All language subtitles for My 600-lb Life S10E04

[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.