All language subtitles for My 600-lb Life S12E02

I wasn't just constantly
gorging myself with food.

I don't believe you.
I don't think
she believes you, either.

All I hear is excuses.

[woman 1 sobbing]
Somewhere in me,

there's just a little
glimmer of hope.

I just wanna be
a normal person.

[groans, sighs]

[man 1] You can't do it
and then I just... Man!

[woman 2] If I don't
make a change now

I'm scared
it's gonna be too late.

[exclaiming in pain]
No! It hurts.

[woman 3] I refuse
to stop fighting.

I have to do this
for my children.

[exclaims]

Your body is carrying
the weight of three people.

-You want your mother
to bury you. Is that it?
-No.

That's what it's
coming down to.

Life and death.

[William] It's hard to believe
that I let my weight drag
my life down to this point.

I am still mobile,

but sometimes

I'm in too much pain
to wanna get out of bed

and sometimes,

I just don't want to.

Some days I don't feel
like moving at all,
I don't feel

like I can move.

It could be better
to stay in bed

and play video games all day
and just relax.

Kind of, you know,
just avoid the world.

[groans]

I move slower than I used to,

but I still can
get around pretty well.

Honestly,
the most difficult thing
about my every day

is getting up every day.
Getting out of bed.

I feel like it's both
physical and mental.

I do have pain sometimes,
like, in my back
when I wake up.

Like, my knees and my back
and my ankles.

My ankles hurt
really bad sometimes.

But some of that
is also when I'm depressed.

Not wanting to do anything,

to where I just don't want
any social interaction
with anybody.

Taking a shower
is a big challenge for me

because of my stomach.

I can shower on a bad day,

when I'm in a lot pain,
I would say about 5 minutes.

Um, because it's hard
to just stand there.

Bending over
is a little difficult 'cause
my stomach gets in the way.

Um, it's hard to be able
to lift up my stomach
and get underneath.

Sometimes I don't always
get it as good as I could.

[straining]

It just makes
me feel uncomfortable,
like, I just

don't wanna be around people
because it could stink and

I don't wanna
worry about that.

I would say I have seen myself
degrade as far as, like,

things are getting harder

and worse a little by little
every day.

How fast I'm moving
or how out of breath
I get at times.

Um, sometimes,
like I said, it gets worse.

I feel very limited knowing
where I can go.

Mostly, I only go
to the store.

The ability to breathe,
I've noticed,

some days gets really bad
to where I can only

walk maybe halfway
and then I have to turn around

and go back
because I'm too tired.

And then, sometimes just
walking up and down stairs

or lifting things will cause
the breath to go away.

So, my mom
has started coming over

to help out
with food and stuff.

-Oh, hey, Mom.
-Hey, Willy.

-I thought I'd cook you
some breakfast.
-[William] Okay.

-Thank you.
-You're welcome.

[William] Food for me
is a drug.

A drug, a coping mechanism,
something like that.

All right, I'm gonna make sure
I make you enough.

[William] All right.

When William wakes up
in the morning,

he's stressing about something

and he's trying
to use the food
to make it go away.

[sighs in exasperation]
Oh, my gosh. Right now,

William is so
dishonest with himself
about his eating habits.

But...

I almost never
see joy in him.

So, yes,
probably partly my fault

because it was me
giving him the food

because I wanna see
joy in him.

But I... I really feel that

as a mother

you do the best of what
you think you have available.

-Here it comes, Willy.
-[William] Okay.

[Dorothy] There you go.

[William] When I'm eating
my mom's cooking

even when
I'm starting to feel full,
I just can't stop.

I've always had
a big appetite.

I think it's because
growing up every day
revolved around sports.

My dad left
before I was born.

My grandparents
were basketball fanatics.

And my mom made a living
coaching Little League.

And we all got really close
watching and playing
games together.

[Dorothy] When William
was a little boy

his attention span
was about two seconds,

so you always had to be
on your toes.

He'd run into trees
'cause he'd be so excited

playing with something that
he wasn't paying attention
where he was going.

[William] For the most part,
my early childhood
was pretty great.

But then
around the time I was 7 or 8

my mom lost her job
coaching Little League

and there weren't
any other coaching jobs
in the area.

So, she had to work
out of state.

My brother and I were left
with our grandparents.

And, I mean, my mom
would come back to visit.

But when she was gone
for weeks on end

and it was the first time
I remember feeling
really down.

And so, after I ate
I would feel better.

and that's where
my relationship with food
first started to go south.

Middle school is where
the trouble started.

I don't know
if you would call it gangs

but it was people
who had that thug mentality.

I went from being an athlete

to this moody kid
with a wild temper.

Depending on
what kinda day it was,

sometimes I'd be able
to control the temper,
sometimes I wouldn't.

If somebody felt like
they wanted to fight,
I would step in

and defend anybody,

especially if they
were smaller

or not as athletic

or not able
to defend themselves.

And then,
I would go home and eat.

It was when I really
first started noticing

there's something
not right here.

There'd be days
where I have felt differently
than I normally did,

for no reason.

These periods would last
anywhere from an hour

to several days at a time,

and I didn't even realize
what it was at first

I just knew
something was off with me.

And then,

that's when I was kind of
looking at things

and realizing, hey,
this could be depression.

I'd be fine
and then all of a sudden

I'd feel really down
and just not myself.

Do you want some more, Will?

[William] Uh, sure.

Then right around the time
I started getting depressed

during basketball,
I partially tore my ACL

to the point
to where it's being...

basically being held on
by strands.

So, I was immobile,
on crutches.

My dream was always
to play professional sports

whether baseball, basketball
or football.

So when I
couldn't really be active

and not be able
to play sports,

not be able to workout,
not be able to do anything,

it led to
a really bad depression.

I started playing
a whole lot of video games.

And I barricaded myself
into a room

and didn't let nobody else in.

And that's when food,

it just kind of
substituted everything.

My senior year my ACL healed

but the depression
never lifted.

And then I just
kind of got tired
of just playing sports

and I just wanted
to do something different,

and part of that
was the depression.

'Cause I didn't feel motivated
to do anything.

I didn't have a backup plan
or anything like that.

I like the idea
of being a positive influence
on people somehow.

So after I graduated
high school

I ended up transferring
over to Job Corps.

Wanted to go to school
to be a correctional officer.

Job Corps is great
because it gave me
a free place to live.

While I got paid
to get certified

for both armed
and unarmed security

as well as
to work corrections.

And then, while I was
finishing my studies

I noticed this fellow student
who was overweight like me,

and we started talking.

And then it quickly
developed into something where

we became very comfortable
doing just about
anything together.

So, then we dated for about
three months and then

we just randomly
decided to get married

and it was just kind of
a spur of the moment thing.

It wasn't like
a thought out process or

what the future holds...
anything like that.

[Dorothy] She walks up,
she goes,

"I'm William's girlfriend."

I was like, "Oh, no."

So, I tried to talk 'em
into living together,

I tried to talk 'em out
of getting married.

I said, "Living together,
you'll get to know each other.

I don't think marriage
is the right thing right now."

But nobody listened to me
because her parents pushed
for them to get married.

[William] We moved
to Colorado

and I did work security
for a little bit.

But I realized really quickly
that security

was not what I wanted to do.

So, in terms of other jobs

customer service
was what was available.

I even started
looking at studying
video game programming.

But just as I was doing that
my marriage came to an end.

-Willy, are you ready
to go to the grocery store?
-Yeah, I am.

-What do you want?
What are you gonna get?
-Uh, I don't know.

Probably, some,
like, chicken. Some...

Definitely get some soda.
I think I'm out
completely now.

[Dorothy] Okay.

[William] My wife and I were
together for 5 years

and we no longer had those
same feelings for each other

like, we loved
each other there,
but we weren't in love.

And I think we woke up one day
realizing that

and so we separated,
thinking maybe
separation will work on it.

We tried to get back together

and it just did not seem like
it was the right thing to do.

It was literally, "Here is
the divorce paperwork.

Sign it, done.
Okay, done."

I still had my job
in customer service
but starting over was hard.

Rents in Colorado
were really expensive.

So, I moved back to Texas.

Staying in hotel rooms
just to kind of make things
cheaper on me.

And I was working
the night shift from home.

The phone systems
weren't working right
for the overnight people.

But instead of addressing
the issue and resolving it

they just kinda got rid
of the people that were
having the issues.

They just kind of
got rid of me.

And then I moved out
of my hotel room.

And that's when the depression
started to creep up on me.

'Cause even
when it's agreeable,

I mean, it's divorce,
it's rough, it's tough.

It does take a toll mentally.

I just kept it all in
and I didn't talk to anybody
about it.

I turned back to junk food.

And I started playing
a lot of video games

and not really being active

and just sitting there,
and I noticed
the weight was coming on

and wasn't going back off.

[Dorothy] The habits changed
after his divorce

and he started using food
as a coping mechanism

to hide his feelings.

And that's when I, kind of,
just, I realized

I had a food addiction.

And it got to a point
to where I didn't feel
comfortable climbing stairs

because I was too heavy.

I joined the gym
to walk on the treadmill
for 30 minutes to an hour,

and they had a big TV screen

so you could watch a movie
while you were walking.

But just,
being the size I was,

it felt like I was being
looked at and stared at.

Could've been a mental thing,
um, but,

I didn't see any changes,

and so
I just kinda stopped going.

And so it just kind of
spiraled from there
out of control up till now.

My depression, it's kind of,

something I keep close to me
and I just, kind of,
keep it quiet.

I'm just very blocked in.

Kind of, cut everybody out
when I started gaining weight.

As I got bigger, I just
kind of distanced myself
from everybody.

I do have to have somebody
drive me to the grocery store

because it is hard to
get behind a steering wheel.

I mean, I wish
I could go by myself.

Just because,
I'm in my 30s, but...

life can be very challenging
at this weight

because there's not a lot
of places that are
built or made

for heavier people.

So, it's harder to get places,
go to the grocery store

and stuff like that.

[wheels rattling]

The main thing I can't stop
myself from buying

when I'm at the grocery store
is probably soda.

That's what motivates me
to come down here.

I usually go through
a six-pack of those

within a couple of hours.

There.

[breathing heavily]

As a parent, unfortunately,
there's really no guidebook.

Did we teach them
the right thing?

Did we do what we
should've done as a mother?

Every child is different,

every need is different.

But at the end of the day,
as a mother

it was my job to probably
teach him healthy eating.

-Here's some cupcakes.
-[William] Yes.

-[Dorothy] You got
hotdogs already?
-Yes.

I don't do
a whole lot of vegetables.

Mostly, I cook meat up
and eat it.

The thing that I enjoy most
about food is the taste
and the flavors.

I don't really find
the way I eat different
than anybody else.

But I do notice
that people are staring at me.

It makes me nervous.

And then I wanna
get what I need

and get out
as quickly as possible,

before I start
to get claustrophobic.

[machine beeps]

-Here you go.
-Thank you.

-Y'all have a great day.
-You, too.

Thank you.

[Dorothy] To see
where he is now

and not being responsible
enough to understand

the impact it has
on his weight, his body,

the people that love him
around him,

is devastating to me.

Shopping with William
is like a crashing plane.

You can't stop it,
you can't control it,

you have to just let it do
what it's doing

and it's just...

It is heartbreaking

to know that
you can't help your son.

-William...
-[William] Hmm?

...I'm not going
up the stairs,

-I'm gonna leave the bags
at the bottom of the stairs.
-[William] All right.

William has to stand up
and take care of William.

He can't rely on Mommy
to take care of William.

He can't rely on society
to take care of William.

William needs to realize

"I have to lose this weight."

Not, "Oh, well,
Mom will do this for me."

Or, "This person
will do that for me."

He's gotta take charge

and once he loves himself
enough to take charge

his whole world
is gonna open up.

[William] I feel like
life is passing me by.

I spend most of my day
pretty much on the chair
in my living room.

Sometimes, I go a month

without any depression issues

and then sometimes

it's there for
several months,

straight through
without a break

and that's when
eating becomes, like,
a way to cover a whole.

And I know that
how I'm living right now

can't go on for much longer.

If I don't change,

my heart is gonna keep getting
worse until it gives out.

But I'm also not ready
to give up food

when I feel really down
and depressed.

And I'll go through a gallon
of ice-cream in a day

if I feel that down
and depressed.

So, I don't know
what I'm gonna do.

My situation
is at a breaking point.

I need to get help.

My life right now,
I feel like,
when I'm depressed

it can get really bad
so I spend most of my day
pretty much in my room.

Just kinda sitting there.

But I know I need to get out
because I don't wanna just

stuck in a bed
or stuck in a house.

My biggest fear
is dying at a young age.

So it does scare me.

It makes me
want to get the help

I need
to get this under control.

Right now, he's a prisoner
in his own body.

This weight has the chains
wrapped around him so tight,

he has no freedom.

It's just time for William to

do something to help William
and to love himself again.

[William] So, today
I'm gonna see Dr. Now

so I can get my life
back on track.

I've been dieting already
for the past few weeks.

And it feels like I'm moving
in the right direction.

So, hopefully,
Dr. Now will be impressed
I got a head start.

But I'm definitely
nervous for the drive.

It should be
about 4 or 5 hours.

I think I can handle it
all right.

But it's gonna be painful
cramming myself in the car
for that long.

And then when I get there,
I'll have to weigh myself
and see where I'm at.

I don't know how much I weigh
'cause I haven't
weighed myself.

I don't wanna
see those numbers
on the scale. [chuckles]

I think I've lost
20 or 30 lb already.

[Dorothy speaking]

[William speaking]

[Dorothy speaking]

[William] I feel like my mom
is more uptight about
this whole thing than I am.

But I'm not gonna let her
stress me out.

[Dorothy speaking]

[William speaking]

[Dorothy speaking]

[William speaking]

[Dorothy speaking]

[Dorothy and William speaking]

[William] We're finally
in Houston and I can't wait
to get out of the car,

because I'm in a lot of pain
for being crammed for 4 hours.

[William speaking]

[Dorothy] Here we go, Willy.

[William] I'm glad
we're finally here.

[car door opens]

[William] I guess
I'm kind of nervous.

But I'm ready to be done
with all this weight.

And I'm hoping today
will be the first step
towards that.

[door beeps then closes]

-[Dorothy] You look
scared to death.
-No. [chuckles nervously]

[Dorothy speaking]

[William] Yeah, I know.

[Dorothy speaking]

[William] Yeah.

[William] Mmm-hmm.

-[door opens]
-William?

-[William chuckles]
-[woman 4] Hi.

-[William] How you doing?
-[woman 4] Good. How are you?

[William] I'm doing good.

-[woman 4] Please step up
on the scale for me.
-[William] Okay.

I really hope
I lost some good weight

and I'm down
under 600 right now.

Because I worked hard to
start turning things around.

And if I haven't lost
much after that,

it's gonna be really
discouraging for me.

I've been dieting already
for the past few weeks.

I'm really hoping
that my hard work paid off,

and that I'm under 600.

[Dorothy] You did
lose some weight.

[William] I didn't realize
I lost that much.

[woman 4] If you'll go
down the hallway to the left

room five, I'll let
the Doctor know you're ready.

-All right, thank you.
-[woman 4] All right,
thank you.

[William] All right.

That's pretty good.

I was hoping it might be
a little lower than that.

But my goal was
to get under 600 by today

and I did that.

So, that's something
I can feel good about.

And I'm hoping I can
keep the trend going

with Dr. Now's help.

[Dorothy softly] Okay, Willy.

We're in it.

-You getting excited?
-Yeah.

[knock at door]

-Come in.
-Come in.

Hello. How y'all doing?

-[William] I'm doing great.
How about you?
-Good.

-So, you must be William.
-Yes, sir.

Who's this young lady
with you?

[William] That's my mom.
[chuckles]

-Hi, Dr. Now.
-[Dr. Now] How you doing?

-I'm fine.
-[Dr. Now] Good.

Well, nice to meet you both.

So, William,

-you are what, 34 years old?
-34, yeah.

Yup. Um,
I've lost probably

20 lb or so in the last,
probably, month or so.

[Dr. Now speaking]

Um, when I weighed myself

the highest weight
that I know of was 620,

and that was
a couple of months ago.

Okay. Do you work?

Um, I just lost my job
so I'm looking for a new one.

I can't drive because
my stomach gets in the way
of the steering wheel.

And so,
who takes you around

-when you need
to go somewhere?
-Uh, my mom.

-So, she's your
designated driver?
-Yes. Yes. [chuckles]

Yes, and mom would
like to quit being
a designated driver.

[Dr. Now] All right.

Um, I used to eat out a lot,

um, but I've started eating
at home more.

Um, just because
it does make me feel better

and I know it is
a lot healthier as well.

Your mom
isn't agreeing with you.

[Dorothy] He's not telling
the whole story.

I'm finding out
when he buys groceries,
he's buying things like

frozen burritos,
frozen hot wings,

um, ice-cream,
chips, sodas.

So, he leave
those out for me.

[chuckles] No, I haven't
actually bought
any of that stuff

-in probably two weeks or so.
-Two weeks?

So, mom, you yourself

-are struggling
with weight too, right?
-[Dorothy] I am.

So, the whole goal is
I'm gonna follow the same diet
that you give him,

so I can support him

and I can also re-achieve
my goals by helping him.

All right. So, how motivated
you are to change?

I'm extremely motivated.
I really wanna change,
um, and get back

into a healthier weight
so I can do more
and have more fun.

[Dr. Now] Okay.
Do either of you
have any questions?

[Dorothy] Um...

One of my big concerns
is his stomach is, like,

fire red and got sores on it.

And that scares me...

because I don't know
what kind of infection he has.

[Dr. Now speaking]

[William] Okay.

Well, yeah,
I see all these things.

That... that is
a skin infection

from the sore you got.

[Dr. Now speaking]

[William] Okay.

-Can you lift it up?
-Yeah.

[Dr. Now speaking]

And that is, um,

really problematic.

So, um, do you know
you need to lose,

-uh, a lot of weight
real quick.
-Yeah.

And the weight you lose
then this is gonna go down.

-Okay.
-All right.

[Dr. Now speaking]

We need to get you
some anti-fungal treatment

-and antibiotic
for this infection you've got.
-Okay.

-And, um, I'm gonna
start you on some diet.
-Okay.

I'm gonna get you to stick
with a 1200-calorie day.

Have protein,
low carb diet.

And also, I'm gonna give you
some instruction for doing
some exercise plan.

Why don't you an hour
of exercises in the morning.

-And an hour in the evening.
-Okay.

And that is gonna be all up
to you to make those changes.

[Dr. Now speaking]

-Okay.
-[Dr. Now] And after you lose,

uh, maybe 200 to 250

we can take all
this extra skin that's
hanging around...

-Okay.
-...so you gotta
have a normal posture

and be able to drive
and do everything you need

to function on your own.

So I'm gonna get you the stuff
and bring it to you,

-and, and we go from there.
-Okay.

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

-[Dr. Nowzaradan]
I'll be right back.
-Okay, cool.

[Dorothy] Thank you, Dr. Now.

-Dr. Now ain't gonna
play with you.
-[laughs]

Come in.

All right, so this is what
I want you to read
every night.

-[William] Okay.
-[Dr. Nowzaradan] I'll give
one copy to your mom.

And I'm gonna give you
this book.

-And in chapter 12...
-Okay.

-...there's exercises that you
can do beside your walk.
-Okay.

-Okay? All right.
-[William] Yes, sir.

And if you follow
all those instruction
I'm giving you today,

Okay.

-Okay?
-All right.

-[Dr. Nowzaradan]
Any questions?
-Um, no.

All right, so we'll see you
in about eight weeks

and see what kind of progress
you're makin'.

And in the meantime,
if you need anything
give me a call.

-I will, thank you.
-Thank you, Dr. Now.

-I'll see y'all later.
-[William] All right,
thank you.

I think it went really well.

I think he gave me
a lot of information

on how to successfully
lose weight.

I think it's very obtainable,
I mean,

I'm gonna probably have
some slip-ups, I'm human,
we all make mistakes,

but I'm gonna try my best
to stay and do exactly
as he says.

[Dorothy] I want this for him.

Sad to say probably more
than he wants it for himself,

because I want my son to live,
I don't wanna have to
bury my son.

[sniffles] And that's what
I'm afraid of.

I live in that fear
every single day. [sniffles]

[William] I feel
really ready for this.

I'm gonna start doing
Dr. Now's whole thing,
pretty much right away.

I'm not looking forward
to the ride home,

but I'm not gonna use food
to help me with my pain.

That's how committed
I am already.

I wanna do this right,
and I'm going to be
a success story for him.

[William] It's been a week
since I've seen Dr. Now,

and I've been doing the diet
and all the exercises

since the minute I got back.

And I'm treating this like
a whole new start to my life.

So, I decided I wanted
a whole new look.

One that will make me feel
just a little lighter.

So far it hasn't been easy,
but I'm trying to work
my hardest

and doing everything I need.

Dr. Now gave me a bunch of,
like, arm exercises

and leg exercises
and things like that

because can't really do
push-ups or sit-ups
because of my weight,

so he gave me
other alternatives

to kind of help with
the weight loss as well.

The exercising is hard.

Especially how much
I'm supposed to do

according to Dr. Now's book.

But it's gotten a little
easier since I've started,
you know?

So, that's good
and shows some good progress.

[breathing heavily]

The hardest part
is all the walking.

It feels good
to get outside my apartment,

but I get winded
pretty quickly.

[panting]

[birds chirping]

Working out makes me
more positive,

it makes me feel better
about myself.

[continues panting]

I feel really good right now.

There's kind of an improvement
from what I've been walking,

so it's gone
a little bit further

each time I go out and walk.

And then when I'm done
is when I get the most hungry,

and I end up wanting to
eat more than I should.

Okay.

[phone dialing]

-[Dorothy over phone] Hello?
-Hey, Mom.

-[Dorothy] Hey, what's up?
-Uh, I'm hungry,
can you pick up some salad?

[tiredly] I guess.

Just like a chicken salad
with ranch.

-[Dorothy] All right.
-All right, thank you, Mom.

[Dorothy] Yeah, no problem,
you're welcome.
See you in a little bit.

-I love you, bye.
-[Dorothy] Love you, bye.

[William] So I know
I'm trying my best,

and I'm trying to do
the diet too.

I go over Dr. Now's book
every day

and my mom's been helping me
find healthier options
that I can order.

[knocking on door]

-[William] Oh, hey, Mom.
-Hey, Will.

I brought you some salads
for lunch.

I just wanted to make sure
you're eating healthy.

-Are you following your diet?
-All right. Yeah, I am.

I just went
for a walk earlier,

probably gonna go on a walk
later on today as well.

Well, keep on that diet 'cause
you got a long road to go.

Oh, I know.
All right, thank you, Mom.

You're welcome. Love you.

-I love you, bye.
-Catch you later, bye.

[William] The only issue
with those meals

is the portion sizes
are usually bigger

than what Dr. Now's book says.

But at the same time,
it's hard to feel full
on his portion sizes.

And so I'm just working on now
more so focused on

the overeating as well as,
um, the sweet tooth cravings.

But I've been working hard
and it feels good,

like a sense of
accomplishment.

And I'm hoping I show Dr. Now
what he needs to see,

so I can move ahead
without delaying

because I know I can excel
with his program,

and I feel like I already am.

Hi, welcome in,
what would you like?

A two-chicken combo.

Uh, with fries, okay,

and a second one of those,
okay.

I got a new job
at a restaurant

and I think Dr. Now
would be happy with it,

because it keeps me active
and it gets me out
in the world.

Uh, your total will be $18.84.

I'm excited coming to work

'cause it gets me
out of the house

and it kinda gives me
that interaction with others.

-[cook speaking]
-Okay, I got you.

I do have challenges
moving around at work

just because it's small areas,

uh, so it's a little bit
harder to maneuver.

I mean the most demanding task
with work

is just being on my feet
is the most...

is the hardest thing
I have to do.

[male employee speaking]

-Okay.
-[male employee speaking]

[William] A lot of times
I do get really exhausted
after work,

so I don't wanna do anything
or don't have the energy
to do anything.

-[male employee speaking]
-You're welcome.

It does make it
a little challenging,

but it's not too bad,
it's not unmanageable.

Work is a big motivation
to lose weight.

I'd be able to have my
life back and be able to

do things outside of work too
that I wanna do,

so lot of things that are
kinda motivating me
to lose the weight.

-How you doing?
-[driver] Well, thank you.

Can you believe
how nice it is out?

[William chuckles]
Compared to how cold it was
this morning?

I'm back in Houston
with my mom to see Dr. Now,

and show him the progress
that I've been making.

I've worked hard
and I know it's paying off

because I feel smaller
and have a lot more energy,

so I know I'm making progress.

But I have no idea
if I'm at his goal or not.

William?

-[William] How you doing?
-Hi, how are you?

-[William] Doing good.
-Good.

[William] Losing 70 lb
is a lot,

but hopefully I lost
most of that

and I'll be down
in the low 500s.

I'm hoping I am and I get
approved for surgery today.

That would be the best.

[assistant] Okay, can you step
on the scale for me?

[William] That's the step
I need the most,

and I've worked really hard
to try and make that happen
by today,

so I feel like I deserve it.

And hopefully it's enough.

[William]
I'm here at Dr. Now's
for my first big follow up,

and I'm about to find out
how much weight I lost.

At my last appointment,
I was 592 lb,

and I was supposed to
lose 70 lb today,

which means I should be
down to 522 lb.

All right, we're gonna go
to room five and then

-I'll let the doctor know
you're there.
-Okay.

[assistant] Okay.

[William] I guess technically,
I lost some weight
before I even met Dr. Now.

So if you include that,
my weight loss is
a little more impressive.

Any weight loss
is good weight loss.

But I don't know if Dr. Now
will see it that way.

-Well, you lost a little bit.
-Yeah, I mean, this...

A weight loss
is weight loss regardless.

-[Dorothy] But you need to
focus on more.
-[knocking on door]

-Hello, how y'all doing?
-Good.

Good. All right, William,

it's been three months
since I saw you,

-I thought you'll
never come back.
-[laughing]

-[Dr. Nowzaradan] And...
-I'm busy with work,
I got a new job,

so I've been working
a whole lot.

You got a job?
So what are you doing now?

[William] I work at
a fast food place now.

[Dr. Nowzaradan]
So you now work with fast food

and you lost the whole 12 lb
in three months,

which will be 4 lb a month.

[laughing]

No, I mean, um,

I don't know, like,
I know it's the soda,

'cause I haven't fully
given that up, um,

I need to just give that up,

so I mean,
I know that part of it.

But I'm also looking at
other ideas for lunches,

so that way I can kind of
help with the weight loss
as well.

I'm gonna just keep going
and keep trying to improve

and keep losing the weight.

Um, I mean, I've just try to

follow the diet a little bit
stricter, a little bit better,
um...

You think I'm gonna buy that
you're doing okay

and pat you in the back
and say,

"Do a little better, cut the--

a little bit more soda,
you're gonna be okay"?

Mom, you were supposed to
help him to do this.

So you tell me
what's going on with him?

I don't think he puts
enough energy into it,

enough thought into
what he's puttin'
in his mouth.

And the excuses are easier
than the action.

A solution's gonna have to be
he's gonna have to be

more focused on what he eats,
and instead of eating

a hamburger or chicken nuggets
at work, eat a salad
from work.

So, basically follow the diet
I gave him three months ago.

That didn't translate to any
changes that is meaningful,

so why assume that this time
he will go and do it?

I have no idea, Dr. Now.

[stutters] I ask him
every single day
what he eats.

Y'all are still acting like
I didn't lose any weight.

Okay, if you lost 12 lb
in three months

and you think
that's a victory lap?

Twelve pound is nothing.

You should have lost that
in one week.

And if that is how
you're gonna approach this,

then we're done with you.
There's nothing I can do
for you.

Yes I didn't follow the diet
to a T,

but I did change little things
to where

I wasn't just constantly
gorging myself with food.

[Dr. Nowzaradan speaking]

I don't know,
I'm not the doctor.

I'm not somebody
inside my body,
I don't know.

I can't make sense...

Okay, okay, hold up, hold up.

Now that I see the scale,
and I see how serious it is

to follow that diet,

like, it makes me
want to follow the diet
and stick to it

and be healthier
and be more active.

Well, I don't believe you,
I don't think she believes
you either.

-[clicks tongue] I don't.
-[William] And that's
just gonna add

-more motivation to it.
-[Dr. Nowzaradan]
I don't believe him either.

All I hear is excuses.

[crying] You've been
carrying this weight
for almost 10 years.

Your body is carrying
the weight of three people.

How long do you think
your heart can carry this?

-[William] I know.
-[sobbing]

-You want your mother
to bury you, is that it?
-No!

Well, that's what
it's coming down to.

-Life and death.
-I, I understand that.

[emphatically] No, you don't!

-Yes, I do.
-You don't understand the hurt
you put other people through

because you won't stop!

You won't listen to what
people say,

you won't follow their lead!

People are helping you,
right and left.

Everybody is sacrificing,
trying to get you to a place

that you don't wanna go.

I've only been eating
once a day.

-I've changed that part of it.
-William, it's, it's--

[William] I have changed
my eating habits,

but I haven't changed
what I put in my body, fully.

-Watching my weight...
-William,

stop defending your
eating habits,

because nobody believe that.

-Okay? Nobody, nobody.
-And that's fun.

Nobody, and you know,
you can, you can say
whatever you want,

the scale doesn't lie.

-And I didn't say it did,
but like I just said...
-[Dr. Nowzaradan] Will,

you know, you keep repeating,

"I made the changes,
I'm eat only one time of day."

Argue that with the scale,
don't kid yourself.

Don't bother come back
next time if you haven't lost
any weight.

-M'kay.
-So, I hope
you make the changes

and y'all take care.

-Thank you, you take care.
-[Dr. Nowzaradan] All right.

Keep doing what you're doing,
probably I'll bury you
in another year or two.

Keep doing what you're doing.

So far, I don't believe that
William has any intent
to change his life at all.

[William] I don't necessarily
agree with everything
Dr. Now said,

but what I do agree on
is I have to do better,

so that's what I'm gonna
go and do.

No matter what,
I'm gonna prove to everyone
that I'm making changes,

and I'm gonna show them
that I can do this.

I will do this. They'll see.

[phone notification rings]

-Oh, you got the extra virgin
olive oil.
-[William] Mmm-hmm.

[oil can hissing]

[William]
Since my last appointment,
my mom's been trying to

help me do better
with my diet.

So, she's been
coming over more,

helping me make
healthier meals.

I think it's working because
I'm feeling pretty good.

And I know Dr. Now wants me
to lose a certain amount,

but I also know
any weight loss
is a good weight loss.

So, I'm gonna be
proud of myself
as long as I keep losing.

[Dorothy] Just put
one tablespoon

-of the Picante sauce.
-[William] I know.

So, I didn't put much
cheese on because

-I was trying to keep
the calorie count down.
-[William] I know.

[Dorothy] So always
keep in mind, again,
how many calories you put in.

And you need to look at
what he's asking you to do.

As long as I'm losing weight,
I don't care if it's what
anybody wants me to lose,

or if it's 5, 10 lb.

I'm still looking at it as
any weight loss is weight...

is good weight loss, I mean...

[Dorothy] But I'm gonna
tell you,

Dr. Now's given you
a goal to meet.

And that needs to be
what you concentrate on is,

"This is my goal,
and I know I can do,

and prove everybody wrong
that I can do it."

Not making excuse of,
"Well, I'm on a constant
weight loss,

so that's good enough."
That's not good enough.

Sure it is.

I wanna see you out there
living and not just surviving.

[William] Yeah, I know.

[Dorothy] It's just,
I need you to work
a little harder.

-I love you.
-I know. Love you.

Yeah, let's clean up.

I know that William
does not listen to what I say,

and he'll just sit there
and nod his head
and agree and...

He pretty much blows me off
when I'm talking,

but I'm hoping
his subconscious mind

takes some of
what I'm saying in.

[William] Today with my mom,
we talked about
the weight loss journey,

um, kind of the expectations
and things like that.

-So, that was
a nice breakfast.
-Yeah.

What's your plans for the day?

Uh, I might go shoot
some basketball real quick

for a little bit before work.

Okay, so you're gonna get
some exercise in.

Yeah. [exhales heavily]

It's been rough, um,
'cause there's some days
where I, you know,

I don't wanna follow it,
I wanna eat whatever I want.

All right, well then
I'll probably head out here
soon in a minute

-and let you have your day.
-All right.

Well then, I'll see you
in a little bit.

-[William] All right,
love you, Mom.
-So, get yourself up

-and movin'.
-[William] I will.

-[Dorothy] Don't be sittin'
on that couch too long.
-Yeah, I know.

And I will talk to you later.

-[William] All right,
love you.
-[Dorothy] Love you.

[William]
I think I'm doing good,
I think it's getting easier.

Um, exercise isn't a problem
or anything like that.

[exhales heavily, grunts]

[panting]

The exercises make me
feel better

because it's more movement
than I was doing,

so kinda gives me motivation
to keep going.

Last time at Dr. Now's office
was a disappointment,

and I'm making sure
that's not gonna happen again.

This time,
I'm balancing it all,

and I'm trying to find
a happy medium.

And I'm gonna meet the goal
that Dr. Now wants,

so I can move ahead
with weight loss surgery.

[panting]

[Dorothy] So William,
how have you been doing
on your diet?

[William] I've been
sticking to it closer.

[Dorothy]
Closer or completely?

[William] Hmm, not completely,
but a lot closer than
I have been.

I still have cravings
of different things.

Pizza, bread,
things like that.

I think last week I did have,
I did end up getting a pizza,

um, but then I ate it over,
like, two or three...
two days,

and then I threw
the rest of it away
'cause I left it out.

Um, but before I would've,
I would eat a whole
large pizza at one time,

and this time
I've kind of portioned it out
a little bit better.

[Dorothy] But you gotta be
sure to stay away from
the sodas and the carbs.

[William] I know.

Me and my mom are headed back
to see Dr. Now again,

and I'm hoping that today
I get the result that I wanted
last time,

and show Dr. Now enough
progress to make him happy

because I've been
trying harder.

But I have no idea
what my loss is gonna be.

William?

-[William] How you doing?
-Hi, how are you?

-[William] Doing good.
-Hi.

[William] At my last
appointment I was 580 lb,

and I was supposed to lose
seventy pounds

to be down to 510 lb today.

And I'm really hoping
I did that or at least
got close.

What the heck?
That doesn't make sense.

-And you're ready
to go to room five.
-[William] Okay.

I'm not sure
how that happened.

It's almost like
the scale's not working,

unless maybe it's the soda pop
I've been drinking.

I cut back with pretty much
everything except for that,

because that's
the hardest thing to give up.

I don't drink it
at home anymore,

but, I mean,
at work it's right there.

I didn't think it'd make
that much of a difference
by itself,

but maybe it's not
the right job for me
to have after all

because there's a lot
of temptation there.

If I've gained weight,
then it makes no sense.

This is just really bad.

I'm not looking forward
to Dr. Now's reaction.

[Dorothy speaking]

[sniffles]

[softly] You heart's carrying
three people.

How long do you think
your body's gonna hold up?

-I don't know.
-[knocking on door]

Hello, how y'all doing?

-Good, how are you, Dr. Now?
-Good, how about you?

I am doing good.

So, William,
what's going on with you?

Um, I thought
I was doing better,
and evidently I'm not.

But, just seeing that scale
is the eye-opener I feel like

I might have needed to realize
that, "Hey, what I'm doing
is not enough.

I need to do more,
I need to push myself more."

Um, and, I mean,

I know nobody believes me
because I've been saying it,

and so all I can do
is show that,

"Hey, I'm serious
about what I'm saying."

And just prove
everybody wrong that,

"Hey, look,
I've realized my mistakes
and I'm changing 'em."

Yes, sir.

And that's kind of
my next step, actually.

I'm actually gonna
start looking for a new job.

Um, something to get me
out of there.

[Dr. Nowzaradan speaking]

I would say
with that weight gain that
I've seen today on the scale,

that scale's kind of
an eye-opener today
with that weight gain.

There's no way you're
putting in 1,200 calories.

You're eating at least 5,000
calories a day, at least.

[Dorothy] Deep down inside
you don't believe
what you're saying.

[Dr. Nowzaradan]
You don't believe
what you're saying either.

Because you've been
so busy telling us what you
think we wanna hear.

Well, he's a walking stroke
right now.

His blood pressure's up,

he's carrying the weight
of three people with
one heart.

It's, it's just a matter
of time if he don't
do something quick.

[crying] And I'm gonna be
burying him instead of
living life with him.

And we've given you
every opportunity

to change that
in the past six months.

Nothing has worked.

So, I'm gonna give you
one last chance,

and if we set up therapy,
would you go to that?

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

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

-Okay. Yes, sir.
-[Dr. Now] Okay?

-Yes, sir.
-So if you need anything,
give me a call.

-Yes, sir.
-[Dr. Now] Okay?

Yes, sir.

All right, I'll see you later.

-[William] All right,
thank you.
-Bye, Dr. Now, thank you.

[Dr. Now] All right.

[William] Well,
I just gotta try harder,
I guess, and do better.

That's all I can do
and I have to make
good progress this time.

It's just taking me longer
for some reason.

But maybe therapy will help.

But either way,
I gotta keep pushing
and putting in the work

because I don't wanna
lose this chance

and I need to make
that progress.

[Dorothy] Are you excited
or nervous to go
see Dr. Paradise?

[William] Uh, kind of nervous
just because I've never done

any kind of counselling
or anything, or therapy so...

Are you afraid
that you might
have to face issues

you don't wanna face?

Uh, partially, yeah.
So, but...

I'll do it, it is what it is,
and it'll help, so...

You're gonna go on your own.

-I'm gonna stay out here.
-Okay, that's fine.

I-- I know I need to do
this one on my own

so that way I can get
everything out, so...

[Dr. Paradise] William?

How you doing?

-I'm Dr. Paradise, come on in.
-[William] All right.

-Welcome.
-[William] How you doing?

I'm doing well.

So let's take you back
to the beginning.

Where'd you grow up, William?

[William] Um,
so I grew up in Austin,

and around the Austin area.

What was your weight
like growing up?

Um, so it was up until,

I wanna say my sophomore year
of high school,

I weighed, like,
90 or 100 pounds maybe.

-How tall were you?
-Um, I wanna say, like,
5'5"-ish.

-I don't--
-So you--
You were a skinny kid.

[William] Yeah,
I was really tiny.

-Not at all like--
-No. [chuckles]

So what'd you-- What'd
you do after high school?

[William] Um,
so I went to Job Corps.

-Sure, sure. I know
about that, yeah.
-Um,

and then I met my ex-wife.

And then we ended up
getting married, uh...

We got married about
six months after we met.

-[Dr. Paradise] Okay,
so pretty quickly.
-Yeah.

Okay, you know, usually,
one-- one person's,

um, pushing for the divorce
and...

-She more so was.
-[Dr. Paradise] Okay.

Um, and I told her that
if she wanted a divorce,

then she would have
to file the paperwork

and pay all the fees
and all that. Um--

So you thought
by making it hard for her...

-[William] Yeah. Mmm-hmm.
-...maybe she wouldn't
divorce you. How'd that work?

Um, we got divorced. [laughs]

-[Dr. Paradise] Usually
doesn't work.
-Yeah.

Okay. How steady
was the weight gain
after that point?

Um, it was drastic.

It was kind of almost,
like, it wasn't overnight

-but it seemed like
it was almost overnight.
-[Dr. Paradise] Okay.

Any contact with your
ex-wife after that?

No, we've had no contact,
um, since, ever again.

We've blocked each other
on all social medias.

-[Dr. Paradise] Interesting.
-Um, things like that.

[Dr. Paradise] Okay.

What's going on with
your hand, by the way?

I cut it, uh, the other day.

Yeah, and you know, the reason
I asked is that bandage
looks very homemade.

-Yeah. [chuckles]
-[Dr. Paradise] You know, it--
It doesn't look like

-a doctor took a look at that.
-No, no, not at all.

-Right.
-[William] I just, um...

[Dr. Paradise] I feel like
that's a metaphor

for everything
we're talking about.

You know, sometimes
they say the way
you do anything

-is the way you do everything.
-[William] Yeah.

[Dr. Paradise] And I feel
like you're--

You have these big wounds
and you're putting, uh,

incomplete fixes on them
and you're at risk of falling

-out of the program now.
-Yeah.

Which could be fatal
for you, right?

Um, your not getting
the surgery

could-- could shorten
your life by...

Plenty of, like,
ten plus years at least.

-[Dr. Paradise] Right, okay.
-Um, so I mean--

-So William, I wanna talk
more about your divorce.
-[William] Okay.

[Dr. Paradise] Tell me
how it went down for you.

[William] So, um, it was
literally on my birthday.

Basically, I got
dropped off at the airport.

-Um--
-Wait, wait,
I don't even understand.

So she took you
to the airport...

-Without me realizing it.
-[Dr. Paradise] So, so,

-"Good morning.
Happy birthday."
-[William] Yeah. Yeah.

"Uh, get in the car with me."

-[William] Mmm-hmm.
-And then,

-hand you a ticket?
-Uh, yeah.

-And then I--
-Packed-- Packed
your bag for you?

Uh, yeah.

And then I flew back here.

-[Dr. Paradise] What?
-Yeah.

-I can't even imagine
what that's like.
-[William] Like, I feel like

that's kind of...

what started
the whole weight gain,

um, was, like,
the shock of that.

So William, I'm--
I'm a little bit concerned

that earlier, we talked
about your divorce

and it was like no big deal.

-And then I hear
all this stuff later.
-Mmm-hmm.

And I-- I feel like
you're not always
straightforward about stuff.

Um, yeah, I try to be
as honest as I can

-with everybody, of course.
-[Dr. Paradise] Okay.

-You know--
-Did you have something
with Dr. Now

where he felt like
you weren't--

You weren't truthful to him?

Um, with staying on track
for his diet, yeah.

Okay, tell me about that.

[William] So, um,

I think it was
the last appointment

or the appointment before,
um, it was...

I told him I would stay
on track with the diet

and I would cut back on soda.

And he didn't trust me at all

that I would do it, um...

I feel like people don't trust
what I'm gonna--

what I say is the truth, um--

Well, but in that case,
it wasn't the truth, right?

Like you said, did you--

Did you make it sound like
you were following the diet

and then you gained
a bunch of weight?

Um...

To me, I don't think I did.
Like, I don't feel like I...

made it seem like I was
following the diet

exactly 'cause--
'Cause I mean, I've never...

I wasn't following exactly
as it should be--

-[Dr. Paradise] You're
kinda hemming and hawing...
-[chuckles]

-...even as we're talking
right now, aren't you?
-Yeah, no.

-So I don't feel like
I follow--
-Were you honest

about following the diet
with Dr. Now?

I feel like I was, um,

I wasn't... Like, I told him
I wasn't following it exactly

but I was trying my best
to be as...

-[Dr. Paradise] Okay.
-As close to the diet
as I could.

-Um...
-[Dr. Paradise] Who--

-Who, um, suffers for that,
um, misrepresentation?
-Me.

[Dr. Paradise] Yeah.

So William, I'm gonna have you
do something interesting.

-[chuckles]
-[William] Okay. [chuckles]

-I want you
to create a journal.
-Okay.

[Dr. Paradise] And what I want
you to log in that journal

is this tendency
to misrepresent things, right?

-Okay.
-[Dr. Paradise]
And I want you

to go back in your past
and there's probably
some examples

in your marriage
and other parts in your life,

and-- And what I want you
to write down is,

"This is what I was
leading people to believe."

-This is not to make you
feel bad about yourself.
-Mmm-hmm.

This is to help you recognize
'cause we lie to ourselves

-more than we even lie
to other people, don't we?
-Yeah, yeah.

Over time, I think you're
gonna embrace the truth.

You're gonna embrace--
embrace reality,

but I want you to put it down
so you can see it.

-Okay.
-[Dr. Paradise] Okay, good.

William, how have you
stayed accountable over time

to the diet, to just...
How do you...

What do you do to keep
track of how you're doing?

Um, I would say
communication with my mom.

-Um, 'cause she'll ask me
what I'm eating and--
-[Dr. Paradise] Okay.

But-- But you don't
really have a ticker
other than your weight,

-you really don't have
a way to keep track of...
-[William] Correct.

...how healthy you're being.
So what I want you to do

is set up some system
with your mom

where she keeps some track
of you-- of your

positive behaviors. And this
is not just the food,
not just the calories,

but I wanna know
when you're exercising,

even when you're just
choosing the right foods.

-[William] Okay.
-That'll show up
in the calories.

But some system
that she helps you track

the number of good choices
that you're making,
positive behaviors,

and that you have some
kind of running tally of that.

-Okay.
-[Dr. Paradise] And then
ideally, as you accrue those,

-we'll call 'em merits, right?
-[William] Okay.

Some kind of token
that you use to keep
track of that stuff.

You can even, you know,
have, like, a fish bowl

where she puts them in
and you could sort of see
the accumulation

-of the positive behaviors
you're doing.
-Okay.

Um, William, it was
terrific to meet with you.

-Thank you for having me.
-And I'm pretty clear

that if you can be
honest with yourself,

-you're gonna get back
on track, right?
-Yeah.

First-- First step is being
honest about what
you're actually eating,

how well are you
following the plan.

Um, that's the prerequisite
to make any progress.

William, thanks for coming.
Good to meet you.

-Good to meet you.
-[Dr. Paradise]
Take care, man.

-[William] Thank you so much.
-[Dr. Paradise]
You're welcome.

-Hey.
-[Dorothy] Hey, how'd it go?

It went good.

[chuckles softly]

Things I'm gonna
take from this
is how to better myself

and how to move past any hurt
or rejection or depression

and how not to supplement
that-- those feelings
with food.

[exhales]

[groans]

[William] I had another
follow-up with Dr. Paradise

and he wanted to know
what was taking me so long

doing some of the things
that we discussed.

So I decided to get in gear
and try some of it.

So today I did the journal
entries, facts versus fiction.

What I was telling
everybody else or myself

versus what was
really the truth.

I know I tend to bend
the truth a lot

out of fear of people
being upset with me.

I definitely distort things
sometimes with my mom.

I know I could've been
more honest with Dr. Now.

So I'm trying journaling
and also working
on a goal board.

The goal board is gonna
help me stay on track
with everything, I think.

Writing down what I wanted
to be accountable for, um,

so, like, the Dr. Now program,
the exercise,

the no soda,
kind of helps me

get to the point to--
that I wanna get to in life.

I do honestly wanna try
and get better.

So I'm gonna do my best
to make the changes I should

to improve myself and my life.

So after every month,
the rewards kind of vary
from what I want to do.

Um, like, after one month,
it's like buying a video game,

it's going out somewhere
to interact with others,

buying a new--
brand-new pair of shoes.

I'll get a token at the end
of each month.

[chuckles] It's still
a work in progress.

[Dorothy] Busy.
How was your day?

[William speaking]

[Dorothy] What'd
you eat today?

[William speaking]

Today, I've been wanting
to have a conversation
with my mom.

So we're going out to a cafe
where we can

sit down
and have an actual talk.

I see my mom all the time.

I tend to keep everything
really surface level with her.

And it's actually hard for me
to get into talking
about deeper stuff.

So I'm a little nervous
about how this is gonna go.

But I know this
is the right thing to do.

It just feels like
it's a bigger deal
than it is maybe.

I don't know, we'll see
how it goes, I guess.

Uh, I'm gonna do a strawberry
banana smoothie,

-I'll do the larger one.
-[cashier] Okay.

-[Dorothy] Thank you.
-[cashier] Thank you.

[William] Mom, right here.

I know, you know,
I've been telling everybody

I was following the diet

really closely and I really
wasn't, you know.

It's just hard to change
how I'm eating

and how I've been
eating, like...

-Thank you.
-Of course.

-Y'all enjoy, thank you.
-Thank you.

So that's where
the food journal comes in.

[William] Yeah, I know.

One thing I wrote down
in there

was telling everybody
I was okay
when I really wasn't.

Just, you know, trying
to mask it and hide it

was what I thought
I needed to do.

I realize now doing it, like,

that doesn't help anything,
that makes everything worse.

-So...
-[Dorothy] Mmm-hmm.

-You need to talk.
-[William] Yeah.

[Dorothy] Because when
you hold things inside,

all it does is bring you
into a depressive state.

[William] It's hard
to talk about.

Um, I mean,
when I was younger,
you know, I felt alone.

Like, I mean, I--
You were always around
but I always felt

secluded and just by myself
a lot of times.

Oh, I'm sorry
you felt like that.

If I had known,
we would've addressed it then.

And while I was away,
I've always been there

-for you to reach out to.
-[William] Yeah, I know.

It was just kind of easier
to keep the distance

and not have to own up
to it then, I think.

But that can't fix
the problem,

so you gotta quit
doing that now.

-[William] Yeah.
-As an adult.

Yeah, I know.

But I'm so-- I really
am sorry I didn't know that.

[William] It's okay.

You know, I'm trying
to get all these--

all these emotions out
and everything out,

so, um, I created
goal tokens for, like,

as far as like visual rewards,

like, for each week
that I do something,

I get a token.
But I'll give those to you

when we get back
to my house. So that way,

every week,
you can give me one.

And so that way, I can keep--
We can keep track

of how it's going
and things like that.

-Well, I'm always
here for you.
-[William] I know.

And I'm looking forward
to getting those tokens

-when we get back
to your place.
-[William] Okay.

It was hard to open up
to my mom

but I knew it needed
to be done as well.

I think she took it
really well.
All right, let's go.

[grunts]

Knowing William is now
to a point where he can
start opening up to people

and being William
instead of telling people

what they wanna hear is just
an amazing process for him.

And so it's nice to see him
giving a reaction
and trying to grow.

Looking back, I don't think
William ever loved himself.

My hope is that
he understands he's always

got someone to reach out to
that's non-judgmental.

William's biggest thing
is William needs
to love William.

And when William loves
William... [chuckles]

The future's his.

So I'm going to Dr. Now.
I'm a little optimistic

about the, um...

the scale weight
but I'm kind of excited
to see where it is

and if I'm--
if I've lost any more.

Um, I really did try harder
than I've tried before.

I'm planning to fess up
to Dr. Now

about some of the ways
I haven't been super truthful

about sticking to the diet.

That conversation will go
a lot better though if I have
a good weight loss.

William.

[William] I got
my mom on my side

with the goal board
that I created.

And this is supposed
to give me one of my coins

if I could just get close
to my weight loss goal.

So there's a lot riding
on this one.

Most of all is believing
in myself that
I can actually do this.

Please step on the scale.

[William] If there's
ever been a time that
I've needed that boost

of confidence,
now is the time.

Because I don't know
how to go on

if I can't start
reaching my goals.

[William] I'm back at Dr. Now.

Last time I was here,
I was 598.

He didn't give me
a goal that time

but told me to lose
a significant amount
of weight.

Seventy pounds was
the original goal he gave me.

That means I need to be
down to 528 today.

Your weight today is 588.

[William] I really
thought I was doing it
right this time.

So I don't know what happened.

I'm kind of devastated.

I just don't know what to do.

I'm starting to feel like
I'm destined to failure
with this.

William, William, William.

[knock at door]

-Hello, how are you all doing?
-[William] Hello, Dr. Now.

[Dr. Now speaking]

So what's going on with you
and what's happening?

So last night, I had
a conversation with my uncle,

um, that made me realize
there was more things

that I was hiding
and holding on to

that, um, wasn't gonna
make me successful.

Um, it's revolving around
my grandmother's death

that I believe the family
thought it was my fault.

Um, so and that I've been
kind of, you know, hiding

and holding down and when
I felt upset about it,

I would do whatever
I wanted to

because it made me
feel better. So I feel like

with that emotional
breakthrough I had last night,

would allow me
to be more successful

'cause I'm not holding
on to anything anymore.

Well, but essentially,
you haven't been truthful
about your eating habit.

And yeah, that's another thing
I've, um,

I've lied to everybody,
um, saying,

"Yes, I'm following the diet"
at beginning.

Um, "Yes, I'm following
the diet, yes,
I'm following,"

when truthfully, I wasn't.
I realized that, you know,

I've lied to you,
I've lied to my mom,

I've lied to my friends
because I want to hide it.

And hiding it
doesn't do anything.

It doesn't make
anything successful.

If anything, it makes
everything a failure.

Well, you know, essentially,
William, you've been, uh,

untruthful to yourself
as well.

Uh, so you just keep
saying the same thing

and you believe in it

and keep repeating
what is not factually correct.

And after you repeat it
so many times to other people,

it become a truth for you.

So it doesn't matter, uh,
how many times you repeat

something that is not correct,
it doesn't become the truth.

So that is something that
you need to work with
the therapy and all that.

At this point, uh,
there is not much
we can do for you, uh,

unless you take control
of your eating habit.

Uh, the question is,
are you still working
in the fast food industry?

Yes, sir, I am working
and still working there.

Um, I have been
applying for other jobs,

it's just nothing
has come through yet.

Um, and I can't afford
to just leave my job
without another one

lined up and ready to go
because of my bills
and things.

So I have been looking,
it's just nothing
has come through.

Well, you know,
that's gonna be an issue

that, um, you need
to work on it.

Yeah.

And make the changes
that we need
to change your life.

Uh, otherwise, you know,
it's a matter of time

and if anything
happens to you
if you go down the road,

your health is gonna be,
uh, much more fragile.

And you're not gonna
be able to pull through.

But if you continue
with your therapy,

we, uh, maintain that for you.

And we get through
to some point that you have
also lose 70 pounds,

you come back
and we work with you.

But until that point,
everything is gonna
be up to you.

Yes, sir. I will change,
um, and I will show you

that I can lose
that 70 pounds.

And I'm ready to lose
this weight and finally
get my life back.

Well, I wish you
the best of luck

and if you lose the 70 pound,
uh, we'll see you.

At the meantime, if you need
anything, give me a call.

-[William] Yes, sir.
-[Dorothy] Thank you.

-Okay.
-[William] Thank you.

[Dorothy] The appointment
didn't go the way I was
praying for it to go.

I'm a little angry,
disappointed.
Until you get to a point

of losing 70 pounds,
he can't do anything else.

So with the lack of progress
over the last ten months,

we are done with William.

He had enough chances
up to this point.

No more follow-up
or check-ins.

But we never give up hope.

Maybe at some point,
he will wake up

and turn things around.
If he does that,
we will work with him.

But I'm not very optimistic
we're going to see him again

in the near future.

[William] I'm definitely
pretty crushed
but I can't give up.

So I'm gonna have to turn
my life around somehow.

I think I can do it
and I'm gonna push
myself to do it this time.

So I gotta believe
that I will come back

and I'll be able
to get the surgery.

That's just how it's gotta be.

It's been a couple months
since I last saw Dr. Now.

And even though
I was discouraged
at our last meeting,

I'm still trying
and I'm pushing
myself even harder.

At home, I've been
stepping it up
with my meal planning.

Before, my mom
was doing a lot of it for me.

But now, I'm taking
ownership of what
I put in my body,

and that feels
like a healthy step.

After visiting Dr. Now,
I mean, just hearing

how he talked to me
and how disappointed he was

as well as my mom,
I just needed to get
everything together

and focus even harder
so I can lose the weight.

So I've been looking
for a new job,

just trying to find anything
online that I can do

that's gonna get me
away from food
and things like that.

But I've been able
to quit soda lately

which honestly feels
like the biggest deal
out of everything.

I really wanna lose the weight
and get back to having

my life back and being
able to do things that
I enjoy doing again.

[Dorothy] So what do
you think about this

-beautiful weather today?
-[William] It's cold.

-[Dorothy] Cold?
It feels good.
-[William] It's cold.

Me and my mom have
been going on a lot
of walks together

which has been pretty cool.

Some days, we talk
about stuff, some
other days, we don't.

-[Dorothy] I'm getting
ahead of you.
-[William] Oh, yeah.

But it's a nice routine
and a healthy way

for us to spend time together.

-Let's go see the ducks
at the water.
-Okay.

I'm still going
to Dr. Paradise

and keeping up
with my therapy.

The whole process
has made me realize

what a big challenge
it is for me to stay
honest about stuff.

Even with myself.
So I'm trying to change that

about myself
and how I operate.

[Dorothy] Come on,
I'm making it faster than you

-and you're younger than me.
-[William] Hmm.

William does get
frustrated with me

because I do push him
to try to walk faster

or walk longer.
But it's all for his own good.

-Hey, I can push you
in the water.
-No.

[Dorothy] But it's all for him
to succeed in life.

-There are lot of 'em.
-[William] Yeah.

But even though I haven't
really succeeded
with this process,

I feel like something
has awoken inside me

to where I really want it
now more than ever.

-Are you ready
to walk once more?
-Yeah.

There's nothing
left for me to do

but make the true William
the healthy William
once and for all.

And I can't wait for that.