Original subtitles

[Krystal] Food is a form of love and expression for me.

[Krystal] Food is a form of love and expression for me.

I know I need to change.

It's just really hard.

[soft piano music playing]

[woman] Somewhere in me is this little glimmer of hope.

I just wanna be a normal person.

[groans]

[breathing heavily]

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

I'm mad.

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

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

[exclaiming in pain]

It hurts!

[woman 3] I refuse to stop fighting.

I have to do this for my children.

Ooh!

My mother was an active addict all my life.

You know, I'm worried, Krystal, though,

that you seem to have a blind spot for addiction.

-[Krystal] Good morning. -[Mark] Good morning.

Morning.

[Krystal] When I first wake up and get out of bed

every single part of me hurts.

It can be excruciating at times.

The ankle pain, the back pain,

the knee pain, but legs

and feet are the worst.

It's like being almost 80 years old

and full of aches and pains.

But instead of 80 years, it's only 36.

[mellow piano music playing]

[Krystal] I live with my husband and also a lot of family.

I'm very, very fortunate.

Mark is a very handsome man

and my height has never been a dealbreaker with him.

But it still affects me, my actions, my attitude,

everyday day-to-day life.

It's hard for me to... to shower.

I wanna be able to be physically fit

to take a shower, get dressed, but you know what, I can't.

My weight is preventing me

from doing just normal person things like getting clean.

To sanitize and clean myself properly,

I have to be able to reach everything, my legs, my feet, my back,

back of my thighs, everywhere.

And, uh, I'm bigger around than I am tall.

And I have shorted arms,

so it can tire you out, it can make you breathless.

It can give me anxiety at times,

I don't wanna slip in the shower.

It would mean much more significant damage

because I am extremely overweight.

[Krystal speaking]

[Mark] Your glasses.

[Krystal] Yes, honey.

-[Mark] Yes. -Thank you.

[Mark] Krystal and I have been married for almost two years.

Best decision of my life.

Krystal is amazing, strong, hard-working woman.

Even despite the fact she has deal with all the pain, all the weight,

with all that, she can still hold her job, still work 40 hours

a week or more, still come home, clean, cook,

clean the sheets, everything, so it's hard for her, but she gets the day done.

She has a smile on her face at the end of the day,

so I'm... You know, I'm thankful for her.

[Krystal] So, as an adult,

I made the conscious decision

that I wanted to have a big family

to... to love and take care of and...

Turn my fan on, please.

My daughter is 19.

She's already working, independent.

She's actually moved out of my house. But, uh, now

I live with my little sister, and her baby

my nephew, and he's seven months.

-Hey. -Hello, my love,

-my amore. -[Mark] Go to your mama. [speaking gibberish]

[Krystal] I'm his other mother. And then the double whammy,

there's my ex's sister, we're very close.

She resides with me

and her son, my other nephew.

Good morning.

Good morning, Uncle Jonathan.

Jonathan.

[Mark] Jonathan is Krystal's food buddy.

They like to eat food and watch movies,

and it's not healthy for Krystal.

And as much as I love my bro,

he cannot continue... [laughs] ...on eating with my wife so freely.

So, what do y'all want to eat?

Y'all want the bacon, the eggs...

-[Abraham] Bacon and eggs. -[Krystal] ...sausage, biscuits?

-Everything. -Everything?

-Everything? -Everything.

Everything, huh? Okay, I got you.

[Mark] I think it's ridiculous.

She doesn't need to be eating things like that. [laughs]

Oh.

And there should be maybe some sausage in there.

But, you know, Krystal's an amazing cook.

She cooks with love, that's the main thing. [laughing]

I love that about Krystal.

Ugh, you guys are killing me.

[sighing] I'm trying.

Food is a form of love

and expression for me.

That's just how I was raised.

But it's a double-edged sword at times,

because I consider myself a food addict.

But the emotion and feeling that eating triggers

has been a stress releaser for me for a long, long time.

[soft guitar music playing]

My mother was an addict and my father was a career criminal.

I experienced abandonment.

My mother and my father were not in my life at that time.

Here, put this on the table.

So, my grandmother raised me.

She was a very loving, very strict grandma,

and she had a temper.

Yeah, can you clean the table off and put the cheese back in the fridge?

I was always anxious at home because I...

I just did not wanna provoke my grandmother.

Food brought comfort because when I would eat what she served,

I felt loved and accepted by her.

My grandparents had a very volatile marriage at times.

But I didn't question my grandmother

because even though she had her issues, I knew she loved me.

♪♪ I'm so happy, happy

[laughs] Come on, you gotta sing it, too.

[humming]

My grandmother had to work to help support us.

That lead to...

me being Mother Goose

to my sister that lived in the home.

So my days were not filled with carefreeness.

At the end of the day, food was my moment of peace.

You know, I was like, "Ugh, finally I can eat

and not worry about nothing right now."

Right at puberty, when my hormones changed,

my weight started just packing on.

In seventh grade, I started noticing,

like, "Hey, I'm their age, but my body is bigger." And when I would go home,

I would sit down with my grandmother

and express my concerns and she would be like,

"Oh, honey, God made you the way you are."

Mmm, this is so good.

And by the time I was in high school, I was 270 pounds.

When I ended up pregnant, it was a shock to the whole family.

My daughter's father,

he's 17 years my senior.

The first time I had, you know, intercourse is when I got pregnant.

My grandmother, at that point, encouraged abortion,

advocated for it, demanded it...

to the point of exhaustion on my end.

It took me to a very lonely, ugly place...

that lead me to eat.

So, I went from being 270 pounds to 350 pounds

the day my daughter was born, 9 pounds 13 ounces. A little girl wrapped up

and put on my chest. And it was like love, like, "This is it.

This is everything I needed." [chuckles]

She was the missing piece.

At 15, in my own mind, I was already an adult.

My first job was at my grandmother's good friend's daycare

and my daughter went to that daycare free of charge.

Then, after high school,

I started my work in the hospitality field that I'm currently in now.

I, uh, applied at a local hotel, ran the front desk.

-Thank you. Thank you, Abraham. -Mmm.

-Mmm-hmm. -[Krystal] And then I moved out on my own

and rented an apartment for the first time. A friend of mine

asked her brother to come over and just have an appearance there

so the neighbors saw a man around

and not just a single mom living alone.

And that introduction led into a 10-year relationship with him.

In the beginning, he was nice. Then we moved

out of Houston and away from my family. And then I realized

he had a drug problem.

When his habits were met, he was at his happiest.

And then when he needed his addiction met,

I'd get in my car and I'd leave.

I'd go to the 24-hour diner.

I could be in there an hour or two or three.

Forever, as long as I needed to be there.

And usually, when I would go in there,

my favorite thing to get was the sampler,

which is like a little bit of everything, like appetizers.

And then I would eat cheese sticks,

Southwest egg rolls, boneless wings. It can typically be shared

by three people, but I would eat it by myself.

You were supposed to go to Miss Jisty's.

Don't interrupt my breakfast 'cause you know I get grouchy if I don't eat.

I was able to escape that relationship finally.

But it hurt me, it hurt my self-esteem.

[sighs]

I felt like I failed.

I... Failure, in my life, has never been an option

'cause my grandmother never allowed it.

Bounce forward, I was 34

and I was going into... towards 600 pounds at that point.

I started having symptoms of headache,

shortness of breath, chronic fatigue,

and I started losing eyesight in my right eye.

My local hospital diagnosed me with a severe fungal infection

along with a brain tumor...

that someone gets if they are living

in a vicinity and breathing in,

over a long period of time, black mold.

After they removed the tumor, I moved to a new apartment to get away from the mold.

-[Mark] Can I get that? -Yes, I'm so full.

-Thank you so much. Breakfast was wonderful. -[Mark] No problem.

I met Krystal through my brother.

My brother worked at a hotel

and, uh, Krystal worked there.

I knew her for, like, five years, hanging out,

and we got to know each other and we grew closer and closer.

[Krystal] Intimacy was a slow transition.

Our relationship was never based off of sex.

Um, we had a deeper connection than that.

[Mark] Yes, me and Krystal have a great sex life.

We have a very wonderful sex life. We're just, uh...

It would be better we had more movement and range. [chuckling]

Whenever we lose this weight, and that's what's gonna happen, so...

[Krystal] We have plenty of love in...

in our relationship and in our marriage

but weight loss for me and that intimate aspect of our marriage

would significantly make it better...

You know, make it better, in my opinion.

[Jonathan] So, what's up?

What we got planned for today?

Maybe some grocery shopping.

We gotta buy our fat people's staples.

[Jonathan] Yeah, I want some pudding.

Yeah.

Pudding.

[Krystal] All right.

[Krystal breathing heavily]

[Abraham] You in?

[Mark] Krystal has challenges

getting in the car, out of the car, she can't drive.

As much as she does with her weight,

it still limits her, you know, and it's hard on her every day.

But, I mean, I'm there for her whatever she needs.

[Krystal] Thank you, honey.

[Mark] Uh, for going grocery shopping,

I'd take her to the front of the store, drop her off. I help her shop,

stand right next to her basket,

whatever she needs me to go get, I shoot off, go get it...

because I hate having to hear her, she's always in pain,

she's always moaning 'cause of her weight,

because it's hard for her to get up.

Yeah.

Here's your chance for stuff for your banana pudding.

Puddin'!

I'm not comfortable. I'm not secure with my weight or my body.

-Which one you want, Krystal? Which one you want? -Blueberry.

-Blueberry? -Yes, blueberry.

Mmm.

[Krystal] I want to be healthier so I can do more things with my husband.

-I got your blueberry. I'm already on top of it. -Yeah.

He deserves a wife that can match him in his physical appearance.

He deserves a wife to be able to match him in physical activity.

The big one. Everything's bigger in Texas, you know this.

Touchdown. Come on, Jonathan. Bring it in.

I got it.

Food is very fun.

-You never fail me. You already know what I love. -I know.

Well, if she was to ask me right now to get her a...

Whatever she wanted to ask me right now to get her, I will give it to her.

-Krystal, we got the ice cream. -[gasping]

Because Krystal is a amazing friend.

She's been there with me through a lot.

I like to see Krystal happy. If the food makes her happy, you know, whatever.

-You want to check the receipt? -Yeah, that'd be good.

-You ready? -I'm ready.

Come on.

[Mark] My wish for Krystal is she doesn't have to stay this way.

When I look at Krystal, I see my wife, my future, my love.

She pulled me out of a lot from when I... The way I used to live was ridiculous.

But she's gotta realize that she needs help, we have to change up drastically.

Hi, honey, I'm... [straining] I'm ready to eat some lunch right now, dear.

[Mark] Krystal has definitely gained weight since I met her.

She wasn't that big. She already can't breathe.

-In her lungs, she has asthma. -Everything so perfectly.

[Mark] And it's so easy for her to get sick, so...

My biggest worry for her is that she gets bigger.

It gets worse over time, her neuropathy,

all her pain she has to deal with every day.

She deserves to have freedom from all the weight.

And I love all the food we cook and eat but, like,

you know, I love my wife and I don't want any of that to happen to her,

-so we're gonna make sure we do what we need to do. -Mmm.

I know it's good.

-It's wonderful. -I wish I had some. Mmm.

Don't worry. Don't worry.

-You just... Nah. All the... rotisserie. -When I'm done... When...

When I'm done first, I'mma give you my leftovers.

-Don't even worry about it. -All the "ritosserie" chicken.

Uh, there's definitely a desire to be healthier physically.

To have a stronger bonded physical relationship

with my husband. Yes, there is.

I'mma getcha some milk.

[Krystal] I'd like to be able to give that to him.

I want my husband to be fulfilled.

Hopefully, with my change, you know,

it... on my end, we can, you know, get closer.

But, you know, hate to say it like this but,

as much as I try to make excuses,

it's hard for me to face the consequences

of my bad relationship with food. I have to be realistic.

I have to understand the fact that

even though it's hard for me to admit it, I know I need to change.

Food is just... It's hard for me to give up.

But how I'm living right now can't go on much longer.

I see his name on the building. We are here.

Oh, God, I'm not ready for this.

But I have to be ready. I have to be ready.

I just have to keep repeating to myself, "I have to be ready."

For the past few weeks, I've been trying to lose

as much weight to try and get under 600.

I wanna show Dr. Now I'm already committed

to being healthy and getting better.

I'm making Jonathan go with us today because he's my main enabler.

And I want him to hear all of what Dr. Now says.

You all right?

It was a stressful ride.

Yeah.

I bet.

I'm nervous.

Krystal.

-Hello. -Hello.

[Krystal] I'm a little nervous 'cause it's pretty intimidating

to be meeting Dr. Now.

But I hope he's impressed with the progress

that I've already been trying to make.

I was 620 pounds the last time I was weighed.

And I've been working hard the past few weeks to get under 600 pounds.

[Jonathan] You got it.

All right. Thank you.

That's exciting.

I can't believe it's paying off the way I really wanted it to.

I hope that this is a good start on getting to where I need to go.

And I just hope Dr. Now helps me

and I can get the weight loss surgery sooner rather than later.

[knocking at door]

Hello. How you all doing?

-How you doin'? -Hello. How are you today?

-Good. Well, and you must be Krystal. -Yes, sir.

Nice to meet you and looks like you have some support with you.

So, who did you bring with you today?

-This is my husband, Mark. -How you doin'?

Nice to meet you. And the other gentleman?

That's my best friend, Jonathan.

Nice to meet you all. What brought you down to Houston?

I wanna hear your opinion and I respect it,

and I want to, uh, face the challenges

in my weight that I'm currently facing.

You're 5' 4'' tall, and you know what

the normal weight for your height is?

I would assume about 140 to 155.

-140 is more like it. -Okay.

...with a BMI of 101.

Over 100 is among the highest BMI we see.

So, that means that you put an incredible amount

of strain on your body with all that weight on you.

So, what's going on with your eating habit that you got to this weight?

My eating habits are terrible. It's all linked to past emotional trauma.

Stress eating.

It's a form of... of a coping mechanism that I... I'm aware that I do have.

You already seem to be an expert in your situation,

-you know what you're doing wrong so... -I do.

...what are you willing to do to change that?

Revise my... my health plan. I need to, um...

I need to do portion control and I need to choose better options.

Well, you have been around the block and you know how things work.

A little bit.

I tried many things to try to lose the weight

but I failed to confront my emotional trauma

and to confront the reason and the motive behind why I stress eat, overeat,

and, uh, over the years, just kept putting the weight on.

What you have done to overcome that emotional trauma in the past?

[sighing] I have sought, um, counseling, uh, on my own.

I've also started to open up more to my husband

about past traumas, past abuse,

emotional, physical, all of that and, um,

when you... When you talk about it it's easier to...

It's easier to heal from it, so...

Okay. And so, you're working on it there.

-Yes. -What is the highest weight you have been?

I was 629 pounds, I believe.

You're working on the...

-I have, I think. -...eating habit and everything?

Yes. I have been... I've been...

-Eating carbs. -...doing my best to follow a low carb diet,

not necessarily a calorie-deficient diet.

[Dr. Now] So, tell me, do you have any enablers in the house?

-Yes, I do. -Who?

Everyone. My whole family loves food. My husband, no.

He doesn't live to eat, he eats to live. That's his motto.

-So, who cooks in the household? -I do.

I cook everything. I cook everything from breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

No one at my house cooks other than myself.

Then, start planning meals that are high-protein...

-Yeah. -So, no carbs.

-Gotcha. -[Mark] No carbs.

Krystal will not be cooking big country dinners anymore.

All right. And that makes sense.

So, the first step in this whole process is

you show me everything except for everything you're telling me.

I need to see that you're willing

to follow-up all the talk with some action.

So, what I want you to lose is 60 pounds over the next two months.

And if you follow the diet, you're gonna be able to lose 40 to 50 pounds easily

-in a month, okay? -Okay.

If you do that, then I will consider you for weight loss surgery.

But after that, you need to keep working

on the emotional issues that's driving you to eat.

That's not gonna change with surgery,

and it is something you still need to work on

and go to therapy to address

if you want to be successful for the long term.

-You understand that? -Yes, sir.

All right. So, uh, I'm gonna bring you some stuff to, uh, read

and we will go over it

-to make sure you understand it, okay? -Okay.

All right. I'll bring there some stuff for you and then we go from there, okay?

-Yes, sir. -Yeah.

-All right, I'll be back. -[Mark] Thank you, Dr. Now.

-[Jonathan sighing] Oh, man. -[Krystal sighing]

-Yes. It's my fault. -It's partly my fault.

-It's partly my fault. -No. It's my fault. I take blame.

I am the only one who can decide what I eat and don't eat.

Krystal seems to be self-aware of a lot of her issues

and what's driving her to eat over the years.

But that's not necessarily a good thing,

because if she clearly understood

what all the issues behind her overeating are,

and known what to do, and still hasn't done it,

that's very concerning.

So, this is going to come down to whether

she's telling me the truth about how motivated she is,

and whether or not she's actually ready to change now,

because for most of her life, that's clearly not been the case.

All right.

So, I got, um, my book.

-Yes, sir. -I want you to go to Chapter 12.

And that will give you all the exercises that you can do every day.

-So, you start with that, okay? -Okay.

-And then, I'm gonna give you this to read every day. -Thank you.

And these, uh, first six pages explain what metabolism is.

It seems like Krystal's relationship with her husband

may be a significant catalyst for her to start losing weight.

But ultimately, the only factor that is gonna matter is

her determination to make the changes she needs to do this.

I've got my homework and I've got my work cut out for me,

but I thank you so much, Dr. Now, for the opportunity.

-I really do. -Okay. Any other questions?

No, sir. I don't have any questions at this time.

I'm prepared, and thank you so much for giving me this...

-this information. -Okay. All right.

If you have any, uh, questions or do you need anything, give me a call.

-Yes, sir. -So, I will see you in one month.

-Okay? -I look forward to it.

-Yes, sir. -Okay.

[Mark] Yeah. Next month, we'll be back 50 pounds lighter, right?

-Yeah. -Let me tell you something.

I didn't even know how to feel about him looking dead at me and saying,

"Well, you know, you're killing yourself."

-Like, it was... it was really hard. -Mmm-hmm. Yeah.

[Krystal] This time, I'm gonna change for good.

With Dr. Now's help and my husband's support.

I think this time around it's gonna stick

and I'm gonna be able to do it.

And I just have to, and I hope Jonathan supports me.

I'd rather have him by my side doing this,

but if not, I'll do what I have to do

because this is a chance I needed.

And I'm going to take it and change my life no matter what.

I'm not gonna miss this chance.

-Honey. -[Mark] Yeah?

Do you wanna come and do some of these exercises with me today?

[Mark] Yes.

-Oh, awesome. -I'm excited. Let's get this.

-Here, let's pick out a few. -What we gonna get?

-Okay. -Are you gonna do no weights? Gonna do some stretches?

-Start with neck rotations? -Yeah, yeah. We'll do that one.

-Okay. -Gonna do shoulders?

It says, "Slowly turn your head side to side.

Twenty times, three times a day." Okay. Let's do this.

-Twenty times, three times a day. -Yeah.

-So, one. -Ready? One.

-Two. -Two.

[Krystal] It's been a few days since my appointment with Dr. Now.

And me and my husband have made a lot of changes.

Seven, seven.

[Krystal] There is no junk food in the house anymore.

Mark is in charge of the food, and we're only gonna eat healthy stuff.

-Twenty, twenty. -Twenty, twenty.

-Yeah, 'cause it says 20, repeat 20. -All right.

[Krystal] And he's also gonna help me with my workouts everyday.

-One, two, three... -One, two, three...

[Krystal] That's the hardest thing for me to do because I don't like exercise.

Seven, seven. Eight, eight.

Dr. Now gave me a goal to reach, and I've got to reach it.

So, being disciplined and doing my workouts three times a day

is key to reaching that goal, and that's what I plan to do.

-One, two! -One, one.

-Three... -Two, two. Three, three. Four...

[Krystal] It was more of a burning workout than I expected.

It's actually something that I realized that I can actually do.

-I broke out a sweat, honey. -[Mark] You need a water, babe?

-Yeah. -I'll get some water.

Since I did it, right there, that's motivation for me

to just go ahead and do the workouts.

I'm with my husband, so I don't look silly, you know?

And I, I don't need to be insecure or feel out of place doing it.

And it's something that I can physically do.

I'm gonna go ahead and uh, get my, my meal ready.

-Get your meal ready. -Yes.

Did you need your, uh, your instructions?

Yeah, bring my book out, please.

[amusing instrumental music playing]

[Krystal] I had a talk with my family, and they all understand

that the big meals are gone for now.

We're all going to eat healthy,

and they're on board with that.

Dr. Now said, "Attitude is everything."

And I have to embrace that.

So we have a half a cup here,

of boneless chicken.

[Krystal] The other big change right now is that

Jonathan is not going to come around, for the time being.

We all had a long talk, and as much as I love him,

he's too much of a crutch for me when I'm weak.

And I know, when he's around, and I have a craving

and I want candy or anything like that,

he's gonna hook me up with whatever I want to eat.

So, we have to learn to be friends in a healthy way.

And that's not happening overnight.

So, for right now, we need to spend some time apart.

I don't want that to last, because he is my best friend.

Because sometimes, people who care about each other

need to spend some time apart.

So, as much as I'll miss him,

I'm excited about the steps I'm taking to get my life together.

And get healthy so I'll have a longer life.

Food is not life. Food is not everything.

It is just a small part of your life.

That's a big realization for somebody who struggles with food.

[grunts]

She's eating her salad.

-I am. -[Mark] She's being a healthy mama.

[Krystal] I'm trying to be!

He'll take these phones. He likes phones.

[amusing instrumental music playing]

[phone ringing]

Thank you for calling, this is Krystal. How may I assist you today?

Yes, sir. So, check-in starts at 2pm.

Yes, sir. Thank you.

[Krystal] I've had a lot more energy recently,

and I feel like I'm losing a lot of weight.

Dropping off a package?

-That's awesome. Do I need to sign anything? -Sure.

-Thank you. -You're welcome.

Gonna put this...

[pleasant music playing]

Hotel work can be a challenge, here, we offer the guests convenience.

Uh, that means snacks.

[Krystal] If you eat those chips that are four feet away,

Dr. Now is gonna know.

Eventually, it's gonna catch up to me, so uh, along with that,

the biggest challenge has been keeping up with everything on the days I've worked.

Mainly, with my exercise. And that's because I have to go in early,

and I just don't have time to do them.

And then, when I get home, I'm way too tired.

My husband suggested to me that I try to find moments

to do little bits of the workout.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

This is what Dr. Now says I have to do, this is what I'm gonna do.

One.

Two.

Three.

And, hi! I'm doing my workouts, doing my workouts. Hi!

[Krystal] So, I'm doing that for the moment and when it gets slow,

I try to do even more of the workout.

So, that's helped a ton.

He's hoping that if I build up my stamina enough,

we can join a 24-hour gym.

And I'll eventually have the energy to be able to go with him at night.

-[Krystal] Hi, honey! -[Mark] Hi, babe.

[yawns] That's a long day.

[Krystal] I gotta go home, and we got a good, healthy meal planned!

[Mark] Yes!

[upbeat music playing]

My diet has been actually going really well.

I thought that I would struggle

with restriction of food,

and the portion size.

But, miraculously, I really don't.

And even though my kids and my family eat what they want around me,

I thought I would have a lot more temptation.

I thought I would have to uh, fight myself more.

But, uh, I really--

I really had a goal in mind.

And I really just kept that goal and I wanted Dr. Now to see

that I was taking, taking the journey serious and taking his advice.

[pensive music playing]

[Krystal] Yeah.

Yeah, you're good.

You ready?

-Uh... Let's go in here. -Come on, honey.

Hello.

-So you lost some weight, huh? -[chuckles softly] I feel like it.

Krystal?

-Doing the thing. -Hello again.

Hello! How are you?

-Doing good today. -Great.

[Krystal] At my last appointment, I was 592.

And I was supposed to lose 60 pounds by today.

And if I did that, I'll be down to 532.

Okay, I'mma zero it out, and then we'll get on the scale.

-Hold my bag. -Got your bag.

Okay. I'm ready.

[sighs softly] Let's do this.

[chuckles softly]

[Krystal] For me, the goal was a big ask.

Because I've never lost that much, that fast.

So, I made a lot of changes that were big steps for me.

So I'm just really hoping that it was enough.

[gripping instrumental music playing]

[Krystal] I'm at Dr. Now's, ready to find out if I made it to my goal or not.

I was supposed to lose 60 pounds by today.

And if I did that, I'll be down to 532.

Hmm.

That's a loss. That's good.

Hmm.

I've been starving.

[all laughing]

-Sticking to the diet, yeah. -Yes!

You made it.

-Okay. -Awesome, babe.

-We go into room five. -Okay.

-Room five. -Room five.

[pensive music playing]

[Krystal] While that's not quite to my goal,

but I'm still really happy about that.

It's a big drop, and I'm proud of myself.

And I hope Dr. Now is proud of me, too.

Because I really want him to be proud of me.

I think he may want to see a little bit more loss for me, before my surgery.

But I'm hoping it's enough to convince him

that I've made the changes that I need, and I'm serious.

[knocking at door]

Hello, how y'all doing?

-Hi, Dr. Now. -Hey.

-All right, eh, Krystal. I see you lost some weight. -Yes.

-Well, what changes you have made so far? -Everything. [chuckles softly]

-Well? -A lot. I've made a lot of changes.

-Yes, I did. I read your book, front to back, multiple times. -[Dr. Now] Okay.

-Okay. -Yes, I did.

Well, I am pleased to see that you lost a good amount of weight.

So, this is very encouraging.

[Dr. Now] But, it's still a little short of 60 pounds you were supposed to lose.

You should have been able to lose over 100 pounds, if you stuck to do diet.

So I want to see a little bit more progress from you,

and if you show me that, then I'm going to approve you for weight loss surgery.

-You are? -Yes.

Oh, my goodness!

-But first, you need to lose 30 more pounds, okay? -Yes, sir.

Okay? That should be very easy because I'm gonna give you two months to do that.

And show me that you're gonna stick with it, and keep making progress.

Yes, sir. My husband wants me to exercise more.

So, we're looking at joining a 24-hour gym so I can workout

outside of my work hours.

Okay, good.

-So, everything looking good for you. -Yes.

So uh, keep it up. And lose at least 30 pounds in two months.

-Okay. -All right, if you need anything, give me a call.

-Yes, sir. Thank you. -You're welcome.

[Krystal] All right.

[solemn instrumental music playing]

-[Mark] That's good. -[Krystal] Mm-hmm.

Are you ready? We're one step closer.

-Yeah, I'm ready. -So now, I do tests.

Maybe another month of dieting.

Well, we're gonna have to diet all the way, all the through.

Up until the surgery, and all the way after surgery.

It's a lifestyle change. It's not a diet.

-Yeah -So.

-It's a better way of looking at it. -Yes.

She's learning and seeing her strengths.

Especially when it comes to losing the weight, and now, she can see she can.

It's definitely given her the courage.

I am proud of Krystal for making a lot of hard changes she needed

to get on the right path with her health.

I know a lot of that couldn't have been easy for her.

Especially changing dynamics with relationships.

So, she's done well and I am optimistic with her progress.

If she got a little closer to the goal I have given her,

I would have approved her for weight loss surgery today.

Because the reality is, she should have lost a lot more if she had made

all the changes she should have.

But Krystal at least showed me she has taken

some important steps in the right direction

with what she has started to change, and so,

she's moving in the right direction.

And if she sticks with it, and shows me she's gonna keep working at things,

by losing another 30 pounds, then, we will move ahead with her weight loss surgery.

[Krystal] Dr. Now gave me another goal.

He wants me to lose an additional 30 pounds.

I achieved 24 pounds in under 30 days.

I think I can definitely hit 30 pounds in 30 days.

[Krystal] Thank you, honey.

So, I'm gonna keep what I'm doing on the diet, exactly the way I'm doing it.

I'm gonna use the tools that I have.

I'm going to up my exercise routine,

I'm gonna try to find windows of time to work out in between

my kids' schedule, my work schedules, and things like that.

I've got to get out of my comfort zones.

[upbeat music playing]

[soft music playing]

[Mark] How much farther do we go?

[Krystal] You're gonna go left on Strawberry.

[Mark] Right.

[Krystal] I'm gonna see if I like it here.

And it's really hard for me to workout at home,

because I'm, I'm in that mom role.

And I can't ever, like, turn my attention away from the kids

long enough to workout. I want to be able to focus on me for a change.

Yeah.

[Krystal] Working out has always been something I hated with a passion.

[Krystal] Okay.

But with the exercises I've been doing,

I'm starting not to hate it as much.

-Here we are. -Come on, honey.

[Krystal] And I've been trying to build up my stamina

to the point where I can handle a gym workout.

Hi, welcome to Delta Athletics!

-Hi! How are you today? -Good, how about yourself?

-Doing good. -Great.

-So, we're out in the area, scouting new gyms. -Yeah, of course.

We came to see, you know, what it's about.

Anything, you're more than welcome to grab,

and also do exercise indoor and outdoor as well.

So there is gonna be a lot of sweating.

[Mark] Y'all have, y'all have cardio like

-to walk? Treadmills? -Yes, we do have, uh,

elliptical machines, treadmills, and the stair masters.

-Oh, okay. -Okay. Thank you.

-You're welcome. -Thank you.

-Well... -I think I'm ready for this.

That's just this part, I think there's...

Must be that, but we're going with the cardio... Here we go.

-And the treadmills. -This is your...

This is us.

-What? -This is where we start, huh?

-Yeah, so let's... -This is definitely where you want to start.

Let's do this.

Yeah, you just stay on the sides so whenever it's going you don't...

Mark! This ain't my first time. Let's do this.

-Okay. -Come on.

-Low would be the best -All right.

I guess that... Yeah, go ahead. Walk. Come on, you got this.

Ah, okay.

[screaming]

Man.

Okay.

Okay, that's not so bad.

Yeah, you're putting a stop to this thing.

I know, right?

Whenever, but let's just see how far we can get.

I'm gonna do it with you.

[Krystal] My husband has been really wanting to do real workouts with me.

I know us being able to do things together makes him happy.

-And it makes me happy. -You good, babe?

[Krystal] So that's been a big motivation for me, to push myself and work hard.

And it's fun to see it pay off like this.

Where I'm getting my stamina up,

and getting to where I can and want to do things.

I never thought I could.

So I'm excited and I'm gonna keep working hard

to make even more progress.

Are we doing anything else, honey?

Yes, we gotta do the upper body,

we're gonna do some bicep curls.

-Okay. Yes. -Oh, you need help down?

Help me down. Okay.

Let's see.

Right here.

So you...

What do you have?

I got tens, you wanna do the tens?

No, are you crazy?

All right, you ready? Straight-legged, shoulders apart.

Okay.

Bam. Oh, you wanna do both of them?

-One. -One.

-Two. -Two.

-Three. -Three.

-Four. -Four.

Don't slouch so much, make sure you...

Five.

-Control it. Yeah. -Six.

[Krystal] I'm really glad I got to go to the gym with my husband.

It was a bonding experience, he's a goofball.

He made me feel comfortable, it was like I had a friend to go with.

I definitely look forward to going to the gym

with my husband more in the future.

-Eight. -Eight.

She did better than I thought, I've been wanting her to like,

start getting, taking it serious.

I didn't think she was expecting to work out as much, I'm glad she did.

She busted a sweat, so... [chuckles]

That was a good workout, your first workout.

Yes. Sweaty.

It was great.

That was probably the best workout of my life.

So this is kicking my butt, but in a good way.

I'm loving that I'm pushing myself

and what I'm able to do because of that.

Next time, I'm gonna order us some '80s matching workout outfits.

Hey, I'm down.

[Krystal] Are we ready to see our favorite doctor?

Are you ready, Mark?

Yeah.

Okay. And I'm pretty sure he's gonna check my weight.

So, hopefully he's happy with...

-Yeah. -...my progress at this point.

This week,

unfortunately, I've been a little under the weather.

I couldn't workout as much as I wanted to this week,

because it was just exhausting.

But, I'm confident.

-Krystal? Hey, how are you? -Hello.

-Hi Ms. Rosie. -Hi.

[Krystal] At my last appointment two months ago, I was at 548.

The number I'm expecting to see on the scale has gotta be lower than 518.

And I'm confident that it will.

Okay, you can step up on the scale.

I'm ready.

You all right?

We're going to room five.

Thank you.

I thought I lost more, but I still beat my goal by six pounds.

So I'm happy with that.

And I think Dr. Now will be too.

So I'm feeling good about my chances for weight loss surgery approval.

And when I leave here today, I'm gonna be looking ahead to my surgery.

Hello, how are y'all doing?

Hello, how are you today?

I'm doing okay, so how's everything going with you?

It's okay today.

You got the... A little bit under the weather, huh?

A little bit, yes.

All right, so when did you start having that?

Um, I didn't start feeling well

about

Saturday.

-Okay. -This past Saturday.

So that's about a whole week,

but you know you're still supposed to let us know of any issues with your health.

Because you're still at a point that any small issue

could be a last straw for your body and it starts to give out.

I know that, I'm sorry. I'm used to it.

I have a history with, uh, bronchitis.

Mm-hmm.

And I have fibromyalgia so,

usually when that flares up my immune system goes down and

I usually... My bronchitis will flare up.

And I battle that year-round at times.

Okay, we ran some tests on you and give you some medicine

-to take for that. -Yes.

All right, you lost a good amount of weight again,

you lost 36 pounds.

-Yes. -So, that's good.

Well, you're doing great, and since you lost that,

I'm gonna approve you for weight loss surgery.

Oh, that's really good news, thank you.

-Okay? -Thank you.

So I'm gonna set you up for surgery next month.

Next month?

Are you serious?

-Yes. -Next month?

Oh, wow.

-So, yeah. -Wow.

Oh, my goodness.

-But, um, don't go back to your eating habit. -No.

-You think that we have approved... -No.

Now you're gonna ahead,

we check your weight...

No it's... No.

I will be losing, don't worry.

Okay, all right.

That sounds good.

-Yes, sir. -Uh, any questions?

No sir.

We check you out and give you some medicine before you go.

-If you're not feeling better give me a call. -Okay.

-And then we'll go from there. -Okay.

-All right. -Have a good day.

-You too. Okay. -Thank you so much.

-I'm trying. It's... -Yeah.

It is a big effort.

It is hard, but it's... It's worth it to keep going.

Yeah.

We did it once, so we can do it again.

Yeah.

[Dr. Now] I'm very proud of Krystal. She's sticking with the changes she made,

and shown me she's ready for weight loss surgery.

She still has some room for improvement with her eating habits,

because she would have lost a lot more if she cut her eating all the way back

to 1,200 calories a day.

And when she takes that step, we will focus on what she needs

to make sure she doesn't go back to her old ways.

But so far, I'm very optimistic

from what I have seen from Krystal.

[Krystal] I'm excited and I can't wait for my surgery.

I have no doubt I'm gonna be able to stay on track.

Can you pull the car up?

Want me to pull the car up?

-Yeah. -I got ya.

[Krystal] So by this time next month, I'll be recovering from surgery.

Because that's the only outcome I'm gonna let happen.

-Give me a kiss. -I love you.

Love you too.

I'm here at the hospital today to have my gastric bypass procedure.

This is a turning point in my life, of course it is, it's a major event.

It's a pivotal moment.

I'm taking the surgery and the risk because I would much rather take

this small risk of surgery, compared to 500 pound plus life

with a 100% chance of gaining

before I do die.

So I mean, why would I want to wait another year, two, or three,

and then be over 700 pounds?

Nice, big, deep breaths, babe.

All the way in, all the way out.

[Dr. Now] Today, we are attempting to perform a gastric sleeve on Krystal.

She continued losing weight this past month and she's down to 498.

So she lost another 14 pounds.

Her weight loss is slowing but that's normal at this point.

And it is still enough to show me

she's still working hard at the changes she made.

So we are moving ahead with her today.

And giving her this tool to help her stay on track.

Okay, starting the first incision.

Go up.

Hold it there.

Okay, got it.

Bring the robot.

Okay.

All right, I'm gonna transition to robot.

[Dr. Now speaking]

So this operation is going to be

what Krystal needs to help her continue losing weight.

So this is an important step for Krystal

that will give her a chance at losing all the weight she needs,

and keeping it off.

All right.

I was a little scared at first, but I can't wait to see her,

comfort her, tell her I love her.

'Cause I know that's gotta be hard, for her it's hard.

Whatever has to be done like, I'm ready to support her 100%.

Okay.

Put that on the table over there.

Don't throw it away.

Okay, we can suture her up.

Almost done.

Okay, all finished.

Krystal's surgery went very well,

we were able to remove about 85% of her stomach.

And with this operation, she's gonna be able to continue to lose weight.

So this will help her stay on track

by taking away her personal drive to eat

for the time being.

And give her time to deal with the issues she needs

to keep losing weight in the long term.

Krystal is gonna be on a liquid diet for a month,

and she should be able to lose,

um, 30 pounds in the first month.

And then after, 20 to 25 pounds each month

as she gets closer to her target weight.

But a big step toward her doing, that is making sure

she pick back up with therapy to continue to work on her emotional issues.

Because if she doesn't deal with the issues behind her compulsion to eat,

when her physical drive and cravings eventually start to come back,

it's all gonna be too much for her,

and she will start to fall back into old habits.

And it's only gonna be a matter of time before she starts to get off track.

And end up failing and gaining all her weight back.

So it's important she does what she needs

to make sure that doesn't happen.

[automated voice speaking] Take the next right onto Francis Street,

then turn right onto Fannin Street.

[Krystal] Today I am headed to the therapist Dr. Now wants me to see,

and Mark is coming with me.

I'm a little nervous,

because I know I'm gonna have to talk about some hard stuff.

But I know this is something I have to do.

[Mark] Come on.

[whispering] Okay.

Okay, that's a steep one.

Straight ahead, babe.

I am Dr. Paradise. Come on in.

-Oh, thank you. -Hello.

Hi, there.

Welcome.

-How are you doing? -I'm glad you made it.

All right.

Thanks for being here.

-Yeah. -Thank you for having us.

Tell me, you grew up in Houston?

Yes, my grandmother and my grandfather raised me.

You made a little face as you started that story.

It's, uh, a complicated childhood.

Uh, my mother was an active addict all my life.

My grandmother had an abusive side.

A lot of her anger, uh, fell towards me.

Uh, even if it was my sibling's fault,

I didn't want them to be subjected to, uh, physical abuse.

What kind of stuff.

Hair pulling, um...

Slapping you in the face.

I suspect that growing up with that

changed your life permanently.

Um... Well it gave me the impression that that was typical.

So if somebody close to you is upset,

you're physically at risk?

[sighs] It's kind of been like that my whole life.

Yeah, that's what I'm guessing.

How did, uh, school end up for you?

[stuttering] What was high school like?

I got pregnant in the 8th grade.

Okay, how'd that happen?

I trusted an older man.

-Uh... -Tell me about... Who was this person?

He was a little league coach for the area.

-How old was he when you were... -33.

And you were 14?

So we know now it's not just wrong, it's illegal.

-[Mark laughs] -Um...

At that point, yeah.

But you were vulnerable.

How long did it take to get pregnant?

The very first time.

-Really? -Yeah.

Okay, had you continued in the relationship with the man?

No, he actually turned out to be married.

Yeah, that doesn't surprise me.

-Yeah. -So let's fast-forward a little bit.

What's your daughter's name?

Korigan.

What happened in your life after Korigan was born?

A lot happened. I moved out.

I had a good job at a clothing store.

Was it a positive move out? Or you moved out 'cause your grandma's...

-My grandmother wanted more control over my daughter. -Okay.

She would override me as her parent.

And I could not see myself

letting my grandmother raise her in an abusive way as she raised me.

-Okay, you and Korigan move out. -We move out.

You've got a decent job, you're taking care of her.

A guy enters the picture?

Uh, yeah. In the beginning, he was a normal, nice guy.

He really was.

Do you guys start a relationship, a romantic relationship?

We did. Uh...

We got into our own place together, finally.

And that's when everything changed.

How did he change?

He started to do drugs.

And, uh, my daughter said,

"Mama, I'm not staying here with him."

She packed her a bag.

And she left.

She went to stay with her best friend.

So how did Kori know enough to get out of that situation,

but you, somehow, didn't make it out?

I felt like if anybody deserved it,

it would've been me, not her.

How has your life gone since then?

Uh, how long have you guys been together?

We have been together three years,

married a year and a half.

Okay, Mark, how are you different than these other guys?

[laughs nervously] I'm not gonna beat her to death.

Okay, that's a pretty low bar.

I love her and, uh, yeah.

I mean, she changed my life a lot.

Like, marrying her, like, I was an addict at one time,

so she gave me somewhere to be, something to do, and, like...

-Okay. Okay. -Taking care of her has, like, changed my life, so...

You know I'm worried Krystal, though,

that you're a little bit blind to addiction. That you've had so many...

Even Mark.

And I'm so proud of you that you're in a different place,

-and it sounds like you're doing great. -Yeah.

You seem to have a blind-spot for addiction.

So, boy, Mark, staying clean and sober is really important.

Yeah, a lot of this I've heard her say before.

-But not like this is a thorough story. -Yeah.

-Like, this is brand new. -Right. Yeah.

So how are you doing with Kori right now?

Uh, she didn't get the mother that she deserved.

She, uh, she got a basket case.

I wasn't attentive.

I... I just wasn't a good mom.

What could you say to Kori

to bring her back into the fold,

and to get her to start trusting you again?

God, I don't...

I mean, I don't know where to start with her.

Because she's so...

She's become such a recluse.

She's very guarded.

A recluse from you or a recluse from the world?

The world, at this point.

She, uh...

She doesn't tolerate, um...

You know, Krystal,

I wonder if that's a reaction to you doing the opposite. Right?

-Yeah. -So, when you're confronting a situation,

you just tolerate it, and persist and stick around.

So what can we do to make this right with Kori?

What does that sound like?

Um, I mean, just...

"Kori, I'm sorry.

I didn't know how to protect myself,

or you from bad people."

-Yeah. -"I may still even be learning it right now."

Hmm.

-"So I'm sorry I didn't do a better job..." -Yeah.

"...of protecting you."

I'm sorry that I feel like I failed her.

How did you fail her?

By not giving her a happy childhood,

something she deserved to have.

A better example of a mother.

You know, Krystal, you didn't have any of those things yourself.

So you're apologizing for not giving her what you didn't have.

And what kind of mother can you be to her now

if we get the very best version of you?

One of the things I bet she wants most from you is to be well.

So, Krystal, let's frame this as some homework, okay?

I think you need a phone call or a conversation with Kori,

-where you express the things that you're sorry for. -Mm-hmm.

And then I think you also need to tell her

-about what you're doing for yourself... -Mm-hmm.

...to make sure that she has a healthy mom.

I think the single best thing you can do for your daughter is to be healthy.

-Starting now, today. -Yeah. Yeah.

Um, thank you both for being here.

I'm really glad to meet you,

and I'm optimistic for your future.

Thank you.

-Thank you very much. -Okay, take care.

-Thank you so much. -Take care, guys. Good to meet you.

[Krystal] My appointment with Dr. Paradise

was very enlightening today.

I learned some new things

that I didn't even think were a factor

in the cycle of abuse that I went through.

It brought me, like, a sense of understanding.

And I feel like I'm going to be able to take some big steps

to get to a better place.

Thank you, honey.

I don't wanna slow down.

Yep.

[Krystal] So I'm determined to do what I need to make sure that doesn't happen.

-Hey. -Mom!

My baby came to visit me!

Oh, my good girl!

You know you can't get passed Bonnie and Charlie without showing 'em some love.

I know.

[speaking indistinctly]

Kori! [laughs]

Sorry, I don't drive in no shoes.

Let's go in.

[Krystal] Do I look different, or...

[Korigan speaking]

[Krystal speaking]

[Korigan] No, just... [laughs]

[Krystal] It's been two months since my surgery.

Dr. Now said my weight loss is still a little bit slow.

So we're both wondering if my emotions are pushing me

to eat a little bit more than I should.

Dr. Now says it's normal

for emotional issues to be front and center with patients

after their physical drive to eat has been taken away.

So that's why now is the time for me to focus on them

and deal with them.

And before I start to overeat and stretch my stomach.

He says I can eventually undo the surgery if I let that happen.

And that terrifies me.

So I'm 100% focused on dealing with what I need to.

And today that means, I'm gonna have to talk to my daughter, Korigan.

Because I do feel that I let her down in some ways

that she might be aware of.

And in other ways that she might not.

I hope it goes well.

And if it helps me along my journey, then it's a win-win.

-Hi, what do you like to drink? -Water.

-Uh, sweet tea, please. -Yes, okay.

[Krystal] So how has school been?

Um, tired. Really tired.

Like, I just wanna tell you,

like, I'm extremely proud of you for that.

Thank you.

Um, I don't know what to say. I'm sorry.

I've never imagined you, like, saying that.

-But I'm your mother, Kori. I mean, I'm gonna tell you. -But, it's just...

Having a goal and sticking to it is very important.

And I want... Well, thank you, dear.

We're ready.

Carne asada and breading on the side.

And then...

Thank you, dear.

-I thought you wanted sweet tea? -I did, but...

-You know what this is? This is God's intervention. -Yeah.

Saying you don't need to drink your calories.

I'm a Southern lady, okay? Leave me be, and my sweet tea.

I'm gonna take them off.

[Krystal] You and I...

[sighs]

You know, we're mother and daughter

and we've all that we've ever had,

because I had you at, you know, 15.

You saw first-hand what I had to experience.

And we experienced that trauma together.

Do you realize you've never had a relationship?

Like, you've never had a boyfriend.

-No. -Do you know why?

And you're a 19-year-old girl.

-And you've learned not to trust a man. -Mm-hmm.

That hurts me that I may not have a happy daughter.

Look, I don't... I mean, you're right.

I don't really have the endurance.

It's just kind of like, "Okay, you give me problems? Okay, goodbye."

Like, um, I don't... I'm very detached.

-I admit. I admit. -Detached?

That is one way that I coped.

I detached myself emotionally,

and was held together by food.

My choices are what caused me to be this size.

Like, I was sick, mentally.

Like, I... I didn't understand.

And then, here you are, you know? You're five, you're seven.

And here I am thinking, "Oh, she's distracted."

And you're not watching mom fix her bloody nose.

You're not watching Mom cover up the evidence

of abuse.

That's not true. You saw everything.

You said, "Mama, this is really hard.

Please, if you love me, you'll let me go stay with my best friend."

I remember.

And, oh, my God. That shattered me.

But to watch my little girl

hold her best friend's parents' hands,

and then I had to see my baby drive away,

that was extremely difficult.

Yeah, that, that was extremely difficult.

Anyways, quiet.

So Mama really wants

to like tell you that I am sorry

for your childhood traumas.

Today isn't just a fix-all.

It's going to be a forever,

for the rest of my life.

But I have to work on me.

And not even just the food.

It's, it's more than just that.

I've been to a therapy session, so...

I've been exploring the option of therapy

and I think it's a route that I need to take.

[Korigan] There are, um, you know, things

that I've never really told you,

and I'm also in therapy.

I, I've noticed that I have some tendencies

that, you know, really need to be worked on as well.

I just remember, I, I go to class

and then, um, I'd just start crying.

I have a better understanding that that was separation anxiety

and panic attacks.

Like, you know what I'm saying?

Mild panic attacks.

And, I mean, at the time, again,

like, neither one of us were educated

on stuff like that.

I hate to say it, but I failed you.

Uh, I hate those choices.

I hate them. I regret them.

And, uh, I'm sorry I chose bad relationships

over, over you.

I, I want our relationship

to get better because

you're only 19.

You're a baby. You're, you're still my baby.

And I need to know what's going on more in your life.

Thank you for acknowledging and saying, "I'm sorry."

That means a lot.

You know, I'm glad it's happening.

It's a really good change.

It's genuine work, genuine understanding

from both sides of us.

So I'm really excited

for everything that's gonna come.

[Krystal] Well, Mommy loves you.

[Korigan] Wait, don't do this.

Give me... No, no, don't kiss me.

[both laugh]

I don't... You're swallowing me with your arms.

[laughs]

[laughs boisterously]

[Krystal] I'm heading back to the clinic

to check my weight

and I think I've been doing well.

But I've been wrestling with a lot of issues

since I've started therapy.

And Dr. Now says

my issues are not gonna

resolve themselves overnight.

So my goal is to just keep moving

in the right direction

and taking the steps I need.

There's no better test of that

than the scale.

And I really hope I get the right number

because, if I find out I'm not doing it right,

then I'll be a little confused

about what I did wrong.

And I can't afford to lose my confidence now,

when I think I'm doing so well.

Krystal?

[Krystal] I need to keep my momentum heading in the right direction.

Hi, how are you?

Hello.

If you can stand up on the scale.

[Krystal] I was at 459 last month

and the doc says I need

to be losing 20 pounds a month

to stay on track.

So that means I need to be down

to 439 pounds today.

And I really hope

all the work I've been doing

is working for me.

That's good.

Well, that's pretty close.

I wish it was two pounds closer, though.

We're ready to go to room 5.

[Krystal] Well, let's see what Dr. Now says.

I feel like he's been pretty nice to me overall.

And I'm just hoping

he sees the hard work

that I've been putting in

to stay on track.

[knock on door]

Hello. How are you all doing?

[Krystal] Hi, Dr. Now.

-You doing all right? -Yes, sir.

Good.

So you're down to 441, huh?

Yes, sir.

You're doing okay with your surgery and getting along?

Surgery has been mild recovery. Thank you.

I followed your discharge diet.

-Okay. -It's been pretty successful.

I made sure to keep the copies and read over it, when...

And make sure I, I was doing everything correctly.

-Okay, you're taking your vitamins? -Yes.

And you're going to a stage two diet, right?

I haven't gone to the stage two diet yet

without your permission.

Okay, you can go ahead...

-Go to stage two diet... -Okay.

...and advance with that.

And, if you do that,

you should be able to lose

easily 20 to 30 pounds each month.

Okay, I'm prepared for that. Yes, sir.

[Dr. Now] So once you get down to

lower than 300,

or below 200, then

you'll have a lot of extra skin that will need to come off.

Yes, sir.

[Dr. Now] And make sure you keep that clean

and take some medicine powder and all that stuff.

-Okay. -Okay?

So, increase your activity

and stick with your diet.

I'm proud of your progress.

-Thank you. -And, um, should be able to get your goal weight

in less than a year.

How does that sound?

I plan on listening to you

every step of the way.

So far, I have made it

through the hardest parts

thanks to you, Dr. Now.

Oh, you're welcome.

So your goal weight is 150.

-That... [laughs] -Yeah.

I've...

I haven't heard 150 in a very long time.

It's a little hard to see me there now.

By the time you get your skin surgery,

you're gonna make it there, okay?

-So, stay focused with your weight loss. -Yes, sir.

[Dr. Now] And we'll go from there.

So, how's your walking

and doing all that?

My walking is even better.

I have more stamina.

Uh, I've noticed

in the short time,

just the little improvements

throughout my body already.

Well, that's great.

So keep it up and we'll see

-how everything will go with you, okay? -Yes, sir.

Keep up the good work.

Do your exercises. Take your vitamin.

And stay with your diet.

And you only eat about three time a day

and no snack in between the meal.

-Nah. -Now, you can eat a small amount.

So, whatever you eat in small amount

and in 15 minutes, that's it.

-Okay. -Don't go back to finish it.

That's the biggest mistake people make.

They think, "I can't eat it right now. I get full.

So I'll wait another 30 minutes,

maybe I can eat a little bit more.

Then wait another half an hour, I can eat more."

So, if you do that,

you're gonna eat the same thing

you were eating before.

-I know. -So, and whatever you eat

in 15 minutes, that's it.

-That's it. -So you wait till next meal.

-Okay. -But make sure you drink sugar-free or

zero-calorie liquid between the meals.

And do your exercise.

Not a problem.

I will stick to my,

my pre-surgery liquids,

as far as no...

no caffeine, no carbonated drinks,

no sugary drinks.

Water, my sugar packs,

my Crystal Lite.

And I will definitely, definitely

only eat small amounts, three times a day.

No going back for seconds.

Okay. Well, good.

And, uh, stage two,

-it'll be much easier to do that. Okay? -Okay.

Krystal, I'm proud of your progress.

-Yes, sir. -And keep it up.

And, if you need anything, let me know.

-Okay? -Yes, sir. Not a problem.

I won't hesitate.

Okay. All right.

I'll see you later.

Yes, sir. Thank you so much.

You're welcome.

[Mark] That's pretty awesome, yeah?

[Krystal sighs] Well...

I'm proud of Krystal's progress,

and she has made great progress from the beginning.

And she's still focused,

and I think she has all intention

to get to her goal weight.

And I have no doubt

that we're gonna be able

to get her to her goal weight

within 12 to 18 months.

And I think, every time we see her,

she's going to be 20 to 30 pounds lighter.

[Krystal] Well, I'm happy to hear that Dr. Now

thinks that I am on track with my weight loss.

I needed to hear that, I think.

But I don't want to slow down

or do anything less.

-You wanna take my bag? -I got it.

[Krystal] So I'm going to stay focused

and keep doing what I need.

Okay, babe.

[Krystal] And I feel like I'm getting closer

to where I can feel confident...

that these are changes that I'm making for a lifetime,

and that nothing is going to knock me off track.

[Krystal] We are here at Bushi Ban

here in my neighborhood.

It is a martial arts gym.

-Hi. -Hello, hello.

-Hi, Krystal. -Hi.

-So you're the superstar, huh? -Ah!

-So come on in... -Yes.

...and, uh, we'll start

a little bit of training.

I could have never imagined

doing this at the highest weight when I started.

-Just go jab and cross. -One...

-Yes! -Two.

-Good. -One.

Keep the wrist straight.

Good. Squeeze the knuckles.

-Go one... -One.

-Awesome. -Two.

Oh, you got some power there, lady!

[Krystal] I've always wanted to be physically more active.

But, unfortunately, at my highest weight...

[sighs] The word that I hate to use,

is I... I couldn't.

Now let's do the other side. For five, ready?

-One. -One.

-Excellent. Two. -Two.

-Awesome. Three. -Three.

-Fantastic. Four. -Four.

-Amazing. Five. Super. -Okay.

Today I have gained tremendous independence.

We are gonna do what we call a "back fist" and a "knee high."

-You can do it. -Let's do it.

Let's do it, okay?

Three... Fantastic.

Four... Good.

-Okay, last one, best one... five. -Five.

-Give me five, lady. -Woo!

You're awesome.

I was very surprised with her spirit,

how strong her spirit is.

Her attitude is... Positive attitude.

-She's not a quitter. -One, two, three.

[Zulfi] Last one, best one!

One, two, three.

-Awesome. -My...

Give me double high five, please!

-Yes! -You got it.

-All right. -Good.

You're committed.

I can see you're committed.

Very. I've been...

This journey has been

the most thing I've ever committed to.

Well, I'm so proud of you.

Thank you so much.

Pleasure's mine.

All right. Let's go.

Good job, Krystal.

[Krystal] Tonight, me and Mark

are going on a date.

A year ago, you couldn't have dragged me out in public...

[sighs]

...to do something fun,

for us to enjoy each other.

And when I started this journey

I was scared of how it might turn out.

I'm thankful for today,

but I don't want to say

that I've got past the hard part

because I know it wouldn't be easy moving forward.

And I may face some challenges

that are a lot tougher than others.

-Hi, there. How's it going? -Hi.

-How are you today? -Pretty good.

-Thank you so much. -You're welcome.

[Mark] Wings wrapped. Salad bowls.

I'm excited for tonight.

We don't actually get to go out much.

So I'm glad that we get to get out and do stuff together.

I'm proud of Krystal.

Uh, she's really sticking with her diet

and I'm right here to support her

one hundred percent.

Burger bowl with jalapenos,

no shoe sauce and queso on the side.

And naked wings.

Enjoy. I'll be right out with some napkins.

[Krystal] I'm confident because it's not just

like I figured out a way to get the weight off.

Dr. Now taught me how to live healthy.

That's so good.

And with those skills now a part of my skill set,

I know that I'll be able

to maintain these habits for a lifetime.

Love ya.

[Krystal] Today we're going to the beach

and I feel like I'm just about

as excited as the kids are.

This is something we've never been able to do before

because of how out of control my weight had gotten.

And the fact that we're able to do it today,

is really wonderful.

Look at the kids.

They done ran off without us.

I'm sorry I didn't get to do more of this

when my kids were younger.

And I feel really sad that, those times,

I can never have back.

To do it differently.

-Ugh! -Ah!

[Mark] It's beach time.

[Krystal] But the fact that I can do it differently now,

that's a whole lot better than how it used to be,

where I thought I would never have a chance to do anything about it.

-Oh! -Look at that.

She's a champ.

[Mark] Look at that.

Oh, baby.

[Krystal] Just hold me.

[Mark] For her to go out in the water really impressed me.

I wasn't expecting her to go that far.

You're good, babe.

[Krystal] Hug me.

[Mark] She's doing a whole lot better.

I'm very proud of her.

[Krystal] Today was a stepping stone for me

to see if I could do it

and face my food addiction,

and to overcome it.

I'm very proud of myself.

When I look around and I see that my family is...

is content and happy,

it makes it worth it.

When I was 600 pounds,

my life was a nightmare.

And now I feel like

this life is a gift.

Doors are opening for me

that I never thought would open.

For the first time in my life,

I have options.

I'd say, the way my life has transformed,

has been pretty darn magical.

Kiss me.