Original subtitles

[Larry] My life is hard.

When you get to be super morbidly obese,

it's very hard.

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

I just wanna be a normal person.

[grunts, pants]

[man, crying] 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.

[groaning] It's really hard!

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

Larry, I can tell that you're pretty smart.

But being smart and being self-destructive is a bad combination.

[labored breathing]

[Larry] The first thing that comes to my mind when I open my eyes up is,

I say God, I thank you for another day.

Because it is a struggle being overweight.

And when you get to be super morbidly obese, it's really a struggle.

When I go to bed, I toss and turn and roll from side to side

all night long.

Because I fear that I am not going to wake up.

I have asthma, sleep apnea, thyroid problems,

and I take medication for depression,

'cause even food isn't enough to completely comfort me anymore.

It brings tears to my eyes just to think that each day could really be my last.

I'm trying to maintain my composure.

But it... it's very frightening.

Good morning, Larry.

[Larry] Oh, good morning.

Good morning. It's time to wake up.

Hmm.

[Larry] I live by myself.

I have a caretaker named Mr. Lawrence.

He comes seven days a week to help me wash and feed myself every day.

- Do you need any help? - Not yet.

Okay.

My right leg is a mass of hardened lymphedema tissue,

which makes it significantly larger than my left.

And it's very painful.

The most difficult part of my day is getting up off the floor.

It takes all my strength, and it pains me a lot.

[grunting]

Then once I'm up, my lymphedema pulls me down.

And walking is very, very difficult. And it hurts bad.

It's a challenge and a struggle to take a shower all on my own.

But somehow, I manage to take one every day.

Even though I'm in constant pain.

The best, kindest, politest way that I can say it,

I'm very flexible and I do what I have to do

to get all the way into the tub and clean myself.

'Cause I am a germophobe.

I make sure that I'm thoroughly clean.

I have to use bleach on my body because

it's the only way I can feel truly clean.

I don't overdo it where I put burn marks on myself,

but I do use bleach.

It's a challenge of making sure that I'm totally clean.

I can only stand up for maybe four minutes

because my right leg hurts a lot and it's a lot of weight.

My knees, my thighs and my back hurts the most.

Sharp pain, like fire almost,

running up and down my knee.

I'm not able to walk far.

Moving around the house is a chore.

I think I use the food sometimes instead of medicine.

The relationship that I have with food, I know that it's not normal.

I eat to comfort myself.

When I'm cooking, it's the only time I'm happy.

Besides when I'm eating.

So it's a time that I like to sing.

And I sing gospel.

Because the rest of the time, when I'm not eating,

most of my thoughts are morbidly depressing.

[panting] Oh, yes.

Gotta start your morning off with breakfast.

At least when I cook, I can show the Lord I feel gratitude.

Because I don't just crave my favorite meals.

I love them.

Whoo-hoo, I got my cheese.

[humming]

Eggs.

English muffins, yes.

I need what food does for me.

It takes a pain and fear of what's gonna happen to me away.

And it's always been able to do that for me.

Let's see. How many eggs will Larry make this morning?

I'll make the normal. Seven.

When I was a child growing up, I had three sisters,

but I was the quote- unquote "spoiled one."

My mother would always feed me whatever I wanted to eat.

Fried chicken, baked macaroni and cheese.

Sweet potato pie.

And I enjoyed it.

Eating all this food,

it made me feel like I was the center of attention.

And that made me feel special.

I always felt like I needed one more taste of that,

whatever it was.

But as I got heavier,

my happy childhood ended the day I started school.

'Cause I quickly discovered I wasn't normal.

I had dyslexia,

and no matter what the teachers tried,

I never learned to read.

So as the years went by,

not being able to read created anxiety.

And food made me feel better.

And by the time I was ten,

I was 200 pounds.

♪ Come on, bacon ♪

♪ Get a little browner ♪

♪ Come on, bacon ♪

♪ Get a little browner ♪

As I grew bigger, Aunt Gertha, who was like a second mother to me,

talked to me about my weight,

and I would brush it off and say I'm fine.

"I'm happy." But I know I wasn't happy.

At school, I was used to being ridiculed about my reading issues.

But as I got heavier,

the bullies had more fun ridiculing me about being obese.

That hurt me very bad.

My faith is what saved me.

Because it was through my faith that I found singing.

The first time I sang in public,

it was in my church group at a Sunday service.

Dear Lord, I thank you for the food that I have prepared.

I ask you to nourish my body with it,

and bless the ones that don't have anything to eat.

In Jesus' name, amen.

One lady who heard me asked if I would like to sing at the Black Expo

in front of an audience of hundreds of people.

And after the Black Expo,

I was invited to sing at the Cotton Club in Harlem.

A very successful producer saw it,

and then after that, he invited me to collaborate

on a song for his new album.

And then some people in high school started to see me differently.

Well, everyone loved Larry's voice,

so I don't really think they looked at how he looked.

I think they just looked at how he sung.

Because his voice was like something I never heard before.

And it make you wanna stand up if you couldn't stand,

clap your hands if you couldn't clap.

Because there was something about him and how he praised God.

[Larry] I felt relieved to finally experience acceptance

by my peers at school,

and my life outside of home finally started to improve.

And then the Lord had another surprise in line for me.

Around the time that I was 15, my sister Mary Owen

had a child.

She named him Larry. After me and my father.

That made me feel special.

Little Larry was a ray of sunshine.

But only a few years after he was born,

Mary Owen,

she was doing some type of drugs.

She put, uh, her hand in a pillow over his mouth just to shut him up,

because he was crying a lot,

and she accidentally suffocated Little Larry while she was high.

All I could remember is the casket being so small at the funeral.

That sight got my nerves really bad.

Of all the pain in my life, the death of Little Larry destroys me the most.

I was young. So all I could do is ask myself is why, why?

I still think about him every day.

So instead of focusing on the hurt, I focused on singing.

So I hid behind the music.

And that worked for a while, because I had talent.

People still wanted to be around me for that.

And for a time, I became a minor celebrity,

which was the best time in my life.

'Cause that was my dream,

to become a gospel recording artist.

Singing wasn't enough to get my mind off of what happened to Little Larry.

While I was on the stage, bringing the gospel to thousands of people,

inside, I was enraged and overwhelmed with sadness.

And as fast as it happened, my music career faded.

So I was left with food being the only thing I had

to distract me from what happened with Little Larry.

In my 20s, I can't even count. I just kept eating.

I must have been 500 pounds.

I couldn't even make it out of the house anymore.

I got bigger,

and bigger,

and I lived in one room in my house.

And that wasn't normal for a man to live like that.

After that, I avoided being in public

and stayed home as much as I could.

And then my sister, who I was very close to,

Catherine Marie Myers, died.

She had complications due to a blood clot in her leg,

and she died unexpectedly that day.

It hurt me to my heart when she left us.

And the one who was impacted more than anyone was Mom.

My mom died eight months later.

She grieved so hard over the passing of my nephew,

and her own daughter,

that her heart literally broke.

When my mother died, it was very hard on me.

That was the first time I had seen my father fall on the floor crying.

He was paralyzed by grief,

and being the only other man in the family,

I had to pull myself together and help.

'Cause it fell on my shoulders to make the arrangement.

And that was all really hard on me,

mentally and emotionally.

Not to mention physically challenging.

'Cause I was 600 pounds.

When I saw my mom in the casket, I wanted to cry.

But instead, I froze emotionally.

'Cause I was in such a state of shock,

after the service, I fell down the steps of the church.

Then the fire department came to assist me.

That's when I was able to admit to myself that I had a serious problem.

But I still kept eating after that.

Eggs, you were good to me to this morning.

After my mom died, I started snacking more at night.

And just crying more at night.

I was in a wheelchair. I couldn't even walk from here to there.

And before I knew it, I was 940 pounds.

I was too big to take care of myself,

and I had to hire a home attendant to help me with the most basic things.

I was barely hanging on.

And then one day, my attendant came and found me in a coma.

He called the ER, and they admitted me to the hospital.

And then after I was stabilized,

they transferred me into a rehab nursing home,

and there I stayed for two and a half years.

I did not like the nursing home.

Aunt Gertha found a hospital in Harlem that would work with me,

for me to lose 100 pounds.

So I could get a gastric sleeve operation and start taking care of myself.

I did it in three months.

I was persistent.

Then I had a gastric sleeve operation.

Then I lost another 300 pounds,

and was able to leave the nursing home.

As soon as I came down to 400 pounds,

I was ready to go back to church and sing the gospel again.

Can I hold your hand, Mr. Lawrence, for a second? I don't wanna hurt you.

[grunts] Thank you.

And then, my sister Tanya died of walking pneumonia.

She was gone in five minutes.

It hit hard, even to this day.

There's so much loss.

Then I got depressed again all of a sudden.

And I would begin to snack here, snack there.

And next thing I know, I stretched my stomach back out.

I ate my stitches away.

Which put me right back where I was being housebound.

Today, I live in this walk-up on my own.

The weight of my body is too heavy for my knees and my legs.

I can't. I'm sorry.

My leg is killing me.

And the pain is unbearable.

Mr. Lawrence has to drive me to the grocery store twice a week,

which is the most difficult thing.

I can't walk around the store

the way that normal people can,

'cause of my knees, I get so tired.

Mr. Lawrence?

- [Mr. Lawrence] Yes, come down. Come down. - [Larry] Okay.

I can't. I'm sorry.

[wheezing]

[Lawrence] Mango.

I feel very dizzy.

When I'm moving around, I need to drink a lotta juice.

Otherwise, I get dizzy.

And I'm so worried about fainting.

And creating a scene with the paramedics.

Thank you.

Food is like a drug.

When I'm exhausted, I need to eat.

[Lawrence] Okay, two?

♪ Oh yes ♪

They got ice cream. Yes, let's get some ice cream.

Let's get some cookies and cream.

[Lawrence] How many you want?

[Larry] Three'll be good.

[knocking at door]

Who is it?

[man speaks]

Just a second.

[grunts]

[grunts]

[Larry] On a good day, I think I eat about 3,000 calories.

Thank you.

I'm gonna enjoy.

I try to diet but there is a void.

I miss my mother. I miss my sisters.

So, the only thing I have is my food.

And, so, constantly eating in portion control

are the hardest parts for me.

When I eat, it's hard for me to stop.

Even when I'm full, I can always have more.

Every single bite to the last of it.

♪ Buttermilk biscuits ♪

I enjoy it.

I'm trapped in this body.

And I just want to be free.

If I don't do something different,

I know I'm going to die.

So, Larry, you ready to get dressed?

Yes.

[Larry] Time to pack for Texas!

I gotta pack enough for a couple of days.

On my way to Houston.

Well, today is the day.

I'm gonna be headed to Texas in a car.

We gotta stop and get something to eat on the way.

At your house.

No. Wife is not there,

- so there's no food. - Oh, nevermind then.

[Larry] The Internet says it's gonna be 26 hours.

So that's about three days if I'm going eight or nine hours a day,

if I can do that.

I don't know if I'll be able to.

It's gonna be hard on me.

My legs get swollen.

I worry about blood clots

'cause those can be life-threatening

in situations like this.

I know 'cause that's how my sister died...

from deep vein thrombosis.

And I'll take the clothes.

Okay, sir.

You want all of these, right?

Yes, those are all new.

And you can turn some of these over on the right side, please.

Do you think this fit me?

No, that don't fit you.

I'll take this.

Let's see what I could do with it.

[Larry] Want me to put my foot on it?

[Lawrence grunts]

[knock at the door]

[Larry] Who is it?

- Tavaris. - Come in.

-[Larry] What! You could've told me... -Hey, man, you ready, man?

[Larry laughing]

Good to see you, brother.

- What's going on? - What's going on with you?

- [Larry] You coming to take me to Houston? - Oh, man.

[Tavaris] Oh, yeah.

Good seeing you, man.

Good seeing you, man.

Absolutely. We're gonna get a earlier start out.

- Oh, can't get no earlier than right now. - I know that's right.

- It's too late for that, huh? - I know that's right.

[Larry] Luckily, I got someone to drive me.

My good friend, Tavaris, he helps me out a lot.

We both see the weight struggle in life.

Before we get on the road, though, I need to get me something to eat.

All right, Larry. I don't want you beating me up on this trip.

No, gotta get something to eat from somewhere.

This is a 25-hour trip.

Do you want a salad?

Sure, got some monster cheese you can put on it?

[Tavaris laughs]

That'd be cool.

-Okay, Mr. Myers. Do you want me to put your... -[Larry] All right.

-[Lawrence]...crackers in? -My crackers! Oh, yes, please!

- [Larry] Put them in that black bag for me. - [Lawrence] Yes, sir, I will.

[Larry] That should be enough for an hour.

- [Larry] All right. - Two of these things.

[Larry] And Tavaris, I'll meet you right in the front.

Can't believe it took this to get you here.

[Tavaris laughs]

[Larry] My Dr. Now's appointment is five days from now.

But what's good is when I get down there...

I got a uncle and a cousin that I can stay with.

- Is this the car or... - Yeah, yeah.

- You can put it there. - All right.

[Larry] So that's a blessing.

But I gotta get down there, first.

It's gonna be hard on me

because moving my body around is so difficult.

And I don't really go to the bathroom in this situation

'cause I refuse to use public bathrooms.

It's too gross.

So, I have to hold it and go at the end of each day.

I didn't bring my diuretic medicine.

I wouldn't have to go more than once a day.

The upside to that is we'd make it farther without stopping.

But the downside is discomfort.

And that it could lead to more swelling in my legs.

Seeing Dr. Now could save my life.

But the trip to Houston could kill me.

It's a nice car.

[Tavaris] Yeah.

- So you take care. - [Larry] All right, you, too.

- [Larry] Thank you. - You're welcome.

[Larry] It's just that curve is no joke.

- [Larry] Tavaris. - [Tavaris] What's up, brother?

[Larry] I'm getting hungry.

[Tavaris] All right, uh...

Can you stop at the next place?

[Tavaris] Yeah, I guess so, man. I guess so.

What do you mean you guess? I'm hungry.

[Tavaris] All right, all right, brother, calm down.

I'll feed you.

I'm a diabetic. I gotta eat.

Hello!

I am very hungry.

May I have a number three?

[server] Medium or large?

Large! Everything large.

Two chickens, two double cheeseburgers and a triple cheeseburger

with lots and lots and lots and lots of ketchup.

[server] Would you like anything else?

And a ten-piece nugget. I'm hungry.

- [server] All right. - Thank you.

[Larry] Thank you!

[server] Have a good night.

[Larry] I don't know why you didn't order you anything.

This is do or die for me.

I have no choice, I figure.

I have to do it if I wanna live.

This is for saving my life.

And this is for my new future that I'm trying to get.

'Cause right now I don't have a future.

So, I'm trying to write a new one for myself.

[Tavaris] So, you can get up out of here.

- All right, thank you so much. - [Tavaris] No problem.

[Tavaris] I'm going to see if they got a wheelchair for you, all right?

[Larry] Yes, sir.

We left Albany about a quarter to three.

And I believe now it's 12:00, midnight.

I had not been in a car that long time in over two years.

But I'm very afraid

how am I going to make it to Houston

'cause my leg is getting bigger and harder.

And I'm in excruciating pain.

I have nothing for pain. I don't take pain medicine.

So, I'm just going to try to put some IcyHot on it,

and say a prayer and go to sleep...

'cause I'm exhausted.

Your keys are right here.

All right, thank you.

And I'll see you in the morning.

- All right, you need anything else? - No, I'm good. Thank you.

Got a long ways to go tomorrow, man, so, uh, get some rest.

- [Larry] Yes, sir. - All right.

[Larry] A lot of emotions going through my mind.

Hoping and praying that Dr. Now can help me.

'Cause I can't take it living like this. It's too much.

I'd rather be six feet under than to live like this.

[Larry] The fat boys' road trip.

One last hoorah!

All right, they should've took us down in one of these, man.

[Tavaris] One of what?

[Larry] One of these oversized load trucks.

You know what, Tavaris? [chuckling]

- [Larry] Don't do it. - [Tavaris laughs]

[Larry] I'm already in excruciating pain.

Today is the last day of this long road trip.

This ride's a journey.

And I'm determined to get to Houston.

My face is buried in the seat.

I'm laying on a swollen leg.

Sideways.

Halfway on, halfway off, 'cause I can't fit on those.

Then I have to lay on my side

because of the lymphedema in this leg, so it's a mess.

Ow. Ow.

I am so uncomfortable.

[Tavaris] Suck it up, buttercup.

[Larry sneers]

Ow.

[Larry groans]

[Tavaris] You all right?

[Larry] It feels like...

It feels like it could be a DVT in my leg.

'Cause I know what it feels, I know what it feels like.

It's like a jumping pain, where it feels like fire, almost.

It's... Something's wrong and it needs to be addressed.

My sister died from a blood clot,

and I don't wanna die from one.

[Larry] Ow.

Ow, Jesus.

My pain right now is at like a nine-and-a-half.

[Larry groans]

This is hurting so bad.

Maybe I should just try to roll over a little bit more.

[Larry groans]

Okay.

[Larry groans]

Ooh, oh, my God.

Uh-oh.

[Larry panting]

- [Tavaris] You all right? - [Larry] One second.

[Larry exhales]

You're killing me. Push it.

There it is again.

[Larry groans]

[Larry exhales]

[Larry exhales]

[Larry] Lord, please don't let me fall out of this door.

[Larry groans]

[Larry] It's excruciating pain.

I mean, I knew it was gonna be a hectic ride,

but I didn't know that it was gonna be like this.

This is war.

This is the last hope.

I'm expecting Larry to arrive at the hospital pretty soon.

He called me and told me he's having problems

because he's been on the road for five days.

He's almost to Houston and that he's coming from New York.

He's having a lot of issues with the pain from the trip.

Particularly in his leg, and that is very concerning.

So, my concern in these situations are blood clots

that can be devastating for him.

So, I advised Larry to come to the hospital directly,

so we can check him and make sure

there is nothing acute going on with him

that could be life-threatening right now.

- [Larry] Hello. - [Dr. Now] Hi, Larry.

- How you doing? - All right, nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you. How you feeling?

Not too good, Doctor.

[Dr. Now] Where are you hurting?

In the upper part of my leg.

The back and the front.

Not just from the long-distance ride.

It feels more like, um, like when I had a DVT in the past.

'Cause it's like a popping and it's tremendously burning.

- [Dr. Now] Okay, and are you short of breath at all? - No, sir.

Okay, and we're gonna get you inside fast,

- and, um, check you out and see what's going on, okay? - [Larry] Yes, sir.

Okay.

This trip is very dangerous for Larry

because at Larry's size and with his overall lack of activity,

a blood clot can easily form in the legs.

And if it dislodges from sudden activity,

it can travel in the bloodstream...

from his leg into the heart and lung

and causing pulmonary embolism that can be devastating

and can be fatal in some cases.

So, we're gonna take him in and do some tests,

so we can determine if there is anything

we need to address immediately.

If there is and we don't act fast,

his life is gonna be in jeopardy.

[Larry] That's better, thank you.

- Larry, which leg is bothering you most? - This leg.

- Is that the one? - Yes, sir.

I could take my pants off if I have a sheet.

[exhales] It hurts so bad.

[Dr. Now] So how old are you?

I am 45.

All right, so, do you live at home?

I live at home.

I have a home health aid that comes and, um, is an enabler.

'Cause certain things I could do for myself, I'm being honest with you,

certain things I could do for myself,

he, uh, I call on him to do it for me

and I just, I'm tired, Doctor,

and I don't wanna live like that.

That's not a normal way to live.

How do you get the food? They bring you food?

He brings me food.

I'll go in the kitchen and I'll sit in a chair

and cook the food in my air fryer.

And that's not normal to just eat like that.

Sometime I eat and I'm not even hungry.

- So, you don't work? - No, sir.

- You're on disability? - Yes, sir.

I used to sing professionally in London and Denmark.

And you're not able to walk?

[stammers] I can walk some. It's just, right now my leg hurts.

[Dr. Now] And this is something new?

- As far as the pain in my leg? - [Dr. Now] Yeah.

[Larry] Yes. You gonna have some pain in life.

But this pain that I have is much different and it hurts.

- [Larry] It hurts. - Where do you feel the pain?

In the... In the upper part of my leg.

- It feels like... - Is it this area?

A little, a little bit more over to the side where it's hard...

- Right here? - Yes, sir.

But you have the big lymphedema mass in here.

- Yes. - That's all a bump.

And I had that removed too, and it grew back.

Well, of course that will grow back.

So how long ago did you have that removed?

About six years ago.

Did you have, uh, any other operation?

- Yes. - What did you have?

I had a sleeve. I had a, um, hernia operation

and just normal, like, tonsils and stuff like that.

When was the sleeve done?

Like close to 15, 16 years ago.

And, uh, how much you weighed then?

Um, what did I go down to, or how much--

No, how much you weighed before surgery?

Like close to 600 and some change.

600?

What was the lowest weight you got to?

302.

And how much your weight now?

I don't know.

You have no idea.

- No. - Okay.

And you have a filter put in?

Two Greenfield filters 'cause my sister died from a blood clot.

And my daddy was just in the hospital two weeks ago with a DVT.

So they run in my family.

Okay, so you had two filters put in?

Two filters, yes, one in each hip.

How long ago was that?

That was about...

ten years ago, after Cathy died.

Okay.

- And the surgery that they did was, uh, laparoscopically. - Yes, laparoscopic.

[Dr. Now] Okay.

- You don't have any stomach pain or anything? - No, sir.

[Dr. Now] What was your highest weight before the surgery?

[Larry Myers] I used to weigh 940 pounds.

And I'm scared, Doctor. I don't wanna go back up to that.

[Dr. Now] When was that?

That was close to 20 years ago.

- Okay, that was before you had your weight-loss surgery? - Yes.

I couldn't walk. I was bed-bound.

[Dr. Now] So what happened?

You had weight-loss surgery. You're supposed to lose weight.

- What happened? - I did, but I have a problem with food.

So what kind of problem you have with food?

Sometimes I just eat, and I'm not hungry.

And I, um...

This is a battle. It's an ongoing battle for me.

And...

they never took care of why I eat.

Sometimes I eat, and I'm not even hungry.

Okay.

[Larry] And I know you might say that doesn't make sense,

but, um, when you suffer with deep depression the way that I do,

I just turn to food.

[Dr. Now] You're not the first person to do that.

Any other issues you have right now?

Not urinating.

Albany's very far from Houston, and I'm not urinating.

I explained I didn't get out of the car

'cause I don't like public bathrooms. I'm germophobic.

I realized that I wasn't urinating.

All right, well, we'll check everything and see what's going on

with your leg, okay?

- All right, thank you. - Okay.

[Dr. Now] We ran some tests on him,

and fortunately, everything is normal.

I think Larry has been in the car for five days,

and he's worn out, and his leg got sore, and it got some swelling.

We can give him some medication and let him rest,

and then send him home.

- [groans] - Okay, Larry, how you feeling?

[Larry] Great.

[Dr. Now] I got good news for you.

All your lab looked perfect.

- Excellent. - So all you need, just rest.

Part of your lab report is back...

- Mm-hmm. - and white count is not elevated...

- And that's good. - which is good.

So you don't have any subliners.

You're gonna be fine.

You're traveling five days and ten hours, every day in a car.

- It's gonna cause you a lot of pain and discomfort. - Right.

And, you know, with your size of leg...

So this, um, you know, situation when you travel,

the planning for that is starting a blood thinner before you travel.

Oh, I didn't do that.

So that is something that you should've done

if you gonna travel in the car...

- Okay. - or even with a plane, too.

- [Larry] Really? - So... Mm, uh, yeah.

- Because you put your leg down and brought the stagger down. - Right.

- And that will have a tendency to form clots. - Makes sense.

So blood thinner before any kind of travel

is very important part of your well being

that you should be aware of that, okay?

I understand that.

So what actually you coming to Houston for?

I am terrified of dying,

of being buried... And I'm Pentecostal.

And in my religion... My dad is a pastor.

And in my religion, we don't believe in cremation.

And when I was even bigger than this,

I did my research online on what they bury a person in of my size,

and it looked like a piano box.

And I'm terrified of putting on more weight and eating.

And I just...

I'm at my ends, Doctor, and I don't know what else to do.

And me relocating, losing...

my house in New York.

I'm willing to do that and start all over again, even struggle...

to lose weight 'cause I'm very uncomfortable like this.

Well, I understand that.

But, you know, the weight-loss surgery is not--

It's not a quick fix. I know that.

And you already had your weight-loss surgery.

And you still are overeating.

So those are issues that surgery's not gonna change.

Right.

So you think that changing the environment is gonna help you?

No, not so much...

Well, that and changing the environment,

and from looking at your track record of how you help people,

physically and mentally.

I just know that me, personally,

I am completely desperate for help.

All right, if you are so terrified of dying,

then you should be terrified of overeating.

Makes sense.

And I'm kinda puzzled.

So it seems like you know what you're doing, and you doing it,

and you're convincing yourself that you cannot stop doing that?

And that doesn't sound rational,

but it's the truth.

But at this point, what is new today,

and what are you willing to do?

I'm willing to do anything that I have to do

- to try-- - Come on, you know what you have to do

is eat less and don't overeat.

- So are you willing to make the changes? - Yes, I am.

So why haven't you done that so far?

I don't have an honest answer,

and I believe in being straightforward and honest with people.

I don't know why I haven't done the change.

And I know that I should.

You're defeating the purpose of the operation.

So the operation is working, and you're just eating more often.

Right.

So that's, uh, totally up to you.

And this is something that you're gonna have to decide to change, so...

But I don't know how to do that.

- And I'm trying. - All right.

I'm 45.

I abuse food, but I've never smoked, never drank,

never did any type of drugs a day in my life.

Good. We got your weight, and you're 648.

So if you want to do my program,

then you can come back in a month.

And I want you to lose 50 pounds by then.

You think you can do that?

Yes.

All right, so you get to go on home.

- Okay. - Okay?

- Thank you, Doctor. - All right.

[Dr. Now] We'll see if Larry is serious this time about his weight loss.

But the fact that he has already failed weight-loss surgery

is a big concern.

He's clearly going to need a lot psychotherapy

to be successful in the long term.

But he needs to take the first step to show me he is serious

if he wants to move ahead with my program and get a second chance.

Hopefully, he is serious, and he does that.

Are you ready?

[Larry] Yes, I'm ready, Mama.

[Daisy] So it may not look like it's the best meal.

However, it's healthy.

Oh, yes, thank you.

[Larry] I'm still down in Houston.

I've been staying at my uncle and cousin's house for the past month.

It took me a while to recover from the trip down here.

And the pain didn't fully stop until about two weeks ago.

So I'm not looking forward to doing that trip again.

Tavaris went back home, so my cousin's been helping me and looking after me.

I'm finished.

Okay.

[Larry] And I've been working hard since I've seen Dr. Now

to lose 50 pounds like he said.

[Larry] So I have to start thinking about how am I going to move.

[Daisy speaking]

I mean, I was kinda wondering...

Would you happen to have room for me here?

How is this gonna go?

Well, especially now that I've seen you're beautiful apartment.

Yes, but I have my two little ones.

- You know, my babies, I have... - That's right.

my two little girls, and, you know, it's a two bedroom, and...

I can help you find a place.

- Okay. - Because they do have some vacancies over here

if you wanna still be close by me if you're looking for your support,

and, you know, I can always be there to help you.

- I appreciate that. - You can tell me anything that you doing positive.

- Thank you. - I'm 110% behind you.

- Thank you. - Okay?

[Larry] I'm disappointed that they won't let me stay with them.

I know I can be a burden.

But this is to save my life, and I wished they could've seen that.

But I need Dr. Now's help.

And I know I can't keep doing that trip.

So I guess that means I have to find somewhere else to live down here for myself.

I'm terrified.

[Daisy] Of what?

What you scared of?

Scale.

[Daisy] But you know you got a chance

that you can do something about it.

- You don't have to stay that size, right? - Right.

[Daisy] You know, the only thing you can do is just keep moving.

You know, make your next meal your best meal.

Make it better, you know.

Nobody's expecting a miracle overnight.

And in order for you to change, you gotta wanna change,

and it starts here, baby.

[Larry] Today, I'm back to see Dr. Now.

I'm hoping I made the progress that I'm supposed to make

in order to get approved for weight-loss surgery.

[Daisy] There you go.

[Daisy] You can make it to that door.

- Push yourself. - Let's go!

All right, you go it. Let's go. Come on.

All right, look at that.

[Daisy] Take your life back. It's a start.

[Larry] My plan is to get approved.

And once I know I'm getting surgery,

then I can find a place to live down there.

And I don't have to do that drive anymore.

Larry.

[Larry] So I was 648 pounds.

And I needed to lose 50 pounds.

So that means today I should be at 598.

And I'm really hoping that I did that.

[nurse] You're weight is 639.

I'm ready.

[Larry] That's really upsetting to see.

Very upsetting.

I was expecting a lot better than that.

So I guess I can forget about any type of surgery approval today.

- [knocking on door] - Come in.

Hello, how y'all doing?

- Hi. - All right. How are you?

I'm doing well, thank you.

So, Larry, good to see you again.

[Larry] Thank you, Doctor.

All right, who is this young lady with you?

My cousin. I have family in Houston.

Yes, yes.

[Dr. Now] Well, nice to meet you.

All right, so wow, you've got matching shoes with your outfit, huh?

- I had to get dressed up to come see you. - Oh, well, thank you.

[Dr. Now] I appreciate that.

So, Larry, you only lost 10 pounds this month.

So how do you think you did?

Not good, Doctor.

All right, be more specific.

Not good with the weight.

Well, you know, you have had weight-loss surgery.

- Yes. - And you have done everything to defeat the purpose of that.

You had lymphedema taken off your leg.

You have done everything to bring that back up.

So you got all the tools that you needed given to you in the past,

and you didn't use them right.

And everything that you have done is being self-destructive.

So why you doing that?

'Cause I have a problem.

What is your problem?

Food.

I mean, you have to eat to live, but you don't have to overeat.

And I have an addiction.

- And-- - Well, you not the only person to have an addiction.

- No, I understand that. - And you convincing that you have an addiction.

You convincing yourself that you have no choice but to overeat.

[Dr. Now] None of that's reality.

You just convincing yourself that you gotta continue to overeat,

and you have no control over it.

[Dr. Now] So this is all just excuses.

I understand.

You know, Larry, I can tell that your pretty smart, okay?

But being smart and being self-destructive is a bad combination.

Right.

So at this point, you have to realize everything's up to you.

You're the one that you have to decide to change your life.

We can't magically make you do that.

Right.

So what are you willing to do at this point?

I'm desperate, Doctor. I'll do anything

that I have to do.

Like I stated to you before,

this is my last hope here.

And I don't wanna die.

And I know you can die at any age.

Well, you gonna die because you're killing yourself.

And I don't want to, so I'm willing to do anything that I have to do

to change my life for the better.

You say that, then you didn't do the diet for the past month,

and hardly lost any weight.

And until you take the first step,

and show that you're taking responsibility for yourself,

there is nothing we can do to help you.

So do you think you're ready to do that?

[Larry] I'm ready.

And you're gonna have to control your eating habit.

And I'm sure you can do that.

With God's grace and mercy.

- [Dr. Now] Okay? - Thank you.

All right, then you need to make right choices before it's too late.

- Yes, sir. - Okay, and if you need anything, give me a call.

Thank you, Doctor.

All right, Larry, I got great hopes for you

that you're gonna change your life.

- So... - I appreciate it.

don't disappoint me.

-[Larry] I won't. Trust me. [chuckles] -[Daisy whispers] He won't.

All right, so if you have any issues, give me a call.

- I will. - And then we go from there.

Yes, sir.

- See you later. - [Larry] See you later.

Bye, bye.

[Dr. Now] Bye.

[Dr. Now] I was disappointed to see such little progress

from Larry over the past month.

He says he's ready to change and do whatever he needs to get healthy

because he knows this is his last chance

after failing one weight-loss surgery already.

But so far, he's shown me no evidence that he means what he says.

And until he does that, there is nothing we can do to help him

because he's already been given every tool possible to lose weight.

So until he decides to take that first step, we won't be moving forward with him.

[Larry] I'm not happy with myself.

I thought I'd done better than that.

But I'm not gonna give excuses.

[Larry] I'm gonna get back to New York,

and then I'm gonna work on getting my weight down

to hit that goal.

It's a lot to lose, but I'm going to do it.

And I'm just overwhelmed. I can't wait to get back to Houston

'cause I believe that I see a change coming.

Oh, Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning

as humble as we know how, thanking and praising you, God, for allowing us to live,

to see another day that we've never seen before, God.

In Jesus' name we pray, and we thank you today, God.

Amen.

- [exhales] - [Lawrence] Okay. You ready?

Yes. All right.

[Larry] I've been back a month.

And I have another two months before it's time for me to go back to see Dr. Now.

I thought maybe Tavaris was gonna come get me.

But he quit so I had to fly back.

But that turned out to be a lot easier.

But I'm thinking about going back early

so I can find a place to live

because I wanna move to Houston

and be officially part of Dr. Now's program.

And my priority is to prove to Dr. Now

that I deserve a second chance to get weight-loss surgery.

You wanna put your shirt on?

[Larry] So I'm trying to do a lot better this time.

I know I have to lose a lot so I'm working hard to do that.

Is it me or is it chilly in here?

[Lawrence] It's not chilly in here, man.

It's you this time.

Me this time? All righty.

It's just really hard 'cause food is an addiction for me.

[Lawrence] Okay, sir. Here's your breakfast.

Let me put this on the side over here.

This is what 1200 calories look like.

This doesn't look like my old breakfast.

That's a lot.

You think you have too much on here?

For what my calorie intake is supposed to be,

this is sufficient.

Okay, sir.

[Larry] Food has a hold on me

even though Dr. Now says that's an excuse.

It's hard to get free, and every day is a struggle.

But I've been doing the diet and working at it.

I do all of the exercises that Dr. Now showed me.

And I know when I get back to seeing him,

that I'm going to have progress to show him.

And that's when I'll get approved.

So I'm just working my very hardest to do that

and make sure that happens.

- Mr. Lawrence? - [Lawrence] Yes, sir?

- Can you set this on the table for me, please? - [Lawrence] Yes, I will.

- [Larry] Thank you. - [Lawrence] You're welcome.

[Larry] I'm on my way to see Dr. Now.

I'm excited about that. I haven't seen him in over 30 days.

I'm very nervous to see what the scale says.

The scale doesn't lie. People do.

He said for me to lose 30 to 40 pounds.

I think I've done that.

I don't know. We'll see what happens.

I hope Dr. Now tells me, "Good job, young man."

I'm definitely motivated to lose weight.

I have the mindset and the energy to change my life.

[Larry] Thank you.

Thank you.

That's fine.

I flew here by myself this time

which was much more comfortable than driving.

But I'm also a lot lighter now.

So I think that's helping me get around better.

I was going to come in early to try to find a place.

But then I decided to wait because

I would feel better about it if I got my approval for surgery first.

Larry?

[Larry] So I'm hoping with all my heart that Dr. Now approves me this time

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

I was 639 pounds at my last appointment

and my goal was to lose 120 by today.

Okay. You can go ahead and step on the scale.

[Larry] So if everything goes according to plan, I'll be at 519.

I'm not sure if I made that exactly but I know it's close.

[nurse] Okay. Your weight is 602.

[Larry] What was that?

We're gonna go to room five.

All right. I'm ready.

I'm upset with those results 'cause I know I did better than that.

I definitely should have lost more

and I don't think Dr. Now is gonna be impressed.

And that's what has me really scared and worried right now.

[knocking on door]

[Larry] Come in.

[exclaims]

Hello. How you doing, Larry?

I'm all right. How are you?

I'm doing okay.

So how was your trip down here?

[Larry] Nice and smooth. We flew.

- [Larry] Long drive. - Oh, you figured out how to do that?

Yes.

All right, Larry. Let's see what you got.

You lost, uh, 37 pounds over 3 months which is

12 to 13 pounds a month

which isn't much more than you were losing the first time.

So what's going on?

Did you make any more changes to your eating habit?

I stopped snacking.

- [Dr. Now] Okay. - And I cut the portions down.

Okay.

And I stopped all the cheese and the bad stuff.

- Okay. - I'm still a little confused

with how much protein am I actually supposed to have.

I don't wanna have too less or too much.

Okay. Whatever you eat, it must be protein

and to eat as little as possible.

- [chuckles] - [Dr. Now] Okay?

That's what I thought. The less is better.

Okay. So you already had the one weight-loss surgery.

Yes.

And if you stick with the diet and make all the changes you say you've made,

then you should easily lose 50 to 60 pounds a month.

- Okay. - [Dr. Now] But you lost 37 pounds in 3 months.

- So you need to do better with that... - [Larry] Yes.

and, um, change your eating habit.

Because, um, second weight-loss surgery,

the chances of success are not very high.

- I understand. - [Dr. Now] Okay.

So how's your activity now?

- It's getting better day by day. - [Dr. Now] Okay.

You're doing those exercises anymore?

I'm doing the exercises and I'm getting on the floor

doing the exercises that you gave me with TheraBand, too.

[Dr. Now] Okay. From what you describe,

you wouldn't need to be dependent on your walker anymore.

You should have been doing all that for the past few months.

So you're still lying to yourself about how much you're doing with everything

and if you're not gonna make the progress you should,

then there is no point in coming back down at your weight even if you're flying.

Okay.

[Dr. Now] So I'm gonna give you the same goal.

Lose 120 pounds in 3 months.

But if you haven't moved down here to Houston by then,

we'll set up somewhere local for you to check your weight

and see how you're doing.

So you don't put all that strain on your system

for no reason if you're not losing the weight.

- That work for you? - [Larry] Yes.

[Dr. Now] I hope so.

Okay, Larry. If you need anything, give me a call.

All right.

- [Dr. Now] I'll see you in three months. - Thank you.

- [Dr. Now] Bye. - [Larry] Bye-bye.

Larry still barely made any changes to his eating habit.

If he hadn't had any weight-loss surgery before,

I would consider a number of additional tools such as

a nutritionist or psychotherapy.

But he was already provided those in addition to surgery

and he ended up gaining all the weight back.

So the issue is simple.

He never got to the point where he was willing to give up the food

and unless he does that and shows me he can make

a much bigger change with his eating habit,

there is nowhere to go with him.

So this is all still completely up to him.

[Larry] I'm proud that I lost over 40 pounds at this point.

But I know that I really need to do better and I'm going to, no matter what it takes,

because that's the only option that I have.

I'm going to find a place in Houston

because my future is here, getting Dr. Now's help.

So whatever it takes to make that happen, I'm ready to do it.

[woman] All right. Here we are.

[Larry] All righty.

Today, I'm looking for a place to live in Houston

'cause I know I need to move down here regardless whatever happens.

And I know I need a place on the first floor

'cause I'm not gonna be climbing steps.

At least, not yet.

Oh, that's a lot of steps.

- [laughs] - [woman] You think so?

That's a lot of steps in three flights.

[woman] Well, um, your apartment will be on the first floor.

But unfortunately, at the moment,

I don't have anything on the first floor to show you.

But what I can gladly do is

take a video of the apartment and, you know, show you the video of it.

That would be lovely, but that's a lot.

[woman] All right.

All right. So here it is.

Stainless steel appliances, wood-style flooring.

[woman] There it is.

[footsteps approaching]

All right.

Oh, wow!

So granite countertops, stainless steel appliances,

- um, wood-style flooring all throughout the apartment. - [Larry] Very nice.

Thank you.

You're welcome, Larry. All right. Any other questions?

Um, no. That will be all.

[exhales]

[Larry] I love the place, but the limitations of my body are very real.

And that's just showing me how far I have still to go.

[woman] All right. We're here.

[Larry] All right.

[woman] You enjoy the tour, Larry?

- Absolutely. - [woman] Everything good?

- Thank you. - [woman] You're welcome so much.

Hopefully I will see you soon.

[woman] All right. For sure.

- Uh, I'll keep you posted on... - [Larry] Please do.

- everything else. - [Larry] All right. Thank you.

[woman] All right, Larry.

And if you have any other questions, feel free to call me.

[Larry] I sure will.

- May I sit here until the Uber comes, please? - [woman] Of course.

- [Larry] Thank you. - [woman] No problem.

-[Larry] All righty. -[woman] All right, Larry. Nice meeting you.

- [Larry] Nice meeting you, too. - [woman] You take care.

- [woman] Good luck with everything. - [Larry] Thank you.

[woman] You're welcome.

[Larry] I know it's gonna be a big step for me to get this move under my belt.

But if I'm not ready, I'm not ready.

And that means I'mma have to head back to New York and keep working hard.

'Cause I have a lot of work to do to prove to Dr. Now

that I'm ready for another surgery.

[knocking at door]

[Larry] Come in!

- Hello! - How you doing, Larry?

I'm doing all right. How are you?

[Fred] I'm good. Good to see you.

Good to see you.

[Fred] Yeah.

[Fred] How's things going today?

Pretty good. I smell some chicken.

No, no chicken today. Got you a smoothie though.

All right. Times have changed.

[Fred] Yeah.

[Larry] I've been in New York for a month.

I'm hoping a first-floor apartment in Houston becomes available soon.

But until it does, I just have to stay here and keep at it.

There you go.

Oh, thank you.

[Fred] You're welcome.

And one for me, and one for you.

[Larry] All right. I thought you was gonna bring me

some of that fried chicken and macaroni and cheese.

No, no. I know right now you're trying to do better so...

Yeah, that I am. I cleaned out my refrigerator today.

- Oh, okay. - And cleaned out the freezer 'cause I'm

getting prepared for the new lifestyle.

So how you feeling about the transition?

[Larry] A little anxiety but, you know, that's comes with the territory.

- It's to be expected. - [Fred] Okay.

But ready.

What are some of the things you're doing to help you cope with it right now?

I pray.

- Okay. - I learned to talk about it.

Not hold it in. 'Cause when you hold it in,

that's when things get worse.

- Okay. Okay. - [Larry] I think that was part of my problem in the past.

Holding it in and eating late at night, and just...

[Fred] Mm-hmm.

not talking about it.

And you gotta talk about it.

- [Fred] Yeah. - And talk openly and honestly about it.

So what's your plans for today?

I am going to Albany Strength gym.

Do a little bit of workout.

Oh, okay. That's wonderful.

[Larry] Yeah. Get a little bit of workout in.

My whole life depends on getting a second chance with another weight-loss surgery.

So whatever it takes to make that happen, I have to do it.

Speaking of the gym, whoo. I better get ready.

[Fred] Okay.

And I will speak to you later on, sir.

- [Fred] Okay. - All right.

- Thank you. - [Fred] Nice hanging out with you.

Nice hanging out with you, too.

Keep me posted on your progress, okay?

I sure will, and thank you so much.

[Fred] Well, you're more than welcome.

All righty. God bless you.

And thank you for the smoothie.

Oh, you're more than welcome.

Next time will be some fried chicken.

No, maybe another smoothie. But no more fried chicken.

[chuckles]

-[Larry] All right. You take care. -[Fred] All right.

- [Larry] Hello. - [receptionist] Hi.

[Larry] Hi. I'm Larry Myers.

Are you checking in?

- [Larry] Yes. - Okay.

So you can take a seat, okay?

- [Larry] Thank you. - You're welcome.

[Larry] Today, I'm at a local clinic to get my weight checked.

Hi. Larry? Do you wanna come with me?

[Larry] Yes. Hi.

How are you today?

[Larry] I'm okay. Thank you.

All right. Just come with me.

[Larry] Sure.

[woman] Come right in here.

[Larry] Dr. Now wanted me to lose 120 pounds.

[woman] Good?

- [woman] Okay. You ready? - Yes.

[Larry] And at my last weigh-in, I was 602.

But if I did that, I will be down to four-something today.

And I really hope I made it because I'm ready to move on with my life,

move to Houston, and get the weight-loss surgery that I need.

586.4.

[Larry] That's not enough

and now I have to call Dr. Now and tell him,

and he's not gonna be happy.

[woman] Good?

You okay? You got it?

No.

I got you. I got you. All right.

- Thank you. - Okay.

[Skype dial tone]

- [Dr. Now] Hello. - Hey, Doctor.

[Dr. Now] How are you?

I'm good. How are you?

I'm doing okay.

So, Larry, what did you weigh at today?

[Larry] I'm 586.

You're 586?

Yes, sir.

[Dr. Now] So in 3 months, you only lost 16 pounds.

So your weight loss is slowing down

and that's not good.

If you eat appropriately,

um, you should be able to lose 40 pounds in one month.

I think you should be more proactive to get your weight down.

And I am.

[Dr. Now] You think you are but you're not.

As the scale is showing.

So the problem is that, you know...

You think you're eating less, but actually you're still overeating.

So, at this point, I'm not sure what we can do for you.

Unless you make the changes you need and start eating less and lose more weight.

- Yes, sir. - At the bottom line, the goal is still the same.

What I've been telling you to lose breaks down to about 40 pounds a month.

So you want me to lose, just to make sure I'm clear,

you want me to lose 40 pounds in a month?

Yeah, I want you to lose 40 pounds a month.

- Okay? - Yes, sir.

In the meantime, Larry, if you need anything, give me a call.

- Okay. Bye-bye. - All right. Bye.

[Larry] I can't let myself give up.

I just feel like I'm working harder every time and the results are the same.

So it's discouraging.

[man] Take your time. Step.

[Larry] But I know I need this help and I'm not gonna give up.

[Larry panting]

[Larry] I decided to get some motivational help by getting a trainer.

I know I need to do better with my diet and exercise.

So I'm taking steps to do that.

And I'm trying to take the initiative to do better.

And I feel like I worked harder this past month

than any other month before now.

So I really hope I'm taking it all up a notch, like I feel that I am.

Hello. I'm Larry. I have an appointment with a trainer.

- I think that's me. - Oh, you're right on time.

Yes, Larry. I'm Maja. Nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you too. - Wonderful.

So if you're ready, we're gonna head back and we're gonna get started.

We'll chat a little bit, and talk about why you're here.

- All righty. - All right.

[Larry] But the biggest step I'm taking is making

the arrangements I need to move to Houston.

The place I really like didn't have an opening on the first floor.

But I decided I've waited long enough.

I think the best thing for me to do is change my environment and get to Houston.

Not only to try and do better,

but to show my commitment by just making the move.

And I think that's going to help me to do better.

So, Larry, tell me why you're here.

What made you wanna make a change?

Well, I had lost a lot of weight and then I put back on some.

- Okay. - [Larry panting]

And it got... I fell in the snow last year

and it got hard for me to walk.

Okay.

Take a quick drink, and then we'll start.

I'm gonna have you stand up,

- and we're gonna start with some arm circles. - Okay.

[Larry] You know, a change in environment will make a big difference.

Like Dr. Now said.

So I went online and found another place that I could afford.

And I committed to a lease sight-unseen.

There you go. Another five, and then we're gonna go backwards.

And then one more, and now let's take it backwards.

There you go.

And keep those palms forward so that you get a nice stretch to your chest.

Very nice. You've got about five left.

Three... Two... One. Good. So now I want you to...

We're gonna pull that walker away a little bit. Look down.

- You're body is gonna want to go down. - [chuckles]

Seven... Eight... Nine... Ten. Good.

Start counting your steps too, you know.

Start thinking about how many it is before you get tired.

And then, each time, we wanna take a little further trip as well.

[Larry panting]

- Actually, this box might be blocking you a little bit. - Yeah, that way's good.

We don't need to go fast, we just want to move consistently.

Just like our progress here.

Slow and consistent.

[Larry] If I could walk into Dr. Now's clinic without the walker,

that's my goal for the next few months.

And I'm gonna keep working as hard as I can before then.

[Maja] You are here, let's finish up the work.

Don't let those little voices in your head tell you

that you can't do this, you've got eight seconds left.

Let's fight for eight more.

You're fighting for your life, let's fight for these last five.

Four... Three... Two... And one. There we go!

- Thank you. - Good work. You're welcome!

See? That was a pleasure. And I better see you in here again.

-Absolutely. -All right. Have a good day.

You too, dear.

Whoo-hoo! Houston time. What a mess.

Oh, boy. Gotta get it done.

Well, the day is finally here.

I'm packing my whole apartment up because I'm moving to Houston.

I'm going to pack everything up today,

and then tomorrow I'll be heading out.

I'm saying goodbye to Albany and hello to Houston.

It seems like a lot of effort and a long way to go,

considering Dr. Now has not officially approved me for weight-loss surgery yet.

But I know in my heart that this is the right thing to do

because I don't have another chance.

And even though I'm making progress, it's not as much as I hoped.

So the big thing is to lose more weight.

Texas!

Well, hello, superstar!

What's up, man? How you feeling?

I'm good, man. Trying to get it together.

That was a long trip.

- It was a long flight. - [laughing] You all right?

It was... Hey, I made it.

Well, I hope this ain't gonna scare you. This ain't too much stuff, is it?

Nah, it ain't too much.

[Larry] I appreciate your help.

My friend Marvell came out all the way from Chicago to Albany.

So he can help me pack up the van and drive me to Houston.

Marvell is my online friend that I've known for a few years now.

It's a long drive, and I'm not looking forward to it.

But I'm choosing the path of life.

That's why I'm going through all this trouble.

To show up in Texas with all my worldly belongings.

Can you take this cane, brother?

And show Dr. Now that I'm a loser of weight.

Oh, this is perfect.

And that I can be trusted to take a surgery to the next level.

[Larry] Here it is. I sure hope I like this place.

I think anything will make me happy.

You can just pull in right there.

Just enough room for me to get out.

That's perfect.

[grunts]

[labored breathing]

- You can go ahead. - Yeah.

-You okay? You... -I can open it. Go ahead.

[Larry] This trip was actually not too bad despite the complications.

My first driver, he had to go back home 'cause he'd had a death in his family.

But he was nice enough to get somebody else.

He's actually a truck driver.

He got me here nice and safe

'cause we ran into some severe snow that was hitting the car and everything.

But I made it here safely.

Today, after everything else, it rained and I got completely soaked.

But all that's behind me now, and I'm gonna try to be positive.

And then, I got really no time to rest

because my cousin is coming to take me to Dr. Now's.

And I'm going to get weighed, so we'll see if I was a good boy

with the diet, on the road or not.

Ohhh.

This is nice.

Okay. I can get in there. Nice.

I feel pretty good about the apartment at least.

I'm just ready to relax, but I know I can't yet.

I gotta go see Dr. Now.

And I still got a lot of work ahead of me

if I'm gonna find myself living the life I want to live.

[breathing heavily]

Thank you for bringing the microwave in, even though I ain't got no food.

[both laugh]

My doctor said, "The less you eat, the better it is."

But I don't think he meant a refrigerator like that.

[both laugh]

But it's all good. You gotta laugh about certain things.

[Donnell chuckling]

Okay.

[Larry] I'm at Dr. Now's to find out where my weight is at.

Dr. Now wanted me to lose 120 pounds in 3 months.

So if I did that, I will be down to 466 today.

Your weight is 529.

[Larry] All right. 57 pounds. That's not bad.

- We're gonna be going to Room 5. - Okay.

[Larry] But I also know that is not as much as the doctor would like to see.

In fact, it's not close to what he would wanna see.

It's still nowhere near the goal that Dr. Now gave me.

So I don't know how to feel about it all.

I knew I'd been working really, really hard

but it's like it's not working.

[knock on door]

Hello. Hi, Larry. How you doing?

I'm doing okay. How are you, sir?

I'm doing well.

So how are you getting along then? How was your trip down then?

Long, but I made it. Settled into the apartment...

- Okay. - and I'm down here.

Well, I'm glad to hear that.

Well, Larry, I'm happy to see that you improved.

But it's still not losing as much as you should.

So far, you've lost 119 pounds in one year.

Which is what you should have lost in the first three months.

And still after one year, you're still using the walker.

- Right. - So you shouldn't be,

right now, at this point, using the walker.

You should have improved that you can walk independently.

When I don't use the walker it makes me

feel a little wobbly, but I'll do better.

That's good, but, Larry, I see your hard work recently,

and I'm proud of you for losing weight consistently in the last year.

You haven't given up and that's starting to pay off.

So here's what I'm going to do.

If you are able to lose 55 pounds over the next three months,

then I'm going to approve you for weight-loss surgery.

- That sound fair for you? - That made me smile.

Yes, that sounds very fair to me.

And I'm going to do that

'cause I have the complex I moved in, I can walk around it.

And I know you want me to get rid of this, so...

I will do that.

Great. So you have next goal, and you also need to improve your mobility

and be able to walk independently without this walker.

That'd have to go on for giving you okay before surgery.

But I need to see improvement there too.

And so your stamina also needs to improve. So work on that too.

- Yes. - So, at this point, you have your work to do

for next three months, and to prove to me

that you can be qualified for weight-loss surgery.

- Okay? - Okay.

You think you can do that?

I know I can. Absolutely.

So, you're not gonna let us down, will you?

No, I've come too far and I've moved down here for good.

So, I'm going to do it.

Great. Because if you don't, we're not moving ahead with the surgery.

-So don't relax and slip up. You got it. -I understand.

All right. We'll take care of you, and if you need anything, give me a call.

- Will do. - And we'll see how we do in three months. Okay?

Gotcha.

- All right, Larry. - All right.

- Nice to see you again, and good luck. - Good to see you. Thank you.

Up until recently, Larry hasn't made much progress.

But I'm very happy to see the improvement he's making now.

It shows me he's trying to get hold of his eating habits,

and taking control, like he has needed to do for a long time.

He's still not making the progress he should.

But since he has at least continued to lose over the past year,

and he's improving now, if he can at least show me

that he can stick with this level of current progress

over the next few months, then I will approve him

for another weight-loss surgery.

And we will move ahead with him.

But even if we take that step with him, we have a long road ahead to get Larry to a place

where he's not only healthy, but he's able to stick with it for the long term.

But he has at least taken the first step to show me he's willing to try to change.

So I'm happy about that, and I'm hoping

we will able to move ahead with him very soon.

- All right. How are you? - Good.

[panting] Ready to rock and roll.

[Larry] He wants me to lose more weight.

Am I disappointed? In a way.

I'm a little sad, but at the same token,

you take the good with the bad and just work even harder.

And that's what I'm gonna do.

- [driver] Inside? - Yes, sir.

[Larry] I was a little disappointed

that he told me that I wasn't having surgery right now, but...

I know that I will eventually, so it's fine.

[Larry] I've been going on walks twice a day.

My stamina has already gone up a lot.

And that makes me really happy.

When I came here, I was unsure if I could do it.

But now I know that I can, and I'm fully committed.

There's a lot left to do, but I'm ready to do it.

I want next year to start with my weight-loss surgery approval,

and end with getting to my target weight.

That's my goal, and that's what I promise to do.

So I'm going to do it.

And I've already made it this far.

Even though I know it's gonna be really hard,

I'm going to do this.