Original subtitles

The biggest obstacle I have with moving around is my stomach.

It's gotten freakishly bad now.

I just need just a little glimmer of hope.

I just want to be a normal person.

You can 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.

No! It hurts!

I refuse to stop fighting.

I have to do this for my children.

Do you want to change your life,

or you want to kill yourself with the food?

Yes, I wanna change my life.

You know, gaining 17 pound is not that easy.

I feel like the life that I am living right now is a nightmare,

and it's because how bad my body has gotten.

My stomach, it's gotten freakishly bad now.

I'm stuck behind this.

Feels uncomfortable because it hangs all the way to the ground.

It just feels like pulling.

It shouldn't be like that.

It has all those sores right there too.

I live by myself but on my grandparents' property

in the cabin that they own.

This cabin, it's been very hard to take a shower in.

This sticks out so far,

like, sometimes I have to keep the doors open.

So it's hard to move around in the shower.

But have to, like, manage it on my own.

And 'cause my grandparents are in their house all the way down there,

they can't hear me, so I just really scrub myself.

I was really excited when she was talking about moving up here,

but did not realize how bad her health was

and how hard it was gonna be for her to get around.

For the most part, she's just not able

to participate in those things that we enjoy.

I'm glad that my grandparents are nearby.

But feel bad that I have to bother my grandparents by living in their cabin.

After I'm cleaned and dressed,

that's usually when my Aunt Teresa comes to check on me

-Hey, Jacky. -Hey. Hello.

She lives a couple of miles from me.

My Aunt Teresa, she is like a second mother to me.

Um, she always wanted a girl,

and she has three boys.

How did you sleep last night?

-Um, it was better. -Good.

She does everything she can for me.

She helps me around here.

Me and my aunt have a really good relationship.

And besides my grandparents,

she's, like, the only person that I see regularly.

All right, Jacky.

I think that's everything.

It brings a sense of comfort whenever I'm eating.

I love the taste of the food.

Oh, this looks so delicious.

It does. Smells so good.

There's so many flavors.

And it... it makes me feel happier.

I've been this way my whole life.

Growing up, there was no reason to think I was not going to be happy.

We were always a close-knit family,

so everybody would go to my aunt's house.

And to this day, the taste and smell of certain foods,

I don't know, it just makes you feel whole.

But my mom was an alcoholic.

It would alter her because she would get more aggressive.

She would always come at me with, like, the belt.

I remember, like I would to have to walk home from school

'cause she would forget that I was there.

But I would come home from school,

and she would be passed out in the chair.

Then my father had a really big anger problem.

He would get mad to the point where he was punching holes in the wall.

And he was always yelling at my mom.

And he was always upset that she was drinking.

At school, I was always taller than my teachers,

so I always stuck out like a saw thumb.

And pretty much right from the first day, people made jokes about me.

I just wanted to have the same life as everybody else.

But at eight years old I was already 130 pounds.

And I had a hard time making friends

because my weight was getting worse.

I didn't know how to stop myself from eating.

So I just kept to myself all the time

because food made me happier than people could.

And by the time I was in high school,

I was at 565 pounds.

I didn't really find a place to fit in in the high school, so...

...I would avoid eating at lunch.

I would just wait until I got home,

and then eat bigger portions, I guess.

It just got worse and worse.

Then when I was 16, I went to sleep,

and when I woke up my mom had passed.

She looked like she was sleeping, but she was cold to the touch,

and she was already blue and...

I remember my dad screaming on the phone

that he needed an ambulance.

And that was the only time he asked for a hug from me.

It's really hard being 16 and losing your mom.

Literally going to sleep and waking up and she's gone.

Even with how much I was eating to cope,

and even though I couldn't really stand being on campus,

somehow I was able to graduate.

I didn't wanna go to college because I was over 600 pounds,

and I was worried about college campuses not being accommodating

about stuff like that.

Getting a job at my size is hard.

But I eventually was accepted and got hired at a grocery supercenter.

And then I realized, like, that was really hard being always on my feet.

And then little kids looking at you, like, they would point and laugh.

I realized that was too much, it was too much stress.

Eventually, I got hired on for doing customer service,

basically where I had to sit all day.

It was around that time when I got way up into the 600s.

It was not long after that,

until my dad stopped taking care of himself.

One day I came home, opened the door,

and saw him on the ground, dead.

And that's when I felt the most alone I ever had.

Just me, myself, knowing that everything that I've known is gone.

I couldn't take care of the house.

That's when I talked to my Aunt Teresa

and talked to my grandpa,

and they helped move me into this cabin here.

I think I'm getting full. You wanna take this?

Yeah, we'll take it.

-Thank you. -Mmm-hmm.

Jacky, I got your truck all cleaned out

-so we can go to the grocery store. -Oh, okay, good.

So now you wanna get some shoes and stuff on,

-and get ready to go? -Yeah.

Get all the lights and stuff turned off, or whatever,

-and I'll meet you outside, okay? -Sounds good.

With this weight, if I go anywhere,

I have to use, like, baby powder

to be able to get my feet in and out of these shoes.

I wish I could go out and go to a park or something on my own.

But I don't feel safe driving

because the stomach hangs so far,

and it's hard to press on the gas pedals.

I worry about what could go wrong when I'm out in public.

If I get out of breath will I fall?

It's just a lot on my mind going places right now.

I feel judged by the outside world all the time.

Okay, here we go.

In the grocery store I get anxious

because I feel like I get stared at.

Will I get mocked and laughed it

like I'm some sort of freak?

I mean, I know that I am bigger, but I'm still a person.

In those moments I feel like I'm less than them.

Like, they make me feel like I'm nobody, basically.

Yeah, yeah, a couple of those.

Do you wanna get some chili to go with the hotdogs?

-One or two? -Uh, two.

Whatever kind you wanna eat.

I do feel that I'm addicted to pastas, Mexican food, tacos.

Okay.

Chocolate.

Vanilla. Butter pecan.

That's gonna be $119.63, ma'am.

Okay.

Get something that you can eat on right now on your way home.

Okay, I need an order of the three tacos with a root beer.

-What size fries? -Large fries, I guess.

With large fries. I need a taco salad

with extra beef.

That's it.

-Thank you.

I do feel that I'm addicted to Mexican food.

Tacos bring back memories of my dad, being together.

-All right. Thank you. -You're welcome.

It just brings back memories of the family being together as... as a whole.

Feet doing okay after all that walking?

She has been in the hospital at least twice I believe with cellulitis

from the lymph leaking out of her legs,

and then setting off the infections.

And that's kinda scary.

If she doesn't lose weight within the pretty near future, I think,

she very likely is going to wind up bed-bound.

-You done? Okay. -Yes.

-Thank you. -You're welcome.

Sometimes, when I'm having a down day,

some of the thoughts that I think are,

"What would I make if I could have anything I want?"

I love pasta. It brings me a sense of comfort

and a sense of happiness nobody else can.

With everything that has been happening to me, like,

I know it's not an excuse.

But it did bring me down to a low point in my life.

But I know that I have to change for the better.

'Cause I'm at a point now, every day, things are getting a little bit harder.

My stomach is going lower and lower.

And even though I'm trying to push past that,

I can see with my own eyes,

I'm not that far away from fully being shut in.

My weight has taken a toll on my kidneys, my lungs, and my feet,

everything.

I'm in severe pain.

And I don't wanna live like this anymore.

Something has to change.

-Okay. -You ready?

-I'm ready. Are you ready? -Yeah.

Okay. Let's get your... Let's get your bag and we'll get it in the car.

Uh, it's on the chair over there.

I decided that I need to get help.

So today I'm driving to Houston to meet with Dr. Now,

a bariatric surgeon who helps people my size.

It's going to be about a five-hour drive,

and that's the longest that I've been in the car since I've been this big.

It's going to be really painful I think.

Take your time, baby.

-You got it, baby? -Yeah.

Okay.

-Baby, you got enough room? -Yeah.

Are you able to get the seatbelt on?

Mmm-mmm, it's not long enough.

-Sorry about that. -That's okay.

I'm just trying to get you... make you safe.

-You all right, Jacky? Yeah, just rearranging.

How'd you sleep last night?

I mean, my back was hurting for a little bit,

so I had to get up and move around for that.

Once you get... lose your weight well, you'll...

-you'll feel better about getting around... -My stomach.

...and getting... getting out and doing things like...

-like you used to do, Jacky. -Yeah.

You told me one time that you wanted to be a veterinarian.

And I think you ought to try to go to school for that

-after you start losing some weight. -Yeah.

-You... You can become an Aggie.

I've been on the road for a couple of hours,

and it's been pretty uncomfortable

with the way that my stomach is hanging.

There is a good taco place up here,

so we're going to make a pitstop and get something to eat,

and hopefully it'll make my discomfort a little more bearable.

Can I get an order of the burrito tacos, rice and beans?

And lemonade?

Okay.

It's too painful and too humiliating for me to go in.

Eating like this is probably not something Dr. Now would want me to do.

But it's gonna make me feel better.

There you go.

Here's your drink.

Straw.

Oh, yeah.

I believe I can survive these chicken wings.

Mmm, they smell good.

This is really good.

I don't think this type of food will be a part of my new diet.

So I'm glad to get it in before I see Dr. Now.

Mmm.

I can't eat no more.

How's your tacos, Jacky?

They're good.

Are you ready to get back on the road?

Yeah.

It looks so cool, all the tall buildings.

Yeah.

I'm starting to get scared

of what will happen if he turns me away.

Maybe I'm just too big or too far gone.

Man, we did good, didn't we?

-You got it, Jacky? -Yeah.

I stayed back a little bit

so you could get out a little easier.

Okay, you stand there for a minute and get your...

Balance. Yeah.

Get your bearings.

-Yeah, got it. -I'll never forgive myself if you fall.

You better go around that way.

Come on.

Okay.

I'm worried to step on the scale especially in front of my grandfather.

It's embarrassing and I feel like I'm letting him down.

Jacky.

The last time I was weighed,

I was in the hospital for kidney stones.

I was right at 700 and I was trying to eat less since then.

We're gonna weigh you, okay?

'Cause I hated seeing that number.

So hopefully, I'm a little lower than that.

Wow.

Last time I was weighed I was right at 700

and I was trying eat less since then.

So hopefully I'm a little lower than that.

Your weight is 709.

Wow.

I'm embarrassed for my grandfather to see me like this

because I feel like a disgrace to the family.

But mostly I'm scared because how high my weight is.

Because if I'm too big to get Dr. Now's help, I'll be totally helpless.

Yes.

What do you expect, Jacky?

I'm just hoping that Dr. Now can teach me better ways.

Me too.

Hello, how you all doing?

-Good. -How you doing?

All right.

You must be Jacky. And this is your...

-Grandfather. -Grandfather.

Well, good to meet you both.

So, Jacky, where are you coming from?

Linden, Texas.

-And that is, uh... -North east Texas.

-North east Texas. -Yes.

All right, that's not too far away.

So what brought you down here?

I'm just hoping to get help to lose some weight.

-All right. So, you are 710 pounds. -Yes.

-And you're 27? -Yes.

At what age did you starting to struggle with your weight?

-At four years old, I was over 100 pounds. -All right.

Yes, mainly in my stomach.

Uh, this part is just keep going down and down.

So, this...

Um, I was still in high school.

So probably like... 14.

I just got bigger and bigger.

Yeah, go ahead.

Sorry, I've been using baby powder.

Well, this is where your body stored that extra fat.

...make it heavier and then pull more down,

and then you're more swelling.

So the only way to get rid of this is to lose some weight.

-Okay. -Okay.

All right. You can get dressed.

So what have we done to lose weight?

I've been going to a gym.

Um, but I stopped going 'cause I fell and then I embarrassed myself there.

Okay, when you're 700 pounds...

The only factor that affects your weight loss is your food.

-Okay. -Okay.

Um, 24 hours... Um. Probably like once or twice.

Do you snack in between?

Um, not really 'cause I'm working. I do work from home.

From what you tell me you should be 250 pounds,

-but you're not. -I know.

That's what I'm needing help with.

'Cause it's just been on my body for so long.

It's not... It's hard to come off.

Well.

In order for you to lose weight,

you're gonna have to cut the calories down...

...that why you 710 pounds.

So...

The diet will be a 1,200 calorie a day diet,

high protein, low carb,

and if you follow that,

you should be able to lose easily 100 pounds in one month.

At your weight, that's going to be very easy to do.

But what I'm going to give you is to lose 70 pounds in two months.

-Okay. -So if you follow those,

you're going to be able to do that.

-You think you can do that? -I definitely can.

I have a great support system with my grandparents and my aunt.

Yes, I told her I didn't want her dying before I did.

Because she's 26 years old

and she didn't need to be this big, period.

So, you have no one to blame except yourself.

-And I realize that now. -Okay. Good.

And, um...

And the only way you're going to be able to do that

-by eating less calories per day. Okay? -Okay.

So I'm gonna bring you some stuff and we're gonna see

if you can make some modification on your eating habit,

and see what option we got for you.

-Okay. -All right. So I'm going to bring you some stuff.

Okay.

Hopefully going over the guide and explaining that to Jacky

will help her start to focus in changing her eating habit,

but we will see if she starts to move in the right direction.

All right.

I got some homework for you.

Okay.

It's very important that Jacky start to lose as much weight as quickly as possible.

At 700 pounds, she's already pushing the limit of her body.

And the only reason she's still able to function at that rate

is because she's still young,

and that factor is changing every day.

This is the next item.

Okay.

Okay.

So I'm going to give you this book.

Jacky is not far from reaching 800, 900, 1,000 pounds,

and once she gets to that point, she'll be bedridden,

and she's not going to make it.

All right.

I'll see you in two months.

But you should be able to lose 70 pounds easily.

-Okay. -All right.

-If you need anything, give me a call. -Thank you.

You're welcome.

I'm glad to have Dr. Now's guidance.

What he wants me to do is a lot, but I think I'm ready for it.

I know I have to change and do what Dr. Now says

before it gets too late for me.

So I'm going to do everything I can to turn my life around

starting now.

Thank you for calling Active Environmental.

My name is Jacky on a recorded line. How can I help you today?

Right I'm still trying to get used to living by myself.

Being an adult, I guess you would say.

Sure, we can definitely schedule you for that.

It's been a few weeks since I've seen Dr. Now and started his program,

and it's been a bit of an adjustment.

Thank you so much for being a part of Active. Have a great rest of your day.

The food that I've been eating has been making me feel a lot better.

Mostly for breakfast, I've been having like a yogurt or like a pudding,

then for lunch I've been doing like a salad,

I've pre-made salads for the whole week,

and then for dinner I do like chicken,

so I've been feeling a lot more energized.

I'm pretty busy with work every day.

But now I have to take breaks to get my exercise in.

To make sure I get enough activity to fill up the hour in the morning,

and an hour in the evening.

That's what Dr. Now wants me to do.

Doing the exercises,

it's kinda hard to deal with the stomach hanging down so low,

but it's a work in progress.

I do feel like I'm getting a little bit stronger each time

and able to do it without stopping.

My goal is to hit the goal that he gave to me as well,

and then my ultimate goal is to get to 250 pounds.

Staying on track and eating the right foods,

doing the exercises, maybe even do more as needed.

-Okay. -Hey.

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

You ready for some lunch?

-Yeah, sounds good to me. -I am hungry.

My aunt comes over, she helps me clean.

Sometimes we cook meals together.

Yep.

-Some salads. -Yeah.

We all went over Dr. Now's book together

because we're adapting the meals to be more healthy.

-This cauliflower-- -You want this cauliflower, Jacky?

Sure, you don't like cauliflower?

-No, not fresh. I like mine boiled. -Oh.

-You can sure have all that cauliflower. -Mmm-hmm.

I stay away from everything that the listed off that Now gave me,

so anything that's on that list or anything I think should not be on that list,

I stay away from.

How you liking that diet thing you're on?

I like it. I've been meal prepping these salads for lunch.

So whenever I'm at work, I just take a salad out,

putting some dressing on top of it and just eat it for lunch.

-There you go. -Trying to do better.

You sound like you're doing pretty good.

You didn't put it on overnight

-so don't expect it off overnight. -Yeah.

Normally I set up the premade stuff on my weekends

and then eat them throughout the week for my lunches at work.

I normally get the premade romaine lettuce.

Um, I get like mushrooms, tomatoes, uh, carrots,

and then I just stick them all together

into the little Tupperware that I get.

-Good lunch. -Yeah, that was good.

I enjoyed that.

-Wanna go for a walk? -Yeah. Sounds good.

I'm also doing walks with my aunt almost every day.

Having her and my grandfather to support me has been good.

All right, girl.

Losing 70 pounds in two months seems like a lot.

But I'm giving it my all to do because I want the surgery.

I've already come this way, so don't go back to where I started from basically.

See? At least it's nice and cool out here today.

Yeah.

How far have you walked up this driveway before?

I normally walk on the road.

Oh, well, let me know where you get to a point

that you gotta turn around 'cause we will.

Next few weeks my goal is to be keep doing what I'm doing,

keeping track of the weight loss,

and just keep going from there and hopefully it keeps going down and down.

Gotta get on...

That's too soft right there.

Yeah, that sand is hard to walk in sometimes.

So I'm going to keep at it and do my best.

I hope it all ends up whenever I see Dr. Now in about six weeks or so,

and I really hope it'll be enough by then.

-That's it? -Yeah.

All right.

I do expect to stay on his plan.

I've already this much so far and I've come so far already,

so I don't want to give up and I do want to see what I can do and become.

Well, girl, you did it.

Yeah.

You made it.

Go.

I'm hoping to see good results today.

I feel like I've lost a fair amount.

I feel like my stomach area's, like up here,

it feels like it's getting better.

I'm back in Houston with my Aunt Teresa,

and we're headed to Dr. Now so I can get weighed,

and see if I made it to my weight loss goal or not.

Losing 70 pounds would be more than I've ever lost before.

I'm definitely nervous and I worked really, really hard

to get to Dr. Now's goal.

But I'm scared to find out how much I lost

because I don't want to let everyone down.

Jacky Rodgers.

Please step on the scale.

I'm back at Dr. Now's for my first follow up

to see if I lost the 70 pounds that I needed over the last two months

to get to the weight loss goal that Dr. Now gave me.

If I did that I'll be down to 640 today.

I really hope I did because I worked really hard to get there.

Your weight today is 689.

Please follow me to Room 5.

I'm a little upset that I didn't lose more

because I thought I was doing better than that.

So I'm not sure what happened.

It's concerning because I don't want anyone

including Dr. Now to be disappointed in me,

and I don't want them to think I don't care about this

because I do care,

and I just don't know why my progress wasn't better

because I thought I made all the changes I was supposed to make.

-Hello. How are you all doing? -Good, how are you?

I'm doing good.

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

It was long.

-How long it take you to get down here? -About five hours.

That's not that far, but at your size,

any extended trip is uncomfortable.

Mmm.

Who's this with you this time?

This is my Aunt Teresa. She's helping me a lot.

Meal prepping and then exercising as well.

And she's helping me clean up around the house

and then she drove me here today.

Oh, you should be helping her.

I agree.

Not she helping you.

It's hard to do stuff with this.

Well, you know, you should have thought of that earlier when this started coming on,

and that should have alerted you that there is something wrong,

that you should do something about it.

Right?

Well, what's going on with you and this is a really slow start for you.

You need to pick up the pace because you only lost 20 pounds in two months

which is nothing for someone at your size.

Not in one month.

So that means you're still overeating by a lot.

So what did you think you changed about your eating habits,

you tried to make the progress?

We've been making progress by sorting meats out into the four ounces,

like the book says, and we've been doing salad preparations,

like putting a cup of salad and then like a third cup of kale.

Mmm.

Mmm-hmm.

-Yeah. -Okay?

And so your perception of eating less

and what the reality is is way far apart.

To maintain your weight, you're probably eating 6,000 or 7,000 calories a day.

So whatever you're eating, you need to eat half of that.

You're not going to starve because you have the food that you have eaten

for the next five years in your body stored in the form of fat.

So don't worry if you don't eat.

Just make sure you drink plenty of liquid

and make sure you take some multivitamin

-if you skip eating for a day. -Okay.

So if you're heavier, you can lose weight much faster.

So, Jacky, cut back on your eating

and work to lose at least 35 pounds a month,

-and that should be very easy to do. -Okay.

Mmm-hmm. I believe that I can lose the goal like you think.

Okay, that's good.

-Okay. -Okay.

If you need anything, give me a call.

And I'd rather see how you're doing in a couple months.

-Thank you. -Mmm-hmm.

Jacky is clearly still overeating.

Despite what she thinks she's doing.

If she expects to turn things around,

Jacky needs to lose at least 35 pounds a month.

And at least show me that she can take a small step

then we can help her along.

in the direction she needs.

But until then, all we can do is give her some tools

and a roadmap, and hope she chooses

to start on that before it's too late.

I wish I had better progress today.

I'm discouraged but I'm going to try to do better next time.

I guess I'll just cut back more like Dr. Now said,

and see if that's enough.

It's hot.

Because I really do want to do better,

so I'm going to keep trying.

For the past month, I've been focusing on

doing better with all aspects of Dr. Now's program.

I decided that I need to work out more.

So I'm adding another break to my day

where I do more of the exercises

in Dr. Now's book.

It seems like the extra workout is helping,

because I was sore the first week of doing that,

but now I feel less sore.

So that tells me that I'm making progress

and that my body is getting to a better place.

Dr. Now has been wanting me to eat less

than what I was before, so even cut more out.

I'm basically not eating breakfast,

or maybe eating a yogurt for breakfast

and doing the salads for lunch when I'm working,

and then doing a meal after I get out of work.

I still got a long way to go,

but it's better than where I was,

'cause I was at 710.

So I'm slowly losing the weight now.

-Hi. -Hey.

-How are you? -Good, how are y'all?

All good. What are you doing? Have you had supper yet?

-Not yet. -Okay.

You fixing to fix something?

Yeah, I took out some pork chops earlier.

Okay, well, I'll keep you company

while you do that. Help you out.

The pork chops.

-There's garlic powder. -Garlic powder? Okay.

What you gonna have with your pork chops?

-Uh, some green beans. -Green beans?

-Yeah. -Okay. That sounds good.

How long you gotta cook them things?

Shouldn't take too long,

just a few minutes on each side.

Should I put it on medium?

Yes, medium's always good.

You wanna play some cards, or you gonna wanna eat first?

I guess I'll eat first while it's hot.

I really want to lose more this time

before I go back to Dr. Now in a month,

because I want to get healthy.

I think they're done enough.

This looks a lot healthier than what you were eating.

Looks really good.

My aunt and my grandparents,

I really don't want to let them down.

So I'm pushing myself,

and whenever I feel like caving in,

I try to remember it's not just for me,

it's for them too.

Right, we'll have a seat.

-Enjoy your meal. -Yeah.

You need somebody to chew something up, I'm available.

Right.

How'd the green beans turn out?

If we get enough time

we'll go over to that place in Texarkana,

and you can eat whatever kind of pork chops you want, I guess.

-Okay. -Then you'll go there.

They are so good.

I'll get the cards before it gets too late.

I know you like to go to sleep early.

Yeah.

You're okay, Peaches.

No, baby. It's okay.

It's okay, darling.

Uh, there's 10 face-down,

and then you get five in the hand.

And I think I'm doing better.

I just hope when I go back to my next appointment

that the scale is on my side this time.

Jacky, we're almost here.

How you feeling about this visit?

I'm feeling pretty good, um...

Just nervous about it.

I hope Dr. Now is happy with

the progress that I've made so far,

and hopefully everything is good.

Well, the day is here. I'm headed back to Dr. Now

to see how much weight I've lost.

Legs are stiff.

Mmm-hmm.

Thank you.

I'm nervous because I think I did better,

but I don't know how much better,

and I want it to be a lot.

And I'm scared of what happens if it's not.

Jacky Rogers?

Hello.

Please step on the scale.

Last time I weighed 689,

and Dr. Now wanted me to lose 70 pounds in two months.

So if I did that, I'd be down to 619 today.

Your weight today is 669.

Hmm.

Thanks.

That's something, but it's not enough.

I don't understand why I didn't lose more.

So I cut my portions, ate healthier,

did more exercises.

So how is that possible?

I'm disappointed in myself,

and I'm worried about what Dr. Now is going to think.

Hello, how you all doing?

-Hello. -Good, how are you?

I'm doing good, thank you.

All right, Jacky, so we started with the 710.

-Now you're down to 669. -Mmm-hmm.

So you lost about 40 pounds.

So you're consistent, because you lost

pretty much the same as last time.

But it's been four months,

and a weight loss of 40 pounds in that period of time

is not a significant weight loss.

So the changes you have made

-are good, but not enough. -Okay.

What changes you have made with your eating habit?

Uh, just lowering the portions

and the amount that I'm eating.

Okay. Well, the reality is that you're still overeating,

and nothing is really changed from the last time

-with what you're doing right now. -Okay.

So you need to keep working at it

and try harder.

Because we have given you the help we can,

but the changes are up to you, okay?

Okay.

And you're helping her, too?

I'm trying.

What does "try" mean?

I've been, uh, encouraging her

to eat her salads. Uh, grilled chicken salads.

And she's been doing pretty good with it.

I mean, she's mentioned a couple times

about having some mashed potatoes or something like that.

And I told her, I said, "No, that's not on the diet.

We can't do that."

But just keep pushing is all I can do.

Well then, she motivated herself,

or you have to motivate her?

She's getting there. And she's lost more weight

than what I originally thought that she would have done.

Because, you know, until she's ready,

I knew she wouldn't do it.

And now I think she's ready,

and I think that's why she's losing like she is.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay.

Because what you're doing now,

it's not possible to lose 500 pounds like you need.

We got a long way to go.

So the faster we lose weight,

-the sooner we can get there. -Okay.

But at least you lost 40 pounds so far,

and that is something.

-Can you feel any difference? -Definitely.

I feel this area is a lot looser.

It hits my leg now.

But that's to be expected with it getting looser.

Well, that's a good start,

but we still got a long way to go.

So I'll give you two more months

to accomplish the same goal.

I want you to lose at least 70 pounds.

If you don't do that this time,

we are getting closer to being out of options with you.

But if you come back with that progress,

then we'll see what will be the potential

for your weight loss surgery, okay?

Okay. Definitely going to push myself harder.

Well, that'll be good.

But you said that last time.

So I hope this time you mean it.

Okay.

So, I will see you in two months.

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

-All right. -All right.

Thank you very much.

-All right, well, see you later. -All right.

Unfortunately Jacky didn't prove her progress like she needed.

I'm glad she's at least losing some weight consistently.

But 10 pounds a month will take her almost four years

to lose what she needs.

So Jacky hasn't shown me enough commitment

to change her life,

and convince me that

she's ready and willing

to work hard enough

to make weight loss surgery

a useful tool for her.

So she needs to work harder,

or it's gonna be clear soon that there is

not much more we can do to help her.

I'm not happy with my results.

I feel like I'm letting everyone down

and that is a really bad feeling.

But I can't give up.

I have to figure out how to do better,

however I can.

I'm so ready to change my life.

No matter what it takes,

I'm going to figure it out and do it.

When's the last time you've been to the gym, Jacky?

The last time I went to the gym was, I think,

a week or two ago that Grandpa Willie came with me.

Okay.

But it's my dad's two-year death anniversary recently.

Yeah, I realize that, and that's really tough.

Lately I've been having a tough time.

Last month was the anniversary of my dad's death,

and that was hard for me.

Jacky, I just want you to know that

I am here to support you, and I'll be more than happy

to help you with whatever you need.

Yeah. Thank you.

-You're welcome. -I appreciate that.

So I gave in

and ate some stuff I shouldn't have eaten,

because I was just sad

and didn't know what else to do.

I know I messed up.

And I've been trying to make up for it since then

by working out extra hard.

-You ready for this? -Yeah.

Dr. Now doesn't think that working out

is as much of a big deal for losing weight,

because he says it's all about the eating habit.

But that can't be true for every person.

I got it.

So I got a trainer

and I started going to the gym.

Hey! How are you?

-How you feeling? -Feeling better.

-I'm glad to be here. -Good, I'm glad.

Are you ready to work out and pump some iron?

-Yeah. -Yeah? That sounds good?

Okay, come on over here, then.

We're gonna warm up, okay?

Come on over.

Okay, you're gonna stand there,

-facing towards me. -Okay.

Yeah, and I'll be here.

We're just gonna do some light arm warm-ups.

So we're just gonna do circles.

You can go sit down if you want.

All right, sounds good.

All right, we're gonna do small circles.

And then we're gonna do big circles.

We're gonna warm up our shoulders

so that we don't pull anything, right?

Okay, now we're gonna take our arms and go straight up.

So these are shoulder presses.

Whoo-hoo!

That's good. Good job. Come on over here.

All right, we're gonna move over to the battle ropes.

-Do you know what those are? -Yeah.

-You ever done battle ropes before? -Mmm-hmm.

Oh, they're murder. But come on, let's do it.

We can do it together.

Okay. There you go.

Here.

Okay, bend down slightly.

You're gonna go up and down. Right.

So you're gonna pretend like you're throwing them,

slashing them to the ground.

Yeah. Get it. Like you're really angry.

Like you're really mad. Get it, girl.

Down, down. Remember to breathe.

Exhale and inhale. Perfect.

All right. I like that one, too. Okay.

-Are you okay with 10s? -Yeah.

-All right, we're gonna do bicep curls. -Okay.

So, my plan is to work out

every day over the next week,

so that when I go back to get my weight checked,

I'll be down to where I need to be

so Dr. Now can move ahead with me

and I can get weight loss surgery.

Good. We'll do three more. Ready?

One, and down.

Two, and down.

Three. Hold it, hold it tight right there.

Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze!

Count five seconds. Don't let go.

One, two, three, four, five.

Good job. How do your arms feel?

-I'm tired. -Those are heavy.

Look at you! I love it.

All right, we are all done.

-I'm super-proud of you. You did great today. -Thank you.

-Good job. -Thank you.

My foot's asleep.

I'm heading back to see Dr. Now again

and I'm hoping for good results.

I've been working out every day for the last week,

and I can feel how sore my body is.

So I know it is helping

make up for how I ate over the last month.

I'm not sure it will be enough to make my goal,

but I gave it my best shot, so there is reason to hope.

Jacky?

The last time I was here two months ago,

I weighed 669 pounds.

And the goal was the same, to lose 70 pounds.

So if I did that I'd be right at 600, or 599 pounds,

and I really hope I made it there.

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

Your weight today is 686.

Okay.

Oh, well.

Please go to room five.

That's not good.

I don't know what happened.

I know I messed up but I didn't think it was that bad.

I don't understand.

This is not going to be good with Dr. Now.

And I'm feeling really ashamed right now.

-Hello. -Hello, how you all doing?

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

-Good. -Good.

Well, Jacky, what's going on with you today?

Um, the scale was showing that I gained weight

-instead of lost it. -Yes, I can see that.

You gained 17 pounds. Why?

Uh, just with depression going on,

and my dad's death date just occurred,

so that was really stressful to go through.

So, when you tell me that you got depressed,

and you use that to justify

eating what you want to feel better?

What is that? Why does that make any sense?

No, but it was just very stressful.

Just...

Do you want to change your life

or do you want to kill yourself with the food?

Yes, I wanna change my life.

So what is your objective coming here

and telling me you gained 17 pounds because you were depressed?

I'm just trying to get back on track

and get motivated again to do what I got to do.

So, for all these months that we have seen you,

you have done nothing to change your life.

Why?

Adjusting, I guess. I don't know.

I don't know how to explain it.

Just eating wrong.

Eating wrong, what do you mean? Explain that.

Not sticking to the diet.

Oh, that's very bad. Just exactly tell me what you eat

that's gonna make you gain 17 pounds?

I am going and getting burgers

and, um, stopping at other restaurants.

Like, the salad that I had.

I make pre-made salads, and I had that at home.

Well, you told me you should have lost 30 pounds, but you haven't.

So what are you doing wrong that you're not telling me?

I was just eating the wrong things,

making the wrongs things at home.

-Like what? -Like pasta.

So now the salads are turning to pasta.

I understand that, but I don't eat constantly

like you're suggesting. I don't do that.

I mean, I may eat bad, but I don't eat, like...

You're just not telling me the truth,

what you're eating.

You're just not coming forth and telling me

exactly what happened and what you did.

Yeah.

So what's going on?

You can tell me if she's not telling me very much.

The only thing I can figure is

that when she goes to the gym,

I think she's stopping on her way back home

and getting something to eat on her way home.

I mean, and she's grown.

All's I can do is stand behind her with...

hoping that she's doing, making the right decisions.

You heard that, Jacky.

No one else can do that.

So at this point, we get you to see some therapists

and see if you can make any changes.

But I'm only giving you one more chance.

If you don't lose your weight by the next appointment,

then there is nothing more we can do for you.

-Do you understand? -I understand.

Okay, I'm gonna set up the psychotherapy for you.

And we'll see you next month.

If you haven't lost that, then I know that

there is nothing else we can do for you.

If you need anything in the meantime, give me a call.

-Okay. -Okay?

Thank you.

At this point, Jacky has no excuse

for all of her poor progress.

She had all the tools to lose more

than the goal I gave her.

Maybe therapy, or the fact that

this is her last chance, will wake her up.

But if something

with little or no progress,

then we won't be continuing with her.

Are you ready to get back on the road?

I don't want to lose my last chance,

so I have to figure this out.

And it's probably overdue that I talk to a therapist.

So I'm gonna do it all.

I know Dr. Now doesn't believe me, but I'm going to do this.

And I'm going to succeed because I know I have to.

Oh, he's got a driveway.

Mmm, we're here.

Okay.

I'll see you in a little bit.

Ow.

All right. Bye-bye.

Today, I'm going to meet with a therapist

that Dr. Now set me up with.

And I'm hoping he will be able to help me get in touch with myself

and see what is holding me back.

Because I really want to move forward.

And I'm getting to the point where I'll try anything.

-Hello. -Hi, Jacky.

-I'm Dr. Paradise, come on in. -Nice to meet you.

Have a seat right over there.

-Hi. -Welcome.

-Thank you. -I'm glad you're here.

-Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you too. Good to see you.

Tell me a little bit about yourself. What was your childhood like?

Um, it was very traumatic sometimes

'cause my dad, he was a very... He was 6'8", so he stood very tall,

-and then he got very angry. -6'8" tall. Wow. Okay.

So that's where you got your height from.

So you had a big, tall dad.

Did he have a temper?

He had really bad anger issues.

-I remember CPS being involved. -Okay.

Um, he would throw things, punch holes in the wall.

Um, sometimes he hit my mom.

What... What was you mom like when you were little?

She did start drinking and become alcoholic.

I remember coming home from school

and just seeing her passed out

in the chair in the living room.

This is... This is in the middle of the afternoon

she's passed out from drinking.

And sometime she would forget to come pick me up.

Boy, it sounds like a rough childhood, Jacky.

But I'm... I'm guessing we're just scratching the surface.

Yeah. Both my parents passed away and I wasn't able to take care of them.

Oh... Oh, goodness. How... How old were you when they passed away?

I was 16 when my mom passed away.

-And then I was 25 when my dad passed away. -Okay. Wow.

So take me up to... Your mom died when you were how old?

-Sixteen. -Sixteen.

How did she pass?

She was having back pain really bad,

and so she went to the doctor,

they gave her some pain patches.

Well, they said it was probably like a brain aneurysm

from the pain patch.

Okay. Did you see her... her body?

-Mmm. That's a big deal too.

And then I found my dad on the floor whenever I came home.

-So I found his body. When he passed away.

How did your dad die?

We think it was due to his pacemaker.

But again, you... you found the body.

Um, I'm so sorry that that happened to you.

Jacky, you've had so much exposure to death.

I still don't know what to do. I don't know how to move forward.

I... I feel lost.

Okay.

I see, you know, the emotion's there

but you're... I... Are you protecting me from the emotion,

or are you protecting you from the emotion?

I don't wanna cry.

You don't wanna cry?

Just, I feel embarrassed.

Okay. I don't think you should be embarrassed at all.

I... Jacky, I would be worried about you

if you weren't crying right now.

This is a sad, sad story.

Um, did... Did you cry at the time?

No, you didn't let yourself cry.

Mmm-mmm.

This... This is a normal reaction to that kind of story.

I'm... I'm gonna get you some tissues.

Jacky, it's... It's meaningful that you don't wanna cry.

I... I feel like you're holding in...

...way too much stuff.

Mmm, yeah.

And it sounds like you haven't had an outlet

to let it out.

Mmm-mmm. I just don't wanna be a bother to anybody.

You said, "be a bother."

Do you think this is a bother?

I don't know how to deal with my own stuff,

so I don't wanna put it on somebody else.

You know, I... I feel like that... that's one of the main lessons

-you learned as a kid was to not be a bother.

Your whole life, you've tried to not inconvenience other people.

How... How do you feel right now?

It feels good to get it off my chest.

Yeah, I want you to remember that.

It's cathartic that those tears are there for a reason.

Do you ever... Do you ever write about any of this stuff?

I tried to, and then I... I felt like somebody's gonna read it

and just get upset about it.

-So I... I don't. -Uh, that's interesting.

So the... So the fear that somebody might find it

is keeping you from getting this out.

That's gonna be one of my, um, assignments for you

-is to... to create some kind of journal... -Okay.

...and get that stuff off your chest.

And I think it's gonna feel like draining a wound or something.

I hope so 'cause I've wanted to live a happy life.

I wanna become a veterinarian and help people with dogs and animals.

Sure, of course you wanna be a helper.

Jacky, I... I wanna thank you

because I don't think you intended to give me as much as you gave.

Mmm-mmm.

Uh, if you continue to be vulnerable like that,

there's good things ahead for you.

The... The healing comes from the vulnerability,

so get it out.

Yeah.

-Jacky, take care. It was great to meet you. -Yeah, thank you.

Okay, bye-bye. -Bye.

So I like Dr. Paradise.

So much of what he said makes sense.

And I really feel like he understood me.

I know in my heart that he's right.

And I have to let some of this stuff out.

Here we go.

So I'm going to give it a try and just go for it

because I know how important it is.

And I already know how it's going to feel better

if I can bring myself to do that.

I know I'm facing my last chance with Dr. Now, and that scares me.

But I also have hope because my session with Dr. Paradise

was really positive.

And I feel like he pointed me in the right direction.

So I went ahead and got myself a journal to write in.

And I'm going to give it a try.

I tried stuff like this in the past,

and I've never gotten very far with it.

But I'm hopeful that it makes a difference.

-Hello. -Hey.

-How are you? -Good. How are you?

I'm good.

Are you working on your assignment?

Yeah, I just started.

I brought you a bag of pictures.

We've got all kinds of pictures.

Yeah, I wish they could see me on my weight-loss journey,

and how proud I am of myself, and actually have confidence now.

Right, exactly.

Dr. Paradise helped me realize it wasn't my fault,

they were going through their own demons too.

-And... -Right.

Well, maybe that's something else

you should write down in your journal,

that it's not your fault.

They were the adults in that situation,

you were just the kid.

I really do think that this assignment will help Jacky.

You know, Jacky had a lot of trauma through her life.

Yep, I remember that, screaming, hollering, chucking things.

Surprised the cops weren't called to the house more often.

I'm just glad to see that she's working on it now,

and she's doing so much better.

She's come a long ways from where she used to be.

And I'm super proud of her.

Yeah, I wish we got to spend more time together

'cause I was only 16 whenever she died.

The homework that Dr. Paradise has given me made me realize

that it's time for me to move forward and worry about myself now.

I'm really happy that you're taking the steps

and that you're moving forward,

-and learn from their bad mistakes. -Yeah.

I do plan to continue journaling

through my weight-loss journey,

and even after the weight-loss journey.

And I feel like it really helps me.

Well, girl, you know if you ever need somebody to talk to I'm here.

-Yeah. -Yeah, let's put those pictures back in here

so they don't get lost.

I know how badly I need Dr. Now's help.

So I'm committing to the idea that if I just follow the instructions

then there is a future for me...

All right, we'll see you later.

-Thank you for coming. -You're welcome.

-I love you. -Love you too.

...that might just have a little happiness in it.

Jacky.

I'm back at Dr. Now's,

and this is the biggest moment yet

in my weight-loss journey.

'Cause if I didn't lose 70 pounds this time,

then that's it for me.

And if that's it for me, then I don't know what I'm going to do.

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

I was 686 the last time.

So that means I have to be 616 pounds or lower today.

I think that's better than what you'd done.

Yeah.

Okay.

Please go to room 5.

That's a lot better, but that's not the right amount.

I want to feel good about it because that's the most I've ever lost.

But I don't think that Dr. Now is going to see it that way,

so I'm dreading what he is going to say about it.

-Hello, how y'all doing? -Good. How are you?

I'm good, thank you.

Okay, Jacky.

Well, that's true.

Who is this with you today?

-Sorry, I didn't introduce you. -Oh, so...

This is my grandmother. -Yeah. Hi.

Well, good to meet you.

So, Jacky, you think the therapy is helping you?

I think so. I was able to speak with him about a lot of things.

So, what is therapy doing for you?

Um, it helped me get past some of my childhood issues that I had,

the trauma that I had with my parents,

and bullying that I had.

Okay. So you need to make sure you keep up with that.

Okay.

So with your current progress,

we're gonna approve you for weight-loss surgery.

But I'm gonna schedule your surgery for two months from now,

-and I want you to get under 600 pounds. -Okay.

You think you can do that?

With the support that I have I know I can do it.

Okay. How's this mass doing in your... your abdomen?

It's a lot looser now.

It's swaying back and forth whenever I walk.

But I'm able to walk faster.

Overall, how about your mobility?

I've been walking a lot faster.

-I'm able to do more laps at the gym. -All right.

Yes. Thank you for all your support.

Well, you're... You're welcome.

But don't get comfortable

because you still have a long road ahead.

I'll see you in two months for your surgery,

hopefully under 600.

-Yes. -Okay.

If you need anything you can give me a call.

Thank you.

Yes.

What a relief.

It feels like I proved to everyone

that I can be a success.

And honestly, I never even believed that before.

All right.

-I'm glad we finally made it here. -Me too.

-It's been a long process. -Me too.

It was as long process.

I'm feeling nervous,

but I know it's something that'll help me get to where I wanna be,

and being more independent with myself.

You'll feel way better when you get done.

-Hello. -Hello.

This is a really big surgery,

so I am nervous on that aspect.

But I'm more excited about the future than I am nervous right now.

I'm just ready to get back on my feet again

so I can get back out into the world and start working

and do things I haven't done before.

All right, girl. See you later.

-Love you. -Okay. Love you too.

This surgery means that I get a second chance at life.

And knowing that I know now,

and the positive state of mind that I am,

I... I know that my life will definitely change.

-Are you cold? -Not right now.

Here, right.

Okay. Let's begin.

The light.

-Now go. -Okay.

You can turn it on.

Because all this operation does

will remove 80 to 85% of Jacky's stomach.

Therefore, she'll be able to eat much less and control her eating habit.

Okay, let's transition to robot.

All right.

So this is an important step for her.

But Jacky is not only still high-risk because of her size,

but this large panniculus is going to make this operation

more difficult than usual.

Targeting complete.

Jacky being in surgery,

I'm very confident that this is something good for her,

that it's going to, um, help her out tremendously.

I know she's got good things coming her way.

All right. Let's get this out.

Put that over there.

Nearly done.

And let's close her up.

And we are done.

Yeah, can see it as well.

This is Jacky's stomach.

A very big, long stomach she had.

And send that to doc, yeah.

Ready? One, two.

Hi, Jacky.

Are you waking up?

-And later on, we get you up walking. -Okay.

And get you moving around.

But everything went very well.

-Thank you. -All right.

All right, I'll see you later.

It's been about a month since my surgery,

and I'm doing really well according to Dr. Now.

I'm even a little bit ahead of the curve

for how much weight I've lost last month.

And Dr. Now says that's good

because my surgery weight was a little bit higher than what he usually sees.

But I lost another 41 pounds since my surgery.

And I'm really excited about that.

Hello.

Hi, what time did Sharon say

she wanted to go to that safari?

Uh, whenever you get over here, whenever you arrive.

All right. Well, I will see you in just a little bit.

All right.

-All right. Bye. -Bye.

I didn't much care for the liquid diet.

But it worked, and now I'm back on solid foods.

Can't really eat much anyway.

But it's great because I'm more active than I used to be.

And I've been feeling more social too.

And more eager to get out there and not just be by myself.

Yeah, I think today's gonna be good.

The weather's nice.

I heard that place was a really nice

little safari out there.

-Yeah. -Never been, but,

-see when we get there. -All right.

And I saw they have zebras.

I heard it was nice.

Today, we're going on a safari right here in Texas.

So I've been trying to stay active with my family

and having new experiences out in the world.

I've been wanting to come to this safari with my family,

and see the animals,

and just come experience nature.

I never thought we'd be able to do this again together, Jacky.

Not since you were a little... little-bitty girl was the last time...

...we were out looking at animals together.

There you go.

I am so thrilled that Jacky is able to get out

and do things that make her happy.

She's always loved animals.

And I knew that this was something that she would like.

If you're in the house all the time,

you're missing out on things like this.

Yeah, I'm glad to be out and feeding the animals.

Thank y'all for letting me see that there's...

Oh, look at that, the baby one.

...that there's a life outside of being at home

and in the room all the time.

-Oh, you bet. -Yeah.

I still have a long way to go.

It's still tough being my size especially with this panniculus.

But now I can see a future where I'm happy and healthy.

Look how pretty they are.

And that's just enough for me to keep trying.

Look how pretty.

I think this weight loss has just really improved her whole quality of life.

And we're just glad to see her going out in the public doing things,

and hopefully gonna be spending more time with us as a family.

I thought that was really nice.

It was.

-That's right. -Enjoying your company.