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00:00:00I 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's
00:01:00been 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**.
00:01:12And I'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.
00:01:56Mom!
00:01:57I am Thedrick's primary care.
00:02:01All right, little boy, we ain't going to take long for this.
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.
00:02:15I'm only ready to 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.
00:02:43Yo.
00:02:44Hello.
00:02:44What's up?
00:02:45What's up, big guy?
00:02:46What's up?
00:02:47Chillin', man.
00:02:48How are you?
00:02:48Cooling.
00:02:49That's good.
00:02:50What's up, bro?
00:02:52What's up, my bro?
00:02:53Chillin', man.
00:02:54You good?
00:02:54Yeah, 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, you 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, it ain't for us.
00:03:12We just really want you to be healthy, Pedrick.
00:03:14Yes.
00:03:15OK.
00:03:16Yeah.
00:03:17Yeah.
00:03:28Me and my mama are on the way to where my appointment
00:03:31is with 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.
00:04:03The appointment at 11 o'clock.
00:04:04What time is it?
00:04:06It's time for you to get up.
00:04:08OK.
00:04:12Pedrick?
00:04:387.40.
00:04:46Hello.
00:04:47Hello.
00:04:47How y'all doing?
00:04:49I'm all right.
00:04:49How 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 that.
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.
00:05:08When he called me downstairs, and he couldn't
00:05:10hardly breathe or anything.
00:05:11And so it's like this is 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, Pedrick, what are you willing to do
00:05:26to get to be 200 pounds?
00:05:29Just about anything.
00:05:35You know I can't live my food up there, huh?
00:05:49Ain't nothing you're doing, Bob, but I can.
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, Pedrick.
00:05:59You got to make your mind up.
00:06:02You got to first get the mind set.
00:06:08My mom and me have been back from Houston
00:06:10for a couple of weeks.
00:06:11And then I've been working on all the diet and exercise
00:06:15plans.
00:06:16I'm eating right.
00:06:17I'm walking around two times a day.
00:06:25You got to lose inches.
00:06:26No way you're going to get them inches off me.
00:06:28You 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 had to work hard this past month.
00:06:53I ate better than ever and did my exercises two times a day.
00:06:58So now, what I hope is that when I get on that scale,
00:07:02I see that I'm at my goal.
00:07:06Pedrick?
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.
00:07:226.15.
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.
00:07:32Since you lost that weight, I'm going to approve
00:07:35you for weight loss surgery.
00:07:37All right.
00:07:38So.
00:07:39I do have a headband.
00:07:40Mom.
00:07:40I do have a headband.
00:07:42I have a headband!
00:07:43I'm going to lose it!
00:07:44Stop saying that.
00:07:45I'm so happy!
00:07:46I'm so happy!
00:07:46Ah!
00:07:55We got the report back from cardiologists,
00:07:57and unfortunately, Pedrick's heart
00:07:59is too compromised at this time to do
00:08:02any type of serious surgery.
00:08:04Hey, Pedrick.
00:08:05What's up, Doc?
00:08:06How are you?
00:08:07I'm good.
00:08:09So, you know, the situation, we call it
00:08:11low ejection fraction, which means your heart
00:08:14is not pumping very well.
00:08:16So unfortunately, we won't be able to do
00:08:19surgery on you this time.
00:08:21Yes.
00:08:22So this is very important to get you to lose some weight.
00:08:26OK?
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 lymphoedema mass in your leg
00:08:36before we do weight loss surgery.
00:08:38OK?
00:08:39So just keep up the hard work, and you'll get there soon.
00:08:42OK?
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.
00:08:56I'll sit 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 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's going to be you detaching from me.
00:09:26Nah, it's the other way around.
00:09:28You detaching from me.
00:09:30I'm going to be the new improved Dedrick,
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
00:09:56and told me my heart wasn't strong enough for surgery,
00:09:59unless I lost another 50 pounds to get
00:10:01more strain off my body.
00:10:04So that got me determined to get that weight off me.
00:10:06And so far, I lost another 38 pounds since then.
00:10:10So I'm making progress to get what I need.
00:10:13It's been a bit of a struggle, but I've
00:10:15been sticking to my diet and getting exercise.
00:10:17So I'm working every day, and I'm
00:10:19sticking 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.
00:10:39So 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. Nye last week, and he told me
00:10:50he'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 my 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. Nye 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 tests 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 get out of.
00:11:41There's a whole big world out there I haven't
00:11:43been able to go out into.
00:11:44I'm 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.
00:12:43I'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.
00:13:21It's not the same Lindsey and Paul that it used to be.
00:13:25But I don't think Paul understands
00:13:27what I struggle with.
00:13:29Melissa called and said her and a bunch of the girls
00:13:30were going to go out.
00:13:32And I told her that I would go out, and 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.
00:13:55I don't know.
00:13:57I just like the way that food makes me feel.
00:14:03It's killing.
00:14:04It's killing you.
00:14:06I know I'm letting food and my eating destroy my whole life.
00:14:09I'm either going to die soon or lose Paul.
00:14:12I know it disappoints him.
00:14:14I love her so freaking much, but I'm watching her
00:14:18die right in front of me.
00:14:20I feel helpless.
00:14:23I don't have much of a future.
00:14:25I have to get help before it's too late.
00:14:33We're running a little behind, but thankfully, we're here.
00:14:37So I'm happy to finally be here, but I have so many emotions
00:14:41going through my mind.
00:14:43I'm nervous about meeting Dr. Now.
00:14:44I'm scared to hear what he's going to say
00:14:47and to find out if he'll help me or not.
00:14:51Lindsay?
00:14:53It's been a few years since I had my weight checked,
00:14:56but I'm not really sure.
00:14:57I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it.
00:14:59I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it.
00:15:01I'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.
00:15:14Wow.
00:15:18That 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.
00:15:26It says here in your chart you had a gastric sleeve
00:15:29done about eight years ago.
00:15:30Mm-hmm.
00:15:31It didn't work for you, huh?
00:15:33It didn't, no.
00:15:34I was just hoping for a second chance, I guess.
00:15:37So this is totally a behavioral problem
00:15:40that is not going to be corrected with just the surgery.
00:15:42Oh, OK.
00:15:43OK?
00:15:44Here is what you need to do.
00:15:46I'm going to give you a 1,200 calorie a day
00:15:49high-protein low-carb diet 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.
00:15:57I expect to see you back here in two months and 75 pounds less.
00:16:02OK?
00:16:03OK.
00:16:04All right.
00:16:04Yep.
00:16:05All right, thank you.
00:16:17Do we have any snacks left?
00:16:19Yeah, we do.
00:16:20But if you start snacking now, honey, like, it's a snack.
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 f***ing 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 b***h.
00:16:39Now, I'm not f***ing sticking around for it.
00:16:43F***ing serious.
00:16:48F***.
00:16:58I'm back in Houston for my next appointment with Dr. Now.
00:17:01Paul didn't come down with me this time.
00:17:03We've been fighting a lot lately.
00:17:05So my mom said she'd come with me this time.
00:17:08Lindsey?
00:17:10Because I'm nervous to see how I did with my weight loss goal.
00:17:13And Dr. Now told me I had to lose 75 in that time.
00:17:17So that means I should be below 572 pounds if I hit my goal.
00:17:27So today, you're only down to 619.
00:17:30Yes.
00:17:31You're nowhere close to being on the diet I gave you.
00:17:34The truth is, you really don't want to change.
00:17:36Because you don't want to give up the food that you like.
00:17:39That's killing you.
00:17:42So this is a very bad situation we have with you.
00:17:45Oh, my God.
00:17:46I'm sorry.
00:17:47It's OK.
00:17:48It's OK.
00:17:49Dr. Now?
00:17:50I'm sorry.
00:17:51I'm so sorry.
00:17:52I'm sorry.
00:17:53I love you.
00:17:54I want to say thank you to Dr. Now too.
00:17:58I love you.
00:18:00I love you.
00:18:05See you later.
00:18:06Bye-bye.
00:18:07Bye.
00:18:08You're welcome.
00:18:09I love you.
00:18:10I love you too.
00:18:11I love you both.
00:18:12I love you.
00:18:13The truth is, you really don't want to change, because you don't want to give up the food
00:18:27that you like that's killing you.
00:18:30So this is a very bad situation we have with you.
00:18:34So I'm giving you the same very close goal as the last time.
00:18:38And if you fail this thing, 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.
00:18:52So I need to do everything I can to get all the way to my goal, no matter what it takes.
00:19:08Oh!
00:19:09Holy s***!
00:19:10What are you doing?
00:19:11You're not...
00:19:12What are you doing?
00:19:13I was supposed to lose 75 pounds in two months, and I ended up only losing 20.
00:19:34He didn't improve me for surgery, so I just feel like a failure again.
00:19:41I don't even know if I can go back to Houston.
00:19:43You're going to have to.
00:19:44So you're basically just shoving me back down there.
00:19:47That's where you want to go, because that's your goal, right?
00:19:51Is it not?
00:19:52I had my chance already, and I f***ed that up.
00:19:57I have two months to hit my goal.
00:20:00Two months.
00:20:01If 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, and Dr. Now told me I needed
00:20:13to lose at least 35 pounds a month, and I really, really hope I did that.
00:20:22I can't believe I lost that much weight, but I don't really know what to expect from Dr.
00:20:27Now.
00:20:29It's been three months, so you should have lost 75 pounds with the goal I gave you, but
00:20:3382 is still a lot.
00:20:36So you have shown me that you're starting to make the choices you need to work hard.
00:20:40So I'll appeal for surgery.
00:20:43No way.
00:20:44Yes.
00:20:45Oh my gosh.
00:20:46That's so...
00:20:47That is awesome.
00:20:48I was not expecting that.
00:20:49Oh my gosh.
00:20:50That's awesome.
00:20:52Okay.
00:20:53All finished.
00:20:54Lindsay's surgery ultimately went very well.
00:20:55We had a lot of complications because of her scar tissue, but ultimately I was able to
00:21:08work around them.
00:21:09She should be able to lose at least 25 pounds a month until she starts to get close to her
00:21:14target weight, but that's only going to happen if Lindsay starts to deal with the core issues
00:21:19that have been driving her to eat and that led to her failing her first weight loss surgery.
00:21:25So once she fully recovers from her surgery, she'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 or the year she loses her last
00:21:39chance to live.
00:21:40Where we go from here is still all up to her, but I'm hopeful that she will succeed this
00:21:45time.
00:21:49Here's the water.
00:22:03Thank you so much.
00:22:04So I'll let you set up and just rest for a while, that way you can just take a little
00:22:10breather.
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 and it was actually a relief that Irene was able to provide me
00:22:26a room.
00:22:27Just came up in conversation and here I am.
00:22:30Irene has been amazing.
00:22:32She's just like a person of knowledge when it comes to weight loss surgery, do's and
00:22:38don'ts, and 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, and being down here for this long is
00:22:46getting 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, but he didn't, and I was hoping he'd be able
00:22:59to come down to start therapy together, going every two weeks.
00:23:03He agreed to that, but Paul's been busy, so we haven't been doing that.
00:23:07We're still doing video calls to hold each other accountable.
00:23:12Paul's holding me accountable for my weight loss, and I'm holding him accountable for
00:23:17his alcohol intake.
00:23:19He's still drinking, yeah.
00:23:20I watched the transactions on our bank account, and I know what a 30-pack costs, and I know
00:23:26that he's still drinking.
00:23:28So I'm just feeling a bit lonely and discouraged.
00:23:31I actually had a weak moment a couple weeks ago when I packed up a lot of my stuff and
00:23:37was just gonna move back, but Paul ended up calling me and talking me off the ledge
00:23:43and convinced me we both need to stick with focusing on ourselves to be better for each
00:23:47other.
00:23:48After that, he actually sent more of my stuff down to me because when I originally packed,
00:23:53I didn't bring a whole lot, but I'm still focused on my weight loss journey and meeting
00:23:57my goals, but that's still seven months away.
00:24:00It's just getting a lot harder than what I thought it would be, but I definitely feel
00:24:04like this is the beginning of a whole new life for me.
00:24:07I am extremely grateful that this opportunity came about, and with a really good person
00:24:13as well.
00:24:34Today, I'm getting my lymphedema removed from my leg.
00:24:42I'm at the hospital for that, and I'm glad to finally be getting this huge thing off
00:24:47of me, but I'm scared, too, because I never been through an operation like this.
00:24:54Hi, Tedrick.
00:24:55What's up, dog?
00:24:56How are you today?
00:24:57You ready for this big operation?
00:25:00I'm kind of nervous and scared.
00:25:03Well, that's normal to be nervous, because this is a big mass you got in here, and you
00:25:10got to take this off.
00:25:11You'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?
00:25:33Yeah.
00:25:34All right.
00:25:35We'll get you fixed up shortly, OK?
00:25:38I don't want to keep living with this big thing pulling down on me, and I worked hard
00:25:42to be able to do this.
00:25:44So no matter what, I'm not backing down.
00:25:47I'm going through with this.
00:25:49OK.
00:25:54And I can't wait to feel what it's going to be like to be free of this huge ball that
00:25:59has been on my leg for years.
00:26:03I'm proud of Tedrick for working hard to lose more weight.
00:26:06Three months ago, I told him he needed to lose at least 50 pounds to reduce the strain
00:26:12that he saw.
00:26:13When he came to his last appointment a week ago, he was down to 558, and he's doing well.
00:26:20So we ran the test on him again.
00:26:23His body is still not ready to handle an invasive operation like weight loss surgery, but he
00:26:30has reduced the strain enough on his system for us to perform an emphysema removal.
00:26:36So we are attempting to do that today, starting the first incision.
00:26:48If we are able to remove this whole mass from him, it's going to be a significant improvement
00:26:54for him, because it is probably over 50 to 60 pounds of weight pulling on him, preventing
00:27:00him from being mobile.
00:27:02Ted said he's coming off.
00:27:04So getting this all off will be life-changing for him.
00:27:09But taking a mass like this is a complicated surgery that is going to require us tying
00:27:16up hundreds of blood vessels.
00:27:18Even 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, we may have to reduce the amount we remove from him.
00:27:29We almost have the largest part of the mass off.
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, you know, going on anesthesia, anything can happen, you know.
00:27:54It's hard because the doctor said he had a weak heart.
00:27:58So it's hard.
00:27:59I can't, you know, give up.
00:28:01You know, I know everything is in God's hands.
00:28:04But, you know, still nervous.
00:28:09Praying that he come out all right.
00:28:14Okay, got it?
00:28:17Put it on the table, please.
00:28:19Pick up this thing.
00:28:21That's heavy, so that will be a good amount of weight off of him.
00:28:30Now we just need to take off some small pieces.
00:28:34And once we tie up the blood vessels, we can suture him up.
00:28:38Get that one there.
00:28:40All right, almost done.
00:28:43Okay, finish those sutures.
00:28:46Then we can get him to recovery.
00:28:58Okay, done.
00:29:05This is a huge mass.
00:29:08This is over 40 inches.
00:29:11And probably weighs over 60 pounds.
00:29:17So we'll get it on the scale and see what it'll come to.
00:29:23All right, it's working?
00:29:25It's at zero?
00:29:26Yes.
00:29:29Zero.
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,
00:29:48Cedric 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,
00:30:05Cedric is going to notice a world of difference
00:30:09with how active and mobile he can be now.
00:30:12Hello.
00:30:13Hello, Doc.
00:30:14All right, Cedric 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.
00:30:30So he went down to 560 pounds.
00:30:34He lost 66, and right now he's in the 400s.
00:30:39So that's a great improvement.
00:30:43And 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.
00:30:52I was worried about that.
00:30:54Well, you know, this is a big operation.
00:30:56It's a large area.
00:30:57We probably tied about 400 blood vessels to get this off of him.
00:31:03Yeah.
00:31:04It was a lot of work to do.
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.
00:31:38I'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.
00:32:34♪♪♪
00:32:44♪♪♪
00:32:56It's been a month since my big lymphedema removal.
00:33:00And the doctor now says I'm healing good.
00:33:03I'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.
00:33:11It'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.
00:33:23You got in too tight.
00:33:27Really, Tedrick?
00:33:29You got in there wrong.
00:33:30I got in here wrong.
00:33:32I 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.
00:33:40So I'm not.
00:33:42When I left the hospital, I was around 490.
00:33:46And today I was at 462.
00:33:50I'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.
00:34:13Mom!
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.
00:34:22I feel lighter.
00:34:23You do?
00:34:24Almost took out running.
00:34:26What was that key word?
00:34:27Almost.
00:34:29I'm glad.
00:34:30I've been waiting on this day a long time.
00:34:32Yeah, me too.
00:34:34I ain't have no pain.
00:34:37It's just when I be asleep, it be burning right here, you know?
00:34:40So you gonna talk to the doctor now about the stomach surgery?
00:34:43I ain't getting it.
00:34:44You don't want it?
00:34:45Uh-uh.
00:34:46Why?
00:34:47Because I got what I wanted.
00:34:48Yeah, but you still need stomach surgery.
00:34:51I got a lot more weight to lose.
00:34:53So you want me to get stomach surgery?
00:34:55Personally, I don't want to go back through that because that was scary.
00:34:58But you got to look at the outcome.
00:35:00What the doctor said?
00:35:05See, I got to lose some more weight before I get stomach 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're going to do the stomach surgery?
00:35:17Yeah.
00:35:18Well, I think if you had a surgery, it would help you lose a lot more weight.
00:35:22Yeah.
00:35:23You nervous?
00:35:24No.
00:35:25Why you don't want the surgery?
00:35:26Because I don't want it.
00:35:27But then how are you going to continue to lose your weight if you don't have the surgery?
00:35:31But just think about it.
00:35:32After maybe another six months to a year or whatever, you may have lost a lot more weight.
00:35:38Get down to where you want to be at.
00:35:40Yeah.
00:35:42Ain't nothing wrong with that.
00:35:44Since the surgery, Thedra's been doing okay.
00:35:47It's been more me that's stressing.
00:35:52I'm hoping that Thedra will get approved for the surgery.
00:35:55If he stick to the diet, he going to get approved for the surgery.
00:35:58I hope he do.
00:35:59All right.
00:36:01Take your nap.
00:36:02Because you got another walk to go this afternoon, right?
00:36:05Just remember they told you got to move around more.
00:36:07So take a nap.
00:36:10Tooty-toot.
00:36:13If my mama think I should do the surgery, then I consider it.
00:36:16But I guess the first step is I have to lose another 20 pounds before 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.
00:36:47I'm going to my next appointment.
00:36:50It's my two-month follow-up since my weight loss surgery.
00:36:53So I should still be making some good progress.
00:36:56I think because I'm still following the diet.
00:36:59But I've been a little stressed.
00:37:02Paul seemed distant the last time we talked.
00:37:05We fought because I want to go back to Iowa for a couple of months.
00:37:08And he doesn't think it's a good idea because he says I'm starting to lose focus.
00:37:12And I need to just stay here to do what I set out to do.
00:37:16So I feel like we're growing apart.
00:37:19And it's making me feel like being down here right now is a mistake.
00:37:23But I'm trying to stay focused on doing what I need to get healthy like I planned.
00:37:31Lindsay?
00:37:35I was at 438 at my one-month follow-up.
00:37:38And Dr. Now said he was happy with that.
00:37:41But I'm supposed to be losing at least 25 pounds a month.
00:37:49So that means I should be down to 413 today.
00:38:03I'm happy that my weight loss is closer to the goal than not.
00:38:07But I know I still didn't make it.
00:38:10So Dr. Now may not be happy with that.
00:38:13And I'm not happy with that.
00:38:16But I want to do better.
00:38:19I'm thankful for the opportunity to be there and to do Dr. Now's program.
00:38:25And it's hard.
00:38:27And I don't want to be going through it for nothing.
00:38:30So I need to make sure I do better.
00:38:34Hi, Lindsay.
00:38:35Hi.
00:38:36How are you?
00:38:37I'm good.
00:38:38How are you?
00:38:39Doing good.
00:38:40So today you are down to 421, huh?
00:38:45Yep.
00:38:46That is a little slower progress than you should have.
00:38:49So what's going on?
00:38:50I've been trying.
00:38:51But it has been hard just being here for this long.
00:38:56There's some other stuff going on.
00:39:00There's some other stuff going on in my life that's not so good.
00:39:04But I feel good with the weight loss.
00:39:07Have you started therapy to help you with that?
00:39:10Not yet.
00:39:11Emotionally, you're a strong person.
00:39:14But you still have to learn to deal with your emotions in 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?
00:39:32Yes.
00:39:33All right.
00:39:34So you're doing good.
00:39:35Okay.
00:39:36Good, good.
00:39:37Glad you're here.
00:39:38I'm proud of your progress, but the most important thing to focus on is therapy and 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.
00:39:49I definitely am driven.
00:39:51Definitely.
00:39:52You have a bright horizon for yourself, and this is a journey that you need to get your weight down to 180.
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.
00:40:12Maybe you mean five times a week?
00:40:14Or five times a week.
00:40:16Sorry, yeah.
00:40:17That's good.
00:40:18Okay.
00:40:20You lost almost 200 pounds, but 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.
00:40:31You're doing great, and stay focused, and I'll see you next month.
00:40:34Okay.
00:40:35Bye.
00:40:37You're welcome.
00:40:41Lindsay has come a long way over the past year, and I'm proud of her progress.
00:40:46She's done well overall.
00:40:49This past month, she has slowed down some,
00:40:52which made me concerned that she's letting life and her emotional issues
00:40:57start to affect her again.
00:40:59So it's very important she learns to deal with those issues in a healthy way
00:41:05so she doesn't slow down any further
00:41:08because she already failed one weight loss surgery years ago,
00:41:12and she still has a long way to go.
00:41:19I was really glad and thankful for Dr. Now's response.
00:41:23I was expecting for him to come down on me more, but I'm happy he's proud of me
00:41:29and that the almost 20-pound loss over the past month
00:41:33was 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.
00:41:44Especially because I think that will help me and Paul too,
00:41:47even if he's on a video call of it.
00:41:50So I'm going to make sure it can get set up where Paul can join in
00:41:54so I can start making more progress and feel more connected to Paul again.
00:42:15My mom and I are headed to see Dr. Now.
00:42:18I told her I can do this on my own now,
00:42:21but she said she was coming with me
00:42:23to make sure I don't do something foolish and turn down the surgery.
00:42:29Mr. Barnes?
00:42:34But all that doesn't matter if I don't make it to my goal.
00:42:38The last time I was down to 462,
00:42:41and Dr. Now told me I have to lose at least another 20 pounds
00:42:45for him to run tests again.
00:42:48And she says my heart is strong enough.
00:42:51So that means I need to be down to 442 today.
00:43:01That's the last time I'm going to make it to my goal.
00:43:06That's a good weight.
00:43:08We're going to be going to room 5.
00:43:11I'm happy with that.
00:43:13And I'm pretty sure Dr. Now will be too,
00:43:16so I think he's going to approve me today.
00:43:19And that is what I came here to hear.
00:43:22I know what my mama is pushing me to do.
00:43:26I'm feeling like maybe I'm not ready to take the next step,
00:43:30but I guess that all depends on what Dr. Now says today.
00:43:35If he approves me,
00:43:37I have to decide if I want surgery right now or not.
00:43:41I'm not sure what I'm going to do.
00:43:46Hello, how y'all doing?
00:43:48How are you?
00:43:50Y'all doing okay today?
00:43:52Mm-hmm.
00:43:54All right, Tedrick, how you feel?
00:43:56Feel great.
00:43:58You feeling okay?
00:44:00Mm-hmm.
00:44:02I see that your weight is down to 440 pounds.
00:44:06Yes, sir.
00:44:08So far you have lost exactly 300 pounds, so that's great.
00:44:12So how you feel with losing all that?
00:44:15Light.
00:44:17More mobile, huh?
00:44:19Mm-hmm.
00:44:21Mobile.
00:44:23Feeling good.
00:44:25That's good.
00:44:27Tedrick, you've come a long way from being 740 pounds.
00:44:31What 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, 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,
00:44:57and 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
00:45:09when 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,
00:45:34so we go ahead and do some testing on you today,
00:45:38and 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
00:45:53to control your weight much easier
00:45:55and get you a goal weight, okay?
00:45:57Okay.
00:45:58And then you will naturally have some extra skin that need to come off,
00:46:01and then we'll take care of that, too.
00:46:04So.
00:46:05Okay.
00:46:06Okay?
00:46:07I'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, I'll see you all later.
00:46:22All 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 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.
00:46:57And 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.
00:47:25And my mom is also.
00:47:27So I'm feeling good.
00:47:29You know, hearing what Dad and I are saying and what my mom is saying,
00:47:34I know it's going to be important for me to have it.
00:47:39And I'm even feeling a little excited now.
00:47:49It's been a hard month, one of the worst of my life.
00:47:54Right now, I think the hardest part is just coming to terms with what has happened.
00:47:59I moved to Houston to get better for myself and to get better for my husband.
00:48:04And my husband ended up cheating on me.
00:48:07He calls me up and he's like,
00:48:09Hey, you know what? I'm not going to do it.
00:48:11I'm not going to do it.
00:48:13I'm not going to do it.
00:48:15I'm not going to do it.
00:48:17He calls me up and tells me, I have something to tell you.
00:48:19And I said, What?
00:48:21He 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.
00:48:28But then I found out a little more to the story.
00:48:31Apparently, he met somebody else, somebody that allows him to drink.
00:48:35And so he's just on to the next best thing.
00:48:38He already made up his mind.
00:48:40I have tried fighting for him.
00:48:42And he's made it abundantly clear that I'm just not the one.
00:48:45He wants to be with this woman.
00:48:47And I'm just somebody that once was.
00:48:50I 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.
00:49:03Makes me feel betrayed.
00:49:06But now it's just, it's real.
00:49:08It is real.
00:49:15♪♪♪
00:49:20♪♪♪
00:49:25♪♪♪
00:49:30We ran the test we needed on third rate.
00:49:33And his heart and everything looked good.
00:49:36And he also stayed on track this past month.
00:49:39And he lost another 17 pounds.
00:49:41He's down to 423 and approaching the 300s.
00:49:45So things are looking very good with him.
00:49:48♪♪♪
00:49:52Good morning, Cedric.
00:49:54Morning, Doc.
00:49:55All 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.
00:50:08We'll get started shortly, okay?
00:50:10Okay.
00:50:11♪♪♪♪
00:50:16I'm a little bit nervous, but excited to get my stomach surgery.
00:50:20Because I know it's going to help me keep losing weight.
00:50:23And I want to do that.
00:50:25I was thinking I might not need it.
00:50:28But my mom and doctor now told me it's going to get harder for me down the road.
00:50:32So I need this.
00:50:34Because 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.
00:50:44♪♪♪♪
00:50:47Today we are attempting to perform a gastric sleeve on Cedric.
00:50:51He worked hard to start changing his life and lost almost 320 pounds so far.
00:50:5770 of that we took off with his lymphoedema removal.
00:51:01And about 250 of that has been the progress Cedric has made.
00:51:06So I'm very confident he's ready for weight loss surgery today.
00:51:14Okay, starting the first incision.
00:51:17♪♪♪♪♪
00:51:22This is going to be an important tool that is going to help him to stay on track for the long term.
00:51:28But Cedric 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
00:51:40and pushes it to a dangerous place.
00:51:43So at any point if it is looking like there could be any concerning issues
00:51:49we may have to stop the surgery.
00:51:52But hopefully that won't be the issue.
00:51:54And we'll be able to complete the operation and give Cedric 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.
00:52:21♪♪♪♪♪♪
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 OK, is it going to be alright?
00:52:45So I'm just sitting here praying that everything go well.
00:52:48Hold it there, move it to the right, alright let's take the stomach out, okay got it, we're
00:53:10almost done, alright finish, put that in the room right now, take that surgery went
00:53:29very well, we didn't have to stop the operation and we completed it how we intended, this
00:53:36is Kedrick's stomach, it's a long stomach, it doesn't look that big because it's collapsed,
00:53:43we removed almost 90% of Kedrick's stomach to significantly reduce the size and how much
00:53:50he can eat at once, this is a part of Kedrick's stomach which is inflated, you can see what
00:53:58it normally looks like when he eats, so it can hold a lot of food, Kedrick will need
00:54:05to stay here for a day or two until he recovers from the surgery and then he can go home and
00:54:12stay on a liquid diet and at that time he should be able to lose another 30 pounds and
00:54:18after that he should be able to lose around 20 pounds a month until he gets closer to
00:54:23his target weight, so if Kedrick stays on track and with some skin removal wounds he
00:54:30should be able to make it to his target weight within 9 to 12 months, depending on how much
00:54:35he slows down when he gets closer to his target weight, but so far he's done great and I think
00:54:43he's going to continue doing well, but now that his physical drive to eat is an issue,
00:54:49he may have some emotional issues that come to the surface that we need to help him address,
00:54:55so we're going to follow up with him consistently to make sure he stays on track because even
00:55:02with as far as he has come, Kedrick is in to the finish line yet and he may still have
00:55:08some rough road ahead.
00:55:25It's been a couple of months since my weight loss surgery and doctor now says I'm doing
00:55:44good and staying on track.
00:55:48He says my weight loss is good and my stamina is getting really good, so he wants me to
00:55:54keep making progress with both those things.
00:55:57He also said he wants me to start going to a therapist because I'm going to have things
00:56:01I need to talk about to make sure I don't go back to overeating and I don't know about
00:56:06that, but I figured I'd give it a try if it could help me keep making more weight loss
00:56:11progress because that's exactly what I want to do.
00:56:14I only have about 150 pounds left to go.
00:56:18Doctor now says the rest is excess skin.
00:56:20I'm going to have to get it removed when I lose some more, but as of now, I lost over
00:56:26360 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 a run, I ain't did it in so many years.
00:56:37It's going to take a little work to get back to my normal self on the court, but I've come
00:56:41a really long way.
00:56:44I wish I could just get in the shower and clean myself, but I can't take a shower because
00:56:49the knot on my leg is too heavy to 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, but I need help because I can't reach
00:57:02all around me.
00:57:04I'm proud of how I'm doing and where my life is getting to, so I'm starting to make a lot
00:57:08of plans I want to start doing soon, and so that got me thinking that most of what I want
00:57:13to do is back in Florida, so I might want to go back there soon.
00:57:18I know I have stuff like skin removals to have, but I feel like I'm getting to a real
00:57:22good place and I can be happy with the end of that.
00:57:29The biggest thing was the lymphedema on my leg, and that's already gone.
00:57:34So I'm thinking about telling the doctor now that I'm going to be at a good place soon
00:57:37and that I want to move back home, and I think my mom would like that too.
00:57:42We've both been here for a while, but for me it's already longer than I thought, so
00:57:48I feel like I'm ready to go back home soon, and I really hope the doctor now agrees with me.
00:58:13I'm taking multiple walks a day now.
00:58:19Because of all my weight loss and how my leg has healed, I'm able to start walking a lot
00:58:24better, so I think I'm making a lot of really good progress, and because of that I feel
00:58:29like I'm ready to go back home to Florida.
00:58:31I talked to my mom about it.
00:58:34She had some questions about what I wanted to do about skin surgery in the future, and
00:58:40I told her that if I needed those, I could come back down here by myself, because I would
00:58:45be 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, I'm going to tell the doctor now our plan
00:58:56and see what he has to say about it.
00:59:01You back?
00:59:02Yeah.
00:59:03Hot out there, man.
00:59:04It's hot?
00:59:05Yeah.
00:59:06How far you walk?
00:59:07Around the parking lot.
00:59:09That was a quick walk.
00:59:10You should take you a good while to get around there and come back, so you can pick up some
00:59:13speed.
00:59:14Look like it.
00:59:15How you feel?
00:59:16I feel excellent.
00:59:17So you finna go work out, do exercise out the book?
00:59:20Oh.
00:59:21How to dot 9 book?
00:59:22Yeah, I'm going to do exercise out the book.
00:59:24Which one you going to do?
00:59:25Let me see.
00:59:26Let me pick it.
00:59:27I'm going to pick it out for you, see which one you need.
00:59:30Where's my glasses?
00:59:31How about I pick the exercise?
00:59:33Yeah, pick them off that page right there.
00:59:37Now you finna pick something easy.
00:59:40Ain't none of this easy.
00:59:43Okay, I'm ready.
00:59:45I'm going to do it in the room.
00:59:48My mom says she's going to get everything ready for us to head back in the next 46 weeks.
00:59:55She just got to take care of changing her job, and then we got to get what we need to
01:00:00pack up and move back home.
01:00:03So if all goes as planned, in a couple months I'll be back in Florida, ready to start living
01:00:08my new life there.
01:00:10And I'm actually excited about that, because I'm not going to be stuck in the bed no more.
01:00:15I'm going to finally be able to do all I wanted.
01:00:20And I can't wait.
01:00:33I went back to Iowa.
01:00:36I thought maybe I could save my marriage, but that wasn't the case.
01:00:40He's made it perfectly clear that he does not want to be with me, and that's completely
01:00:45fine.
01:00:46So I need to get on with my life.
01:00:48And so I am living here by myself with my three dogs.
01:00:53And it's just been a whirlwind.
01:00:57I mean, there's times where I just sit in my room and just cry, because I don't want
01:01:02to be a divorcee.
01:01:04This isn't the path that I chose.
01:01:07I am not where I want to be currently.
01:01:11I don't want to start all over.
01:01:13Like, I'm still not ready.
01:01:15I'm still not ready.
01:01:17I'm still not ready.
01:01:19I'm still not ready.
01:01:21I'm still not ready.
01:01:23I'm still not ready.
01:01:26I don't want to start all over.
01:01:28Like, I've spent eight years with this man.
01:01:31And I mean, I am going to get there eventually.
01:01:35I just have been taking my time.
01:01:38Eight years is a really long time.
01:01:41I feel like he did waste my time.
01:01:43I feel like I wish I would have known this a lot sooner.
01:01:47So at first, I was very, very angry.
01:01:50So angry to the point where I would just cry nonstop.
01:01:55I'm just going to work on me.
01:01:57I'm going to do myself.
01:01:59And that's it.
01:02:01So I started doing that.
01:02:03And I was still depressed.
01:02:05Because I don't want to put myself back out there again and
01:02:08have this happen again.
01:02:10But I do have loose skin.
01:02:12And I do check my progress.
01:02:14I look at it in the mirror.
01:02:16And I'm just like, okay, you know, just one step at a time.
01:02:19So one foot in front of the other.
01:02:21I'm down in weight.
01:02:24I'm down in progress.
01:02:26But probably not as much as Dr. Now would have wanted.
01:02:29I'm still wanting to get to that main goal.
01:02:32But slow and steady wins the race.
01:02:35I've struggled.
01:02:37And I've had moments where I've given in.
01:02:40But I've never stopped trying to do the diet or trying to
01:02:43exercise.
01:02:45My goal is to still succeed.
01:02:47And I know I have to make it below 300 still.
01:02:50And to know I'm not going to regain the weight like last
01:02:53time.
01:02:55I really like making meals at home.
01:02:58For the simple fact that I know what's in it.
01:03:01And what's going in my body.
01:03:03I have found like what works for me as far as portions and
01:03:06then healthy meal choices.
01:03:08I don't know how Dr. Now is going to react to me being gone
01:03:11this long.
01:03:13I think he'll be disappointed I didn't reach out for this
01:03:16long.
01:03:19Because I felt like my life has been caving in.
01:03:22But I'm better now.
01:03:24And I'm stronger now.
01:03:26And I feel good.
01:03:28And I'm trying to focus on me getting healthy.
01:03:31I'm going to see about making an appointment with him.
01:03:34As soon as I can figure out when I can go back to Houston.
01:03:37Roscoe.
01:03:39So I'm working to do as good as possible until then.
01:03:49♪♪♪
01:03:52♪♪♪
01:03:55♪♪♪
01:03:58♪♪♪
01:04:01♪♪♪
01:04:04I decided I want to talk to Dr. Now before going back down.
01:04:07So I called his clinic to try to set up a time with him.
01:04:10They followed up and said Dr. Now wants to know my weight.
01:04:13And how I'm doing.
01:04:17So they set up a local clinic for me to go to.
01:04:20To find all that out for him.
01:04:23But I'm really, really nervous.
01:04:26It's been 8 months, maybe more, since I've seen Dr. Now.
01:04:29So I'm really scared about what he's going to think.
01:04:32And what he's going to say, depending on my weight today.
01:04:35My last weight was 421.
01:04:38Hi, welcome to the clinic.
01:04:41How can I help you?
01:04:44Hi, welcome to the re-center.
01:04:47We're going to take you this way.
01:04:50I hope my progress is enough for Dr. Now to be proud of me still.
01:04:53Okay, just stand right on it.
01:04:56Okay.
01:04:59♪♪♪
01:05:02♪♪♪
01:05:05382.7
01:05:08I'm happy, I'm a good bit lower than last time.
01:05:12Okay, come on in here.
01:05:15I know it's not as fast as the rate Dr. Now told me.
01:05:18I should be losing last time.
01:05:21Hi Lindsay.
01:05:24Hi Dr. Now.
01:05:27How are you?
01:05:30I'm good, how are you?
01:05:33I'm doing good, so it's been a long time since I've seen you.
01:05:36Yes it has.
01:05:39I'm no longer married, I did get a divorce.
01:05:42And so it's just me in the household.
01:05:45And I'm just kind of dealing with my dad
01:05:48being in and out of the hospital and in and out of nursing homes.
01:05:51And so then we have decided
01:05:54we are going forward with assisted living.
01:05:57I'm sorry to hear that, do you have any issues?
01:06:00But besides that, what kind of progress are you making?
01:06:03I feel like I am still making progress.
01:06:07I have been working out, eating.
01:06:10I am making progress, but it's just very slow.
01:06:15Well, sorry to hear that,
01:06:18that you can't be able to maintain healthy weight.
01:06:21But at least you lost 250 pounds.
01:06:24And that's a positive thing
01:06:27and you need to build on that.
01:06:30Yes, exactly.
01:06:33And I do apologize for not following up.
01:06:37But you need to stay following up with you.
01:06:40And I think that is something that will definitely change.
01:06:43Any hangover skin, any aches skin
01:06:46getting in your way of exercise?
01:06:49I do have extra skin on my arms
01:06:52and I do have extra skin on my thighs.
01:06:55Well, I think if you get your weight under 300
01:06:58then some removal of the extra skin
01:07:01will be a good idea for you.
01:07:04Not until then.
01:07:07And then this is something that you have to concentrate on.
01:07:10Okay, sounds good.
01:07:13I think if you want to start to get back in the program
01:07:16and start again to get your weight down
01:07:19you need to lose another 200 pounds
01:07:22and that's going to be a goal for you.
01:07:25Alright.
01:07:28So this will be a fresh start for you
01:07:32and we'll see if we can succeed with that.
01:07:35I do want to keep losing weight
01:07:38and I want this to be long term.
01:07:41I want to get to my goal.
01:07:44I still have that in my head.
01:07:47I do really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me
01:07:50and I want to set up another appointment and keep it going.
01:07:53Okay, well that's good. I'm glad to hear that.
01:07:56I know there's a lot of stress in your life
01:07:59and motivate yourself to stick with eating healthy.
01:08:02Okay.
01:08:05And let's set up another appointment
01:08:08and we can check with you and see how you're doing.
01:08:11Thank you so much.
01:08:14Alright, if you need anything let me know.
01:08:17Nice to see you again.
01:08:20I'm very happy to see that Lindsey is doing well.
01:08:23I was starting to wonder if I'd ever hear from her again.
01:08:27I 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
01:08:39for her long term success.
01:08:42But the reality is she still hasn't made it
01:08:45below her lowest weight after her weight loss surgery
01:08:48and she should have easily done that
01:08:51at this point.
01:08:55She still has a lot of work ahead of her
01:08:58so we set up therapy for her again.
01:09:01Hopefully she'll finally start to do that.
01:09:04And then if she does we'll see what she wants to do
01:09:07from that point.
01:09:24♪♪♪
01:09:27♪♪♪
01:09:30♪♪♪
01:09:33♪♪♪
01:09:36♪♪♪
01:09:39♪♪♪
01:09:42♪♪♪
01:09:45Steve, you got everything packed?
01:09:48Yeah.
01:09:51I'm heading home. I'll see you later.
01:09:54Today's the day me and my mom head back to Florida
01:09:57and I'm very excited.
01:10:00We 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.
01:10:15And 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
01:10:24of moving to Houston.
01:10:27My dad and my mom helped us get our stuff down here.
01:10:30I can feel how much better I'm doing
01:10:33because I can do things like help with this moving.
01:10:36But it'll be nice if I get to where I need to be at
01:10:39and go back to Florida and have a better life.
01:10:42We still have a good amount left to pack
01:10:45and get on the road today.
01:10:51I'm going to feel the pain a little later from lifting this stuff,
01:10:54but I'm going to be all right.
01:10:57There you go, Hercules, Hercules!
01:11:00It's been a long year here, so I'm glad to get back home
01:11:03and see everyone I miss.
01:11:06And I can't wait to show them how much progress I've made
01:11:09because I think a lot of them are going to be surprised.
01:11:12It's about 7.39 last time I seen my grandma.
01:11:17Going back home, I'm not sure
01:11:20because he's going to get back with his old friends
01:11:23and he's excited about going home.
01:11:26I hope Theta don't go back to his bad habits.
01:11:29We're almost done, so we can head out
01:11:32and in a few days I'll be back home.
01:11:35I can't wait, but I'm not going to go back to my old environment.
01:11:39And I'm going to keep up with all Dr. Now told me to do,
01:11:42so I keep doing this program.
01:11:45I know I still have more to lose,
01:11:48and I might want some skin removals down the road,
01:11:51so I'm going to keep to it.
01:11:54I have therapy with Dr. Paradise.
01:11:57Therapy is really important to me
01:12:00because since my divorce, I really do need it just to vent,
01:12:03just let that aggression go.
01:12:06I want to succeed.
01:12:09Hi, Lindsay.
01:12:12Hello.
01:12:15I'm Dr. Paradise.
01:12:18I've been with Dr. Paradise
01:12:21Hi, Lindsay.
01:12:24I'm Dr. Paradise. It's good to see you.
01:12:27Nice to meet you.
01:12:30Good to meet you, too.
01:12:33Lindsay, tell me where you're at in the program.
01:12:36Where are you at in your journey?
01:12:39I started out at 640,
01:12:42and now I'm down to 382.
01:12:45That's a lot of weight loss.
01:12:49Okay.
01:12:52After the surgery, I was living in Houston.
01:12:55I had a husband.
01:12:58He told me that he doesn't love me anymore
01:13:01and that he was cheating on me
01:13:04when I was gone.
01:13:07In the middle of losing the weight.
01:13:10When you 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
01:13:19I know two wrongs don't make a right.
01:13:22I was addicted to food. He was addicted to alcohol.
01:13:25We made a pact.
01:13:28We said, okay, I'm going to lose the weight.
01:13:31I didn't want him to quit drinking. I just wanted him to cut back.
01:13:34We made a pact about this.
01:13:38She would basically accept him for who he is.
01:13:41He didn't have to change for her.
01:13:44Grass is greener on the other side.
01:13:47In some ways, it was a threat to him
01:13:50because your change sort of asked for some change from him.
01:13:53Right.
01:13:56I'm making myself healthy. I want you to be healthy.
01:13:59This new person didn't make any requests like that.
01:14:02No, she just accepted him with open arms.
01:14:06I've been told that I'm very co-dependent.
01:14:09I like finding projects.
01:14:12Does that make sense?
01:14:15Yeah, somebody to fix up, sure.
01:14:18True co-dependency is you're cooperating with the dependency.
01:14:21Oh.
01:14:24It's somebody who sort of makes an alcoholic okay.
01:14:27They're really good at cleaning up after the alcoholic
01:14:30or making it okay.
01:14:34What happens is in the relationship,
01:14:37they may even promote the addiction
01:14:40because they know that their best quality is their ability to clean up after that person.
01:14:43Holy buckets.
01:14:46I don't doubt that you played that role with your husband a little bit.
01:14:49Yes.
01:14:52He may have sensed that as you got healthy,
01:14:55you might have been a little bit less able
01:14:58to sort of apologize for his own challenges, right?
01:15:01Yeah.
01:15:04You hit the nail on the head.
01:15:07I didn't even know that's what it stood for or anything.
01:15:10Right.
01:15:13Your weight probably kind of qualified you for that job, right?
01:15:16Yeah, I believe so.
01:15:19When you're that big,
01:15:22you really don't have the authority to call somebody on their misbehavior.
01:15:25As you gain that authority,
01:15:29I felt like that day in and day out.
01:15:32Why would I speak up?
01:15:35I have no room to talk.
01:15:38What you bought yourself by losing the weight and getting healthy
01:15:41was the room to talk,
01:15:44which will serve you in future relationships
01:15:47because you actually should have the room to talk, right?
01:15:50Healthy partners talk to each other, right?
01:15:53That should be your model.
01:15:56I can hold accountable.
01:15:59Will do.
01:16:02Thanks for talking to me.
01:16:05I'm really optimistic for you.
01:16:08I think a lot of things are going to fall in line for you.
01:16:11I'm also really hopeful for your social life.
01:16:17Are you too?
01:16:20Yes, I am.
01:16:23We'll check in sometime soon.
01:16:26Thank you, Dr. Paradise.
01:16:29Take care. Bye-bye.
01:16:54Hi!
01:16:57Hi!
01:17:00We're at the bowling alley tonight.
01:17:03I went putt-putting with my mom and my nephew, Daxton.
01:17:06We're going to play putt-putt.
01:17:09Ooh, what color golf ball do you want?
01:17:12See all the colors?
01:17:15Yeah, blue? Okay.
01:17:18We're going to go putt-putt?
01:17:21I'm going to go putt-putt.
01:17:24Okay, so your ball gets set down like right here or here,
01:17:27and then try to make it in there.
01:17:30Oh!
01:17:33He's full of energy, and he just gets me all full of energy.
01:17:36He is just a squirrely little kid, and I just love him to pieces.
01:17:39Lightly tap, yay!
01:17:42Good job!
01:17:45Okay, where do you want to go, this one right here?
01:17:48Are you ready for this?
01:17:51I feel like I've been able to move on from my old life with Paul.
01:17:54Oh, so close!
01:17:57My turn.
01:18:00It's Marmee's turn.
01:18:03In all the progress I'm making in my weight loss journey,
01:18:06I'm starting to feel happier than I have for a long time.
01:18:09Oh!
01:18:12I feel more confident going out now
01:18:15and he's looking back at me in the mirror.
01:18:18He's practicing, oh!
01:18:21You and Aunt Lindsay get over there.
01:18:24I've also started to bring more fun back into my life,
01:18:27which is something Dr. Paradise recommended I do.
01:18:30I cheated. I cheated.
01:18:33So all my happiness isn't coming from food anymore.
01:18:36All right, we're over here.
01:18:39Wait just a minute.
01:18:42And one of the new things I've done
01:18:45is putting a dating profile online.
01:18:48Jax, did you see that? It went around in circles!
01:18:51And to my surprise, I met some men I like,
01:18:54and one of them is kind of growing on me.
01:18:57And it's like this whole new life is unfolding
01:19:00that I never thought was possible.
01:19:03And I feel excited for what might be coming next.
01:19:06I am just like really proud of how far I've came.
01:19:09The fact that I don't have to stop and take a beat
01:19:12or stop or rest to have that ability
01:19:15to 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.
01:19:40Oh!
01:19:43I've been back in Florida for a couple of months.
01:19:46I'm making more progress and losing more weight,
01:19:49so I'm starting to get more excess skin.
01:19:52And I can see how I may want that outfit in the future.
01:19:56So once I lose more weight,
01:19:59I'm going to have to start losing more weight.
01:20:02I'm going to have to start losing more weight.
01:20:06So once I lose more,
01:20:08I'm thinking about going back to Houston for a while to do that.
01:20:12But I know it's going to take me a while to recover
01:20:15if I do go down for that,
01:20:17because, you know, based on how long it took my leg to recover.
01:20:29I'm also making sure I do my therapy with Dr. Paradise.
01:20:34Hi, Thedrick, how are you?
01:20:36I'm all right. How are you, Doc?
01:20:38Okay, I'm okay. It's good to see you.
01:20:40Tell me a little bit about yourself, Thedrick.
01:20:42I'm 35.
01:20:44Okay.
01:20:45I'm from Fargo.
01:20:46Grew up in the city of Gretna.
01:20:48Play basketball just about every day.
01:20:50Gretna, where is that?
01:20:52Florida, on the other side of Quincy, Florida.
01:20:54Tell me a little bit about your childhood.
01:20:56Who was in your house growing up?
01:20:58I mostly stayed with my mama.
01:20:59Where was your dad?
01:21:01He was incarcerated half of the time I was growing up,
01:21:03until I was about 19.
01:21:05Okay, that's a pretty big deal.
01:21:07What was school like for you?
01:21:09What was elementary school?
01:21:11Do you remember that?
01:21:12I got in a lot of fights in third grade,
01:21:15so I failed third grade.
01:21:17Were you big back then?
01:21:18Yep.
01:21:19What do you think was going on that you were big in third grade?
01:21:22I don't know.
01:21:23I think it had something to do with it.
01:21:25They claimed my mama was a heat.
01:21:27Okay.
01:21:30Tell me, when you first joined the program, how much did you weigh?
01:21:33740.
01:21:35740?
01:21:36What got you big, Deidre?
01:21:38What 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, harder and harder to be active?
01:21:52To walk around, to do anything.
01:21:54Do 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, Deidre?
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.
01:22:17It sounds like after that you became kind of stuck.
01:22:20Who you telling?
01:22:21Stuck in the house.
01:22:23New year after new year after new year for 14 years.
01:22:29Okay.
01:22:30Because you seem like you've got so much to offer the world.
01:22:33Yeah.
01:22:34What's some other goals you have, Deidre?
01:22:36I'm wondering what your dream job is.
01:22:38My dream job?
01:22:39I want to go to school to be a gunsmith.
01:22:42Do you ever go to gun stores and talk to guys that work there?
01:22:45I go to the pawn shop.
01:22:47Deidre, how do you think you get a job at a pawn shop?
01:22:50I don't know.
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, okay?
01:22:59Okay.
01:23:00All right, take care, man.
01:23:02Great to meet you.
01:23:03All right, you take care too, Mr. Pratt.
01:23:05Nice meeting you.
01:23:06Bye, Deidre.
01:23:07Bye-bye.
01:23:10I felt like my old body was holding me back.
01:23:15Now that I lost the weight,
01:23:17I feel like I've 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, I might even start dating again soon.