Original subtitles

Megan: FOOD IS THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES ME FEEL

ALL THE WAYS I WANT TO FEEL.

SO THAT MEANS GASTRIC BYPASS IS THE ONLY HOPE I HAVE TO CHANGE.

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 GONNA BE TOO LATE.

IT HURTS!

Woman #3: I REFUSE TO STOP FIGHTING.

I HAVE TO DO THIS FOR MY CHILDREN.

I'M TRYING TO OPEN MY HORIZONS TO VEGETABLES

BECAUSE I'M A PRETTY PICKY EATER.

YOU'RE NOT A PICKY EATER IF YOU ARE 600 POUNDS.

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

THE FIRST THING I THINK OF WHEN I GET UP IN THE MORNING

IS IF TODAY'S GONNA BE THE DAY THAT I LOSE MY BATTLE

BECAUSE MY BODY FINALLY GIVES OUT FROM MY WEIGHT.

OR WILL I BE ABLE TO SURVIVE ANOTHER DAY?

MOST DAYS I FEEL LIKE I WON'T.

BECAUSE WITH ALL THE WEIGHT I HAVE ON ME

AND THE PAIN AND ACHES IT GIVES MY WHOLE BODY,

I FEEL LIKE I'M A PRISONER IN MY OWN BODY.

TO THE POINT WHERE I HAVE TO LIVE WITH MY MOM

BECAUSE I'M TOO BIG TO EVEN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF ON MY OWN.

Donna: MEGAN DOES HAVE A WEIGHT ISSUE.

BECAUSE OF HER WEIGHT, SHE CAN'T DO ANYTHING. SHE NEEDS HELP.

SO SHE MOVED INTO MY HOUSE SO IT COULD BE A LOT EASIER FOR HER.

BUT SHE HAS BEEN DOING LESS AND LESS EACH DAY.

SHE JUST CONSTANTLY EATS AND EATS.

BUT I DO FIX A MEAL WHEN SHE WAKES UP

'CAUSE I KNOW SHE'S HUNGRY AND AS A MOTHER,

I DON'T WANT HER TO GO WITHOUT IT.

Megan: I CAN'T PHYSICALLY GET UP AND DO STUFF

JUST BECAUSE MY BODY HURTS SO BAD BECAUSE OF MY WEIGHT.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE INDEPENDENT AND NOT HAVE TO RELY ON ANYONE.

I KNOW IT'S A BURDEN ON MY MOM AND I HATE THAT FEELING.

AND IT'S GETTING WORSE EVERY DAY

BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE MY LEGS ARE GETTING WEAKER AND WEAKER.

AND EVENTUALLY ONE DAY, THEY'RE JUST GOING TO

NOT BE ABLE TO CARRY MY WEIGHT.

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, I'LL BE IMMOBILE,

AND I'M DREADING THAT.

I WISH I COULD CHANGE AND BE HEALTHY

AND BE HAPPY WITH MY BODY.

BUT I CAN'T BECAUSE THE ONLY THING THAT GIVES ME

ANY HAPPINESS IS THE SAME THING MAKING ME THIS WAY --

EATING FOOD.

-GOOD MORNING. -MORNING.

HOW ARE YOU TODAY?

GOOD.

GOOD. I'M FIXING YOU SOME BREAKFAST.

WOULD THAT SOUND OKAY?

OKAY. YEAH.

Megan: I LOVE TO EAT.

AFTER I GET DRESSED,

IT'S THE FIRST THING I WANT TO DO EVERY SINGLE DAY.

MY MOM MAKES ME BREAKFAST, AND I CAN'T WAIT FOR IT.

IT'S ONE OF THE FEW THINGS I GET UP FOR

BECAUSE IT MAKES THE PAIN GO AWAY.

MEGAN CAN'T DO ANYTHING LIKE SHE USED TO BE ABLE TO.

AND SO, SHE JUST EATS FOR COMFORT.

AND I JUST WANT MEGAN TO HAVE A HAPPY LIFE,

YOU KNOW.

SO I LET HER EAT AND EAT, YOU KNOW,

WHICH I SHOULDN'T, BUT I DO.

Megan: EATING IS MY FAVORITE THING TO DO,

AND I KNOW IT'S BECAUSE FOOD IS A COMFORT MECHANISM FOR ME.

AND WHEN I EAT, I FEEL A SENSE OF LOVE

AND A SENSE OF FULLNESS AND ACCOMPLISHMENT.

AND BECAUSE OF THAT, I FEEL THAT FOOD IS MY CLOSEST BEST FRIEND.

IT ALWAYS TAKES CARE OF ME NO MATTER HOW BAD MY LIFE IS.

IT'S EVERYTHING TO ME.

ARE YOU FINISHED, HONEY?

YEAH. OKAY.

DO YOU WANT TO GO WITH ME TO THE STORE?

YEAH. I'LL GO WITH YOU.

ON DAYS WHEN I FEEL UP TO IT,

I GO TO THE GROCERY STORE WITH MY MOM.

IT'S REALLY THE ONLY THING I EVER GO OUT FOR ANYMORE.

AND IT'S LIKE CHRISTMAS DAY FOR ME,

BEING AROUND ALL THAT FOOD AND ALL THOSE OPTIONS.

BEING IN PUBLIC IS SOMETHING I DREAD

BECAUSE OF HOW PEOPLE LOOK AT ME

AND HOW HARD IT IS FOR ME TO GET AROUND.

AND THE ONLY WAY I'M EVEN ABLE TO HANDLE IT

IS THAT I USE THE MOTORIZED CARTS THAT THEY HAVE.

WITHOUT THOSE, THERE'D BE NO WAY I'D BE ABLE TO GO WITH MY MOM.

IT'S HARD TO DESCRIBE THE JOY AND EXCITEMENT

I FEEL EVERY TIME I GO INTO THE GROCERY STORE.

THERE'S MARSHMALLOW MARS.

YOU WANT TO GET SOME? YEAH.

OOH, THE CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOW ONE, MOM.

IT'S THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD TO ME

AND I WISH I COULD GET EVERYTHING

I HAVE A CRAVING FOR, BUT WE CAN'T AFFORD THAT.

SO I HAVE TO BE SELECTIVE TO MAKE SURE

I GET ENOUGH OF WHAT I WANT.

HERE ARE PEAS, HONEY.

OKAY.

WHEN WE GO GROCERY SHOPPING, MEGAN WILL GET UPSET WITH ME

WHEN I TELL HER SHE SHOULDN'T EAT THE SWEETS.

I'M TRYING TO GET HER HEALTHIER SNACKS LIKE CHIPS,

BUT MEGAN NEEDS QUITE A BIT OF SWEETS,

SO WE'LL GET CANDY, CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE CAKE,

CUPCAKE, SODA, COUPLE THINGS TO MAKE COOKIES.

SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME SAD

BECAUSE SHE NEEDS TO EAT THE HEALTHIER FOOD,

BUT MEGAN DOES HAVE A SWEET TOOTH.

-HAVE A GOOD DAY. -YOU TOO.

Megan: ONCE I FEEL LIKE I HAVE ENOUGH

TO AT LEAST LAST ME FOR A LITTLE BIT,

THE NEXT THING IS, IS I JUST HAVE TO PUSH MYSELF

A LITTLE LONGER TO GET HOME BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT'S COMING.

AND I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO EAT SOMETHING

THAT LETS ME ESCAPE MY LIFE AGAIN.

WHEN IT COMES TO EATING, I CAN FORGET ABOUT MY PAST

AND ALL THE THINGS THAT HAVE HURT ME

AND THINGS OTHER PEOPLE HAVE DONE TO ME

THAT HAVE LED ME HERE,

THAT I WISH I COULD CHANGE BUT I CAN'T.

GROWING UP, I FEEL LIKE THINGS

WITH MY PARENTS AND ME WERE ALWAYS GOOD,

BUT THAT WASN'T THE CASE WITH MY SIBLINGS.

I HAVE TWO HALF SISTERS,

EMILY AND ASHLEY, FROM MY MOM'S PREVIOUS MARRIAGE.

AND EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE MY STEPSISTERS,

THEY WERE REALLY JEALOUS OF ME

BECAUSE THEIR DAD WAS NOT IN THEIR LIFE AND MINE WAS.

AND THEY HELD THAT AGAINST ME,

AND THEY TREATED ME LIKE I WAS THE OUTCAST.

OUR MOM WAS A PHARMACY TECHNICIAN,

AND SHE HAD TO WORK A LOT, SO SHE REALLY WASN'T HOME A LOT.

BUT MY DAD ONLY WORKED UNTIL LIKE 5:00 OR 6:00 AT NIGHT,

SO HE'D BE HERE WITH ME AT NIGHT AND WE'D HANG OUT TOGETHER.

AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE RESENTMENT

STARTED WITH MY SISTERS.

EMILY AND ASHLEY WAS MEAN TO MEGAN

BECAUSE SHE HAD A DIFFERENT FATHER THAN THEM,

AND THEY DIDN'T WANT MEGAN TO BE IN THE PICTURE.

THEY DIDN'T LIKE THAT.

Megan: THINGS JUST GOT WORSE BETWEEN ME AND MY SISTERS

AS I GOT OLDER,

AND I JUST FOCUSED ON SPENDING TIME

WITH MY DAD AND BEING WITH HIM.

HE WAS MY SAFE PLACE.

AND I WAS HAPPY WHEN WE WERE SPENDING TIME TOGETHER.

AND MOST OF THE TIME, HE'D END UP GETTING ME

WHATEVER I WANTED TO EAT -- PIZZA, CHIPS, SODA, FAST FOOD,

ESPECIALLY SINCE MY DAD DIDN'T COOK.

AND I STARTED TO KIND OF THINK OF MY TIME WITH MY DAD

AS MY TIME TO EAT.

AND BECAUSE OF THAT, BY THE TIME I WAS 5 OR 6,

I PROBABLY WEIGHED ABOUT 250 POUNDS.

MY MOM ALWAYS TRIED TO PUT ME ON DIETS,

BUT SHE WAS NEVER AROUND.

AND MY DAD JUST IGNORED THE RESTRICTIONS

MY MOM PUT ON MY EATING.

SO I KEPT GETTING BIGGER AND PUTTING ON MORE WEIGHT

AND GOT OVER 300 WHEN I WAS 11.

BUT THAT'S WHEN THINGS CHANGED IN MY LIFE

BECAUSE MY PARENTS ENDED UP GETTING A DIVORCE THEN.

AND IT SEEMED LIKE IT ALL HAPPENED SUDDENLY.

WHEN MY DAD LEFT, IT WAS VERY, VERY HARD FOR ME

BECAUSE I WAS VERY, VERY CLOSE WITH MY DAD.

SO I WAS DEVASTATED.

AND TO MAKE THINGS A LOT WORSE,

WITH MY DAD GONE NOW AND MY MOM STILL WORKING ALL THE TIME,

I HAD TO BE HOME ALONE WITH MY SISTERS

WHO WERE EXTREMELY MEAN TO ME.

SO I WOULD EAT WHATEVER I WANTED TO TRY

TO MAKE MYSELF FEEL BETTER.

I THINK MEGAN TURNED TO FOOD FOR COMFORT

WHEN ME AND MEGAN'S FATHER GOT A DIVORCE.

MEGAN WAS REALLY SAD WHEN HER DAD LEFT

BECAUSE HE WAS ALWAYS HERE WITH HER AT THE HOUSE.

I WASN'T HERE A LOT, SO SHE'D GET UP IN THE CABINETS

AND EVERYTHING AND GET FOOD AND MAKE FOOD.

AND SHE WAS WITH FOOD ALL THE TIME.

Megan: SO THOSE YEARS WERE THE HARDEST FOR ME

WITH HOW BAD IT WAS AT HOME AND SCHOOL.

MY HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE WAS AWFUL

BECAUSE I GOT MADE FUN OF EVERY DAY FOR MY WEIGHT,

AND I HATED SCHOOL.

I NEVER WANTED TO GO BECAUSE OF THAT.

IT WAS LIKE THERE WAS NOWHERE SAFE

I COULD GO ANYMORE, EXCEPT TO FOOD.

AND WHEN I WAS 17, IT GOT TO BE WHERE I COULDN'T TAKE IT,

SO I JUST WANTED TO LEAVE TO BE WITH MY DAD AFTER THAT.

AND I ASKED HIM IF I COULD COME LIVE WITH HIM,

AND HE SAID I COULD.

SO I MOVED OUT OF MY MOM'S HOUSE AND INTO HIS.

I WAS NOT SPEAKING TO MY MOM AT THAT TIME.

AND SO I WAS VERY THANKFUL TO BE BACK WITH MY DAD.

BUT, YOU KNOW, BEING BACK WITH HIM,

THERE WERE NO RESTRICTIONS ON MY EATING.

SO BY THE TIME I GOT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL, OVER THE NEXT YEAR,

I WAS CLOSE TO 600 POUNDS.

MY PLAN AFTER THAT WAS TO GET A JOB

TO TRY AND GET A PLACE OF MY OWN,

BUT THAT WAS HARD FOR ME TO DO AT THAT WEIGHT

BECAUSE I COULDN'T STAND.

SO ALL I'VE BEEN ABLE TO ARE SIT-DOWN JOBS

WHERE I DON'T HAVE TO STAND OR BE ACTIVE.

AND THAT'S MADE IT HARD TO MAKE MUCH OF A LIVING

TO WHERE I COULD GET OUT ON MY OWN,

SO I KEPT LIVING WITH MY DAD.

DATING AT MY SIZE IS VERY, VERY HARD

BECAUSE A LOT OF GUYS DON'T LIKE THE LOOK OF A BIGGER GIRL.

BUT I MET SOMEONE ONLINE WHO I STARTED TO SEE,

BUT HE WASN'T THE BEST INFLUENCE ON ME.

HE STARTED BECOMING MENTALLY ABUSIVE,

AND I KEPT SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL WITH MY LIFE...

...NOT JUST WITH MY EATING,

BUT I STARTED TO PARTY SOME, TOO,

AND FELL IN WITH A BAD CROWD

WHERE I WAS DRINKING AND DOING OTHER THINGS.

SO I WAS GETTING TO A REALLY BAD PLACE

AND I JUST KEPT GOING ON THAT ROAD.

AND EVENTUALLY, I REALIZED I HAD TO STOP.

AND I CALLED MY MOM AND ASKED HER

IF I COULD MOVE BACK WITH HER AND SHE SAID I COULD.

I WAS 20 THEN AND MY SISTERS HAD MOVED OUT OF HER HOUSE,

SO OUR RELATIONSHIP GOT A LITTLE BETTER AFTER THAT,

BUT IT'S STILL A LITTLE STRAINED BECAUSE OF EVERYTHING

AND I'M STILL NOT ON TALKING TERMS WITH MY SISTERS.

MOVING IN WITH MY MOM AGAIN DID HELP ME

TO START TO GET MY LIFE BACK

ON TRACK IN A LOT OF WAYS, BUT NOT WITH MY EATING

BECAUSE THAT'S NEVER CHANGED TO THE POINT NOW WHERE I'M 24

AND I'M PROBABLY OVER 600 POUNDS.

AND OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS,

I'VE JUST HAD ONE MEDICAL ISSUE AFTER THE OTHER.

MEGAN IS 24, AND SHE'S ON, LIKE, NINE MEDICATIONS A DAY.

SHE STARTED OUT WITH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

AND THEN FROM THERE, SHE WAS HOSPITALIZED

THREE YEARS AGO FOR BLOOD CLOTS --

50 AND 75 BLOOD CLOTS

THAT WENT THROUGH HER HEART TO HER LUNGS.

THAT COULD HAVE BEEN THE END, YOU KNOW.

BUT AFTER THE BLOOD CLOTS,

SHE DID NOT STOP EATING THE WRONG THINGS,

SO I'M JUST AFRAID ONE OF THESE DAYS

THAT I MAY GO IN THERE AND SHE WON'T BE THERE.

Megan: I KNOW MY HEALTH IS REALLY BAD NOW,

BECAUSE THE MORE I MOVE,

MY BREATHING GETS WORSE AND WORSE.

I DON'T HAVE A LIFE

BECAUSE OF HOW MY WEIGHT HAS KEPT ME FROM IT.

SINCE I WAS YOUNG, I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A PEDIATRIC NURSE.

BUT HONESTLY, IF I WENT TO NURSING SCHOOL

AND I GOT AN RN DEGREE,

I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO STAND ON MY FEET FOR 12 HOURS.

SO MY WEIGHT IS KEEPING ME FROM THAT,

AND IT'S KEEPING ME FROM MEETING SOMEONE

AND HAVING A FAMILY.

MY DOCTORS ALWAYS TOLD ME

I CAN'T CONCEIVE BECAUSE OF MY WEIGHT.

AND NOW MY WEIGHT IS KEEPING ME FROM SEEING MY DAD.

BECAUSE A COUPLE YEARS AGO, HE GOT SICK

AND HE HAD TO GO INTO A REHAB CENTER,

BUT IT'S 30 TO 45 MINUTES AWAY, SO IT'S TOO MUCH FOR ME.

BECAUSE THE CAR RIDE THERE,

MY FEET FALL ASLEEP WHILE DRIVING,

AND IT JUST IS A STRUGGLE WITH ME

GETTING IN AND OUT OF THE CAR A LOT

BECAUSE IT WEARS ME OUT REALLY EASILY.

LOOKS GOOD.

YEAH, IT DOES.

SO MY WEIGHT HAS JUST ABOUT TAKEN EVERYTHING FROM ME.

THE ONLY THING LEFT IS FOR IT TO COMPLETELY TAKE MY HEALTH,

TO WHERE SOME PART OF MY BODY STOPS AND I DIE.

I KNOW I'M CLOSE TO THAT HAPPENING

UNLESS SOMETHING LIKE A MIRACLE HAPPENS TO STOP IT.

IF I DON'T FIGURE OUT SOMETHING SOMEHOW TO CHANGE,

THEN I WON'T EVEN HAVE A CHANCE.

I DON'T THINK I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO SURVIVE

MUCH LONGER AT THIS WEIGHT.

I JUST WANT TO BREAK THROUGH

AND, YOU KNOW, GET OUT OF THIS SITUATION THAT I'M IN

AND BECOME HEALTHIER AND ACTUALLY HAVE A LIFE TO LIVE.

I JUST CAN'T CONTINUE TO LIVE LIKE THIS.

IT'S A LIVING HELL.

IF MEGAN DOESN'T LOSE THE WEIGHT SHE WON'T BE AROUND,

AND THAT'S VERY, VERY, VERY SCARY.

I JUST HOPE SHE CAN GET THE HELP,

BECAUSE IF I LOST MEGAN, I COULDN'T HANDLE IT AT ALL.

I DON'T EVEN WANT TO THINK OF IT, YOU KNOW.

Megan: SO I HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO CHANGE REALLY SOON,

BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IF I LET THINGS GET ANY WORSE,

THEN I WON'T BE HERE ANY LONGER.

SO IF I DON'T LOSE WEIGHT,

I'M JUST GOING TO CONTINUE EATING

AND EVENTUALLY...

KILL MYSELF.

AND AT THIS POINT, I'M JUST REALLY,

REALLY SCARED THAT I'M NOT GONNA MAKE IT.

Megan: TODAY, ME AND MY MOM ARE GOING TO HOUSTON TO SEE DR. NOW.

MY MOM GOT ME AN APPOINTMENT THAT'S IN A FEW DAYS,

BUT WE DON'T KNOW HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE US

OR HOW I'LL HANDLE THE DRIVE,

BECAUSE I'VE NEVER REALLY DONE A DRIVE LIKE THIS.

AT MY CURRENT WEIGHT, I'M JUST NOT SURE HOW IT'S GONNA GO.

IT WOULD NORMALLY BE A 13-HOUR DRIVE,

AND I'M HOPING THAT SHOULD TAKE PROBABLY TWO DAYS TO DO.

PREPARING TO DO THIS FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS

HAS BEEN MENTALLY HARD AND DRAINING,

BUT I'M MORE SCARED ABOUT THE PHYSICAL TOLL ON MY BODY.

BECAUSE MY CAR IS PRETTY LITTLE, SO IT'S DEFINITELY GONNA BE

UNCOMFORTABLE BEING IN THE CAR FOR 13 HOURS.

MY LEGS ARE GONNA DEFINITELY HURT AT THE END OF THE DAY,

AND THEY MAY EVEN SWELL.

BUT I JUST HAVE TO BRAVE THIS AND TRY TO DO IT,

BECAUSE THE ONLY OTHER OPTION IS TO RISK DOING NOTHING,

AND ME AND MY MOM BOTH KNOW HOW THAT'S GONNA END UP FOR ME.

HEY, MOM?

MOM?

ARE YOU GETTING PACKED?

I'M GONNA BE IN A MINUTE.OKAY.

I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE TRIP FOR YOU.

I AM, TOO. I'M JUST NERVOUS ABOUT THE CAR RIDE.

IT'S GONNA --

WELL, WE'LL HAVE TO STOP EVERY TWO HOURS FOR YOUR LEGS.

YEAH.

SO YOU CAN WALK AROUND, AND SO THEY DON'T HURT.

BECAUSE OF THE BLOOD CLOTS, TOO.

YEAH.

BUT IT'S EXCITING FOR BOTH OF US.

I'M EXCITED, BUT I'M NERVOUS AT THE SAME TIME.

THIS TRIP TO HOUSTON IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR MEGAN,

SO SHE CAN GET A BETTER LIFE.

TALK TO THE DOCTOR, GET THE SURGERY, YOU KNOW,

SO SHE CAN LIVE JUST LIKE A NORMAL PERSON.

WE'VE DID DIETS. WE'VE DID EXERCISE,

BUT IT DIDN'T WORK WITH HER, SO THIS IS MEGAN'S LAST CHANCE.

Megan: I THINK MY BIGGEST FEAR RIGHT NOW

IS WHAT DR. NOW IS GONNA TELL ME.

BECAUSE IF I GET TO HOUSTON AND DR. NOW SAYS HE CAN'T HELP,

IT WILL BE LIKE A DEATH SENTENCE.

I KNOW HE WANTS TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE MY SIZE,

BUT YOU NEVER CAN KNOW WHAT ISSUES THERE COULD BE,

OR REASONS HE CAN'T HELP ME.

SO IT'S JUST MY BIGGEST FEAR,

AND I'M TRYING TO KEEP MY MIND OFF IT AND STAY POSITIVE.

13 HOURS AND 4 MINUTES.

THAT'S NOT TOO BAD.

BUT I NEED SOMETHING TO EAT BEFORE WE GET ON THE FREEWAY.

FOOD MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER.

I WANT A HOMESTYLE CHICKEN SANDWICH.

Man: ANYTHING ELSE?

I WANT FOUR OF THE CHICKEN WRAPS.

AND A LARGE FRENCH FRY.

AND A LARGE FRENCH FRY.

ANYTHING ELSE AFTER ALL THAT?

THAT'LL BE IT.

THAT IS $18.56. NEXT WINDOW.

THANK YOU.

AND CAN I HAVE SOME RANCH PACKETS, PLEASE?

THANK YOU.

Megan: I CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON FOOD TO HELP ME,

BUT I'M GONNA TRY TO TAKE IT OUT OF MY LIFE AS MUCH AS I CAN.

AND I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE HARD FOR ME,

BECAUSE FOOD IS THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES ME FEEL

ALL THE WAYS I WANT TO FEEL.

THAT'S WHY I'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO DO IT.

SO THAT MEANS SOMETHING LIKE GASTRIC BYPASS,

THAT PHYSICALLY STOPS ME FROM GIVING IN,

IS THE ONLY HOPE I HAVE TO CHANGE.

BECAUSE WITHOUT THE SURGERY, I WON'T BE ABLE TO DO IT.

AND THAT'S WHY DR. NOW

IS THE ONLY CHANCE I EVEN HAVE LEFT.

I HAVE TO GET THIS HELP

OR I'M JUST GONNA BE WAITING AROUND MY HOUSE TO DIE.

I JUST REALLY HOPE THAT WE CAN GET THERE AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN,

AND THAT IT'S WORTH IT IN THE END.

WE'VE JUST ABOUT MADE IT TO A GOOD HALFWAY POINT,

BUT I'M REALLY READY TO GET SOMETHING TO EAT AND GET OUT

SO I CAN STRETCH AND GET SOME FOOD, AND HOPEFULLY REST SOON.

PIZZA.

OH, THEY HAVE WINGS.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

THAT'S GREAT.

I GUESS YOU COULD JUST PARK HERE TO GO GET THE ORDER.

DOING THIS IS HARD, BUT I'M REALLY PROUD

OF HOW I'VE HANDLED IT.

BUT IT IS A LOT FOR ME,

AND IT'S MORE ACTIVITY AND EXCITEMENT

THAN I'VE HAD IN YEARS.

THIS REALLY SMELLS GOOD AND LOOKS GREAT, MEGAN.

IT DOES SMELL GOOD.

MEGAN, I'M GONNA GO IN AND CHECK IN.

AND WE'LL PULL AROUND CLOSER TO OUR ROOM.

OKAY.

I'M REALLY READY TO REST

AND HOPEFULLY DO THE SAME THINGS TOMORROW

AND MAKE IT ALL THE WAY TO HOUSTON.

I JUST HOPE IT'S ALL WORTH IT ONCE WE GET THERE

AND THAT DR. NOW HELPS ME,

BECAUSE MY BIG FEAR IS THAT ME AND MY MOM COULD END UP

HAVING TO COME ALL THE WAY BACK HOME WITH NO OPTIONS.

DID YOU GET IT ALL SETTLED?

YEAH, I GOT A ROOM ON THE FIRST FLOOR FOR US.

OH, OKAY. COOL.

OKAY. ROOM 102.

SO I'M STILL JUST TRYING TO STAY POSITIVE

AND JUST STAY FOCUSED ON DOING WHAT I NEED TO GET THERE

AND HOPE THAT IT ALL WORKS OUT.

I'M ALREADY HURTING, SO WE'LL SEE WHAT TOMORROW BRINGS.

BUT FOR NOW, I JUST NEED TO EAT AND REST

AND TRY TO PREPARE MYSELF TO DO THIS AGAIN.

HERE, HONEY.

GO AHEAD.

IT'S OUR SECOND DAY ON THE ROAD,

AND WE'VE BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT FIVE HOURS,

AND WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO HOUSTON.

I'VE BEEN ABLE TO HOLD UP ALRIGHT AND PUSH MYSELF

TO MAKE IT WITHIN THE TWO-DAY WINDOW WE WANTED.

SO I'M HAPPY ABOUT THAT,

BUT IT'S PUT A LOT OF STRAIN ON MY BODY.

SO I'M REALLY SORE AND HURTING A LOT,

BUT MY MOM AND ME STOCKED UP ON A LOT OF SNACKS

TO HELP KEEP ME DISTRACTED FROM HOW MY BODY FEELS,

SO I CAN KEEP GOING EVEN THOUGH IT'S REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE.

MY APPOINTMENT WAS TOMORROW, BUT ME AND MY MOM

WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MADE IT ON TIME,

SO WE GAVE OURSELF A GOOD CUSHION JUST IN CASE.

BUT SINCE WE WERE EARLY, WE CALLED DR. NOW

AND ASKED HIM IF I COULD COME TODAY AND HE SAID I COULD.

SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE THERE SOON, AND IT'LL ALL GO WELL.

AS HARD AS IT'S BEEN, THIS HAS BEEN AN AMAZING TRIP.

IT'S THE FIRST TIME I FEEL LIKE

I'VE ACTUALLY SEEN SOME OF THE WORLD WITH MY OWN EYES.

AND IT'S INSPIRED ME TO WANT TO GET OUT THERE AND DO MORE,

BUT I HAVE TO LOSE THE WEIGHT TO DO THAT.

AND HOPEFULLY THIS IS GOING TO BE A BIG STEP

TOWARDS GETTING MY LIFE BACK.

THIS IS SO AWESOME BEING IN TEXAS.

MAYBE YOU CAN FIND YOU A TEXAN, MOM.

I AIN'T LOOKING FOR NO MAN.

I JUST WANT TO DO ME.

WELL, YOU GOT TO GET A JOB FIRST.

YEAH.

I'M GONNA GO BACK TO SCHOOL, THOUGH,

TO BE A PEDIATRIC NURSE.

THAT'D BE WONDERFUL.

I HAVE SO MANY DREAMS FOR MY LIFE THAT FOOD

AND MY WEIGHT HAVE TAKEN FROM ME.

AND I'M READY TO FIGHT TO CHANGE THIS AND LIVE LIKE I WANT

BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE FOR ME AND I CAN'T.

MEGAN, DO YOU HAVE THE JITTERS?

THE CLOSER I GET, THE MORE AND MORE NERVOUS I GET.

YEAH. SO WE'LL SEE.

I'M HOPING THAT THIS IS THE DAY THAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR,

BUT NOW THAT WE'RE CLOSE, I'M REALLY GETTING NERVOUS,

BECAUSE I REALLY NEED DR. NOW'S HELP.

MY BODY CAN'T TAKE MUCH MORE.

SO IF I DON'T GET HELP TODAY,

THERE WILL BE NO OPTIONS OR ANYTHING

I CAN DO TO STOP WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO ME.

MEGAN?

AND THE ONLY THING ME AND MY MOM WILL BE ABLE TO DO

IS GO BACK HOME AND JUST WAIT FOR ME TO DIE.

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

AND I'M ABOUT TO FIND OUT WHAT MY CURRENT WEIGHT IS,

SO I'M NERVOUS ABOUT THAT

AND ABOUT HOW ALL THIS IS GONNA GO

BECAUSE I REALLY NEED HELP AND I'M HOPING I GET IT TODAY

AND THAT MY WEIGHT IS STILL AT LEAST AROUND 600

AND NOT TOO FAR OVER.

OKAY.

AT LEAST MY WEIGHT IS STILL AROUND WHERE I THOUGHT IT WAS.

SO THAT'S A POSITIVE IN A WAY, I GUESS.

THE PROBLEM IS, IS I'M STILL OVER 600 POUNDS,

AND I KNOW I'M ONLY GONNA GET BIGGER IF I DON'T CHANGE.

SO THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT I GET DR. NOW'S HELP TODAY.

HELLO.

-HELLO, HOW ARE YOU? -HOW ARE YOU, DOCTOR?

I'M DOING OKAY. HOW YOU ALL DOING?

GOOD.

ALRIGHT. I'M DR. NOWZARADAN. AND YOU ARE?

MEGAN.MEGAN. ALRIGHT.

AND WHERE ARE YOU COMING FROM MEGAN?

FROM ILLINOIS.

ILLINOIS. ALRIGHT. A LONG WAY FROM HERE.

HOW DID YOU GET DOWN HERE?

WE DROVE.

THAT'S A LONG DRIVE, ISN'T IT?

IT WAS DEFINITELY.

YOU FEELING OKAY AFTER THAT?

I'M SORE, BUT I'M OKAY.

OKAY, WELL, THAT'S GOOD.

SO WHO IS THIS YOUNG LADY WITH YOU?

THIS IS MY MOM, DONNA.

OKAY. WELL, HOW ARE YOU DOING?

I'M FINE, DOCTOR.

ALRIGHT. GOOD TO MEET YOU TOO.

SO YOU ARE 604 POUNDS

AND BMI OF ALMOST 87.

AND YOU'RE ONLY 24?

YES.

THAT'S A LOT OF WEIGHT TO GAIN AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE.

SO HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN OVERWEIGHT?

YEAH, I HAVE.

I'VE BEEN OVERWEIGHT SINCE I WAS PROBABLY ABOUT 1?

YEAH.

YEAH, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN OVERWEIGHT.

OKAY. AND YOU HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE?

YES.

AND YOU'RE TAKING SOME BLOOD THINNERS?

YES.

SO WHAT HAPPENED WITH THAT, YOU HAD THE BLOOD CLOT?

YEAH. IN 2017 AND '18,

I WAS HOSPITALIZED WITH DVTs IN MY LEGS,

AND I HAD 50 TO 75 IN MY LUNGS.

AND EVER SINCE THEN, I'VE BEEN ON BLOOD THINNERS.

THAT'S A VERY SERIOUS HEALTH ISSUE

TO HAVE AT YOUR WEIGHT.

I KNOW.

ALRIGHT, SO YOU'RE TAKING ONE, TWO, THREE,

FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT MEDICATION.

LIKE SOMEBODY WITH THE 40s AND 50s.

SO THIS IS NOT A GOOD SITUATION.

AND AT THIS POINT,

DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GONNA MAKE IT TO 30?

NO, NOT IF I DON'T GET YOUR HELP.

SO IF YOU REALIZE THAT,

THEN WHAT SEEMS TO BE BIGGEST CHALLENGE

WITH YOUR EATING HABIT?

I SNACK A LOT.

SNACK A LOT.

HAVE YOU FIGURED OUT THAT MOST OF YOUR PROBLEM

IS BECAUSE OF YOUR WEIGHT?

YES. ALL OF MY HEALTH PROBLEMS IS DUE TO MY WEIGHT.

OKAY. THEN WHY ARE YOU CONTINUING TO DO SOMETHING

YOU KNOW IS MAKING THAT WORSE AND KILLING YOU?

UM...

HONESTLY, I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR YOU, DOCTOR.

I DON'T KNOW.

YOU DON'T KNOW? THAT'S YOUR ANSWER?

BECAUSE YOU'RE 600 POUNDS,

YOU HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

AND BLOOD CLOTS, AND YOU'RE ON BLOOD THINNER,

BLOOD-PRESSURE MEDICATION,

AND ALL THE ISSUES ARE BECAUSE OUR WEIGHT,

AND YOU'RE SNACKING,

AND YOU HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT WHY?

DID I GET IT RIGHT?

YOU DID.

OKAY. SO WE GOT ONE ELEMENT OF BEHAVIORAL PROBLEM

THAT WE NEED TO WORK ON.

AND WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO TO GET YOU

TO THAT POINT THAT YOU WILL BE SAFE

TO CONSIDER WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

SO LET'S SEE HOW THE ABDOMEN HANG AROUND.

YEAH, IT HANGS LOW.

THAT IS THE LOWER PART OF YOUR ABDOMEN, HUH?

MM-HMM.

THAT'S HANGING VERY LOW.

IT CAUSE A LOT OF ISSUES WITH YOUR MOBILITY, TOO, HUH?

MM-HMM.

OKAY. ALRIGHT.

OKAY.

ALRIGHT. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT

YOU START LOSING AS MUCH WEIGHT

AS YOU CAN RIGHT NOW.

OTHERWISE YOU'RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT TO 30.

OKAY. OKAY?

YEP.

AND SO THE FIRST STEP TO DO THAT

IS FOR YOU TO START THE DIET

AND EXERCISE PLAN THAT I'M GONNA GIVE YOU.

OKAY.

WHICH MEAN YOU ONLY EAT THREE TIME A DAY.

OKAY.AND NO SNACKING.

OKAY.

OKAY? MM-HMM.

SO THE DIET IS GONNA KEEP YOU AT 1,200 CALORIE A DAY LIMIT.

BUT IT FOCUS ON THE FOOD THAT ARE HIGH PROTEIN

AND LOW CARB, OKAY?OKAY.

AND IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO GET AS MUCH WEIGHT

OFF OF YOUR SYSTEM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

BECAUSE THE WAY RIGHT NOW YOU ARE LOOKING

AT YOUR BACKGROUND AND HISTORY,

YOU'VE GOT SO MANY HEALTH ISSUES

THAT ARE TYPICAL OF PEOPLE IN 40s

OR 50s WITH POOR HEALTH.

SO THIS IS REALLY ACCELERATED AGING PROCESS

FROM OBESITY

THAT WE HAVE TO ERASE SOME OF THAT.

YOU STILL MAY BE A VERY HIGH RISK FOR CONSIDERING SURGERY

EVEN IF YOU LOSE A LOT OF WEIGHT.

BUT THE ONLY CHANCE YOU HAVE IS TO LOSE AS MUCH WEIGHT

AS YOU CAN, AS FAST AS YOU CAN,

TO GET A MUCH HEALTHIER PLACE, OKAY?

RIGHT.

SO YOU HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO TO GET TO THAT POINT.

I WANT YOU TO STICK WITH THE DIET,

AND IF YOU DO THAT,

YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO LOSE 40 POUNDS EASILY EACH MONTH.

SO OVER THE NEXT 2 MONTHS, I WANT YOU TO LOSE 80 POUNDS.

OKAY? OKAY.

SO YOU NEED TO START TO MAKE A LOT OF CHANGES

IF YOU WANT TO SAVE YOUR LIFE.

AND THOSE CHANGES NEED TO BE MADE NOW

BECAUSE YOU'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

OKAY.

OKAY? MM-HMM.

BUT THIS IS NOT GONNA BE EASY.

YOU'RE GONNA NEED THE HELP AND SUPPORT OF THOSE

IN YOUR HOUSE WITH YOU TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS.

OKAY.

SO DO YOU LIVE WITH YOUR MOM?

YEAH.

SO IS THERE ONLY THREE OF YOU IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD?

UH, YES.

OKAY. SO IS YOUR MOM YOUR ENABLER,

OR IS IT HELPING YOU TO CHANGE YOUR EATING HABIT?

SHE DEFINITELY HELPS ME BECAUSE SHE'S DIABETIC,

SO SHE WATCHES WHAT SHE EATS A LOT.

SO ACTUALLY SHE HELPS ME.

OKAY, WELL, I'M NOT SURE THAT'S ACCURATE.

BUT THE ONLY WAY YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO DO THIS

IS IF YOU TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR FOOD CHOICES

AND START TO MAKE THE CHANGES YOU NEED.

AND THAT MEANS YOU DON'T GET MOM

TO BRING YOU ANYTHING TO EAT, OKAY?

OKAY.

YOU GET IT YOURSELF. SO YOU BOTH UNDERSTAND THAT?

YEAH. YES.

OKAY, GOOD.

I NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT, TOO, I KNOW, DOCTOR.

WELL, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU STUFF TO READ EVERY NIGHT.

I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A COPY FOR YOU, TOO,

SO YOU'LL HAVE A PROPER UNDERSTANDING

WITH WHAT SHE NEEDS.

BUT YOU NEED TO MAKE HEALTHY ADJUSTMENTS, TOO,

BECAUSE IT CAN BE VERY HARD

FOR ONE PERSON IN THE HOUSEHOLD

TO EAT PROPERLY...RIGHT, YEAH.

...AND THE OTHER PERSON --

OH, I PLAN ON EATING WITH HER LIKE SHE NEEDS TO EAT.

THAT WOULD BE GOOD, BECAUSE MEGAN NEEDS TO DO THIS NOW.

SO MEGAN, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT

THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR EATING HABITS NOW.

OKAY.

BECAUSE YOU'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

YEAH. OKAY.

SO NO SNACKING

AND NO SUGARY DRINKS, NO CHIPS,

AND YOU'RE GONNA EAT HEALTHY, WHICH MEANS HIGH PROTEIN,

AND WITH A LOT OF GREENS AND SALAD, OKAY?

OKAY.

SO MAKE THOSE CHANGES RIGHT NOW

AND START DOING SOME EXERCISES.

AND IN 2 MONTHS, LOSE 80 POUNDS, OKAY?

THAT SHOULD BE EASY GOAL FOR YOU, OKAY?

OKAY.

BUT THE MORE YOU CAN LOSE, THE BETTER.

BECAUSE WE'VE HAD A LOT OF HEALTH ISSUE

THAT WE NEED TO CONSIDER,

AND THE ONLY WAY TO ADDRESS THAT IS FOR YOU

TO LOSE A LOT OF WEIGHT.

OKAY.

MEGAN, NICE TO MEET YOU.

YES, NICE TO MEET YOU, TOO.

AND NICE TO MEET YOU.NICE TO MEET YOU, DOCTOR.

AND HOPE WE'LL SEE YOU SOON.

OKAY? YES.

GREAT.

Dr. Nowzaradan: I AM VERY CONCERNED

ABOUT THE STATE OF MEGAN'S HEALTH.

IT'S SHOCKING TO SEE THAT MANY MEDICAL ISSUES

WITH SOMEONE SO YOUNG.

SO HER WEIGHT HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT STRAIN,

TO THE POINT WHERE SHE'S STRUGGLING WITH ISSUES

SOMEONE IN THEIR 50s OR OLDER WOULD STRUGGLE WITH.

SO WE HAVE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH HER

THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS.

AND WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY ISN'T EVEN GOING TO BE AN OPTION

UNTIL WE GET HER TO WHERE HER BODY

WILL BE ABLE TO SURVIVE THE STRAIN OF SURGERY.

SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT SHE STARTS TO LOSE

AS MUCH MUCH WEIGHT AS SHE CAN IMMEDIATELY

BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T HAVE MUCH TIME

BEFORE HER BODY DETERIORATES FURTHER.

Megan: I'M FEELING REALLY RELIEVED

NOW THAT I'VE HAD MY FIRST APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW.

AND I KNOW HE'S GIVING ME A CHANCE,

EVEN THOUGH HE KNOWS ABOUT ALL MY MEDICAL ISSUES.

THOSE WERE MY BIGGEST CONCERN,

AND I WAS SCARED IT WAS ALREADY TOO LATE FOR ME,

BECAUSE I KNOW HE'S RIGHT ABOUT HOW I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

SO I NEED TO START LOSING WEIGHT NOW

BEFORE SOMETHING REALLY BAD HAPPENS TO ME.

BUT I'M READY TO DO HIS DIET AND EXERCISES TO PROVE TO HIM

THAT I SHOULD GET GASTRIC BYPASS.

SO I'M GONNA GO BACK HOME AND WORK HARD TO DO THAT.

Megan: IT'S BEEN ABOUT A WEEK

SINCE MY INITIAL APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW,

AND ME AND MY MOM HAVE BOTH BEEN TRYING TO ADAPT TO THE NEW DIET,

BUT IT'S VERY STRICT AND NOTHING'S ON IT THAT I LIKE.

BUT I'M NOT LETTING THAT SCARE ME OFF

OR MAKE ME LESS DETERMINED.

ME AND MY MOM ARE JUST WORKING ON UNDERSTANDING IT.

THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF THAT WE NEED TO CUT OUT,

BUT WE CAN DO IT.

YEAH, I JUST WANT HIM TO KNOW

THAT I'M REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT IT.

I'M DONE LIVING A LIVING HELL.

I KNOW.

DID YOU WANT ME TO FRY A LITTLE BIT OF BACON

SO YOU CAN PUT IT IN YOUR SALAD?

AH, YEAH, YOU CAN.

THIS IS A LOT TO TAKE IN AND CHANGE,

BUT I'M GONNA DO MY BEST

BECAUSE I KNOW THIS IS MY LAST CHANCE.

SO I'LL MAKE THE DIET ADJUSTMENTS I NEED.

AND I ALSO PLAN TO START DOING THE EXERCISES, BUT I FIGURE

I NEED TO FIND A GYM FOR THAT, BUT I'VE NEVER BEEN TO ONE

SO I'M GONNA HAVE TO START FIGURING THAT OUT.

THIS IS A LOT OF CHANGE FOR ME AND THERE'S A PART OF ME

THAT WANTS TO FREAK OUT AND SAY, "WHAT AM I DOING?"

BUT I'M NOT LETTING MYSELF HAVE CARBS OR SUGARS.

I'M JUST GONNA FOCUS ON PROTEIN AND EAT

AS MUCH OF THAT AS I NEED TO GET RID OF THOSE CRAVINGS.

YOU WANT SOME CHEESE ON YOURS OR NO?

NO.

AND HOPEFULLY WHEN I GO BACK TO SEE DR. NOW,

ALL THAT WILL PAY OFF WITH MY WEIGHT LOSS

SO I CAN GET WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.

BECAUSE IT'S STILL THE ONLY CHANCE I HAVE.

SO I'M GIVING THIS EVERYTHING I GOT.

I JUST REALLY HOPE IT'S ENOUGH.

ME AND MY MOM ARE BACK IN HOUSTON

FOR MY SECOND APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW,

AND I FEEL LIKE I'VE DONE WELL

WITH MY WEIGHT LOSS OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS

AND THAT I SHOULD BE AT MY GOAL TODAY.

BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE SCALE IS GONNA SHOW

AND THAT'S THE ONLY THING I'M NERVOUS ABOUT.

I DEFINITELY KNOW I MADE PROGRESS

BECAUSE THERE'S MORE DISTANCE BETWEEN MY STOMACH

AND THE STEERING WHEEL NOW

AND I WAS ABLE TO HANDLE THE TRIP

A LITTLE BIT BETTER THIS TIME.

IT JUST NEEDS TO BE ENOUGH TO GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY TODAY.

MEGAN.

AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT A COUPLE MONTHS AGO,

I WAS AT 604 AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO LOSE 80 POUNDS.

SO MY GOAL WAS TO GET BELOW 524 TODAY

AND I'M REALLY HOPING I DID THAT.

I DID OKAY.

YOU DID FINE.

THAT'S DISAPPOINTING.

I'M GLAD I LOST WEIGHT, BUT I THOUGHT IT'D BE MORE.

SO I'M REALLY DISAPPOINTED AND WORRIED NOW,

BECAUSE I WANTED TO MAKE DR. NOW PROUD

AND SHOW HIM HOW READY I AM.

BUT EVEN WITH HOW HARD I WORKED, THAT STILL DIDN'T HAPPEN.

AND I'M SO SCARED OF LOSING THIS CHANCE

THAT DR. NOW GAVE ME.

HELLO. HI.

HOW YOU ALL DOING?

GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

GOOD.

ALRIGHT.

SO, MEGAN, HOW YOU BEEN?

GOOD.

WELL, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT.

BUT YOUR WEIGHT LOSS, UNFORTUNATELY, ISN'T THE SAME.

BECAUSE IN 2 MONTHS, YOU LOST 14 POUNDS.

ALRIGHT. SO WHAT HAPPENED?

I DON'T KNOW.

I WORKED HARD, BUT THE TIME PASSED REALLY FAST

AND I WASN'T ABLE TO LOSE ENOUGH.

YES, TIME FLIES WHEN YOU HAVE FUN, HUH?

BUT THAT NOT AN EXPLANATION FOR NOT DOING THE DIET.

SO YOU WANT TO TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED?

WELL, I'VE BEEN DRINKING DIET SODA INSTEAD OF WATER.

DIET SODA IS NOT HEALTHY,

BUT IT DOESN'T CAUSE ANY WEIGHT GAIN

BECAUSE IT DOESN'T ANY CALORIE.

IT HAS A LOT OF SODIUM,

BUT IT'S NOT THE SOURCE OF YOUR CALORIE INTAKE.

SO WHAT ARE YOU EATING THAT IS?

I HAVE WENT OUT TO EAT

AND PROBABLY THE ITEMS HAD A LOT OF SODIUM IN THEM.

THE SODIUM IS NOT GONNA CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR WEIGHT.

IF YOU CUT BACK ON HOW MANY CALORIES YOU'RE EATING,

THEN YOU'RE GOING TO TAP INTO CALORIE

THAT YOU STORE IN THE FORM OF FAT.

SO YOUR BODY BURNS FAT AND YOU LOSE WEIGHT.

BUT THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.

SO IT MEANS THAT YOU'RE STILL EATING AROUND

5,500 TO 6,000 CALORIES A DAY.

AND EVEN IF YOU ONLY CUT BACK TO 2,000 CALORIES A DAY

INSTEAD OF 1,200, WHEN YOU'RE 600 POUND,

YOU WOULD HAVE STILL LOST 50 TO 60 POUNDS EASILY

IN ONE MONTH. OKAY?

SO 14 POUNDS FOR -- THAT IS NOT REALLY

THAT SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT LOSS, OKAY?

AND YOU DON'T SEEM TO GET THE URGENCY OF NEEDING

AS MUCH WEIGHT OFF OF YOU AS POSSIBLE

BECAUSE YOUR BODY HAS ALREADY DETERIORATED

TO A DANGEROUS POINT.

AND IT'S GONNA KEEP GETTING WORSE UNTIL YOU DON'T MAKE IT,

UNLESS YOU LOSE A LOT OF WEIGHT SOON.

SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT

AND START DOING WHAT YOU NEED.

OKAY.

SO TELL ME WHAT KIND OF CHANGES YOU HAVE MADE

IN YOUR EATING HABIT.

I USED TO EAT A LOT OF FRIED FOODS

AND A LOT OF PASTAS AND A LOT OF CARBS.

FORGET ABOUT WHAT YOU USED TO.

TELL ME WHAT CHANGES YOU MAKING NOW.

WHAT ARE YOU EATING NOW?

TYPICALLY, I EAT CHEF SALADS A LOT.

MM-HMM.

I EAT, LIKE, THE BEEF JERKY STICKS

WITH CHEESE, COTTAGE CHEESE.

SOME OF THAT IS NOT GREAT CHOICES,

BUT HOW MANY TIME YOU EAT IN A DAY?

SOMETIMES I'LL EAT THREE TIMES,

BUT SOMETIMES I'LL JUST EAT TWICE A DAY.

ANY SNACKING?

NO. NO SNACKING.

SO, NO SNACKING. NO SODA? NO SUGARY DRINK?

NOPE.

OKAY. IF ALL OF THAT IS ACCURATE,

THEN THE ISSUE IS

YOU'RE STILL EATING TOO MUCH OF EVERYTHING.

AND YOU NEED TO DRASTICALLY CUT BACK EVEN MORE.

UNDERSTAND THAT?

YES.

OKAY. WHAT ABOUT YOUR ACTIVITY?

HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS WITH THAT?

I'VE BEEN GETTING UP AND MOVING MORE.

I HAVEN'T ACTUALLY EXERCISED

BECAUSE WE DON'T BELONG TO A GYM OR ANYTHING

BECAUSE IT'S REALLY COLD IN ILLINOIS.

SO WE CAN'T WALK OUTSIDE.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO GYM TO EXERCISE.

YOU CAN DO SOME EXERCISE AT HOME.

DID I GIVE YOU AN EXERCISE PLAN?

YOU DID.

AND DID YOU READ THAT SECTION FOR EXERCISE?

I DID, YES.

DID YOU SEE THOSE EXERCISES?

I DID.

BUT YOU DIDN'T DO THEM?

I HAVEN'T DID THEM, NO.

SO, WHAT'S THE USE OF GIVING YOU GUIDANCE

AND INFORMATION IF YOU DON'T FOLLOW IT?

I STILL HAVE IT, AND I READ IT.

HOW MUCH OF DID YOU READ?

I'VE READ IT, LIKE, PARTIALLY THROUGH.

SO, YOU REALLY HAVEN'T READ IT

VERY MUCH CAREFULLY, RIGHT?

NO, I PROBABLY SHOULD GO BACK OVER IT AND READ IT THOROUGHLY.

YES, YOU SHOULD, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO DO THE WORK

OR NOTHING'S GONNA CHANGE.

YOU GET THAT?YES.

YOU GOT THAT, TOO, MOM?

YES.

MOM LOST ANY WEIGHT IN PASS --

I'VE LOST MAYBE A COUPLE POUNDS.

SHE'S NOT THE BEST DOCTOR SOMETIMES.

WELL, ALL SHE NEED TO BE IS SUPPORT FOR YOU RIGHT NOW,

BECAUSE YOUR SITUATION IS STILL VERY SERIOUS

AND YOU'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

SO, YOU NEED TO DO THIS NOW, MEGAN.

I WILL.

I HOPE SO, BUT KEEP WORKING HARDER TO LOSE MORE WEIGHT.

CUT BACK ON THE AMOUNT YOU EATING

AND START DOING EXERCISE AND PUSH YOURSELF TO DO MORE

AND LOSE AT LEAST 80 POUNDS OVER THE NEXT 2 MONTHS.

BUT THE MORE YOU CAN LOSE, THE BETTER.

OKAY? OKAY.

ALRIGHT, I'LL SEE YOU IN TWO MONTHS.

ALRIGHT, NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

AWESOME. THANK YOU.NICE SEEING YOU, DOCTOR.

OKAY. IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, GIVE ME A CALL.

OKAY. ALRIGHT.

WELL, HEY, AT LEAST I DIDN'T GAIN WEIGHT.

I KNOW.

WE'RE JUST GONNA WORK HARDER NEXT TIME.

YEAH.

Dr. Nowzaradan: I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH MEGAN'S PROGRESS.

AND DESPITE WHAT SHE SAYS,

SHE'S STILL NOT TAKING HER SITUATION

AS SERIOUS AS SHE NEEDS,

BECAUSE IT'S CLEAR SHE'S STILL OVEREATING.

AND AS LONG AS HER BODY REMAINS UNDER ALL THE STRAIN

OF HAVING 600 POUNDS ON IT, SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS A COLD

COULD BE THE FINAL STRAW THAT CAUSES HER HEALTH

TO START DETERIORATING TO WHERE SHE DOESN'T MAKE IT.

SO, IF SHE DOESN'T START TO MAKE THE CHANGES SHE NEEDS VERY SOON,

THEN WE MAY HAVE TO START TO CONSIDER MORE DRASTIC MEASURES,

BECAUSE SHE HAS A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE HER BODY

CAN SURVIVE WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

AND NO TIME LEFT TO WASTE.

Megan: I KNOW I CAN'T MESS THIS UP

BECAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE THIS CHANCE.

AND I'M VERY THANKFUL AND RELIEVED THAT I STILL HAVE IT.

YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT I WAS TRYING REALLY HARD,

BUT I'LL FIGURE OUT HOW TO TRY HARDER, AND I'LL FIND A GYM,

AND I'LL CUT OUT THINGS LIKE SODIUM FROM MY DIET,

AND MAKE SURE I DO BETTER NEXT TIME,

BECAUSE THIS IS SO IMPORTANT TO ME IN MY LIFE.

AND IF I LOSE THIS CHANCE, I LOSE EVERYTHING.

SO, NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES,

I'LL FIGURE THIS OUT BECAUSE I HAVE TO.

Megan: SINCE MY LAST DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT,

I'VE COME BACK HOME AND TRIED TO WORK A LOT HARDER.

I GOT RID OF EVERYTHING

THAT I WAS EATING THAT HAD SODIUM IN IT.

AND I'VE ALSO TRIED TO CUT BACK ON HOW MUCH I'VE BEEN EATING.

SO, I FEEL LIKE I'M DOING EVEN BETTER THIS TIME.

AND I'M HOPING THAT IT HAS LED ME

TO MAKING MORE PROGRESS LIKE I NEED.

BUT I ALSO KNOW I NEED TO BE DOING MY EXERCISES.

SO ME AND MY MOM HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING TO FIND A GOOD GYM,

AND I'M TRYING ONE OUT THAT MY MOM FOUND

THAT LOOKS GOOD FROM THE PICTURES.

AND IT COMES WITH A FREE TRAINER ON YOUR FIRST VISIT.

SO I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS

BUT EXCITED ABOUT TRYING THIS TODAY

BECAUSE I'VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS.

YOU'RE MEGAN?HI.

WELCOME TO THE LOCKUP GYM.

-YES. THANK YOU. -I'M JOHN.

I GOT A LITTLE BIT OF WORKOUT SET UP FOR YOU.

YOU JUST KIND OF TELL ME

HOW EACH INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE FEELS,

AND WE'LL JUST KIND OF WORK OFF OF THAT.

OKAY, COOL.

LET'S GO AHEAD AND HEAD ON DOWN TO THE GYM.

Megan: THIS IS A LITTLE INTIMIDATING,

BUT I'M HOPING I CAN HANDLE IT ALL

AND NONE OF IT'S TOO MUCH FOR ME.

John: SO, YOU GET A SEAT RIGHT THERE ON THE BENCH.

OKAY.

I'M GONNA RAISE THIS UP JUST A LITTLE BIT.

OKAY.

AND JUST DOWN AND OUT.

THIS RIGHT HERE WILL MAINLY JUST TIGHTEN UP THE BACK.

IT'S GONNA BE LOW WEIGHT WITH A LOT OF REPS.

I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR ME

TO LOSE AS MUCH WEIGHT AS I CAN,

AND I'M GONNA DO WHATEVER IT TAKES

AND WORK AS HARD AS I CAN TO SHOW DR. NOW

I CAN HANDLE WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

SO FAR, THIS ISN'T AS BAD AS I WAS DREADING,

BUT IT'S STARTING TO GET A LITTLE TOUGHER THE MORE I DO IT.

OKAY. IT'S LIKE BURNING.

YEAH. YEAH, TAKE A BREAK.

WE'RE GONNA GO TO A CARDIO MACHINE,

AND I WANT YOU TO TRY OUT.

I LET TOO MUCH OF MY LIFE PASS ME BY ALREADY,

AND I DON'T WANT TO LOSE ANY MORE TIME

OR MISS OUT ON MORE.

I WANT TO GET OUT IN THE WORLD

AND DO ALL THE THINGS I'VE DREAMED OF MY WHOLE LIFE.

AND THAT'S WHAT'S MOTIVATING ME RIGHT NOW,

BECAUSE I KNOW IF I DO THIS,

THEN SO MANY THINGS WILL CHANGE AND BE POSSIBLE FOR ME.

I'LL TAKE THOSE BACK FROM YOU...

OKAY.

...AND LET YOU REST UP.

YEAH. MY ARMS, I THINK THEY'RE GONNA FALL OFF.

ALRIGHT, WELL, THANKS FOR JOINING US TODAY

AT THE LOCK-UP GYM. NICE MEETING YOU.

YES, I WILL SEE YOU SOON, HOPEFULLY.

OKAY.

THAT WAS DEFINITELY AS HARD AS I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE,

BUT I'M REALLY PROUD OF MYSELF FOR DOING THIS.

AND I FEEL GOOD, EVEN THOUGH I'M REALLY TIRED.

ARE YOU READY, MOM? YEAH.

MY LEGS ARE LIKE JELLO.

REALLY? YEAH.

WELL, YOU HAVEN'T EXERCISED FOR A LONG TIME.

I KNOW.

I HAVE ONE MORE MONTH

UNTIL MY NEXT APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW,

SO I KNOW I STILL HAVE A LOT OF HARD WORK OVER THAT TIME,

BECAUSE WHEN I GO BACK, I KNOW THAT I HAVE TO BE AT MY GOAL

OR IT CAN MEAN I MESS UP MY CHANCE TO GET SURGERY,

AND I'M NOT GONNA LET THAT HAPPEN.

SO, I'M GONNA KEEP PUSHING MYSELF

AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO COMING BACK

AND DOING THIS AGAIN.

RECENTLY, THINGS HAVE BEEN A LITTLE HARDER,

AND I'M STRUGGLING A LITTLE BIT.

I'M JUST AS DETERMINED,

AND I'M STILL TRYING AS HARD AS I HAVE BEEN.

AND I FEEL LIKE IT'S BEEN PAYING OFF,

BECAUSE I CAN DO MORE

AND BE MORE ACTIVE BEFORE I HIT MY WALL.

BUT MY MOM FOUND A SCALE ONLINE

THAT GOES UP TO, LIKE, 1,000 POUNDS.

SO WE GOT IT, AND I STARTED USING IT RECENTLY.

I'M JUST HOPING THAT IT'S NOT REALLY ACCURATE RIGHT NOW,

BECAUSE I'VE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD TO LOSE MORE,

AND IT SHOWS I HAVEN'T REALLY LOST MORE WEIGHT.

SO, I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY IT'S NOT PAYING OFF.

I KNOW I HAVEN'T BEEN PERFECT WITH EVERY CHOICE,

BUT THAT'S MOSTLY BEEN BECAUSE MY MOM STARTED EATING THINGS

THAT WEREN'T ON THE DIET.

SO, I'M A LITTLE FRUSTRATED AT MY MOM FOR THAT

BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL LIKE

I HAVE HER SUPPORT AS MUCH AS I DID IN THE BEGINNING.

SO I TOLD DR. NOW I JUST NEED A LITTLE MORE TIME

BEFORE I COME BACK FOR MY NEXT APPOINTMENT

SO I CAN GET TO MY GOAL.

I JUST CAN'T TAKE MUCH LONGER,

SO I HAVE TO FIGURE THIS OUT BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

BECAUSE I CAN'T MESS UP MY CHANCE.

Megan: ME AND MY MOM ARE BACK IN HOUSTON,

AND I'M REALLY NERVOUS BECAUSE MY SCALE AT HOME

SAYS I'M NOT AT MY GOAL.

IT'S BEEN FOUR MONTHS SINCE MY LAST APPOINTMENT

AND I WANTED LONGER TO KEEP WORKING AT IT,

BUT DR. NOW SAID THAT I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME

WITH MY HEALTH.

SO I'M HERE AND I'M JUST REALLY, REALLY HOPING

IT GOES WELL TODAY.

MEGAN?

AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT, I WAS AT 590.

AND DR. NOW GAVE ME A GOAL OF LOSING 80 POUNDS.

SO I NEED TO BE DOWN TO 510 TO MEET THAT.

BUT MY SCALE AT HOME SAYS THAT I'M ONLY DOWN TO 555,

SO I'M JUST HOPING IT'S WRONG

AND THAT IT'S A LOT CLOSER TO WHERE I NEED TO BE.

THAT'S DISAPPOINTING.

IT LOOKS LIKE MY SCALE WAS PRETTY MUCH ACCURATE.

I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND IT.

I SHOULD BE LOSING A LOT MORE,

BUT AT LEAST I HAD A GOOD DROP IN WEIGHT THIS TIME.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING.

AND I'M REALLY HOPING DR. NOW SEES THAT AS EVIDENCE

OF HOW HARD I'M WORKING, BUT I'M REALLY SCARED

BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE'S GONNA SAY.

HELLO. HI.

Donna: HI, DOCTOR.HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING?

GOOD. HOW ARE YOU? GOOD.

I'M GOOD, THANK YOU.

ALRIGHT, MEGAN, YOU HAVE MADE SOME PROGRESS, HUH?

I HAVE.

SO WHAT CHANGES YOU HAVE MADE

IN YOUR EATING HABIT?

I'VE BEEN WATCHING MY SODIUM REALLY CLOSELY.

YOUR SODIUM. OKAY.YES.

YOU GOT HANG UP

ON MY EXPLANATION OF SODIUM LAST TIME.

SO WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE WATCHING YOUR SODIUM?

BECAUSE I RETAIN WATER REALLY BAD ON MY FEET.

SO IN THE LAST APPOINTMENT, YOU POINTED IT OUT

AS SOMETHING I SHOULDN'T BE EATING.

SO I TRY TO WATCH MY SODIUM INTAKE

BECAUSE SODIUM, OF COURSE, RETAINS WATER.

HOW ABOUT CALORIE INTAKE? ARE YOU WATCHING THOSE?

I HAVE. I HAVE WATCHED MY CALORIE INTAKE.

OKAY. BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T FULLY LISTEN TO ME LAST TIME,

SINCE WHAT I SAID WAS THAT SODIUM

IS NOT THE SAME AS CALORIES.

SO LOW SODIUM IS GOOD,

BUT IT'S NOT GONNA HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT

IF YOU'RE NOT REDUCING THE AMOUNT YOU EAT.

SO THAT'S NOT A FACTOR IN YOUR WEIGHT LOSS, OKAY?

OKAY.

AND IT'S NOT GONNA MAKE YOU SWELL

TO THE POINT THAT BECOME A FACTOR

WITH WHAT THE SCALE SAYS FOR YOU, NOT AT YOUR WEIGHT.

YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?

OKAY. YES.

SO WHAT ELSE DID YOU CHANGE?

I'VE ALSO BEEN WALKING A LOT MORE.

I TAKE MY DOGS ON WALKS OR MY DOG ON WALKS.

OKAY. SO THAT'S ANOTHER CHANGE THAT IS POSITIVE,

BUT NOT MUCH OF A FACTOR WITH YOUR WEIGHT LOSS.

AND HERE IS MY CONCERN.

EVEN THOUGH I'M GLAD YOU LOST MORE,

IT'S NOWHERE NEAR THE GOAL I GAVE YOU

AND IT TOOK YOU TWICE AS LONG TO DO THAT THIS TIME.

AND IF YOU DOUBLE WHAT YOU LOST THE FIRST TWO MONTHS,

YOU'RE JUST ABOUT TO THE WEIGHT LOSS YOU HAD THIS TIME.

SO WHAT YOU'RE LOSING EACH MONTH IS STILL THE SAME.

SO YOU STILL HAVEN'T MADE MUCH OF A CHANGE

IN YOUR EATING HABIT,

AND THAT'S THE ISSUE RIGHT NOW.

I THOUGHT I HAD AND I WAS DOING BETTER.

I MEAN, I DEFINITELY STICK TO MY DIET.

I'M ACTUALLY REALLY PROUD OF MYSELF

BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN RESISTING

AND WHAT I'M NOT EATING.

SO IF YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING BETTER,

THEN WHAT CHANGES YOU MADE IN YOUR EATING HABIT?

I EAT A LOT OF VEGETABLES AND A LOT OF PROTEIN NOW.

A LOT? WHY EAT A LOT?

WELL, OKAY.

I DON'T EAT A LOT, BUT I EAT A VARIETY,

I GUESS I SHOULD SAY, OF VEGETABLES.

I'M TRYING TO OPEN MY HORIZONS TO VEGETABLES

BECAUSE I'M A PRETTY PICKY EATER SOMETIMES.

AND I'VE BEEN TRYING DIFFERENT FISH

BECAUSE I KNOW THAT'S HEALTHY FOR YOU.

OKAY. SO FIRST OF ALL,

NO MATTER HOW YOU WANT TO SAY IT,

YOU'RE EATING A LOT AND YOU'RE NOT A PICKY EATER

IF YOU'RE 600 POUNDS. YOU GET THAT?

YES.

THE PROBLEM IS YOU ONLY WANT TO EAT UNHEALTHY FOOD

BECAUSE IT TASTES GOOD TO YOU.

THAT'S NOT BEING PICKY.

THAT'S A CHOICE YOU MADE THAT IS GONNA KILL YOU

IF YOU DON'T STOP.

AND YOU'RE NOT GETTING THAT, OKAY?

SO THIS IS NOWHERE NEAR THE PROGRESS YOU NEED TO MAKE

IF YOU WANT TO LIVE.RIGHT.

AND YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT

BECAUSE YOU'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

I KNOW.

YOU SAY THAT, BUT THERE IS NO ACTION BEHIND THAT.

WORDS ARE EASY,

BUT YOU NEED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF

AND DO THIS BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE FOR YOU.

YOU GOT THAT?

YES.

I REALLY HOPE SO.

BUT I WILL TELL YOU, THERE IS SOME POSITIVE IN THAT

YOU HAVE STAYED CONSISTENT OVER THE PAST SIX MONTHS.

THAT'S NOT MUCH, BUT IT IS SOMETHING.

SO WITH ALL THE EFFORT YOU HAVE MADE,

I'M GONNA CONSIDER YOU PART OF THE PROGRAM.

AND IF YOU WANT TO COMMIT TO THAT,

THEN YOU NEED TO MOVE DOWN HERE

AND PLAN TO STAY AT LEAST A YEAR.

BUT THAT'S NOT GUARANTEE FOR SURGERY, OKAY?

IS THAT SOMETHING YOU THINK YOU CAN DO?

I CAN DEFINITELY DO THAT.

ALRIGHT. WELL, GOOD.

BUT REMEMBER, YOU NEED SOMEONE

TO BE HERE WITH YOU TO HELP YOU.

SO WHO'S GOING TO BE MOVING YOU?

MY MOM.

SO SHE'S GONNA BE YOUR ENABLER

AND BAD TEMPTATION FOR THE FOOD...

NO, WE'LL WORK TOGETHER, DOCTOR.

NO.

WE'LL DO THAT EXERCISE. I LIKE TO EXERCISE.

SHE MAKES HER CHOICES, AND I MAKE MINE.

ALRIGHT. SO WHEN DO YOU THINK YOU CAN MAKE THIS MOVE?

I CAN MOVE DOWN HERE WITHIN, I WOULD SAY, A WEEK.

OKAY. THAT'LL BE GOOD.YEAH.

OKAY. SO LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU'RE DOWN HERE.

BUT I WANT TO SEE YOU IN TWO MONTHS AGAIN.

NOT FOUR MONTHS, OKAY?

OKAY. I KNOW.

AND I WANT YOU TO HIT YOUR GOAL THIS TIME.

IF YOU DO IT, WE WILL MOVE AHEAD

WITH WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY WITH YOU

IF YOUR TESTS LOOK GOOD.

BUT UNTIL THAT POINT,

WE'RE NOT MOVING ANY FURTHER AHEAD WITH YOU.

YOU GOT IT?

OKAY. AWESOME.

ALRIGHT, GOOD.

SO AS SOON AS MOVED TO HOUSTON, LET ME KNOW.

AND YOU NEED TO FOCUS ON DOING THIS.

SO CUT BACK ON YOUR EATING A LOT MORE

AND INCREASE YOUR ACTIVITY AND HIT YOUR GOAL THIS TIME.

I CAN DO THAT.

OKAY, WELL, THAT'S GOOD. ALRIGHT, THEN.

MEGAN, NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.YES, NICE TO SEE YOU, TOO.

AND LOOK FORWARD WHEN YOU MOVE DOWN HERE.

YES.

AND WE'LL SEE YOU IN TWO MONTHS.

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING, DOCTOR.

VERY WELCOME.

IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, LET ME KNOW. OKAY?

OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

OKAY.

IT'S POSITIVE THAT MEGAN HAS AT LEAST STAYED CONSISTENT

WITH HER WEIGHT LOSS OVER A 6-MONTH PERIOD.

BUT SHE'S STILL NOT LOSING ANYWHERE CLOSE TO THE WEIGHT

SHE NEEDS TO PREVENT HER HEALTH FROM GETTING TO THE POINT

WHERE IT STARTS TO DETERIORATE RAPIDLY.

SO HAVING HER IN HOUSTON LONG TERM

WILL BE A GOOD NEXT STEP AT THIS POINT.

BUT IF SHE DOESN'T START TO IMPROVE HER PROGRESS

THIS NEXT TIME, WE MAY NEED TO CONSIDER OPTIONS SUCH AS

PUTTING HER IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT

TO GET HER HEALTH TO A MUCH SAFER PLACE

BECAUSE SHE'S STILL NOWHERE NEAR

WHERE SHE WILL BE ABLE TO SURVIVE WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.

AND IF SHE DOESN'T START MAKING PROGRESS FASTER,

THEN THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE SHE'S GONNA RUN OUT OF TIME.

Megan: I'M REALLY HAPPY WITH HOW IT WENT TODAY.

I WISH I WOULD'VE GOT APPROVED FOR SURGERY,

BUT DR. NOW SEES MY PROGRESS.

AND HIM SAYING I'M OFFICIALLY ON THIS PROGRAM

IS A BIG STEP FOR ME AND I'M READY TO MOVE DOWN HERE.

SO EVEN THOUGH I'M STILL NOT QUITE WHERE I WANT TO BE YET,

I'M PROUD OF MYSELF

AND I'M GONNA DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET THE SURGERY SOON.

AND I'M REALLY HAPPY AND I CAN'T WAIT.

TODAY I'M GOING TO VISIT MY DAD.

WHEN HE GOT MOVED TO A HOME 40 MINUTES AWAY FROM ME,

IT GOT HARD TO GO VISIT HIM BECAUSE OF MY SIZE.

BUT NOW THAT I'VE BEEN LOSING WEIGHT AND WORKING OUT,

I CAN GO ALL THE WAY TO VISIT DAD ON MY OWN TODAY.

AND I WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH HIM BEFORE WE MOVE

BECAUSE IT'S JUST GONNA BE HARD BEING AWAY FROM HIM.

SO I JUST WANT TO GO SAY GOODBYE FOR NOW IN A WAY.

BUT I KNOW HE WANTS ME TO GET HEALTHY

AND HE'LL BE GLAD THAT I'M GETTING THE HELP.

HI, DAD.

Roger: WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

NOTHING. HOW ARE YOU?

OKAY.HAVE YOU ATE BREAKFAST?

NO.

OH.

I WAIT TILL LUNCH NOW.

WHAT ARE THEY HAVING?

I DON'T KNOW.

WE'LL HAVE TO ORDER LUNCH.

YEAH.

DO YOU WANT TO ORDER SOME PIZZA?

YEAH. UM...

THEY GOT BARBECUE WINGS?

YEAH. GET THEM.

OKAY.

AND THEN I THINK I'M GOING TO ORDER MYSELF A PASTA.

OKAY.

ME AND MY DAD'S RELATIONSHIP HAS ALWAYS REVOLVED AROUND FOOD.

AND I KNOW I SHOULDN'T GIVE IN RIGHT NOW

AND EAT SOMETHING LIKE PIZZA.

BUT RIGHT NOW, I JUST WANT TO BE WITH MY DAD BEFORE I MOVE.

AND I DON'T THINK ONE MEAL

IS GONNA THROW OFF ALL MY PROGRESS.

THE PIZZA'S HERE.

OKAY. GO GET IT. I'M HUNGRY.

OKAY.

Man #2: HI, HOW'S IT GOING? ORDER FOR MEGAN.

AWESOME. THANK YOU.

BEING APART FROM MY DAD IS THE ONLY THING

THAT'S REALLY HARD FOR ME WITH THIS MOVE.

BUT I KNOW IF I DON'T GO TO HOUSTON AND GET HELP,

THEN I'LL BE WORSE OFF THAN HIM SOON.

AND THEN THERE WOULD BE NO CHANCE FOR ME

TO BE IN HIS LIFE AFTER THAT.

SO I'M DOING THIS SO I COULD HAVE A FUTURE

AND DO THE THINGS I WANT AND BE THERE FOR MY DAD MORE.

SO THE PLAN ME AND MY MOM HAVE IS TO MOVE DOWN NEXT WEEK,

BUT IT'S A LITTLE HARDER

THAN I THOUGHT TO LEAVE THE PLACE THAT I GREW UP.

I'VE JUST BEEN MORE EMOTIONAL ABOUT LEAVING HOME,

BUT I'M DOING THIS TO GET MY LIFE BACK.

AND IF I DON'T, WHAT I'M GONNA HAVE TO FACE

WILL BE FAR WORSE THAN LEAVING WHERE I GREW UP.

AND I'M READY TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD

SO I CAN GET TO WHERE I WANT AND FINALLY GET MY LIFE BACK.

Megan: ME AND MY MOM MADE THE MOVE TO HOUSTON

A LITTLE OVER A WEEK AGO,

BUT GETTING TRANSITIONED DOWN HERE HAS BEEN A BIG PROCESS.

YOU NEED ME TO HELP YOU?

YEAH. I CAN'T -- IT'S NOT ROLLING.

AND WE'RE STILL GETTING EVERYTHING IN PLACE

AND UNPACKING,

BUT I'M GLAD THAT WE FINALLY FEEL LIKE

WE'RE GETTING SETTLED IN.

IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE HOME YET,

BUT I KNOW WE'LL GET THERE ONCE WE GIVE IT SOME MORE TIME.

BUT MY FOCUS NOW IS TO TRY AND GET APPROVED

FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY WHEN I GO BACK NEXT MONTH.

THAT'S MY BIG GOAL RIGHT NOW. AND I NEED IT TO HAPPEN SOON.

HERE'S SOME MORE OF YOUR CLOTHES, MEGAN.

AND ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE DID WHEN WE GOT HERE

WAS GO GROCERY SHOPPING AND GET HEALTHIER INGREDIENTS,

SO I CAN KEEP MAKING MEALS THAT ARE ON DR. NOW'S DIET.

COME ON, MINNIE. LET'S GO POTTY.

COME ON.

AND ASIDE FROM ONE MEAL WITH MY DAD,

I'VE MADE SURE TO STAY ON THE DIET

AND I'VE KEPT UP WITH MY EXERCISES THE WHOLE TIME.

I'M PLANNING ON STAYING ACTIVE AND WALKING MINNIE TWICE A DAY.

BUT I WANT TO FIND A NEW GYM

SO I CAN KEEP UP WITH MY WORKOUTS LIKE I HAVE BEEN.

BUT THE BIG THING IS DOING WHAT I NEED TO STICK TO MY DIET,

EVEN THOUGH MY MOM IS STILL EATING WHAT SHE WANTS

AND GETTING FAST FOOD.

AND THAT CAN BE REALLY TEMPTING FOR ME.

REALLY TEMPTING.

SO THAT'S BEEN GETTING FRUSTRATING

BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL LIKE I HAVE HER SUPPORT WHEN SHE DOES THAT.

BUT I JUST REMIND MYSELF

SHE'S DOING A LOT FOR ME IN OTHER WAYS.

SO I'M STAYING FOCUSED AND DETERMINED TO GET APPROVED

FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY IN MY NEXT APPOINTMENT,

SO ALL MY WORK PAYS OFF AND I GET TO THE LIFE I WANT.

ME AND MY MOM ARE GOING BACK TO SEE DR. NOW

FOR MY NEXT APPOINTMENT

AND I'M REALLY HOPING I GET APPROVED

FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY TODAY.

I'VE BEEN STICKING TO MY DIET

AND WALKING AND DOING EXERCISES AT HOME,

SO I JUST NEED IT TO FINALLY PAY OFF.

BUT I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE SCALE IS GONNA SAY TODAY.

WITH THE MOVE, I PACKED UP MY HOME SCALE,

BUT A COUPLE WEEKS AGO,

I UNPACKED IT AND CHECKED MY WEIGHT

AND IT SAID 537, WHICH WAS ONLY AROUND A 20-POUND LOSS.

SO I'M NOT SURE IF I WAS ABLE TO GET TO MY WEIGHT-LOSS GOAL.

MEGAN.

BUT IF I WAS AT 558 THE LAST TIME

AND DR. NOW GAVE ME THE SAME 80-POUND GOAL,

IT MEANS I SHOULD BE AT 478.

AND I REALLY, REALLY HOPE

THAT I MANAGED TO MAKE IT SOMEWHAT CLOSE TO THAT.

OKAY.

THAT'S AT LEAST BETTER PROGRESS THAN THE OTHER TIMES,

SO THAT'S SOMETHING.

AND I'M HOPING DR. NOW SEES THE POSITIVE IN THAT.

BECAUSE I THINK I'VE LOST OVER 80 POUNDS NOW.

SO THERE'S A PART OF ME STILL HOLDING ON HOPE

THAT I CAN GET APPROVED FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY TODAY.

HELLO. HI.

HOW YOU ALL DOING?GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

Donna: GOOD.

GOOD. ALRIGHT.

MEGAN, HOW'S EVERYTHING GOING WITH YOU?

BETTER NOW THAT I'M IN HOUSTON.

SO YOU MADE IT DOWN TO HOUSTON?

YEP. WE GOT IN ABOUT A MONTH AGO.

OKAY, THAT'S GOOD.

AND IT LOOKED LIKE YOUR WEIGHT LOSS HAD IMPROVED SOME.

SO THAT'S GOOD, TOO. BUT YOU'RE STILL FALLING SHORT

A GOOD WAYS FROM WHAT YOU SHOULD BE LOSING.

SO WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOUR EATING HABITS?

I DON'T KNOW. I THINK I'M DOING WELL.

SO I'M NOT SURE WHY I'M NOT LOSING MORE.

OKAY.

WELL, MY CONCERN IS -- AND LET'S SEE --

YOU ARE ON 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

6, 7, 8...

9, 10, 11, 12 MEDICATION.

YOU ARE ONLY WHAT, 25?

YES.

AND SOME OF THESE MEDICATION THAT YOU ARE ON,

TYPICALLY PEOPLE IN 40s, 50s AND 60s ARE ON.

AND YOU'RE ON BLOOD THINNER.

SO THEN YOUR MRI IS OKAY HERE.

AND YOU HAVE BLOOD CLOT IN THE LEG AND IN THE LUNG.

SO AT THIS POINT, THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO

FROM YOUR PART IS TO LOSE WEIGHT.

BUT YOU'RE NOT. AND THAT'S A CONCERN.

OKAY? OKAY.

BUT HERE'S THE POSITIVE I SEE, DESPITE ALL THAT --

OVER THE LAST NINE MONTHS,

YOU AT LEAST STAYED CONSISTENT WITH YOUR WEIGHT LOSS

AND HAD SOME VERY MINOR IMPROVEMENTS.

AND LOSING WEIGHT FOR THAT LONG AT LEAST

SHOWS ME YOU'RE TRYING SOME.

SO BECAUSE OF THAT, I'LL MAKE YOU A DEAL.

OKAY? OKAY.

SO FAR, YOU HAVE LOST A TOTAL OF 84 POUNDS.

IF YOU LOSE AT LEAST 30 MORE OVER THE NEXT 2 MONTHS

AND GET DOWN TO 500 AND ALL YOUR TESTS ARE GOOD

AFTER THAT TO SHOW US YOUR BODY

IS HEALTHY ENOUGH FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

THEN WE WILL MOVE AHEAD WITH THAT.

DOES THAT WORK FOR YOU?

DEFINITELY.

ALRIGHT. OKAY.

BUT IF YOU DON'T DO THAT, THEN I DON'T WANT ANY EXCUSES.

RIGHT.SO WORK HARD.

AND MAKE SURE TO STICK WITH YOUR DIET

AND EXERCISING TO LOSE ANOTHER 30 POUNDS.

OKAY? OKAY.

SO IS MOM GONNA HELP YOU WITH THAT?

I HOPE SO. YES.

SHE'S NOT GONNA BE ENABLING YOU

BY EATING BAD FOOD AND ALL THAT STUFF?

WELL, I HOPE NOT.

HOPING IS A FIGURE OF SPEECH.

YOU NEED ACTION TO FOLLOW THAT.

RIGHT.

SO MOM, YOU LOST ANY WEIGHT?

UM, JUST A FEW POUNDS. IT'S REALLY HARD, YOU KNOW?

OH, YEAH. IT'S THE WORST EXCUSE.

I HEAR IT ALL THE TIME.

WE'RE GONNA START EXERCISING.

WE HAVE AN EXERCISE PLACE AT OUR APARTMENT THERE.

AND A POOL.

OKAY. SO...

SO NO MORE EXCUSES, RIGHT?

NO. RIGHT.

FOR NOT FOLLOWING THE DIET AND NOT DOING THE EXERCISES.

RIGHT.

RIGHT, DOCTOR. I KNOW.

I NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT.

YEAH. SO THIS IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING

THAT YOU ALL HAVE TO DO.

YEAH. OKAY.

AND YOU STAY ON TRACK, GET YOUR BODY

TO A HEALTHIER PLACE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

AND THEN WE'LL SEE

HOW WE'RE DOING IN TWO MONTHS.

AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS MEANTIME, GIVE ME A CALL.

OKAY. ALRIGHT.

THANKS.I'LL SEE YOU ALL SOON.

YES, THANK YOU.THANK YOU, DOCTOR.

Dr. Nowzaradan: DESPITE MEGAN'S SLOW PROGRESS,

SHE'S AT LEAST STAYED CONSISTENT OVER THE LAST NINE MONTHS.

WHAT MEGAN HAS LOST OVER THE LAST NINE MONTHS

IS WHAT SHE SHOULD HAVE LOST IN THE FIRST TWO.

SO SHE STILL NEED TO WORK TO CUT HER EATING BACK MORE.

BUT WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY WILL BE A GOOD TOOL

TO HELP DO THAT FOR HER.

AND WITH HOW CONSISTENT SHE HAS BEEN WITH HER WEIGHT LOSS,

SHE'S SHOWN ME THAT SHE'S AT LEAST STICKING WITH IT,

WHICH MOST PATIENTS DON'T DO FOR THIS LONG.

SO IF SHE CONTINUES TO DO THAT OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS

AND LOSE ANOTHER 30 POUNDS, THEN SHE'LL PROVE TO ME

THAT SHE'S READY FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

THE ONLY QUESTION WILL BE HER HEALTH AT THAT POINT

AND WHETHER OR NOT HER BODY CAN HANDLE AN OPERATION.

BUT I'M HOPING THAT ONCE SHE IS IN THE 400s,

THAT MAY BE A POSSIBILITY.

SO THE PRIORITY IS STILL FOR HER TO LOSE AS MUCH AS SHE CAN,

AS QUICKLY AS SHE CAN, UNTIL SHE GETS TO WHERE

SHE'S NO LONGER IN SUCH A DANGEROUS PLACE.

Megan: MY BIG GOAL FOR THIS APPOINTMENT

WAS TO GET APPROVED FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

AND IN A WAY, I FEEL LIKE I DID THAT,

BECAUSE DR. NOW TOLD ME I WOULD GET APPROVED NEXT TIME

IF I JUST KEEP DOING WHAT I HAVE BEEN.

SO I PLAN TO STAY FOCUSED OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS

AND WORK HARD TO MAKE SURE I CAN MOVE AHEAD AND GET MY SURGERY.

AND I'M REALLY EXCITED FOR THIS AND I CAN'T WAIT.

Megan: THIS PAST MONTH, I'VE JUST BEEN WORKING TO TRY

AND STAY FOCUSED ON LOSING THE 30 POUNDS I NEED TO DROP

TO GET MY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY APPROVAL.

AND SO FAR, I KNOW I'M ON TRACK

BECAUSE I PULLED MY SCALE OUT AGAIN

AND I'VE BEEN CHARTING MY PROGRESS

TO MAKE SURE I'M DOING IT.

AND ACCORDING TO WHAT IT SAYS,

I'VE ALREADY LOST ANOTHER 12 POUNDS.

SO I JUST NEED TO LOSE ANOTHER 18 THIS NEXT MONTH.

AND THAT MEANS I CAN'T SLIP UP AND I HAVE TO STAY FOCUSED.

SO I JUST NEED TO LOSE 18 MORE.

WATCH OUT, MINNIE.

ARE YOU MAKING THAT SQUASH, HONEY?

YEAH, I PUT IT IN THE MICROWAVE.

DID YOU PUT SOME BROWN SUGAR AND BUTTER ON IT?

YEAH.

THE ONLY REAL STRUGGLE I HAVE IS THAT MY MOM

IS STILL ORDERING FAST FOOD

AND FOOD THAT I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE.

-HI. -HERE YOU GO.

-OKAY. THANKS. -IT CAME WITH EXTRA SIDES.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

WHAT'D YOU GET, MOM?

A FISH AND A SALAD.

THE FISH IS FRIED, AIN'T IT?

YEAH. WELL...

MOM...

I'M TRYING.

FRIED FOOD IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU.

I KNOW.

Megan: AND I KNOW SHE'S BEEN HIDING STASHES OF CANDY

AND JUNK FOOD AROUND THE HOUSE

TO EAT SECRETLY BECAUSE I KEEP FINDING IT WHEN I CLEAN.

AND I JUST REALLY WISH I HAD MORE SUPPORT FROM HER RIGHT NOW.

INSTEAD OF HELPING ME, SHE'S MAKING IT A LOT HARDER

THAN IT NEEDS TO BE FOR ME.

THAT STUFF SHOULD NEVER BE AROUND ME,

BUT SHE DOESN'T SEEM TO GET THAT.

BUT I HAVEN'T GIVEN IN AND I'M NOT GONNA LET MYSELF.

I REFUSE TO.

SO EVERY TIME MY CRAVINGS GET REALLY BAD

OR I'M REALLY TEMPTED WITH WHAT SHE HAS,

I JUST KEEP REMINDING MYSELF OF THE LIFE THAT I CAN HAVE

AND WHAT IT'S GONNA BE LIKE

IF I LOSE THE WEIGHT TO HELP ME STAY MOTIVATED

AND FOCUSED LIKE I NEED.

AND I ALSO TRY TO STAY BUSY TO KEEP ME DISTRACTED

WHEN I NEED IT.

BECAUSE I KNOW ALL I HAVE TO DO IS TO LOSE A LITTLE BIT MORE,

AND I'LL BE ABLE TO GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY

AND TAKE ANOTHER REALLY BIG AND IMPORTANT STEP TOWARDS THE LIFE

I WANT.

I JUST HAVE TO STAY ON TRACK A LITTLE LONGER.

AND I'M WORKING REALLY HARD TO DO THAT.

Woman: MEGAN.

ME AND MY MOM ARE BACK AT DR. NOW'S

AND I'M EXCITED AND NERVOUS ABOUT MY APPOINTMENT

ALL AT THE SAME TIME RIGHT NOW.

I'M EXCITED BECAUSE I PRETTY MUCH LOST THE 30 POUNDS

I NEED TO GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

AS LONG AS DR. NOW'S SCALE AGREES, TOO.

BUT MOST OF THE TIME, IT'S BEEN IN THE SAME RANGE.

SO I FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT WHAT THE SCALE IS GONNA SAY TODAY.

AND I CALLED HIM AND I TOLD HIM THAT

AND HE SAID WE COULD DO SOME TESTING TODAY

TO SEE IF I'M HEALTHY ENOUGH FOR MY BODY

TO HANDLE WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

OKAY.

AND IF I AM, HE SAID HE WOULD APPROVE ME FOR THAT TODAY.

SO ALL OF THAT HAS ME EXCITED.

BUT I'M JUST NERVOUS AND SCARED ABOUT THE TESTS

AND WHAT THE RESULTS MIGHT SAY ABOUT MY HEALTH.

BECAUSE I DON'T WANT MY BODY TO HOLD ME BACK

FROM GETTING THE SURGERY I NEED TO SAVE MY LIFE.

SO THE DOCTOR WANTS TO DO A FEW TESTS.

SO WHAT AM I GONNA GET YOU TO DO

IS I'M GONNA GET YOU TO CHANGE. OKAY?

OKAY. ALRIGHT.

SO THERE YOU GO.

AND I'M JUST SCARED ABOUT HOW MUCH ABUSE

I'VE PUT ON MY BODY WITH MY WEIGHT FOR SO MANY YEARS.

AND I'M WORRIED ABOUT HOW MUCH DAMAGE IT'S DONE TO ME

BECAUSE MY BIGGEST FEAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN

THAT I'M GONNA RUN OUT OF TIME.

AND THAT I'VE LET MYSELF GET TO A POINT

WHERE IT'S TOO LATE FOR ME, NO MATTER WHAT I DO,

JUST BECAUSE I ALREADY LET IT GO ON FOR SO LONG

AND THE DAMAGE IT'S DONE.

SO I'M JUST REALLY HOPING THE TEST RESULTS WERE GOOD

AND THERE'S NOTHING THAT'S GONNA HOLD ME BACK

FROM MOVING AHEAD AND GETTING THE SURGERY

I'VE WORKED SO HARD TO EARN AND THAT I NEED TO SAVE MY LIFE.

Megan: I JUST FINISHED SOME OF MY TESTING

THAT DR. NOW DID ON ME TO SEE

IF I'M HEALTHY ENOUGH TO GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

IF I AM, HE SAID HE'LL APPROVE ME TODAY

AND I'LL FINALLY BE ABLE TO GET IT.

SO I'M REALLY HOPING THE RESULTS WERE GOOD

AND SHOW ALL MY PROGRESS HAS PAID OFF LIKE I NEED.

AND I'M SO NERVOUS, BECAUSE I'M JUST SO WORRIED

THAT IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

AND I REALLY NEED THE SURGERY.

SO I'M JUST HOPING WHEN DR. NOW COMES IN,

IT'S GOOD NEWS.

HELLO. HI.

Donna: HI, DOCTOR.

HOW YOU ALL DOING?

GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?GOOD.

GOOD. WELL, HOW ARE YOU GETTING ALONG, MEGAN?

GOOD.

ALRIGHT, WELL, I'M PROUD OF YOU

FOR LOSING ANOTHER 30 POUNDS.

THANK YOU.

I'VE BEEN EATING A LOT OF VEGETABLES.

WELL, THAT'S GOOD.

BUT LOOKING AT YOUR ULTRASOUND,

IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE SOME PROBLEM

WITH YOUR BILE DUCT AND YOUR GALLBLADDER.

AND THAT'S JUST A START,

BECAUSE WE STILL NEED TO RUN MORE TESTS.

BUT UNFORTUNATELY, WE ALREADY SEEN A NUMBER

OF HEALTH ISSUES THAT ARE CONCERNING.

YOUR GALLBLADDER VERY DISTENDED,

AND YOU GOT STONE IN IT.

IT LOOK LIKE YOU MAY HAVE SOME BLOCKAGE

IN YOUR BILE DUCT.

SO THAT ALONE IS CONCERNING.

BUT COMBINED WITH ALL YOUR OTHER ISSUES,

YOU'RE STILL NOT HEALTHY ENOUGH

TO MAKE WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY SAFE TO DO ON YOU,

ESPECIALLY WITH THE ISSUES YOU HAD

WITH BLOOD CLOTS IN YOUR LUNG.

SO WHERE WAS THAT BLOOD CLOT IN YOUR LUNG

THAT YOU NEEDED TO REMOVE?

IT WAS IN MY LEFT LUNG.

WHEN? WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?

NOVEMBER OF 2017.

AND THEN IN NOVEMBER OF 2018, I HAD IT TWICE.

OKAY. WELL, I'M A BIT CONCERNED

ABOUT WHAT WE SEE IN YOUR GALLBLADDER.

BECAUSE YOUR GALLBLADDER IS ALMOST AS BIG

AS WHAT ONE EXPECT THAT IT'S GONNA RUPTURE.

SO I'M GONNA SET YOU UP FOR AN ENDOSCOPY

AND LOOK IN ON THE OPENING OF BILE DUCT

AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.OKAY.

SO I'M GONNA SEE IF WE CAN SET IT UP FOR NEXT WEEK.

OKAY? OKAY.

WE GONNA DO THE ENDOSCOPY AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.

OKAY? OKAY.

AND THEN AFTER THAT,

WE'LL ALSO RUN SOME MORE TESTS TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON

WITH YOUR PULMONARY SYSTEM AND OTHER THINGS.

BUT RIGHT NOW, AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU

WE CAN MOVE AHEAD WITH YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS TOO RISKY STILL,

AND THAT YOU NEED TO REDUCE MORE STRAIN ON YOUR BODY

BY LOSING MORE WEIGHT.

SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU STAY ON TRACK

AND CONTINUE YOUR WEIGHT LOSS

BECAUSE YOU'RE STILL RACING THE CLOCK WITH THAT. OKAY?

OKAY.

AND IF YOU DO THAT, WE'LL KEEP RUNNING TESTS

ON YOU EVERY MONTH.

AND AS SOON AS THEY LOOK GOOD ENOUGH,

WE WILL DO A WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

OKAY? YEP.

BUT THIS COULD TAKE ONE MONTH OR SIX MONTHS.

THERE'S NO WAY TO TELL.

SO THE MOST IMPORTANT THING

IS THAT YOU STICK WITH YOUR DIET.

AND DON'T USE THIS AS AN EXCUSE TO START TO SLIDE BACK

INTO OLD HABITS.OKAY.

AND WE'RE GONNA SET YOU UP FOR THAT ENDOSCOPY,

AND THEN FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOU. OKAY?

OKAY. ALRIGHT.

MEGAN, I'M PROUD OF YOUR PROGRESS.

JUST KEEP IT UP AND WE'LL BE ABLE

TO DO YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

YEP. I'VE DEFINITELY BEEN TRYING.

JUST STICK WITH IT, OKAY?

BECAUSE IT'S STILL VERY IMPORTANT TO GET YOU

TO A HEALTHY PLACE VERY SOON. YOU GOT THAT?

YEAH.

OKAY, GOOD.

ALRIGHT, I'LL SEE YOU IN THE HOSPITAL.

OKAY. AWESOME.OKAY. ALRIGHT.

THANK YOU.THANK YOU.

Dr. Nowzaradan: I'M VERY PROUD OF MEGAN

FOR LOSING ANOTHER 30 POUNDS OVER THE LAST 2 MONTHS

AND ULTIMATELY STAYING CONSISTENT WITH HER WEIGHT LOSS

FOR ALMOST A YEAR.

THAT'S SOMETHING I RARELY SEE WITH ANY PATIENT.

SO SHE'S DONE VERY WELL IN THAT REGARD.

BUT THE UNFORTUNATE SITUATION WE HAVE WITH HER

IS THAT HER CONDITION IS STILL TOO POOR

AND HER HEALTH IS STILL TOO COMPROMISED AT THIS TIME

FOR US TO SAFELY DO ANY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY ON HER.

SO WE WILL CONTINUE RUNNING TESTS ON HER

UNTIL SHE HAS REDUCED THE STRAIN ON HER SYSTEM

ENOUGH TO HANDLE SURGERY.

BUT THAT COULD TAKE ANYWHERE FROM A MONTH

TO SIX MONTHS OR LONGER.

BUT SHE'S AT LEAST HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

AND IF SHE STARTS TO STRUGGLE, WE'LL BE THERE TO MAKE SURE

SHE KEEPS GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

AND I THINK ONCE WE ARE ABLE TO DO WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY ON HER,

IT WILL HELP ADDRESS THE AMOUNT SHE'S EATING AT ONE TIME

TO GET HER TO LOSE WEIGHT A LOT MORE QUICKLY.

BUT FOR NOW, WE JUST NEED TO DO WHAT IT TAKES

TO KEEP HER ON TRACK.

Megan: I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED.

THIS IS WHAT I WAS AFRAID OF,

AND I'M JUST REALLY UPSET AND DISCOURAGED

BECAUSE I'VE WORKED SO HARD TO MAKE IT TO THIS POINT.

AND IT FEELS LIKE ALL MY HARD WORK

AND PROGRESS STILL DOESN'T MATTER.

SO RIGHT NOW, I JUST WANT TO GO HOME.

AND THEN I'LL FIGURE OUT WHAT I'M GONNA DO.

RIGHT NOW, ME AND MY MOM ARE MAKING A HEALTHY MEAL TOGETHER.

AND THEN WE'RE GONNA GO FOR A WALK AT THE PARK

TO GET MY AFTERNOON EXERCISE.

SHE'S RECOMMITTED TO DOING THIS WITH ME

BECAUSE AFTER MY LAST APPOINTMENT,

SHE COULD TELL I WAS REALLY DISCOURAGED.

SO WE TALKED ABOUT IT AND I SHARED A LOT OF THINGS,

BUT SPECIFICALLY

HOW I DON'T THINK SHE'S BEEN SUPPORTIVE OF ME...

OH, MY GOSH, THIS IS SO GOOD.

...BECAUSE OF HOW SHE EATS FAST FOOD AND JUNK FOOD AROUND ME.

SHE SAID SHE'D TRY BETTER

BECAUSE SHE WANTS ME TO STICK WITH THIS.

AND SHE'S ALSO GOING BACK TO HEALTHY MEALS

TO HELP ME AVOID TEMPTATION.

AND SHE'S BEEN GOING ON MY WALKS WITH ME TO SUPPORT ME

WITH MY EXERCISE, TOO, AND HELP ME STAY MOTIVATED.

I'M REALLY FULL.

YOUR STOMACH'S SHRINKING, HONEY.

WHO KNEW IT WAS OKAY TO EAT HEALTHY?

I WENT IN FOR MORE TESTING AND NOTHING REALLY CHANGED.

COME ON, MINNIE.

SO DR. NOW TOLD ME THAT WE'LL KEEP RUNNING TESTS

ABOUT EVERY MONTH,

AS LONG AS I KEEP LOSING AND STAY ON TRACK.

SO THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO.

AND I'M JUST REALLY HOPING IF I KEEP MOVING FORWARD,

THAT IT WON'T BE LONG

TO WHERE I'M ABLE TO GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY

BECAUSE MY BODY'S HEALTHY ENOUGH AGAIN.

WE STILL DON'T KNOW HOW LONG IT'S GONNA TAKE.

I JUST CAN'T LET MYSELF GET DISCOURAGED, SO I'M MAKING SURE

AND I'M STILL JUST AS FOCUSED AS I'VE EVER BEEN.

SO I STAY ON TRACK LIKE DR. NOW SAYS UNTIL I GET MY SURGERY

AND THEN MAKE IT TO MY GOAL, AND I'M REALLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT.

IF YOU WOULD HAVE ASKED ME A YEAR AGO

IF I THOUGHT I COULD CONSISTENTLY LOSE WEIGHT

THIS WHOLE TIME BY DIETING,

I WOULD'VE SAID THERE'S NO CHANCE.

BUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET SURGERY

AND HAVE A NEW LIFE HAS MOTIVATED ME TO WORK HARDER

THAN I EVER HAVE.

AND I'VE LOST ABOUT 100 POUNDS IN THE LAST YEAR.

AND AS LONG AS I KEEP MOVING AHEAD LIKE I HAVE BEEN,

I'LL GET TO WHERE I WANT, WHERE I'M HEALTHY

AND I'M ABLE TO LIVE ON MY OWN

AND HAVE A CAREER AND HAVE A FAMILY

THAT I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF AND DO ALL THE OTHER THINGS

I'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO DO BECAUSE OF MY WEIGHT.

AND I'M NOT LETTING ANYTHING GET IN MY WAY

OR STOP ME FROM GETTING THE NEW LIFE

I'M ALREADY SEEING TAKE SHAPE.