Original subtitles

If that caregiver doesn't thoroughly clean me,

then we have a problem.

Somewhere in me is this little glimmer of hope.

I just wanna be a normal person.

You can't do it, and then, I just get mad.

If I don't make a change now,

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

It hurts!

I refuse to stop fighting.

I have to do this for my children.

OH!

I am the problem.

Then you gotta wake up

and change your life.

Good morning, Gary. How are you doing this morning?

How are you this morning, darling?

-Mmm-hmm. -All righty.

We gonna get started with this here bath here.

Okay.

Sometimes when I wake up,

I feel like getting up

and going to the kitchen, or hopping in the shower.

But I can't do those things

because I'm too heavy to get out of this bed.

I can't even get out of bed.

All righty then, Gary.

-Mmm-hmm. -I got this here now.

Okay.

Let me sit up.

My doctor installed a trapeze above my bed

just to help me lift my body up.

But even doing that,

I start huffing and puffing.

...especially when you got a lazy caregiver.

I feel fabulous about my current caregiver,

but I'm talking about other people.

If that... If that person

doesn't thoroughly clean me,

then we have a problem.

You know, it's a routine.

You know, wash, rinse,

wash, rinse, dry.

Wash, rinse, wash, rinse, dry.

Then you got those people that do wash, dry.

Turn over, wash, dry.

What happened to wash, rinse, wash, rinse, dry?

-Everything hanging out. -Yeah.

Because when you wash and then dry,

all that dried-up soap becomes more dirt,

and it becomes even more icky.

Here you go, Gary. Here's your shirt.

Here we go again.

Okay, did I give it to you right? No, upside down.

-You got it? -Yeah.

All righty, then.

All right, Gary. I'll see you tomorrow.

Okay.

After my caregiver leaves,

my mom comes over to cook breakfast for me.

That's when everything turns around.

Hey, Gary.

Hey, Mommy.

How you doing?

I'm fine.

-You good? -Yeah.

Okay.

So you ready for your breakfast?

-Yeah. -All right. All right.

What you want? What you wanna eat?

Everything.

-What's everything? -I don't know.

Eggs, bacon, grits, all that?

-Yeah. -Oh, Lord Jesus.

Okay.

He will eat whatever you put in front of him, you know.

He's constantly eating

and he's just getting bigger and bigger.

I'm just hoping that he can lose the weight

so he can get up and walk

because I know he can't live that way.

Okay, Gary. How many eggs you want?

-Four eggs. -Okay. Okay.

I'mma get started, so are you gonna sit up?

-Yeah. -Okay.

With his lifestyle, being the way it is,

it's very hard on me

because I have to do everything for him.

It's hard.

I'm trying to hang in and do what I can,

but at the end of the day, I'm worn out.

There's nothing I like better

than getting really full with food.

And I'm trying to shake it.

There you go.

-Got it? -Yeah, I got it.

It's unexplainable

because I'm the only one in my family

that struggles with the weight problem.

Growing up, I was the youngest of eight,

and the baby of the family.

But I guess I had a big appetite

because I had a mom that raised me so right

that it could have been wrong.

She spoiled me.

You know, she still spoils me to this day.

My mother let me eat whatever I wanted,

as much as I wanted.

By the time I was 10, I was pushing 200 pounds.

One time, I was overhearing everyone talking

when they thought I wasn't home,

about how bad I was doing with my weight,

it made me cry.

That's when I first remember eating purely for comfort.

And that was when the demons inside me were unleashed.

In middle school, people's body started changing.

There's girls left and right.

And all of a sudden, I'm like hella insecure.

Don't know how to unlock my confidence at all.

And it was fun to get high and eat.

And that's when food became a powerful, powerful thing.

I just stopped doing school work,

and I was absent a lot.

And then I came to school one day

and the vice principal told me to come into the office,

and they were like,

"Hey, your grades are not where they need to be.

You need to go to a continuation program to catch up."

But I never did.

I procrastinated, I watched TV,

and ate nuggets.

And I dropped out of high school

without my high school diploma.

I was vegetating at home,

getting high, and binge eating.

My mom didn't know what to do with me,

so she called my older brother Gordon.

My mom gave me authority

to kind of come back in Gary's life,

so he came and stayed with me and my wife.

And I went out and bought myself a guitar,

then I started fooling around in the rehearsal rooms

at this music equipment store downtown,

composing and arranging and singing and rapping

and all that good stuff.

And I quickly discovered

songwriting was a part of my DNA.

Then one day, this guy Anthony comes walking in,

and I was playing a Triton Korg

and he was like,

"Man, you remind me so much of me when I was your age."

He was like, "Let me give me you the number to the studio."

And that's when everything changed for me.

I took him to a studio session,

then he recorded his singing hook for a song.

And the main executive producer,

I wanted to fly Gary out to New York City

to film the music video,

but Gary could not make it because he got too heavy.

So he was real sad about that,

but they ended up doing the music video anyways.

In a matter of weeks,

I was hanging with celebrities and living large.

Around this time,

my cousin introduced me to crystal meth,

so I tried it.

I did it for two days in a row.

And even though I wasn't planning

on doing it again after that,

I just did it every day after that.

And after that,

everything spiraled out of control real fast.

You know, being young

and then going into adulthood,

I can see that Gary suffers from addictive behavior.

And I didn't realize it.

I really didn't.

I stopped composing and arranging,

and I started to lose sight

of my regular life outside of using.

But on the days I managed to hold off getting high,

I would lean heavily on binge eating.

Whole pizzas back to back,

10 burgers in 24 hours.

It was bad.

And before I knew it,

I was over 600 pounds and then more.

And then the day comes where I was so big,

I couldn't even get around on my own anymore.

One day I came home

and Gary was at my door,

crying, and saying

he don't know what he's gonna do,

and I said, "Well, you're gonna have to do something."

So, he stayed the night

and I made him call recovery,

rehab for people that are on drugs and everything.

When I went into my program,

I relapsed in that program so many times.

And the thing is,

when you're under the influence of drugs,

and then you get sober

and you stop doing drugs,

you start to eat.

At least I did.

Then it got to the point where I got too fat

to be able to get out of bed.

It's coming up on nine months since that day,

and I'm getting tired of spending all day

every day in bed.

My mobility has worsened.

It's because I'm overeating.

With the proper bariatric walker,

I can only stand up for two seconds.

But I feel blessed to have the mother I have.

She's my best friend,

and having her take care of me

makes my life easier.

-Hi. -Hey.

Hey mom.

You gotta tell me what you want.

Okay.

You want cupcakes?

Yeah, but they all gotta...

They gotta be vanilla only.

Do you see it?

I guess those are good.

I'll get these.

Okay.

I go every other day to the grocery store.

It's rough on me because of the time,

because I have my own appointments

and doctor's appointments to make.

He think I'm a super woman or something.

Chocolate milk. They have, uh, chocolate milk.

Yeah. That's good.

I'll get... I'll get two of those.

I get upset with Gary about buying a lot of junk

and different things,

but he gets really irritated and angry,

so I just ask him what he wants

and I get it for him.

I try to keep the peace

because if I just tell him,

"No, I'm not gonna get that or get this," he gets mad.

What kinda ice cream you want?

Like a sherbet ice cream.

Like a fruity... Like a fruit ice cream.

Mmm-huh.

Yeah. Orange sherbet.

Mommy, can you get me some chocolate?

Okay.

Okay.

Is that good?

Yeah.

All right. Okay.

-Bye. -Bye.

The way I eat is different from other people

because very rarely do I feel full.

So I tend to wanna eat double portions of starch and meat.

And once I start eating,

it's very hard for me to stop when I'm eating.

Being addicted to food

is something that I'm constantly trying to shake.

-Hey, Gary. -Hi.

-You ready to eat? -Yeah.

I just heated up...

-What are you eating? -Nothing.

Yeah. You got it all over your mouth.

I just heated up food from the grocery store.

Yeah, you'd know. Let me see.

What you hiding?

No, there's something all over your mouth.

What? The popcorn?

I need to change or this isn't gonna end well.

There you go.

Well-balanced.

Uh-huh.

When I saw him bedbound for the first time,

couldn't get out the bed,

couldn't go to the bathroom,

I was hurt, you know,

because I've been working with Gary for years,

like, you know, helping him with these...

type of situations,

and I was very upset

that he had let himself go so far, you know,

having all the support he's had

throughout the years.

Pretty good, huh? The mac and cheese?

Mmm-hmm.

I'm 32-years-old.

I have a lot to offer to the world.

I'm tired of being like this.

If I don't stop eating,

I'm gonna have a heart attack and die.

I got four to five years tops.

I know this is my last chance

and I don't wanna die in this bed.

I figured enough is enough.

I reached out to Dr. Now in Houston

to see if I can get help losing weight,

even though he's in Texas and I'm bedridden.

And they told me Dr. Now helps a lot of people

from all over the place.

And what he likes to do first in that type of situation

is to do a video call.

So that's what happening today.

Hey, Gary.

Hey, how are you, Dr. Now?

I'm doing well. How are you doing?

I'm fine. How are you?

It's been going on for like nine months now.

Nine months? And how much do you weigh now?

I'm about 745.

I wake up at like 12:00 to 2:00 p.m.

I get on my phone,

go on my app and watch my shows,

play my games on my phone,

and, uh...

that's how I start my day.

And then, you know, late breakfast every day,

never a early breakfast.

That, and I collect baseball cards,

that's my hobbies.

Plus I'm a musician.

So just being in the bed

is really hard for me right now.

These nine months of being bedbound

just felt like nine years.

My caretaker,

my mother.

Yeah. But my mom,

she kind of doesn't let me eat

what I want all the time.

She's been kind of, you know,

leaning me towards the healthier side of things.

I am the problem.

The thing is, if my caretakers

don't bring me food,

then, you know, I can always,

you know, use a app.

I've spent like thousands of dollars

over time

using these delivery apps,

ordering all kinds of unhealthy food.

You know, I don't give it much thought when I'm eating

because the eating is a comfort.

But it's time for me to change

and I'm willing to take the sacrifice

of, you know, not eating as much,

you know, to get better results.

Right.

I'm willing to follow your guidelines.

Whatever you'd say, I do it.

Right.

Yes.

Right.

Right.

You understand that, right?

Yes, I do.

Uh-huh.

Okay. Right.

But in the meantime, if you need something, you may call.

Okay. So, will I be coming to...

Will I be coming to...

Texas anytime soon?

So I got some work to do?

Yes. All right.

If you need anything, give me a call.

I will. Thank you, Dr. Now.

I appreciate everything.

Okay. And you're welcome, okay?

All right. See you soon.

All right. You take care.

All right.

We are facing a lot of issues with Gary,

so it's gonna take a lot to try

and address his situation.

He has caregivers

who are enabling him.

So he's like a zombie that eats whatever

is put in front of him.

So the first thing to address his situation

is going to be to work to get him out of bed.

And hopefully, PT will be able to make

some progress with him to do that.

Losing weight also is going to be a significant factor

that contribute to his ability

to do that and walk again.

And since he has only been bedridden

for around nine months,

if he work hard with PT and loses weight,

he should be able to start walking again

in a month or two.

And if he does that and we can verify

that he's losing some weight,

then we will consider him to come to Houston

for weight loss surgery at that point.

But it's all gonna come down

to Gary's drive and motivation

to follow through and do what he needs.

Here.

See, that's your therapist now.

Okay.

Just put a little bit

of that on your lips.

-Okay. -So they won't look so dry. Okay.

It's been about a week since my call with Dr. Now,

and I've been making adjustments to my diet.

It's been tough but I'm doing it,

and I'm even feeling better.

-Hey. -Hello. Good morning.

-How are you? -Good.

How are you today?

Fine.

Today, I'm starting physical therapy

and I'm really looking forward to it.

But at the same time I'm worried

because I don't know if my legs

are gonna be able to handle that.

-Ugh, what we gonna do is... -And get started it

with your leg exercises...

Yeah, let's start with the legs. So, um--

Okay, let's do it.

Gonna start with some ankle pumps.

So try to straighten out your legs,

try to get this knee...

And both knees and both toes pointed straight up

towards the ceiling.

Okay. And then just start to point and flex your feet.

Toes way back to feel that stretch

in the back of your legs.

-Oh, yeah, there it is. -Okay.

Inhale in through the nose,

exhale through the mouth, as you move your feet.

That's it.

Press down into the band like your pushing on the gas pedal.

That's it. There you go. And now push down.

Good.

I'd say his prognosis is great as long as we keep

moving forward with the standing.

He has to work on his exercises

like every single day. No excuses.

And then of course, like, his weight loss,

he's gotta really hone it and lose some weight

because that'll be much easier for him to move

his body around once he loses the weight.

Okay. Let's bring the legs over.

Okay. Let's bring them.

Gotta angle yourself this direction.

-That's it. -Okay.

Okay.

Okay. One moment.

The more I pull back, it's crazy.

You need to lean forward.

There you go.

Lean forward.

That's it, lean forward.

Woo! Gravity. Gravity.

Gravity! Well, how does that feel?

Up right?

All right. Take some deep breaths.

Okay.

Only 60% there.

Just push down through your legs,

see if you can just get your butt

-like an inch off the bed. -Okay.

That's it.

Breathe. Squeeze your butt muscles.

Squeeze your thighs.

Don't close your eyes. Hello!

-Hello. -Shoulders back.

He is strong.

He can pull himself up in bed.

He can lift his limbs.

He can pull himself up on his feet.

He has the motivation.

He has, like, a positive outlook

and that makes a huge, huge difference.

I'm very confident that he's gonna make it.

-What are you feeling? -All in there.

All in there? Good.

Don't fall back!

-I'm not. -Keep leaning forward.

Wow, that was... that was crazy.

Wow!

I stood up.

It was about 45 seconds.

I felt some energy coming.

You know, I felt my heart pumping.

I felt everything.

I just got to keep going.

-There you go. -Okay.

It feels great. The fatigue was...

It was a good fatigue, not a bad one.

I just got to keep going.

Can't stop and I won't stop.

At this point, I just won't stop.

And that's the truth.

-Mommy? -You want your head up?

Yeah.

I stood up.

-You stood up? -Yeah.

Good.

And you're tired, that's a good thing.

-How are you feeling? -I'm getting myself prepped up.

Looking good!

Let's do a couple exercises...

-Okay. -with the band here.

Okay.

So I'm gonna have you wrap it around

and we're gonna stretch it like this.

And you're gonna squeeze your shoulder blades together

as you stretch your arms out.

There's been a couple good things

about the past month and hard things as well.

On the positive side, I'm feeling really good

about how I can sit on the edge of my bed now.

Good. Inhale.

Exhale.

But one of the hardest things

I'm frustrated about

is that it's been a month I've been working

with physical therapy, and I still can't walk.

I don't have the muscle strength

and I can't push past it.

It's too painful.

The therapist said I'm not gonna get past this

unless I take a step every day.

So, I'm gonna hold this part.

-Don't worry, I won't let go. -Okay.

But I'm worried I'm gonna fall

when I'm on my own without the help.

-Head up. -You know, my mom

can't pick me up on her own.

So I'm at least sitting up on the edge of my bed

once a day, doing some exercises.

That's it.

I could do my upper body

with no problem.

I love doing those exercises every day,

because it makes feel like I'm pushing myself

to make progress, and it's a good workout.

-There you go. -It's frustrating

because I really want to walk,

but I don't have the strength.

Awesome. Okay.

Take a breather.

All right.

You wanna try one more exercise

-while you're here? Okay. -Yeah. Yeah.

Hold it at your shoulder.

Now reach with your other hand up.

You're gonna take it out and across,

and stretch that arm back.

-The other hard thing... -Yeah.

is that I'm having new cravings.

So I have moments where I ordered some cakes

and had them delivered,

but those have only been a few moments of weakness.

Inhale.

Exhale.

My mom is helping me a lot

by making me good meals.

They don't taste good, but it's better for me

and it's making me stick to the healthy stuff,

because I know Dr. Now is gonna check with me in a month,

and he's gonna need to know that I'm doing

all the right things,

so that I could be ready to go to Houston.

Doing this stuff right,

that's what's gonna get me there

and that's why I got to do it,

because I don't want to be stuck in this bed forever.

All right. Good job.

Here, hold on to this.

Here.

Because you're gonna have to clock in right now

-with, uh, Dr. Now. -This is irritating.

Well, you're gonna have to do it.

So, come on.

It's been two months since my call with Dr. Now.

So it's time for me to follow up with him.

And I'm supposed to be walking,

but it's really hard.

I tried and I'm just not there yet.

So I'm hoping Dr. Now will give me

another two months to get there.

Yeah, I'm gonna sit it right here so you...

Okay. Is that okay?

Yeah. Can you pull it in some?

Because I think I can do it in that amount of time.

As long as Dr. Now understands that

and gives me another try.

Okay.

Okay. Well, gather yourself together

because you gotta do it.

Yeah.

-I'll be right back. -Okay.

Calm down.

I know.

Hello.

Hey, Dr. Now.

Hey, Gary. How are... How are you doing?

I'm fine, Dr. Now. How are you?

I'm doing well.

So, PT said you made some progress at the start

and you haven't made much progress in the stand.

So, what's going on with you?

How is your ability to get out of bed

and walk off?

My ability to get out of bed...

I can get out of bed but to move my legs

and to walk has been a very hard,

um, obstacle for me.

Uh, how far are you able to walk with PT?

They give me...

They get...they get the walker

and they stand me up, and that's it.

Well, standing is the first step.

-Yes. Then you take

to your steps.

What are you doing in between physical therapy

to get your stamina and get you walking?

-Nothing. -Nothing?

-Nothing. -Why nothing?

Uh, lately, I haven't been motivated.

And when are you gonna wake up and change your life?

What are you waiting for?

I guess I'mma... I will stop waiting.

So what are you gonna do different this time?

-Do you want to change your life or not? -Yes.

And if you want to change your life,

what changes are you gonna make?

And tell me, so I can write it down,

and make sure that I know what you're gonna do.

Well, I have to do more

than my physical therapy visits.

But they tell me if I stand every day,

then I will improve so much better.

So, that's where I'm at right now.

That's my obstacle,

and I've been reading your book.

Well, that's good. But reading isn't magic.

So nothing in sort of your effort,

-you're gonna make improvement. -Yeah.

Oh.

All right.

Okay.

All right, man.

The book doesn't have magic, okay?

Magic is only in your hand

and the ball is in your court.

-Right. Outside of that,

you have to do your own part.

I will. I really wanna come see you soon, man. So...

-Then that's gonna be a long trip, man. -Right.

Yeah, if you gotta be able to walk

and you gotta be able to fit in the car.

You're gonna have to be able to make that trip.

-Right. -But, Gary,

you need to work with your physical therapy,

but you need to cut back on your eating habit,

and get your weight back down

as much as you can, and--

Yes. That's what I'm... Yes.

Right. Okay.

Okay, Gary.

I'm gonna give you a month and you need to be active

and be able to walk

and show me that you are making some progress,

so we can get you to a local clinic okay?

A month?

Yes.

One month?

Yeah, one month.

Not two?

No, one month.

You're running out of time

and I already gave you two months.

Oh, man.

You can easily do this in one month, okay?

All right.

All right. So you're gonna have to work harder, okay?

You think I can do it in one month?

Gary, in one month,

you can lose a hundred pounds.

Don't kid yourself.

You're 700 pounds.

If you eat 1200 calories

you will lose hundred pound in one month.

So, what are you waiting for?

You can't be eating and hoping

that your situation is gonna magically get better.

The time is now or never.

Okay?

All right.

So this is all up to you.

If you need anything, give me a call, okay?

Yeah. All right, Dr. Now.

Bye, Gary.

Bye.

Well, Dr. Now's only giving me one month.

That's not what I was hoping for.

-How did it go with Dr. Now? -It was all right.

-I was, kind of, listening in. -Uh-huh.

Why you didn't tell him that you march in place

when the physical therapist is here?

And, you know, why you didn't tell him?

Yeah, but... Yeah, but it's...

What you mean?

It... Yeah, but I'm still...

I still need... I'm not walking though.

Okay. I'm gonna move all of these out your way

and put the computer up, and you can go head on

and just sit up for a little while.

You know, I'm trying my hardest

and I feel like it's just not enough.

But I'm thankful Dr. Now

at least gave me some more time.

So that's what I have to do.

Try to make it happen in one month

because I need this help.

And if I don't get it,

that's gonna be a death sentence for me,

so I'm gonna work my hardest at this.

And hopefully Dr. Now is right,

and I'm where I need when I talk to him again.

Okay. Put your shirt on.

Okay.

For the past month, I've been struggling

to keep up with all I've been needing to do.

With PT and everything,

my legs just took longer to recover

and it still hurts,

so I haven't been able to do a lot of workouts

or get up again,

and that got me a little depressed.

Okay. You like to put these on.

Okay. You got to... You got to...

You got to be more to raise your leg up.

Okay.

And I wasn't sure about facing Dr. Now

because I didn't think he was gonna understand

that I tried to reschedule the call with him.

It was gonna be today,

but I told him I needed more time.

Wait, wait, wait.

Okay. That's as far as we're gonna go.

But I just got told by him

a transport is coming to get me

and take me to a local clinic.

I'm nervous about it,

because I haven't been anywhere

in over a year now.

I'm just worried about how hard it's gonna be.

-Okay. There you go. -All right.

So we... I'm ready.

-Okay. -Yes.

Come on in.

Got it?

-Hello there. -Hi.

How are you, bud?

-What's up, buddy? -Hey, what's up, buddy?

-How are you doing? -Chilling.

Okay. Are you ready?

Hold on. We'll do it.

-We'll take you with this sheet. -Okay.

Very slow. Very slow. Very slow.

Gurney him a little bit.

-On the gurney? -Yup.

-Like this way? -And watch your head up.

Yeah. My head up... Just my...

Yeah.

We got you.

-Okay. -All right.

-Okay. Good. -All right.

That's good.

Okay. Now I can scoot over.

But do it slowly.

-Don't overdo it. -Okay.

Okay. So now... Okay.

All right. So that's as much as it's gonna go?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Move at the bottom.

-Ready. -One, two, three.

Oh, watch it.

Oh, watch it. That's it. It's fine.

-That's it? -Yes.

All right.

Okay. Okay.

Good job, guys.

Keep going.

He go through there--

-Yeah. -He go through there in his chair

all the time.

Okay.

This is the first time I had a change of scenery

in a while.

-That's it. -I'm excited,

but I'm also nervous.

But at least I'm in good hands.

And I'm hoping Dr. Now would let me come down to Houston.

That's all I really care about right now.

I'm just keeping my eyes on the prize

and hoping that that happens.

Ready? One, two...

-Hold on. -Well... Yeah. Okay.

One, two, three. Okay.

Hopefully he can get the surgery,

so he can live a normal life.

I'm very hopeful with the outcome.

I just can't wait until he's up

and moving around and walking.

Yeah.

Okay.

-Woo. -Okay. That's fine?

-Yeah. Perfect. -Okay.

What do I think my weight is gonna be

once I get to...

this weigh-in?

I don't know. Uh,

I'm pretty anxious about that.

All I can think of, uh, you know, ain't...

There isn't a number

that's gonna stay the same ever.

So, you know, numbers fluctuate.

You know, we just have to wait and see.

-Okay. Turn, turn, turn. -Turn.

Yeah. Watch it.

Okay. Ready?

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

Perfect.

-Yeah. Ready? Yeah. -One, two, three.

-Oh, man. -Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.

-Okay. -You good?

All right. We're good.

-Okay. Good. -Successful.

-Successful? Okay. -Yeah.

Hey, Gary. How are you feeling?

-Hey, mommy. -Oh, okay.

You're getting ready to get your weigh-in.

Yeah. I'm excited.

You want me to hold your phone?

-Yes, please. -Okay.

I'm here at the local clinic Dr. Now had me go to

and I'm about to find out my weight.

-Hey, guys. How are you? -Hi.

Hi, miss. How are you?

-Hi. I'm Amber. -Hello, Amber.

And I'm just gonna put this on here, okay?

-Okay. -Thank you.

I'm nervous because I've been working on my diet

and my walking feels better and I feel lighter.

Okay. So let's see.

So I hope I've been doing

really good with the scale

and that I'm gonna show some progress.

I might even be down to the 600s.

Okay.

So the weight is 764.

Whoa.

Okay.

Damn. How did it get that high?

I did not expect to see that.

Thank you.

I wish I had something better to tell Dr. Now,

because this just ruins everything

and I know he's not gonna be happy.

But I better let him know.

Hello.

Hello, Dr. Now.

Okay. How are you doing?

I'm fine. How are you?

I'm good, thank you.

Now, we got you to the clinic.

We shouldn't have had to get so much help for you.

But they're gonna run on you and make sure

there's nothing going on with you

that is gonna lead to a medical emergency decision.

But they should have also got your weight.

So what's going on with your weight?

Uh, my weight today is 764.

I see.

Your weight three months ago was 745,

so you haven't lost anything, no?

No.

Why is that?

Well, I have to...

I have to try harder with my diet.

Just, uh, eat more healthier.

Yeah. You haven't done the same thing with your diet

for past five months.

So what is the biggest piece you're gonna do?

Instead of losing weight you're gaining weight.

And you're not gonna end up walking and you keep saying

you have to try harder and do better, but you don't.

So what option is the best for you?

The only option is to change

and do something different.

You're correct, but you keep saying that

and not doing anything.

So why haven't you changed in past five months?

Um, I don't have the answer for it.

I was... I have just been, uh,

in bed, uh, struggling to, uh, walk.

And I've been doing my physical therapy

and my diet.

I haven't been eating...

I haven't been eating unhealthy.

I just have to eat less.

Whatever you you're eating has to be around 7000 to 8000 calories a day.

To maintain the rate you're at.

Do you understand that?

For you to be 764 pounds,

you're probably eating close to 8,000 calorie a day.

If you stick with a 1200 calorie a day,

you're probably gonna be able to lose

a hundred pounds in a month.

So, it's clear, you're not cutting back

on anything you're eating right now.

Uh, well, I'm not eating a lot of fattening foods.

I'm, uh... I'm eating a sugar-free food.

Uh, if, uh...

I'm eating plant-based food, uh, not a lot of meat,

uh, meal preps,

uh, already prepared dinners.

So you're telling me

what you're eating a day,

because that is what it seems like.

I'm not eating that much.

So what do you think is wrong with you

eating habits that you're gaining weight?

Probably too many carbs.

And why you're telling me that

you're following your diet

when you're eating too many carbs?

Well, I mean, it's probably both...

it's probably both side...

Both sides of it.

Okay. You're telling me on one hand you're eating healthy.

The other hand you're telling me you're eating high carb, it's clear you're not

following the diet we've sent you.

You're not following what we're telling you to eat,

you're not eating less, you're eating more.

And you think you're eating healthy

and your weight is going up. Do you understand me?

In your case that your weight has to do

the amount of calorie you're taking every day?

Yes.

And you're not cutting back on your calorie intake

and you're not losing weight and you think that's okay?

No. I don't think it's okay.

We're waiting on that change.

You're waiting for your body to turn around

and then that'll be too late for you.

Well, I'm... That's what I'm here now for, changing.

You're giving me this story you need to change, you haven't taken any steps.

When you're gonna change that?

I'm gonna start as soon as possible.

All right. I'm gonna give you the same goal

that we've given you.

Lose 70 pounds in two months

and you're gonna be able to walk.

And if you do that, then you can come

to Houston and we'll consider you for weight loss surgery.

If not there is no point in saying

or this meeting where I'm with you.

You're telling me over and over

you're gonna change and never changing.

And we have given everything you need

to change your eating habit

and lose some weight

and you haven't done that.

And this is a very dangerous situation.

And we haven't been able to get you wake up

and see the reality of your situation

that any moment anything can give out

and your body is not gonna make it.

You need to stop playing games

and telling me cliche

and changing before it's too late.

Okay.

All right? Tell them to run some tests

to make sure you are doing okay

and if everything looks good,

they're gonna send you home

and then in two months,

we'll check back with you

and see how you're doing, okay?

Okay.

So at this point,

everything is up to you.

It is.

And I'm gonna...I'm gonna do what I have to do.

From now on, I'm gonna be a lot more strict with myself.

And, uh, I'm gonna meet my goals.

I believe I can do it.

Okay Gary. Uh, so stick with the healthy eating habit

and do your part.

And lose 70 pounds in two months

and we'll see you then.

And if you need anything in the meantime,

give me a call.

All right, Dr. Now.

All right, Gary.

All right. Bye-bye.

Bye.

-Okay. -Okay. So let's go ahead.

I'm gonna take your blood pressure.

We'll work harder.

We've been doing a lot of changes in his diet.

But I believe just because he's not mobile

is just the weight is not going anywhere.

So we have to just try harder.

I wish I had more weight loss

to report about today.

I thought I was going to.

But now, I got to make it right.

I got to do what I need to do.

Just relax.

I got two more months.

I know I can get a lot done in that time.

Perfect.

Okay.

So blood pressure is 134 over 76.

Your pulse is 97.

And then oxygen... Just give me a second.

It keeps going up and down. Just breathe in...

And I have to get a lot done

because I know I'm running out

of chances with Dr. Now.

And he ain't gonna do this with me forever.

Here we go, 96.

Okay.

So I'm hoping today don't mess me up

as far as long term with him.

Thank you.

And I can get some good test results

and we can get this on the books.

I got to bounce back from being upset,

but I'm already on my way where I need to get.

Can't wait to leave.

Feel those feet on the floor?

-I feel them. -Okay.

Okay.

I've got a good feeling about today.

-Stand. -All right.

And then take some steps over to the chair,

turning as you go.

I'm getting a motorized chair

to help me get out of bed and move around.

I just have to take some steps to make it happen.

And I think I'm ready.

There you go. You're up.

Yeah, I'm up.

Come on over this way.

Back up. Reach back.

Wow. I'm in the chair.

You're in the chair.

Might as well start riding.

Today, Gary got out of bed.

He transferred to his wheelchair.

I'm out.

-Fresh air. How does it feel? -Fresh air.

-It feels invigorating. -Good.

So just getting him outside and getting him moving

not only, like, sees himself making that progress,

but connecting with nature,

connecting with his neighbors.

He gets motivated. That's what motivates him.

Wow. This is nice.

-It feels hell good. -I know.

Does it feel good out here?

It's, like, perfect weather today too.

Perfect weather.

Oh.

-Look up at that blue sky. -Yes.

I see it.

Try to get your foot inside the walker.

There you go.

I'm working harder than ever before

this past month, especially with PT

and making progress with my ability to walk.

-That's it. -There you go.

All right. Reach back. There you go.

-Ooh. Little gravity. -Good job.

A little bit of gravity.

Able to make four or five steps, though.

That was great.

It's been over a year since I've been able

to get around like that.

I'm so excited about this.

Whoever thought I would've been able to do this, man.

-That was awesome. -No pain, no gain.

Well, no pressure, no gain.

All right. Let's go.

I'm a little worried about my call today.

I've been taking steps and going outside

and getting more mobile, but it made my legs sore.

I'm still going to try to get up and show Dr. Now.

I just hope that they don't hurt too much.

My mom has to do work today.

So I'm hoping that I can get my neighbor to help me

with the camera to show Dr. Now

how I'm using my legs.

And Dr. Now is happy and tells me

that I can finally go to Houston.

Hi, Gary.

Hi.

How are you doing, Gary?

I'm fine.

Good. I hear you made some progress with your mobility.

I've been, uh, progressing

and sitting at the edge of my bed

and, you know, taking some steps.

Well, I'm glad to hear that you are able to stand

and take some steps.

But looking at you,

you don't look like you lost any weight.

So what's going on with your eating habits?

Uh, my eating habit, I haven't been eating that much.

Uh, I've been changing my eating habits around.

I haven't been eating like out of whack.

I've been trying to stay in the same,

uh, you know, eating,

you know, less starches, less rice.

Well, what do you mean less?

When something means no,

it means it's not part of your diet.

And you're 700 pound

and you're still eating those things

and you think eating less

is gonna help you?

Right.

So I'm concerned about

what your weight loss have been,

but we'll see about that if you can get out of the bed.

So can you show me how you can stand and walk?

Yeah.

Well, I got to sit at the edge in a bed.

Uh, I'm gonna need some assistance.

Who's gonna assist you?

Uh, my neighbor.

-Hello. -Well, where's your neighbor?

Right here. Hello.

All right.

Let's see if you can stand up

and show me what you can do.

Okay.

All right. Pull this off, son.

Okay. Okay. Okay.

All right.

Well, I can stand and take a few steps.

All right. One...

two...

three.

All right.

You got it.

All right. Can somebody move that...

The computer so I can see your feet?

Can you see better now?

Okay. Can you tip it down so I can see the feet?

Yeah, I can't... I can't, uh...

Is that better?

Okay.

Okay.

Oh.

What happened?

I had to sit down.

That's all, huh?

Well, I took, like, four baby steps.

Sure, but that's not enough for you

to be able to come to Houston and see us.

I'm glad to see you're trying to get out of bed.

But this is a very slow progress that you have made over,

uh, several months.

And it doesn't look like

you have lost any weight either.

Um, the standing is getting better.

Uh...

Well, Gary, it's been eight months

-since I talked to you... -I know.

and you barely made any progress.

I'm just now getting...

I'm sitting on the edge of my bed.

I'm just now getting really serious.

I'm fighting my procrastination right now

because I'm trying to make it to Houston

and I really, really trying to fight the good fight.

Well, first, we need to make sure

that you're making progress before we...

You consider coming to Houston, okay?

-Right. -You understand that, right?

I understand. So I got to get to work.

So when are you gonna do the work?

Like, today.

If I got to stand up at the edge of the bed

five times a day...

Okay...

I can do it.

I can do it.

I've been BS-ing for the last six months,

but I got...I got to do better on taking steps.

All right. Now, at least you got

in right frame of mind...

-Right. -we'll get you

to your local clinic and see how your weight's doing.

But I will give you a couple, like, weeks

to make more progress and then we'll do that.

Okay.

-Okay? -All right.

All right. There's still progress.

And if you need anything, you may call up.

I will. I'll call you.

All right. I'll see you later.

All right. Bye-bye.

All right.

-All right. -Anything else?

No. That's it. I'm good.

-Tina, is it? -Tia.

-Tia? -Mmm-hmm.

-Thank you, Tia. -No problem.

-All right. -I appreciate you.

You have a good one.

-You too love. -Okay.

Well, I'm happy that I was able to show

Dr. Now my progress.

And he seemed pretty impressed.

I was hoping for an approval to go to Houston.

But I know that I'm supposed to lose 70 pounds first.

I know I'm working hard enough

with the diet and exercise.

So I hope that's what happens next time I get weighed,

so I can prove it to Dr. Now once and for all.

I think that's them, Gary.

Come in.

Well, they're coming to get me today

to take me to the clinic to get weighed.

-Hi. How are you? -Good. How about yourself?

-I'm good. Come on in. -Gary?

Yeah, Gary's waiting on you.

At this time, I'm a little bit less nervous

than I was last time.

All right.

Yeah. Okay.

My legs are still sore from using them a lot,

but I'm planning on walking outside on my own,

so they shouldn't have to carry me as much.

Hold the chair back sir.

-There you go. -Yeah. I'm up.

There you go.

I'm gonna turn this way.

Okay.

So I got to manage at low speed.

Door, door, door, door, door.

One, two, three.

Good.

Push, push.

Okay.

One, two, three.

More.

Lift it up.

Yeah, yeah, go inside.

-Whoo. -Whoo.

Yeah.

All right.

I'm nervous about my weight

because going to Houston

and getting all the help I need

is completely dependent on this.

So I'm really scared of what happens

if I didn't meet my goal.

But I think I did well.

So hopefully the scale is on my side today,

because if not, and I fail,

and Dr. Now gives up on me,

I'm totally screwed.

And I don't know what I'm gonna do.

Side, side, clear it.

Okay. Gary, so let's go ahead.

I'm gonna go ahead and start, okay?

Okay.

Today's my big weigh-in

and I'm nervous to find out

if I lost weight or not.

I was 764 pounds on my last weigh-in.

So that means if I lost 70 pounds,

I would be down to 694 today.

Okay. Today you weigh 759.30.

Damn, that's not good.

Okay. So let me raise the bed for you, okay?

-Okay. -Let me know when to stop.

Keep going.

-All right. Right... -Right there?

-Right there. -Okay. Perfect.

So, I'll have you relaxed, stay still.

And then the operator

will be in with you shortly, okay?

-Okay. Thank you. -No problem.

-Excuse me. -All right.

I lost a little bit,

but I know that's not very good at all.

I'm afraid to hear what Dr. Now is gonna say.

Okay.

Hi, Gary.

Hello, Dr. Now.

How are you today?

I'm fine. I'm fine.

How are you?

I'm good, Gary.

So what was your weight today?

My weight was 759.

So, Gary, you haven't... You haven't lost any weight

in the past eight months, so--

Yeah. I lost six pounds.

But that's a little... A little...

a little progress but--

Gary, listen,

when you're 759 pounds...

It's not weight loss.

I know. I understand.

Okay. So every time you step on a scale tomorrow,

you may be five pounds over, five pounds under.

So this is not a weight loss.

In eight months, you haven't lost anything.

And if you're hungry,

you're eating the same amount of food.

So don't kid yourself that you're eating less.

Right.

That's the problem. So you need to pay attention.

So this is going on for too long

and you're not putting any progress.

So I'm gonna give you two months to lose 70 pounds.

That is my usual goal.

And you can lose four times that

if do the diet

If you stick with the heavy eating

and you can't even lose that amount in one week.

So you need to do that.

And also build up your mobility

or work and show me that.

you need to walk to transport the next time, okay?

You walk to transport.

You don't need them to carry you.

-You got that? -Right.

If you do all that

then I'll bring you to Houston,

but if we bring you back here

and you haven't lost that, that's it, okay?

Yes.

All right.

So, being 759 pounds is very dangerous

we don't have much time to waste.

Right.

-Okay? -Yes.

So, I'm gonna do some tests on you

and make sure everything's okay.

-Okay? -Yes.

Gary, do you have any questions?

Right now I'm just ready to work hard

and get down to...

Get that weight go down.

So what are you gonna change in your eating habit?

Change my eating habits, no sugars, no starches,

protein, and all green vegetables.

And you've told me that

a number of times already.

But you haven't done that for five to eight months

and you haven't lost much weight.

So hopefully you actually mean it this time.

Yes.

And it's a minimum of 40 weight loss,

can you do that

and see if you can walk a meaningful distance,

then that would be okay

to come to Houston.

If you're not able to do that

then we're done, okay?

So eight months is enough for...

To try to lose any weight

and not be able to do anything.

Because there's no point of us calling you

and talking to you why you're not making any progress.

Right.

I feel the same way.

All right.

So we're gonna run some tests on you, and make sure

everything's okay before you go home.

-Okay. -And next time we need good news. I'll check back

with you next month, okay?

And if you need anything anytime give me a call.

I will. Thank you, Dr. Now.

All right. You're welcome.

And try harder, make a progress.

And hopefully we'll see you guys next month, okay?

Okay. Thank you, Dr. Now.

All right. Bye, Gary.

Bye, Dr. Now.

Bye.

All right.

Well, I'm not going to Houston yet,

but at least I got another chance with Dr. Now.

That feels pretty good.

And that means I got to work my butt off

to get to my new goal.

So now all I got to do is lose some weight.

And I'm determined to do it

because this is my last chance.

-Arms or legs first? -Arms.

Okay.

Ever since my last weigh-in,

I'm pushing myself harder than ever.

Pass my limits to do more than I think I can do.

I'm eating like a bird

and cutting away back on my diet.

I told my mom only salads and that's it

because I'm gonna do this no matter what.

One more.

I'm getting out of bed twice a day

to make sure my legs are getting stronger

and stronger and so that I get better at walking.

I know Dr. Now is not gonna give me

another chance after this.

Do five sets.

It's do or die time.

It's is the fourth quarter,

the ninth inning,

or whatever you wanna call it.

This is where I got to dig deep

and give it everything I got.

Because if I don't, I can end up

losing a lot more than a game.

Okay. Woo.

Rest a little bit, you did good.

One, two, three.

Oh, I have it.

I know, follow me, okay?

All right.

Okay.

Almost there.

Almost there. One more step.

Got it.

Closer to it. There you go.

Hold on.

Okay. Go ahead.

That was pretty good that time.

-I did it. -Yeah, you did it.

So I'm gonna do some more.

-Mmm-hmm. -I'm ready.

It's been a long time since I thought

I was making any progress.

Oh, whoa, all right.

Okay.

But I was better than I've done in a long time.

Okay.

I mean, I'm not touching anybody feet.

No. You're good.

Hold on, don't move.

Hold on.

I need my walker.

Yeah. I'll get it.

But now comes the really hard part

because I gotta get myself weighed.

You wanna go and look back? We got your back.

-Why would I do it on the doorstep? -Okay.

All right.

There's a lot more gravity out here.

You just have to lean on a hard surface.

You got it.

Let's get the bed closer.

All right. You're good.

Give him a hand.

Gary, do you want me to hold your legs?

-Yeah. -Okay.

There's not enough people.

Okay. You ready?

Thank you.

It's been a couple of years

since I moved like that.

I just hope on the scale it's enough

to show Dr. Now how much I'm coming along.

And that I'm ready to go to Houston to get surgery.

Because anything other than that

just isn't good enough.

But I'm feeling good because this is the hardest

I've ever worked.

I got all kinds of weight loss

waiting for me in the future.

I just gotta get there first.

And now's the time so that's what I'm gonna do.

My progress this year

might not have been what it should have been.

Dr. Now said I had to lose 40 pounds in a month.

And I was 759 pounds then.

So my goal today is to be down to 719 pounds.

Today's weight is 753.

What?

That doesn't make sense, man.

I swear I've been doing everything right.

So this is just really discouraging.

Because no matter what I say now.

-Hi, Amber -I have Dr. Now for you.

Dr. Now won't think I'm trying hard enough.

It just feels like it's not fair.

Okay.

So I've got to talk to him now.

But he's not gonna be happy with me.

Hi, Gary, how are you doing?

I'm fine, Dr. Now.

How are you?

I'm doing well.

So, Gary, I hear that you did better with you're walking.

You managed to walk a little toward the ambulance.

Yeah. I did... I walk...

I walk to my transport, yes.

So the EMT told me

that they still have to carry you part of the way.

They carried me halfway, but I walked...

I did 50% walking.

You did 50% only?

Yes.

All right.

Gary, it's been almost a year

and you still are 750 pounds plus

and at this point,

we have done everything we can.

We've given here every tool, that we have including

PT and diet,

but you did not comply with it.

And you keep promising

that you're gonna do it next time.

So I don't see anything else we can do to hold you.

But since you have made

some progress with your mobility,

what I'm gonna do is keep PT for you.

And this is gonna be only until you refuse PT

or skip PT, then we're gonna stop PT as well.

Well, I'll be... I'll be working hard,

so I'm gonna make it to Houston.

Well, if you work hard and lose enough weight

that you can come to Houston

without medical transport,

then we'll work with you.

Other than that, I wish you the best,

but I wanna remind you

that you don't have very much time.

And if you don't start doing what you need,

then this may not end up very well for you, okay?

I'm gonna prove you wrong, Dr. Now,

and I will come to Houston.

Well, I'll be glad to see that.

But until then, we're done playing games.

Well, we'll see, Dr. Now.

I'll see you out there in Houston.

All right. And, Gary,

if you need anything, you can call me.

I will call you. I'm gonna do what I have to do.

Thank you.

Well, I'm gonna wish you luck.

All right. Thank you, Dr. Now.

You're welcome.

All right.

It is unfortunate that Gary

he has waited almost a year

making little to no progress.

He should have been up and walking on his own

and done at least hundred pounds

in the first couple months.

He has had all the tools he needs to do that.

And he still hasn't made any changes he needs

to take any steps towards changing his life.

Maybe losing the chance to be part of the program

would be a wake-up call for him

to see that he's the only one can change the situation.

In the meantime, we keep providing him with PT

in the hopes he keeps doing that.

But if he start to skip that

and doesn't take it seriously,

that will stop, too.

So this is a fork in the road for Gary.

I hope very much Gary makes the right choice

and I see Gary again, but time will tell.

-All right. -Okay.

-We're out here. -So good to be outside?

Feels great.

How often have you been getting out?

I've been getting out pretty good every other day.

-Every other day? -Yeah.

-Oh, good. -Yeah.

I've been getting out.

And then you can stop anywhere.

Feel that breeze.

That breeze is amazing.

Stop.

It's been about a month

since my last weigh-in

and things have been going pretty well.

I haven't given up and I've been working

just as hard as ever.

I'm thankful to Dr. Now for giving me PT.

And I'm not gonna lose the chance

to have that privilege.

So I just kept grinding to get where I gotta go.

And my mobility keeps getting better.

Okay. So you're gonna stand

and you're gonna walk as far as you can.

-Okay. -Okay?

Okay. Okay.

Okay. Take some deep breaths.

Okay.

Just do the best you can, all right?

Okay.

Breathe.

Power through those legs,

push up, stand up tall.

Look up, one foot in front of the other

one step at a time.

You got this.

Head up.

Push the walker, step, step.

Walker, step, step. That's it.

Now I'm going further on my feet

than I have in a long time.

So the plan is that in about six months,

I'm gonna be down a hundred pounds.

And I'll be walking on my own.

And then I'm just gonna show up in Houston

to Dr. Now and surprise him,

because I'm not giving up on this chance.

Okay. That's it.

-Nice work. -That was good.

-That was awesome. -How many steps?

Like seven or eight.

-Teamwork. -Yeah.

How do you feel?

-I feel good. -Good.

-How are those legs feeling? -They're feeling better.

They're feeling better.

They're ready for another walk?

I don't know how to answer that.

My body is probably like, "Yeah, do it."

My mind's like .

Oh, okay.

Well, if your body's able to do it,

we can... we can work with the mind.

I finally realize I'm at the point

where my life is just gonna run out.

And I'm not ready for that yet.

So I know I got to do this.

And there's a fire under me now

because I know that I can lose this chance

and lose everything.

And I can't let that happen.

That chance is all I got left.

So I just keep dreaming about getting

into Dr. Now's office and walking in there

to that scale, like, I own the place.

Looking good and feeling good.

And when I hit my goal, and I'm back on a program

with him, he's gonna put me on a surgery schedule,

and then my new life will be ready to start.

I took about 12 steps today.

From taking two and a half steps every time

to take them twelve steps, it's amazing.

I wound up in the bed because I stopped trying.

But now I've got to undo all that.

And I'm gonna show Dr. Now and everyone

that Gary Hopkins got a lot left to live.

Now that I'm out the bed, I feel great.

I'm in my chair.

I'm taking steps.

I'm ready to go to the next level.

I'm ready to go to Houston.