Original subtitles

1, 2, 3.

NO, YOU GOT TO PULL MORE THAN THAT.

Ashley: I'M JUST NOT PHYSICALLY CAPABLE

OF DOING THINGS THAT I NEED TO DO.

THANK YOU. OH.

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 #2: IF I DON'T MAKE A CHANGE NOW,

I'M SCARED IT'S GOING TO BE TOO LATE.

IT HURTS!

Woman #3: I REFUSE TO STOP FIGHTING.

I HAVE TO DO THIS FOR MY CHILDREN.

SO, WHAT'S THE POINT OF COMING HERE

AND YOU GET DIET, GET MEDICINE, AND NOT LOSING WEIGHT?

WHAT, DO YOU WANT MAGIC HAPPEN?

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Ashley: MY LIFE HAS NOT TURNED OUT ANY WAY LIKE I THOUGHT IT WOULD,

ALL BECAUSE OF MY SIZE.

I'VE GOTTEN TOO BIG TO GET ALONG AND DO THE THINGS THAT I NEED.

SO I'M FORCED TO DEPEND ON MY FAMILY TO DO THINGS FOR ME,

EVEN THOUGH I HATE IT.

AND BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH HELP I NEED NOW,

I HAD TO MOVE BACK IN WITH MY PARENTS

SO THAT MY MOM COULD HELP ME OUT.

AND MY OLDEST DAUGHTER, ANIYA, HAS TO DO A LOT FOR ME, TOO.

SHE'S 11, AND SHE HELPS A LOT

WITH TAKING CARE OF MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER,

AMIYAH, WHO'S 9 MONTHS.

ANIYA, CAN YOU PLEASE BRING YOUR SISTER,

PUT HER IN THE BED, AND GET THE WALKER FOR ME?

I FEEL LIKE ANIYA IS TAKING TOO MUCH ON AS A CHILD,

BUT WITH AMIYAH, I NEED THE HELP.

SO I HAVE TO RELY ON HER A LOT.

I'M JUST NOT PHYSICALLY CAPABLE

OF DOING THINGS THAT I NEED TO DO

FOR MYSELF AND FOR MY CHILDREN.

I'M ALMOST AT A PLACE OF IMMOBILITY

BECAUSE I CAN'T STAND FOR LONG,

AND I HAVE TO USE A WALKER TO GET AROUND.

JUST WALKING, I'M AFRAID THAT I'M GOING TO FALL

AND MAYBE HURT A HIP OR HURT A KNEE

THAT THEY CAN'T GET IN MY BODY TO REPAIR.

SO THIS IS NOT THE LIFE I WANTED OR ENVISIONED FOR MYSELF

OR MY KIDS AT ALL, AND I WANT TO CHANGE.

BUT AS LONG AS I CRAVE FOOD AND EAT IT LIKE I DO,

IT'S GOING TO KEEP GETTING WORSE,

BECAUSE WHEN THE CRAVINGS KICK IN,

THERE'S NOTHING GOING TO STOP ME FROM EATING AT THAT POINT.

OKAY, I'M GOING TO SCHOOL.

MY MOM AND DAD HAVE TO WORK, AND MY DAUGHTER GOES TO SCHOOL,

SO DURING THE DAY, I HAVE TO COOK FOR MYSELF.

SO WE KEEP ALL THE UTENSILS AND PANS

WHERE I CAN GET TO THEM,

LIKE IN THE OVEN OR SOMEWHERE LOW

BECAUSE I HAVE TO SIT AND COOK AND CAN'T REACH UP HIGH.

SO ONCE THE DAY STARTS AND EVERYONE IS OUT,

I JUST MAKE FOOD AND EAT UNTIL THEY GET HOME

AND SOMEBODY ELSE CAN MAKE THE FOOD.

BUT FOOD IS WHAT BRING ME HAPPINESS IN MY DAY EVERY DAY.

IT'S HARD TO REALLY DESCRIBE ALL IT DOES FOR ME,

BUT WHEN I EAT,

I GET TAKEN TO A BETTER PLACE FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

I CAN'T GO WHERE I WANT. I CAN'T DO WHAT I WANT,

BUT IF I EAT THIS, I'LL BE WHERE I WANT,

BECAUSE ANYWHERE WITH GOOD FOOD IS A GOOD PLACE.

SO IT MAKES MY LIFE BETTER, AND IT GIVES ME THE HAPPINESS

THAT I FEEL THAT I'M MISSING OUT ON.

AND IT HAS NEVER FAILED ME AT DOING THAT,

BECAUSE FOOD HAS BROUGHT ME

SO MUCH COMFORT THROUGHOUT THE YEARS.

BUT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT FOOD IS WHAT'S TAKEN MY JOY IN LIFE

FOR ME NOW BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH I EAT.

AND I NEVER THOUGHT WHEN I WAS YOUNGER

THAT THIS IS WHERE MY LIFE WOULD BE.

I NEVER DID PICTURE BEING 600 POUNDS.

MY CHILDHOOD WAS REALLY ROCKY FROM EARLY ON.

I HAVE THREE OLDER SISTERS AND THREE OLDER BROTHERS

AND A BROTHER THAT PASSED AWAY,

SO THERE WERE FIVE OF US AT HOME.

BUT GROWING UP, EVERYBODY

WAS KIND OF FOCUSING ON THEIR OWN THINGS.

SO MOST OF THE TIME, ME AND MY SIBLINGS

HAD TO HAVE A BABYSITTER.

AND THAT'S WHAT LED TO WHAT I WENT THROUGH,

BECAUSE THE PERSON WHO BABYSAT US,

HER BOYFRIEND WAS THE PERSON THAT MOLESTED ME.

THE FIRST I REMEMBER, I THINK I WAS ABOUT 5.

EVERY TIME THE BABYSITTER WAS OVER, IT WOULD HAPPEN THE SAME.

SHE WOULD FEED US OR GIVE US SOMETHING TO DRINK,

AND THEN I'D FALL ASLEEP AND THEN WAKE UP,

AND...THE MAN WOULD BE ON ME.

AND I HATED THAT.

BUT THAT WENT ON FOR YEARS,

AND THOSE ARE MY EARLIEST MEMORIES.

BUT I FELT LIKE THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO ABOUT IT

OR ANYONE I COULD TELL, SO I DIDN'T.

BUT I THOUGHT, MAYBE IF I GOT BIGGER AND STRONGER,

I COULD START TO FIGHT HIM OFF.

SO WHAT I DID WAS I ATE TO GET BIGGER.

AND OVER THE NEXT YEAR I PUT ON MAYBE 100 POUNDS,

BECAUSE BY THE TIME I WAS 6, I WEIGHED 150 POUNDS.

AND I JUST KEPT EATING TO TRY TO GET EVEN BIGGER,

AND THAT JUST LED ME TO 250 WHEN I WAS 7-YEARS-OLD.

MY SIZE NEVER REALLY HELPED ME TO STOP WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

I FOUND OUT ABOUT IT BECAUSE ONE OF THE COUNSELORS AT SCHOOL

CALLED AND TOLD ME

THAT ASHLEY HAD REVEALED THAT SHE HAD BEEN MOLESTED.

I TRIED TO FIND WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.

AND AT THAT POINT, SHE KIND OF TOLD ME A LITTLE BIT,

BUT IT WASN'T SOMETHING SHE REALLY WANTED TO LET OUT.

SHE WAS MORE EMBARRASSED, LIKE IT WAS HER FAULT,

RATHER THAN A SITUATION THAT SHOULD'VE BEEN HANDLED.

Ashley: BUT WITH MY MOM KNOWING, IT WAS A BIG RELIEF,

BECAUSE SHE MADE SURE IT STOPPED.

BUT I KEPT EATING TO GET BIGGER, AND BY THE TIME I WAS 10,

I WAS ALREADY OVER 300 POUNDS.

AND AFTER A FEW YEARS WHEN I WAS 13

IS WHEN IT GOT TO A BREAKING POINT,

BECAUSE I WAS GETTING CLOSE TO 400 POUNDS AT THAT TIME,

AND MY BODY WAS PUTTING SO MUCH WEIGHT ON MY LEG

THAT I WAS STARTING TO WALK LIKE A DUCK.

MY KNEES WERE KICKING IN,

AND MY FEET WERE PUSHING OUT.

I WAS IN PAIN. I WAS HURTING.

ONE DAY, MY KNEECAP CAME OUT, AND A LIGAMENT TORE.

AND WHEN IT HAPPENED, I HAD TO HAVE AN EMERGENCY SURGERY.

THEY PUT A METAL PLATE AND FIVE SCREWS IN MY LEG.

I DIDN'T WANT HER TO GET THAT BIG.

I WAS AFRAID FOR HER.

I WAS AFRAID HER HEART WOULD GIVE OUT

OR SOMETHING WOULD GIVE OUT,

AND HER LEG DID.

SHE HAD TO HAVE SURGERY ON BOTH KNEES,

SO SHE WENT THROUGH A HARD TIME.

Ashley: A YEAR LATER, WHEN I WAS 14,

I HAD TO HAVE SURGERY ON MY OTHER KNEE,

SO I WAS MISERABLE. AND IT GOT TO A POINT,

I JUST WANTED IT TO ALL BE OVER,

BECAUSE I JUST DIDN'T WANT TO BE LIKE THAT ANYMORE.

BUT INSTEAD, I JUST KEPT USING FOOD TO ESCAPE THINGS

AND JUST CONTINUED TO GET EVEN BIGGER.

AND I WAS A GOOD BIT OVER 400 POUNDS

BY THE TIME I STARTED HIGH SCHOOL AT 14.

IN SOME WAYS, I DIDN'T LIKE BEING THAT BIG, BUT IN OTHERS,

I THOUGHT MAYBE IT COULD PROTECT ME FROM THE ONE THING

I TRIED TO MAKE SURE WOULD NEVER HAPPEN TO ME AGAIN,

BUT IT DID WHEN I WAS 15.

I WAS WITH MY FRIEND AND MY BROTHER FRIEND WAS THERE, TOO,

AND MY FRIEND, SHE LEFT.

AND THEN I WAS THERE ALONE WITH HIM,

AND THAT'S WHEN IT HAPPENED.

HE RAPED ME.

IT WAS BY A FRIEND.

I WASN'T EXPECTING THAT, AND, LIKE, ONCE HE DID THAT,

I JUST KIND OF FELT LIKE I WAS STUPID.

LIKE, I FELT LIKE IT WAS MY FAULT,

AND I STARTED EATING MORE.

THAT MY ONLY DEFENSE I COULD TRY,

BUT MY SIZE NEVER GAVE ME CONTROL OR PROTECTED ME,

BECAUSE WHEN I GOT TO OVER 500 POUNDS WHEN I WAS 16,

I WAS RAPED AGAIN BY ANOTHER FRIEND.

I HAD A FRIEND THAT DID HAIR OR WHATEVER.

I REMEMBERED I WENT, AND I SLEPT AT HER HOUSE.

I FEEL SOMEBODY TOUCHING MY FEET,

SO I WAKE UP, AND I'M LIKE, "WHAT THE HELL?"

YOU KNOW, AND THERE'S A GUY.

AND I'M LIKE, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

I MADE IT CLEAR THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO BE TOUCHED,

AND HE WAS ALL, "OKAY. YEAH. I'M-A LEAVE."

SO I'M THINKING HE LEAVING, YOU KNOW, SO I RELAX MYSELF,

AND THE MINUTE I RELAX MYSELF, HE DIVES DOWN.

AND HE STARTS PULLING MY PANTS.

AND I'M TRYING TO FIGHT HIM.

BUT I COULDN'T STOP HIM,

EVEN WITH MY SIZE AND HOW BIG I WAS.

AND AFTERWARDS, I FELT SO POWERLESS

MORE THAN ANY OTHER TIME, BECAUSE NO MATTER WHAT I DID,

I COULDN'T STOP THAT FROM HAPPENING.

SO I GOT REALLY DEPRESSED, AND I DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL.

BUT I JUST KEEP EATING,

AND I WAS PROBABLY GETTING CLOSE TO BEING 600 POUNDS

BY THE TIME I WAS 18.

AND AFTER THAT, I STARTED LIVING REALLY RECKLESSLY,

AND I WAS JUST EATING CONSTANTLY.

AND I STARTED DRINKING, TOO, BECAUSE IT MADE ME FORGET.

AND ALL THAT WENT ON FOR A WHILE.

AND WHEN I'M 19, I GET PREGNANT.

ONE NIGHT, WHILE I WAS OUT, I MET SOMEONE,

AND WE STARTED SEEING EACH OTHER.

AND I MOVED INTO HIS PLACE.

BUT THEN WHEN I GOT PREGNANT, I TOLD HIM.

AND HE MADE IT APPARENT TO ME

THAT HE DIDN'T WANT A THING TO DO WITH THE BABY OR ME.

AND I WAS ANGRY ABOUT BEING PREGNANT

'CAUSE I FELT LIKE I HADN'T LIVED.

AND AFTER I HAD MY OLDEST, ANIYA,

I LEFT HER WITH MY MOM TO TAKE CARE OF HER,

BECAUSE I COULDN'T HANDLE THAT THEN.

I WAS 20, AND I STARTED EATING MORE HARD,

DRINKING MORE HARDER.

AND THEN WHEN I WAS 21, THINGS CHANGED FOR ME,

'CAUSE I MET SOMEONE THAT I WANTED TO BE WITH,

BUT HE HAD CONCERNS ABOUT MY WEIGHT.

SO I DECIDED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE

THAT I WANTED TO TRY TO LOSE WEIGHT.

AND I TRIED TO LOSE AS MUCH AS I COULD SO THAT HE'D WANT ME.

AND I HAD SOME SUCCESS AT IT, BUT THE PROBLEM WAS

THAT NO MATTER HOW MUCH PROGRESS I WAS MAKING,

IT WASN'T ENOUGH FOR HIM.

SO I STARTED TO FEEL LIKE, "I GIVE UP," YOU KNOW?

SO I WENT BACK TO EATING A LOT, AND I WAS GETTING BIGGER.

AT 24, MY EATING WAS OUT OF CONTROL.

AND I GOT TO A PLACE THEN

WHERE I WAS STARTING TO LOSE MY MOBILITY,

AND THAT WASN'T THE LIFE I WANTED FOR MYSELF.

I WANTED A NORMAL LIFE.

AT 25, I STARTED TO GET MY LIFE TOGETHER,

AND I STARTED TAKING CARE OF ANIYA

SO MY MOM WOULDN'T HAVE TO DO IT NO MORE.

BUT I CAN'T DO MUCH BECAUSE OF MY SIZE.

I'M DISABLED, AND I'M, YOU KNOW,

JUST GETTING MORE AND MORE STRESSED.

AND I ALWAYS GO BACK TO FOOD BECAUSE OF THAT.

SO ANY WEIGHT LOSS I HAD DIDN'T LAST.

AND THAT CYCLE CARRIED ON FOR THE NEXT 5 OR 6 YEARS

UNTIL IT GOT THE POINT

WHERE I COULDN'T DO IT ON MY OWN ANYMORE,

SO I HAD TO MOVE IN WITH MY MOM AT 31.

AND THAT WAS EMBARRASSING AND HARD FOR ME,

BUT I HAD NO CHOICE.

BUT HAVING TO DO THAT MADE ME WANT TO DO

WHATEVER I HAD TO GET BETTER.

SO I DECIDED TO GET WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY,

AND I WAS TRYING TO FIND SOMEONE TO HELP ME WITH THAT.

BUT I STARTED SEEING SOMEONE I HAD KNOWN FOR A WHILE,

AND IT WAS GOOD WITH US.

AND THAT'S WHEN I GOT PREGNANT WITH AMIYAH.

AND THEN THINGS GOT EVEN WORSE FOR ME,

BECAUSE THE MINUTE I GET PREGNANT, THAT PERSON LEAVES.

AND NOT ONLY AM I PREGNANT,

I GOT TO DO ALL THIS ALONE.

MY MOM WAS HAVING TO TAKE CARE OF ME AND PROVIDE FOR ME

LIKE I WAS YOUNG AGAIN, AND MY SISTER, TIFFANIE,

STARTED HAVING TO COME OVER TO HELP ME, TOO,

SINCE SHE LIVED NEXT DOOR, AND MY MOM COULDN'T DO IT ALL.

AND NOW I'M 32 WITH TWO KIDS, AND I WANT A DIFFERENT LIFE

WHERE I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF AND MY KIDS,

BUT MY SIZE AND MY WEIGHT HAS STOLEN THAT ALL FROM ME.

SO I HAVE TO CHANGE THAT.

NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO LIVE WITH ALL THE PAIN THAT I LIVE WITH.

IT'S CONSTANT, AND IT NEVER GOES AWAY.

IT MAKES ME WANT TO SIT ALL DAY AND NOT MOVE.

I FEEL LIKE I'M MISSING OUT,

BECAUSE I DEFINITELY WANT TO BE ABLE TO MOVE AROUND A LOT BETTER

AND DO THINGS WITH MY FAMILY AND KIDS, YOU KNOW?

BUT WITH AMIYAH, I'M NOT ABLE TO PICK UP HER

AND WALK WITH HER

WITH MY KNEES AND MY BACK GIVING ME AS MUCH TROUBLE AS IT DOES.

SO I NEED TO LOSE THIS WEIGHT

BECAUSE MY CHILDREN NEED THEIR MOM, PERIOD.

HEY, MA. I'M HOME FROM SCHOOL.

HEY, ANIYA. HOW WAS SCHOOL?

GOOD.

HEY, ASH.

HEY. WHAT'S UP?

YOU HUNGRY?

NOW, YOU KNOW I'M HUNGRY.

MY LEGS HURT.

YOU GON' FEEL BETTER.

ALRIGHT.COME ON, NOW. YOU GO YOUR MAMA.

NEED YOU TO STEP BACK.

YES, MA'AM.AND PULL.

JUST GIVE ME A MINUTE, PLEASE.

ALRIGHT, ANIYA.

ALRIGHT. GO.1, 2, 3.

NO, YOU GOT TO PULL MORE THAN THAT.

OKAY. READY?

YEAH. 1, 2, 3.

THANK YOU. OH.

HOLD ON. GIVE ME A MINUTE.

MM-HMM.

I NEED THE WALKER.

I'M COMING. OH.

ALRIGHT.

I'M VERY DESPERATE FOR A CHANGE.

MY CHILDREN NEED IT. MY FAMILY NEED IT

SO I'M NOT LIVING THIS LIFE WHERE I'M TRAPPED.

I DEFINITELY FEEL TRAPPED.

I DEFINITELY LIKE A PRISONER IN MY OWN BODY.

ARE YOU OKAY?

I'M TRYING TO GET IN THE BED.

OW.

OHH.

YOU CALL YOUR NANA?

YOU TELLING ON ME?

HELLO. HOW YOU DOING, TIFF?

HEY, DADDY.

-HEY, "T." -HEY, ASHLEY.

-HEY, PA. -HEY, ASH.

-HEY, MOM. -HEY, MA.

-ANIYA. -HEY.

HEY, BABE. YOU FEELING BETTER?

OH, MY HEAD HURT.

GOOD.

HEY, LITTLE BABY GIRL.

OH. THANK YOU.

Ashley: FOOD IS STILL MY SAFE PLACE AND WHAT I FEEL PROTECTS ME

FROM THE PAIN OF SO MANY THINGS IN MY LIFE,

AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GIVE THAT UP.

AND I FEEL THAT IF I DON'T DO SOMETHING DRASTIC

TO CHANGE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE,

IT'S GOING TO BE TOO LATE FOR ME SOON,

AND I WON'T MAKE IT,

BECAUSE MY BODY ALREADY GIVES ME SO MANY SIGNS

THAT IT CAN'T GO THROUGH THIS KIND OF TRAUMA ANYMORE.

NOT JUST THE PAIN,

BUT WITH HOW HARD IT IS JUST TO BREATHE AT TIMES.

I KNOW I'M GETTING TO A POINT WHERE MY LIFE IS GOING TO END

UNLESS I FIND A WAY FOR ME TO CHANGE IT

BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE FOR ME.

TODAY, I'M GOING TO TRY TO GET HELP FOR MY WEIGHT

BY GOING TO HOUSTON AND SEEING DR. NOW.

HIS CLINIC IS A FEW HOURS AWAY,

SO I'M NERVOUS ABOUT MAKING THAT TRIP.

MY MOM AND MY SISTER CAN'T TAKE ME SINCE THEY HAVE TO WORK,

SO ONE OF MY FRIENDS, FAITH,

THAT I'VE KNOWN SINCE I WAS YOUNG,

IS COMING TO GET ME AND DRIVE ME THERE.

AND MY DAUGHTER ANIYA'S GOING TO COME TO HELP SUPPORT ME

EMOTIONALLY WITH HOW NERVOUS I AM,

BECAUSE IT'S BEEN A COUPLE OF YEARS

SINCE I PUSHED MYSELF TO GO OUT THE HOUSE.

AND MY MOBILITY IS AT ITS WORST NOW,

BUT I KNOW IT'S TIME. I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING AND TRY,

BECAUSE MY BODY IS TELLING ME IN SO MANY WAYS

THAT I'M NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO GO ON

LIKE THIS MUCH LONGER,

AND THE PAIN IN ME FOR MY WEIGHT IS JUST CONSTANT NOW

TO WHERE I JUST REALLY CAN'T TAKE IT,

SO I HAVE TO TRY AND DO THIS.

EVERYTHING ELSE HAS FAILED, SO DR. NOW IS MY LAST HOPE.

WHATEVER HELP I CAN GET, I DEFINITELY NEED IT,

AND I DEFINITELY KNOW I NEED DR. NOW.

AND THEN MY LIFE AND EVERYTHING I WANT IN IT

DEPENDS ON ME GETTING TO HIM AND GETTING HIS HELP.

OH. AH.

BRIGHT. OW.

I'M ALREADY STRUGGLING, SO I KNOW THIS ISN'T GOOD.

BUT I HAVE TO DO THIS.

I CAN'T STOP NO MATTER HOW HARD IT IS FOR ME.

THANK YOU.

ALRIGHT.

OKAY.

I'M IN EXCRUCIATING PAIN.

MY BACK IS HURTING, AND MY FEET ARE HURTING REALLY BAD.

NOT SURE HOW I'LL BE ABLE TO WALK.

AND WE ONLY STOPPED A FEW TIMES FOR FOOD AND A BATHROOM,

SO I'VE BEEN CRUSHED UP IN THIS CAR FOR A WHILE NOW,

AND I'M IN SO MUCH PAIN FROM THIS.

MY BODY HASN'T FELT BAD LIKE THIS FOR A WHILE,

BECAUSE IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME

SINCE I PUT IT THROUGH THIS MUCH TRAUMA.

AND I CAN'T GET ANYTHING TO EAT FOR NOW TO HELP ME WITH IT.

AND I DON'T KNOW WHEN I'LL BE ABLE TO NEXT.

ASHLEY?

IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I KNEW MY WEIGHT, AND I'M JUST HOPING

THAT IT'S NOT TOO MUCH HIGHER THAN IT WAS BEFORE

AND THAT I'M AT LEAST AROUND 600.

THAT'S A BIT HIGHER THAN EXPECTED,

SO I KNOW I'M GETTING EVEN MORE OUT OF CONTROL.

-I'M COMING. -OKAY.

AND WITHOUT THE HELP I NEED TO TURN IT BACK,

I'M SCARED WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME,

BECAUSE I'M ALREADY AT MY PHYSICAL LIMIT,

AND I KNOW I CAN'T TAKE MUCH MORE,

SO I NEED THIS RIGHT NOW TO GO HOW I NEED SO I CAN STOP THAT.

-HI. -HELLO.

-HOW YOU ALL DOING? -ALRIGHT. YOU?

GOOD.

WHERE YOU ALL COMING FROM?

LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA.

LOUISIANA, OKAY. SO THAT'S NOT TOO BAD OF A DRIVE.

SO I ASSUME YOU WANT TO LOSE SOME WEIGHT, HUH?

YES.

SO, YOU'RE 637 POUNDS, HUH?

YES.

ALRIGHT. SO I SEE YOU WALKING WITH A WALKER, HUH?

MM-HMM.

ALRIGHT. SO, YOU ARE 32,

AND AT THIS POINT, I'M GUESSING

YOU HAVE BEEN OVERWEIGHT MOST OF YOUR LIFE

IF YOU'RE TAKING IT TO WHERE YOU NEED A WALKER NOW.

YEAH, I'VE BEEN EXTREMELY OVERWEIGHT MOST OF MY LIFE.

OKAY. SO WHAT GOT YOU TO THIS POINT HERE?

WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOUR EATING HABIT?

OH, IT'S OUT OF CONTROL.

IN WHAT WAY?

LIKE, THERE ARE TIMES

WHERE I JUST DON'T GET UP TO FIX NOTHING,

SO I MIGHT SNACK, OR IF I DON'T SNACK,

THEN I MIGHT BINGE EAT AT TIMES.

SO, WHO ELSE IS IN THE HOUSEHOLD BESIDE YOU?

IT DEPENDS, BUT MOSTLY MY MOM AND MY KIDS.

I HAVE MY OLDEST DAUGHTER, ANIYA, AND THE BABY.

AND HOW OLD IS BABY?

SHE IS JUST STARTING HER 10th MONTH.

SO THAT'S A LOT OF WORK

TO TAKE CARE OF A 10-MONTH-OLD BABY, HUH?

YEAH. MM-HMM.

SO YOU NEED A LITTLE HELP.YEAH.

SO YOUR FAMILY HELPS YOU, BUT DO THEY ALSO ENABLE YOU?

NO.

NO ONE BRINGS YOU FOOD?

NOT REALLY. OKAY.

WELL, IF YOU'RE THE ONE CHOOSING TO OVEREAT,

THEN TELL ME WHY DO YOU KEEP OVEREATING

IF YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT?

IT'S LIKE I TRY,

AND IT'S NOT LIKE I GREW UP KNOWING TO EAT HEALTHY

AND KNOWING WHAT THINGS TO DO.

SO, KIND OF, ONCE I GET FRUSTRATED,

JUST, LIKE, I JUST WANT TO BINGE EAT.

SO IT'S JUST FRUSTRATING.

ALRIGHT. SO, ASHLEY, WE'RE DEALING WITH AN ISSUE

THAT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND, OKAY,

BECAUSE YOU HAVE AN EATING DISORDER

WHERE YOU DON'T WANT TO STOP OVEREATING

AND YOU MAKE EXCUSES WHY YOU AREN'T ABLE TO DO THAT.

SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WILL NEED TO ADDRESS.

BUT THE FIRST THE PLACE WE WILL START

IS WITH A DIET THAT WILL HELP YOU LOSE SOME WEIGHT.

SO I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU SOME STUFF

THAT I WANT YOU TO READ EVERY NIGHT, OKAY?

SO, THIS DIET IS GOING TO LIMIT YOU

TO ONLY 1,200 CALORIES A DAY, AND IF YOU STICK TO THAT,

THEN YOU WILL LOSE 80 POUNDS A MONTH.

BUT WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO IS LOSE THAT IN TWO MONTHS, OKAY?

OKAY.

SO WITH THIS DIET, YOU WON'T HAVE ANY MORE EXCUSES

THAT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EAT OR HOW TO EAT HEALTHY.

YOU GOT IT? YEAH.

OKAY, GREAT.

ONCE YOU CORRECT THE EATING HABIT,

THEN WILL BE POTENTIAL FOR WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY, OKAY?

UH-HUH.

AND I'M ALSO GOING TO GIVE YOU SOME EXERCISES

TO START DOING, TOO, OKAY?

YES, SIR.

SO THAT WILL HELP GET YOUR STAMINA UP

SO YOU CAN GET MORE ACTIVE AS YOU LOSE WEIGHT.

JUST START DOING THOSE EXERCISES

AND SEE IF WE CAN BRING YOU STAMINA UP, OKAY?

UH-HUH.

BUT UNTIL THEN, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CORRECT

YOUR EATING HABIT, OKAY?

AND THAT'S GOING TO BE VERY IMPORTANT FOR YOU,

BECAUSE WE NEED TO GET ALMOST 440 POUNDS OFF OF YOUR BODY

BEFORE YOUR CONDITION GETS EVEN WORSE.

BECAUSE THE GOAL WEIGHT FOR YOU WITH YOUR HEIGHT

WILL BE PROBABLY AROUND 200.

BUT AT THIS POINT, EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE UP TO YOU.

SO WHAT HAPPENS FROM HERE AND WHETHER WE MOVE AHEAD WITH YOU

WILL ALL DEPEND ON THE CHOICES YOU MAKE FROM HERE, OKAY?

OKAY.

ALRIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?

MNH-MNH.

ALRIGHT. SO, LET ME BRING YOU THIS STUFF,

AND THEN WE HOPE TO SEE YOU IN TWO MONTHS.

AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION, GIVE US A CALL, OKAY?

OKAY.

LET ME BRING THIS STUFF FOR YOU, OKAY?

OKAY.

Faith: THANK YOU.

Dr. Nowzaradan: IT'S CLEAR THAT ASHLEY HAS A HISTORY

OF MAKING EXCUSES TO JUSTIFY HER OVEREATING,

NOT JUST TO OTHERS, BUT TO HERSELF,

BECAUSE SHE SEEMS TO HAVE CONVINCED HERSELF

THAT OVEREATING IS AN ACCEPTABLE COPING MECHANISM.

BUT I ALSO DON'T THINK SHE'S BEING HONEST WITH ME

ABOUT NOT HAVING ANY ENABLERS.

IF SHE IS AT THE POINT THAT SHE NEEDS THE WALKER TO GET AROUND,

SOMEONE HAS TO BE HELPING FEED HER

AND BRINGING HER WHAT SHE WANTS TO EAT.

SO THAT IS AN ELEMENT THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS

IN THE LONG-TERM, AS WELL,

IF SHE'S GOING TO HAVE ANY CHANCE AT BEING SUCCESSFUL.

BUT THE FIRST THING IS, ASHLEY NEEDS TO SHOW ME

SHE'S WILLING TO WORK AT MAKING THE IMPORTANT CHANGES SHE NEEDS

BY FOLLOWING THE DIET PLAN I HAVE GIVEN HER

AND GETTING DOWN TO HER WEIGHT LOSS GOAL

OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS.

ALRIGHT. NICE TO MEET YOU, ASHLEY.

NICE TO MEET YOU.ALRIGHT. NICE TO SEE YOU.

NICE TO MEET YOU, DR. NOW.

BYE.

-OKAY. THANK YOU. -ALRIGHT.

THANK YOU.

SOME OF THE THINGS DR. NOW SAID WAS HARSH,

BUT I UNDERSTAND WHAT HE'S SAYING.

AND I WANT TO LOSE THE WEIGHT AND CHANGE THINGS LIKE HE SAID.

AND IF THIS DIET AND EXERCISING IS THE PATHWAY TO SURGERY

SO I CAN DO THAT, THEN I'M GOING TO TAKE THIS ALL TO HEART

AND DO MY HARDEST TO PROGRESS LIKE HE WANTS.

I DO HAVE A LOT OF FEAR ABOUT WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE

FOR ME TO DO THAT,

BUT I'M GOING TO GIVE IT MY BEST BECAUSE I WANT A NEW LIFE.

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

BECAUSE I HAVE TO.

Ashley: IT'S BEEN ONE MONTH SINCE I WENT TO HOUSTON

AND HAD MY APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW.

AND SINCE THEN I'VE BEEN WORKING ON AS MANY CHANGES WITH MY DIET

AS I CAN DO, BUT IT HASN'T BEEN EASY.

THE MOST CHALLENGING THING ABOUT STICKING TO DR. NOW DIET

IS MY FAMILY IS STILL MY FAMILY.

THEY'RE STILL GOING TO EAT THE WAY THEY EAT.

SO MY BIG TEMPTATION IS DINNER,

BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN MY MOM COOKS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY,

AND THE SMELLS FILL UP THE WHOLE SPACE.

AND IT MAKES ME WANT TO GIVE IN AND EAT WHAT THEY'RE HAVING,

BUT I'VE BEEN RESISTING.

BUT HOW I'VE BEEN RESISTING

IS THAT I CALL MY FRIEND TOMORROW

THAT I'VE KNOWN SINCE I WAS YOUNG,

AND SHE BRINGS ME OVER A HEALTHY MEAL TO EAT

INSTEAD OF WHAT MY MOM COOKS.

HEY, GIRLFRIEND.

HI!

OKAY. I GOT YOU SOME SHRIMP, CRAB MEAT,

AVOCADO, AND CREAM CHEESE.

Ashley: OKAY.

I REALLY AM PUSHING MY HARDEST,

AND I FEEL LIKE I AM DOING GOOD WITH MY PROGRESS,

ESPECIALLY WITH MY DIET. WITH MY MOM IN THE KITCHEN,

I CAN'T EVEN GET CLOSE TO WHAT SHE'S MAKING,

OR I'M GOING TO LOSE MY WILL AND GIVE IN.

SO I JUST KEEP MY DISTANCE,

AND I WAIT FOR MY HEALTHY OPTIONS TO COME, AND I EAT THAT.

YOU WANT ME TO CHECK ON THE KIDS?

YEAH, YOU CAN.

EXCUSE ME.

THANK YOU, MAMA.

I FIGURED YOU'D PUT YOUR RANCH YOURSELF.

THANK YOU.YOU'RE WELCOME.

SO MY HOPE IS I MAKE IT TO ALL MY GOALS FOR DR. NOW,

BECAUSE IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR ME TO GET THIS SURGERY

BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT'S BIGGER THAN FOOD.

I FEEL LIKE THIS IS MY LIFE.

THIS IS MY CHILDREN'S FUTURE.

AND IT'S ONLY GOING TO HAPPEN IF I DO THIS LIKE I SHOULD,

AND SO I'M PUSHING HARD TO BE WHERE I NEED

COME TIME FOR ME TO BE BACK AT THE SCALE

AND IN FRONT OF DR. NOW SOON.

I'M BACK IN HOUSTON WITH MY SISTER, TIFFANIE,

FOR MY NEXT DR. NOW APPOINTMENT.

FAITH COULDN'T BRING ME THIS TIME,

SO MY SISTER WAS ABLE TO TAKE OFF WORK TO BRING ME BACK

SO I WOULDN'T MISS IT.

I'M STILL REALLY SORE AND IN PAIN

FROM BEING BACK CRUSHED IN A CAR FOR 4 HOURS AGAIN,

BUT IT FEELS LIKE I COULD HANDLE A LITTLE BIT THIS TIME AROUND.

AND I DIDN'T EAT THE FAST FOOD THE WHOLE TIME LIKE I WANTED.

SO I'M PROUD OF THAT, 'CAUSE THAT ISN'T EASY

WITH ALL THE TEMPTATION ON THE ROAD.

SO WITH ALL THAT, I WOULD SAY

I'M FEELING GOOD ABOUT MY CHANCES FOR MY GOAL TODAY.

ASHLEY?

AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT, I WAS UP TO 637,

AND THE GOAL I HAD TO LOSE WAS 80 POUNDS OVER TWO MONTHS,

SO THAT MEANS I HAVE TO HAVE GONE DOWN TO 557 POUNDS

TO BE WHERE I NEED.

I KNOW IT'S MORE THAN THAT THAT I LOST.

THAT'S A BIT SURPRISING TO ME, 'CAUSE I KNOW WHAT I DID

AND HOW HARD I PUSHED MYSELF TO MAKE THE PROGRESS I NEEDED.

I KNOW THERE WERE DAYS WHERE I DIDN'T DO AS WELL,

BUT THAT'S JUST BECAUSE THE STRESS OF MY LIFE

AND EATING SOMETHING TO GET BY.

BUT IT WAS HARDLY EVER,

SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY MY PROGRESS WAS SO LITTLE.

AND MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT DR. NOW ISN'T GOING TO THINK

I WAS WORKING LIKE I WAS. SO I'M UPSET AT THIS,

AND I'M WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS NOW FOR ME

AND THE PROGRAM AND GETTING WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

-HELLO. -HI.

HOW Y'ALL DOING?

ALRIGHT. YOU?

ALRIGHT, ASHLEY.

SO, WHAT'S GOING ON IN LOUISIANA?

NOTHING MUCH.

I SEE THAT, BECAUSE IN TWO MONTHS,

YOU BARELY LOST ANY WEIGHT, HUH?

YEAH.

SO, WHAT IS WITH THAT?

I MEAN, HONESTLY, I CAN HONESTLY SAY

THAT I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FOLLOW THE DIET.

THERE IS A FEW TIMES THAT I'VE MESSED UP.

OKAY. AT YOUR WEIGHT, TO MAINTAIN THE WEIGHT YOU ARE,

YOU NEED TO BE EATING AT LEAST 6,000 TO 7,000 CALORIES A DAY.

SO YOU ARE EATING THREE TIME AS MUCH AS YOU SHOULD

AND PRACTICALLY AT YOUR WEIGHT

EATING THE FOOD THAT BELONG TO NEXT THREE YEARS AHEAD OF TIME.

SO YOU'RE STILL OVEREATING AND DOING WHATEVER YOU WANT

AND JUST GIVING ME EXCUSES NOW.

SO WHAT'S THE POINT OF COMING HERE,

AND YOU GET DIET, GET MEDICINE, AND NOT LOSING WEIGHT?

WHAT, DO YOU WANT MAGIC HAPPEN?

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO HAPPEN?

NO, IT'S NOT THAT I EXPECTED MAGIC.

I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT DIDN'T DO WHAT I NEED.

I OVER-ATE STILL.

WHY?

IT'S HARD. I'M NOT GOING TO SAY THAT --

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

EATING RIGHT IS HARD?

YEAH, IT'S JUST STRESSFUL.

WHAT KIND OF STRESS YOU GOT IN YOUR LIFE?

JUST A LOT.

I CAN'T REALLY NECESSARILY MOVE EXACTLY HOW I WANT TO MOVE.

I'M IN A LOT OF PHYSICAL PAIN, AND I KNOW --

I FEEL LIKE I WOULD DO A LOT BETTER

IF I HAD, LIKE, SOME FORM

OF, LIKE, A PHYSICAL THERAPY,

SO THAT THAT WAY, I COULD MOVE AROUND MORE.

I KNOW THAT -- IT'S NOT THAT I CAN'T DO IT AT TIMES.

IT'S JUST, IT'S HARD TO DO IT WITH MY BABY,

LIKE, MOVING AROUND WITH HER.

ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT YOUR WEIGHT LOSS

IS GOING TO BE BETTER WITH MOVING AROUND?

YES.IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SAYING,

LET ME GIVE YOU BAD NEWS.EXERCISING.

BAD NEWS IS, YOUR WEIGHT LOSS HAS TO DO WITH YOUR EATING,

NOT ACTIVITY.

OKAY. OKAY?

SO DON'T CONFUSE YOURSELF.

OKAY.

SO YOU'RE JUST AVOIDING MY QUESTION,

AND YOU'RE NOT LISTENING TO WHAT I'M SAYING.

SO YOU'RE OVEREATING,

AND YOU KEEP CONFUSING YOURSELF --

IF YOU HAD PHYSICAL THERAPY AND MOVING AROUND,

MAYBE YOU WOULD NOT BE THAT BIG.

THAT'S NOT REALITY, OKAY?

SO, WHAT IS THE PLAN?

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE HAPPEN?

WHAT IS ON YOUR WISH LIST?

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?

I MEAN, UM, I DON'T KNOW.

WELL, YOU NEED TO FIGURE THAT OUT.

NO. THE DIET, YEAH, I CAN DO THAT A LOT MORE SERIOUSLY.

IT'S NOT THAT --

LIKE I SAID, I WAS DOING KETO, AND THAT --

IT WAS ALTERED FROM WHAT Y'ALL HAD ORIGINALLY PUT,

AND I CAN GO BACK TO THE DIET THAT YOU HAD TO FOLLOW

AND FOLLOW IT CORRECTLY.

OKAY. YOU SEEM LIKE YOU'RE NOT CATCHING UP

IN ANYTHING WE TELLING YOU.

WHAT WE GAVE YOU, THOSE PAPERS THAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO READ

EVERY NIGHT THAT YOU DIDN'T READ,

WILL TELL YOU HOW THE HEALTHY EATING HABITS SHOULD BE.

OKAY? AND EATING HEALTHY IS A LIFESTYLE CHANGE

THAT IS GOING TO LAST THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

THE 1,200-CALORIE LIMIT WILL CHANGE.

BUT WHAT YOU SHOULD AND SHOULDN'T EAT,

THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE FOR REST OF YOUR LIFE NOW

IF YOU WANT TO BE HEALTHY.

SO, YOU STILL HAVE THOSE PAPER?

YES.

YOU PULL THEM OUT. YOU READ THEM EVERY NIGHT,

AND YOU FOLLOW HEALTHY EATING HABIT

WITH 1,200-CALORIE DIET.

AND YOU FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU DID WRONG TODAY

AND DON'T MAKE THOSE MISTAKE TOMORROW.

OKAY. OKAY?

AND UNLESS YOU DO THAT,

YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL

AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE LONG TERM LIKE YOU NEED,

SO THE WAY YOU'RE EATING IS THE WRONG WAY,

AND THE WAY YOU ARE RIGHT NOW,

YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LIVE TOO MUCH LONGER.

OKAY? OKAY.

OKAY, SO YOU WANT TO BE HEALTHY.

YOU WANT TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.

YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO MODERATE YOURSELF

AND THE ONE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT TO DO, WHAT NOT TO DO

AND THE ONE THAT MAKE THE CHANGES.

OKAY?

SO, NOBODY ELSE IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.

WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU SOME TOOL.

WE'RE GOING TO GUIDE YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION,

BUT ULTIMATELY, THIS IS ALL UP TO YOU.

AND SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD, WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY

IS GOING TO BE A POWERFUL TOOL FOR YOU

TO BE ABLE TO LOSE WEIGHT AND MAINTAIN IT FOR LONG TERM.

BUT IF YOU DON'T DO THIS,

THEN IT WON'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE FOR YOU,

BECAUSE WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY ISN'T A MAGIC TRICK

THAT WILL FIX EVERYTHING FOR YOU.

YOU UNDERSTAND ALL THAT?

MM-HMM. ALRIGHT.

SO I'M GIVING YOU THE SAME GOAL AS THE LAST TIME

IF YOU WANT TO SHOW ME YOU'RE GETTING THIS

AND THAT YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE THE CHOICES YOU NEED.

AND IN TWO MONTHS, I WANT YOU TO LOSE 80 POUNDS.

YOU THINK YOU CAN DO THAT?

YEAH.OKAY. GOOD.

ALRIGHT, ASHLEY. NICE TO SEE YOU.

HOPEFULLY YOU CAN GET --

SHARPEN UP ALL THOSE TOOLS WE GAVE YOU...

ALRIGHT.AND BE ABLE TO LOSE SOME WEIGHT.

YES, SIR.OKAY?

ALRIGHT.ALRIGHT. I'LL SEE YOU LATER.

ALRIGHT.NICE TO SEE YOU.

NICE TO SEE YOU, TOO.

Dr. Nowzaradan: I'M DISAPPOINTED TO SEE HOW LITTLE PROGRESS ASHLEY MADE

AND HOW SHE'S CONTINUING TO MAKE EXCUSES

TO JUSTIFY HER OVEREATING THAT DON'T LINE UP WITH REALITY.

THE BOTTOM LINE IS, SHE'S CHOOSING TO OVEREAT

AND DOESN'T WANT TO GIVE THAT UP.

BUT SHE NEEDS TO WAKE UP SOON,

BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME

TO KEEP GOING DOWN THE PATH SHE'S ON

BEFORE SHE GETS TO A POINT

WHERE THERE MAY NOT BE MUCH MORE WE CAN DO FOR HER.

Ashley: I FEEL A LITTLE DISCOURAGED RIGHT NOW

BECAUSE I KNOW HOW HARD I PUSHED

TO GET GOOD PROGRESS THESE PAST TWO MONTHS.

BUT GIVING UP IS NOT A WORD IN MY VOCABULARY,

SO I'LL GO BACK AND TRY TO PUSH MYSELF

SO I CAN COME BACK AND SHOW DR. NOW

THE PROOF OF HOW I'M WORKING MYSELF

TO BE WHERE I NEED WITH HIS GOAL,

BECAUSE I KNOW I DON'T HAVE MORE CHANCES

TO GET TO THE LIFE THAT I WANT FOR ME AND MY KIDS.

Ashley: SINCE MY LAST APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW, I CAME BACK HOME,

AND I'VE BEEN PUSHING MYSELF EVEN HARDER THIS TIME.

I FEEL A LOT MORE CONFIDENT NOW

THAN WHEN I LEFT MY APPOINTMENT ABOUT HOW I'M DOING.

I WAS REALLY DISCOURAGED THEN

BECAUSE OF HOW LITTLE MY WEIGHT DROPPED, BUT THIS TIME,

I KNOW I'M GETTING A LOT MORE DOWN THE ROAD LIKE I NEED,

BECAUSE I'M FEELING REALLY GOOD ABOUT MY PROGRESS AT THIS POINT,

BECAUSE I'M DOING A LOT STRICTER THIS TIME WITH MY DIET.

Tiffanie: ARE YOU READY, SIS?

YEAH, I'M COMING.

AND I'M WORKING HARDER WITH MY EXERCISE, TOO.

MY LEG HURT. OOH!

I'M-A GET THE WALKER JUST IN CASE.

LEMON-LIME READY.

DAMN WEIGHT.

YOU GOT A WATER FOR ME?

YES, MA'AM.

ALRIGHT.

OKAY.

I KNOW DR. NOW SAYS MY ACTIVITY

IS A LESSER PART OF MY WEIGHT LOSS,

BUT I KNOW TO MYSELF HOW IMPORTANT IT IS

FOR MY PROGRESS TO GET MORE MOVEMENT AND ACTIVITY.

SO MY SISTER, TIFFANIE, HAS BEEN TAKING ME

TO A GYM THIS PAST MONTH,

AND I'M MAKING LARGE IMPROVEMENTS IN MY STAMINA

TO WHERE I'M ABLE TO GET AROUND WITHOUT MY WALKER MORE.

I STILL NEED IT BECAUSE OF MY KNEE AND BACK PAIN,

BUT I CAN AT LEAST GO FOR A DISTANCE WITHOUT IT,

SO THAT'S A HUGE IMPROVEMENT IN MY ABILITIES THAT I AM PROUD OF.

OH, MAN.

ALRIGHT.

ALRIGHT. I'M-A TRY TO GO IN WITHOUT THE WALKER.

DON'T KILL ME.

READY? MM-HMM.

YOU NEED ME TO LEAN ON?

-HUH? -YOU GOT IT?

GO AHEAD, GIRL.

-HOW YOU DOING? -ALRIGHT. YOU?

-GOOD. -HI.

HELLO.

Ashley: I'M MOSTLY FOCUSING ON THE TOP OF MY BODY AND MY ARMS,

BUT I'VE BEEN DOING THE BOTTOM BODY, TOO.

THE TREADMILL HAS BEEN GOOD BECAUSE I CAN REST ON THE BAR

TO KEEP MY BALANCE AND TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF OF MY KNEES,

WHICH IS MY MAIN OBSTACLE USING MY LEGS,

SO THAT'S BEEN A HELP TO WHERE I CAN GO FOR LONGER NOW.

SO I NOTICE IT'S HELPING ME A LOT.

I CAN REALLY FEEL MY PROGRESS I'M MAKING THIS TIME

MUCH MORE THAN LAST TIME.

SO I'M VERY PROUD OF MY ACHIEVEMENTS THIS PAST MONTH,

AND I FEEL LIKE MY CHANCES ARE REALLY GOOD

FOR WHEN I GO BACK TO MY DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT

IN A MONTH THAT I'LL HAVE BETTER RESULTS.

AND HOPEFULLY THAT'LL MEAN THAT I GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY

WHEN DR. NOW SEES HOW IMPROVED I DID WITH MY WEIGHT THIS TIME.

SO I'M LOOKING AHEAD TO BE ABLE TO BE ON THE SCALE AGAIN SOON

TO SEE HOW LOW I GOT THE NUMBER TO THIS TIME,

BECAUSE I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A VERY HAPPY

AND MEMORABLE MOMENT FOR ME

BECAUSE OF WHAT I'M GOING TO ACHIEVE THEN.

I'M BACK IN HOUSTON WITH MY SISTER

TO BE AT MY NEXT APPOINTMENT FOR DR. NOW,

AND I'M FEELING POSITIVE ABOUT MY RESULTS

AND MY CHANCES OF SEEING THE GOAL I NEED TODAY

AND GETTING MY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY APPROVED TO MOVE AHEAD.

BUT I KNOW I'M NOT GOING TO KNOW THAT FOR CERTAIN

UNTIL I'M BEFORE THE SCALE, AND I SEE HOW LOW THE NUMBER IS.

BUT I CAN FEEL A LOT OF PROGRESS IN MY BODY AND IN MY ABILITY

BECAUSE OF WHAT I'M ABLE TO DO NOW,

ESPECIALLY BECAUSE MY STAMINA HAS BEEN UP SO MUCH

BECAUSE OF MY EXERCISE.

I WAS EVEN HOPING TO SHOW DR. NOW

HOW I DON'T NEED MY WALKER FOR AS MUCH,

BUT THE LONG CAR DRIVE'S PUT TOO MUCH TRAUMA ON MY BODY

TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.

SO I DON'T WANT TO PUSH MYSELF

TO RISK BEING WITHOUT SOMETHING TO LEAN ON

WITH MY BODY SO SORE AND FILLED WITH SO MUCH PAIN

AFTER THIS DRIVE.

BUT I KNOW MY SIZE HAS LESSENED A LOT

BECAUSE I COULD REALLY FEEL THE WEIGHT LOSS I MADE THIS TIME.

ASHLEY?

SO I HAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE THAT ALL THE HARD WORK

THAT I PUT IN THESE PAST TWO MONTHS

IS GOING TO SHOW IN THE NUMBER I'M ABOUT TO GET

AND THAT THIS WILL BE A PROUD MOMENT FOR ME

THAT WILL HOPEFULLY LEAD

TO FINALLY GETTING WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY

AND THE HELP I NEED TO CHANGE MY LIFE.

Ashley: I'M BACK AT DR. NOW FOR ANOTHER APPOINTMENT

TO SEE IF I GOT MY NUMBER LOW ENOUGH

TO GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT, I WAS DOWN TO 631,

BUT DR. NOW GAVE ME THE 80-POUND GOAL AGAIN

TO LOSE OVER TWO MONTHS,

SO THAT MEANS I NEED TO BE LOWER THAN 551.

I'LL TAKE THAT.

IT'S NOT BELOW THE GOAL NUMBER, BUT IT'S A GOOD DROP,

SO I'M PROUD OF THAT

BECAUSE THAT PROGRESS IS SOMETHING I EARNED.

AND I FEEL AS THOUGH IT'S BIG ENOUGH

TO SHOW DR. NOW HOW MUCH MORE I'M PUSHING NOW

TO GET TO WHERE I NEED.

SO I STILL FEEL LIKE I HAVE A GOOD CHANCE

TO GET MY APPROVAL FOR THAT TODAY.

-HELLO. -HELLO.

-HOW Y'ALL DOING? -ALRIGHT.

GOOD. ALRIGHT.

SO, YOU MADE SOME PROGRESS THIS TIME, HUH?

YEAH.

YOU LOST 44 POUNDS,

SO YOU'RE MOVING IN BETTER DIRECTION,

SO THAT'S GREAT.

BUT IT'S STILL ONLY ABOUT HALF OF WHAT YOUR GOAL WAS.

SO YOU STILL HAVEN'T MADE THE CHANGES TO YOUR DIET

LIKE YOU NEED AND SHOW ME YOU'RE SERIOUS ABOUT THIS YET.

SO WHY IS THAT?

ARE YOU SERIOUS ABOUT LOSING WEIGHT?

IT'S NOT THAT I'M NOT SERIOUS.

IT'S JUST THAT I'VE BEEN REALLY DEALING WITH A LOT OF STRESS,

EMOTIONAL THINGS, AND THERE'S, LIKE,

A LOT OF FINANCIAL THINGS THAT I DEAL WITH.

I HAVE CHILDREN.

MY MOM'S SICK.

THERE'S NOT MANY OTHER PEOPLE THAT CAN HELP WITH MY KIDS.

SO IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE STILL USING STRESS

AS AN EXCUSE TO OVEREAT AND KILL YOURSELF WITH FOOD.

SO YOU NEED TO STOP JUSTIFYING YOUR OVEREATING WITH STRESS,

BECAUSE THE STRESS IS NEVER GOING AWAY.

IT'S JUST A FACT OF LIFE THAT EVERYONE HAS TO DEAL WITH.

I DON'T HAVE ANY SOLUTION FOR YOUR PROBLEMS.

LAST THING YOU'RE GOING TO NEED WITH THAT

WILL BE WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY, OKAY?

WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY ONLY BECOME A SOLUTION FOR YOU

IF YOU FIGURE OUT WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR EATING HABIT

AND CORRECT THOSE ISSUES,

AND THAT ALL HAS TO START WITH YOU TAKING THE FIRST STEP

AND SHOWING YOU'RE WILLING TO MAKE THE CHANGES YOU NEED.

YOU DO THAT, THEN WE CAN GIVE YOU THE TOOLS TO KEEP GOING

AND LEARN HOW TO GO IN HEALTHIER WAYS

AND GIVE YOU WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

BUT RIGHT NOW, FROM HOW YOU KEEP MAKING EXCUSES

AND NOT LOSING MUCH WEIGHT,

IT SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVE NONE OF THOSE INGREDIENT

TO MAKE WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY TO BE SUCCESSFUL FOR YOU.

OKAY?

SO IF YOU WANT US TO CONSIDER ANY NEXT STEPS,

THEN DO THE DIET AND LOSE AT LEAST 80 POUNDS OVER TWO MONTHS.

BUT IF YOU DON'T, THEN THERE'S NOT MUCH WE CAN DO FOR YOU,

BECAUSE YOU GOT SO MANY ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE RESOLVED

THAT YOU THINK ARE GOOD EXCUSES

TO KEEP KILLING YOURSELF WITH FOOD.

YOU GOT THAT?

YES. BUT I'M TRYING.

I REALLY AM.

I THINK YOU THINK YOU ARE,

BUT WHAT YOU THINK IS NOT REALITY,

BECAUSE THE SCALE DOESN'T LIE. SO WHAT YOU'RE SHOWING ME

IS THAT YOU'RE NOT TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY,

AND WHAT YOU KEEP SAYING TO ME IS YOU CAN'T DO IT

BECAUSE OF ALL THE PROBLEMS YOU HAVE IN YOUR LIFE.

AND SO THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO TO HELP YOU IF YOU BELIEVE THAT.

I'M SAYING THAT IT'S A BATTLE AND THAT,

EVEN THOUGH IT MAY NOT SEEM THAT I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING,

I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING.

I WORK OUT AT THE GYM, AND I TRY TO EAT THE RIGHT THINGS.

AND AT TIMES, IT'S HARD, BUT I DON'T GIVE UP.

I HAVEN'T GAINED WEIGHT...

WELL --...IN THIS WHOLE TIME.

...IT'S NOT A MATTER OF GAINING. IT'S A MATTER OF --

AND I ALSO LOST AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT, TOO,

SO THAT'S FOUR MONTHS OF WEIGHT LOSS I'VE SHOWN YOU.

OKAY, SO, IF YOU WANT TO KEEP ARGUING WITH ME

AND MAKING EXCUSES,

THEN WE DON'T NEED TO CONTINUE THIS,

BUT WE ARE NOT MOVING AHEAD WITH YOU

UNLESS YOU LOSE 80 POUNDS IN TWO MONTHS.

YOU DON'T AGREE WITH THAT, THEN THAT'S YOUR CHOICE.

BUT THERE'LL BE NO POINT IN DOING WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY

UNLESS YOU DO, BECAUSE YOU EXPECTING SOME MAGIC HAPPEN,

AND YOU LOSE WEIGHT.

YOU'RE EXPECTING THE SURGERY'S

GOING TO CURE EVERYTHING FOR YOU,

BUT THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

YOU GOT THAT? YEAH.

ALRIGHT. ANY QUESTIONS?

UM, NO. ALRIGHT.

IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, GIVE ME A CALL.

Dr. Nowzaradan: I'M HAPPY TO SEE THAT ASHLEY LOST MORE WEIGHT

THAN SHE DID LAST TIME,

BUT SHE'S STILL EATING OVER TWO TIMES WHAT SHE SHOULD,

SO HER PROGRESS IS STILL A GOOD WAYS

FROM BEING WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE

TO SHOW ME SHE'S READY TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO SUCCEED

WITH WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

AND UNFORTUNATELY THERE'S BEEN NO CHANGE

IN HER ATTITUDE AND PERSPECTIVES WHERE SHE JUSTIFIES

AND MAKES EXCUSES FOR HER CHOICES TO OVEREAT.

AND UNTIL THAT CHANGES,

THERE IS NOT GOING TO BE MUCH WE CAN DO FOR HER

THAT WILL MAKE MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE IN THE LONG TERM.

SO RIGHT NOW, THERE IS NO REASON TO MOVE AHEAD WITH HER,

BUT HOPEFULLY SHE DECIDES SHE WANTS

TO START TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR HER CHOICES AND HER LIFE

AND CONTINUES TO LOSE MORE WEIGHT BY HER NEXT APPOINTMENT.

Ashley: I DON'T FEEL DR. NOW IS BEING THE FAIREST WITH ME,

BECAUSE MY PROGRESS MAY NOT BE WHERE HE WANTED IT,

BUT IT STILL SHOWS MY DETERMINATION,

AND IT'S A BIG IMPROVEMENT FROM THE LAST TIME.

AND WITH WHAT IT TOOK FOR ME TO DO WHAT I DID THIS TIME,

I'M NOT SURE HOW TO DO EVEN MORE NOW.

BUT MY WHOLE LIFE IS STILL DEPENDING ON THIS,

AND I DON'T WANT TO QUIT, BECAUSE IF I DO,

THEN I'M OUT OF OPTIONS.

SO EVEN THOUGH I'M NOT SURE HOW I'M GOING TO DO THIS,

I HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO GIVE MORE OF MYSELF

AND PUSH EVEN HARDER TO MAKE IT,

SINCE NOT HAVING THE CHANCE FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY

WILL COST ME EVERYTHING.

AFTER MY LAST APPOINTMENT, I MADE A REALLY HARD DECISION

THAT I FEEL IS A NECESSITY FOR ME RIGHT NOW,

AND THAT IS TO MOVE OUT OF THIS HOUSE

AND BE AWAY FOR A WHILE IN HOUSTON.

AND I'M LEAVING TODAY TO DO THAT.

BUT THIS DECISION IS BREAKING ME SOME INSIDE,

BECAUSE, WITH THIS, I HAVE TO LEAVE MY BABIES.

BUT I KNOW IF I WANT TO BE THEIR MOM,

I HAVE TO LOWER MY WEIGHT AND GET HEALTHY FOR THEM.

AND THE ONLY TIMES THAT I'M NOT DOING THE DIET

IS WHEN I FACE TEMPTATIONS THAT MY FAMILY BRINGS INTO THE HOUSE.

SO MY THOUGHT IS THAT THE ONLY THING THAT'S HOLDING ME BACK

FROM DOING BETTER IS GETTING AWAY FROM THAT.

AND THIS IS THE ONLY OPTION THAT I HAVE TO DO THAT.

BUT HAVING TO DO THIS AND LEAVE MY KIDS

IS BREAKING ME UP INSIDE.

THE ONLY COMFORTING THING I HAVE IN THIS IS THAT MY SISTER,

TIFFANIE, IS GOING TO COME WITH ME AND STAY TO HELP ME.

YOU HAVE EVERYTHING PACKED?

YES. STAYED UP ALL NIGHT.

I'M EXHAUSTED.

I'M SO STRESSED.

I'M TRYING TO CATCH MY HEAD.

I'M JUST STRESSED WITH THE VEHICLE.

I'M STRESSED WITH THE FINANCIAL STABILITY,

AND I'M STRESSED LEAVING MY KIDS, YOU KNOW?

IT'S GOING TO BE ALRIGHT.

OH, MAN.

IT'S GOING TO BE HARD WITHOUT THE KIDS,

BUT MAYBE I'LL JUST PUSH THAT HARDER TO GET BACK TO THEM.

I JUST WANT TO GET ON THE ROAD AND GET THIS ALL OVER WITH.

I JUST WANT IT TO BE DONE WITH AND TO GET THERE

'CAUSE THIS IS SO STRESSFUL FOR ME,

AND IT MAKES ME WANT TO EAT JUST TO DEAL WITH THE STRESS.

LEAVING MY BABIES IS HEART-WRENCHING TO ME,

BUT I KNOW THIS IS A SACRIFICE I GOT TO MAKE FOR THEM,

AND IT BRINGS ME PAIN NOW,

BUT IT'S TO BRING ME AND THEM JOY LATER,

BECAUSE I'M DOING THIS TO BE THEIR MOM LIKE THEY DESERVE

AND HAVE OPPORTUNITIES WITH THEM

THAT I'M NOT GOING TO HAVE AS LONG AS I'M LIKE THIS.

Tiffanie: MOMMY, I LOVE YOU.

I'M GOING TO MISS YOU.

I'LL MISS YOU, TOO.

YOU GO AND TELL HER.

BYE, DAD. BYE.

Y'ALL TAKE CARE OF Y'ALL SELF.

WE WILL.

I'M GONNA MISS YOU.DON'T CRY.

I'M GONNA MISS YOU, TOO.

I LOVE Y'ALL.

OH, MY LEG.

Tiffanie: COME ON, SHOW-OFF.

LET'S GO.

Ashley: I JUST HOPE ONCE I GET TO HOUSTON

AND FINISH THIS TRANSITION

THAT I'M ABLE TO DO ALL THE THINGS I NEED

TO GET TO THE GOAL FOR DR. NOW,

BECAUSE IF I'M NOT ABLE TO ACHIEVE WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

THIS WILL ALL HAVE BEEN FOR NOTHING.

Ashley: WE MADE IT TO HOUSTON.

THANKFULLY, ONCE WE GOT ON THE ROAD,

THERE WERE NO BIG ISSUES FOR US.

BUT IT'S BEEN AROUND FIVE HOURS OF DRIVING,

AND I COULD USE A REST.

SO, HOPEFULLY, THE TRENDS OF NOT HAVING ISSUES CONTINUES FOR US

AT THE PLACE WE'RE GOING TO BE LIVING

AND THAT WE CAN GET ALL OUR STUFF MOVED IN

SO I CAN FOCUS ON RECOVERING.

OH, GEEZ.

IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

THIS PLACE IS NICE.

THE FURNITURE'S A LITTLE SMALL

AND DOESN'T LOOK THE STURDIEST, THOUGH,

AND I HAVE TO HAVE STURDY FURNITURE TO BE ABLE TO HOLD ME.

BUT IT ALL LOOKS NICE AS LONG AS IT SUSTAINS ME.

I LIKE THE PLACE.

I'M NOT SURE HOW LONG WE CAN AFFORD TO STAY HERE,

BUT I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A GOOD ESCAPE BEING HERE

TO WHERE I CAN JUST FOCUS ON MY HEALTH LIKE I NEED RIGHT NOW.

AND MY HOPE IS THAT, BY DOING THAT OVER THE NEXT MONTH,

I'LL BE ABLE TO GET DOWN TO THE GOAL I NEED

BY THE TIME I GO BACK BEFORE THE SCALE AND DR. NOW.

HEY, SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK?

I THINK IT'S CUTE. I THINK IT'S CUTE.

I'M HAPPY.

ME AND MY SISTER ARE ON OUR WAY TO MY NEXT DR. NOW APPOINTMENT

TO SEE WHERE I'M AT WITH MY PROGRESS NOW.

THIS HAS BEEN A VERY STRESSFUL MONTH

BEING MOVED DOWN HERE TO HOUSTON, AND WITH THAT,

I FEEL LIKE MY STAMINA HAS BEEN REGRESSED,

BECAUSE I'M HAVING TO USE MY WALKER LIKE I WAS BEFORE.

SO IT'S BEEN A LITTLE DISAPPOINTING.

BUT EVEN WITH HOW HARD THIS HAS BEEN,

I STAYED VERY STRICT AND PUSHED HARD ON MY DIET

TO LOSE AN EVEN BIGGER AMOUNT OF WEIGHT THIS TIME.

ASHLEY?

AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT, I MADE IT DOWN TO 587,

AND DR. NOW STILL SAY I NEED TO LOSE ANOTHER 80 POUNDS,

SO THE NUMBER I NEED TO SEE TODAY IS 507 OR BETTER.

I'M VERY PLEASED WITH THAT NUMBER.

I DO HAVE SOME WORRY THAT DR. NOW

WILL SEE IT AS FALLING SHORT FOR MY WEIGHT LOSS,

BUT I'M VERY PROUD OF HOW I IMPROVED

EVEN MORE THAN I LOST LAST TIME.

AND THIS VINDICATES MY PERSPECTIVES TO ME

THAT ALL MY CHOICES ARE MOVING ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'M HOPING FOR DR. NOW TO SEE

AND UNDERSTAND TODAY

SO THAT HE RECOGNIZES HOW VERY READY

AND, I THINK, HOW VERY PREPARED I AM FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

HELLO. HOW Y'ALL DOING?

HELLO. WE'RE DOING GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

GOOD.

ALRIGHT. SO, A LOT HAS HAPPENED SINCE LAST TIME I SAW YOU.

WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON? TELL ME.

WELL, LIKE I MENTIONED TO YOU, WE MOVED TO HOUSTON.

SO WE CAME. WE SETTLED IN AN APARTMENT

AND JUST BEEN SETTLING HERE FOR THE PAST MONTH.

SO ARE YOU FULLY MOVED TO HOUSTON NOW?

YES.

OKAY. SO, WHO IS WITH YOU IN HOUSTON?

IT'S MY SISTER, TIFFANIE.

WE BOTH MOVED HERE.

AND WHO ELSE?

AND HER BOYFRIEND, BUT I THINK HE'S GOING TO GO BACK,

SO IT'S PROBABLY JUST GOING TO BE ME AND HER.

SO WHO'S TAKING CARE OF YOUR BABY?

SHE'S AT HOME WITH MY MOM.

YOU MISSING YOUR BABY?

YES, I'M MISSING MY CHILDREN A LOT, BUT...

I CAME HERE. I MADE IT.

AND I'M DOING EVERYTHING I CAN TO DO IT.

NOW, HOW'S THAT GOING TO WORK?

I'M JUST TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO DO ALL THE STEPS

TO GET THE SURGERY AND THEN HOPEFULLY MAYBE GO BACK.

WELL, YOUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO YOURSELF AND YOUR KIDS.

THEY NEED THEIR MOM AROUND LATER,

BUT THEY NEED THEIR MOM NOW, TOO,

SO MAYBE AT SOME POINT YOU CAN BRING THEM DOWN HERE

TO BE WITH YOU IF YOU'RE LIVING HERE NOW.

I'LL TRY. OKAY.

WELL, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT YOU MADE MORE PROGRESS THIS TIME.

YOU LOST 67 POUNDS, WHICH IS NOT AS MUCH AS YOUR 80-POUND GOAL,

BUT IT'S BETTER THAN THE 44 POUNDS YOU LOST LAST TIME.

SO THAT'S POSITIVE PROGRESS THAT I'M HAPPY TO SEE FROM YOU.

THANK YOU.

BUT YOU'RE STILL OVEREATING A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN YOU SHOULD.

BUT YOU ARE MAKING PROGRESS THAT IS CONSISTENT.

SO I SEE THE POSITIVE CHANGES YOU'RE MAKING,

AND I'M PROUD OF YOU FOR THAT.

THANK YOU.

SO, THIS IS WHERE WE ARE AT.

YOU HAVE LOST A TOTAL OF 100 POUNDS,

AND YOU HAVE MADE SOME GOOD CHANGES IN YOUR EATING HABIT,

AND IT'S SHOWING THAT YOU ARE LOSING WEIGHT,

AND YOU'RE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION,

SO I WILL APPROVE YOU FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

OH, MY GOSH. ARE YOU SERIOUS?

YES. BUT HERE'S THE CONDITION.

OKAY?OKAY.

I'M GOING TO SCHEDULE YOUR SURGERY

FOR TWO MONTHS FROM NOW, AND WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO

IS CONTINUE TO LOSE AT LEAST 20 POUNDS A MONTH.

SO BY THE TIME OF YOUR OPERATION,

YOU SHOULD HAVE LOST ANOTHER 40 POUNDS.

IF YOU DO THAT AND YOUR TESTS ARE GOOD,

WE WILL MOVE AHEAD WITH YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

YOU THINK YOU CAN DO THAT?

YES. I KNOW I CAN.

GREAT. SO JUST KEEP GOING IN THE DIRECTION YOU ARE NOW,

AND IF YOU NEED ANYTHING

BEFORE I SEE YOU NEXT, GIVE ME A CALL.

OKAY.

ANY QUESTION?I HAVE A QUESTION.

YEAH.WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO CHECK ON

SOME OF THE THINGS WITH MY STOMACH?

SOMETIME IT'S CRAMPS.

AT TIMES, IT CAN BE GAS

OR UPSET STOMACH.

HAS IT BEEN GOING ON FOR LONG?

YEAH. I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH STOMACH ISSUES FOR A WHILE.

OKAY. AND SO WE NEED TO DETERMINE WHAT'S BEHIND THAT,

SO WE NEED TO DO ENDOSCOPY,

SEE WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOUR STOMACH PAIN

AND MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW,

IF WE HAVE WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

THAT NOT GOING TO AFFECT YOUR STOMACH PAIN,

MAKE IT WORSE, 'CAUSE THAT CAN BE A RISK FACTOR WITH THAT.

MM-HMM.

SO WE WILL SET YOU UP FOR THAT, OKAY?

BUT IF THE PAIN GET WORSE BEFORE THEN, LET ME KNOW.

OKAY.ALRIGHT.

ANY OTHER QUESTION?

NO. THAT'S IT.

OKAY. WELL, NICE TO SEE YOU.

NICE TO SEE YOU, TOO.AND NICE TO SEE YOU.

I'LL SEE YOU ALL AGAIN, OKAY?

ALRIGHT.ALRIGHT.

Dr. Nowzaradan: I'M VERY HAPPY TO SEE THAT ASHLEY HAS CONTINUED

TO IMPROVE ON HER EATING HABITS AND THE PROGRESS SHE'S MAKING.

AND EVEN THOUGH SHE'S NOT QUITE LOSING

THE AMOUNT I GAVE HER AS A GOAL,

I HAVE SEEN ENOUGH FROM HER TO CONVINCE ME

SHE'S WORKING HARD TO MAKE THE CHANGES SHE NEEDS

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE LONG RUN.

SHE IS STILL STRUGGLING WITH MAKING SOME EXCUSES,

AND SHE'S ALSO MAKING CHOICES

THAT SEEM TO BE MAKING HER SITUATION

MORE COMPLICATED AND STRESSFUL FOR HER AND HER KIDS.

SO WE WILL WORK WITH HER

TO CONTINUE TO ADDRESS THOSE THINGS WITH HER, AS WELL.

BUT AS LONG AS HER TESTS LOOK GOOD

AND SHE LOSES AT LEAST 40 POUNDS OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS,

THEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO MOVE AHEAD

WITH HER WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY HERE SOON.

Ashley: I HAVE A LOT OF EXCITEMENT RIGHT NOW,

AND I'M FEELING VERY PROUD OF MYSELF

FOR ACHIEVING APPROVAL TODAY.

I WAS FEARFUL IT WASN'T GOING TO HAPPEN

BECAUSE MY PROGRESS WASN'T LOW ENOUGH ON THE SCALE

TO BE AT MY GOAL, BUT MY HOPE WAS THAT DR. NOW

WOULD SEE THE POSITIVE WITH HOW FAR I COME.

AND I'M VERY THANKFUL HE DID

AND THAT HE'S MOVING ME AHEAD WITH WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN WORKING MY HARDEST FOR.

Ashley: SINCE I GOT MY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY APPROVED LAST MONTH,

I STAYED MOTIVATED TO CONTINUE ON TRACK

WITH MY PROGRESS LIKE DR. NOW SAID I HAD TO DO.

HE GAVE ME A GOAL OF LOSING A MINIMUM OF 20 POUNDS A MONTH

UNTIL SURGERY,

BUT MY GOAL FOR MYSELF THESE MONTHS

IS TO BE DOING AS GOOD AS I HAVE BEEN.

SO I'VE BEEN PUSHING MYSELF JUST AS HARD AND THEN HARDER NOW

BECAUSE I'M NOT ONLY STAYING STRICT WITH MY DIET,

BUT MY MOM SENT ME SOME MONEY

DEDICATED TO ME GETTING A GYM MEMBERSHIP

SO I COULD START MY EXERCISES AGAIN.

SO I FOUND A SMALL ONE THAT'S NOT TOO MUCH ON THE COSTLY SIDE.

I BEEN GOING TO IT TO BUILD SOME OF MY STAMINA UP,

AND THAT'S FELT REALLY GOOD, AND I'M PROUD OF MYSELF

FOR PRIORITIZING THIS AND FOR DOING THIS ON MY OWN,

BECAUSE I'M FINDING MOTIVATION IN MYSELF TO DO THIS

INSTEAD OF NEEDING TIFFANIE TO GO WITH ME,

TO ENCOURAGE ME AND BE A COMFORT FOR ME WHEN I PUSH MYSELF.

SO I'M FEELING REALLY GOOD.

MY MOBILITY IS GETTING BETTER BECAUSE I'VE BEEN WORKING OUT

SINCE EVEN BEFORE I WAS EATING CORRECTLY.

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN PUSHING AND FIGHTING,

SO I DO FEEL LIKE I'M IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

TO LOSE THE WEIGHT THAT DR. NOW WANT ME TO.

I'M NOT QUITE BACK TO WHERE I CAN BE

WITHOUT MY WALKER WHEN I GET AROUND,

BUT I KNOW THAT, AS I KEEP PUSHING MYSELF

AND STICK WITH THIS,

THAT I'LL BE BACK TO THAT PLACE SOON.

I DEFINITELY FEEL LIKE I'M LOSING WEIGHT.

IT FEELS A LOT BETTER.

BUT IT KIND OF HITS HOME

WHENEVER IT'S NIGHTTIME, YOU KNOW,

'CAUSE SOMETIMES I CAN'T SLEEP

'CAUSE I REALLY MISS MY CHILDREN.

OOH, I GET TO EAT.

-OH, OH, OH. -OH, I'M SORRY.

I'M HOT, BUT I AIN'T TRYING TO BE THAT KIND OF HOT.

MUY CALIENTENOW.

IT'S NOT A HOT GIRL SUMMER.

OKAY. I'LL GRAB PLATES.

I KNOW THE BIGGEST ELEMENT TO MY PROGRESS

FROM WHAT DR. NOW REMINDS ME IS MY EATING.

SO I'VE BEEN HOLDING TO MY DIET JUST LIKE I WAS

AND MAKING HEALTHY MEALS FOR ME AND TIFFANIE TO EAT.

AND I THINK I'M GETTING GOOD AT GETTING IT TASTY

BUT KEEPING THE CALORIES LOW STILL IN COMPLIANCE TO THE DIET.

OLD ASHLEY WOULD HAVE HAD A GUMBO WITH A POTATO SALAD

OR éTOUFFéE WITH THE TEXAS TOAST.

I FEEL LIKE THE CHANGES ARE HUGE.

SEE?

Tiffanie: ASHLEY'S DOING REAL GOOD. EVER SINCE WE MOVE OUT HERE,

SHE'S CHANGED SO MUCH OF HER FOOD,

AND I BELIEVE THAT SHE WILL HAVE HER SURGERY.

COME ON, BEAUTIFUL.

NO.

I FEEL BEAUTIFUL IS PAIN IS A DIFFERENT LEVEL.

GIRL, JUST THINK ABOUT IT.

YOU GOT TO FEEL THE PAIN BEFORE YOU FEEL THE REWARD.

FEELING LIKE A WARRIOR ABOUT TO EAT THIS GOURMET MEAL.

LOOK WHAT I FOUND.

Ashley: SO I'M FEELING VERY GOOD ABOUT ALL MY PROGRESS

AND THAT I'M LOWERING MY WEIGHT LIKE I NEED

SO THAT WHEN I GO TO GET MY SURGERY,

I'LL BE AT THE GOAL I NEED,

AND DR. NOW WILL MOVE AHEAD WITH ME

SO I CAN BE ABLE TO TAKE THE STEP I'VE BEEN WAITING ON,

TO GET TO THE PLACE THAT I NEED WITH MY NEW LIFE.

AND I'M VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.

RIGHT NOW, ME AND MY SISTER ARE HEADED BACK TO DR. NOW'S CLINIC

BECAUSE HIS OFFICE CALLED ME AND ASKED ME TO COME BACK IN.

SO THAT'S WHAT I'M DOING,

BUT I'M EXTREMELY NERVOUS ABOUT THIS,

BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THE REASON WHY THEY NEED THIS FROM ME.

MY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY IS SUPPOSED TO BE NEXT WEEK,

AND THEY DID MY TESTING FOR IT LIKE TWO DAYS AGO.

SO MY SPECULATION IS THAT THEY MAYBE FOUND SOMETHING

THAT'S AN ISSUE

TO KEEP ME FROM MOVING AHEAD WITH MY SURGERY.

THANK YOU.

AND I'M VERY SCARED OF THAT, BECAUSE, IF THAT HAPPENS,

IT'S GOING TO DEVASTATE ME,

BECAUSE IF I'M NOT ABLE TO DO THIS,

THEN I'M GOING TO LOSE ALL I WORKED FOR.

THANK YOU.

SO I'M PRAYING THAT'S NOT THE SITUATION I'M GOING INTO,

BUT I'M TERRIFIED IT IS AND THAT THERE'S SOME REASON

I'M GOING TO BE TOLD I'M NOT ABLE TO CONTINUE ON.

THAT'S GOING TO COST ME EVERYTHING.

Ashley: ME AND MY SISTER ARE BACK AT DR. NOW'S

FOR AN UNEXPECTED APPOINTMENT BECAUSE HE WANTED TO SEE ME.

AND MY BIG CONCERN IS THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH MY TESTING

THAT'S SHOWING I'M NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET

MY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY LIKE I WAS SUPPOSED TO NEXT WEEK.

SO MY NERVES ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE,

AND I'M EXTREMELY WORRIED ABOUT WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN.

ASHLEY?

I HOPEFULLY WILL HAVE GOOD NEWS FROM THE SCALE

WITH MY WEIGHT LOSS, BECAUSE I'VE NOT SLACKED

ON PUSHING MYSELF THE HARDEST I CAN.

THE LAST NUMBER I GOT FROM THE SCALE WAS 520 TWO MONTHS AGO,

AND THE GOAL I NEEDED FROM DR. NOW

WAS TO LOSE ANOTHER 40 POUNDS BY NEXT WEEK

SINCE THAT'S WHEN MY SURGERY IS SUPPOSED TO BE.

BUT I'VE WORKED TO SURPASS THAT FOR MY OWN GOALS OF LOSING MORE,

SO I THINK I'LL GET A GOOD NUMBER TODAY.

I WISH I FELT MORE LIKE CELEBRATING THAT NUMBER.

AND NORMALLY, THIS WOULD BE A VERY MEMORABLE MOMENT

FOR ME TO DO THAT WITH BEING IN THE 400s.

BUT I'M FEARING WHAT DR. NOW MIGHT TELL ME

AND IF IT'LL MEAN I CAN'T MOVE AHEAD WITH THE SURGERY I NEED

'CAUSE MY PROGRESS WILL ALL BE POINTLESS

IF I'M NOT ABLE TO AT LEAST

GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY TO KEEP IT OFF.

HI, ASHLEY.HEY.

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

I'M DOING GOOD.

SO, AS YOU KNOW, WE RAN THE TESTS WE NEED

TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY MEDICAL ISSUES WITH MOVING AHEAD

WITH WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY FOR YOU.

AND THE ISSUE WE GOT THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU SEEMED LIKE

TO HAVE SOME DIGESTIVE PROBLEM WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

WITH THIS ABDOMINAL PAIN THAT YOU HAVE.

MY CONCERN IS THAT IF WE DO WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

THAT ISSUE MAY BECOME MORE EXAGGERATED

AND GIVE US MORE TROUBLE WITH THAT.

SO I THINK WE NEED TO TREAT THAT CONDITION

THAT YOU HAVE WITH YOUR G.I. TRACK

BEFORE WE DO WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY, OKAY?

OKAY.AND SEE IF WE CAN GET YOU

TO COMPLETELY RECOVER FROM THAT

BEFORE WE DO WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

YOU ALSO LOOK LIKE THAT YOU HAVE SOME GALL BLADDER PROBLEM

THAT WE MAY HAVE TO ADDRESS THAT, TOO.

OKAY.OKAY?

ALRIGHT. BUT THE MEANTIME, I DON'T WANT YOU TO SLIP BACK

AND START GAINING WEIGHT.

SO THAT'S GOING TO BE VERY IMPORTANT.

SO WE'RE GOING TO START DOING SOME MEDICATION FOR YOUR I.B.S.,

AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO SEE HOW YOU'RE DOING IN A MONTH,

AND I'M GOING TO SEE WHAT KIND OF PROGRESS YOU'RE GONNA MAKE.

OKAY?OKAY.

IT MAY TAKE LONGER, EVEN THREE TO SIX MONTH,

BUT WE'LL SEE HOW YOU RESPOND TO TREATMENT.

AND AS LONG AS YOU STAY ON TRACK WITH YOUR WEIGHT LOSS,

WE SEE IF THERE'S ANY WAY WE CAN MOVE AHEAD

WITH YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY THEN.

SO MAKE SURE YOU TAKE YOUR MEDICATION AND FOLLOW THE DIET

AND SEE IF WE CAN GET YOU CHECKED OUT IN ONE MONTH

AND SEE HOW YOU'RE DOING, OKAY?

ALRIGHT.ALRIGHT, ASHLEY.

IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, LET ME KNOW.

OKAY.NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

NICE TO SEE YOU, TOO.

THAT EXPLAIN THAT PAIN, THOUGH.

I KNEW THIS BEEN HURTING.

I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT ASHLEY HAS CONTINUED

TO MAKE MORE PROGRESS WITH HER WEIGHT LOSS

AND IS DOWN TO THE 400s NOW.

AND IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE MEDICAL ISSUES SHE HAS,

WE WOULD BE MOVING AHEAD WITH HER WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

IT WOULDN'T CREATE ANY LIFE- THREATENING SCENARIO FOR HER,

BUT IT COULD EXAGGERATE AND WORSEN THE PAIN

SHE HAS FROM IT TO A VERY SEVERE POINT

THAT COULD BECOME UNBEARABLE FOR HER.

SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT WE TREAT HER

AND RESOLVE THOSE ISSUES FIRST.

BUT THERE IS NO WAY TO DETERMINE HOW LONG THAT WILL TAKE.

HOPEFULLY, SHE RESPONDS WELL ENOUGH TO TREATMENT

TO WHERE WE WILL BE ABLE TO MOVE AHEAD

WITH HER WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY NEXT MONTH.

BUT IT IS POSSIBLE IT COULD TAKE THREE TO SIX MONTHS

OR LONGER TO RESOLVE THOSE ISSUE TO THE DEGREE WE NEED.

AND UNTIL THEN, ASHLEY NEEDS TO STAY MOTIVATED

AND KEEP LOSING WEIGHT AND MAKING PROGRESS.

Ashley: THIS IS AN EXTREMELY HARD MOMENT FOR ME,

TO FIND OUT MY ISSUES HAVE AN EFFECT

ON MY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

AND MY BIGGEST FEAR WITH THIS IS THAT I WON'T EVER GET IT.

SO TODAY IS A STRUGGLE FOR ME, AND I FEEL VERY LET DOWN,

AND I'M VERY SCARED ABOUT MY FUTURE RIGHT NOW,

BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS IN THE AIR FOR ME,

AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE OUTCOME IS GOING TO BE.

I'VE JUST BEEN STRUGGLING WITH MY WILL AND MOTIVATION

SINCE SEEING DR. NOW FOR MY UNEXPECTED APPOINTMENT

WHERE I GOT THE BAD NEWS

MY SURGERY WAS NEEDING TO BE DELAYED.

AND I KNOW I'M MAKING MISTAKES I SHOULDN'T BE MAKING RIGHT NOW,

BUT I FEEL LIKE I GAVE THIS MY ALL

AND EVERYTHING THAT WAS IN ME TO DO IT,

EVEN SACRIFICING BEING WITH MY KIDS

TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING THAT I DID.

THEN IT FELT LIKE IT WAS TAKEN FROM ME, LIKE I GOT THIS TROPHY,

AND THEN SOMEONE TOLD ME I COULDN'T KEEP IT

AND TOOK IT BACK.

AND THE PAIN OF MISSING MY KIDS AND WHAT I'M HAVING TO GIVE UP

HAS JUST FELT LIKE MORE WEIGHT TO ME SINCE THEN,

BECAUSE WHAT IF I'M DOING ALL THAT FOR NOTHING?

WHAT IF I'M SEPARATING MYSELF FROM MY KIDS

FOR SOMETHING I'M NEVER GOING TO DO?

SO THIS HAS JUST BEEN HARD ON ME.

AND WHAT HELPS ME DEAL WITH THAT,

WHEN I GET TO A CERTAIN POINT, IS THE COMFORT OF FOOD,

ESPECIALLY WHEN I'M MISSING MY BABIES,

BECAUSE I MISS THEM SO GREATLY RIGHT NOW.

AND THE FEAR THAT THIS COULD ALL BE FOR NOTHING

JUST GETS OVERWHELMING TO ME.

SO I'M GIVING IN MORE THAN I SHOULD

JUST TO SURVIVE WITH MY WORRY

AND THE PAIN FROM THE SEPARATION I HAVE

WITH MY CHILDREN AND FAMILY THROUGH THIS,

BECAUSE THAT'S THE HARDEST FOR ME IN ALL THIS RIGHT NOW,

AND I JUST WANT TO BE WITH THEM.

MOM, CAN I TALK TO AMIYAH, PLEASE?

HI!

MAMA, YOU STILL GOT IT TOO HIGH.

HI, AMIYAH!

MARIE: Give Mommy kiss. Mwah!

MWAH!

HI -- I MISS YOU!

OH, MWAH.

Aww. She misses her mama.

Aww.

OH.

MWAH.

HI!

YOU SMILE SO PRETTY.

THIS IS SO HARD FOR ME RIGHT NOW,

BECAUSE EVERY DAY I'M DOING THIS

IS ANOTHER MOMENT I'M NOT WITH MY KIDS.

DAMN IT.

HI, MIYAH.

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU, MIYAH.

ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. GO EAT YOUR FOOD.

I LOVE YOU.

GOODBYE.

I LOVE YOU.

AND IT'S HARD TO IGNORE THOSE FEELINGS AND FEARS

THAT ARE MAKING ME STRUGGLE WITH IT.

SO I'M JUST NOT SURE IF I HAVE ANY ABILITY TO KEEP DOING THIS,

AND I'M VERY AFRAID THAT JUST ALL WAS JUST FOR NOTHING

AND THERE'S NO MORE HOPE FOR ME.

Ashley: I'M GOING BACK TO DR. NOW WITH MY SISTER AGAIN,

AND THE HOPE IS THAT THERE HAS BEEN PROGRESS

WITH MY MEDICAL ISSUES

TO WHERE I CAN MOVE AHEAD WITH MY SURGERY.

BUT MY HONEST WORRY IS THAT I'M JUST GETTING MORE BAD NEWS TODAY

BECAUSE I'M STILL HAVING SOME STOMACH PAINS,

SO I'M TAKING THAT TO CONCLUDE THE I.B.S. IS STILL AN ISSUE.

AND I'M ALSO FIGURING MY PROGRESS

ISN'T GOING TO BE AS MUCH AS THE LAST TIME

BECAUSE OF HOW I'VE STRUGGLED.

ASHLEY?

I WAS DOING REALLY WELL FOR MANY MONTHS,

AND I WAS DOWN TO 468 LAST TIME,

AND DR. NOW DIDN'T GIVE ME ANY GOALS

OTHER THAN TO KEEP LOSING MORE.

BUT I KNOW MY PROGRESS ISN'T GOING TO BE AS GREAT

AS IT HAS BEEN EACH TIME

BECAUSE OF THE SLIP-UPS I HAD WITH MY STRUGGLING,

SO MY GUESS IS MY PROGRESS

WILL BE MORE AROUND 5 TO 10 POUNDS OF LOSS TODAY,

WHICH WOULD BE A SLOWDOWN FOR ME, BUT IT'D STILL BE PROGRESS.

I'M IN SOME SHOCK AT THAT.

I KNOW I HAD A LOT OF STRUGGLES THIS PAST MONTH,

BUT TO SEE SUCH A RISE IN MY NUMBER

IS A SURPRISE I WASN'T EXPECTING.

SO I'M JUST A LITTLE OFF-GUARD RIGHT NOW

AND NOT EVEN SURE WHAT MY THOUGHTS ARE.

BUT THAT'S VERY WORRISOME TO ME.

AND MY MIND IS FLUTTERING WITH CONCERNS

ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS FOR ME WITH NEXT STEPS

AND WHAT THOUGHTS DR. NOW IS GOING TO HAVE ABOUT ME NOW.

I'M WORRIED ABOUT MY TESTING

AND MY MEDICAL ISSUES,

BUT THIS IS THE ISSUE THAT'S ON THE FRONT OF MY MIND RIGHT NOW

AND THAT'S GIVING ME THE MOST FEAR.

HELLO.HI.

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

GOOD.

SO, ASHLEY, YOU NEED TO STAY ON TRACK

AND TRY TO LOSE WEIGHT

SO WE CAN MOVE AHEAD WITH YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY

AS SOON AS WE RESOLVE YOUR MEDICAL ISSUES.

BUT WITH THE WEIGHT GAIN OF 34 POUNDS IN A MONTH,

IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE GOING OFF THE RAILS.

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

WELL, A LOT OF IT IS THE STRESS AND WORRYING ABOUT MY SURGERY

AND IF I'M GOING TO GET IT.

SO STRESS EATING IS THE EXCUSE AGAIN FOR YOU, HUH?

IT'S JUST HARD.

OKAY. WELL, YOUR ULTRASOUND AND TESTS SHOW

THAT WE ARE MAKING SOME PROGRESS

TO SUCCESSFULLY TREAT YOUR I.B.S.

BUT NOW THE ISSUE IS WE HAVE TO RESOLVE THAT

ON TOP OF GETTING YOU BACK ON TRACK WITH YOUR WEIGHT LOSS

AND PROVING TO ME YOU'RE STICKING WITH THAT

LIKE YOU NEED AGAIN.

SO YOU ARE MAKING YOUR SITUATION WORSE.

AND IF YOU CONTINUE LIKE THIS,

IT WILL ONLY TAKE A FEW MONTHS FOR YOU TO COMPLETELY UNDO

ALL THE WEIGHT LOSS YOU HAVE MADE.

YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?

YES, I DO.

OKAY. WE'LL CONTINUE TO TREAT YOU FOR I.B.S.

TO RESOLVE THAT ISSUE AND GET IT UNDER CONTROL.

AND WHAT I NEED TO SEE FROM YOU NOW

IS I WANT YOU TO LOSE 80 POUNDS OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS AGAIN.

AND IF YOU DO THAT, YOU GET BACK ON TRACK,

ONCE WE RESOLVE YOUR MEDICAL ISSUES,

WE CAN MOVE AHEAD WITH YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

BUT IF YOU DON'T, THEN WE WON'T.

YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?

YES.

OKAY. GREAT.

ALRIGHT. I'LL SEE YOU IN TWO MONTHS.

IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, GIVE ME A CALL.

THANK YOU.ALRIGHT.

Tiffanie: YOU REALLY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BACK UP SOME MORE

ON WHAT YOU'RE DOING...MM-HMM.

...'CAUSE YOU HAVE TO SHRINK THAT LEVEL.

YEAH.

THERE IS NOBODY'S FAULT BUT YOURS.

IT'S WHEN WE DON'T TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR OURSELVES.

THAT GETS --WHO FIX MY FOOD?

I TRY TO DROP KNOWLEDGE ON YOU, AND YOU STILL FIGHT ME.

IT'S SO --I'M NOT GOING BACK AND FORTH.

I'M NOT DOING THIS.

ALRIGHT, TIFFANIE. OKAY. WHATEVER.

Dr. Nowzaradan: I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED TO NOT ONLY SEE A WEIGHT GAIN

FROM ASHLEY AT THIS POINT, BUT ALSO WITH THE AMOUNT

SHE GAINED IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME,

BECAUSE A 34-POUND GAIN IN ONE MONTH IS VERY CONCERNING.

SO MY HOPE IS THAT THIS WAS JUST A TEMPORARY STRUGGLE

AND NOT THE BEGINNING OF HER FALLING BACK INTO HER OLD HABIT

OF USING STRESS AS AN EXCUSE TO JUSTIFY HER OVEREATING.

HER I.B.S. IS SOMETHING WE STILL NEED TO FINISH ADDRESSING

AND FULLY TREAT

BEFORE WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY IS AN OPTION AGAIN,

AND THAT STILL COULD TAKE MONTHS.

BUT EVEN IF WE DO THAT,

IF ASHLEY DOESN'T GET BACK ON TRACK WITH HER WEIGHT LOSS,

SURGERY WILL STILL NOT BE AN OPTION FOR HER.

SO THE NEXT FEW MONTHS WILL DETERMINE WHETHER ASHLEY

IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET BACK TO WHERE SHE NEEDS TO SUCCEED

OR IF SHE'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO SPIRAL OUT OF CONTROL

UNTIL SHE SELF-DESTRUCTS

AND LOSES HER CHANCE TO GET HEALTHY AND SAVE HER LIFE.

Ashley: THIS MOMENT TODAY, BEING BEFORE THE SCALE

AND HEARING WHAT DR. NOW SAID, REALLY SHOOK ME A LOT.

AND I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO WHERE I WAS NOW.

SO I KNOW I HAVE TO GO AND START TO SEARCH MY SOUL

TO FIND MY STRENGTH AGAIN, BECAUSE IT WAS SHOCKING

TO SEE HOW FAST I WENT BACK THE OTHER WAY.

AND I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN TO MYSELF.

SO I HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO GET RIGHT AGAIN

BEFORE I GET MORE OUT OF CONTROL.

COME ON.

LET'S GO FOR A WALK.

ALRIGHT.

YOU WANT TO TAKE YOUR WALKER?

YEAH, PROBABLY,

BECAUSE MY LEG IS HURTING.

FOR THE PAST MONTH, I BEEN FOCUSED

ON GETTING BACK TO WHERE I NEED,

AND TIFFANIE HAS BEEN A BIG SUPPORT TO ME IN DOING THAT.

SHE WAS SHOOK WITH SEEING THE GAIN I HAD

AT MY APPOINTMENT, TOO,

SO SHE'S BEEN AN ENCOURAGEMENT, HELPING ME TO BE MORE POSITIVE

AND FOCUS ON GETTING RIGHT AGAIN.

BUT IT'S STILL A STRUGGLE,

AND I DO HAVE A HARD TIME WITH NEGATIVITY AT MOMENTS,

BECAUSE ALL THOSE FEARS AND WORRIES I HAVE

AREN'T JUST GOING TO GO AWAY.

COME ON.

COME ON.

CATCH YOU, AND I'LL RUN YOU OVER.

AND I'M STILL STRUGGLING WITH THE SETBACK.

BUT WHAT I REALIZE IS HOW I'M NOT READY TO GIVE UP.

SEEING MY WEIGHT GAIN WAS A MOMENT OF REALIZATION

OF HOW BADLY I DON'T WANT TO LOSE THIS.

SO I'M SEARCHING MY SOUL TO KEEP FINDING MY MOTIVATION,

AND, MOST OF THE TIME, THAT'S MY KIDS,

AND I KNOW I HAVE TO DO THIS FOR THEM.

DR. NOW SAYS THAT IT COULD TAKE MONTHS

TO GET TO WHERE MY MEDICAL ISSUES

AND MY I.B.S. ARE TREATED ENOUGH

TO WHERE I COULD HAVE MY SURGERY WITHOUT ISSUES,

SO THAT COULD BE A LONG TIME.

SO MY FOCUS IS BACK TO HIT THE GOAL

TO SHOW HIM I'M BACK ON TRACK,

AND THAT MEANS I'M STRICT WITH MY DIET LIKE I WAS

AND EXERCISING EVERY DAY AGAIN.

AND WHEN THE DARK MOMENTS THAT LED ME TO STRUGGLING COME,

MY SISTER SAYS WE'RE JUST GOING TO GET OUTSIDE AND BE ACTIVE

UNTIL THEY GO BACK TO WHERE THEY CAME FROM.

MM.

IT'S BEEN A MINUTE, HUH?

CATCH IT.

OH, SHE'S STILL GOT SOMETHING.

OH!

HOLD ON.

YOU GOT UP!

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TOMORROW HOLDS FOR ME.

ALL I KNOW IS THAT I'M NOT READY TO GIVE UP.

SO I'M GOING TO KEEP FINDING IT WITHIN ME TO KEEP PUSHING HARD

SO I CAN KEEP MOVING FORWARD HOWEVER MUCH I CAN

AND GIVE MYSELF FAITH AND HOPE

THAT IF I DO THAT MY HARDEST AND I KEEP FIGHTING,

THAT I'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE IT

AND THAT I'LL HAVE THAT LIFE I'M WORKING TO

FOR ME AND MY KIDS.