Original subtitles

[Michael] I hate

that I have to be taken care of.

It's humiliating,

that destroys my morale.

[dramatic music playing]

Somewhere in me is this little glimmer of hope.

I just want to be a normal person.

[exhales sharply]

[man] You can't do it and then I just get mad.

[woman] If I don't make a change now

I'm scared it's going to be too late.

[grunts] No. [indistinct] hurts.

I refuse to stop fighting.

I have to do this for my children.

So with all these things,

not liking people,

how do... Where do you get such a supporting wife,

how did you find that?

[dramatic music playing]

Morning, baby.

How's your sleep?

Morning.

[dramatic music playing]

[Michael] Every day I wake up and struggle

to start my day

because of my size.

Just basic things are so hard for me now.

But thankfully,

I'm still able to at least get out of bed,

I just can't get go far.

Usually, I can only make it to the couch

or the bathroom to freshen up for the day

but it's gotten hard for me

because being on my feet

gets to be very painful for me,

you know?

I at least try to do bathroom stuff

and clean up myself

but because of how hard it is,

I really only shower every few days.

Most of the time,

the only energy I have

is to sit on the side of the tub

or on the toilet or wipe myself down

or shave something.

I just can't do much

and my wife has to help me out most of the time,

whether it's helping me shower

when I have the energy to do that

or putting lotion or powder on areas

my body that needed

that I can't reach.

[Kimberly] Ready for me, Mickey?

Just about.

I don't want her to have to take care of me like that

but if she doesn't do it,

the rash develops in one of my faults,

one of my creases, it goes fungal,

then things can get bad for me.

So Kim has to, you know,

powder me up like a baby on the bed.

Okay. Oh. Oh, baby.

Hmm.

Everything is harder for Michael

with all that weight.

So one of the things

is that his skin can get rashy

and so I have to make sure that I help him

put lotion on.

And Michael gets very self-conscious

when he can't take care of himself

and I tell him that he can be a caregiver sometimes

and I can be a caregiver sometimes.

But lately, it's been just me

and it's hard because you get tired.

But I just do it

because Michael is my soul mate

and I will do anything for him.

[Michael] It is an extremely painful way

to go through life. I wouldn't wish this

on my worst enemy, having to carry

this much weight on them.

And most of the time

I just want to hide from everything.

But I try to keep going and get out of the bedroom

and to see my kids.

We have two kids too,

Xandra, who's 17,

and Liam, who's 12.

So I get the energy to get to the couch

and then...

[exhales sharply]

...I just eat and spend my time there

until I fall asleep

or get tired and go to bed.

[indistinct] that out for you?

No, this is good.

So most of my day

just spend eating

and I love eating

but I hate how it's literally killing me.

And I still don't want to stop

because of how food makes me feel.

Food has basically destroyed my life already

even though I know what it's doing to me.

When I'm hungry,

I don't think about that.

All I care about

is that food

is gonna make me feel better.

It's always done that for me.

I wish it were different.

Liam.

[Liam] Yeah?

Do you wanna play some video games?

-[Liam] Sure. -Okay.

But I can't change the past

and I think that craving I have

for food started when I was very young.

It's when I was just a few years old,

my dad left my mom and I,

so we had to move in with my grandparents.

And my grandma was trying to keep me fed constantly.

And by the time I was seven,

I was probably close a hundred...

a hundred and 10 pounds

and it made a perpetual cycle

where I would get bigger, I was feel bad

about being bigger.

I would eat more

and I kept getting bigger and bigger,

and the bigger I got,

the less I wanted to be around the other kids

because they started to make fun of my size,

and being picked on by everyone in school,

it's very isolating and very lonely.

So, I stayed at home, I played video games and I ate.

And that was pretty much my life for a few years.

And then, things got worse for me when I was 11.

My mother had signed me up

for a kid's wilderness club thing

and a lot of the meetings were fine.

But then we did an overnight camping trip,

and of course, the pack leader

was very charismatic

but unbeknownst to me at that time,

he was also a pedophile,

so he would have the boys all strip down

and go sliding down the rocks slides naked

and do different things with each other.

He would have me do those things too

and he took advantage of me.

He would have me take my clothes off

and he would molest me, but he didn't pursue me

as much as the other boys.

At that point, it started dawning on me

for being fat I was not desirable to pedophiles.

So I assumed that the more I ate,

the less desirable I would get

by getting bigger.

So I made it my mission to get bigger.

And when I was around 14,

I was 250 pounds.

Thankfully, my mother took me out of the situation.

But I was starting to get a lot bigger

and that just made the bullying

at school even worse,

and high school was the worst

because high school was where the real

torment started.

High school was when you really started

getting more into the mental and emotional pain.

It was at least 50 pounds a year

just steadily.

The eating habits never changed

and they increase and it was a steady progression for me

all through high school.

By the time I graduated,

I was probably close to 400 pounds

but it wasn't holding me back to the point

where I felt like I couldn't live my life

because I was able to go to college

after high school

and had ended up being a good time for me.

College is when I finally got confidence in myself

when I started realizing that my size

could be used as an asset

because I was able to get jobs

doing things like being a bouncer at the club.

I was basically a body guard

and I wanted to do that job better.

Then that led me into martial arts.

And at this point, I was probably close

to 500 pounds,

the martial arts

was making me a better person,

a stronger person,

and a healthier person.

When I graduated,

threw myself into training even more

and I fully dedicated myself to martial arts.

I was training four days a week,

five days a week, six, seven hours a day.

So, I was fully committed to martial arts

for around seven years of my life.

And over that time, I lost around 120 pounds.

It was back around 380 by the time I was 25,

so I was feeling good

and I was in the best shape of my life.

So taking martial arts,

it allowed me to boost my confidence so much

that I was able to meet the love of my life,

Kimberly, and marry her.

Kimberly and I actually met

one night at a live action role-playing game.

She had heard about me from a friend of a friend

and as soon as I went to this event,

I see this black blur

just bolting at me

and then I get tackled

by this person

and it was my wife that was Kimberly.

[Kimberly] Michael and I met through a mutual friend

and I had been told so much about him,

about how amazing he was

and how I would just fall in love with him.

And so when I saw this massive,

just tall as a giant man got out of the car,

I just run up to him and I tackle him

and I give him a hug and, yeah,

that's how we met.

[Michael] And it was love at first sight.

So, Kim and I dated,

and it really became the first night

that we spent the night with each other,

Kim never left.

[Kimberly] I just never left. [laughs]

And I fell in love first I think

or I said it first, and it was like months

before he said that he held on on me. [laughs]

[Michael] We just fell in love with each other

and have been together ever since.

We were meant to be.

[Kimberly] About a year later,

things were going wonderful with Michael and I

and we ended up having Xander.

[Michael] And when he was born,

that's when I decided,

wanted it all to be official.

And so, in front of the justice of the peace,

we got married.

We had my infant son, Xander, as a witness.

It was amazing. It was a day I'll never forget.

Soon after that, I decided I wanted to get healthier

so I could do more with my son and Kim did too.

She gained a lot of weight

probably from being around my eating habits.

So we both decided to get gastric bypass surgery

and I was approved, so was Kim.

She had her surgery but I never got mine

because right after I finally got my approval,

I got into a car wreck,

pretty bad one,

where I rolled my car four times,

take out a lamp post, take out a fire hydrant.

So they put me under, going to surgery.

I woke up a few hours later minus the spleen,

I was alive but I was left

with all these scarring in my abdomen,

and in the end, the scar tissue

was too extensive for gastric bypass to be possible,

so I ultimately couldn't get to surgery

because of that and I took that news

really hard and I got really depressed.

So, I spent the next couple of years

going back to food again until I got up to 450 pounds,

and it took me sometime

and a lot of food to bring me out of it.

But once I started to come back from that depression,

me and Kimberly began to talk about having another child.

Nine months later, our second son, Liam came out.

And at that point, I stopped doing martial arts

and the combination of quitting martial arts

and going back to my old eating habits

led me to go back up to my highest weight plus

because I'm over 600 pounds now,

and I have never been this big at any time

in the past 43 years of my life.

And it makes me really sad

because there's so much I wanted to be able to do

with my wife and sons,

but life is pretty much this couch,

so I can either watch TV with them,

play video games, or eat,

those are my options.

And most of the time, it's just eat.

[Kimberly] How much garlic bread

would you like, Sweetheart, like three or four?

Just bring the plates, we'll put them on the ottoman.

-[Kimberly] Okay. -[Michael] No.

Because that way you can just pick them up.

All right.

[Michael] I'm always eating.

Even when I get so full

my belly feels swollen to the point

that the scars on my stomach hurt

from the pressure.

You want some parmesan cheese, buddy?

[Xander] I do indeed.

[Michael] I still don't want to stop

because of how food makes me feel.

But I've traded that feeling

for everything else in my life,

you know, I can't go out now

because I've developed a fear of being around people

that I can't go outside my front door

because of the agoraphobia.

I can't go in the stores.

I don't want people to see me.

And the worst part about that

isn't what it's doing to my life,

it's how it would affects my family's life

and especially with my kids

because I can't take my kids outside.

We don't play outside,

we play video games, you know?

We eat food, you know?

And my kids... my kids love me, you know?

But I know... I know I'm an embarrassment.

I won't go to school functions.

I don't want people to see

what their dad looks like

because that just makes them a target.

[Kimberly] Michael just...

He's an amazing person

but he has a tendency

to look at the negative

and he doesn't believe in himself

and he doesn't love himself.

And I wish he could see through my eyes

because I can see how amazing he is,

that he's a glowing star,

and I want him one day to see that.

[Michael] But I hate hiding,

I hate being ashamed,

and I hate how I'm trapped.

I am extremely trapped

both in my body and in my mind.

I can't go outside, it's like house arrest.

And I feel like I've committed a crime

by getting foods that I know

I have no business eating.

And I hate it that this is what my life has become.

I hate myself.

I have a body that's 600 pounds

and as much as I've tried to fix it over the years,

as many diets, every diet I've ever been on

have all failed miserably.

[Kimberly] Having to watch him gaining weight,

it's just heartbreaking

because there's nothing I can do where anyone else.

If Michael doesn't change his eating habits,

you know, we will lose him, you know,

and so we're praying that he can do it

because he is our light.

And I don't wanna lose him.

I can't even imagine.

[Michael] I know I'm on a limited schedule.

Every night I go to sleep

thinking if I die in my sleep,

my wife is gonna wake up

and have 600 pounds

of dead meat next to her,

so I know I have to change now.

Because this is a ticking time bomb

just waiting to take my life.

Then once I cross that line

where my body can't go on, then that will be it,

I won't make it, and then I'll lose everything,

and I can't let that happen.

[dramatic music playing]

[Michael] Today I'm gonna go try to see Dr. Now.

And I am not looking forward to it,

because I don't like going out in public.

But I need to do this,

so I'm gonna try and go get in the car

and drive to Dr. Now's clinic,

and Kim is gonna go with me.

So we have someone who's gonna watch the boys

for a little while, but we should be back later

on this evening because it's only about a 45-minute

drive or so.

It's time to go,

-I wish it wasn't. -You ready, baby?

-[Michael] Yeah. -[Kimberly] Okay.

[Michael] Let me get my shoes on.

But I want help so I'm gonna do this.

I just hope I can do this,

and it's not too overwhelming for me when I get out there,

but Dr. Now says he can help me.

Part of me is worried that he's gonna say

-I'm too far gone. -You got your hat?

Yeah, you got the coffee?

I'm just trying to keep my expectations low.

So if that happens, I don't get let down,

but I guess I'll just have to see how it goes.

[Kimberly] Today I'm going with Michael

to see Dr. Now

and I'm hoping that my husband

will get his life back,

but it's gonna be up to him,

because as soon as Michael thinks

that something won't work, he'll stop.

But he needs to know that this is his chance,

and if he doesn't take it,

he's not gonna be here anymore.

Yeah. Yeah.

This is now or never.

I'm just gonna try and focus

on how this is a chance for me to save my life,

and by doing this,

I'll hopefully be able to lose the weight

and change my life.

You stupid door.

The door get you?

Yeah.

Do you have that?

I told Kim that I wanna try and drive.

I know it's been a while,

almost two years I think.

But I know just having the wheel,

it will help me feel a little bit more in control.

And just knowing that I can turn around

if I need to, I'm just gonna keep going,

as weird as it sounds.

So I'm just gonna try to drive again

if I can handle being behind the wheel.

[dramatic music playing]

-[Kimberly] Are you okay? -[Michael] I am good.

Thank you.

Okay. That sound.

[Kimberly] I know.

So what are you thinking?

[Michael] Honestly, there is...

there is nothing I can do,

I can't perform the surgery on myself,

so I just... I wanna... I need a yes or a no.

[Kimberly] Okay. So what happens if it's a yes?

If Dr. Now says yes, I'm gonna try.

It doesn't mean he's gonna succeed.

I've been cut open before,

you know, with the promise of waking up anew.

[Kimberly] Just think positively.

[Michael] Today is my judgment day.

That's really the only way to put it.

This is it.

-I love you, baby. -I love you.

[dramatic music playing]

[Michael] We're almost to Dr. Now's.

I'm just getting more nervous as we get closer

because I'm scared this isn't gonna go well,

and that I'm not gonna be able to get the help I need.

It's my biggest fear

and it's overwhelming me even more

now that we're almost there,

because I don't know how I'm gonna handle it

if Dr. Now says anything like that to me.

I just know it won't be good

but I'm doing my best to stay positive

as much as I can.

I think that you just need

to have the mind frame

that you need to have right now, okay?

And if it is all that you can do,

is just hope for the next step,

then that's where you need to be.

You now have hope but just something

-you've never had. -[Michael] You know,

every other doctor

has walked away from this,

why should I have any more hope now?

Because this is his specialty. He does...

-[Michael] It was... -...hard cases.

[Michael] Well, that's honestly...

-Okay, so that's hope. I... -And that hope...

that hope gotten us here right now today.

-[Kimberly] Yes. -[Michael] Okay.

But when I turn into this office,

there's no more hope,

the hope of getting here is done, complete.

Now, it's the gamble.

Hope is dead from this point on.

It never dies. This is our baby step,

-okay, you're here. -Mmm-hmm.

[Kimberly] So then we're gonna go see the doctor

and he's going to say yes.

[Michael] Okay.

[dramatic music playing]

[Michael] I hope Kim is right.

And I hope this just goes well.

To add all the stress that's on me right now,

the thought of getting on the scale

and seeing my weight

isn't something I really wanna do either.

So I'm worried about that, too.

It's been a really long time since I've gotten

my weight checked.

But I know I have to be at or over 600.

There's no way that I'm still not over

that benchmark.

You know, I've lost a little weight

here and there trying diet

but I've always just gained it right back.

And then my weight goes back up,

my clothes get tighter, so I know I'm gaining weight.

I just hope I'm not gonna see something

like a 700 come up

or anything close to that.

If it's gotten to that point,

it's gonna be really hard for me

to see and accept.

Whatever the number is or how high it's gotten.

-Are you okay? -Oh.

-Yeah. -Okay.

[Michael] I know I only have myself to blame

but I'm trying to change that now

because I'm here to lose weight

and get to a better place,

and get that number down to where it should be.

Michael?

-[Michael] How are you today? -[woman] Boy, good.

[Michael] But I'm only gonna be able to do that

if I get the help that I've come here for.

And if I don't,

then I'll have nothing left really.

-Go ahead. -Thank you.

Because I'll have no chance for a future.

You said I'm not holding the wall or anything.

So my whole life is depending on it.

[dramatic music playing]

[Michael] Me and my wife were at Dr. Now's

trying to get his help to lose weight.

And I'm about to find out how much help I actually need

when the number on that scale comes up.

Hold on, no problem.

[Michael] I'm just hoping it's not up to anything

like the 700s

because that will devastate me

if I see that.

[chuckles]

I'm both relieved and upset

because my weight is not as high

as I was afraid it could be,

but that's still a horrible number.

You know, no human person should be at that weight,

but that's what I have to change.

And that's what I'm gonna change if Dr. Now is willing

to give me a chance and take me on as a patient.

This is the only hope I have left.

No.

Don't cry for me today, Kim.

[knocks on door]

[Michael] Come in.

-Hello. -[Michael] Hello.

-How you all doing? -[Michael] Good.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] I'm Dr. Nowzaradan and you're...

-[Michael] Michael Blair. -Michael Blair,

and this young lady is?

-This is my wife, Kimberly. -Well, nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you. -So where are you coming from?

-[Michael] Conroe. -[Kimberly] Yeah.

Conroe, Texas.

All right.

So, Michael,

-you're over 600 pounds, huh? -Mmm-hmm.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] And you're here

to lose weight, right?

-[Michael] Yes, sir. -[Dr. Nowzaradan] All right.

So what led you to come here

to get help with that today?

Last chance,

I've tried to contact doctors,

I've contacted numerous surgeons

because I've got extensive scar tissue

from my emergency appendectomy,

and no surgeon wants to cut in

because they say that there's no hope.

How much you weight when you had that...

-[Michael] 380. -Huh?

I was 380 pounds.

-[Dr. Nowzaradan] 380 pounds? -[Michael] Mmm-hmm.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] Okay. So it looked like you have

quite a situation.

And this thing happened to you,

do you have a goal at this point?

The only goal I have left

is to find a surgeon

that is willing and able

to cut through my scar tissue

and actually perform the surgery.

Because I've tried every diet out there,

nothing has worked.

And so, what seems to be the biggest challenge

with your eating habit?

It's the amount that it takes to sate me.

It's like I can't just have...

I can't just have one chicken breast.

And, you know, it's like, if I have a bowl of rice,

my bowl of rice can be two or three cups

of rice at a time.

So it's just empty carbs, or it will be a pasta,

it will be a pound of pasta.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] Okay. You say you eat healthy

but you just eat too much of it,

then why can't you stop eating?

I don't know.

That's the question.

I can't stop because I...

At some point, I think maybe it became

a defense mechanism because I was...

I was so abused and tortured as a child

just in society.

It's... I can't even, like...

It's hard for me to go out.

Like, I have agoraphobia.

So it's extremely hard for me to be out in public

because I don't really like people.

I hate society.

So what... At what age,

did you decide that?

I realized I didn't like people

when I was about eight or nine.

Once I realized that

I was always gonna be picked on.

So at any point, did you have any therapy

-or see any... -I've had lots of therapy.

So with all these things,

not liking people,

having difficulty in it,

how do... Where do you get such a supporting wife,

-how did you find that? -[Kimberly] I met him...

[laughs]

Funny, humor,

I can't hide my...

I can hide my pain through humor.

But could it be that you don't give

too much appreciation for people to know you,

and if they know you maybe they like you?

Absolutely, I... I've been hurt

so many times by people that I don't want people

to get to know me.

So if you were today 220 pounds,

do you think your outlook will...

Going with other people would change?

[Michael] Oh, hundred percent.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] So the issue is the perspective

you're adapting on things,

where you make excuses and blame everyone

for the reason

you don't wanna be around them,

but this all comes out

to your weight being the issue.

So do you think you can make

some changes in your eating habit?

Are you motivated to do that?

[Michael] I am 100% motivated.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] Well, you know,

you're gonna have to make some changes.

[Michael] Done. Done and done.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] And bite the bullet

and control your eating habit

-and this is gonna be... -[Michael] Done.

...something that you're gonna have to do

-to get through that point. -Done and done.

-Okay. -[Michael] You know.

Well, and here's what I want you to do.

I'm gonna set you to see a therapist

and see if they can help you

get some of developed anxiety that you have down

because you have built so many baggage

-in your life at this point... -Mmm-hmm.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] ...and you become

so very opinionated about where you are

and how the world is.

Maybe we can change that,

-okay? -I hope.

So this is gonna be something

-that's important to do. -Okay.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] Because your perspective on things

needs to improve for you to have any chance

to do this for the long run,

but we've got a lot of work to do

to get to the point that would be even feasible

to try and see there is a possibility

to do any kind of surgery on you.

So the first thing is going to be

that you need to start losing weight now.

So we're gonna try to change your eating habit

and see if we can get some discipline

in what you're eating

and try to get your weight down,

and then I'm gonna set you up to have some test

and do endoscopy and weight-loss surgery,

but you have a food comfort.

So everything that you see

that is dark in front of you

when you eat can get

-a little bit better. -Yeah.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] So the food comfort

is going to be an issue

because even if we do weight-loss surgery,

how are you gonna deal with those anxiety?

-Yeah. -If you don't learn to deal

with that in a healthy way,

you still go back to food and undo the surgery,

it will be pointless in the long run.

And that's gonna be a significant issue

that we need to work out,

-okay? -[Kimberly] Yes.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] So they're gonna do

some blood test on you today,

but I'm gonna set you up to have some more tests

done on your heart, and your lung,

and examine your scar tissue,

and what's going on in your abdomen,

and see what is the ability for you to have any kind

-of surgery down the road. -Okay.

But this is something that I want you to focus

on changing your life at this point.

You're gonna have to try hard,

and follow the instruction,

and then, be more proactive for your health.

-[Kimberly] Yes. -And this is the only way

we can get you out of this situation.

-Yes. -[Dr. Nowzaradan] Okay?

-Okay. -And I had gastric bypass

-15 years ago. And... -[Dr. Nowzaradan] Mmm-hmm.

...so, I will be whatever you need

support-wise for him.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] Well, that's good. But so far,

whatever his environment is,

he's still able to get what he wants

and overeat, so that's unhealthy support system

-we need to change. -Okay.

So the diet is gonna... Let me demand to eat in a day,

to 1,200 calories. Be the focus on protein

and avoiding almost all carbs.

-Okay. -[Dr. Nowzaradan] And I want

your focus to be

losing as much weight

as you can right now

and getting your stamina.

But I'm not gonna give you a specific goal

until we do the endoscopy, okay?

-Okay. -Right.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] But all those thing

is gonna be all up to you at this point.

I want you to forget about

what the past is and look forward to future.

So this is a new day.

You're gonna start a new way of eating,

a new year for exercising, and changing everything.

-You got a lot of work to do. -Yeah.

We're willing to do it.

You tell us what to do and we'll do it.

And so, I'm gonna bring you some instruction

that I mentioned, then, we'll setup an appointment

-for you to go to therapy. -Okay.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] So we'll just try to change the course

of the life that you have right now.

-[both] Yeah. -Okay. So...

If he's able to change that,

will you think...

I mean, is it possible, do you think,

to attempt the surgery, if all the test say?

[Dr. Nowzaradan] From what Michael said,

most likely we're gonna face a lot of scar tissue

and a lot of issues.

So we have to look at that tissue first

to see what's possible.

And if weight-loss surgery can be done or not. So

if everything looks good

and he loses weight,

we can try doing the surgery on him.

-Okay? -Okay.

We got you a yes. It's possible.

But this is all gonna be...

-Yeah. -...depending if it's safe

-to have surgery. -[Michael] Yeah.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] Okay? But you have to bite

the bullet and do the hard work.

All right. Done and done.

At the meantime, I'm gonna see

if we can draw some blood.

I'll give you some instruction

-about your diet and exercise. -Okay.

All right. Let me see if we can draw

some blood on you.

[Kimberly] Thank you.

Okay. All right. I'll be back.

-[Kimberly] Okay, doc. -Thank you.

[door closes]

[Dr. Nowzaradan] We obviously have a lot of issues

we need to address with Michael

to get him on the right track with his overall health

especially with his mentality and perspective.

He seem to have a lot of negative feelings

on things and people that is leading

to a lot of anxiety with him.

So starting him going to psychotherapy right now

will be important to help him

start to work on that.

But the big question seems to be

what the situation is in his abdomen

with the scar tissue that prevented

his previous attempt to have weight-loss surgery.

So we need to run some tests to determine that

because if weight-loss surgery

isn't a possibility for him,

we'll have to adopt a program

and [indistinct] approach giving Michael

the tools he needs to get healthy

because it's very important

he start to lose a lot of weight

before he develops any more health issues.

[dramatic music playing]

Honey, you got my right, though.

-Right. -[grunts]

[Kimberly] Oh, okay.

[Michael] I'm here at the therapist's place.

Dr. Now wanted me to start therapy

and I'm all for it.

Because I think I can greatly benefit from it.

And I'm hoping this session will be a new start for me.

-Thank you. -[Dr. Paradise] Hi there. I'm Dr. Paradise.

-Come on here, guys. -Hi, nice to meet you.

[Dr. Paradise] Nice to meet you. Guess,

you can have a seat right over there.

[Michael] But I'm a little nervous to talk to somebody new,

so I want Kim in the session with me.

Right here. Okay.

Baby. [sighs]

Better?

I mean, I... Oh.

Careful.

[sighs]

-So welcome. -[Michael] Thank you.

[Dr. Paradise] So, Michael and Kim. So, Michael,

tell me a little bit about yourself.

Where would you...

That's a hard question. I really don't know...

[Dr. Paradise] The basic such as like

what was your childhood like, any major experiences?

[Michael] Major experiences when I was...

My mom wanted me to always be a part of something.

-[Dr. Paradise] Okay. -She put me

into a camping troop.

-You know, boy-type stuff. -[Dr. Paradise] Okay.

[Michael] So, you know, we went on

a weekend camping trip.

Camp leader liked to indulge in young boys.

-Like to have his kid naked... -Wow.

and go down waterfalls, and wrestle each other

-and wrestle him, and... -How old were you?

-About 10 or 11. -[Dr. Paradise] What effect

do you think that had on you going through that?

That... I think that's when I started

really hating people in general.

[Dr. Paradise] But he sort of made you suspicious of...

Every type of person, every adult,

everyone who could have authority.

I never wanted to do any event

-with other children. -[Kimberly] I understand.

I never... I never wanted to be away from my home.

So it trapped you?

Basically he... Yes.

His action erected a cage around me

that I can't escape from.

-You're trapped now? -[Michael] Yeah.

I'm still trapped because I don't like going out.

Like, I'll go out to drive Kim to a store,

but I don't go in stores

because I don't like people.

[Dr. Paradise] So stores are a big deal for you?

-You don't like them? -No.

[Dr. Paradise] So can you think of a safe store for you?

Where's the store that you would feel comfortable?

Somewhere where there wasn't a lot of people.

[Dr. Paradise] Okay. But would it be a store

that had something that you like

or interested in, or...

-I would have... Yeah. -[Dr. Paradise] Okay.

Like probably anything where I could get

some spiritual supplies.

Okay. Yeah.

So like something with the crystals

-or something like that? -Exactly.

And getting you out of the house

is gonna be slow

-incremental steps. -Yeah.

[Dr. Paradise] So I wanna find a way for you

to communicate with that group later.

-He's dead now. -[Dr. Paradise] Okay.

So you can't talk to him directly.

It might be something like a letter

and the letter might say something like,

"You know, you've kept me down too long

-and I'm done with that." -Mmm-hmm.

Because that guy can't hurt you anymore.

-[both] Mmm-hmm. -[Dr. Paradise] He's gone,

-right? -Mmm-hmm.

And then, what do you do with that letter?

-Burn it? -[Dr. Paradise] And the act

of burning it is symbolic, right?

It's about giving you power

-over the things... -Yeah.

...that had power over you previously, right?

Claim your power, right?

-Mmm-hmm. -[Dr. Paradise] Okay.

Great to meet you, guys.

Thanks for coming in.

Have a safe drive back up there.

-Okay. -Okay. Thank you so much.

I'm looking forward to this much.

-Me first, me first. -Yes, yes.

[Dr. Paradise] I really enjoyed meeting Michael.

He's super smart.

And I think that that's gonna be an asset to him.

But I think, unfortunately,

he's used his intelligence

to create a lot of barriers

to his current function.

He can convince anybody why he shouldn't be able

to do something including himself

and that's potentially dangerous for him.

I don't want him being smart enough

to convince everyone to have low expectations of him.

I think that he's holding on to a lot of stuff

that's keeping him from moving forward

in his future.

And one of his big tasks

is gonna be to let go of some of that.

[Michael] I think this helped me a whole lot, you know.

I think it went great.

It was emotional, but I needed this.

And I really like Dr. Paradise.

I think he had some great insight for me.

He's given me some great direction

and things to do to help me work on some issues.

So I'm gonna do them as soon as I'm able.

But this was a good start.

And I really think it's gonna help me a lot.

You know, it won't be easy.

But I'm ready to do this

because I'm ready to turn my life around.

[dramatic music playing]

Can you grab my chair, please?

After seeing Dr. Now and Dr. Paradise,

I was feeling really good about things

and I'm ready to make some big changes in my life.

And to get rid of the things

that have been holding me back

and dragging me down.

And so, I decided to do a purge today

where I take all the bad food in this house

and burn it down.

You know, doing that is long overdue,

so I am ready for this purge.

-Can I throw something else? -[Michael] Of course.

Will you help me in that?

[Kimberly] You can dump that up.

Is that plastic?

You can't put the plastic in.

Pull them out and burn them.

[Kimberly] It's okay.

[Liam] You should throw this one away, dad.

[dramatic music playing]

[panting]

It's hard watching some of these food burn

instead of, you know, using it.

It's like watching my comfort just disintegrate.

But now it forces me to find other ways

to get that comfort

because it can't be food anymore.

Not if I wanna live.

And that's what I want above all else.

Tomorrow, I'm gonna go to the hospital

and Dr. Now is gonna do my endoscopy.

And the test he needs to see

if it's even possible for me to have

weight-loss surgery.

Because I'm gonna find out if I have a future or not.

And if the answer is that nothing can be done

and Dr. Now tells me that,

then it's gonna devastate me completely

because this is my last and final hope.

It's all burning away.

All right.

And the fire will rise again.

There's always smoke before fire.

[Kimberly] Mmm-hmm.

We got this, okay?

Mmm-hmm.

So what kind of salad are you thinking for dinner?

I'll be there in a minute, okay?

[Kimberly] Okay.

-[dramatic music playing] -[birds chirping]

[engine revving]

[Michael] I'm here at the hospital

for my endoscopy and testing

to see if weight-loss surgery

is possible for me.

And I'm extremely nervous.

I'm usually numb, so I don't get my hopes up.

But I know this,

right here, right now

is my last and only chance of having a life,

of having a future.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] Today we are going to do an endoscopy

on Michael, to try and determine

if weight loss surgery is even a possibility for him.

So, we're putting a small camera

down into his stomach

to see how everything looks,

and determine if there'll be any issues

that would prevent us from performing the surgery

like gastric sleeve or gastric bypass on him.

Normally, this wouldn't be done

until the patient qualified for surgery,

but in Michael's case, I have concerns

about some of his medical history

since he was considered for weight loss surgery

when he wasn't near 300, but ultimately denied

because of excessive scar tissue in his abdomen

preventing him.

[door opens]

-Hey, Michael. -[Michael] Hello.

How are you today?

Good. A little anxious,

more so than normal, but good.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] All right.

So, today, we're gonna go look down your stomach...

-Okay. -...and see how things are,

and see if there is any... Even possible things

to consider any kind of weight loss surgery.

But the main concern is that

you have the scar tissue, um, from old surgery.

Yeah.

And in the upper abdomen,

-you still have that hernia. -Yeah.

So, we may have to get that treated

because I can feel your bowel is under the skin right here.

Uh, normally, we do this, um, endoscopy

when your body is approved for a surgery

-but in your case... -Yeah.

...we're gonna do it now

-and see how the things are. -Okay.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] And what potential we got there, okay?

-All right. -All right.

So, we'll go ahead and do that in a few minutes.

-Okay. -And then I'll let you know

-what are the next step. -Great.

Thanks so much doctor, I appreciate it.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] All right.

[dramatic music playing]

[Dr. Nowzaradan] With Michael's scar tissue,

and also, I have some concerns

about what looks to be a severe hernia,

um, in Michael's abdomen,

because that maybe an issue preventing

the possibility of weight loss surgery he wants.

So, if any of those issues are present to the degree

that weight loss surgery isn't an option for Michael,

then there is no point

putting him on a program to work toward that.

And we will need to come out

with a different plan for him

to get his weight under control,

but that all depends on

what we learn from this endoscopy.

[man] So, buddy, good night.

We'll take good care of you, okay?

-Okay. -[man] Mmm-hmm.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] All right. Can you turn off the light?

Okay.

[machine beeping]

[Dr. Nowzaradan] And he does have a Hiatal hernia.

[machine beeping]

[suspenseful music playing]

[Dr. Nowzaradan] Well, a lot of bowel in his esophagus

[indistinct] it could have been unusual.

That may indicate that scar tissue down the road

blocking the bowel.

That's the big stomach.

[suspenseful music playing]

[machine beeping]

[Dr. Nowzaradan] Okay.

So, we can remove the endoscope.

All right. Yeah, we're done.

The light.

[man] Michael, we're all done.

[dramatic music playing]

[Dr. Nowzaradan] Michael looks to have

a very complicated situation in his abdomen.

It looks like he does have

a significant amount of scar tissue

that is going to be an issue

if we attempted to do weight loss surgery on him,

because it will prevent us

from maneuvering the instruments

how we need and from making certain decisions internally

that will be required for the operation.

And Michael also has a severe hernia,

where his stomach muscles are torn,

and that with the scar tissue is going to prevent us

from performing bypass surgery on him.

But what we may be able to do

is attempt a hernia repair on him,

and use that as an opportunity to try remove

as much of the scar tissue as we can [indistinct]

and then, if we are able to do that,

see if all that is enough to resolve the issues

that we can perform bypass surgery on him.

But that's all theoretical

and we won't know if that's the case

until we attempt to do that.

So the first step

towards any possible solution for Michael

is going to have to be for him

to potentially lose at least 150 to 100 pounds,

before we will be able to determine

if any sort of operation in his abdomen area

is possible for him

and what options we may have for him long term.

[dramatic music playing]

[doors open]

Hey, Michael,

-are you waking up? -Hey, doc.

I am, I am.

All right. Uh, so, the, uh, endoscopy,

um, uh, show you have some, uh, hernia.

The bad news is that weight loss surgery may not be enough

with all the scar tissue and hernia.

Okay.

But the good news is we may be able to fix that

and take the scar tissues down and fix the hernia.

-Okay. -And then once we do that,

then we will have opportunity

to make weight loss surgery possible for you.

[Michael] Okay.

But before any of these possible,

you need to loss 150 to 100 pounds,

to reduce the stress

that your weight is putting in your whole system,

but also around your abdomen, okay?

Because right now,

your body wouldn't be able to handle on operation.

And we won't be able to maneuver any instrument

in the abdomen safely to do the operation.

Do you think you can do that?

Um, it's just... It's gonna be hard, so...

Well, nobody said this is gonna be easy.

-Uh, that's your... Yeah. -[Dr. Nowzaradan] All right.

Yeah. I just... I just didn't quite think that hard,

-that's all. It was... -But if you wanna

change your life, you're gonna have to work hard.

-Yeah. -So, stick with the diet,

-increase your activity. -Okay.

And let's set another appointment with Dr. Paradise,

so you can keep working on things with him.

[Michael] Okay.

You think you can do that?

I know I can. I have no choice.

-I have to. -[Dr. Nowzaradan] Great.

We'll get through that.

All right. I appreciate it.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] Okay?

So, I'm gonna deduct your weight loss goal

to 100 pounds for three months, okay?

I'll try.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] Okay. Work toward that goal,

and once you get that 150 pounds,

we'll check on you again

and see how close you can get in

to where we can simply do a hernia surgery.

Okay.

Okay. I'll see you soon,

and if you need anything, give me a call.

I will. Thank you.

Have a good one, doc.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] For now, we need to focus Michael

on adapting to healthier eating habits

and to helping him sustain that for as long as possible.

Without weight loss surgery,

that's going to be very difficult for him

to do it for the long term,

but at this point, we don't know

weight loss surgery will ever be an option for him.

A herniated [indistinct]

and scar tissues removal won't even be an option

until he loses a good amount of weight.

So, we are going to have to take

the more difficult road with Michael,

to lose a significant amount of weight

without weight loss surgery.

So, we will do what we can to help him with that,

but if he continue to justify his own healthy eating,

then there'll be no option to help him in his situation

before he runs out of time.

[dramatic music playing]

[Michael gasping]

Today I'm doing another purge,

and I'm writing the letter to Dr. Paradise

talking about therapy.

And then, to burn it

to let some of those things from my childhood go.

I don't wanna keep letting anything hold me back.

[dramatic music playing]

[gasps]

Uh, I wanna try to do some homework.

[Kimberly] Okay.

[grunts]

[sighs]

[Kimberly] Is it gonna disturb you

if I'm in here for a little bit?

No, you're good.

[Kimberly] I'm gonna [indistinct]

and then I'm gonna go to my room take a nap.

Okay, baby.

I'm guessing this gonna take a lot of emotion

and feelings

that honestly I don't think I've ever fully processed.

I just kept it all inside into myself

because I was scared

and I just had no one I felt I could talk to about it.

[keyboard clacking]

[dramatic music playing]

[Michael sighing]

All right, babe.

I finished what I wanted to get out.

And put in the letter.

But it has been emotionally draining for me to do,

but I knew it would be.

You feel like staying out here with this hatred?

You know what,

I think that you need someone just to say it to.

[dramatic music playing]

Dear, you,

you know who you are.

You tormented me.

I had to beat you whipping boy.

You found pleasure in the bodies of young boys.

You forced me to see the horror

this world is capable of.

You have done your damage and left your mark.

Now, you are vanished to the flames.

I will never forget you.

[dramatic music playing]

[both crying]

-Let's go in, baby. -Okay.

Leave the chair [indistinct] tomorrow.

[Michael] Yeah, we'll get it all later.

[dramatic music playing]

[cheerful music playing]

[Michael] It's time for my second appointment

with Dr. Now, and I'm nervous

because right now, we had an arrangement

for someone to pick up the kids after school

and to watch them for a bit,

so Kim could be here with me

because I don't like going out in public much.

But that fell through, so she had to do it.

So, my options are to skip it

or to try to get there on my own.

And I don't think it would be a good idea if I skip it,

so I'm gonna go out on my own

for the first time in a long mile.

I can't even remember

the last time I went out of my own.

It's just been a long time, so I'm extremely nervous

and apprehensive about doing this,

but I'm still going because I desperately need help,

and I need the surgeries that Dr. Now thinks he can do,

and I don't wanna miss my chances of any of that up.

And so, the fear of losing my chance

is outweighing my agoraphobia.

So my one fear is helping me defeat my other fear,

I guess,

or whatever it takes to motivate me

to do this even without Kim.

My wife has always been my biggest support

and when she's with me,

I know I have somebody that has my back

no matter what.

So, doing this without her is scary.

It's gonna be hard to hear the news without her.

Good or bad, whatever it is, you know.

If it's bad, I need her support,

if it's good, she's the only one

I can't wait to share it with,

so this definitely makes it harder.

But I'm a little proud of myself for doing it.

This is a big step for me, so that's something.

But all I really care about right now

is if I hit that goal or not.

[dramatic music playing]

[Michael] I've almost made it there

and I'm just really nervous.

My big fear is that I didn't hit my goal.

I know I've lost.

I know there's been a progress.

I worked hard on myself

physically, mentally, and emotionally

for just about three solid months,

but in the end, it comes down to my weight

and I don't know how much progress I've made with that,

and if it's enough.

So, there's still that fear

because if it's not enough, I'm afraid Dr. Now will think

that surgery will never be a possibility for me,

that he's gonna think that I'm not committed enough,

so the option for any surgery is gonna be

taking off the table and that's it,

it will turn out just like I was afraid of with

from the beginning

with another shattered dream on the floor for me.

But I'm trying to stay as positive as I can right now

and not focus on any negative.

But it's hard without Kim, she helps center me.

So, I'm just struggling

because of how much is gonna be determined

by the number on the scale, you know.

It's impossible not to fixate on it and worry

because either I hit my goal and that's good,

because I can move ahead in some fashion or I didn't.

And if I didn't, there's a very real chance

that I'm gonna be told that it'll never happen.

Michael.

[Michael] That I'm not getting surgery

because it will be physically impossible.

How are you today?

So, it feels like every single thing in my life,

my whole life is on the poker table.

And whether I keep it or not

depends on the hand of the scale about to deal me.

[woman] Whenever you're ready.

[Michael] And I'm just terrified

that I could be about to lose everything.

[calming music playing]

[Michael] I'm at Dr. Now's for my second appointment,

to see if I've gotten on my goal

and keep moving forward,

or to see if I didn't and I'm not.

I was at 609 last time

and Dr. Now told me to lose a hundred pounds

over the last three months.

So, I need to be down to 509 today.

That's progress.

It's good progress

but not a hundred pounds of progress.

I know it's not from lack of effort

because I'm really trying.

Kim would say that, too, if she was here

because she sees me pushing myself to stick to the diet

and to do all the things I need to do.

And she's right there with me doing it, too.

So I was hoping it was more

but it's still a lot of weight loss.

But I'm still worried

because I don't know if it's enough or not,

and what Dr. Now's view is gonna be

about my chances of moving ahead now with this.

[dramatic music playing]

Hi, Michael, how are you doing?

[Michael] Good, really good.

So, where is your wife today?

She is actually home with the kids

and I'm trying to be more independent

and go out without her.

That's good progress, don't you think?

I'm feeling good about it, feeling good.

All right. That's good.

You made good progress with your weight loss, too.

Yeah, I've been following your diet.

I've been tempted to cheat, but I haven't.

I've stayed on it, straight and narrow,

been doing my exercises,

so I'm feeling good, feeling strong.

Okay. Uh, but you have to work hard

because, uh, you know, you should've lost

more than 61 pound in three months.

Uh, that's about the 20 pound mark.

Yeah.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] And if you cut by to 1200 calories,

then you would have lost almost four times of that.

Okay.

So you're making some good changes,

but you need to do more to cut back on your portions.

[Michael] Yeah. I got it, I understand.

So, I'm only gonna have 1200 calories?

All right. That's great.

And do you have any question?

Okay. So, bottom line,

what do I have to do to get the surgery?

If you get close to losing at least 150 pounds overall,

then we can take it there

and see if there is enough pressure

off your abdomen to do any surgery.

So, that's a goal for you.

I'll give you another three months

to lose, uh, 90 pounds

but it's gonna get even harder the longer you try to do this.

So it's important you stay focus.

Yeah. Because the more weight I lose,

the harder it is to get off weight.

I got you. Okay.

-So ninety in three, right? -[Dr. Nowzaradan] Yes.

All right, Michael, any other questions?

No, I'm good.

Okay. So, we're gonna schedule you.

You keep going to therapy.

Did you enjoy that the last time?

Yeah. Thank you so much

for getting me in contact with Dr. Paradise.

It's been tremendous.

So, thank you so much

for getting me in contact with him.

Okay. So keep doing that and working on things.

And if you need anything before the next appointment,

-give me a call. -Okay.

All right. You take care.

-Thank you, doctor. -All right.

-Have a great day. -You, too.

I'm happy to see some improvement with Michael

and to hear that he thinks therapy

is helping him out [indistinct].

But his progress so far

is just a drop in a bucket of what he needs to do.

So, there is still a lot of work ahead for Michael.

And the big question is if he's gonna be able

to stick with it over the period of time he needs.

Because losing his [indistinct] weight loss

surgery is only gonna increase the likelihood

he's gonna have a weight [indistinct] at some point

and go off the rest.

But hopefully, continuing with therapy

helps him to look ahead.

But Michael has still have long road ahead

and the outcome is ultimately still all up to him

and the choices he makes.

So only time will tell.

[Michael] All in all,

I'm feeling good about how it went.

It could've gone better

but it could've gone a lot worse.

So, I was very worried for a moment

about which direction it was gonna take.

But I'm happy that Dr. Now was pleased

and I was very relieved when he said

some of the encouraging things that he did.

And I know Kim is gonna be happy to hear that, too,

when I share it with her, you know.

I wish my goal for next time was still as big,

and all I have to do is go back

and try to improve on what I did last time.

And I think I can do that.

And so that's what I'm gonna do.

[dramatic music playing]

[Kimberly] What's the worst that can happen

with agoraphobia, though?

[Michael] The worst that can happen

is this can be completely counterproductive.

-Okay. -And actually push me farther

away from wanting to leave the house at all.

Do you think that's really a reality?

[Michael] Yeah, I do,

I do. I do.

[Kimberly] And you're allowed to feel that way.

I'm not trying to disconnect...

[Michael] No, you are. You're telling me, you're...

[Kimberly] No. [Michael] Again, I love

that you're always perking, always happy,

and always telling me what's gonna be best for me

but [bleep] happens.

-It goes sideways. -So it sounds like right now

you're spiraling a little bit.

[Michael] I'm completely spiraling.

-Okay. -[Michael] So, let's just...

So you need me to be quiet for just a little bit.

-[Michael] Please, please. -[Kimberly] Okay.

I need you to breathe, though,

because you're starting to panic, Michael.

-Here. -Uh-uh.

[Kimberly] Do you need me to drive?

-[Michael] Nope. -[Kimberly] Okay.

[Michael] You know I can't fit right in the car

-anywhere else but here. -[Kimberly] Oh, you can fit.

I need you to breathe and ground yourself for me.

[Michael] Right now, Kim and I are trying

to find a crystal shop, working on my agoraphobia,

my fear of going out and being around people.

This isn't easy.

And right now, I'm not even sure

I'm gonna be able to go through with it.

-[Kimberly] Oh, it's cute. -[Michael] Yeah.

[Kimberly] Look how cute that is.

-[Michael] I know. -[Kimberly] Okay.

Take all the time you need.

When you're ready, we'll go.

-[Michael] Can you go first? -[Kimberly] Yes, I sure can.

-Good evening. -[man] Good evening.

-[Kimberly] How are you today? -[man] Very good, yourself?

[Kimberly] Oh, I'm wonderful, thank you.

[dramatic music playing]

[man] Horse crystals are made in Conroe in the mid-70s.

[Kimberly] Really?

They supply the entire world for a horse crystal power

-for CB Radios. -Right here?

-In Conroe, yeah. -It's awesome.

[man] I built my shop from whatever I can

[indistinct] as cheaply as possible.

[Kimberly] That sounds like familiar.

I'm gonna leave these up here for you.

[Kimberly] Okay. Those are the ones you want?

-Yeah. -[Kimberly] Well, I'll lock it

-for you, baby. -[Michael] Thank you.

Thank you so much, sir.

[Kimberly] Thank you. Yes.

I'm proud of you, Michael.

[Michael] I hear you. Thank you.

I'm so proud I did that.

It's been 15 years since he's been in public like this.

[Michael] But I'm also glad it's over.

But I'll keep doing stuff like this

and taking all the steps I need,

and hopefully, the next time I go back

to Dr. Now, it will pay off.

[dramatic music playing]

[Michael] Kim and I are back at Dr. Now's

for my next appointment

and to find out if I made the progress

I was supposed to make.

But I am nervous.

I've been struggling a lot and that led me take

an extra month coming back here.

Dr. Now gave me a three-month goal

and I took four because

it's gotten a lot harder to do this,

so I just wanted a little more time

to lose more.

Michael.

[Michael] And to get closer to my goal

but I don't even know if it helped

or was it enough to get me there.

I know I'm trying hard.

As hard as I can.

But all I can say is it's just getting harder

and harder to do this.

So, I'm just hoping and praying that

I'm at least in the ballpark of where I need.

Because if I'm not, I don't know how much

of a grace period Dr. Now is gonna give me.

Yeah.

It's okay. You got this, okay?

-Yeah. -It's okay.

[Michael] Not much to say, other than I'm disappointed,

very disappointed because I didn't lose more.

It's still a loss and that's good.

Over all, that's about a hundred pounds

I've taken off my body.

So, maybe, Dr. Now will see the total

and even consider moving me ahead

with the testing.

I just thought the progress I was gonna have today

would be better.

So, I'm upset and I'm worried

about what Dr. Now is ultimately gonna tell me.

-Hello. How y'all doing? -[Kimberly] All good.

Good.

Uh, Michael, so you took four months this time

but lost half of what you did the first time.

So what's going on?

[Michael] I think it's just like you said, Dr. Now,

you know, the more weight you lose

the harder it is to lose,

portion control is still a problem.

I got lots of excuses but it doesn't matter.

Yeah. Well, it's understandable.

That's getting harder for you over this amount of time.

But the fact is still that we have to lose enough weight

to take the pressure off your abdomen,

so the surgery would be possible.

So you don't think a hundred pounds

is close enough to do the endoscopy?

-No. -Okay.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] You need to get closer to losing

hundred fifty pound before we're ready to do that.

Maybe next time, if you stick with it

-and get back on track, okay? -Mmm-hmm.

You're still doing therapy and sticking with it?

One hundred percent.

I'm gonna keep working on my perspective

in improving myself.

It's just been harder the past few months

but I'm trying and I'm not giving up.

I mean, I've lost about a hundred pounds,

so I'm just gonna keep working on it

and try to do better,

until you tell me I'm done and I'm ready for surgery.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] Okay. Great.

So, all we can do at the end of today

is try harder and work on it, okay?

-That's what I'm gonna do. -[Dr. Nowzaradan] All right.

So, we'll make sure your next therapy appointment is set.

So you have that and I want you to do

is the same goal as last time, 90 pounds.

But I'll give you up to four months to do that.

But if you think you have done that sooner,

then give me a call to set up your appointment

and we'll do it then. Sounds good?

[Michael] Okay, doctor. Thank you.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] Just pick up the pace so you'll lose

more than 10 pounds a month, okay?

Hundred pounds is good but you gotta keep going.

-I will, Dr. Now. -[Dr. Nowzaradan] Okay.

So you both keep at it, work hard.

And if you do need anything, give me a call.

-We will. -See you all later.

[Kimberly] All right. Have a good day.

All right. Bye now.

-Bye. -Bye.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] It is certainly concerning

to see the trend with Michael's

weight loss slowing.

He's gonna have to work harder if he want to succeed at this,

because losing more weight is the only option

he has to move forward.

So, this next few months are a crucial moment for him

because if this pattern continues with him,

then he's gonna stop losing and start gaining again,

and once that happens,

we likely won't be able to get him back on track.

[dramatic music playing]

[Michael] I've been feeling good about my recent progress

and how well I'm doing, you know.

I feel like I've been doing better

over these last couple of months.

Kim and I have gone out

five more times to public places.

That's huge, you know.

So, I'm making progress of my agoraphobia,

and with that progress,

I'm starting to feel some of my confidence come back,

just a little, not a lot.

But a little is just enough to make me think

I can get back to something I love,

you know, my martial arts.

[Michael panting]

-How you doing? -[Michael] Good.

-And you're? -Michael.

Michael. Nice to meet you, Michael.

-Nice to meet you. -Okay. You had, uh,

-a little training before. -Yes.

[Rick] That's terrific, super.

How long has it been since you trained?

-Twenty years. -[Rick] Twenty years.

Okay. Well, believe it or not

still gonna be some back in there,

so let's go on the mat

and we'll get you going a little bit

and you're gonna get to where you wanna get.

Okay.

[dramatic music playing]

[Michael] I'm scared this isn't gonna go well.

Because I'm feeling good about myself right now.

I don't wanna do anything to mess that up.

But I'm pushing pass all those fears in my head

and the negativity.

And I'm gonna try to just focus on the positive.

And that I can even try to do this right now.

And that alone is amazing to me.

And to have a chance to get back to martial arts

and have that discipline in my life

that I have lacked for a way too long

is a huge thing for me that I want,

and I'm thankful for it.

My goal is to be able to push myself

to drill for a minute, at least,

just to start again.

[panting]

This is hard.

I'm exhausted but I'm exhilarated

by that exhaustion and that it pushes me

to go on for five or ten more seconds.

The final goal for me

is getting to that minute right now.

And I have to do it, little by little.

I take a break, I re-center myself.

I gain my composure, I gain my breath,

and I go back at it.

And even if it's only for a few seconds,

each time I know I'm gonna get better.

I know I'm gonna do more each time I try it.

I just have to keep at it

and not allow myself to fall back.

[Rick] Looking pretty good there, Mr. Michael.

[sighs] Thank you.

I was watching you through the window.

You were doing some nice... Good reach hands,

nice palm heal strikes.

When you're punching,

your wrist is nice and straight

like it's supposed to be.

And if sitting down is what you need to do then...

-[Michael] Yeah. -...that's what you do, okay.

Okay. But you got good reach hand,

you're already spiking in there

with those two big knuckles, coming in with reach hands,

palm strike, palm strikes in there.

That's a lot of energy.

One of the most important things in martial arts

is that how you think is going to determine

whether you're successful

at whatever it is that you're doing.

And physically now,

you get to where you wanna get,

you have to do it in little pieces.

When are you gonna get started?

How about... How about some 15 seconds shots right now?

And time is starting. Go.

[Michael] I feel great. I'm really happy I did this.

You know, I pushed myself today

to take this leap and get out of my comfort zone,

and get back to martial arts

because stepping on to the mat

again after 20 years

of not being on the mat was extremely cathartic.

All right. Let's see what's gonna happen

for this 60 seconds.

Don't forget, take those breaks in there

-and pace yourself, ready? -Ready.

And...

begin.

That's it.

[Michael] This has encouraged me,

given me a fire to work even harder.

And to keep doing this because martial arts

is a place where I find peace.

I find balance, I find my center,

and it's where I need to be because marital arts

is gonna help me find myself again.

I felt like a husk of a person for too long.

And this will help me build my body

and inner self back.

...two, one, time.

Okay. Whenever you're ready,

we're ready for you, all right?

-All right. -There you are.

-Here's your homework. -Thank you very much.

You are very welcome.

[Michael] I am feeling great after this lesson.

I'm walking out of here confident,

I'm walking out of here with tools I can use,

I'm walking out of here

just with a rekindled sense of purpose.

So, this is gonna help me going

and discipline myself in all areas of my life.

So, I'm not gonna fail.

I have two more months to try to hit my goal

and get surgery and I intend to do it.

[dramatic music playing]

[Michael] Kimberly and I are about to be at Dr. Now's

for another appointment.

And I'm hoping that Dr. Now says that I'm ready

to move ahead with my testing,

to see if I can have surgery now

because I feel like I am.

Dr. Now gave me four months to lose my goal.

Adding an extra month for me from what he's been giving

because I took that last time.

But he also told me

if I feel ready sooner than that,

I could come back before then.

So, I called him and I told him

I feel good about what I've been doing,

and that I wanna come back this month

because I think I'm ready,

and I do not wanna lose more time.

Michael?

[Michael] So, I just hope I'm right and I did it.

But I'm feeling good about my chances.

At my last appointment I was at 512 pounds,

and Dr. Now wanted me to lose 90 pounds again.

So, my goal for today is 422

and I'm about to see if I did that.

[dramatic music playing]

-[Kimberly laughs] -Because of you, babe.

-I know you can do it. -Oh, I know.

I love you. I know you could do it.

[Michael] It's more than I lose last time,

so I'm happy about that.

I guess the big question

is the same as it's always been,

is it enough?

I hope it is.

You know, I'm close to that hundred and fifty pound

overall goal that Dr. Now gave me

to do another endoscopy.

So, I'm holding out hope that in total

my progress up to this point will be enough for him to say

I'm ready for that and to move ahead.

-Hello. How are you all doing? -Good.

Oh, good, doctor. Thank you.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] Good. All right.

So, Michael, so you're back a little early.

-Yes, sir. -[Dr. Nowzaradan] Okay.

But you didn't lose a lot more weight than last time.

[Michael] I know. I thought I lost more.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] So, I'm glad to see

you're maintaining, so that's positive.

And overall, up to this point,

you have lost about a hundred thirty-five pounds.

So, I think, that's close now

to what you need to lose for us to go ahead.

We'll do an endoscopy and see if it's gonna possible

to fix the hernia and do, uh, preparation

for weight loss surgery.

-That sounds good? -That sounds incredible.

[Kimberly] Yes. Thank you.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] All right. So, we'll set that up for you.

And then see what our options are from there.

Do you think surgery is gonna be possible

or even likely at this point?

[Dr. Nowzaradan] I don't know. We just have to see.

But if it is, then we'll schedule

for your hernia repair.

And once you recover from that,

we can see if the scar tissue is imposing any obstacle

to do in your weight loss surgery.

So, it may take a little while to get to that point.

But if you just stay on track and don't get too comfortable

to where you start to gain, we'll figure it out, okay?

One hundred percent I'm not gonna let that happen.

I am excited. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, doctor.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] Well, you're welcome.

I'm proud of you

for sticking with it this long.

So keep it up.

-Thank you. -Thank you.

[Dr. Nowzaradan] All right.

I'll speak to both of you soon,

and see you at the endoscopy.

-Thank you. -Thank you, doctor.

-See you all later. -[Kimberly] Bye.

-Bye, doctor. -Thank you, doctor.

[Michael laughs]

[Dr. Nowzaradan] I'm proud of Michael

working just on... By losing weight like he has.

It will be nice to see more progress from him,

but trying to stay on track for as long as he has

is going to be a struggle.

So, I'm happy to see he at least stuck with it

and worked hard to do that.

And that his family is supporting him

to help him stay on track.

So, we'll see how things are looking in his abdomen

and determine if he's ready for his first surgery

and go from there.

But Michael still has a long road ahead

to get healthy and make it to his target weight.

But I'm confident we'll be able to get him in

for his hernia surgery soon.

And if everything goes well,

we can obtain his weight loss surgery

six to eight weeks after that

once he recovered enough.

So, we'll see if we can do that.

But whatever the situation is, right now,

I'm very optimistic about Michael's potential

to turn his life around to get healthy

and stick with it for the long run.

[Michael] I am extremely excited right now.

I'm very proud of myself.

When Dr. Now said that I was ready

and he was gonna do the endoscopy and test again,

it's like this huge weight was lifted off me.

It has been a long journey and a lot of hard work.

And to see it start to pay off

makes me feel incredible.

So, I'll just wait to get my date and time

to go to the hospital for it all,

and then we'll go from there.

But right now, I'm looking forward

to hopefully moving ahead soon.

[dramatic music playing]

[Michael] I am excited about today

because my sons and I plan to surprise picnic for Kim.

I'm trying to get some flowers for you mom

and we'll get some lunch.

[Liam] Oh, she loves pink roses.

Pink lilies, but yes.

I told her that I would pick the kids up from school

and that she should just take it easy,

and that we have a big surprise for her.

Hey, beautiful, can you and Xander come out?

[Kimberly] Okay. Love you, baby.

Love you. Bye.

And we all picked a spot by the lake

to make a fun and special day for Kim,

to show her just how special she is

and we are all excited about it.

Kimberly has no idea what's going on.

It was my idea because I was trying to think of ways

that I could start to help out

with all of the things that Kim has to do,

and take care of, and manage.

[dramatic music playing]

[Michael] Give me your hands. Okay. Look down, look down.

Open your eyes, there's a curb,

and just look at the ground.

Keep your eyes close at the ground.

You know, doing this is just a fraction

of what she's done for me but it's something.

It's a step towards doing the things she deserves

and what I've always wanted to do for her for decades.

And I think she's gonna like it a lot.

I hope she does.

-Take a few more steps. -Okay.

Okay. Keep your eyes close.

-Okay. -Ready? Ready?

-Surprise. -[gasps] Oh my gosh, honey.

-[Michael] Balloons. -[Kimberly] Thank you, honey.

-[Michael] Mmm-hmm. -[Kimberly] I love my koala.

-[laughs] -[Michael] You love that?

Oh. [laughs] My spring rolls.

[Michael] Boys, come sit down.

Oh my gosh. He is so cute.

[Michael] I'm glad you liked it, baby.

[Kimberly] Oh, this is wonderful.

Thank you.

Thank you, boys, for being with us.

[Michael] Doing all of this and all of this activity

is taking a lot out of me

but I am really glad I did this.

I feel really good right now and I'm optimistic

about my future.

I had my other endoscopy

and Dr. Now said a few weeks ago,

I'm almost ready for my hernia surgery.

[Kimberly] I'm so proud of you, Michael.

This is amazing.

[Michael] And if I just lose another 30 pounds or so,

that should be enough.

So, he went ahead and scheduled my surgery

for three months later.

So, I'm pushing myself to try to lose

more than that by then.

So, I am excited,

very excited about the hernia surgery.

Let's go walk to the water.

-Let's do it. -Okay.

Let's see how far we can get.

You're being adventurous.

Well, just remember, I float, so.

I know that it'll help me feel better.

And I'm hoping that removing the scar tissue

or as much as Dr. Now can

would not only help me feel better physically

with the pressure I have in my stomach from it,

but that it'll open up an opportunity

for me to finally get weight loss surgery.

Dr. Now said it's gonna take me a couple months

to recover from the hernia surgery,

to be ready for another surgery.

But once I recovered to that point,

he'll do another endoscopy to see if I'm ready

for a gastric sleeve operation.

[Kimberly] Now I know it's here,

when you get in a better shape,

-we can come and walk. -Yeah.

Michael is taking control of his whole life

and he's working so hard, and I'm so proud of him.

We've seen these huge changes,

and that's breathtaking, and exciting,

and scary because, you know, we don't know...

Like, we were talking about,

I wonder what you're gonna look like when you're thin?

You know, because he's never been.

The smallest he's ever been was 385

and he felt amazing, then.

So, I can't even imagine under three

what he's gonna feel like.

I mean, it's just... And this has been a wild ride

and I just can't wait to see where we end up.

You know, what they say about uphill battles.

[Michael pants] You can't talk [indistinct].

I'm ready to believe the life I want

is possible again,

and to get excited about that and my future.

I haven't feel myself through that in decades

because I've been through so much disappointment,

but I'm not giving in to the fear

and negativity anymore.

I still want and need the surgery.

But for the first time in over 20 years,

I have hoped again.

I have a future I believe in now

and I can't wait for it.

[dramatic music playing]