Original subtitles

Food is the only thing I have left to look forward to.

I can feel my body breaking down.

I have to change.

These surgeries represent freedom. I'm risking everything for a chance to have

future.

I have a lot of lost time to make up for. I can breathe so much better now.

I never would have believed I'd be capable of that.

You only lost four pounds? What's going on with that? I don't know. You ready

for your big surgery?

Yep. Both boys are terrified that Michael's not going to wake up again.

in the first incision.

I dread waking up in his body every morning.

And the stuff I have to go through just to have a normal day is painful on every

level. At the size that I'm at now, I can still get around, but it's

My family has a compound here in Condor, Texas.

I mostly help out with the family by babysitting and teaching my sister's

What does this mean?

Peppers to sell at the market.

Help Patty trap her peppers.

Food is the

highlight of my day. I make a lot of it because I have to feed my sister's kids.

But also because food is my happy place and kind of always has been.

And I know that my weight is contributing to my depression.

And I still can't stop eating.

I'm really, I'm still nervous.

You can do this. I've seen you drop enormous amount of weight for football.

You know, this is for your life.

Look it.

It's almost been five years since I stepped on a scale.

I'm hoping that I'm still somewhere in the mid -500s and that I'm not worse off

than I've been thinking this whole time.

Your weight is 619.

Hello. How y 'all doing?

Okay. All right, sir. How you doing? Good.

So you've been awake for a while.

What is going on with your eating habits?

When I feel stressed or anxiety, I tend to eat.

What are you willing to do to change all that?

I'm willing to change everything, sir.

We're going to have P .E. Y 'all ready for P .E.? Okay.

I'll meet you guys outside, okay?

Days when I have to watch the kids, I'm trying to get them exercise as part of

their P .E. class.

Come on, we're going to do jumping jacks like that.

Okay. That's really hard for me.

We're going to do ten of those, all right?

One, two, three, four, five, six. And it's going good.

Eight, nine, ten.

Okay. Can one of y 'all give me the chair over there?

Are you okay?

I'll be fine, man.

All right, who's ready for lunch?

Me.

I've been counting calories the way Dr. Now said to in his book. 4 .5 ounces for

nine pieces of chicken.

So how many calories is that?

That's 167 calories.

Are you good with that? That should be pretty good. You can afford that? Yeah.

Lucas, you can step on the scalp.

Dr.

Now told me to lose 30 pounds.

So if I did that, I should be under 589 right now.

And I really hope that I am because I can't take a big failure right now.

Way to go.

All right, I see that you lost some weight.

Yes, sir. And as happy as I am to see your progress, the reality is you

been sticking to just 120 calories because you would have lost three times

you did if you had.

So what I want you to do is show me that you're going to at least stick with

what you're doing now. You think you can do that?

I can do that, sir.

Today I'm meeting with a trainer at a gym.

Hey, Kimberly.

Are you ready to get some of that weight off? Mm -hmm.

Okay. We're going to try to get your arms out in front of you so we'll see.

There you go. Kind of a little bit far forward.

Two. Okay.

Three. Let's go to that right here and keep tension.

Four.

Five. Feel a burn yet?

Very good.

Good stuff.

There you go.

You feeling a burn?

My first workout in a couple years, it was tough, but I managed to push

I know scales don't lie. I'm going to need a doctor now, but I worked really

hard to lose the weight.

And I don't want to disappoint him. I don't want to get a yelling from him. So

hopefully I lost enough.

Go ahead and step on the scale when you're ready.

At my last appointment, I weighed 590 pounds.

And Dr. Now told me to lose 60 pounds. So if I did that, then I should weigh

or less today.

And I'm just praying that I did that so I can get approved for weight loss

surgery.

So now that you lost weight and you stay focused, I'm going to approve you for

weight loss surgery.

Put

that

on the table over there.

It's a huge, long stomach.

Okay, we can suture him up.

Lucas is going to be able to lose weight much easier with this operation.

Hey, John, I'm here, man.

Hey, good morning.

It hasn't even been a year yet, and it's awesome to see how much my life has

changed.

My sister has been hiring a babysitter, and that has freed me up to get my own

real job.

And I haven't been feeling depressed nearly as much.

I struggle with them, but it's a lot better now.

I got to remember that this is a process.

I'm going to have to work at it.

So, Lucas, how are you getting along?

Doing pretty good, sir.

Good. You're doing good. And if you stay on track, in about three months,

probably getting 300. And that time, we're going to take a look and see what

the potential for getting some extra skin on. Can't wait.

I really can't wait.

A month ago, I got really close to being in the 300s.

But at my last appointment, I gained a little.

Just about six pounds.

But it was the first time since surgery I've gained.

And I think it's because I started skipping workouts and snacking a little

work. I was hoping to get skin removal, but Dr. Now told me I need to start

going to therapy.

But I haven't had the chance to do that yet because of work.

I've lost over 200 pounds so far, and I want to keep doing what I have to to

lose all the weight.

And I'm working hard to get down to the 300s by my next appointment.

Seeing that I can lose the weight when I follow Dr. Now's plan has made me

determined not to mess things up and get all the skin removals I need.

And Dr. Now said I need to be in the low 300s for that. So that's what I'm going

to work hard to get down to.

I'm determined to do what I need.

Because I'm not going back like I was ever again.

Just basic things are so hard for me now because of my size.

It is an extremely painful way to go through life. I wouldn't wish this on my

worst enemy, having to carry this much weight on them.

And my wife has to help me out most of the time.

You know, powder me up like a baby on the bed.

Oh, oh baby.

Michael is my soulmate. I would do anything for him.

Michael gets very self -conscious.

And I tell him that he can be a caregiver sometimes and I can be a

sometimes.

I love eating, but I hate how it's basically

destroyed my life already.

And I still don't want to stop because of how food makes me feel.

So what are you thinking?

Today is my judgment day.

This is it. I'm going with Michael to see Dr. Now, and I'm hoping that my

husband will get his life back.

This is a chance for me to save my life. I just hope that Dr. Now says he can

help me.

Michael?

It's been a really long time since I've gotten my weight checked, but I know I

have to be at or over 600.

I'm just hoping it's not up to anything like the 700s, because that'll devastate

me if I see that.

So, Michael, you're over 600 pounds. So what seems to be the biggest challenge

with your eating habit?

At some point, I think maybe it became a defense mechanism. I'm going to set you

to see a therapist and see if they can help you.

And this is the only way we can get you out of this situation.

So welcome.

So, Michael, tell me a little bit about yourself.

What was your childhood like? Any major experiences?

When I was about 10 or 11, camp leader, liked to indulge in young boys.

I think that's when I started really hating people in general.

I want to find a way for you.

to communicate with that group leader.

And the letter might say something like, you know, you've kept me down too long,

and I'm done with that.

And then what do you do with that letter?

Burn it.

And the act of burning it is symbolic, right?

Claim your power, right?

Do you feel like staying out here for this hatred?

You know what?

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

Dear you, you know who you are.

You tormented me. You have done your damage and left your mark.

Now you are banished to the flames.

Normally we do this.

endoscopy when everybody's approved for surgery. But in your case, we're going

to do it now to see how the things are.

Okay.

That's a big stomach.

Well, he does have a heart of honey, eh?

Okay, we can remove the endoscope.

The bad news is that weight loss surgery may not be an option. With all the scar

tissue and the hernia you have, what the good news is you may be able to fix the

hernia. Then we'll have opportunity to make weight loss surgery possible for

you. Okay.

But before any of this is possible, you need to lose 100 pounds over three

months. You think you can do that?

I have no choice.

I have to.

Great. We'll get you there.

All right. I appreciate it.

Can you grab my chair, please?

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

I decided to take all the bad food in this house and burn it down.

You know, doing that is long overdue.

Can I throw something in?

Of course.

Pull them out and burn them. Which forces me to find other ways to get

because it can't be food anymore.

It's all burning away.

How you doing?

Good. And you're? Michael. Michael. Nice to meet you, Michael. How long has it

been since you trained? 20 years. 20 years.

Well, believe it or not, you're going to get to where you want to get.

I have a chance to get back to martial arts. I find balance. I find my center.

Two, one, time.

I'm walking out of here just with a rekindled sense of purpose.

Michael? Kimberly and I will be at Dr. Now's for another appointment.

And I'm hoping I'm close to that 150 -pound overall goal that Dr. Now gave

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

Because of you, babe.

I knew you could do it.

All right, so, Michael, up to this point, you have lost about 135 pounds.

So I think that's close enough to what you need to lose for us to go ahead.

We do endoscopy, see if it's going to be possible to fix the hernia and do

preparation for weight loss surgery.

That sounds good? That sounds incredible.

Yes, thank you.

have an appointment today?

Nice to meet you.

Can't wait to get in.

So does he just need to change? He just needs to change.

Thank you.

Kimberly is taking me swimming so I can get a workout in.

She suggested that I start going to a pool a few times a week so I could get

water therapy with a coach to help me build up some strength in my legs.

You know, once Dr. Now told me that there was a slight chance that maybe

something could happen.

You know, I really buckled down, just got on it, started doing the recommended

exercises.

I feel good physically, and it's paying off.

So first, we're going to just roll your shoulders behind you. Good. Keep your

chest up. If your feet can touch the pool bottom, make sure you press your

entire feet down. Yep.

Nice and tall. You're good. Nice. Give me four more.

This has been a great idea.

And Kim's been right by my side.

rooting for me and pushing me to work as hard as I can.

I'm very proud of Michael.

He's doing so well. And it's just, it's amazing to me to see this growth with

him. It's like I got my husband back.

I've never been able to do anything like this before because of my agoraphobia.

So it feels good going out regularly.

I wish I could get back to doing more martial arts for my workouts.

I'm still at a point where it's too hard on my joints because of my thighs.

But my goal right now is getting back to doing that more consistently after I

lose the weight.

But you know, I might be able to do that faster than I thought.

Give me a side kick and a punch.

Come back down the center. Switch. Nice. Okay, you ready? Let's go.

The plan was to have my hernia fixed, then get weight loss surgery.

But after going over the results of the test in more detail, Dr. Now said it

would be better to do the weight loss surgery first, as long as I lose another

30 pounds.

I was ecstatic when he told me that.

And right now I'm working my butt off to get to my goal next month.

Good job.

Very good.

Because I know a better life isn't too far ahead for me now.

If I just keep working to do better and lose the weight.

And I'm really excited about it.

It was awesome.

I talked to the doctor about the goals I want to go. I talked about the weight

goal. He said,

just to reconfirm, he did say that he expects 20 to 30 pounds a month.

I think as long as I'm showing that I'm still on the diet and I'm still pushing

it, everything will be fine.

They got stuff that you can walk on?

Treadmills? I don't think they have treadmills.

375 weight limit at this time, so we're working on it.

So, did you do lightweights?

Yes, curls and stuff like that. I've been working to do better this past

but I'm working all day long.

And the problem is that I feel like I'm just sitting most of the time now.

Stay focused over. That's what he's after.

Yes, sir. All right. So I'm probably going to go wash up and get ready for

Okay. Go ahead and do that.

Okay. Good night, man. Good night, Dad.

My parents have been trying to give me advice.

They know how important it is that I keep moving forward.

And I'm trying my hardest to.

So when I go back to see Dr. Now next month, I'll be back on track to where I

need to be.

You haven't given up. You know, you're persevering. It's almost fun now

every single calorie of every day.

down to literally the five calories per packet of flavor I add to a water, you

know. Once you count every single calorie, you start realizing just how

had. Oh, my gosh.

Kim and I are on our way to Dr. Now.

Today's the day I find out if I'm finally getting weight loss surgery or

and I'm hoping I am.

I know it's probably going to come down to my weigh -in as the main factor for

if Dr. Now moves me ahead or not.

So I've been working as much as I can to hit my goal for today.

Michael Blair?

I was at 474 when Dr. Now told me I needed to lose another 30 pounds.

So that means I have to be down under about 450.

And I've worked my hardest to do that.

We're going to weigh you. Just hold on one sec. Let me do the machine.

You can step up on the scale.

And we're going to go to room five, okay?

I think that's going to be good enough because it's only a few pounds off.

I know Dr. Now gives a little grace if he knows you've tried hard and get

And so that's what I'm hoping he does with me today.

Hello.

How are you all doing?

Good. Wonderful. Thank you.

All right. How are you getting along?

Good. Still just staying on the, you know, straight and narrow, staying at

to 1 ,000 calories a day.

Super. You're doing good. So I think that will give us opportunity that we

do surgery on you.

Awesome.

So we get everything prepared to do a C -gastectomy.

Hopefully we get all the scar tissue out of the way. Yeah.

And once you lose a lot of that weight, we can fix your hernia and take care of

all the extra skin and that loose abdomen that has been stretched out for

years. Awesome, awesome.

So we schedule you for surgery. In the meantime, you keep up working with your

diet and stay focused with it. Then we schedule you for next month, and then we

go from there, okay? Okay, for the surgery for next month?

Surgery for next month.

Awesome. All right.

Okay. Any question regarding the surgery?

No. No, I think you explained it perfectly.

All right. So we're going to do some pre -op today, which means we get a chest x

-ray, EKG, and a blood work.

Okay. We'll get you fixed up, okay?

Perfect. Awesome.

Thank you so much. Okay. Great. Thank you.

Oh, my goodness.

There you go.

You might even try to do a squeeze.

I wasn't even expecting that at all because you lost so much weight.

Wow. That's awesome.

I was very impressed with Michael's effort. He has done a very good job, so

approved him for surgery.

From history, we know that Michael is going to have a very difficult operation

because of two surgeries in the past and the amount of scar tissue he has, and

he has a hernia too. We're going to plan on doing a surgery. We're hoping that

we're going to be able to take some adhesion down and get a sleeve

on him, and eventually his hernia fixed. There may be two operations. operation

to get him to that point.

But I think he's ready for the operation at this point.

I've waited to hear the words Dr. Now just said about getting weight loss

surgery for years.

So this is a big moment in my life because it means I'm getting a chance to

things better. So me and my family can have a better life.

So I'm not doing anything to mess it up or waste it.

So that in one month, there's nothing stopping me from finally getting my

loss surgery.

Thank you.

Love you.

Hello. Hello.

How y 'all doing?

Good. Wonderful. Thank you.

You feeling okay, Mike?

Fantastic. You ready for surgery?

I am.

So today we're going to make big progress, okay?

Awesome. This may take three hours. It may take six hours. So we don't know how

long we're going to be there.

Okay. We're going to work until we're tired, then we quit.

Perfect.

I like it.

All right. And we'll get you mixed up, okay?

Okay, great. Thanks so much, Doc. All right. You're welcome.

We're excited.

All right.

See you shortly. All right. Thank you.

Good job.

I like that. We're going to work until we fall out.

so ready for this to just be over and wake up and post -op.

Just so I know what happens next.

I'm hoping that whatever the doctor wants to get accomplished at surgery,

be able to get accomplished.

That's really the only fear I have is, you know, waking up to an oops, we

Today we're going to do a surgery on Michael, but I think this operation is

going to be very challenging because many years ago he had a ruptured spleen

he had emergency surgery and they took his spleen out through a big incision.

And later on when he was at 380 pounds, he had the attempt to have weight loss

surgery, but they aborted the operation because he had so much adhesion.

And on his abdominal examination, I know that he got large hernia and he's going

to have a lot of adhesion. So I'm not sure how much we can do today.

I'm hoping that we're going to be able to take some adhesion down. So this is

going to be unpredictable.

It could be a long surgery. So I'm hoping everything will go very well

him.

Okay, starting the first incision.

Incision.

Okay. Okay, thank you.

Turn the room light off.

You turn the monitor a little bit toward me.

But this surgery is high risk because of his weight.

and any number of issues can lead to a medical emergency with him, where his

body gets pushed over the limit and starts to shut down.

So if there is any concern, we may have to stop the surgery, but obviously we

hope that won't be necessary.

Because this operation is an important step because we're going to take almost

about 80 % of the stomach out and leave him with a small, narrow 20 % stomach

volume that is going to help him to eat less and be able to lose more weight.

Without it, I don't think he will be able to stand on track, so this should

big help for him.

I'm a little bit nervous while I'm waiting for Michael.

I'm not quite sure what's going to happen today. So I'm excited, nervous.

Both boys are terrified that Michael's not going to wake up again right now.

And so they are handling it the worst because they just don't know what's

on.

All right. We can move the stomach.

Look at them.

Very long stomach.

That's a very long stomach.

Put that thing near close over there, huh?

You can turn the room light on.

Light on.

You don't need to take this out.

Okay,

all finished.

Alright,

Michael's surgery went very well. You know, it was challenging and very

difficult. Everything was plastered over his...

Inside the abdomen, so we have to map up everything and get the stomach

out. But we're able to do a syphilis, which the main object is. So he's doing

well.

So we're going to get him to the recovery room and see how he's doing.

I've seen in the past year a tremendous transformation of Michael from being a

very...

Isolated person with agoraphobia to become more open and receptive to be

out of the house and see people and make improvement.

And I think he's going to be able to get to his ideal body weight, his goal

weight in less than a year.

Hi, Kim.

Hi, Dr. Nam. How are you? I'm doing okay.

Well, the microsurgery went very well.

You were able to do the sleeve? Yeah. Oh, my God.

So he's going to be skinny.

You are amazing.

So we'll see how he does with that. And after he loses all that weight, we get

his hernia fixed and get all that extra skin off. He'll be happy.

You are amazing.

you're doing good thank you thank you so much

you're welcome oh my gosh all right we'll take care of him and get him home

couple days excellent thank you so much you're welcome all right have a

wonderful rest of your day sir you too

Michael's body contour is going to be totally different and he's going to be

more self -confident to be in the public. So I think this is going to help

not only physically, mentally as well.

In the meantime, he has a lot of extra skin and a dragon in the lower abdomen

and pulling everything down.

And that needs to be addressed in the future.

It's been a hard year for me, just like it's probably been for a lot of people.

But I've really struggled a lot.

The stress of everything got to me at times, and I kind of got off track when

happened.

I haven't been able to work, and I've just gotten a job again after all that

time not being able to have one.

So I've struggled about that, and financially.

And that's led to some moments where I've tripped up.

But overall, I've made some progress and lost more weight.

So since surgery, it's been difficult adjusting to better eating habits than

when I was used to.

I found that sustaining a diet is probably the hardest thing to do.

I've been mostly making healthy meals for myself.

And I think I'm down to around the mid -300s, maybe lower.

I feel like I've lost two human beings off my body.

Mainly because of all the excess skin I have.

It's getting to be a lot and it's bothering me.

It hangs really low now.

And it pulls on me. And it gets painful.

So because of that, I've been doing exercises in my pool. Because that's the

only thing that alleviates the pressure when I move around a lot.

I've had some telemed appointments with Dr. Allen and shown it to him.

And Dr. Now says there's a good amount of fat in the hanging skin.

And he thinks I need to get down to the low 300s to be ready for that.

So that's been my goal, and I've been doing all I can to work toward that. But

now that everything is starting to open up again, I've been able to schedule an

appointment with Dr. Now in a few weeks.

Until then, I'm going to try and make as much progress as I can.

My goal is to get to my target weight in at least the next six months.

And so I'm going to work hard to do that.

past year has been hard in a lot of ways.

But it's also been good because I've managed to make it within range of my

target weight.

I've been waiting until I could go back to see Dr. Now and get my skin surgery

and the rest of my hernia repair.

Because Dr. Now thinks taking all the extra skin off me could get me to my

target. So I'm excited about that, but I'm not sure if that'll be the case

I get back to Dr. Now.

I have a lot of excess skin, so I'm really hoping he can get it off soon.

but I'm going to set an appointment soon now that I can again.

Hey, honey.

What do you got planned for today?

I think I'm going to go out and work out for a few minutes just before I cook

breakfast. Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes.

All right, have a good workout.

My life has changed in so many good ways this past year, and I'm so thankful for

that. With all the weight loss, I can do so much more now. I have so much more

energy. And so I've mostly spent a lot of time gardening and doing lawn work so

I can exercise almost every day.

Anytime I can get an exercise, I feel good now.

Just being able to get out here. Each day I get a little better.

You know, for my workouts, I try to get in boxing for cardio.

I try to get in some stick work, which really is just getting back use of

working the stick and, you know, feeling it in your hands.

I'm not big into just raw weight training.

In fact, I'm not looking to bulk up.

I'm looking to be more quick, wiry. So I'm looking to focus on a different type

of muscle mass.

I love the feeling of being able to be back in the martial arts.

I mean, the whole fact that I'm in better condition now than I've ever

Even before, when I thought I was in the best shape of my life, I wasn't.

And it's, you know, I mean, I'm older now.

So there's, you know, definitely more creaks and snaps. But compared to just

being on the couch and being in a hospital bed, yeah, it's a dark word to

describe that feeling.

It's like... Literally having been transplanted into a new body.

It's like getting a new car when your old car didn't work, when it was

constantly broke down.

The feeling of going from a busted, useless car to having a car that's

street legal.

It's amazing.

Just absolutely amazing.

Back to see Dr. Now for my first in -person appointment in over a year.

And I'm nervous.

I've struggled the past year, so I don't think my progress is going to impress

Dr. Now. But I'm hoping it's enough to where he feels like I was trying.

Lucas Higdon?

But I know there were times where I definitely wasn't thinking about what I

eating this past year.

I was around 407 on my last appointment over a year ago.

And I'm just hoping I'm close enough to finally get skin removal.

I'm going to check your weight. Which means I need to be in the low 300s.

Please step on the scale.

I'm happy I'm at least not in the upper 300s. But I'm not sure this is going to

be enough for Dr. Now to move me forward.

Hello. Hi, Dr. Now. Hi, Lucas. How are you? Doing good. How are you doing?

I'm doing well.

How about you?

I'm doing really good.

How's your diet coming along and eating habit?

My eating habits have been, there's been some ups and downs, but at the same

time, I've been keeping myself on track. So basically, small amount of meat,

small amount of vegetables, and making sure it's all within about 10 ounces.

Well, you lost almost 270 pounds, but the reality is you should be less than

pounds from your goal. But you doubled that, so what's going on with that?

I have no other, I don't really have an excuse.

So you need to reduce your calorie intake and cut all the carb out of your

so you can lose that weight and get to the point that skin surgery is going to

be a good option for you.

Okay, gotcha. Okay?

Understood. All right, well, let's take a look at that, Tristan. You've got it

around your belly.

Okay. Let's see here.

So you sit up.

Yep. That's a lot of actually hanging skin around your belly, but still you

some fat around it.

So if you lose some more weight, this will be more productive to do

skin surgery and take that extra skin off of your abdomen.

And it's going to be a harder operation to heal because it's a very long

incision. So the more weight you lose, the easier it's going to be to heal.

Okay. So, you know, let's get your weight under 300, and that will be then

protective for that, okay?

Okay.

So you have to stick a little bit harder with your eating habit and get your

weight down.

Yes, sir. You lost a lot of weight, but another 200 pounds is going to be the

hardest one. So let's give you another two months and see how we do and be able

to get your weight.

Under $300, I think C &C will be a good option for you. Okay. I'll work at it.

All right.

If you need anything, give me a call. Nice to see you again.

Nice to see you again.

Lucas has done a great job so far, but he's still got ways to go.

He has a lot of extra skin that needs to come out, but if he loses more weight

and gets his weight under 300, this operation is going to be very helpful

him. He's still struggling from time to time with his eating habit, but I think

if he stays focused, we can get him to his goal weight within next year.

I was happy to finally get my weight and know where I'm at.

I know I've struggled. I just didn't realize how far I was off from where I

should be.

So I'm going to pick up the pace because I really want skin removal and I'm

close. So I'll do what I need to get below 300 and make that happen.

Because I'm ready to do whatever it takes.

I'm headed to therapy.

I'm not sure how I feel about it.

But I do know I haven't done as well as I thought I was doing.

And the last few months have been a struggle.

So hopefully this will be the missing link to carry me through to my skin

removal surgery.

So tell me a little bit about yourself.

Well, I started my journey about a couple years ago. Okay. I was weighed at

pounds. That was your peak weight? That was my peak. Okay.

I was basically, I couldn't hold the job. Okay. I was struggling trying to

disability, and I was basically just looking for all kind of help.

Okay. At the end of your rope, it sounds like.

Let's talk about growing up. Did you grow up in Conroe? I did grow up in

Mom, dad?

Both in the house the whole time growing up?

No. So there was a moment when I was younger. My dad and mom separated for a

little bit, a divorce.

And that lasted about a year and a half.

And that's probably where it affected me the most.

How did it hit you when they got divorced?

That was when I felt like I wasn't loved.

I felt like my dad didn't care about me.

Did your dad leave? Is that what happened? He was the one who left the

He's the one that left the house. What was your weight like then?

It was, that was when it started to spiral out of control.

Yeah, that, you know, I can only imagine, Lucas, that some part of that

situation made you feel like your parents had abandoned you.

It kind of felt like that.

What did you do with your life after high school?

I moved back with my family again, back in Conroe. I went into video game

design. Well, that would be a natural fit for you, right? Right. During

I had a girlfriend and we were really close.

And I remember her asking the question, it was like, when was the last time we

had sex?

She asked you that? Yes. I asked her, I was like, are you pregnant?

But she's like, oh, I don't know. I didn't ask her, I was like, I guess it's

mine, is it?

And she says, no, it's not yours.

Oh, so in that whole transaction, it became apparent she was sleeping with

somebody else. How did that hit you?

That's when my world crashed.

Yeah, yeah, that's huge.

Did the eating just explode after the whole girlfriend situation?

Yes, it did. I was weighing close to 500 pounds.

I basically just stored myself away in my bedroom and ate and played video

games. Quit school?

I had to quit school, yes.

Okay. So everything fell apart. And you crawl back in your cave, right?

Mm -hmm. So how long did you stay in the cave?

Four or five years.

And that's when you got up to 625?

Yeah, yes. Okay. Lucas, what can we do to get you back on track?

I feel like I need an enforcer.

That's a strong word. How do we internalize that enforcer for you? Can

your own enforcer?

That's a good question.

Do you need like a whiteboard or something where you have a daily

includes game time, your diet?

I do have a whiteboard, and I was using it because my trainer...

had me sure yeah you can call the board the enforcer right right what's going to

be on that board if you had an enforcer board what's it going to have on there

it's going to have a list of daily things for me to do so my common to -do

and then my ultimate goals okay like long -term long -term yeah can you put

even like a a meal planner on there like this breakfast lunch and dinner kind of

thing i never thought about that before but i i will have to start doing that

And on that board, you're going to have a to -do list. You're going to have your

meal plan.

What else might we put on there?

Sure.

You know, the important thing about this board is it's self -generated.

It's going to be designed by you. I want it in your handwriting.

I want you to pick the categories.

I want you to structure it in a way that works for you. And the nice thing about

that is you're not depending on another person.

This should be entirely your design, your execution, okay?

Right. Okay.

Lucas, thanks for coming. Thank you, Dr. Paradise. Good to meet you.

Take care, man.

Thank you. Well, good night.

I'm glad I did it.

Dr. Paradise gave me some homework to do. I don't know how it's going to go,

I'm still going to do it.

Hoping it's going to help me get to the goal I need to get to to see if I can go

back to Dr. Now and get the skin surgery.

I'm headed to Dr. Now and I'm excited to see where my weight's at today and to

show Dr. Now how far I've come in person.

I know I've lost a lot. I still haven't gotten a scale at home just because I've

never liked having one in the house.

And it's going to take a long time to change that.

And I feel good about the fact that I'm getting around on my own.

without Kim to drive me a lot of the time now.

I've let go of needing the security of having anyone with me because I feel

completely confident in myself, and so I feel like I've conquered my

agoraphobia.

I think a lot of the fear I had was of people judging me, and I don't fear that

as much, and that's been really freeing for me.

Michael?

The only thing I start to feel insecure about is my hanging skin.

But I'm always worried sometimes people can see it.

And so getting it off is the last step in a long journey to getting healthy and

having a new life.

We've got to weigh it today.

Do we have to? Yeah, we have to. And so I want to take that step right now, but

I know it's going to depend on what the scale says right now.

Okay, step up.

I'm back at Dr. Now's to find out my progress and to see if I can get

for my first skin removal.

The weight is 271.

That is amazing.

I've never been that weight in my adult life.

We're going to be going to room five.

Okay.

I can't believe I've been afraid of the scale this whole time with my weight so

low.

I'm even a little bit impressed with myself.

And I probably have a lot of extra skin adding to my weight.

So with that weight off, I may even be under 250 pounds.

Hello. How are you doing?

Fantastic. How are you doing today?

I'm doing good.

Well, nice to see you again.

Thank you.

Michael, you're down to 271.

Mm -hmm.

And that's two adults first, and you lost.

Exactly. And you got a little more to lose with your skin surgery.

Oh, excellent.

So how are you getting along, and how is everything going?

Everything is going great.

You know, getting in a lot of exercise now, getting more mobile, blood

pressure's normalized.

Let's see how the stomach is doing.

Well, you've got a lot of extra skin. Yeah, yeah, there's a lot there.

And then you've got a hernia in here, too.

Yeah, two of them, I think, now. Yeah.

Over here.

Yeah, you can really feel them when you push in.

Well, you need to have extra skin off and hernia effects, and that will be

really all you need to do. You're probably going to lose another 15.

20 pounds over there is going to be down to 250.

Perfect. For your height, that will be ideal weight.

Yeah, that's perfect.

All right, so we can set you up for doc.

Excellent. And that will be an operation that's going to take you a little while

to heal, maybe two months for the fascia to heal.

Okay. Well, I'm glad you changed your life. That was a really big struggle for

you to get around.

Oh, yeah. I couldn't walk more than 30 feet.

without having to sit, and now I can walk for miles.

And that's a great, great, great success.

So how is your wife doing?

She's doing great.

Yeah, she's loving it because we can get out more. We can do things, you know,

as a couple now.

Well, you're doing great. I'm proud of your progress.

Not everybody makes that kind of progress. So I'm going to take care of

and her hernia, and you will be done with the program.

Awesome. Thank you so much.

I'm so happy.

So we'll get you set up for the surgery, and then we go from there.

Great. Thank you again so much.

Oh, you're quite welcome, and you have done a great job on sticking with the

program. That is wonderful.

All right, I'll set you for that, and then we go from there.

Great. Thank you again.

Okay.

Well, I'm proud of Michael for all the progress that he has made.

So we're going to go ahead and remove that extra skin around his abdomen.

And also, he has a large abdominal hernia that we're going to repair that.

So Michael has come a long way. He had a really uncontrolled diabetes and high

blood pressure, and he was very short of breath with severe respiratory

distress.

And all those symptoms have subsided with loss of 335 pounds of extra weight,

and he's going to lose another 10 to 15 pounds and will be around the 350 -pound

weight loss, and he will be under 250 pounds, which is ideal weight for his

height. So he has been a success story, and he worked very hard, and I'm proud

of his progress.

The doctor now told me that I'm where I need to be. I can get my hernia surgery.

I can get the skin removal.

It's all clear sailing from here. Then once those two are done, that's it. The

program's completed.

He's happy with my progress.

It's an amazing feeling. It's hard to explain just how different I feel

that because having all the bad luck I've had.

where every doctor's told me, no, can't happen, won't happen, it's impossible.

I've been told for the past 25, 30 years that could never happen is happening.

I feel amazing.

Back to Dr. Nows.

And I hope I worked hard enough to get below 300.

I feel like I did, but I'm not going to know until I see the number on the

scale. So I'm just hoping it's going to be good.

Lucas?

Hey, Rosie.

Hey.

You're doing okay. Great. You look good. Oh, thank you.

Okay, you can step up on the scale.

I was at 352 three months ago, and I'm really hoping I made it below 300 by

today.

We're going to room five.

My weight today was 347.

I'm a little shocked and confused about how much I lost today. I figured it

would be a little bit more. I don't understand. I put a lot of work into

and I expected more from me.

I think Dr. Now probably isn't going to be too happy with my results.

He might see that I have made progress, but not enough.

Hello, how you doing?

Doing good, doctor. Now, how are you doing?

Good.

Well, look, the good news is that you aren't binging because you lost a

But the bad news is there's not even enough to know that it's more than

fluctuation. So what's going on?

I'm a little bit shocked and surprised. I thought I'd be lost more weight.

Okay.

So you don't know as much as you should have. So what's going on with that?

I've been doing my best. I think I just haven't tried hard enough, I guess.

Do you think you were trying?

I think I was trying.

Okay.

So what's going on with you?

I don't know. I feel like if I just tried even harder, I just think I can do

Do you think therapy is helping you?

I'm not sure. I don't see it really helping me.

So do you think you're still needing to deal with the emotional issues?

I don't really think about it that much.

But, yes, it could be related to emotional issues, sir.

Okay. And so how is your activity?

My activity has been pretty unstable.

I do take online classes, and I've just been walking between, like, three times

a day.

and the rest of the time I'm just on the computer or helping my father out with

work. So do you eat at home or you eat out?

I eat at home, sir. Who prepares the meal?

I do.

Do you have time to prepare your meals?

Yes, sir, I do have time to prepare my meals.

Okay. So do you snack between the meals?

I have caught myself snacking between meals, sir.

Well, you know, that will be a drawback and will escalate, and if you keep doing

that... you're going to lose control in your eating habit.

So the rule is to eat two or three times a day with no snacking between the

meal. You think you can do that?

I think I can do that, sir.

So I was hoping we're going to see you in three months and be under 300.

Yes, sir.

You think you can do that?

I think I'll do my best at doing better at doing that. Yes, sir.

So the positive thing is that...

So far, you have lost one big person, huh?

It really is. It's a big improvement, and I can feel it.

So once you get under 300, we can do your skin surgery.

Yes, sir. Okay?

Because you have probably about 20 to 30 pounds of extra skin that didn't come

out, and that will be a positive thing for you.

Okay.

Nice to see you, and I'll see you in three months.

Yes, sir.

Okay, you take care.

I'm glad to see that it looked like Lucas hasn't been binging, and it

seem that he has stretched his stomach back out.

But his lack of practice is still an issue.

It looked like he's not doing what he needs to address what may be driving him

to eat, because he's eating a little bit all day.

to try to numb himself.

And so he's been in denial and isn't paying attention to how much he's

eating. Hopefully the therapy will help him wake up to that.

But regardless, whether or not Lucas gets back on track is up to him. He has

make the choice to do what he needs.

If not, nothing is going to change.

Right now, it has been over a year and a half since he has made any real

progress.

That is a lot of time for him to waste.

So he needs to do this now before it's too late.

Today I'm just waiting to go into surgery for my hernia repair and skin

I'm hoping it all comes out for the best. I'm a little nervous right now.

Kim wasn't able to get off of work today, so I had to kind of take this

on my own. And there's been a lot of minor hurdles.

A lot of my phobias are starting to kick up again.

So I'm just trying to do everything to stay in the right mind space before

surgery.

Morning. Morning.

Well, how you feel this morning?

Feel good.

Tired, but good.

All right. You ready for your big surgery?

Yeah. All right. So we're going to go ahead and get your extra skin off.

Okay. So you're going to have an incision going all the way this way.

Fix the muscle.

We may have to use a mesh to reinforce that.

Okay. Okay.

All right. We get you started with this operation. It's going to take about

maybe four to six hours.

Okay, great. Thank you. All right.

We get you fixed up shortly.

Okay. Thanks so much, Doctor.

Okay.

At this point, I'm just hoping that everything goes good with the surgery.

just want it done and over with.

I feel good about what the doctor said.

We're going to do a hernia repair and skin removal.

So I'm feeling good about it.

I'm hoping for as little pain as possible and a quick recovery.

So today is going to be final operation on Michael. We're going to take the

extra skin from around his abdomen.

Okay, that's good.

Okay, starting the first incision.

He's diabetes and high blood pressure is the result and he's very active and

able to do a lot of activity without getting short of breath or any issues.

I'm hoping with this surgery he'll be at a target weight of 250 pounds, which is

the ideal target weight for him.

This operation is going to be a major operation and it's going to take a while

to heal because he has a lot of fractured skin around his abdomen.

I'm guessing probably about 20 pounds of fractured skin around his abdomen that

we're going to take off.

Michael's in surgery right now.

I'm having a lot of anxiety because I wasn't able to be there for him in the

morning, and this is the first time that has happened.

So it was good for Michael because then he was able to have that responsibility,

but it was nerve -wracking on me because I wasn't there.

I wasn't able to get off work until...

half day, but I was able to be here when Michael wakes up. And so that's the

most important thing.

So now we will get him to shoot up and then see how much we got off of him

today.

A few more stitches would be all done.

This is the skin we took off from Michael's abdomen.

19 pounds.

Michael's surgery went very well. We were able to take around 19 pounds of

skin off of him. So this operation will take a while to heal, usually about two

months. After this operation, Michael will be done with the program.

He will be done around 250 pounds, which is a tremendous success for him.

Upon completion of this operation, Michael will be approximately 400 pounds

lighter than when he started this journey with us. And this is a very good

success story.

I'm proud of his progress. And Michael, I'm sure he will continue to maintain

healthy weight for the long term.

Good to see you. How you doing? Give me a hug.

You ready for it? Yeah, I'm ready. Okay, well, we got a whole lot more planned

today. So we're going to hit it, hit it hard.

Going to push past all the moments.

I've decided I need to push myself to work hard.

So no matter how much it hurts, I'm back to the gym.

Okay, okay.

Now, like I showed you, you want to squat down.

You want to breathe.

There you go.

Control your breathing more than anything.

I'm in pain, but it feels like it's a good pain.

I went

back to therapy, and I'm trying to do better with my homework.

I could see how there are things I need to deal with that could be behind some

of my eating now.

So I'm trying to be more open and honest about things.

But it's not easy just to do that. After all these years of just putting my head

in this thing.

But I want to do better.

Not just with my health.

But I'm trying to get my old job back and get into the habit of

living life again.

But with my weight loss, I'm giving this my all to get back on track.

You want to come outside and get some fresh air?

Okay.

You've got to be solid, man.

I've got two more months to get under 300, and I'm completely focused on that

goal because I have to get the skin off.

But I didn't do this all to come halfway.

I'm going to go all the way.

And a skin surgery is essential to that.

I

spent

a couple months since my skin removal and hernia repair, and I'm fully healed,

and that feels great.

I'm able to get up and move around without anything pulling or causing me

pain.

And I feel like I did years ago when I was much younger.

Finally, my body isn't something I'm trapped in, and I'm excited about that.

But I've only just healed.

But I'm hoping if I keep building my strength every day, I'll be able to

doing all the things I've been waiting for.

Make sure you stretch your knee out.

Yeah.

But I've only just fully healed.

So I haven't worked up to doing anything much physically except jogging.

While I've been resting up after my surgery, now that I don't have all that

hanging skin, I've been planning something for Kim to show her what

best life is really going to be like. After all we've been through to make it

this far, and I'm excited about that.

How you doing?

Burning fuel.

Doing amazing, though.

Thank you.

How's your knee doing?

It's holding.

I'm going back to Dr. Now's again.

And I'm really nervous this time.

It just feels like a lot more is depending on this weigh -in.

And I'm scared to see where it's at.

Because the goal was 50 pounds.

I feel like I did better, but I also know I struggled at some point.

Looking.

Hello, Rosie. Hey, how are you? I'm good. How are you doing? I'm okay.

Can you step up on the scale?

Your weight is 343.

We're going to room five.

The weigh -in was actually very surprising.

I suspected I was going to lose more.

I feel like I have lost more, but a little bit is even still a win, but it's

the goal I wanted to reach.

Hey, Lucas.

Hey, Dr. Now. How are you?

Doing okay. How are you doing? Doing good.

All right.

So you only lost four pounds?

Yes, sir.

So what's going on with that?

I put a lot of effort and put a lot of work into this.

I don't, I can't explain why I only lost four pounds.

It's, I wouldn't blame my eating habits as I'm only eating three times a day.

And what I'm eating is under 1200 calories.

So I can't explain what else other than the fact that I don't know.

Well, this is almost two years.

So you've been having difficulty to get to your target weight. And it seems like

your weight loss has slowed down to the point that you're not making any good

progress to get the skin surgery done.

You're going to have to work on that, and there's no point for you coming in

checking in when you're losing four pounds or less than that. So if you get

own scale and you check your weight and see if you can get your weight under

300, and if you get under 300, then possible skin surgery will be good for

Yes, sir.

Okay. I can do that. So you can monitor your weight.

and try to do that, and once you get to that point, you can come and see us,

okay? I understand, and no matter what, I'm going to do it.

Okay, that would be good.

All right, you've come a long way, and the last mile, you need to finish and

to the victory line, okay?

Yes, sir. So keep your eyes on it and do your part, and I'm sure you're going to

do it.

Yes, sir.

All right, in the meantime, if you need anything, you may call.

I will give you a call, sir.

All right. I will see you again.

Yes, sir. Okay.

I'm a bit frustrated with the results.

I thought I put a lot more effort into this and the results would have shown

It just didn't.

I feel pretty good.

A couple pounds is still a win.

So I didn't meet my goal, but the goal is still there. I will still reach it.

I need to make sure I get under 300 and come back and show Dr. Knob that I'm

going to succeed.

How you doing?

Super awesome, terrific, and fabulous. It looks like you're doing the same

thing. Give me a hug.

Proud of you, bud. Proud of you.

Well, thank you. A whole different person. Yeah, no.

How does it feel like bouncing around with that new body?

I'm still getting used to it. Still getting used to it? Yeah, it's weird.

You know, before being able to not move, and then now being able to walk in a

straight line. That's great. It's awesome. I'm loving it.

You want to work out a little bit?

Yeah. Heck yeah.

There you go.

All right. Just facing that direction. Get your hands up. Okay. Let's see you

get a jab out there. Good. Jab.

Wait a minute. I need to hear some breathing.

There you go. Good.

Good. Yeah.

Nice. Nice.

Let me see that heel pop out a little bit more.

There you go.

That's it.

Nice. Again.

Nice. Nice.

Around a little bit. Move around.

There you go.

Drop down and come back up.

I'm excited to be picking back up with my martial arts again.

Nice. That's it. I tried a couple years ago and was really glad to do it, but it

was hard to keep up doing what I had to.

Okay, busy.

Turn that back heel. Turn that back heel.

Turn that back heel. And make sure you get that rotation. If you don't get that

rotation, you're losing... Power. Power, okay? And you're not 600 pounds

anymore. Yeah. And to do the damage, you've got to make sure you're using

weight. Okay, let's do it again.

Okay. Boom, boom. That's it. First of all, I could hardly believe it was him

when he walked in the door, and it's a shock, and it's so great to see that

transition. Ready? Go.

Good.

Good. I want to move a little bit.

Movement and body language and doing techniques and breath control and all

stuff is a whole different person.

Wait a minute, wait a minute. Who's this guy?

I don't know yet. He's not the same guy that was here the last time. No.

Okay, when you're ready.

I am very, very happy to see that he's made that transition. I'm really happy

for him. There you go. And rotate that body.

But I think today's really helped me see that this is without a doubt something

I want to work back into my life.

There you go. To have that whole juxtaposition.

There you go. Of, you know, when you're an immovable object and then when you're

an unstoppable force, it's nice.

Great to see you again. Thank you so much. Give me a hug.

Appreciate it. You're welcome.

Appreciate you.

All right. Thank you.

I'm wondering if this mother chicken can be without.

The cream sauce?

Absolutely. As long as they choke it, they don't need to smother it. All

folks. Thanks so much, Alex.

This is wonderful.

I know. I'm like, come here.

So having Michael want to go out in public and enjoy a meal is something

we haven't had in so many years.

And so it's pretty amazing just to be able to sit down at a restaurant with

I love you. Love you, baby.

Thank you for making this journey.

I'm serious. I know.

I thought I wasn't going to have you anymore.

Yeah. I love being able to spend time with Kimberly and finally treat her like

she deserves to be treated.

It's surreal.

When I had my first weight loss surgery and it failed, I almost gave up, but I

got a second chance, and I'm so thankful for that.

Oh, beautiful.

All right. Everything looking like it came out okay? Yes.

Beautiful. Thank you. I'll be right around if everything's taken, okay?

Absolutely.

My world is so much better now.

Not just because of the weight I've lost and the hernia repair, but because part

of it has been to work through my issues and fears with therapy.

And that alone has been life -changing.

So I feel freer than I ever have.

And I'm just thankful for the life and future I have now.

And I can't wait to see what's ahead.

Any dessert?

Oh, no. No, no, no. After dinner, cocktails, maybe some coffee?

Oh, no. No, we're good.

Okay, we are fantastic.

Kim and I just went to an amazing dinner for the first time in, I would say, a

decade and a half.

So what's on the agenda next?

I think I got something we can do, but I'm not going to tell you.

And we were able to just enjoy each other.

You're not going home right yet?

No, I don't think so. I think I got a little more energy in this whole body.

Okay. Being able to just go out with Kim and not worry when we have to be back

or where we have to go, where the handicap accessible bathrooms are, is

It's a normalcy that most people take for granted.

Are you by chance available for a ride? Yes, sir, we sure are.

Ready to go?

Yeah. Come on, guys.

You good, Ben?

always been cuddly people and I could touch his leg or you put my little arm

halfway around him but now I've got completely we can just snuggle and

now and it's comfortable you know it's it feels like it's very natural

being

able to have

a night like this is just Perfect. It's definitely something that I see us doing

a lot more of in the future.

I got you.

Thank you, sir.

I got it.

Thanks again.

You're very welcome. So nice meeting you. Can I say hi to Tuxedo?

Yes.

Very sweet and very soft.

Hi, Tuxedo.