My 600-Lb
My.600-lb.Life.Where.Are.They.Now.S10E02
My.600-lb.Life.Where.Are.They.Now.S10E02
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00:00:00Food is the only thing I have left to look forward to.
00:00:11I can feel my body breaking down.
00:00:15I have to change.
00:00:22These surgeries represent freedom.
00:00:25I'm risking everything for a chance to have a future.
00:00:37I have a lot of lost time to make up for.
00:00:39I can breathe so much better now.
00:00:42I never would have believed I'd be capable of this.
00:00:46Hi, Henry, are you ready for this big operation?
00:00:51I'm kind of nervous and scared.
00:00:53Today, I'm getting my lymphedema removed,
00:00:56and I can't wait to feel what it's going to be like,
00:00:58to be free of this huge ball that
00:01:00has been on my leg for years.
00:01:02That's it, it's coming off.
00:01:04Praying that he come out all right.
00:01:06I moved down here to Houston to better myself.
00:01:09You're killing yourself with this bullsh**.
00:01:12I'm not bullsh** sticking around for it.
00:01:14Give me my snacks, give me my snacks.
00:01:17And in the process, I lost my husband.
00:01:23Most of my days start pretty much the same now.
00:01:38I struggle to get up, I struggle to move,
00:01:41I even struggle to catch my breath.
00:01:45And my size make getting up to do anything a struggle,
00:01:49especially with the cost.
00:01:50I have lymphedema in my lower extremities,
00:01:53and it makes it very hard to walk.
00:01:57I am Thedrick's primary care.
00:02:04I help Thedrick take a bath, you know, I cook his meals.
00:02:10There's no one else to help me.
00:02:12All right, little boy, you can put your clothes on.
00:02:22I only really get up to go to the bathroom and to eat.
00:02:26I can eat two full pizzas with two orders of wings
00:02:30and an order of cheeseburgers.
00:02:32Because food is what's there for me,
00:02:35and always has been there for me to make me feel better
00:02:38since I was very young.
00:02:42Yo.
00:02:43Hello.
00:02:44What's up?
00:02:45What's up, big guy?
00:02:46What's up?
00:02:47Chilling, man.
00:02:48How are you?
00:02:49Cooling.
00:02:50That's good.
00:02:51What's up, bro?
00:02:52What's up, my bro?
00:02:53Chilling, man.
00:02:54You good?
00:02:55Yeah, I'm all right.
00:02:56Well, bro, it's kind of sad to see
00:02:58that you ain't living life to the best of your abilities.
00:03:03We love you, and we know your health situation,
00:03:05we can't do much about it.
00:03:06You know what I mean?
00:03:07That's on you.
00:03:08We're going to be able to support you.
00:03:10This journey is for you.
00:03:11It ain't for us.
00:03:12We just really want you to be healthy, Pedro.
00:03:15Yes.
00:03:16OK.
00:03:17OK.
00:03:18Yeah.
00:03:29Me and my mama are on the way to where my appointment is
00:03:31with Dr. Now.
00:03:33And I got butterflies all in my stomach.
00:03:35I'm scared to meet Dr. Now, because I don't know
00:03:38what the plan is going to be.
00:03:40And I'm also worried about that scale.
00:03:42It's been some time since I've been on one.
00:03:44Come on.
00:03:54Come on, boy.
00:03:57So I'm also scared about that, and how much higher it could be.
00:04:02Your appointment at 11 o'clock.
00:04:04What time is it?
00:04:06It's time for you to get up.
00:04:11Cedric?
00:04:387.40.
00:04:41Sheesh.
00:04:43That be a lot.
00:04:45Hello.
00:04:46Hello.
00:04:48How y'all doing?
00:04:49I'm all right.
00:04:50How are you?
00:04:50Good.
00:04:51OK, so who buys all his food?
00:04:54I do.
00:04:55So you know he's on the way to kill himself.
00:04:57Are you going to help him with that?
00:04:58No, I don't want to do that, Doc.
00:04:59I don't want to help him with it.
00:05:00Well, so far you have done that.
00:05:02So what make you change now?
00:05:05Well, a couple of weeks ago, he really scared me.
00:05:08He called me downstairs, and he couldn't
00:05:10hardly breathe or anything.
00:05:11And so it's like this the last resort.
00:05:14We got to do something.
00:05:16All right, so from here on out, the only thing
00:05:19you're going to have is vegetable, salad,
00:05:22and all that stuff for him.
00:05:23OK.
00:05:24All right, Cedric, what are you willing to do
00:05:26to get to be 200 pounds?
00:05:29Just about anything.
00:05:38OK.
00:05:44Come on.
00:05:49Ain't nothing you're doing, Bob, but I can't.
00:05:51Come on, let's go get this trash.
00:05:53Man, you know I ain't going to make it to that trash can.
00:05:56You don't know what you're going to do.
00:05:57All you say is what you can do, Cedric.
00:05:59You got to make your mind up.
00:06:02You got to first get the mind set.
00:06:04Oh, my god.
00:06:25You got to lose inches.
00:06:26No way you're going to get them inches off.
00:06:28I don't want to get here.
00:06:29You got to get up and move to get them inches off.
00:06:31I told you, let's walk a little bit.
00:06:33That's all we got to do is walk a little bit a day.
00:06:34That's all we got to do.
00:06:36That's all.
00:06:49I've worked hard this past month.
00:06:52I ate better than ever and did my exercises two times a day.
00:06:58And so now, what I hope is that when I get on that scale,
00:07:02I see that I'm at my goal.
00:07:06Cedric?
00:07:08I know I gave this my best and that I
00:07:10can't do any better than that.
00:07:13So if that still is not enough, then I'm
00:07:15not sure what more I can do.
00:07:17So I really hope I did it.
00:07:22615.
00:07:26That's good.
00:07:28Hello, how y'all doing?
00:07:29I'm all right, Doc.
00:07:30What's up?
00:07:31All right.
00:07:32Cedric, since you lost that weight,
00:07:34I'm going to approve you for weight loss surgery.
00:07:37All right.
00:07:38So.
00:07:39Get your head back.
00:07:40Mom.
00:07:40Get your head back.
00:07:41I'm happy.
00:07:42I'm so happy.
00:07:43I'm so happy.
00:07:44I'm so happy.
00:07:55We got the report back from cardiologist.
00:07:57And unfortunately, Cedric's heart
00:07:59is too compromised at this time.
00:08:02You can do any type of serious surgery.
00:08:04Hey, Cedric.
00:08:05What's up, Doc?
00:08:06How are you?
00:08:08Good.
00:08:09So you have a situation we call low ejection fraction,
00:08:13which means your heart is not pumping very well.
00:08:16So unfortunately, we won't be able to do surgery on you
00:08:20this time.
00:08:21Yes.
00:08:22So this is very important to get you to lose some weight, OK?
00:08:27And then after that, what will be best to do
00:08:30will be to start with the less invasive operation
00:08:33and remove the large lymphedema mass in your leg
00:08:36before we do weight loss surgery, OK?
00:08:39So just keep up the hard work, and you'll get there soon, OK?
00:08:43OK.
00:08:44All right.
00:08:49You want to sit right there?
00:08:50Yeah, I'll sit right there.
00:08:53You got it?
00:08:54Yeah.
00:08:56Sit right there.
00:08:58What you been thinking about lately?
00:08:59Thinking about lately?
00:09:01Yeah.
00:09:02Working and bettering myself.
00:09:04I'm not going to let you do stuff on your own for yourself.
00:09:08So I'm going to go on a vacation,
00:09:10and I'm just going to let you take a swim on your own.
00:09:14I want to move out and spread my wings.
00:09:17That's, you want to stay attached to me, though.
00:09:20That's going to be your biggest problem.
00:09:22The problem is going to be you detaching from me.
00:09:26No, it's the other way around.
00:09:28You detaching from me.
00:09:30I'm going to be the new improved Deidre,
00:09:33and I bet y'all can't wait to see that.
00:09:52It's been two months since Dr. Nairn ran the test on me
00:10:00and told me my heart wasn't strong enough for surgery,
00:10:03unless I lost another 50 pounds to get
00:10:05more strain off my body.
00:10:08So that got me determined to get that weight off me.
00:10:10And so far, I lost another 38 pounds since then.
00:10:14So I'm making progress to get what I need.
00:10:17It's been a bit of a struggle, but I've
00:10:19been sticking to my diet and getting exercise.
00:10:21So I'm working at it and making progress.
00:10:27I've been on my own for the past month or so.
00:10:30My mama took a vacation because she worked hard taking care
00:10:32of me and needed a break.
00:10:36And she can do that now that I'm getting where
00:10:38I can manage more by myself.
00:10:40So I'm happy about that, because I don't want
00:10:42to keep being a burden to her.
00:10:44And that's one of the reasons I'm trying to lose weight.
00:10:48I saw Dr. Nairn last week, and he
00:10:50told me he's happy with my progress.
00:10:55So he's going to run a test on me again in a month.
00:10:58And if my heart's stronger, he said
00:10:59he'll do a big lymphedema bulge removal from my leg
00:11:03right after that.
00:11:04So that got me excited.
00:11:07Once I get that off of me, I'm going
00:11:09to be able to move around a whole lot better.
00:11:11So I'm excited about that, too.
00:11:14And then Dr. Nairn said if I get to the 450 to 475 range,
00:11:18my heart will be strong enough for weight loss surgery.
00:11:20So I'm going to make sure all that happens,
00:11:23so I can get better and healthier and get out on my own.
00:11:26And I'm going to keep working my hardest
00:11:28and hope in a month my test look good
00:11:30and I can have my first removal surgery,
00:11:32because I can't wait to be free from this huge thing hanging
00:11:35on me, holding me back.
00:11:37There's a whole big world out there
00:11:39I haven't been able to see.
00:11:41There's a whole big world out there
00:11:42I haven't been able to go out into.
00:11:44I am very ready to change that.
00:12:01My weight's just gotten to the point
00:12:03where my body feels like it's falling apart,
00:12:06and I'm in constant pain.
00:12:08I am miserable living in this body.
00:12:14Even just walking from my bed to the bathroom
00:12:17leaves me completely exhausted.
00:12:20Since Lindsey has gotten bigger over the years,
00:12:22I've had to do more and more for her.
00:12:25Morning.
00:12:26Morning.
00:12:27I'm about to go get your breakfast at the gas station.
00:12:29Thanks.
00:12:29All right.
00:12:30I take a shower every other day, because my mobility
00:12:35has went downhill extremely within the last six months.
00:12:40I'm ashamed I let myself get to this point.
00:12:44I'm back.
00:12:45I have seen Paul look at me and disgust for me being obese.
00:12:52I know how much I eat.
00:12:53It frustrates Paul.
00:12:56Food and me have a special relationship.
00:12:59I just love it.
00:13:01When I'm eating breakfast, I'm already thinking about lunch.
00:13:04When I'm eating lunch, I'm already thinking about supper.
00:13:07I'm eating supper thinking about what I can have for a snack.
00:13:10It never stops for me, and I never wanted to stop.
00:13:17Lindsey just eats or sleeps all the time.
00:13:20It's not the same Lindsey and Paul that it used to be.
00:13:25But I don't think Paul understands what I struggle with.
00:13:29Melissa called and said her and a bunch of the girls
00:13:30were going to go out, and I told her that I would go out
00:13:35and then I bailed.
00:13:36It just seems like to me you bail on way too many people.
00:13:40You do that to me all the time.
00:13:42I'm not mad at you.
00:13:43I'm just mad at the situation, how that happens.
00:13:47But I understand.
00:13:48Do you understand though?
00:13:49You know what? I don't.
00:13:50Because you've never been this size.
00:13:52You've never been.
00:13:53You're 100% right.
00:13:54I don't. I don't know.
00:13:57I just like the way that food makes me feel.
00:14:00It's killing. It's killing you.
00:14:03I know I'm letting food and my eating destroy my whole life.
00:14:07I'm either going to die soon or lose Paul.
00:14:10I know it disappoints him.
00:14:11I love her so freaking much,
00:14:14but I'm watching her die right in front of me.
00:14:17I feel helpless.
00:14:20I don't have much of a future.
00:14:22I have to get help before it's too late.
00:14:25We're running a little behind, but thankfully, we're here.
00:14:30So I'm happy to finally be here,
00:14:31but I have so many emotions going through my mind.
00:14:35I'm nervous about meeting Dr. Now.
00:14:37I'm scared to hear what he's going to say.
00:14:39And to find out if he'll help me or not.
00:14:42I'll be on the phone with him.
00:14:45I'm going to be in the car.
00:14:47I'll be on the phone with him.
00:14:48If people can't hear me, I'll be in the car.
00:14:50I'll be in the car.
00:14:52and to find out if he'll help me or not.
00:14:56Lindsay?
00:14:58It's been a few years since I had my weight checked,
00:15:01but I'm not really sure what number to expect
00:15:04once I get on the scale.
00:15:06All I know is that whatever it is, I'd rather not know it.
00:15:13Wow.
00:15:17That number makes me feel gross.
00:15:19I'm devastated that I'm still spiraling out of control,
00:15:23even after getting a weight loss surgery.
00:15:33It didn't, no.
00:15:34I was just hoping for a second chance, I guess.
00:15:43Oh, OK.
00:15:49And look out for it, that I want you to start immediately
00:15:52eating only three times a day.
00:15:55OK.
00:15:56And no snacking.
00:15:56OK.
00:15:57So I expect to see you back here in two months
00:16:00and 75 pounds less, OK?
00:16:03OK.
00:16:04All right.
00:16:04Yep.
00:16:05All right, thank you.
00:16:07OK.
00:16:08OK.
00:16:08OK.
00:16:09OK.
00:16:10OK.
00:16:11OK.
00:16:12OK.
00:16:12OK.
00:16:13OK.
00:16:14OK.
00:16:15OK.
00:16:16OK.
00:16:16OK.
00:16:17OK.
00:16:18OK.
00:16:19Yeah, we do.
00:16:20But if you start snacking now, honey, like, it's just like.
00:16:23Please go get it.
00:16:24I promise that I will try harder the next day.
00:16:27Will you please just go get it?
00:16:28How's this?
00:16:30There you go.
00:16:32Eat your fucking snacks.
00:16:34Because this is what it is.
00:16:35You know what this is right here?
00:16:36Death, Lindsey.
00:16:37And you're killing yourself with this fucking shit.
00:16:39And I'm not fucking sticking around for it.
00:16:43Fucking serious.
00:16:44Fucking serious.
00:17:00I'm back in Houston for my next appointment with Dr. Now.
00:17:04Paul didn't come down with me this time.
00:17:06We've been fighting a lot lately.
00:17:08So my mom said she'd come with me this time.
00:17:11Lindsey.
00:17:12Because I'm nervous to see how I did with my weight loss goal.
00:17:15And Dr. Now told me I had to lose 75 in that time.
00:17:20So that means I should be below 572 pounds if I hit my goal.
00:17:34So today you're only down to 619.
00:17:38Yes.
00:17:38You're nowhere close to being on the diet I gave you.
00:17:41The truth is, you really don't want to change.
00:17:44Because you don't want to give up the food that you like.
00:17:46That's killing you.
00:17:49So this is a very bad situation we have with you.
00:18:11And if you fail this thing, and you
00:18:15will remain in the hospital with this.
00:18:17You'll never get out.
00:18:19That's the reality.
00:18:21Literally, if you lose weight and you
00:18:23don't have the energy, you're gonna die.
00:18:25In the hospital, if you're going to die,
00:18:28you're going to be in the hospital.
00:18:29You're going to be in the hospital without food.
00:18:31So I'm giving you the same weight loss goal as the last time.
00:18:35And if you fail this thing, you're
00:18:40and there's nothing else you can do.
00:18:43Right.
00:18:44All right, I'll see you in two months.
00:18:49I'm running out of time,
00:18:51so I need to do everything I can
00:18:53to get all the way to my goal, no matter what it takes.
00:19:11Oh!
00:19:13Holy s***!
00:19:15What are you doing?
00:19:17You're not...
00:19:19Oh!
00:19:21What are you doing?
00:19:23Oh, I was supposed to lose 75 pounds in two months.
00:19:27Okay.
00:19:28And I ended up only losing 20.
00:19:31He didn't improve me for surgery,
00:19:33so I just feel like a failure.
00:19:38I just feel like a failure again.
00:19:40I don't even know if I can go back to Houston.
00:19:43You're gonna have to.
00:19:45So you're basically just shoving me back down there.
00:19:47That's where you want to go, because that's your goal, right?
00:19:50Is it not?
00:19:51I had my chance already, and I f***ed that up!
00:19:57I have two months to hit my goal.
00:19:59Two months, and if I don't hit it, I don't get surgery.
00:20:08I'm back at Dr. Now's to find out if I hit my goal or not,
00:20:11and Dr. Now told me I needed to lose at least 35 pounds a month,
00:20:15and I really, really hope I did that.
00:20:22I can't believe I lost that much weight,
00:20:24but I don't really know what to expect from Dr. Now.
00:20:28It's been three months,
00:20:30so you should have lost 75 pounds with the goal I gave you,
00:20:33but 82 is still a lot.
00:20:37You have shown me that you're starting to make the choices you need to work hard.
00:20:41So I want to pay you for surgery.
00:20:43No way.
00:20:44Yes.
00:20:45Oh, my gosh!
00:20:46So...
00:20:47That is awesome!
00:20:48I was not expecting that.
00:20:50Oh, my gosh.
00:20:51That's awesome.
00:20:57Okay.
00:20:58All finished.
00:21:00Ninja's surgery ultimately went very well.
00:21:03I had a lot of complications because of her scar tissue,
00:21:06but ultimately I was able to work around them.
00:21:09She should be able to lose at least 25 pounds a month
00:21:12until she starts to get close to her target weight,
00:21:15but that's only going to happen if Lindsay starts to deal with the core issues
00:21:19that have been driving her to eat
00:21:21and that led to her failing her first weight loss surgery.
00:21:25So once she fully recovers from her surgery,
00:21:28she's going to need to start psychotherapy.
00:21:30So the really hard work for Lindsay is just about to start.
00:21:34This next year could be the year she gets her life back
00:21:37or the year she loses her last chance to live.
00:21:40Where we go from here is still all up to her,
00:21:43but I'm hopeful that she will succeed this time.
00:22:01Here's the water.
00:22:03Thank you so much.
00:22:05So I'll let you set up and just rest for a while.
00:22:08That way you can just take a little breather.
00:22:11Okay.
00:22:12Okay?
00:22:13Thank you, Irene.
00:22:14You're welcome.
00:22:16It's been two months since my weight loss surgery.
00:22:20I'm still living with Irene,
00:22:22and it was actually a relief that Irene was able to provide me a room.
00:22:27We hung up in conversation, and here I am.
00:22:30Irene has been amazing.
00:22:32She's just like a person of knowledge
00:22:34when it comes to weight loss surgery, do's and don'ts,
00:22:38and she keeps me in check.
00:22:39I mean, she really does.
00:22:41I'm feeling good, but I'm missing Paul a lot,
00:22:44and being down here for this long is getting harder.
00:22:47This is the longest we've gone without seeing each other.
00:22:50It is very hard.
00:22:51We haven't been intimate for over a year.
00:22:54I was hoping he'd make it down for my surgery,
00:22:56but he didn't,
00:22:57and I was hoping he'd be able to come down to start therapy together,
00:23:01going every two weeks.
00:23:02He agreed to that.
00:23:04But Paul's been busy, so we haven't been doing that.
00:23:07We're still doing video calls to hold each other accountable.
00:23:11Paul's holding me accountable for my weight loss,
00:23:14and I'm holding him accountable for his alcohol intake.
00:23:19He's still drinking, yeah.
00:23:20I watch the transactions on our bank account,
00:23:23and I know what a 30-pack costs,
00:23:25and I know that he's still drinking.
00:23:27So I'm just feeling a bit lonely and discouraged.
00:23:32I actually had a weak moment a couple weeks ago
00:23:35when I packed up a lot of my stuff and was just going to move back.
00:23:39But Paul ended up calling me and talking me off the ledge
00:23:42and convinced me we both need to stick with focusing on ourselves
00:23:46to be better for each other.
00:23:48After that, he actually sent more of my stuff down to me
00:23:51because when I originally packed, I didn't bring a whole lot.
00:23:54But I'm still focused on my weight loss journey and meeting my goals.
00:23:58But that's still seven months away.
00:24:00It's just getting a lot harder than what I thought it would be.
00:24:03But I definitely feel like this is the beginning of a whole new life for me.
00:24:07I am extremely grateful that this opportunity came about
00:24:11and with a really good person as well.
00:24:14♪♪♪
00:24:19♪♪♪
00:24:24♪♪♪
00:24:29♪♪♪
00:24:34♪♪♪
00:24:38Today I'm getting my lymphedema removed from my leg.
00:24:42I'm at the hospital for that.
00:24:44And I'm glad to finally be getting this huge thing off of me.
00:24:48But I'm scared, too.
00:24:51Because I've never been through an operation like this.
00:24:54Hi, Tedri.
00:24:56What's up, dog?
00:24:57How are you today?
00:24:58You ready for this big operation?
00:25:01I'm kind of nervous and scared.
00:25:04Well, that's normal to be nervous
00:25:07This is a big mass you got in here and you got to take this off.
00:25:12You're going to take this thing off and you're going to be happy to get rid of it, huh?
00:25:16Yeah.
00:25:17So you can walk, huh?
00:25:18Yeah.
00:25:19I walk farther and farther and farther.
00:25:23So when we take this mass off, you'll probably be under 500.
00:25:27Yeah.
00:25:28And then we can do your weight loss surgery, huh?
00:25:32Yeah.
00:25:33All right.
00:25:34We'll get you fixed up shortly, okay?
00:25:37I don't want to keep living with this big thing pulling down on me.
00:25:40And I worked hard to be able to do this.
00:25:43So no matter what, I'm not backing down.
00:25:46I'm going through with this.
00:25:53And I can't wait to feel what it's going to be like
00:25:56to be free of this huge ball that's been on my leg for years.
00:26:00I'm proud of Tedrick for working hard to lose more weight.
00:26:04Three months ago, I told him he needed to lose at least 50 pounds
00:26:08to reduce the strain he saw.
00:26:11When he came to his last appointment a week ago,
00:26:14he was down to 558, and he's doing well.
00:26:18So we ran the test on him again.
00:26:21His body is still not ready to handle an invasive operation like weight loss surgery.
00:26:28But he has reduced the strain enough on his system
00:26:31for us to perform an lymphedema removal.
00:26:34So we are attempting to do that today, starting the first incision.
00:26:46If we are able to remove this whole mass from him,
00:26:50it's going to be a significant improvement for him
00:26:54because it is probably over 50 to 60 pounds of weight pulling on him,
00:26:59preventing him from being mobile.
00:27:04So getting this all off will be life-changing for him.
00:27:08But taking a mass like this is a complicated surgery
00:27:12that is going to require us tying up hundreds of blood vessels.
00:27:17Even missing one can be life-threatening.
00:27:20So we have to be careful not to miss anything for this whole operation.
00:27:24And if we encounter any issues,
00:27:26we may have to reduce the amount we remove from him.
00:27:29We almost have the largest part of the mass now.
00:27:33Even a small amount of lymphedema can grow back to that size again.
00:27:38But hopefully we will be able to remove it all today.
00:27:43I haven't heard anything yet, so I'm kind of worried.
00:27:47It's been nerve-wracking, God forbid,
00:27:50but going on the anesthesia, anything can happen.
00:27:54It's hard because the doctor said he had a weak heart,
00:27:58so it's hard to give up.
00:28:01I know everything is in God's hands, but still nervous.
00:28:09Praying that he comes out all right.
00:28:12Okay, got it?
00:28:14Put it on the table, please.
00:28:17Pick up this thing.
00:28:19That's heavy, so that will be a good amount of weight off of him.
00:28:27Now we just need to take off some small pieces.
00:28:31And once we tie up the blood vessels, we can suture him up.
00:28:36Get that one there.
00:28:38Get that one there.
00:28:40All right, almost done.
00:28:43Okay, finish those sutures, then we can get him to recovery.
00:28:58Okay, done.
00:29:05This is a huge mass.
00:29:09This is over 40 inches and probably weighs over 60 pounds.
00:29:17So we'll get it on the scale and see what it comes to.
00:29:23All right, it's working?
00:29:25Zeroes?
00:29:29Zeroes?
00:29:31I need to put it in the bag.
00:29:34Okay.
00:29:3766 pounds.
00:29:41That's what I need to lose in one day.
00:29:45With 66 more pounds off of him, Tedrick is in the 400s now.
00:29:51So this surgery is going to help him a great deal.
00:29:54It's going to take six to eight weeks to fully heal,
00:29:57because of how much we took off.
00:29:59So he will have to take it easy for a while.
00:30:01But once he heals some and is able to move around easier,
00:30:05Tedrick is going to notice a world of difference
00:30:08with how active and mobile he can be now.
00:30:12Hello.
00:30:13Hello, Doc.
00:30:14All right, Tedrick is doing well.
00:30:16He's waking up and going to recovery room, okay?
00:30:19Okay.
00:30:20The surgery went very well.
00:30:22He got all of it?
00:30:23All of it.
00:30:24Okay.
00:30:2566 pounds.
00:30:26What?
00:30:27Yeah.
00:30:29So he went down to 560 pounds.
00:30:34He lost 66, so right now he's in the 400s.
00:30:38So that's a great improvement.
00:30:42And as soon as he heals and he loses some more weight,
00:30:46we're going to have his weight loss surgery.
00:30:48Okay.
00:30:49But his surgery went very well.
00:30:51I'm glad. I was worried about that.
00:30:53Well, you know, this is a big operation.
00:30:55It's a large area.
00:30:57We probably tied about 400 blood vessels to get this off of him.
00:31:02Oh, my God.
00:31:03Yeah.
00:31:04It was a lot of work to do.
00:31:06Oof.
00:31:07But everything went very well.
00:31:09Thank you, Doc.
00:31:10You're welcome.
00:31:11You have a good day.
00:31:12You too.
00:31:18I want to get up and run around this room right now.
00:31:20Lord, have mercy.
00:31:2266 pounds.
00:31:24Oh, my God.
00:31:27Thank you, Jesus.
00:31:34Whew!
00:31:38I'm so happy right now and so relieved.
00:31:41Oh, my God.
00:31:44Oh, Lord, thank you.
00:31:46Recovering from an operation like this can make it tempting to read
00:31:51because it involves a lot of resting that can lead to boredom.
00:31:55And eating is an unhealthy way that some people deal with boredom.
00:32:00So we're going to have to make sure that Tedrick resists that temptation
00:32:04and stay on track because he's doing really well.
00:32:07And if he keeps that up and loses another 50 pounds or so,
00:32:11he will be ready for weight loss surgery once he recovers from this one.
00:32:16So he has a lot of big steps right around the corner
00:32:19as long as he doesn't get off track
00:32:21and doesn't do anything to mess up the progress he's making.
00:32:30♪
00:32:56It's been a month since my big lymphedema removal.
00:32:59And the doctor now says I'm healing good.
00:33:02I'm still a little stiff and sore when I move around,
00:33:06but I can already tell I'm able to move around a whole lot easier than before.
00:33:10It's a big undertaking to get someone my size around.
00:33:14You can't get up there?
00:33:16Yeah.
00:33:21You got in the wrong... You got in too tight.
00:33:26Really, Tedrick? You got in there wrong.
00:33:30I got in here wrong.
00:33:32You got in too close over there for you to swing around.
00:33:35But I'm supposed to make sure I don't go too fast or do too much.
00:33:39So I'm not.
00:33:42When I left the hospital, I was around 490.
00:33:46And today I was at 462.
00:33:49I've been losing weight on my own.
00:33:53And the biggest thing was getting everything off my leg.
00:33:57And I've done that now.
00:34:00So I'm not sure if I need that surgery anymore.
00:34:13Ma!
00:34:15You called me?
00:34:16Yeah.
00:34:17Where you been?
00:34:18Went for a walk.
00:34:19How your leg feel?
00:34:20Feel great.
00:34:21I feel lighter.
00:34:22You do?
00:34:23Almost took out running.
00:34:25What was that key word?
00:34:26Almost.
00:34:28Well, I'm glad.
00:34:29I've been waiting on this day a long time.
00:34:31Yeah, me too.
00:34:33I ain't have no pain.
00:34:35It's just when I be asleep, it be burning right here, you know?
00:34:39So you gonna talk to the doctor now about the stoma surgery?
00:34:42I ain't getting it.
00:34:43You don't want it?
00:34:44Uh-uh.
00:34:45Why?
00:34:46Because I got what I wanted.
00:34:48Yeah, but you still need stoma surgery.
00:34:51You got a lot more weight to lose.
00:34:52So you want me to get stoma surgery?
00:34:55Personally, I don't want to go right through that,
00:34:57because that was scary.
00:34:58But you got to look at the outcome.
00:35:00What the doc said?
00:35:05See, I got to lose some more weight
00:35:07before I get stoma surgery.
00:35:09You got to lose some more weight?
00:35:10Yeah.
00:35:11How much more weight?
00:35:1220 pounds.
00:35:13So after you lose 20 pounds, you gonna do the stoma surgery?
00:35:16Yeah.
00:35:17Well, I think if you had a surgery,
00:35:19it'd help you lose a lot more weight.
00:35:21Yeah.
00:35:22You nervous?
00:35:23No.
00:35:24Why you don't want the surgery?
00:35:25Because I don't want it.
00:35:26But then how you gonna continue to lose your weight
00:35:29if you don't have the surgery?
00:35:30But just think about it.
00:35:32After maybe another six months to a year or whatever,
00:35:35you may have lost a lot more weight.
00:35:37Get down to where you want to be at.
00:35:39Yeah.
00:35:41Ain't nothing wrong with that.
00:35:44Since the surgery, Thedrick been doing OK.
00:35:47It's been more me that's stressing.
00:35:51I'm hoping that Thedrick will get approved for the surgery.
00:35:54If he stick to the diet, he gonna get approved for the surgery.
00:35:57I hope he do.
00:35:59All right.
00:36:00Take your nap, because you got another walk
00:36:02to go in this afternoon, right?
00:36:04Just remember they told you got to move around more, so.
00:36:08Take a nap.
00:36:09It's 2 to 2.
00:36:12If my mama think I should do the surgery, then I consider it.
00:36:15But I guess the first step is I have to lose another 20 pounds
00:36:19before I go back and see him in a month.
00:36:21So that'll be my focus.
00:36:23My goal is to lose more weight.
00:36:25Think I can do it.
00:36:27If I keep my mind to it, I can do it.
00:36:43I'm going to my next appointment.
00:36:45It's my two-month follow-up since my weight-loss surgery.
00:36:49So I should still be making some good progress.
00:36:52I think because I'm still following the diet.
00:36:56But I've been a little stressed.
00:36:58Paul seemed distant the last time we talked.
00:37:01We fought because I want to go back to Iowa for a couple of months.
00:37:04And he doesn't think it's a good idea,
00:37:06because he says I'm starting to lose weight.
00:37:09And he doesn't think it's a good idea,
00:37:11because he says I'm starting to lose focus.
00:37:13And I need to just stay here to do what I set out to do.
00:37:17So I feel like we're growing apart.
00:37:20And it's making me feel like being down here right now is a mistake.
00:37:24But I'm trying to stay focused on doing what I need to get healthy
00:37:28like I planned.
00:37:33Lindsey?
00:37:36I was at 438 at my one-month follow-up.
00:37:40And Dr. Now said he was happy with that.
00:37:43But I'm supposed to be losing at least 25 pounds a month.
00:37:51So that means I should be down to 413 today.
00:37:56I'm happy that my weight loss is closer to the goal than not.
00:38:01But I know I still didn't make it.
00:38:04So Dr. Now may not be happy with that.
00:38:08And I'm not happy with that.
00:38:11But I want to do better.
00:38:14I'm thankful for the opportunity to be there
00:38:18and to be a part of this.
00:38:22I'm thankful for the opportunity to be there
00:38:25and to do Dr. Now's program.
00:38:28And it's hard, and I don't want to be going through it for nothing.
00:38:32So I need to make sure I do better.
00:38:38Hello, Lindsey.
00:38:39Hi.
00:38:40How are you?
00:38:41I'm good. How are you?
00:38:42Doing good.
00:38:43So today you are down to 421, huh?
00:38:48Yep.
00:38:50That is a little slower progress than you should have.
00:38:53So what's going on?
00:38:54I've been trying, but it has been hard.
00:38:57Just being here for this long.
00:39:00There's some other stuff going on in my life that's not so good.
00:39:05But I feel good with the weight loss.
00:39:08Have you started therapy to help you with that?
00:39:11Not yet.
00:39:12Emotionally, you're a strong person.
00:39:15But you still have to learn to deal with your emotions
00:39:18in a way that they're going to make you to go back to food.
00:39:22So you need to prioritize therapy to help you do that.
00:39:27And that's going to be a very important part of your well-being.
00:39:30Okay?
00:39:31Thank you. Yes.
00:39:32All right. So you're doing good.
00:39:33Okay. Good, good. Glad to hear.
00:39:36I'm proud of your progress,
00:39:37but the most important thing to focus on is therapy
00:39:41and dealing with your emotions.
00:39:43That's important to succeed this time.
00:39:45And keep your drive to do what you need.
00:39:48Yeah, yeah. I definitely am driven. Definitely.
00:39:51You've got a bright horizon for yourself,
00:39:54and this is a journey that you need to get your weight down to 180.
00:39:59Mm-hmm.
00:40:00Feeling better with your activity and exercise?
00:40:03Yeah, yeah.
00:40:04I work out.
00:40:06I make it a point to work out at least five times a day.
00:40:10That's a little bit too much.
00:40:11Maybe you mean five times a week?
00:40:14Or five times a week. Sorry. Yeah.
00:40:17No, that's good.
00:40:18Okay.
00:40:19So at this point, you lost almost 200 pounds,
00:40:22but you still don't have much extra skin hanging.
00:40:25Yeah.
00:40:26Let's see how you're doing next month, and then we'll go from there.
00:40:29Okay.
00:40:30All right, Lindsay. You're doing great, and stay focused,
00:40:33and I'll see you next month.
00:40:34Okay. Bye. Thank you.
00:40:36You're welcome.
00:40:38Lindsay has come a long way over the past year,
00:40:42and I'm proud of her progress.
00:40:44She's done well overall.
00:40:46This past month, she has slowed down some,
00:40:50which made me concerned that she's letting life
00:40:53and her emotional issues start to affect her again.
00:40:57So it's very important she learns to deal with those issues
00:41:01in a healthy way so she doesn't slow down any further.
00:41:06Because she already failed one weight loss surgery years ago,
00:41:10and she still has a long way to go.
00:41:21I was really glad and thankful for Dr. Now's response.
00:41:25I was expecting for him to come down on me more,
00:41:28but I'm happy he's proud of me,
00:41:30and that the almost 20-pound loss over the past month
00:41:34was something Dr. Now still saw the positive in.
00:41:38And I know I need to do better and go to therapy,
00:41:42and I'm looking forward to that,
00:41:45especially because I think that will help me and Paul too,
00:41:48even if he's on a video call of it.
00:41:51So I'm going to make sure it can get set up where Paul can join in
00:41:55so I can start making more progress
00:41:57and feel more connected to Paul again.
00:42:02♪♪♪
00:42:07♪♪♪
00:42:12♪♪♪
00:42:17My mama and I are headed to see Dr. Now.
00:42:20I told her I can do this on my own,
00:42:22but she said she was coming with me
00:42:24to make sure I don't do something foolish
00:42:27and turn down the surgery.
00:42:29Mr. Barnes?
00:42:31♪♪♪
00:42:34But all that doesn't matter if I don't make it to my goal.
00:42:38♪♪♪
00:42:40The last time I was down to 462,
00:42:44and Dr. Now told me I have to lose at least another 20 pounds
00:42:48for him to run tests again.
00:42:51And see, my heart is strong, though.
00:42:54So that means I need to be down to 462.
00:42:58I need to be down to 442 today.
00:43:01♪♪♪
00:43:07That's a good weight.
00:43:10We're going to be going to room 5.
00:43:12I'm happy with that.
00:43:14And I'm pretty sure Dr. Now will be too,
00:43:16so I think he's going to approve me today.
00:43:20And that is what I came here to hear.
00:43:23I know what my mama is pushing me to do.
00:43:27I'm feeling like maybe I'm not ready to take the next step.
00:43:31But I guess that all depends on what Dr. Now says today.
00:43:35If he approves me, I have to decide
00:43:37if I want surgery right now or not.
00:43:41I'm not sure what I'm going to do.
00:43:43♪♪♪
00:43:46Hello, how y'all doing?
00:43:47All right, how are you?
00:43:48What's up, Doc?
00:43:50Y'all doing okay today?
00:43:51Mm-hmm.
00:43:53All right, T.J., how you feeling?
00:43:56You feeling okay?
00:43:57Mm-hmm.
00:43:58All right.
00:44:00Well, T.J., I see that your weight is down to 440 pounds.
00:44:05Yes, sir.
00:44:07So far you have lost exactly 300 pounds, so that's great.
00:44:12So how you feel with losing all that?
00:44:14Light.
00:44:16More mobile, huh?
00:44:18Mm-hmm, yep, mobile.
00:44:21Feeling good.
00:44:23That's good.
00:44:24Third week, you've come a long way from being 740 pounds.
00:44:29So, Mom, what do you think about that?
00:44:33I think that's great.
00:44:36Well, I notice he do a lot more around the house.
00:44:40You know, he take the trash out, wash dishes.
00:44:46Well, are you proud of his progress?
00:44:48Yes, I am, I'm very proud.
00:44:50Big improvement from day one.
00:44:53I saw him, he wasn't able to even breathe,
00:44:56and now he's walking around.
00:44:59We took that over 60-pound mass of your leg.
00:45:03Yep.
00:45:04And you look like a different person.
00:45:06Thanks.
00:45:07So, Tedrick, what are you going to do when you get to your goal weight?
00:45:11Yeah, I want to go back to work.
00:45:13What do you do in the work?
00:45:15I used to do security.
00:45:17Now you can walk without having a problem with your leg, huh?
00:45:20Yeah.
00:45:21So you work hard, and you got to this point,
00:45:24so I'm going to go ahead and approve you for weight loss surgery.
00:45:27Okay, okay, okay.
00:45:29Okay?
00:45:30Yeah.
00:45:31I'm going to set you up for weight loss surgery for next month,
00:45:33so we go ahead and do some testing on you today,
00:45:37and we set you up for surgery, okay?
00:45:40Okay, okay, I got you.
00:45:42Okay, if you go to the hospital, and if you gain weight,
00:45:45we're going to send you home.
00:45:46Okay, okay.
00:45:47You got that?
00:45:48Yeah.
00:45:49All right.
00:45:50So this weight loss surgery is going to help you to control your weight much easier
00:45:55and get to your goal weight, okay?
00:45:57Okay.
00:45:58And then you will naturally have some extra skin that needs to come off,
00:46:01and then we'll take care of that too.
00:46:04Okay.
00:46:05Okay?
00:46:06And, Tedrick, I'm proud of your progress, okay?
00:46:10All right.
00:46:12All right, if you need anything, let me know, okay?
00:46:15Okay.
00:46:16All right.
00:46:17I'll see you in the hospital, okay?
00:46:19All right.
00:46:20All right.
00:46:21We'll see you all later.
00:46:22All right, Doc.
00:46:23All right, Doc.
00:46:27Yay!
00:46:31You crying?
00:46:37Good job.
00:46:39I'm very proud of Tedrick for sticking with the program
00:46:42and continue to push forward and work hard.
00:46:45Even though his progress has been a little slow at times,
00:46:49he's come a long way in the past year,
00:46:51and he's moving forward and losing weight at a good pace now.
00:46:55So I think he's doing great, and with all his progress,
00:46:59I'm confident his test will show that his heart is much stronger now,
00:47:04where his cardiopulmonary system will be able to handle the surgery.
00:47:08So as long as the results confirm that
00:47:11and Tedrick stay on track over the next month,
00:47:14we will move ahead with him and do his weight loss surgery
00:47:18to give him another tool that will help him to get to his target weight soon.
00:47:23I'm proud of me, too, and my mom is also.
00:47:27So I'm feeling good, you know, hearing what Dr. Nas saying
00:47:31and what my mom is saying.
00:47:33I know it's going to be important for me to have that.
00:47:38And I'm even feeling a little excited now.
00:47:58It's been a hard month, one of the worst of my life.
00:48:04Right now, I think the hardest part is just coming to terms with what has happened.
00:48:09I moved to Houston to get better for myself and to get better for my husband,
00:48:14and my husband ended up cheating on me.
00:48:17He calls me up and tells me, I have something to tell you, and I said, what?
00:48:20He told me that he didn't know who he was without alcohol,
00:48:24and he thought of me more as a friend, not a wife.
00:48:27But then I found out a little more to the story.
00:48:30Apparently, he met somebody else, somebody that allows him to drink,
00:48:34and so he's just on to the next best thing.
00:48:37He already made up his mind.
00:48:39I have tried fighting for him, and he's made it abundantly clear that I'm just not the one.
00:48:44He wants to be with this woman, and I'm just somebody that once was.
00:48:49I don't want to start all over.
00:48:52Like, I've spent like eight years with this man,
00:48:57and to start all over again makes me feel awful.
00:49:03It makes me feel betrayed.
00:49:06But now it's just real. It is real.
00:49:28We ran the test we needed on Tedrick, and his heart and everything look good.
00:49:34And he also stayed on track this past month, and he lost another 17 pounds.
00:49:39He's down to 423 and approaching the 300s.
00:49:43So things are looking very good with him.
00:49:50Good morning, Tedrick.
00:49:52Morning, Doc.
00:49:54Morning, Doc.
00:49:56All right, you ready for your surgery?
00:49:58Ready as I can be.
00:50:00All right, you lost your weight, and you're looking good,
00:50:03so we're going to go ahead with your weight loss surgery today, okay?
00:50:06Okay.
00:50:07All right, we'll get started shortly, okay?
00:50:10Okay.
00:50:17I'm a little bit nervous, but excited to get my stomach surgery
00:50:21because I know it's going to help me keep losing weight, and I want to do that.
00:50:27I was thinking I might not need it, but my mom and doctor now told me
00:50:31it's going to get harder for me down the road, so I need this
00:50:35because I intend to get all the weight off and start living a better life.
00:50:39And I'm going to do whatever helps me keep making sure I can do that.
00:50:45Today, we are attempting to perform a gastric sleeve on Tedrick.
00:50:50He worked hard to start changing his life and lost almost 320 pounds so far.
00:50:5670 of that we took off with his lymphoedema removal,
00:51:00and about 250 of that has been the progress Tedrick has made.
00:51:04So I'm very confident he's ready for weight loss surgery today.
00:51:08Move the lights off, please.
00:51:14Okay, starting the first incision.
00:51:21This is going to be an important tool that is going to help him to stay on track for the long term.
00:51:27But Tedrick is still almost 400 pounds,
00:51:31so he is still at high risk for any sort of operation like this.
00:51:35So we need to make sure nothing we do puts additional strain on his body
00:51:41and pushes it to a dangerous place.
00:51:44So at any point, if it is looking like there could be any concerning issues,
00:51:50we may have to stop the surgery.
00:51:52But hopefully that won't be the issue,
00:51:55and we'll be able to complete the operation and give Tedrick this tool.
00:52:00Because what this operation will do for him is reduce the stomach by 90%,
00:52:05leaving a small narrow tube that looks similar to his sleeve.
00:52:09So the patient's food intake is physically limited,
00:52:13and the patient is less hungry.
00:52:16So this operation will give them an opportunity to lose even more weight.
00:52:31I'm worried because the doctor said that he had heart problems,
00:52:35and then they decided to do the surgery.
00:52:38So I'm stressing a little bit over that.
00:52:41Is he okay? Is he going to be all right?
00:52:45So I'm just sitting here praying that everything go well.
00:53:09We're almost done.
00:53:16All right, finished.
00:53:28Tedrick's surgery went very well.
00:53:30We didn't have to stop the operation, and we completed it how we intended.
00:53:36This is Tedrick's stomach. It's a long stomach.
00:53:39It doesn't look that big because it collapsed.
00:53:43We removed almost 90% of Tedrick's stomach
00:53:46to significantly reduce the size and how much he can eat at once.
00:53:52This is a part of Tedrick's stomach we took out.
00:53:55When it's inflated, you can see what it normally looks like when he eats.
00:54:00So it can hold a lot of food.
00:54:04Tedrick will need to stay here for a day or two
00:54:07until he recovers from the surgery,
00:54:10and then he can go home and stay on the liquid diet.
00:54:13And at that time, he should be able to lose another 30 pounds.
00:54:17Then after that, he should be able to lose around 20 pounds a month
00:54:21until he gets closer to his target weight.
00:54:24So if Tedrick stays on track, and with some skin removal wounds,
00:54:29he should be able to make it to his target weight within 9 to 12 months,
00:54:33depending on how much he slows down when he gets closer to his target weight.
00:54:39But so far, he's done great, and I think he's going to continue doing well.
00:54:45But now that his physical drive to eat is an issue,
00:54:49he may have some emotional issues that come to the surface
00:54:53that we need to help him address.
00:54:55So we're going to follow up with him consistently
00:54:58to make sure he stays on track.
00:55:01Because even with as far as he has come,
00:55:04Tedrick isn't to the finish line yet,
00:55:07and he may still have some rough road ahead.
00:55:15♪♪♪
00:55:40It's been a couple of months since my weight loss surgery,
00:55:43and my doctor now says I'm doing good and staying on track.
00:55:48He says my weight loss is good, and my stamina is getting really good.
00:55:53So he wants me to keep making progress with both those things.
00:55:57He also said he wants me to start going to a therapist
00:56:00because I'm going to have things I need to talk about
00:56:03to make sure I don't go back to overeating, and I don't know about that.
00:56:07But I figured I'd give it a try if it could help me
00:56:10I'm making more weight loss progress because that's exactly what I want to do.
00:56:14I only have about 150 pounds left to go.
00:56:17The doctor now says the rest is excess skin.
00:56:20I'm going to have to get removed when I lose some more.
00:56:23But as of now, I lost over 360 pounds, and I feel fantastic.
00:56:29First time in a long time picking up a basketball like this.
00:56:33Going to the park, shooting around.
00:56:35I ain't did it in so many years.
00:56:37Going to take a little work to get back to my normal self on the court,
00:56:40but I've come a really long way.
00:56:44I wish I could just get in the shower and clean myself,
00:56:47but I can't take a shower because the knot on my leg is too heavy
00:56:51to lift up over the height of the tub.
00:56:54So this is the only option there is for me.
00:56:57I have to bathe every crease and cranny of my body.
00:57:00But I need help because I can't reach all around me.
00:57:04I'm proud of how I'm doing and where my life is getting to.
00:57:07So I'm starting to make a lot of plans I want to start doing soon.
00:57:10And so that got me thinking that most of what I want to do is back in Florida.
00:57:15So I might want to go back there soon.
00:57:18I know I have stuff like skin removals to have,
00:57:21but I feel like I'm getting to a real good place,
00:57:23and I could be happy without any of that.
00:57:29The biggest thing was the lymphedema on my leg, and that's already gone.
00:57:33So I'm thinking about telling Dr. Nye that I'm going to be at a good place soon
00:57:37and that I want to move back home.
00:57:39And I think my mom would like that too.
00:57:42We've both been here for a while.
00:57:44But for me, it's already longer than I thought.
00:57:48So I feel like I'm ready to go back home soon.
00:57:51And I really hope Dr. Nye agrees with me.
00:58:04I'm taking multiple walks a day now.
00:58:08Because of all my weight loss and how my leg has healed,
00:58:11I'm able to start walking a lot better.
00:58:14So I think I'm making a lot of really good progress.
00:58:17And because of that, I feel like I'm ready to go back home to Florida.
00:58:21I talked to my mom about it.
00:58:23I told her that I'm going to go back to Florida.
00:58:26I told her that I'm going to go back to Florida.
00:58:29I feel like I'm ready to go back home to Florida.
00:58:32I talked to my mom about it.
00:58:34She had some questions about what I wanted to do about skin surgery in the future.
00:58:40And I told her that if I needed those, I could come back down here by myself
00:58:45because I would be able to take care of myself then.
00:58:49So she agreed it's time to move back to Florida.
00:58:52So at my appointment in a couple of weeks,
00:58:56and see what he has to say about it.
00:59:00You back?
00:59:01Yeah.
00:59:02It's hot out there, man.
00:59:03It's hot?
00:59:04Yeah.
00:59:05How far you walk?
00:59:07Around the parking lot.
00:59:08That was a quick walk.
00:59:10You should take you a good while to get around then come back.
00:59:12So you can pick up some speed.
00:59:14Look like it.
00:59:15How you feel?
00:59:16I feel excellent.
00:59:18So you finna go work out or do your exercise out the book?
00:59:21Out the dot nine book?
00:59:23Let me do an exercise out the book.
00:59:25Which one you gonna do?
00:59:26Let me see.
00:59:27Let me pick it.
00:59:28I'm gonna pick it out for you.
00:59:30Where's my glasses?
00:59:32How about I pick the exercise?
00:59:34Yeah, pick them off that page right there.
00:59:39You finna pick something easy.
00:59:41Ain't none of this easy.
00:59:45Okay, I'm ready.
00:59:46I'm gonna do it in the room.
00:59:49My mom says she's gonna get everything ready for us
00:59:52to move back in the next four to six weeks.
00:59:56She just gotta take care of changing her job
00:59:59and then we gotta get what we need to pack up
01:00:01and move back home.
01:00:03So if all goes as planned,
01:00:05in a couple months I'll be back in Florida
01:00:08ready to start living my new life there.
01:00:11And I'm actually excited about that
01:00:13because I'm not gonna be stuck in the bed no more.
01:00:16I'm gonna finally be able to do all I wanted.
01:00:20And I can't wait.
01:00:39I went back to Iowa.
01:00:41I thought maybe I could save my marriage,
01:00:44but that wasn't the case.
01:00:46He's made it perfectly clear that he does not want to be with me
01:00:49and that's completely fine,
01:00:50so I need to get on with my life.
01:00:53And so I am living here by myself with my three dogs
01:00:58and it's just been a whirlwind,
01:01:00but, you know, just trying to grasp, like, the weight loss
01:01:04and then my journey and then try to find a balance.
01:01:08I mean, there's times where I just sit in my room
01:01:11and I just cry because I don't want to be a divorcee.
01:01:15This isn't the path that I chose.
01:01:19I am not where I want to be currently.
01:01:23I don't want to start all over.
01:01:25Like, I've spent eight years with this man
01:01:28and, I mean, I am going to get there eventually.
01:01:32I just have been taking my time.
01:01:36Eight years is a really long time.
01:01:38I feel like he did waste my time.
01:01:40I feel like I wish I would have known this a lot sooner.
01:01:45So at first I was very, very angry.
01:01:48So angry to the point where I would just cry nonstop.
01:01:53And that's where I was like,
01:01:54okay, I'm just going to work on me.
01:01:55I'm going to do myself and that's it.
01:02:00So I started doing that and I was still depressed
01:02:05because I don't want to put myself back out there again
01:02:07and have this happen again.
01:02:09But I do have loose skin and I do check my progress.
01:02:12I look at it in the mirror and I'm just like,
01:02:15okay, you know, just one step at a time.
01:02:18So one foot in front of the other.
01:02:21I'm down in weight, so I've been making progress,
01:02:24but probably not as much as Dr. Now would have wanted.
01:02:28I'm still wanting to get to that main goal,
01:02:31but slow and steady wins the race.
01:02:36I've struggled and I've had moments where I've given in,
01:02:39but I've never stopped trying to do the diet
01:02:41or trying to exercise.
01:02:43My goal is to still succeed
01:02:46and I know I have to make it below 300 still
01:02:49and to know I'm not going to regain the weight like last time.
01:02:56I really like making meals at home for the simple fact
01:03:00that I know what's in it and then what's going in my body.
01:03:04I have found what works for me as far as portions
01:03:07and then healthy meal choices.
01:03:10I don't know how Dr. Now is going to react
01:03:13to me being gone this long.
01:03:16I think he'll be disappointed I didn't reach out for this long
01:03:19because I felt like my life has been caving in.
01:03:22But I'm better now and I'm stronger now and I feel good
01:03:25and I'm trying to focus on me getting healthy.
01:03:29I'm going to see about making an appointment with him
01:03:32as soon as I can figure out when I can go back to Houston.
01:03:36Roscoe?
01:03:40So I'm working to do as good as possible until then.
01:04:04I decided I want to talk to Dr. Now before going back down
01:04:08so I called his clinic to try to set up a time with him.
01:04:13They followed up and said Dr. Now wants to know my weight
01:04:17and how I'm doing.
01:04:19So they set up a local clinic for me to go to
01:04:22to find all that out for him.
01:04:24But I'm really, really nervous.
01:04:27It's been eight months, maybe more, since I've seen Dr. Now
01:04:31so I'm really scared about what he's going to think
01:04:34and what he's going to say depending on my weight today.
01:04:40My last weight was 421.
01:04:45Hi, welcome to the ReCenter.
01:04:47Hello.
01:04:48We're going to take you this way.
01:04:49Okay.
01:04:50I hope my progress is enough for Dr. Now to be proud of me still.
01:04:55Okay, just stand right on it.
01:04:57Okay.
01:05:05382.7.
01:05:08I'm happy. I'm a good bit lower than last time.
01:05:11Okay, come in here.
01:05:13I know it's not as fast.
01:05:15As the rate Dr. Now told me, I should be losing last time.
01:05:22Hi, Lindsey.
01:05:23Hi, Dr. Now.
01:05:24How are you?
01:05:25I'm good. How are you?
01:05:27I'm doing good. So it's been a long time since I see you.
01:05:31Yes, it has.
01:05:33And that was almost a year ago, huh?
01:05:36Yeah.
01:05:37So how have you been?
01:05:38I'm no longer married.
01:05:40I did get a divorce.
01:05:42And so it's just me in the household
01:05:44and I'm just kind of dealing with my dad being in and out of the hospital
01:05:49and in and out of nursing homes.
01:05:51And so then we have decided we are going forward with assisted living.
01:05:58I'm sorry to hear that.
01:05:59Do you have any issues?
01:06:02But besides that, what kind of progress are you making?
01:06:05I feel like I am still making progress.
01:06:07I have been working out, eating.
01:06:11I have, you know, I am making progress, but it's just very slow.
01:06:15Well, sorry to hear that.
01:06:18That means you haven't been able to maintain healthy weight,
01:06:21but at least you lost 250 pounds.
01:06:28That's a positive thing, and you need to build on that.
01:06:31Yes, exactly.
01:06:33And I do apologize for not following up.
01:06:36I need to stay, you know, following up with you,
01:06:40and I think that is something that will definitely change.
01:06:48I do have extra skin on my arms, and I do have extra skin on my thighs.
01:06:58Then some removal of the extra skin will be a good idea for you,
01:07:03but not until then.
01:07:06And then this is something that you have to concentrate on now.
01:07:10Okay, sounds good.
01:07:12I think if you want to start to get back in the program
01:07:15and start again to get your weight down,
01:07:20you need to lose another 200 pounds,
01:07:24and that's going to be a goal for you.
01:07:27So this will be a fresh start for you,
01:07:30and we'll see if we can succeed with that.
01:07:33I do want to keep losing weight,
01:07:36and I want this to be long-term.
01:07:39I want to get to my goal.
01:07:40I still have that in my head.
01:07:42I do really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me,
01:07:45and I want to set up another appointment and keep it going.
01:07:51Okay, well, that's good. I'm glad to hear that.
01:07:54I know there's a lot of stress in your life,
01:07:57so keep up with the therapy and motivate yourself.
01:08:01Stick with eating healthy.
01:08:03Okay.
01:08:04And let's set up another appointment,
01:08:07and we can check with you and see how you're doing.
01:08:10Thank you so much.
01:08:11All right. If you need anything, you may call.
01:08:14Okay.
01:08:15Nice to see you again.
01:08:16You too. Bye-bye.
01:08:18I'm very happy to see that Lindsay is doing well.
01:08:22I was starting to wonder if I'd ever hear from her again.
01:08:26I was sorry to hear about things she has gone through,
01:08:30but if she started therapy when all that happened,
01:08:33it could have helped her during that time.
01:08:36But doing that now is going to be imperative for her long-term success.
01:08:42But the reality is,
01:08:43she still hasn't made it below her lowest weight
01:08:46after her weight loss surgery,
01:08:49and she should have easily done that at this point.
01:08:53So she still has a lot of work ahead of her,
01:08:56so we set up therapy for her again.
01:09:00Hopefully, she'll finally start to do that.
01:09:03And then if she does, we'll see what she wants to do from that point.
01:09:19♪♪♪
01:09:22♪♪♪
01:09:46Did you get everything, Mike?
01:09:48Yeah.
01:09:50I'm heading home. I'll see you later.
01:09:53Heel step.
01:09:54Today's the day me and my mom made it back to Florida,
01:09:57and I'm very excited.
01:10:01We just got to finish packing up,
01:10:03and then we're going to head out.
01:10:06They said put the heavy stuff to the front of the truck.
01:10:12We already got some stuff loaded.
01:10:14All right, now.
01:10:15And I was able to help with all that
01:10:18because I'm not straggling like the last time we moved.
01:10:21Me and my mom was taking a big leap of moving to Houston.
01:10:25My dad and my mom helped us get our stuff down here.
01:10:28I can feel how much better I'm doing
01:10:30because I can do things like help with this moving.
01:10:33But it'll be nice if I get to where I need to be at
01:10:36and go back to Florida and have a better life.
01:10:41We still have a good amount left to pack,
01:10:43but we're getting at it because we want to get on the road today.
01:10:49I'm going to feel the pain a little later from lifting this stuff,
01:10:52but I'm going to be all right.
01:10:54There you go. Hercules, Hercules.
01:10:57It's been a long year here,
01:10:59so I'm glad to get back home and see everyone I'll miss.
01:11:02And I can't wait to show them how much progress I've made
01:11:05because I think a lot of them are going to be surprised.
01:11:08I'll be surprised to see it myself if I will live.
01:11:11I was 7'39 last time I seen my grandma.
01:11:14Going back home, I'm not sure
01:11:16because he's going to get back with his old friends
01:11:19and he's excited about going home.
01:11:21I hope Theta don't go back to his bad habits.
01:11:26We're almost done,
01:11:28so we can head out and in a few days I'll be back home.
01:11:31I can't wait,
01:11:33but I'm not going to go back to my old environment.
01:11:36And I'm going to keep up with all Dr. Nile told me to do,
01:11:39so I keep doing this program.
01:11:41I know I still have more to lose,
01:11:43and I might want some skin removals down the road,
01:11:46so I'm going to keep to it.
01:12:02I have therapy with Dr. Paradise.
01:12:05Therapy is really important to me
01:12:07because since my divorce,
01:12:09I really do need it just to vent,
01:12:12just let that aggression go.
01:12:14I want to succeed.
01:12:18Hi, Lindsay.
01:12:20Hello.
01:12:22I'm Dr. Paradise. It's good to see you.
01:12:24Nice to meet you.
01:12:26Good to meet you too.
01:12:28Lindsay, tell me where you're at in the program.
01:12:30Where are you at in your journey?
01:12:32I started out at, like, 6'40,
01:12:37and now I'm down to 3'82, so...
01:12:42That's a lot of weight loss.
01:12:44That's terrific.
01:12:46What happened for you post-surgery?
01:12:49Okay.
01:12:51After the surgery, I was living in Houston.
01:12:54I had a husband.
01:12:57He told me that he doesn't love me anymore
01:13:01and that he was cheating on me when I was pregnant.
01:13:06After losing the weight?
01:13:08In the middle of losing the weight.
01:13:10You are doing everything you're supposed to do,
01:13:13and you come home and you get that horrible news.
01:13:16Yeah, and the thing is that
01:13:18I know two wrongs don't make a right.
01:13:20I was addicted to food.
01:13:23He was addicted to alcohol.
01:13:25We made a pact.
01:13:26We said, okay, I'm going to lose the weight,
01:13:28and I didn't even want him to quit drinking.
01:13:30I just wanted him to cut back,
01:13:32and we made a pact about this.
01:13:34This girl he found was an old girlfriend.
01:13:36He dated her back in the day,
01:13:38and she would basically accept him for who he is,
01:13:42and so he didn't have to change for her.
01:13:45So, you know, grass is greener on the other side.
01:13:48In some ways, it was a threat to him
01:13:50because your change sort of asked for some change from him.
01:13:55Right.
01:13:56I'm making myself healthy.
01:13:58I want you to be healthy.
01:14:00This new person didn't make any requests like that.
01:14:02No, she just accepted him with open arms, yep.
01:14:05Okay.
01:14:06I've been told that I'm very codependent.
01:14:10Like, I like finding projects.
01:14:14Does that make sense?
01:14:15Yeah, somebody to fix up, sure.
01:14:17Yeah.
01:14:18True codependency,
01:14:19the idea is you're cooperating with the dependency.
01:14:22Oh.
01:14:23It's somebody who sort of makes an alcoholic okay with,
01:14:28they're really good at cleaning up after the alcoholic
01:14:31or making it okay,
01:14:33and what happens is in the relationship,
01:14:36they may even promote the addiction
01:14:38because they know that that's their best quality
01:14:41is their ability to clean up after that person.
01:14:44Holy buckets, yeah.
01:14:45So I don't doubt that you played that role
01:14:47with your husband a little bit.
01:14:49Yes.
01:14:50And he may have sensed that as you got healthy,
01:14:53you might have been a little bit less able
01:14:56to sort of apologize for his own challenges, right?
01:15:01Yeah, no, you hit the nail on the head.
01:15:04I didn't even know that's what it stood for or anything.
01:15:08Right, and your weight probably kind of qualified you for that job, right?
01:15:12Yeah, yeah, I believe so.
01:15:14When you're that big,
01:15:15you really don't have the authority to call somebody on their misbehavior,
01:15:20and so as you gain that authority, right,
01:15:24like I'm working on my stuff,
01:15:27you become a lot less appealing to somebody with problems.
01:15:30I felt like that day in and day out,
01:15:33like why would I speak up?
01:15:34I have no room to talk, you know?
01:15:36Like, yeah, I felt like that.
01:15:37And what you bought yourself by losing the weight and getting healthy
01:15:41was the room to talk,
01:15:43which will serve you in future relationships
01:15:46because you actually should have the room to talk, right?
01:15:49Right.
01:15:50Healthy partners talk to each other, right?
01:15:52Yeah.
01:15:53That should be your model.
01:15:55I want a guy that I can hold accountable.
01:15:58Will do, will do.
01:16:00Yeah, yeah.
01:16:01Thanks for talking to me.
01:16:04I'm really optimistic for you.
01:16:05I think a lot of things are going to fall in line for you.
01:16:08I'm also really hopeful for your social life.
01:16:12Are you too?
01:16:13Yes, I am, I am.
01:16:15Good.
01:16:16Yeah, I feel like there's some great relationships in your future.
01:16:20I really do.
01:16:22Okay.
01:16:23Thanks for talking.
01:16:24We'll check in sometime soon, okay?
01:16:26All right.
01:16:27Thank you, Dr. Paradise.
01:16:28Take care.
01:16:29Bye-bye.
01:16:30Bye.
01:16:31Bye.
01:16:32Bye.
01:16:33Bye.
01:16:34Bye.
01:16:35Bye.
01:16:36Bye.
01:16:37Bye.
01:16:38Bye.
01:16:39Bye.
01:16:40Bye.
01:16:41Bye.
01:16:42Bye.
01:16:43Bye.
01:16:44Bye.
01:16:45Bye.
01:16:46Bye.
01:16:47Bye.
01:16:48Bye.
01:16:49Bye.
01:16:50Bye.
01:16:51Bye.
01:16:52Bye.
01:16:53Bye.
01:16:54Bye.
01:16:55Bye.
01:16:56Bye.
01:16:57Bye.
01:16:58Bye.
01:16:59Bye.
01:17:00Bye.
01:17:01Bye.
01:17:02Bye.
01:17:03Bye.
01:17:04Bye.
01:17:05Bye.
01:17:06We're at the bowling alleys tonight, I went put putting with my mom and my nephew, Daxton.
01:17:07We're gonna play put put.
01:17:08You pick any golf balls and then what color golf balls.
01:17:09Oh, what color golf ball do you want?
01:17:13See all the colors.
01:17:16Yeah.
01:17:17Blue.
01:17:18Okay.
01:17:19Blue.
01:17:20We're gonna go put put?
01:17:21I love being around my nephew.
01:17:22He brings out the best in me.
01:17:23Okay, so your ball gets set down like right here or here and then try to make it in there.
01:17:29Oh!
01:17:30Oh!
01:17:32He's full of energy, and he just gets me all full of energy.
01:17:35He is just a squirrely little kid,
01:17:37and I just, I love him to pieces.
01:17:38Lightly tap.
01:17:39Yay!
01:17:41Good job.
01:17:42Good job, buddy.
01:17:43OK, where do you want to go?
01:17:44This one right here?
01:17:45I'm going to try this one.
01:17:46There's bowling balls on this one.
01:17:48Are you ready for this?
01:17:50I feel like I've been able to move
01:17:51on from my old life with Paul.
01:17:53Oh!
01:17:54So close.
01:17:56My turn.
01:17:57OK.
01:17:58It's Marmee's turn.
01:17:59In all the progress I'm making in my weight loss journey,
01:18:03I'm starting to feel happier than I have for a long time.
01:18:06Oh!
01:18:07Oh!
01:18:10I feel more confident going out now,
01:18:12because for the first time I can remember,
01:18:14I like who's looking back at me in the mirror.
01:18:17He's practicing.
01:18:18Oh!
01:18:21You and Aunt Lindsay get over there and take it in.
01:18:23I've also started to bring more fun back
01:18:25into my life, which is something Dr. Paradise
01:18:28recommended I do.
01:18:29I cheated.
01:18:29What?
01:18:30I cheated.
01:18:32So all my happiness isn't coming from food anymore.
01:18:36All right, we're over here.
01:18:38Wait just a minute.
01:18:39Wait until they're done, OK?
01:18:41All right.
01:18:42And one of the new things I've done
01:18:44is putting a dating profile online.
01:18:47Dax, didn't you see that?
01:18:48It went around in circles.
01:18:50And to my surprise, I met some men I like.
01:18:53And one of them is kind of growing on me.
01:18:55And it's like this whole new life is unfolding
01:18:57that I never thought was possible.
01:18:59My god!
01:19:00And I feel excited for what might be coming next.
01:19:03I am just like really proud of how far I've came.
01:19:06Ah!
01:19:08Thriving to the point that I don't have to stop and take
01:19:11a beat or, you know, stop or rest,
01:19:13to have that ability to go out with my nephew and my mom
01:19:18is just completely amazing.
01:19:21Did you have a good time?
01:19:24Yeah.
01:19:27Mm-hmm.
01:19:52Oh!
01:19:54I've been back in Florida for a couple of months.
01:19:57I'm making more progress and losing more weight.
01:20:00So I'm starting to get more excess skin.
01:20:03And I can see how I may want that off in the future.
01:20:08So once I lose more, I'm thinking
01:20:10about going back to Houston for a while to do that.
01:20:15But I know it's going to take me a while to recover
01:20:17if I do go down for that.
01:20:18Because, you know, based on how long it took my leg to recover.
01:20:28I'm also making sure I do my therapy with Dr. Paradise.
01:20:33Hi, Thedrick.
01:20:34How are you?
01:20:35I'm all right.
01:20:36How are you, Doc?
01:20:37OK.
01:20:37I'm OK.
01:20:38It's good to see you.
01:20:39Tell me a little bit about yourself, Thedrick.
01:20:41I'm 35.
01:20:43OK.
01:20:44From Fargo.
01:20:45Grew up in the city of Gruttona.
01:20:47Play basketball just about every day.
01:20:49Gruttona, where is that?
01:20:50Florida, on the other side of Quincy, Florida.
01:20:53Tell me a little bit about your childhood.
01:20:56Tell me a little bit about your childhood.
01:20:57Who was in your house growing up?
01:21:00Where was your dad?
01:21:05OK.
01:21:06That's a pretty big deal.
01:21:08What was school like for you?
01:21:09What was elementary school?
01:21:11Do you remember that?
01:21:17Were you big back then?
01:21:19Yep.
01:21:20What do you think was going on that you
01:21:21were big in third grade?
01:21:23I don't know.
01:21:24I think it had something to do with the clay my mom was eating.
01:21:28OK.
01:21:30Tell me, when you first joined the program,
01:21:32how much did you weigh?
01:21:33740.
01:21:35740?
01:21:36What got you big, Thedrick?
01:21:37What were you eating to get yourself big?
01:21:40What got me big was that mask that was on my leg.
01:21:44That mask kept me from moving around.
01:21:47It just got bigger and bigger.
01:21:49Harder and harder to get out?
01:21:50Harder and harder to be active?
01:21:52To walk around, to do anything.
01:21:54Did you have a job there?
01:21:56No, I'm disabled.
01:21:58Have you ever had a job since you've been growing up?
01:22:01Yeah, I got a job when I was 18.
01:22:03I did security.
01:22:05What happened after that, Thedrick?
01:22:07Unemployment.
01:22:10And then you ended up on disability?
01:22:12Yeah, I got on disability in 2011.
01:22:15That's when I couldn't stand up.
01:22:16It sounds like after that, you became kind of stuck.
01:22:20Who are you telling, stuck in the house?
01:22:23New year after new year after new year for 14 years.
01:22:29OK.
01:22:30Because you seem like you've got so much to offer the world.
01:22:33Yeah.
01:22:33What's some other goals you have, Thedrick?
01:22:35I'm wondering what your dream job is.
01:22:37My dream job, I want to go to school to be a gunsmith.
01:22:42You ever go to gun stores and talk to guys that work there?
01:22:45I go to the pawn shop.
01:22:46Thedrick, how do you think you get a job at a pawn shop?
01:22:49I don't know.
01:22:51I'm going to see.
01:22:52Let's try to make that into some kind of real assignment for you.
01:22:56So I want you to do that, and then you'll follow up with me, OK?
01:23:00OK.
01:23:01All right.
01:23:01Take care, man.
01:23:02Great to meet you.
01:23:03All right.
01:23:03You take care too, Mr. Paradise.
01:23:05Nice meeting you.
01:23:06Bye, Thedrick.
01:23:07Bye-bye.
01:23:10I felt like my old body was holding me back.
01:23:13Now that I lost the weight, I feel like I got more to look forward towards the future.
01:23:21I can't wait to keep enjoying a more active and adventurous new life.
01:23:25Who knows?
01:23:26I might even start dating again soon.