All language subtitles for My 600-lb Life S10E15

[David] My back hurts.

My knees hurt, my feet hurt.

The only thing that keeps me
going is all the food we just bought.

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

I just wanna be a normal person.

[exhales]

[breathes heavily]

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] No, it hurts!

[woman] I refuse
to stop fightin'.

I have to do this
for my children.

I'm stuck.

I can't breathe.

[David exhales] This is crazy.

[David] It's so hard
to force myself

to get up in the mornings.

Because my back is messed
up from my weight.

[oxygen whooshing out]

My back started gettin' so bad,

I'm in agonizing pain.

[David exhales]

That's when
my weight really is...

Really been takin' it's toll.

[grunting in pain]

[deep sigh]

I take muscle relaxers
for my back,

and then heavy
prescription pain pills.

Probably eight different pills.

[grunts]

Everything is such a struggle.

It's just painful
to move around right now.

Getting in my shower
is a tough thing for me.

I put a chair in the shower
right next to me,

so I can have something
to lean on to,

just in case I slip.

With a messed up
back already, it...

It makes it impossible
to move, being this big.

[breathes heavily]

After I've been
standing on my feet

for more than two minutes,

I get scared that I'm gonna
fall and hit the ground.

I'm scared every day
when I take a shower,

'cause if I fall, it's gonna...

Probably break something
and it's gonna hurt.

[sighs]

I've fallen before,
and I couldn't get up.

[exhales]

Gettin' clean is a tough
thing, for me.

I do my best.

But the pain takes
my breath away.

[breathes heavily]

[exhales]

[grunts]

Getting dressed is the
hardest thing I do all day.

But I have my foster mom, Robin,

to help me when I need help.

[breathing heavily]

If it wasn't for her,

I would have given up
on myself by now.

[coughs]

Hey, Robin? Can you help
me put on my socks?

Okay. Where's your socks?

[Robin] David is
a part of my family,

and I claim him as a son.

- You about ready for breakfast?
- [David] Yeah.

I'll get that started.

[Robin] He's only here
in my house because

he really didn't have
anywhere else to go,

and, in my mind,

helping a child become
healthy is loving them.

[David exhales deeply]

[Robin] And so, I think the
reason David put on so much weight

is he didn't have anyone
in his life love him

enough to be able to help him,

in a sustained manner.

And, um...

He's a good kid.
He deserves...

to find love,

from other people
and within himself.

[pants and grunts]

[David] Life has been
kinda tough.

[groans in pain]

And the best way
to distract myself is to eat.

[David speaking]

- All right, I'll carry it down for you.
- [David] Okay, thank you.

[David] Because there's no
better feeling than eating.

[exhales loudly and sighs]

My birth mom was 13 years
old when she had me,

and she was using cocaine.

And my birth dad wasn't around.

And so I went
right into foster care.

I bounced around
to different foster care

houses while I was young.

Sometimes I was put in houses
that weren't very good,

with foster parents that
didn't really care about kids.

Some people are just
in it for the money

that the state gives
them, for taking in kids.

We'd eat really poorly.

So from an early age,

I learned to eat
as much as I could

when a meal was given
to me, because

sometimes you wouldn't know
you were gonna get fed again,

for days.

Around the time I was three,

I got placed with a permanent
foster family, the Nelsons.

So the Nelsons
wanted to adopt me.

So I got adopted at six,

but my dad was
kind of a scary figure.

When I would get disciplined,

he would hit me
so hard with a belt,

it would leave marks.

My foster mom would hit me too.

I remember she took
me into the garage,

as a punishment,

and slapped me
in the face a bunch,

and I broke my nose.

I would eat to make
myself feel better,

because food calmed my nerves.

It was comfort.

All through my childhood years,

I was taking comfort in food,
any chance I could get.

And by the time I was
in middle school,

I was 250 pounds.

But I was playing football and
wrestling, I could run a mile,

but it never bothered me.

In my sophomore year
of high school,

our grandma was dying of cancer.

Our parents went to California,

to, uh, bury the grandma.

They up and left
my siblings and I.

Three teenagers left alone,

what are teenagers gonna do?
They're gonna throw a party.

Kids being crazy.

Drinkin' and smokin' weed.

That party lasted ten days.

Our next door neighbor
was an ex-cop,

so he was takin' pictures
of the whole thing.

When they got home,
just like that,

they kicked us out.

So this was supposed
to be my mom and dad,

who had raised me for ten years.

Then they, you know,
threw me out, so,

it killed me.

It made me angry

that I was back

in foster care.

That's when I gained,
uh, 100 pounds,

in, like, a year.

I was pretty shut down then.

I didn't really talk to anybody

or want to get to know anybody.

I started doing
terribly in school.

I probably would have dropped
out of high school altogether,

except for that youth program,
Foster Appreciation Picnic,

where I met Robin.

Everything after meeting
her was different.

[Robin] David came into my world

when he was 17 years old.

He was so personable,

and there's something
good about him,

and I was attracted
to his goodness,

despite the fact that the
world had been unkind to him,

and that people
had let him down.

And I met him at a foster
youth of Idaho picnic,

and I fell in love with him
the instant I met him.

And I called Health
and Welfare, and said,

"Hey, I really want David
to come live with me."

And they warned
me off, they said,

"Nope, he's already blown
a few placements,

he's very angry..."

And I said, "No, I really want
David to come live with me."

[David] Living with Robin
is the best environment

in foster care
I've ever dealt with.

She took me in
as one of her own.

When she introduced me,

she said "This is my
son, David."

She was always there,

to help me with my homework,

and I went down from about 350,

down to 280.

Because she was making me
go to the gym twice a day,

and, you know, walk home
from school, stuff like that.

And she helped me get into
the University of Idaho.

I was excited to go
to the university,

and, I went up there with the
idea that I was going to study,

but instead,
what I wound up doing,

was just, you know, partying.

0.00 GPA.

Didn't go to class.

Smoked weed, drank, partied.

I realized that I had to leave,

'cause I had let myself down.

And, um, should have balanced
it a little bit better.

I moved back down
to Idaho Falls,

because I found a job working
with developmentally delayed people.

You know, I like doing
that kind of work.

Pay's not very good, but,
you know, it's fulfilling.

And this was the first
time in my life

that I had my own money.

I started eating
every chance I had.

Fast food, pizza, burgers,

and deep fried things,

and all the goodies.

[David speaking]

So, from the age of 20 to 22,

I worked at Walmart
as a cashier,

then I moved back
into the cash office,

counting all the money
in the store.

[David speaking]

Dated this chick,
broke up with her,

dated another chick,
broke up with her.

That broke up was really hard,

so I clinged to the only thing
that made me feel good, food.

And from the ages
of, uh, 23 to 25,

I gained about 100 pounds.

I was eating,
drinking and partying,

and not being a good employee
and my job at Walmart.

So they had to let me go.

After Walmart,

just started working,
driving a forklift,

and in trucks for farmers.

And then that got me
into long-distance driving.

I wanted to see
the United States.

And I could afford to, because,

when I was sleeping
in my semi-truck,

I didn't have to pay rent.

So I got to see all the states.

I didn't leave
the road for a year,

which was pretty cool.

But at the same time,
on an emotional level,

I noticed that I was depressed.

And I kept eating fast food

because that is what's
available on the road.

And it just brought a little
bit of relief, I guess.

But there's not a lot of things

that brought me
that much happiness.

My weight built
up to 800 pounds.

And one day I woke up,

I started thinking
about suicide.

It got to the point where I was

thinking about it all the time.

I'd drive over a bridge
and I'd flinch,

'cause I thought I'd pull
the steering wheel

and dive off of it,
with the truck.

It scared me.

So I would just eat
to distract myself enough,

to try to want to stay alive.

All right.

About ready to go?

[David] Yeah.

[David] Then I started
having trouble

getting in and out
of the truck cabin.

And that's when
I started to notice

these red patches on the
right side of my stomach.

One of them just grew
and grew and grew.

I stopped being able
to move all that well.

And I was getting weaker, but...

I'm one of those people that
don't wanna go to the doctor

unless it's severe.

And by the time I made it,

my back was super weak,

my legs were super weak,

and I could barely walk.

And they sent me
to the emergency room.

I had a severe
cellulitis infection.

And after... [deep sigh]

some physical therapy,

and a bunch of antibiotics,

and tests and stuff, they got
rid of the cellulitis infection.

But I was a mess,

and that's when
I reached out to Robin.

That's when I decided
to try to lose weight,

and start taking
my mental health

and physical health
more serious.

I moved in with Robin

after I left the hospital,

'cause they were gonna find me

a physical therapy
unit to move into,

but they couldn't find one
that would take my size.

So she thought
she could help me out.

[exhaling] And she did.

[David coughs]

One of the ways Robin
gets me to be more active

is to take me out
grocery shopping.

[exhales deeply]

That's the only time I'm
willing to leave the house,

because I've lost
most of my mobility,

and walking just a few feet,

it's pretty painful.

All right, let's stay out
of the candy aisle.

[chuckles]

[Robin] Don't be looking
at the pizzas.

[David] Get some eggnog.

[Robin] That's not low-cal.

- [David] No, but it's delicious.
- [Robin scoffs]

[Robin] I was nervous about
going with David to the grocery store.

It was good to get
him out and moving,

and I was really proud that he
made it through a number of the aisles,

but his food
choices are terrible.

- I want some cookies.
- Nuts.

- [David exhales]
- Nuts is high protein.

- There you go.
- [David breathes heavily]

[Robin] And he knows that I...

don't want to boss him around.

He is a grown person,
he is his own person,

but I worry about
his food choices.

[David continues
to breathe heavily]

[panting] Okay...

- You okay?
- No.

- No?
- [David exhales]

[Robin] He doesn't
have any stamina,

and that's embarrassing for him.

It's embarrassing
to go out with people

and have to stop every five
seconds to catch your breath.

He gets winded so easily.

And he has to stand
and rest his back,

and he just gets worn out.

[breathing heavily] Hi, there.

[breathing deeply]

[grunts]

[continues breathing heavily]

[David] My back hurts,

my knees hurt, my feet hurt.

The only thing that keeps me
going is all the food we just bought.

[David] After being pushed to my limits,
I usually need something immediate.

[Robin] All right.

[server on speaker] Hey, what
can I get started for you today?

[David] Hi, can I get
two number fours?

Ah, lemme get one more double
bacon western cheeseburger.

And a cheesecake.

Thank you.

[brakes car]

[panting]

[breathing heavily]

Ow.

[exhales loudly]

[grunts]

[panting]

[grunts]

[Robin] I'm scared that David
doesn't have an internal motivation.

To feel like
I'm the external motivator,

that's a lot.

That puts a lot of pressure
on me and it, and it scares me

that he won't be able to find
it within himself

to be able to be
a healthier person.

[David] I don't consider
myself a food addict.

I feel like my life
started off on the wrong foot.

And it's been that way
ever since.

I'm gonna go to bed, I'm tired.

- I'll clean the rest of this up.
- Okay. Thank you.

- [sighs] You all right?
- Yeah.

- Just tired.
- All right.

- Okay. See you in the morning.
- I love you.

[grunts]

[exhales in pain]

My worst fear is that
I'm gonna die and...

Robin's gonna find me,
and it's gonna mess her up.

[grunting]

[breathing heavily]

At this weight nothing's easy.

[breathing heavily]

Besides laying down.

[breathing heavily]

Even sitting sometimes
gets painful.

[exhaling sharply]

My food problem is, is killing me by,
you know, weighing down my heart.

And, um, my back's
already messed up.

[grunts]

I live every day in despair.

I know it's time for me to...

make that decision if I want
to live or... die soon.

Because if I don't lose
the weight, I'm gonna die.

[grunts]

[exhales in effort]

[grunts]

- All right, all done.
- How can you be "all done"?

- I'm the fastest folder ever.
- All right, well, get moving.

Olympic folder.

Today's a big day, 'cause I'm
leaving Idaho and driving to Texas

for the purpose of meeting Dr. Now
and kickstarting my weight loss journey.

[breathing heavily]

And I'm worried because I don't
know what this drive's gonna be like.

There's a good possibility it's
gonna be pretty painful for me.

And it might be
kind of miserable.

I've got a lot of weight to lose,
but I gotta get some help. Obviously.

[grunts]

[car squeaking]

[exhales]

[grunts]

[breathes loudly]

[grunts]

[grunts]

[car squeaks]

[keys rattle]

- All right.
- [engine starts]

- [Robin] Are you starving?
- Yeah.

[David] I know Dr. Now's gonna
make me change my eating habits.

And that's gonna happen pretty
much as soon as I get there.

But before then, I'm not gonna
change it up yet.

Can I get a number 24
with a diet coke?

[server on speaker]
Anything else needed?

Yeah, let me get three... jalapeño poppers,
three orders of them, the nine piece.

So nine in total?

No, no, I want...

What's three times nine?

[Robin and David] 27.

- 27 jalapeño poppers?
- Yeah.

- Okay, anything else for you?
- Uh, supreme croissant.

- Okay, anything else for you?
- That'll be it.

-Okay, that'll be $36.90. I'll get that for you.
-Thank you so much.

[Robin] Did you ask
for vegetables?

Yeah, jalapenos.

Did you get all those poppers?

[server] 27 poppers.

[Robin] Oh, those smell hideous.

[David] They smell delicious.

- Are you eating my hash brown?
- [Robin] I ate a bite, yeah.

[David] If you wanted a
hash brown, get a hash brown.

[Robin] What are you
gonna do about it?

[David] Oh my gosh.

[Robin] It's like stealing
candy from a child, huh?

A very large angry child.

[Robin] Let's go!

[David] It looks like it's gonna
be about a 25 hour drive.

So, if we do eight hours a day, it
should take me about three days.

But if do more than that,
and we do 10 or 12 hours,

we could shave
a day off of that.

Because I know I'm gonna be
hurting after being in the car that long.

So it might just be better to
hurry up and get it over with.

Heading to the mountains.

But I don't know. We'll have
to see what I can handle.

[Robin] Are we there yet?

[burps]

Um. Yeah, almost.

Just 24 more hours.

So far, I'm doing okay.

My body hurts, but that's why
I have this big van.

Because it fits me in it okay.

[David] Cowboy country.

My back hurts just a little.

- Hey.
- But once we get out, I'm gonna be crippled.

I can feel my body
starting to hurt more.

[grunts]

I don't think we're gonna
make it more than 5 hours today.

Ow. [clicks tongue]

My back is killing me.

[Robin whispers]
Let's just stay here.

Okay.

[groans]

[long exhale]

[car squeaks]

[breathes out in exertion]

Ow!

[grunts]

[out of breath] Is this...

[grunts] Okay.

[exhales in effort]

[exhaling sharply]

[breathes heavily]

[exhales in exertion]

[exhaling sharply]

[sighs]

[out of breath] I'm stuck.

[huffing]

[grunting]

[exhaling sharply]

[breath escaping lips]

[sigh of relief]

Ow.

[huffing]

Oh.

[huffing]

[loud huff]

[huffing]

I can't breathe.

My heart's beating so fast.

[muttering]

My health's so bad.

It's gotten so bad.

[panting]

Robin doesn't even know
how bad it is.

[grunts]

I hate this.

This is crazy.

[grunts]

I can't go on like this.

[Robin] How'd you sleep?

I slept okay.

- Yeah?
- [out of breath] Yeah.

You know what? Why don't I take your stuff
down and then I'll take my stuff down 'cause

- who knows how many trips I'm gonna
have to make-- - I can carry something.

Carry the heavy one...
[laughs]

- [David] Okay.
- You're strong.

I got that one.

All right.

- I'll see you at the front desk.
- Okay.

[David] We've been driving
for four days.

And my back is killing me.

And I can hardly sleep
at night from the pain.

So, I'm exhausted.

Have a good day.

And I wish I could
just stay here and sleep.

But I can't do that because I'd
miss my appointment with Dr. Now.

I gotta run.

I'm coming.

And then all this
would be for nothing.

So I'm pushing myself
to keep going.

Man, my back.

[Robin] Yeah?

-Put your stuff there. I'll get the rest.
-[out of breath] Okay.

- Here's the keys.
- [huffing]

[groans]

- You don't sound so good.
- No, my back hurts so bad.

[grunts]

[groans]

Oof.

[huffing]

- Tada!
- [grunts]

[GPS navigator] At the lights,
turn left onto...

[David] Gotta remember it's
a van, not a sports car, Robin.

You scary driver.

Hush up.

[David] My foster mom has to
drive because I'm in too much pain.

And on top of that, I was
feeling sleepy behind the wheel.

So it was just too dangerous.

Well, the only good news is that
we're in Houston, Texas today.

And now that we're close to
my appointment with Dr. Now,

I'm starting to get nervous.

Because I'm gonna have to
get on that scale.

And that's when I'm gonna
find out the truth

about how bad
my situation has gotten.

[grunts]

- Try that. That's got to help.
- [groans]

[nurse] David?

[David] It's been a little
while since I weighed myself

and I know I've gotten worse
since then.

I just hope that
I'm in the 600s.

I'm ready to go.

[nurse] You can
step up on the scale.

Your weight is 763.

Okay.

Okay, thank you.

[David] Wow. That's a
lot worse than I thought.

Well... I guess this
is what I'm here for.

And I know Dr. Now,
he's seen it all, pretty much.

So I know I'm in
the right place.

That's a pretty crazy number.

[sighs in relief]

And I guess I got
a lot of work to do.

[knocking at door]

Hello, how you all doing?

Good, thank you. Yourself?

I'm doing good, thank you.

- So... You must be David.
- Yep.

Well, David, nice to meet you.
And who's this young lady with you?

- That's my mom, Robin.
- Well, nice to meet you too.

- So, where you coming from?
- Idaho.

All right, that's a bit of a drive
for someone in upper 700s.

So I take it, you came all the way
here to get some help with your weight?

Yes, sir.

All right, so, you are, uh...

- 763 pounds.
- Yes, sir.

And you have
a BMI of almost 100.

So what seems to be the
issue with your eating habit?

Um, it's probably not the best.

Well, yeah, that goes
without saying.

But what's driving you to eat,

and why are you continuing
to eat like you have been,

when your weight
is so out of control?

Um...

Um, I'm probably, like,
an emotional eater

and I have a lot of
baggage from my past.

Uh, grew up in foster
care and what not, and so...

Some psychotherapy is going to be
something that is going to help you

to cope with things in
the past in healthy ways

and take care of yourself.

Okay?

Who else live with you?

Uh, I live with
my mom right now.

So what do you do all day?

Uh, right now not very much.

Um...

I, uh...

I wake up, try to stretch
out my back so I can move.

My back is pretty
tight in the morning.

And, um, then, uh,

basically watch TV or eat and...

then, uh, go to sleep.

So, you mostly you sit around
all day, eating, doing nothing.

Yes, sir.

All right, David, if you
right now close your eyes

and imagine that you
are 210 pounds, okay?

Do you work?

Um, right now I do not.

I was driving a truck,
cross country.

And then I got
a cellulitis infection

and that put me in the
hospital for about two months.

And the while I was in there just
my back got real bad and my legs...

just, um...

Well, when you're 700 pounds,

you're gonna have
a lot of risk factor,

you're gonna have
a lot of health issue

that is going to prevent
you from being active

and doing what you need to do.

And so you need to go ahead
and focus on improving your health

and take care of yourself.

- Right.
- Okay?

That is the only thing that is
going to improve your situation

and your health,
to avoid these issues.

Mom, you got anything
to add to what he says?

I think David is doing, uh, a great
job of downplaying everything.

There is a lot of food
that comes to the door

that when I'm gone,
ends up getting eaten.

And David has a--

Well, he doesn't work,
how does he afford all this,

uh, a lot of food deliver?

That's what all his
money goes for.

That's why he's had to, that's one
of the reasons he had to come back.

I don't usually allow my
foster kids to come back

and live with me.

And, but David doesn't
have anywhere else right now.

All right, well, that needs
to change, right?

Yes, sir.

So, are you willing
to make those changes?

Yes, sir.

So I'm gonna bring
some stuff for you.

It is a diet and exercise plan

that I want you to
start immediately.

The diet is going to limit
you to 1200 calories a day.

And if you follow it,
it's going to eliminate

all the carb out of your diet.

And focus you on eating protein

with a lot of vegetable
and salad.

And if you do that,
at your weight,

when you're 700 pounds,

you can easily lose 100
pounds over the next month.

But the goal I'm gonna
give you is to lose 80 pounds

over the next two months.

- Okay.
- Okay.

- Do you think you can do that?
- Yes, sir.

Okay, so you've got a
lot of work ahead of you.

But if you do what you
need and hit your goal,

then we'll consider
weight loss surgery for you.

But if you're not able
to make those changes,

then the surgery is not
gonna be help for you.

- Okay?
- Okay.

All right, I'll go get
the information

and we'll go over it, okay?

- Okay.
- All right.

- I'll be back.
- Okay, thanks, Doc.

What do you think?

He said 80 pounds.

It's a lot.

[Dr. Younan Nowzaradan]
I am surprised David

is as mobile as he is

at 762 pounds.

But he is at a
cross-roads right now.

Because he could easily

be over 800 pounds
in a matter of months,

if he doesn't change
things right now.

And if he lets things get
to that point at his weight,

it's going to
be finally too much

for his legs and his
knees to handle.

And he will start
to become immobile.

And once that happens, his
health is only gonna continue

to go downhill

from there, just much
more rapidly.

What's up, Doc?

All right, the first thing we're
gonna go over is the diet.

So, if David doesn't make
the changes he needs now,

his situation

is going to get much
worse very quickly.

And then he's likely not going
to be alive in a couple of years.

So it's very important
he takes this seriously.

To do what he needs done
before too late.

Is pizza on that list?

Pizza is a high calorie food that
you need to really avoid, okay?

Oh, come on, Doc.

It's pizza or your life,
it is your choice.

That's true, all right.

Now the other thing I'm gonna
give you is a copy of my book.

- Okay.
- And I put the bookmark in here.

In a chapter for exercise.

So I want you to do
these exercises,

one hour in the morning,
one hour in the afternoon.

Hopefully, David gets
the gravity of his situation.

And how close he is to things
getting much worse for him.

And I'm hoping his mom is
ready to support him like she says.

But the only way for us to
be able to help David at all,

is for him to take
the first step

by making the changes he needs

to take responsibility
for his life.

If you do all this, you can easily
lose 80 pounds in two months.

And if you do that, we'll consider
weight loss surgery for you.

Then eventually you'll
have to move down here

with someone that can
help you while you're here.

[David] Okay.

How long will it take
you to get down here?

It took, uh, it took
me four days this time.

- Four days?
- Yeah.

So, you know, that's,
uh, a big trip.

And it's gonna take
a toll on your body

going back and forth.

Right.

And so, it's gonna be important
you move down here, okay?

[David] Yeah, that's the plan.

Okay.

All right, David, I'll see
you in two months, okay?

Okay.

But in the meantime
if you need anything,

you have any question,
give me a call.

Okay, I appreciate it,
thank you, Doc.

All right,
nice to meet you, guys.

[Robin] Thank you,
it's nice to meet you.

- Are you ready to go?
- Yeah, I'm ready.

- Okay, let's do it.
- Let's go.

[David] Well, it feels good to
know that Dr. Now's gonna help me.

Said that he wants me
to lose 80 pounds.

Wants me to figure out
why I eat.

And, um, stick to his diet.

It's a process and it needs
to be done, so, gonna do it.

I'm glad I'm getting that help.

And I know one thing for sure,
is that I desperately need it.

And I need it more than ever

because my situation's
getting worse by the day.

Oh, maybe not.

[grunting]

[David] It took four days
to make it back from Texas.

And it didn't feel any
better on the way back.

Next time I'm gonna have to fly
because I can't keep doing that.

It's too rough on my body

and I was really
sore when I got back.

So I had to take
some time to rest.

And since then,
I've been struggling

with what feels like an impossible
task of losing 80 pounds.

[groaning]

[exhaling deeply]

But it's time for me
to kick it up another notch.

I've been pretty discouraged
ever since I started.

But I decided now is the time
to start doing the best I can.

And work hard and not
worry about it as much.

As long as I do my best from here
on out, I'm not gonna have any regrets.

[sighing]

[exhaling]

You ready for some breakfast?

- Yes.
- All right.

[Robin] I'm gonna
make some, um...

Sausage.

- No.
- Just four pounds of sausage.

I'm thinking some eggs and
some low cal cottage cheese

and maybe some low cal yogurt?

Sounds good.

[Robin] Yum, all right.

Could you bring me
that Dr. Now book?

Oh, sure.

You have it memorized yet?

- Yeah.
- Good.

I'll test you later.

Mmm.

Did you take the breakfast
straight out of the book?

[Robin] Pretty much.

[both laughing]

Oh, my goodness.

[David] My focus
is on doing what I need.

And I'm not gonna
waste any more time.

If I have to lose 80 pounds,

and there's only a
month and a half to do it,

then there's no time
like the present.

I hope I make it.

And if I don't, it's not gonna
be from a lack of trying.

Did you know cashews
are high in calories?

Bummer. But they're. still good
for ya and they're high in protein.

What else does it say?

Avoid meal supplements.

Or shakes that have excess
carbohydrates and sugar in them.

Thank you, kitty, for this food.

Okay.

Are you doing a food diary yet?

We've talked about it.

No, I'm just doing
it in my head.

How's that working for ya?

Super good.

[laughing]

I guess we will see, the
scale will tell the truth.

Mmm-hmm.

How's your eggs?

It's good, thank you.

So does the book encourage
you to eat three meals a day

or just two?

It says 400 calories, per meal
if you eat three meals a day.

Or 600 calories if you
eat two meals a day.

Plain yogurt?

Get strawberry yogurt, Robin.

No, you can't have fruit in
your yogurt, read the book.

- Is it just plain yogurt?
- [Robin] Yeah.

- Yeah.
- [Robin] It's low fat.

So what's your plan for the day?

We're gonna go for
a walk, me and you.

[Robin] Oh, that sounds
like a great idea.

I know.

[Robin laughing]

- [Robin] 'Cause you thought of it?
- Uh-huh.

So have you been to this before?

I don't think so, actually yeah.

[David] There's only one way to
fail and that's by going half-assed.

And that's what I've
decided I'm not going to do.

I don't trust you, I'll
get on this side of you.

[David puffing]

You might push me over the edge

if I don't give you dessert.

[Robin laughing]

[David] Because the life I
want to live, is gonna be worth it.

I think I'm just gonna
keep trying to work out,

keep trying to eat healthy,

and I'm not gonna look
at the scale until...

the time gets way closer.

'Cause I think it's just gonna
discourage me, honestly.

[David puffing]

- [Robin] Ah.
- [David] Argh.

- Good walk.
- Yeah.

How about that?

Yay.

[David] Getting
pretty good at that.

[David] I made it back to
Houston, this time I took a plane.

And it was a lot better.

Thank you, sir.

[driver] You have a good day.

[David grunting]

Plus, I'm starting to be
able to move a little better.

So it feels like progress.

Robin couldn't get out of work,

so I was gonna try
to reschedule,

but I decided to
just do it on my own.

And here I am.

David.

[groaning]

- Hi, there.
- Hi.

[David] I've been
working as hard as I can,

to hit the goal that
Dr. Now gave me.

When I first started, losing
80 pounds felt impossible.

[nurse] And whenever you're
ready, go ahead and step on the scale.

[David] But by the end, I feel
like I might be getting pretty close.

So I'm just gonna
have to wait and see

what the scale has to tell me.

[David] I'm back at
Dr. Now's for my first follow-up

to find out how much
weight I lost.

And to talk to
the doctor about it.

At my first appointment,
I was 763 pounds.

And the doctor told me to
lose 80 pounds in two months.

And if I did that, I'd
be down to 683 today.

That's pretty good.

- Room five.
- Okay.

[David] It's not 80
but it's not bad.

And I know I messed up the
first week or two, after I got back.

So really that's only after
six weeks of trying my hardest.

So I'm pretty proud
of that number.

But I don't know if
Dr. Now's gonna like it.

I guess I'm about to find out.

[knocking on door]

Hello, how you doing, David?

Hey, Doc.

Doing all right?

Yeah, I'm doing well,
how are you?

I am doing good.

You came on your own this time?

Yes, sir.

Well how was your
trip down here?

It was good, I flew this
time so it was much faster.

All right, well,
I'm glad to hear that.

I'm also glad to see your
progress over the last two months.

You lost 67 pounds and
you're under 700 pounds.

- Yeah.
- So that is positive.

So what changes have you
made with your eating habit?

Um, it took me a while to get...

on track.

What do you call a while?

Several hours or
a couple of days?

Oh, no, it took me probably
a couple of weeks, um.

I think I've been on your
program now for about five weeks.

So imagine what you
could've lost

if you did it for
all eight weeks.

Right.

So, what took you a few
weeks to get on the program?

It had a lot to do with just
mental blockage I think.

Um, I think, um,
the shock to my system

from losing 80 pounds wasn't
something I was ready for.

I think it just took me...

some time to just put myself
in the right state of mind

to start making the right
decisions for my health.

Okay.

Well I'm glad you got to where
you needed to be mentally

to start making the
changes you need.

So that's good.

And I'm glad you lost 67 pounds.

- Thanks, man.
- That's a starting point.

But with your progress,
this is what I will do.

I will approve you
for weight loss surgery

and schedule it for
two months from now.

And if you lose another
30 pounds by then,

and move down here
to Houston in that time,

we will move ahead
with you, okay?

- Okay.
- You think you can do all that?

Yeah, I'm totally willing
to move to Houston, um...

Are you gonna move by yourself
or somebody gonna be with you?

I'm hoping my foster mom
will be, she's working on that.

Okay.

So this is a conditional
approval for you.

Lose another 30 more
pounds and move down here.

And if you do that,

we're gonna go ahead and
schedule your weight loss surgery

for two months from now.

Okay, thanks Doc.

But if you get here and
you haven't lost 30 pounds,

then I'm gonna
cancel the surgery

and we're not gonna
move ahead with you.

You got that?

- Yes, I do.
- Great.

Then I'll see you in two months.

And if you need anything in
the meantime, let me know.

All right, have a nice
trip back home,

and I'll see you soon.

Okay, thanks Doc.

All right, see you.

All right, see ya.

I'm happy to see some
good progress from David.

It is encouraging but he
still fell short of his goal.

And if he was fully
doing the diet,

he would've lost triple of what
he lost over the past two months.

So I still need to see

a little bit more
progress from him.

But if he at least sticks
with what he's doing,

he should easily lose another
30 pounds in two months.

So now it is not time for him
to get comfortable and slip up.

Because if he doesn't
stay on track,

and doesn't meet his
goals by the day of surgery,

then we won't be
moving ahead with him.

And we will have to start
this process all over again.

[David] Well I'm feeling
pretty good right now.

But mostly I'm just worried
about moving to Houston now,

because I'm not sure if Robin's
going to be able to move with me.

But it feels like a huge deal to
get approved for my first follow-up

and I feel confident we'll be able to
figure out the details of me moving.

I know Robin wants to
be here for me

and I know I'm excited
for this new life.

Can I just get my towel?
Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Ever since I saw Dr. Now and got
approved for weight loss surgery,

I've been focused on keeping my
weight going in the right direction.

And also I've been focused
on moving myself down there,

the way Dr. Now's program
requires you to do.

- Okay, I'm gonna go work out.
- Okay.

I will see you
when you're done. Do good.

- Okay, I will.
- Good work, okay.

But today I'm focused on
getting a good work out

and I'm excited because
I found a way to do that

without hurting my back
so much. Water aerobics.

- Hi.
- [Shawna] Hey, how are you?

- I'm okay.
- Good.

- Let's go work out.
- Okay.

-Okay? Meet you in the pool. Ready?
-Okay.

Moving to Houston
is stressful, though.

The big problem is that
Robin doesn't know

if she'll be able to do it
right away

and I know she wants to
be there for me

but she has a good life here and
a job and people that rely on her

and it's a pretty big deal
to pick up and move

so I'm stressed about what
could happen if she can't go,

and what I'm gonna do
about that.

And all that stress, it's
making it harder to lose weight

so I'm still working on
what I have to do

but it's just been
more of a struggle.

[Shawna] Okay, just start
with the high knees

and we'll just go...
We'll walk a little bit.

[David] I know I have to
figure this out

so I can get down there
and do Dr. Now's program.

[Shawna] Okay, stand there.
I want you just to swish.

Just march and swish.
Kick, kick.

I know I need to be in Houston
to be accountable for the next year

and I know I need to have someone
with me, because that's a requirement

and there's times I won't
be able to help myself.

Kick. Good, now lift,
just one leg. Up, up.

[David] But Robin is the only one
even close to being able to do that

so I'm tryna
figure something out.

We're all done.
You did great today.

- Let's get you out of the pool.
- Okay.

But it feels like an impossible
situation, some days.

Hey! I watched you
for a while, you look great.

- Yeah. Thank you.
- All right. Ready to go?

- Yeah, let me just get changed.
- Okay.

- Go get dried off.
- Okay.

- Hey. Good morning.
- Good morning.

- Are you pumped?
- Oh, yeah.

- Yeah?
- Oh, yeah.

All right, well, I gotten
the laundry mostly done.

- Sweet, thank you.
- We'll get you packed.

Well I have it all worked out, so that this
move to Houston is actually happening.

All right.
I'll get the stuff.

[David] The only thing is
Robin isn't able

to go with me right now
so I'm going by myself.

All right.

[David] But she's going to
come down after me

when she can
figure out her schedule.

[Robin] There's one.

[David] It's been a little stressful
and I'll admit there's been

a few times that I've slipped up

and caught myself
eating food for comfort.

But overall,
I haven't been giving in.

[Robin whispering] Oh, gosh.
That's huge. Okay.

What do you mean, "huge"?

- It's huge.
- That's normal size.

And yes, I believe Robin
will make it down.

But not having her there
gets me a little worried

so I'm trying not to
think about it.

I just keep tryna
think about the bright side.

[Robin] We're off!

[David] To see the wizard...

[David] I made it
down to Houston,

which is gonna be
my new home for a while

so I can get the weight loss
surgery I've been working towards.

Which is gonna be the key
for me to getting a better life.

I found a place online
that I can rent

and my surgery
is in a couple weeks.

My foster mom, Robin, she's
supposed to be here, too,

but she wasn't able
to come just yet

because she still had some stuff

that's she's tryna
work out back home.

So until that happens I'm gonna be
here by myself which should be fine.

[groaning]

- Thanks, man.
- My pleasure.

- Welcome to Houston.
- Yeah.

[grunting]

[struggling for breath]

[panting]

Oh!

[sighing in exhaustion]

Okay.

Oh, this is nice. All right.

All right, this place isn't that
bad. I can make this work.

And I'll keep working hard to make sure
that my surgery happens the way it should.

[grunting]

[sighing in exhaustion]

[Robin] We're keeping this up.

[David] You and your feeling
of optimism.

[David] So today is a big day.

My foster mom, Robin,
made it down

and she's here in time for my
surgery like she said she would be.

I just really hope that this
goes according to plan.

Doctor told me to lose 30 lbs.
and if I did I'll be down to 665 today.

[nurse] All right,
your weight is 733.

Okay.

[groaning]

So what was your weight?

It looked like I gained some
weight... since the last time.

Hopefully I can still
get the surgery.

- Well I hope so.
- [David] Yeah.

I hope so.
What if they postpone it?

Then I guess I'll just have to get
back on track and lose the weight.

- [Robin] Yeah?
- Yep.

You feeling
pretty good about it?

Yeah, I mean, I've done it
before, I can do it again, so...

- I'll do it.
- Okay, well,

I'm sure the doctor will be
coming in soon and we'll...

- We'll know shortly.
- Yeah.

- Hello, how're y'all doing?
- [Robin] Hello.

- What's up, Doc?
- David, how are you doing?

I've had better days, Doc.

It seems so,
because you're up to 733.

So instead of losing 30 lbs.
You gained 38 lbs.

So you're just about 70 lbs. away
from where you should be today.

So we're not gonna be able
to do our surgery,

so I'm cancelling it because
of your weight gain, okay?

- Okay.
- So what happened?

You know, it was just stressful
with the move and everything, and...

I think, um, got off track
a little bit, so...

I know it's been
a struggle for you

but we cannot go ahead
with you for weight loss surgery

- if you gain like this.
- Okay.

It's not safe so I'm gonna
send you home

and I want you to lose 70 lbs.
In next two months

to make up for
the weight you gained

and what you were
supposed to lose by today

and if you do that we're gonna
put you back on

the schedule again
for weight loss surgery

but you have to prove to me
you're gonna get back on track

- and stick to doing what you need first, okay?
- Okay.

- You think we can do that?
- Yes, I'll do that.

Okay, so we're gonna
send you home now

and I want you to start working
hard and get back on track, okay?

- Okay.
- Okay, David, I'll see you in two months

- and hopefully 70 lbs. lighter, okay?
- Yes, sir.

- All right, I'll see y'all later.
- All right, see you man.

Sorry I made you come all
the way down here for nothing.

Well, I'm glad to be here
to support you.

Thank you.

It's unfortunate that David gained
all that weight after doing well.

With his weight
going in the wrong direction

it won't be safe to move ahead
and do weight loss surgery today.

So I'm cancelling it
until he shows me that he

can get back on track
and stick with it.

If he does that,
I'll approve him again

and we will move ahead with him.

But until he does that,
weight-loss surgery is not an option.

[David] I can't believe this.

I feel like such an idiot.

I let everybody down,
especially Robin,

who had to move mountains
to come down here for me.

I didn't realize that small
cheat days would make me gain.

Not that fast, anyway.

So now I guess there's only
one thing to do about it.

And that's to make it right.

[engine starts]

I have to show Dr. Now
that this is just a mess up

and that I can do this.

So I'm not going to give up.

I'm just going to try harder
because my life is on the line.

And failure could mean
a much shorter life span.

[David] Ever since I got my
surgery cancelled for gaining weight,

I've been working hard to stay
on the diet that Dr. Now gave me.

Robin has been a big help, encouraging
me to do better and to stay on track.

All right. What are we going
to do for exercise?

- Um, probably Dr. Now's exercises.
- Great!

Let's start with ankle rolls.

- Yeah, let's do it.
- Go!

One...

[David] And I've been
busting my ass to make up for

that weight gain that I posted
on my last weigh in.

[continues counting]

[David] But I can't help
feeling guilty

that Robin is down here
helping me to work out.

- [coughs in pain]
- How'd that feel?

It hurt.

- [laughs] Okay, what's next?
- Leg lifts.

Standing or sitting?

How would you do
leg lifts standing?

You would go like this.

- Yeah, I can do that.
- [laughs]

- Up...
- No, I can't do that!

- Okay, I guess sitting.
- You think I'm some karate expert?

Okay, leg lifts.
Ten on each side.

[begins counting]

[David] We try to make it
fun, but I am disappointed.

And sometimes it feels like
everything I do is all about

making up for my fail
at the scale.

Eight... Higher! Nine... Ten!

Hey, that's pretty good
except for the face look.

- It hurts!
- [giggles]

[David] She's been down
a little this month.

Ten on this side. Go!
Ten, one... Two...

[David] I know she wants
to see me do better.

Live out my dreams,
start a life of my own.

I feel bad about that, but
I'm trying to make up for it

and get back to where
I need to be.

I refuse to mess this up, so
I'm putting everything into it.

What's next?

I have to stand up,
but I don't want to.

Let's start with arm rolls.

[David] I kind of have
a mental block, I think.

Because I can get kind
of tripped out about the fail

or the amount
that I have to lose

and I get this anxiety about it,

like failure is my only path.

[groans]

And I have no clue why I feel like I
need her around to be accountable.

Maybe it's because it's the only
time I've ever had tough love.

But also unconditional love.

- [sighing in exhaustion]
- Poot.

How about...

[David] These thoughts hit me
while I'm getting out of bed some days

and it feels
just as hard as ever,

not easier like it's supposed
to be getting.

But I can't let myself
dwell there,

so I push myself hard
in those moments.

For the past month,
I've been doing a lot better.

I've been pushing through
the mental block.

I'm not sure why, but it's been a
lot better since Robin came down.

Nine...

Ten! Next leg.

[David] Anyway, all this
hard work, it doesn't matter

if I get to my appointment
with Dr. Now next month

and he doesn't approve me
for weight-loss surgery.

Then all of this effort
will have been for nothing.

[groans in pain]

But I can't afford to have
back-to-back failures like that.

So I'm trying to use my fear and anxiety
to help motivate myself to work harder.

All right, we're done.

I'm not sure if it's working or not,
but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.

But before that, it's going
to be a big test for me.

Because Robin's going to have
to go back home...

and I'm going to be
on my own again.

That's going to be the real test, if
I got myself under control or not.

But I wish I could say
with more confidence

that I knew which way
it was going to go.

[Robin] You think it's going to
be good news today at Dr. Now?

I think I could've done better.

I just had a little,
slow start, I...

A lot of stuff going on and...

But I think it'll be okay!

I think I lost some weight.

But, you know, if I lost...

a little bit of weight...

and he was proud of that

or happy about that,
that would make me feel good.

Scales don't lie, people do.

[David] Today,
I'm on my way to Dr. Now

and I'm not letting on
to Robin how nervous I am.

Maybe she can tell,
I don't know.

But just the thought
of failing...

makes me wish
I could escape the whole thing

and just not have
to show up for it.

I know that's crazy, though.

So here we are.

And I'm bracing myself for
the info we're about to hear.

- My door, Robin.
- Okay.

[David] She has to go back
for a few weeks next month,

but I'm thankful that she's been
able to stay with me and help me.

But I still feel guilty that I'm
taking her away from so much.

I just need the effort
to do this

and get back on track
to be worth it.

[exhales in discomfort]

- All righty...
- Got a wedgie.

I don't want to hear about it.

[David] But today's the day that
we find out how well I bounced back

after getting off
to a rocky start.

The only way for me
to do that is...

to meet my weight loss goal

and show Dr. Now
that I can do this.

It's just more stressful now 'cause I
feel like I'm letting everyone down.

And that feeling leads me
straight to wanting to eat.

But I realize
that I have to keep going

and do this because if I don't,
it's only going to get worse.

David?

- Hi there!
- Hello, how are you?

Oh, you know, pretty good.

Pretty good? Good.

[David] I know I haven't done
as well as I did in the beginning.

But I've been trying
my hardest now for a while...

with Robin's help and I just
really hope that it's enough

Okay. Step up
on the scale, please.

[David] My last weigh-in
was a disaster.

I was 733
when I should've been 665.

So Dr. Now told me
to lose 68 pounds

and get down to 665 today.

Your weight is 719.

[David] Oh, man.

Well!

- That's good!
- [nurse] Couple pounds down.

- We can go to room five, okay?
- All right, thank you.

You're welcome.

[David] To be honest, I'm relieved
because I was so scared of gaining again

that I've been having
nightmares about it.

So any kind of loss is welcome.

We all know
it's not good enough.

So I'm relieved and dismayed
at the same time

because I'm just more
of a burden to Robin.

[panting]

And I don't want to hear what
Dr. Now has to say about it.

[knocking at door]

Hello. How are you all doing?

Hi, Dr Now. Good thanks.
And yourself?

Good.

All right. David is down
to 719

and you only lost
14 pounds in two months.

You did so well the first two
months and then you gained weight.

And now you're not losing
that much. So what happened?

I really don't know
because I'm trying.

It's just getting harder
and the cravings are...

getting bigger than
they were at first.

But I don't really feel
like I'm giving in to them.

So I feel like I'm trying.

You think you're going to food for
comfort because of stress and anxiety?

I really don't know because I
thought I was working just as hard...

as I was before.

If you think there is no
difference in what you're doing now

from what you did at the start,

then I think it is a good idea
to get psychotherapy involved

to try and help you
figure it out.

So, David, we're gonna set
that up and we go from there.

But if you're not losing
at least 35 pounds a month,

we're not going to be able to go
ahead with the weight-loss surgery.

So I'm going to give you two
more months to lose 70 pounds

if you want to move ahead with
weight-loss surgery again, okay?

Okay. I'll figure it out.

All right, we'll get you
some help with that.

David, how we doing
with your exercises?

I know you've been going
to water aerobics

because there is a bunch of
girls over there.

[both laughing]

But are you doing
exercise here in Houston?

Yeah, I've been trying
to work out every day but...

Yeah, I'll...

make sure I'm doing those
more often.

All right. Is he doing better
at home?

I think he's still struggling
at home.

But I think he truly,
truly wants to...

keep trying.

All right, this is a long haul.

And you're going to have
to stay with the program

before and after surgery.

So this is something that is
very important for you to do.

- Okay?
- [David] Okay.

All right. We'll get you an
appointment time for therapy

and I'll see you in two months.

If you need anything,
give me a call.

- Okay, thanks Doc.
- [Robin] Thank you.

- All right, we'll see you.
- [David] See you.

I'm happy to see that David
is losing weight again.

But, it is concerning it is
not as much as it should be.

Especially after he did so well with his
weight loss in the first couple of months.

To go from losing like he had
to gaining, and now, struggling,

is unusual pattern.

So, there is some issues
that coming to the surface,

and causing him
to struggle like this,

and go back
to his unhealthy ways.

Hopefully, psychotherapy will help
him to get to the core of what's going on

and what is behind that. To
help him start to get back on track.

Because if he doesn't
figure out what's going on,

and what's driving him
to struggle like this,

then he's not gonna be able
to make much progress.

And eventually, here soon,
he will start gaining again.

And once that happens, it's gonna
be harder for us to turn that around.

So, it's important that
he figure this out now

before things get
a lot harder for him.

[David] After today,
I'm determined to do better.

I have to.

It's super disappointing
what the scale said.

And then what Dr. Now
just said.

I hope he's right
that therapy can help.

'Cause I agree that there has to
be something holding me back.

[David panting]

That could be the key.

And I hope that gets me back
on track like I need.

Because no matter what,
I have to figure this out

and do this, or nothing's
gonna change in my life.

I don't wanna look
like this anymore.

Whatever it takes,
I need to figure it out.

And I need to do it now. I
feel like I'm running out of time.

[David grunting and panting]

[David] Today, my foster Mom,
Robin, is taking me to see the therapist.

I've never done any kind of therapy,
so I don't know what to expect.

But I can use the help.

[pants] Yeah.

Because recently, it feels
like I'm just going backwards.

Are you David?

-Yeah. All right.
-Hi, David. I'm Dr. Paradise. Come on in.

[exclaims]

[pants]

- How you doing? All right.
- Come in, have a seat right over there.

[David panting] Okay.

Oh, man! What? [grunts]

Welcome.

- What's up, Doc?
- [chuckles] I'm glad you made it.

Tell me a little bit
about yourself.

Um...

Well, I was raised
in foster care.

Um, my mom was 13 years old.

- Your mother was 13 when she had you?
- 13 years old.

Cokehead.

I popped positive for cocaine
when I was born.

So they took me away.

- So, you were born on coke?
- Yeah.

- Wow. Okay.
- Yeah...

That's a...
interesting way to start.

- Yeah.
- What happened to you then?

Um...

I was put into foster care,
I got adopted at six.

They adopted, the Nelsons
adopted an older boy,

and then, they adopted
two girls who,

they were actually like,
biological sisters.

[Dr. Paradise] Okay.

Uh, one was a year older than me, one
was, uh, like, a month younger than me.

-Four kids in the house? All adopted?
-Four kids. All adopted.

How long were you
with the Nelsons?

Nine years.

- You'd have been a sophomore in high school.
- Yeah.

End of sophomore year, I left.

- Kicked out.
- Okay.

[Dr. Paradise] What led you
to get kicked out?

Um, so, our grandma
was dying of cancer.

- Um...
- Did you think of her as a grandma?

- Yeah. I mean, I spent every summer with her.
- Okay. Okay.

- Yeah.
- Okay.

You know, I remember, uh,
watching baseball with my grandma.

- Okay.
- I still like the smell of cigarettes.

- Because-- - You have
that association between...

Yeah, 'cause I can, I just, I get that
nostalgia of my grandma's house.

- Sure. So, she got sick...
- Yeah.

And my parents went
to California to, uh,

bury my grandma.
Couple of friends...

did what teenagers do.
We threw a party.

So, you threw a party in that
house while your parents were gone?

- Yeah.
- Okay.

That party lasted ten days.

The whole time they were gone...
Kids in and out of the house?

- Alcohol?
- Yeah, man. 50 kids, there was cocaine,

there was weed, alcohol,

next-door neighbor was a cop, he
was writing everything down. [chuckles]

He called my parents
the first day. They were like,

"Don't do anything.

Just record
and tell us about it."

- So they were gathering evidence?
- Yeah.

They come back, and you guys have
thrown this extended party at the house.

Yeah. They're done,
they had it. Kick us all out,

give up their parental rights...

-We all go into foster care. Yeah.
-Turn you back to the state?

- Um, we went back-- - How did
you understand that at the time?

Well, I didn't. I was mad.

Mad, confused.

Angry.

So, tell me about
the woman outside.

- She's uh, that's my foster Mom, Robin.
- Okay.

She found me when I was 17
years old. I was in a group home.

How'd she find you?

Well, I was the president
of Foster Youth of Idaho.

Oh, there was like,
an organization?

Yeah, so we-- I helped start this
program called "Foster Youth of Idaho."

- Okay.
- And, um...

We were reaching out to foster
kids, 'cause, you know I was...

So, David... Sounds like
you're a leader.

-[scoffing] I don't know.
[chuckles] So, I was angry, -Okay.

And I felt like,
these foster kids,

they're going through
the same things as I am.

And they don't have people
to talk to.

And they don't have people
to fall back on.

They don't have, uh--
Sorry, dude.

[exhales]

[scoffs]

- David, I'm glad to see you getting emotional.
- Just sad...

You know what's interesting is
you have access to those

emotions, when you're talking
about other kids like you.

But you didn't access the sadness
when you're talking about you're own story.

[David breathing heavily]

[choking up]

So, uh...

You know, we started
this program, so these, uh,

you know, these kids had
somebody to talk to.

'Cause they were going through
the same stuff.

- Peers.
- And uh, yeah.

And then, so, once a week, we'd
do that. Fun activities, you know?

Bowling, um, whatever,
Then we...

throw this foster parent
appreciation picnic.

I met her at this picnic.

And um, that was Saturday.

Monday, I was in her house.

Yeah...

So, you're pretty good
at winning people over.

You know, um...

I'm a good guy. I'd like to
think I'm a good guy. And, and--

So, fill in the blanks for me.

There're these contrasts
in your history.

- Yeah.
- You start this wonderful organization

for other foster kids, you're
charming enough to work your way

into probably the best
foster home in the Northwest.

But you're all the way to
600 lbs. at this point.

-Dude, I got up to 820 lbs.
And then-- -How long ago is this?

This summer.

David presents well, but
I saw him crack a little bit

and break down at points, and I
think that he was so unemotional

when he was talking about
the early part of his childhood.

'Cause his life is characterized
by such unsupportive adults,

and I think it's important for
him to realize that his success

is not necessarily dependent
on somebody else.

So, I really wanna see
how he does on his own.

He's a very bright,
articulate, capable guy,

and I want him to realize that
that's inside of him.

He doesn't need someone else
to bring that out.

David, you've had a lot
of successes.

I kinda want you to prove to yourself
that you can be your own support system.

'Cause the most emotional
you got when we were talking,

was when you talked about
helping those other foster kids.

And I want you to turn that on
for yourself.

So, David, I'm gonna
assign you the task

of being in the world
by yourself.

So, I'm gonna collaborate with Dr. Now
and I think we're gonna send Robin home.

We're gonna put you by yourself

and we're gonna get you independent,
and then I want you to spend some time

just with you. And to thrive
during that time.

- Right.
- And I know you can do it.

-It's really good meeting you. Thanks for coming.
-You too, Doc.

- Take care, man.
- Hey, you too. Take it easy.

[David groans and pants]

[grunting]

- You know what?
- Dr. Paradise knows what's up.

[David] It was awesome, it was
really good, super in-depth.

I want to have
another session with him.

And uh, yeah.
I'm gonna do what he,

what he wants me to do.

He wants me to go out in
public, eat in public. Um...

Little worried about it.
But I'm gonna do it.

Makes me a little nervous

that Robin's gonna go home.

But yeah, I'm just gonna try
to stay focused this time.

Gonna try
not to fall apart and...

keep going down
this healthy path.

Today, Robin went back
to Idaho for a few weeks.

From here on out,

she said she'll come visit me.

And she'd come to any of
my appointments with Dr. Now.

But she's not gonna stay
with me for a long time.

Because I'm transitioning
to living on my own.

That's what I've been focused
on since my therapy appointment.

I lived on my own before
for a long time.

So I know I can
take care of myself.

And I'm not sure why this time
it's so different.

I never thought I'd be
homesick without Robin here.

[panting]

Sometimes, I get this pit
in my stomach.

Like, what it feels like to
foster somewhere you don't like.

And I think I'm ashamed
of it, too.

Those are feelings that can
really throw me off, if I'm not careful.

Sometimes I can't get
that feeling to stop.

And that's what
I'm doing right now.

[driver] You have
a good dinner, sir.

[David] If I'm on my own,
I'm fine for like, a week.

And then, I get scared.

Right now, I'm nervous. But
I'm choosing not to give into it.

- Hello. How you doing today?
- Pretty good. How are you?

- I'll be waiting for you.
- [David grunts]

[David] I know I have
some work to do in therapy.

And all I can do right now

is just feel the feeling
and keep going.

I'm ready to take
the steps I need

but it's not gonna be easy.

But I have to do
what the therapist said.

And take charge of my life
like I need to.

- That smoothie's awesome, by the way.
- [waiter] Awesome?

- Yeah.
- Thumbs up. That's what we like to hear.

[David] It's time to change
for good this time.

I just hope I'm doing
everything I need to get approved

when I go back
in a month and a half.

- Good night.
- [waitress] Bye-bye, take care.

[David] Because surgery is something
that I need to do for the long term.

So, whatever it takes...

I need to get where I need to, to
take that step and change my life.

[David] This week,
Robin is back in town.

And we're headed to my
next appointment with Dr. Now.

I'm feeling better going in.

This past month
has been hard, but...

I've made it a focus not to
give into my fear of being alone.

David?

- Hi there.
- Hello!

- How are you today?
- I'm doing fine, how about you?

[David] Oh, you know.
I think I'll make it.

Hopefully.

[nurse] You wanna step up
on the scale?

[David] I didn't tell Robin
to come back,

but she said she wants to be
with me for the major milestones.

I feel like I've made
progress, though.

I think the scale is going
to reflect that.

Your weight is 671.

All right.

I'm really happy that
I've made some progress.

- [David panting]
- [nurse] Good.

[David] I feel good about that.

We're gonna be going
to room five.

[David] But I know it's not as much
as the goal that I had hoped for.

I'm very happy, but I don't
know if it's gonna be enough

to move ahead with surgery.

[indistinct conversation]

I hope that will be enough.

[knocking at door]

- Hello. How are y'all doing?
- [Robin] Hello.

Good. How are you, Dr. Now?

I'm doing well.

And seems like you're too, David,
because you are down to 671.

- Yeah!
- And you lost 48 lbs.

[Dr. Now] So, I'm happy to see
that you're losing more weight

and improving. But it's still not
as much as you should have done

to show me you're making enough
change with your eating habits.

But, any progress is good.

At least you made more
progress this time than the last time.

So, I'm happy about that.

Do you feel like psychotherapy
is helping you some with that?

Uh, yeah. I think
therapy's helped me a lot.

Dr. Paradise has helped me with
ways I can be more independent.

And take care
of myself, basically.

And it was good to talk about things.
And I think it helped me in a lot of ways.

[Dr. Now] Okay, good.
Dr. Paradise called me

about your mom going back home
for a month at a time, here and there.

And I think, in your situation that would
be good for you to be on your own some,

to become more independent.

Just let us know when that is,
so we can check in on you.

But I'm glad that you feel
like therapy is helping.

So we'll set another
appointment with psychotherapy.

Keep going to that.

And working on what you need
with Dr. Paradise.

And because of your progress,

I'm gonna give you
an easy goal this time.

This time, I want you to lose
45 lbs. in two months.

And if you do that,

I'm gonna approve you
for weight loss surgery.

- You think you can do that?
- Yeah.

Yeah, I can do that.

[Dr. Now] All right, that's great.
So, keep up with psychotherapy,

keep up your good weight loss and
let's see how we do in two months.

And then, we'll go from there,
okay?

- Okay.
- All right, if you need anything,

- you give me a call.
- Okay.

- That sounds good.
- [Robin] Thank you.

[Dr. Now] It seems like
therapy is helping David

to understand some issues
driving him to eat.

And to take more
responsibility for his life.

But I'm proud of him for working
hard and maintaining positive attitude.

When he started to struggle,
he didn't make excuses.

He just worked harder.

Right now, I feel confident I'm gonna
see the progress I need from him soon

to show me he's ready
for weight loss surgery.

And that he's gonna be able to stick
to what he needs for the long term.

To get to his target weight and start
living healthier, and better lifestyle.

[David] I wish I'd gotten approved,
but I know I can meet this next goal.

So I feel very confident
that this next appointment,

I am getting approved.

I'm gonna make sure of it.

[David] All right.
Thanks, man.

This time, I went back
to Dr. Now.

And I've lost another 46 lbs.

So the doctor approved me
for surgery.

I'm getting it next month.

I'm so excited for this.

And I'm making sure that I
stay on track no matter what.

I'm not messing this up again.

Hey, guys.

- Hey, man. I'm Dr. Clay.
- Hey. I'm David.

-David, nice to meet you. You ready?
-Yeah.

-All right. Let's get it going.
-All right.

[Dr. Clay] We're gonna head
back here.

[David] I've already lost another
18 lbs. since my appointment.

I'm looking forward to finally getting
surgery and starting my new healthy life.

I know I have a long
road ahead this next year,

and a lot of work to do.

Especially with therapy
and working with Dr. Paradise

to figure out
more of my emotions.

But I'm ready to do whatever
it takes to get my future back.

And I wanna make Robin proud.

We're actually just gonna start
with a little sit-to-stand, like a squat.

- Okay?
- Okay.

Good.

[David] I wanted to do this
for a while and find my way,

and everything that is
meant for me.

[grunts]

[Dr. Clay] Good.
Last one here, David.

Good. All right.

Take a little rest.
Come on down.

- [exhaling]
- Yeah.

[Dr. Clay] You all right?

- Yeah.
- All right, good job.

[David] I'm really excited
about the surgery.

And I know Robin will be, too.

We're just gonna work on, kinda
bending down, picking this up.

And then, we're gonna come up
overhead and do this, okay?

[David] And I know I'm gonna
have to work really, really hard

this next year to lose
all the weight.

Attaboy. Good.

[David] But I'm determined
to get my life figured out.

And finally take responsibility.

[Dr. Clay] Down. Here we go.
You got it.

- [grunts]
- Atta boy. Good job.

- Okay, all right. Have a rest, have a rest.
- [panting]

[David] I'm gonna change my
life and I'm never going back.

It's all about consistency
at the end of the day.

Honestly, man. You're doing
great, I'm real proud of you.

This is some journey that you're
on and you're on the right path.

[David] Thanks, man.

-I'll see you next time. Okay, buddy?
-Okay. Thanks, man.