Original subtitles

[man] It's very difficult to be this heavy.

And it's getting worse.

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

I just wanna be a normal person.

[gasping, breathing heavily]

[man 1] You can't do it and then I just get mad.

[woman 1] If I don't make a change now,

I'm scared it's gonna be too late.

[groaning in pain]

It hurts.

-[woman] I refuse to stop fighting. -Oh, God.

I have to do this for my children.

Ow!

What is different today from past 31 years?

What is different today from past 31 years?

This is probably my last chance.

Well, I agree with that.

-[alarm ringing] -[breathing heavily]

[Geno] Things are getting worse and harder every day.

Because of my weight.

[sighs wearily] The sleep situation, you know.

If I sleep wrong, I'm in excruciating pain.

So it just sucks to move around.

It just...

Just feels horrible, you know...

Just feels horrible, you know...

[grunts]

[exhales wearily]

[Geno] What hurts on my body the most...

is probably my back,

knees, and feet.

Overall, my back is the worst.

Honestly, the most difficult thing about my day is...

probably taking a shower.

Walking up the stairs

feels like I'm carrying cement bags under me

and I'm trying lift them all up the stairs.

Plus, I cannot fit into most spaces.

[breathing heavily]

So taking a shower sucks at my size.

I can't move too well.

I am still good to do it by myself.

If I ever was that weight, where I couldn't do the shower on my own,

That's what scares me.

I wouldn't want it to come to that, ever.

Being a big person, there's a lot of friction.

Within my, like, crevices, you know?

Within my, like, crevices, you know?

And you wanna get everything as clean as possible.

So, by the time I'm all done with that my back is usually on fire.

And then I end up getting aggravated.

-[breathing heavily] -Because I just wanna finish.

After something like that, I use food for comfort to make me, you know...

-[breathing heavily] -just feel just happier.

I just wanna be full.

[breathing heavily]

[breathing heavily]

And, um...

Don't tell my mom, but I make the best eggs in the house.

She's a good cook, but she's not me.

I do go to culinary school, so I do know what I'm doing.

But she, of course, still treats me like a little kid.

I've been living with her off and on for 31 years now.

So I guess it's normal for

-us getting on each other's nerves at this point. -Geno.

Hey, Ma.

-Morning. -Let me do that.

-Morning. -Let me do that.

-Just... -I don't want you to make a mess, please.

My back's killing me, I want...

-You're already sweating. -Yeah.

I wanna sit down for a moment.

-Do it. -[breathing heavily]

[Rhonda] I don't like when Geno stands up and he can't stand up.

Or he breathes heavy.

I can't, I can't take it, I don't want to hear it.

It makes me upset.

[breathing heavily]

[Rhonda]

'Cause I was heavy. My mother was heavy.

'Cause I was heavy. My mother was heavy.

You know, my grandfather was heavy.

And so was his father.

[exhales]

So he was getting it, no matter what, you know?

[Geno] I'm grateful for her.

But my mom aggravates me sometimes.

-You want me to do 'em? -No.

Because you know that four can't fit in that pan.

I'm doing just fine.

All right, can you move, please? Let me finish?

[Geno] But she never gets in the way of how much I want to eat.

And it's always been like that, as far back as I can remember.

[Geno] We're a very close family.

And us being an Italian family, when we eat,

we eat in an abundance.

And we enjoy each other, you know, that's just how we come together,

we would always make food for each other.

Food was, like, always the glue.

And there was an abundance of relatives too.

Lots of cousins, uncles, and aunts.

Lots of cousins, uncles, and aunts.

But the cousin I have always been closest with my whole life has been Nico.

[Nico] Growing up, me and Geno,

everyone always thought we were twins.

You know, we do, you know, look a lot alike and we're always been hefty.

We've always been by each other's side.

Like, he's my best friend. I love him.

He's always been my best friend.

He's my wingman.

[Geno] Nico and I would have eating contests and stuff like that.

And between that, and all the eating we did as a family,

I got to 100 pounds by the time I was six.

I got to 100 pounds by the time I was six.

Geno was always kind of a chubby kid.

I was 36 years old when I had the gastric bypass myself.

I didn't want him to get as heavy as I was.

But then again, you know, deprive my kids from something to eat?

It's, it's unheard of in my family.

[Geno] So by the time I was eight years old, I was 150.

I think that Geno might have some food addiction.

Because, you know, Geno's dad was a drug addict.

Because, you know, Geno's dad was a drug addict.

He didn't do the drugs when Geno was little.

He stayed clean.

When Geno got a little older, his dad was doing drugs,

and I couldn't have that around my son.

We got a divorce when Geno was about 12 years old.

But he'd never seen his father's drug use.

I don't think he knew why we were even divorced.

Because John hid it well.

[Geno] When my parents got divorced, it was definitely hard on me.

Food brought me comfort.

Food brought me comfort.

And if I have to say, that was probably when eating for me

became something bigger than just filling up on food.

It became something I needed in order to feel better emotionally.

And by the time I was in the fourth grade, I was already 200 pounds.

So, after they got divorced, Mom had been given full custody

of me and my sister.

I did see my dad a little less.

It was much different.

The only constant was food.

And by the time I was 13, I weighed almost 300 pounds.

And by the time I was 13, I weighed almost 300 pounds.

In high school, I also had problems too, because...

I was getting much, much bigger at that time.

Sophomore year, I actually couldn't fit

into like those seats that had the desk attached to them.

I couldn't fit into one.

So I was, I was completely embarrassed,

I never even went to class.

But, you know, did what I had to do, got through it.

After high school, when I went to college

In college, I went for culinary school.

And, of course, I ate my way through it.

And, of course, I ate my way through it.

They call it, like, the freshman 15.

Yeah, mine was like the freshman 50.

I started to gain a lot of weight around that time.

After culinary school, I got a couple different jobs

in a couple different kitchens.

But I wasn't able to keep anything for very long.

It was like, the bigger I got, the more the kitchen couldn't hold me.

And I just kept getting bigger.

And then, I suffered a really bad workplace accident,

where I blew out my knee on the job.

And I've been outta work ever since.

And I've been outta work ever since.

Because there's no MRI machine to fit me.

So I can't even get a proper diagnosis.

And that's when I had to move back in with my mother.

Which was humiliating, and not at all what I wanted to do.

But then, something happened that rocked my world a little bit.

You want any more, before I take the plate?

Nah, I think I'm all set Ma, thank you.

[Geno] I got a phone call.

"Your father's in the hospital."

"Found a tumor type cell."

[exhales]

[exhales]

[Rhonda] I'mma put my hair up, Geno, then we'll go to the store.

I remember being there, in the room, when the doctor came in,

the cancer specialist.

And she was like "Well...

you have pancreatic cancer, stage four."

And I just immediately broke down.

It's basically a death sentence.

It threw me into a big loop, you know,

It been, I tried to, you know, see him as much as I could.

It only took five months after he was diagnosed with cancer.

It only took five months after he was diagnosed with cancer.

That was it.

I was heartbroken.

[voice shaking] 'Cause we're so family oriented.

We all love each other to death...

So...

[Geno] Yeah, so after my father passed away, that was it.

I just went off the deep end and and started eating like crazy.

It just was pure comfort, and...

and food was, like, the only comfort.

[Nico] Geno's dad's death...

it hit him really hard.

It was really painful to see that for him.

That was the most upset I'd ever seen him.

It's at a point now where Geno's weight gain...

Anything emotional is gonna add to it.

His health is declining.

Like, it's rough.

[breathing heavily]

When you start to pass a certain weight on the scale,

then it becomes an effort to stand up.

It's brutal.

I know what that's like because at one point,

I know what that's like because at one point,

I was 450 pounds myself, so...

I definitely want Geno to do the gastric bypass.

Because that's what I got and it was successful.

It's getting close to the time where he has to either do something about it or...

it's gonna cost him his life.

-[Rhonda] Damn, Geno, for real? -[breathing heavily] Ma!

[Geno] Please.

Hold on, I need a minute.

[breathing heavily]

[breathing heavily]

[Rhonda] Take a minute. I don't like you breathing like that.

[breathing heavily]

[Geno] If I had the option of what I wanted to do,

I would be cooking at a restaurant of my own.

That's what I would like to do.

[grunting]

[breathing heavily]

It's very difficult to be this heavy

and try to work into a kitchen.

It's almost nearly impossible.

It's almost nearly impossible.

[breathing heavily]

[Rhonda] That's the porchetta.

-Moroccan style-- -Put it in, just put it in, put it in, put it in.

-Come on, I wanna go. -I don't know what it is. Go.

[Rhonda] Come on, you gotta stay with me.

-[Geno] This is why I don't go shopping. -[Rhonda] I know.

[breathing heavily]

In my family, we never ran out of food.

Here's cereal, your kind that you like.

You ate the whole box I got you the other day.

Yeah.

Oh, look at this, strawberry fluff.

Oh, look at this, strawberry fluff.

-You know, I actually want this. -I actually wanna try this.

[Rhonda] We'd have backup food.

But, I'm scared for Geno.

[Rhonda] You wanna drink some now?

[Rhonda] Geno does not do any form of exercise.

No, he doesn't even walk in through the front door.

So he doesn't have to come upstairs.

He calls me to ask me to open the garage for him.

It's really bad.

You want a chair?

[Rhonda] As soon as we get out of here, go home and sit down.

[Rhonda] As soon as we get out of here, go home and sit down.

[clicks tongue]

I can't be mobile for too long.

[breathing heavily]

I used to be able to walk around in public places for hours.

-[breathing heavily] -But recently, I can't...

walk too long.

That's how I know, things are getting worse.

That's how I know, things are getting worse.

[grunts]

I don't think I'm far away from being bedridden.

I wouldn't have enough power to, on my own, to get up.

That's what scares me.

I just am annoyed with myself that I got to this point.

[Geno speaking]

[breathing heavily]

[Rhonda] If you want, put 'em on the stairs and I'll take 'em up, Geno.

Up the stairs, Ma, get up the stairs.

[breathing heavily]

[exhales]

[exhales]

[between breaths] Oh, man.

I wanna instantly come home and lay down.

That's the first thing I wanna do.

I'll go right into the room, and I'll eat.

[breathing heavily]

My family, they do wanna help me any way they can.

My family, they do wanna help me any way they can.

I need to stop. I know that.

But the reality is, is that I need help.

Any minute he could stop breathin'.

I don't even want that day to come.

I think I'm finally dyin' on sight of him dyin',

I can't do that.

So he is gonna have to shine.

You ready for this long trip?

-Yup, it's gonna be fun. -Yeah?

It's gonna be like when we used to go to Vermont.

[Nico] Who is ready for Texas?

[Geno] What's up, baby? Let's get this goin'.

-What's up, baby? -It's time, baby.

-Hey, baby. -Hey, Unc.

[Geno talking]

-How're you doing? -Good, how are you?

-Hey, baby. -Let's get some pounds off.

[Geno talking]

-[Nico talking] -[Geno talking]

-You ready to rock? -I'm ready, let's go, let's kick ass.

-Let's pack you up. -[Mike] Here, lemme get that.

[Geno] Today is a big day because we're gettin' ready to head down to Houston,

so I can meet Dr. Now and hopefully get his help to lose weight.

I got my mom going with me, as well as my uncle, Mike, and my cousin, Nico.

I got my mom going with me, as well as my uncle, Mike, and my cousin, Nico.

And I'm really grateful that everyone is coming with me.

Because it just means a lot to me to have my family there for me.

You got enough leg room, baby?

-Uh, yeah. -All right.

[Geno] I'm a little worried because Nico said

it's something like 26 hours on the road.

I can already tell it's gonna be painful,

but I have an appointment with Dr. Now in four days.

I'm just hoping to make it there.

Everything that's big in Texas is about to get bigger.

[all laughing]

[Geno] My back and my spine feel like they're ready to jump out of my body.

God, gracious.

-[Geno exclaiming in pain] -Here we are.

[Rhonda] And walk in, Nico.

You all right, baby?

You all right, baby?

-[Geno exclaiming in relief] -That good?

Oh, my God.

Beautiful.

Nice, didn't break the car or the curb, nice.

Geno, your bag is over there, man.

I don't want to...

There you are.

[Geno] To get to Dr. Now on time, I have to do at least eight hours a day.

And that's a lot, but I'm hoping that once I rest...

...tomorrow I'll be able to do a farther piece.

...tomorrow I'll be able to do a farther piece.

It's weird. [breathing heavily]

-You ready? -How did you guys sleep?

-You got your stuff? -Yeah, I'm all set, baby. I'm ready.

[Nico] So far the road trip,

Geno seems to be...

...a mixture of some fun, some laughs,

but also some discomfort.

I will tell you, it feels like this really could be, uh,

I will tell you, it feels like this really could be, uh,

finally the thing that gets his life back on track.

[Rhonda] You got enough room, Geno?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure.

[Mike] Geno has been in such pain,

and I'm astounded at effort he has to make

-just gettin' in and out of a vehicle. -All right, Unc.

[Geno struggling] Lemme get my foot in.

Here we go.

[Mike] The first day Geno could do an hour or so

before we got to a point where he had to stop.

Tough to see.

-Good? -Yeah.

I feel like a part of me would feel more happy if I'd seen a...

I feel like a part of me would feel more happy if I'd seen a...

...initiative being taken, like a, I'm gonna start dieting now, kinda thing.

But I see more of a last hurrah approach being taken.

[Geno] Oh, my God, I want a bagel or somethin'.

[Geno] I feel ready for today.

Our goal is going eight hours straight.

I know it's gonna be tough for my body,

then we'll be on track to making it to Houston on time.

I'm sore.

Being in this car is getting to me.

We still have, like, six hours to go to meet our goal.

So I'm trying to hold it together to keep going, but it's really getting hard.

I've been, we've been driving for quite sometimes now and uh,

you know, I've a...

you know, I've a...

Leg and backs are a little still messed up.

And then, then the cramp situation, so... It's just painful.

Tryin' to think of somethin' else.

[Mike] Well, there is 254 miles left before you leave this state. [chuckles]

[Geno] I'm at my limit for today.

[Geno crying in pain]

When I can't stretch my legs out, it starts to hurt.

When I can't stretch my legs out, it starts to hurt.

I'm in excruciating pain right now.

And all I can think about is stretching my legs out.

[sighing in pain] Got a nice cramp on the way out.

But I know this isn't enough and I had to do better.

I'm gonna make it because I have to.

Because if I don't get the help I want,

then you're guess is as good as mine as to what happens to me.

-[Nico] Yeah, baby, Houston! -Houston.

-[Nico] Yeah, baby, Houston! -Houston.

-Oh baby, we're here. [cheers] -Finally did it.

-[Mike] Geno, we made it, baby. -[Nico] Okay, chill out.

-You need to chill-- -Nah, I've never seen him--

[Mike cheering]

-Let's unpack these bags, baby. -We made it, baby.

We're here, Geno baby.

-Welcome to Texas, sir. -[Geno laughs]

It's a complimentary cap.

-Let's do this man. -Team Texas, let's go.

[Geno] We finally made it to Houston.

It just took, like, five days to get here.

But this is a lot harder on me than I thought it was gonna be.

I've never felt pain this bad in my ankles, feet, back and butt.

But right now I'm trying not to think about that,

and just focus on getting to Dr. Now

and hopefully getting weight-loss surgery soon.

We called Dr. Now and let him know we weren't gonna make it on time,

and he moved my appointment a couple of days.

and he moved my appointment a couple of days.

It's freezin' in here.

-Yeah? -A little bit.

I know I'm gonna have to do a lot,

to show him I'm ready to change my life.

So whatever I have to do to prove that to him, I will.

-You okay? -Yeah.

[laughs] Here, we are here.

-That's beautiful, I'm so happy that we're here. -Huddle up.

It's time, baby.

It's time, baby.

[Nico talking]

[Geno] Thank you so much for doing this.

[Nico talking]

-[Geno talking] -[Nico talking]

[Nico talking]

[Nico talking]

-Yeah. -Yeah.

Rest tonight and wash up,

huge day tomorrow, so you need that rest.

-Yeah, I'm gonna go to sleep. -All right, good night,

-I love you. -I love you too.

-We got this. -Night, you got it.

-Houston! -Get fired up, baby.

I'm excited.

-Here we go, Houston. -I'm real excited.

-Here we go, baby. -You know you got this.

-Can't wait to meet him. -Oh, I'm, I'm nervous.

-All of you guys are nervous. -[indistinct]

Is it available?

There is one here down there. oh, no there isn't.

[Rhonda] This is the first day of the rest of your life.

[Geno] Let's go meet this fellow.

[Geno struggling]

All right.

[Rhonda] Can you uh...

Whoo.

Okay.

[Geno] This whole trip has been more of a challenge than I thought it would be.

And it's just shown me how important it is

that I get Dr. Now's help to lose weight.

'Cause if I don't,

then the end of my life sure is gonna come a lot quicker than it should.

Geno.

Geno.

[Geno] Five days on the road,

and we're finally here at Dr. Now's to hear what he has to say

and to hopefully get his help losing weight.

-How you doing? -We're gonna go to the scale, okay?

-But don't get on it until I zero it out. -Okay.

-[nurse] Hi, how are you? -[Rhonda] Hi.

One sec, I can zero it out, okay?

-Now you can step up. -Sure.

[Geno] I'm a little nervous 'cause it's been long time since went and weighed myself.

I don't wanna see a huge increase in my weight.

I, I think it's over 600.

[nurse] Your weight is 684.

-Now, we're gonna go to room five now. -Okay.

-Now, we're gonna go to room five now. -Okay.

[Geno] Damn, that's a pretty high number.

Don't know what to expect with Dr. Now's going to tell me.

He might just turn me down flat.

-Hello. -Hello, Dr. Now.

How you all doing?

-How are you? -Hi, how are you?

-Good, how are you? -I'm doing well.

-All right, you must be Geno. -Yes, sir.

So, who've we got here?

We got a full house, hmm?

-My, my cousin Nico's here with me today. -All right, nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you Dr. Now.

I have my mother Rhonda.

I have my mother Rhonda.

How are you?

-And I have my uncle Mike. -Hi, how are you?

I'm doing good, so you all came here to support him, huh?

-Of course. -Absolutely.

Well, good to meet you all.

All right, so Geno,

-I take it you're hoping to lose some weight. -Yeah.

-Sure. -All right, so you're 31 and you're 684lb.

Yes.

So, what is different today

that you deciding on lose weight from past 31 years?

Well, um...

I've tried diets in the past and...

I've tried diets in the past and...

...it's been many years since I tried from the last time, I figured

this is, like,

probably my last chance to...

...really take care of myself

'cause I'm pretty unhealthy at this moment.

Well, I agree with that.

All right, and so,

and you said in past you've tried to lose weight,

what did you do to lose weight?

Um, we've done a few, we've, we've done a few diets in the past.

Um...

And I've tried, uh, the most recent one

And I've tried, uh, the most recent one

I was eating, um, in small amounts of food in seven-eight times a day.

Who gave you that, uh, freaking idea?

[all laughing]

Um, and I paid money for it too, which is crazy.

-But, it-- -Yeah, a human body is not made for that.

-Yeah. -Okay?

A body actually is made to one or two maybe maximum three times in one day.

The question is, what're you willing to do to save your life?

Pretty much basically change everything.

Okay, so who is in the household beside you?

Okay, so who is in the household beside you?

It is mom and me.

Okay, so...

...does mom try to stop you from eating high calorie food?

I mean,

she's always on my case about the eating habit, but I'm, I'm...

Just to avoid argument, I do everything on my own.

She had gastric bypass herself in the past, yes.

So, you had weight-loss surgery?

I had it done 20 years ago.

-Okay. -My uncle also had the bypass done.

Ten years ago, I had mine done, but...

And you're holding up pretty good with your eating habit.

And you're holding up pretty good with your eating habit.

All right, so, Mom, what do you think you can do to help him?

I'm not gonna bring the foods in house when he asks me for it and,

you know, we've all been noticing it, but...

...I've noticed it a lot coming down here

that he couldn't even take this ride and I thought he was fine.

He hides a lot of it.

You can't honestly say that, that someone who is almost 700lb

is hiding how bad of their weight problem is.

So this is something you tell yourself to justify enabling him.

So this is something you tell yourself to justify enabling him.

So, we have the dynamic at home that has to change.

So we are gonna make these changes, right?

-Absolutely. -Okay.

And you, the cousin, don't think I'm forgetting you in this.

How often you all eat together or with each other, how often you do that?

A lot, everyday.

We have that deep

culture of eating bad foods and just the bad habits.

[Dr. Now] Just because the food is there,

does it mean you have to eat it?

[Nico] Right, we're really willing to change.

[Nico] Right, we're really willing to change.

I wanna lose weight with him and

I'll be at his door pushin' him.

Okay, so Geno, I'm gonna give you one month.

If you stick to healthy eating habit

and the instruction I'm gonna give you,

you gonna be able to lose 60lb easily.

-Okay? -Okay.

So, that's your goal and if you do that,

then I'm gonna want you to move down here to Houston

and if you continue to lose weight,

then I'll approve you for weight loss surgery.

-Okay. -[Dr. Now] Okay, and once we move down here,

-Okay. -[Dr. Now] Okay, and once we move down here,

you're gonna need to commit to being here

for about a year to do my program

and you need someone to move with you to help you.

-You think you can do that? -Yes.

I hope so, because you are at a crossroads

where you either do this

or you're going to continue to eat

and gradually get your weight up to the point

that you're not going to be able to walk anymore,

then after that, everything will go, like, pushing first dominos,

your health is gonna go down, you're not gonna make it.

Okay? All right, so I'm gonna get some booklets for you

Okay? All right, so I'm gonna get some booklets for you

and give you all the instruction that you need to work on it,

-Okay? -Yes.

All right, I'll be back.

[Geno] Nice to meet you.

-He's about the best you're gonna get. -He wants you to lose 60.

-[Geno] Yeah. -60 pounds in a month.

-If it's from this day on, then it's two pounds a day. -Mmm-hmm.

[Nico]

That's the way to get the fat out of your body is to wash it out,

drink lots of water and pee it out.

Hopefully, Geno is ready to change like he says

because he is at a crossroads with his weight.

He's not far off from getting to 700 lb

and once he reaches that point,

he's gonna start to completely lose his mobility

and once that happens, it doesn't take long

for his health to rapidly deteriorate.

for his health to rapidly deteriorate.

All right,

here's one thing I want to start working on

to be successful with your eating habits.

My biggest concern with Geno right now is his family dynamic.

Food is clearly important to them all,

but the biggest issue seems to be with his mom and his cousin.

His mom has convinced herself

His mom has convinced herself

that she's not enabling Geno when she is.

[Dr. Now continues]

I'm gonna give you both a copy of my book

and this will tell you

um, a lot about more what you need to do

so you read that and start working on those issues, okay?

so you read that and start working on those issues, okay?

-Okay. -All right. Any other questions?

-Not that I can think of, Doc. -[Dr. Now] Okay.

-So, if you need anything, give me a call. -[Geno] Okay.

All right, we'll see you all later.

[together] See you later, nice to meet you.

[Geno] Let's go.

Just thinking about it, like what we had to do to get down here and everyday,

it's gonna be now more and more motivation to wanna do it

because it's quite hard what we had to do,

I mean, for a normal person it's very easy,

I mean, for a normal person it's very easy,

for me, it was very hard

and, uh, yeah, that made me... it made me angry and upset

and, uh, I just need to use that as motivation to push forward

and not mess up on this diet.

[Rhonda] You want the tan bandana? I got it.

-Yeah, that's good. -[Rhonda] What do you need it for?

-To wrap it around my head -What? Well...

A bandana now?

Yeah.

You hungry?

-Hmm, a little. -I gotta make... I'm gonna make some eggs.

-[Rhonda] You want me to do it? -No, I can do it.

-[Rhonda] You sure? -You wanna just take everything out?

[Rhonda] Yeah.

[Geno] Today will be the 13th day that I've been on Dr. Now's diet.

[Geno] Today will be the 13th day that I've been on Dr. Now's diet.

The first week was definitely hard.

It was really tough, I had a lot of cravings and stuff

but, uh, now that's it's been a little further along, it's... it's getting easier.

We got any, um, spinach?

Yup.

You got the low-fat cheese?

No cheese.

-[Geno] Low-fat cheese. -No cheese.

-Just take out the low-fat cheese, Mom. -We don't have no cheese.

We had--we had a whole thing of cheese in there.

[Rhonda] No.

[Rhonda] No.

Um, there is cheese in here,

but, um, I don't think it's cheese for you.

It's fine, just give me a couple pieces.

[Rhonda] But you can't use that cheese, it's not the low-fat one.

[Geno] I understand that, but I wouldn't go over calorie if I use a slice.

I'm not, this isn't Russia.

Mealtime with mom, she keeps telling me the same thing over and over,

"Oh, you can't have this, you can't have that."

I know what I cannot have, I know what I can,

I don't need to keep hearing it.

Well, I just don't want you to fall off the diet.

[Geno] I don't either and I'm not gonna fall off the diet, trust me.

Just hand me what I ask, please.

Just hand me what I ask, please.

[Rhonda] The last couple weeks, I do see some changes in Geno.

Some are good and some are very frustrating

because he just has some mood swings because he's hungry,

but the breathing, the moving is much better.

Here, grab a--grab a fork.

Just cooperate with me, I don't wanna argue.

I really don't wanna argue.

Already going through enough of a life change, you know?

I just want things o be smooth sailing.

There's definitely negativity.

We just don't get along well these days,

We just don't get along well these days,

so I think here, pretty soon, I'm gonna need

to be thinking about living on my own already.

[mumbling]

You put tomatoes in here?

-I like it with the tomato. -Mmm-mmm.

-It makes it a little bit, uh, uh-- -Soggy.

[Rhonda] It's not bad.

It's really good. I know it's really good, I made it.

[Rhonda] Stop tooting your own horn because you haven't cooked in weeks.

[Rhonda] Stop tooting your own horn because you haven't cooked in weeks.

When you start paying me $25 an hour, I'll cook.

Who pays you $25 an hour? You lost your damn mind.

-That's what the chefs get, what do you want me to do? -Um.

[sighs]

Always pushing past where you usually go, I love it.

Yeah, well, uh, what do you call it?

It's been three weeks since I saw Dr. Now

and I know that I'm making some good progress.

and I know that I'm making some good progress.

Nico has been here, helping me do it every day.

[Geno sighs]

-Yeah, I can feel it. -That's good, awesome. Take a break.

[breathing heavily]

See how strong the bench is.

Hope it's strong enough.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, it's holding us both pretty nice.

-[Nico laughs] This is strong. -Nice.

This thing's very strong.

This thing's very strong.

Just think, you were breathing harder than you are now

walking to the bathroom a couple weeks ago.

It's an improvement.

You keep that head down, keep going.

Yup.

[groans]

[Nico] Geno's definitely losing weight, I can tell.

He's walking and he's breathing better.

He's not sucking wind really hard like he was

already and it's only been under a couple weeks.

[Geno] So, I'm already starting to save.

[Geno] So, I'm already starting to save.

I'm, like, I'm saving up as much as I can to get the hell out of here.

[Nico] I know.

He's improving very quickly

and he's really taking on the challenge.

[Geno sighs]

[Geno] All right, good walk.

To be honest with you, I kinda wish my reward

was an ice cream cone, but [laughs] that would be cheating.

was an ice cream cone, but [laughs] that would be cheating.

Nico wanted to do it with me, it's really nice

and it makes things a lot easier.

Making all these changes were difficult at first

but I can feel myself picking up momentum

because I can do a little bit more each day

and I still get out of breath

but it feels good to be pushing myself.

[Geno sighs] All right.

Now, let's rummage through the fridge,

see what you got for vegetables.

Doing Dr. Now's diet has been a big adjustment

Doing Dr. Now's diet has been a big adjustment

but it's good to have Nico help me and encourage me along.

He's been a big source of strength for me.

That looks nice and fresh.

All right, I got enough here to make a salad.

Go heavy on the veggies and light on the meat,

that's how we're gonna get to the promised land.

[Geno] I'm gonna sit down for a moment while we let the meat rest.

[Nico] Go ahead, take a break.

[sighs]

[groans] Ah, man.

[groans] Ah, man.

Oh, I miss working in the restaurant.

This looks good, Juice.

-Oh, man. -Ready to eat?

Hell yeah.

[speaking Italian]

How am I doing here?

Salad looks good, guap.

Thank you.

Mmm.

-[Nico] You ready? -Yeah.

[Nico] I'm excited, baby, I know you're gonna see some good results on that scale.

[Geno] Nico and I are back in Houston.

My uncle drove us both down but he's resting back at the hotel

while Nico and I go to see Dr. Now.

There he is.

[Nico] It's time, baby.

The trip back here wasn't as bad as the first time,

so we did it in just three days,

like we hoped to do originally,

so I was happy about that and how I can handle more.

so I was happy about that and how I can handle more.

I'm just hoping I made enough progress to be at my goal

and Nico is feeling good about his progress

and is thinking he may want to do Dr. Now's program, too,

so I'm hoping Dr. Now lets him do that.

[Nico] Let's go, baby. Time to weigh it in.

-[Geno groans] -[Nico] Back we are.

-[Geno groans] -[Nico] Back we are.

Geno.

-All right, baby. -Let's get it.

-Hi, Rose. -Hello.

-How are you? -I'm fine, how are you?

Very good, thank you.

-[Rose] Hi, how are you? -Good.

At my first appointment, Dr. Now told me to lose 60 lb in one month.

So, if I did that, I'd be down to 624 today.

-[Rose] You wanna step up on the scale? -Yeah.

-[Rose] You wanna step up on the scale? -Yeah.

[Rose] Your weight is 629.

Yeah, baby.

-[Rose] You can step down. -Cool.

-[Nico] Right where we wanted you. -Yeah.

-[Nico] Right where we wanted you. -Yeah.

I'm only five marks... five pounds off the mark, that's nice.

-Hard work. -Hard work and dedication right there.

-Let's keep going. -[Rose] Okay, we're going to Room 5.

That's pretty close...

but it's not all the way,

so I don't know what that's gonna mean for Dr. Now.

I feel like I'm close enough to my goal for Dr. Now to tell me

what the next step is gonna be for me,

but for all I know, he might be ticked off about it.

but for all I know, he might be ticked off about it.

Aw, it's nice in here.

Hello, how are you all doing?

-How you doing, Doc? -Hey, how are you doing, Dr. Now?

All right, well, how was your trip down here?

It was smooth, it was nice.

-So everything was okay? -[Geno] Yeah.

All right, so you're down to 629.

-So you lost 55 lb, huh? -Mmm-hmm.

-So you lost 55 lb, huh? -Mmm-hmm.

[Dr. Now] Okay, that's a little bit shy of your goal

but not bad, so I'm happy with that.

So, the next step is for you to move to Houston

and if you do that and you keep losing more weight during that,

then I'll approve you for weight loss surgery.

-Cool. -[Dr. Now] Okay?

Yeah, sounds great.

But don't think because you work hard for a month

-you can slack off and stop making progress -Of course.

-and this is not the one month victory lap for you. -Right.

and if you stick with that,

then you should be able to lose at least 50 to 60 lb a month.

then you should be able to lose at least 50 to 60 lb a month.

So, that's your goal.

So, keep working at it,

because you're still a long way from where you need to be.

-Of course. -If you move down to Houston, who's going to move with you?

Yeah, so, right now the plan is to have my mom move down with me

but Nico wants to do your program, too,

and if he can, maybe he can move down here with me instead.

Okay, so, how are we doing with your eating habits?

Excellent.

-Okay. -I gonna just try and keep staying healthy together.

-Okay. -I gonna just try and keep staying healthy together.

That's great, so we get your weight checked before you go

and you have a diet already,

so your weight loss needs to be at least 20 to 25 lb a month.

-I can get it there. -[Dr. Now] Okay.

I... I do wanna consider surgery, too.

Well, I'm encouraged to see both of you making good progress.

So, stay with it.

In the meantime, if y'all need anything, let me know.

[Geno] Okay.

All right, Nico, sit tight,

and we'll come and get you weighed before you go.

All right, thank you, sir.

All right, thank you, sir.

I'm happy to see that Geno and Nico have been supporting each other

and both are making positive changes to improve their health.

this is an encouraging start for them

and it's gonna be important to keep that going

and maintain the momentum they have.

Okay, we're ready for you, Nico.

And I think Nico doing the program with Geno will be good

And I think Nico doing the program with Geno will be good

so they can both stay on track

and continue to influence each other in positive ways.

All right.

Well, Nico, let me get you on the scale

so I know what your weight is at today.

-Ah, I have to take my shoes off. -Go ahead.

All right.

This a player, pimp.

-[Dr. Now] 431. -[Geno] That's not bad.

[Dr. Now] Okay, so you know where your starting point is for your goal.

So, next time you come in we're gonna check your weight

then see what your progress is, okay?

Yes, sir. Thank you.

-[Dr. Now] All right, we'll see you both soon. -Yes, sir.

-[Dr. Now] All right, y'all take care. -See you later, Dr. Now.

[Geno] Thank you, sir.

-Good seeing you, as always. -[Dr. Now] All right.

[Geno] I am excited because I'm ready to move down to Houston.

That makes me feel good. I kinda knew he was gonna be happy at least.

That makes me feel good. I kinda knew he was gonna be happy at least.

I know I didn't reach the exact 60 mark, but I knew I was close.

I was happy that he also took interest in my cousin, that was really nice.

I'm excited that Nico's gonna be with me so we can do this together.

I've always been a little afraid to have surgery, to get cut open,

but I really wanna consider getting the surgery.

When it comes to moving down to Houston,

we all have things we gotta do, it's gonna be difficult,

but you know what? Whatever it takes, we're gonna figure it out

and we're gonna make it happen.

[groans]

-[together] Geno! -Hey!

It's about time you mother...

[Geno] Watch your mouth!

-[Mike groans] -[Joe] What's up, baby?

-What's up, cuz? -What's up, baby?

How ya doing, Joe?

-How ya doing? -Good, good, you ready?

-Yeah. -What's up, my baby?

-What's up, Unc? -[kisses]

-What's up, Unc? -[kisses]

-How ya feeling? -Alright, Joe.

-Let's do this, man. -Let's do it, come on.

Me and Nico have been working hard

to make more progress over the past month

because we wanna stay on track so we're making sure to stick to the diet

and we've gotten our stamina up to where we can do a lot more.

So, we joined a gym and started a new family tradition,

-Let's go. -Let's start doing it.

-Let's do this. -a weekly volleyball game

and we're all loving it.

It's sort of like the family dinner

but it's healthier and more fun

but it's healthier and more fun

and it gives me the hardest workout of the week

and totally wears me out, but I'm loving it and Nico is too

and it's been giving me a lot of confidence across the board.

Hey, Rose.

Okay.

[everyone yelling]

As a matter of fact, I'm thinking about doing one thing

that I've wanted to do for a long time,

which is to ask my friend, Jess, out on a date

and I've always wanted to ask her out

but I've never had the confidence before to do so.

Again!

But first, our focus is on Houston.

We're gonna do what we can to stay on track

and find a spot to live.

-Nice! -Oh!

[indistinct]

[Geno] We've been looking for a place,

but it's taking a little longer than we thought

because we decided to go in and try to buy a house in Houston

that we can flip after the year is up,

so we're waiting to find the right place for us

so we're waiting to find the right place for us

and in the meantime, I'm planning to move out

of my mom's place and in with Nico.

[groaning and cheers]

And I'm excited because I've been dying to get out

from under my mom's roof but I haven't told her yet

and I don't know how she's gonna react.

Good game, good game.

You got lucky, enjoy.

-Maybe we can start by ourselves. -That's right.

Start by taking this [bleep] off the wall, at least that.

Start by taking this [bleep] off the wall, at least that.

Yes, get the stuff off the wall is good idea.

You got the stuff on the floor you could go through, organize.

Yup.

It's pretty messy over here.

-All right, we'll get, uh, the boxes out of the car. -[Geno] Okay.

Today, I'm packing my stuff to move into Nico's.

I need to move to Houston soon.

We're still looking for a place we can buy and move into

but I'm eager to move back out on my own away from my mom.

Nico's girlfriend, Rose, maybe isn't as excited,

Nico's girlfriend, Rose, maybe isn't as excited,

but she supports whatever we need to do to get healthy

and living together is gonna make it easier

to keep each other accountable.

My only concern is my mom.

I know she's assuming she's gonna come to Houston when I go,

but I think Nico and I need to stay focused on getting healthy

and I think it's better if we do this on our own.

So, I'm gonna tell her today that Nico and I are moving to Houston

and I don't want her coming down with us

but I can't put off talking to her about this any longer

-Wanna sit down for a moment? -Hey, booky.

-Wanna sit down for a moment? -Hey, booky.

-Hey, it's the book. -The cooky booky.

-What do you want me to cook? -Do you want meat or fry?

[Geno sighs in exhaustion] I'm tired.

Honestly, man, you look like, you look tired.

Yeah, I didn't get much sleep last night.

I went to bed around 1:10 and woke up at 6:30.

And then, my ankle started to feel sore.

How is it feeling today?

It's okay.

What happen to you, Nico?

I had a problem with my ankle.

I went to the doctor again, it turns out it's a cyst

I went to the doctor again, it turns out it's a cyst

and it's pushing against my tendons, so it's making trouble to my toes--

-So they gotta cut it out, right? -They gotta cut it out.

-I just got MRI done on my shoulder. -Ooh.

-I'm done, I gotta go for surgery. Yeah. -Again?

[Rhonda] They said it's a bad operation,

so I'm not looking forward to it.

My arm is gonna be down at least six months...

to a year.

But I was gonna go with Geno, so I can help him.

But I was gonna go with Geno, so I can help him.

But, I'm sorry, kid.

Me going down to Texas with you,

not happening.

I have to stay here and get surgery.

The only thing I can do is visit.

[Geno talking]

I wasn't going either way, Why not?

'Cause you're not.

You're gonna stay up here and you're gonna take care of yourself.

I have to, I've no choice.

-Well, now you do, yeah. -But you're not gonna that,

sit there and say you're not goin' either way.

You weren't going either way,

-I'm tellin' you that. -I make the decisions, not you.

-For me. -Yeah, mo--

-See I'm 31 now, so I will make my own decisions. -That's right.

-See I'm 31 now, so I will make my own decisions. -That's right.

Well, then you should've been out of my house a long time ago.

That's right, I should have been.

Okay, sure.

-I was gonna go by myself. -Great.

Wonderful.

End of story.

What I hope is you both do well,

you know, and I will come down and visit, but...

things happen and I'm, I'm super glad you're going down there.

-With or without me. -Thank you, Aunty.

-I'll be okay. -Great juice. It's gonna be good.

I'll be okay.

I'll be okay.

[Geno] Well, that's actually kind of a strange relief.

I was thinking that my mom would be upset not going with me,

but with her not being able to go,

it kinda makes it easier all the way around.

-I'll see you later, bye. -Bye.

But I'm glad I didn't hurt her feelings or anything like that.

And this will be the best for both of us.

Since I've been here there's been a lot of less stress in my life.

-I know, I was, like, that makes you happy. -Well, I'm happy about that.

And it's only gonna get better

because now only have you gotten out of the immediate issue,

being where you lived...

-Before. -...before, but now we're gonna be

-2000 miles away. -Yes, we're just--

Nico found a place in Houston that we can move into next month.

Rose is moving with us too and we're gonna make the move soon.

It's gonna be hard not to see Jess as often.

It's gonna be hard not to see Jess as often.

We've been dating a couple of months now and it's been going very well.

She said she'd come visit me as much as she can, but I'm gonna miss her a lot.

Here you go.

[Nico] Uh, we, we didn't need any distractions

-and this is exactly what that is, it's a distraction. -Thanks.

-You're welcome. -[Nico] Well, here's the thing

about Geno's new girlfriend,

he got real close with this girl

these past couple of weeks.

and I have to talk to him, and I'm, like,

I'm not letting something that was going so well get ruined by someone that

I'm not letting something that was going so well get ruined by someone that

put zero effort in to what I have worked so hard for these past few months.

You know, Geno, a beautiful...

life

is laid out in front of us.

Rose and I are just...

short of breath excited,

but over the past few weeks,

but over the past few weeks,

like, you haven't been around as much.

You're worried.

I mean you live right here in my house

you, like, we've barely been talkin',

I don't even know what you've been eatin'.

Now obviously you've, you know, it's looks like you're hidin' it,

you're tellin' everyone that you're with the, uh, a girl a lot

and it's out of nowhere, this uh,

lady friend of yours.

But let me, but let me just clarify.

Um, yeah,

I've, I was having a little bit of fun.

I've known her for a little bit of time

and then,

and then,

I decided to, like,

open up to her finally after, like, six years of knowin' her.

Because, you know, I felt, like,

if I didn't tell her now then.

you know, I might just

squander the moment and...

you know, I had no idea that she felt the same way for me either,

but...

everything is rapidly approaching,

you know,

we're gonna be backin' off each other for sure.

-So, and uh-- -Well, it's kind of a necessity

-So, and uh-- -Well, it's kind of a necessity

at this time because

I'm giving all of me to you, you need to give all of you to me

for this to work.

It's gotta be, like, a choice.

You have to pick,

if you are comin' with me and Rose on this journey 'cause if not...

cut off the sale of this house and not buy it, and stay right here

and you could go move down there with her

if she's that important.

Or...

we do what we planned,

we do what we planned,

and we continue our journey and you tell her to just wait in the wings till you

figure out what you gotta do and you come back after our program and our success.

And that we can move on from there.

[Geno] Today I'm gonna meet Jess for lunch.

Jess is a friend of mine that I've known for a long time.

We've been dating a couple of months now.

Nico thinks I should put all my energy in to focusing on my health.

I can see his point with that,

but it's tough 'cause I really wanted this to work out.

-Hey. -[Jess] Hey, babes.

What's goin' on, beautiful?

What's goin' on, beautiful?

How you doing?

-Hot. -Me too.

-[Jess] Ladies first. -Yeah.

Oh, that's a nice salad bar.

I've never been to this one, it's nice.

[Jess] Ooh, and they mix the salad dressing too,

that's like the worst part to do.

-I get it everywhere, it comes out of my bowl. -Perfect.

[female server] Anything else?

-No, I think that's it, right? Yeah. -I'm good.

It's $13.56, please.

All right, [indistinct]

All right, [indistinct]

Yeah, well they said, they'll call... they'll call us.

Okay, where are we sitting?

I gotta be honest, I just hate it when there's people at my back.

So then...

This is perfect. I can see everything in front of me.

And there's only a window on the back of me.

Mmm, that's good chicken.

[Jess] You wanna try this kale?

-Uh, nah. -'Cause we know how much you love kale.

I wanted to,

like, talk to you about everything that's goin' on.

I feel that, uh,

we've connected a lot lately.

Obviously.

And uh, we're gonna be

away from each other for, uh,

I'm guessing at least a year,

-you know, are you gonna be okay with that? -Yeah.

It is gonna suck.

Yeah, I think it's gonna suck, but in the end

I think it's gonna be wonderful for everyone.

I think it's gonna be wonderful for everyone.

-It'll be good. -Well yeah, well, everyone doesn't really matter,

what matters most is you going down there, getting healthier,

you know, adding more years to your life

and it's not like I'm going anywhere, I mean we've...

been together,

like, friends for six years, like, I, I tru... I trust...

in the love that we have for each other,

like, I don't think this is gonna break us,

-I think it's gonna make us stronger, it's just... -Mmm-hmm.

-I hope this year flies by fast. -Yeah.

-I hope this year flies by fast. -Yeah.

You know, I really do.

It's gonna be okay.

I, I think we're gonna be more than okay.

There's nobody else for you, baby.

-It's been like that for a while. -All right.

All right, well,

I gotta get going, babes.

I gotta go, uh,

run some errands,

take care of the car, and uh,

pretty much finish up packin'.

[Jess] It sucks and it's devastating.

It hurts that I'm not gonna be able to see him,

It hurts that I'm not gonna be able to see him,

I mean, I knew he was gonna go eventually for the surgery,

but I kinda put it in denial that I'm not gonna have him there all the time.

We'll just have to take it day by day and just see what happens.

Jess, I'm gonna miss you.

-Love you. -Love you too.

-I'll call you when I get down there, okay? -Yes.

You better, better be safe.

Yeah, you as well.

She's like a, a really good best friend to me.

You know, I don't got too many of those, so...

I couldn't just

cut her off from my life completely, I couldn't do that.

cut her off from my life completely, I couldn't do that.

You're good, baby, straighten her out.

Keep comin', keep comin'.

Well, today is the day we're finishing packing up.

And we're heading out. The house we're buying is ready,

so we're finally making the move.

So we're gonna take this puppy, this,

this couch, and the boxes.

A little bit.

♪ There goes your bed ♪

♪ There goes my bed There goes your bed ♪

♪ There goes my bed ♪

♪ There goes my bed ♪

Our next appointment with Dr. Now is next week.

And we hope to get there the day before,

so we can focus on moving in and getting a little rest first

and then go see Dr. Now.

This is crazy.

You know,

you know that you're movin' and then all of a sudden you see your bed gone and...

you're, like, "Wow, I'm really not gonna be sleepin' here tonight."

Never been this far away from home for that long,

so being far away for real

so being far away for real

permanent amount of time is very crazy thoughts.

Yes, baby.

Let's go, man.

Places to be,

weight to lose.

[Jess] Howdy, you've reached Jessica.

Hey, Jess,

was tryin' to get ahold of you all day,

I was hoping you can come by and, uh,

see me of here, but...

When you get a chance, um,

give me a call back, all right.

And, uh, maybe I'll catch you on the ride down,

And, uh, maybe I'll catch you on the ride down,

on the ride down on the phone, all right.

All right, I'll, uh, I'll talk to you soon.

How you feeling?

Good.

I'm feeling good, I'm ready to make this drive.

You're here about to jog, I think.

[Geno] I know this will be a long and hard trip.

Hopefully, it'll be worth it when we see Dr. Now

and get approval for weight-loss surgeries.

I can't wait for that.

I can't wait for that.

We made it to Houston in four days.

Which is what we planned for.

Because our appointment with Dr. Now is tomorrow.

[Mike] There goes the neighborhood.

Oh, it's beautiful.

You made it all the way across the world.

-To our new home. -2000 miles to new home.

-To our new home. -2000 miles to new home.

So happy.

-I did it. -So proud of you, baby.

This is a big journey for us, baby.

-[man] How you doing, fellas? -[Geno] Hey, how's it going, boys?

Good, how are you?

You've gone and called the right movers with this one right here.

-All right, we got you. -Okay.

Nice to meet you, guys, how you doing?

[Geno] I'm happy that we can focus on getting moved in and settled.

I like that.

I like that.

I'm gonna be your guide here.

Right away off the rip, this big head board goes upstairs,

-to the bedroom. [laughs] -Of course.

Of course it does, you know.

That suitcase upstairs, bro.

First room on the right.

Awesome, thank you.

[Geno] It's been exhausting and been a pretty big deal for us

to uproot our lives and move down here like this.

And tomorrow we go see Dr. Now

and find out if we're gonna get what we want out of the deal.

And get approved for our surgeries.

And I really hope that we do.

All right, baby, let's get out of here.

Let's do this.

Ready?

Let's see the Doc then.

Well, it's time to see Dr. Now and see if we've hit our goals.

Well, it's time to see Dr. Now and see if we've hit our goals.

I'm a little nervous 'cause it's been a long time since we've been here.

-Time to face the fiddler. -You know it, baby.

[Geno] It only took five months.

I really hope that we have the progress we need to get approved for the surgery.

Geno and Nico.

-Hello. -Hello.

-Hello. -We're here for the long haul.

I know.

[nurse] Let me see were we're at and then we'll...

-You first. -Yup.

-Okay, you can step up on the scale. -One sec.

I was at 629 the last time I was here.

And Dr. Now said, I need to lose at least lose 50lb a month,

but I don't think he meant for that to be for four months.

because that would mean I would need to have lost another 200lb

to get down to 429.

to get down to 429.

And I think I did good, but not that good.

-Okay. -Okay, you can step down.

I was gonna, I thought I was gonna be unhappy.

-Could have been worse. -Could have been worse.

[Nico talking]

[Geno talking]

-[Nico talking] -[Geno talking]

[Nico talking]

[Geno talking]

[nurse] Okay, step up on the scale, please.

[nurse] Okay, step up on the scale, please.

[Geno] Nico is supposed to lose about 25lb a month.

So that would mean he has to lose a 100lb.

But like for me, I don't think Dr. Now meant for either of us

to have lost that much each month for this long.

So hopefully, Nico has enough weight loss.

Really now.

-We're going to room five, okay? -Okay.

[Geno] That's not a lot, so I'm worried about what Dr. Now is gonna tell him.

[Geno] That's not a lot, so I'm worried about what Dr. Now is gonna tell him.

Honestly, I'm worried about both of us right now.

Because I don't know what to expect

and what Dr. Now is gonna think.

I just hope we both get to move ahead with our weight-loss surgery soon.

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

-Hello, Dr. Now. -How're you all doing?

-Hello, Dr. Now. -How're you all doing?

[Geno] Good, how are you?

I'm doing good.

Well, it took you all a little while to get back down here.

Have you all finally made the move to Houston?

Yes, sir.

You've moved to Houston, that's great.

-Who's this young lady with you? -This is,

this is my lovely girl, Rose.

-Hi. -She's my girlfriend.

[Dr. Now talking]

Yup, she has, we're all here together.

-Um, to support each other. -All right, good to meet you.

So, Geno, so last time I saw you,

I told you if you move to Houston

and continue losing the goal I gave you,

and continue losing the goal I gave you,

that I would approve you for weight-loss surgery.

-Mmm-hmm. -But, here's the situation,

it is now four months later

and you have been losing 18 to 19lb a month instead of 50.

And Nico, you have been losing 4 to 5lb a month instead of 25.

So what happened with the situation with your eatin' habits?

You made so many good choices the first month

then what happened with that?

Just my, just my fault, I just...

I lost focus.

So what's the point of moving down here

So what's the point of moving down here

-if you're not gonna do what you need? -That's fair.

I just had a real tough time, I was struggling.

And as usual, I got right to the,

right to eating as my, as my go to, to make myself feel better.

All right, well I'm glad you have had at least a decent weight loss,

so here's what I am gonna do.

I will schedule you for weight-loss surgery in one month

and if I give you a goal of 30lb in one month

if you lose, you think you can do that?

-I promise you, I'll lose 30lb in this next month. -Okay.

If you do that, that'll be almost double of what you lost this month.

If you do that, that'll be almost double of what you lost this month.

But if you're not able to lose that 30 lbs in one month,

then we won't move ahead with your weight loss surgery.

-Okay. Understood. -Okay?

All right.

So, Nico, what's going on with you?

And you did a lot worse with your weight loss.

-So, what happened to you? -I know.

Honestly, I'm disgusted with it.

I lost my focus a little.

I know coming down here,

I'm ready to work and prove that I can lose weight.

Well, all right.

So I'll give you the same goal.

So I'll give you the same goal.

If you lose 30 pound next month,

we'll consider weight loss surgery for you.

-Okay. -Any questions?

-Nothing that I can think of. -Nope.

All right. If ya'll need anything, let me know, okay?

-Awesome. Thank you very much, Doctor. -Okay. Thank you, Doctor.

All right. See ya'll later.

-All right. See you soon. -See you soon.

All right, so, that's the goal.

Now it's go time.

Now it's go time.

Geno and Nico did so well in the first month.

It is unfortunate that they started to slide.

And ended up wasting a lot of time

to make the progress they needed over the last four months.

It seems that they have been justifying stress eating.

But hopefully, seeing their lack of progress today

was a wakeup call to get them back on track.

[Geno] I still am very happy that he's approved me for weight loss surgery for sure.

But it's kind of bittersweet because,

I wanted Nico to get scheduled also.

And I did lose a little weight,

And I did lose a little weight,

but it wasn't a good amount that I should have lost.

I think I got distracted over the last four months.

And that's on me.

And with Nico, I don't know.

I want us to support each other.

But we each gotta walk our own path too.

[Nico] I lost my focus.

But I'm very disappointed.

I completely agree with him.

Moved all the way down here to work and I'm not gonna give up now.

I feel very excited about surgery today.

I can't wait to get in there, get it done.

The journey leading up to this point

has been a lot of hard work and strict dedication.

has been a lot of hard work and strict dedication.

And it's led all to this, so.

This is definitely a huge day for me,

'cause it's a huge changing point, turning point in my life.

[knocking at door]

-Hi, Geno. -[Geno] Hey, doc.

So, how are you today?

Good. How are you?

Well, it looks like you lost your weight

and you're ready for this surgery.

and you're ready for this surgery.

I'm ready.

[Dr. Now] You're ready?

All right. Super.

All right. We get started in few minutes.

-Okay? -All right, doc. Thank you.

All right.

[Dr. Now] Today, we're attempting to do weight loss surgery on Geno.

He's met the goal I gave him

to lose 30 pounds by today.

He's down to 531,

He's down to 531,

so he lost 28 pounds.

Which is close enough to show me

he's working harder and applying himself like he needs.

[speaking indistinctly]

So he's ready for this step

and to have this tool to help him continue to lose weight.

But Geno is still over 500 pounds.

So this surgery is high risk.

And any number of issues

can lead to medical emergency with him.

can lead to medical emergency with him.

When his body gets pushed over the limit

and start to shut down.

[Dr. Now speaking]

Okay. Room light down.

So if there are any issues at all,

then we may have to stop the surgery early.

then we may have to stop the surgery early.

Mary, just get up those, uh, get up the stools and bring the robot.

But hopefully, we'll be able to complete a gastric sleeve on Geno today.

What that will do for him

is to reduce his stomach by 90 percent.

Leaving a small, narrow tube that blocks him out through a sleeve.

Leaving a small, narrow tube that blocks him out through a sleeve.

So, the patient's food intake is physically limited.

[machine beeping]

So this surgery will be an important tool

to stay on track and get healthy for long term.

All right. Undock the robot.

So excited for him.

[sighs]

You'll be a supermodel before you know it.

I can't wait to join him.

I look forward to it. I really do.

[Dr. Now] All right. We can remove the stomach.

Keep pulling. Keep pulling. Keep pulling.

Perfect.

That's a mile long...

That's a mile long...

stomach.

Put that on the table over there.

Yes.

Okay. We can suture him up.

Room light on.

[indistinct conversation]

[machine beeping]

All right.

All right.

Geno's surgery went very well.

He has, I think abnormal bowels,

so that gave us some issues.

But it wasn't anything we couldn't handle.

So now Geno would go to recovery

and for the next month he'll be on liquid diet.

And at that time,

he should be able to lose another 40 pounds.

Then after that, if he stays on track,

he should be able to lose at least 25 to 30 pounds each month

until he gets closer to his target weight.

We're finding out where Nico is at,

We're finding out where Nico is at,

as his appointment in a few days is gonna be important.

'Cause if he's not doing what he needs,

it will end up derailing both of them in the long term.

[indistinct conversation]

Nico.

[Nico] Now that Geno's had a surgery,

the pressure is on for me to get mine.

Last time I saw Doctor Now,

he told me to lose 30 pounds in a month.

And he would consider weight loss surgery.

If I did that, I'd be down to 384 today.

[in sing-song voice] Yes!

That's what I'm talking about.

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

[Nico] That's even more than the goal.

So, hopefully, that means the doctor will be willing to operate on me.

[knocking at door]

Hi, Nico.

[Nico] How you doing, sir?

How are you today?

Good. Good. Very good.

[Dr. Now] All right.

So, I see you lost 38 pounds, huh?

Yeah. Worked hard this week.

What changes have you made with your eating habit?

What changes have you made with your eating habit?

We cut our eating down

really, really low to 1,200 or less calories a day.

And we increased our activity

in this nice Texas hot sun.

And walked around and sweated good.

Went to the pool, did some swimming.

And really found a good system this week.

All right. That's wonderful.

So, since you lost that weight,

now I'm gonna approve you for weight loss surgery.

now I'm gonna approve you for weight loss surgery.

-Okay? -That's awesome.

-Okay. -Amazing. That is amazing.

So, I'll set you for a month from now.

When you go to hospital,

you should lose another 20 pounds.

If you don't lose it, then we're gonna send you home.

-Okay. I'll lose it. -Okay?

All right. So, you start working on that.

Will do.

All right, Nico.

If you need anything, give me a call.

-Yes, sir. Thank you. -All right.

[Nico] This is great news.

This is what I came here for.

So it feels good to have achieved my goal.

And I am gonna get my surgery just like Geno.

But I know I gotta stay focused and stay on track.

Because to fall off now and have my surgery cancelled

would be devastating.

-[Nico] Coming for the walk? -[Geno] Yeah, baby.

[Nico] Let's get it done.

Up until this point the journey has been pretty wild.

It's been up and down.

It's been up and down.

-Yes! -Love you.

[Nico] I love you, baby.

And you.

There's been some stress, there's been some laughs, there's been some tears.

But it all led to this point and I wouldn't

do it any other way.

[indistinct conversation]

[nurse] This is all your hard work my dear.

Just focus on taking some big, nice deep breaths in and out for me,

okay?

[Dr. Now] Right now we're performing a gastric sleeve on Nico.

He made it to his goal last month.

And this past month he lost another 18 pounds.

So he's down to 358.

So he's more than ready to take this step today.

So he's more than ready to take this step today.

[Dr. Now]

[male nurse] Room lights off, please.

[Dr. Now] This surgery is high risk.

Any number of issues

can lead to a medical emergency within.

But, hopefully, we'll be able to reduce his stomach

by 90 percent.

I was a little bit nervous for him, but I mean,

who's not nervous when their surgery is involved.

That's all I keep thinking about is him in there.

So until I get an update, I'm just like, "What's going on?"

So until I get an update, I'm just like, "What's going on?"

[Dr. Now] We're almost done with his operation.

So far everything is going fine

and we have been able to complete the sleeve on Nico.

All right. We can remove the stomach.

Keep pulling, keep pulling, keep pulling.

Okay.

Put that on the table over there.

Okay. We can suture him up.

Room light on.

We successfully completed a gastric sleeve on Nico.

So now he and Geno have an important tool

that will help them stay on track.

Over the next month, Nico will get a liquid diet like Geno.

And he should lost at least 30 pounds in that time.

And then after that,

And then after that,

he should lose 15 to 20 pounds each month

until he gets close to his target weight.

They both still have a ways to go

to get to their target weights.

But from what I've seen from both of them,

I'm confident they'll be able to make it to that point here

over the next year.

Oh, my God. It smells like leather out here.

Dude, you think you got a car that's like not one inch off the ground?

[sighs]

What?

[laughs]

[Nico] It's been about a month since my surgery

and two months since Geno's.

And we're both starting to feel entirely healed up now.

[Nico] Time to leather up.

Today, I thought it would be fun to do something really Texas.

But first we need some down south wear.

I wanna look real down home Texas.

[Geno] Not to interrupt you or anything, but I really wanna put this on right now.

[chuckles]

[both laugh]

That is...

every bit of awesome.

[Geno] Nico and I have both taken a liking to Texas.

In fact, in some ways it feels like this is where we've always belonged.

-How's that? -Love it.

[Nico] So we're going down on the ranch.

Are you guys ready for the real Texas experience?

-Yeah! -Can't wait.

Now go ahead and pet him. Say hello.

-What's up, big boy? -Big man.

-Wow. -I never pet a horse in my life, I think.

-Wow. -I never pet a horse in my life, I think.

[Nico] We've been talking about what to do long term.

Yeah, sure. I'll do that.

The hard part is going to be maintaining a good balance of healthy living.

And both of us feel like it might be better

to do that down here than back home.

And we're looking at possibilities for staying down here.

Come on this way.

-Today's ya'll lucky day. -Is it hard?

-So we're gonna look completely stupid. -Okay, so, look.

Close it up.

[Geno] Overall, I'm feeling super grateful for Doctor Now.

And for this second chance I'm getting to live my life the right way.

It just makes me wanna try all kinds of different things.

And it's a good feeling because,

when me and Nico are together, we can try anything.

-Yeah. -[all] Oh!

-Half the cow. -Half the cow. Okay.

Meet Diablo and Pumpkin.

-Diablo and Pumpkin! -Pumpkin!

Well, I guess you won't be seeing me competing

at the rodeo anytime soon.

But this was a lot of fun.

My horizons are officially broadened.

My horizons are officially broadened.

-[clucking] -[all laughing]