Original subtitles

Jennifer: IF ME AND MY DAUGHTER DON'T CHANGE,

SHE'LL BE BURYING ME

AND SHE'LL BE NEXT.

♪♪

OH, GOD. [ GROANING ]

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

Woman #2: I TRIED TO CHANGE, BUT SOMETHING ALWAYS KNOCKS ME DOWN.

♪♪

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

OH! OW! [BLEEP]

THIS IS NO LIFE FOR ANYONE.

♪♪

Woman: OH, JUST PRAY FOR ME.

OW, MY LEG!

SIT DOWN RIGHT THERE. WAIT.

YOU'RE MAKING ME MAD.

THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE.

♪♪

Jennifer: I HAVE NO POWER.

I MOVED US INTO THE CRAPPIEST NEIGHBORHOOD EVER.

Marissa: THE WINDOW IS BROKEN IN HERE.

OH, MY GOD. I'M TOTALLY FREAKING OUT.

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

♪♪

Jennifer: WE HAVE NO CHOICE WITH HOW THE STORY OF OUR LIFE BEGINS,

BUT WE CAN HAVE A CHOICE IN HOW IT ENDS.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

I'M IN CONSTANT MISERY.

♪♪

I'VE GOTTEN SO BIG NOW

THAT THE STRAIN OF ALL THAT WEIGHT ON MY BODY

MAKES EVERY PART OF ME ACHE,

AND MY BACK HURTS.

MY FEET HURT. MY HIPS HURT.

♪♪

I FEEL LIKE I'M SUFFOCATING UNDER THIS WEIGHT.

♪♪

BUT IT'S ESPECIALLY TAKEN A TOLL ON MY LEGS

BECAUSE NOW I HAVE ARTHRITIS IN MY KNEECAPS,

SO I CAN BARELY STAND FOR TWO MINUTES, MAX,

AND IF I PUSH MYSELF BEYOND THAT,

THE PAIN IS JUST UNBEARABLE.

♪♪

I FEEL LIKE MY KNEES WILL POP OUT AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT.

OH, MY GOD.

AND I'M VERY WORRIED BECAUSE IF IT GETS ANY WORSE,

I WON'T BE ABLE TO GET UP AND DO ANYTHING.

♪♪

IT FEELS LIKE I'M CARRYING

AT LEAST FIVE PEOPLE WITH ME AT ALL TIMES,

AND I'M VERY WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THIS WEIGHT IS DOING TO MY BODY.

♪♪

I ALREADY CAN'T DO MUCH ON MY OWN,

SO MY DAUGHTER HAS TO HELP DO MOST EVERYTHING.

MARISSA, BABY.

[ DOOR OPENS ]

CAN YOU COME HELP ME, PLEASE?

-IN THE SHOWER? -YEAH.

SHE LIVES HERE WITH ME AND MY BOYFRIEND,

AND SHE DOES EVERYTHING FOR ME,

BUT THE MOST HUMILIATING THING SHE HAS TO HELP ME WITH

IS TAKING A SHOWER.

NO CHILD SHOULD HAVE TO DO STUFF

THAT SHE HAS TO DO 24 HOURS A DAY.

♪♪

I NEED MARISSA TO WASH EVERYTHING,

SO, I KNOW WITHOUT HER HELP,

I'D HAVE NO WAY TO EVEN FUNCTION.

♪♪

IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING TO ALWAYS HAVE TO HELP MY MOM,

BUT IF I DIDN'T,

I'M WORRIED SHE'D END UP STAYING IN BED ALL DAY,

AND THEN SHE WOULD JUST END UP GETTING WORSE,

SO I DON'T REALLY HAVE A CHOICE

BECAUSE I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN TO HER.

BUT IT'S GETTING HARDER FOR ME

TO TAKE CARE OF HER LIKE SHE NEEDS

BECAUSE I KNOW HER EATING HABITS AFFECT ME.

I KNOW I'VE STARTED GAINING A LOT,

AND THE BIGGER I'VE GOTTEN, THE HARDER IT IS FOR ME TO DO

SOME OF THE THINGS MY MOM NEEDS ME TO DO.

YEAH.

I'VE STARTED TO GET WORRIED THAT IT'LL GET TO A POINT

WHERE I WON'T BE ABLE TO HELP HER LIKE SHE NEEDS.

AND ONE DAY, I'M GONNA END UP BATHING HER IN HER BED,

AND THAT'S NOT SOMEWHERE I WANT TO BE AT.

♪♪

Marissa: BUT I FEEL LIKE SHE CAN'T BE A MOM FROM THE BED.

SO, I THINK THE LINES ARE DEFINITELY BLURRED.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT ROLE IS WHAT.

I DON'T KNOW IF I'M THE MOM.

I DON'T KNOW IF I'M THE DAUGHTER.

I DON'T KNOW IF I'M THE CARETAKER.

I DON'T KNOW IF I'M SUPPOSED TO BE A CHILD.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT I AM MOST OF THE TIME.

♪♪

Jennifer: I HATE THAT THIS IS MY LIFE,

AND THAT THIS IS THE LIFE THAT I'M MAKING FOR MY DAUGHTER

BECAUSE OF MY WEIGHT,

AND I'M NOT HAPPY IN THIS BODY AT ALL.

♪♪

I DON'T EVEN FEEL HUMAN AT THIS POINT.

[ Voice breaking ] I JUST FEEL LIKE A BLOB,

AND I JUST SEE A DISGUSTING HUMAN BEING

THAT SHOULDN'T BE LIKE THIS.

♪♪

-GOT IT? -YEAH.

BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO CHANGE IT

BECAUSE IT'S ONLY GONNA GET WORSE

BECAUSE ALL I LIVE FOR IS EATING.

WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO MAKE YOU FOR BREAKFAST, MAMA?

I THINK I WANT

SOME EGGS, SOME BACON,

BISCUITS AND GRAVY, PLEASE.

OKEYDOKEY. THANKS.

♪♪

I KNOW, DESPITE ALL THE PAIN AND STRUGGLE OF MY BODY,

IF I GET UP AND START MY DAY, THEN I GET TO EAT.

♪♪

I CAN'T HANDLE IT IF I DON'T GET TO EAT WHAT I WANT.

MARISSA DOESN'T ARGUE WITH ME,

AND WHAT DEVASTATES ME IS,

NOW SHE JOINS IN WITH ME AND MY MEALS.

MARISSA, HOW MUCH LONGER YOU THINK?

PROBABLY NOT THAT LONG. -ALL RIGHT.

I'M HUNGRY.

♪♪

Marissa: I USED TO BE A LOT BETTER AT HIDING MY FEELINGS ABOUT MY MOM,

BUT IT'S GETTING TO THE POINT

WHERE I CAN'T HIDE MY ANGER

OR HIDE HOW FRUSTRATING DOING EVERYTHING IS TO ME.

I FEEL HOPELESS A LOT.

-THANK YOU. -YOU'RE WELCOME.

BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO,

SO I PUSH IT ALL DOWN AND DO WHAT I HAVE TO DO

AND JUST TAKE CARE OF HER,

AND I TAKE ALL THE FRUSTRATION AND JUST EAT.

AND I KNOW THAT IF I LET MYSELF GET ANY WORSE,

IT'S GONNA BE REALLY BAD FOR BOTH OF US.

SO, I'M AT A POINT WHERE I DON'T WANT TO GAIN ANY MORE WEIGHT,

BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOSE IT

BECAUSE I'M GONNA END UP RIGHT WHERE SHE IS

IF I DON'T CHANGE.

OH, MY GOD, MARISSA. IT'S SO GOOD.

Jennifer: THIS ISN'T LIVING.

I DON'T EVEN THINK IT'S SURVIVING.

I FEEL THAT I'M SLOWLY DYING. I'M SLOWLY KILLING MYSELF.

FOOD IS WHAT MAKES ME HAPPY, AND AT THIS POINT,

I DON'T THINK I COULD STOP

AND NEITHER CAN MARISSA.

THAT'S LEADING TO HER GAINING A LOT OF WEIGHT NOW, TOO,

ALL BECAUSE OF ME.

SHE IS TEETERING ON THE VERY BRINK OF BEING WHERE I AM.

[ Voice breaking ] AND I FEEL LIKE IT'S MY FAULT.

[ Normal voice ] ALL I KNOW IS THAT MY WHOLE LIFE,

MY STRUGGLE HAS BEEN WITH FOOD,

AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO CHANGE THAT NOW

WHEN IT'S ALL YOU'VE KNOWN FOR SO LONG.

♪♪

GROWING UP, I HAD A PRETTY ROUGH CHILDHOOD.

THE FIRST COUPLE YEARS OF MY LIFE

REVOLVED AROUND THE FACT THAT MY FATHER WAS AN ADDICT,

SO, A LOT OF MY EARLIEST MEMORIES

WERE OF MY DAD LOSING HIS TEMPER AND GOING INTO A RAGE,

BUT BECAUSE OF THAT, MY PARENTS GOT A DIVORCE.

♪♪

BUT MY MOM REMARRIED WHEN I WAS FIVE,

AND MY STEPDAD STARTED TO ABUSE ME AND MY SIBLINGS.

WHEN I WAS SEVEN, THAT'S WHEN MY STEPDAD STARTED TO MOLEST ME.

♪♪

I THINK MY MOM KNEW THAT I WAS BEING MOLESTED,

AND MY MOM WOULD JUST EXCUSE MY STEPDAD'S BEHAVIOR,

AND JUST NOTHING EVER CHANGED,

SO, NOBODY DID ANYTHING TO SAVE ME,

AND I HAD NOWHERE TO TURN,

SO I TURNED TO FOOD,

AND I JUST STARTED GORGING MYSELF.

IT'S THE ONLY THING IN MY LIFE I COULD TURN TO

THAT MADE ME FEEL SAFE AND HAPPY.

IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I COULD CONTROL,

AND IT NEVER JUDGED ME.

IT NEVER HURT ME.

SO, I STARTED GAINING WEIGHT ABOUT THE AGE OF EIGHT.

BY THE TIME I WAS NINE, I HIT 100 POUNDS,

AND MY WEIGHT GAIN NEVER SLOWED FROM THAT POINT.

I WAS JUST EATING NONSTOP.

IT GOT TO THE POINT WHERE MY MOM AND MY STEPDAD,

THEY WOULD LOCK UP THE CABINETS AND THE FRIDGE

TO TRY AND STOP ME FROM EATING AS MUCH,

BUT IT DIDN'T WORK.

AND I WOULD FIND WAYS TO SNEAK SNACKS,

AND BY THE TIME I WAS 13, I WEIGHED 150 POUNDS.

AT THAT POINT, MY STEPFATHER WOULD SET ME ON A SCALE

NAKED, IN FRONT OF A MIRROR AND JUST DEGRADE ME LIKE,

"WHY DO YOU WANT TO LOOK LIKE THIS?

WHY CAN'T YOU LOSE WEIGHT?"

AND I JUST FELT USELESS AND...

JUST INADEQUATE.

AROUND THEN IS WHEN MY MOM AND HIM GOT A DIVORCE.

♪♪

AND SHORTLY AFTER THAT, I GOT PREGNANT WITH MARISSA.

WHEN I TURNED 16, ME AND MY BOYFRIEND GOT MARRIED,

BUT IT WAS DURING MY PREGNANCY THAT MY WEIGHT SKYROCKETED,

AND BY THE TIME I HAD MARISSA, I WAS ALMOST 300 POUNDS,

AND AS CRAZY AS IT SOUNDS, I WAS HAPPY THEN...

[Voice breaking] THAT I COULD BE A WAY BETTER MOM THAN MY MOM.

I JUST WANTED TO BE BETTER.

[Normal voice] BUT HAVING MARISSA DIDN'T SLOW MY WEIGHT GAIN

BECAUSE I DECIDED THAT SINCE EVERYBODY STARVED ME GROWING UP,

I COULD EAT ABSOLUTELY WHAT I WANTED,

AND I WENT GUNG HO FOR IT ALL.

AND I GOT SO BIG, IT GOT TOO DIFFICULT TO STAY IN SCHOOL.

SO, I DROPPED OUT, AND BY THE TIME I WAS 18,

I GOT PREGNANT WITH MY SECOND CHILD, PEYTON,

AND I JUST KEPT GAINING,

AND BY THE TIME HE WAS BORN, WHEN I WAS 19,

I WAS OVER 400 POUNDS,

BUT I WAS STILL HAPPY BECAUSE I HAD MY OWN FAMILY.

♪♪

AND WHEN I WAS 20, THINGS STARTED TO GET HARD

BETWEEN ME AND MY HUSBAND.

THE RELATIONSHIP TURNED ABUSIVE,

AND I DIDN'T WANT THAT TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT FOR MY KIDS.

DURING THAT TIME WHEN I WAS 22, I MET SOMEONE ELSE,

AND WE STARTED SEEING EACH OTHER,

AND I GOT PREGNANT BY HIM,

BUT EVEN THOUGH MY MARRIAGE WAS FALLING APART,

I WAS STILL MARRIED TO MY HUSBAND.

SO, I WASN'T SURE HOW IT WAS GONNA GO DOWN

WHEN I SAID THAT I HAD A CHILD THAT WASN'T HIS,

SO I HID MY PREGNANCY FROM HIM.

I WOULD WEAR BAGGY CLOTHES,

AND THEN I GAVE HIM UP FOR ADOPTION WHEN HE WAS BORN.

I NEVER WANTED TO GIVE UP MY SON.

I THOUGHT I DID THE BEST THING FOR HIM,

BUT IT KILLED ME.

♪♪

I WENT INTO SUCH DEPRESSION, I GAINED ABOUT 100 POUNDS.

I WAS 23 THEN, AND I WAS GETTING CLOSE TO 500,

AND OVER THE NEXT YEAR, I WAS SO DEPRESSED,

AND I JUST ATE NONSTOP, SO I HIT 600 POUNDS.

♪♪

BUT THINGS KEPT GETTING WORSE IN MY MARRIAGE,

AND I KNOW IT WAS NOT ONLY AFFECTING ME,

BUT MARISSA WAS GETTING OLDER AND WITNESSING IT.

IT WAS STARTING TO TRAUMATIZE HER

LIKE IT DID WHEN I WITNESSED IT AS A CHILD,

AND I DIDN'T WANT THAT FOR HER, SO I FINALLY LEFT,

BUT I REALLY THINK AT THAT POINT, IT WAS TOO LATE.

HE NEVER ABUSED ME, BUT HE WOULD LITERALLY MAKE ME

SIT ON THE COUCH AND WATCH HIM BEAT ON MY MOM.

IT WAS HARD. WHEN THAT WOULD HAPPEN,

AND THE FIRST THING I WOULD WANT TO DO WAS EAT.

I NEEDED SWEETS OR SOMETHING TO CALM ME DOWN.

Jennifer: THINGS WERE OKAY FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS OR SO.

WHEN I WAS GOING ON 30, I MET DAWAYNE,

WHO IS MY BOYFRIEND NOW.

JEN WAS HEAVY WHEN I FIRST MET HER,

AND IT DIDN'T REALLY MATTER TO ME

BECAUSE I JUST LOVED HER SMILE

AND JUST EVERYTHING ABOUT HER.

Jennifer: BUT IN THE BEGINNING OF OUR RELATIONSHIP,

HE WASN'T THE BEST INFLUENCE ON ME

BECAUSE HE HAD A LOT OF DEMONS,

AND ONE OF THOSE WAS DRUG ADDICTION,

SO I STARTED TO JOIN IN, AND I GOT ADDICTED.

FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS, I JUST WASN'T WITH IT.

I KNOW I WASN'T THE BEST MOM TO MY KIDS AT THE TIME.

I LOST MY HOME AND MY CAR, AND I WAS ESSENTIALLY HOMELESS,

SO I LOST MY KIDS.

THEY WERE TAKEN AWAY TO GO LIVE WITH THEIR GRANDPARENTS.

SO, ME AND DAWAYNE WERE ALONE AT THIS TIME...

...BUT I KNOW IT WAS HARD ON MY KIDS

TO BE AWAY FROM THEIR MOM,

ESPECIALLY WHEN I HEARD MARISSA'S GRANDPARENTS

TRIED TO DO THINGS TO CONTROL HER WEIGHT LIKE THEY DID TO ME.

IT WAS HARD HAVING SO MANY RESTRICTIONS

AT MY GRANDMA'S HOUSE.

IT MADE ME FEEL REALLY BAD ABOUT MYSELF

THAT SOMEBODY HAD TO LOCK CABINETS

OR LOCK THE REFRIGERATOR JUST SO I WOULDN'T EAT.

BUT IT NEVER STOPPED ME FROM GAINING.

I COULD ALWAYS FIND A WAY TO GET FOOD.

I WAS AROUND 14 AT THE TIME, AND I WAS GOING ON 200 POUNDS

BECAUSE I WAS JUST EATING TO DEAL WITH ALL THE PAIN MY LIFE,

AND NOW I WAS WITHOUT MY MOM

WHEN I FELT LIKE I NEEDED HER THE MOST.

♪♪

THAT'S WHEN I EXPERIENCED THE WORST THING THAT HAPPENED TO ME.

I MET THIS 19-YEAR-OLD BOY, AND HE INVITED ME TO HIS HOUSE,

AND WHEN I WENT OVER,

HE RAPED ME.

I BLAME MYSELF A LOT FOR WHAT HAPPENED

'CAUSE I WAS BIGGER THAN HIM,

SO I FEEL LIKE I COULD HAVE DONE MORE TO STOP IT.

BUT AFTER THAT, I STARTED TO FEEL REALLY DEPRESSED

AND REALLY BAD ABOUT MYSELF, AND I TURNED TO FOOD.

[ Voice breaking ] IT WAS THE ONLY WAY I COULD COPE, I GUESS.

♪♪

BY THE TIME I WAS 33,

I WAS ALMOST BEDRIDDEN BECAUSE OF MY WEIGHT,

AND SINCE HE WAS CLEANED UP,

DAWAYNE HAD GOTTEN A JOB TO PROVIDE FOR US,

SO HE COULDN'T STAY HOME TO TAKE CARE OF ME.

Marissa: WHEN I TURNED 18, I HAD GOTTEN UP TO 300 POUNDS,

BUT MY MOM WAS DOUBLE MY SIZE AND NEEDED SOMEONE TO HELP HER,

SO I MOVED IN WITH HER AND DAWAYNE

BECAUSE I COULDN'T JUST LET HER BECOME BEDRIDDEN,

AND THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE TO DO IT,

BUT IT'S BEEN HARD.

I'M FRUSTRATED THAT MY MOM IS STILL BIG AFTER ALL THIS TIME.

I'M FRUSTRATED THAT NOBODY HELPS ME.

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME THAT I'VE BEEN DOING THIS BY MYSELF,

AND I'M FRUSTRATED THAT I FEEL LIKE I'M ALMOST 500 POUNDS NOW

AND IT'S HER FAULT.

I'M STARTING TO GET CLOSE TO ENDING UP LIKE HER,

AND IT SEEMS LIKE THINGS ARE ONLY GETTING WORSE.

♪♪

Jennifer: I HATE THAT THIS IS THE LIFE I MADE FOR ALL OF US,

AND THAT MY DAUGHTER'S WHOLE WORLD IS JUST ME AND DAWAYNE

BECAUSE SHE'S HERE WITH ME ALL DAY LONG,

AND SHE CAN'T GO OUT AND HAVE A LIFE.

MY DAUGHTER SHOULD NEVER HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF ME.

I SHOULD BE THE ONE TAKING CARE OF HER.

SHE SHOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE A LIFE RIGHT NOW.

SHE'S 26, AND SHE NEEDS TO MEET MR. RIGHT

AND HAVE HER KID.

I HINDER THAT.

CHICKEN WILL BE OUT IN ABOUT 5, 10 MINUTES, OKAY?

Jennifer: OKAY.

Marissa: SOMETIMES, DAWAYNE WILL COOK WHEN HE GETS HOME.

IT'S RARE, BUT WHEN IT HAPPENS, THAT'S ONE OF THE RARE TIMES

I GET TO TAKE A BREAK AND JUST SIT WITH MY MOM,

AND I'M THANKFUL FOR THE TIME I'VE HAD WITH MY MOM,

BUT IT'S NOT NORMAL MOTHER-DAUGHTER TIME,

AND LIVING HERE, DAWAYNE HAS BECOME MORE OF A FATHER TO ME

THAN ANYONE ELSE HAS IN MY LIFE,

BUT THIS IS STILL SO HARD

BECAUSE I WORRY ABOUT MY MOM DYING AT ANY POINT RIGHT NOW.

I ONLY SEE HER GETTING WORSE AND WORSE,

AND I PROBABLY WON'T BE TOO FAR BEHIND HER,

AND I KNOW SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE FOR BOTH OF US

BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE FOR HER AND FOR ME.

I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD GO START PLATES.

I WONDER IF DAD HEATED UP YOUR ROLLS.

DO YOU WANT THEM HEATED UP?

SURE.

♪♪

I WANT A THIGH, PLEASE.

YOU'VE GOT A THIGH

AND A PIECE OF BREAST.

Jennifer: I THINK IF ME AND MY DAUGHTER DON'T CHANGE,

SHE'LL BE BURYING ME,

AND MY BOYFRIEND WILL BE BURYING HER NEXT.

MARISSA, CAN I HAVE MORE BUTTER, PLEASE.

Marissa: BUTTER? MM-HMM.

LIKE, GARLIC BUTTER OR JUST REGULAR BUTTER?

OH. FOR MY POTATO.

LIKE, I WISH IT WAS SO EASY TO JUST,

"OKAY, WELL, LET'S JUST CHANGE,"

AND IT'S NOT. IT'S NOT EASY LIKE THAT.

♪♪

WANT A NAPKIN, DAD?

Dawayne: I SIT UP THERE AND I WATCH JEN AND MARISSA

EAT SOME OF THESE THINGS THAT THEY DO,

AND I KNOW IT'S KILLING THEM.

♪♪

BUT WHEN YOU TELL HER THAT SHE CAN'T HAVE SOMETHING,

THEN SHE MAKES IT A LIVING HELL.

IT'S LIKE A BABY SOMETIMES THROWING A TANTRUM.

IN ORDER TO SHUT THEM UP, YOU JUST GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT.

IF WE WERE TO LOSE JEN,

[SIGHS] MY WHOLE WORLD WOULD BE GONE.

♪♪

Marissa: I'M VERY TIRED OF THIS LIFE.

I DON'T WANT TO LIVE THIS LIFE ANYMORE.

Jennifer: WE BOTH DESPERATELY NEED HELP...

...'CAUSE WE BOTH CAN'T LAST MUCH LONGER THAN THIS.

SO, I HAVE TO FIND A WAY FOR US TO CHANGE,

AND IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING SOON,

I KNOW IT'S GONNA BE TOO LATE.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Jennifer: MARISSA AND ME ARE FLYING TO HOUSTON TO SEE DR. NOW TODAY.

I CALLED DR. NOWZARADAN LAST WEEK

TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR TOMORROW.

I WANT US TO TRY AND GET HELP TOGETHER,

BUT I'M SCARED RIGHT NOW ABOUT HOW THIS IS GONNA GO.

IT'S A BIG TRIP. LIKE, WE HAVE TO FLY.

I'VE NEVER FLOWN BEFORE. I'M SO NERVOUS.

-HELLO. -HI.

-HI, NICHOLAS. -HOW'S IT GOING?

-GOOD. HOW ARE YOU? -GOOD.

ALL RIGHT. WHAT ALL WE DO GOT TO DO?

WE GOT TO TAKE BAGS DOWN.

TELL ME WHAT I GOT TO DO TO HELP YOU GUYS OUT.

OUR FRIEND NICK IS TAKING US TO THE AIRPORT,

AND I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR HIM.

THANK YOU, NICK. -YEAH, NO PROBLEM.

ALL RIGHT. I THINK WE'RE READY.

YOU READY? YEAH.

LET'S SEE HOW THIS FEELS.

Marissa: I KNOW THIS IS GONNA BE A HARD TRIP FOR MY MOM

BECAUSE MY MOM CAN'T EVEN HANDLE GOING SMALL DISTANCES,

BUT WE HAVE NO OTHER OPTION.

♪♪

Marissa: YOU GOT IT.

Jennifer: LEAVING THE HOUSE AND FLYING IN AN AIRPLANE

AND, LIKE, IF I THINK ABOUT IT TOO LONG,

I'M SCARED,

BUT I'M AT LEAST GLAD WE'RE TRYING TO DO THIS TOGETHER.

SLOWLY.

I JUST WANT TO GO DOWN FAST.

♪♪

COUPLE MORE. YOU GOT IT.

OKAY.

HELP ME WITH THESE STAIRS, THEN.

♪♪

GO DOWN ONE MORE.

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

I'M IN A LOT OF PAIN ALREADY,

AND I'M HOPING IT DOESN'T GET ANY WORSE.

♪♪

GOT IT? YOU GOT IT.

THANK YOU.

♪♪

I'M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING IN PUBLIC,

AND THAT'S MAKING ME EVEN MORE NERVOUS.

♪♪

Marissa: I'M WORRIED ABOUT WHETHER MY MOM

IS GONNA BE ABLE TO MAKE IT ALL THE WAY THERE,

AND THE ONLY REASON I'M WILLING TO TRY THIS

IS THAT I KNOW MY MOM NEEDS HELP.

IT'S JUST NOT GONNA BE EASY.

♪♪

RIGHT HERE I THINK.

HOLD THAT, PLEASE.

Both: YEAH.

-THANK YOU. -OKAY.

OH.

Jennifer: I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN DO THIS.

WILL THE PLANE LIFT WITH ME ON IT?

[ LAUGHS ]

SHE'S AFRAID THE PLANE... -DON'T LAUGH.

...WON'T TAKE OFF THE GROUND...

-I'M SERIOUS. ...'CAUSE SHE'S FAT.

I CRIED ABOUT IT LAST NIGHT.

IT'S GONNA TAKE OFF, MOM.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT CAN TAKE OFF 'CAUSE I'M SO BIG.

IT CAN HOLD A LOT.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M DOING THIS,

AND PART OF ME JUST WANTS TO GO BACK HOME.

♪♪

WHERE AM I GOING? THIS WAY?

I JUST NEED TO GET ON AND SIT DOWN.

♪♪

AND I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE TO GET THREE SEATS.

IT'S JUST EMBARRASSING.

THIS IS GONNA BE FREAKING UNCOMFORTABLE.

♪♪

THIS IS HUMILIATING.

I HOPE THIS TRIP GOES FAST.

♪♪

IT'S A FOUR-HOUR FLIGHT,

SO I BROUGHT SOME FOOD.

I JUST NEEDED SOMETHING TO HELP CALM ME DOWN,

AND FOOD IS THE ONLY THING THAT REALLY DOES.

♪♪

♪♪

THANK GOD WE'RE HERE.

GOT IT.

GOT IT.

GOOD JOB. YOU GOT IT.

[ SIGHS ]

♪♪

THANK YOU.

♪♪

Marissa: I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN REALLY SCARY FOR MY MOM,

SO I'M REALLY PROUD OF HER FOR MAKING THIS TRIP.

WE JUST HAVE A LITTLE WAYS TO GO BEFORE SHE CAN REST,

AND I KNOW SHE'S LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING TO THE HOTEL,

AND SO AM I.

♪♪

Jennifer: THIS HAS BEEN SO HARD, BUT I MADE IT,

AND OUR APPOINTMENT IS TOMORROW,

SO I JUST HOPE IT ALL GOES WELL TOMORROW,

AND IT'S THE START OF A NEW LIFE WE BOTH NEED.

♪♪

♪♪

MARISSA AND ME ARE HEADED TO SEE DR. NOW, AND I'M REALLY NERVOUS,

AND I'M MORE SCARED TODAY THAN I WAS TRAVELING HERE YESTERDAY

BECAUSE WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT

IF WE GET THE HELP WE NEED TO SAVE OUR LIVES OR NOT,

SO THIS IS ALL JUST REALLY SCARY.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I LET MYSELF GET TO THIS POINT.

♪♪

I JUST HOPE AND PRAY THAT IT'S NOT TOO LATE

FOR DR. NOW TO HELP ME.

JENNIFER AND MARISSA.

I'M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING ON THE SCALE,

BUT I KNOW I NEED TO GET THE HELP I NEED,

SO I WOULD HAVE TO DO THIS.

♪♪

♪♪

IT'S HIGHER THAN I WAS HOPING...

...BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S NOT A HUGE SHOCK.

[ Voice breaking ] I'M DEFINITELY NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT.

Marissa: I HOPE THIS GOES WELL

BECAUSE WE BOTH NEED HELP SO BAD.

♪♪

THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A SHOCK.

I'M A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED IN WHERE MY WEIGHT IS AT.

YOU GUYS CAN GO AHEAD AND GO TO ROOM 5.

-ROOM 5? -MM-HMM.

BUT MY MOM'S IS GETTING TO A BREAKING POINT,

AND SHE HAS TO GET THAT DOWN

BECAUSE IT'S GETTING SO OUT OF CONTROL.

♪♪

[ KNOCKS ON DOOR, DOOR OPENS ]

-HELLO. -HI.

-HI. -HOW ARE Y'ALL DOING?

-OKAY. -I'M DR. NOWZARADAN.

-JENNIFER. -JENNIFER, NICE TO MEET YOU.

-NICE TO MEET YOU. MARISSA. -ALL RIGHT.

NICE TO MEET YOU, TOO.

SO, YOU BOTH MADE THE TRIP FROM OREGON

TO GET HELP FOR YOUR WEIGHT?

YES. YOU ARE MY ONLY HOPE.

WELL, JENNIFER, YOU ARE AT 636 POUNDS,

AND, MARISSA, YOU ARE AT 573 POUNDS.

MM-HMM.

AND YOU'RE MOTHER AND DAUGHTER TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT TOGETHER?

-MM-HMM. -THAT'S GOOD

BECAUSE RIGHT OFF THE BAT,

I CAN SEE WITH WHERE BOTH OF YOUR WEIGHTS ARE AT.

IT'S CLEAR YOU TWO HAVE UNHEALTHY DYNAMIC,

SO, LET'S START WITH WHO FEEDS WHO.

MY DAUGHTER BRINGS ME FOOD.

DON'T YOU TWO THINK THAT YOU'RE ENABLING EACH OTHER?

-YES. -OF COURSE.

SO, THIS IS NOT A VERY HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP.

NO.

JENNIFER, YOU CAN BLAME YOUR DAUGHTER,

BUT YOU'RE USING HER TO GET YOUR FOOD.

AND MARISSA, YOU CAN BLAME YOUR MOTHER EATING

AND EAT WHEN SHE EAT,

BUT THE TRUTH IS, THAT'S JUST AN EXCUSE

BECAUSE YOU WANT TO EAT, TOO,

SO WE HAVE A VERY DYSFUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU TWO.

MM-HMM.

AND ONE OF YOU WILL BE BURYING THE OTHER ONE SOON.

MARISSA, DON'T THINK BECAUSE YOU'RE YOUNGER

AND SMALLER RIGHT NOW

THAT YOU'RE THAT MUCH BETTER OFF.

YOU'LL BE UP TO YOUR MOM'S WEIGHT

WITHIN THE YEAR AT THIS RATE.

-YEAH. -AND WHEN YOU'RE THAT SIZE,

ONE SMALL THING CAN PUSH YOUR BODIES OVER THE EDGE.

OKAY.

SO IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT YOU BOTH DO THIS NOW.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? -YEAH.

I'M GONNA GIVE YOU BOTH A 1,200 CALORIE, HIGH-PROTEIN,

LOW-CARB DIET THAT YOU NEED TO START ON IMMEDIATELY.

-OKAY. -OKAY?

AND EATING HABIT NEEDS TO BE LIMITED TO THREE TIMES A DAY,

AND YOU NEED TO START LIMITING

THE AMOUNT OF TIME YOU EAT TOGETHER

BECAUSE YOU TWO NEED TO LEARN TO DO THINGS TOGETHER

OTHER THAN EAT.

AND IF YOU STICK TO 1,200 CALORIE A DAY,

YOU'RE GONNA BE EASILY LOSING A POUND A DAY.

SO, THE WEIGHT-LOSS GOAL I WANT TO SEE FROM BOTH OF YOU

IS 60 POUNDS OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS, OKAY?

OKAY? -MM-HMM.

AND IF YOU WORK AT THIS, YOU TWO CAN BECOME

A GREAT SOURCE OF SUPPORT FOR EACH OTHER,

AND THAT NEEDS TO BE YOUR GOAL.

Y'ALL THINK YOU CAN HANDLE ALL THIS?

-YEAH. -ALL RIGHT.

WELL, NICE TO MEET YOU. -VERY NICE TO MEET YOU.

-ALL RIGHT. -THANK YOU.

NICE TO MEET YOU. OKAY?

-THANK YOU. -MM-HMM.

♪♪

Dr. Nowzaradan: JENNIFER AND MARISSA HAVE HAD A DYSFUNCTIONAL

AND ENABLING RELATIONSHIP FOR A WHILE NOW,

AND THEY HAVE BEEN STARTING TO USING EACH OTHER

AS AN EXCUSE TO CONSTANTLY EAT,

AND CHANGING THAT DYNAMIC IS GOING TO BE A BIG PART

OF ENSURING THEIR LONG-TERM SUCCESS,

AND IT'S NOT GOING TO BE EASY,

BUT THEY HAVE TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP

AND SHOW ME THAT THEY ARE READY TO DO THIS

BEFORE THE SITUATION GETS EVEN WORSE.

♪♪

Jennifer: WE BOTH KNOW DR. NOW IS RIGHT,

AND ONE OF US WILL BE BURYING THE OTHER SOON,

AND I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN.

SO THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO CHANGE THAT

AND HAVE A DIFFERENT FUTURE.

Marissa: THE NEXT STEP IS LOSING THIS WEIGHT WE NEED TO LOSE

AND MAKING THE TRIP BACK OUT HERE,

AND IT'S GONNA BE ONE HECK OF A RIDE.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Marissa: MY MOM AND I HAVE DONE A GOOD JOB

STICKING TO THE DIET THAT DR. NOW GAVE US,

BUT I MAKE ALL THE MEALS FOR US.

I'M USED TO DOING EVERYTHING FOR MY MOM,

SO I'M NOT SURPRISED I HAVE TO DO THIS FOR HER, TOO,

BUT I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DAY

MY MOM CAN TAKE CARE OF HERSELF.

I HAVE BEEN CHEATING A LITTLE BIT WHEN I'M AT WORK,

BUT WE DO A GOOD JOB WHEN WE'RE EATING TOGETHER,

AND OVERALL, I THINK I'M DOING PRETTY GOOD.

I'VE BEEN WORKING OUT A LOT,

AND I WANT TO TRY AND GET MY MOM EXERCISING TOO,

BUT IT TAKES A WHILE TO TALK HER INTO DOING NEW THINGS.

I JUST HOPE THAT WE CAN STICK WITH THIS

BECAUSE OUR LIVES ARE ON THE LINE.

I WANT TO CHANGE MY LIFE.

I JUST HOPE IT'S NOT TOO LATE.

♪♪

YUM.

YAY, EGGS.

[ CHUCKLES ]

♪♪

GOOD JOB.THEY'RE EGGS, MOM.

-JUST KIDDING. -I CAN COOK EGGS.

Jennifer: THIS IS A REALLY BIG STEP FOR ME.

I'M EATING SO MUCH LESS THAN I'M USED TO.

I CAN'T EAT THE THINGS I WANT TO.

I HAVE TO MAKE THESE SACRIFICES

TO GET TO THE WEIGHT THAT I WANT,

AND I CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT MARISSA.

OKAY, I'M DONE.

I RELY ON HER TO MAKE WHAT I EAT,

AND I JUST HOPE SHE'S NOT CHEATING

WHILE SHE'S OUT OF THE APARTMENT

BECAUSE I NEED MARISSA TO DO THIS WITH ME.

WITHOUT HER, I WON'T BE ABLE TO LOSE WEIGHT,

AND IF I DON'T LOSE WEIGHT, I'M NOT GONNA LIVE MUCH LONGER.

♪♪

HI, BABY. HI, MAMA.

HOW ARE YOU?

DO YOU WANT TO GO WITH ME?

-NO. -BUT YOU SHOULD.

-I REALLY DON'T WANT TO. -I KNOW, BUT YOU SHOULD.

ALL RIGHT, I'M GONNA PUT THESE IN THE FRIDGE,

AND THEN WE'RE GONNA GO.

Jennifer: SINCE SEEING THE DOCTOR,

MARISSA AND I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THE DIET,

BUT I HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN EXERCISING.

I DON'T LIKE GOING OUT.

I JUST FEEL LIKE I GET JUDGED AND LOOKED AT,

AND IT'S NOT PLEASANT.

♪♪

I'VE CHANGED MY EATING.

NOW I NEED TO CHANGE MY EXERCISE.

♪♪

WHAT DISCOURAGES ME IS MY OWN SELF,

MY OWN INSECURITIES,

AND THEN HOW PEOPLE TREAT ME WHEN I'M OUTSIDE.

♪♪

THEY'RE NOT ALWAYS VERY NICE,

SO IT MAKES YOU NOT WANT TO GO OUT

AND DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO.

ALL RIGHT.

YOU READY? NO.

WHY NOT?I DON'T WANT TO GO.

-WHY? -'CAUSE IT'S SCARY.

I KNOW IT'S SCARY.

I JUST THINK IT'S STILL TOO SOON.

I'M ALREADY OUT OF BREATH, AND I'M ALREADY HURTING.

BUT IF YOU DON'T TRY, YOU'RE NEVER GONNA DO IT.

SO WHAT IF WE STARTED JUST A WALK?

YOU WANT TO TRY AND WALK TO THE END?

ALL RIGHT.

♪♪

I'M NOT READY TO GO SOMEWHERE AS PUBLIC AS A GYM.

IT'S TOO BIG A STEP FOR ME RIGHT NOW,

ESPECIALLY WHEN I'M SO TIRED JUST GETTING TO THE CAR,

BUT I'M GONNA TRY AND WALK A LITTLE BIT WITH MARISSA

BECAUSE I KNOW I HAVE TO PUSH MYSELF.

YOU CAN WALK TO THE END AND WALK BACK.

ARE YOU DYING? YOU'RE BREATHING FINE.

I HATE LIFE.

PHYSICALLY, MY BODY IS IN A LOT OF PAIN.

MY FEET, MY HIPS, EVERYTHING IS BURNING.

LIKE, I JUST WANT HER TO GO GET THE CAR.

DO YOU LIKE THE OUTSIDE?

I'VE NEVER BEEN OUT HERE.

♪♪

I CAN WALK BACK NOW?

I WANT TO TELL YOU NO.

WHAT IF I GET OVER THERE AND THEN I CAN'T WALK BACK?

WELL, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO. THERE AIN'T NO "CAN'T."

♪♪

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME I WALKED?

NEVER.

I NEED TO STOP FOR A MINUTE.

I REMEMBER WALKING IN 2008.

THAT'S A LONG TIME. THAT MAKES ME WANT TO CRY.

YEAH, THAT'S NINE YEARS.

WELL, THAT'S AN EYE-OPENER.

♪♪

THERE'S NO WAY I COULD HAVE GONE TO THE GYM TODAY,

BUT I'M GLAD WE AT LEAST DID SOMETHING,

AND I WILL MAKE IT TO THE GYM SOON.

[ PANTING ]

♪♪

OH! SON OF A [BLEEP]

♪♪

-WHAT DID I JUST DO? -YOU WALKED.

Marissa: LOTS OF PEOPLE DO IT.

-I DID THAT. -YOU DID IT, MOM.

I CAN DO THIS.

YOU CAN.

WECAN DO THIS. MM-HMM.

♪♪

FOR THE FIRST TIME, I BELIEVE I CAN LOSE THIS WEIGHT.

I'M STARTING TO BELIEVE IT'S POSSIBLE.

♪♪

♪♪

Jennifer: WE JUST GOT OFF THE PLANE COMING FROM OREGON,

AND WE'RE ABOUT TO SEE DR. NOW FOR OUR SECOND WEIGH-IN.

♪♪

I'M READY FOR HIM TO SAY, "THIS IS A GO."

I'M READY FOR HIM TO SAY THAT WE CAN MOVE HERE

AND GET STARTED AND BEGIN OUR NEW LIFE.

JENNIFER AND MARISSA?

DR. NOW WANTED ME TO LOSE OVER 60 POUNDS IN TWO MONTHS,

AND I'M SCARED I HAVEN'T DONE IT.

IF I HAVEN'T LOST ENOUGH WEIGHT, THIS COULD ALL BE OVER FOR ME.

♪♪

MY LIFE IS ON THE LINE.

THIS COULD BE MY LAST CHANCE.

♪♪

♪♪

ALL RIGHT, SO WHO WANTS TO GO FIRST?

I DO.

♪♪

Jennifer: WE'RE HERE AT DR. NOW'S FOR OUR SECOND WEIGH-IN,

AND I'M SO ANXIOUS TO SEE IF I LOST THE 60 POUNDS

I WAS SUPPOSED TO.

♪♪

YAY. -NICE.

I DID IT.

ARE YOU EXCITED?

THAT FEELS AMAZING.

I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER LOST THAT MUCH IN A MONTH.

I JUST HOPE MARISSA MET THE GOAL, TOO.

Marissa: I HAD THE GOAL OF LOSING 60 POUNDS IN TWO MONTHS,

SO I NEED TO BE AT LEAST 513 TODAY.

♪♪

YOU DID OKAY.

I'M REALLY DISAPPOINTED IN MYSELF RIGHT NOW

BECAUSE I DIDN'T MEET MY GOAL WEIGHT.

Marissa: [ Voice breaking ] I JUST KEPT TELLING MYSELF, "TOMORROW I'LL DO BETTER.

TOMORROW I'LL DO BETTER," AND THEN...

BEFORE I KNEW IT, I WAS BACK HERE,

AND I DIDN'T DO WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO,

SO I THINK I'M KIND OF REALIZING THAT THIS IS REAL,

AND I NEED TO ACTUALLY DO IT. [ SNIFFLES ]

♪♪

WELL, THAT WAS DEPRESSING.

I'M SORRY.

FOR WHAT? YOU DIDN'T DO IT.

[ KNOCKS ON DOOR, DOOR OPENS ]

-HELLO. -HI, DR. NOW.

-HI. -HOW ARE Y'ALL DOING?

-GOOD. HOW ARE YOU? -ALL RIGHT.

HOW Y'ALL FEELING AFTER A TRIP DOWN TO HOUSTON AGAIN?

I'M IN SO MUCH PAIN.

IT'S SO LONG AND HARD.

WELL, IT'S A VERY LONG TRIP, ESPECIALLY AT YOUR SIZE.

YEAH.

WELL, JENNIFER, THAT SIZE IS GETTING A LOT SMALLER

BECAUSE YOU LOST 64 POUNDS,

AND YOU'RE DOWN TO 572.

-YES. -THAT'S EXCELLENT.

SO, HOW WERE YOUR DIET CHANGES?

IT WAS HARD AT FIRST, BUT IT'S BEEN REALLY GOOD.

WELL, YOU DID GREAT, BUT, MARISSA,

YOU DIDN'T MAKE AS MUCH PROGRESS.

WHAT HAPPENED WITH YOU? YOU ONLY LOST 13 POUNDS.

I CHEAT A LITTLE BIT. YEAH.

I WOULDN'T CALL THAT CHEAT "A LITTLE BIT."

-YEAH. -I WOULD CALL THAT CHEAT A LOT.

YEAH.

DID YOU CHANGE YOUR EATING HABIT MUCH AT ALL?

YEAH, I'VE CHANGED A LOT.

JUST ONCE IN A WHILE, I'LL EAT STUFF

THAT I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO EAT,

BUT FOR THE MOST PART, I EAT THE SAME STUFF THAT SHE EATS,

AND I'VE BEEN GOING TO THE GYM FOUR TIMES A WEEK.

SO, HOW COME SHE'S LOSING WEIGHT, BUT YOU'RE NOT?

-I EAT WHEN I'M NOT AT HOME. -OH.

YOU'RE SECRETLY EATING ON YOUR OWN.

BUT I'VE BEEN EXERCISING A LOT,

SO I THOUGHT I WAS DOING BETTER.

THAT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU'RE STILL OVEREATING.

YOU BURN 300 TO 500 CALORIE, BUT TAKING EXTRA 2,000 TO 3,000,

YOU'RE STILL GOING TO GAIN AND PUT ON FAT,

AND YOU'RE HALF OF YOUR MOM'S AGE,

SO YOUR METABOLISM CAN ADAPT MUCH FASTER,

SO THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR YOU DOING SO POORLY.

RIGHT.

AND IF YOUR MOM KEEPS LOSING THE WEIGHT LIKE SHE DID,

THEN YOU'RE ABOUT TWO WEEKS AWAY FROM BECOMING THE BIGGER ONE,

AND YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND

THE FULL SCOPE OF YOUR SITUATION.

YOU KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN WHEN YOU GET TO HER AGE?

YOU'RE GONNA BE TWICE AS BIG AS SHE IS.

YEAH.

SO YOU NEED TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR SITUATION.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT YOUR MOM.

SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR A WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY TODAY

IF YOU HAD TAKEN THIS MORE SERIOUSLY.

WORRY ABOUT YOUR SITUATION BECAUSE YOU'RE HEADING

TO A MUCH WORSE PLACE THAN HER.

OKAY? OKAY.

YOU TWO ARE LIVING TOGETHER AND HELPING ENABLING EACH OTHER,

AND I NEED TO KNOW THAT DYNAMIC HAS CHANGED,

SO YOU BOTH NEED TO HIT YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS GOAL

BEFORE YOU'RE READY TO MOVE AHEAD.

OKAY. -SO, JENNIFER, YOU DID GREAT,

BUT I NEED YOU TO STAY ON TRACK

AND LOSE ANOTHER 60 POUNDS OVER NEXT TWO MONTHS.

OKAY.

AND, MARISSA, YOUR MOM IS SERIOUS

AND UNDERSTANDS HER SITUATION,

SO, YOU NEED TO DO WHAT SHE DOES AND EAT LIKE SHE'S EATING,

AND YOU SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM LOSING 60 POUNDS

OVER NEXT TWO MONTHS. OKAY.

-SHOW ME YOU ARE SERIOUS, OKAY? -OKAY.

-NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN. -NICE TO SEE YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

I'M VERY HAPPY TO SEE THE PROGRESS JENNIFER HAS MADE,

BUT MARISSA IS OBVIOUSLY THE CONCERN RIGHT NOW,

NOT JUST THAT, SHE NEEDS TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY,

BUT THE EFFECT IT WILL HAVE ON JENNIFER

IF MARISSA ISN'T DOING WHAT SHE NEEDS.

THEY'VE BEEN ENABLING EACH OTHER FOR YEARS,

AND THAT HAS TO BE ADDRESSED SUFFICIENTLY ENOUGH

BEFORE EITHER ONE OF THEM CAN MOVE AHEAD,

WHICH MEANS THEY BOTH DO THIS TOGETHER AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER

BECAUSE THE REALITY IS,

IF MARISSA DOESN'T START TO DO THIS NOW,

THEN IT IS LIKELY THAT SHE WILL CONTINUE

TO BE A SOURCE OF ENABLING FOR HER MOM,

AND THAT WILL DERAIL HER.

-WANT ME TO GET THE BACKPACKS? -I GOT IT. I GOT IT. I GOT IT.

JUST GO.

Jennifer: I'M EXCITED THAT I MET MY GOAL TODAY.

I'M FEELING MUCH BETTER THAN I DID WHEN WE STARTED THIS,

AND I'M MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER TO GET THE SURGERY.

I KNOW NEITHER OF US WANTS TO KEEP MAKING THE TRIP

BACK AND FORTH FROM OREGON,

SO I'M READY TO FULLY COMMIT TO THIS AND MOVE TO HOUSTON,

BUT I CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT MARISSA.

I JUST HOPE SHE CAN START TO LOSE MORE WEIGHT

BECAUSE IF SHE DOESN'T,

DR. NOW MIGHT STOP WORKING WITH HER,

AND I CAN'T GO TO TEXAS AND DO THIS ALONE.

♪♪

♪♪

WE ARE OFFICIALLY MOVING TO TEXAS.

THE TRIP SHOULD TAKE US ABOUT THREE DAYS.

I'M UPROOTING MY WHOLE FAMILY AND UPROOTING MYSELF

AND JUST DOING IT ON BLIND FAITH

AND MOVING TO A PLACE THAT I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

I'M REALLY NERVOUS.

TODAY, IT'S GOING TO BE ME AND MY MOM AND MY DAD AND NICOLE.

NICOLE IS ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS,

AND SHE WANTED TO MOVE WITH US.

I'M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. IT'S GONNA BE A LONG DRIVE.

PLUS, MY MOM AND DAWAYNE HAVE BEEN FIGHTING A LOT,

AND IT MAKES THINGS TENSE FOR ALL OF US.

I JUST HOPE GETTING TO HOUSTON AND MAKING THIS CHANGE

WILL MAKE THINGS EASIER ON US.

GOT EVERYTHING?

Marissa: YEAH.

I'M READY TO GO.

ARE YOU GONNA CRY?

I'M NOT. I'M READY.

THIS IS OUR LAST CHANCE FOR HELP, BUT IF MY MOM

DOESN'T GET HELP, THEN SHE'S NOT GONNA LIVE MUCH LONGER.

I DON'T THINK IF I GET HELP, I'M GONNA BE RIGHT WHERE SHE IS.

SO, WE HAVE TO DO THIS,

BUT IT'S STILL SCARY TO MAKE SUCH A BIG CHANGE.

I COULD NEVER DO THIS MOVE WITHOUT FAMILY.

I PUT A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY ON MARISSA AND DAWAYNE,

BUT WE NEED TO LOOK FORWARD.

I NEED TO CHANGE MY LIFE.

I CAN'T RELY ON THEM FOR EVERYTHING.

I NEED TO GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

AND SO DOES MY DAUGHTER 'CAUSE WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER.

♪♪

AND EVEN THOUGH I KNOW THIS IS GONNA BE HARD,

I FEEL LIKE IT'S OUR LAST CHANCE.

♪♪

♪♪

WE'VE BEEN ON THE ROAD TWO DAYS,

AND I GET UNCOMFORTABLE AND IN PAIN QUICKLY,

SO WE'RE HAVING TO STOP MORE THAN I WOULD LIKE.

AND I'M GRATEFUL THAT EVERYBODY IS BEING UNDERSTANDING,

BUT RIGHT NOW I JUST WANT TO GET OUT OF THIS CAR AND EAT.

Marissa: MY MOM DOESN'T LIKE US DRIVING AT NIGHT,

SO WE'RE HAVING TO FIND A HOTEL.

IT CAN BE FRUSTRATING BECAUSE WE ALL WANT TO GET THERE ALREADY,

BUT KNOW MY MOM'S BODY CAN'T TAKE BEING

IN THE CAR THAT MUCH ANYWAY,

SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GET SOME FOOD AND SPEND THE NIGHT.

♪♪

Jennifer: THIS IS THE BIGGEST LIFE CHANGE I MADE IN A LONG TIME,

AND HONESTLY I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT,

SO I JUST WANT TO EAT AND GO TO SLEEP.

♪♪

Marissa: WE'RE ALL REALLY HUNGRY AND TIRED,

AND WHILE WE'D LIKE TO EAT WELL,

THERE AREN'T A LOT OF OPTIONS, FOOD-WISE,

SO I'M JUST GONNA ORDER PIZZA.

AN ORDER FOR DELIVERY, PLEASE. -WHAT CAN I GET FOR YOU?

CAN I GET A 12-INCH PEPPERONI PIZZA WITH EXTRA CHEESE?

I KNOW THIS ISN'T WHAT WE SHOULD BE EATING,

BUT I REALLY DON'T CARE AT ALL.

I MEAN, I SHOULD CARE A LOT ABOUT MY DIET,

BUT AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME, I DON'T REALLY CARE.

I'M JUST TRYING TO GET TO TEXAS.

-HI. -HELLO.

WELL, I'M SURE DR. NOW IS NOT GONNA BE TOO HAPPY WITH US,

BUT HE WASN'T HAPPY WITH ME LAST TIME EITHER,

SO I'M KIND OF USED TO THAT.

I DON'T CARE. -ALL RIGHT, BABY.

YOU WANT A RANCH?

I KNOW THAT I KEEP SAYING THIS WILL BE MY LAST CHEAT MEAL,

BUT THIS HAS TO BE MY LAST CHEAT MEAL.

ON THIS ROAD TRIP, I THOUGHT,

Jennifer: "OH, WE'RE GONNA ONLY EAT SALADS.

LIKE, WE'RE GONNA BE SO ON TRACK."

IT'S A LOT HARDER THAN I THOUGHT, BEING ON THE ROAD.

IT REALLY IS.

AND WE STILL HAVE MORE TIME AHEAD OF US,

AND I'M GETTING VERY ANXIOUS.

I WANT TO GET THERE ALREADY,

BUT I'M ALSO REALLY SCARED.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.

♪♪

I'VE NEVER MADE A BIG MOVE LIKE THIS.

I'M REALLY SCARED.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Jennifer: AFTER SIX LONG DAYS, WE'RE FINALLY ARRIVING IN HOUSTON.

♪♪

MY BODY IS HURTING ALL OVER, FROM HEAD TO TOE.

I JUST NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS CAR.

I NEED TO LAY DOWN.

♪♪

I'M READY TO REST.

I'M READY. I'M READY. I'M READY.

♪♪

♪♪

THIS NEIGHBORHOOD LOOKS NOTHING LIKE WHAT WE SAW ON THE WEBSITE.

I THINK IT'S OVER THERE.

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT OUR APARTMENT IS GONNA LOOK LIKE.

♪♪

♪♪

THIS AIN'T IT.

♪♪

THIS IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT ADDRESS.

Jennifer: I WISH I WOULD HAVE JUST PLANNED THIS.

MY MOM TRIES TO DO STUFF LIKE THIS ON HER OWN,

BUT WHEN SHE DOES, IT NEVER WORKS OUT,

AND THIS WHOLE SITUATION WITH THE WRONG APARTMENT

DOESN'T SURPRISE ME.

I THINK THEY GAVE ME THE WRONG KEY.

MY MOM HAS NO IDEA HOW THE REAL WORLD WORKS.

SHE'S BEEN A HERMIT FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS

AND DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO FUNCTION OUTSIDE OF HER LITTLE BUBBLE.

♪♪

Jennifer: THIS IS THE LAST THING I NEED TO DEAL WITH RIGHT NOW.

I FEEL TERRIBLE.

I CAN'T GET OUT OF MY OWN WAY.

[ CELLPHONE RINGS ]

HELLO?

YEAH.

SO IT'S A DOWNSTAIRS UNIT?

ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.

IT'S NEXT DOOR.

IT'S DOWNSTAIRS.

♪♪

[ Sighing ] OH, GOD, MY LIFE.

DOES THAT MEAN YOU TURNED ON THE POWER AT THE WRONG PLACE?

OH, MY GOD.

I'M GONNA CRY.

♪♪

[ Crying ] I HATE MY LIFE RIGHT NOW.

Marissa: THE WINDOW IS BROKEN IN HERE.

SOMEBODY HELP ME, PLEASE.

I DON'T KNOW.

I NEED TO CALL THESE PEOPLE.

WHO DO I CALL? WHAT DO I DO?

I DON'T KNOW. -STOP IT, MOM. YOU'RE FINE.

♪♪

Marissa: WHEN STUFF GOES WRONG,

IT BASICALLY ALL FALLS ON ME TO FIX IT.

Marissa: HI, WE JUST MOVED DOWN HERE FROM OREGON,

AND I TURNED ON POWER FOR THE WRONG ADDRESS.

WELL, SO DOES THAT MEAN YOU'RE NOT GONNA TURN MINE ON?

MARISSA? WHAT?

THEY'RE SAYING TOMORROW?

YES.

♪♪

Jennifer: [ Voice breaking ] I FEEL SO GUILTY FOR ALL OF THIS.

I MOVED US INTO THE CRAPPIEST [BLEEP] NEIGHBORHOOD EVER.

I HAVE NO [BLEEP] POWER.

I PUT IT INTO THE WRONG APARTMENT

BECAUSE THE LANDLORD GAVE ME THE WRONG ADDRESS.

I SAY, YEAH, THAT WE CAN START MOVING STUFF IN.

I DON'T SEE A POINT IN WAITING AROUND ANY LONGER.

ALL RIGHT. YOU'RE GOOD.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WAS EXPECTING WHEN WE MOVED HERE...

♪♪

...BUT IT WASN'T THIS.

I HAVE LOTS OF DOUBTS RIGHT NOW ABOUT MY DECISION.

[ SNIFFLES ] I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THIS.

♪♪

Dawayne: WE'RE GOOD.

I'M GONNA BREAK MY NECK DOING THAT.

[ SIGHS ] CAN YOU FIT? -[ SIGHS ]

OKAY.

MAN.

I WANT TO GO HOME.THIS IS HOME.

♪♪

♪♪

Jennifer: WE'RE GOING TO DR. NOWZARADAN'S OFFICE FOR AN APPOINTMENT TODAY.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME SEEING HIM SINCE WE MOVED TO HOUSTON.

I'M JUST NERVOUS BECAUSE I DON'T THINK I MET THE GOAL.

♪♪

I'M SO STRESSED WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING.

IT'S BEEN REALLY HARD TO STICK TO THE DIET.

♪♪

DR. NOW GAVE ME A GOAL OF LOSING 60 POUNDS IN TWO MONTHS.

MARISSA AND JENNIFER?

SO, I HAVE TO GET TO 512 OR LOWER,

AND I JUST HOPE, BY SOME MIRACLE, I MET MY GOAL.

♪♪

♪♪

THAT IS NOT WHAT I WANTED TO SEE ON THE SCALE TODAY.

I KNEW I PROBABLY HADN'T HIT THE GOAL,

BUT I DIDN'T THINK I DID THIS BAD.

I'M SO DISAPPOINTED.

Marissa: I'M PRETTY NERVOUS ABOUT TODAY.

I WAS SUPPOSED TO LOSE 60 POUNDS,

SO I'M REALLY HOPING TO SEE 500 ON THAT SCALE.

♪♪

I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS.

NEITHER OF US MET THE GOAL.

I'VE MISSED MY GOAL TWO APPOINTMENTS IN A ROW...

...AND I DID EVEN WORSE THAN LAST TIME.

THIS MIGHT BE IT FOR ME,

AND IF I'M FINISHED, THERE'S NO WAY MY MOM WILL KEEP GOING.

♪♪

HELLO.

-HELLO. -HELLO.

HOW Y'ALL DOING?

-OKAY. HOW ARE YOU? -ALL RIGHT.

SO, THIS HASN'T BEEN A GOOD COUPLE MONTHS

FOR YOU TWO, I'M GUESSING.

JENNIFER, YOU ONLY LOST 9 POUNDS,

AND, MARISSA, YOU ONLY LOST 12 POUNDS.

JENNIFER, YOU HAD DONE SO WELL,

BUT NOW YOU BARELY HAD ANY WEIGHT LOSS.

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?

I DON'T KNOW. I MEAN, I KNOW, LIKE,

I SNACK, AND IT'S A PROBLEM.

LIKE, IT'S IN MY HEAD,

BUT I HAVE BEEN, LIKE, WALKING,

AND I'VE BEEN DOING MY ARMS,

BUT I KNOW IT'S ALL IN MY FOOD. I GET THAT,

BUT, LIKE, [SIGHS]

I'M ADDICTED TO FOOD, LIKE, AND IT'S HARD.

OKAY, LET ME TELL YOU WHAT REALLY HAPPENED.

ALL RIGHT?

THE ISSUE IS YOU HAVE A BAD INFLUENCE AROUND YOU.

MARISSA, YOU SAID IN FIRST APPOINTMENT

THAT YOUR MOM'S EATING IS WHY YOU HAVE GAINED.

-YEAH. -BUT THE REALITY RIGHT NOW

IS THAT YOU'RE THE ONE INFLUENCING HER,

AND THIS IS THE VERY REASON

WHY YOU BOTH HAVE TO HIT YOUR GOALS TOGETHER...

RIGHT.

...BECAUSE IF ONE OF YOU IS NOT DOING IT,

THEN EVENTUALLY BOTH OF YOU WILL START OVEREATING AGAIN.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? -UH-HUH.

SO, WE ARE DOWN TO ONE OF TWO OPTIONS.

IF EITHER ONE OF YOU WANTS TO GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

FIRST, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU ONE MONTH INSTEAD OF TWO

TO HIT YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS GOAL OF 30 POUNDS,

THE SAME MONTHLY GOAL FOR BOTH OF YOU,

AND IF YOU BOTH DON'T DO IT THIS TIME,

THEN THE SECOND OPTION WILL BE

THAT WE SEPARATE YOU TO BREAK THIS DYNAMIC,

AND YOU TWO START LIVING APART.

YOU GOT THAT? -I GET IT.

OUTSIDE OF THESE TWO OPTIONS, THAT'S IT.

THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE, SO ARE YOU GONNA BE A FAILURE?

OR ARE YOU GONNA WASTE OUR TIME?

NO, I DON'T WANT TO BE A FAILURE.

MARISSA, YOUR MOM WANTS TO DO THIS,

AND SHE'S READY TO DO THIS.

THE ONLY THING HOLDING HER BACK IS YOU,

SO YOU'RE GOING TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT THIS.

OKAY.

IF YOU DON'T, YOU CAN MOVE BACK TO OREGON

BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GONNA DO SURGERY ON YOU.

-OKAY. -OKAY?

SEE YOU IN A MONTH.

♪♪

Dr. Nowzaradan: THE LACK OF PROGRESS FROM BOTH

MARISSA AND JENNIFER THIS PAST MONTH

WAS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS WORRIED ABOUT,

AND THE DYSFUNCTIONAL DYNAMIC CONTINUES TO BE

A SOURCE OF LACK OF PROGRESS FOR BOTH OF THEM,

BUT THIS IS THEIR LAST CHANCE TO DO THIS TOGETHER,

AND HOPEFULLY THEY'LL DO WHAT THEY NEED THIS NEXT TIME.

♪♪

Jennifer: DR. NOW IS THREATENING TO SEPARATE US,

AND I COULDN'T BEAR TO HAVE THAT HAPPEN,

BUT I'M SCARED WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF WE DON'T DO THIS,

SO WE HAVE TO BECAUSE OUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Jennifer: IT'S BEEN A FEW DAYS SINCE WE SAW DR. NOW,

AND HE GAVE US ONE MONTH TO LOSE 30 POUNDS,

AND IT'S BEEN REALLY HARD TO STICK TO OUR DIET,

BUT WE DIDN'T COME THIS FAR TO FAIL.

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

FINE, HOW ARE YOU?

OKAY.

I'M HUNGRY.

OBVIOUSLY. YOU'RE ALWAYS HUNGRY.

I BOUGHT SOME STEAK, AND I'M GONNA TRY AND HELP YOU COOK.

OH!

YOU WANT TO DO THOSE TACO BOATS LIKE WE DID YESTERDAY?

SOUNDS HARD.

YOU NEED TO LEARN. YEAH.

I GUESS IT'S TIME I DON'T MICROWAVE EVERYTHING.

YEAH.

-ALL RIGHT, I'M HUNGRY. -YEAH, LET'S GO.

THIS JOURNEY ISN'T JUST ABOUT LOSING WEIGHT.

IT'S ABOUT ME LEARNING TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF

SO THAT MARISSA DOESN'T HAVE TO DO IT ANYMORE.

I FEEL GUILTY ABOUT HOW MUCH OF HER LIFE I'VE STOLEN,

AND I DON'T WANT TO DO IT ANYMORE.

THERE'S SO MUCH THAT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO,

BUT I WANT TO LEARN.

OKAY, TURN THAT ON MEDIUM.

MEDIUM.

NOW YOU'RE GOING TO SEASON YOUR MEAT WITH WHATEVER.

THEN YOU PUT THIS IN HERE,

AND YOU LET IT BROWN,

AND WHEN THAT'S BROWN, YOU FLIP IT OVER.

Marissa: IT AMAZES ME SOMETIMES ABOUT HOW LITTLE MY MOM

KNOWS ABOUT BASIC THINGS,

BUT SHE WANTS TO GET BETTER,

AND IF SHE WANTS TO, I'LL HELP HER,

AND EVEN THOUGH IT SHOULD BE HER RESPONSIBILITY TO LOSE WEIGHT,

I FEEL GUILTY THAT I HAVEN'T TAKEN ALL OF THIS

AS SERIOUSLY AS I SHOULD HAVE.

MAYBE IF I WOULD HAVE TRIED HARDER,

MY MOM WOULD HAVE MET HER GOAL LAST TIME

AND GOT APPROVED FOR SURGERY,

AND IF WE DON'T MEET THE GOAL AT OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT,

DR. NOW IS GONNA SEPARATE US,

SO EVEN THOUGH I STILL GET ANNOYED

AT HOW MUCH I HAVE TO HELP MY MOM,

I GAVE UP MY LIFE BACK IN OREGON FOR THIS,

SO I BETTER MAKE THIS ALL COUNT.

OKAY, SO I TAKE THE LETTUCE,

AND I PUT THE SOUR CREAM ON IT,

AND I SPREAD THE GUACAMOLE ON IT,

AND THEN YOU PUT YOUR PICO,

AND THEN YOU PUT YOUR CHEESE, AND THEN YOU PUT YOUR STEAK.

THAT'S NOT HARD.

NOPE.

THANKS FOR DOING THIS WITH ME.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

Jennifer: I WANT TO START TO BE THE MOM

THAT I NEVER WAS TO MARISSA GROWING UP,

LIKE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING ALL THESE YEARS,

BUT RIGHT NOW, I FEEL LIKE I NEED HER MORE THAN EVER...

THERE YOU GO. THANK YOU.

...ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I'M SEEING LESS AND LESS OF DAWAYNE LATELY,

AND I'M WORRIED THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG

AND THAT HE'S UP TO SOMETHING,

BUT I CAN'T GET DISTRACTED.

I'M HERE TO LOSE WEIGHT.

I'M HERE TO SAVE MY LIFE.

♪♪

♪♪

I'VE BARELY SEEN DAWAYNE SINCE WE MOVED TO HOUSTON,

AND IT FEELS LIKE THINGS ARE STARTING TO FALL APART.

HE'S ALWAYS OUT CLAIMING HE'S WORKING.

I FINALLY CONFRONTED HIM ON IT,

AND HE'S CONFESSED THAT HE'S BEEN OUT GAMBLING.

HE PROMISED HE WOULD STOP, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE HIM.

THANK YOU, BABE.

ALL THE STRESS AND DRAMA WITH DAWAYNE

IS MAKING ME WANT TO EAT.

I HAVE ACCESS TO HIS BANK ACCOUNT,

AND I KNOW HE'S USING MONEY TO GAMBLE.

OH, MY GOD.

WHAT? WE GOT TO GO.

WE GOT TO GO GET HIM.

HE JUST TOOK OUT ANOTHER $100.

WE CAN'T GO GET HIM.

I FOUND OUT 'CAUSE I CAN LOG INTO HIS CARD,

WHICH HE SAYS HE HATES, WHICH I'M GLAD I HAVE.

BE A MAN, AND WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO CHECK

HOW MUCH YOU'RE SPENDING ALL THE TIME.

NO, THIS ONE DOESN'T SAY.

THIS IS WHY I SAY I'M THE MAN OF THE HOUSE.

LIKE [ BLEEP ]

♪♪

DON'T CRY.

DON'T CRY.

WHAT IS HE DOING?

DON'T CRY. IT'S NOT WORTH IT.

♪♪

Marissa: I'M SO TIRED OF HAVING TO DEAL WITH DAWAYNE.

HE'S PUT MY MOM THROUGH SO MUCH, AND THIS IS THE LAST THING

SHE NEED TO BE DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW.

I DOUBT IT.

THAT'S HIS NEW HIGH, HIS GAMBLING.

I'M JUST...

I'M SHOCKED, BUT I'M NOT SHOCKED.

NOW I JUST WANT TO CRY.CRY.

I'M RUNNING OUT OF TEARS.

I HATE THAT I HAVE TO BE THE RESPONSIBLE ONE.

I FEEL LIKE I NEVER GOT TO BE A KID.

I LOVE YOU. LOVE YOU, TOO.

♪♪

Jennifer: I'M REALLY ANGRY FOR MY DAUGHTER.

I'M TIRED OF TRUSTING HIM AND HIM JUST LETTING US DOWN.

♪♪

I DON'T WANT LIFE TO BE LIKE THIS ANYMORE.

♪♪

♪♪

Jennifer: WE'RE GOING TO DR. NOWZARADAN'S OFFICE TODAY

FOR OUR WEIGH-IN.

THINGS ARE STILL ROCKY BETWEEN ME AND DAWAYNE,

BUT I STAYED STRONG AND DIDN'T CHEAT ON MY DIET.

DR. NOW SAID HE WOULD SEPARATE ME AND MARISSA

IF WE DON'T LOSE 30 POUNDS IN A MONTH.

JENNIFER AND MARISSA?

MARISSA AND I ARE IN THIS TOGETHER,

AND I HAVE TO HIT 533 AT LEAST,

SO I REALLY HOPE I MET THE GOAL AND THAT I GET APPROVED TODAY.

♪♪

DR. NOW GAVE ME A GOAL, AND I HIT IT EXACTLY,

BUT I WON'T BE HAPPY 'TIL I SEE MARISSA HIT HER GOAL, TOO.

Marissa: SO, THIS IS IT.

TO MEET HIS GOAL, I HAVE TO HIT AT LEAST 518 OR LOWER.

♪♪

IT FEELS AMAZING TO FINALLY MEET A GOAL.

TO FINALLY GET A HANDLE ON THE DIET AND MY WEIGHT

IS WONDERFUL.

SO, HOPEFULLY, DR. NOW IS AS HAPPY AS WE ARE.

♪♪

-HELLO. -HI, DR. NOW.

-HOW Y'ALL DOING? -GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

Dr. Nowzaradan: I'M GOOD. OKAY.

THINGS ARE LOOKING BETTER WITH YOU TWO.

SO, WHO'S FIRST?

I'LL GO FIRST TODAY.

YOU GO FIRST, MARISSA.

OKAY, YOU'RE DOWN TO 506

WITH WEIGHT LOSS OF 42 POUNDS THIS PAST MONTH.

MM-HMM.

SO, YOU'RE FINALLY DOING WHAT YOU NEED

AND TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY. -OKAY.

AND WITH HOW WELL YOU DID,

I THINK YOU'RE READY FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

-OKAY. -SO, I'M APPROVING YOU TODAY.

HOW DOES THAT SOUND? -THAT SOUNDS AWESOME.

-CONGRATULATIONS. -YAY!

YOU'RE SO WEIRD.

NOW, MOM, YOU LOST EXACTLY 30 POUNDS OVER LAST MONTH,

AND YOU'RE DOWN TO 533, SO YOU'RE BACK ON TRACK TODAY.

SO I'M GONNA APPROVE YOU, TOO, FOR THE SURGERY, AS WELL.

-THANK YOU, DR. NOW. -OKAY.

SO, I'M GONNA SET YOU BOTH TO THE SAME DAY.

-OKAY. -ON THE SAME DAY?

-MM-HMM. -OKAY.

-SO WHO WANTS TO BE FIRST? -I DO.

ALL RIGHT.[ BOTH LAUGH ]

-DO YOU WANT TO BE FIRST? -NO, I DON'T CARE.

THAT'S FINE.YOU CAN BE FIRST.

NO, THAT'S FINE. THAT'S FINE.

ALL RIGHT, I'M PROUD OF YOU BOTH

FOR STARTING TO BREAK YOUR UNHEALTHY DYNAMIC,

BUT THIS SURGERY IS JUST A TOOL,

AND YOU'RE GOING TO NEED ADDITIONAL HELP

TO DO THIS FOR THE LONG RUN.

OKAY.

SO AS SOON AS YOU BOTH RECOVER FROM WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

YOU'RE GOING TO START THERAPY TOGETHER

TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON CREATING A HEALTHY DYNAMIC

BETWEEN YOU TWO, OKAY?

ALL RIGHT. I'M GOING TO SCHEDULE BOTH YOUR SURGERIES

FOR ONE MONTH FROM NOW. -OKAY.

AND WHAT I WANT YOU BOTH TO DO

IS TO KEEP AT IT AND LOSE ANOTHER 30 POUNDS.

-OKAY. -AND IF EITHER OF YOU DON'T,

THEN I WILL CANCEL BOTH OF YOUR SURGERIES,

AND WE'LL BE BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD WITH YOU.

OKAY.

SO, KEEP ON TRACK, AND I WILL SEE YOU BOTH IN A MONTH.

-OKAY. -OKAY?

-THANK YOU SO MUCH. -THANK YOU.

♪♪

I AM VERY ENCOURAGED THAT BOTH JENNIFER AND MARISSA

DID WELL AND MET THEIR GOALS.

THIS SHOWS ME THEY HAVE TAKEN POSITIVE STEPS

TO CHANGE THEIR DYNAMIC, BUT THEY STILL HAVE

A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WORK TO DO

BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF ISSUES BETWEEN THEM

AND THAT HAS TO BE ADDRESSED

THAT ONLY THERAPY WILL HELP THEM WITH.

SO, WE NEED TO START AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER SURGERY

BECAUSE IT WILL ONLY BE A MATTER OF TIME

BEFORE THEY START GOING BACK TO THEIR OLD WAYS,

AND IF THAT HAPPENS, WE LIKELY WON'T BE ABLE TO HELP THEM.

Jennifer: I CAN'T DESCRIBE HOW HAPPY I AM RIGHT NOW.

MY DAUGHTER AND I ARE BOTH FINALLY

TURNING OUR LIVES AROUND.

Marissa: NOW THIS IS ALL BECOMING REAL.

IT'S JUST BEEN A DREAM ALL THIS TIME,

AND NOW IT'S BECOMING A REALITY.

♪♪

♪♪

Jennifer: I'VE WORKED SO HARD FOR THIS DAY,

BUT NOW THAT IT'S HERE, I'M TERRIFIED.

♪♪

HI. -HI, MOMMY.

AND I HATE THE FACT THAT I WON'T BE ABLE TO SEE MARISSA

GOING IN FOR HER SURGERY BECAUSE I'M GOING FIRST,

AND THEN MARISSA IS GOING RIGHT AFTER ME.

-YOU READY? -YEAH.

COME GIVE ME A HUG.

I LOVE YOU, TOO.

♪♪

BYE, GUYS. I LOVE YOU. -BYE. I LOVE YOU, MOMMY.

SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE, BABY.

♪♪

I AM NERVOUS BECAUSE I'VE HAD SURGERY COMPLICATIONS BEFORE

WHEN I ALMOST DIED HAVING MY GALL BLADDER REMOVED,

SO I KNOW HOW DANGEROUS SURGERY CAN BE,

BUT THIS IS MY ONLY OPTION.

SO, I REALLY NEED THE SURGERY TO MOVE FORWARD IN MY LIFE.

♪♪

Dr. Nowzaradan: TODAY WE ARE DOING A GASTRIC SLEEVE PROCEDURE ON JENNIFER.

WE WEIGHED BOTH JENNIFER AND MARISSA WHEN THEY CHECKED IN,

AND THEY BOTH HAVE HIT THEIR GOAL WEIGHT AGAIN.

JENNIFER HAS LOST 34 POUNDS,

AND MARISSA HAS LOST 32 POUNDS THIS PAST MONTH.

ON TOP OF THAT, ALL THEIR MEDICAL TESTS LOOK GOOD.

Dr. Nowzaradan: ALL RIGHT. THE ROOM LIGHT OFF.

SO, THERE IS NO REASON NOT TO MOVE AHEAD

WITH THEIR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERIES TODAY.

♪♪

BUT JENNIFER IS STILL VERY HIGH-RISK,

AND IT'S GOING TO BE DIFFICULT FOR US

TO OPERATE ON HER BECAUSE OF HER SIZE.

I AM ALSO CONCERNED THAT SHE MAY HAVE SOME SCAR TISSUE

FROM HER PREVIOUS SURGERY THAT COULD HINDER US

AND SLOW US DOWN, AND THAT COULD BE AN ISSUE

THAT PREVENTS US FROM BEING ABLE TO COMPLETE THE SURGERY,

BUT HOPEFULLY, THAT WON'T BE THE CASE.

THIS SURGERY WILL BE A TOOL THAT GIVES JENNIFER

THE HELP SHE NEEDS TO STAY ON TRACK

AS SHE STARTS TO DEAL WITH HER EMOTIONAL AND CORE ISSUES

THAT HAVE NOT ONLY BEEN LEADING HER TO EAT

BUT THAT HAVE LED TO THE DYSFUNCTIONAL DYNAMIC

BETWEEN HER AND HER DAUGHTER.

♪♪

Marissa: I'M GLAD I GOT TO SEE MY MOM AND TELL HER I LOVED HER

'CAUSE I'M PRETTY NERVOUS ABOUT MY MOM BEING IN SURGERY.

THE LAST TIME MY MOM HAD SURGERY, SHE ALMOST DIED,

SO IT'S PRETTY NERVE-WRACKING.

♪♪

Dr. Nowzaradan: THE SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY IS AN OPERATION

THAT WE REMOVE 80% TO 90% OF THE STOMACH

AND WE LEAVE A LONG, SKINNY TUBE

THAT CONNECTS THE ESOPHAGUS TO THE SMALL INTESTINE.

♪♪

SO THIS SURGERY, FOR JENNIFER, IS GONNA HELP HER

TO BE ABLE TO ADHERE TO HER VERY HEALTHY EATING HABIT

AND GET FULL REAL QUICK AND BE ABLE TO LOSE WEIGHT.

OKAY. CAN YOU TURN THE ROOM LIGHT ON?

♪♪

OKAY. ALL FINISHED.

ALL RIGHT, JENNIFER'S SURGERY WENT VERY WELL.

WE HAD A COUPLE ISSUES WITH THE SCAR TISSUE

AND TAKING DOWN A WALL,

BUT WE WERE ABLE TO WORK AROUND THEM,

SO WE WILL GET HER TO RECOVERY SO SHE CAN REST,

AND THEN WE'LL START HER DAUGHTER'S PROCEDURE,

BUT JENNIFER SHOULD BE ABLE TO GO HOME IN A FEW DAYS,

AND SHE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOSE 35 POUNDS THIS FIRST MONTH

AND 20 POUNDS EACH MONTH AFTER THAT

UNTIL SHE GETS CLOSE TO HER TARGET WEIGHT.

BUT LONG TERM, THAT WILL ALL DEPEND

ON HOW COMMITTED SHE AND MARISSA ARE TO THERAPY.

BUT NOW THAT WE'VE FINISHED WITH JENNIFER, IT IS MARISSA'S TURN,

BUT HOPEFULLY THERE ARE NO ISSUES TO PREVENT US

FROM DOING THIS OPERATION TODAY

BECAUSE IT WON'T BE GOOD WITH THEIR CURRENT DYNAMIC

FOR ONE OF THEM TO HAVE SURGERY TO RESTRAIN THEIR EATING

WHILE THE OTHER ONE DOESN'T.

IT WILL LEAD TO AN ENABLING SITUATION

THAT WOULD LIKELY START TO SABOTAGE JENNIFER

WITH HER PROGRESS.

SO HOPEFULLY, WE WONT ENCOUNTER ANYTHING THAT WILL STOP US.

♪♪

♪♪

Marissa: I'M REALLY NERVOUS RIGHT NOW.

I KNOW THERE'S LOTS OF RISKS BECAUSE I'M HEAVY,

BUT THOSE RISKS AREN'T AS BAD AS BEING OBESE,

BUT I KNOW MY MOM JUST WENT THROUGH THIS,

AND IF MY MOM CAN DO IT, I CAN DO IT.

♪♪

Dr. Nowzaradan: RIGHT NOW, WE'RE ABOUT TO PERFORM

A GASTRIC SLEEVE ON MARISSA.

WE JUST COMPLETED THIS SAME OPERATION ON HER MOTHER,

AND EVEN THOUGH HER WEIGHT IS NOT AS HIGH AS HER MOTHER'S,

SHE'S STILL SUPER MORBIDLY OBESE,

MAKING HER JUST AS HIGH-RISK.

Dr. Nowzaradan: ALL RIGHT, ROOM LIGHT OFF.

SO, IF WE ENCOUNTER ANY SIGNIFICANT ISSUES WITH HER,

WE WILL HAVE TO STOP THE PROCEDURE...

...AND IT WILL BE EXTREMELY UNFORTUNATE

BECAUSE BOTH OF THEM NEED TO MAKE THIS TRANSITION

WITH WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY AT THE SAME TIME

BECAUSE WITH THEIR DYNAMIC,

IF ONE OF THEM STARTS TO STRUGGLE,

THEN THAT WILL LEAD TO THE OTHER STRUGGLING.

SO, BY DOING THESE SURGERIES AT THE SAME TIME,

WE ARE LOOKING TO PREVENT THAT,

AND HOPEFULLY, THAT IS WHAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO.

WE ARE GOOD, AND LET'S GRADUALLY TAKE IT OUT.

MARISSA'S STOMACH ALMOST 12-INCHES LONG.

IT'S A VERY LONG STOMACH.

ALL RIGHT. ROOM LIGHT ON.

LET'S CLOSE IT UP.

OKAY. ALL FINISHED.

MARISSA'S SURGERY WENT VERY WELL.

SHE HAD THE SLEEVE, AND WE'RE GONNA GET HER

TO THE RECOVERY ROOM RIGHT NOW,

AND MARISSA SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOSE

35 POUNDS THIS NEXT MONTH

AND THEN 20 TO 25 POUNDS THE FOLLOWING MONTH

UNTIL SHE GET CLOSE TO HER TARGET WEIGHT.

AND ONCE JENNIFER AND MARISSA FULLY RECOVER,

THEN IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT THEY START GOING

TO PSYCHOTHERAPY TOGETHER IMMEDIATELY

BECAUSE NOW FOOD IS NO LONGER GOING TO BE SOMETHING

EITHER OF THEM CAN RUN TO.

SO, ALL THE EMOTIONS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN AVOIDING FOR YEARS

ARE GOING TO COME TO THE SURFACE.

SO, WE NEED TO START THE PROCESS OF ADDRESSING

THE CORE ISSUES THEY HAVE INDIVIDUALLY AND TOGETHER

BEFORE ONE OF THEM STARTS TO STRUGGLE,

AND THEN BOTH OF THEM GO OFF THE RAILS

BECAUSE THEY COULD END UP GAINING AGAIN,

AND THEN THEY WILL QUICKLY BE RIGHT BACK WHERE THEY STARTED.

SO ADDRESSING THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN THEM HAS BEEN KEY

AND STILL IS THE BIGGEST ISSUE WE NEED TO ADDRESS FOR THEM

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE LONG RUN.

♪♪

♪♪

Jennifer: IT'S BEEN A FEW WEEKS SINCE MARISSA AND I HAD SURGERY.

DR. NOW TOLD US WE NEEDED TO START THERAPY,

SO WE HAVE OUR FIRST APPOINTMENT TODAY.

♪♪

Marissa: MY MOM AND I HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES.

WE BOTH KNOW IT, AND WE'VE BEEN FIGHTING ABOUT IT FOR YEARS,

BUT THAT HASN'T HELPED US.

♪♪

MAYBE TALKING TO SOMEBODY WILL HELP.

I HOPE IT DOES

BECAUSE WE DEFINITELY NEED IT.

SO HOPEFULLY THIS WILL HELP US COMMUNICATE

AND NOT ARGUE SO MUCH.

♪♪

-WELCOME, I'M RACHEL. -NICE TO MEET YOU.

-I'M JENNIFER. -JENNIFER, MARISSA.

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

COME ON IN. -OKAY.

Rachel: OKAY, SO WHY DON'T Y'ALL BOTH GO AHEAD

AND HAVE A SEAT ON THE SOFA.

-OKAY. -OKAY.

♪♪

-OKAY, WELL, WELCOME. -THANK YOU.

JENNIFER, WHAT DO YOU FEEL BROUGHT YOU HERE

TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?

-LIKE, WHAT DO YOU -- I MEAN -- -WHEN DID YOU FIRST FEEL

THAT YOU WERE COPING USING FOOD?

WHEN DID THAT START?

I THINK, PROBABLY, AROUND FIVE.

-FIVE? -YEAH.

-YEAH. -MY MOM HAD GOT WITH

MY SIBLINGS' FATHER,

AND HE WAS JUST REALLY MEAN AND ABUSIVE,

EVERY TYPE OF ABUSE, SO... -EVERY TYPE OF ABUSE.

SEXUALLY? -MM-HMM.

AND IT JUST WENT ON FOR YEARS AFTER THAT.

AND THAT'S KIND OF WHERE IT STARTED...

YEAH.

...'CAUSE YOU WERE FEELING SO MUCH PAIN?

AND FOOD BECAME A WAY TO NUMB THE PAIN?

RIGHT.

IS THAT KIND OF THE RIGHT WORD FOR IT?

DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT WAS A WAY TO NUMB FROM ALL OF THAT PAIN?

♪♪

ALL OF A SUDDEN -- I DON'T KNOW.

Jennifer: I FEEL LIKE YOU'RE NOT BEING OPEN, AND YOU NEED TO,

SO STOP IT, AND JUST DO IT.

NO. YES.

NO. -IT FEELS LIKE

THERE'S SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE FEELING SCARED OF.

I TOTALLY GET IT. YOU WERE JUST A LITTLE KID,

AND YOU DESERVED PROTECTION,

AND YOU REALLY DIDN'T HAVE IT.

I ALWAYS FELT LIKE IT'S MY FAULT.

THAT IS A HUGE BURDEN THAT YOU DON'T NEED TO CARRY.

I JUST -- I DON'T WANT TO TALK ANYMORE.

IT'S KIND OF OVERWHELMING.

WE CAN TAKE A PAUSE AND SWITCH GEARS.

THAT'S OKAY. -YEAH.

MARISSA, HOW DID THINGS COME ABOUT FOR YOU?

I'VE TAKEN CARE OF MY MOM SINCE I WAS LITTLE.

MY REAL DAD USED TO BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF HER,

AND HE WOULD MAKE ME SIT ON THE COUCH AND WATCH IT.

THAT MUST HAVE BEEN PRETTY AWFUL FOR YOU.

I THINK I'VE JUST SPENT MY WHOLE LIFE TRYING TO PROTECT HER.

RIGHT.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

WHAT ABOUT ME?

I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER TAKEN CARE OF ME.

-YOU'RE RESENTFUL. -YEAH. I JUST --

I BLAME HER, AND... -FOR?

FOR MAKING ME BE A MOM...

WHEN YOU WERE SO LITTLE.

...AND FOR MAKING ME TAKE CARE OF HER FOR SO LONG, AND...

...I CAN'T GET OVER IT 'CAUSE I STILL DO IT.

WHAT WOULD YOU FEEL, OR WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO YOU

IF YOU STOPPED? -I'D FEEL GUILTY.

AND SO REALLY, YOU KIND OF FEEL LIKE, "I HAVE TO."

MM-HMM.

YOU NEED TO SHOW HER THAT YOU CAN LIVE, LIKE,

IN YOUR HOME ON YOUR OWN, RIGHT? -RIGHT.

AND DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU'RE CAPABLE OF DOING THAT?

I AM. THERE'S NO REASON WHY I CAN'T DO IT NOW.

SO WE JUST NEED TO CREATE SOME CONSISTENCY

WITH THE BEHAVIOR, RIGHT?

-OKAY. -OKAY.

-WELL, THANK YOU. -OKAY.

OKAY, GUYS. ALL RIGHT. -WELL, THANK YOU.

WELL, THANK YOU FOR COMING IN TODAY.

ALL RIGHT. -THANK YOU SO MUCH.

-GOOD LUCK ON EVERYTHING. -THANK YOU.

-THANK YOU. -ALL RIGHT.

YOU TAKE CARE. -YOU, TOO.

AND REMEMBER YOU ARE STRONG.

-THANK YOU. -THANK YOU.

♪♪

Jennifer: MARISSA AND I TALKED OPENLY AND HONESTLY TODAY,

AND I SEE HOW TRULY IMPORTANT IT IS FOR US

TO START LIVING INDEPENDENTLY OF EACH OTHER.

I'VE WASTED TOO MUCH OF MY LIFE AND TOO MUCH OF HERS.

♪♪

WE'VE GOT A SECOND CHANCE ON OUR HEALTH FROM DR. NOW,

SO HOPEFULLY NOW, WE CAN GET A SECOND CHANGE

IN OUR RELATIONSHIP, TOO.

♪♪

[ ENGINE TURNS OVER ]

♪♪

THOSE ARE SMALL.

Jennifer: SINCE I GOT THE SURGERY, A LOT HAS CHANGED.

YOU WANT HELP?

YOU WANT TO HELP? YEAH.

I BROKE UP WITH DAWAYNE.

HE'S BEEN GAMBLING AND DOING DRUGS,

AND I JUST COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE,

SO I'M MOVING FORWARD.

I LOVE THE FREEDOM THAT LOSING WEIGHT IS GIVING ME,

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, I WANT MARISSA TO HAVE HER FREEDOM.

WHAT I'VE BEEN PROCESSING SINCE THERAPY

IS JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT I DO THE THINGS

I NEED TO WITH HOUSEHOLD CHORES AND SO FORTH,

AND I'M BEING INDEPENDENT.

I'M DOING THINGS FOR MYSELF

SO THAT WAY MARISSA HAS HER OWN FREEDOM.

IT GIVES ME HOPE THAT OUR RELATIONSHIP

CAN BE AS STRONG AS IT USED TO BE AND EVEN STRONGER.

Marissa: MY MOM'S MOBILITY HAS BEEN GREAT.

SHE HELPS ME A LOT. IT'S BEEN NICE.

SHE DOES A LOT MORE, SO IT'S GOOD.

♪♪

Jennifer: I'M DOING THINGS FOR MYSELF WHERE BEFORE,

I WOULD JUST CALL MARISSA OUT OF HER ROOM AND SAY,

"HEY, CAN YOU COME DO THIS, THIS, AND THIS?"

SHE KNOWS THAT I CAN DO THINGS ON MY OWN,

THAT I DON'T HAVE TO RELY ON HER,

AND I JUST WANT TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

♪♪

I FEEL GOOD ABOUT THIS WEIGH-IN TODAY,

AND I HOPE I MADE ENOUGH PROGRESS

TO GET TO THE MID-400s.

♪♪

-GOOD JOB. -THANKS.

I'M SO PROUD OF THAT NUMBER.

Nurse: MARISSA, YOU'RE UP.

Marissa: I'M READY TO SEE A GOOD WEIGHT ON THAT SCALE FOR BOTH OF US.

I'M HOPING THAT I BROKE 400 TODAY AND MADE IT INTO THE 300s.

-364. -THAT'S AMAZING.

I'M SO PROUD OF YOU. -THANKS.

I'M SO PROUD OF BOTH OF US.

Jennifer: WE'VE DEFINITELY HAD SOME UPS AND DOWNS THIS PAST YEAR...

...AND WE DIDN'T ALWAYS DO WHAT WE NEEDED TO DO...

♪♪

BUT WE'RE FINALLY ON THE RIGHT PATH.

HELLO.Both: HI, DR. NOW.

-HOW Y'ALL DOING? -GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

I'M GOOD. ALL RIGHT.

GOOD TO SEE YOU TWO.

JENNIFER, YOU'RE DOWN TO 447 TODAY,

SO THAT IS A TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS OF ALMOST 200 POUNDS.

SO, HOW YOU FEEL WITH THAT?

-IT FEELS PRETTY GOOD. -GOOD.

SO YOU'RE DOING WELL,

AND I'M GLAD TO SEE ALL THAT PROGRESS.

AND MARISSA, YOU'RE DOWN TO 364 TODAY,

AND THAT'S GREAT.

THAT IS TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS OF ABOUT 210 POUNDS,

SO YOU TWO ARE DOING GREAT,

AND YOU CONTINUE TO WORK ON CHANGING YOUR WHOLE DYNAMIC

AND TO SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER.

SO, I'M PROUD OF YOU BOTH FOR THAT.

AND IF YOU TWO KEEP WORKING ON YOUR RELATIONSHIP

AND STICK TO THE DIET,

THEN I'M CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN GET YOU

TO YOUR TARGET WEIGHT SOON,

AND THE NEXT BIG STEP WILL BE SKIN REMOVAL IN A FEW MONTHS.

-OKAY. -OKAY.

BUT, MARISSA, AS YOUNG AS YOU ARE,

SOME EXTRA SKIN MAY ACTUALLY SHRINK

AND REDUCE TO ORIGINAL SIZE,

SO WE'LL KEEP AN EYE ON IT AND SEE,

BUT YOU COULD BE AT YOUR TARGET WEIGHT IN EIGHT MONTHS.

SO, KEEP AT IT BECAUSE YOU GOT YOUTH ON YOUR SIDE.

IT IS ALMOST UNFAIR BECAUSE YOUR MOTHER

HAS TO WORK TWICE AS HARD FOR THE SAME RESULTS.

THAT'S GOOD.

OKAY, BUT THAT'S NOT HOLDING YOU BACK, IS IT?

NO. [ LAUGHS ]

-ALL RIGHT, Y'ALL. TAKE CARE. -THANK YOU.

I'LL SEE Y'ALL NEXT MONTH, OKAY?

OKAY.

Dr. Nowzaradan: I AM VERY PLEASED WITH THE PROGRESS

THAT JENNIFER AND MARISSA ARE MAKING

AND FOR HOW THEY HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING EACH OTHER.

THEY'VE COME A LONG WAY TOGETHER,

AND EVEN THOUGH THEY STILL HAVE A WAYS TO GO,

THEY'RE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND DOING WELL,

AND IF THEY KEEP GOING TO THERAPY TOGETHER

AND WORKING ON THEIR RELATIONSHIP,

WE SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM

GETTING THEM TO THEIR TARGET WEIGHT.

Jennifer: THIS WHOLE PROCESS IS SO HARD, BUT IT'S WORTH IT.

I'M DOING THINGS THAT I'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE.

AND NOW, I DO SEE A FUTURE.

I STILL AM NOT SURE WHAT IT IS,

BUT I KNOW THAT I'M GONNA GET OUT THERE

AND LIVE LIFE, WHATEVER IT IS.

♪♪

♪♪

Marissa: TODAY MY MOM AND I ARE GOING SHOPPING.

I'VE LOST ENOUGH WEIGHT THAT I NEED NEW CLOTHES,

SO I'M EXCITED TO TRY ON SOME NEW OUTFITS.

MY MOM AND I HAVE BEEN SPENDING MORE TIME APART,

WHICH HAS BEEN GOOD FOR US,

BUT IT'S ALSO FUN GOING OUT AND DOING SOMETHING.

-HI, LADIES. HOW ARE Y'ALL? -GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

Paige: GOOD. WHAT ARE WE BROWSING FOR?

PROBABLY SOME JEANS. MAYBE, LIKE, NOT SO PLAIN.

-WHAT SIZE? -LARGE.

-26, MAYBE? -OKAY.

Marissa: I'VE LOST WEIGHT, SO I DON'T KNOW.

I USED TO HATE SHOPPING FOR CLOTHES,

BUT I'M FEELING A LOT BETTER ABOUT MYSELF LATELY.

I'M GETTING A NEW LIFE,

SO I SHOULD HAVE SOME NEW CLOTHES, TOO.

Jennifer: IT'S SO GREAT TO BE OUT HERE WITH MARISSA TODAY.

HERE, MOM. YOU CAN HAVE THAT.

-THANKS. -YOU'RE WELCOME.

[ SIGHS ]

THIS IS THE KIND OF MOTHER-DAUGHTER STUFF

I ALWAYS WANTED TO DO.

THIS IS THE KIND OF THING MOTHER AND DAUGHTER

SHOULD BE DOING TOGETHER,

AND IT'S WHAT WE COULD NEVER DO BECAUSE OF MY WEIGHT.

BUT ALL THAT'S CHANGED NOW.

I WOULDN'T BE HERE TODAY IF IT WASN'T FOR HER.

SO MUCH HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST YEAR.

HOLY MOLY.

♪♪

LAST TIME I WORE A 24?

I DON'T KNOW, BUT I'M DYING TO SEE.

I WANT MARISSA TO HAVE HER FREEDOM.

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME, BABY.

AND I WANT TO HELP MY DAUGHTER

GET THE LIFE THAT SHE DESERVES...

I THINK I'M GONNA CRY. I'M SO PROUD OF YOU.

OH, GOD.

...BECAUSE SHE HELPED ME GET THE LIFE THAT I WANT.

♪♪

I'M EXTREMELY PROUD OF MARISSA.

SHE'S JUST DOING IT.

Jennifer: I LIKE THAT MY BODY IS STILL CHANGING

'CAUSE I KNOW IT'S GONNA GET BETTER,

AND IT'S GONNA GET SMALLER, AND I CAN KEEP GOING.

Jennifer: I'M DEFINITELY LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE DAYS LIKE THIS.

I CAN'T WAIT 'TIL WE CAN BOTH COME IN

AND TRY CLOTHES TOGETHER.

Marissa: THERE'S NO ONE ELSE I WOULD'VE WANTED

TO MAKE THIS JOURNEY WITH.

WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO,

BUT WE ARE GONNA GET THERE TOGETHER.