I HAVE IT.

I JUST NEED ALL THE BAD STUFF AND PAIN TO GO AWAY

TO HAVE THAT JOY AND PEACE THAT COMES FROM FOOD.

FOOD DOESN'T JUDGE ME.

I HAVE NEVER LOOKED AT A SANDWICH

AND SEE IT LOOK BACK IN A PITIFUL LOOK

OR A SHAMEFUL LOOK OR ANY LOOK OF ANGST

OR ANYTHING OF THAT NATURE.

SO I FEEL LIKE FOOD IS THE ONE THING

I CAN TRUST TO NEVER BETRAY ME.

AND WHEN I NEEDED IT MOST, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR ME

TO LIFT ME UP, TAKE ME AWAY, AND TO SAVE ME.

AND THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF MOMENTS I NEEDED TO BE SAVED.

SINCE I CAN REMEMBER,

IT WAS MORE THAN PLEASURE OF EATING FOR ME.

IT HELPED ME WHEN I NEEDED HELP GETTING PAST SOME THINGS

THAT HAPPENED TO ME WHEN I NEEDED IT AS A KID.

A LOT OF TIMES IT WAS BECAUSE OF MY DAD.

MY FATHER WAS AN ALCOHOLIC.

HE MEANT WELL, BUT HIM AND MY MOM

DID FIGHT QUITE A BIT, AND MOST OF THAT

WAS BECAUSE HE DRANK.

AND BECAUSE OF ALL THAT, THINGS IN OUR HOUSE WERE CHAOTIC,

AND IT WOULD GET LOUD AND SCARY.

SO WHAT I REMEMBER I'D DO IS GET SOME FOOD AND GO EAT

BECAUSE IT ALWAYS HELPED MY FEAR GO AWAY AND I FELT BETTER.

I REALLY NEEDED FOOD TO HELP FEEL THINGS WHEN I WAS 8

BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN I SUDDENLY LOST MY DAD

BECAUSE HE PASSED AWAY OF HEART ATTACK.

HE WAS SUPPOSED TO COME EAT LUNCH WITH ME THAT DAY.

HE SAID HE WOULD AT ABOUT 9:00 IN THE MORNING.

HE PASSED AWAY SITTING AT A DINER.

SO I HAD ALL THIS SADNESS,

AND WHAT HELPED MAKE THAT GO AWAY WAS EATING.

I THINK THAT'S WHEN MY WEIGHT STARTED BECOMING A PROBLEM

BECAUSE I WAS ALREADY OVER 200 POUNDS BY THE TIME I WAS 10,

AND I WAS JUST GETTING BIGGER THROUGH ALL THIS.

IT GOT EVEN WORSE WHEN I WAS 11 BECAUSE WITH MY MOM HAVING TO

WORK A LOT, SHE HAD A FRIEND START TO WATCH ME

WHEN SHE COULDN'T BE AROUND, AND HE KIND OF STARTED

AN INAPPROPRIATE RELATIONSHIP WITH ME, AND HE MOLESTED ME.

I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING ON.

I KNOW I WAS IN PAIN.

I KNOW I DIDN'T LIKE IT,

AND I KNEW I COULDN'T SAY ANYTHING OR I MIGHT GET HURT,

BECAUSE THE MAN DOING THIS TO ME THREATENED ME.

HE WAS GOING TO WHIP ME.

AND I WAS KIND OF ASHAMED, AND I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW

WHAT TO SAY TO ANYBODY.

I DIDN'T TELL NOBODY.

I DIDN'T EVEN TELL MY MOM,

AND I'VE KEPT IT TO MYSELF ALL THESE YEARS.

MY FIANCéE, AMANDA, DOESN'T EVEN KNOW,

AND OUTSIDE OF SOME FRIENDS I TOLD A YEAR AGO,

NO ONE CLOSE TO ME KNOWS IT HAPPENED.

I WAS JUST A KID, AND I WAS SCARED,

SO I JUST USED FOOD TO HELP ME FORGET ABOUT IT

AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE UNTIL WE MOVED AWAY.

IT STOPPED WHEN I WAS 12, BUT BY THEN, I GAINED

A WHOLE LOT AND WAS UP TO OVER 350 POUNDS.

ALL THAT HAPPENING TO ME CHANGED ME A LOT

BECAUSE AFTER THAT, I HAD A HARD TIME TRUSTING PEOPLE.

EVEN WHEN MY MOM GOT RE-MARRIED WHEN I WAS 13,

I DIDN'T TRUST MY NEW STEP-FATHER.

BEFORE I STARTED HIGH SCHOOL,

I FOUND OUT MY WEIGHT WAS OVER 400 POUNDS THEN.

I TRIED TO EAT LESS AND SLOW THINGS DOWN,

BUT IT NEVER WORKED.

SO MY WEIGHT GAIN THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL

JUST KEPT GETTING WORSE.

BY THE TIME I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL AT 18,

I BALLOONED TO JUST ABOUT 500 POUNDS.

AND IT KEPT GETTING WORSE FROM THERE, YOU KNOW?

I TRIED GOING TO A LOCAL COLLEGE,

BUT IN THE END, IT WAS TOO MUCH FOR ME

AND I DROPPED OUT REALLY QUICK.

I MOVED BACK IN WITH MY MOM

AND GOT A JOB AT CASINO NEARBY DOING SOME CLEANING.

I WANTED TO BE A DEALER,

BUT I COULDN'T REALLY HANDLE TOO MUCH ACTIVITY.

I MOSTLY USED EVERYTHING I MADE ON FOOD,

SO MY EATING NEVER REALLY SLOWED DOWN MUCH.

AND AS I GOT BIGGER WHEN I WAS AROUND 22,

I STARTED TO DEVELOP LYMPHEDEMA ON MY LEGS,

WHICH GETS IN THE WAY OF WALKING,

WHICH IS ALREADY HARD TO DO AT MY SIZE.

SO IT COULDN'T REALLY WORK.

MY MOM COULDN'T GIVE ME THE CARE I WAS STARTING TO NEED.

I WANTED TO BECOME MORE INDEPENDENT FROM HER.

SO MY FRIEND JEFFREY I MET IN COLLEGE TOLD ME

I COULD MOVE IN WITH HIM AND HIS GIRLFRIEND, CARMEN,

BECAUSE THEY FELT BAD FOR ME.

SO I DID THAT WHEN I WAS 23,

AND I LIVED WITH THEM FOR AWHILE.

I WAS STARTING TO GET BED BOUND THEN.

SO HE HELPED TAKE CARE OF ME IN EXCHANGE FOR ME

WATCHING THEIR TWO KIDS WHEN THEY WERE OUT.

EVEN THOUGH I COULDN'T GET AROUND MUCH,

I COULD KEEP AN EYE ON THEM.

BUT A FEW YEARS AGO, IT GOT TO A POINT

WHERE ALL HER KIDS WERE GROWN UP

AND THEY DIDN'T NEED TO BE WATCHED ANYMORE.

I WAS LONELY, SO I PUT UP A PAGE ON A DATING SITE WHEN I WAS 31,

AND NOT TOO LONG AFTER THAT, I MET AMANDA.

AND I WAS SURPRISED BECAUSE I WASN'T EXPECTING TO

MEET ANYBODY, REALLY.

THE FIRST THING I REALLY NOTICED ABOUT TOMMY WAS THE WAY

HE LISTENED, AND IT'S KIND OF THE WAY THAT HE IS.

HE IS EXTREMELY CONSIDERATE,

BUT I WAS GOING THROUGH A REALLY DIFFICULT TIME,

AND HE WAS SOMEONE FOR ME TO TALK TO.

I WAS ENGAGED BEFORE TO SOMEONE WHO WAS ALSO MORBIDLY OBESE.

HE WAS OVER 700 POUNDS.

HE WAS JUST A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL MAN,

AND I LOST HIM, YOU KNOW, TO OBESITY.

HIS HEART STOPPED.

AND THEN WHENEVER TOMMY AND I MET AND THINGS

STARTED TO GET MORE SERIOUS, I THOUGHT TO MYSELF,

"AM I GOING TO GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN?"

IT TOOK ME A LITTLE TIME TO FIND OUT HER EX PASSED AWAY

ABOUT TWO MONTHS BEFORE WE STARTED TALKING.

AS WE TALKED AND GOT CLOSER OVER THE NEXT YEAR

AND SHE STARTS TO RECOVER FROM LOSING HER EX,

WE GOT TOGETHER AND I MOVED IN WITH HER.

AND SINCE THEN, WE'VE BEEN TOGETHER.

BUT I NEVER FELT LIKE I'VE BEEN ABLE TO BE

THE BOYFRIEND AMANDA REALLY DESERVES,

AND THE MORE MY BODY BREAKS DOWN,

THE HARDER I MAKE IT FOR HER.

MY LAST FIANCé, I BEGAN TO NOTICE SERIOUS SIGNS

OF DETERIORATION IN HIM --

THE DISCOLORATION IN HIS TOENAILS,

ALMOST A JAUNDICED COLOR IN HIS SKIN.

THE FACT THAT HE WAS SLEEPING SO MUCH MORE,

AND I COULD SEE THE REDNESS AND THE CELLULITIS

AND I JUST DIDN'T GET HOW BAD IT WAS.

AND SO I'LL TELL TOMMY, "I CAN'T GO THROUGH IT AGAIN,"

WATCHING HIM GO DOWNHILL.

I BARELY SURVIVED IT THE FIRST TIME.

I KNOW I WOULD NOT SURVIVE IT AGAIN

BECAUSE MY GRIEF WAS SO EXTREME.

IT'S A CROSS BETWEEN MY ETOUFFéE RECIPE

AND MY TETRAZZINI RECIPE.

LOOKS GOOD.

TASTES GOOD, TOO. ENJOY.

I'M 38 NOW, AND MY LIFE IS PRETTY MUCH THIS BED AND EATING,

SO I DON'T DO ANYTHING OR SEE ANYONE.

I LOVE AMANDA WITH ALL MY HEART,

AND I WANT TO GIVE HER SO MUCH MORE THAN THIS AND WHAT I AM.

A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, I PROPOSED TO HER,

AND I COMMITTED TO HER TO LOSE THE WEIGHT

SO I CAN GIVE HER A PROPER WEDDING.

SHE WANTS TO BE ABLE TO WALK DOWN THE AISLE,

BUT THAT WAS YEARS AGO WHEN I MADE THAT COMMITMENT

TO HER, AND I STILL HAVEN'T FULFILLED IT.

I FEEL LIKE A BURDEN. I DON'T FEEL LIKE A MAN.

I HAVEN'T EVEN EVER TAKEN HER ON A REAL DATE.

WHEN WE FIRST GOT TOGETHER, I ASKED HER WHAT SHE WISHED

SHE COULD DO WITH ME, AND SHE SAYS SHE LOVES SINGING

AND SHE ALWAYS WANTED TO GO DO KARAOKE WITH ME.

AND I PROMISED HER I'D TAKE HER, AND THAT WAS FIVE YEARS AGO,

AND I STILL HAVEN'T DONE THAT SIMPLE THING

SHE WANTED FOR ME EITHER.

I'VE JUST MADE HER MY CARETAKER.

WE CAN'T BE INTIMATE WITH HOW I AM RIGHT NOW.

NOT BEING ABLE TO SLEEP IN THE SAME BED AS MY FIANCéE,

IT'S JUST ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE THINGS

JUST MAKES YOU FEEL KIND OF USELESS.

SO I KNOW I HAVE TO CHANGE,

THAT SHE IS LOSING PATIENCE WITH ME.

I HAVE THIS CONSTANT FEAR THAT SHE'S GOING TO LEAVE ME,

EVERY DAY JUST WONDERING WHEN'S ENOUGH'S GOING TO BE ENOUGH.

AND I DON'T WANT TO DO TO HER

WHAT HAPPENED TO HER WITH HER EX,

BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO STOP THAT FROM HAPPENING NOW.

SO I KNOW I HAVE TO CHANGE

BEFORE I LOSE HER OR MY LIFE OR BOTH.

I FEEL LIKE TOMMY IS KILLING HIMSELF

WITH EVERY BITE OF FOOD THAT HE KNOWS IS BAD FOR HIM,

HE IS KILLING HIMSELF.

AND I'M TELLING YOU LITERALLY, I SWEAR TO GOD,

I AM TO THE POINT WHERE I AM READY

TO BEAT HIM WITH A WHIP IF HE DOES ANYTHING WRONG,

IF HE FALLS OUT OF LINE,

BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST HIS LIFE ON THE LINE HERE.

IT WOULD MEAN MY LIFE BECAUSE I HAVE GROWN

TO LOVE TOMMY SO MUCH.

Tommy: I'M ALMOST 40 YEARS OLD,

AND I REALLY HAVEN'T LIVED A LIFE.

I HAVE A GOOD WOMAN,

BUT IF I DON'T FIND A WAY TO LOSE THE WEIGHT SOON,

AMANDA'S GOING TO FIND ME IN THIS BED NOT BREATHING ANYMORE,

HAVING NOT LIVED LIFE AND HAD ANY PURPOSE.

I'M TERRIFIED THAT I MAY ALREADY BE OUT OF TIME,

SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

I FEEL VERY HELPLESS.

SO I'M JUST PRAYING FOR A MIRACLE.

PLEASE, GOD, HELP ME BECAUSE SOON IT'S GOING TO BE TOO LATE

FOR ME, AND I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE IT.

Tommy: LAST NIGHT I BARELY SLEPT BECAUSE I'M JUST ANXIOUS,

AND I'VE JUST BEEN UP ALL NIGHT WORRYING BECAUSE AMANDA CALLED

DR. NOW'S OFFICE IN HOUSTON AND GOT ME AN APPOINTMENT

TO SEE HIM TO TRY TO GET HIS HELP.

AND TODAY WE'RE GOING TO DRIVE TO HOUSTON

TO GET ME THERE FOR THAT BY TOMORROW.

AND I'M JUST REALLY NERVOUS AND SCARED

ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT COULD GO WRONG.

BUT AT LEAST WE HAVE SOME HELP BECAUSE AMANDA'S MOM, SHARON,

SAID SHE'D HELP DRIVE US.

AND AMANDA HAS ALREADY STAYED UP LATE PACKING MOST EVERYTHING,

SO WE JUST HAVE TO GET IT IN SHARON'S CAR, AND THEN WE'LL GO.

Sharon: WHAT GOES NEXT, AMANDA?

ICE CHEST. OKAY.

THAT'S JUST FULL OF STUFF.

LOOK, TOMMY. LOOK AT ALL THE MUSCLES.

SEE?

I'M THANKFUL FOR THIS CHANCE TO GET HELP.

IT'S JUST SCARY TO DO A TRIP LIKE THIS FOR ME.

IT'D NORMALLY BE A FIVE- TO SIX-HOUR DRIVE,

BUT WE'RE GOING TO TRY IT OVER TWO DAYS

SO IT'S NOT TOO MUCH FROM ME,

ASSUMING I CAN EVEN FIT IN THE CAR LIKE I NEED.

BECAUSE IF IT HURTS TOO MUCH, I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG

I'LL BE ABLE TO GO AT ONCE.

YOU READY?

YEAH, I GUESS I'M ABOUT READY.

ALL RIGHT, Y'ALL.

I KNOW I NEED TO TRY AND DO THIS,

SO HERE GOES NOTHING, I GUESS.

I JUST REALLY HOPE THIS DOESN'T GO BAD AND I CAN FIT NOW.

GOING TO TURN OFF THE LIGHTS AND LOCK EVERYTHING UP, HON?

YEAH, I GOT IT.

ALL RIGHT, I'M GOING TO HEAD OUT THAT WAY THEN.

ALL RIGHT.

SEE YOU IN A MINUTE.

MAKE A RUN THROUGH.

YEAH. THE BACK DOOR LOCKED AND EVERYTHING.

A LITTLE BIT MORE LEVEL? IS THAT OKAY?

THAT'S OKAY. OKAY.

DO YOU WANT ME TO HOLD THOSE DRINKS FOR YOU?

YES, PLEASE.

BECAUSE I KNOW YOU NEED TWO HANDS TO GET IN.

LET ME HELP YOU.

JUST NEED TO TAKE A BREAK?

WELL, NO, I JUST GOT TO GET SITUATED FIRST.

OKAY.

TAKE YOUR TIME, BABY.

ABOUT TWO MORE PULLS AND YOU'RE THERE, HUH?

-OKAY. -OKAY?

ALL RIGHT, CAN WE SHUT THE DOOR NOW?

AMANDA, I'LL LET YOU SHUT THE DOOR.

NOW, TOMMY, WHENEVER YOU NEED TO TAKE A BREAK,

WE'LL STOP.

Tommy: YES, MA'AM.

ALL RIGHT.

I MANAGED TO FIT, SO THAT'S GOOD, I GUESS,

BUT THIS IS HURTFUL.

THE POSITION THAT I HAVE TO BE IN IS PAINFUL,

SO I'M NOT SURE HOW LONG I CAN GO AND LAST LIKE THIS.

BUT IF I CAN GET SOME FOOD OR SNACKS,

I KNOW THAT IT WILL HELP ME HANDLE THIS.

CAN WE GET SOMETHING TO EAT BEFORE WE GET GOING, PLEASE?

WELL, OKAY.

YEAH, I CAN GO IN ORDER FOR ME AND TOMMY.

AMANDA, WE'RE GOING TO SIT IN THE CAR,

AND YOU GO SEE.

OKAY.

TAKE THAT.

RIGHT, HERE WE GO.

I'M HOPING TO AT LEAST HOLD OUT

TO MAKE IT HALFWAY THERE TODAY BEFORE I HAVE TO STOP AND REST.

BUT I REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I'LL BE ABLE TO LAST,

SO I JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE.

BUT HAVING FOOD IS GOING TO BE VERY KEY

TO HELP ME TO GET ALL THE WAY I NEED.

I'M JUST OUT OF ALL MY ENERGY.

THIS TRIP HAS WORE ME OUT,

AND IN SO MUCH PAIN THAT I CAN BARELY GO ON LIKE THIS,

AND I JUST NEED OUT.

I JUST HOPE I CAN MAKE THE WALK TO THE ROOM

BECAUSE RIGHT NOW I FEEL LIKE MY BODY IS DONE.

SO I WISH THEY HAD A WHEELCHAIR OR SOMETHING TO CARRY ME OUT

BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN CLIMB MYSELF

OUT OF THE BACK SEAT.

OKAY.

Sharon: LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET OUT

AND FIND A ROOM.

I FEEL WHAT A SARDINE FEELS LIKE.

CIRCULATION.

A FREE SARDINE.

WATCH YOUR FOOT. THAT'S A DROP RIGHT THERE.

YEAH, I SEE, I SEE.

WE MADE IT. WE'RE HERE. YAY.

LIGHTS.

ALL RIGHTY, THEN. WATCH YOUR STEP.

I JUST NEED SOME REST RIGHT NOW TO RECOVER,

BUT WE STILL HAVE, LIKE, FOUR OR FIVE HOURS

TO MAKE IT TO HOUSTON.

BUT I'M NOT GOING TO THINK ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW

OR WHAT DR. NOW IS GOING TO TELL ME TO DO.

BUT THIS FIRST PART OF TRAVEL HAS WHOOPED ME AND WIPED ME OUT.

I REMEMBER WHEN YOU SAID YOU COULD NEVER GET THERE,

YOU COULDN'T DO THAT.

HERE WE ARE. WE'RE HERE.

Amanda: OKAY, I'M GOING TO GET YOU SET UP.

YOU HUNGRY?

YEAH.

ALL RIGHT.I GOT IT.

OKAY.

BABY, GET YOUR LEGS UP.

Tommy: SO I JUST NEED TO EAT SOMETHING AND REST

SO I CAN GET MY STAMINA BACK UP AND TRY AGAIN TOMORROW

BECAUSE I HAVE TO MAKE IT TO MY APPOINTMENT TOMORROW.

AND I HOPE DR. NOW TAKES ME ON HIS PROGRAM

SO I CAN GET THE HELP I NEED, BECAUSE WITHOUT IT,

I DON'T KNOW WHAT CHANCE I HAVE LEFT TO CHANGE MY LIFE.

Tommy: WE MADE IT TO HOUSTON,

BUT THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY LONG TRIP.

SO I PUSHED MYSELF TO GET HERE, BUT IT'S TAKEN ALL I HAD.

AND I'M JUST BATTLING BEING REALLY NERVOUS RIGHT NOW

BECAUSE IF I DON'T END UP GETTING HELP TODAY,

THEN I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO DO.

TOMMY.

I REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I WEIGH,

SO I'M WORRIED WHAT THAT NUMBER'S GOING TO BE.

I JUST HOPE IT'S NOT TOO BAD.

THAT'S DISAPPOINTING,

BUT I CAN'T SAY THAT WEIGHT IS MUCH OF A SURPRISE TO ME.

I NEED TO START TO GET IT TO DROP A LOT,

AND THAT'S WHAT I'M HERE FOR.

SO I'M HOPING DR. NOW WILL BE ABLE TO HELP ME DO THAT

BEFORE IT GETS ANY WORSE.

-HELLO. -HEY, SIR.

HOW Y'ALL DOING?

I'M DOING ALL RIGHT.

OKAY, GOOD.

I'M DR. NOWZARADAN, AND YOU'RE TOMMY?

YES, SIR.

COMING ALL THE WAY FROM LOUISIANA, HUH?

YES, SIR.

ALL RIGHT. WHAT BROUGHT YOU DOWN HERE?

I COME TO TRY TO GET INTO YOUR PROGRAM.

SO YOU WANT TO LOSE SOME WEIGHT?

YES, SIR.

AT 641 POUNDS, I WOULD AGREE WITH YOU.

SO YOU'RE 38 NOW?

YES, SIR.

AND DO YOUR WORK?

NO, SIR. I'M DISABLED.

AND WHAT'S YOUR DISABILITY?

MY KNEES ARE DETERIORATING,

MY HIPS ARE DETERIORATING.

BASICALLY, BAD HIP, BAD KNEES, CAN'T REALLY STAND.

OKAY. SO THE REASON YOU'RE HAVING SO MUCH PAIN

AND DISABILITY WITH THAT IS BECAUSE OF YOUR WEIGHT.

HAVE YOU FIGURED THAT OUT?

YES, SIR.

OKAY.

SO HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DISABLED?

SINCE 2006.

2006? YES, SIR.

SO IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME

SINCE YOU'VE BEEN FUNCTIONAL LIKE YOU NEED.

YES, SIR.

OKAY.

SO WHO YOU GOT HERE WITH YOU?

THIS IS MY FIANCéE, AMANDA, AND MY MOTHER-IN-LAW, SHARON.

SOON-TO-BE MOTHER-IN-LAW.

SOON TO BE MOTHER-IN-LAW.

SOON-TO-BE MOTHER-IN-LAW, SHARON.

SO THAT IS YOUR FIANCéE?

YES, SIR. OKAY.

DO YOU LIVE BY YOURSELF, OR YOU LIVE WITH YOUR FIANCéE?

WE LIVE TOGETHER. YES, SIR.

WE LIVE TOGETHER. SHE LIVES SEPARATE.

YOU LIVE TOGETHER? OKAY.

SO I SEE BOTH OF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH YOUR WEIGHT.

SO IF YOU'RE LIVING TOGETHER

AND SHE'S THE ONE WHO FEEDS YOU,

WHERE YOU'RE BOTH OVERWEIGHT,

THEN WE HAVE A DYSFUNCTIONAL DYNAMIC BETWEEN YOU TWO,

ENABLING EACH OTHER TO OVEREAT.

SO IS THAT SOMETHING YOU BOTH REALIZE?

NO. NO, SIR.

I WOULDN'T AGREE WITH THAT BECAUSE I PROBABLY ENABLE HER.

BUT SHE'S THE ONE BRINGING YOU THE FOOD

SO YOU CAN'T OVEREAT WITHOUT HER HELP, OKAY?

THIS YOUNG LADY, DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOU WEIGH?

ME? MM-HMM.

320.

SO YOU BOTH NEED TO MAKE CHANGES NOW

BEFORE YOUR SITUATIONS GET WORSE.

YOU BOTH GET THAT?

YES, SIR.YES, SIR.

I HOPE SO BECAUSE, TOMMY, YOU ESPECIALLY,

YOU CAN'T GO MUCH LONGER LIKE YOU ARE.

YOU'RE 38. HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF BEING 48?

I DON'T SEE MYSELF BEING 48.

I'M SURPRISED I MADE THIS FAR.

SO YOU OVEREAT, YOU HAVE A LOT OF PAIN,

AND YOU DON'T WORK, AND YOU'RE DISABLED.

WHAT I'M HEARING FROM YOU,

YOU'RE HERE SOMEBODY ELSE TO DO ALL THE MAGIC FOR YOU

AND MAGICALLY, YOU GET BETTER AND LOSE THE WEIGHT.

NO, I JUST NEED HELP. I JUST --

OKAY. YOU NEED HELP?

YES, SIR.

OKAY, SO I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU SOME ROAD MAP,

BUT THE HELP IS GOING TO BE YOU.

OKAY? YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT.

AND THE CHANGES YOU NEED TO MAKE,

YOU BOTH HAVE TO MAKE THEM.

YOU'RE ALL GOING TO BE IN THE SAME HOUSEHOLD.

AND THE CHALLENGE IS GOING TO BE

FOR BOTH OF YOU TO UNDERSTAND

WHAT CHANGES YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE.

YOU THINK YOU CAN DO THAT?

YES, SIR.

OKAY.

SO FIRST THING I WANT TO DO IS,

I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU BOTH A NEW DIET

TO START IMMEDIATELY, OKAY?

OKAY.

IT'S A 1,200 CALORIE A DAY, HIGH PROTEIN, LOW CARB DIET,

THAT WILL BREAKDOWN WHAT YOU SHOULD

AND YOU SHOULDN'T EAT, OKAY?

OKAY.

YOU NEED TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES TO BE PERMANENT

AND STICK WITH THEM.

YOU THINK YOU CAN DO THAT?

YES, SIR. I'M READY.

GOOD. AND WHAT I WANT TO SEE FROM YOU

IS TO LOSE AT LEAST 80 POUNDS OVER THE NEXT

TWO MONTHS, OKAY?

OKAY.

AND THAT'S GOING TO BE VERY EASY FOR YOU.

YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? OKAY.

YES, SIR.

AND I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU SOME EXERCISES.

YOU START TO GET MORE ACTIVE

AND MAKE THE CHANGES YOU NEED TO DO THAT.

OKAY.

BUT YOU KNOW THE WORST HABIT THAT YOU HAVE

THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE HARD TO GIVE UP?

FOOD.

NO.

WHAT'S THAT?

DEPENDENCY ON YOUR DISABILITY.

THAT'S GOING TO BE THE WORST THING TO GIVE UP.

BECAUSE YOU GET USED TO GETTING YOUR PAYCHECK

FOR BEING DISABLED, AND LATER ON IF WE GET YOU TO THE POINT

THAT YOU'RE NOT DISABLED, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE

A STEP DOWN TO CONSIDER YOURSELF NOT TO BE DISABLED

AND BE MORE PRODUCTIVE AND EARN YOUR LIVING.

I'M READY FOR THAT.

OKAY. WE WILL SEE WHEN WE GET TO THAT POINT, OKAY?

ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?

I HAVE THE CELLULITIS, LYMPHEDEMA IN MY LEGS

AND MY STOMACH AREA.

MM-HMM. ARE YOU TAKING ANY MEDICINE FOR THAT?

I WAS GIVEN MEDICINE A WHILE BACK FOR IT,

BUT IT WAS ONLY LIKE FOR A FEW DAYS, JUST...

OKAY. AND ARE YOU HAVING ANY PROBLEM WITH IT NOW?

WELL, MY LEGS ARE NOT DRAINING ANYTHING ANYMORE, SO...

BUT MY STOMACH STILL, IT...

YOU STILL HAVING A RASH ON THE STOMACH?

YEAH, YOU GOT A LOT OF SCAR TISSUE

AND A REALLY BAD RASH.

I'LL GIVE YOU SOME ANTI-FUNGAL CREAM

AND TABLET TO TAKE.

THE BIGGEST THING TO HELP THAT ISSUE IS

TO LOSE WEIGHT, OKAY?

OKAY.

IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES, GIVE ME A CALL, OKAY?

WILL DO, SIR.

ALL RIGHT. I WILL SEE YOU IN TWO MONTHS.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

NICE MEETING YOU, DR. NOWZARADAN.

ALL RIGHT. NICE TO MEET YOU.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

AND NICE TO MEET YOU.

ALL RIGHT. I'LL SEE YOU SOON.

Dr. Nowzaradan: WE HAVE A LOT WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO ADDRESS

WITH TOMMY'S SITUATION BEFORE WE ARE ABLE TO GET HIM

TO A PLACE WHERE HE WILL HAVE A CHANCE

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE LONG RUN.

BUT MY BIGGEST CONCERN RIGHT NOW

IS THE DYNAMIC HE HAS WITH HIS FIANCéE

BECAUSE THEY ARE BOTH ENABLING AND USING EACH OTHER

TO JUSTIFY THEIR OVER EATING.

BUT RIGHT NOW, THE FIRST STEP TO START TURNING THINGS AROUND

IS BY MAKING THE CHANGES HE NEEDS WITH HIS LIFESTYLE,

TO GET HEALTHY BEFORE HIS CONDITION DETERIORATES

ANY FURTHER AND HE GETS WORSE.

AND UNTIL HE DOES THAT,

ANYTHING WE DO WOULD ONLY MAKE FOR A TEMPORARY CHANGE.

BECAUSE IF NOT, HE'S GOING TO START

RUNNING OUT OF TIME VERY SOON.

SO HE NEEDS TO DO THIS NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.

Tommy: I KNOW IT'S TIME FOR ME TO FINALLY MAKE SOME BIG CHANGES

THAT I STICK TO, TO GET MY LIFE RIGHT BEFORE

IT GETS TO A REALLY BAD PLACE FOR ME.

SO I'M GOING TO TRY MY HARDEST WITH THE DOCTOR'S DIET

AND EXERCISES BECAUSE I KNOW WITHOUT THIS HELP,

I DON'T STAND MUCH OF A CHANCE.

THIS PAST MONTH I'VE BEEN WORKING TO MAKE A LOT OF CHANGES

LIKE I NEED.

BUT, YOU KNOW, I WON'T LIE,

IT'S BEEN A LOT HARDER THAN I WAS FIGURING.

SO I'VE BEEN MAKING THE CHANGES AND STEPS

AND FOCUSING ON SOME THINGS MORE THAN OTHERS.

I'D LIKE TO ORDER A PIZZA FOR DELIVERY.

AND THE BIGGEST THING I'M FOCUSING ON IS MY EXERCISES.

PART OF DR. NOW'S INSTRUCTIONS SAYS THAT I NEED TO GET UP

AT LEAST TWICE A DAY TO WALK AND BE ACTIVE.

I GOT MY STAMINA UP ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO GO OUTSIDE FOR A BIT.

THAT'S BEEN EXCITING TO ME.

SO THAT ALONE HAS MADE ME FEEL LIKE I'VE COME A LONG WAY,

AND I THINK THAT'S MY BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT.

BUT MY DIET HAS BEEN A LITTLE HARDER FOR ME

AND TAKEN A LOT OF DISCIPLINE.

SO THE DIET, THAT'S WHY I'VE BEEN GOING AT IN STAGES,

BECAUSE IF I CAN JUST HAVE SOMETHING THAT I CRAVE JUST

ONCE IN A DAY, IT GIVES ME THE WILLPOWER

TO DISCIPLINE MYSELF THE REST OF THE DAY.

HEY. HOW YOU DOING, SIR?

HOW YOU DOING, SIR?HAVE YOUR DELIVERY.

THANK YOU, SIR.

KEEP IT. THANK YOU, SIR.

THANK YOU, SIR.YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY.

YOU TOO.

BUT I'M GETTING THE SMALL SIZES FOR EVERYTHING.

AND I FEEL LIKE THAT SACRIFICE IS MAKING A HUGE CHANGE FOR ME,

EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT EXACTLY COMPLETELY DR. NOW'S DIET.

Amanda: WHAT THE HELL?

UNLESS I'M MISTAKEN, THAT'S A PIZZA, RIGHT?

I...

IS THAT ON DR. NOW'S DIET?

IS THAT ON THE LIST OF

YOU AIN'T SUPPOSED TO EAT?

YEAH.

THEN WHAT THE YOU DOING WITH IT?

YOU DON'T NEED THIS

THIS IS BULL

I UNDERSTAND WHY SHE'S UPSET BECAUSE I KNEW

SHE WOULDN'T AGREE WITH IT.

THIS IS JUST A LOT HARDER THAN I REALIZED IT WOULD BE,

BUT I KNOW MY LIFE IS DEPENDING ON THIS

AND ON ME MAKING IT TO MY GOAL.

SO I WANT TO DO THIS FOR HER

BECAUSE IT'S JUST GOING TO BE REALLY BAD IF I DON'T.

Tommy: ME AND AMANDA ARE BACK IN HOUSTON FOR MY NEXT

DR. NOW APPOINTMENT,

AND I'M CURIOUS TO FIND OUT WHAT I LOST.

I FEEL LIKE I'M DOING GOOD BECAUSE I CAN WALK AROUND EASIER

AND I DON'T NEED MY OXYGEN AS MUCH NOW.

TOMMY.

AND WHAT I NEED IS FOR MY PROGRESS TO BE AT THE GOAL

DR. NOW GAVE ME, TO SHOW HIM HOW SERIOUS I AM.

AT MY LAST WEIGH IN TWO MONTHS AGO, I WAS AT 641.

AND DR. NOW GAVE ME THE GOAL TO LOSE 80 POUNDS,

TO GET DOWN TO 561.

WHENEVER YOU'RE READY, YOU CAN GO AHEAD

AND GO TO THE ROOM.

THAT'S NOT AS MUCH AS I WAS HOPING FOR,

SO I'M A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED.

I JUST WISH I LOST MORE,

AND I THOUGHT WITH HOW HARD I WAS WORKING, I WAS.

SO IT'S JUST DISCOURAGING.

I'M WORRIED ABOUT HOW DR. NOW'S GOING TO REACT

SINCE I'M NOT AT MY GOAL.

-HELLO. -HELLO, DR. NOW.

-HOW Y'ALL DOING? -WE'RE DOING OKAY.

SO YOU'RE 613 POUNDS.

YES, SIR.

SO IN TWO MONTHS, YOU LOST ONLY 28 POUNDS?

YES, SIR. I'M A LITTLE SHY.

SO WHAT'S GOING ON THAT YOU HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE

TO LOSE MORE?

HONESTLY, I'M NOT SURE.

AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE NOT SURE?

THERE'S SOMEBODY ELSE WHO'S EATING FOR YOU?

NO.THEN YOU HAVE NO IDEA.

NO, SIR, THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEAN.

I'M...

I REALLY DON'T KNOW. I'M...

YOU'RE STILL OVER-EATING TOO MUCH.

YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, RIGHT?

YES, SIR.

OKAY. SO WHAT WE CAN DO TO GET YOU TO EAT BETTER

AND WAKE YOU UP TO LOSE SOME WEIGHT?

I GUESS I'M GONNA TRY HARDER, JUST STICK DOWN TO IT.

WHATEVER YOU'RE EATING RIGHT NOW IS TOO MUCH.

SO THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT BOTH OF YOU

HAVE TO FACE AND ADDRESS.

YOU REALIZE YOU'RE BOTH OVER-EATING MORE THAN 1,200,

AND YOU BOTH NEED TO REDUCE THAT, OKAY?

BECAUSE, AMANDA, YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE YOU LOST MUCH EITHER.

SO BOTH OF YOU NEED TO DO THE DIET TOGETHER.

OH, THIS IS HIS PROGRAM.IT'S WHAT?

THIS IS HIS PROGRAM.

WELL, BUT YOU KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE MUCH HARDER

FOR HIM UNLESS YOU MAKE THE CHANGES, TOO.

AND MY BIG CONCERN IS YOU'RE GOING TO SABOTAGE HIM

BECAUSE I GOT THE FEELING THAT YOU ARE, TO SOME DEGREE,

ENABLING HIM.

ACTUALLY, NO, I'M THE ONE KICKING HIM IN THE ASS.

YEAH, SHE'S...

WELL, IF HE -- I'M THE ONE

CRACKING THE WHIP AND MAKING HIM DO --

I REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING FOR HIM

THAT HE CAN DO FOR HIMSELF.

I DON'T EVEN CARE IF IT TAKES HIM TWICE AS LONG

AND IT KILLS HIM AND PUTS HIM OUT OF BREATH.

I'M WANT HIM UP AND DOING FOR HIMSELF.

OKAY.

THIS IS ALL ENABLER LOGIC YOU'RE GIVING ME.

AND IF IT WERE TRUE, YOU WOULD DO THE DIET WITH HIM.

SO YOU BOTH DO SEE HOW YOU USE EACH OTHER TO OVEREAT.

THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU DON'T WANT HIM HEALTHY

OR TO LOSE WEIGHT.

THE PROBLEM IS WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT YOU WANT TO OVEREAT,

YOU NEED YOUR DYNAMIC TO JUSTIFY THAT.

SO YOU ENABLE HIM, AND YOU DON'T SEE THAT.

AND THAT'S PART OF THE PROBLEM WE HAVE IN THIS SITUATION.

SO HIS ENABLER HAS TO MAKE CHANGES, TOO,

IF YOU WANT HIM TO HAVE A CHANCE TO DO THIS.

AND YOU CAN'T EXPECT TO BE UNHEALTHY

AND EXPECT ONE PERSON TO BE HEALTHY.

IF HE IS TRYING TO EAT HEALTHY, HOW ABOUT YOU?

YOU EAT HEALTHY, TOO?

I TRY TO EAT HEALTHY, YEAH.

I DON'T DO HIS -- I DON'T DO HIGH PROTEIN, LOW CARB.

I'M ON A DIFFERENT DIET.

WELL, DO YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT?

DON'T YOU THINK YOU'RE OVERWEIGHT?

OH, YEAH.

I MEAN, AND I'M JUST DOING IT DIFFERENTLY,

BUT I'M TRYING.

IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW DIFFERENT DO YOU DO IT.

IF YOU'RE STILL EATING TOO MUCH, IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK.

SO WHATEVER YOU'RE EATING, IF YOU NOT LOSING WEIGHT,

THEN CUT BACK.

SO THERE'S NO MAGIC ABOUT THAT.

BUT IF YOU WANT TOMMY TO HAVE A BETTER CHANCE TO DO THIS,

YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR CHANGES NOW,

BECAUSE HE DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME WITH THE STATE

HE IS IN BECAUSE HIS CONDITION IS VERY POOR,

AND IF HE CONTINUES TO GAIN WEIGHT

OR GET ANYMORE WEIGHT ON HIM,

HIS BREATHING IS GOING TO GET SO BAD

THAT HIS HEALTH WILL START TO RAPIDLY DECLINE

UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE FOR HIM.

SO THIS IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

FOR HIM TO MAKE THE CHANGES ON HIS EATING HABITS.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOSE WEIGHT?

YEAH.

SO YOU BOTH ARE IN THE PROGRAM AND NEED

TO MAKE THE CHANGES BECAUSE EVERYBODY NEEDS

TO BE HEALTHY IN THAT HOUSEHOLD.

OKAY?

SO THIS ISN'T LIKE, "OH, I'M A DIFFERENT PROGRAM,

I'M GOING TO FOLLOW A DIFFERENT DIET."

THAT'S NOT GOING TO WORK.

EVERYBODY HAS TO EAT HEALTHY IN THE HOUSEHOLD

FOR EVERYBODY TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE.

IF SOMETHING IS GOOD FOR ANYBODY,

IT'S GOING TO BE GOOD FOR EVERYBODY.

OKAY? YOU GOT THAT?

YES, SIR. YEAH.

OKAY, SO YOU BOTH REDUCE HOW MUCH YOU'RE EATING.

BUT, TOMMY, THIS IS ULTIMATELY YOUR RESPONSIBILITY,

AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE TRYING MUCH HARDER, OKAY?

OKAY. OKAY.

HOW MUCH ACTIVITY ARE YOU DOING?

HOW MUCH YOU CAN WALK?

I DON'T REALLY HAVE -- I WALK A PRETTY GOOD BIT.

OKAY, SO HOW MUCH WALKING DO YOU DO EVERY DAY?

I REALLY COULDN'T GIVE YOU, LIKE, AN AMOUNT,

BUT I DO A GOOD BIT OF WALKING.

YOU DON'T DO AS MUCH WALKING AS YOU THINK YOU DO.

OKAY, MAYBE I DON'T.

SO WHAT DO YOU DO ALL DAY?

I MAKE HIM GET UP AND WASH THE DISHES,

AND I MAKE HIM DO HIS OWN COOKING

AND HIS OWN PREPARING OF HIS OWN MEALS AND EVERYTHING.

AND HE DOES GO OUTSIDE THE APARTMENT

AND WALKS BACK AND FORTH IN FRONT OF THE APARTMENT,

AND HE'S INCREASED TO THAT GRADUALLY.

HE'S BEEN GRADUALLY INCREASING THAT.

SO IS HE STILL HAVING ANY PROBLEM

WITH THE BREATHING OR ANY ISSUE WITH THAT?

NO, I DON'T REALLY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE BREATHING.

SWELLING IN YOUR FEET?

WELL, BEING THAT TRIP, MY SWELLING PROBABLY

A LITTLE BIT HIGHER BECAUSE OF THE SITTING

UPRIGHT IN THE VEHICLE.

LET'S SEE HOW THE INFECTION ON YOUR STOMACH.

WELL, THAT'S PRETTY GOOD.

I MEAN, THAT'S PRETTY BAD STILL.

SO WE NEED TO GET YOU SOME CREAM AND POWDER AGAIN

AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THAT.

I'VE BEEN USING NYSTATIN, THAT'S IT.

OKAY. SO WE'LL GET YOU SOME MEDICINE.

YOU KNOW, YOUR INFECTION ISN'T GOING TO GET BETTER

UNLESS YOU DO BETTER WITH YOUR DIET,

AND THAT IS GONNA BE A VERY IMPORTANT FACTOR FOR YOU.

YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, RIGHT?

OKAY. SO, ALRIGHT. ANY QUESTIONS?

I GUESS I HAVE EVERYTHING I NEED NOW.

OKAY. SO THE GOAL I'M GIVING YOU IS THE SAME AS THE LAST TIME.

LOSE 80 POUNDS IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS

IF YOU WANT TO SHOW ME YOU'RE SERIOUS

AND READY TO MOVE AHEAD WITH THE NEXT STEP.

YOU THINK YOU CAN DO THAT?

YEAH, I'LL DO WHATEVER.

HE'S GOT THE DISCIPLINE.

HE'S GOT THE DISCIPLINE, SO IT'S THERE.

OKAY. WELL, PUT ACTION TO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING

AND SHOW ME ON THE SCALE NEXT TIME.

YOU GOT IT? ALRIGHT.

IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, GIVE ME A CALL.

YES, SIR.SEE YOU ALL LATER.

THANK YOU.

IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT TOMMY DIDN'T MAKE

MUCH PROGRESS OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS,

AND IT SEEMED THAT THE UNHEALTHY DYNAMIC

HE AND AMANDA HAVE IS A BIG FACTOR IN THAT

BECAUSE THEY ARE BOTH STILL NOT FACING THE REALITY

OF HOW THEY'RE USING EACH OTHER TO JUSTIFY THEIR OVEREATING.

SO WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES TO ADDRESS TO GET TOMMY

TO WHERE HE ULTIMATELY NEEDS.

BUT THE FIRST STEP TOWARD DOING THAT

IS STILL THE SAME AS BEFORE.

TOMMY HAS TO START TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIMSELF

AND HIS CHOICES BEFORE ANYTHING WE DO WILL HAVE LASTING EFFECTS.

BECAUSE IF HE'S NOT WILLING TO WORK TO DO THIS,

THEN HE WILL FAIL IN THE END.

Tommy: I KNOW I NEED TO DO BETTER.

AND I'M GOING TO GO WORK HARDER

BECAUSE THIS IS ALL MY FAULT, YOU KNOW?

I'M THE ONE THAT GETS US OFF TRACK WITH MY CHOICES.

SO I KNOW IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY

TO MAKE CHANGES LIKE DR. NOW SAYS.

SO WHEN I GET BACK HOME,

I'M GOING TO TRY A LOT HARDER TO DO BETTER

AND MAKE SURE I DON'T LET AMANDA AND EVERYONE DOWN.

SINCE MY LAST APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW,

I'VE NOT ONLY BEEN PUSHING MYSELF TO DO BETTER,

BUT AMANDA'S BEEN PUSHING ME TOO.

SHE STOPPED MAKING ANY OF MY MEALS

AND EVEN THOUGH IT'S HARD, I'M OKAY WITH IT.

AND I KNOW IT'S WHAT I NEED TO DO RIGHT NOW

TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MYSELF.

IT'S BEEN AN ADJUSTMENT FOR ME, AND SOMETIMES IT'S FRUSTRATING,

BUT MY BIG FOCUS HAS BEEN ON THE PORTION SIZES

AND EATING LESS SINCE DR. NOW SAID THAT'S WHAT I HAD TO DO.

SO ME AND AMANDA HAVE BOTH CUT BACK ON HOW MUCH WE EAT A LOT.

BUT WE'RE BOTH COMMITTED TO DOING THIS NO MATTER WHAT.

NO SLIP-UPS OR PIZZA OR EVEN A BITE OF SOMETHING

I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE LIKE ICE CREAM.

THIS MY SOUP?

YEAH, SOUP AND YOUR PASTA.

AND IT'S NOT EASY,

BUT I'M DOING A WHOLE LOT TO TRY AND DO BETTER THIS TIME,

AND I'M HOPING IT'S ALL ENOUGH TO GET ME TO THE GOAL

DR. NOW GAVE ME BECAUSE IF I FAIL,

THEN THAT'S IT.

THIS IS MY ABSOLUTE LAST HOPE.

Tommy: ME AND AMANDA ARE ALMOST BACK TO DR. NOW'S AGAIN

FOR ANOTHER APPOINTMENT WITH HIM.

AND I'M A BIT UNSETTLED AND NERVOUS RIGHT NOW

BECAUSE IT'S BEEN HARD FOR ME TO GET UP

AND GET AROUND THE PAST TWO OR THREE WEEKS.

AND IT'S MADE ME WORRY A LITTLE

BECAUSE IF THAT'S GETTING HARDER,

MAYBE I'M NOT MAKING AS MUCH PROGRESS AS I'M THINKING.

I JUST NEED TO BE AT MY GOAL TODAY

AND FOR EVERYTHING I'VE DONE TO BE ENOUGH.

I DON'T WANT TO LET AMANDA AND DR. NOW DOWN

AND MESS UP MY CHANCE FOR THIS HELP.

TOMMY?

AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT, I WAS 613.

I NEEDED TO LOSE 80 POUNDS.

SO BEING AT 533 IS MY GOAL FOR TODAY.

I FEEL REALLY HAPPY WITH THAT BECAUSE THAT'S CLOSE TO MY GOAL.

SO SEEING THAT WEIGHT COME UP WAS A BIG RELIEF.

SO NOW I'M JUST HOPING IT'S ENOUGH FOR DR. NOW.

HI, TOMMY. HEY, DOC.

HOW YOU ALL DOING?

WE'RE DOING ALRIGHT. HOW ABOUT YOURSELF?

GOOD.

ALRIGHT. SO YOU'RE DOWN TO 543?

YES, SIR.

SO A 70-POUND WEIGHT LOSS THIS TIME?

YES.

OKAY. WELL, I'M HAPPY TO SEE A MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

THANK YOU, SIR.

HOW'S YOUR ACTIVITY?

IT'S BETTER. IT'S A LOT BETTER.

SHE'S SHAKING HER HEAD, AND THAT MEANS NO.

LET'S ASK YOU. YOU TELL ME THE TRUTH.

HIS DIET STUFF HE'S BEEN DOING FAIRLY WELL.

BUT HIS ACTIVITY LEVEL'S BEEN REALLY LOW.

SO HE'S LACKING WITH HIS ACTIVITY AND NOT GETTING UP.

HE'S TRYING TO.

I MEAN, I GET HIM UP, HE DOES HOUSEWORK,

AND HE COOKS FOR HIMSELF, HIS OWN MEALS AND EVERYTHING,

AND HE HELPS AROUND THE HOUSE AND STUFF,

BUT HE'S NOT PUSHING AS HARD FOR 30 MINUTES

OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE LIKE HE WAS BEFORE.

OKAY. SO IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE MAKING SOME PROGRESS WITH AMANDA

NOT BEING YOUR ENABLER ANYMORE.YEAH.

AND SHE'S NOT HAPPY WITH YOUR LEVEL OF ACTIVITY?

NO, SHE'S NOT.

SO YOU NEED TO WORK ON THAT.

YOU'RE TIRED OR NO MOTIVATION OR WHAT?

NO, IT'S NOT REALLY TIRED, IT'S JUST IN PAIN.

PAIN? YES.

WHERE'S YOUR PAIN?

MY KNEES, MY HIPS, AND MY BACK.

THOSE ARE JUST THE AREA THAT I KEEP TELLING YOU

THAT YOU HAVE TOO MUCH WEIGHT ON YOUR BODY.

YEAH.

BUT YOU HAVE LOST ENOUGH WEIGHT AND SHOWN ME

THAT YOU'RE STICKING WITH YOUR DIET,

SO WE'RE GOING TO AHEAD AND APPROVE YOU

FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

REALLY? YES.

ALRIGHT, COOL.

THAT'S GOOD NEWS.

OKAY.

WE'LL GO AHEAD AND SET YOU UP FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY

PENDING IF ALL YOUR TESTS LOOK LIKE

YOU'RE GOING TO BE FIT TO HAVE SURGERY.

IF ALL YOUR TESTS ARE GOOD AND YOU STAY ON TRACK

AND CONTINUE LOSING WEIGHT,

WE'LL MOVE AHEAD, OKAY?

YES, SIR.

ALRIGHT.

SO I'LL SCHEDULE YOUR SURGERY FOR ONE MONTH FROM NOW.

AND AS LONG AS YOU DO THAT AND THERE ARE NO ISSUES,

WE'LL MOVE AHEAD. THAT SOUND GOOD TO YOU?

YES, SIR.

OKAY. SO, YOU THINK YOU'RE READY FOR IT?

YES, I'LL BE READY FOR IT.

ALRIGHT, GREAT.

SO STAY ON TRACK AND WE WILL MOVE AHEAD

SOON WITH THAT, ALRIGHT?

THANK YOU, SIR.

THAT'LL GIVE YOU SOME MOTIVATION TO GET A LITTLE MORE ACTIVE.

SHE'S NOT GOING EASY ON YOU.

NO, SIR.

WELL, GOOD. I'M GLAD TO SEE THE POSITIVE CHANGES

IN BOTH OF YOU.

JUST KEEP IT UP,

AND IF EITHER OF YOU NEED ANYTHING, GIVE ME A CALL.

THANK YOU, SIR.

I'M VERY HAPPY TO SEE SOME POSITIVE CHANGES

WITH BOTH TOMMY AND AMANDA.

EVEN THOUGH TOMMY'S WEIGHT LOSS COULD'VE BEEN A LITTLE BETTER,

IT'S ENOUGH TO SHOW ME HE'S WORKING HARDER

AND APPLYING HIMSELF LIKE HE NEEDS TO DO THIS,

AND I'M GLAD TO SEE AMANDA IS TRYING TO WORK ON THINGS TOO

TO START IMPROVING THEIR DYNAMIC

TO GET TO A HEALTHIER PLACE TOGETHER.

SO EVEN THOUGH WE STILL HAVE A LOT TO WORK ON

AND A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE WE GET TOMMY

TO THE PLACE HE NEEDS,

THIS ALL IS A MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

THAT I'M ENCOURAGED BY.

AND AS LONG AS HE STAYS ON TRACK THIS NEXT MONTH

AND HIS TESTS LOOK GOOD, HE WILL BE READY TO MOVE AHEAD

WITH WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY HERE SOON.

Tommy: PART OF ME CAN'T BELIEVE I GOT APPROVED,

BUT I FEEL REALLY HAPPY THAT I ACHIEVED THIS HUGE GOAL

FOR MYSELF AND FOR AMANDA.

IT FILLS ME WITH A LOT OF PRIDE

TO HAVE EARNED MY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

SO I'M VERY EXCITED, BUT I KNOW I HAVE TO STAY ON TRACK,

AND I'M GOING TO KEEP WORKING TO MAKE SURE I CAN DO THAT.

I'M HERE AT THE HOSPITAL FOR MY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

DR. NOW SAYS I'M MOVING AHEAD AND GETTING IT,

SO I'M REALLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT.

TO HAVE AMANDA AND MY MOM HERE WITH ME TO SUPPORT ME

AND BE HERE FOR ME, IT MAKES ME HAPPY.

BUT THERE'S A PART OF ME THAT'S REALLY NERVOUS

BECAUSE I'VE NEVER REALLY HAD SURGERY LIKE THIS

AND THEY TOLD ME MY SIZE MAKES IT A HIGH-RISK THING

SINCE MY BODY IS SO STRAINED FROM ALL THE WEIGHT ON ME.

NO. YOU TRY TO BACK OUT, AND I'LL HAVE TO TIE YOU DOWN.

I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU BACK OUT.

NOT TOO SKINNY, THOUGH.

GIVE US A KISS. YEAH.

WE'LL SEE YOU WHEN YOU COME OUT, BABY.

YEAH, I'LL SEE YOU IN A COUPLE HOURS.

IT'S HARD NOT TO HAVE THE FEARS IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND

ABOUT WHAT COULD HAPPEN, BUT AMANDA IS MY WHOLE LIFE,

AND I'M DOING THIS SO I CAN BE THE PERSON I WANT FOR HER

AND SO WE COULD SPEND THE REST OF OUR LIVES TOGETHER.

SO IF I DON'T DO THIS, I LOSE THE CHANCE FOR THAT,

AND THAT'S MORE TERRIFYING TO ME,

SO I KNOW I'M READY TO DO THIS

SO I CAN KEEP MOVING CLOSER TO HAVING THE LIFE

I DESPERATELY WANT.

Dr. Nowzaradan: TODAY WE'RE ATTEMPTING TO PERFORM

A BARIATRIC SLEEVE ON TOMMY.

HE'S DOWN TO 522,

SO HE'S CONTINUED TO MAKE PROGRESS

WITH A 21-POUND WEIGHT LOSS THIS PAST MONTH.

SO HE'S SHOWING ME ENOUGH

TO SEE HE'S STILL WORKING TO DO WHAT HE NEEDS,

BUT HE'S CLEARLY LOSING MOMENTUM.

ALRIGHT, ROOM LIGHT OFF.

SO THIS SURGERY SHOULD BE A BIG HELP FOR HIM

BECAUSE WHAT THIS OPERATION DOES IS

IT REMOVES 80% TO 90% OF THE STOMACH,

LEAVING A SMALL, NARROW TUBE THAT LOOKS SIMILAR TO A SLEEVE.

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.

SO THIS OPERATION WILL GIVE THEM

AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOSE EVEN MORE WEIGHT

AND BE AN IMPORTANT TOOL TO HELP TOMMY TO STAY ON TRACK

AND GET TO WHERE HE NEEDS FOR THE LONG TERM.

BUT TOMMY IS STILL OVER 500 POUNDS,

AND DOING ANY SURGERY ON ANYONE HIS SIZE IS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS

BECAUSE OF THE STRAIN ALL THEIR WEIGHT

IS ALREADY PUTTING ON THEIR BODY.

SO ANY NUMBER OF SMALL ISSUES

CAN LEAD TO COMPLICATIONS DURING THE OPERATION.

AND IF THAT HAPPENS AND HIS BODY STARTS TO STRUGGLE,

WE MAY HAVE TO END THE OPERATION EARLY

TO PREVENT A LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION.

BUT HOPEFULLY THAT WON'T BE THE CASE

AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO COMPLETE HIS OPERATION WITHOUT ISSUE.

Amanda: I HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY ANXIOUS TODAY JUST WORRYING

BECAUSE OF HOW DANGEROUS THAT THIS SURGERY CAN BE,

AND IT WOULD BE PRETTY DEVASTATING

IF SOMETHING WERE TO HAPPEN.

BUT I THINK THAT WITHOUT THE SURGERY,

TOMMY IS PROBABLY LIVING IN THE LAST DECADE OF HIS LIFE.

SO THE RISK OF THE SURGERY FAR OUTWEIGHS

THE POSSIBILITY OF HIM HAVING ANOTHER 40 YEARS.

AND I'M JUST HOPING EVERYTHING IS GOING RIGHT.

Dr. Nowzaradan: ALRIGHT.

ALRIGHT. ROOM LIGHT ON.

ALRIGHT, ALL FINISHED.

ALRIGHT. TOMMY'S SURGERY WENT VERY WELL.

WE WERE ABLE TO DO A SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY ON HIM,

AND HE HAD NO ISSUES WITH ANESTHESIA AND NO COMPLICATIONS.

WE TOOK ABOUT 80% OF HIS STOMACH,

SO HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO EAT A SMALL AMOUNT

AND LOSE WEIGHT MUCH EASIER.

ALRIGHT. THAT'S TOMMY'S STOMACH WE TOOK OUT.

VERY LONG STOMACH,

BUT THAT CAN DISTEND LATER ON AND GET MUCH BIGGER.

SO WE GET HIM TO RECOVERY,

AND HE WILL BE ABLE TO GO HOME IN A COUPLE DAYS.

HE'LL BE ON LIQUID DIET FOR A MONTH,

AND FOR THE FIRST MONTH AFTER SURGERY

TOMMY SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOSE ANOTHER 40 POUNDS.

BUT AFTER HE GOES BACK ON SOLID FOODS,

HIS WEIGHT LOSS SHOULD MAINTAIN AT LEAST 20 POUNDS A MONTH

UNTIL HE GETS CLOSE TO HIS TARGET WEIGHT.

BUT THIS SURGERY ISN'T A MAGIC FIX.

AND IF TOMMY HAS AN EMOTION OR PATHOLOGICAL ISSUES

THAT DRIVE HIM TO EAT,

HE'S NOT GOING TO HAVE THE FOOD COMFORT,

AND THAT MAY BE AN ISSUE

THAT CAUSES EMOTIONAL ISSUES TO COME TO THE SURFACE.

WE'RE GOING TO GET HIM TO SEE A THERAPIST

TO DEAL WITH THOSE ISSUES.

BUT IF THAT'S THE CASE, THEN IT WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE

FOR HIM TO EAT A LITTLE BIT ALL DAY LONG

TO TRY AND GET THAT FOOD COMFORT AGAIN.

AND IF HE PUSHES HIMSELF TO OVEREAT,

IT CAN START TO STRETCH HIS STOMACH BACK OUT

AND UNDO IT ALL, SO WE'RE GOING TO GET HIM

TO SEE THERAPIST TO DEAL WITH THOSE ISSUES.

SO TOMMY STILL HAS A LOT OF WORK TO DO TO GET HIS GOAL WEIGHT,

WHICH IS UNDER 200 POUNDS.

BUT AS LONG AS HE KEEPS PUSHING HIMSELF

TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES,

WE WILL BE ABLE TO WORK WITH HIM TO GET HIM WHERE HE NEEDS.

Tommy: IT'S BEEN A MONTH SINCE MY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

AND DR. NOW SAID I'M DOING GOOD.

I WAS ON A LIQUID DIET UP UNTIL THIS WEEK

AND NOT BEING ABLE TO EAT SOLID FOOD

OR ANYTHING REAL WAS HARD,

SO I'M GLAD I'M ABLE TO DO THAT AGAIN.

BUT THE SURGERY AND BEING ON THE LIQUID DIET

HELPED ME GET DOWN TO THE 400s NOW.

AND WITH HOW MUCH I'VE LOST NOW, I'M ABLE TO HAVE MORE ACTIVITY

WITHOUT GETTING OUT OF BREATH AND TIRED SO QUICK.

SO I'M TRYING TO HELP AMANDA OUT

BY DOING THINGS AROUND THE HOUSE MORE.

AND IT MAKES ME HAPPY BECAUSE DOING THIS

AND BECOMING MORE INDEPENDENT HAS BEEN SOMETHING

I WANTED TO START SUPPORTING AMANDA HOW SHE SUPPORTS ME.

EVEN IF IT'S JUST SMALL STEPS LIKE THIS, IT'S SOMETHING.

AND WHILE SHE'S OUT THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS,

I'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO A LITTLE CLEANING TO SURPRISE HER

WHEN SHE GETS HOME.

IT'S NOT MUCH, BUT I'M TRYING TO DO AS MUCH AS I CAN.

AND AS SOON AS I CAN RUN ERRANDS,

I WANT TO DO THAT TOO.

THE BIG STEP TO THAT WILL BE GETTING TO

WHERE I CAN DRIVE MYSELF IN THE CAR AGAIN,

AND I'M HOPING TO BE ABLE TO GET MY LICENSE AGAIN.

I JUST GOT TOO BIG LIKE SIX OR SEVEN YEARS AGO,

BUT A FEW WEEKS AGO,

I DECIDED TO TRY TO SEE IF I CAN FIT AGAIN.

I WAS STILL TOO BIG, BUT I WAS CLOSE

AND SINCE THEN, I'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO IT

EVERY THREE OR FOUR DAYS.

AND THE LAST TIME I TRIED WAS LIKE FOUR DAYS AGO,

SO I'M HOPING I CAN FIT NOW.

I'M NOT SURE I'M GOING TO MAKE IT,

BUT I'M REALLY CLOSE.

FOR A MOMENT I DIDN'T THINK I'D BE ABLE TO FIT,

BUT I DID IT.

AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THIS

IN LIKE SEVEN YEARS, SO THIS IS BIG FOR ME.

I'M REALLY EXCITED

AND I CAN'T WAIT TO TELL AMANDA ABOUT IT

BECAUSE ONCE I CAN DRIVE AGAIN AND GET MY LICENSE,

IT OPENS UP SO MUCH FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO GO OUT AND DO THINGS.

EVENTUALLY I WANT TO WORK AND GET A CAREER

SO I CAN PROVIDE FOR US

AND MAYBE HAVE A FAMILY ONE DAY WITH AMANDA.

I KNOW I STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO,

BUT I FEEL REALLY GOOD I MADE IT TO THIS POINT,

AND I CAN'T WAIT TO START TO DO EVEN MORE AS I GET FURTHER

AND HAVE EVEN MORE PROGRESS.

I'M ALMOST BACK TO DR. NOW'S FOR ANOTHER FOLLOW-UP.

THIS PAST MONTH AFTER SURGERY HAS BEEN A LITTLE HARDER.

THAT FIRST MONTH, MY BIG STRUGGLE

WAS TO JUST DO LIQUIDS FOR SO LONG.

BUT THEN AFTER I COULD START EATING REGULAR FOOD,

I STARTED TO HAVE CRAVINGS FOR THINGS

THAT GOT BAD AT TIMES.

AND THAT'S BEEN MY STRUGGLE

BECAUSE I'VE BEEN REALLY HUNGRY AT TIMES

EVEN THOUGHT I CAN'T EAT A LOT AND DON'T WANT A LOT OF FOOD.

AND I'M SCARED IF I GET OFF TRACK,

IT'S GOING TO START TO MESS WITH MY PROGRESS.

SO I JUST WANT TO GET THE BEST WEIGH-IN POSSIBLE RIGHT NOW.

TOMMY?

AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT, I DID WELL

AND I WAS AT 484, AND DR. NOW SAID

I SHOULD BE LOSING AT LEAST 20 POUNDS A MONTH RIGHT NOW.

SO IF I'M ON TRACK, I'LL BE DOWN AT LEAST TO 464.

SO I'M HOPING I AT LEAST DID THAT.

THAT'S NOT AS MUCH AS IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE.

AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS WORRIED ABOUT.

I DIDN'T STOP TRYING, IT JUST GOT A LOT HARDER

THAN I WAS EXPECTING.

BUT HOPEFULLY DR. NOW CAN GIVE ME SOME GUIDANCE ON WHAT TO DO.

HELLO. HEY, DOCTOR.

HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING?

I'M DOING ALRIGHT. HOW ARE YOU?

GOOD.

SO YOU ONLY LOST EIGHT POUNDS THIS MONTH,

SO YOU'RE NOT LOSING AS MUCH WEIGHT AS YOU SHOULD.

SO WHAT'S GOING ON?

YEAH, I'M REALLY DISAPPOINTED ABOUT THAT.

I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S GOING ON.

IT'S JUST BEEN MORE OF A STRUGGLE FOR ME RECENTLY.

ARE YOU EATING MORE FREQUENTLY?

YEAH, I'VE KIND OF BEEN GRAZING A LOT,

THAT YOU WARNED ME ABOUT AT THE HOSPITAL.

I'M JUST HAVING THE CRAVINGS AGAIN.

I'M TRYING TO IGNORE THEM, BUT I GUESS IT'S JUST NOT ENOUGH.

I DON'T KNOW.

WELL, IT'S A BIG CONCERN WHEN A PATIENT'S WEIGHT LOSS

GOES DOWN LIKE THIS SO SOON AFTER SURGERY.

AND WHAT THAT INDICATES IS

THAT THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT EMOTIONAL COMPONENT

BEHIND YOUR PATHOLOGICAL EATING.

AND BEFORE SURGERY, YOU HAD FOOD COMFORT.

IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG, YOU GO TO FOOD, YOU FEEL BETTER.

BUT AFTER SURGERY, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE FOOD COMFORT.

AND THOSE EMOTIONAL ISSUES

THAT DRIVE YOU TO GET FOOD COMFORT

MAY DRIVE YOU TO EAT MORE AND MORE,

AND THAT'S GOING TO BE AN ISSUE THAT WE NEED TO WORK ON IT.

AND TO DO THAT, WE NEED TO WORK WITH PSYCHOTHERAPY

TO HELP YOU WITH THAT RIGHT NOW.

SO I'M GONG TO SET YOU UP TO SEE A THERAPIST

AND SEE IF WE CAN WORK OUT THIS ISSUE

AND GET YOU TO GET BACK TO START LOSING MORE WEIGHT. OKAY?

YES, SIR.

ALRIGHT. SO HOW IS YOUR ACTIVITY?

IT'S A LOT BETTER NOW.IS IT?

YES, SIR. I CAN DO A WHOLE LOT MORE,

AND I FEEL PRETTY GOOD ABOUT THAT.

BUT I'M STILL WORKING ON GETTING A LOT BETTER.

I'M BETTER, I'M JUST NOT AS GOOD AS I COULD BE.

OKAY. SO WHAT ARE YOU BEING ACTIVE DOING?

WELL, I CLEAN, I COOK MEALS FOR US

AND CLEAN AROUND THE HOUSE,

AND I GO OUT AND WALK A LITTLE BIT.

I'M HOPING TO START DRIVING AGAIN SOON.

SO I FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT THAT.

OKAY, THAT'S GREAT.

SO LET'S GET YOU TO SEE A THERAPIST

AND HOPEFULLY GET YOU TO YOUR IDEAL BODY WEIGHT.

YES, SIR.

YOU'VE STILL GOT 300 POUNDS TO LOSE.

SO STICK WITH THE HEALTHY EATING HABIT AND SEE THE THERAPIST.

AND LET'S SEE HOW WE DO IN A COUPLE MONTHS. OKAY?

DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DO THAT?

I'M RELUCTANT TO GO TO THE THERAPY.

BUT IF YOU THINK IT WILL HELP, SIR, I'LL TRY IT.

WELL, I THINK ONCE YOU DO IT A FEW TIMES

AND HAVE A FEW SESSIONS, YOU'LL CHANGE YOUR MIND.

OKAY? YES.

BUT TO START AND THE FIRST TIME IS THE HARDEST.

BUT YOU NEED TO DO THIS

IF YOU WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL FOR THE LONG TERM.

ALRIGHT. SO I'M GOING TO SEE YOU IN A COUPLE MONTHS.

AND IN A COUPLE MONTHS YOU SHOULD BE ABLE

TO LOSE EASILY 40 TO 50 POUNDS IF YOU STICK WITH THE THERAPY.

AND IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, GIVE ME A CALL.

YES, SIR.

OTHERWISE, I'LL SEE YOU IN TWO MONTHS, OKAY?

YES, SIR. ALRIGHT.

NICE TO SEE YOU, TOMMY.THANK YOU.

NICE TO SEE YOU TOO.

THANK YOU, SIR.THANK YOU.

IT'S CONCERNING THAT TOMMY'S WEIGHT LOSS

IS GOING LIKE THIS SO SOON AFTER SURGERY.

BUT THAT LIKELY MEANS THAT HE HAS SOME SEVERE EMOTIONAL ISSUES

HE NEEDS TO ADDRESS, AND PSYCHOTHERAPY

IS GOING TO BE VERY IMPORTANT TO HELP DO THAT.

HE HAS SOME HESITATION ABOUT DOING THAT.

HE SEEMS TO HAVE SOME HESITATION ABOUT STARTING THAT,

BUT IT'S GOING TO BE ESSENTIAL FOR HIM TO DO THAT

AND DEAL WITH HIS CORE ISSUES

IF HE WANTS TO BE ABLE TO STAY ON TRACK FOR THE LONG TERM.

BECAUSE IF HE DOESN'T, IT WILL ONLY BE A MATTER OF TIME

BEFORE THE STRUGGLE TO USE FOOD FOR COMFORT

WILL BE TOO MUCH FOR HIM AND HE STARTS TO OVEREAT

AND SLOWLY START TO STRETCH HIS STOMACH BACK OUT

UNTIL HE STARTS GAINING AGAIN.

SO THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP FOR HIM RIGHT NOW

THAT HE NEEDS TO TAKE SERIOUSLY

IF HE DOESN'T WANT TO END UP HEADING BACK

IN THE WRONG DIRECTION

AND END UP OVER 600 POUNDS AGAIN, STRUGGLING TO LIVE

IF HE DOESN'T WANT TO START TO GAIN AGAIN AND END UP LIKE THAT.

Tommy: I'M NERVOUS ABOUT DOING SOMETHING LIKE THERAPY

BECAUSE I NEVER HAD ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

BUT I'M AT LEAST GLAD THAT DR. NOW

KNOWS THE REASON BEHIND WHAT'S GOING ON WITH ME

AND WHY IT FEELS LIKE SUCH A STRUGGLE RIGHT NOW.

IT'S JUST A SCARY REASON TO ME BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO HAVE

TO GO TALKING ABOUT THINGS FROM MY PAST

AND WHAT HAPPENED TO ME BECAUSE OF THE PAIN THEY GIVE ME.

BUT I KNOW I DON'T WANT TO GO BACKWARDS.

SO I GUESS IT JUST FEELS LIKE A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

BECAUSE I'D JUST RATHER NOT DO THIS.

AND THE ONLY REASON I'M WILLING TO GO DO WHAT DR. NOW

IS SAYING ABOUT THERAPY IS THAT IT'S A SCARIER THOUGHT

TO ME TO LOSE THIS CHANCE BY MESSING UP MY PROGRESS.

I JUST KNOW THIS ISN'T GOING TO BE EASY FOR ME.

Tommy: I'M GOING TO THERAPY TODAY,

AND I'M REALLY NERVOUS ABOUT IT.

I'VE JUST NEVER REALLY DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS

WHERE I TALKED ABOUT THINGS,

SO I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE HARD FOR ME,

AND THAT'S MOSTLY WHAT I'M SCARED ABOUT.

BUT AMANDA IS BEING A BIG SUPPORT TO ME

AND ENCOURAGING ME

BY TELLING ME SHE'S PROUD OF ME FOR DOING THIS.

BUT I STILL FEEL REALLY QUEASY AND STUFF.

I WISH THERE WAS ANOTHER WAY AROUND DOING THIS.

TOMMY? Tommy: YES, MA'AM.

HI. I'M LOLA.HOW ARE YOU DOING?

IT'S A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU.NICE TO MEET YOU.

IF YOU'RE READY, YOU CAN JUST COME ON BACK WITH ME.

BUT I KNOW FROM WHAT DR. NOW SAYS,

THIS IS PART OF WHAT I HAVE TO DO.

AND I'M JUST REALLY HOPING IT GOES WELL.

OKAY.

SO LET'S START OFF WITH YOU

TELLING ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ABOUT YOUR UPBRINGING?

PROBABLY ABOUT AS NORMAL AS MOST.

WE MOVED AROUND A GOOD BIT.

I SPENT THE MAJORITY IN MISSISSIPPI

WITH MY MOTHER, MY STEPFATHER.

SO, TOMMY, HAVE YOU EVER BEEN VERBALLY ABUSED?

I GREW UP A BIG KID. I'VE BEEN VERBALLY ABUSED A LOT.

OKAY. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN PHYSICALLY ABUSED OR BEATEN?

OH, YES.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN SEXUALLY ABUSED OR MOLESTED?

IT'S BEEN A WHILE BUT YES.

I WAS MOLESTED WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, YES, BUT THAT'S THEN.

I'VE GOTTEN OVER THAT.

WHO ABUSED YOU?

IT WAS A FRIEND OF OURS GROWING UP.

A FAMILY FRIEND WAS YOUR PERPETRATOR?

FAMILY FRIEND.

AND HOW DID YOUR FAMILY HANDLE IT WHEN YOU DISCLOSED?

I DIDN'T.YOU DIDN'T DISCLOSE THE ABUSE?

I KEPT IT WITH ME.

OKAY.

AT WHAT AGE DID YOU FINALLY DISCLOSE?

I DIDN'T.

SO TO THIS DAY YOU HAVEN'T DISCLOSED TO ANYONE.

NO. AND I WON'T.

I DO NOT WANT MY MOM TO KNOW FOR THE FACT IS

I DO NOT WANT HER TO THINK IT'S HER FAULT.

MY MOM WORKED UP TO THREE JOBS AT ONE POINT

JUST TO KEEP US IN FOOD AND HOUSE OVER OUR HEADS.

SO IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE VERY APPRECIATIVE

OF THE THINGS THAT YOUR MOM HAS BEEN THROUGH.

MY MOM IS AN ANGEL, AND THAT'S THE REASON

I DON'T WANT HER HAVING TO FEEL ANY GUILT TOWARDS THAT.

WELL, SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

DEAL WITH THINGS BY BURYING THOSE FEELINGS REALLY DEEPLY,

AND THEY TEND TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

FOR THE FEELINGS OF OTHER PERSONS,

AND SO IT LEADS YOU TO COPE WITH STRESS OR SADNESS IN OTHER WAYS.

FOR SOME PEOPLE THAT'S ALCOHOL, OTHERS IT MAY BE DRUGS,

AND IN SOME INSTANCES, IT'S FOOD.

AND ALL OF THOSE CAN BE VERY DETRIMENTAL

TO A PERSON'S OVERALL WELLBEING.

SO I WANT YOU TO THINK OF THIS AS A BRAND-NEW OPPORTUNITY

TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOUR MOM

BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN CARRY SUCH A SECRET

FOR SO MANY DECADES

AND NOT HAVE IT IMPACT THE WAY YOU INTERACT WITH YOUR MOM.

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT, MISS LOLA.

I DON'T KNOW THAT. I JUST...

I DON'T KNOW.

SO TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP

WITH YOUR FIANCéE.

IS SHE AWARE OF YOUR SEXUAL ABUSE TRAUMA?

NO.

OKAY.

WELL, I PERSONALLY ADVISE YOU

TO SHARE YOUR SEXUAL ASSAULT TRAUMA WITH YOUR FIANCéE

BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU GUYS IN A COMMITTED RELATIONSHIP

TO BE ABLE TO SCULPT EMOTIONAL INTIMACY.

NOW, WITH THAT BEING SAID,

JUST KNOW THAT IF YOU ARE READY TO PROCESS THAT WITH AMANDA,

AND AT SOME POINT WITH YOUR MOTHER,

I'M OBLIGED TO HELP FACILITATE THAT.

AND IF THAT DAY NEVER COMES, THAT'S OKAY.

IT'S RECOMMENDED, BUT I CAN'T FORCE YOU TO

NOR WOULD I EVER TRY AND MAKE YOU DO SOMETHING

BEFORE YOU'RE READY TO DO IT. OKAY?

SO DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME?

NOT REALLY. I JUST...

OKAY.

WELL, THANK YOU FOR MEETING WITH ME, TOMMY.

THANK YOU, MISS LOLA.

I APPRECIATE IT.

OKAY. SO WE ARE ALL DONE.

PLEASURE MEETING WITH YOU,

AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU, OKAY?

YES, MA'AM.

MY MIND IS RACING AND I FEEL REALLY QUEASY AGAIN,

AND I JUST WANT TO GO BACK TO THE HOTEL

AND LIE DOWN AND REST BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL GOOD.

I, IN ALL HONESTY, DON'T KNOW IF I CAN DO

WHAT LOLA WANTS ME TO CONSIDER.

BUT SHE AND DR. NOW

BOTH SAID I CAN GET WORSE IN MY WEIGHT LOSS

IF I DON'T DEAL WITH

THE EMOTIONAL THINGS BEHIND MY EATING.

AND SO I THINK THAT MEANS I HAVE TO TO BE ON TRACK AGAIN.

SO I'M JUST REALLY TERRIFIED RIGHT NOW

BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO START LOSING MY PROGRESS

FOR ANY REASON.

AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT I'M GOING TO DO.

Tommy: SINCE SEEING A LOLA A COUPLE WEEKS AGO,

I'VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH GETTING TO WHERE I FEEL LIKE

I CAN TALK TO MY MOM

ABOUT THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO ME WHEN I WAS A KID.

MY BIGGEST FEAR IS THAT I MAKE HER FEEL BAD

OR LIKE I'M BLAMING HER.

SO I JUST HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET OKAY WITH THAT YET.

BUT LOLA ALSO TALKED TO ME ABOUT TELLING AMANDA.

THE THING SHE TOLD ME WAS, LIKE, KEEPING STUFF STOPS INTIMACY.

SO I THINK TELLING HER ABOUT IT IS AN IMPORTANT STEP

BECAUSE I NEVER WANT THERE TO BE ANYTHING BETWEEN US,

ESPECIALLY IF IT KEEPS US FROM INTIMACY.

SO I TOLD HER I WANTED TO TALK AND TELL HER SOMETHING IMPORTANT

WHEN SHE GETS HOME TODAY,

BUT I'M REALLY SCARED ABOUT IT, AND MY BIG FEAR

IS THAT SHE'LL SEE ME DIFFERENT OR TREAT ME DIFFERENT AFTER.

SO I'M JUST HOPING I CAN GET THROUGH THIS

AND THAT IT HELPS ME INSTEAD OF MAKING THINGS WORSE FOR ME.

Tommy: HEY, BABY. HEY.

HOW DID EVERYTHING GO?

IT WENT. IT WENT?

IT WENT. IT'S OVER AND DONE WITH.

THAT'S GOOD.

AND I'M TIRED. WHAT YOU BEEN UP TO?

I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOMETHING.

OKAY.

I TOOK SOME ADVICE AND...

IS THIS MORE OF MISS LOLA'S ADVICE?

YEAH.

AND WHAT WAS THAT?

SHE TOLD ME I NEEDED TO SHARE SOME THINGS

AND GET THEM OUT SO I CAN DEAL WITH THEM.

AND IT'S NOT EASY FOR ME TO SAY.

IT'S HARD TO TALK ABOUT IT SOMETIMES.

WHATEVER IT IS, I'M THE ONE TO LOVE YOU AND SUPPORT YOU.

I SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU A LONG TIME AGO

BUT I JUST DIDN'T.

IT WAS JUST KIND OF HARD.

WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I WAS MOLESTED.

I'M SO SORRY THAT HAPPENED TO YOU,

AND I'M SORRY YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD TO KEEP THAT TO YOURSELF.

I GUESS I WAS JUST EMBARRASSED

AND I WAS JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT

HOW TO GET OVER IT MYSELF, I GUESS.

I KEPT IT A SECRET FOR 20-SOMETHING YEARS, YOU KNOW.

THEN THERE'S NO REASON FOR YOU TO KEEP IT ANY LONGER.

I WAS SCARED TO TELL YOU.

I'M GLAD YOU TOLD ME.

I WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME SOONER

BECAUSE MAYBE I COULD HAVE SUPPORTED YOU IN A DIFFERENT WAY

OR ENCOURAGED YOU IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

THERE'S A REASON WHY THEY CALL

ALL OF THOSE TYPES OF THINGS BAGGAGE.

IT'S BECAUSE WE CARRY THEM AROUND WITH US ALL THE TIME.

AND THERE'S NO HARM IN TALKING ABOUT THEM

SO THAT WE CAN UNLOAD THEM

AND QUIT LETTING THEM WEIGH US DOWN.

LOLA SAID IT'S GOOD TO TELL SOMEONE.

I'M GLAD I DID TELL YOU.

I FEEL A LITTLE RELIEVED JUST TO HAVE THAT BEHIND ME

AND I WAS ABLE TO LET IT OUT.

BUT IT WAS JUST HARD TO MAKE THE WORDS TO SAY IT.

IT FEELS LIKE I HAVE ADRENALINE JUST RACING ALL IN ME

RIGHT NOW FROM IT.

I DON'T REALLY KNOW IF I FEEL LIKE IT HELPED ME

OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT RIGHT NOW.

ALL I FEEL ARE MY NERVES STILL.

BUT I AM RELIEVED TO HAVE GOTTEN PAST THIS.

I'M GLAD FOR HOW AMANDA REACTED,

AND HER ENCOURAGEMENT TO ME

MAKES ME WISH I DID TRY TELLING HER SOONER LIKE SHE SAID.

I'M JUST STILL REALLY SCARED

AT THE THOUGHT OF TELLING MY MOM, THOUGH.

THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO BE THE SCARIEST FOR ME.

SO I'M STILL NOT SURE I CAN DO IT,

BUT I WANT TO KEEP TRYING TO PUSH MYSELF

TO GET TO WHERE I CAN.

AND I HOPE BY DOING WHAT I DID NOW,

IT STARTS TO HELP WITH MY EMOTIONAL STUFF

SO I CAN START TO GET ON TRACK MORE AGAIN

AND SO I CAN LOSE MORE WEIGHT LIKE I SHOULD.

RIGHT NOW, I REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL.

BUT I GUESS ALL I CAN DO NOW IS KEEP WORKING AT THINGS

AND THEN SEE WHERE MY WEIGHT IS AT WHEN I GO BACK TO DR. NOW'S

AND FIND OUT HOW I'M DOING.

I'M BACK IN HOUSTON AT DR. NOW'S WITH AMANDA

TO FIND OUT HOW I'M DOING.

I WENT TO MY THERAPY APPOINTMENT AGAIN,

AND LOLA SAID SHE'S PROUD OF ME FOR TALKING TO AMANDA

AND SHARING WHAT I DID WITH HER

BECAUSE SHE KNOWS IT WASN'T EASY.

TOMMY?

I'M STILL WORKING ON GETTING TO WHERE I FEEL

LIKE I'M READY TO TALK TO MY MOM, BUT I'M NOT YET.

I'M JUST HOPING THAT TAKING THE FIRST STEP

BY TALKING TO AMANDA HELPED ME.

I'M NOT SURE IF IT DID MUCH.

AFTER, I FELT BETTER EMOTIONALLY SOME,

BUT I WAS STILL STRUGGLING WITH CRAVINGS.

AND MY BIG FEAR RIGHT NOW

IS THAT NOTHING I'VE DONE HAS CHANGED ANYTHING

AND THAT I COULD STILL BE LOSING LESS OR ABOUT TO GAIN.

AND IF I AM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT MORE I CAN DO

AND WHAT THAT'S GOING TO MEAN.

SO I'M JUST REALLY SCARED RIGHT NOW.

Tommy: I'M BACK AT DR. NOW'S TO FIND OUT HOW I'M DOING

AND IF I'M LOSING LIKE I NEED.

AND I'M NERVOUS TO FIND OUT.

LAST TIME, I WAS ONLY LOSING EIGHT POUNDS A MONTH

AND WAS DOWN TO 476.

AND DR. NOW SAID I SHOULD BE LOSING

AT LEAST 20 POUNDS A MONTH BY NOW.

SO THAT MEANS IF I GOT BACK ON TRACK,

I'M AT LEAST DOWN TO 436.

BUT I'LL BE HAPPY IF I'M JUST LOSING MORE THAN BEFORE.

WOW!

I KNOW I'M NOT AT MY GOAL, BUT I'M JUST REALLY RELIEVED

I'M LOSING MORE INSTEAD OF SLOWING DOWN EVEN WORSE.

I HAD A LOT OF FEAR ABOUT THAT, SO I FEEL REALLY GOOD RIGHT NOW,

AND I'M JUST HOPING DR. NOW SEES IT LIKE THAT TOO.

IT FEELS LIKE THIS SHOWS I'M TRYING LIKE I NEED.

HELLO. HEY, DOCTOR.

HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING?

WE'RE DOING OKAY. HOW ARE YOU DOING?

GOOD.

ALRIGHT, TOMMY. HOW ARE YOU GETTING ALONG?

I'M DOING PRETTY GOOD.

OKAY. AND, NOW, HOW IS THE THERAPY WORKING FOR YOU?

DR. LOLA IS DOING PRETTY GOOD.

SHE HAS HELPED ME A LOT WITH MY ISSUES.

ALRIGHT. WELL, YOU LOST 24 POUNDS

OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS INSTEAD OF 40.

BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS, 12 POUNDS A MONTH

IS BETTER THAN EIGHT POUNDS A MONTH,

SO YOU ARE AT LEAST MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION WITH THAT.

BUT THERE IS STILL ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT,

SO KEEP WORKING HARD, CONTINUE WITH YOUR DIET,

AND KEEP GOING TO THERAPY AND WORKING AT THE THINGS YOU NEED.

AND AS LONG AS YOU KEEP THINGS MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

WITH YOUR WEIGHT LOSS, YOU WILL BE FINE.

OKAY?

YES, SIR.

IF YOU START LOSING 20 POUNDS A MONTH

AND IN A FEW MONTHS WE DO EXTRA SKIN REMOVAL,

THEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE IN GOOD SHAPE.

YES, SIR.OKAY? SO KEEP WORKING HARD,

AND WE SEE HOW YOU ARE GETTING ALONG IN TWO, THREE MONTHS.

OKAY? HOW IS THAT COMING ALONG WITH YOU?

Amanda: I'M NOT DOING AS GOOD AS HE IS.

I TOLD HIM HE'S GOING TO HAVE TO START

PUSHING ME A LITTLE HARDER.

JUST COPYCAT HIS DIET, YOU'RE GOING TO BE FINE.

I'M WORKING ON IT.

ALRIGHT. TOMMY, I'M PROUD OF YOUR PROGRESS.

YOU KEEP WORKING HARD,

BUT DON'T MISS YOUR APPOINTMENT WITH THERAPY.

NO, I WON'T.OKAY. ALRIGHT.

I PROMISE YOU I'M GOING TO KEEP HIM IN LINE.

I'VE ALREADY READ THE ENTIRE BOOKLET

THAT YOU GAVE HIM THREE TIMES.

OKAY.

I'VE HIGHLIGHTED, NOTED.

ALRIGHT.

SO YOU'RE GOING TO KEEP BEING HIS MORAL SUPPORT, HUH?

YES, SIR.

THAT'S GREAT.

IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, GIVE ME A CALL.

TOMMY, I'M HAPPY WITH YOUR PROGRESS, AND KEEP WORKING HARD,

AND I'LL SEE YOU IN A COUPLE MONTHS.

THANK YOU, SIR.

ALRIGHT. THANK YOU.

NICE TO SEE YOU. SEE YOU ALL LATER.

I'M PROUD OF TOMMY AND THE PROGRESS HE'S MAKING.

HE'S STILL BELOW WHAT HE SHOULD BE LOSING EACH MONTH,

BUT I CAN SEE HE'S WORKING HARD TO ADDRESS

WHAT HE NEEDS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE LONG RUN.

SO FAR, HE HAS ALREADY LOST ALMOST 200 POUNDS,

WITH A LITTLE OVER 250 POUNDS

LEFT TO GO TO GET TO HIS TARGET WEIGHT.

BUT IF YOU TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION

HE HAS AROUND 40 TO 50 POUNDS OF EXCESS SKIN

THAT WILL NEED TO BE REMOVED ONCE HE LOSES ALL THE WEIGHT,

HE'S JUST ABOUT TO THE HALFWAY POINT

OF LOSING ALL THE WEIGHT HE NEEDS.

SO I'M VERY HAPPY TO SEE HOW FAR HE HAS COME THIS PAST YEAR,

AS WELL THE PROGRESS

AMANDA HAS MADE TRYING TO IMPROVE THEIR DYNAMIC.

AND AS LONG AS TOMMY'S WEIGHT LOSS

CONTINUES TO CONSISTENTLY IMPROVE

AND THAT TREND CONTINUES,

THEN I'M CONFIDENT WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET HIM

TO HIS TARGET WEIGHT IN THE NEXT YEAR.

Tommy: I'M FEELING REALLY ENCOURAGED

AND JUST GOOD OVERALL RIGHT NOW.

I WAS VERY WORRIED WHEN I STARTED TO STRUGGLE

AND THAT I WAS GOING TO START TO LOSE CONTROL,

BUT TO HEAR DR. NOW SAY HE THINKS I'M DOING GOOD

AND THAT HE'S PROUD OF ME HAS MADE THOSE FEARS GO AWAY.

I KNOW I NEED TO KEEP GOING TO THERAPY

AND WORK ON THINGS, AND I WILL.

BUT I'M JUST REALLY HAPPY RIGHT NOW THAT ALL THE HARD WORK

I'M DOING IS RESULTING IN MORE PROGRESS

AND THAT I'M GOING BACK TOWARD WHERE I NEED TO GET TO MY GOAL.

AND I'LL KEEP DOING WHAT I CAN AND WORKING HARD

UNTIL I GET THERE BECAUSE I REALLY WANT TO DO THAT

AND FOLLOW THROUGH WITH ALL THE THINGS

I'VE DREAMED OF AND I PROMISED AMANDA.

TONIGHT, I'M TAKING AMANDA OUT ON A DATE

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OUR WHOLE RELATIONSHIP,

AND I'M PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT IT.

ONE THING SHE TOLD ME SHE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO WITH ME

FROM VERY EARLY ON WAS DO KARAOKE DATE NIGHT WITH ME.

SHE LOVES SINGING, AND I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING

SHE WANTED TO DO WITH ME, BUT I COULD NEVER DO IT.

AND I ALWAYS TOLD HER THAT WE WOULD SOMEDAY.

AND WITH BEING DOWN IN THE 420s NOW,

I FEEL LIKE I CAN HANDLE IT.

AND IT MAKES ME REALLY HAPPY THAT THIS IS A POSSIBILITY NOW.

I CAN SEE WAYS I'M GETTING CLOSE TO THE LIFE

I ALWAYS WANTED WITH AMANDA.

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO TRYING TO SHOW HER

THAT LIFE FOR US IS NOT TOO FAR OFF,

AND I'M GOING TO KEEP WORKING UNTIL WE HAVE IT.

I'VE BEEN WAITING YEARS

FOR US TO BE ABLE TO GET OUT AND DO THIS.

YOU'LL SING FOR ME?

YEAH, I'LL SING.

CAN YOU GET UP?

THAT WOULD BE THE NEXT QUESTION.

I'M FOCUSED ON STAYING ON TRACK AND DOING ALL THE THINGS

I NEED TO GET TO WHERE I WANT TO BE.

I'M STILL GOING TO THERAPY.

I'M GOING TO KEEP WORKING ON THINGS WITH LOLA.

I HAVEN'T TALKED TO MY MOM YET, BUT I WILL WHEN I'M READY,

AND I KNOW I CAN GET TO THAT PLACE WHERE I DO.

SO I'M GOING TO GET MY EMOTIONAL STUFF MORE UNDER CONTROL.

BUT FOR NOW, DOC SAYS I'M STILL MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

AND ONCE I GET IN THE 300s HERE SOON,

HE SAYS WE CAN CONSIDER SOME SKIN REMOVALS.

AND THEN HE THINKS IF I KEEP GOING LIKE I AM,

I COULD BE AT MY TARGET WEIGHT

AND DONE WITH EVERYTHING IN THE NEXT YEAR

AS LONG AS I KEEP WORKING HARD.

SO THAT'S WHAT I'M PLANNING TO DO.

YOUR TURN.

WHAT?

AND WHEN I FINALLY SUCCEED,

I'M GOING TO GIVE AMANDA THE BIGGEST WEDDING I CAN.

SHE'S BEEN MY MOTIVATION AND ENCOURAGEMENT

THROUGH ALL THIS AND WITHOUT HER IN MY LIFE,

I THINK I'D BE LOOKING AT EARLY DEATH STILL.

AND ONCE I GET HEALTHY,

I PLAN ON SPENDING THE REST OF MY LIFE PAYING HER BACK.

I'M JUST THANKFUL I HAD THE CHANCE TO CHANGE MY LIFE

SO I CAN HAVE A FUTURE I CAN PLAN FOR NOW.

AND I'M EXCITED FOR WHATEVER IT HOLDS FOR ME

BY DOING EVERYTHING I CAN TO GIVE HER THE LIFE SHE DESERVES

AND NOT ONE WHERE SHE HAS TO WAIT ON ME

OR TAKE CARE OF ME EVER AGAIN.

WE EVEN TALKED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY

OF SOMEDAY HAVING A FAMILY,

WHICH WE'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE BECAUSE WE BOTH KNEW

I PROBABLY WOULDN'T SURVIVE LONG ENOUGH.

BUT NOW I HAVE SO MANY THINGS THAT ARE POSSIBLE

FOR ME AND AMANDA.

A YEAR AGO, I WAS ALMOST TRAPPED IN MY BED.

AND NOW MY LIFE IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT,

AND IT'S GOING TO KEEP GETTING BETTER OVER THE NEXT YEAR

BECAUSE I'M NOT GOING TO STOP UNTIL I HAVE THE LIFE

I WANT FOR US, AND I CAN'T WAIT FOR THAT.