Original subtitles

Woman: I KNOW I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME...

I'M JUST SO ANXIOUS.

...AND THERE HAS TO BE A WAY FOR ME TO GET HELP.

Woman: SOMEWHERE IN ME IS THIS LITTLE GLIMMER OF HOPE.

I JUST WANT TO BE A NORMAL PERSON.

YOU CAN'T DO IT, AND THEN I JUST GET MAD.

Woman: IF I DON'T MAKE A CHANGE NOW,

I'M SCARED IT'S GONNA BE TOO LATE.

IT HURTS.

Man: I REFUSE TO STOP FIGHTING.

I HAVE TO DO THIS FOR MY CHILDREN.

Bethany: I DON'T KNOW WHY I DIDN'T LOSE ANYTHING.

IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS WHAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Bethany: I HATE MY LIFE.

I'M 40 YEARS OLD AND OVER 600 POUNDS NOW,

AND I LITERALLY FEEL LIKE I'M FALLING APART.

I'M LIVING IN CONSTANT MISERY

BECAUSE OF ALL THE PAIN IN MY BODY THAT NEVER GOES AWAY.

AND I HAVE SORES ALL OVER MY BODY

BECAUSE OF HOW MY SKIN BREAKS DOWN

AND HOW THE FOLDS CHAFE WHEN I MOVE AROUND.

BUT I CAN'T JUST TAKE IT EASY AND DO NOTHING ALL DAY,

NO MATTER THE REASON, BECAUSE I'M A MOM OF TWO KIDS.

ISABELLA IS MY OLDEST.

SHE'S 18.

AND MY YOUNGEST IS ZOWIE, WHO'S 10.

MY HUSBAND TRIES TO HELP OUT, BUT HE HAS TO WORK MOST DAYS.

ZOWIE, CAN YOU COME HERE A MINUTE?

CAN YOU HELP ME PUT MY SOCKS ON?

MM-HMM.

A LOT OF TIMES, THEY END UP HAVING TO HELP ME,

AND I HATE THAT, BECAUSE IT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE A BURDEN.

Zowie: MY MOM REALLY STRUGGLES A LOT.

SHE CAN'T REALLY, LIKE, BEND DOWN TO PUT HER SOCKS ON

'CAUSE SHE'S NOT THAT MOBILE.

SO, YEAH, I PUT MY MOM'S SOCKS ON FOR HER.

I DON'T PUT A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY ON ZOWIE

BECAUSE SHE'S ONLY 10,

BUT IF I NEED HELP FOR BIGGER THINGS,

I TRY TO RELY ON ISABELLA TO HELP ME WITH THAT.

AND A LOT OF TIMES, I FEEL LIKE I PUT HER IN THE POSITION

WHERE SHE ALMOST HAS TO BE THE MOTHER IN THE FAMILY.

WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR BREAKFAST?

I'M GONNA START WITH, LIKE, A HONEY BUN AND A MUFFIN,

AND THEN IF YOU'LL MAKE ME, LIKE,

SOME SCRAMBLED EGGS AND SOME TOAST.

OKAY.

I WOULD SAY I'M THE MOTHER OF THE FAMILY,

BUT I FEEL LIKE

I'M NOT A CONTRIBUTING MEMBER OF THE FAMILY.

SO ISABELLA IS TAKING ON A HUGE AMOUNT OF RESPONSIBILITY.

SHE'LL COOK, CLEAN, AND TAKE ZOWIE TO SCHOOL.

SO SHE'S TAKING ON A LOT, WHICH IS REALLY UNFAIR TO HER.

ISABELLA? YEAH.

I WANT TO HAVE SOMETHING TO EAT WHILE YOU'RE MAKING BREAKFAST.

OKAY.

I THINK I HAVE A LOT OF THE RESPONSIBILITY

FOR THIS HOUSEHOLD.

I DO ALL THE COOKING, I DO ALL THE CLEANING,

AND I MAKE SURE ZOWIE'S FED AND BATHED.

I MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE GROCERIES IN THE HOUSE.

SO, I MEAN, IT'S A LOT OF PRESSURE PUT ON ME,

BUT I LOVE MY MOM,

AND I WILL DO ANYTHING FOR HER NO MATTER WHAT.

ARE YOU READY FOR SCHOOL?Zowie: YEAH.

GET YOUR SHOES AND YOUR BACKPACK.

I'M GONNA TAKE ZOWIE TO SCHOOL.

Bethany: OKAY.

BE GOOD. I LOVE YOU GUYS.

LOVE YOU, TOO.BYE, MOM.

Bethany: I WISH I COULD DO MORE, AND I WANT TO DO MORE.

BUT AS LONG AS I'M GAINING WEIGHT AND EATING LIKE I DO,

I KNOW I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO.

AND WHAT I CAN DO IS JUST GONNA GET LESS AND LESS.

AND AS MUCH AS I HATE THAT,

I STILL CAN'T STOP EATING LIKE I WANT.

HEY. HEY.

FOOD'S HERE.

OKAY.

MY HUSBAND, SHELDON, COMES HOME ON HIS LUNCH BREAK

TO BRING ME MY NEXT MEAL SO I CAN KEEP EATING.

BETHANY SPENDS THE MAJORITY OF HER TIME ON THE RECLINER.

I'M NOT HERE THROUGHOUT THE DAY,

BUT I KNOW SHE DOESN'T GO OUT, SHE DOESN'T COOK,

AND WE'VE NEVER REALLY FOUGHT HER ON IT

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF MAMA WANTS, MAMA GETS.

SO, I'M NOT GONNA TELL HER HOW TO EAT.

I'M NOT GONNA TELL HER HOW TO TAKE CARE OF HERSELF.

Bethany: WE SOMETIMES EAT TOGETHER,

BUT I PREFER TO BE ALONE WHEN I EAT

BECAUSE, TO ME, IT'S SUCH A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

THAT I RARELY WANT ANY DISTRACTIONS FROM IT.

BUT AS LONG AS I CAN FOCUS ON THE ENJOYMENT I'M HAVING,

I'M GOOD.

AND SHELDON KNOWS THAT,

SO WE DON'T TALK MUCH WHEN I HAVE FOOD.

BUT ONCE I'M DONE, HE MAKES SURE I HAVE ENOUGH TO HOLD ME OVER

UNTIL ISABELLA AND ZOWIE GET HOME FROM SCHOOL.

AND THEN I USUALLY EITHER KEEP EATING

WITH WHAT ISABELLA BRINGS ME

OR TWO OR THREE TIMES A WEEK,

I TAKE THEM TO THE GROCERY STORE.

IT'S THE ONLY TIME I EVER GO OUT,

AND I CAN'T HANDLE BEING IN THE STORE WITH ALL THE WALKING,

SO I JUST STAY IN THE CAR.

AND EVEN THAT'S HARD ON MY BODY.

BUT WHAT'S GONNA BE EVEN HARDER ON IT

IS IF I DON'T HAVE THE FOOD AND SNACKS THAT I WANT.

SO NO MATTER WHAT, I'M MAKING SURE WE'RE GETTING THOSE THINGS.

AND EVEN THOUGH IT TAKES A LOT OUT OF ME,

IT'S EXCITING FOR ME, BECAUSE I LOVE IT ALL.

MY MOM -- SHE USED TO BE ABLE TO GO TO THE GROCERY STORE

AND AT LEAST RIDE ON THE MOTORIZED CARTS.

AND NOW SHE'S GOTTEN TO THE POINT

WHERE SHE WON'T EVEN GET OUT OF THE CAR.

AND I FEEL LIKE IT'S HARD 'CAUSE I WANT HER TO DO THESE THINGS,

AND SHE CAN'T.

BUT IF YOU TELL HER NO AND YOU DON'T GO DO IT,

SHE'S JUST GONNA GET MAD AND HATEFUL.

BUT IF I DO IT, THEN I'M JUST PUTTING HER

IN A WORSE PLACE THAN SHE'S ALREADY IN.

SO I FEEL LIKE I'M ENABLING HER ALL THE TIME.

IF I COULD GO INSIDE THE SUPERMARKET,

I WOULD JUST WANT TO GET EVERYTHING

AND STAY THERE FOREVER, BECAUSE FOOD IS MY HAPPY PLACE,

AND THERE'S NO BETTER FEELING

THAN BEING AROUND IT AND EATING IT.

AND IF I COULD, I WOULD EVEN TRADE SLEEP FOR FOOD.

AND THERE'S NEVER A MOMENT IN MY LIFE OR EVER IN MY DAY

WHERE I'M READY TO STOP EATING, SO I HAVE TO ALWAYS HAVE IT,

AND MY LIFE ISN'T RIGHT IF I DON'T.

AND THAT'S THE WAY IT'S BEEN FOR ME FOR A WHILE,

SINCE I WAS REALLY YOUNG.

FROM WHAT I REMEMBER, THINGS WERE GOOD IN MY EARLY CHILDHOOD.

IT SEEMED PRETTY NORMAL FOR ME AND HAPPY.

BUT MOST ALL THOSE HAPPY MEMORIES FROM THEN

ARE WITH MY GRANDMOTHER,

BECAUSE MY PARENTS WEREN'T AROUND MUCH.

MY DAD WORKED A LOT.

MY MOM WASN'T HOME VERY OFTEN.

SO MY GRANDMOTHER WAS KIND OF THE ONE WHO RAISED ME,

AND SHE DEFINITELY ALWAYS MADE SURE I WAS FED.

SHE WOULD MAKE THESE INCREDIBLE MEALS FOR ME,

AND WE WOULD JUST EAT AND HAVE A LOT OF FUN TOGETHER.

BUT AS I GOT OLDER,

MY GRANDMOTHER COULDN'T KEEP TAKING CARE OF ME.

IT WAS TOO MUCH FOR HER.

AND WITH MY DAD ALWAYS TRAVELING FOR WORK,

THAT LEFT MY MOM TO BE THE ONE WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO RAISE ME.

BUT SHE HAD PROBLEMS WITH MIGRAINES

THAT SHE WAS TAKING PAINKILLERS FOR,

AND OVER TIME, SHE GOT SEVERELY ADDICTED TO THEM

AND WAS CONSTANTLY STRUNG OUT AND HIGH.

IT SEEMED LIKE IT JUST GOT OUT OF CONTROL WHERE SHE WAS TAKING

A LOT OF PAIN MEDICATIONS AND SHE WAS ASLEEP A LOT.

SO I WAS KIND OF RAISING MYSELF DURING THAT TIME UNSUPERVISED,

AND I DIDN'T REALLY HAVE ANYBODY TO STOP ME FROM EATING SWEETS

AND JUNK FOOD IF I WANTED THEM.

I ATE WHATEVER I WANTED.

SO I STARTED TO PUT ON A LITTLE WEIGHT AROUND THEN.

BUT MY WEIGHT GAIN STILL WASN'T OUT OF CONTROL.

BUT THINGS GOT REALLY BAD WHEN I WAS 12.

THAT'S WHEN FOOD BECAME THIS THING IN LIFE

LIKE IT IS NOW WHERE I HAVE TO HAVE IT.

AND THE FIRST TIME I REMEMBER THAT BEING HOW IT WAS

WAS WHEN MY MOM TRIED TO COMMIT SUICIDE.

SHE TRIED TO TAKE A WHOLE BOTTLE OF PAINKILLERS AT ONCE

AND END HER LIFE.

AND THAT NOT ONLY TRAUMATIZED ME,

BUT AFTERWARD, I FOUND A LETTER, AND IN IT,

SHE SAID I WAS THE REASON SHE WANTED TO COMMIT SUICIDE.

I WAS DEVASTATED, AND THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME

I REMEMBER HAVING THAT FEELING

WHERE I HAD TO HAVE SOMETHING TO TAKE THAT PAIN AWAY,

AND FOOD DID THAT.

SO I STARTED PUTTING ON A LOT OF WEIGHT

AND WAS UP CLOSE TO 300 POUNDS BY THE TIME I WAS 13.

ALL I FELT LIKE I HAD WAS FOOD,

SO I FELT REALLY LONELY DURING THAT TIME.

BUT AS I GOT INTO HIGH SCHOOL, I STARTED MAKING FRIENDS,

SO FOR A LITTLE BIT, I FELT LIKE MY LIFE WAS OPENING UP SOME.

I EVEN STARTED DATING SOMEONE, AND THAT WAS NICE.

IT WAS EXCITING THAT I HAD SOMEBODY THAT WANTED TO SAY

HE WAS MY BOYFRIEND.

BUT IT SEEMED LIKE EVERYTHING QUICKLY TURNED.

THE BOY I STARTED DATING WAS VERY ABUSIVE.

HE STARTED HITTING ME AND THREATENING ME ALL THE TIME,

AND THEN HE ASSAULTED ME.

HE FORCED ME TO HAVE SEX.

WE KISSED AND MADE OUT SOMETIMES,

AND SO HE DECIDED HE WANTED TO GO FURTHER THAN THAT,

AND I DIDN'T, AND I TOLD HIM NO, AND HE FORCED HIMSELF ON ME.

FINALLY, HE BROKE UP WITH ME, AND I WAS SO RELIEVED,

BUT HE JUST KEPT THREATENING MY LIFE AFTER THAT,

AND MY FRIENDS STARTED THREATENING ME, TOO.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE TOLD THEM, BUT I JUST DIDN'T CARE.

I JUST CUT OFF EVERYONE IN MY LIFE AT THAT POINT

AND GOT REALLY DEPRESSED.

THE ONLY THING THAT COULD HELP ME ESCAPE IT WAS FOOD,

SO I WAS JUST EATING MY WAY THROUGH LIFE

AT THAT TIME AND GAINING.

SO I PUT ON ANOTHER 100 POUNDS AFTER THAT

AND GOT UP TO THE 400s BY THE TIME I WAS 15.

AND OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS,

MY DEPRESSION GOT WORSE,

AND WHEN I WAS 17,

ALL THE ANXIETY OF EVERYTHING FINALLY GOT TO ME,

AND I STARTED HAVING THESE PANIC ATTACKS.

SO MY PARENTS PUT ME IN A TREATMENT FACILITY

FOR A LITTLE WHILE TO DEAL WITH THAT.

BUT WHEN IT WAS TIME FOR ME TO LEAVE,

I DIDN'T WANT TO GO HOME, 'CAUSE I KNEW

I WAS GONNA CONTINUE TO HAVE THE PANIC ATTACKS,

AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE.

I REALLY WAS SCARED.

AND SO I TOLD THEM I DIDN'T WANT THAT,

AND MY DAD GOT REALLY UPSET

AND SAID THAT HE WOULD JUST SIGN HIS RIGHTS OVER

AND THAT THE STATE COULD HAVE ME.

AND MY GRANDMOTHER SAID, "NO. WE'RE NOT GONNA DO THAT,"

THAT, "SHE CAN COME LIVE WITH ME."

AND SO I MOVED OUT AND LIVED WITH HER FOR ABOUT A YEAR.

BUT ONCE I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL,

I MOVED AWAY TO GO TO COLLEGE,

BUT THAT DIDN'T LAST LONG, AND I DROPPED OUT VERY QUICKLY.

I MOVED BACK HOME AND GOT A JOB AS A WAITRESS AT A PIZZA PLACE.

AND I THINK THAT WAS THE BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE,

BECAUSE THAT'S HOW I MET SHELDON.

Sheldon: I HAD SEEN BETHANY WAITRESSING AT A PIZZA PLACE.

I THOUGHT SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL FIRST TIME I SAW HER.

THEN WHEN WE GOT TO TALKING, I THINK IT WAS HER INTELLIGENCE,

MOSTLY, THAT DREW ME IN, AND IT JUST CLICKED.

WE STARTED DATING, AND SIX MONTHS LATER, WE WERE MARRIED.

SO, WE HAD OUR FIRST DAUGHTER TOGETHER, ISABELLA,

WHEN I WAS 21.

AND WITH THAT PREGNANCY, I PUT ON MORE WEIGHT.

SO I WAS JUST ABOUT IN THE 500s THEN.

AND ONE OF MY BIGGEST REGRETS I HAD

WAS DROPPING OUT OF COLLEGE,

SO I DECIDED TO ENROLL AND START TAKING COURSES,

BECAUSE I JUST KIND OF HAD THIS MOMENT OF, LIKE,

"I DON'T HAVE A CAREER.

I DON'T HAVE A JOB."

SO FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS,

I GOT REALLY FOCUSED ON EARNING MY BACHELOR'S DEGREE.

BUT ONCE I GOT THAT, AFTERWARDS, I KEPT GOING,

AND I GOT MY MASTER'S DEGREE IN COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY,

AND I ENDED UP SPECIALIZING IN ADDICTION.

AND THEN I STARTED MY OWN PRACTICE,

COUNSELING PEOPLE STRUGGLING WITH DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION.

SO I WAS VERY FOCUSED ON MY CAREER DURING THAT TIME,

AND IT WAS THE ONLY TIME IN MY LIFE

THAT MY WEIGHT GAIN TAPERED OFF.

I DIDN'T LOSE MUCH, BUT I DIDN'T GAIN A WHOLE LOT

FOR THOSE SIX YEARS.

BUT WHEN I WAS 27, WE DECIDED TO TRY AND HAVE ANOTHER CHILD,

AND I HAD ZOWIE WHEN I WAS 28.

AND THE WEIGHT GAIN PICKED BACK UP DURING THAT PREGNANCY.

AND THEN ONCE I HAD ZOWIE,

I SUFFERED FROM SEVERE POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION,

WHICH WAS REALLY, REALLY HARD FOR ME.

BUT ONCE AGAIN, WHERE I FOUND SOLACE WAS FOOD.

SO THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, I JUST SHUT DOWN,

AND ALL I CARED ABOUT WAS EATING.

AND THAT MADE IT HARD FOR ME TO EVEN BOND WITH ZOWIE,

BECAUSE I STRUGGLED TO TAKE CARE OF HER DURING ALL OF THIS.

SO I WOULD SAY I WAS A VERY ABSENT PARENT

WHEN ZOWIE WAS AN INFANT.

I DIDN'T BOND WITH HER UNTIL SHE WAS 2,

WHEN I STARTED TO COME OUT OF THAT DEPRESSION SOME.

Isabella: AFTER MY MOM HAD ZOWIE, SHE DIDN'T WANT TO SEE ZOWIE.

NOT THAT SHE DIDN'T LOVE ZOWIE OR THAT ZOWIE WASN'T HER CHILD,

BUT SHE JUST TENDED TO STAY AWAY A LOT,

SO I HAD TO TAKE CARE OF HER.

BUT AFTER SHE WENT THROUGH POSTPARTUM WITH ZOWIE,

MY MOM WAS VERY INVOLVED,

AND SHE BECAME VERY, VERY ACTIVE WITH US.

IT WAS JUST OVER EIGHT YEARS AGO THAT I STARTED TO FEEL LIKE

I GOT OVER THE SEVERE DEPRESSION I HAD AFTER HAVING ZOWIE.

BUT I DON'T FEEL LIKE I'VE EVER FULLY RECOVERED FROM THAT.

SO I'VE STRUGGLED WITH FEELING DEPRESSED AND OVERWHELMED

TO THE POINT THAT I HAVE ANXIETY ATTACKS

IF I'M NOT ABLE TO CALM DOWN.

AND FOOD IS THE ONLY THING THAT CAN CALM ME DOWN,

SO I JUST EAT ALL DAY.

AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHERE I'VE BEEN AT FOR A WHILE NOW,

TO THE POINT NOW WHERE MY LIFE IS CONSTANT EATING

WITH NOTHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO BECAUSE EVERY DAY I GET BIGGER.

I FIGURE I HAVE A YEAR TOPS BEFORE I'M TOO BIG TO GET UP.

AND I'M DOING THIS TO MYSELF, AND I'M ONLY GETTING WORSE,

AND I CAN'T STOP.

Y'ALL FULL?

YOU WANT A BROWNIE?MM-HMM.

SO I JUST FEEL LIKE I'M MISSING OUT ON MY FAMILY AND MY LIFE.

I'M TRADING IT ALL FOR FOOD, AND THAT MAKES ME FEEL SO ALONE.

IT'S BEEN REALLY HARD.

EVEN THOUGH I HAVE GREAT FAMILY AND I HAVE A SUPPORT SYSTEM,

I STILL FEEL LONELY A LOT OF THE TIME

BECAUSE MY FOOD ADDICTION MAKES ME FEEL LIKE

I'M ON THIS ISLAND ALL ALONE.

IT'S ALREADY TAKEN MY ABILITY TO FUNCTION,

MY JOB, MY FAMILY, JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING.

THE ONLY THING LEFT IS FOR IT TO PHYSICALLY TAKE MY LIFE.

ARE YOU DONE? YEAH.

I JUST HAVE, LIKE, A COUPLE MORE BITES.

CAN YOU BRING ME A BROWNIE, THOUGH?

HOW MANY?

JUST BRING ME THE BOX.

Isabella: I HOPE THAT MY MOM CAN LOSE THE WEIGHT

AND BECOME HEALTHY AND BECOME A HUMAN AGAIN.

AND I'VE TOLD HER I WILL DO ANYTHING

FOR HER TO STAY ON TRACK.

IF THAT MEANS I HAVE TO LOCK EVERY CABINET

WHEN I LEAVE THE HOUSE, I WILL DO IT,

BECAUSE I NEED MY MOM.

I DON'T THINK I COULD KEEP GOING IF I LOSE MY MOM.

BUT I ALSO DON'T THINK I WOULD KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MY LIFE,

BECAUSE MY LIFE REVOLVES AROUND TAKING CARE OF MY MOM.

I LOVE MY MOM, AND MY MOM IS MY BEST FRIEND,

BUT I CAN'T HANDLE IT ANYMORE.

I WOULD LOVE MY MOM TO FEEL HAPPY AGAIN.

I JUST WANT HER TO HAVE ALL THE THINGS THAT SHE HAD BEFORE,

LIKE STANDING FOR A LONG TIME.

SHE LOVED COOKING, BUT NOW SHE CAN'T REALLY COOK.

SO I WOULD LOVE HER TO HAVE THAT FREEDOM AGAIN.

Bethany: I KNOW I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME,

AND I CAN'T KEEP GOING LIKE THIS,

BUT KNOWING THAT STILL DOESN'T STOP ME,

BECAUSE WHEN THE CRAVINGS COME AND I HAVE TO HAVE WHAT I WANT,

IT'S ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT.

I DON'T THINK ABOUT HOW I'M GONNA DIE

AND HOW I'M GONNA LEAVE MY GIRLS

WITHOUT A MOTHER IF I DON'T STOP.

BUT I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN, SO I KNOW AND BELIEVE

THERE HAS TO BE A WAY FOR ME TO GET HELP.

HOW MANY OUTFITS ARE YOU GONNA NEED?

PROBABLY FOUR OUTFITS.

I'VE DECIDED TO TRY AND GO TO HOUSTON

TO SEE DR. NOW AND GET HIS HELP.

I REACHED OUT TO HIS OFFICE AND GOT AN APPOINTMENT SET,

AND IT'S TOMORROW.

SO I'M GONNA HEAD DOWN TODAY BECAUSE IT'S A NINE-HOUR DRIVE

AND I DON'T THINK I CAN DO THAT STRAIGHT,

SO I'M PROBABLY GONNA HAVE TO BREAK IT UP

OVER A COUPLE OF DAYS.

THESE WORK FOR YOU?

SEE WHAT YOU GOT HERE.

YEAH. THAT'LL WORK.

BUT ULTIMATELY, I'M NOT SURE HOW MY BODY'S GONNA HANDLE IT,

SO I'M REALLY NERVOUS ABOUT DOING THIS.

I THINK THE FARTHEST I'VE DRIVEN RECENTLY

IS THREE HOURS AT ONE TIME, BUT NINE HOURS I HAVEN'T DONE.

SO I'M NOT SURE HOW THIS IS GONNA GO,

AND THAT SCARES ME A LITTLE.

SHELDON AND ZOWIE ARE GOING WITH ME,

BUT SHELDON CAN'T HELP DRIVE AT ALL

BECAUSE HE HAS AN EYE CONDITION

THAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR HIM TO DRIVE ON THE INTERSTATE.

SO I DON'T REALLY HAVE AN OPTION.

I HAVE TO DO THE WHOLE DRIVE MYSELF.

ISABELLA HAS A TEST AT SCHOOL, AND SHE'S GRADUATING SOON,

SO I TOLD HER SHE'S GONNA STAY HERE

AND FOCUS ON HER LIFE FOR ONCE.

AND I'M GONNA TRY TO DO WHAT I NEED TO GET HELP,

BUT I'M NOT GONNA LIE.

DOING THIS IS TERRIFYING TO ME.

WHAT'S WRONG?I'M JUST NERVOUS.

IT'LL BE OKAY, MOM.

IT'LL BE OKAY.

OH, I JUST NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE, SO IT'S JUST...

I KNOW.I'M JUST SO ANXIOUS.

DAD'S WITH YOU.I KNOW.

AND YOU'VE GOT ZOWIE.

I HAVE TO DO THIS.

IT'S GONNA BE FINE.

THERE'S A LOT OF FEAR AND ANXIETY ABOUT, YOU KNOW,

AM I MAKING THIS TRIP FOR NO REASON?

AM I TOO FAR PAST THE POINT OF HIM BEING ABLE TO HELP ME?

THERE'S JUST A LOT OF QUESTIONS.

I'M GONNA BE OKAY.

I'M JUST GONNA SIT HERE FOR A MINUTE

WHILE YOU GUYS GET THE CAR LOADED.

I JUST, LIKE, TRY TO GET MYSELF COLLECTED.

THIS IS REALLY STRESSFUL,

AND HOW I DEAL WITH STRESS IS WITH FOOD.

AND SO IT'S IRONIC SOME THAT I'M GONNA GET THIS HELP,

AND ALL I WANT TO DO RIGHT NOW IS EAT.

BUT I WANT TO BE THERE FOR MY FAMILY.

I NEED TO BE THERE FOR MY DAUGHTERS, AND RIGHT NOW,

I'M NOT GONNA BE.

EVERYTHING'S READY?

I THINK WE'RE GOOD. ARE YOU OKAY?

I'M REALLY SCARED, BUT WE'RE GONNA DO IT,

AND IT'S GONNA BE GOOD.

FOOD IS GONNA KILL ME IF I DON'T DO SOMETHING,

SO I HAVE TO HOPE THIS IS GONNA WORK

AND THAT THERE'S A CHANCE,

'CAUSE I'M NOT READY TO JUST GIVE UP

AND ACCEPT THAT FATE FOR MY FAMILY.

BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE HARDEST AND SCARIEST THINGS

I'VE EVER DONE IN MY LIFE.

IT'S WORTH IT TO ME TO GET THERE AND MAKE A CHANGE

THAN TO STAY HERE AND JUST DETERIORATE.

'CAUSE IF I JUST GIVE UP AND STAY HERE,

MY BODY'S GONNA CONTINUE TO GET WORSE.

SO NO MATTER HOW SCARY GOING OUT INTO THE WORLD IS,

I CAN'T CHICKEN OUT AND QUIT.

I NEED TO DO THIS, AND I NEED TO DO IT NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.

BUT THE FIRST THING I NEED TO DO IS GET SOMETHING TO EAT.

I DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO DEAL WITH HOW MY ANXIETY IS BUILDING,

AND I'M STARVING.

SO I REALLY NEED SOMETHING GOOD TO HOLD ME OVER FOR A BIT,

BECAUSE I'M HOPING TO MAKE IT A WAYS BEFORE WE STOP AGAIN.

YOU WANT YOUR FRIES NOW?MM-HMM.

KETCHUP.

MY PLAN IS TO TRY AND GO 4 1/2 HOURS TODAY

AND THEN 4 1/2 HOURS TOMORROW, BUT I'M JUST NOT SURE

HOW I'M GONNA EVEN HANDLE ONE HOUR ON THE ROAD AT THIS POINT.

I JUST HOPE IT'S NOT TOO HARD ON ME

AND I'M ABLE TO MAKE IT TO DR. NOW IN TIME.

I NEED TO STOP AND GET SOME FOOD, TAKE IT TO THE HOTEL...

GOOD IDEA.

...'CAUSE I JUST CAN'T BE IN THIS CAR ANYMORE.

WE'VE JUST ABOUT MADE IT TO THE HALFWAY POINT TO HOUSTON

AND AS FAR AS I WAS HOPING TO GO TODAY,

AND ALL I WANT TO DO IS GET SOMETHING TO EAT AND REST.

SO ONCE WE GET SOME FOOD, WE'RE DONE FOR THE DAY

BECAUSE MY WHOLE BODY IS IN A LOT OF PAIN,

ESPECIALLY MY BACK, LEGS, AND KNEES,

AND I'VE NEVER REALLY PUT THOSE PARTS OF MY BODY

THROUGH ANYTHING LIKE THIS.

SO THE PAIN WITH THEM IS AGONIZING,

AND I'M DONE FOR THE DAY.

MY KNEE.

I KNOW WITH HOW BAD I FEEL THAT TOMORROW'S GONNA BE EVEN HARDER,

AND THAT SCARES ME,

SO I'M FEELING REALLY OVERWHELMED RIGHT NOW.

THIS IS JUST A LOT.

I KNEW IT WOULD BE.

BUT I'M STRUGGLING EVEN MORE THAN I WAS WORRIED ABOUT.

OH, GEEZ.

AND WHAT I NEED TO FEEL BETTER IS FOOD, BUT THAT'S THE PROBLEM.

SO IT'S MOMENTS LIKE THESE

THAT I FEEL LIKE I'M FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE.

YOU ALRIGHT?I'M OKAY.

I'M JUST UPSET.WHY?

I'M NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT IT.

I'M JUST UPSET.

OKAY.

SO I JUST NEED TO EAT AND GO TO BED,

AND HOPEFULLY TOMORROW WILL BE A BETTER DAY.

ZOWIE, DO YOU WANT YOUR FOOD?

ARE YOU HUNGRY?Zowie: YEAH.

I JUST HOPE I CAN MAKE IT THERE, 'CAUSE NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES,

I HAVE TO GET TO HOUSTON TO SEE DR. NOW.

I JUST REALLY HOPE HE HELPS AND THIS IS ALL WORTH IT.

WE'VE MADE IT TO HOUSTON,

AND I'M JUST TRYING TO HOLD IT TOGETHER.

BECAUSE OF MY PAIN AND NERVES ABOUT SEEING DR. NOW,

I FEEL LIKE I'M GONNA HAVE A PANIC ATTACK.

MY WHOLE BODY IS IN SO MUCH PAIN,

MORE THAN IT HAS BEEN IN A LONG TIME.

BUT I'M TRYING NOT TO EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW,

BECAUSE I ALREADY HAVE ENOUGH STRESSING ME OUT

WITH THE FACT THAT I'M ABOUT TO FIND OUT MY CURRENT WEIGHT

AND THEN FIND OUT IF DR. NOW

IS EVEN GONNA BE ABLE TO HELP ME OR NOT.

BETHANY.

IF I GET THE CHANCE TO TURN MY LIFE AROUND,

THEN I HAVE HOPE.

BUT IF DR. NOW TELLS ME HE CAN'T HELP ME,

THEN I HAVE NOTHING LEFT, NO FUTURE OR CHANCE OR ANYTHING.

SO THE REST OF MY LIFE AND EVERYTHING

ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN RIGHT NOW,

SO I'M TERRIFIED.

Bethany: I'M AT DR. NOW'S FOR MY FIRST APPOINTMENT,

AND I REALLY DON'T WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT I WEIGH NOW.

I JUST HOPE IT'S NOT A SHOCKING NUMBER

THAT'S A LOT HIGHER THAN I THOUGHT IT'D BE.

I KIND OF KNEW I WAS PROBABLY IN THE 600s,

BUT IT'S STILL HARD TO SEE.

AND I'M EMBARRASSED THAT SHELDON AND ZOWIE SAW THAT NUMBER,

BECAUSE THIS FEELS LIKE IT MAKES IT REALER

TO MY WHOLE FAMILY FOR ME.

I'M JUST REALLY UPSET THAT I LET MYSELF GET THIS BAD.

I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHAT DR. NOWZARADAN IS GONNA SAY.

I MEAN, I HOPE THAT HE SAYS THAT HE CAN HELP ME

AND THAT HE GIVES ME A CHANCE, BECAUSE WITHOUT IT,

I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA DO.

HELLO.

HI.Zowie: HI.

HOW Y'ALL DOING?I'M GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

ALRIGHT. I'M DR. NOWZARADAN.

I'M BETHANY.NICE TO MEET YOU.

AND THIS YOUNG LADY?

I'M ZOWIE.NICE TO MEET YOU.

NICE TO MEET YOU.SHELDON.

NICE TO MEET YOU, TOO.

ALRIGHT. WHERE Y'ALL COMING FROM?

OKLAHOMA.

OKLAHOMA.

THAT'S NOT TOO BAD A DRIVE HERE.

SO WHAT BROUGHT YOU DOWN TO HOUSTON?

YOU WANT TO LOSE SOME WEIGHT?

YEAH. I KNOW I REALLY NEED TO.

I'VE JUST KIND OF GOTTEN TO THE POINT

THAT I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ANYMORE.

I CAN'T STAND FOR VERY LONG. I CAN'T WALK FOR VERY LONG.

EVERYTHING JUST HURTS NOW.

ALRIGHT. SO, HOW DID YOU GET TO THIS POINT?

TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR EATING HABITS.

I EAT ALL THE TIME.

I EAT ALL DAY LONG AND EAT STUFF I SHOULDN'T EAT,

LIKE JUNK FOOD AND SWEETS AND ICE CREAM AND STUFF LIKE THAT.

WELL, WHAT YOU'RE TELLING ME

IS YOU KNOW YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING WRONG,

BUT YOU KEEP DOING IT.I KEEP DOING IT.

SO WHY IS THAT, THEN?

IT'S REALLY BECOME, LIKE,

THE WAY THAT I COPE WITH DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY.

WHENEVER I EAT, I FEEL COMFORT, SO WHEN I GET ANXIOUS,

WHICH HAPPENS A LOT, THEN I WANT TO EAT.

SO YOU HAVE ANXIETY, YOU EAT, YOU FEEL BETTER?

WELL, I MEAN, IT'S JUST KIND OF A VICIOUS CYCLE

WHERE I FEEL BAD, AND THEN --

BUT I FEEL GOOD WHENEVER I EAT,

SO I'LL DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN, OVER AND OVER.

YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE A COMPULSIVE EATER,

AND YOU CONVINCE YOURSELF THAT YOU'RE ANXIOUS

AND YOU SHOULD EAT.

THAT'S NOT GONNA WORK FOR YOU,

AND IT SEEMS TO ME, FROM WHAT YOU'RE SAYING,

YOU'RE JUST LOOKING FOR A MAGIC SOLUTION.

NO, I'M NOT.

I'M HERE TO GET HELP TO CHANGE THAT.

OKAY.

WELL, SURGERY IS GONNA TAKE AWAY THE PHYSICAL...TO EAT,

BUT THERE IS AN EMOTIONAL COMPONENT

THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED, AS WELL.

OKAY.BUT IF YOU DON'T DO THAT,

IT'S ONLY GONNA BUY YOU A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME

BEFORE YOU CONTINUE TO GAIN OR STRETCH YOUR STOMACH BACK OUT

TO UNDO YOUR SURGERY.

AND SO SURGERY IS FAR FROM A QUICK FIX.

I GET THAT.

I HOPE SO.

SO WHO ELSE IS IN THE HOUSEHOLD?

MY HUSBAND, ZOWIE, AND THEN I HAVE ANOTHER DAUGHTER,

ISABELLA, WHO'S 18.

SHE COULDN'T BE HERE TODAY.

SO, DOES SHE HAVE ANY WEIGHT PROBLEM?

SHE'S OVERWEIGHT.

SHE'S NOT AS HEAVY AS I AM,

BUT SHE HAS SOME WEIGHT PROBLEMS, TOO.

AND YOUR YOUNGEST ONE, ALSO, IS FACING SOME OF THAT, TOO.

YES.

BUT YOUR HUSBAND DOESN'T SEEM TO HAVE A WEIGHT PROBLEM.

NO. HE'S NEVER HAD A WEIGHT PROBLEM.

ALRIGHT.

WELL, DOES HE BRING YOU HEALTHY FOOD?

NO. ALRIGHT.

THEN IF THAT'S TRUE, YOU HAVE CREATED AN UNHEALTHY DYNAMIC

WITH YOUR KIDS WHERE THEY'RE EITHER ENABLING YOU

OR YOU INFLUENCE THEM.

EITHER WAY, IF YOU WANT A DIRECTION CHANGE

FOR YOUR WHOLE FAMILY,

THEN IT NEEDS TO START WITH YOU, AND IT NEEDS TO START NOW.

OKAY.

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

HIGH-PROTEIN AND LOW-CARB DIET,

AND IT'S GONNA CUT YOUR EATING BACK TO ONLY THREE TIMES A DAY.

OKAY.WHATEVER YOU EAT FOR 20 MINUTES.

THAT'S IT. OKAY.

AND THEN I WANT YOU TO PAY ATTENTION

FOR THE CALORIE CONTENT OF WHAT YOU'RE EATING,

AND, ALSO, I WANT YOU TO PAY ATTENTION

FOR THE TYPE OF FOOD YOU'RE EATING.

OKAY.

AND THERE IS A LIST OF FOOD IN THERE THAT YOU NEED TO AVOID.

OKAY.

IF YOU FOLLOW THIS DIET THAT YOU NEED,

YOU SHOULD BE EASILY ABLE TO LOSE 60 POUNDS

OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS.

HOW MUCH YOU CAN WALK BEFORE YOU GET SHORT OF BREATH?

I MEAN, JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, 15, 20 STEPS.

IT'S NOT VERY FAR ANYMORE.OKAY.

THAT'S ENOUGH TO START EXERCISING LIKE YOU NEED.

SO I'M GONNA GIVE YOU SOME EXERCISES TO START, TOO, OKAY?

OKAY.

BUT ALL I WANT FROM YOU RIGHT NOW IS TO SHOW ME

THAT YOU CAN TAKE BACK SOME CONTROL RIGHT NOW

AND THAT YOU'RE CAPABLE AND WILLING TO DO THAT WORK, OKAY?

OKAY.

THEN WE CAN WORK WITH YOU AND HELP YOU.

YOU THINK YOU CAN DO THAT?

YEAH. I THINK IT'S SOMETHING I CAN DO.

I MEAN, I HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THAT

BECAUSE I USED TO BE A COUNSELOR.

I DID ADDICTION COUNSELING, SO DRUG AND ALCOHOL COUNSELING.

THAT'S GOOD EXAMPLE OF IRONY,

BECAUSE FOOD ADDICTION AND ALCOHOL PRETTY THE SAME,

AND YOU WERE JUST COUNSELING OTHER PEOPLE NOT TO DO IT,

AND YOU WERE DOING IT YOURSELF.

YEAH, I WAS KIND OF ONE OF THOSE

"PRACTICE WHAT I SAY, NOT WHAT I DO" KIND OF THINGS.

LIKE THOSE PREACHERS THAT THEY DO EVERYTHING WRONG,

AND THEY KEEP PREACHING FOR THE PEOPLE, HUH?

MM-HMM.ALRIGHT. ANY QUESTIONS?

I DON'T THINK SO.

WELL, IF YOU THINK OF ANYTHING

OR IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, LET ME KNOW.

OKAY. ALRIGHT.

I'LL SEE YOU IN TWO MONTHS,

WHERE YOU HOPEFULLY HAVE LOST 60 POUNDS THEN.

I WILL.

ALRIGHT, NICE TO MEET YOU.IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU.

ALRIGHT.NICE TO MEET YOU.

ALRIGHT.THANK YOU, SIR.

I'LL SEE Y'ALL LATER, OKAY?YES, SIR.

ALRIGHT. Y'ALL TAKE CARE.

YOU TOO.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FACTORS

THAT HAVE ME CONCERNED ABOUT BETHANY RIGHT NOW,

THE BIGGEST BEING THAT SHE SEEMS TO THINK

THAT THERE IS A MAGIC SOLUTION OUT THERE

THAT IS GOING TO FIX HER WEIGHT PROBLEM AND HEALTH ISSUES.

AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, THERE'S NOT GONNA BE MUCH

WE CAN DO TO HELP HER.

BUT HOPEFULLY SHE DECIDES TO START

MAKING THE CHOICES SHE NEEDS AND DO THE HARD WORK

THAT IT'S GONNA TAKE TO TURN HER SITUATION AROUND.

AND IF SHE DOES THAT AND HITS HER WEIGHT-LOSS GOAL,

THEN WE WILL MOVE AHEAD WITH THE NEXT STEP

OF WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY FOR HER.

BUT RIGHT NOW, THE FOCUS IS ON HER ABILITY

TO TAKE THIS FIRST STEP

BY CHOOSING TO START TAKING CONTROL OF HER SITUATION,

TO MAKE THIS CHOICE TO START THIS PROCESS,

OR THERE WON'T BE ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO HELP HER.

I'M FEELING EXCITED THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE DR. NOWZARADAN

IS WILLING TO TRY TO HELP ME,

BUT I'M ALSO NERVOUS ABOUT ALL THE HARD WORK

THAT I'M GONNA HAVE TO PUT INTO THIS

AND ALL THE THINGS I'M GONNA HAVE TO CHANGE.

AND I KNOW NONE OF THAT'S GONNA BE EASY TO DO,

BUT I ALSO KNOW I HAVE TO DO IT BECAUSE IF I DON'T,

THEN I FEEL LIKE I'M GOING TO NOT BE HERE MUCH LONGER,

AND I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN.

SO NO MATTER WHAT, I'M GONNA DO THIS.

IT'S BEEN ONE MONTH SINCE I SAW DR. NOW AND CAME BACK HOME

AND STARTING TO MAKE THE CHANGES

I NEED TO COMPLY WITH DR. NOW'S DIET AND EXERCISE ROUTINE.

SO I'VE BEEN FOCUSING ON PROTEIN AND LOW-CALORIE FOODS...

...AND DOING SOME OF THE MEAL PLANS IN DR. NOW'S DIET

THAT PORTION OUT 400-CALORIE MEALS.

BUT IT'S BEEN A BIG ADJUSTMENT,

BECAUSE THEY DON'T TASTE NEAR AS GOOD AS I'D LIKE,

SO I'M JUST TRYING DIFFERENT MEALS

AND DIFFERENT OPTIONS TO SEE WHAT I CAN FIND THAT I LIKE.

BUT SO FAR, MOST OF IT'S PRETTY BLAND.

BUT WHAT I'VE ENJOYED MOST ABOUT THESE MEALS

IS SPENDING TIME WITH ZOWIE,

BECAUSE SHE'S BEEN MY LITTLE HELPER IN THE KITCHEN.

Bethany: DID YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY AT SCHOOL TODAY?

Zowie: MM-HMM.WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING ABOUT?

LEARNING THE SCIENCE METHOD.

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD?MM-HMM.

I'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO ALL THE COOKING MYSELF

BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO KEEP FORCING ISABELLA

TO DO EVERYTHING.

AND SHE'S GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL SOON,

AND I WANT HER TO START FOCUSING ON COLLEGE.

AND I KNOW IF SHE FEELS LIKE SHE NEEDS TO STAY HERE AND HELP ME,

THEN SHE WON'T GO,

AND I DON'T WANT TO CAUSE HER TO MISS OUT.

I NEED TO START DOING THINGS ON MY OWN AGAIN,

AND I'M STARTING WITH COOKING MY OWN MEALS.

THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME.

Zowie: BELLA! BELLA!

ZOWIE.HI.

HI. HEY, BELLA.

IT SMELLS GOOD IN HERE.

I'M MAKING CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES.

YEAH. WITH GARLIC.

GARLIC?MM-HMM.

IT SMELLS GOOD.I WANT TO HELP.

YOU WANT TO HELP MAKE PLATES?

YOU STAY HERE.

OKAY, I'LL STAY HERE.YOU JUST WATCH THE MAGIC, GIRL.

YOU GONNA PAMPER ME?

I'M STILL TOO SORE TO DO MUCH OF THE EXERCISES

THAT DR. NOW GAVE ME,

BUT I'M HOPING TO START DOING THOSE SOON.

RIGHT NOW, MY FOCUS HAS MAINLY BEEN ON TRYING

TO ADJUST TO THE DIET AS MUCH AS I CAN.

AND I THINK I'VE BEEN DOING WELL WITH IT ALL

AND I'M MAKING SOME PROGRESS.

I JUST HOPE IT'S AS ENOUGH AS I NEED.

BUT I GUESS I'LL FIND OUT NEXT MONTH

WHEN I GO BACK TO SEE DR. NOW.

ME AND SHELDON ARE BACK IN HOUSTON

FOR MY NEXT APPOINTMENT,

AND THIS SECOND DRIVE DOWN

WAS ALMOST AS HARD AS THE FIRST TIME.

SO I'M IN A LOT OF PAIN, AND I'M MISERABLE RIGHT NOW.

BETHANY.

BUT I'M REALLY NERVOUS TO BE BACK HERE

AND FIND OUT WHAT PROGRESS I MADE.

DR. NOW SAID I CAN'T GET SURGERY

UNLESS I HIT THE WEIGHT-LOSS GOAL HE GAVE ME.

AND IF I DIDN'T, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT'S GONNA MEAN

EXCEPT THAT I'M PROBABLY NOT GETTING SURGERY.

SO I JUST REALLY HOPE THAT MY PROGRESS IS ENOUGH.

Bethany: ME AND SHELDON ARE BACK AT DR. NOW'S

FOR MY FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENT

AND TO HOPEFULLY SHOW HIM

THAT I'M READY FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT, I WAS 608 POUNDS,

AND I HAD TO LOSE 60 OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS

TO GET DOWN BELOW 548 FOR MY GOAL.

SO I'M JUST REALLY HOPING THAT I MADE IT UNDER THAT

AND GOT TO WHERE I'M SUPPOSED TO BE.

THAT'S A LITTLE DISHEARTENING.

I GUESS I'M JUST REALLY UPSET THAT I DIDN'T MAKE MY GOAL.

I WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO THE PROGRAM

AND GET THE SURGERY, SO NOT MAKING THE GOAL MEANS

THAT I MIGHT NOT GET TO DO THAT, SO IT'S JUST DISAPPOINTING.

I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, LIKE, WHAT ELSE I COULD BE DOING

'CAUSE I FEEL LIKE I HAVEN'T EATEN

HARDLY ANYTHING FOR THE LAST TWO MONTHS,

S I CAN'T IMAGINE, LIKE, NOT EATING

EVEN MORE THAN WHAT I'VE ALREADY CUT BACK,

AND I'M SCARED THAT DR. NOW'S GONNA BE UPSET WITH ME.

HELLO.

HI.HELLO.

HOW Y'ALL DOING?

GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

I'M DOING GOOD. THANK YOU.

ALRIGHT. HOW WAS THE TRIP THIS TIME?

IT'S STILL A LONG TRIP.

A LONG TRIP.LOTS OF DRIVING.

WELL, THE TRIP IS NOT GONNA GET ANY EASIER

IF YOU'RE NOT LOSING MUCH WEIGHT,

BECAUSE I SEE YOU ONLY LOST 14 POUNDS,

WHICH IS NOWHERE NEAR YOUR GOAL.

SO WHAT THAT MEANS TO ME

IS THAT YOU MAY HAVE MADE SOME SMALL CHANGES,

BUT YOU'RE STILL HOPING FOR A MAGIC SOLUTION

SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO ANY OF THE REALLY HARD WORK.

THAT'S NOT TRUE.

I'VE MADE A LOT OF CHANGES, AND I'M WORKING HARD.

AND I KNOW I'VE STAYED WITHIN THE 1,200 CALORIES,

AND I'M DOING WHAT I SHOULD EVEN THOUGH IT'S HARD,

BUT I HAVEN'T CHEATED.

I'VE STUCK TO IT COMPLETELY FOR THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS.

THAT ALL SOUNDS GREAT, BUT IF THAT WERE ACCURATE,

YOU WOULD HAVE LOST A LOT MORE THAN YOU DID

OVER THE PAST TWO MONTHS.

SO YOU'RE EITHER STILL OVEREATING WITH YOUR MEALS

OR SNACKING ALL DAY OR BOTH,

AND YOU'RE STILL NOT IN CONTROL LIKE YOU NEED TO BE.

AND UNTIL THAT CHANGES, THERE'S NOTHING MORE WE CAN DO FOR YOU.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?

OKAY, BUT I REALLY AM EATING HEALTHY.

OKAY. SO, RIGHT NOW, WHAT YOU'RE EATING

FOR BREAKFAST, LUNCH, AND DINNER?

FOR BREAKFAST, I DO KIND OF LIKE A PROTEIN BAR,

AND THEN FOR LUNCH, I DO A PROTEIN BAR

AND USUALLY, LIKE, MAYBE SOME CHEESE OR SOMETHING WITH IT.

OKAY, BUT I WANT TO GET AWAY FROM THAT PROTEIN BAR, OKAY?

THAT'S NOT THE HEALTHY.OKAY.

I WANT YOU TO STICK TO NORMAL FOOD.

OKAY.SO FOR DINNER?

WE USUALLY MAKE SOMETHING HEALTHY FOR DINNER,

LIKE I'LL HAVE --

LIKE THE OTHER DAY,

WE MADE CHICKEN WITH ZUCCHINI AND SQUASH.

ONE DAY, WE MADE CHICKEN AND SALAD.

MM-HMM. OKAY.

YOU'RE NOT REALLY BEING HONEST WITH ME OR YOURSELF.

YOU'RE EATING MORE THAN YOU'RE ADMITTING.

SO YOU ARE EITHER PLAYING GAMES WITH ME OR YOURSELF.

AND UNTIL YOU MAKE THE CHOICES YOU NEED,

THEN THERE'S NO WAY YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE

TO TURN YOUR SITUATION AROUND AND GET BETTER.

AND YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT, OKAY?

OKAY.

I KNOW I'VE STAYED WITHIN THE 1,200 CALORIES,

BUT MAYBE THE PROTEIN BARS I HAD

HAD TOO MANY CARBS OR SOMETHING.

YEAH. THOSE ARE COMMERCIAL THINGS.

THEY DON'T LABEL THEM CORRECTLY, AND YOU GET MISLED WITH THEM.

SO IT'S NOT UNDER 1,200 CALORIES NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK.

YOU GOT THAT? YEAH. OKAY.

ALRIGHT.

SO, I'LL GIVE YOU TWO MORE MONTHS TO LOSE 60 POUNDS

AND HIT THE GOAL I GAVE YOU.

YOU THINK YOU CAN DO THAT?

WELL, I MEAN, I GUESS IF I WERE TO LOSE THAT,

THEN MAYBE I'D BE ABLE TO HAVE SURGERY.

WELL, IF YOU START TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

FOR YOUR SITUATION

AND HIT THIS GOAL BY YOUR NEXT APPOINTMENT,

THEN WE'LL GO FROM THERE.

OKAY. ALRIGHT.

ANY QUESTIONS?

NO.

ALRIGHT. I'LL SEE YOU IN TWO MONTHS.

THANKS.THANK YOU, SIR.

ALRIGHT. TAKE CARE.

YOU TOO.

I'M DISAPPOINTED TO SEE THAT BETHANY IS STILL CHOOSING

TO CONTINUE LIVING IN THE FALSE HOPE

THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE AN EASY FIX OR MAGICAL SOLUTION

TO SAVE HER FROM HER SITUATION.

AND UNLESS THAT CHANGES, THERE'S NOT MUCH WE CAN DO

TO HELP HER UNTIL SHE TAKES RESPONSIBILITY LIKE SHE NEEDS.

BUT IF SHE DOESN'T SHOW THAT INTENT AND DESIRE TO CHANGE,

THEN WE WON'T BE MOVING FORWARD

OR CONSIDER ANY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY WITH HER.

Bethany: I'M VERY THANKFUL THAT ONCE AGAIN,

I HAVE A CHANCE TO SHOW DR. NOW I CAN DO THIS.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME,

IT'S DAUNTING TO THINK ABOUT HAVING TO GO BACK HOME

AND NOT ONLY DO THIS ALL OVER AGAIN,

BUT DO EVEN MORE THIS TIME.

SO IT'S JUST MUCH SCARIER THIS TIME,

BECAUSE I KNOW THAT I'M PROBABLY OUT OF CHANCES AFTER THIS,

AND THERE'S NO MARGIN OF ERROR NOW.

SO I EITHER DO IT OR I DON'T AND FAIL,

AND I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN.

THIS PAST MONTH HAS BEEN A BIG ADJUSTMENT.

OVER THE LAST MONTH, I'VE TAKEN A NO-HOLDS-BARRED APPROACH

TO KEEPING MYSELF TO DR. NOW'S DIET AND EXERCISE PLAN,

BECAUSE I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO DO THIS THIS TIME.

COULD YOU ALSO GET ME A BOTTLE OF WATER?

MM-HMM. OKAY.

THANK YOU.

SO WHATEVER IT TAKES FOR ME TO DO IT, I'M DOING IT.

THE FIRST THING I DID WAS I GOT RID OF ALL THE JUNK FOOD

AND TEMPTATIONS IN THE HOUSE.

BUT DOING THIS AND MAKING THE CHANGES I NEED THIS TIME

HAS NOT BEEN EASY AT ALL, AND I STILL HAVE WORK TO DO.

Bethany: PHEW. I THINK I'M DONE.

Isabella: ME TOO.

I WAS TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT I WANTED TO DO

FOR SOME EXERCISE TODAY.

I'M DOING BETTER SO FAR THAN LAST TIME.

I'M ALSO WORKING HARD TO BE ACTIVE

AND KEEP UP WITH THE EXERCISES I'M SUPPOSED TO DO EVERY DAY.

I KNOW IT'S KIND OF HOT OUTSIDE,

BUT I WAS THINKING MAYBE JUST DO LIKE A 10-MINUTE WALK.

I'VE REALLY ONLY BEEN ABLE TO DO LIKE FIVE BEFORE,

BUT MAYBE I'LL TRY TO DO 10 TODAY,

SINCE IT'S BEEN ABOUT A WEEK OR SO.

MAKE SURE YOU BRING SOME WATER. IT'S HOT.

I KNOW IT'S HOT OUT THERE.

SO, I SEE WAYS I'M GETTING BETTER,

BUT I'M NOT WHERE I NEED TO BE YET.

MY PROGRESS IS SLOW, BUT STEADY,

AND I'M GETTING BETTER EVERY DAY,

AND THAT'S PROGRESS I'M HAPPY ABOUT.

HEY. STARTING MY 10 MINUTES.

OKAY.

AND I FEEL LIKE I HAVE MORE ENERGY

THAN I'VE HAD IN A LONG TIME.

PHEW. IT'S HOT OUT HERE.

I STARTED WITH A ONE-MINUTE WALK TWICE A DAY,

BUT NOW I'M UP TO THREE 10-MINUTE WALKS A DAY,

AND THAT'S A HUGE INCREASE.

SO I'M REALLY PROUD OF MYSELF, AND ISABELLA IS, TOO.

SO I'M FEELING REALLY GOOD AND A LOT MORE CONFIDENT THIS TIME

THAT I'M ON TRACK AND HEADED WHERE I NEED TO BE.

BUT ULTIMATELY, I WON'T KNOW IF IT'S ENOUGH

UNTIL MY NEXT APPOINTMENT,

SO UNTIL THEN, I'M GONNA KEEP WORKING AS HARD AS I CAN,

BECAUSE I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS I DO THIS.

MY WHOLE FUTURE AND EVERYTHING I WANT FOR MY LIFE

IS ALL GONNA COME DOWN TO GETTING THIS SURGERY.

SO THIS IS LIFE OR DEATH FOR ME, AND I HAVE TO DO THIS NOW.

Bethany: ME AND SHELDON ARE BACK AT DR. NOW'S

FOR MY THIRD APPOINTMENT, AND I'M REALLY HOPING

THAT THIS ONE GOES BETTER THAN THE LAST ONE.

BUT I'M EXTREMELY NERVOUS ABOUT STEPPING ON THE SCALE

AND SEEING MY PROGRESS.

BETHANY?

AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT, I WAS DOWN TO 594,

AND DR. NOW SAID I HAD TO LOSE 60 POUNDS

OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS AGAIN.

SO THAT MEANS I HAD TO BE BELOW 543 TODAY,

AND I'M REALLY, REALLY HOPING I DID THAT.

THAT'S PRETTY GOOD.PRETTY GOOD.

I DID SO MUCH BETTER THIS TIME.

I'M REALLY RELIEVED AND PROUD OF MYSELF FOR THAT LOSS,

AND I'M HOPING IT'S CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE GOAL

FOR DR. NOW TO SEE HOW SERIOUS I AM ABOUT SURGERY

AND HOW BAD I WANT IT

AND THAT I'M TAKING CONTROL LIKE HE WANTED.

BUT IF HE DOESN'T, I DON'T KNOW WHAT MORE I CAN DO,

AND I'M JUST REALLY HOPING I'M GONNA GET APPROVED TODAY.

HELLO. HI.

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

GOOD.

ALRIGHT, SO, TODAY YOU ARE DOWN TO 539.

YES.

SO YOU LOST 55 POUNDS IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS.

WELL, I'M PROUD OF YOU

FOR WORKING TO START TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR SITUATION

AND THE CHOICES YOU NEED.

THAT'S AN ENCOURAGING CHANGE WITH YOU.

SO, YOU'RE FEELING A LOT BETTER?

YEAH, I THINK SO.

HOW'S YOUR STAMINA?

WAS YOUR DRIVE DOWN TO HOUSTON BETTER?

YES. IT WAS A LOT EASIER GETTING HERE,

AND I CAN GET HERE IN LESS THAN A DAY NOW.

GREAT. HOW ABOUT YOUR STAMINA WITH OTHER THINGS?

HAS THESE BEEN AN IMPROVEMENT?

YEAH. I'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO A LOT MORE

AND BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND GO DO THINGS.

THAT'S GREAT.

WELL, SINCE YOU DID THAT, THEN WE'RE GONNA APPROVE YOU

FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

REALLY? OKAY?

SO EXCITED.

ALRIGHT, SO, I'M GONNA SET YOU FOR NEXT MONTH. OKAY?

OKAY.

ALRIGHT. SO, IN THE MEANTIME,

I WANT YOU TO CONTINUE LOSING WEIGHT

AND STICK WITH YOUR DIET AND LOSE ANOTHER 30 MORE POUNDS.

OKAY? OKAY.

IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO DO THIS,

BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T, BY THE DAY OF YOUR SURGERY,

WE WON'T MOVE AHEAD.

BECAUSE YOU NEED TO SHOW ME YOU'RE STICKING WITH THIS, OKAY?

OKAY.AND AFTER SURGERY,

YOU'RE GONNA NEED TO STAY IN HOUSTON

FOR AT LEAST A MONTH BEFORE YOU GO BACK HOME

SO I CAN KEEP AN EYE ON YOU UNTIL YOU'VE FULLY RECOVERED.

OKAY? OKAY.

GREAT. SO, ANY QUESTION REGARDING SURGERY?

WHICH KIND OF SURGERY WILL I HAVE?

I THINK A SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY

IS GOING TO BE BEST OPERATION FOR YOU.

OKAY.

BUT IT'S NOT GONNA SOLVE ALL YOUR PROBLEM

AND FIX YOUR DRIVE TO EAT.

SO YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO COMMIT TO START PSYCHOTHERAPY

AFTER YOU RECOVER FROM SURGERY TO START TO DEAL

WITH THOSE ISSUES THAT AREN'T PHYSICAL THAT DRIVE YOU TO EAT

IF YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A CHANCE TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE LONG RUN.

THAT WORK FOR YOU?

YES. ALRIGHT, GOOD.

JUST KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, AND I WILL SEE YOU SOON.

OKAY. ALRIGHT.

THANK YOU.THANK YOU, SIR.

ALRIGHT. WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT MONTH.

OKAY.

Dr. Now: I'M VERY HAPPY TO SEE A TURNAROUND IN BETHANY

AND THAT SHE HAS A WILLINGNESS NOW

TO START TAKING SOME OWNERSHIP OF HER LIFE

AND ACCEPT THAT THIS ALL HAD TO START

WITH HER DOING THE WORK SHE NEED

TO TURN HER LIFE AROUND,

INSTEAD OF CONTINUING TO PUT HER HOPE IN THE MAGIC FIX

SHE'S BEEN WAITING FOR.

SO RIGHT NOW, I'M ENCOURAGED AT HER PROGRESS.

AND IF SHE CONTINUE TO LOSE WHAT SHE NEEDS OVER THE NEXT MONTH,

WE WILL TAKE THE NEXT STEP OF GIVING HER WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

BUT EVEN THOUGH SHE'S MAKING A POSITIVE MOVE

IN THE DIRECTION SHE NEEDS,

THERE ARE SOME CORE ISSUES BEHIND HER PATHOLOGICAL EATING

THAT SHE HAS TO LEARN TO COPE WITH IN HEALTHIER WAYS

IF SHE'S GONNA HAVE A CHANCE AT SUCCEEDING IN THE LONG RUN.

BUT AT LEAST RIGHT NOW, SHE HAS MADE THE EFFORT

TO GIVE US A FOUNDATION THAT WE CAN BUILD ON,

AS LONG AS SHE CONTINUES THE DIRECTION SHE'S GOING

AND WORKING HARD TO DO WHAT SHE NEEDS.

Bethany: I'M REALLY EXCITED, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO TELL ISABELLA AND ZOWIE,

BECAUSE I KNOW THEY'RE GONNA BE JUST AS EXCITED AS I AM

THAT I DID IT.

I WISH MY SURGERY WAS SOONER

AND THAT I DIDN'T HAVE TO WAIT A MONTH

TO HIT ANOTHER WEIGHT-LOSS GOAL.

BUT IF THAT'S WHAT IT'S GONNA TAKE,

THEN I'LL KEEP AT IT AND DO IT, BECAUSE GETTING THIS SURGERY

IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS

I CAN DO FOR MY LIFE AND MY FAMILY'S LIFE.

AND JUST LIKE THESE LAST TWO MONTHS,

I'LL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE SURE IT HAPPENS.

I'M HERE AT THE HOSPITAL FOR MY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

EARLIER, DR. NOW CAME IN TO CHECK MY WEIGHT

TO SEE IF I'D HIT THE 30-POUND WEIGHT-LOSS GOAL,

AND I LOST 25 POUNDS, AND I'M DOWN TO 514.

AND HE TOLD ME I WAS CLOSE ENOUGH,

SO HE'S WILLING TO MOVE AHEAD WITH MY SURGERY TODAY.

YOU GOT THIS.I KNOW.

IT'S JUST...

YOU GO BACK, YOU'RE GONNA GO TO SLEEP, THEY'RE GONNA FIX YOU UP,

YOU'RE GONNA COME OUT, YOU'RE GONNA WAKE UP --

EVERYTHING'S GONNA BE GOOD.OKAY.

YOU WANT TO GIVE HIM YOUR GLASSES?

Bethany: I DON'T HAVE A FUTURE WITH MY DAUGHTERS

AND MY HUSBAND WITHOUT THIS,

SO I SEE THIS SURGERY TODAY AS KIND OF A REBIRTH FOR ME,

WHERE I'M STARTING A NEW LIFE

WITH A CHANCE TO HAVE EVERYTHING I'VE ALWAYS WANTED.

AND THAT LIFE STARTS THE SECOND I WAKE UP FROM THIS SURGERY,

AND I CAN'T WAIT FOR THAT.

Dr. Now: TODAY, WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO DO

A GASTRIC SLEEVE PROCEDURE ON BETHANY.

SHE'S BEEN ABLE TO STAY ON TRACK

AND LOSE ANOTHER 26 POUNDS THIS PAST MONTH,

SO SHE'S SHOWN ME THAT SHE'S APPLYING HERSELF

AND TRYING TO PUT FORTH THE EFFORT SHE NEEDS

TO BE READY FOR THIS NEXT STEP.

ALRIGHT.

SO WE ARE MOVING AHEAD WITH HER TODAY,

BUT BETHANY IS STILL VERY HIGH-RISK BECAUSE OF HER WEIGHT.

SO WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO PUT TOO MUCH STRAIN

ON HER BODY DURING THE OPERATION.

AND IF WE START TO HAVE ANY CONCERN THAT THAT'S HAPPENING

AND SHE'S GETTING TO A POINT THAT IT'S UNSAFE,

THEN WE WILL HAVE TO STOP THE OPERATION FOR HER SAFETY.

BUT IF WE ARE ABLE TO COMPLETE IT,

WHAT THE SURGERY IS GONNA DO IS REDUCE THE STOMACH BY 90%,

LEAVING A SMALL, NARROW TUBE THAT LOOKS SIMILAR TO A SLEEVE.

SO, THE PATIENT'S FOOD INTAKE IS PHYSICALLY LIMITED,

SO THIS OPERATION WILL GIVE HER AN OPPORTUNITY

TO LOSE EVEN MORE WEIGHT,

SO THIS WILL BE A VERY BIG HELP FOR BETHANY

AND AN IMPORTANT TOOL TO HELP HER STAY ON TRACK

AND CONTINUE LOSING LIKE SHE NEEDS.

Sheldon: I'M NERVOUS. I'M SCARED.

I DON'T LIKE WAITING. I DON'T SIT STILL WELL.

IT'S JUST NERVE-RACKING.

I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE'S DOING.

I'M HOPING SHE'S DOING WELL.

BUT SHE'S NEVER HAD SURGERY BEFORE,

SO THAT'S A LITTLE SCARY.

BETHANY IS MY EVERYTHING.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'D DO WITHOUT HER.

SO I AM DOING MY BEST TO STAY POSITIVE.

I JUST HOPE THAT EVERYTHING GOES SMOOTH

AND THERE'S NO PROBLEMS.

ALRIGHT.

THERE. THAT'S HER STOMACH.

ALRIGHT. ROOM LIGHT ON, PLEASE.

OKAY, ALL FINISHED.

ALRIGHT.

BETHANY'S SURGERY WENT VERY WELL.

SHE HAD A VERY BIG STOMACH,

AND WE WERE ABLE TO REDUCE IT BY 90%,

SO THAT'S GONNA HELP HER TO CURB HER APPETITE

AND PREVENT HER FROM OVEREATING IN ONE SITTING.

SO WE'LL GET HER TO RECOVERY

AND KEEP HER ON A LIQUID DIET FOR A MONTH.

SHE WILL NEED TO STAY IN HOUSTON DURING THAT TIME

TO MAKE SURE WE CAN ADDRESS ANY ISSUES SHE MAY DEVELOP.

BUT IF SHE STAYS ON TRACK, SHE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOSE

AT LEAST 25 POUNDS THIS NEXT MONTH,

AND THEN 15 POUNDS A MONTH

UNTIL SHE IS CLOSER TO HER TARGET WEIGHT.

BUT WHEN SHE RECOVERS FROM THIS OPERATION,

THE REAL WORK IS GONNA START FOR HER,

BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF ISSUES

THAT WE'RE GONNA NEED TO ADDRESS TO MAKE SURE SHE STAYS ON TRACK.

BECAUSE IF SHE DOESN'T CONTINUE TO DO WHAT SHE NEEDS

TO ADDRESS THE CORE ISSUES BEHIND HER PATHOLOGICAL EATING,

SHE CAN VERY EASILY START TO STRETCH HER STOMACH BACK OUT

BY PUSHING HERSELF TO OVEREAT.

BUT WE HAVE GIVEN HER A VERY IMPORTANT TOOL TO HELP HER OUT,

AND WHAT SHE DOES WITH IT FROM HERE IS ALL UP TO HER.

IT'S BEEN A LITTLE OVER A MONTH SINCE MY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

AND PHYSICALLY, I FEEL FINE.

BUT I'VE BEEN A LITTLE LONELY THIS PAST MONTH.

HEY.HEY.

WE'RE BACK.

DID YOU FIND EVERYTHING OKAY?

UH, NO. WE DID OKAY.

GOT SOME FRUIT FOR DESSERT

AND SOME GREEN BEANS AND SOME POTATOES AND A CHICKEN.

SOUNDS GOOD.

I WISH I COULD HAVE SOME, BUT...

THAT'S OKAY.

Betany: DR. NOW WANTED ME TO STAY HERE

IN HOUSTON A LITTLE LONGER,

AND HE WANTS ME TO START GOING TO THERAPY

BEFORE I GO BACK HOME,

BECAUSE I HAD MY ONE-MONTH POST-OP FOLLOW-UP WITH HIM

A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO.

HE WAS CONCERNED THAT I ONLY LOST 14 POUNDS FOR THE MONTH.

HE SAID DURING THE INITIAL MONTH AFTER SURGERY

I SHOULD HAVE LOST CLOSER TO 25 POUNDS,

SO HE'S WORRIED THAT MY EMOTIONAL ISSUES

ARE STARTING TO SABOTAGE ME ALREADY.

I HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN ABLE TO OVEREAT ANYTHING

SINCE I'VE BEEN ON LIQUIDS MOST OF THE TIME,

SO I DON'T SEE HOW THAT COULD BE POSSIBLE.

IF ANYTHING WAS AN ISSUE, I THINK IT'S HOW LONELY

I'VE BEEN HERE IN HOUSTON ON MY OWN.

THOUGH WHEN I FOUND OUT I'D BE HERE A LITTLE LONGER

AND IT WOULD BE OVER THE HOLIDAYS,

MY GIRLS CAME DOWN TO SURPRISE ME

AND BE HERE FOR THANKSGIVING TODAY,

AND THAT MEANT A LOT TO ME.

OKAY. NOW WE JUST WAIT FOR IT TO COOK.

Bethany: I'M NOT ABLE TO EAT MUCH,

AND I CAN'T REALLY HAVE WHAT I NORMALLY DO.

BUT THEY STILL WANT TO HAVE A FULL THANKSGIVING DINNER,

AND I TOLD THEM THEY COULD DO THAT.

SO ISABELLA'S GONNA COOK EVERYTHING FOR HER AND ZOWIE,

AND I'M JUST GONNA BE THANKFUL TO BE WITH THEM,

EVEN THOUGH I'M NOT EATING.

Isabella: HMM?YOU DOING OKAY?

YEAH.

HEY, ZOWIE, ARE YOU READY TO EAT?

YEAH.

WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR DINNER?

I'LL JUST EAT SOME BROTH,

AND THEN MAYBE I'LL HAVE A POPSICLE LATER.

OKAY.

WHAT ARE YOUTHANKFUL FOR?

WHAT AM I THANKFUL FOR?MM-HMM.

WELL, I'M THANKFUL THAT I HAD WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

I'M THANKFUL FOR UNICORNS.

YOU'RE THANKFUL FOR UNICORNS?

Bethany: I'M NOT EVEN HUNGRY FOR ANYTHING, REALLY.

THE ONLY THINK I'M STRUGGLING WITH

IS WANTING TO TASTE SOME THINGS,

WHICH IS A REALLY WEIRD FEELING,

BECAUSE I'VE NEVER NOT BEEN HUNGRY AND WANTED TO EAT.

SO I'M JUST NOT USED TO THAT FEELING,

AND I HAD NO IDEA SOMETHING LIKE THIS

WAS GONNA BE PART OF THE PROCESS.

DR. NOW TOLD ME THAT I NEED TO DEAL WITH MY EMOTIONS

BY GOING TO PSYCHOTHERAPY

AND GETTING A HANDLE ON WHAT I'M STRUGGLING WITH.

BUT I HONESTLY DON'T SEE

HOW THERAPY'S GONNA SOLVE OR FIX THAT,

SO IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT HAS ME A LITTLE WORRIED RIGHT NOW.

BUT I'M TRUSTING THAT THIS IS JUST A PROCESS

THAT'S GONNA TAKE TIME.

AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT I'M HOPING.

Isabella: HOW'S YOUR BROTH?

OH. WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S BROTH.

MY ONLY FEAR RIGHT NOW IS THAT IT WON'T GET EASIER

AND WHAT THAT WILL MEAN IF IT DOESN'T,

BECAUSE I'M WORKING HARD TO LOSE WEIGHT AND TURN MY LIFE AROUND,

AND I DON'T WANT TO LET ANYTHING MESS THAT UP.

I'M HEADED BACK FOR MY TWO-MONTH POST-OP APPOINTMENT

WITH DR. NOW, AND FOR THE MOST PART,

I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN DOING WELL.

I'M STILL STRUGGLING WITH SOME CRAVINGS,

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I'VE GONE OFF THE DIET.

SO I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT MY WEIGH-IN.

THE ONLY THING I'M WORRIED

THAT DR. NOW'S GONNA HAVE AN ISSUE WITH

IS THAT I DIDN'T END UP MAKING IT TO PSYCHOTHERAPY

LIKE HE WANTED, BECAUSE I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE

I COULD STAY IN HOUSTON FOR LONGER.

I WAS REALLY THANKFUL MY GIRLS CAME DOWN TO BE WITH ME,

BUT NOT BEING ABLE TO BE A FAMILY

AT A TIME WHEN IT'S SUPPOSED TO COME FIRST JUST SEEMED WRONG,

AND I HATED IT.

BETHANY?

I'D ALREADY BEEN IN HOUSTON FOR OVER A MONTH,

SO WE DECIDED JUST TO HEAD BACK EARLY.

AND I FIGURED I COULD MAKE IT UP TO DR. NOW BY STAYING ON TRACK

AND HITTING MY GOAL BY THIS APPOINTMENT

SO THAT HE COULD SEE THAT I DON'T REALLY NEED THERAPY

TO ADDRESS ANYTHING WITH MY WEIGHT LOSS.

AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT, I WAS DOWN TO 500,

AND DR. NOW SAID

I SHOULD BE LOSING AT LEAST 15 POUNDS A MONTH.

SO MY GOAL IS TO BE DOWN TO 484.

WOW.

THAT'S A LITTLE SURPRISING.

I DON'T SEE HOW THAT'S POSSIBLE.

I'VE STAYED ON THE DIET, AND I'M NOT GIVING IN

TO ANY OF MY CRAVINGS,

SO THIS DOESN'T REALLY MAKE SENSE,

AND I'M A LITTLE FRUSTRATED

BECAUSE THE SURGERY WAS SUPPOSED TO MAKE EVERYTHING EASIER,

AND I DON'T FEEL LIKE IT IS RIGHT NOW,

AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY.

I JUST HOPE DR. NOW ISN'T TOO UPSET

AND THAT THIS APPOINTMENT STILL GOES WELL.

HELLO! Bethany: HI.

HOW Y'ALL DOING?

GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

GOOD.

ALRIGHT, SO, WE GOT YOU DOWN TO THE 400s, FINALLY.

YEAH. I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

WELL, I'M GLAD YOU HIT THAT MILESTONE,

BUT HERE'S MY CONCERN.

THE FIRST MONTH AFTER YOUR SURGERY,

YOUR WEIGHT LOSS WAS UNDER WHERE IT SHOULD BE.

AND NOW, A MONTH LATER, IT'S SLOWED DOWN EVEN MORE,

TO WHERE YOU ONLY LOST 4 POUNDS THIS PAST MONTH

WHEN YOU SHOULD HAVE LOST 15.

SO THIS IS A VERY CONCERNING TREND,

ESPECIALLY SO SOON AFTER SURGERY.

AND MY CONCERN IS THAT WE STILL HAVE AN ELEMENT OF YOU

HOPING FOR A MAGIC FIX WITH THIS SURGERY.

NO. THAT'S NOT TRUE.

THEN WHY DID YOU MISS PSYCHOTHERAPY THIS LAST MONTH?

I MEAN, I JUST NEEDED TO CATCH BACK UP ON SOME THINGS

SINCE I WAS GONE FOR A MONTH, BUT I'M READY TO GO NOW.

OKAY. HERE'S THE DEAL.

IF YOU DON'T START DEALING

WITH THE EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES

DRIVING YOU TO EAT, THEN YOU'RE GONNA START GAINING AGAIN

IN A FEW MONTHS AT THIS RATE.

SO WE'RE GONNA SCHEDULE THAT AGAIN FOR YOU TO GO NEXT WEEK,

AND YOU'RE GONNA START GOING TO PSYCHOTHERAPY

AT LEAST EVERY MONTH.

AND IF NOT, THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM,

BECAUSE IT'S CLEAR THAT YOU ARE STARTING TO FALL BACK

INTO THIS FALSE HOPE AND MENTALITY

THAT THE SURGERY IS GOING TO DO ALL THE WORK FOR YOU

AND BE THIS MAGIC SOLUTION,

WHEN WE HAVE EXPLAINED HOW IMPORTANT IT IS

THAT YOU WORK ON THE ISSUES YOU NEED

AND LEARN TO COPE IN HEALTHIER WAYS

IF YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO DO THIS FOR THE LONG TERM.

YOU UNDERSTAND ME?YEAH.

I REALLY HOPE SO, BETHANY.

BECAUSE IF YOU PLAY ANY MORE GAMES RIGHT NOW,

THEN YOU CAN STRETCH YOUR SLEEVE BACK OUT

AND START GAINING AGAIN.

AND ONCE THAT HAPPENS, THAT WILL LIKELY BE IT FOR YOU.

WE WON'T BE ABLE TO HELP YOU AT THAT POINT.

AND THEN IT'LL BE ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE YOUR WEIGHT GAIN

LEADS TO YOUR BODY GIVING OUT.

SO YOU NEED TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY

IF YOU DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN.

OKAY. OKAY?

SO, WE'LL SEE HOW YOU DO NEXT MONTH,

AND HOPEFULLY, YOU WILL START TO GET BACK ON TRACK BY THEN.

BUT YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOU START PSYCHOTHERAPY

AND WORKING ON WHAT YOU NEED, OR THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

OKAY. OKAY?

GREAT. ALRIGHT.

GOOD LUCK.ALRIGHT. THANK YOU.

ALRIGHT. I'LL SEE YOU ALL LATER.

BYE.

ALRIGHT.

Dr. Now: MY CONCERN FOR BETHANY RIGHT NOW

IS THAT WITH HER EMOTIONAL ISSUES

COMING TO THE SURFACE AFTER SURGERY,

BETHANY IS CLEARLY STRUGGLING WITH FALLING BACK

INTO WANTING A MAGIC SOLUTION TO HER SITUATION.

AND IF SHE DOESN'T MAKE THE CHOICES SHE SHOULD,

SHE COULD START TO VERY QUICKLY STRETCH HER STOMACH BACK OUT

AND LOSE ALL THE PROGRESS SHE HAS MADE.

SO RIGHT NOW, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT

THAT SHE TAKES WHAT SHE NEEDS TO DO VERY SERIOUSLY,

BECAUSE IF SHE CONTINUES TO IGNORE

THE CORE ISSUES BEHIND HER STRUGGLE,

THEN IT WILL ONLY BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SHE FAILS.

Bethany: THAT WENT BETTER THAN I WAS AFRAID IT WOULD GO.

I'M DEFINITELY GONNA MAKE IT TO THERAPY THIS TIME,

BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING

TO RISK UPSETTING DR. NOW

OR LETTING HIM THINK I'M NOT GIVING THIS EVERYTHING I HAVE.

I'M JUST WORRIED THAT THERAPY'S NOT GONNA DO MUCH

LIKE DR. NOW THINKS,

SO I'M SCARED I'M GONNA HAVE TO BE THE ONE

THAT FIGURES IT OUT BEFORE THINGS GET WORSE.

Bethany: RIGHT NOW, I'M HEADED TO START THERAPY

WITH MY FIRST APPOINTMENT TODAY.

I WAS GONNA HAVE TO WAIT AROUND IN HOUSTON

FOR THE APPOINTMENT DR. NOW HAD SET UP FOR ME,

BUT I CALLED AND TOLD HIM

IT WOULD REALLY WORK A LOT BETTER FOR ME

IF I HAD A THERAPIST BACK IN OKLAHOMA I COULD SEE.

AND THANKFULLY, HE SAID HE UNDERSTOOD THAT.

BUT I'M ONLY DOING THIS FOR DR. NOW.

I KNOW HE THINKS I HAVE EMOTIONAL ISSUES

BEHIND MY OVEREATING BECAUSE I'M USING FOOD TO COPE,

AND I CAN SEE HOW THAT WAS TRUE AT TIMES IN MY LIFE.

BUT I'M GOOD NOW,

AND I DON'T FEEL LIKE I HAVE ANYTHING I NEED TO WRESTLE.

AND SO I'M NOT REALLY EXPECTING

TO GET MUCH OUT OF DOING THIS TODAY.

HI, BETHANY. COME ON IN.

OKAY.

COME ON IN AND HAVE A SEAT ON THE COUCH.

HOW ARE YOU TODAY?I'M GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

GOOD, GOOD.

SO, BETHANY, ONE OF THE THINGS

THAT I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU KIND OF WANT TO WORK ON

IS TO GET SOME SKILLS FOR HOW TO CONTINUE TO LOSE WEIGHT.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO FIGURE OUT

IS WHY YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE EATING A LOT.

AND SO WHAT KIND OF STRESSORS REALLY GET YOU TO EATING?

I HAVE REALLY BAD ANXIETY.

I'VE HAD IT SINCE I WAS ABOUT 14.

AND WHENEVER I GET OVERWHELMED, I TEND TO JUST EAT.

OKAY. DID SOMETHING HAPPEN WHEN YOU WERE 14?

YES.

I DON'T REALLY LIKE TO TALK ABOUT IT, BUT I WAS --

I HAD AN ABUSIVE BOYFRIEND, AND HE SEXUALLY ASSAULTED ME.

SO -- WHEN I WAS 14.OKAY.

SO I JUST KIND OF TRIED TO KEEP IT TO MYSELF AND IGNORE IT,

AND THEN I STARTED HAVING PANIC ATTACKS,

AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY WERE.

I REALLY THOUGHT I WAS DYING.RIGHT.

AND EVENTUALLY, I JUST GOT SO FRUSTRATED

THAT I ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.

I DIDN'T REALLY WANT TO KILL MYSELF,

BUT I FELT LIKE MAYBE THAT WOULD GET ME SOME HELP.

AND EVENTUALLY, THEY PUT ME INTO, LIKE,

AN INPATIENT FACILITY FOR CHILDREN.

AND SO I STAYED THERE PROBABLY A WEEK OR TWO.

MM-HMM.

AND I DID HAVE SOME COUNSELING AFTERWARDS

FOR A LITTLE WHILE, AND, BUT --

DO YOU FEEL LIKE THAT HELPED?YEAH, I DO.

OKAY. YEAH.

BUT YOU STILL HAVE THE ANXIETY.

I DO.

SO, I KIND OF WANTED TO DIG A LITTLE DEEPER

AS TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT MIGHT BE CONNECTED TO YOU OVEREATING

AND STRESS EATING.

SO, HAVE YOU HAD OTHER THINGS HAPPEN BEFORE YOU WERE 14

THAT WERE VERY DISTURBING FOR YOU, UNCOMFORTABLE?

WELL, WHEN I WAS ABOUT 12 OR 13, MY MOTHER ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.

OKAY, OKAY.

TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT.

WELL, SHE HAD TAKEN A BUNCH OF PILLS.

SO THEY TOOK HER BY AMBULANCE TO WICHITA,

TO THE HOSPITAL THERE.

YOU KNOW, AND WHILE THEY WERE GONE,

I FOUND SOME KIND OF LETTER THAT SHE HAD WRITTEN.

SHE HAD BASICALLY BLAMED ME IN HER LETTER

THAT SHE, YOU KNOW --

BASICALLY JUST WROTE IN THIS LETTER THAT SHE HATED ME.

SO I ALWAYS WONDER IF SHE DIDN'T JUST KIND OF RESENT

THAT SHE HAD ME.

AND I NEVER REALLY SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THE LETTER.

I JUST KIND OF PUT IT AWAY AND NEVER BROUGHT IT UP.

SO, NOBODY ELSE KNOWS ABOUT THE LETTER

EXCEPT FOR YOU AND MOM?

I THINK SO. I MEAN, AS FAR AS I KNOW.

I DON'T THINK MY DAD EVER SAW IT, THAT I KNOW OF.

THAT'S KIND OF A SECRET, ISN'T IT?

YEAH, IT IS.

BUT, I MEAN, I THINK IT'S MORE --

FOR ME, IT'S HEALTHIER TO SET LIMITS WITH MY MOM, SO --

OKAY. YEAH.

AND SO, DO YOU THINK THAT TALKING TO YOUR MOM

ABOUT THAT LETTER WOULD BE ONE OF THOSE LIMITS

THAT YOU'VE SET THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO CROSS, OR --

YEAH. I MEAN...

I MEAN, I CAN SEE WHERE IT COULD BE HELPFUL,

BUT IT'S NOT A BOUNDARY I WANT TO CROSS WITH MY MOM RIGHT NOW.

SO YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE THAT LETTER

IS SOME SECRET LOOMING OVER YOUR HEADS?

I DON'T FEEL LIKE THAT. I REALLY DON'T.

OKAY. ALRIGHT.

WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

ALRIGHT.WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

THANK YOU.MM-HMM.

OOPS. SORRY.

Bethany: THAT WENT LIKE I THOUGHT IT WOULD.

AND AS MUCH AS I APPRECIATE SOMEONE GIVING ME THEIR EAR,

DOING THIS TODAY DIDN'T MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE AT ALL FOR ME.

BUT I'M WILLING TO KEEP DOING THIS

AS LONG AS DR. NOW WANTS ME TO.

MY ONLY CONCERN IS THAT THE MORE TIME THAT'S WASTED

FOCUSING ON THINGS THAT AREN'T GONNA HELP ME,

THE LESS TIME I HAVE TO FIGURE OUT

WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON

AND WHY I'M STRUGGLING LIKE I AM,

EVEN THOUGH I HAD SURGERY.

AND I'M SCARED THAT IF I DON'T FIGURE IT OUT SOON,

IT'S JUST GONNA KEEP GETTING WORSE,

AND I DON'T KNOW IF I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO HANDLE THAT.

Bethany: HEY, ZOWIE.HI.

HOW WAS SCHOOL?

GOOD.

HOW WAS YOUR DAY?

GOOD.

Bethany: THIS PAST MONTH HAS BEEN A LITTLE ROUGH

BECAUSE I'VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH FEELING DEPRESSED.

I THINK I'LL GET A SNACK.YOU WANT A SNACK?

MM-HMM. OKAY.

MAYBE DAD CAN HELP YOU.

YEP.

IT'S JUST STILL BEEN HARDER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE,

AND IT'S NOT GETTING EASIER,

BECAUSE IT'S LIKE I'VE LOST SOMEONE IMPORTANT TO ME,

LIKE A REALLY GOOD FRIEND IS OUT OF MY LIFE NOW.

AND I'M SAD AND LONELY AND SCARED,

AND I JUST WANT TO GET PAST FEELING ALL OF THAT.

IT JUST DOESN'T SEEM FAIR.

WHAT'S MAKING IT EVEN HARDER NOW IS THAT I FEEL LIKE

I'M SURROUNDED BY A LOT OF THINGS THAT I CAN'T HAVE

AND THAT ARE TEMPTING ME EVERY DAY.

IT'S JUST THAT IN THE BEGINNING,

MY WHOLE FAMILY WAS PULLING FOR ME

AND HELPING ME TO DO THE DIET.

AND THEY STILL ARE, BUT IT'S NOT LIKE IT WAS THEN,

WHEN WE CLEARED OUT THE HOUSE

AND WE WERE TRYING TO EAT 100% HEALTHY.

AND I FEEL LIKE IT'S BACK TO THE SAME OLD, SAME OLD,

SO IT'S JUST ANOTHER THING

THAT'S NOT WHAT I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE.

AND SO I JUST FEEL LOST RIGHT NOW -- COMPLETELY LOST.

AND THAT ALSO MAKES ME SCARED,

BECAUSE I KNOW I CAN'T KEEP GOING LIKE THIS IF I DO.

IT'S GONNA GET REALLY BAD SOON,

SO I HAVE TO GET A HANDLE ON THIS

AND FIGURE IT OUT BEFORE I START TO LOSE CONTROL.

AND IF I DON'T FIGURE THIS OUT SOON,

THEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.

Bethany: I'M BACK FOR ANOTHER APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW.

I ALSO HAD MY SECOND THERAPY APPOINTMENT A FEW WEEKS AGO,

SO DR. NOW SHOULD BE HAPPY I'M DOING THOSE.

BUT LIKE I'VE BEEN SAYING,

IT'S NOT REALLY HELPING ME AT ALL.

THINGS OVERALL HAVEN'T REALLY GOTTEN EASIER OR BETTER,

BUT I'VE BEEN PUSHING MYSELF TO DO BETTER THIS TIME.

BETHANY?

I HAVEN'T GIVEN IN TO ANY OF THE CRAVINGS,

SO I'M HOPING THAT MY WEIGHT LOSS IS CLOSER

TO BEING BACK ON TRACK THIS TIME THAN IT WAS LAST TIME.

AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT TWO MONTHS AGO,

I WAS DOWN TO 496,

AND DR. NOW SAID I'M SUPPOSED TO BE LOSING

AT LEAST 15 POUNDS A MONTH,

SO THAT MEANS I NEED TO BE BELOW 466 TODAY

IF I'M WHERE I SHOULD BE.

AND I'M REALLY HOPING I AM.

I'M REALLY UPSET, AND I DON'T GET IT.

WITH HOW HARD I'M TRYING, THIS DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE,

AND IT DOESN'T SEEM FAIR,

BECAUSE IT'S SUPPOSED TO GET EASIER

AFTER WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

BUT IT'S NOT, SO SOMETHING HAS TO BE WRONG.

I'M GOING TO THERAPY, SO IT CAN'T BE

THE EMOTIONAL ISSUES LIKE DR. NOW THINKS.

BUT HE'S PROBABLY NOT GONNA LISTEN TO ME ABOUT IT.

ALL HE'S GONNA CARE ABOUT IS THAT I DIDN'T HIT HIS GOAL

AND JUST GO OFF OF THAT INSTEAD OF LISTENING TO ME.

HELLO!

HI.HELLO.

HOW Y'ALL DOING?

WE'RE GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?GOOD.

I'M DOING GOOD.

ALRIGHT, SO, BETHANY, IT IS A LITTLE OVER FOUR MONTHS

SINCE YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

AND YOU ALREADY STARTED GAINING AGAIN.

SO OBVIOUSLY, THAT'S A REALLY BAD SITUATION WE HAVE WITH YOU.

SO, YOU WANT TO TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON

AND WHY YOU'RE PUSHING YOURSELF TO EAT

WHAT YOU SHOULDN'T BE AGAIN?I DON'T KNOW.

I'M STICKING TO THE SHEET THAT YOU GAVE ME OF WHAT NOT TO EAT.

SO, I'M EATING, LIKE, REAL FOOD, LIKE YOU TOLD ME TO.

SO I DON'T KNOW WHY I DIDN'T LOSE ANYTHING.

I DON'T THINK THE SURGERY'S WORKING LIKE IT SHOULD.

IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS WHAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

LET ME EXPLAIN SOMETHING TO YOU.

YOU STARTED OUT HOPING IN A MAGIC FIX,

AND THEN YOU APPLIED YOURSELF AND TOOK CONTROL

FOR A FEW MONTHS, UNTIL YOU GOT WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

AND THEN YOUR EMOTIONAL ISSUES CAME TO THE SURFACE.

AND DEALING WITH THAT IS REALLY HARD STUFF,

AND NOW YOU'RE HOPING IN A MAGIC FIX FOR THAT.

AND UNTIL YOU TAKE YOUR PSYCHOTHERAPY SERIOUSLY

AND DO WHAT YOU NEED WITH THAT, THIS TREND AND DIRECTION

YOU'RE HEADED IS GONNA CONTINUE.

AND IF THAT HAPPENS, YOU'RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT.

SO YOU HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT CHOICE TO MAKE --

WHETHER YOU WANT TO TURN YOUR LIFE AROUND OR MAKE EXCUSES

AND END UP EATING YOURSELF TO DEATH.

YOU GOT IT? I GUESS.

SO YOU NEED TO KEEP GOING TO THOSE APPOINTMENTS

AND DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.

YOU GOT THAT? YEP.

BUT BEFORE YOU GO BACK HOME, I WANT TO DO AN ENDOSCOPY.

SO WE CAN DO THAT AND SEE IF WE CAN GET SOME BIOPSY

OF YOUR STOMACH AND SEE HOW THINGS ARE.

BECAUSE WITH HOW FAST YOU'RE GAINING AFTER SURGERY,

I'M VERY CONCERNED YOU MAY ALREADY BE

STRETCHING YOUR STOMACH BACK OUT.

SO I'M GONNA SCHEDULE YOU TO DO THAT TOMORROW,

AND WE'LL SEE WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOUR STOMACH.

OKAY.

OKAY, WE'LL SET YOU UP FOR THE ENDOSCOPY

AND SEE IF EVERYTHING'S OKAY WITH THAT.

OKAY? OKAY.

ALRIGHT. I'LL SEE YOU BOTH SOON.

OKAY. THANKS.OKAY. THANK YOU.

ALRIGHT.

Dr. Now: BETHANY IS STARTING TO HEAD DOWN

A VERY UNFORTUNATE AND DANGEROUS PATH.

WHEN A PATIENT HAS THEIR PHYSICAL DRIVE TO EAT

SUPPRESSED WITH WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO START TO SEE MORE CLEARLY

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMOTIONAL COMPONENTS BEHIND THEIR EATING.

BUT BETHANY IS REFUSING TO FACE THE REALITY

OF WHAT'S BEHIND A LOT OF HER DRIVE TO EAT,

AND UNLESS SHE MAKES THE CHOICES

TO STOP AVOIDING THE EMOTIONAL ISSUES

SHE NEEDS TO DEAL WITH WITH PSYCHOTHERAPY,

HER SITUATION IS ONLY GONNA GET WORSE

AS SHE STARTS TO GAIN MORE AND MORE OF HER WEIGHT BACK.

BUT RIGHT NOW, MY MAIN CONCERN IS IN DETERMINING

IF SHE STARTED TO STRETCH HER STOMACH BACK OUT,

SINCE SHE'S ALREADY GAINING SO SOON AFTER SURGERY.

BECAUSE IF SHE HAS, IT'S POSSIBLE SHE COULD HAVE STARTED

TO DAMAGE THE AREA AROUND HER SUTURES,

WHICH WILL CAUSE COMPLICATIONS FOR HER.

ANY STRETCHING OF HER STOMACH WILL BE REALLY BAD,

BECAUSE IF SHE'S PUSHING HERSELF TO OVEREAT AGAIN ALREADY,

THEN WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME TO TURN HER SITUATION AROUND

BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.

Bethany: I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO THINK RIGHT NOW

WITH WHAT DR. NOW IS SAYING.

THIS IS GETTING EVEN SCARIER,

AND I'M REALLY HOPING NOTHING IS WRONG

AND THAT WHAT HE'S WORRIED ABOUT HASN'T HAPPENED.

BUT IF THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG,

I JUST HOPE IT'S NOT SOMETHING SERIOUS

OR ANYTHING THAT'S GONNA MAKE DOING THIS EVEN HARDER,

BECAUSE I DON'T THINK I'D BE ABLE TO TAKE

ANY MORE SETBACKS RIGHT NOW.

Dr. Now: TODAY, WE ARE DOING AN ENDOSCOPY ON BETHANY.

WE'RE PUTTING A SMALL CAMERA DOWN HER ESOPHAGUS

INTO HER DIGESTIVE SYSTEM TO TAKE A LOOK INSIDE TO SEE

IF SHE'S STARTED TO STRETCH HER STOMACH BACK OUT.

ALRIGHT.

FOR HER TO START GAINING LIKE THIS SO SOON AFTER SURGERY,

IT'S VERY LIKELY SHE HAS STARTED PUSHING HERSELF

TO OVEREAT A LOT IN ONE SITTING.

BUT IF SHE IS ALREADY DOING THAT AT THIS POINT,

IT'S GOING TO BE A VERY BAD SIGN,

BECAUSE ONCE SHE GETS TO THAT POINT AND THAT STARTS TO HAPPEN,

IT WON'T TAKE HER LONG TO UNDO HER GASTRIC SLEEVE

AND REGAIN ALL HER WEIGHT.

AND AFTER THAT, THERE WILL LIKELY BE NOTHING

WE CAN DO TO HELP HER, BECAUSE THERE WILL BE NO POINT

IN DOING A REVISION ON HER TO FIX HER SLEEVE

IF SHE'S SHOWN US THAT ULTIMATELY,

SHE'S NOT WILLING TO CONTINUE TO DO

WHAT SHE NEEDS TO LOSE THE WEIGHT

AND KEEP IT OFF FOR THE LONG RUN.

SO, IF THERE IS ANY SIGN

THAT HER STOMACH IS BEING STRETCHED BACK OUT,

IT WILL MEAN OUR WINDOW TO GET BETHANY BACK ON TRACK

AND DOING WHAT SHE NEEDS IS EVEN SHORTER,

OR AT THE POINT WHERE SHE'S GOING OFF THE RAILS SO FAST

THAT WE WON'T BE ABLE TO STOP HER.

WE'RE DONE.

ALRIGHT, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT BETHANY'S WEIGHT GAIN

IS HAPPENING BECAUSE SHE'S EATING

A LITTLE BIT ALL DAY AND NOT IN ONE SITTING,

SO SHE HASN'T STARTED STRETCHING HER STOMACH BACK OUT.

AND THAT'S VERY GOOD.

BUT THE BAD NEWS IS THAT SHE'S STILL GAINING

BECAUSE SHE'S FALLING BACK INTO OLD HABITS

AND TRYING TO USE FOOD TO COPE TO DEAL WITH HER EMOTIONS.

SO WE HAVE MORE TIME TO TRY TO GET BETHANY BACK ON TRACK.

BUT THE ONLY THING THAT IS GONNA GET HER TO THAT POINT

AND HELP HER DO THAT IS PSYCHOTHERAPY,

BECAUSE SHE HAS TO START TO WORK ON THOSE ISSUES

AND COPING IN HEALTHIER WAYS.

IF SHE DOESN'T, THEN IT WILL JUST BE A MATTER OF TIME

BEFORE SHE STARTS TO UNDO HER SURGERY

AND LOSE ALL THE PROGRESS SHE'S MADE.

AND IF THAT STARTS TO HAPPEN,

SHE'S GOING TO VERY QUICKLY END UP IN A PLACE

WHERE WE WON'T BE ABLE TO HELP HER

AND SHE RUNS OUT OF TIME

AND ENDS BACK WHERE SHE STARTED --

OVER 600 POUNDS AND FACING AN EARLY DEATH.

Bethany: ME AND MY FAMILY ARE ON OUR WAY TO MEET MY PARENTS FOR DINNER.

A FEW WEEKS AGO, WE THOUGHT MY MOM WAS HAVING A HEART ATTACK

BECAUSE SHE SUDDENLY STARTED

TO HAVE SOME REALLY BAD CHEST PAINS.

THANKFULLY, IT TURNED OUT TO BE SOME OTHER ISSUES

AND IT WASN'T A HEART ATTACK,

AND THIS IS THE FIRST NIGHT SINCE THEN

THAT SHE FEELS WELL ENOUGH TO GO OUT AND SPEND SOME TIME WITH US.

SO NEEDLESS TO SAY, IT'S BEEN A HECTIC MONTH.

LAST TIME I SAW DR. NOW WAS THE ENDOSCOPY,

AND IT WENT WELL, I GUESS.

HE DIDN'T FIND ANY ISSUES, AND HE SAID EVERYTHING

LOOKS FINE WITH MY SLEEVE SURGERY

AND THAT THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH IT.

Keith: HELLO.HOW YOU DOING?

GOOD. HOW ARE YOU GUYS?

GOOD.Robin: YOU GONNA SIT OVER HERE?

YOU WANT TO SIT BY GRANDMA?

SO, HE STILL THINKS I NEED TO FOCUS ON THERAPY,

AND THE REASON I'M STRUGGLING SO MUCH

IS STILL BECAUSE OF UNRESOLVED ISSUES

HE THINKS I NEED TO ADDRESS, BUT I JUST DON'T AGREE.

AND I FEEL LIKE AT THIS POINT, HE'S NOT LISTENING TO ME...

HOW ARE YOU DOING AFTER YOUR...

OH, ALRIGHT.

STILL A LITTLE SORE. STILL A LITTLE TENDER, BUT --

MM-HMM.

THEY SAY GET UP AND MOVE AROUND.YEAH, I KNOW.

THAT'S WHAT THEY TELL ME, TOO, AFTER SURGERY.

...OR REALLY UNDERSTANDING

WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH AND WHAT I NEED.

AND IT'S JUST GETTING TOO HARD TO CONSTANTLY RESIST

ALL THE CRAVINGS WHEN I HAVE TO LIVE IN A WORLD

WHERE I'M ALWAYS SURROUNDED BY THINGS I WANT,

ESPECIALLY WHEN THE WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY

HAS DONE NOTHING IN THE END TO HELP ME WITH THAT AT ALL.

CHILI, AND I GUESS THE SIDE SALAD, TOO, WITH THAT.

Waitress: OKAY.THANK YOU.

IT'S DIFFICULT TO TRY TO GO OUT TO EAT

AND THEN TRY TO FIND SOMETHING THAT I CAN HAVE.

Bethany: THIS IS JUST NOWHERE NEAR HOW I THOUGHT I'D BE,

BECAUSE THE SURGERY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE TOOL I NEEDED

TO HELP ME LOSE EVEN MORE WEIGHT.

IF IT'S NOT GOING TO DO THAT,

THEN I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M DOING ALL THIS,

AND SO I'M STARTING TO THINK I'D BE BETTER OFF

TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO ON MY OWN.

SO I'M MORE SCARED THAN EVER,

BECAUSE I'M TRYING MY HARDEST AND IT'S STILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

NOTHING I'M DOING, INCLUDING THERAPY, IS EVEN HELPING.

I'VE HAD MORE APPOINTMENTS,

AND THE FOCUS IS ALWAYS TALKING TO MY MOM,

WHEN I'VE SAID 1,000 TIMES

I'VE ALREADY MOVED PAST THAT IN MY LIFE

AND MY RELATIONSHIP WITH HER,

AND I'M NOT EVEN GONNA DARE RISK UPSETTING HER

WHEN SHE'S STRUGGLING WITH HER OWN HEALTH ISSUES.

SO I'M STARTING TO FEEL LIKE NOTHING'S GONNA HELP ME

AND THAT THIS IS ALL HOPELESS,

AND I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA DO.

AND AT THIS POINT, I'M JUST NOT SURE IF I CAN KEEP DOING THIS,

AND I'M REALLY SCARED BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO FAIL.

I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BACK IN HOUSTON

FOR MY NEXT DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT LAST WEEK,

BUT I MISSED IT, AND I ASKED DR. NOW

IF I COULD DO A CALL TO TELL HIM WHY.

I'M JUST NOT SURE IF I CAN KEEP PUTTING MYSELF THROUGH ALL THIS

IF THIS IS HOW IT'S GONNA BE

AND IF I'M NOT GONNA GET THE HELP I NEED.

I DESPERATELY WANT TO SUCCEED

AND TO LOSE THE WEIGHT AND GET MY LIFE BACK,

BUT THE WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY DIDN'T END UP

WORKING LIKE I NEEDED AND EXPECTED IT.

SO IN THE END, AS MUCH AS I WANT TO CHANGE,

IF I'M NOT GETTING THE TOOLS I NEED TO DO THAT,

THEN I DON'T SEE THE POINT.

SO BECAUSE OF THAT, I'M READY TO TELL DR. NOW

I DON'T PLAN ON CONTINUING WITH HIS PROGRAM,

AND I JUST HOPE HE UNDERSTANDS THAT.

I DON'T WANT TO LET HIM DOWN, BUT I CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS.

IT'S JUST TOO HARD.

HI, BETHANY. HOW YOU DOING?

I'M DOING OKAY. HOW ARE YOU?

I'M DOING FINE, THANK YOU.

SO, YOU MISSED YOUR APPOINTMENT,

AND YOU WANTED THIS CALL, SO WHAT'S GOING ON?

Bethany: WELL, I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU TO TELL YOU

THAT THIS IS A LOT HARDER THAN I THOUGHT

AND I'M NOT SURE IF I CAN CONTINUE WITH YOUR PROGRAM.

THERE'S ALWAYS FOOD AROUND, AND IT'S DIFFICULT TO RESIST.

I JUST THOUGHT THE SURGERY WOULD HELP TAKE AWAY THE CRAVINGS.

I SEE.

BUT YOU WERE VERY SPECIFICALLY TOLD,

MORE THAN ONCE, THAT THE SURGERY WON'T DO THAT.

SO YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH

THE OTHER EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES

DRIVING YOU TO EAT TO HAVE ANY CHANCE

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN LONG TERM.

I DON'T AGREE WITH THAT,

BUT I APPRECIATE THE HELP GETTING ME THIS FAR.

AND I'M TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING I NEED TO DO,

BUT IT'S HARDER THAN I THOUGHT,

AND I DIDN'T REALIZE EVERYTHING IT WAS GONNA TAKE.

WELL, IF YOU TRUST SOMEONE TO DO THE REALLY HARD WORK FOR YOU

AND YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A QUICK FIX,

THEN YOU'RE NOT GONNA FIND IT, AND YOU'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

BUT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND, AT YOUR AGE AND YOUR WEIGHT,

YOUR BODY IS GONNA VERY QUICKLY BE AT THE BREAKING POINT,

AND THAT'LL BE IT FOR YOU.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

YES, I UNDERSTAND.

I DON'T THINK YOU DO.

I JUST CAN'T DO IT.

IT'S BEEN REALLY HARD JUST DEALING WITH CRAVINGS.

AND I APPRECIATE ALL YOUR HELP, BUT THIS IS WHAT I HAVE TO DO.

ALRIGHT, BETHANY.

LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT US

TO ARRANGE ANYTHING IN OKLAHOMA FOR YOU.

BUT I WOULD ADVISE YOU

TO AT LEAST KEEP GOING TO THERAPY OVER THERE,

AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THAT.

BUT ULTIMATELY, I THINK IT'D BE BEST

IF YOU CONTINUED WITH THE PROGRAM

AND DO WHAT YOU NEED BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.

OKAY. I'LL THINK ABOUT IT.

ALRIGHT, BETHANY.

I WISH YOU GOOD LUCK, AND WE'LL BE IN TOUCH.

IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, LET ME KNOW, OKAY?

OKAY. BYE, DR. NOW.

BETHANY'S CHOICE AT THIS POINT IS OBVIOUSLY VERY UNFORTUNATE.

BUT THE REALITY IS THAT SHE'S BEEN LOOKING

FOR A QUICK FIX TO HER SITUATION THE WHOLE TIME,

AND SHE'S NOT WILLING TO PUT IN THE WORK

TO DEAL WITH WHAT SHE NEEDS TO SAVE HER LIFE.

BUT SHE'S PLAYING A VERY RISKY GAME AT THIS POINT,

BECAUSE IT'S ONLY GOING TO BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE HER BODY

STARTS TO BREAK DOWN MORE THAN IT ALREADY HAS.

AND ONCE SHE GETS TO THAT POINT, HER HEALTH IS GOING TO START

TO DECLINE RAPIDLY UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE FOR HER.

BUT HOPEFULLY, SHE WAKES UP AND DECIDES TO START DOING

WHAT SHE NEEDS BEFORE THAT HAPPENS.

IF SHE DOES, WE'LL BE HERE WAITING TO HELP HER.

BUT UNTIL THEN, SHE'S RISKING HER LIFE,

AND IT COULD END VERY BADLY FOR HER.

Bethany: MAKING THIS CHOICE ISN'T EASY,

BUT I'M NOT GETTING WHAT I NEED OUT OF THE PROGRAM,

BECAUSE THE SURGERY DIDN'T HELP LIKE I NEEDED IT.

SO I FEEL LIKE MY ONLY HOPE IS FINDING ANOTHER WAY,

EVEN THOUGH I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WAY IS.

I'LL CONSIDER WHAT DR. NOW SAID,

BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

AND IF I'M GONNA HAVE ANY CHANCE TO SAVE MY LIFE,

I FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO BE ABLE TO WALK AWAY FROM WHAT I KNOW

ISN'T WORKING TO HAVE ANY CHANCE AT FINDING WHAT WILL.

AND I'M NOT GONNA STOP UNTIL I FIND IT,

BECAUSE I STILL PLAN ON LOSING THE WEIGHT

AND GETTING THE LIFE I WANT FOR ME AND MY FAMILY,

NO MATTER HOW HARD IT IS OR WHAT IT TAKES.