Original subtitles

I'm getting closer to have my entire life

being confined because of my weight.

Somewhere in me is this little glimmer of hope.

I just wanna be a normal person.

You can't do it and then I just get mad.

If I don't make a change now,

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

It's hard.

I refuse to stop fighting.

I have to do it for my children.

You worried about me?

Now let's get you up, check your weight and see where we stand.

Failure here would be heartbreaking.

It's way too easy for me to picture the day

I just give up trying to get up...

because it's easier to stay in my chair that I'm in right now

almost 24X7.

I'm getting closer to have my entire life

being confined because of my weight.

I would rather... ...lay in bed

with my wife than being out here by myself.

But the amount of weight that pushes down on my diaphragm

and my chest makes it kinda hard to breathe on a regular bed.

-Hey, I'm gonna turn light on. -Hmm, all right.

You want some coffee or some juice or something?

Uh, probably...

Probably some juice or something.

He's a big guy and with his weight being

at where it's right now, I do do a lot of things,

um, around the house such as

I do the laundry, I take out the trash, I take care of the dogs.

Mmm.

Yeah.

He gets short of breath just sometimes walking

from one end of the house to the other.

It's just hard for him to do.

So I work full time, um, and I support our family,

I pay the bills and buy everything.

So I know he wants to help too,

he's just not able to.

Need me to get you anything else?

-I'm all right for now. -Okay.

This way, boy.

When I wake up and sit up or stand up,

the pain is excruciating.

My hips and my knees, my legs hurt the most.

And I think a lot of it has to do with my lymphedema.

But I know it's game over for me if I ever get

to that point when I can't get out of bed.

So I force myself to get up and take a shower.

Standing in the shower for more than just a couple minutes

is just unbearable to me.

It's very hard to wash everything.

And I basically refuse to have help

because of what little shred of being a man left in me.

Like, I just don't ask my wife to do that stuff.

So usually, after the shower,

getting dressed for the day is definitely hard.

It takes a lot of energy to put your pants on when you're my size.

And then, I start thinking about breakfast.

Excited, you know, to get some-- some food, something to eat.

Hi, got a little bit time left on the biscuits.

You don't want gravy?

-No. -Okay.

You can start on the eggs.

I feel like it's my place to cook

I've put myself into this situation.

It's my responsibility.

Back's starting to hurt.

And if I want it,

I should be able to cook it and make it myself.

And...

So I do.

Egg's pretty good.

The addiction to my food probably always began with home troubles.

I grew up with a pretty hard childhood.

I definitely... definitely grew up, uh, very, very odd.

We did have electricity

but we did not have sewage or plumbing.

We got our water from a garden hose that we ran

from my grandmother's house next door.

There's been times where we were so much out of food

that we'd have, like, popcorn for dinner.

And my mom would always say, "You know, you need to make sure you eat everything,"

because she didn't want me to be hungry later on.

When she had the money to buy it, my mom would make

the deep fried foods that I liked to make me happy,

and that's kinda how it, I think, started for me.

My dad was an alcoholic, and even though he would work everyday,

he would drink after work

or drink as soon as he had the chance to do so.

And my father's alcoholism was, uh, very hard on us.

I remember my dad getting drunk a lot, yelling at us,

and then he would say things that were-- were hurtful,

and it was mostly aimed at my mom.

He would also take it out on my brother and I as well.

It was really hard to cope.

So I'd just eat and...

it would-- would make me feel better.

My brother was six years older than me.

And when I was five, he decided that he didn't

really want anything else to do with our household.

He went to live with my grandmother

and I fully didn't understand why.

Made me feel very terrible not being able to see him.

I think it broke our bond.

And after that, I felt alone and neglected so I turned to food.

Early on in school, I noticed something wasn't right about me.

I was on the baseball team but I was nearing 100 pounds.

They would have to special order my jersey and special order my pants

because I was too fat to fit into the regular-sized ones.

And that really made me feel like an outcast.

And I got made fun of a lot during those years.

But the most upsetting is I didn't know why I was overweight.

I didn't know it was because I was eating too much.

By the time I got to junior high, I was every bit of 400 pounds

and my mobility wasn't good.

I played football. I was always a lineman.

These little kids were so much smaller than me,

so I would try my best to knock 'em down so they wouldn't bully me anymore.

But what I really wanted was to feel loved.

Most of the time when I was at high school, I felt worthless.

So I would skip as much as I could.

And then I just told my mom I was sick of being bullied and stuff all the time.

And she set me up to transition into a homeschooling environment,

and yeah, I finished the rest of my schooling through that.

And I was thrilled to get out of there

and leave that behind.

I had fun at college because I had a part-time job unloading freight,

so I had money to go to different places that I wanted to go to eat.

And they all this great fast food, and that was something

that I never had the chance to explore while living at home.

So I had a great time,

you know, learning about the things that I wanted to learn about.

After everything that I had been through,

I felt like I had a lot of compassion for people.

And I decided I would love to help people,

so I ended up getting my EMT license.

And then, when I got my first job on the ambulance, I loved it.

Of course, the stress was just crazy.

But fast food was always on the way home.

It was around this time that I met my wife, Tzena.

She was a nurse at a local nursing facility

and I would go in there to pick up patients.

A lot of paramedics are not very nice.

Um, they treat us like we don't know what we're doing.

But there are a select few that are very nice and understanding,

and he was one of 'em. We started talking and started dating.

When we first started dating, I mean, he was a big guy

but, um, he was still able to, um, go everywhere.

Well, that was good.

It didn't take us long to decide that we wanted to get married.

Having a family was definitely helping with all the stress that I was having as an EMT.

But I still kept eating.

I would stop and pick up, like, the extra-large shake

with the quadruple hamburger, whatever,

and try to keep it hidden. Of course, I know my wife knew

that I was probably eating more than what I should've

because when we'd go out and stuff, she'll-- She tries to limit

the things that I get, which I thank God for, for doing that for me.

Guys at work in their most loving way kept pressuring me to lose weight.

And that's when I thought, "Yeah, I could definitely do this,"

and I tried it for, you know, like, six months.

But then, my dad unexpectedly passed away.

And then, my mom passed away on Mother's Day

and it totally threw me into a tailspin.

I gave up the gym,

started eating the things I shouldn't have ate again.

I finally gave up EMS after realizing

that my body just couldn't handle it.

The pure weight of myself

and then trying to lift people and climb in and out

of an ambulance just wasn't happening.

I was out of breath. I needed oxygen probably more than some of my patients did.

When I knew I couldn't do it anymore, was...

It was terrible.

Uh...

Like who I was was taken away.

I was instructed by, uh, my doctor basically

that I needed to try to find another job

that made me feel like I was helping somebody.

So I went in to, um, the retail aspect

and I got a job at a local gas station.

I started out just as a cashier

and I worked my way up to store manager.

You know, going into retail and that kinda thing, it's--

It was never the same. I got to help people

but not the way I wanted to help 'em.

I just didn't feel... I didn't feel happy in those jobs.

-All right, ready to go? -Yep.

You'll go first?

Let's try it.

I would eat to escape and as I gained weight

and transitioned from being, like, a brick-and-mortar type store

to working for a call center at home.

I knew then is when everything really started to get out of control for me

and it really started to change.

And that continued on until, here I am.

Now where I'm at.

My mobility is very decreased

because I just keep on gaining more and more weight

and I'm getting bigger and bigger.

Do you wanna push it so you can lean on it?

-Yeah. -Okay.

Because of my condition, my wife has to be the one

to provide for both of us financially.

If you want me to grab stuff for you,

-just let me know. -Yeah.

What kind do you want?

Need a couple of the Supreme and...

a couple of Mexican, I guess.

My wife helps out with a ton of things,

things that she shouldn't have to do as a wife.

You know, there's that, uh...

The thing of being a guy is like,

you know, takes out the trash and he fixes things,

and he works on the car and does that kind of thing.

I guess, manly stuff, you could say.

I'm not able to do that kind of stuff.

Maybe they'll like fish sticks or...

-not like fish. -That's fine. I just wanna take a break

for just a second.

Oh, yeah, that's fine.

I can walk in public probably for around ten minutes or so

before I probably need to rest

or lean against something

to make sure that I catch my breath.

If you think of something, I can go grab it for you

-while you're taking a break. -Oh.

-Um... -Do you want me to go grab

the stuff to dip in with?

-Yeah, that's fine. -Okay.

He does have a lot of lymphedema and he has trouble walking around.

And, you know, lifting his legs, I'm sure, is very hard for him.

It makes me sad for him to not being able to do

what he wants to do which is have a life.

It's, you know, having kids, going on vacation.

It just makes me sad that we're not able to do that

and I feel like we're wasting our lives.

Um...

I know I shouldn't be eating the way that I'm eating

but food for me in my life is a place that makes me feel good.

-Hello. -Hello, how are you?

-Good, how are you? -I'm good.

I think...

I know Tzena has given up on trying to change my ways.

I always tell myself when we go grocery shopping

that this time is going to be different.

That I have the strength to change.

But as soon as I see all my favorite snacks, my willpower just disappears.

-All right, $151.99. -Okay.

When people stare at me, I feel disgusting as a human being.

I don't want to look at me and I feel like other people shouldn't have to either.

Friends, family, anything like that.

In fact, I probably wouldn't want 'em to come see me.

I don't think anybody should have to see that.

I think I'm gonna get that barbecue burger.

I'll get the sweet and spicy bacon burger and a regular double cheese burger, large.

How can I help you?

Um, I'd like a number three large with no onions.

-Uh, sweet tea. -All right.

And then a large mango smoothie,

a spicy chicken sandwich,

-a large Coke. -Anything else for you?

-And two doubles. -Uh, two doubles.

What are you doing?

I'm in so much pain everyday now

that I need food just to give me a moment

where I get to be happy again. And then afterwards,

it's like a dark slipping depression. And knowing that I just ate

two people's worth of calories in a single setting,

with my background of a medical field,

I know how horrible that is on your body to do something like that.

And in the moment, it doesn't matter. But afterwards, you regret it.

Tzena says that she would never leave me and she loves me,

but everyone has their limits.

It just-- it makes me feel sad that

he's addicted to food and it's hurting him.

If I could wish anything for his future,

I just want him to be healthy.

I don't care that he's a big guy.

That doesn't bother me.

But I want him to be alive.

And if keeps going on this route, he's not going to be.

What would it be like for Tzena if she woke up

and found me the next day, if I died.

I think about that a lot but the thing is, I don't wanna die.

I need help.

-Good? -Yeah, this should be good.

Okay.

I think this is probably definitely your last meal

-at home like this. -Mmm-hmm.

That's what I'm thinking too.

I'm sure it's, uh, not gonna be pancakes and...

...biscuits but...

-I'm all right with that change. -Yeah.

Wanna go ahead and start get packing?

-Okay. -Okay.

Today, we're piling in a car and heading all the way to Houston

so I can meet Dr. Nowzaradan

so he can help me get some of this weight off.

You can get the suitcase back.

You wanna ride with us?

Don't say the R word.

She knows what that means.

-I guess I'll meet you after? -Okay.

Technically, it's a 14-hour drive,

but I can't sit in a car that long at my size.

So we're gonna have to split it up.

If I weren't desperate, I don't know I would have

enough motivation to go on a trip like this.

There's no telling what kind of stuff could go wrong.

I know it's gonna be painful and uncomfortable.

And I know that I'm not supposed to eat my way throughout.

But eating might be a necessary evil to get me where I need to go.

You probably haven't been down this way for a while,

-the Interstate. -No, I haven't.

Being out on the road is new for me.

You know, especially after basically being three years

without really... ...getting out and going very many places.

So it makes me nervous and kinda anxious about

being on the road a lot.

-Doin' okay? -I think I'm okay.

-Okay. -I'm just worn out.

We went as far as I could, today.

I wanted to go more but I just can't.

My body is too exhausted and I'm in too much pain.

So we just need to get back to the room...

then sleep.

Very warm.

I am very tired.

It's a good thing that we made it to a resting spot...

because I am completely sapped.

I just hope that I can get some good rest

and get up feeling better tomorrow.

Seemed like a forever drive there for a minute but...

I mean...

I'm exhausted.

Yeah, I am too. I'm ready for bed.

Right?

Okay. Love you too.

My muscles hurting so bad.

I wish I could say I feel better today,

but, if anything, I just feel worse.

And getting back in the car

is the last thing that I wanna do.

But it's the only option

besides giving up and going back.

I'm sore from driving yesterday.

Um, my legs, um, are definitely sore.

Like, my hips.

Um, and I think it's just

because I've been in a tight spot

for, you know, four, five hours yesterday

and then, you know, starting the day out early.

It kinda hurts.

Come on, Tylenol. Kick in.

I'm not sure how far we're gonna make it today.

I think we're gonna be driving

probably about six or seven hours.

Ah, yes.

Man.

You okay?

-Yeah, my legs are sore. -Just sore?

There we go.

It's been a brutal drive and I'm really uncomfortable.

The swelling in my legs is terrible

and the pain in my back is unbearable.

I'm very, very, very excited

that I've made it here to Houston.

We're getting there really quick.

I would say that it's a mix of being nervous and excited

because I know that I've just kinda...

I'm a bigger guy and...

I have not been good with my diet at all,

so I know it's probably gonna be a pretty big number.

Yup, there it is.

I am getting really nervous to meet Dr. Now

to see my weight on the scale...

All right.

Ready?

Let's do it.

...to change my life around, maybe,

I just hope that Dr. Now thinks he can help me

and I can move forward in his program.

If I couldn't get his help,

I'm screwed.

I need this.

Jonathan.

When I last got weighed,

I was topping 600 pounds

and I want to say that I've reined it in since then

and that I'll be in the low 600s,

maybe even high 500s.

But I'm not really sure.

Okay, step up on the scale, please.

All right.

So if this doesn't pan out,

I'm just going to have to be brave.

I'm at Dr. Nowzaradan's clinic in Houston

and I'm about to find out how much I weigh.

I think I'm at least in the lower 600s

and I hope I'm not much more than that.

But I'm nervous to find out.

Your weight is 641.

Okay.

-We're going to room 5. -All righty.

I'm relieved it's not higher.

So I'll take it.

It's still a shameful amount of weight

and I hate to physically see it in numbers like that

in front of me

and I hate for saying that they see it too.

It's embarrassing and it hurts

but I'm ready to change that once and for all.

And now I just need Dr. Now to believe in me

and help me do this.

-You ready? -Hmm.

Come on in.

Hello.

-Hello. -How y'all doing?

Not too bad. How're you?

I am doing well.

Very good.

So, Jonathan, you coming all the way

-from Illinois, huh? -Yes, sir.

And who is this young lady with you?

Uh, this is my wife, Tzena.

All right. So what brought you down to Houston?

Um, I am looking to get hope with losing weight.

-All right. So I see you're, uh, 641? -Yes, sir.

-Yes, sir. -And you're 36.

-Yes, sir. -Okay.

So how long you've been in that weight?

Um, I've been heavy my entire life.

Of course, it just kinda increased

as, you know, as I got older.

So, um, what'd you have done to lose weight?

Um, so, I...

I went on a...

The keto diet, uh, last year.

But my dad passed away very quickly.

My mom died about four months later.

I really started to spiral out of control

at that point with just, like, eating too much and not...

not being decent.

Okay.

Yes, that was a lot of it

until I started working on, kind of,

conquering that demon, you could say.

Okay.

So you have better control

-over your emotional eating now? -Yes, sir.

I have chosen that...

uh, depression's not the way I wanna go with my life

and I'm ready to change it.

Okay. And so what do you do all day?

Uh, right now, I basically just kinda sit there

and look at the four walls.

I snack a lot.

-Snack? -Um... Yeah, I probably snack a lot.

Do you tell him to eat less or what?

I do, yeah.

Um, I work during the day.

I work 40 plus hours a week and I'm a nurse.

-So you're just spending her money, huh? -Obviously, I'm spending

her money. Yes, sir.

Yes, sir.

Um, at night, I'd say that's when he...

I see him eat the most.

He'll eat double, maybe triple portion sometimes.

So you tell him, "Eat healthy"

and he doesn't listen to you?

-Not very well. No, sir. -No.

Okay.

So you won't listen to a nurse,

so you think you're gonna listen

to a doctor now?

Yeah, that's... You're very right.

Um...

I... I didn't... I didn't control myself

and now I've got myself into a situation that...

Where I need help.

All right. So how motivated you are at this point

to change?

110 per cent motivated.

Um, I'm sick and tired of living...

this life of just sitting and staring at four walls.

I got things I wanna do.

I wanna have kids.

I wanna go back to work on the ambulance.

I wanna go back to being a firefighter.

There's things that I wanna do.

Okay. So you think you're finally ready

-to make the changes you need? -Yes, sir.

I think I can make these changes.

-Okay. So I'm giving you some stuff... -Okay.

-...I want you to follow. -Yes, sir.

Okay.

-How about you? Any questions? -I don't think so.

I think he's ready to get started.

Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes.

-Thank you, Doctor. -All right.

-I appreciate you. -All right.

We're gonna get some blood tests

-on you today, okay? -Oh, okay.

-All right. -Yeah.

I'm glad to see that Jonathan and his wife

has a healthy dynamic

that doesn't revolve around food.

In fact, she seems to try to prevent him

from overeating to some degree.

So the question is, whether he is truly ready

to stop that behavior and change what he needs

to turn things around

or if he's hoping for a quick fix.

All right, Jonathan, I got stuff for you...

-for a homework. -All right.

Okay.

And next item in here is... What it says on top?

"I really don't eat very much."

Okay, you read this very carefully

-to understand how things work. -Okay.

So this page will tell you type of food to eat.

There is one page in here...

will tell you the food to avoid.

This is high calorie food, uh, high carb...

-fat and things that you shouldn't do. -Okay.

-Okay? -Awesome.

If Jonathan comes back with a good progress,

we will know that he's been telling me truth

about working hard to change things

and that he is struggling to deal

with what is driving him to eat.

If not, we can see what other tool

we can provide to help him.

But unless he proves to me

he is going to follow through on what he says

and put in the effort to change his life,

we are not going ahead with him.

Why don't you read this book.

I'mma give you my information but, uh...

in chapter 12,

there's exercises that somebody at your weight can do.

-Yes, sir. -So I want you to spend one hour

in the morning

-and one hour in the evening. -Okay.

So you do that, you'll be easily able

to lose 80 pounds in two months.

And if you did that, we will move ahead

and we will consider you for weight loss surgery

and your ideal body weight will be 200.

So, Doctor, do you... Do you think there would be a chance

that I would be...

a candidate for weight loss surgery?

Everything is up to you.

Okay? If you control your eating habit

and lose weight, then we will know

that you are a candidate for surgery

because you're doing what it takes

to be successful.

But if you don't, then we know that,

I mean, you're just talk and no show.

So what do they say in Texas?

-Is it... "You gotta talk the talk -Hmm?

...and walk the walk?"

That is it.

Okay?

-Yes, sir. -So I'll see you in two months

and if you need anything then give me a call.

All right, I definitely will.

-All right. -Thank you.

And I shall see you.

-Thank you, Doctor. -All right.

I forgot to ask him...

that when I'm done losing this weight

if he'll weightlift with me.

This is great.

I feel all kinds of optimism right now.

Honestly...

the guidance that Dr. Now has,

it really is like the holy grail

that I've been searching for my entire life.

So whatever it says to do in his book,

I'm ready to do it.

And I'll work as hard as I have to

to turn my life around.

-A lotta tape. -Lotta tape, either way.

That works.

-Thank you. -You're welcome.

Okay.

-Wanna do your exercise? -Yeah.

I don't know if you can do the...

-the shrug one. -This...

-Yeah, I can do those. -Okay.

-How many you gotta do those? -So--

-So do 20 of those. -Okay.

It's been a couple weeks

since we met with Dr. Now

and me an Tzena have been following the diet completely.

So done with those.

Out to the side and down.

-How many? -20.

She's doing the diet with me

to help me so we can both be at our healthiest

and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Gotta stand up.

And then one up...

And 20 times.

It's been life changing being on the new program.

When I first started, uh, I was terrible.

The first week was, uh,

definitely very, very tough for me.

But now I'm feeling amazing

and I'm not feeling as sluggish

or as tired as I was.

So what part's that one?

That one gets tiresome...

pretty quick.

My hope and goal for this is

for John just to be able to get up

and enjoy life.

Right now, he pretty much stays at home. He doesn't work.

And I think he is, you know, on his way to do that.

Just up...

-Like marching? -Yeah.

We've done weight loss before together

and, uh, we've just decided

that if he was accepted to this program,

you know, we were gonna do this diet together.

And either way we were gonna try to lose weight,

but it's more incentive for him to lose weight

if he can get this surgery and, you know, improve our lives.

That's pretty good.

Got ready for supper?

We'll get something to eat.

I learned a lot about myself in the last few weeks.

I have more self-control than what I thought I did.

I didn't think that I would be able to maintain

the way I did,

but I'm really shocked and surprised

at how much I was able to do.

So what you thinking?

Hmm, go ahead and get

one of the cans of vegetables out of there.

Get that started.

Okay. I'm gonna measure it out.

Make sure the chicken's good.

A lot of lifestyle changes have happened.

I've started eating normal, regular sized portions of food...

uh, and cut down so much on size...

There you are.

-I don't think you-- -Your spoon and fork.

...and calorie intake.

So easily eating probably 10,000 calories a day,

I'm now eating roughly around 900 to 1200 per day.

-All right, let me take this in there. -Yeah.

All right.

Pushing from the old eating habits

to the new eating habits has been kinda hard.

Um, especially, I think for me on the sweet stuff.

I think John has a little bit of a sweet tooth too, but, um...

He's actually been doing very well with it...

and sometimes I sneak a spoonful of peanut butter.

But John can't have that

so I have to do it without him knowing.

That's pretty good.

With enough seasoning.

-Tastes pretty good. -Mmm-hmm.

So today we are going back

to see Dr. Now

for our second appointment.

I feel like I've worked pretty hard

to make it where I am.

We did have a cheat day.

We did eat pizza.

Uh, it was probably the worst decision

that I had ever made

and I became pretty sick the next day

so it was pretty rough.

Kinda little nervous about that

but I'm just really hoping

Dr. Now sees that, you know, I did make the changes.

I'm actually excited

'cause I can feel how much progress I have made.

I can get around easier and my stamina is much better.

-Thank you. -So even though 80 pounds

was a lot to lose, I think I did it.

Or I got close.

Jonathan.

I was 641

at my first appointment two months ago.

You can step on the scale whenever you're ready.

And if I lost 80 pounds,

that means I would be down to 561 today.

-Please go to room 5. -All right.

-Thank you so much. -You're welcome.

Wow.

That is awesome.

That feels great to see that number.

A totally different scale experience

than my last one.

You know, I'm proud of myself

because that's the best progress

that I've ever made.

I know I've got a long way to go,

but I hope Dr. Now likes what he sees

and maybe I can get fast track for that surgery.

Hello, how're y'all doing?

Hello, Dr. Now. How are you?

I'm doing well.

So how was your trip this time?

Trip went very well. Very well.

Yes, very much easier.

So I see you're down to 554.

So you lost 87 pounds. Yes, sir.

Yeah.

So what changes you made with your eating habit?

Um, so, we cut out all the bad stuff in the house.

So... So, basically, got rid of the juice

and, uh, soda and all that kind of stuff.

Um, we started meal prepping and, uh,

I'll make up three or four of those meals at a time

and use those...

Just pop 'em in the microwave and, you know,

doesn't give me a choice, that's what I'm eating

and that's it.

Well, um, you did very good

-Thank you. -...and you met your goal.

-Thank you, sir. -So what I'm gonna do

is I'm gonna approve you for weight loss surgery

-Yes, sir. -...and providing you move down to Houston.

-Okay? -Okay. Yes, sir.

So...

-Okay? -Yes, sir.

So how we doing with your activity and exercise?

Um, I do my exercises in the book,

um, twice a day. Once in the morning,

uh, once in the evening.

I do a mix of, like, HIIT cardio and weightlifting,

uh, 'cause weightlifting is something that I wanna do.

So, like, deadlifting, that kind of stuff.

So, been kinda doing that

and just getting out and doing little things

like just walking with the dogs and stuff was really good.

Uh, I'm proud of your progress. Keep it up.

-Thank you, sir. -This is not victory lap to go back to...

-No. No, sir. -...uh, stop doing what you,

uh, were doing before.

-Yes, sir. -So, the next month is gonna be

-a very important test for you... -Yes, sir.

...so that you see it.

But if you come back and you gain weight or you don't lose that weight,

I will know it was just a temporary change

and that is not gonna last too long.

So, uh, stick with the healthy eating habit

and lose even more weight.

-I most certainly will. -Okay.

And let me know when you have moved down to Houston.

Have a safe trip back home

and, uh, if you need anything, give me a call.

-Most certainly. Most certainly will. -Okay.

-All right, y'all take care. -You too.

-Thanks, Dr. Now. -Thank you.

I am very happy and proud to see Jonathan's progress.

Hopefully he moves down to Houston soon

because it will be harder for him

to stick with the changes long-term

without weight loss surgery.

As long as he maintains some form of real progress,

it will prove to me that he's ready to take the next step with weight loss surgery

and we will move ahead with him.

I am really excited.

I feel really proud of what I've done

in the first two months of this weight loss journey.

And I'm really happy that Tzena has been with me to support me.

And I know that I'm going to be able to stick with it

and to keep on the right track because of her support.

I'm not sure how we're gonna make the move to Houston.

But I know it's important.

It means surgery and a new life.

I'm gonna make this work no matter what.

Everything's been going very well I think.

Being more helpful around the house to me

is-- it's been really a gamechanger

because I'm able to do things and take some of the weight off of my wife

and that makes me happy for her and for me.

Since I've lost the weight, I've been able to be more mobile

and I've been able to help my wife.

I hope to go back to being in the EMS,

so, that's, uh, kinda the way I'm going hopefully.

I do hope to be more of a provider in my household.

Tzena and I have been working on coming up with a plan

to move to Houston.

Right now, I think Tzena is gonna have to stay here for a bit

and I'm gonna have to move there first because of her job.

But we don't wanna be apart.

And it's still possible that she could find a job before I have to go.

So, that would be ideal.

Hey, you made it.

Yeah. Finally got here.

And you didn't hit a deer.

Not this time.

That's good.

I got your tape for ya.

Oh, yeah. The joys of packing.

-Yeah. -How was work?

Busy. Very hectic.

Yeah, sounds like you got off late.

Yeah.

Dinner smells good.

It doesn't smell too bad.

The move to Houston makes me very nervous.

I don't think I've ever moved any place besides Illinois before.

So, it's gonna be a total change of scenery for me.

-Well, thank you for the tape. -You're welcome.

I'll miss you while you're gone.

-Oh, yeah? You sure? -Yeah.

-Yeah. -You're gonna throw parties when I'm gone.

No, probably sleeping a lot...

-Yeah. -...'cause I'd be working a lot.

Yeah.

We can go out. Let the dogs run around the front yard little bit.

Yeah, okay.

Ready? Come on.

Come on, pal.

Watch out, boy.

Come on.

You wanna walk to the pole and back?

-Yeah, that's fine. -Okay.

It is nice to be able to get out and move around a little more.

I'm feeling better than I have in a long time.

-Right. -So, you know.

Come on.

As a husband, I think Jon has changed

because he's a lot more helpful around the house.

Come on.

Look, come on.

He's able to get out of the house more

and he is in a lot better spirits.

Watch out, boy.

He's more like the husband that I used to have.

He's happier and, you know, he's-- you can tell he's starting to enjoy life more.

It's gonna be weird not having you home for a while.

-But... -I know.

...I know it's what you gotta do

and it'll be better for us in the long run.

I know it will be. Um...

I know I've tried to get back and I've lost a lot of weight.

-You know, this will be like a...

...a nightly type of thing for us again and...

-Right. -You know?

When we first got together, we were able to do a lot more stuff.

-Yeah. -So...

You're definitely headed in the right direction

and I have no doubt, you know, you're gonna get down to your goal.

What'd Dr. Now say?

-He say 200 pounds? -He said 200.

I don't even think I'd look right at 200 pounds.

-Right. -I was 200 pounds in kindergarten.

No, you weren't.

-I love you a lot. -I love you too.

All right.

-Well, I'm gonna miss you. -Yeah. Miss you too.

Couple months go by fast.

We got texting, calling, video call. It'll be fine.

I gotta try to get my license for Texas and... go from there.

That works. We'll eventually make it.

Mmm-hmm.

I don't think he wants me to go either.

Nope.

I'll probably need just a couple washcloth to take with me.

-Like, just a little stack of 'em? -Yeah.

Yeah, a little stack of 'em.

And, that should be-- should be good. I mean...

It's just me for now.

Today I'm gonna be driving from

here in Illinois down to Texas and,

I'm gonna be staying in a temporary rental.

I'm gonna definitely miss my dogs,

gonna definitely miss Tzena a lot.

I've never been away from 'em, especially for a long period of time.

I'm pretty down that my wife ain't gonna be able to come with me.

Her state license for her registered nurse

is kinda difficult to transfer to another state.

So, until she finds a job

and her license transfers over to Texas,

she wouldn't be able to come with me.

To be honest, I'm worried about doing this on my own.

My plan is to go 12 hours straight and basically make it down in one day.

And I hope that I've come far enough

that I can handle the drive all at once.

Can you throw 'em, like, right there?

Yeah.

Whoo-hoo.

Many, many months ago, I never thought I would have made it this far

but I committed 100% to the program and here I am.

It's amazing.

These probably aren't gonna fit anymore when I get home.

Yeah. Probably not.

If I could go back in time and tell myself anything

when I first seen Dr. Now,

I would tell myself that you're stronger than what you really think you are.

It was hard to make the lifestyle changes that I did

but I know I had to do it

to get the surgery to make those changes for my life

and for my family.

This is probably gonna be the longest we've ever been apart.

I'm a little concerned about Jon driving

but, I mean, I know he's gonna do fine.

So, he has his phone. He can call me if he needs anything.

Guess I'll get on the road.

Okey dokey.

-All right. I love you. -Love you too.

-I'll talk at you when I get down there. -Okay.

Come here, boy.

I think puppy's still inside.

Yeah, it's all right. Will miss you, boy.

-He's like, "What is going on with your car, man?"

All right, well...

I'll take that.

Have something ride in my hood.

-It could. Try it. -Yeah.

-Tell Dr. Now I said hi... -I will.

-...take good care of ya. -I will.

I'll talk at ya. I'll call ya.

Okay.

I told the doctor that I was finally coming down for good

and that I'm ready for surgery and to keep moving forward.

Come here, Rollie.

And as hard and daunting as this is as a trip,

I'm ready to do it.

And I'm just praying that it all goes according to plan.

So right now,

we're, you know, little ways

outside of, uh, Houston, Texas.

Been on the road for probably around eight hours.

Texarkana.

I'm feeling really, um, really excited.

Really proud of myself that I made this trip this far,

uh, by myself, so,

I'm looking forward to the future.

So, it's really crazy, I...

I didn't think I would make it this far and now it's like a reality

and it's really happening and I'm almost in Houston,

and I'm kind of excited and-- and shocked all at the same time.

It's been definitely a long drive.

I am starting to feel really tired,

and I'm just really excited to, uh, get set up in my new place

and, uh, get a little rest.

I'm finally at Houston.

I did the drive all in one day.

All I gotta do is get moved in and go to sleep.

I'm not even thinking about food.

I just want to lie down and sleep.

Well, I guess it's gonna be home for a little while.

Hello?

Hey.

Hey.

I made it.

Mmm-hmm.

Oh, it's pretty.

I think you'll like it.

The steps are a little steep, so,

it's definitely a workout for me.

Right. Well, I mean, that's kinda good for you, you know?

It will be.

Just don't look out the window when you're up there.

Right.

Okay, well, uh, I'm almost at work, so,

I miss you, love you and I'll talk to you in the morning.

Okay. I miss and love you too and I'll-- I'll call you tomorrow.

-Okay. -All right.

-All right. Bye. -Bye.

My appointment with Dr. Now is in two days.

I gave myself some extra time

just in case it took me longer than what I wanted to get down here.

I'm gonna call in the morning and see if I can get it moved up a day.

If not, I'm just going to rest and recover.

But I'm anxious to get surgery and keep moving forward.

I'm definitely glad I'm here

and I just wanna show Dr. Now that I'm committed to this program.

But right now, I'm just gonna be happy to lie down and get some sleep.

So, I am on the road right now to see Dr. Now.

I just left my new apartment.

Well, yeah. I did make the move without my wife

and I'm really hoping that today that Dr. Now sees that

I'm committed, uh, 100% to his plan.

Hey, uh...

-I just wanted to let you know that I made it here.

I'm at Dr. Now's office.

So, I'll let you know what he says.

All right. Love you. Bye.

Dr. Now was able to move my appointment up a day and see me today.

So, I'm about to find out what I weigh,

and whether or not it's all systems go for my weight loss surgery

like it should be.

It's taken a lot to get down here,

and it's been a long time since I've been weighed.

So, I hope that there's nothing wrong and the plan is still the same for surgery.

Jonathan.

Hello, Rosie.

Hello. How are you?

Pretty good. Long time no see.

I know.

Tzena wants me to keep her in the loop,

'cause the minute I have my surgery scheduled,

we need to make plans for her to come down here and be with me.

You can step up on the scale.

All right.

I know I worked hard to stay on track,

and I'm confident that I made some good progress.

And I'm just a little bit nervous

because I'm not as sure that we worked

as hard as we did those first two months.

Last time I weighed 554.

That was a weight loss of more than 40 pounds a month.

Since it's been four months since then,

if I kept up the good work with that,

I would be 160 pounds down today.

That's not great. I thought I lost more.

We're going to room five.

All right.

Well, I like seeing low 500s.

It still feels pretty good.

But it's off the pace.

I just don't know if Dr. Now expected me to lose that much every month.

But hopefully he'll look at my total overall and we can move ahead today.

No setbacks.

-Hello. -Hello.

How are you, Dr. Now?

I'm doing okay. How about you?

Not too bad.

It's good to see you.

Good to see you.

-You moved down to Houston. -Yes, sir.

So, where is your wife today?

She isn't able to move yet because, uh, she's a registered nurse

and her license isn't able to transfer down to Texas yet.

So, she's working on getting that license transfer.

But then, if you have weight loss surgery,

you need somebody to be with you to help you with it.

She would be able to.

She's got, uh, vacation time saved up.

So, uh, whenever I do get my surgery date,

she would be able to take that time off to come down and help with recovery.

All right, Jonathan. You lost, uh, 38 pounds in past, uh, four months.

Uh, that's less than 10 pounds a month.

I was hoping that you're gonna be able to lose more than that.

But at least you're losing constantly and you're sticking with it,

and I'm glad to hear that.

Okay.

But if you're not able to lose that,

we're gonna cancel your surgery.

Um, yeah. Definitely it's a little longer than what I expected

but I'm grateful for it and I know I can do that weight loss,

and, uh, I really do appreciate that so thank you so much.

All right. I'm gonna set you up for some tests.

-Okay. -And if everything is, uh, look okay

then we'll set up your surgery for two months from now.

-Okay. -And if you need anything before then,

-give me a call. -All right. Thank you so much.

-You're welcome. -All right.

All right. You take care.

You too.

I'm proud of Jonathan for continuing making progress

and for getting to where he can be active enough

to come down to Houston on his own.

That is a great progress for him.

He just needs to pick up the pace a little more

to show me that he's gonna continue working hard at losing weight.

But if he doesn't, then I will know that we have an issue,

and his surgery will be canceled.

I'm really disappointed that I have to wait

two months for the surgery.

I know that I can hit he target that he gave me of losing 30 pounds by then.

And I am grateful to be moving ahead at all.

And I just need to stay focused and do the right thing,

so nothing gets in the way of me getting that surgery.

Which way you wanna go?

Probably go up this way and across.

Okay.

So, today me and Tzena got up,

we had a little breakfast and we decided to come walking in the park.

Pretty nice out here.

Yeah.

Yeah, the weather's nice.

I'm very happy that I can be active with her.

It makes me feel more like a husband,

and being able to go out and do things with her.

So, it's been about three weeks since I've seen Jon

and I've noticed that his activity level is a lot better

and, uh, his eating habits are pretty good too.

Being able to go out with Jon and,

you know, take this walk in the park, it means a lot.

Um, you know, he hasn't had the surgery yet and he's already--

I can see a big improvement in him, so,

I'm just looking forward to, you know,

what's to come in the future,

you know, after he gets the surgery and loses even more weight.

Is that wet?

-Yeah. -Totally wet.

-Yeah, I made it. -Yup.

-Looks pretty. -Yeah.

I can tell you're getting better with your walking and stuff.

Yup.

-I can tell your exercise is paying off. -Yeah.

I'm really proud of you for everything you've done.

Well, a couple of months plus

I wouldn't have been able to walk around out here like this.

-I feel a lot better, have a lot more energy. -Mm-hmm.

-Feel like I'll take on the world. -Yeah?

What do you think of Houston so far? You like it?

-I like it. I just don't like the traffic.

It's good times.

Tzena's gonna have to go back to Illinois

and that's gonna be rough emotionally.

But I will stick to the healthy routine that we established

and I'm gonna hit my mark when I get weighed in another month or so.

Are you worried about me?

I think you're gonna be fine.

I think so too.

I think it's just the anxiety right now.

I think once I get back there

and they knock me out, I'll be fine.

-Oh, yeah, you'll be asleep.

I think everything will be all right.

Yeah, it'll be fine.

Me and Tzena are at the hospital

and hopefully I can get my surgery today.

I've done my best to make the progress that Dr. Now's wanted.

So I'm just hoping when I get on the scale,

I will be where I need to be,

and we can move forward.

Anything less would be heartbreaking.

-Hello. -Hello, good morning, Dr. Now.

Good morning, Jo.

How's everything going with you?

Oh, going pretty good. Pretty good.

All right, so let's get you up

-and check your weight and see where we stand. -Okay.

And then we go from there.

So, let's go to scale and see how much you weigh today.

All right.

Dr. Now wanted me to lose 30 pounds by today

to go ahead with the surgery.

Since I was at 516 last time,

the number that I need today is 486.

And I worked really hard to get to that number,

because a failure here would be devastating today.

All right, you can step on it.

I need to be under 486

to meet the goal that Dr. Now set for me.

-Okay, that's good progress. -Okay.

You were two pounds over but close enough.

Right.

I feel great.

I'm excited to be where I'm at

and how far I've been able to come to get here.

All right, Jonathan, you've done well.

I'm proud of your progress so far.

-Thank you, doctor. -All right.

We'll get you ready for your surgery in few minutes.

-All right, thank you so much. -You're welcome.

I'm gonna have you keep your arms inside...

-Okay. -...the railing here

while we're going down the hallway.

This is the chance of a lifetime to turn it around.

So I'm gonna take the chance and make the most of it.

-All right, babe. -All right.

So I can get to that better life.

I love you.

We'll take excellent care of him.

-Okay. -I'll reply you once we get done.

Okay, thank you.

And now I am so excited about that.

Today we are attempting to perform

a gastric sleeve on Jonathan.

He's done very well up to this point.

...to control his eating habits much easier.

So this would be an important tool

that will help Jonathan to stay on track for long term,

if he use it right and puts in the work.

So far, he has done that

and all his progress

has prepared him for this surgery.

And even helped to reduce the risk of operation today.

But at his weight,

this is still high risk for him.

Got the remaining arm.

So right now, Jonathan's in surgery,

and I'm just hoping everything goes okay with it.

I'm just a little bit nervous 'cause, you know,

any surgery is a big deal, I think.

But I think that he's in good hands with Dr. Now.

Okay, almost done.

So far, things are going well

So this is gonna be a huge change for him

with how much he can eat now.

All right, we're finished.

There were no issues,

He feels like he dealt with them

but for the long term,

he likely has more to deal with on those issues.

So we need to watch for a slowdown.

And if that happens,

then it will be time to start addressing those issues.

But so far, he has done well

and I'm expecting him to keep moving in the right direction.

But the next few months

is gonna give us an indication

of how things are gonna go for him.

So we'll see how he's doing then.

It's been a month since my surgery

and things are going pretty well.

Tzena was down here for a couple of weeks

taking care of me directly after my surgery.

That was good but it looks like

she'll be down for good next month.

So I'm excited about that.

I'm back on solid foods

and I'm not sorry to be done with the liquids.

So, today, I decided to go out and try some new food.

Uh, something a little different.

It's been a couple of years since I've actually been out into a restaurant

even by myself.

-Hello. -Hello.

Uh, just the Bombay,

um, with no butter.

Just basically clean, I guess.

And you... You would like any bread?

Uh, no, thank you. No, bread.

-That will be $14.77. -Okay.

-All right, thank you so much. -Please, enjoy.

The surgery has impacted my eating abilities a lot

as far as portion size goes,

what I can eat.

But trying new food, it's been trial and error,

uh, because my stomach likes somethings

and then somethings it does not.

Some food actually makes me feel sick now,

which was unexpected.

So that's made it hard to do food prep.

But Dr. Now says that will pass.

-Bombay. -All right, thank you so much.

-No problem. You enjoy. -All right, thank you.

So I'm trying to find cheap options at restaurants nearby.

There aren't many of those, either.

I try to get chicken when I eat out.

Usually they have some sort of option or fish.

But I'm eating really slowly now.

I am getting fuller very much quicker than I was before,

just a few bites and I'm completely stuffed.

I'm only eating, like, half of every meal or less.

But I feel good and I'm not hungry at any time right now.

So that feels weird.

But every day I get better at it

because I know every day I'm changing more and more.

Dr. Now says I'm on track this month.

But the first two months tell him how well

someone is going to do long-term.

So sticking to the diet is the most important thing above all else.

And I want to impress the doctor at my next checkup.

So I'm staying on track and I'm not letting myself slip up at all.

-All right. -Here you go.

-All right, thank you so much. -You're welcome.

You too.

I feel proud of myself that I've came this far at my journey.

The fact that I can go out and eat at all is pretty incredible.

I would have never been able to do that last year.

So this is a big deal for me.

This was a huge victory and a huge win for me

because it's doing something that's A, out of my comfort zone

and something I haven't done in years.

So my confidence went from being somebody that was

just stuck in a house all the time

to somebody that's wanting to get out and explore

and do more things in the world.

So, I think it's... I've really grown.

-How are you? -I'm fine, thank you. How are y'all?

-All right. -Good.

I'm at Dr. Now's to see how my progress was going.

Step up on the scale.

I was at 454 last month

and I'm supposed to be losing at least 15 pounds a month to stay on track.

Hopefully, I'm at 439 today.

Your weight is 441.

All right.

That doesn't seem bad.

Just a few pounds shy

but a good monthly loss I think.

But, we'll see, I guess.

Hello, how y'all doing?

Hello, Dr. Now, how are you?

Good, I'm doing good.

-Okay. -Good to see you both.

Good to see you.

All right, looks like you lost 13 pounds this past month.

-Yes, sir. -That's good.

Work to at least maintain that

and... and don't fall below that.

But you can pick up the pace a little bit.

But overall, you're doing good.

Okay, thank you, sir.

You realize, you have lost 300 pounds exactly today.

I did realize that. I did see the number.

And that clicks.

-So I feel pretty good about that. -That's good.

So you feel better with all that weight off of you?

Definitely, I feel a lot better than I used to

and I don't get as tired or winded as easily.

I'm feeling great and I can't wait to lose more

and keep doing more.

So you have any goal that you're working towards?

I do and right now I'm hopefully... to get a job soon.

I've applied at a couple of different places

and I'm hoping to hear something back.

So finger's crossed.

But other than that, I'm hoping just to lose the rest of the weight

and get to where I need to be as soon as possible.

That's good, so you have 260 pound left to lose.

And off of that, will come out some skin removal.

So, pick up the pace

and you can be at your target weight within a year.

Oh, that would be awesome.

So keep up the good work and we will help you to do that.

I'm proud of you for hard work

and the support you're giving him.

And just keep it up.

Jonathan, you're doing good,

and if you need anything, give me a call.

-All right. -All right, I'll see you later.

-All right, thank you, Dr. Now, I appreciate you. -Thank you.

-Y'all take care. -You too.

I am happy to see that Jonathan continue to make good progress

and move toward a healthier life.

So, what do you think?

-Oh, how you think it went? -I think it went pretty well.

Yeah.

He worked very hard this past year

and has at least lost every month up to now.

So that is a very good sign

that he's gonna stick with the life change for the long term.

His weight loss this past month is good,

but just a couple of pounds lower

than minimum I like to see.

And if he comes back next month

and he dropped more,

then we will know it is likely

because the issues that driving him to eat.

Then it will be good time

to start the therapy with him.

But right now, I'm confident

that we're gonna continue to see him

moving in the right direction.

And he once he gets down to lower 300s,

we will start looking for the options for skin removal.

And once we do that,

it won't take long for him to get to his target weight,

and enjoy all the things he is looking forward to.

It feels really great to be down 200 pounds.

That's a huge achievement that I never thought I would make it to,

especially, so fast.

So I feel really happy and I'm excited to keep going

and make the rest of the progress

that I know that I need to make,

and I am not gonna slow down for anything.

See guys' stuff.

All right.

-Ready? -Yup.

Today Tzena is taking me clothes-shopping.

Now that I've lost 200 pounds,

it is definitely time for me to get some clothes that fit better.

And this is a big deal,

because I can't even remember the last time

I was able to shop for my clothes.

-You need a few things yourself, don't you? -Yeah.

I'll look for you first.

This is really just the beginning,

because now I can actually bear going out in public.

Okay.

How you feel shopping in the store

for, like, your first time ever since we've been together?

It's crazy, it really is,

being down, I don't know.

And he said you have 200 left to go?

Two hundred more pounds.

And then... And then I get skin removal surgery.

And that will be another 30 pounds.

So I still kinda gotta buy big because

-still trying to cover up all this extra skin. -Right.

The thought of losing another 200 pounds is a little hard to believe.

But it's also starting to feel like it's within reach.

What color you're looking for? Anything in particular?

-I found something I might like. -There you go.

-Do you like the gray or the blue? -Oh, the gray.

Let's find the one.

-Look at this one? -Yeah.

Yeah, I like that.

It'll be something I'mma be able to do again,

is go fishing. I haven't done that in a long time either.

-Yeah? -This is definitely something

I would love to do more of.

Going out with my wife and actually being able to do things with her,

like, you know, a husband should be able to...

Uh, it was really amazing today.

It makes me feel good.

Fifteen more pounds...

-Then I'll have it. -Yeah.

So far, so good.

I definitely feel like I accomplished something today.

I feel like I broke barriers that,

in my physical life, you know, in my life,

that I haven't broke in a long time.

You know, I like the blue.

-This one? -Yeah.

-Here you go. -Okay.

It works.

Yeah, looks good.

Just going out in public, for one,

not being scared to walk out in public,

and knowing that there is a possibility that,

you know, stuff that's on a rack is actually gonna fit me.

-That's two things. -Yup.

So we find something for you.

Oh, you only have two things there,

-you wanna look for something else? -Nah.

-Not much of a shopper. -I know.

-But now, no chance. -Yeah, I'm happy though,

I actually found something, so...

He's come pretty far in his journey.

This is the first time that we have ever been

in the store to shop for him.

We've been married seven years, together nine years, so...

In all of that time, he's only ever ordered his clothing online.

Here you go.

Hmm?

-Yeah, 'cause all I want is good vibes. That's it.

Made me feel pretty good that we were able to come in the store today

and shop for clothes, not just for me but for him, too.

-Think I'm gonna try mine on. -Okay, go ahead.

-Okay. -I'mma see tees up here.

Okay.

You'll go back there with me

-and I'll show you what it looks like? -Yeah, yeah.

It makes me feel very proud that I've made it this far.

A whole new world's opening up to us again.

I'd like to go back to being in emergency services.

Um, that's one of my biggest goals.

Something I've always wanted.

And I'd like to start a family with my wife.

That's one of the big huge goals that I wanna try.

I like that.

-Looks good. -Yeah.

-Size-- -It fits good, too.

-Size smaller. -Yeah?

-Yeah. -Could probably even go another small

-but I like it baggy. -Oh, yeah.

-I like it. -Okay.

-Got one more. -Yeah.

I always thought that it would never be

a chance for me to have kids.

We've tried in the past with no...

low success.

I think my weight contributed to us

not being able to have a family.

It makes you feel pretty worthless,

because you're supposed to be able to do that with your wife.

And if you can't do that, it just kinda...

You know, you don't really have much of a purpose in life.

-How is this one? -All right, that one's nice.

Yeah, that one's my favorite.

How do you like it? As I like my ice coffee.

Yeah.

-That's perfect for you. -Yeah.

But the more that I've lost weight,

I see now that there's a possibility that, you know,

I could... I could have a family.

Something I really think about a lot almost everyday.

And it would be amazing to do that.

All done?

Today was fun day.

The future looks like us, you know, being able to do more things,

and we have a family.

Just excited to actually get our life going.

We got everything we needed?

Yeah.

There's so much to look forward to now.

It might be overwhelming if I wasn't so ready for it all.

-We can go shopping more often. -That'll be nice.

It'll be amazing, actually.

And it's got me looking forward to a future

that I never thought I could have.

And that is a pretty incredible feeling.

All right.

-Thank you. -Thank you.

We appreciate you.

-Y'all have a great rest of the year. -You, too.

Still raining.

Yeah, it is.