Original subtitles

[Mike Meginness] There's almost nothing in this world that can compare

to the feeling of taking that first bite when I haven't eaten in a while.

[emotive piano music playing]

[woman 1] Somewhere in me is this little glimmer of hope.

- I just wanna be a normal person. - [man panting]

[exhales and pants]

[man 1] 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.

No... [sobbing] It hurts!

[woman 3] I refuse to stop fighting. I have to do this for my children.

[Mike] This is our seventh stop of the day.

I had to take a lot of breaks because of how bad my legs are hurting.

[breathing heavily]

Because of how much I struggle now at my size,

I've had to move into my parents' basement.

I've lost my place, and I don't have a job right now,

so I had to move in with them.

It's six feet underground.

It's cold down there.

I don't have windows or anything to see outside into the world.

So I lose track of the day easily.

All the days just seem to blend together.

I just wanna hide in the basement and not move...

and forget what my life is like for a little bit.

So, lots of mornings, when everyone else is getting ready to start their day,

I am still up playing games or watching TV.

Stuff like that helps me with my depression.

[groans]

Not as much as eating does, but it helps me shut my brain off.

[exclaims]

But when I eventually do go to sleep, I could sleep two hours,

or I could sleep 13 hours. It all depends on my body.

But every time I go to bed, I wonder if this is the time

I don't wake up, because my body finally gave out.

[groans]

When I open my eyes, some days I feel like I'm living in a nightmare.

And because with how big I am now, it's a daily struggle just to get out of bed.

[sighs]

[groans]

[exclaims]

Because I'm probably in the 700s now.

So just getting that amount of weight up and moving takes a lot.

[groans softly]

And even when I'm up moving around,

I can't go far before I have to stop and rest.

There's just a lot of stuff that I used to be able to do

that I'm unable to do now because of my weight.

Coming out of the basement is probably the hardest thing I do all day,

so I usually only go up once.

And then when I go back down, that's it for the day.

But once I make it up to the house, I'm always starving and anxious to eat.

[dial tone ringing]

[man on speakerphone] What can I do for you?

- I got a pretty big order, so... Um-- - Okay. Not a problem.

The first one, I'm going to get the Lumberjack Slam Pack.

Uh, one of those Ultimate Omelets.

- Okay. - And can I get cheese on my hash browns with that one?

Cheese on the hash browns sounds good.

Um, an order of the Cinnamon Roll Pancakes.

- Will there be anything else? - Uh, the Double Moons Over My Hammy sandwich.

-And then to drink? -And then to drink, I want... I want two chocolate milks.

Two chocolate milks. All right.

Thank you very much.

- [emotive piano music playing] - [groans]

My routine is to order breakfast,

and then get cleaned up while I wait for it to be delivered.

- [exhales] - Getting in the shower is probably the second

hardest thing I put myself through in the day,

because I'm too big for the bathroom.

And then we have a tiny corner shower I have to try and squeeze myself into.

And then it's hard to get water over most of my body.

I have to move around to get it all over me.

And it takes a lot of energy out of me, and I start to struggle.

And that's before I've even tried to wash the areas I need, like under my folds

and stuff where I had the biggest problems staying clean.

So it's just a discouraging process. I hate it.

If I didn't need to do it, I'd skip it.

But by the time I'm done, I'm extremely exhausted. My body's in so much pain.

But all I think about is eating.

And I can't wait for that.

[breathing heavily]

Food helps me to escape the depression that I've had for a long time.

I get so anxious and excited when it's finally here.

[grunts softly]

- [man] Here you go, sir. - Thank you.

-All right. Have a good day, man. -You too.

Even before I eat,

just the smell lets me know that things are about to get better.

There's almost nothing in this world that can compare

to the feeling of taking that first bite when I haven't eaten in a while.

Because I get that first flood of happiness that comes with it

and it feels incredible.

Eating just makes everything better.

It's the only thing that's sort of given me an escape in my life

when I've needed it.

And there's been a lot of times in my life where I've needed it.

My size has always been an issue.

I am second of five kids.

I have two younger brothers. Older sister. Younger sister.

I am, and always have been, the big guy of the family.

It started young when I would eat a meal and still be hungry afterwards.

I was always hungry.

I remember elementary school, my mom started packing me two sandwiches.

[Kathleen] I never thought that any of our boys really ate an overly large amount,

including Michael.

But... Just didn't think about it until it's like... Uh-oh. [chuckling]

[Mike] And so, even from when I was really young, from how much I ate,

I was already putting on lots of weight,

and I got up to 102 pounds when I turned six.

But I didn't worry about my weight overall at that time.

Because I was very active, playing sports. Football, basketball, baseball,

soccer, tennis.

He was always bigger than everyone else. I'd say stronger too.

He excelled at every sport he tried, and tried just about all of 'em.

[Mike] And once I started playing sports, I think starting at, like, age seven,

it was constantly busy with sports and my weight didn't matter.

It wasn't holding me back.

My body was healthy. I felt healthy. There was no reason to worry about it.

So, being bigger and overweight,

there were some good things and bad things about it on the football field.

It was fun being able to be dominant.

But all through school, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade,

I was always made fun of for my size.

And I was always embarrassed about how I looked.

During that time, my overeating just got worse.

I was eating four to five meals a day, so I kept gaining a lot.

By the time I was 11, I got over the 200-pound mark.

I was gaining weight constantly.

And the bigger I got, the worse the bullying got until I started high school.

He was one of the better athletes in any sport.

But when he got into football in high school, that's when he started to excel.

[Mike] And that's when I picked football as my only sport.

My coach signed me up for weightlifting, and I focused all on football.

All of a sudden, my size was a good thing.

By the time I was 16, I was 275 pounds.

I got pretty strong. Squatting close to 800 pounds, deadlifted a little over 1000,

and leg-pressed about 1500.

By the time I was 18, I was 315 pounds.

Being 6'5, 315 on the football field,

I was one of the bigger kids in the state,

[William] We're two blocks from the practice field.

I was at every practice just to watch him play.

I was one of the few parents that was there all the time because I was proud of him.

We finished that year, my senior year, 4th in the state.

[William] We were both talking to the head coach daily

of what coaches were interested in.

I would take him around to different colleges and meet different coaches,

and they all loved him.

[Mike] I remember my dad told me,

"You wanna go to college, you gotta get a good scholarship."

So I knew I had to work hard, and I did.

I had letters from hundreds of colleges across the country

wanting me to play football for them.

I was just waiting on that one offer to come in,

and when the offer came in, I was ecstatic.

Going to college at Saint Francis University of Pennsylvania,

being able to show up, knowing that you were the top football recruit,

being able to play football, I just... loved every moment of it.

And then... it all just came crashing down.

I started as a freshman playing football.

And it was just fine. I... I loved college. Enjoyed every second of it.

But after five games, I got a concussion, and I sprained my neck.

Two weeks after that, my first practice back, I got another concussion.

And the doctor told me I'm not allowed to play football anymore.

Like, ever again.

[William] When he got a second concussion,

I think his spirit was broken right then.

According to the NCAA rules, he's done.

Knowing that he wouldn't be able to play anymore...

It was tough. I know he was depressed.

I felt like a failure. I lost my football scholarship. I couldn't afford the tuition.

So I moved from there back in with my parents.

That's when my depression started.

And to deal with that depression, that's when the binge eating happens.

That first year being told I can't play football anymore, I probably gained 150 pounds.

Michael was devastated when he couldn't play football anymore

because that was how he had always identified.

And, um, I pray for him to realize that he's more than that.

He's a wonderful, caring, beautiful person, and he loves life.

And I want Michael to realize that he doesn't need to be playing football

to be the best that he can be,

- [William] Dinner! - [Kathleen chuckles]

- Chinese tonight. - Okay.

[Kathleen] Oh, good. Here, take these...

[Mike] When I came back home after my injuries, I had no direction.

When life was nothing but football,

and you're not allowed to play football anymore,

your self-identity just disappears.

- [Kathleen] Take that. - [Mike] That lasted till I was about 20,

but then my cousin set me up on a date.

This was the first girl I ever dated.

And it was October we met. I proposed in April. Then I got married.

After getting married and sitting down with my then-wife,

she told me when you don't have a degree,

- you really can't get a good paying job. - [Kathleen] I got one for you.

[Mike] And at that point, I started going to Marion Tech.

Got my degree in computer networking.

And then I got my first full-time job.

Everything started turning around.

I started feeling just excited about where my life was going.

But I still had that issue. The depression and the binge eating in the background.

And I was still gaining weight,

and that just continued on and on for years.

Got a huge pay raise. Now we have four kids.

I'm able to provide for all four kids, provide for the wife.

We're living in a 4,500 sq. ft home

out in the country, on four acres, with a barn.

At that point, I'm 530 lbs, and my wife actually told me

if I do not go get help, with my eating, then she was gonna leave me.

So, I went to Chicago, to a in-patient eating recovery center,

for two months of in-patient therapy.

That is the first time in my life that I was diagnosed with depression.

That's when I also was diagnosed with binge-eating disorder.

And that was my coping, for the depression.

When I left rehab, I had lost 85 lbs.

And I went from 610 lbs down to 530.

And that's what I stayed at constantly,

for the next year and a half, two years.

I thought everything was getting better,

but then, two years later is when the divorce happened.

And then, everything fell apart, from there on.

I found out that my wife was going to divorce me.

I called my parents up and said, "I gotta come home."

And that's when my health really took a turn for the worst.

[Mike] General Tso's.

[Kathleen] Oh, I like General Tso's.

[Mike] After the divorce, in the first two months, I gained a good 130, 140 lbs.

Since the divorce, I haven't been able to keep a job

and I lost my family, my kids.

And they're everything to me.

And for the last few years, I've been living in my parents' basement.

I know I have to break the cycle soon.

My life and getting my kids back depend on it.

- [William] Can I get one of those-- - [Mike] No.

[William] Croutons or what do you call those things?

- [Mike] Crab rangoons? - [William] Yeah. I'll try one.

-[William] Yeah. Guess I'll let you have one. -[Mike] I'll try it.

I'm disgusted I let it get this bad.

But, I know I have to dig myself out now.

And that I have to get help to do that.

[Kathleen] I worry about Michael all the time,

because I think he has been struggling, um, with his identity.

My biggest fear is that he will be trapped in our basement.

I pray that he won't, but I don't know how to help him.

Mike's always excelled at what he's done.

Now, because of his weight, it's hard for him to keep a job

it's hard for him to walk.

And, uh, my concern is he doesn't understand

how serious it is and that it's getting closer, being stuck in a bed all day.

Can't decide which way to go down, though.

We can go down through Cincinnati and Nashville,

or we can go towards Indianapolis,

but both routes end up in Memphis.

Let's go straight south.

We decided my dad's gonna come to Houston with me, to see Dr. Now.

And if he's able to help me, then whatever he tells me to do, I'm gonna do it.

Because, I need to turn my life around and I'm ready to fight to do that.

I can't keep going like this.

Something has to change before things get worse for me.

Because, I would say that I'm considered to be on my death bed.

I could die in my sleep tonight.

And that's hard for me, because I want to be there for my kids.

So, I have to figure out how to turn my life around now,

before I lose the last bit of life I'm holding on to.

[Mike] I'm packed up for what my dad and I expect to be a six-day trip

to Houston for my appointment with Dr. Now,

to get help to lose weight and turn things around.

We figured it would take us three days to get there

and the same to come back, after spending the day in Houston.

So, it's going to be a full week of traveling

and I'm not looking forward to it.

The most I drive is about an hour and a half, to see my kids.

And sometimes, my legs are swollen from even that drive.

That takes me a couple of days to recover from it.

So, I'm worried about how hard the trip is gonna be on my body.

[wheezing]

Are you ready for this?

Yup.

It's gonna be a long day.

[Kathleen] All right.

[Mike] See you later.

Love you.

[Mike breathing heavily]

[clears throat]

[car starts]

We need to go six to seven hours a day,

to make it to Houston in three days.

So, I'm gonna try to hit that goal today and I think we can do it.

[William] What's it like, sitting over there?

[Mike] Leg room's a little short, can't wait to get lunch.

So, the plan right now is to stop to get a quick bite to eat.

I'll take a, uh, Double Whopper, with cheese.

Let's do the Deluxe chicken sandwich,

a large onion ring, Hershey Sundae Pie.

[woman on speaker] Great, 30.61.

[William] I'll just pull over to the side here to eat.

[Mike] If I don't change now, it's all going to be over for me soon.

This should last us until we stop tonight.

[Mike] So, this is life or death for me.

Mmm. That was perfect.

[William] Gonna be a long day.

-We gotta get there -[Mike] Okay.

Let's go.

[breathing heavily]

I went out almost instantly last night.

I was just worn out from being on the road for six hours.

- [William] I'll go ahead and pull the car up. - [Mike] Okay.

And I can it all now in my legs, because they're swollen.

And they're really sore.

[grunts]

But, I think I can handle it.

I just wish I had a little more time to rest my legs.

[heavily exhales]

[coughing]

Back on the road.

[William] Are your legs cramping up today?

[Mike] Oh, yeah.

Why go inside when there's a drive-through?

I need a Venti Shaken Espresso, with light ice,

six pumps of the white chocolate mocha syrup,

three Splenda and extra heavy cream.

And that's it.

- [William] There's no way I could remember that. - [Mike] It's addicting.

A little taste of heaven.

I'm doing this to change my life.

So, no matter how bad it gets, I'm gonna push myself to keep going.

We stopped to get something to eat, so I could stretch my legs.

I had to take a lot of breaks, because of how bad my legs are hurting.

So, we still have a way to go to get to our traveling distance today.

So, I'm gonna just keep pushing myself to keep going

and see if I can make it there without any more breaks.

- Oh, ho. - They had a good buffet down there.

- Perfect. - Where do you want it?

I'm gonna do it right here.

[grunts]

- [William] I'm gonna go down and get mine. - [Mike] Okay.

I know today's gonna be the hardest day yet.

But, I meant when I said it was gonna take a lot to stop me.

I'm gonna make it to Houston no matter how hard it gets for me.

I managed to make it eight hours on the road yesterday.

But, I'm even more sore today than I was yesterday.

Let's get out of here. I'm ready.

- You got everything? - [Mike] Yup.

My appointment's tomorrow and I don't think showing up late for that

would be a good start for me with Dr. Now.

So, we're gonna do the last six hours today,

with as few breaks as possible.

[clearing throat]

When's that rain supposed to hit?

[William] They said 70%, just about all day.

[Mike] It's gonna be fun, sitting here all day.

Butt's probably gonna hurt the whole time.

Probably gonna be hot and muggy.

I still have that constant pain running up my leg

[William] Have your feelings changed any,

thinking about this, on the way down here?

[Mike] No, I'm excited.

Ready to stop hurting and feeling uncomfortable.

We're still about two hours from Houston. I am exhausted.

Tired, hurting.

My legs hurt, my butt hurts. I'm just ready to take a break for tonight.

It's just a miserable ride.

It's taken every bit of energy for me to do this.

And I'm worried about how long it's gonna take me to recover from all this.

Because I still have the trip back.

I know I need help to lose weight and turn things around.

And Dr. Now's gonna be one of the last places I'll be able to get that help.

Ready for a new beginning.

[wheezing]

[Mike] It is hot.

Welcome to Texas.

[William] You finally ready for this?

[Mike] Let's go.

Me and my dad are in Houston

and we are on time for my appointment with Dr. Now.

And I'm hoping to get his help in weight loss surgery.

But I know he'll want me to prove myself before he moves ahead with me

and I'm ready to do that.

Meginness?

- [Mike] Hi. - [nurse] Hello.

Okay. You can step up on the scale, please.

[Mike] The only thing I'm nervous about is finding out my weight.

I'm just hoping it's in the low 700s.

Your weight is 745.

And now we're going to room five.

- Room five? Okay. - Yeah.

But that's the highest my weight's ever going to be.

Because I'm going to do whatever I have to to get that number to go down.

- Hello. - Hello.

- [Dr. Now] How are you all doing? - Good. How are you doing?

I'm doing good.

- So you must be Michael. - Yes.

Well, good to meet you. Who's the young man with you?

That's my dad.

All right. Good to meet you both.

So, where are you coming from?

Central Ohio.

Oh, Ohio. That's a long trip.

So, what brought you down here?

Uh, the opportunity to get a better lifestyle, to change my life around.

- All right. So, Michael, you are 38, huh? - Yes.

- And you're 745 pounds, huh? - Yes.

Do you know what the ideal weight for your height is?

You never looked it up?

No.

It's about 240.

So, you've got about 500 pounds of extra weight

on your body that it's not designed to take.

- Okay, so, here you are married and divorced. - Yes.

And you have children too?

Yeah. Four kids.

So, um, how old are the kids?

Uh, I have a 14 year old daughter,

and then 11, 9, and 7 year old boys.

But they're one of the biggest reasons I want to lose weight,

so that I can be a bigger part of their lives.

Okay. All right. Well, that is a good motivation.

So, what seems to be the problem with your overeating?

I don't know it just...

I've been trying many, many, many years

different diets and the diets just haven't

worked well or I couldn't continue those diets.

If you didn't lose weight, then you weren't doing the diets.

So all that sounds like a lot of excuses.

But for how long has your weight been a problem?

Um, I've always been big since childhood.

- Mmm-hmm. - And then, uh, I started trying to lose weight.

Okay.

Started playing football, so I got healthier for a while

because I played football, played college football.

And then, once I stopped playing college football and working out

is when my weight started gaining rapidly.

So, what happened that you stopped football?

I got two concussions playing in college

and the doctor said, "No more football."

So, it, uh, drove me into a major depression

and, uh, eating was my coping mechanism.

Now, Michael if you use circumstances in your life to justify overeating

and start overeating, everybody in their life has bad events.

So, to me, it's not that you give up and say,

"Okay, I couldn't play football, now I'm gonna eat and kill myself with food."

- Yeah. - So, this is a mentality that has to change.

Or nothing we do will help you, not even surgery.

- Do you understand that? - Yes, sir.

Okay. So if you're here for a magic solution to your problem,

that's not gonna happen.

It's gonna be up to you to turn your life around.

- You think you can do that? - Absolutely.

So, why you haven't done that in the past 37 years?

It's not that likely you woke up today and decided that you need to lose weight.

So, this was going on all these years

and you haven't done anything about it at this point. Why?

Um, over the past many years I never saw my weight as a problem.

Well, some of that doesn't add up.

But, regardless, now you realize that

- you have to do something different. - Yes.

So, what do you do all day?

Um, right now I do a lot of, um, laying in my bed playing video games

or going upstairs in my parents' house and, uh,

sitting on the couch or in the kitchen.

- So, nothing. And you live with your parents? - Yes.

Okay. So, at this point, is there any bright horizon or a goal on your life?

Um...

- Not really. - So, you don't have any goal.

Well, goal, my goal is to...

um, get a job and get my own place

that way I can get more time with my kids and be more a part of their life.

Okay. How determined you are, at this point, how committed you are to change your life?

I'm extremely committed to change my life right now. I wanna be there for my kids.

You say that, but for years now you've eaten whatever whenever and the life is just

nothing but the playing games and there is no goal

and there is nothing bright on the horizon when you wake up in the morning.

And these are some things that you are gonna have to change. Okay?

- Okay. - Okay.

Dad, do you have anything to tell me? Do you want to talk about his eating habit?

Do you want to help him with the eating habit? He doesn't listen to anybody?

We try. My wife tries to make healthy meals for him for dinner.

He makes his own breakfast and lunch, so we try our best.

And how do you see you all can help him to make the changes?

I know by changing the food we have at the house, we can do a lot.

And then, uh, getting whatever menu he needs

to start losing weight. He can't have it in front of him.

Okay. All right, Michael, you've got a lot of changes to make to change your life.

So, you have to make the decision to be productive

and be something that you have control on your eating habits,

control in your life and change the things around you.

Your life is whatever you make it to be,

so if you don't change it, it's not gonna change.

- You understand that? - Yes, sir.

Okay. So, I'm gonna give you some instructions and my book

that will have a diet and exercise plan in it that you need to follow.

Okay.

The diet is going to limit you to 12 hundred calories a day.

With a focus on protein instead of carbs.

And then there are gonna be exercises for you to do twice a day

and you need to stick to all of that. Okay?

Yes, sir.

Okay, and then I'm going to give you two months.

You should be able to lose 100 pounds in two months and if you do that

[Dr. Now speaking]

- Okay. - But being in Ohio,

taking such a long trip, it going to put a lot of strain on your body.

So, if you are able to follow my instructions,

and show me you're gonna do that by getting to the weight loss goal I gave you,

- then, you're gonna have to move down here. Okay? - Okay.

So, that's something you think you can do?

I have to look into it. so, I... If I have to, I have to.

Well, if you wanna change your life, you're gonna have to do a lot of hard work.

Yeah.

[Dr. Now speaking]

- Okay. - And get this ball rolling for you.

Absolutely.

All right.

Do you like what you hear?

Yeah.

Lot of changing.

All right. I got some things for you.

Okay.

All right. This is what you're gonna read every night.

If we move ahead with Mike, we're gonna have a lot of work to do

to get him to a healthy place.

But the whole process has to start with him.

And the biggest thing he's gonna have to do

is make the choices to change his mindset,

to stop using his circumstances and hard things in his past

as an excuse to overeat.

That's gonna be a process with him.

That won't be easy to turn around long term.

But he needs to take the first step toward doing that

before we can start to help him.

And also, I want you to do some exercise, so I'm gonna give you my book.

Now, this has got some recipes in here that you can use.

Okay.

Hopefully, Mike will take this seriously

to make the progress he needs by his next appointment.

Because he can't afford to waste any time.

[Dr. Now speaking]

So it's very important he does what he needs now.

Because this may be his last chance.

All right, I'll see you later.

Okay. Thank you.

My first thought with him saying moving here would be,

"I'll lose the custody of my kids."

So, I'm definitely committed to my health, but

if it comes down to my kids or getting surgery down here,

I'll choose my kids 100% of the time.

It's been three weeks since I've seen Dr. Now for my first appointment.

And for the past few weeks, I've made a lot of changes to my whole life, basically.

You know, changing how I eat and getting the exercise and activity I need everyday.

So my whole daily routine looks different now.

I'm getting up in the morning, getting right up, going to work out.

I'm more active, walking around, doing stuff around the house.

With my eating, I've been preparing my meals

and making sure I'm counting the right calories,

making sure I'm following the right diet.

Not sneaking food.

Basically, not doing everything I was doing wrong before.

But, it was hard at first.

I have cheated once or twice on my new lifestyle.

It was at the beginning, but I have, uh, since not done that

recently.

So I've been sticking to the diet completely since then.

I felt like, I don't want to do this, 'cause I want to meet the goal.

I want to lose the weight that Dr. Now told me to lose.

And I want to lose more than what he told me to lose.

Just walking is boring and I've always loved sports.

So, it's been fun to pick up a ball and shoot some hoops.

So, I'm feeling really good and I'm really excited about

how I'm able to do a lot more now.

I would say my energy is, probably, on a scale of one to ten, about a 15.

I don't get worn out as easily anymore, so I'm excited about that.

And I'm also excited about my weight loss because

I feel like I'm losing a lot of weight.

I honestly don't know how much weight I've lost, but I can guess at least

40 to 50 pounds I think I've lost

over the past three weeks. Maybe more.

Because I can tell my body is significantly smaller

going through the hallway or getting in the shower.

So, I've seen the shift in my body.

So, I know I've lost a bunch.

So, I know I'm going to be ready when I go back

to see Dr. Now in a little over a month.

Today was supposed to be the day I had my second appointment with Dr. Now.

But I called the office a few days ago and told them I had to reschedule it.

And they got back to me and said Dr. Now still wants

to do a video call at least, so I'm doing that today.

- Should I stay and listen? - Sure.

I get to see my kids in a couple days and that was unexpected.

I'm also gonna have a chance to talk to my ex

about how I can be more involved in my kid's lives.

So that has to be my highest priority right now.

But I'm still doing everything I'm supposed to be doing

to stay on track with my progress.

So, hopefully Dr. Now understands that.

-Hey Mike. -Hi, Doctor. How are you doing?

I'm doing okay.

So, I'm calling you because you haven't been able to come down and see us

and keep your appointment, so what's going on with you?

Um, I've got a lot of stuff going on, but I'm still following your instructions.

I'm enjoying the new diet and, uh, exercise program.

All right. And how is your weight going?

Um, I feel like I'm losing a lot of weight. I haven't been able to weigh myself yet.

My clothes are getting a lot bigger

and I feel a lot of, uh, a lot more energy

than I did a couple of months ago.

All right. How's your stamina?

A lot better. My breathing's gotten a lot better.

Um, I'm able to do a lot more walking, distance-wise.

I can probably go twice as far as I would before.

All right. And, so...

You were supposed to come and see us.

So, why are you not back for your follow-up appointment?

Um, I'm gonna get to spend some time with the kids in a couple days

and have some custody conversations

and I wouldn't have made it back in time if I went.

So, I just had to make that a priority right now.

But I was, I know I'll be able to come down the next month.

All right. So, you realize if you don't lose the weight

then you're gonna be very limited in the future with them.

I do realize that and I'm working to change that, Dr. Now.

I just need some time to focus on something that's very important to me.

That's been an issue for me for years.

So, I'm trying to get that all straightened out

so that way I can continue with the program and make it to the next one.

Okay. Well, my uh... Mike, as long as you're sticking with your diet

and you're not, uh, falling off the track and

that is not the reason for you not coming because you're not losing any weight,

then, I'm gonna give you an extra month.

But I want you to lose an additional 25 pounds in that time.

So that'll make your total goal 125 pounds to lose by next month.

You think you can do that?

Absolutely.

I feel like I'm getting close to it already.

All right. Well, let me know when you can come and see us.

And if you hit your goal, then we'll see what will be next step for you.

Absolutely.

If you're doing as well as you say and I approve you for weight loss surgery,

then the next step is moving to Houston.

So, who's gonna be coming with you to help you out?

Um...

Somebody will have... I don't know who yet.

Okay. Work on that and figure that out.

And then, when you come back down, we will check on your progress

and see what's going on with you, okay?

Absolutely.

Okay. Mike, uh, if you need anything in the meantime, give me a call, okay?

Okay.

- All right. Bye now. - Bye.

That went well.

I thought so.

[Mike] I'm glad Dr. Now understood and gave me more time

because my kids are the most important thing to me.

And everything I'm doing right now is to be able to

have a better future with them.

So, once I take care of what I need for my kids,

I'm gonna be back down to show him how well I'm doing.

And I'm confident that he'll approve me for weight loss surgery.

Well, he asked... Everything he asked if you were doing, you have been doing.

Yeah.

I think you've been doing pretty good.

- Gotta keep it up. - Yep.

I'm feeling pretty good about today's appointment.

I'm back in Houston to see Dr. Now for my next appointment.

Oh, man. Looks like we're here.

This time, my sister came with me to support me

and we flew her because my dad had to work and needed the car.

But I'm back down a month later just like I promised Dr. Now

and I'm ready to show him the progress I've made.

[Mike] I worked at doing what I was supposed to for the last three months,

and I feel confident

I'm gonna have good amount of progress today as a result of that.

Because I can already feel how I'm smaller when I get around,

and I can handle a whole lot more activity now.

So I have no doubt I have come a long way.

But I still don't know the exact number of how much I've lost.

So I'm looking forward to finding that out today.

[assistant] Michael?

[Mike] At my last weight check-in, I was at 745 lbs,

and my goal for today ended up being to lose 125 lbs total.

If you can step up on the scale, please.

So that means I need to be at 620-lb by now...

if I reach my goal.

[sighs] I love it.

I feel like I've lost more than that.

But that's still a big number to lose on my own.

- We're going to room 5. - Room 5. Thank you.

So I feel good about that,

and it's more than the first weight-loss goal Dr. Now gave me,

to lose a 100-lb before he added another 25 lbs a month ago.

So I think my progress is still gonna be enough

to show I'm taking this seriously and I'm working hard.

- Hello, how are you all doing? - Good, how are you doing, Doctor?

I'm doing well. How about you?

Not bad.

Great.

All right, so who have you got here with you?

This is my older sister.

-Oh, the older sister. Nice to meet you. -Nice meeting you.

Okay. So everything going well with you?

Everything is going great,

I'm sticking to the diet,

and doing really well.

Well, I see, because you've lost just over a 100-lb.

- Yeah. - Well, that's good.

You didn't get to working on the 25-lb I told you to lose for last month.

But that's still a lot of weight off your body.

So do you feel any better?

I feel a lot better.

Good. If you keep it up, you're gonna feel even better than you do now.

Yes, sir.

So what changes have you made in your eating habit?

Um, I've cut out all carbs,

I've stopped eating all them, uh, potatoes and starches,

uh, a lot less breads,

- Okay. - Um...

maybe...

one or two slices of bread a week instead of two sandwiches a day.

Can we have no bread?

I can take out bread completely, yup.

Well, that's good. So you've learned what to do, what not to do

and get you eating habit more under control?

Absolutely.

Okay, you're doing good in your weight loss,

so I'm gonna approve you for weight-loss surgery now

as long as you move down to Houston.

We gotta run some tests to make sure there is no issue

that will prevent us from doing surgery on you.

And if everything is okay to do weight-loss surgery,

and you have made the move here and continue with your progress,

then we will move ahead with your surgery.

Does that sound good?

Absolutely.

Okay, great.

So when do you think you'll be able to move down here?

I have to figure that out, but hopefully soon.

Okay, but when you come down here, you need somebody

to move with you to help you out, so you won't be alone.

- Okay. - Who do you think can move with you to be here?

Um, finding somebody to move down with me will be difficult.

Maybe she can come down for a little bit,

but I know...

I'll definitely be able to find somebody to come down.

All right, so keep working on that and let me know.

- Okay. - Okay?

So any question?

Nope, everything is good.

All right.

So how often your sister come and check on you?

I've popped in a couple of times to see what he's up to,

and I haven't caught him doing anything wrong yet.

Well, that's good, and I'm proud of your progress

- and keep it up. So... - Yes, sir.

What is you goal weight?

My goal weight is about 300 to 350-lb.

Your goal weight is 250 lb.

[both laughing] I haven't weighed that since 6th grade.

Well, uh...

- Uh... - [both laughing]

That doesn't mean that you can't do it, okay?

So 250 will be healthy weight for you.

- Okay. - So you got 400 lb to lose.

- I can do it. [chuckles] - That is two adult person

and...

So you still have ways to go, so stay focused.

And don't slack off and don't think this is your victory lap

and go back and get comfortable thinking that your work is done,

and then you start gaining again.

- Oh, absolutely not. - [all chuckle]

Yeah, we don't wanna do that.

Yeah, so let's work to get yourself ready for your weight-loss surgery.

Sounds good to me.

Nice to see you guys.

- Thank you. - Nice to see you, too.

I am very happy to see the progress Mike has made so far.

He could have lost a good bit more over the last three months,

but it is enough to show me he's making a choice

to stop using his circumstances

as an excuse to over-eat,

and taking some responsibility for his life.

So as long as he stays on track,

and his stats look good,

we will move ahead with him once he moves down here.

[Mike] I'm feeling excited about my approval.

I worked hard to get that and to get surgery.

But I know I need to keep working hard and not slack off like Dr. Now said,

and I'm gonna keep to the diet and exercises I've been doing

because I wanna keep moving forward.

So now, I'm gonna focus on moving to Houston and figuring that out,

and also who can move with me.

And I'm not gonna mess that up.

[William] Still can't see the ball out there.

We gotta use that bright pink ball.

- Yup. - [William chuckling]

Me and my dad are going golfing today.

With all my workouts,

my strength and stamina have continued to improve a lot.

I know I have continued to lose weight because I feel lighter every day.

- [William] Front or back? - Back.

And all of that have helped me to get out of the house

to get active again and do more.

And I've been happy about that.

I've especially been happy at getting back to playing sports in a competitive way.

I usually play the old man tees, but I'll play back here with you today.

To the right, straight for the trees.

Golf's been something I'm fit enough to play.

So I started doing that with my dad.

And I'm really enjoying it.

[William] Not bad.

[Mike] It's still hard for me at moments,

and I have to take breaks between holes sometimes.

But I'm able to handle the whole course on my own.

[William] Just take your time.

We got a lot of walking to do.

It feels good

and it's given me something I could do with my dad.

[Mike] You can walk to yours.

[William] I'm up here, I think.

[Mike] The only big issue I'm dealing with right now is...

that recently I've had a doubt whether I can move forward with Dr. Now's program.

I was really excited to get approved

and I'm still just as dedicated to losing weight and getting healthy.

The only problem is his requirement to move to Houston,

because I was ready to do that,

but then I was informed that if I move to Houston,

that I'll be forfeiting any and all custody rights to my kids.

I can't let that happen.

And I asked my lawyer to see if I can get some sort of temporary exception

since this is a unique situation

where I'm trying to save my life to be with my kids,

and it's not a permanent move where I'll be abandoning them,

it would just be long enough to do Dr. Now's program,

but I've been told that there's no exception and no option for me.

So I've been very upset about it.

And I haven't told Dr. Now about all these yet.

And I'm trying to figure it all out.

But right now, I have no idea what I'm going to do.

[William] Woo-hoo.

I don't know what's worse, hitting it many times and having a short walk

or hitting it long and having a long walk.

No matter what, you gotta walk the distance.

I have a video call with Dr. Now today.

I've been putting off the follow-up with him

because I know Dr. Now is going to want an update on me moving to Houston.

And right now, it's not an option for me

because of my custody situation with my kids,

and I haven't wanted to tell Dr. Now that.

But I can't put it off any longer,

so I'm just gonna have to face the music and tell him.

Hi, Mike. How are you?

I'm good. How are you, Dr. Now?

Good.

I tried to figure it out and find an option

because I wanna get the surgery, but I wasn't able to.

And so I'm being told if I move down,

I'd lose the chance to share custody with my kids.

So it's just not gonna work for me to move there.

It's a complicated situation

but I can't sacrifice being able to see my kids

and being a part of their life.

Okay, no one expects you to give that up.

So, Mike, if everything you told me is accurate,

- I'll tell you what we can do, okay? - Okay.

If you commit to come down for two months,

so we can make sure you've fully recovered from surgery,

and you're still on track immediately afterward,

we will make that work. Is that something you can do?

I might. I think that could be possible.

If you're serious about saving your life,

I'm sure you'll figure something out.

Yes, I'll figure it out.

Okay, as long as you stay with your progress,

we will go ahead with your weight-loss surgery,

but you need to take this commitment very seriously,

because if you don't make it back to the follow-up, and start missing those,

and then it will stop.

So allowing to do this is not an ideal scenario.

Yes, sir. I understand that.

Okay, stay on track and let me know when you move down here.

And if you need anything before then, give me a call.

Yes, sir, I can do that.

Thank you, Dr. Now.

You're welcome. Bye, Mike.

Bye, Dr. Now.

I think what Dr. Now offered could work,

so I'm a little excited about that,

but I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high

because I don't wanna be let down if it still doesn't work.

It's a chance, and I'm just really hoping I can take it.

It's been about a month and a half

since Dr. Now told me I only needed

to come down to Houston for a couple of months

to cover the time I needed to have surgery,

and then fully recover.

And it looks like this is something I will be able to do.

And then going down for that long

won't be an issue with my kids' custody.

I may have to come back and forth a lot,

but I'm willing to do whatever I have to to make this work.

I got your food.

- Put that inside here. - Okay.

[Kathleen] Yeah, pretty good.

Your shirts.

- Is that all you got? - Yeah.

- Your shirts are right here, Meg. - Oh.

Don't forget to get them.

[Mike] Me and my dad have been working to figure out

who's gonna be the one who moves with me.

But I need to be in Houston for a couple of months.

Since he could be the one that can figure out how to be away that long,

we decided it should be my dad.

It's hard for him to just pick up everything

and go to Houston with me for that long.

But he wants me to get the surgery as much as I want it,

so he worked it out.

- All packed. - In your spare time.

[Kathleen] Ooh! Ready to go?

- Let's get out of here. - Yup.

I'll be coming to visit.

Come here.

Bye.

[kisses] Love you.

[Mike] So I've really been working hard, so I don't get off track,

because I can't stay more than a couple of months.

So I either get approved for the surgery when I go down there,

or I may just have to come back up to Ohio again.

So just hoping that when I get there, it all works out.

[Kathleen] Texas, here we come.

Put the window down.

Drive careful.

- Have fun. - See ya.

All right, love you.

[William] Here we go.

Well, how much do you think you're gonna lose?

What's the weight you wanna get down to?

Dr. Now said my goal should be about 250...

Which is 410 lbs.

Gonna buy a whole new wardrobe.

[mike] I cannot wait to get out of this car.

[William] We're here.

Let's see what it looks like.

[William] Upstairs...

This will get you in shape.

We'll come out here couple of hours a day.

Me and my dad made it to Houston this morning

to our rental place where we will be staying at.

It only took us a couple of days to get here this time

because of how much more I can handle.

Oh, this is nice.

[Mike breathing heavily]

- This will be cool. - This is your room.

I don't care how nice it is, it's cool.

This will be your room.

- By the back door? - Yup.

- I'm the protector? - Nope, just...

[laughing]

No table. [laughing]

[William] This looks like something Dr. Now would prescribe.

No table. That way we don't eat.

The place is nice. It'll be fine for two months.

I can't wait to get back to Ohio.

-[William] You're on the way. -[Mike] Yeah.

Me and my dad are heading to Dr. Now's for an appointment and a weight check,

and I'm expecting to see a lot of good progress.

[William] Let's go get some answers.

Dr. Now told me not to slack off the last time I was here, and I haven't.

Not even when I was depressed and I thought I was done with this program.

So I know I stayed on track,

and I should have a payoff for that when I get on the scale today.

Michael?

In my last appointment, I was down to 642,

and Dr. Now told me to keep losing weight.

He didn't give me a specific goal other than that.

So I'm assuming what he wants to see from me is progress.

To show him I'm still doing his diet.

- We're going to room five. - Okay.

That's not as much of a loss as I had the last time I was here,

but it still shows I'm making progress.

And all in all, I've lost a total of almost 140 pounds.

So I think I've done good, and enough to prove myself.

And hopefully Dr. Now agrees.

[Dr. Now] Hello, how are you all doing?

Good, how are you, Dr. Now?

I'm doing well. All right, Mike.

- You moved down to Houston? - I did.

Got a place about ten minutes away from here.

All right, so is your dad gonna stay with you and help you out?

- Yes, he is. - All right.

Mike, you are today 601,

which means you lost another 41 pounds over the last few months.

That is about 14 pounds a month.

So losing 14 pounds a month is not much weight loss.

So what's going on now with your eating habit?

I've been doing 400 calories a meal or less.

I've stopped drinking sugared drinks and stopped eating bread,

and been doing a lot of good stuff with my food.

If you stick with 400 calorie per meal and you only eat two or three times a day,

you should have lost 60 to 80 pounds a month.

But you've lost only 14. So the math doesn't add up.

So what's going on with you?

I have no clue.

I honestly thought I'd been doing great, and I haven't been...

I've been doing really good with my food.

I've gotten rid of all the sugar stuff

and replaced my breakfast with omelets and eggs

instead of sugared cereal and toast and...

[Dr. Now] Okay, how many eggs are you eating?

I'm eating four to six eggs.

This is... a regular egg is 70 to 80 calorie a day.

So, too many eggs. What else are you eating beside that?

I don't eat 'til lunch and I have either canned tuna or canned chicken

with a couple tablespoons of mayonnaise.

Okay, can we get rid of this mayonnaise?

I can... I can get rid of it, yeah.

Okay, and then after that, what do you eat?

For dinner, we've been having either shrimp or tilapia, cod. Salmon.

Um, just a bunch of different types of seafood

is what we've been having for dinner every night.

- Okay. - With a side salad.

- You all eat together? - Yeah.

Okay. Well, and he got a little bit the weight problem,

so I'm guessing you've fallen by eating the same portion sizes as your family.

So you're still overeating, so cut down on those eggs, okay?

And make those changes, you start losing more weight and get back on track.

And considering that you still making progress and that from day one we saw you,

you were 745 pounds, with all that progress,

I'll go ahead and approve you for weight loss surgery, okay?

Okay, sounds good.

So I'll set you up to do some testing. I wanna see how you're doing.

And if everything looks good, we will move ahead.

But once we do that, and you're fully recovered,

I want you to start with psychotherapy immediately,

since you have a history of depression, and binge eating.

So after surgery, I want you to start therapy right away

so you don't go back to food comfort

for whatever anxiety that you got and depression, okay?

And remember, once you go back home,

you need to keep your regular appointments for follow-up,

because you have to have accountability,

and we have to monitor your weight loss,

and usually people that get away, they stop losing weight,

and they gain the weight back. So I don't want that happen for you, okay?

Okay, sounds good.

- Any questions or any issues? - Uh, no.

Okay. So tighten up your eating habit, and all your tests are good.

Then we're gonna go ahead, uh, with your weight loss surgery.

- Okay. - Nice to see y'all again.

- See y'all later. - See ya.

Overall, Mike has done well over the last seven months.

But I'm concerned about his progress slowing over the last few months.

It is clear he started to slip back to eating more than he should

without fully realizing it.

And I think some of his own habits of eating for comfort

are coming in to play with his recent struggles and his domestic issues.

So with that and his history of depression,

on top of the fact that he's going back to the same environment

where he struggles sooner than I prefer,

we will go ahead and start him going to psychotherapy

after his surgery to begin to try and address some of his emotional issues

to hopefully find some healthier ways to cope.

[Mike] I'm excited.

I got worried just at the beginning when Dr. Now said I coulda lost more.

But thankfully, he agreed that all the progress I've made

is enough to prove to him that I'm doing the work I need

to make this change and stick to it.

[William] You ready for this?

Yeah, I feel ready.

- Well, everyone's praying for you is all. - Thank you. Have fun.

- I'll be here. - I will be, too.

I'm getting my weight loss surgery today, and I'm excited.

This has been a long time coming, you know?

It's been about two and a half years since I've wanted to have the surgery.

So to be here today feels really good.

This is the beginning of a new life and I'm ready to start it.

[Dr. Now] Today, we're attempting to perform a sleeve gastrectomy on Mike.

His recent tests all still look good.

He has some hiatal hernia that shouldn't cause us any issues today.

But we plan to also repair that in this operation.

Okay.

Mike has also continued to lose some weight over the past month.

He's down to 592 after losing another nine pounds.

Okay, let's transition now.

But it is clear his weight loss is starting to slow,

so this surgery is going to be an important tool for Mike

to help him stay on track while he works to address the issues he needs

to be able to do this for the long term.

Because with this operation, it will reduce his stomach by 90%,

leaving a small, narrow tube that looks similar to a sleeve.

So the patient's food intake is physically limited,

and the patient is less hungry.

So this operation will give him an opportunity to lose even more weight.

So this will be a big help for Mike.

But ultimately, he has a lot of issues he needs to work on

if he wants to stay on track for the long term.

But this is an important step toward him being able to do that.

Michael likes to say he's not nervous. He puts up a front.

But in his mind and everyone knows, he is nervous.

He just doesn't wanna show it. He's a big guy.

He wants to be able to take everything.

Doesn't wanna show a weakness.

So yeah, I'm sure he was nervous.

[Dr. Now speaking]

Okay, all finished.

Mike's surgery went very well.

We were able to do his hiatal hernia and his sleeve gastrectomy.

He had a lot of adhesion and he had a lot of fatty tissue in his stomach.

His surgery took a bit longer to overcome the situation,

but everything went very well.

So this will be a big help for Mike.

Mike will be on a liquid diet for a month,

and in that time, he should be able to lose 40 pounds in the first month

and then after, 20 to 30 pounds each month

until he get to his target weight.

That, this gastrectomy is going to prevent

So we still have a lot of work to do

to get Mike to where he will be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle

for the long term.

But today, the surgery was a good step toward that.

And he is only gonna make that progress if he takes therapy seriously,

and if he keeps his promise to make all his appointments here

so we can intervene if we need.

But right now, we have him moving in the right direction.

And hopefully, we will see here soon

that he does what he needs to maintain that.

[Mike] It's been about a month since my surgery. And I'm feeling good.

But I had an appointment with Dr. Now a few days ago,

and he told me I hadn't lost as much as I should have this past month.

And he thinks it's because of some of my emotional issues.

- [Dr. Paradise] Hey, Mike. I'm Dr. Paradise, come on in. - [Mike] Okay.

- You can have a seat right there. - Okay.

So he wants me to start therapy to make sure I keep making progress.

Welcome. Tell me a little bit about yourself.

I'm from Central Ohio. Um, I have four kids.

- Okay. - With my ex-wife.

- How long ago did you get divorced? - Three years ago.

Okay. What... what was childhood like for you?

- Oh, busy, always active. - Okay.

- Playing sports. - Lotta energy?

- Yeah, tons of energy. - You're a big guy, what sports did you play?

Football, basketball, baseball.

Football. So being a little overweight probably wasn't a bad thing for football?

Nope. Got a full ride football scholarship from it and everything, so it was.

Okay. Where did you go to college? Where did you get recruited?

Saint Francis University, Pennsylvania.

Okay. How'd that work out?

Started the first five games as a freshman, got two concussions,

lost my memory, lost scholarship.

Wow. Okay. Uh, so what happened after you lost your scholarship?

Um, football's my life,

and when it was taken away from me is when my depression started.

- Okay. - In the first, uh, say, nine months, I gained 150 pounds.

- Wow, in just less than a year you gained 150 pounds? - Yeah. Yeah.

- Okay, so food replaces football. - Yeah.

So roll me ahead in the future. Somewhere in there, you meet your ex-wife?

I met my wife after I got back from college.

What happened after that?

We were engaged in six months, got married within two years.

Okay. When do you know you're having marriage problems?

Um, it was about, uh... let's see.

Middle of 2018, she calls up and says hey, we're getting a divorce.

- She announces that to you? - Yes. In front of the kids.

She took the house, took the car,

I wasn't allowed to have anything. Couldn't see the kids.

You know, Mike, I'm noticing like this pattern of like

something bad happens to you that has an element

of like, bad luck, bad timing. Something like that.

And then, it like, rolls downhill from there. That you take

a setback and you turn it into something really, really, big.

But I want to figure out a way for you to recognize,

"Okay, I'm having a setback. Now I need to step up."

What did you do when you guys were down at a football game?

You didn't go sit on the sideline, right?

Try to figure out what we need to do to win.

So, what are we going to do to make sure

you're not going to go sit on the sideline

and wait out the rest of the game?

Continue what I'm doing.

Yeah, losing weight.

Keeping your exercise up.

Tell me how things are going with your kids right now.

Oh, everything is going great. Um...

Trying to see if I can get them down here for a weekend.

What's a goal you can have with your kids?

- More physical activity. - [Dr. Paradise] More physical activity.

- Go outside and shoot hoops, play catch. - [Dr. Paradise] Okay.

I really think you can be a huge success.

[Dr. Paradise] I'm really glad you came.

- I'm looking forward to hearing all your progress. - Thank you.

[Mike] Woah. Ugh.

- [Dr. Paradise] Take it easy. - [Mike] Thank you.

[Mike] I think talking and doing this today has been a help.

To help me move forward.

And I know Dr. Now had some concerns about me going back home.

But my kids and being able to see them more

is the biggest part of my life that's missing.

So, no matter what, I'm going to do everything I need

until I have everything I've been working hard for back in my life.

[Mike] I've been back home for about a month.

And I feel like I'm doing well and staying on track.

Milk, soup, cottage cheese,

pudding, Jell-O, tuna.

Yeah, it's a good list.

That will be good for a while.

I'm out of here.

[Mike] Before I left I had an appointment with Dr. Now.

And I was down to 545.

So I lost another 17 pounds over the previous month.

Dr. Now says I was getting back to being on track.

But I don't know how much I've lost since I've been back home.

And I won't know my weight until I go back to Dr. Now next month.

Dr. Now wanted me to talk to my parents

about making sure my environment here is supportive.

And that how things used to be for me changes.

And both my mom and dad have been completely on board.

Eating what I eat, so that I'm not around bad food.

My mom helps me make my meals.

And my dad helps me with my workouts.

And does them with me.

So they're really helping me.

But I know this is all, still mostly, on me.

So I'm taking the initiative.

To make sure I have what I need every day.

To eat healthy and not stray from my diet.

And so far, I haven't.

The weight loss surgery has really cut my appetite down, so I can't eat much.

I still have some cravings, every now and then.

But not nearly like I did before surgery.

- [Cashier] How's it going today? - [Mike] Good. How are you?

[Kathleen] Soup's hot.

[William] You know, pretty soon, you'll be sitting here over at the table 'cause,

You won't need all this space over here.

- Eventually. - [Kathleen] Okay.

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this food and thank you

for Michael, the way he is staying to his diet

and losing the weight he can.

[Mike] I'm working with Dr. Paradise on my emotional issues.

And that's helping me stay motivated and focused.

I'm sticking to what I need to eat, because my

physical hunger is gone with the surgery.

And I'm exercising every day.

- You ready to take a walk? - [Mike] Yup.

[Mike] So I feel a lot better than I have in a really long time.

[Mike] Oh, man.

- [Mike] Beautiful out. - [William] Nice breeze.

[Mike] And I feel like my life is starting to come back together.

[William] You keeping up with me?

[Mike] I'm still fighting to have my kids in my life more.

[Mike] Okay. Let's turn around.

[William] Is that enough? You've got to touch the stop sign,

we can turn around then.

- [Mike] Touched it. - [William laughs]

[William] We'll get you running here in a few months.

[Mike] But I feel like my life is getting better.

I even started working again.

Before I left Houston, I started looking

for an IT job I could do from home.

And I applied and got the job.

My dad and I made a workstation for me down in the basement.

And I work full-time most days, going

from morning to late afternoon.

Without feeling run-down or too tired, afterwards.

So it's been great to feel productive.

I know I still have a long way to go.

But I'm proud of how far I've gone

when I see my life getting better like this.

I'm going to do everything I need to keep moving forward.

Because I'm not going to let myself mess this up.

[Mike] Have a good day.

[Mike] I'm back in Houston for my next appointment with Dr. Now.

This time, I made the trip without my dad.

And that's another big step for me.

Being able to travel on my own.

I flew on my own just to make sure I keep this appointment.

And keep my commitment to Dr. Now.

Michael?

- [Mike] Good morning. - [Nurse] Good morning.

[Mike] Two months ago, I was down to 545.

Step up on the scale.

[Mike] And Dr. Now says for me to stay on track,

I should have at least lost 20 pounds a month at minimum.

So that means I should be down to 505, if I'm in the range I need.

- [Nurse] We're going to Room five. - [Mike] Okay, cool.

[Mike] I'm just shy of the goal but I'm almost in the 400's.

So I think, all-around, that's good.

Hopefully, that's what Dr. Now tells me.

Because I'm working hard

to make this arrangement work and do this from home.

- [Dr. Now] Hi, Mike. How you doing? - I'm good.

- How are you doing? - Great.

All right, so...

- You're down to 510 today, huh? - Yeah.

All right. How have things been going for you?

Very well.

- All right. You've lost 235 pounds so far now, huh? - Oh, yeah.

That's good. You're making good progress.

But you're still a little under

what you should be losing each month.

So that needs to improve.

But the good news is your weight loss is stable.

But the problem is going to be if that starts to slip.

And remember, you're back in the same environment.

And that got you to be 745 pounds.

So you have to be careful.

Because if you start gaining, you could gain a lot.

Before we have a chance to intervene and help you.

And if that happens, you could find yourself,

very easily, putting all your weight back on.

So, this is good. So far, you're staying consistent. But keep working

to lose a little bit more, each month.

But if you don't, and you start to gain,

then we have to bring you back to Houston.

So, you've got to be away from that environment that got you

to eat, for the stress, and whatever issue you had.

- [Dr. Now] Okay? - Absolutely.

[Mike] I'm not going to let that happen.

I'm doing meal prepping.

Making sure I have everything set up for the day.

- All right. - So I don't have any temptation and go

into fast food or anything.

So, doing that, and enjoying

smaller portions.

And, not getting hungry at all. So.

Okay. Uh, well, that's good.

So you need to keep it up and stay with it.

You also need to keep up your psychotherapy.

So you don't go back to old eating habit.

You think you can do that?

Absolutely I can do that. And I am.

I've been keeping my virtual appointments with Dr. Paradise.

That's good. I'm glad to hear that.

So how is, right now, the extra skin doing

in your abdomen and your leg?

Uh, it's doing pretty good.

Haven't had any issues with it so far.

- Okay. - So...

I'm... It's getting there.

So I can tell I'm losing the weight. I feel better.

Okay. All right. Well, keep it up.

And once you get to 300,

and then we're gonna be able to do some skin surgery.

And remove excess skin that's going to be a problem.

- Okay. - [Dr. Now] But remember,

you will to have to stay down here a while

to recover from that.

Once we get to that point.

- I can do that. - [Dr. Now] All right, Mike,

I'm proud of your progress. You keep it up.

But you still got 300 more to go.

- Absolutely. - [Dr. Now] Okay?

So, stay with the program and if you need anything, give us a call.

And I will see you in two months.

- [Dr. Now] Okay? - I'll be here.

[Mike] Thanks, Doctor.

- All right. And have a good trip back home, okay? - I will.

- All right. See you then. - See you.

[Dr. Now] I'm proud of Mike for losing

235 pounds so far.

And for sticking with it to make that progress.

He still needs to pick up the pace with his weight loss.

But, right now, as long as he's staying consistent and not slowing down,

I'm fine continuing with this arrangement for him, with his kids.

But if he starts to slip, then I'm gonna

hold him to his commitment to make his health a priority.

And bring him back to Houston

so we can get him back on track.

But right now, I'm encouraged by what I see from him.

He seems to have good support back home.

And he has a great motivator with his kids.

So I feel confident he's gonna keep moving forward.

And doing what he needs.

So that we can get him to his target weight in the next 12 to 18 months.

[Mike] I feel really good about my appointment with Dr. Now.

It was encouraging to hear him say he was proud of me.

And that he thought I was doing well.

I intend to get to my goal weight by the end of next year.

I know doing that is not going to be easy.

But I'm ready to push myself harder than I ever have to make that happen.

Because I know what's waiting for me, once I do.

It's the life I've been fighting for, for a long time.

And I desperately want to get to that point.

And nothing is going to stop me.