Original subtitles

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

Milla: I CAN'T EVEN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF.

MY CHILDREN HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING FOR ME.

Charity: I FEEL LIKE SOME MONSTER.

Woman: I'M IN SO MUCH PAIN.

[ Crying ] IT'S MISERABLE.

Brittani: MY BODY IS THE MOST DISGUSTING THING IN THE WORLD.

**

Woman #2: I'M TERRIFIED RIGHT NOW.

June: I'M RISKING MY LIFE FOR A BETTER LIFE.

I LOVE YOU, MOMMY.

-OOH, CHILD! -PULL. GOOD. THERE YOU GO!

GOOD JOB.

Teretha: I'M GETTING STRONGER, BUT I KNOW I HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.

Paula: I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS.

**

Susan: I AM NOW EXPRESSING MYSELF AND LIVING MY OWN TRUTH.

Milla: I'M SO HAPPY ABOUT THE PROGRESS I'VE MADE.

June: I AM LIVING LIFE, AND I'M LOVING EVERY SECOND OF IT.

Brittani: I'VE COME A LONG WAY.

I'M LESS THAN HALF THE PERSON I USED TO BE.

Sean: THAT'S AMAZING!

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Brittani: I DON'T REMEMBER A TIME WAKING UP THAT I DIDN'T HURT.

AND A HUMAN BODY SHOULD NOT LOOK THE WAY MY BODY LOOKS.

MY HUSBAND DOESN'T SEE ME NAKED,

BECAUSE I'M AFRAID THAT HE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED

IF HE SEES ME.

AND I'M SO BIG, I'M ALMOST TO THE POINT

WHERE I CAN'T EVEN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF.

**

I THINK ABOUT FOOD NONSTOP,

FROM THE MOMENT I WAKE UP TILL THE MOMENT I GO TO BED.

I KNOW THAT'S NOT NORMAL.

I'M KILLING MYSELF.

AND NOW I RARELY GO OUT AND DO ANYTHING.

I'M BEYOND DESPERATE.

I'M, LIKE, SCRAPING THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL RIGHT NOW.

AND I KNOW THAT IF I DON'T DO THIS,

THERE WON'T BE ANYTHING LEFT OF ME.

I AM LEAVING EVERYTHING I KNOW TO SAVE MY LIFE.

Bill: THIS JOURNEY IS THE BIGGEST RISK WE'VE EVER TAKEN.

AND I'M AFRAID THIS IS THE LAST OPTION.

THERE'S NO OTHER OPTIONS FOR HER.

Brittani: I AM STEPPING WAY OUTSIDE OF MY COMFORT BUBBLE,

BECAUSE I NEED HELP.

WHAT DO YOU THINK GOT YOU TO THIS WEIGHT?

STRESS, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY,

BUT I ALSO EAT WHEN I'M HAPPY AND WHEN THINGS ARE GOING GOOD.

BRITTANI CLEARLY IS A COMPULSIVE EATER.

IF YOU CHANGE YOUR HABIT,

YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOSE 40 POUNDS IN ONE MONTH.

-OKAY. -THIS IS GOING TO BE

VERY DIFFICULT FOR THEM BOTH,

BUT I HAVE TO SEE IF BRITTANI HAS THE ABILITY

TO GET CONTROL OF HER COMPULSIVE EATING HABIT.

IF SHE DOESN'T, SURGERY IS NOT GOING TO HELP.

Brittani: I'VE NEVER, EVER LOST WEIGHT IN MY LIFE,

SO TO TRY TO LOSE 40 POUNDS SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE.

IT'S JUST HARD, AND IT IS SCARY.

BUT I KNOW THIS IS WHAT I HAVE TO DO.

AND I HOPE THAT IS THIS HAS ALL BEEN ENOUGH,

BECAUSE I NEED THIS SURGERY TO LIVE.

Dr. Nowzaradan: BRITTANI HAS DONE VERY WELL.

SHE SHOWED ME THAT SHE'S ABLE TO CONTROL HER EATING HABIT,

AND THAT TELLS ME THAT SHE'S VERY SERIOUS

ABOUT WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

THIS SURGERY IS GONNA HELP HER TO MAKE MUCH MORE PROGRESS.

ALL RIGHT. WE'RE DONE.

WE WERE ABLE TO DO HER GASTRIC BYPASS,

AND SHE'S DOING FINE.

Woman: ALL THE WAY OVER, ALL THE WAY OVER.

Brittani: WHEN I WOKE UP FROM SURGERY, I WOKE UP TO A WHOLE NEW REALITY.

AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE,

I DIDN'T HAVE CRAVINGS.

MY WHOLE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE-DOWN,

AND I WASN'T SURE HOW TO DEAL WITH IT.

**

MY MOM CONVINCED ME TO GO SEE A THERAPIST.

I WENT THROUGH SEXUAL ABUSE WHEN I WAS YOUNGER.

-MM-HMM. -AND I DIDN'T FEEL SAFE,

AND SO FOOD MADE ME SAFE.

WHEN YOU WERE 5, YOU NEEDED A COPING STRATEGY TO SURVIVE.

AND IT'S KEPT YOU BOTTLED UP INSIDE,

AND IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO COME OUT.

AFTER TALKING WITH THE THERAPIST,

I DECIDED TO WORK ON SOME THINGS.

IT HASN'T BEEN EASY,

BUT I'M PUSHING MYSELF TO DO MORE.

AND I HAVEN'T WALKED THROUGH A GROCERY STORE

IN LIKE FIVE YEARS.

SO THIS IS REALLY A BIG DEAL.

I'M MAKING IT TO MY GOALS,

AND MY BIGGEST GOAL IS FOR BILL AND I TO GROW OUR RELATIONSHIP.

Bill: BRITTANI'S DOING BETTER IN PUBLIC,

'CAUSE SHE'S MORE FOCUSED ON GETTING OUT

'CAUSE SHE KNOWS THAT'S WHAT SHE NEEDS TO DO.

SO, I THINK THINGS ARE DEFINITELY GETTING BETTER.

Brittani: AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OUR MARRIAGE,

WE CAN START TO GET CLOSER.

I'M GONNA DO EVERYTHING IT TAKES

TO KEEP LOSING WEIGHT AND MAKING PROGRESS.

AND, STOP. GOOD JOB!

I'VE HAD MOMENTS OF FEAR,

BUT I'M STARTING TO LET THOSE FEARS GO.

375. THAT'S AWESOME.

I AM SO PROUD OF MYSELF RIGHT NOW,

AND I FEEL LIKE I CAN DO ANYTHING.

**

OH, MY GOSH. THIS TOOL BOX JUST KEEPS GETTING HEAVIER.

HI, PAPA!

I CAN'T BELIEVE MY LIFE NOW,

COMPARED TO WHAT IT WAS A YEAR AGO.

I'VE GONE FROM BARELY BEING ABLE TO MOVE

AND JUST SITTING AND EATING ALL DAY

TO BEING CONSTANTLY ACTIVE ALL DAY LONG

AND NOT EVEN THINKING ABOUT FOOD ANYMORE.

THIS LAST YEAR WAS A LOT HARDER THAN I THOUGHT,

BUT EVERYTHING I'VE BEEN THROUGH HAS BEEN SO WORTH IT,

'CAUSE MY LIFE IS SO MUCH BETTER NOW THAN IT WAS.

AND NO MATTER HOW HARD IT GETS,

I WOULDN'T TRADE THAT FOR ANYTHING.

-HEY, HUSBAND? -YES.

WILL YOU COME TELL ME IF THIS IS STRAIGHT?

-NO. -NO?

WHICH WAY?

MOVE IT TO THE LEFT A LITTLE BIT.

-THERE YOU GO. -YEAH?

-YES. -I THINK I LIKE IT.

THAT'S GOOD.

DONE WITH THAT.

EVERYTHING ABOUT MY LIFE IS BETTER.

MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY,

I'M JUST A DIFFERENT PERSON NOW.

SO I'M COMPLETELY FOCUSED

ON MAKING MORE AND MORE PROGRESS.

SHELDON, WANT TO GO OUTSIDE?

COME ON, LET'S GO.

AND I LIKE MY LIFE NOW,

BUT THE ONLY THE ISSUES THAT ARE HOLDING ME BACK

ARE MY KNEE PAIN AND MY EXCESS SKIN.

MY KNEE IS THE BIGGER ISSUE RIGHT NOW, THOUGH.

BECAUSE I JUST PUT SO MUCH WEIGHT ON IT

FOR SO MANY YEARS,

IT'S COMPLETELY TORN UP.

SO STAYING AS ACTIVE AS I NEED

CAN GET REALLY PAINFUL AFTER A LITTLE WHILE.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

I THINK I CAN MAKE IT TO THE GARBAGE CANS.

I DON'T WANT TO SLOW DOWN RIGHT NOW.

I WANT TO DO MORE.

AND NOW THAT I HAVE SO MUCH ENERGY,

I DON'T WANT ANYTHING HOLD ME BACK.

I MADE IT!

SO DR. NOW REFERRED ME TO AN ORTHOPEDIC SPECIALIST

TO SEE IF THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT COULD BE DONE.

AND I WENT TO SEE HIM LAST WEEK,

AND HE ACTUALLY SCHEDULED ME FOR SURGERY IN A MONTH.

I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS TO BE GOING INTO ANOTHER MAJOR SURGERY SOON,

BUT I KNOW THIS IS THE NEXT STEP I HAVE TO TAKE

TO KEEP MY PROGRESS AND MY NEW LIFE ON TRACK.

AFTER THAT, I'M HOPING I LOSE ENOUGH WEIGHT

TO GET MY FIRST SKIN-REMOVAL SURGERY.

I PRETTY MUCH HAVE EXCESS SKIN EVERYWHERE.

THERE'S STILL A LOT OF FAT, TOO.

THE MAIN REASON I WOULD LIKE IT TO BE GONE

IS JUST BECAUSE, UM,

IT JUST IS A REMINDER OF WHERE I CAME FROM.

I THINK IT IS GROSS.

AND I DON'T FEEL LIKE IT'S GOTTEN

TO A REALLY BAD PLACE YET,

BUT I KNOW IT WILL SOON.

LIKE, MY ARMS ARE ALL WRINKLY. [ CHUCKLES ]

[ Chuckling ] IT'S LIKE A FLAG.

I WANT IT REMOVED BASICALLY SO I'M NORMAL.

I DON'T FEEL LIKE LESS OF A WOMAN WITH IT.

I JUST WANT TO BE ABLE TO BE A NORMAL WOMAN.

I DO WANT TO LOOK GOOD FOR BILL, BUT I'VE DONE ALL THIS FOR ME.

I MEAN, IT'S NOT ABOUT ANYONE ELSE.

IT'S MOSTLY ABOUT ME.

LOSING THE WEIGHT HAS BROUGHT ME AND BILL

CLOSER THAN WE'VE EVER BEEN,

AND I WANT THAT TO GROW EVEN MORE.

I FEEL LIKE WE FALL MORE AND MORE IN LOVE EVERY DAY,

AND I DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS POSSIBLE,

'CAUSE WE ARE MORE HUSBAND AND WIFE, AND I LOVE THAT.

BUT RIGHT NOW, MY FOCUS IS GETTING MY KNEE-REPAIR SURGERY.

SO I WANT TO DO MY PART AND KEEP MAKING PROGRESS.

**

Sean: EVERY DAY I WAKE UP,

I HAVE TO FACE THE REALITY

OF WHAT MY LIFE HAS BECOME.

MY WEIGHT HAS GIVEN ME A DEATH SENTENCE.

I CAN'T DO ANYTHING FOR MYSELF ANYMORE.

SEAN HAS TO JUST TOTALLY BE TAKEN CARE OF FROM HEAD TO TOE.

YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING HAS TO BE DONE FOR HIM.

Sean: I KNOW IT'S BECAUSE OF MY EATING.

ALL RIGHT, KIDDO. EAT WHAT YOU WANT TO EAT.

[ Voice breaking ] AND LOSING WEIGHT IS THE ONLY WAY

I CAN SURVIVE THIS,

BUT I CAN'T STOP EATING.

SO, SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE.

TODAY, MY MOM AND I ARE TRYING TO MOVE TO HOUSTON

TO GET HELP FROM DR. NOW.

[ GRUNTING ]

LAST TIME I LEFT THE HOUSE UNDER MY OWN POWER

WAS YEARS AGO.

[ GROANS ] GO.

AND I AM EXTREMELY NERVOUS ABOUT THIS TRIP.

-GRAB THE CHAIR. -HELP ME WITH MY LEG!

-ONE. -ONE. OH!

OH, MY KNEE!

-OHH. -OH, OKAY.

I'M HOPING THAT THIS IS ALL WORTH IT,

'CAUSE IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT.

OHH!

THE ONLY THING THAT REALLY HELPS CALM ME DOWN IS FOOD.

HERE'S A DRUMSTICK.

Dr. Nowzaradan: RIGHT NOW, WE ARE EXPECTING THE ARRIVAL OF SEAN MILLIKEN.

HE'S CLEARLY AT LEAST 800 POUNDS FROM LOOKS OF IT.

LET'S BRING HIM IN.

Dr. Nowzaradan: SEAN, YOU FEELING OKAY?

[ Crying ] NO, I'M IN EXTREME PAIN!

SEAN IS THROWING A LITTLE TANTRUM

BECAUSE HE'S UNCOMFORTABLE.

HE'S LIKELY USED TO GETTING HIS WAY.

HE LIVES WITH HIS MOTHER,

AND I DON'T THINK IT'S HARD

TO START TO UNDERSTAND THEIR UNHEALTHY DYNAMIC.

YOU'RE KILLING HIM RIGHT NOW.

THIS HAS TO STOP.

ALL RIGHT, SEAN, I NEED TO KNOW YOUR TRUE WEIGHT

SO WE'RE GONNA GET YOU INTO A BED SCALE.

LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE 919 POUNDS.

AT YOUR WEIGHT, IT'S A MIRACLE THAT YOU'RE ALIVE,

AND YOU MAY BE THE HEAVIEST PERSON ALIVE RIGHT NOW.

SO I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A DIET PLAN,

AND I WANT YOU TO LOSE AT LEAST 100 POUNDS

OVER NEXT COUPLE MONTHS.

Sean: DOCTOR WANTS ME ON 800 CALORIES,

AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT WOULD BE IN ACTUAL FOOD.

I'VE CUT BACK A LOT.

I'M TRYING TO KEEP IT DOWN TO ONE BURGER

OR FAST-FOOD MEAL A DAY.

SO I FEEL LIKE IT'S A GOOD COMPROMISE

TO SHOW THE DOCTOR I CAN DO THIS.

Dr. Nowzaradan: SEAN LOOK LIKE HE MAYBE PUT ANOTHER 100 POUNDS ON.

AT THIS POINT, HE MAY BE APPROACHING 1,000 POUNDS,

AND VERY FEW PEOPLE MAKE IT TO THAT WEIGHT AND SURVIVE LONG.

YOU AND YOUR MOM HAS NOT MADE A SINGLE POSITIVE CHANGE

AS FAR AS I CAN TELL.

SO I'M BRINGING YOU TO THE HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY

SO WE CAN GET YOUR HEALTH UNDER CONTROL.

THIS IS GOING TO BE YOUR LAST CHANCE.

**

WHEN SEAN ARRIVED HERE, HE WAS 1,003 POUNDS.

BUT WE STARTED

ON A 800-CALORIE-A-DAY CONTROLLED DIET,

AND HE STARTED LOSING WEIGHT RAPIDLY.

744.

YOU DID GOOD.

ALL RIGHT, SEAN, I'M SENDING YOU HOME.

I WANT YOU TO LOSE 100 POUNDS OVER NEXT COUPLE MONTHS.

Sean: I WANT A LIFE,

SO I'M GONNA DO WHAT THE DOCTOR NEEDS ME TO

SO I CAN GET THIS WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

636. YOU DID IT.

SO WE'RE GONNA APPROVE YOU FOR SURGERY.

THANK YOU.

I'M JUST SO HAPPY AND PROUD RIGHT NOW.

Dr. Nowzaradan: SEAN IS AMONG THE LARGEST PATIENT WE HAVE OPERATED ON,

BUT THE SURGERY IS GOING TO HELP HIM

TO MAKE MORE PROGRESS IN THE LONG RUN.

SEAN'S SURGERY WENT VERY WELL.

HE STILL NEEDS TO LOSE A LOT OF WEIGHT,

BUT FOR NOW, HE'S DOING REALLY GOOD.

YOU'RE DOWN TO 583.

THIS IS GOOD.

Sean: I WAS BARELY ABLE TO MOVE A YEAR AGO.

NOW I CAN GET AROUND A LOT EASIER.

I STILL HAVE A WAYS TO GO,

BUT I'M CLOSER THAN I'VE BEEN IN 10 YEARS

TO BEING BACK OUT THERE LIVING LIFE.

**

THE PAST YEAR WAS REALLY HARD FOR ME.

BUT I'VE LOST AROUND 400 POUNDS,

SO I'VE MADE SOME GOOD PROGRESS.

AND I'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET OUT OF THIS BED AND START WALKING SOME.

-HEY, MOM? -YEAH, HONEY.

I THINK WE SHOULD DO OUR WALK.

OKAY.

I'M TRYING TO BECOME MORE INDEPENDENT

SO MY MOM DOESN'T HAVE TO KEEP DOING THINGS FOR ME.

BUT IT'S A SLOW PROCESS,

AND I THINK IT'S GONNA BE A WHILE

BEFORE I GET TO THAT POINT.

AND RIGHT NOW, THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR ME IS WALKING.

BUT I'M MAKING PROGRESS, AND I'M PROUD OF THAT.

SO, MY FOCUS IS ON BEING ABLE TO GET UP

AND WALK A LITTLE MORE EACH DAY.

JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO, I COULD BARELY EVEN STAND.

SO I'M REALLY PROUD OF MY PROGRESS RIGHT NOW.

AND SO FAR, I'M ABLE TO WALK TO THE NEXT ROOM AND BACK.

BUT MY MOM'S WORRIED I'M PUSHING MYSELF TOO HARD

BECAUSE MY LEG HAS BEEN HURTING A LOT,

SO I DON'T WANT TO OVERDO IT AT ALL.

HOPEFULLY, MY MOM AND I THINK I CAN GET TO THE POINT

WHERE IT'S SAFE TO PUSH MORE.

MAYBE I COULD START TAKING WALKS OUTSIDE

AND SEE HOW FAR I CAN GO.

BUT FOR RIGHT NOW, JUST WALKING TO THE BATHROOM AND BACK

COMPLETELY WIPES ME OUT,

AND MY MOM HAS TO HELP ME GET BACK IN BED.

I KNOW DR. NOWZARADAN THINKS WE'RE NOT DOING ENOUGH,

BUT ME AND MY MOM ARE TRYING OUR BEST.

-HEY, MOM. -YEAH, HONEY?

YOU ABOUT READY FOR DINNER?

-SURE. YEP. -WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?

I THINK I'M GONNA DO, UM, CHICKEN AND MUSHROOMS

WITH MARINARA SAUCE.

-OKAY. -OKAY?

WE'RE EATING A LOT HEALTHIER THAT I USED TO.

WE DON'T STICK TO THE 1,200-CALORIE-A-DAY DIET,

BUT I THINK WE STICK PRETTY CLOSE,

LIKE AT 1,400 OR 1,500,

WHICH IS A HUGE DROP FROM HOW MUCH I USED TO EAT.

AND I HAVE CHEAT JUST A LITTLE,

BECAUSE IT HAS TO TASTE GOOD SOMETIMES.

A LITTLE EXTRA ON THE MARINARA, THOUGH, PLEASE.

LAST TIME WASN'T ENOUGH.

THE MUSHROOMS KIND OF OVERPOWERED IT.

I'M EATING A LOT BETTER,

SO I FEEL LIKE I'M MAKING GOOD PROGRESS.

CAREFUL WITH THE MARINARA SAUCE, SEAN.

IT'S KIND OF HIGH IN CALORIES,

SO I CAN ONLY USE A LITTLE BIT OF IT.

OKAY.

**

HERE, SQUIRT.

-THANK YOU. -UH-HUH.

SOMEDAY, IT WOULD BE NICE

TO ACTUALLY EAT AT A TABLE AGAIN TOGETHER.

THAT WOULD BE NICE.

DR. NOWZARADAN WANTED ME TO LOSE AT LEAST 30 POUNDS A MONTH,

AND I THINK I'M DOING THAT.

I HAVE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT WITH HIM IN A MONTH,

AND WE'LL SEE IF I HIT MY GOALS THEN.

BUT I'M CONFIDENT I AM.

**

Brittani: MY HUSBAND AND I ARE HEADED TO THE HOSPITAL

TO CHECK IN FOR MY KNEE-REPAIR SURGERY.

THEY'RE GOING TO REPAIR ALL MY DAMAGED CARTILAGE

FROM ALL THE YEARS OF MY WEIGHT JUST WEARING IT AWAY.

ANY TIME I HAVE PROCEDURES DONE,

UM, THERE'S ALWAYS THAT SCARY CHANCE

THAT YOU MIGHT NOT WAKE UP FROM ANESTHESIA.

I MEAN, THAT'S A SCARY THING.

SO I'M REALLY STARTING TO GET NERVOUS NOW,

JUST BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

I'M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THE RECOVERY,

BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S A DIFFICULT SURGERY

TO RECOVER FROM.

BUT WITH HOW ACTIVE I'M GETTING,

THE PAIN IS STARTING TO GET REALLY UNBEARABLE,

SO I HAVE TO GET THIS SURGERY.

-SEE YOU LATER. -BYE.

-I LOVE YOU. -LOVE YOU.

IF I DON'T, I KNOW MY ACTIVITY'S

GOING TO START TO DECREASE.

AND IF I END UP SITTING AROUND ALL DAY,

THE NEXT STEP IS TO START EATING MORE,

AND THEN I'LL BE GAINING AGAIN.

AND I DON'T WANT THAT.

THIS IS MY NEXT BIG STEP,

AND I'M READY FOR IT.

Dr. George: WE'RE GOING TO OPERATE ON BRITTANI TODAY.

SHE'S HAD SOME PAIN AND SWELLING THAT HAS LIMITED

HER ABILITY TO MOVE AROUND AND BE ACTIVE.

THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THE PROCEDURE

IS TO HELP GET FUNCTION BACK TO THE KNEE

SO SHE CAN GET RANGE OF MOTION WITHOUT PAIN,

WITHOUT SWELLING, WITHOUT CATCHING.

AND WHEN SHE'S ABLE TO USE THE KNEE MORE NORMALLY,

SHE'S ABLE TO RETURN TO MORE NORMAL ACTIVITY.

AND THAT MORE NORMAL ACTIVITY

WILL ALLOW HER TO DO THE ACTIVITIES THAT SHE NEEDS

TO HELP WITH THE WEIGHT LOSS AND TO KEEP MOVING.

BRITTANI IS EVERYTHING TO ME.

THERE'S NOTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD THAT MEANS MORE,

BUT I HAVE FAITH THAT SHE'S DOING WELL.

Dr. George: OKAY.

WE WERE ABLE TO TRIM THE TORN TISSUE,

SO IT SHOULDN'T BE AN ISSUE WITH HER ANYMORE.

OKAY, WE ARE DONE.

BRITTANI'S SURGERY WENT FINE.

IT DIDN'T HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS.

SHE DID HAVE A LOT OF SCAR TISSUE,

WHICH IS PROBABLY LIKELY SECONDARY TO THE FACT

THAT SHE HASN'T BEEN USING IT VERY MUCH.

BUT SHE CAN START WALKING,

DOING RANGE-OF-MOTION THINGS RIGHT AWAY.

GIVEN HER BODY HABITUS,

AND YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BLOOD CLOTS AFTERWARDS,

SO THAT'S WHERE INCREASING THE ACTIVITY QUICKLY

TO KEEP THE BLOOD MOVING REALLY HELPS.

FOR NOW, BRITTANI NEEDS TO JUST RECOVER FROM HER SURGERY

AND GET HER STARTED ON FORMAL PHYSICAL THERAPY,

WHICH WILL GET HER ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY.

**

[ SIREN WAILING ]

Sean: MY LEG PAIN HAS BEEN GETTING WORSE AND WORSE

OVER THE PAST MONTH.

AND THEN I STARTED GETTING A FEVER.

NOW MY MOM THINKS

IT'S A REALLY BAD CELLULITIS INFECTION.

SO SHE CALLED 911 TO TAKE ME TO THE HOSPITAL.

HE'S BEEN GETTING COLD ALL DAY, AND THEN HE GOT CHILLS,

AND THEN HE GOT A FEVER A COUPLE HOURS AGO.

AND HE'S GOT A LOT OF PAIN, HE SAID, IN HIS LEG.

HELLO. HOW ARE YOU TODAY?

HORRIBLE.

SO, WHAT'S GOING ON?

I ACHE HORRIBLY.

SO, YOU'RE IN PAIN AGAIN? IS IT IN YOUR LEG?

I HURT EVERYWHERE NOW.

JOINTS -- EVERYTHING ACHES BAD.

ALL RIGHT, HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON?

MOM, WHEN?

-HE'S HAD AN EAR INFECTION. -UH-HUH.

LAST NIGHT, HE STARTED GETTING VERY, VERY SICK.

HE STARTED GETTING FEVERS AND CHILLS,

SO THAT'S WHY I CALLED 911.

AND I'M AFRAID AT THIS POINT HE'S GETTING SEPTIC,

'CAUSE HE'S STARTING TO GET REALLY ACHY,

AND THAT'S USUALLY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HE GETS SEPSIS.

SEAN HAS MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS OVER LAST YEAR,

BUT WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANY PROGRESS

UNDOING THE UNHEALTHY DYNAMIC HE HAS WITH HIS MOTHER.

AND THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE.

THE REALITY IS THAT HIS MOTHER IS PREVENTING HIM

FROM EVER MAKING ANY REAL PROGRESS,

AND THEN SHE TRY TO CREATE THE PERCEPTION

THAT HE'S CONSTANTLY SICK,

AND SHE'S THE ONLY ONE CAN TAKE CARE OF HIM.

IT IS STARTING TO RESEMBLE

MUNCHAUSEN SYNDROME BY PROXY,

WHERE THE PARENTS ALLOW A CHILD

TO BE HURT OR HURT THE CHILD

SO THAT THEY GET SYMPATHY.

AND IT HAS TO STOP IMMEDIATELY.

DR. NOWZARADAN, I'D REALLY LIKE TO KNOW

WHAT HIS LACTIC ACID IS RIGHT NOW.

WELL, WHAT IS THE LACTIC ACID GONNA TELL YOU?

LACTIC ACID USUALLY LETS ME KNOW HOW SICK HE IS,

LETS ME KNOW WHETHER OR NOT

HE'S GOT A MILD INFECTION OR A MAJOR INFECTION.

OKAY, DR. MILLIKEN.

I'M NOT A DOCTOR, AND I DON'T -- I NEVER SAID THAT I'M A DOCTOR.

[ Crying ] BUT I AM HIS MOTHER,

AND I HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN DEALING WITH MY SON.

HE HAS ALMOST DIED ON ME SEVERAL TIMES NOW, AND HE --

I FEEL LIKE WE'RE NOT EVEN GETTING

THE NORMAL, STANDARD CARE HERE!

YOU KNOW, HE'S USUALLY ON I.V. FLUIDS.

THEY USUALLY HAVE MASSIVE ANTIBIOTICS RUNNING THROUGH HIM.

-WE JUST GOT HIM UP HERE. -I'M NOT TRYING TO BE A DOCTOR!

-AND HE -- -BUT HE'S SICK!

ALL RIGHT, YOU NEED TO STOP, OKAY?

DON'T TELL THAT YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, AND YOU KNOW HIM,

AND WE'RE NOT TAKING CARE OF HIM!

-YOU HAVEN'T DONE LAB TESTS... -I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT.

...ON HIM. HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH HIM?

WE -- WE'VE SEEN THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE LIKE HIM.

-OKAY. -ALL RIGHT?

SO, HE'S NOT THAT DIFFERENT THAN EVERYBODY ELSE.

OKAY. HE IS DIFFERENT TO ME, THOUGH, DOCTOR.

I UNDERSTAND, NOT TO YOU. HE IS DIFFERENT TO ME.

WELL, YOU REALLY ARE NOT HELPING HIM, OKAY?

WE HAVEN'T SEEN HIM IN MONTHS, OKAY?

-MM-HMM, RIGHT. -HE'S NOT FOLLOWING HIS DIET.

OKAY. HE SHOULD HAVE LOST MORE WEIGHT.

-YES, I AGREE. -ALL RIGHT.

-I AGREE. -WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU AGREE?

YOU'RE KILLING HIM, AND YOU'RE BLAMING

OTHER PEOPLE NOT TAKING CARE OF HIM!

-NO, I'M NOT. -YOU'RE HARMING HIM.

YOU ARE WORST THING FOR HIM, AND --

-I AGREE. -WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU AGREE?

I AGREE. I AM THE WORST THING FOR HIM. I AGREE.

YEAH, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR HIM,

AND THE DOCTOR DOESN'T KNOW CRAP!

NO, I'M NOT SAYING THAT, DOCTOR. ALL RIGHT.

I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY MORE WHAT KIND OF TEST YOU WANT HERE,

WHAT KIND OF ANTIBIOTIC YOU WANT,

WHAT KIND OF TREATMENT WE WANT FOR HIM, OKAY?

-ALL RIGHT. OKAY. -AND ONCE WE FINISH OUR TESTS,

WE'RE GONNA CHECK HIS WEIGHT AND SEE WHERE HE IS AT.

AND IF HE GAINED, AND HE LOOK LIKE HE HAS,

THEN THERE'S GONNA BE SOME NEW RULES AROUND HERE.

YOU UNDERSTAND ME?

-OKAY, AS LONG AS -- -IS THAT CLEAR TO YOU?

THAT'S FINE. AS LONG AS MY SON GETS BETTER,

THAT'S JUST FINE. OKAY.

YOUR SON WILL GET BETTER NOT BECAUSE OF YOU --

-IN SPITE OF YOU. -I AGREE.

-I'M NOT DENYING THAT, DOCTOR. -ALL RIGHT.

SEAN, WE'LL START YOU ON ANTIBIOTICS TO BE SAFE.

AND ONCE WE FINISH ALL THE TESTS, WE'LL TALK.

-ALL RIGHT, WE'LL SEE YOU LATER. -ALL RIGHT.

**

Sean: I DON'T THINK DR. NOW'S BEING FAIR TO MY MOM.

SHE JUST GETS WORRIED ABOUT ME

AND DOESN'T WANT ME TO PUSH MYSELF

TO A PLACE WHERE I GET HURT AND MAKE THINGS WORSE.

NO ONE KNOWS ME LIKE MY MOM,

AND SHE COULD BE HELPFUL

FIGURING OUT WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME SOMETIMES.

AND I WISH DR. NOW UNDERSTOOD THAT.

**

TODAY, DR. NOWZARADAN

IS SUPPOSED TO BE COMING TO GIVE ME MY TEST RESULTS

AND TELL ME WHAT'S BEEN WRONG WITH ME.

I'M HOPING THEY DID EVERYTHING MY MOM ASKED THEM TO,

'CAUSE I DON'T WANT THEM MISSING SOMETHING

AND THINKING I'M OKAY WHEN I'M NOT.

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

-HI, SEAN. -HI, DR. NOW.

HOW'S YOUR DAY GOING?

IT'S GOING ALL RIGHT.

OKAY, WE FINISHED OUR TESTS.

THERE IS NOTHING SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH YOU,

SO LET'S GET UP AND CHECK YOUR WEIGHT.

555 POUNDS.

SO, 555 POUNDS MEANS THAT YOU STARTED GAINING AGAIN.

IF YOU WERE STICKING TO THE DIET,

YOU SHOULD BE AROUND 480 POUNDS BY NOW.

SO, THINGS ARE GOING BACK TO THE SAME WAY THEY WERE.

NOW THAT SEAN'S STARTING TO GAIN AGAIN,

HIS WEIGHT WILL START TO SNOWBALL QUICKLY

IF WE DON'T INTERVENE OR DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

SO I'M KEEPING SEAN IN THE HOSPITAL FOR A MONTH,

AND I'M PUTTING A LIMIT ON HIS VISITATIONS

SO HIS MOTHER CAN ONLY SEE HIM ONCE A WEEK.

IF I LET YOU GO BACK HOME,

I GUARANTEE YOU'LL BE BACK TO YOUR HIGHEST WEIGHT

IN THREE TO FOUR MONTHS.

SO I'M GOING TO KEEP YOU IN THE HOSPITAL

ON A CONTROLLED DIET FOR A MONTH,

AND WE'RE GOING TO LIMIT YOUR VISITOR TO ONCE A WEEK.

SO THAT MEANS YOU MOM WILL NOT BE ALLOWED HERE

EXCEPT ONCE A WEEK.

YOU BOTH UNDERSTAND?

-OKAY. -OKAY, GOOD.

IT'S TIME TO GET YOUR SITUATION UNDER CONTROL.

SEAN NEED TO START TO SEE

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE INDEPENDENT OF HIS MOTHER.

IT WON'T FIX THEIR DYNAMIC,

BUT HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE A START,

BECAUSE HE DOESN'T THINK FOR HIMSELF RIGHT NOW.

HE JUST THINKS WHAT HIS MOTHER TELLS HIM.

-OKAY? -YEAH.

-OKAY, SEAN. I'LL SEE YOU SOON. -ALL RIGHT.

SO HOPEFULLY, OVER THE NEXT MONTH,

THIS WILL SPARK SOMETHING.

HE MAY NOT LIKE IT RIGHT NOW,

BUT I THINK AFTER A LITTLE BIT,

BEING AWAY FROM HIS MOTHER

WILL START TO GROW ON HIM.

Sean: I THINK THIS IS REALLY TOO HARSH OF DR. NOW.

I'M NOT REALLY SURE I WANT TO AGREE TO ANY OF THIS RIGHT NOW.

AND MAYBE THIS WHOLE PROGRAM

JUST ISN'T GONNA WORK FOR ME ANYMORE.

Brittani: IT'S BEEN A MONTH SINCE MY KNEE-REPAIR SURGERY,

AND NOW MY KNEE IS STARTING TO FEEL SO MUCH BETTER.

IT WAS FRUSTRATING, BECAUSE I HAD LOST SO MUCH WEIGHT,

AND I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ENJOYING HOW MUCH MORE I COULD DO.

AND NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS,

I FEEL LIKE I'M BECOMING THIS NORMAL, FUNCTIONAL PERSON.

AND I'VE DECIDED THAT I'VE MADE ENOUGH PROGRESS

THAT I'M READY TO TAKE AT TRIP BACK HOME TO OREGON

TO SEE MY FAMILY AGAIN

AND SHOW THEM I CAN DO SO MUCH MORE NOW.

BUT BILL IS STAYING HERE,

AND HE'S STAYING BECAUSE HE HAS TO WORK.

SO I'LL BE TAKING THE TRIP ON MY OWN.

A YEAR AGO,

I COULDN'T EVEN GO OUTSIDE WITHOUT HIS HELP.

AND NOW...

THANK YOU.

...I'M PLANNING ON TRAVELING

HALFWAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY ALL ON MY OWN,

AND I'M FOCUSED ON MY NEXT BIG STEP

OF GETTING SKIN SURGERY.

DR. NOWZARADAN SAYS I NEED TO GET IN UNDER 340 POUNDS

IF I'M GOING TO BE READY FOR SKIN REMOVAL,

SO THAT'S WHAT I'M WORKING TOWARD.

AND I'M NOT LETTING ANYTHING SLOW ME DOWN ANYTIME SOON.

**

Sean: I'VE HAD TIME TO THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING DR. NOWZARADAN SAID,

AND I DECIDED I DIDN'T WANT TO LOSE THIS CHANCE

SO I STAYED AND AGREED TO HIS RESTRICTIONS.

AND IT WASN'T EASY GOING BACK ON A CONTROLLED DIET,

BUT I'VE LOST ABOUT 50 POUNDS.

AND AT THE LAST WEIGH-IN, I WAS 503,

SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING IN THE 400s SOON.

WHAT WAS HARDER WAS NOT SEEING MY MOM AS OFTEN AT FIRST.

BUT AFTER THE FIRST WEEK,

I STARTED TO SEE HOW I'VE BECOME TOO DEPENDENT ON MY MOM.

NOW I HAVE TO START DOING THINGS FOR MYSELF.

SO I'M EXCITED TO FINALLY BE GOING HOME TODAY

TO START TO WORK ON THAT.

YOU STILL GOOD WITH STANDING AND...

YEAH.

MIGHT NEED HELP GETTING MY LEFT LEG UP.

IS THERE ANY WAY TO SIT ME UP MORE?

Man: YEAH, WE SURE CAN.

WHAT'S THE WEIGHT LIMIT ON THIS?

WELL, THEN, I'M DEFINITELY WITHIN THE WEIGHT LIMIT.

NOTHING?

YEAH, IT'S NOT COMING ON AT ALL.

GREAT. THE GURNEY'S DEAD.

I'M GONNA GO CALL A SUPERVISOR.

THAT'S UNFORTUNATE.

I'M STILL OVER THE WEIGHT LIMIT OF A REGULAR GURNEY,

SO THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO LIFT ME INTO AN AMBULANCE.

IT'S A LITTLE EMBARRASSING TO BE SO BIG I CAN'T GET AROUND.

AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO CHANGE,

AND I KNOW I HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO,

ESPECIALLY WITH MY MOTHER.

ALL SHE'S EVER DONE IS TAKE CARE OF ME,

AND ALL SHE WANTS IS FOR ME TO BE OKAY.

AND I DON'T WANT HER TO FEEL LIKE ALL OF A SUDDEN

I DON'T NEED HER. I DO,

'CAUSE I STILL CAN'T TAKE CARE OF MYSELF.

SO, I'M GOING TO FOCUS ON THE WEIGHT LOSS

TO TRY TO GET MORE ACTIVE AND MOBILE.

IT'S THE ONLY WAY THINGS ARE GOING TO CHANGE

LIKE IT NEEDS TO.

**

Brittani: I'M HEADED TO SEE DR. NOW FOR MY NEXT APPOINTMENT,

AND I'M REALLY HOPING TO GET APPROVED

FOR SKIN-REMOVAL SURGERY TODAY.

MY KNEE SURGERY HAS MADE SUCH A HUGE DIFFERENCE

WITH HOW I CAN GET AROUND.

I JUST WANT TO KEEP GOING AND MAKE EVEN MORE PROGRESS,

AND I WANT TO TAKE THE NEXT BIG STEP

THAT WILL MAKE ME EVEN MORE MOBILE.

MY ONLY CONCERN IS HOW INACTIVE I WAS

FOR A LITTLE WHILE AFTER KNEE SURGERY.

SO I'M HOPING THAT DIDN'T SET ME BACK AT ALL.

AND I'M REALLY HOPING THAT I'VE LOST ENOUGH WEIGHT

TO GET APPROVED TODAY.

Brittani: AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW A FEW MONTHS AGO,

I WAS DOWN TO 375.

AND HE WANTED ME TO GET BELOW 340

BEFORE HE FELT I WAS READY FOR SKIN-REMOVAL SURGERY,

AND I'M HOPING I'VE STAYED ON TRACK TO HIT THAT GOAL.

Woman: 337.

[ LAUGHS ]

I FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT MY PROGRESS RIGHT NOW.

SINCE MY LAST APPOINTMENT,

I'VE LOST 40 POUNDS.

I'M STILL NOT OF AVERAGE SIZE.

I'M STILL NOT 100% HEALTHY.

BUT I FEEL LIKE ALL MY HARD WORK IS JUST STARTING TO PAY OFF,

AND THE BODY AND LIFE I WANT IS WITHIN REACH.

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

-HI. -HI, BRITTANI. HOW ARE YOU?

-I'M GOOD. HOW ARE YOU DOING? -ALL RIGHT, THERE.

SO, YOU'RE DOWN TO 337.

-YES. -THAT'S VERY GOOD.

THAT'S ABOUT 270 POUNDS THAT YOU'VE LOST.

-UH-HUH. -SO YOU'RE DOING VERY GOOD.

IS YOUR KNEE FEELING A LOT BETTER?

OH, YEAH. IT'S LIKE NIGHT AND DAY,

LIKE I'M A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON.

-IT'S AMAZING. -THAT'S GREAT.

OKAY, LET ME SEE YOUR EXCESS SKIN.

IS IT BOTHERING YOU A LOT?

I WEAR SPANDEX, BUT WHEN I DON'T,

IT HANGS DOWN LIKE TO MY KNEE.

OKAY, WELL, LET GET YOU TO STAND UP

AND SEE HOW IT LOOK LIKE.

YEAH, SEE. SO, I MEAN, LIKE, THAT,

I MEAN, IT COMES DOWN REALLY FAR.

AND, LIKE, IT'S HEAVY.

I SEE THAT. YOU KNOW, IT'S GOT TO BE A CHALLENGE

FOR YOU TO WALK WITH THAT,

AND THAT'S GOING TO KEEP HOLDING YOU BACK.

Dr. Nowzaradan: BRITTANI IS DOING VERY WELL.

HER KNEE SURGERY HAS HELPED HER A LOT,

AND SHE CAN BE MUCH MORE ACTIVE.

NOW THE ISSUES IS ALL THE EXCESS SKIN ON HER STOMACH,

WHICH IS BECOMING EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE

AND PAINFUL FOR HER.

AND SHE WOULD LIKELY NEED THREE SKIN-REMOVAL SURGERIES

FOR HER STOMACH, HER ARMS, AND HER LEGS.

BUT HER STOMACH IS THE BIGGEST THING

AND WILL MAKE A HUGE IMPROVEMENT FOR HER.

SO, I THINK YOU'RE READY FOR SKIN SURGERY.

OKAY.

AND WE'LL GET YOU SCHEDULED NEXT MONTH FOR THAT.

I'M ACTUALLY LEAVING TO OREGON IN A MONTH,

AND I WON'T BE BACK FOR THREE MONTHS.

OKAY, I DON'T WANT YOU TO TRAVEL EXTENSIVELY

AFTER SURGERY LIKE THIS.

SO MAINTAIN YOUR WEIGHT LOSS.

AND WHEN YOU COME BACK FROM OREGON,

IF YOU HAVEN'T GAINED ANY WEIGHT,

THEN I'LL LET YOU KEEP YOUR APPROVAL FOR SKIN SURGERY.

-NO PROBLEM. -BUT BE CAREFUL,

BECAUSE TRAVELING AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME

WILL MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO STAY ON A HEALTHY DIET.

AS LONG AS BRITTANI DOESN'T GAIN ANY WEIGHT,

IT'LL BE FINE TO DO HER SKIN REMOVAL SURGERY

AFTER SHE RETURNS FROM TRAVELING.

BUT I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED,

BECAUSE TRAVELING MAKES IT HARD

TO STICK TO A HEALTHY DIET,

BECAUSE YOU'RE OUT OF SELF-CONTROL ENVIRONMENT

WITH YOUR HEALTHY PATTERNS.

AND IT CAN BECOME A BIG STUMBLING BLOCK

FOR PROGRESS.

ALL RIGHT, YOU'RE DOING GOOD, AND I'LL SEE YOU SOON.

-BYE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. -YOU'RE WELCOME.

Brittani: THE APPOINTMENT WENT REALLY WELL.

DR. NOW APPROVED ME FOR SKIN SURGERY

WHEN I GET BACK FROM OREGON,

SO THAT MAKES ME VERY HAPPY.

I'M VERY PROUD OF MYSELF.

I'M WORKING HARD EVERY DAY,

AND I'M WORKING THROUGH ANY STRUGGLES I HAVE,

BECAUSE I'VE COME TOO FAR, AND IT'S GONNA MAKE IT

SO I CAN LIVE MY LIFE THE WAY I WANT TO LIVE IT.

**

Sean: I'VE BEEN HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL FOR A MONTH NOW,

AND I'VE BEEN WORKING HARD TO STICK TO MY DIET.

AND MY BODY FEELS A LITTLE LIGHTER,

AND THE SKIN'S GETTING A LITTLE LOOSER.

MY MOM HAS BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT

A WAY I CAN KEEP TRACK OF MY WEIGHT AT HOME,

BUT THERE IS NO SCALE THAT CAN HANDLE SOMEONE AS BIG AS ME.

SO SHE THOUGHT OF THE IDEA

OF PUTTING TWO SCALES TOGETHER TO WEIGH ME.

MAYBE THE TOTAL WILL SHOW ME MY PROGRESS.

IS THAT OKAY?

-MOVE IT THIS WAY? -YEAH.

OKAY.

OKAY, ALL RIGHT.

SO, STAND, GET YOUR BALANCE,

AND THEN YOU HAVE TO STAND BACK

-OFF THE SCALE, OKAY? -I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW.

I JUST WANT TO DO ANYTHING

TO HELP ME MAKE MORE PROGRESS AND KEEP LOSING WEIGHT.

OKAY, THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH -- 270 AND 370.

OH, NO, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S RIGHT.

WHAT'S WRONG?

WELL, IT'S JUST, THAT'S PRETTY CLOSE TO WHAT I HAD LAST TIME,

SO I'M NOT REAL SURE HOW ACCURATE IT IS.

BUT IT'S STILL GOOD, YOU KNOW.

IT ALSO HASN'T BEEN THAT LONG SINCE WE DID IT LAST.

NO, IT HASN'T. IT HASN'T, YEAH.

YEAH, THAT'S TRUE. THAT'S TRUE.

YEAH.

SO, THAT COULD BE ACCURATE.

YEAH. OKAY. WELL, THAT'S COOL.

YOU'RE DOING GOOD.

I MEAN, THAT'S --

-BUT HAVE YOU NOTICED? -WHAT?

I STOOD LONGER WITHOUT THE WALKER THIS TIME.

YEAH, YOU DID. YOU DID GOOD ON THAT.

YOU DID.

-SO... -THAT MEANS MY BACK

AND MY LEGS ARE GETTING STRONGER.

THAT'S ALMOST -- IT'S ABOUT 70 POUNDS, THOUGH,

SINCE YOU HAD SURGERY, SEAN.

I FEEL LIKE I'M MAKING REALLY GOOD PROGRESS.

I'M STILL MAKING SOME EXCEPTIONS TO MY DIET,

BUT CAN'T SAY I DON'T HAVE

THE OCCASIONAL SMALL, LITTLE SOMETHING.

WE ALLOW OURSELVES, LIKE, A SLICE OF PIZZA,

BECAUSE I AM HUMAN.

BUT I'M FEELING REALLY CONFIDENT

ABOUT SEEING DR. NOW NEXT MONTH,

AND THAT HE'S GOING TO BE REALLY HAPPY WITH MY PROGRESS.

**

Brittani: TODAY, I'M PACKING UP AND HEADED TO THE AIRPORT

TO BACK TO OREGON AND SEE MY FAMILY.

I'VE LOST ALMOST HALF MY BODY WEIGHT

SINCE I'VE SEEN A LOT OF THEM,

SO I'M REALLY EXCITED RIGHT NOW,

AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SHOW THEM HOW I LOOK.

I'LL BE STAYING THERE FOR A COUPLE MONTHS,

BUT BILL'S STAYING HERE BECAUSE HE HAS TO WORK.

AND AS MUCH AS I'M GOING TO MISS HIM,

I'M A LITTLE EXCITED TO BE TRAVELING BY MYSELF...

...BECAUSE I NEVER WOULD'VE THOUGHT

I WOULD HAVE EVER BEEN ABLE

TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS ON MY OWN.

LAST TIME I WAS ON A PLANE, I WAS 600 POUNDS.

BUT I'M TRYING TO REMIND MYSELF I'M NOT THAT PERSON ANYMORE,

AND I'VE COME SO FAR.

ONE OF THE REASONS I WANTED TO LOSE THE WEIGHT

WAS TO BE ABLE TO DO THINGS

AND GIVE BACK TO MY FAMILY,

TO THANK THEM FOR ALL THE YEARS THAT THEY DID THAT FOR ME.

SO I'M GONNA HAVE SO MUCH FUN

JUST DOING THINGS LIKE CHORES AROUND THE HOUSE.

I KNOW IT SOUNDS CRAZY,

BUT THAT'S BEEN ONE OF MY DREAMS WITH LOSING THE WEIGHT.

SO I'M NOT MISSING THE CHANCE TO DO THIS FOR ANYTHING.

Woman: PLEASE REMAIN SEATED WITH YOUR SEAT BELT FASTENED,

LEAVING YOUR SEAT BACK AND TRAY TABLE

IN AN UPRIGHT AND LOCKED POSITION.

**

Brittani: I'VE ARRIVED IN PORTLAND,

AND I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE MY FAMILY.

MY DAD IS PICKING ME UP AT THE AIRPORT,

AND HE HASN'T SEEN ME SINCE I LEFT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO,

AND I WAS OVER 600 POUNDS.

SO I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF HE'S GOING TO RECOGNIZE ME.

DADDY!

-[ Laughing ] OH, JESUS. -HI.

-HI. -HOW ARE YOU?

OH, GEEZ, YOU'RE REALLY SMALL!

BRITTANI LOOKS AMAZING. SHE'S COME A LONG, LONG WAY.

I'M REALLY, REALLY PROUD OF HER.

Brittani: I'M SO EXCITED BECAUSE I GET TO GO SEE EVERYONE ELSE,

INCLUDING MY MOM.

BRITTANI'S MOM WILL BE SUPER EXCITED TO SEE HER,

AND I THINK SHE'S LIKE ME --

SHE WON'T BELIEVE THE WEIGHT LOSS

ONCE SHE ACTUALLY GETS TO SEE HER.

Brittani: OKAY.

I'M VERY, VERY EAGER TO SEE MY MOM.

I HAVEN'T SEEN HER SINCE RIGHT AFTER SURGERY.

I AM NOT THE SAME PERSON WHO LEFT OREGON OVER A YEAR AGO.

I'M STRONGER, AND I'M HAPPIER, AND I'M HEALTHIER.

AND SO I CAN'T WAIT TO SHOW HER HOW FAR I'VE COME.

HI. HI. HI. YEAH, HI.

OH, GIRL, YOUR PANTS ARE WAY TOO BIG!

-HI, MOM. -OH!

-I LOVE YOU. -I LOVE YOU, TOO.

-OH, MY GOSH. -SPIN AROUND FOR ME.

LET ME SEE.

WE'RE ABOUT THE SAME SIZE NOW, HUH?

I THINK I'M SMALLER.

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

HI, MAMA! HI.

-DID YOU GUYS HAVE A GOOD DRIVE? -YEAH.

Brittani: JUST SEEING MY MOM'S FACE

AND KNOWING IN THAT MOMENT HOW PROUD SHE IS OF ME

MAKES ME WANT TO DO EVEN MORE

AND WORK EVEN HARDER TO GET TO MY GOALS.

AND SO THAT'S WHAT I INTEND TO DO.

**

Sean: TODAY, I'M GOING TO SEE DR. NOWZARADAN

FOR MY NEXT APPOINTMENT.

HE IS GOING TO CHECK MY WEIGHT

AND SEE HOW MUCH PROGRESS I'M MAKING.

BUT LATELY, IT'S BEEN DIFFICULT TO GET UP,

BECAUSE I'M HAVING A HARD TIME BREATHING AS OF LATE.

I'M HOPING HE'LL LISTEN TO ME WHEN I TELL HIM THAT

AND HELP ME FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON.

I'M A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT GETTING THERE,

BECAUSE I'M NOT TAKING AN AMBULANCE TODAY.

MY MOM RENTED A MINI VAN AND PUT A MATTRESS IN IT.

A MEDICAL-CARE ASSISTANT IS GOING TO HELP ME IN

SO THAT I CAN TRY AND RIDE THERE IN A NORMAL VEHICLE

INSTEAD OF HAVING TO TAKE AN AMBULANCE EVERY TIME.

Renee: I'M VERY NERVOUS, YES. IT'S ALWAYS AN ORDEAL,

AND THIS IS EXTREMELY PAINFUL FOR SEAN.

IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR HIM.

OKAY, YOU READY TO GO?

OKAY, SWEETIE.

AND I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT SEAN'S BREATHING RIGHT NOW.

HE'S BEEN GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE.

I JUST HOPE DR. NOW

IS ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON.

I'VE HAD DISPUTES WITH DR. NOW FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS,

BUT WE'RE COMMITTED TO THIS PROCESS.

WE JUST HAVE TO GO FORWARD AND JUST SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

Sean: BUT I'M GLAD I MADE IT WITHOUT INCIDENT.

GOOD JOB.

OKAY, LET'S GET SOME MOMENTUM HERE.

GET YOU UP THIS RAMP.

I WANT TO FIND OUT MY WEIGHT,

'CAUSE I'M HOPING IT'S A LOT OF PROGRESS.

BY MY ESTIMATE, I'VE LOST

70, MAYBE 80 POUNDS.

OKAY, 553.

GEEZ.

I'VE GAINED.

**

OKAY, KIDDO.

I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT'S POSSIBLE AT ALL.

MY MOM HAS TRACKED EVERYTHING I'VE BEEN EATING.

SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND RIGHT NOW.

I JUST DON'T GET IT.

Renee: I HAD HOPED HE'D LOSE,

AND WE'VE REALLY BEEN TRYING TO STICK WITH THE PROGRAM.

THE DOCTOR, WHEN WE LEFT THE HOSPITAL,

GAVE US A PIECE OF PAPER WITH A 1,000-CALORIE DIET ON IT.

HE GETS JUST A LITTLE TOO HUNGRY WITH 1,000 CALORIES,

SO WE BUMPED IT UP A LITTLE BIT MORE.

I GUESS THE 200 CALORIES REALLY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE.

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

-HELLO. -HELLO, DR. NOWZARADAN.

-HOW YOU ALL DOING? -I'M HURTIN'.

I'VE BEEN TRYING TO WALK FOR THE LAST WEEK OR SO,

AND EVERY DAY, MY BREATHING GETS WORSE.

MY CHEST HURTS.

ALL RIGHT, LET ME CHECK YOUR HEART AND BREATHING

AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH.

AGAIN.

YOUR LUNG SOUNDS PRETTY CLEAR.

SO THERE'S NOTHING REALLY WRONG WITH YOU, SEAN.

AND YOU GAINED ALL THE WEIGHT BACK

THAT YOU LOSE IN THE HOSPITAL.

SO WHAT HAPPENED?

I'VE BEEN TRYING TO STICK TO ABOUT 1,200 CALORIES...

NO, YOU'RE NOT.

...WHICH -- WE HAVE BEEN, RIGHT?

YOU GAINED ALL YOUR WEIGHT BACK

BECAUSE YOU AND YOUR MOTHER

WENT RIGHT BACK TO YOUR UNHEALTHY DYNAMIC,

WHERE SHE FEEDS YOU,

AND SHE TELLS YOU WHY YOU CAN'T GET UP.

AM I WRONG ABOUT THAT?

Dr. Nowzaradan: SEAN HAS ONCE AGAIN

REGAINED ALL THE WEIGHT HE LOST IN THE HOSPITAL,

AND THE BIG DIFFERENCE FROM WHEN HE WAS IN THE HOSPITAL

IS THAT NOW HIS MOTHER IS IN CONTROL.

SO AS LONG AS SHE'S AROUND AND CONTROLLING HIM,

SEAN WON'T GET ANY BETTER.

SO WE NEED TO START TO ADDRESS HER PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES,

AS WELL AS SEAN'S.

IF YOU PUT HIM ON 1,200 CALORIES,

HE SHOULD LOSE AT LEAST 20 TO 30 POUNDS A MONTH.

AND I WAS SURPRISED THAT HE DIDN'T.

-I WAS VERY SURPRISED. -YOU'RE NOT SURPRISED.

YOU KNEW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WERE DOING.

THIS IS A SITUATION THAT MOSTLY YOU CONTROL, RIGHT?

SO, YOU BOTH NEED TO HAVE YOUR ISSUES ADDRESSED.

I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED IN BOTH OF YOU TODAY.

AND WE NEED TO WORK TO TURN HIS SITUATION AROUND

BEFORE YOU KILL HIM,

SO WE HAVE TO GET BOTH OF YOU TO WAKE UP RIGHT NOW.

I WANT YOU BOTH TO START SEEING THERAPISTS SEPARATELY,

AND THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL

IF YOU WANT TO STAY ON MY PROGRAM.

I WANT TO SEE HIM IN ONE MONTH. BUT IN ONE MONTH,

HE NEEDS TO LOSE AT LEAST 30 POUNDS, OKAY?

OKAY.

I'LL SEE YOU NEXT MONTH.

I DON'T DOUBT SEAN'S MOTHER

WANTS THE BEST FOR HIM ON SOME LEVEL,

BUT SHE REFUSES TO GIVE UP THIS CONTROL

WHERE SHE PRACTICALLY KEEPS HIM AS A PRISONER IN HIS BED

AND TALKS ABOUT IT LIKE IT'S FOR HIS OWN GOOD.

HIS MOTHER IS THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE THING IN HIS LIFE,

AND SHE'S THE ONE THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH RIGHT NOW.

Sean: I DON'T THINK ALL THIS IS FAIR.

SOMETHING'S WRONG, AND I'M HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING.

AND I'M IN CONSTANT PAIN. I'M JUST TIRED OF THIS.

BUT I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE.

BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO DIE, LIKE DR. NOWZARADAN SAID.

AND IT'S EXTREMELY UPSETTING.

**

FLAPPY BIRD! [ BOTH LAUGH ]

OOH! AND UP!

Brittani: I'VE BEEN IN OREGON FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS,

AND I'VE REALLY BEEN ENJOYING MY TIME HERE.

GO!

[ HUMMING ]

I'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO SO MUCH FOR MY MOM

AND THE REST OF MY FAMILY.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S BEEN REALLY HARD

TO AVOID A LOT OF TEMPTATION

WHILE I'VE BEEN HERE.

THERE'S COOKIES, AND THERE'S LICORICE,

AND THERE'S EVERY SINGLE TRIGGER FOOD YOU CAN THINK OF.

BUT I'VE HAD TO REMIND MYSELF

WHAT'S WAITING FOR ME BACK IN HOUSTON.

I'M APPROVED FOR SKIN SURGERY AS LONG AS I DON'T MESS THAT UP.

IT'S NOT EASY, THOUGH.

I'M HEADED TO DR. NOWZARADAN'S OFFICE

TO GET MY WEIGHT CHECKED.

I'VE BEEN BACK FROM OREGON FOR A COUPLE DAYS NOW.

IT WAS SUCH AN INCREDIBLE AND LIFE-CHANGING TRIP,

BUT I'M READY TO BE BACK,

AND I'M READY FOR MY SKIN-REMOVAL SURGERY.

THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE,

I WAS DOWN TO 337,

AND DR. NOWZARADAN APPROVED ME FOR SKIN REMOVAL

BUT HE DIDN'T WANT TO DO MY SURGERY

BEFORE ALL OF MY TRAVELING

AND WANTED TO WAIT UNTIL I WAS BACK.

AND HE TOLD ME ALL I HAD TO DO WAS NOT GAIN

IF I WANTED TO KEEP THE APPROVAL FOR SURGERY.

SO THAT'S WHAT I'M HERE TO FIND OUT TODAY.

AND I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS,

BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF TEMPTATION

WHEN I WAS BACK HOME.

BRITTANI FULFER?

AND THERE WERE TIMES THAT I RESISTED.

BUT THERE WERE TIMES WHERE I GAVE IN.

SO I'M HOPING THAT I DIDN'T GET TOO FAR OFF TRACK

AND THAT I'M STILL APPROVED FOR MY SKIN REMOVAL.

ALL RIGHT, YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND GO TO THE ROOM.

HE'S GONNA YELL AT ME.

I'M JUST REALLY DISAPPOINTED RIGHT NOW,

AND I'M IN A LITTLE BIT OF SHOCK.

I DIDN'T THINK I WOULD'VE GAINED THAT MUCH.

I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW

WHAT DR. NOWZARADAN'S GONNA SAY TO ME.

I HAVE A FEELING HE'S GONNA BE A LITTLE BIT UPSET,

BUT I'M OPTIMISTIC

THAT HE'LL STILL CONTINUE WITH THE SURGERY PLAN.

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

-HI. -HELLO.

-HI. -HOW ARE Y'ALL DOING?

-PRETTY GOOD. -GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

I'M DOING OKAY. AND YOU?

I DON'T KNOW. I'M GOOD, I GUESS.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU DON'T KNOW?

I GAINED SOME, AND I'M A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED RIGHT NOW.

SO, I'M NERVOUS.

WELL, THERE MUST BE A REASON FOR IT, RIGHT?

I WAS IN OREGON, AND I DIDN'T EAT VERY WELL.

BUT SINCE I'VE BEEN BACK IN TEXAS,

I'VE BEEN DOING REALLY WELL.

SO, LET ME TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR SKIN AND SEE.

THIS IS SO EMBARRASSING. I HATE THIS.

SO, LEGS, TOO.

I MEAN, THEY'RE GROSS, BUT THE STOMACH IS LIKE THAT.

WELL, YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF EXTRA SKIN

-BUT A LOT OF FAT, TOO. -YEAH.

AND SO IF WE GET YOU TO LOSE SOME WEIGHT,

WE CAN TAKE ALL THAT EXTRA SKIN OFF.

SO, NO SURGERY NOW, OR WHAT?

-YOU HAVE GAINED TOO MUCH BACK. -ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

IF YOU LOSE 30 POUNDS IN ONE MONTH...

OKAY.

...THEN WE'LL CONSIDER DOING SKIN SURGERY.

-OKAY. -OKAY?

-SOUNDS GOOD. -SO, I'LL SEE YOU NEXT MONTH.

-OKAY. -AND HOPEFULLY,

YOU'LL BE 30 POUNDS LIGHTER

SO WE CAN DO YOUR SKIN SURGERY, OKAY?

-OKAY, SOUNDS GOOD. -ALL RIGHT.

I'M JUST DISAPPOINTED

THAT I DIDN'T GET MY SKIN SURGERY SCHEDULED.

BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS, AND IT'S NOT GONNA STOP ME

FROM DOING WHAT I NEED TO DO, SO...

I'M JUST UPSET.

BRITTANI HAS BEEN DOING VERY WELL FOR A WHILE NOW,

BUT I THINK SHE WASN'T FULLY PREPARED

TO BE OUT OF HER ELEMENT AND PATTERN

AND BEING AWAY FROM HOME.

BUT HOPEFULLY, THIS WILL BE A GOOD LEARNING MOMENT FOR HER,

BECAUSE SHE'S VERY DETERMINED,

AND SHE'S DOING VERY WELL OVERALL.

SHE JUST WASN'T EXPECTING THE TEMPTATION

TO CREEP BACK INTO HER LIFE SO EASILY.

Brittani: 30 POUNDS A MONTH IS DOABLE, AND IT'S WHAT I HAVE TO DO.

THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD,

AND I JUST HAVE TO CONTINUE WITH MY PROGRESS,

AND I HAVE TO GET BACK ON THE STUPID DIET

AND DO WHAT I HAVE TO DO.

**

TODAY, I AM GOING TO BE TALKING TO THE THERAPIST

ABOUT WHAT KIND OF THINGS ARE HANGING US UP

ON SEAN'S WEIGHT LOSS.

WE SEEM TO BE LACKING SOMETHING.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S ENERGY OR MOTIVATION OR WHAT,

BUT WE NEED SOMETHING TO HELP US MOVE AHEAD.

I THINK A LARGE PART OF SEAN'S PROBLEM IS HIS COMFORT ZONE.

PART OF THAT COMFORT ZONE IS HAVING MAMA CLOSE BY.

I REALLY STRUGGLE WITH THAT.

I WISH I HAD A MAGIC PILL I COULD TAKE

TO MAKE ME THE PERFECT MOM, BUT I DON'T.

-HI. -I'M DR. PARADISE.

-COME ON IN. -THANK YOU.

SO, TELL ME WHAT BROUGHT YOU IN TODAY.

UM, MY SON, SEAN,

IS TRYING TO CONTINUE TO LOSE

A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF WEIGHT.

AND WE SEEM TO HAVE STALLED.

SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK'S GOING ON?

WELL, WITH SEAN, HE'S GOT A LOT OF ISSUES.

HE'S GOT A BAD LEG FROM HIS INJURY YEARS AGO.

-MM-HMM. -HE'S GOT A BAD LEG.

HE'S GOT THE TORSION WOUND,

CAUSES HIM TREMENDOUS PAIN.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE BATTLING.

WE'RE BATTLING THAT PAIN ELEMENT EVERY SINGLE DAY.

BUT WHEN HE SAYS, "I'M IN PAIN,"

IT FEELS LIKE YOU'RE IN PAIN.

-YEAH. -WHICH ANY PARENT CAN RELATE TO.

AND THE SAME KIND OF GOES FOR THE FOOD.

IT'S JUST THAT IT'S THAT DAILY BATTLE.

AND FOR ME AS A MOM,

WHEN YOU'RE TRYING REAL HARD TO REIN IN THE CALORIES

AND YOU'RE KID'S GOING, "MOM, I'M REALLY HUNGRY" --

I'M SORRY. I'M REALLY AGITATED, SO BEAR WITH ME.

-OKAY. -SO, UM,

I MEAN, I WISH I COULD SIT HERE AND SAY

WE JUST MAKE 100% EFFORT

ALL THE TIME. WE DON'T.

WE TRY, THOUGH, EVERY SINGLE DAY.

-YOU KNOW WHAT I'M NOTICING? -WHAT?

YOU ALWAYS USE THE PRONOUN "WE."

YEAH, YEAH.

WHEN YOU GET EMOTIONAL, WHEN YOU SAY, "OUR PAIN,"

"WE'RE SUFFERING,"

IT PREVENTS YOU FROM BEING THE MOST EFFECTIVE MOM...

-OKAY. -...AND REALLY,

THE MOST EFFECTIVE CAREGIVER TO HIM.

I AGREE WITH YOU 100% ON THAT.

SO, I WANT YOU TO CREATE A BIGGER SEPARATION

BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU,

'CAUSE I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE BIGGEST BARRIERS YOU HAVE

TO KEEPING HIM ACCOUNTABLE...

-OKAY. -...AND RECOGNIZE THAT YOU CAN

PROVIDE THAT ACCOUNTABILITY TO HIM.

WELL, IT'S NICE THAT YOU TELL ME THAT,

BECAUSE IT GIVES ME PERMISSION,

YOU KNOW, TO DO THAT.

IT HELPS ALLEVIATE A LITTLE BIT OF THE GUILT.

RIGHT. I THINK I'M GONNA GO SEE HIM,

AND I'M GONNA REINFORCE THAT IDEA,

'CAUSE WHAT I WANT HIM TO THINK IS,

"MOM'S DOING GREAT. SHE'S DOING HER OWN THING,

AND IF I DON'T FIGURE THIS OUT..."

-YEAH. -"...IF I DON'T LOSE THE WEIGHT,

-I'M NOT GONNA HAVE MUCH FUN." -RIGHT, RIGHT.

I WANT BEING HOME WITH YOU TO NOT BE VERY MUCH FUN

-FOR HIM... -RIGHT, RIGHT.

...SO THAT HE HAS SOME MOTIVATION TO GET OUT.

YEAH, YEAH. RIGHT. EXACTLY.

-IT WAS REALLY GOOD TO MEET YOU. -SAME HERE, DOCTOR.

-THANK YOU. -GREAT. OKAY.

THANKS.

ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT WE HIT ON WAS THE --

IF SHE WERE TO DO A BETTER JOB TAKING CARE OR HERSELF

AND IF SHE CAN SEPARATE HERSELF FROM HIM,

SHE'LL ACTUALLY BE MUCH MORE HELPFUL TO SEAN.

THE ABILITY TO SAY NO TO HIM IS PROBABLY MUCH MORE HELPFUL

THAN THE ABILITY TO SAY YES RIGHT NOW.

WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT HIS LIFE AND DEATH HERE.

THIS THERAPY SESSION WITH DR. PARADISE WAS OKAY.

IT'S KIND OF HARD TO SAY I FELT HE GAVE ME GOOD ADVICE,

'CAUSE HE BASICALLY TOLD ME WHAT I ALREADY KNOW.

BUT I DON'T THINK IT'LL HELP SEAN.

SO IT'S SOMETHING WE'LL JUST HAVE TO LOOK AT

AND ADDRESS ON OUR OWN.

Sean: THE THERAPIST DR. NOWZARADAN IS SENDING

IS COMING OVER TO SEE ME TODAY,

AND I'M NOT REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

-HI, DR. PARADISE. -HI, RENEE. HOW ARE YOU?

GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

HI, SEAN. I'M DR. PARADISE.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

-HOW'S IT GOING? -ALL RIGHT.

Renee: MAKE YOURSELF COMFY, HOWEVER YOU...

GREAT.

SO, UM, RENEE, ARE YOU GONNA TAKE OFF

-WHILE WE'RE TALKING? -I AM, RIGHT NOW.

-AWESOME. -EXACTLY WHAT I PLANNED TO DO.

GOOD. GREAT! GOOD. HAVE FUN!

OKAY.

SO, IT'S GOOD TO MEET YOU IN PERSON.

-NICE TO MEET YOU, TOO. -I MET YOUR MOTHER LAST WEEK,

SO I KNOW A LOT ABOUT YOU FROM HER.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MOM.

IT'S A PRETTY GOOD RELATIONSHIP.

OKAY. YOU MOM STRUGGLES.

SHE HAS A HARD TIME SEPARATING HERSELF

ENOUGH FROM YOU TO PUSH YOU,

AND THAT WHEN YOU'VE BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL

IT'S BEEN MUCH EASIER FOR YOU TO STICK TO A DIET.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS ABOUT THE HOSPITAL

THAT HURTS YOUR APPETITE LESS?

PERSONAL REASONS.

SOUNDS LIKE A SECRET.

IS IT RELATED TO DIGESTION OR SOMETHING,

OR USING THE BATHROOM?

NO.

OH, OH. SO, HE'S INTIMIDATING TO YOU.

YEAH. WHEN YOU'RE ACCOUNTABLE TO SOMEBODY,

MAYBE SOMEBODY STRONG,

THAT SEEMS TO HELP YOU GUYS.

IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MAKING YOU UNCOMFORTABLE?

-NO, I'M HOT. I'M REALLY HOT. -IT'S KIND OF INTERESTING

HOW WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY --

NO, IT'S NOT THAT. I'M LITERALLY ROASTING.

OKAY. 'CAUSE IN THE LONG RUN,

SEAN, YOU HAVE TO BE ACCOUNTABLE TO YOURSELF.

-LOOK, I DO WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT. -MM-HMM.

I REALLY AM TRYING TO WATCH WHAT I EAT.

WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU WERE UP AND WALKING AROUND,

YOU WEREN'T STUCK IN A BED?

[ SIGHS ] IT'S BEEN MAYBE

FIVE, SIX YEARS,

BACK BEFORE THE WOUNDS STARTED HURTING LIKE CRAZY.

SO, THE WOUNDS ARE JUST STOPPING YOU RIGHT IN YOUR TRACKS?

PRETTY MUCH, BASICALLY.

SO WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU WALKED

AND SORT OF PUSHED THROUGH THE PAIN?

COULD YOU DO THAT?

LONG TERM, PROBABLY...

WOULD HAVE TO TRY AND FIND A WAY THROUGH THE PAIN.

-YEAH. -I'M NOT SURE HOW.

I WANT WANT TO HEAR YOU SAYING SOMETHING LIKE,

"I'M JUST GONNA GET UP AND WALK. I KNOW I NEED TO WALK."

OKAY, I KNOW I DO NEED TO WALK,

AND I DO WANT TO WALK.

OKAY.

BUT I REALLY CAN'T YET.

IT'S JUST TOO HARD TO DO.

-AT THE MOMENT. -AT THE MOMENT.

WHAT ELSE ARE YOU GONNA DO?

MORE CALORIE REDUCTION.

THE THING THAT I WANT YOU TO FOCUS ON,

SEAN, IS THE STUFF THAT YOU HAVE CONTROL OVER.

HEY, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING UP AND MOVING.

GOOD. I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT. THAT'S A GOOD GOAL.

BELIEVE ME, I'M BORED OUT OF MY SKULL.

THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF OUTSIDE OF THIS APARTMENT

THAT WOULD BE VERY INTERESTING TO YOU.

YEAH. YOU, TOO.

I'LL TALK TO YOU LATER.

-IT WAS A PLEASURE MEETING YOU. -TAKE CARE, SEAN.

Sean: I DO WANT TO WORK TOWARD THE GOALS WE TALKED ABOUT.

SO I'M GOING TO THINK A LOT ABOUT WHAT WE DISCUSSED,

AND MAYBE DISCUSS IT WITH MY MOM,

'CAUSE WE BOTH JUST WANT ME TO FIGURE OUT

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT AND DO MORE.

**

Brittani: AFTER MY LAST DOCTOR VISIT,

THIS FEAR JUST STARTED TO SET IN,

BECAUSE I REALIZED JUST HOW EASY IT IS TO START GAINING AGAIN.

IT'S THE SMALL COMPROMISES YOU KEEP MAKING OVER TIME

THAT START TO ADD UP

AND GET YOU TO A PLACE THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO BE.

NOW THAT I SEE IT, I CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

SO I'M STARTING BACK UP WITH A TRAINER AGAIN.

-HI. -HI.

-I'M BRITTANI. -I'M DOMINIC.

-NICE TO MEET YOU. -NICE TO MEET YOU.

SO, YOU COMING TO DO PILATES TODAY?

-YEAH. -ALL RIGHT.

EVEN IF IT TAKES ME OUTSIDE MY COMFORT ZONE LIKE THIS,

I'M NOT LETTING A SINGLE EXCUSE HOLD ME BACK.

STRAIGHT DOWN AND AROUND.

IN A WAY, I'M SEEING THIS SETBACK

AS A BLESSING IN DISGUISE,

BECAUSE IT MAY HAVE SLOWED MY PROGRESS NOW,

BUT IT'S HELPING ME SEE HOW TO SET A COURSE FOR MY FUTURE

SO THAT IT NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN.

AND THAT, TO ME, IS STRENGTH.

**

I'M AT DR. NOWZARADAN'S OFFICE,

AND I'M ABOUT TO GET MY NEXT WEIGH-IN.

-BRITTANI FULFER. -LAST TIME,

I MESSED UP MY APPROVAL FOR SKIN-REMOVAL SURGERY

BY GAINING WEIGHT, AND DR. NOWZARADAN TOLD ME

IF I WANT TO GET APPROVED AGAIN,

I HAD ONE MONTH TO LOSE 30 POUNDS

AND GET UNDER 335 POUNDS.

SO I REALLY HOPE I HIT THAT GOAL TODAY.

TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU!

THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I SAID I WAS GONNA BE, EXACTLY.

I KNEW I HAD MADE GOOD PROGRESS,

BECAUSE I WAS WORKING SO HARD.

BUT IT'S STILL GOOD TO SEE IT ACTUALLY ON THE SCALE

AND FIND OUT HOW MUCH I LOST.

AND I'M JUST REALLY PROUD OF MYSELF RIGHT NOW.

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

-HELLO. -HI.

HOW YOU ALL DOING?

-GOOD. -OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, YOU'RE DOWN TO 329 POUNDS. YES.

SO YOU LOST 36 POUNDS THIS PAST MONTH.

-YES. -WELL, THAT'S GREAT.

SO, YOU FEEL YOU'RE READY FOR SKIN REMOVAL?

YEAH? SUPER. HOW'S YOUR EXTRA SKIN FEEL?

-IT'S PRETTY CRAZY. -OKAY. ALL RIGHT.

WELL, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND SEE.

-[ CHUCKLES ] -OKAY.

EVERYTHING DOWN?

YEAH, PLEASE.

ALL RIGHT. SO THAT'S A WHOLE LOT OF EXTRA SKIN.

-YEAH. -YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO LOSE

AROUND 30 POUNDS OF EXCESS SKIN.

I'M PROUD OF ALL YOUR WEIGHT LOSS,

AND YOU'VE DONE VERY WELL.

WAIT, HOLD ON, HOLD ON, HOLD ON.

SO, THIS IS A GO? LIKE, WE'RE GOOD TO GOOD?

LIKE, APPROVAL -- LIKE, WE'RE GONNA PLAN ON THIS?

YES, YOU'RE GONNA BE APPROVED FOR THE SURGERY.

-OKAY. -SO WE'LL TAKE IT OUT

-WITH THE LOWER PART... -OKAY.

...AND ALSO, WE'RE GONNA TAKE IT OUT THIS WAY, TOO.

-OH, JESUS. OKAY. -SO, WE'RE TAKE ALL THAT SIDE

AND PULL IT IN,

AND TAKE ALL THIS EXTRA SKIN OUT...

-OKAY. -...AND ALL THAT STUFF.

OKAY, WE'LL GET YOU IN THE SCHEDULE FOR NEXT MONTH,

AND THEN I'LL SEE YOU THEN.

-SO, I'M -- I'M GOOD? -GOOD, AND I'M GLAD

YOU CAME ALL THAT WAY AND YOU DID DO WELL.

-THANK YOU, SIR. -ALL RIGHT.

-WE'LL SEE Y'ALL LATER. -THANK YOU, DOCTOR.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

SO, THAT WAS, LIKE, CLEAR-CUT, CONCISE.

YEAH.

I'M PROUD OF BRITTANI,

AND I FEEL LIKE SHE HAS HER WEIGHT LOSS BACK UNDER CONTROL,

AND SHE'S READY FOR HER FIRST SKIN REMOVAL.

THIS REMOVAL WILL TAKE A GOOD AMOUNT OF SKIN

THAT WILL ALLOW HER TO MOVE AROUND

AND DO MORE WITHOUT ALL THE PAIN AND DISCOMFORT

THAT IS CAUSED BY HER STOMACH HANGING OVER HER LIKE THAT.

Brittani: THIS SURGERY IS GOING TO BE LIFE-CHANGING FOR ME,

AND I CAN'T WAIT.

IT'S STILL KIND OF SINKING IN

ABOUT HOW MUCH THIS IS GOING TO CHANGE MY LIFE.

AND I'LL BE IN THE 200s THEN.

AND THIS JUST ALL SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

Dr. Nowzaradan: TODAY WE ARE DOING

BRITTANI'S FIRST SKIN-REMOVAL SURGERY.

I'M GOING TO BE REMOVING

ALL THE EXCESS SKIN AROUND HER STOMACH,

WHICH SHOULD BE ABOUT 25 TO 30 POUNDS

IN TOTAL OFF HER BODY.

BUT THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY EXTENSIVE PROCEDURE,

AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE ANYWHERE

BETWEEN FIVE TO SIX HOURS TODAY TO COMPLETE.

OKAY.

BRITTANI HAS SPENT MOST OF HER LIFE BEING OVERWEIGHT

AND DOESN'T REMEMBER WHAT IT'S LIKE

TO HAVE A FLAT STOMACH.

SO THAT'S WHAT WE ARE HOPING TO GIVE HER TODAY.

SHE'LL BE ABLE TO MOVE AROUND

WITHOUT HER STOMACH GETTING IN HER WAY

AND CAUSING HER A LOT OF DISCOMFORT.

WAITING FOR BRITTANI TO COME OUT OF SURGERY IS ALWAYS HARD,

'CAUSE YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.

SO I'M NERVOUS JUST 'CAUSE ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN THERE.

Dr. Nowzaradan: ALL RIGHT, WE CAN SUTURE HER UP.

ALL RIGHT, ALL FINISHED.

ALL RIGHT, LET'S WEIGH IT AND SEE HOW MUCH WE REMOVED.

OKAY, 27.4 POUND.

Man: OPEN YOUR EYES FOR ME.

BRITTANI'S SURGERY WENT VERY WELL,

AND WE WERE ABLE TO REMOVE

ALL THE EXCESS SKIN AROUND HER STOMACH.

ONCE SHE HEALS, THIS IS GONNA BE

A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT FOR HER,

AND SHE'LL BE ABLE TO DO A LOT MORE

AND FEEL BETTER ABOUT HERSELF.

THIS KIND OF SKIN SURGERY

TAKES ABOUT TWO MONTHS TO COMPLETELY HEAL.

BUT WHEN SHE DOES,

SHE'S GOING TO HAVE A LOT MORE ENERGY

AND FEEL A WHOLE LOT BETTER.

**

Sean: AFTER TALKING TO THE THERAPIST, MY MOM AND ME TALKED,

AND WE DECIDED I DO NEED TO START DOING MORE ON MY OWN.

SO WHAT WE CAME UP WITH

WAS THAT WHILE SHE GOES TO THE GROCERY STORE TO SHOP,

I'LL CLEAN UP AROUND THE HOUSE.

SHE SHOWED ME A FEW THINGS,

LIKE HOW THE WASHING MACHINE WORKS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.

SO I'M DOING LAUNDRY,

AND THAT WILL GET ME MOVING AROUND MORE.

I THINK IT'LL HELP ME BURN CALORIES AND STUFF

AND HELP GET MY METABOLISM UP.

I'M ALSO MAKING MY OWN FOOD DURING THE DAY.

MY MOM STILL COOKS DINNER,

BUT I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR MY OWN FOOD CHOICES NOW

FOR BREAKFAST AND LUNCH.

FRANKLY, RIGHT AT THE MOMENT I CAN ONLY DO A SANDWICH

OR A SMALL TV DINNER,

BUT EVEN THOSE ARE, AT MOST,

ABOUT 300 CALORIES.

AND I'M TRYING TO STAY WITHIN MY CALORIE LIMITS,

BUT IT'S A LOT HARDER WITHOUT MY MOM TRACKING IT ALL,

SO I'M TRYING TO BE REALLY CAREFUL RIGHT NOW.

MY MOM AND I BOTH WANT TO FIND WAYS

FOR ME TO MAKE MORE PROGRESS,

AND RIGHT NOW, WE KNOW THAT MEANS

WE HAVE TO START SPENDING SOME MORE TIME APART.

AND IT'S NOT EASY FOR EITHER OF US,

BUT WE KNOW IT'S WHAT HAS TO BE DONE

IF I'M GOING TO GET MY LIFE BACK AND START LIVING AGAIN.

**

Brittani: I'VE BEEN HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL FOR A COUPLE WEEKS NOW,

AND IT STILL HURTS TO MOVE AROUND TOO MUCH.

BUT I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT HOW MY BODY IS STARTING TO LOOK.

-YOU IN THERE? YOU GOT IT? -YEAH.

BILL'S BEEN TAKING CARE OF ME, BUT WHEN HE'S AT WORK,

MY FRIEND KAYCEE'S BEEN STAYING WITH US TO HELP.

EVERY DAY THAT PASSES, I START TO HEAL A LITTLE MORE,

AND I START TO SEE MORE OF A GLIMPSE

OF WHAT MY BODY'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE.

BUT DR. NOWZARADAN SAYS I NEED TWO MORE SKIN SURGERIES

AFTER THIS ONE FOR MY ARMS AND LEGS.

AND AFTER THAT, I THINK I'LL BE AT MY TARGET WEIGHT,

AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

Sean: IT'S BEEN A REALLY HARD MONTH.

I'M DOING A LOT MORE, AND I'M MOSTLY ON MY OWN.

A FEW WEEKS AGO, MY MOM WAS RESTING

AND STARTED FEELING SICK,

AND NOW SHE'S IN THE HOSPITAL,

AND THEY DON'T KNOW IF IT'S REALLY SERIOUS OR NOT.

I'M SO SCARED RIGHT NOW, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO,

SO DR. PARADISE IS COMING OVER TO TALK TO ME.

-HEY, SEAN. -HELLO.

-WHAT'S HAPPENING? -NOTHING MUCH.

SO, TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOU.

UH, MY MOM'S IN THE HOSPITAL,

SO I'M FENDING FOR MYSELF.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT YOUR MOM?

SHE JUST STARTED GETTING SICK.

HER STOMACH STARTED SWELLING UP.

OH, WOW. OKAY.

AND IT GOT TO THE POINT WHERE SHE COULDN'T MOVE.

SHE WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN.

SO SHE WAS IN HER OWN BED, STUCK.

-YEAH. -WOW.

IT'S KIND OF A ROLE REVERSAL, RIGHT?

-YEAH. -WHAT WAS THAT LIKE

TO WATCH YOUR MOM GET THAT SICK?

IT'S REALLY SCARY.

YEAH, IT MUST HELP YOU UNDERSTAND

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WATCH YOU SOMETIMES, RIGHT?

-YEAH. -SO MAYBE THAT WILL

BE MOTIVATION TO LOSE WEIGHT. YOU THINK?

-YEAH. -YEAH.

SO, HOW DOES THAT MAKE LIFE DIFFERENT FOR YOU?

I GOT TO GET UP

AND MAKE FOOD AND STUFF.

HOW ARE YOU EATING NOW THAT YOUR MOM'S NOT HERE

TO BRING THE FOOD TO YOU?

I'M KIND OF JUST DOING SANDWICHES AT THE MOMENT.

SO YOU GET UP AND MAKE YOURSELF A SANDWICH?

-YEAH. -THAT'S GREAT.

INTERESTINGLY, I ACTUALLY TOUCHED THE FLOOR.

-FIRST TIME IN A WHILE. -YEAH.

I DROPPED A PACKAGE OF DELI MEAT.

SO YOU HAD TO REACH DOWN FOR IT?

YEAH, AND I WAS LIKE,

"OH, I'M IN TROUBLE."

-YEAH. -I'M LIKE, "EH, I'LL JUST TRY,"

AND I ACTUALLY MANAGED TO GRAB IT.

THAT'S GREAT.

FOR A FAT GUY OF MY SIZE TOUCH HIS TOES...

IT'S A BIG DEAL.

...THAT'S QUITE THE ACCOMPLISHMENT.

SO YOU'RE PROBABLY UP MORE.

HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU THINK YOU GET UP A DAY NOW?

THREE OR FOUR TIMES A DAY.

OKAY. AND ONE OF MY HOPES IS THAT YOU CAN KEEP THIS

EVEN WHEN YOUR MOM COMES BACK.

I'M GOING TO.

SO, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE GOT A WHILE

OF TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF, EVEN UNDER THE BEST SCENARIO.

SO I WANT TO SET SOME GOALS FOR YOU BEFORE I LEAVE.

I WOULD REALLY WANT YOU TO USE THIS TIME TO DO THINGS

THAT WOULD IMPRESS YOUR MOM AND IMPRESS YOURSELF.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE ABLE TO DO

IF YOU WERE GONNA BE MORE INDEPENDENT, OR --

JUST STANDING A LITTLE BIT MORE EVERY DAY.

-MM-HMM. -AND I DON'T MEAN WALKING,

BUT JUST STAND.

CAN YOU DO IT BY YOURSELF RIGHT NOW?

-YEAH. -YOU WANT TO SHOW ME

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO STAND? I'D JUST LIKE TO SEE IT.

[ SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY ]

WELL, LET'S SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.

THAT'S AMAZING!

LOOK AT YOU. SEAN, THAT'S GREAT.

HOW HARD IS IT FOR YOU TO GET BACK INTO BED?

YOU DID THAT ALL BY YOURSELF.

I DON'T THINK ANYBODY EVEN NEEDED TO BE HERE FOR THAT.

I THINK YOUR MOM WOULD BE REALLY HAPPY

TO SEE YOU STAND UP LIKE THAT.

OKAY, SO I'M GONNA SEE YOU LATER?

-YEAH. -TAKE CARE.

SEE YA.

GLAD TO SEE YA.

Sean: TALKING TO DR. PARADISE HELPED SOME TODAY.

I DON'T FEEL QUITE AS TRAPPED.

BUT I'M STILL OBVIOUSLY REAL WORRIED ABOUT MY MOM.

I HAVE NO CHOICE --

I HAVE TO LOSE MORE WEIGHT SO I CAN DO MORE

AND TAKE CARE OF MYSELF NOW.

BRITTANI FULFER?

Brittani: IT'S BEEN ABOUT SIX WEEKS SINCE MY SKIN-REMOVAL SURGERY,

AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE WHAT MY WEIGHT IS TODAY.

OKAY.

I WEIGHED 329 LAST TIME I WAS HERE,

AND I'M HOPING TO BE AT LEAST IN THE 280s TODAY.

I HAVE NOT BEEN THIS SIZE SINCE I WAS A SENIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL,

SO I'M REALLY STOKED ABOUT IT.

-HELLO. -HI.

-HOW Y'ALL DOING? -DOING ALL RIGHT.

I'M OKAY.

WELL, YOU'RE DOWN TO 272 POUNDS TODAY.

THAT'S OVER 330 POUNDS THAT YOU LOST.

-WOW. THAT'S GREAT. -IT'S CRAZY.

ALL RIGHT, LET'S SEE HOW YOUR STOMACH LOOKS LIKE.

LOOKS LIKE IT'S HEALING WELL.

THE HOLES FROM THE DRAIN

NEED TO CLOSE A LITTLE BIT MORE,

AND THE INCISION WILL START TO BLEND IN

OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.

SO THAT'S ANOTHER PROBLEM, HUH?

YEAH, BUT I CAN DEAL WITH MY ARMS.

AND THOSE ARE JUST THE BAT WINGS THAT, UH...

[ LAUGHTER ]

YOU DID NOT JUST CALL MY ARMS "BAT WINGS."

WELL, IT'S NOT A TECHNICAL TERM.

[ LAUGHTER ]

WELL, YOU KNOW?

Dr. Nowzaradan: BRITTANI HAS WORKED VERY HARD

AND HAS STAYED ON TRACK FOR ALMOST AN ENTIRE YEAR.

AND WHEN SHE HAD A MINOR SETBACK,

SHE GOT RIGHT BACK UP, AND SHE LOST HER WEIGHT.

SHE IS HEALING WELL WITH NO ISSUES,

AND SHE'S TAKING CARE OF HER SUTURES LIKE SHE NEEDS,

SO I FEEL CONFIDENT

THAT SHE'S READY FOR HER NEXT BIG STEP.

SO, YOUR LEGS WILL BE READY IN A COUPLE MONTHS

AS YOU LOSE MORE WEIGHT.

BUT I THINK YOU CAN HAVE YOUR ARMS DONE.

-OKAY. SOUNDS GOOD. -OKAY?

SO WE'LL SET YOU UP FOR YOUR SURGERY,

AND WE'LL GO FROM THERE.

-OKAY. -I HAVE NO DOUBT

THAT SHE'LL BE AT HER FINAL TARGET WEIGHT OF 160 POUNDS

IN THE NEXT FOUR TO SIX MONTHS.

THANK YOU.

DR. NOW TOOK ME BY SURPRISE.

I THOUGHT HE WAS GONNA SAY,

"GET UNDER 200 POUNDS, I'LL DO YOU LEGS."

SO I'M THINKING I HAVE, YOU KNOW, TWO, THREE MONTHS.

SO I'M EXCITED, BECAUSE THIS IS

WHAT I'VE WANTED FOR 20-PLUS YEARS.

I'VE JUST WANTED TO BE A NORMAL PERSON.

AND I'M NOT QUITE THERE YET,

BUT I'M CLOSER NOW THAN I HAVE EVER BEEN.

I'VE NEVER BEEN THIS SIZE. I'VE NEVER BEEN THIS SMALL.

I'VE NEVER BEEN THIS HEALTHY.

AND I AM SO EXCITED EVERY DAY,

AND I'M JUST HAPPY.

I'M HAPPIER NOW THAN I'VE EVER BEEN.

**

Sean: I CAN'T GO OUTSIDE ON MY OWN YET,

SO DR. NOWZARADAN GOT ME A MEDICAL-CARE ASSISTANT

TO HELP ME LEAVE THE HOUSE SO I CAN GET OUT AND DO THINGS.

AND SO TODAY, I'M GOING SHOPPING,

BECAUSE I'M OUT FOOD.

I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT I'LL BE BUYING TODAY,

BUT I AM DEFINITELY GOING TO BE AIMING FOR HEALTHIER FOODS.

MY MOM ALWAYS DID ALL THE SHOPPING,

AND I NEVER REALLY WENT OUT.

SO I'M AMAZED BY ALL THE STUFF HERE IN THE STORE.

-WE HAVE EGGS -- -WHAT THE HECK ARE THESE?

YOU LIKE THESE MANGOS?

-OH, THAT'S A MANGO? -YEAH.

IT'S FUN TO BE ABLE TO CHOOSE WHAT I WANT.

OKAY, THAT'S A FIRST.

-THE CACTUS IS KIND OF WEIRD. -MM-HMM.

NEVER ACTUALLY SEEN CACTUS BEFORE IN A STORE.

ONE THING I LIKE ABOUT BEING IN THE HOUSE

AND HAVING FOOD BROUGHT TO ME --

I DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE TEMPTATION OF ALL THE JUNK FOOD.

[ Sighing ] OKAY, THAT'S JUST NOT FAIR.

BUT IT'S NOT AS HARD AS I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.

I STILL DON'T KNOW WHEN MY MOM MAY BE GETTING BETTER

AND COMING HOME, AND I'M WORRIED ABOUT HER.

BUT I'M ALSO FOCUSED ON DOING WHAT I NEED TO

TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF.

THE LAST TIME I CHECKED MY WEIGHT WITH DR. NOW,

I WAS DOWN TO 500 POUNDS.

IT'S LIKE A 60-POUND WEIGHT LOSS I DID ALL ON MY OWN.

AND A YEAR AGO, THIS WOULDN'T HAVE EVEN BEEN POSSIBLE.

-OKAY, KIDDO. -THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO WAY

I COULD EVEN TRY AND GET OUT OF MY BED, MUCH LESS ON MY OWN.

I'M STARTING TO SHAKE, MOM.

ALL RIGHT, YOU SHOULD BE GOOD, HONEY. THERE YOU GO.

I THINK MY MOM WOULD BE PROUD OF ME RIGHT NOW.

I'M NOT JUST TRAPPED TO MY BED ANYMORE.

I'M STARTING TO HAVE A FUTURE TO LOOK TOWARD,

AND THAT'S AN AMAZING FEELING.

**

Brittani: THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS

HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE MOST AMAZING OF MY LIFE.

I HAD MY SECOND SKIN SURGERY ABOUT FIVE WEEKS AGO,

AND ONCE DR. NOWZARADAN SAID I WAS HEALED ENOUGH TO TRAVEL,

BILL AND I DECIDED TO DO A ROMANTIC GETAWAY TO CHICAGO.

AND SO FAR, IT'S BEEN INCREDIBLE.

I'VE ALWAYS LOVED SPENDING TIME WITH BILL,

AND NOW THAT WE'RE ABLE TO BE MORE OF A TYPICAL COUPLE,

OUR MARRIAGE IS JUST GETTING STRONGER AND STRONGER.

Bill: BEING OUT WITH BRITTANI,

WE'RE JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER COUPLE NOW.

WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHERE WE'RE GONNA STOP,

HOW FAR WE CAN WALK.

WE'RE JUST OUT AND ABOUT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE.

OH, LORD. OKAY.

Brittani: TWO YEARS AGO, I COULD HARDLY GO ANYWHERE OR DO ANYTHING.

AND NOW I FEEL LIKE JUST A NORMAL, EVERYDAY PERSON

DOING WHAT ANY TOURIST WOULD DO.

AND I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO GO TO THE SKYDECK,

AND NOT ONLY STAND ON IT

BUT LAY ON IT AND TAKE A PICTURE.

OH, MY GOD. THIS IS SO COOL.

LAYING ON THE SKYDECK AND GETTING PICTURES,

THAT WAS AMAZING.

I'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

AND PEOPLE WERE LOOKING AT ME,

BUT IT WASN'T BECAUSE OF MY WEIGHT.

IT WAS BECAUSE, "WHAT IS THIS CHICK DOING LAYING ON THE FLOOR,

AND WHY IS SHE LAYING ON THE FLOOR?"

I HAVE LOST APPROXIMATELY 400 POUNDS,

AND THAT NUMBER IS JUST INCREDIBLE TO ME.

I FEEL AMAZING NOW,

AND I'M FINALLY STARTING TO SEE MYSELF AS A NORMAL PERSON.

**

HOW DO I LOOK?

-YOU LOOK GREAT. -THANK YOU.

NOW I FEEL LIKE A PRETTY WOMAN,

AND I'VE NEVER REALLY TRULY FELT THAT WAY.

THE TRANSFORMATION BRITTANI'S DONE OVER THIS JOURNEY

FROM BEING ALMOST 600 POUNDS TO WHERE SHE IS NOW

IS JUST AMAZING.

I'M JUST SO PROUD OF HER.

Brittani: I FEEL LIKE BILL AND I ARE IN A PLACE

WHERE WE CAN START TO LOOK TO THE FUTURE.

YOU WANT THE VIEW?

AND THE FUTURE WE WANT IS ONE WITH KIDS.

THAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST MOTIVATION

FOR ME TO LOSE THE WEIGHT.

SO AFTER MY NEXT SKIN SURGERY,

WE ARE GONNA TRY TO START A FAMILY,

AND I'M SO EXCITED.

AND I'M SO GRATEFUL TO BE WHERE I AM

TO HAVE HAD THIS CHANCE TO HAVE THE LIFE I DREAMED OF.

AND I WOULDN'T CHANGE THE PAST TWO YEARS FOR ANYTHING.

AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT TOMORROW HOLDS.

I'M HAPPY. ARE YOU HAPPY?

I'M HAPPY.

-I LOVE YOU. -LOVE YOU, TOO.