Original subtitles

Tamy: LIVING IN MY BODY IS MISERABLE, AND THIS IS MY FAULT.

I LET MYSELF GET HERE.

[ BOTH GROANING ]

Liz: MY LIFE IS WASTING AWAY, AND I HATE IT.

Woman: I TRY TO CHANGE, BUT SOMETHING ALWAYS KNOCKS ME DOWN.

MY LIFE, IT'S LIKE LIVING A DEATH SENTENCE.

AH!

OW, [BLEEP].

THIS IS NO LIFE FOR ANYONE.

Woman #2: OH, JUST PRAY FOR ME.

OW, MY LEG!

SIT DOWN RIGHT THERE. WAIT.

YOU'RE MAKING ME MAD. ALL RIGHT.

THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE.

[ DOOR CLOSES ]

MOM.

ARE YOU OKAY?

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

**

Tamy: SOMETIMES, THE HARDEST PRISONS TO ESCAPE FROM

ARE THE ONES WE BUILD FOR OURSELVES.

**

**

[ GRUNTS ]

**

**

THE FIRST THING THAT HAPPENS EACH MORNING

IS I GET OUT OF BED,

AND MY STOMACH NEARLY HITS THE FLOOR.

IT JUST HANGS THERE,

AND IT IS PUTTING INTENSE PRESSURE

ON THE REST OF MY BODY.

MY BELLY IS SAGGING MORE AND MORE,

AND IT FEELS LIKE I'M ALWAYS OFF-BALANCE.

LIVING IN MY BODY IS MISERABLE.

**

EVERY DAY, LITTLE THINGS, LITTLE THINGS ARE SUCH AN ISSUE.

YOU KNOW, IF I DIDN'T HAVE THIS BIG MASS OF FAT

AND EVERYTHING IN FRONT OF ME,

EVERYTHING ELSE WOULDN'T BE AS DIFFICULT TO DO.

**

I CAN'T STAND IN THE SHOWER.

I'M JUST TOO SCARED OF FALLING, SO I SIT ON THE SIDE OF THE TUB.

I WET THE TUB DOWN, AND THEN I KIND OF SLIDE DOWN INTO THE TUB,

WHICH I BARELY FIT INTO IT.

**

I LIKE TO DO AS MUCH AS I CAN FOR MYSELF

WHEN IT COMES TO TAKING A BATH.

I DON'T LIKE TO ASK FOR HELP IF I CAN TRY NOT TO.

I WANT TO KEEP WHAT LITTLE INDEPENDENCE I HAVE LEFT.

I WASH WHAT I CAN REACH.

James: YEAH.

AND THEN MY HUSBAND WILL HELP ME WITH THINGS THAT I CAN'T REACH.

**

ANYTHING BELOW MY STOMACH, I HAVE TO HAVE HELP WITH.

I CAN'T REACH NOTHING DOWN THERE.

I DO A LOT FOR TAMY BECAUSE SHE CAN'T DO IT.

IT'S VERY SHOCKING TO SEE HER GET LIKE THIS.

SHE'S JUST GETTING WORSE AND WORSE.

**

Tamy: NOBODY IMAGINES THEY WILL BE 45 AND BATHED LIKE A CHILD.

BUT HERE I AM, AND THIS IS MY REALITY.

YEAH.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

WHEN I LOOK DOWN AND SEE WHAT HAS BECOME OF MY BODY,

I FEEL SHAME.

**

I'M SO DISGUSTED WITH MYSELF.

**

I HATE MY WHOLE BODY, BUT THE PART OF MY BODY

THAT I HATE THE MOST IS MY STOMACH.

MY BELLY HAS GOTTEN TO THE POINT

WHERE IT'S GOT A MIND OF ITS OWN.

IT DOES WHAT IT WANTS. IT GOES WHERE IT WANTS.

**

I FEEL LIKE I HAVE BOWLING BALLS IN BETWEEN MY LEGS,

AND IT'S SO PAINFUL.

I CAN'T EVEN SIT ON THE BED LIKE A NORMAL PERSON...

BECAUSE MY BELLY HANGS OFF SO MUCH.

EVEN DRYING MYSELF IS A CHORE BECAUSE BEING MY SIZE,

I CAN'T LIFT MY BELLY UP TO DRY UNDERNEATH IT,

SO MY FAN HAS TO DO A LOT OF MY DRYING,

AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S DIFFICULT.

IF I SIT UP TOO LONG, IT HURTS.

MY WHOLE BODY HURTS,

AND I KNOW THIS IS MY FAULT.

I LET MYSELF GET HERE.

I NEVER THOUGHT MY LIFE WAS GOING TO BE LIKE THIS.

**

I WAS THE YOUNGEST CHILD IN OUR FAMILY.

MY BROTHER WAS 11 YEARS OLDER,

AND MY SISTER WAS 19 YEARS OLDER THAN ME...

...SO I ESSENTIALLY GREW UP ALONE WITH MY MOM AND DAD,

AND AS A SMALL CHILD, I WAS A PRETTY NORMAL SIZE,

BUT SOCIALLY, I WASN'T LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE.

I'D GET VERY NERVOUS.

I'D STUTTER.

KIDS WOULD MAKE FUN OF ME, AND IT JUST MADE ME FEEL HORRIBLE,

BUT WHEN I WAS 8, MY LIFE CHANGED IN AN INSTANT.

MY MOM AND I WERE IN THE KITCHEN FIXING SOMETHING,

AND MY DAD WAS WALKING INTO THE LIVING ROOM,

AND HE COLLAPSED AND FELL TO THE FLOOR,

HAD A HEART ATTACK AND DIED.

AFTER MY FATHER PASSED AWAY, MY LIFE WAS NEVER THE SAME.

MY MOM JUST FELL APART.

SHE HAD A HARD TIME GETTING OUT OF BED,

AND SHE WENT INTO A DEEP DEPRESSION,

AND IT WAS LIKE I LOST MY MOM, TOO.

SO I'M THIS LITTLE KID AT HOME WITH NOBODY

TO REALLY TAKE CARE OF ME.

BECAUSE MY MOM WASN'T THERE, YOU KNOW, I TURNED TO THE FOOD.

I COULD JUST EAT WHATEVER I WANTED WHEN I WANTED,

AND IT WAS MY FRIEND.

IT WAS MY PARENT, MY LOVED ONE.

AND WHEN I WAS ABOUT 10,

I WAS THE ONE THAT DID ALL THE SHOPPING FOR MY MOM,

AND IF I WANTED SODA, I BOUGHT IT.

IF I WANTED PIE, I BOUGHT IT.

IF I WANTED ICE CREAM, I BOUGHT IT

BECAUSE SHE WOULD JUST GIVE ME MONEY,

AND SHE LET ME GET WHATEVER I WANTED.

SO I ATE JUNK FOOD ALL THE TIME,

AND I WOULD EAT TO THE POINT OF BEING SICK.

I DON'T KNOW WHY I DID IT.

IT WAS JUST I WANTED IT, SO I ATE IT.

WHEN I WAS 14, I WEIGHED AROUND 140 POUNDS.

I GOT BULLIED A LOT IN SCHOOL ABOUT MY WEIGHT...

...AND BY THE TIME I DROPPED OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL AT AGE 16,

I WAS ALREADY WELL OVER 175 POUNDS,

AND BY THIS TIME,

MY MOM WAS IN AND OUT OF THE HOSPITAL FOR HER DEPRESSION,

SO I NEEDED TO GET A JOB.

I STARTED AS A JANITOR WORKING NIGHTS,

AND WHEN I WAS 18, I MET JAMES.

HE WAS A JANITOR, TOO.

JAMES WAS THE FIRST PERSON WHO EVER PAID ATTENTION TO ME.

I TEND TO LIKE BIGGER GIRLS,

SO THAT'S WHAT ATTRACTED ME TO TAMY,

IS SHE WAS A BIG GIRL.

IT WAS KIND OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.

Tamy: SO THINGS JUST MOVED VERY FAST,

AND I GOT PREGNANT ABOUT A MONTH AFTER WE STARTED DATING.

AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY WHOLE LIFE,

THINGS SEEMED GOOD, BUT THAT DIDN'T LAST LONG.

JAMES AND I STARTED FIGHTING A LOT.

James: WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER,

I DIDN'T KNOW THAT I HAD A PROBLEM WITH BIPOLAR,

AND THAT REALLY DID A NUMBER ON OUR RELATIONSHIP,

YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE THESE ANGER OUTBURSTS.

Tamy: HE WOULD SIT THERE AND TALK ABOUT HOW I WAS A SLOB,

HOW I WAS A FAT COW OR I WAS JUST,

MORE OR LESS, A HORRIBLE PERSON,

AND EMOTIONALLY, IT WOULD JUST TEAR ME APART.

EATING MORE MADE ME FEEL BETTER.

THE FOOD WAS NOT GOING TO YELL AT ME.

IT'S NOT GOING TO ARGUE WITH ME.

IT'S GOING TO BE NICE TO ME AT THAT MOMENT.

AND BY THE TIME I WAS 25, I WAS OVER 300 POUNDS,

AND I DIDN'T FEEL GOOD ABOUT MYSELF, AND A FEW YEARS LATER,

I FOUND OUT JAMES HAD HAD AN AFFAIR

WITH A REALLY GOOD FRIEND OF MINE,

AND I WAS DEVASTATED.

I FELT GUILTY.

I FELT LIKE IT WAS MY FAULT.

DID HE CHEAT BECAUSE I'M FAT AND UGLY?

WE HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT SEPARATING,

AND I HAD FOUND OUT I WAS PREGNANT,

SO WE HAD NO CHOICE

AND DECIDED TO GIVE OUR MARRIAGE A SECOND CHANCE.

BY THE TIME I GAVE BIRTH TO ZACHERY,

I WAS 28 YEARS OLD AND ALMOST 400 POUNDS.

AND THEN ME AND JAMES FINALLY HAD DECIDED

THAT OUR MARRIAGE WASN'T WORKING

WHEN ZACHERY WAS ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF OLD.

WE DECIDED TO GO OUR SEPARATE WAYS,

AND I MOVED OUT FOR A WHILE BUT COULDN'T MAKE IT ON MY OWN,

SO JAMES TOOK US BACK IN.

AND AROUND THIS TIME,

WE LEARNED THAT ZACHERY HAD SPECIAL NEEDS.

I HAD TO QUIT MY JOB AND STAY HOME TO TAKE CARE OF HIM,

WHICH REQUIRED A LOT FROM US AND ADDED A LOT OF STRESS.

I JUST KEPT EATING AND GAINING WEIGHT.

DURING MY LATE 30s, I WAS AROUND 450 POUNDS,

AND I WAS VERY DEPRESSED,

AND I STARTED HAVING HEALTH PROBLEMS.

I COULDN'T GET OUT AND DO JUST SIMPLE THINGS

THAT I HAD BEEN ABLE TO DO,

YOU KNOW, 6 MONTHS TO A YEAR BEFORE THAT.

THAT'S WHEN I NOTICED A LOT OF WEIGHT WAS GOING TO MY STOMACH,

AND AFTER THAT, IT GOT EVEN WORSE.

MY STOMACH STARTED TO SLOWLY HANG LOWER AND LOWER,

AND IN MY EARLY 40s, I REALIZED I WAS OVER 500 POUNDS.

I WAS MORTIFIED.

IT JUST MADE ME SO SICK TO KNOW THAT I HAD GOTTEN THAT BIG.

AND NOW I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WEIGH,

BUT I'M AFRAID I'M CLOSE TO 600 POUNDS.

**

MY WEIGHT HAD MADE IT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME

TO BE SELF-RELIANT.

THE ONLY THING THAT I SIT AND I CAN REALLY DO FOR MYSELF,

AND IT'S NOT WITHOUT HELP, IS TO SIT DOWN AND COOK A MEAL.

HEY, ZACHERY? Zachery: YES?

CAN YOU COME HERE?

I NEED A FEW THINGS OUT OF THE FRIDGE.

MM-KAY.

GRAB ME THE HAMBURGER AND THE CHEESE OUT OF THE FRIDGE.

I THINK IT'S IN THE BOTTOM.

MY SON ZACHERY IS 16, AND BECAUSE OF MY WEIGHT,

I HAVE TO RELY ON ZACHERY MORE AND MORE

INSTEAD OF HIM BEING ABLE TO DEPEND ON ME.

**

Zachery: MY MOM IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN MY LIFE.

I WOULDN'T BE MYSELF AT ALL WITHOUT HER.

**

I THINK THAT'S IT FOR RIGHT NOW.

IF I NEED ANYTHING, I'LL LET YOU KNOW.

Tamy: I FEEL GUILTY. I FEEL BAD

BECAUSE THIS IS NOT HOW THINGS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE.

IT'S JUST THE MOST KIND OF HUMILIATING THING

TO ASK FOR HELP ALL THE TIME.

**

James: OKAY.

SINCE TAMY HAS LIVED WITH ME,

HER EATING HABITS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE.

I TRY TO TELL HER THAT SHE SHOULDN'T EAT LIKE SHE DOES.

WHAT DO YOU SAY? THANK YOU, MOM.

YOU'RE WELCOME, SWEETIE.

AND I TRY NOT TO ENABLE TAMY, BUT SHE GETS MAD

IF SHE DON'T GET WHAT SHE WANTS,

SO IN ORDER TO KEEP THAT TENSION DOWN,

I DO IT.

HOW MUCH YOU WANT?

MORE THAN THAT.

MORE? YES.

IS THAT ENOUGH? YEAH.

THAT'S GOOD FOR NOW.

I'D FIX BIG MEALS, AND I'D EAT AND EAT AND EAT

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOT MUCH MORE THAT I CAN DO.

WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO SET IT?

JUST SET IT AT THE END OF MY BED.

IS THAT ALL YOU NEED?

YEAH.

IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, HOLLER.

OKAY.

I'M GOING IN HERE.

**

I LITERALLY THINK ABOUT FOOD ALL THE TIME.

THE ONLY TIME I AM NOT THINKING ABOUT FOOD

IS WHEN I'M EITHER IN THE BATHROOM OR I'M SLEEPING.

HEY, ZACHERY? -YES.

CAN YOU GET MY FOOD AND MY DRINK, PLEASE?

-YEAH. -I CAN'T REACH IT FROM HERE.

**

THANK YOU.

MM-HMM.

**

WHEN I FIRST START EATING,

IT'S LIKE THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD.

IT'S LIKE WHEN YOU'VE WON THE LOTTERY.

IT'S JUST THE GREATEST THING.

IT MAKES ME FEEL SO GOOD ABOUT EVERYTHING AT THAT MOMENT.

BUT I KNOW I EAT AT LEAST FOUR OR FIVE TIMES

MORE THAN I SHOULD.

AND NOW I SEE ZACHERY FOLLOWING IN MY FOOTSTEPS,

GAINING WEIGHT AND PICKING UP THE SAME

BAD EATING HABITS THAT I HAVE, AND I'M WORRIED.

I WOULDN'T WISH THIS LIFE ON ANYBODY, ESPECIALLY MY OWN SON.

MOM, I'M DONE.

I THINK I'M GOING TO PUT IT IN THE KITCHEN.

OKAY.

I DON'T KNOW WHY I CAN'T STOP EATING.

IT'S LIKE A COMPULSIVE THING.

IT'S LIKE I JUST NEED TO EAT IT.

I NEED TO HAVE IT.

I FEEL LIKE IT'S GOING TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER,

LIKE IT'S GOING TO SOLVE,

I GUESS, WHATEVER IS GOING ON WITH ME RIGHT THEN.

HEY, ZACH, CAN YOU COME GET THIS PLATE?

THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME.

**

BUT AFTER I EAT, I HATE MYSELF.

BUT 20, 30 MINUTES LATER,

I'M READY TO DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN,

AND IT'S LIKE AN ENDLESS CYCLE.

I CAN NEVER STOP IT.

I JUST SNACK ON THINGS ALL DAY LONG.

OOH!

UGH.

I'VE NEVER REALLY SAT DOWN AND KEPT TRACK OF MY CALORIES.

HONESTLY, I WOULDN'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START,

BUT I KNOW I'M EATING MYSELF TO DEATH.

MY WEIGHT IS OUT OF CONTROL.

**

IT'S GOTTEN REALLY BAD, THOUGH, AS THE YEARS HAVE WENT ON.

I FEEL LIKE I'M NOT LIVING. I'M JUST EXISTING.

IT'S HORRIBLE.

AND IF I DON'T CHANGE,

I'M GOING TO END UP DYING.

**

**

**

[ BREATHES HEAVILY ]

TODAY, I'M HEADING DOWN TO HOUSTON, TEXAS, TO SEE A DOCTOR

WHO I'M HOPING CAN HELP ME WITH MY WEIGHT ISSUES.

MY HUSBAND, JAMES, AND MY SON ZACHERY ARE GOING WITH ME.

IF I GET TO HOUSTON AND DR. NOW WON'T TAKE ME ON AS A PATIENT,

IT'LL BE DEVASTATING

BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE HE'S MY LAST OPTION.

James: TAMY'S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IS AT STAKE RIGHT NOW.

IF SHE GOES DOWN THERE, AND THE DOCTOR DON'T APPROVE HER,

I DON'T SEE TAMY LIVING FOR ANOTHER 2 YEARS.

THAT'S HOW BAD HER HEALTH IS.

Tamy: I'M REALLY NERVOUS ABOUT THE TRIP,

BUT I KNOW I HAVE TO DO IT.

**

I'VE TRIED GOING ON DIFFERENT DIETS OVER THE YEARS,

BUT THEY NEVER WORK.

I'VE LOST WEIGHT, GAINED WEIGHT, LOST WEIGHT, GAINED WEIGHT.

IT'S LIKE BEING ON A CONSTANT ROLLER-COASTER RIDE.

[ PANTING ]

James: YOU GOING TO BE OKAY?

IN A FEW MINUTES.

AND I'M NOT SURE IF MY BODY CAN HANDLE THE TRIP

BECAUSE EVEN SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS WALKING TO THE CAR

WEARS ME OUT, SO WHAT'S A LONG TRIP GOING TO BE LIKE?

OOH. OH.

HERE, ZACHERY.

[ PANTING ]

OW.

**

THE DRIVE DOWN TO HOUSTON IS ALMOST 17 HOURS,

SO WE HAVE A COUPLE OF LONG DAYS AHEAD OF US.

**

THIS WILL BE THE LONGEST TRIP I'VE TAKEN AT THIS WEIGHT,

AND ANY WEIGHT, FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS.

THERE'S A LOT RIDING ON THIS TRIP,

AND I CAN ALREADY FEEL IT GETTING TO ME.

[ COUGHING ]

**

I'VE GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE MY HEALTH HAS GOTTEN SO BAD

THAT I CAN'T DO THINGS THAT NORMAL PEOPLE TAKE FOR GRANTED.

JUST WALKING TO AND FROM THE BATHROOM IS A MAJOR ORDEAL.

IT'S LIKE RUNNING A MARATHON FOR ME.

**

IT'S SO DIFFICULT TO BREATHE.

**

YOU NEED ANY HELP?

UNLESS YOU TO PICK ME UP AND CARRY ME TO THE CAR,

YOU CAN'T HELP ME. I CAN'T DO THAT.

HERE. JUST TAKE THIS FOR A SECOND.

HERE, LET ME -- LET ME HAVE THIS.

WE'RE BARELY A DAY INTO THIS TRIP, AND I AM STRUGGLING.

GOT IT?

IT'S SO HOT.

I FEEL DIZZY...

LIKE I'M GOING TO PASS OUT.

**

**

OKAY. -ARE YOU GOING TO BE OKAY?

NEED AIR.

YOU GOING -- DO I NEED TO CALL AN AMBULANCE?

NO. HUH?

NO. I JUST GOT TO CATCH MY BREATH.

YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO PASS OUT?

NOT YET.

WELL, YOU LET ME KNOW, YOU HEAR ME?

IF I HAVE TO, I'LL CALL AN AMBULANCE.

OKAY? YEAH.

**

I CAN'T CONTINUE LIVING THIS WAY,

AND I'VE ALREADY COME TOO FAR TO TURN AROUND.

GOT IT? YEAH.

YEAH.

**

**

LAST NIGHT, I WAS TOO TIRED AND ACHY TO CONTINUE THE TRIP,

SO WE STOPPED AT A HOTEL IN NASHVILLE,

AND NOW WE'RE ON THE ROAD AGAIN.

I'M SO GLAD THIS TRIP IS ALMOST OVER

BECAUSE IT HAS TAKEN A BIG TOLL ON MY BODY.

**

MY BODY IS JUST PHYSICALLY WORN OUT.

IT REALLY IS.

I KNOW IT'S BEEN ROUGH FOR YOU, TAMY.

IT HAS.

BUT THIS IS A GOOD THING WE'RE DOING FOR YOU.

IT'S BEEN A LOT OF MILES AND A LOT OF ACHES AND PAINS

AND FRUSTRATIONS...

UGH.

...BUT WE FINALLY MADE IT TO HOUSTON,

AND I'VE NEVER BEEN MORE WORRIED IN MY LIFE.

I'M WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THE DOCTOR IS GOING TO SAY TODAY,

AND I'M HOPING THAT WHEN I GET OUT,

THAT I CAN ACTUALLY WALK INTO THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE

BECAUSE MY LEGS ARE HURTING REALLY BAD TODAY.

BUT I KNOW I NEED TO KEEP PUSHING MYSELF.

**

ALL RIGHT. LET ME GRAB YOUR SHOES.

IT'S MY FIRST APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOWZARADAN,

AND I HOPE I CAN JUST MAKE IT TO THE SCALE...

...BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THIS IS MY LAST CHANCE TO GET HELP.

BUT I'M SCARED HE'S GOING TO TELL ME

THAT HE CAN'T HELP ME...

YOU WANT ME ON THAT SIDE?

**

...AND THAT I'M TOO FAR GONE AT THIS POINT.

**

IT'S ABOUT TO BE THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

WHERE I MEET DR. NOWZARADAN,

AND HE TELLS ME IF HE CAN HELP ME.

[ COUGHS ]

**

I WILL BE DEVASTATED IF DR. NOW REJECTS ME,

AND I'M EXTREMELY NERVOUS TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH I WEIGH

BECAUSE I KNOW EVERYTHING IS RIDING

ON WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN.

**

Tamy: IT'S ABOUT TO BE THE MOMENT OF TRUTH,

AND I'M EXTREMELY NERVOUS TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH I WEIGH

BECAUSE I KNOW EVERYTHING IS RIDING

ON WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN.

**

THAT'S TERRIBLE.

[ BREATHING HEAVILY ]

I AM JUST TOTALLY IN SHOCK.

WHEN I SEEN THE NUMBER COME UP ON THE SCALE,

MY HEART JUST DROPPED.

I KNOW I NEED TO DO SOMETHING, AND I NEED TO DO IT NOW.

BUT I HATE MYSELF FOR LETTING IT GO THAT FAR.

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

-HELLO. -HELLO. -HELLO.

HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING?

GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

ALL RIGHT. I'M DR. NOWZARADAN.

I'M TAMY. I'M JAMES.

THIS IS OUR SON ZACHARY. HOW YOU DOING?

HOW YOU DOING? GOOD.

GOOD. ALL RIGHT, TAMY.

TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF,

AND LET'S START BY GOING OVER YOUR EATING HABITS.

THEY'RE NOT GOOD.

I'M A CARB EATER. I LOVE MY CARBS,

AND I EMOTIONALLY EAT.

I EAT WHEN I'M BORED.

I EAT SWEETS.

SO HOW IS YOUR ACTIVITY?

I DON'T DO A WHOLE LOT.

I GET REAL SHORT OUT OF BREATH, AND SO, I MEAN,

BESIDES WALKING, YOU KNOW, GETTING UP,

WALKING TO THE BATHROOM, THINGS LIKE THAT,

I DON'T DO A WHOLE LOT.

OKAY. SO YOU HAVE GOTTEN TO A PLACE

WHERE YOU JUST EAT POORLY ALL DAY LONG,

AND YOU'RE NOT ACTIVE.

YES. OKAY.

HELP ME UNDERSTAND YOUR DYNAMIC AT HOME.

DO YOU GET THE FOOD FOR YOURSELF,

OR IS HE BRINGING YOU AND CHOOSING,

THEN YOU EAT ALL OF THAT UNHEALTHY FOOD,

OR YOU ASK HIM FOR IT?

HE NEVER TELLS ME NO.

I DON'T THINK HE WANTS TO ARGUE WITH ME.

James: IF I DO SAY NO, SHE GETS ANGRY,

SO INSTEAD OF ARGUING WITH HER AND FIGHTING WITH HER...

YOU TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT.

YEAH.

YES, I HAVE. ALL RIGHT.

SO YOU CONTROL THE SITUATION, RIGHT?

YEAH. AND, JAMES,

YOU HELP TO TAKE CARE OF HER,

BUT IN REALITY, YOU'RE THE ENABLER.

DOES THAT SOUND ABOUT RIGHT?

-YEAH. YEAH. I -- -MM-HMM.

SO THIS IS THE COMMON THING.

YOU GET EVERYBODY TO AGREE WITH YOU,

AND THEN YOU ARE THE VICTIM, RIGHT?

SO THIS IS THE SITUATION THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS,

AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CHANGE ALL THAT DYNAMIC,

SO THAT MEANS, TAMY, YOU STOP MANIPULATING EVERYONE,

AND, JAMES, NOW YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LEARN TO SAY NO,

AND STOP TAKING THE EASY WAY OUT

BY LETTING HER SLOWLY KILL HERSELF

BECAUSE, TAMY, AT YOUR WEIGHT,

YOU'RE ALREADY STARTING TO BREAK DOWN,

AND YOU'RE ALREADY HAVING TROUBLE GETTING AROUND.

SO YOU NEED TO MAKE A DECISION

THAT THERE IS SOME RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR PART

THAT YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR EATING HABIT

OR YOU'RE GOING TO DIE.

OKAY.

BUT LET'S LIFT IT UP AND LET ME TAKE A LOOK AT IT

TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON WITH IT.

VERY HEAVY. YEAH.

THIS IS JUST GOING TO BE A SITUATION

WHERE IT'S GOING TO PULL ON HER ABDOMEN

BECAUSE WHEN YOU START GAINING MORE WEIGHT

THAN THE BODY CAN HANDLE,

IT HAS TO FIND A PLACE TO STORE IT.

SOME PEOPLE GAIN ALL AROUND, AND OTHERS, THE BODY PICKS SPOTS

AND STARTS STORING FAT THERE,

AND YOUR ABDOMEN HAS AN ABNORMAL AMOUNT OF WEIGHT ON IT,

AND THE ONLY WAY TO CORRECT IT IS

IS FOR YOU TO START LOSING WEIGHT, TAMY,

AND GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE CAN DO WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY ON YOU.

WE HAVE A UNIQUE SITUATION WITH TAMY.

SHE'S ALMOST 600 POUNDS, BUT MOST OF HER WEIGHT

IS COLLECTED IN HER ABDOMEN

AND HAS FORMED A HUGE, DISTENDED MASS

THAT HAS DEVELOPED A LYMPHEDEMA IN IT,

SO IT IS ALL PULLING ON HER INTERNAL ORGANS,

AND IT IS A VERY REAL POSSIBILITY

THAT WITH ALL THAT TENSION AND STRAIN,

THAT IT CAN START TO CREATE SOME INTERNAL BLEEDING

THAT CAN BECOME LIFE THREATENING.

BUT BEFORE WE REMOVE IT, WE NEED TO DO WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY

BECAUSE IF WE REMOVE THE MASS, AND SHE GAINS WEIGHT,

IT WILL NOT ONLY START TO COME BACK,

BUT IT WILL BE WORSE THE SECOND TIME AROUND,

BUT I'M VERY CONCERNED BY HER HISTORY

IN THE CHART REGARDING HER LUNGS.

SO WE HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES TO ADDRESS WITH TAMY

THAT WE NEED TO TURN AROUND IMMEDIATELY.

SO, TAMY, YOU ARE DIABETIC.

YES.

AND YOU HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.

YES.

AND YOU HAVE COPD, WHICH MAKES IT HARD TO BREATHE,

AND THIS IS ALL A RESULT OF YOUR WEIGHT.

OKAY.

SO I'M GOING TO PUT YOU ON A 1,200-CALORIE-A-DAY,

LOW-CARB, HIGH-PROTEIN DIET,

AND I WANT YOU TO LOSE 40 POUNDS OVER THE NEXT MONTH.

OKAY. AND IF YOU DO THAT,

AND IF THERE ARE NO MEDICAL ISSUES

THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS FIRST,

THEN I WILL CONSIDER YOU FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

OKAY.

SO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO,

AND IT'S GOT TO BE A GROUP EFFORT.

SO, JAMES, YOU NEED TO HELP INSTEAD OF ENABLING HER

BY BEING PASSIVE

AND AVOIDING MAKING HER ANGRY.

MM-KAY. OKAY.

GREAT. SO NICE TO MEET YOU.

NICE TO MEET YOU, TOO.

ALL RIGHT. NICE MEETING YOU.

NICE MEETING YOU. NICE MEETING YOU, TOO,

AND I'LL SEE YOU IN A MONTH.

-OKAY. -OKAY. -OKAY?

ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT.

Dr. Nowzaradan: TAMY CLEARLY HAS A DYSFUNCTIONAL DYNAMIC AT HOME.

HER HUSBAND, JAMES, ENABLES HER,

AND THERE MAY BE SOME MOTIVES THERE

THAT AREN'T YET FULLY CLEAR,

BUT THE WHOLE SITUATION AT HOME NEEDS TO BE CHANGED,

AND THAT'S GOING TO HAVE TO START WITH TAMY.

I KNEW THAT WAS GOING TO BE REALLY HARD.

YOU CAN DO IT, MOM.

Tamy: EVEN THOUGH IT WAS HARD TO HEAR THE TRUTH ABOUT MY WEIGHT,

I BELIEVE DR. NOW WILL SUPPORT ME THROUGH MY WHOLE WEIGHT LOSS.

THIS IS AN AMAZING CHANCE FOR ME TO GET MY LIFE BACK.

I'M GOING TO HAVE A LONG 4 WEEKS AHEAD,

AND I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE VERY DIFFICULT,

BUT I'M GOING TO DO IT.

I HAVE TO DO IT.

**

**

Tamy: IT'S BEEN A COUPLE OF WEEKS SINCE I SAW DR. NOW,

AND IT'S BEEN TOUGH.

MY WHOLE LIFE, I'VE EATEN WHATEVER I WANTED

WHENEVER I WANTED,

BUT I CAN'T DO THAT ANYMORE.

AND IT'S BEEN ESPECIALLY HARD

BECAUSE I'M NOT GETTING THE SUPPORT I THOUGHT I WOULD.

JAMES HAS BEEN ACTING DIFFERENTLY

EVER SINCE WE GOT BACK FROM HOUSTON.

HE'S BEEN GROWING DISTANT FROM ME,

AND HIS PATIENCE WITH ZACHERY HAS BEEN GROWING THIN.

ALSO, MY FAMILY IS NOT CHANGING THEIR DIET FOR ME.

IT USED TO BE WHERE WE PRETTY MUCH ATE THE SAME THING AT NIGHT

FOR DINNER,

BUT NOW, HAVING TO MAKE MEALS FOR THEM

AND A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ONE FOR ME,

AND IT'S HARD BECAUSE I SEE THEIR FOOD,

AND IT LOOKS SO GOOD.

I MISS IT.

YOU KNOW, IT WAS MY FRIEND.

BUT SO FAR, I'M RESISTING THE TEMPTATIONS,

AND I'M MEASURING HOW MUCH I PUT INTO MY MOUTH.

**

SO FAR, I THINK I'M DOING PRETTY GOOD,

AND I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING I HAVE TO DO.

James: DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO DRINK?

I JUST WISH I KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH JAMES

BECAUSE WITHOUT HIS SUPPORT, I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN DO THIS.

IT'S HARD ENOUGH WORRYING ABOUT ZACHERY,

BUT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT THEM BOTH

IS TOO MUCH FOR ME TO HANDLE.

**

ZACHERY?

Zachery: WHAT?

YOUR DINNER IS IN HERE.

IT'S ON THE COUNTER IN THERE.

DON'T HAVE AN ATTITUDE, AND I MEAN IT.

I'M SERIOUS.

IF YOU DON'T EAT, YOU'RE NOT GETTING BACK ON THAT COMPUTER.

**

SINCE I'VE STARTED THIS PROCESS, I FIGURED I'D HAVE MORE SUPPORT,

BUT JAMES KEEPS DISAPPEARING MORE AND MORE,

AND IT'S REALLY GETTING TO THE POINT IT REALLY BOTHERS ME

BECAUSE WHEN I HAVE A BAD DAY,

I HAVE NOBODY TO TALK TO ABOUT IT BECAUSE HE'S GONE.

SO I DON'T FEEL LIKE HE'S THERE FOR ME

BECAUSE HOW HE RESPONDS TO ZACHERY

AND HOW HE'S TREATING BOTH OF US RIGHT NOW

IS MAKING IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO DO THIS

BECAUSE WHEN EVERYONE IS TENSE AND EVERYTHING IS LIKE THIS,

IT JUST MAKES ME WANT TO EAT.

SO I KNOW I'M GOING TO HAVE TO TALK TO HIM

BECAUSE I CAN'T KEEP GOING ON LIKE THIS.

**

YOU KNOW IN THE PAST I HAVE NOT ASKED MUCH FROM YOU.

I REALLY HAVEN'T.

I'D WISH YOU'D STAY AROUND MORE.

YOU'RE ALWAYS LEAVING, AND I DO FEEL ALONE

BECAUSE THIS IS IMPORTANT.

I KNOW THAT.

YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T.... YOU KNOW --

...COME IN AND SAY, "HEY, HOW'S YOUR DIET GOING?"

AND ONCE IN A GREAT, GREAT WHILE, YOU ASK ME, YOU KNOW,

AND I DON'T HAVE SOMEBODY SITTING THERE

ASKING ME EVERY DAY, "HOW ARE YOU DOING?

HOW DID YOU DO TODAY ON YOUR DIET?"

DAMN IT, TAMY. USUALLY YOU --

YOU ACT LIKE I DON'T DO -- I HAVE BEEN THERE FOR YOU.

WHO ELSE HAS BEEN THERE FOR YOU?

NOBODY. I KNOW.

I HAVE BEEN THERE.

FOR THE LAST 7 YEARS,

WHO WAS THE ONE THAT'S BEEN THERE FOR YOU?

I KNOW. ME.

THERE'S BEEN PLENTY OF TIMES I'VE ASKED YOU

FOR HELP WITH THINGS.

I MEAN, I MAY NOT BE HERE ALL THE TIME, 100%,

BUT I HAVE BEEN YOUR BACKBONE FOR THE LAST 7 DAMN YEARS.

AND I JUST NEED YOU AROUND A LITTLE MORE.

I NEED YOU TO JUST BE A LITTLE MORE SUPPORTIVE.

YEAH, YOU TAKE ME TO THE STORE, AND, YOU KNOW,

BUT I NEED YOU TO BE EMOTIONALLY SUPPORTIVE ON A LOT OF THINGS.

I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE YOUR LIFE, AND YOU'RE BUSY,

AND YOU'RE OUT DOING YOUR THING AND EVERYTHING,

AND THAT'S FINE.

YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE YOUR LIFE,

AND YOU'RE ALLOWED TO HAVE YOUR LIFE.

JUST TRY TO FIND A LITTLE TIME FOR ME HERE AND THERE.

I HAVEN'T BEEN?

WHERE WOULD YOU BE RIGHT NOW IF YOU WEREN'T HERE?

YOU TELL ME THAT.

YOU WOULD BE OUT ON THE STREET,

UNDER A BRIDGE... AND I --

...OR YOU WOULD BE HOMELESS IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU BEING HERE.

**

I THOUGHT JAMES WAS GOING TO HELP ME

ON THIS WEIGHT-LOSS JOURNEY,

BUT NOW, I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN COUNT ON HIM ANYMORE,

AND I'M SCARED BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE I CAN DO THIS ON MY OWN.

**

**

Tamy: IT'S BEEN A HARD MONTH, BUT I'VE WORKED HARDER

THAN I EVER HAVE TO STICK TO THE DIET

AND DO WHAT I NEED DESPITE ALL THE TENSION AT HOME,

BUT THINGS JUST SEEM TO BE EVEN WORSE BETWEEN ME AND JAMES,

AND I FEEL SO TOTALLY ALONE RIGHT NOW.

TAMY MURRELL?

BUT I KNOW NO MATTER WHAT, I HAVE TO DO THIS,

SO I'VE STUCK WITH IT AND WORKED AS HARD AS I CAN,

AND I REALLY HOPE THAT I'VE MADE THE PROGRESS I NEED TODAY

AND THAT I'M GOING TO HIT THE DOCTOR'S GOAL.

I WAS SUPPOSED TO LOSE 40 POUNDS THIS PAST MONTH,

SO THAT MEANS I NEED TO BE AT OR BELOW 551 TODAY.

**

I'M HAPPY.

I WORKED HARD.

I REALLY CAN'T BELIEVE IT.

I'M SO RELIEVED BECAUSE IT'S BEEN ROUGH AT HOME,

BUT ALL THIS HARD WORK THAT I DID HAS BEEN SO WORTH IT.

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

HELLO. HELLO.

HELLO. HOW ARE YOU?

HOW ARE Y'ALL DOING?

WE'RE GOOD.

SO YOU ARE 42 POUNDS LIGHTER, AND YOU'RE STICKING TO THE DIET,

I SEE, HUH?

YES.

SO YOU SHOWED ME THAT YOU'RE WILLING TO WORK HARD

AND MAKE SOME OF THE CHANGES YOU NEED.

THIS IS A GOOD START FOR YOU,

BUT I'M STILL CONCERNED WITH THE ISSUE WITH YOUR LUNGS.

YES.

AND I'M HOPING THAT WEIGHT LOSS WILL HELP THAT.

OKAY.

SO HERE IS WHAT OUR NEXT STEPS ARE.

I'M APPROVING YOU FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

THANK YOU.

BUT I WANT YOU TO MAKE THE MOVE TO HOUSTON NOW...

OH, OKAY.

...AND COMMIT TO BEING DOWN HERE

FOR AT LEAST A YEAR AFTER SURGERY

SO I CAN WORK WITH YOU AND MAKE SURE

THAT WE CAN GET YOU DOWN TO YOUR TARGET WEIGHT.

OKAY.

AND WHILE YOU'RE DOING THAT,

I WANT YOU TO STICK WITH THE DIET

AND LOSE EVEN MORE WEIGHT

BECAUSE THE MORE WEIGHT YOU LOSE,

THE LESS STRAIN THERE'LL BE ON YOUR LUNGS.

YEAH.

AND I DON'T WANT YOU TO LET YOUR GUARD DOWN AND GO BACK AND...

I DON'T WANT TO SLIDE BACK. ...NOT LOSE ANYTHING.

SO WHEN YOU GET BACK DOWN HERE TO HOUSTON,

IF YOUR LUNGS LOOK LIKE THEY'RE HEALTHY ENOUGH,

WE'LL DO WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY ON YOU.

SOUNDS GOOD? YES.

OKAY. GREAT.

WELL, YOU'RE DOING GOOD.

KEEP IT UP. OKAY.

AND WE'LL DO YOUR SURGERY SOON.

OKAY.

AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU BACK IN TEXAS.

OKAY. NEXT TIME YOU SEE US, WE'LL BE DOWN HERE.

ALL RIGHT.

NICE TO SEE YOU AND GOOD WORK.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

Dr. Nowzaradan: I AM VERY GLAD TO SEE TAMY HIT HER WEIGHT-LOSS GOAL TODAY

AND TO SEE THAT SHE'S MAKING POSITIVE CHANGES

THAT SHE NEEDS DESPITE THE DYNAMIC AT HOME

AND ALL HER ISSUES,

BUT I'M STILL VERY CONCERNED ABOUT HER LUNGS.

THE TEST I HAVE FOR HER LAST VISIT

STILL SHOWS A LOT OF STRAIN ON HER WHOLE SYSTEM,

AND IF WE CAN IMPROVE THAT, THEN WE CAN HOPEFULLY GET HER

TO A PLACE WHERE SHE'S HEALTHY ENOUGH

TO DO WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY ON HER,

BUT IF SHE'S NOT, WE CAN'T TAKE ANY CHANCES

THAT MAY PUSH HER BODY OVER THE LIMIT.

**

Tamy: TODAY, DR. NOWZARADAN APPROVED ME FOR SURGERY,

SO I'M REALLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT.

I FEEL LIKE EVERYTHING I'M DOING IS STARTING TO PAY OFF.

THE SCALE PROVED IT TODAY, AND THAT FEELS GOOD.

**

I WAS WORRIED BECAUSE I DON'T ALWAYS FEEL

LIKE I'M DOING THE BEST,

AND I'M STILL A LITTLE NERVOUS

BECAUSE THERE COULD BE OTHER OBSTACLES,

SO I DON'T WANT TO GET MY HOPES UP TOO MUCH.

I JUST WANT TO TAKE IT ONE STEP AT A TIME.

I KNOW I HAVE A LONG ROAD AHEAD OF ME,

BUT IT'S NICE TO SEE THAT WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING IS PROGRESS.

**

**

A COUPLE OF DAYS AFTER WE GOT HOME,

THINGS GOT EVEN WORSE BETWEEN ME AND JAMES.

WE WERE JUST FIGHTING MORE AND MORE,

AND SUDDENLY, HE TOLD ME HE WAS DONE AND HE'S MOVING OUT,

SO I'M IN THE PROCESS OF HELPING HIM PACK HIS THINGS

SO THAT HE CAN LEAVE ME,

AND HE'S GIVEN ME NO EXPLANATION OR ANYTHING

EXCEPT HE'S JUST DONE,

AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M GOING TO DO.

AND NOW THAT I'M COMPLETELY ON MY OWN,

THERE'S NO WAY I CAN MOVE TO HOUSTON.

SO RIGHT NOW, I AM STRESSED, AND I'M A LITTLE SCARED

BECAUSE I WAS SUPPOSED TO MOVE TO A TOTALLY DIFFERENT STATE

HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY FROM ANYBODY THAT I KNOW

AND TRY TO DO THIS ALL ON MY OWN WITH MY 16-YEAR-OLD SON.

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

BECAUSE I FELT LIKE I FINALLY HAD THIS CHANCE,

AND I WAS FINALLY GETTING MY LIFE BACK TOGETHER,

AND THEN JAMES DOES THIS.

THIS IS SO COMPLETELY UNFAIR, AND IT'S NOT RIGHT.

WHEN ALL OF THIS FIRST STARTED, I BELIEVED I HAD THIS BIG,

HUGE SUPPORT GROUP,

BUT NOW, ALL I HAVE IS MYSELF AND ZACHERY.

EVERYBODY ELSE IS GONE, SO I'M JUST LOST BECAUSE IT SUCKS

WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE TOTALLY ALONE.

ALL MY LIFE, PEOPLE HAVE LET ME DOWN OR ABANDONED ME.

**

I GUESS I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT THIS WOULDN'T BE ANY DIFFERENT.

**

THIS WHOLE PROCESS IS VERY OVERWHELMING.

IT'S BEEN VERY DISCOURAGING AT TIMES,

ESPECIALLY THESE LAST FEW DAYS.

YOU KNOW, EVENTUALLY, THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH

I CAN TAKE, AND EVENTUALLY, I'M GOING TO BREAK.

**

HE'S ABANDONING ME WHEN I NEED HIM THE MOST.

**

**

I CAN'T MOVE TO HOUSTON WITH ZACHERY

AND TRY TO DO THIS ALL ON MY OWN,

SO IF JAMES IS GOING TO LEAVE ME,

THEN HE'S TAKING MY LAST CHANCE TO GET MY LIFE BACK.

**

AND HIS DECISION IS BASICALLY A DEATH SENTENCE FOR ME.

AND I'M LOSING THE ONLY CHANCE I HAVE TO SAVE MY LIFE.

**

**

Tamy: THINGS HAVEN'T GOTTEN MUCH BETTER THIS PAST MONTH.

SINCE JAMES TOLD ME HE WAS MOVING OUT,

MY WHOLE WORLD HAS BEEN TURNED UPSIDE-DOWN.

JAMES AT LEAST DID TELL ME THAT THERE'S ANOTHER WOMAN HE MET,

AND HE'S IN LOVE WITH HER.

I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THIS AFFAIR HAS BEEN GOING ON,

BUT MOVING TO HOUSTON SEEMED TO PUSH JAMES

TO THE BREAKING POINT,

BUT HE SAID HE WANTED TO COME OVER TODAY AND TALK WITH ME,

AND I TOLD HIM OKAY.

I HAVEN'T TOLD DR. NOW WHAT'S HAPPENED BETWEEN US

BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO LOSE THIS CHANCE,

SO I'VE TOLD HIM THAT IT'S TAKING ME LONGER

TO MOVE TO HOUSTON.

BUT I'M NOT SURE I CAN DO THIS ON MY OWN.

**

HELLO.

Tamy: HEY.

CAN WE COME SIT DOWN SO WE CAN TALK?

YEAH.

**

YOU KNOW HOW THINGS HAVE BEEN GOING WITH OUR RELATIONSHIP,

AND I JUST HAD TO GET OUT OF HERE.

WHEN I STARTED THIS PROCESS OUT,

YOU SAID YOU WOULD BE THERE, AND YOU BACKED OUT.

YOU KNOW I CARE ABOUT YOU, BUT I LOVE SOMEBODY ELSE,

AND I JUST HAD TO GET OUT OF HERE,

AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE I DON'T CARE FOR YOU

AND WANT YOU TO NOT GO THROUGH THIS BECAUSE I DO.

I DIDN'T EXPECT YOU TO BE AROUND FOREVER,

BUT I DID THINK THAT YOU WERE GOING

TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS WITH ME,

AND I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO HAVE YOU TO LEAN ON

WHEN I WENT DOWN THERE.

I JUST HAD TO GET OUT OF HERE FOR A LITTLE BIT

AND GET MY HEAD TOGETHER.

I CAME BACK TO TALK TO YOU BECAUSE I STILL WANT

TO GO THROUGH THIS WITH YOU.

I WANT TO TAKE YOU DOWN TO TEXAS, YOU AND ZACHERY.

I'LL MOVE YOU GUYS DOWN THERE.

I PROMISE YOU FROM HERE, RIGHT HERE AND NOW,

I WILL BE THERE SO YOU CAN DO THIS.

AND I CAN BELIEVE THAT?

YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BELIEVE IT

BECAUSE I'M NOT GOING NOWHERE.

I'LL BE THERE WITH YOU. I PROMISE YOU.

OKAY.

James: I CARE FOR TAMY AS A PERSON,

BUT I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH HER ANYMORE.

SHE'S DEPENDED ON EVERYBODY SO MUCH FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS,

AND NOW THIS IS HER LAST CHANCE TO GET HERSELF TO WHERE

SHE CAN BE SELF-SUFFICIENT AND DO WHAT SHE NEEDS TO DO

FOR HERSELF TO BE HEALTHY AND STAY HEALTHY.

OKAY.

I'LL SEE YOU GUYS LATER.

Tamy: I REALLY DON'T KNOW IF I CAN TRUST JAMES ANYMORE

BECAUSE WHAT IF WE MOVE DOWN THERE,

AND HE CHANGES HIS MIND AGAIN.

I KEPT HOPING THIS EXPERIENCE MIGHT BRING US BACK TOGETHER,

BUT I THINK JAMES JUST SEES ME MORE AS A BURDEN THAN A PARTNER,

BUT THIS MAY BE MY ONLY OPTION.

I JUST WISH IT WASN'T.

**

**

TODAY, WE'RE FINALLY MAKING THE MOVE TO HOUSTON,

AND I'VE HAD A TERRIBLE COLD THIS PAST WEEK,

SO I'VE HAD TO START USING AN OXYGEN MACHINE,

AND MY LUNGS CAN HARDLY TAKE IT,

AND I KNOW MY BODY IS JUST BREAKING DOWN,

BUT I'M DETERMINED TO MAKE IT TO HOUSTON.

IF I WANT TO GET BETTER, GET HEALTHIER, THIS IS MY NEXT STEP,

BUT I'M STILL REALLY NERVOUS ABOUT ALL

THE UNKNOWNS THERE'S GOING TO BE.

ALL RIGHT.

Tamy: BUT I CAN'T JUST LIE AROUND IN BED ALL DAY

AND DO NOTHING ANYMORE.

SO THIS IS MY LAST CHANCE.

**

AND NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, I HAVE TO DO THIS,

AND I'M DETERMINED TO GET MY LIFE BACK.

**

**

TODAY IS MY FIRST APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW

SINCE MOVING TO HOUSTON.

I'M REALLY SCARED I HAVEN'T BEEN DOING ENOUGH FOR MY DIET.

AFTER I FOUND OUT JAMES WAS IN LOVE WITH ANOTHER WOMAN,

I'VE BEEN SO STRESSED OUT BECAUSE I'VE HAD A FEW SLIPUPS.

I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT I'LL DO IF I'VE GAINED WEIGHT.

YEAH.

ARE YOU COMING IN WITH ME?

James: NOPE. YOU NEED TO START DOING THIS ON YOUR OWN LIKE...

I KNOW THAT. ...WITH JUST YOU AND ZACH.

BUT I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO BE A PART OF THIS PROCESS,

BUT THEN YOU'RE LEAVING.

I AM A PART OF IT, BUT I DON'T HAVE TO GO INSIDE

WHEN YOU'RE IN THERE SEEING THE DOCTOR, YOU KNOW?

UH-HUH. I'M SORRY.

I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING IN, BUT OKAY.

WHATEVER.

SORRY.

MESSAGE ME WHEN YOU FIND OUT ANYTHING.

I'M REALLY UPSET RIGHT NOW.

I CAN'T BELIEVE JAMES WON'T COME IN TO SEE THE DOCTOR WITH ME.

THE WHOLE POINT OF BEING HERE

WAS TO SUPPORT ME THROUGH THIS PROCESS.

THIS MOMENT MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME,

AND JAMES IS SITTING IN THE CAR.

TAMY MURRELL?

I HAVE BEEN TRYING SO HARD TO LOSE WEIGHT.

I WAS 549 LAST TIME, AND DR. NOW TOLD ME TO KEEP MAKING PROGRESS,

SO I'M HOPING I AT LEAST MADE IT TO THE LOWER 500s TODAY.

**

**

YOU DID GOOD.

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.

I SET A GOAL FOR MYSELF, AND I ACTUALLY DID IT,

BUT IT DOESN'T FEEL AS GOOD AS IT SHOULD

BECAUSE I'M HERE ALONE.

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

HELLO. HEY, TAMY.

HELLO.

HOW ARE YOU?

I'M DOING PRETTY GOOD. ALL RIGHT.

SO YOU HAVE MOVED DOWN TO HOUSTON AND STUCK TO YOUR DIET?

YES. YOU LOST ANOTHER 53 POUNDS.

THAT'S VERY GOOD. YEAH.

SO YOU HAVE ALMOST LOST 100 POUNDS,

AND THAT'S A LOT OF WEIGHT OFF YOUR BODY.

DO YOU FEEL BETTER?

YES, BUT I HAVE BEEN VERY STRESSED THE LAST FEW WEEKS

TRYING TO GET EVERYTHING TOGETHER TO GET DOWN HERE,

AND MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS, SO...

SO WHAT'S HAPPENING BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND?

WELL, HE'S IN LOVE WITH ANOTHER WOMAN,

BUT WE HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN AN ACTUAL COUPLE

AS A HUSBAND AND WIFE.

YOU KNOW, HE WAS JUST, MORE OR LESS, MY CAREGIVER.

OKAY. ALL THAT'S NOT

HOW YOU PRESENTED YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO ME,

SO THAT IS A BIG CONCERN

BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T HAVE SUPPORT SYSTEM AT HOME,

THIS IS GOING TO BECOME MUCH MORE DIFFICULT FOR YOU.

WELL, JAMES IS STILL GOING TO BE HELPING ME.

WE'RE JUST NOT GOING TO BE TOGETHER.

SO IT'S COMPLICATED, HUH?

YEAH. ALL RIGHT.

WELL, THIS IS GOING TO CATCH UP WITH YOU EMOTIONALLY

AND CAUSE YOU TO COME CRASHING DOWN.

SO WE NEED TO DEAL WITH IT NOW, AND I THINK IT'S BEST

THAT WE DELAY YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY A LITTLE LONGER

SO YOU CAN START THERAPY TO ADDRESS THIS.

OKAY.

SO I'M GOING TO SET AN APPOINTMENT FOR YOU

WITH THE THERAPIST,

AND I WANT YOU TO START GOING.

OKAY.

AND THIS ALSO WILL GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME

TO KEEP MAKING PROGRESS AND GET YOUR LUNGS HEALTHIER.

YEAH. I'M THINKING POSITIVE.

I'M GOING TO GET THIS DONE.

OKAY. GREAT.

ALL RIGHT, TAMY. YOU'RE DOING GREAT.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

I WILL SEE YOU SOON, OKAY?

**

TAMY IS DOING VERY WELL WITH HER WEIGHT LOSS,

BUT HER SITUATION AT HOME SEEMS VERY COMPLICATED,

AND WITHOUT THAT SUPPORT SYSTEM THERE,

I'M VERY CONCERNED HOW SHE'S GOING TO DO LONG-TERM,

BUT HER FOCUS RIGHT NOW NEEDS TO BE

ON DEALING WITH THE EMOTIONAL ISSUES

AROUND WHAT'S GOING ON WITH HER LIFE

BEFORE IT BECOMES AN EVEN BIGGER PROBLEM.

AND IT WOULD NOT BE WISE TO MOVE AHEAD

WITH THE SURGERY UNTIL SHE DOES THAT.

Tamy: I FEEL PROUD RIGHT NOW ABOUT WHAT I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED.

I'M JUST MAD THAT I LET MYSELF BELIEVE

THAT JAMES WAS REALLY GOING TO HELP ME THROUGH THIS,

AND I HAVE TO TAKE THIS NEXT STEP AND GO TO THERAPY,

THEN I'LL DO IT,

BUT I REALLY HOPE I CAN GET MY SURGERY

SCHEDULED SOON AFTER I DO THIS

BECAUSE I JUST WANT TO MOVE AHEAD AND ON WITH MY LIFE.

**

**

Tamy: TODAY, I'M GOING TO SEE A THERAPIST

AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS

THAT ARE AFFECTING ME IN MY LIFE --

WHY I HAVE BECOME THE WAY I HAVE,

WHY I DO SOME OF THE THINGS I DO.

IT IS DISAPPOINTING THAT I STILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR MY SURGERY,

BUT IF DR. NOW THINKS THIS IS WHAT I NEED TO DO FIRST,

THEN I WILL BECAUSE I JUST WANT TO MOVE AHEAD

AND ON WITH MY LIFE,

AND THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN UNTIL I GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

AND I KNOW THAT I HAVE A LOT OF DEEP ISSUES.

IT AFFECTS HOW I SEE MYSELF AND HOW I LIVE MY LIFE,

AND I'VE NEVER BEEN SOMEONE

WHO LIKES HAVING THE SPOTLIGHT ON ME,

SO I'M REALLY NERVOUS.

HI. I'M RACHEL.

HI. NICE TO MEET YOU.

NICE TO MEET YOU, TOO. COME ON BACK.

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

GO AHEAD AND HAVE A SEAT ON THE COUCH THERE.

[ DOOR CLOSES ]

OKAY.

THANKS FOR COMING IN TODAY.

WELL, LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.

I WOULD LIKE -- OKAY.

MAYBE JUST TELL ME KIND OF HOW YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW.

I'M JUST KIND OF STRESSED OUT ABOUT EVERYTHING GOING ON,

AND... LIKE?

YOU KNOW... WHAT ARE YOU STRESSED OUT ABOUT?

MY HUSBAND IS LEAVING.

I FOUND OUT BEFORE MOVING THAT JAMES

WAS IN LOVE WITH ANOTHER WOMAN.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

I'M GOING TO BE TAKING CARE OF MYSELF

PLUS MY YOUNGEST SON, ZACHERY.

YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT HOW YOU'RE GOING TO COPE WHEN HE LEAVES.

YEAH. YEAH.

BECAUSE I HAVEN'T HAD TO DO NONE OF THAT ON MY OWN BEFORE.

OH, WOW.

BEFORE I LET ALL THIS TAKE CONTROL OF MY BODY,

ALL THIS WEIGHT, I WAS A VERY INDEPENDENT PERSON.

I WENT WHERE I WANTED TO. I DID WHAT I WANTED TO.

AND WAS THE WEIGHT AN ISSUE MOST OF YOUR LIFE...

YES. ...OR WAS THAT...

FOOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN A BIG THING FOR ME.

IT REALLY STARTED WHEN I WAS A KID.

MY DAD PASSED AWAY WHEN I WAS 8, AND I SEEN HIM...

HE ACTUALLY DIED IN FRONT OF ME.

WOW. AND MY MOM KIND OF SHUT DOWN.

SO YOU ALMOST, IN A WAY, LOST BOTH PARENTS IN A SENSE, RIGHT?

YEAH. AND IT WAS A VERY LONELY CHILDHOOD GROWING UP.

YEAH. THAT'S YOUR CORE WOUND, RIGHT?

YEAH. HOW HAS FOOD PLAYED A ROLE

IN TERMS OF A COPING STRATEGY WHEN --

IT WAS THE ONE THING THAT MADE ME FEEL GOOD EVEN THOUGH

THAT IT WAS THE ONE THING THAT WAS TEARING MY BODY APART.

EXACTLY.

IT'S WHERE I'M AT NOW, YOU KNOW?

I'M TRYING TO TAKE CARE OF ALL THAT NOW.

TELL ME HOW JAMES FITS INTO THAT PICTURE.

I'M SO COMFORTABLE WITH HIM.

MM-HMM.

YOU KNOW, OVER THE YEARS, HE KEPT SAYING,

"OH, YOU'RE FINE. I LOVE YOU EVEN IF YOU'RE BIG," AND...

IT WAS LIKE ENABLING.

YEAH. HE WAS ENABLING YOU TO...

HE WAS SAYING, "OH, IT'S FINE." ...NOT BE OKAY.

AND IT SEEMS LIKE HE'S ALWAYS THERE TO RESCUE ME

WHEN I NEED RESCUING,

BUT JAMES WAS ABUSIVE IN OUR RELATIONSHIP, TOO.

HE IS VERBALLY ABUSIVE.

HOW DO YOU THINK THAT IMPACTED YOU?

IT'S SO AGGRAVATING.

YOU KNOW, I GOT SO USED TO SAYING, "I DON'T MATTER."

YOU ARE DESERVING.

YOU ARE WORTHY.

KEEP TELLING YOURSELF THAT.

AND SO PART OF "I'M WORTHY" IS SEEKING OUT THINGS

THAT ARE NURTURING OR NOURISHING

INSTEAD OF THINGS THAT ARE TOXIC.

SO, TAMY, WE TALKED ABOUT

WHEN YOU'VE HAD THESE DIFFICULT EMOTIONS,

YOU'VE GONE TO FOOD,

OR WHEN YOU'VE HAD MAJOR CRISES IN YOUR LIFE,

JAMES HAS BEEN THERE FOR YOU,

AND THESE TWO RELATIONSHIPS ARE OFF THE TABLE.

LET GO OF THE TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS.

YEAH, WHICH WILL BE GOOD, THOUGH,

BECAUSE HE DOESN'T NEED TO BE --

HE DOESN'T ALWAYS NEED TO BE THERE.

WHAT'S IMPORTANT NOW IS TO BUILD CONNECTIONS

SO THAT IT'S THERE FOR YOU WHEN YOU NEED IT.

AND I'VE ALWAYS LACKED THAT.

EXACTLY. SO CAN YOU MAKE A POINT EVERY DAY

TO REACH OUT TO ONE PERSON IN WHATEVER WAY,

JUST ANYONE THAT'S NOT TOXIC, USING...

WELL, I'M GOING TO TRY TALK TO PEOPLE MORE

BECAUSE I'VE SHUT THEM OUT.

OKAY. OKAY. EXCELLENT STRATEGY.

I KNOW I HAVE A VERY LONG WAY TO GO.

YOU'RE TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE,

AND THAT'S A REALLY POSITIVE THING,

SO GOOD WORK TODAY.

WELL, IT WAS NICE TO MEET YOU TODAY.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

MY BIGGEST CHALLENGES ARE GETTING PAST

THE TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS

AND DOING THIS ON MY OWN,

NOT EXPECTING SOMEONE TO COME RESCUE ME.

JAMES HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE WHEN I NEEDED SOMEBODY,

AND TO LET GO OF THAT AND TO MOVE ON IS GOING TO BE HARD

BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN SUCH A BIG PART,

BUT I HAVE TO DO THAT

BECAUSE WE'RE NOT IN A HUSBAND-WIFE RELATIONSHIP.

HE WAS A CAREGIVER.

HE'S GOING ON WITH HIS LIFE.

I NEED TO GO ON WITH MINE.

WE NEED TO SEPARATE TO WHERE WE HAVE OTHER LIVES,

NOT EACH OTHER.

I KNOW IT'LL BE HARD AT FIRST.

IT'S A NEW CHAPTER, AND I'M READY TO OPEN

THAT NEW CHAPTER UP

AND SEE WHERE IT TAKES ME.

**

I'M REALLY EXCITED BECAUSE DR. NOW SAID

I WAS READY TO MOVE AHEAD WITH WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

HE GOT A GOOD REPORT FROM THERAPY,

SO HE SCHEDULED ME FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS FROM NOW.

AND AFTER TALKING WITH THE THERAPIST,

I REALIZED I NEED TO BECOME MORE INDEPENDENT.

JAMES HAS ALWAYS DONE A LOT FOR ME,

BUT IT ALWAYS COMES WITH STRINGS ATTACHED,

SO I NEED TO BEGIN DOING THINGS ON MY OWN.

WHO WOULD THINK THAT JUST BEING ABLE TO DO A LOAD OF LAUNDRY

WOULD BE SUCH A BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT?

BUT IT IS FOR ME, AND I'M EXCITED TO DO THIS,

ESPECIALLY SINCE JAMES IS LEAVING SOON,

AND IT'S JUST GOING TO BE ME AND ZACHERY.

**

[ BREATHING HEAVILY ]

TAMY? TAMY?

TAMY, DO YOU NEED A NURSE?

HUH? ARE YOU -- TAMY?

HUH?

I NEED YOU TO WAKE UP.

I'M GOING TO CALL EMERGENCY.

MOM?

[ SIGHS ]

MOM?

ARE YOU OKAY? MM.

ARE YOU OKAY?

COME ON.

COME ON, MOM.

OH. I'M GOING TO NEED HELP UP IN A MINUTE.

MY HANDS ARE NUMB.

**

**

UH, DO ME A FAVOR?

WHAT?

GO GET ME A CHAIR.

I NEED SOMETHING STABLE.

**

**

THERE.

WHAT HAPPENED?

YOU ALL RIGHT?

ARE YOU OKAY?

OKAY. I'M FINE.

WHAT HAPPENED?

I GOT DIZZY.

**

YOU KNOW, MY HANDS ARE NUMB.

**

NEXT TIME, YOU HAVE SOMEBODY WITH YOU.

THE POINT OF ME DOING THIS --

I KNOW, TAMY, BUT NEXT TIME, YOU CAN TOTALLY PASS OUT,

AND NOBODY WILL BE THERE.

Tamy: I'M SO FRUSTRATED RIGHT NOW.

JUST AS I START TO FEEL BETTER, THIS HAPPENS,

AND I'M RIGHT BACK WHERE I STARTED --

WITH JAMES TELLING ME WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO FEEL.

**

Tamy: EARLIER TODAY, I PASSED OUT TRYING TO DO LAUNDRY,

AND I CALLED DR. NOW AND TOLD HIM WHAT HAPPENED.

TAMY MURRELL?

HE TOLD ME TO COME IN IMMEDIATELY

SO HE COULD RUN SOME TESTS AND MAKE SURE I'M OKAY.

HE'S WORRIED IT'S SOMETHING TO DO WITH MY LUNGS,

AND I'M HOPING TODAY THAT I'M STILL MAKING GOOD PROGRESS.

AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT, I WAS AT 496,

AND I'M HOPING MY WEIGHT LOSS HASN'T SLOWED AT ALL.

**

WOW. OH, MY LORD.

GOOD JOB.

I'M RELIEVED THAT I'M STILL LOSING WEIGHT,

BUT IT WOULD BE DEVASTATING

IF THERE WAS A SERIOUS ISSUE WITH MY LUNGS,

SO I JUST HOPE EVERYTHING IS ALL RIGHT.

WE'RE RUNNING SOME TESTS ON TAMY RIGHT NOW

AND TAKING SOME X-RAY OF HER LUNGS

SO I CAN SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.

ALL RIGHT. LET'S TAKE A DEEP BREATH IN.

BLOW IT OUT.

I AM WORRIED THAT HER FAINTING IS RELATED TO THE FACT

THAT HER LUNGS HAVE BEEN SO WEAK FOR SO LONG,

AND SHE COULD DEVELOP A LIFE-THREATENING ISSUE.

AND IF THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING, THEN WE NEED TO TREAT IT

BEFORE HER CONDITION GETS EVEN WORSE.

**

HOW Y'ALL DOING?

GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

ALL RIGHT. SO YOU PASSED OUT?

YEAH.

SO YOU'RE NOT FEELING DIZZY AT THIS MOMENT?

NO. USUALLY, IT HAPPENS ONCE I GET UP, MOVE AROUND.

MM-HMM.

IT'S JUST BEEN THE LAST FEW DAYS.

WELL, FROM YOUR TESTS, YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE IS OKAY,

AND YOUR HEART RATE IS OKAY, SO IT'S MOST LIKELY PNEUMONIA.

THAT, COMBINED WITH HOW WEAK YOUR LUNGS HAVE BEEN

LED TO YOU OVEREXERTING YOURSELF AND PASSING OUT.

SO WITH THIS ISSUE,

I THINK WE'RE GOING TO CANCEL YOUR SURGERY

BECAUSE LAST THING WE WANT TO DO

IS TO PUT TOO MUCH STRAIN ON YOUR BODY.

THEN YOU WON'T SURVIVE THE OPERATION,

SO WE HAVE TO DO THIS TO BE SAFE.

OKAY.

AND DURING THAT TIME, YOU NEED TO WORK TO TRY

AND KEEP MAKING PROGRESS.

I KNOW THIS IS DISAPPOINTING AND FRUSTRATING,

BUT IF YOU KEEP IT UP, I PROMISE WE'LL GET YOU THERE,

BUT YOU HAVE TO GET HEALTHIER FIRST.

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

Dr. Nowzaradan: IT UNFORTUNATE THAT WE HAVE TO DELAY

TAMY'S WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY EVEN LONGER,

BUT WE CAN'T TAKE ANY RISKS WITH HER RIGHT NOW,

SO WE WILL START TREATING HER,

AND WE SHOULD HAVE HER CLEARED UP IN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS,

BUT IT MAY TAKES MONTHS FOR HER LUNG TO RECOVER ENOUGH FOR HER

TO BE HEALTHY ENOUGH FOR SURGERY,

SO AS FRUSTRATING AS IT IS FOR TAMY,

THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE TO DO.

IT'S JUST BEEN A LONG DAY.

I KNOW IT'S A LITTLE DISAPPOINTING, BUT...

YES. IT IS. ...BETTER TO HAVE YOU HEALTHY.

**

I DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE SURGERY IF SOMETHING IS WRONG.

I KNOW THAT.

WELL, YOU'RE SO STUBBORN.

YOU WOULDN'T LET ME TAKE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL.

JUST SHUT UP.

LET'S SEE HOW IT WORKS THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.

WILL YOU SHUT UP?

DON'T GET GRUMPY.

I'M JUST PROCESSING EVERYTHING.

CAN YOU JUST GIVE ME A FEW MINUTES TO PROCESS IT ALL, OKAY?

I'M DISAPPOINTED.

I KNOW YOU ARE. [ SIGHS ]

AND YOU'RE JUST SITTING THERE HARPING ON ME

ABOUT WHAT I SHOULD'VE DID.

GET TO THE HOSPITAL. JUST STOP.

I'LL BE RIGHT BACK.

Tamy: PART OF ME IS GLAD TO FIND OUT WHY I PASSED OUT...

...BUT I'M SO UPSET THAT MY SURGERY IS CANCELED.

**

BUT IT'S STILL SO FRUSTRATING TO KEEP HAVING THE GOAL LINE

MOVED FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY,

SO I'M JUST FEELING A LITTLE HOPELESS RIGHT NOW,

BUT THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT,

SO I'LL JUST FOCUS ON GETTING BETTER

AND KEEP STICKING TO MY DIET,

BUT IF I DON'T GET THIS SURGERY SOON,

I'M WORRIED I'M GOING TO START GETTING TO MY BREAKING POINT.

**

**

IT'S BEEN A HARD MONTH.

I SAW DR. NOW FOR MY LAST APPOINTMENT,

AND HE SAID I STILL WASN'T HEALTHY ENOUGH FOR SURGERY,

SO I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER MONTH.

BUT IT'S STARTING TO FEEL LIKE IT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN,

AND I'VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH BEING DEPRESSED ABOUT IT.

THAT'S MAKING IT HARDER NOT TO GIVE IN

AND EAT SOMETHING THAT'S NOT ON THE DIET,

BUT I'M DETERMINED TO DO THIS,

SO NO MATTER HOW HARD IT GETS, I'M NOT GIVING UP.

HEY, ZACHERY? HMM?

WHY DON'T YOU TAKE THAT INTO THE BEDROOM

AND GO WATCH TV IN THERE?

OKAY.

TAKE YOUR BLANKET.

**

I SEE YOU'RE THINKING OVER THERE.

YEAH. WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?

I'M JUST -- I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING SURGERY.

SURGERY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MY NEXT STEP TO HELP ME,

YOU KNOW, MAKE THIS MY NEW LIFE.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO IF HE TELLS YOU YOU CAN'T?

I DON'T KNOW.

WELL, IF SOMETHING SHOULD HAPPEN AND YOU CAN'T HAVE IT,

I'LL STILL BE THERE TO HELP YOU.

YOU CAN'T SAY THAT. YOU HAVE SOMEONE ELSE

THAT YOU'RE GOING HOME TO.

I CAN STILL HELP YOU. NO, YOU CAN'T.

I DON'T WANT THAT.

I DON'T WANT TO BE SOMEONE'S RESPONSIBILITY.

YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I DON'T WANT TO LIVE THE WAY I AM, YOU KNOW.

WELL, LET'S THINK POSITIVE.

EVEN THOUGH YOU HAD SETBACKS, YOU'VE BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB.

YEAH.

I'M DISAPPOINTED FOR TAMY BECAUSE I KNOW

SHE WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING THE SURGERY.

WHEN YOU GET THAT NEWS, IT DEVASTATES A PERSON,

AND I'M WORRIED, IF THE SURGERY DOES GET POSTPONED INDEFINITELY

AND SHE CAN'T HAVE IT,

TAMY IS GOING TO SLIP BACK INTO HER OLD WAYS.

ALL THIS THAT SHE'S BEEN THROUGH WILL BE ALL FOR NOTHING.

I THINK I'M GOING TO GO LAY DOWN FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

OKAY. OKAY.

OH.

YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB.

Tamy: I'M UNDER SO MUCH STRESS,

AND MY CRAVINGS ARE SO STRONG RIGHT NOW.

I'M JUST TRYING MY BEST NOT TO CHEAT ON THE DIET.

THERE'S PLENTY OF STUFF IN HERE I COULD CHEAT ON,

BUT I HAVEN'T TOUCHED ANY OF IT.

OH.

BUT IT SEEMS, WHENEVER THERE'S A GLIMMER OF HOPE,

SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS TO TAKE IT AWAY.

OH.

I CAN'T SEE TO SHAKE THE DARK CLOUD THAT HANGS OVER ME.

**

THE WORRY I HAVE FOR NEVER GETTING THE SURGERY AT ALL

IS GOING BACK TO THE SAME LIFE THAT I HAD,

SECLUDING MYSELF INTO MY BED,

NOT TALKING TO PEOPLE NO MORE AND NOT GETTING OUT ANYMORE.

IF I CAN'T GET THE SURGERY, I'M AFRAID MY OLD HABITS

ARE GOING TO COME BACK.

**

**

IT'S BEEN A TOUGH COUPLE OF MONTHS.

I'VE BEEN DEPRESSED SINCE DR. NOW CANCELED MY SURGERY,

BUT I'VE TRIED TO STAY ON TRACK,

AND I'M STARTING TO FEEL BETTER.

TAMY MURRELL?

I WAS AT 451 THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE,

AND I'M HOPING TO BE IN THE 300s.

I JUST HOPE THAT I'M FINALLY HEALTHY ENOUGH

TO GET APPROVED FOR SURGERY TODAY...

**

...BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE I CAN DO THIS FOR ANOTHER MONTH.

**

NOT TOO BAD.

I'M REALLY DISAPPOINTED I DIDN'T HIT MY GOAL TODAY,

AND I'M WORRIED ABOUT WHAT DR. NOW IS GOING TO SAY.

I JUST DON'T THINK I CAN HANDLE ANY MORE BAD NEWS.

**

HELLO. HELLO.

HOW Y'ALL DOING?

GOOD. OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

SO HOW YOU FEELING, TAMY?

FEELING BETTER. ALL RIGHT.

YOU HAVE BEEN FREE OF PNEUMONIA FOR ABOUT 5 WEEKS NOW.

YEAH. YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE IS GOOD,

AND EVERYTHING IS GETTING BETTER,

SO IF YOUR HEART AND LUNGS SOUND GOOD,

THEN WE CAN MOVE AHEAD.

OKAY. BUT FOR SURGERY,

YOU'RE GOING TO BE LAYING DOWN FOR A WHILE

WITH ALL YOUR WEIGHT PUSHING DOWN ON YOUR ORGANS,

ESPECIALLY YOUR LUNGS,

SO I NEED TO HEAR HOW THEY ARE DOING AT THAT STATE,

SO IF YOU GET UP ON THE TABLE,

I CAN CHECK YOUR HEART AND EVERYTHING

AND SEE IF WE CAN APPROVE YOU FOR SURGERY, NO?

OKAY. ALL RIGHT.

**

ALL RIGHT. GO AHEAD. LAY DOWN.

Tamy: I'M REALLY NERVOUS RIGHT NOW.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH.

I HAVE TO HAVE THIS SURGERY.

**

SO STAY IN HERE.

WE'RE GOING TO GET THE EKG, AND I'LL BE BACK

AND TALK TO YOU, OKAY?

OKAY. ALL RIGHT.

Dr. Nowzaradan: TAMY'S LUNGS AND HEART SOUND GOOD,

BUT I WANT TO RUN AN EKG

TO MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO OVERALL ISSUES STILL LINGERING,

AND IF EVERYTHING IS OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO PROCEED

WITH WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

HOPEFULLY, EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD,

AND HER TESTS ALL SHOW THAT SHE'S READY.

I HOPE ALL THAT WENT WELL.

OKAY.

SO I HAVE THE RESULTS FROM ALL YOUR TESTING,

AND YOUR EKG LOOKED NORMAL,

AND YOU KEPT UP WITH YOUR WEIGHT LOSS,

SO I'M APPROVING YOU FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

OH, OKAY. OKAY?

AND WE'LL GET YOU IN TOMORROW,

SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT ANYMORE.

OKAY? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD DAY.

YOU TOO. YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY.

OKAY?

SO I'LL SEE YOU ALL TOMORROW.

THANK YOU. MM-HMM.

Dr. Nowzaradan: TAMY HAS DONE A GREAT JOB STAYING ON THE DIET

DESPITE ALL HER SETBACKS AND DELAYS SHE HAS FACED,

SO SHE'S READY NOW FOR THE NEXT BIG STEP IN HER JOURNEY.

HER WEIGHT LOSS HAS SLOWED DOWN,

AND IF WE HAVE TO WAIT ANY LONGER,

SHE WILL JUST CONTINUE TO SLOW UNTIL SHE STOP LOSING WEIGHT

AND STARTING GAINING AGAIN.

SO TAMY MAY HAVE HAD TO WAIT AWHILE

AND WORK HARD TO GET HERE,

BUT IT'S ALL ABOUT TO PAY OFF FOR HER.

**

Tamy: HEARING THOSE WORDS THAT I'M APPROVED

WAS SO WONDERFUL TO HEAR,

AND THEN TO FIND OUT IT'S HAPPENING TOMORROW

WAS SUCH A HUGE RELIEF.

**

THIS HAS BEEN SUCH A HARD ROAD,

BUT NOW THAT'S IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING,

I'M JUST EXCITED AND PROUD OF MYSELF.

**

**

Tamy: I'VE BOTH DREADED AND LOOKED FORWARD TO THIS DAY,

AND NOW THAT IT'S HERE, I AM JUST TERRIFIED.

JUST THINK, IN A FEW MINUTES, YOU'LL BE...

[ IMITATES SNORING ]

AND THEN YOU'LL WAKE UP, AND YOU'LL BE IN YOUR ROOM.

YEAH.

THEY JUST NEED TO HURRY UP AND COME PUT ME TO SLEEP.

YOU'LL BE FINE.

[ DOOR OPENS ] OKAY. COME HERE.

I LOVE YOU. Y'ALL SHOULD BE RELAXING.

MWAH. ALL RIGHT.

WE'LL SEE YOU AFTER YOU GET DONE, OKAY?

OKAY.

BYE, TAMY.

MY NERVES ARE STARTING TO GET THE BEST OF ME RIGHT NOW

BECAUSE MY WORST FEAR IS DYING ON THE TABLE.

SO I'M JUST NERVOUS ABOUT WHAT TO EXPECT,

AND WITH ME BEING OVERWEIGHT AND THE HEALTH ISSUES,

I AM VERY HIGH-RISK,

BUT THIS WAS THE ULTIMATE GOAL WHEN I FIRST STARTED THIS.

THE DIET, THE EXERCISE, IT WAS ALL TO GET TO HAVING THE SURGERY

AND THEN BEING ABLE TO BECOME A BETTER ME,

A HEALTHIER ME AND THE PERSON I WANT TO BE,

SO I REALLY DO NEED THIS SURGERY TO MOVE FORWARD IN MY LIFE,

AND I HAVE TO DO THIS.

**

Dr. Nowzaradan: TODAY, WE'LL BE PERFORMING A GASTRIC SLEEVE ON TAMY,

BUT SHE'S STILL VERY HIGH-RISK

BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T HAVE VERY MUCH STAMINA,

SO WE STILL HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL WITH HER LUNGS.

OKAY. READY FOR THE FIRST INCISION.

BUT THIS IS GOING TO BE A DIFFICULT PROCEDURE

TO PERFORM TODAY

BECAUSE THE LARGE MASS ON HER ABDOMEN

IS GOING TO MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER THE INSTRUMENTS.

WE CAN TURN THE ROOM LIGHT OFF.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE NEED TO WORK

TO MAKE SURE SHE'S NOT UNDER ANESTHESIA

FOR TOO LONG TO PREVENT HER LUNGS FROM HAVING ISSUES.

GO FORWARD. GO FORWARD.

PULL IT BACK A BIT.

MAN, THIS AIN'T GOING TO BE EASY.

IF SHE STARTS TO STRUGGLE TO BREATHE, WE COULD LOSE HER,

SO WE NEED TO BE EXTRA CAREFUL

NOT TO PUSH HER BODY OVER THE LIMIT.

BUT IF WE ARE SUCCESSFUL TODAY,

THIS WILL HELP TAMY CONTINUE TO LOSE MORE WEIGHT.

**

James: I'M REALLY WORRIED AND I AM SCARED.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO GO ON DURING SURGERY.

YOU KNOW, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN, BUT I'M TRYING TO STAY POSITIVE

AND KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THINGS ARE GOING TO GO SMOOTH,

BUT THERE'S ALWAYS THAT CHANCE THAT SOMETHING COULD COME UP.

Dr. Nowzaradan: LOOK AT THIS.

WELL, TAMY GOT A REALLY BIG SPLEEN

THAT IS BLOCKING ACCESS TO THE STOMACH.

THAT IS REALLY CHALLENGING,

SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO

TO GET IT OUT OF THE WAY.

THE SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY IS AN OPERATION

THAT REDUCES THE SIZE OF THE STOMACH 70 TO 80 PERCENT.

AFTER THE SURGERY, HER FOOD DESIRE WILL DIMINISH,

AND SHE WILL BE ABLE TO EAT LESS AND BE ABLE TO LOSE SOME WEIGHT.

OKAY. PULL IT OUT.

PULL IT OUT.

KEEP PULLING. KEEP PULLING. KEEP PULLING.

KEEP PULLING.

ALL RIGHT. ROOM LIGHT ON, PLEASE.

OKAY. ALL FINISHED.

ALL RIGHT. TAMY'S SURGERY WENT VERY WELL.

WE WERE ABLE TO DO A SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY ON HER,

AND THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT CHALLENGING

BECAUSE OF HER WEIGHT AND DIFFICULTY

IN MANEUVERING INSTRUMENT INSIDE OF HER ABDOMEN

AND THEN ENCOUNTERING ISSUES WITH HER SPLEEN,

PREVENTING ACCESS TO HER STOMACH.

BUT WE WERE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE SURGERY SAFELY.

SO WE'LL GET HER TO RECOVERY SO SHE CAN REST,

AND AS SOON AS SHE LOSES SOME MORE WEIGHT

AND RECOVER COMPLETELY,

THEN WE'RE GOING TO CONSIDER TAKING THIS MASS

THAT IS IN HER LOWER ABDOMEN.

THAT'S GOING TO BE A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT FOR HER,

FOR HER ABILITY TO WALK AND BE ACTIVE,

SO TODAY IS A BIG STEP FORWARD FOR HER,

AND IF SHE KEEPS UP HER PROGRESS,

WE'RE GOING TO HELP HER MAKE AN EVEN BIGGER STEP HERE SOON.

**

**

Tamy: I'VE BEEN HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL FOR ABOUT A WEEK NOW,

AND I'M STILL REALLY SORE AND HAVING A HARD TIME

GETTING UP AND WALKING,

BUT I HAVE TO PULL MYSELF TOGETHER.

MY RECOVERY TIME IS BEING CUT SHORT

BECAUSE JAMES IS PACKING TO GO BACK TO KENTUCKY.

HE AGREED TO HELP TAKE CARE OF ME UP TO SURGERY,

AND I SUPPOSE HE KEPT HIS END OF THE BARGAIN.

I DO WISH JAMES COULD STAY A LITTLE LONGER,

BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT HE CAN'T,

AND I'M THANKFUL THAT HE STAYED DOWN FOR AS LONG AS HE DID.

YOU WILL HAVE TO HELP ME WITH DINNER TONIGHT...

YES, I KNOW. ...MAKING YOUR DINNER.

James: IT'S TIME FOR ME TO GO BACK

SO TAMY CAN START THIS JOURNEY ON HER OWN,

SO SHE CAN DO THINGS FOR HERSELF, BE MORE INDEPENDENT.

**

BEFORE I LEAVE, I JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW

THERE'S VEGETABLES IN THE FRIDGE, CHICKEN BROTH,

JELL-O, AND YOU GOT A BRAND-NEW PACK OF WATER UP ON THE FRIDGE.

Tamy: OKAY.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE?

OKAY.

JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE.

IT'S GOING TO BE HARD LEAVING, YOU KNOW?

SO USED TO YOU AND ZACH BEING AT THE HOUSE.

YEAH. I KNOW. IT'S GOING TO BE LONELY.

IT'S NOT LIKE I'M ENJOYING THE WHOLE THING OF THINKING

OF BEING DOWN HERE BY MYSELF,

BUT I'M SURE I'LL BE OKAY.

LIKE I SAID, IF YOU'RE NOT, JUST CALL.

OKAY.

WELL, I'M GOING TO GO.

LOVE YOU. UH-HUH.

YOU BE GOOD FOR YOUR MOM AND PAY ATTENTION TO HER

WHEN SHE TELLS YOU TO DO STUFF.

YOU UNDERSTAND? MM-HMM.

YOU NEED HELP UP?

NO. I'M NOT STANDING UP.

ALL RIGHT.

YOU'LL HAVE TO COME DOWN TO ME.

I'LL SEE YOU. OKAY.

YOU GOING TO LET ME GO?

YEAH.

WHEN?

I'LL SEE YOU, OKAY?

YEAH.

I'LL CALL YOU ON THE ROAD.

ALL RIGHT.

Tamy: IT'S A LITTLE BIT SCARY BECAUSE I'M IN A NEW CITY

WITH NO ONE I KNOW HERE, AND I HAVE A SON TO RAISE,

AND I'M STILL RECOVERING FROM SURGERY

AND TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT,

AND I'M A LITTLE OVERWHELMED

BECAUSE I'M NOT REALLY SURE HOW TO DO THIS ALL ON MY OWN,

BUT I HAVE NO CHOICE.

IF I DON'T, THEN EVERYTHING HERE WILL FALL APART.

**

**

Tamy: IT'S BEEN OVER 6 WEEKS SINCE JAMES LEFT AND WENT BACK HOME,

AND IT GOT REALLY TOUGH RIGHT AFTER HE DID.

IT'S BEEN A BIT OF AN ADJUSTMENT,

BUT I FEEL LIKE I'M STARTING TO GET A HANDLE ON THINGS.

ZACH HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE MOTIVATION FOR ME

DURING THIS PROCESS,

AND LOSING WEIGHT AND GETTING SURGERY WAS AS MUCH

FOR ZACH AS IT WAS FOR ME

BECAUSE I CAN'T IMAGINE MY LIFE WITHOUT HIM,

BUT I ALSO DON'T THINK HE'S HAD THE LIFE HE DESERVES.

ZACH STRUGGLES WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS,

AND UNFORTUNATELY, I'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO HELP HIM,

BUT NOW I'M ABLE TO TAKE HIM TO OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY,

AND IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME.

Humphrey: THIS IS OUR BIG GYM, OUR BIG THERAPY GYM.

MOM, IF YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD AND SIT, YOU CAN SIT ON THE COUCH.

ALL RIGHT.

ZACH, SO WHAT WE CAN DO NOW IS WE CAN KIND OF RELAX,

SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND LAY ON THE GROUND.

I'D RATHER SIT. YOU'D RATHER SIT?

THAT'S FINE BY ME.

SO, MOM, WHAT ARE SOME PRIMARY CONCERNS FOR YOU FOR THERAPY?

I WISH I COULD FIGURE OUT A WAY OF CALMING HIM DOWN

WHEN HE'S ANGRY ABOUT SOMETHING.

ZACH, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WANT TO MAKE YOUR EMOTIONS BETTER?

YEAH. YEAH?

SO, MOM, ARE YOU ABLE TO HELP HIM

WITH DOING SOME BONDING REFLEX?

THIS REFLEX CAN HELP MAKE YOU MORE IN TOUCH WITH EACH OTHER

AND HIM FEEL BETTER AND IMPROVE HIS SELF-ESTEEM

AND SELF-CONFIDENCE,

AND THAT TOUCH CAN BE VERY CALMING.

COMFORTING, YEAH. YEAH.

IT'S VERY COMFORTING. ALL RIGHT, MR. ZACH,

YOU'RE GOING TO PUSH INTO MY HAND OVER HERE ON THIS SIDE,

AND WHILE YOU'RE PUSHING, MOM IS GOING TO TELL YOU THINGS

THAT SHE APPRECIATES ABOUT YOU.

I APPRECIATE THE HELP YOU GIVE ME

ON AN EVERY-DAY BASIS.

I APPRECIATE HOW LOVING YOU ARE WHEN I'M HAVING A BAD DAY.

I APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, JUST YOU BEING YOU.

EVEN ON YOUR BAD DAYS, YOU KNOW, I SEE THAT GOODNESS IN YOU,

AND I APPRECIATE ALL OF THAT.

YOU'VE MADE ME A BETTER ME.

ZACH, HOW'D IT MAKE YOU FEEL WHEN MOM SAID THOSE THINGS?

GOOD. GOOD?

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT SHE FEELS ALL THOSE THINGS,

HER APPRECIATION?

MM-HMM. GOOD.

SO AREN'T YOU GLAD THAT YOU HAVE MOM?

SHE SEEMS LIKE A WONDERFUL MOM.

Zachery: I AM VERY GLAD THAT MY MOM BROUGHT ME HERE.

IT IS REALLY COOL THAT WE'RE DOING THIS TOGETHER,

AND I DO THINK MY MOM

IS LEARNING SOMETHING TODAY AS WELL AS I AM.

Humphrey: I HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL REST OF Y'ALL'S DAY.

Tamy: IT'S BEEN A LOT OF FUN TODAY SPENDING TIME WITH ZACHERY

AND JUST SEEING WHAT HE'S GOING THROUGH.

IT'S GREAT THAT HE'S OPENING UP, THAT HE'S TRYING THE NEW THINGS.

I KNOW THAT THIS IS GOING TO HELP HIM,

AND IT'S AMAZING TO ACTUALLY HAVE

A COUPLE THINGS THAT I CAN TRY

AND SEE IF THEY'RE GOING TO WORK FOR HIM.

SO I'M FEELING REALLY GOOD RIGHT NOW,

AND I'M PROUD OF HOW I'M GETTING A HANDLE ON EVERYTHING.

NO MATTER WHAT, I'M GOING TO KEEP PUSHING

AND DO WHAT I NEED TO MAKE THIS ALL WORK.

**

**

THINGS HAVE CONTINUED TO IMPROVE OVER THE LAST MONTH.

ZACH IS DOING A LOT BETTER,

AND I FEEL LIKE I'M MAKING SOME REALLY GOOD PROGRESS.

I HAVEN'T BEEN GROCERY SHOPPING BY MYSELF

WITHOUT ANOTHER ADULT WITH ME IN A GOOD 10 YEARS OR MORE.

I FEEL LIKE, WITH ALL MY WEIGHT LOSS,

DOING MORE AND DOING IT WITH ZACH

IS MAKING US SO MUCH CLOSER,

AND THAT'S BEEN AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE THAT'S BEEN WONDERFUL.

WHAT'S THAT?

THAT WOULD BE GRAPEFRUIT.

OH, OKAY. GOOFY BUTT.

IT'S A GIANT ORANGE, PRETTY MUCH.

Zachery: A YEAR AGO, I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GO OUT

WITH MY MOM LIKE TODAY,

AND I AM VERY PROUD OF MY MOM'S PROGRESS.

YOU WANT TO GET ME SOME VEGGIE BROTH?

**

Tamy: I LOVE BEING ABLE TO BE ACTIVE AND KNOW

THAT I CAN GO INTO A STORE AND WALK A STORE,

AND I WANT TO GO OUT BECAUSE I KNOW I CAN DO IT NOW,

AND I DIDN'T WANT TO DO THAT BEFORE.

**

AND DR. NOW TOLD ME THAT I'M REALLY CLOSE TO QUALIFYING

FOR THE REMOVAL OF THIS HUGE MASS ON MY STOMACH.

**

SO MY GOAL IS TO WORK HARD AND QUALIFY FOR THAT

BY THE NEXT TIME I SEE HIM.

**

**

TODAY, WE'RE AT DR. NOW'S OFFICE.

IT'S BEEN ABOUT A YEAR SINCE I BEGAN THIS JOURNEY,

AND I'VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING HARDER IN MY LIFE.

BUT I THINK I'VE MADE THE PROGRESS THAT DR. NOW EXPECTS.

I MADE IT DOWN TO 413 LAST TIME,

BUT TODAY, I'LL BE HAPPY TO JUST BE IN THE 300s.

**

YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE PROUD.

**

THE NUMBERS ON THE SCALE WERE AWESOME.

I AM JUST SO HAPPY ABOUT THAT.

I CAN'T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME I WAS UNDER 400 POUNDS.

I HAVE LOST SO MUCH WEIGHT SINCE I STARTED THIS PROCESS,

AND JUST TO FEEL THAT, JUST TO SEE THAT, IT'S AMAZING.

**

HELLO. HELLO.

HOW Y'ALL DOING? WE'RE FINE.

HOW ARE YOU? ALL RIGHT.

SO YOU LOST ALMOST 250 POUNDS.

WELL, HOW HAS YOUR LIFE CHANGED SINCE YOU STARTED THE PROGRAM?

I MEAN, I CAN DO SO MUCH, JUST GETTING OUT, DOING THINGS,

NOT HAVING TO DEPEND ON PEOPLE,

JUST, YOU KNOW, TAKING CARE OF MYSELF.

I DON'T HAVE TO HAVE SOMEBODY ELSE TAKE CARE OF ME.

YOU KNOW, DOING THINGS WITH MY SON ZACHERY,

IT'S REALLY GREAT.

IT'S INCREDIBLE. OKAY.

WELL, YOU'RE DOING GREAT, AND I'M VERY PROUD OF YOU.

AND IF YOU LOSE ANOTHER 20 POUNDS IN THE NEXT MONTH,

THEN I THINK YOU'LL BE READY FOR THE SKIN MASS

ON YOUR STOMACH TO BE REMOVED,

AND WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO

MORE SKIN SURGERY. YEAH.

AND THAT'S GOING TO GET YOU TO YOUR IDEAL BODY WEIGHT

WITHIN 9 TO 12 MONTHS,

SO YOU'RE GOING TO BE DOWN TO 170 POUNDS.

WOW.

THAT WOULD BE INCREDIBLE. I HAVEN'T --

I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER BEING 170 POUNDS.

I WAS PROBABLY IN MY EARLY TEENS.

EARLY TEENS?

YEAH. OKAY. THAT'S GOOD.

WE'RE GOING TO GET YOU THERE.

WELL, DESPITE HOW INTERESTING YOUR YEAR HAS BEEN,

YOU DIDN'T GIVE UP, AND YOU WORKED HARD,

SO, TAMY, I'M PROUD OF YOU.

YOU'VE DONE GREAT.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK,

AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU NEXT MONTH.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

OH, YOU'RE WELCOME.

YOU HAVE A NICE DAY. I'LL SEE YOU LATER.

WHEN I FIRST STARTED THE PROCESS,

I WAS ALMOST 600 POUNDS,

AND I'M FINALLY GOING TO BE CLOSE TO UNDER 200 POUNDS.

I MEAN, IT'S INCREDIBLE.

I'VE HAD SOME UPS AND DOWNS,

AND I'VE KICKED MYSELF MANY TIMES,

BUT I'M VERY PROUD

BECAUSE MY LIFE IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NOW

AND SO MUCH BETTER.

I FEEL LIKE I'VE ACCOMPLISHED SO MUCH,

BUT I STILL HAVE A LOT MORE TO ACCOMPLISH.