[Syreeta] If I don't get this fixed,
I could potentially be bedbound.
[woman 1] Somewhere... is this little glimmer of hope.
I just wanna be a normal person.
[grunts, pants]
You can't do it, and then I just get mad.
[woman 2] If I don't make a change now, I'm scared it's gonna be too late.
[woman 3] I refuse to stop fighting.
I have to do this for my children.
[grunts]
[Dr. Now] This is your life and you're killing yourself with food,
You know, you're not gonna live longer like that if you keep gaining weight.
[Syreeta] I don't sleep well at night at all.
I'm a night owl. I'm up constantly all night.
[grunting]
I'm scared to sleep, if I can be honest about it.
I'm scared that I'm not gonna wake up,
because of my weight.
So, yeah.
My weight, it scares me now.
And then, on top of that, I wake up in a lot of pain.
I live with the love of my life,
my husband, Lawrence, and my stepson.
I'm thankful...
for my current living situation,
because not everybody got a roof over their head,
but at the same time, it is challenging.
The floor's unlevelled, and uneven, and it's weak.
So...
[grunts]
I'm scared that I... I may fall through the floor.
And then, it's hard going up and down the stairs,
because my stairs are so steep.
I have a fear of falling down the stairs.
...but my son fell through first and I ended up falling through again.
Depending on how I'm feeling,
every other day, I will take a shower,
because I honestly cannot standup for a long period of time at all.
Sometimes the pain in my legs will be
so unbearable that I will just wash up.
As we call bird bath, ho bath, you know.
Like, the birds they go into the water thing,
and roll around in it.
It's depressing, because I have a lot of stomach,
and then with having short arms and trying to reach behind a big old body,
and it's challenging, very challenging.
I do have a hard time washing my feet,
because once I bend over to try to wash them,
I'm... I'm wobbly and I'll end up falling.
I'd be out of breath after I get out the shower.
Or, just in a lot of pain
from doing all that moving in the shower.
Then, I crawl up the stairs,
'cause it hurts to go up and down.
And, so, I try not to depend
on my family so much, because sometimes
they enable me a little to much.
So, I try to depend on myself before I ask for help.
My husband does a lot.
I can get dressed fine,
but I feel like things are getting harder.
But, even though, my life was miserable,
I get an excitement when I know it's time to eat again.
What are we eating? [breathing heavily] Huh?
Hello?
What's for breakfast? [chuckles]
Ah! Okay. Ah, oh!
[Lawrence speaking]
I've been with girls that was big,
but she's the biggest girl I've been with.
And at first, it was kind of hard to get used to.
I'd never seen it from the lens of somebody bigger.
You never know what they really go through.
That's fine.
[Lawrence] Eating makes... sometimes her mood better.
If she's stressed out, she eats, if she's unhappy, she will eat.
I mean... I guess it's a coping mechanism for her.
I'm hungry. You ready for breakfast? I am.
What do you need me to get?
I wanna do bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches,
-with some pizza rolls. -Okay.
Um, you can go grab that and I'll get the stuff set up up here.
-Okay. -All right, thank you.
You welcome.
It's like, peace and war. Do I want war, or do I want peace?
If I give in, I have peace.
If I don't, it'll be a constant nagging about it.
[Syreeta] Food fulfills me.
It fulfills empty voids that... that humans can't fulfill.
Just like a kid in the candy store.
When you go in the candy store and your eyes light up
'cause you got a multitude of stuff, you got all types of different
variety of stuff, it's the same thing when it comes
to looking at my refrigerator, like, "Ooh, I'm eating
out every one of those snacks."
It always puts my mind elsewhere. It puts me in a happy place.
Going all the way back to childhood.
That's when it was my escape.
I had a horrible childhood. There was nothing sweet about it.
All the stuff that I went through,
a child should've never went through.
At two years old, so, I was raised by a lot of people.
Moving around from home to home.
And more often than that, I was abused in these homes.
And by the time I was eight years old,
I had been physically, sexually, and mentally abused.
I was mentally traumatized.
With each new family that child services sent me to,
didn't have the knowledge to know how to deal with that.
I was a defiant kid at that time.
So I was in and out of girls' homes,
and eventually juvenile detention.
So, around the time when I was 11,
I decided to try and find my birth mom,
and we reunited.
I told her how I had been in a foster care system,
so she took me in.
Well, at first we had good times.
We had good times, dancing, and singing,
you know, played around, cooking. It wasn't all bad.
But after the first few months,
we was like oil and water. Like, we didn't mix.
She had a mouth, I had a smart mouth.
So, I moved on from her,
and I left feeling sad that I didn't have a good parent in my life.
So, after that I just made my peace with loving the feeling I got from food.
Because food was something that loved me back.
And by the end of the year, I was 250 pounds.
After that it was back to being cycled around
from one foster home to another.
I had to change schools so many times, I can't remember the names.
After I got done with high school, I was 450 pounds.
I was too old to be in foster care.
I didn't have a job or a place to live,
so I just stayed with friends and relatives.
I wanted to be a cosmetologist,
but... there wasn't too many options because of my size.
So, I got on social security and I lived with my grandma.
I did hair, and I baby-sit for friends
to help pay my bills and stuff.
I had my first apartment when I was almost 18 years old.
I woke up one day and realized
this is the first time I had a roof over my head free of abuse.
And that felt good, that felt so good.
I ordered in, and ate all the fries and pizza, and burgers I wanted.
I found myself thinking on what to do with the rest of my life.
And that's when I decided to become a nurse's aide.
I was able to study to get my certificate online, but it was a lot of work,
but it was hard for me to get out and go anywhere especially due to my size.
So, I started joining friendship groups on social media,
and that's how I met Lawrence.
I made a post on a dating website,
and he commented on it, and I went to this page
and I was like, "Oh, yeah. He cute."
Lawrence told me that he thought big women are sexy,
and one thing lead to another.
We dated long distance for two years,
and then I moved up there to be with him.
It felt good seeing my dad get married.
It felt good to see my stepmom and him
to walk... [exhales] ...walk the aisle together.
That's it.
Ooh, my knees hurt.
[breathing heavily]
Well, I've had a lot of relations and relationships,
but...
this is the only real relationship that I've ever had
to the point where I'm... actually genuinely in love with that person.
I tried to tell my husband at times, like, you know,
"People see you with me. I'm a bigger woman."
I always have a fear of losing him to another woman
who might be a little smaller, maybe prettier.
But, the biggest fear is if I don't lose the weight,
he's gonna have a hard time burying me.
What do you wanna have for...
What else are we gonna have besides chips?
[car door beeping]
[Syreeta] You know what I don't understand?
How your car... Well, your car... it's not littler than mine's, but...
[breathing heavily]
I get out your car easier than I get out of my own car.
Oh, my back.
Ow! Snacks.
Meal wise, I probably eat twice a day.
But as far as snacking wise, that's everyday, all day, constantly.
Oh, these are so good.
How about these right here?
Ooh, yes. Maybe barbecue. I actually like those.
You want some cheese balls? I like cheese balls.
The cart is almost full.
At times it is very hard for me to stop eating.
Like, I hit these points where I will indulge in something,
or my stomach will start hurting,
and I'm still eating.
-[cashier] Hey, how are ya? -I'm fine. How are you?
Doing pretty good myself.
-That's good. -[scanner beeps]
I opened these, so I'mma give those to you.
[scanner beeping]
-[cashier] All righty. -Thank you.
[cashier] No problem.
[Syreeta grunts]
[grunts]
[Lawrence speaking]
No, I'm mixing mine together.
[Lawrence] Mmm, okay.
[Syreeta] Let me know when to stop,
-'cause once I get ahold of this pot... -[Lawrence] Yes, ma'am.
...I ain't sharing.
I think my weight is changing for the worse,
due to the fact that now as day to day goes by,
it's more, it's really hard for me to actually move around on a day to day basis
because I be in so much pain just to walk to the bathroom.
-You're eating too fast. -I... Yeah, what you want.
You know I got chipmunk cheeks.
If I don't get this fixed,
I could potentially be bedbound.
Or either find myself in somebody's nursing home
at a young age. I'm too young for that,
because I can't move around.
I'd be mad at myself at times, like...
[hesitates] I mean, you did this. You let yourself go.
Oh. I think I really outdid myself this time, again.
Damn.
And it's still hot? Oh, okay.
It is... It's hard to move around.
[hesitates] It's sad.
I'm scared that there's nothing I can do,
and that I'm too far gone to get help.
And I'm scared, it's just a matter of time,
before I go to bed and don't wake up.
Well, I thank you, kindly, sir, thank you, kindly.
Chips! All right.
Okay. These gonna be my chips for this trip.
Bad addiction, bad addiction.
-[zipper zips] -Ooh, I don't know what to expect.
Are you nervous? I'm nervous.
Did you grab you some snacks? I'm not sharing my chips.
Okay then.
Today, everything is gonna change.
[groaning]
Ooh!
I've finally made a decision to go down to Houston,
and try to get help from Dr. Now.
[coughs]
Because, if there's anyone that's gonna help me
lose this weight, they say it's him.
So, me and Lawrence are gonna take his car,
and it's gonna be a long drive.
Something like 18 hours.
Thanks, son.
I'm glad she's doing this thing to help her with her weight.
She's doing what she had to do, and I appreciate it.
So, she's making that big step in her life,
she's doing what she gotta do to lose this weight.
Ooh! All right, son. Love ya.
[Lathanial] I love you too.
[breathing heavily]
Well, it is bright out here.
I'm just worried about how much it's gonna hurt my legs,
being cramped, cooped up, stuffed in the car for so long.
But I know it's gonna be worth it,
if I can get Dr. Now to help me lose some weight,
and get my health back together.
It makes me nervous travelling this far from home,
because I've never gone this far before.
I got chips for now, so I'll just open those up, but...
[bag rustling]
[Syreeta] And I don't know what it's gonna be like.
And I don't know if I'll get along with Dr. Now.
I've heard a lot about him, and it sounds like
he's a tough love kind of guy.
So, I just hope that I can get along with him
enough to get him to help me.
Ooh-ah, ooh-ah, ooh-ah.
[Syreeta sighing]
[Lawrence speaking]
[Syreeta] Oh.
Oh!
[Syreeta sighs and speaks]
-[Syreeta speaking] -[Lawrence] Yeah.
[Syreeta speaking]
[Lawrence] Uh-huh.
[Syreeta speaking]
[Lawrence speaking]
[Syreeta sighs]
[Syreeta] Oh, Jesus.
Okay, I'm coming.
Oh.
Ow, my legs. Oh.
I'm fine. How are you?
-Okay. -[man] Go through the door and take a left.
[Syreeta] Okay.
Hello.
Room 419.
Right here.
Oh.
[Syreeta sighs]
Oh, okay.
It's hard. It's hard to me.
[Syreeta] I'm tired and sore,
and I just wanna stretch out my legs
and get me some sleep.
[Syreeta groans]
I think tomorrow I'll be better,
but right now I just can't go no more.
I'm spent.
Breathe, damn, breathe.
[Syreeta panting]
Whew!
Oh, my back.
Can you unlock the door, babe? Thank you.
[grunts]
Where is my chips at? Did you accidentally throw my chips in the garbage?
[Lawrence speaking]
Huh? Uh-huh.
[Syreeta yawns]
[Lawrence speaking]
[grunts]
Ooh, that hurt.
[Lawrence speaking]
[Syreeta laughs]
You're so sweet.
This weather is cutting up.
[Lawrence speaking]
[Syreeta speaking]
[Lawrence speaking]
[Syreeta speaking]
[Lawrence speaking]
[Syreeta speaking]
[Lawrence speaking]
[Syreeta speaking]
[Lawrence speaking]
[Syreeta speaking]
[Lawrence speaking]
[Syreeta speaking]
[Lawrence speaking]
[Syreeta speaking]
[Lawrence speaking]
[Syreeta speaking]
[Lawrence speaking]
[Syreeta speaking]
Lawrence is talking about all this foolishness
about how I might wanna leave him
after I lose this weight.
That is something that would never cross my mind.
What I'm really worried about
is if he found me in a BBW social media group,
and I lose the weight and I'm not so big anymore,
how is really gonna feel about me?
[grunts]
Whew, ooh!
[sighs]
Whew!
Ow! I knew it was gonna start doing it.
Ohh!
[Lawrence speaking]
[Syreeta] Yeah.
[grunts]
Oh, Jesus.
I'm gonna have to change my whole mindset
and change my life
the way I know he's gonna want me to do.
So, I just need support right now and not have all this paranoid stuff.
But before I see Dr. Now,
I need to put my feet up and get me some sleep.
[yawns]
It's swollen.
[grunts]
[clears throat]
-Okay, dear god. -[sighs]
-[clears throat]
Come up some.
Yes, that's...
I don't know. If I can't eat my feelings away,
I get over it, I'll be mad,
I'll have an attitude,
but I'mma just keep in mind it's either the grave or the snacks.
Take your pick.
And I choose to live, so...
I'm gonna do what I have to do.
We're headed to Dr. Now's for my first appointment.
We drove the last two hours
and made it here with just enough time
to check into a hotel
so that after the appointment,
we could just come back and rest.
I'm nervous about meeting him,
and I'm a little worried that we won't get along,
because I don't like being told what to do.
And if I don't mesh with his manner,
it's really gonna be hard to handle.
But I really do need the surgery,
so I'm just gonna have to be able to get along with him.
Well, let's just have a look on in.
Oh.
Oh, I'm tired.
Syreeta.
Here we go.
Oh, my legs.
Which way I go?
Hmm.
I think you can go ahead on the scale.
Okay. We're gonna go to Room 5.
Okay.
[Syreeta] Damn, I've gained weight.
That's the first time I've ever been 600 pounds.
That moment was horrible.
I couldn't believe I had gained the damn weight.
Everything's worse than I thought.
So whatever Dr. Now asks me to do,
I'm gonna do it.
Oh, this is real.
This is real.
Hello. How y'all doing?
[Syreeta] Fine. How are you?
I'm doing well. Thank you.
That's good. That's good.
-Well, you must be Syreeta. -Yes.
-You are from Columbus, Ohio. -[Syreeta] Yes.
So what brought you down to Houston?
Um, need help with getting the weight off,
came for surgery.
Trying to get the extra
push, support that I need
to help with losing the weight.
And so, you're 31 years old
-and you're just over 600, huh? -[Syreeta] Yes.
So at your height,
that puts your BMI over 100,
which is very dangerous.
So what you have done
so far to get your weight down?
I've tried dieting, intermittent fasting
-and lower carb options. -Okay.
-When you eat food, do you feel comfort? -I do.
But do you feel guilty afterward?
I... Yes. I do.
So you have a cycle of going to food for comfort
and eating what you know you shouldn't
and regretting it,
but still not changing any of your habits.
So why haven't you made
any changes to that cycle?
It is so hard sometimes that I can't...
It's a challenge for me sometimes.
Well, it is not gonna be easy.
So you have to be willing
to work hard and change it if you want
and better weight and better health all around.
Does anybody in the household encourage you to eat more?
Uh, yes.
I have enablers,
people that don't know how to tell me no.
So who is your enabler?
Well, my husband is one of my biggest enablers.
So he doesn't want to argue with you...
-that you eat or... -That's exactly...
That's not being an enabler.
-That's-- -That is an enabler.
No, you're bullying him to
feed you and you call that the enabler.
I do not bully him.
So what does he have to say about that?
Am I right?
[both laughing]
-Tell him what-- -That's a good...
That's a good one. That's a good one.
-[Dr. Now] Pretty much... -That's how I feel.
[Dr. Now] He don't wanna argue with you, right?
-Absolutely, yeah. -That's how I feel.
[Dr. Now] Um, so, Syreeta,
how are you with your activity and exercise?
Um, it... it could be challenging.
I... I think I could be better if I...
I have pain in my knees really bad sometimes, so.
I just... I sit a lot.
So you have a lot of unhealthy habits
that aren't good for you.
In particular, you're eating unhealthy food
from start of the day to the end of the day.
And you need to start making
better choices with your eating,
discipline yourself about eating.
Then once you do that
and you get control on that,
then a weight-loss surgery maybe an option for you.
-[Syreeta] Okay. -[Dr. Now] Okay. So until then
you're gonna have to develop
understanding and knowledge of how to eat
and how not to eat.
-[Syreeta] Yes, sir. Hmm. -Okay?
And you're gonna be supporting her
to follow the diet and do exercise and all that.
Yes.
All right.
Super. All right. Do you have any questions?
Mmm-mmm.
Okay. So I'm gonna come back
and give you some stuff to read.
And we will go with that
so we can start your new diet and exercise routine,
and, you know, we're gonna see how we're doing in two months.
Okey-dokey.
All right. I'll be back.
[Syreeta] All righty.
Ooh.
[Syreeta sighs]
I think I can do it.
-Well, it ain't no thing but that. -Yeah.
I feel like this chair is about to break.
Nah, you're okay.
That's just your mind.
[Dr. Now] Syreeta clearly knows that she has a problem
with her overeating,
and it has reached a dangerous point.
The question is, whether or not
she's willing to do all she needs to change that,
or she's looking for a quick fix
and a magical solution to fix it for her.
[Dr. Now] All right.
I got a homework for you.
Okay.
Read this every night.
Uh, this color page will tell you about obesity.
And then what does it say on top?
"I really don't eat very much..."
Ooh.
Okay. So you read that very carefully
-so you understand what's going on, okay? -Mmm-hmm.
[Dr. Now] Food is Syreeta's comfort,
and it's not gonna be easy for her
to give it up.
And it also is not gonna be easy
to change the environment she has at home
that facilitate her overeating
and keep her in control of what she wants.
Her husband doesn't talk much.
So it's clear
the dynamic they have is one
where he either does what she wants,
or she bullies him until she gets her way.
I don't think everybody is enabling her.
I think everybody is being, sort of,
not wanting to argue with her
and provide her whatever she wants,
and she's the driving force for her overeating.
And she's the one that has to be
the driving force for a better living
and healthy lifestyle
if she's gonna turn things around.
[Dr. Now] None of these is gonna work
if you are not willing to do your part.
-Okay? -Yes, sir.
You think you can do it?
[Syreeta] I can do it.
[Dr. Now] All right then, superb.
First hit your goal and loose 60 pounds
over the next two months,
and then we will talk about next steps, okay?
-Okay. -All right then.
And if you need anything,
don't hesitate to give me a call.
Yes, sir.
All right. We'll see you soon.
Okay.
-[Dr. Now] All right? -[Syreeta] Yes, thank you.
It is going to be a tough cookie but I'mma crack it.
Ooh.
[Lawrence] How does the vegetarian chorizo taste?
[Syreeta] It's not bad.
All veggies.
It's been a couple of weeks since we saw Dr. Now.
and me and Lawrence have been working mostly on our diet.
Now, today, we're gonna add some exercise into the mix.
That was good. Can you go grab my blanket and the volleyball?
Ouch, ouch, ouch.
[Syreeta] My goal is to make the workouts fun.
So, I like playing games with Lawrence
or just having a good time going for a walk.
One thing at a time.
When I was active, active,
I was on a volleyball team. So...
I'm recreating stuff I used to do
when I was in my teens.
I have anxiety
of people, like kids looking at me
and you know, I'm scared as hell but at the end of the day,
I'm doing this for myself, so...
you know, F them. [chuckles]
You ready?
[both chuckle]
Thank you.
[grunts]
[sighs]
[laughs]
Ow, ow, ow, ow.
[Lawrence speaking]
[Syreeta] I'm about to challenge myself. I'm about to walk up the hill.
[Lawrence] Try the baby hill with a walking stick.
[Syreeta] All right.
[Lawrence] Come on, baby. You can do this.
-You can do it. You can do it. -Whoo!
Okay, look at you.
Go, sweetie. Go, baby.
Come on, baby.
Come on.
Go, baby. Go, baby.
[yells]
[panting]
You okay, baby?
-Yeah. -You okay?
[Syreeta speaking]
-You made it. -All right.
[screams] I did it!
Okay.
-[exhales] -Ready? Are you gonna try to slide down?
[grunts]
-Yep! -Okay, I'm coming.
Oh, Lord. Here comes
[Lawrence] Come on, baby.
[screaming]
[both laugh]
[continues screaming]
Wait a minute.
Wait, I'm dizzy as hell!
[laughing]
Oh...
Man, I gotta get up.
-I gotta... yeah. -You got it?
[grunts]
-Proud of you. -Thank you.
-[Tyler] Feelin' it? -Yeah.
[Tyler] All right.
So we're gonna go all the way down over there,
but we're gonna use this distance, right?
So I want you just to swim.
[Syreeta] A couple of weeks ago,
I started coming to the pool on my own
to do more exercising.
[Tyler] That was really good.
When I first saw Syreeta,
huge potential,
a lot of weight to lose, but it's very possible.
Point your toe out.
Just pick one.
Lift up, touch down.
We're doing squats now, right here.
-[Syreeta chuckles] Oh. -Just squat down.
You already started it.
-There you go. -Up.
[Tyler] Yeah.
I can do this now, but I'll be feeling it when I get out.
All right. Get down in that water,
you're gonna punch.
Right here.
Yep.
[Syreeta] I have some days
where I struggle more than others,
but I'm always dedicated
to getting back on track if I ever slip up.
[Tyler] All right. We're gonna get fancy now.
You're about to jump around.
-Are you ready? -[Syreeta] Yeah.
-You gotta get all that energy out, right? -[Syreeta] Uh-huh.
You're gonna do a little squat, jump.
Little squat and jump.
[Syreeta] We did find some places
to live down there in Houston.
So I'm ready to put on a big push
to get this weight-loss surgery.
By losing this weight
and getting back to Dr. Now
so I could show him on the scale
that I've done what he asked me to do.
-We're gonna get faster now. -[Syreeta] All right.
You ready? I'mma burn you out
and then you're gonna have a good day, all right?
Little fast punches, fast punches.
Tah, tah, tah, tah, tah!
There you go. Punch it, punch it.
Punch it, punch it, punch it.
[Tyler grunting]
Punch down, punch down.
Take it down, take it down.
There you go.
-Punch it, punch it, punch it. -[Syreeta] Whoo!
Feel the burn, feel the burn.
[laughs] Is it making you float?
What was that?
[Tyler laughing]
I told you. [laughs]
[Tyler] Syreeta did really good.
She has huge potential to keep going further
and can honestly loose a lot of weight.
I really appreciate it.
-Thank you. -You were awesome.
-You too. -Okay.
It went good.
He worked the hell out of me.
I'm tired.
My legs is tired.
My hips is tired.
But it went good overall.
It was fun to me.
[Syreeta] We're back in Houston again to see Dr. Now.
The past few months have been pretty hard,
but I know I've made progress.
And I hope it's enough
to get approved for weight-loss surgery.
[Syreeta] Oh.
Syreeta.
Right.
At my last appointment, I was 603,
and Dr. Now gave me a goal
of losing 60 pounds
over the next two months.
So if I did that, I will be down to 543 today.
Let me empty out anything that might make you heavy.
Hold this.
[nurse] Just step on the scale.
[Syreeta] Told you.
-You're gonna go to Room 5. -Okay. All right.
[Syreeta] That's a step in the right direction.
I know it's not as much as he said,
but that's a win for me to be back in the fives.
So I feel good about it.
I know I'm doing the right thing
and I think Dr. Now will be happy with that, too.
Even though my numbers fell short,
he has to admit
I'm still doing a good thing.
Hello, how y'all doing?
[Syreeta] Fine, and how are you?
[Dr. Now] I am good, thank you.
All right. So, it's been two months.
I expected that you're gonna lose at least 60 pounds.
But in return, you have only lost 12 pounds,
which is six pounds a month, which is not very much.
So what happened to the diet instruction we gave you?
Did you read those papers?
-I did, I did. -How many times you read it?
-Actually I read it, like, couple times because I was-- -Couple times?
The deal was you read it every night.
I was doing good. I'm eating more healthier than I was.
Um...
I did good, it's just the consistency
that I think that I struggle with.
Well, you know,
the normal weight for your height is 140 pounds?
-Is it? -[Dr. Now] Yes.
140 pounds. You're not double of that.
You're almost four and a half times that.
So, how you gonna lose that weight to get down to under 200?
If you think losing six pounds a month is good progress,
if you're gonna do that, it's gonna take you six to seven years
to lose that weight.
And that is assuming you stick with it.
That's true.
What do you think will be the solution for your problem?
[sighs]
You know, instead of being 140, you're not 240, you're not 340,
you're not 440, you're not 540,
you're 591.
So how long your body is gonna tolerate all that extra weight
that you're putting on there?
-[Syreeta] No. -And this is your life
and, you know, you're not gonna live longer like that
if you keep all that weight on you.
But right now, you're killing yourself with food,
and you don't seem to get that.
And I'm not sure your family is getting that, too.
So what is your husband doing to help you out with that?
-Hmm? -Ask him.
I don't know. He's ignoring me.
He's not even looking at me.
He's looking at the floor.
So, what are you doing to help her?
All right. Who buys all the chips and all the stuff?
Me.
So, you bring it over there,
you expect her... not gonna eat it or what?
You bringing it for yourself or you're bringing it for her?
A little bit of both.
So, what are you willing to do to help her?
Stop giving her more chips.
Or bring more stuff that's better.
What is today different from two months ago?
That's what I'm concerned about.
If you want her to live, you need to do everything you can
to help her to make the changes she needs
to avoid temptation.
But Syreeta, no matter what everybody else does,
there is no excuse to eat chips and candy.
You're responsible to change your life, and no one else.
Can you imagine if today you were 140 pounds,
what would be your life like?
I wouldn't be sitting in your office right now.
[Dr. Now] No, you be out living your life
and maybe starting a family.
You wouldn't be facing an early death.
So, the question is, what are we gonna do
from this point to get to that point?
Because whatever we gave you last time didn't work.
So what are we gonna do today that's gonna make it work?
[Syreeta] I just gotta have the willpower to say "No".
[Dr. Now] So, let's give you another two months to lose 60 pounds again.
See how we do.
Okay.
Any questions, anything I can tell you or anything I can help you with?
I don't have anything right now.
All right. Have a safe trip back home.
Will do. Thank you.
All right. See y'all later.
Nose is running. [sniffing]
Unfortunately, not much changed with Syreeta
and her situation at home over the last two months.
She made some small changes to her diet
and convinced herself that was good progress.
So that is the problem she has to overcome.
And another issue is that
she is still using her family to get what she wants,
justifying that it is because of them
that she is being tempted.
So she is clearly not taking responsibility for herself.
And nothing is gonna change unless she does that.
Hopefully, we were able to get her to wake up today
to see that she has to do more
if she's gonna have any chance to get healthy and save her life.
Until she decides she get motivated
and do what she needs, we're not moving ahead with her.
[Syreeta] I'm happy with what I lost,
even if my progress wasn't acknowledged by Dr. Now
like it should have been.
Everything he was saying, he wasn't lying about anything he was saying,
like, I agree... [sniffs] ...with what he was saying,
but I go through a lot mental-wise,
and eating is how I handle my emotions.
I guess I gotta find that willpower to fight through it.
Only the ones from that bag in the car,
if possible.
[Lawrence] Okay.
[Syreeta] Me and Lawrence are packing up to move to Houston.
I've been in Ohio for too long already.
I just noted I'd do better with my weight loss
if I can go down there and get situated.
So we finally found it, we found an apartment
and the landlord said that they will hold it for us.
So what we did was Lawrence cashed in his 401k
so we could have enough money to move.
We're having a check overnighted to us,
but it was supposed to arrive yesterday and it didn't.
So I definitely think it's gonna arrive today
because it's had more then enough time to get here by now.
I can't wait to get all this behind us.
It's stressful and it just hasn't been a healthy environment for me.
And I can't wait to start fresh
and have a new life where we start from scratch
and do it right this time.
[Syreeta] The check is here in Columbus.
Either it's lost, or somebody took it from the facility.
'Cause at first, it said on its way,
and then, it says delayed. What are y'all doing?
Like, that don't sound freakish to you?
[man over phone]
[Syreeta] Yes.
[Syreeta] Okay.
[Syreeta] So that's basically like a whole another month.
[man talking indistinctly over phone]
[Syreeta] It's real right now, like,
if it can't hit the account tomorrow, then it's pointless.
If you try to set up direct deposit,
you're not gonna receive anything until next month.
[Syreeta] It's just too much, today's just too much.
It's really hard at times like this
not to feel like the world has really got it out for me.
Then, not only that, then people just, like,
"Well, I told y'all so and...
this and this and this and they're wanna gonna do this
and they're wanna gonna do that."
But, just today,
we seen a lot of that.
A lot of...
Y'all saying one thing, but y'all did another thing.
And it's just like... [sighs]
And honestly, I don't know what we're gonna do.
[Syreeta] We do not have any money.
UPS [bleep] us. That's not our fault.
[Syreeta] One thing, this travelling back and forth to Houston though,
is definitely taking a toll on my body, something serious.
Like, my knees have been swelling,
my hips have just been... Oh, my goodness.
Might ask Dr. Now to give me a breast reduction.
[Lawrence] I think that comes with the package sometimes.
I don't want no more titties.
[Syreeta chuckling]
Oh, my God.
[Lawrence grunts]
[Syreeta] Come carry me out.
[chuckles]
Hold that.
[grunting]
Don't walk off and just leave me.
[Syreeta] We made it back to Houston.
It's a hard and stressful time,
but I've been working to stay on track with my diet and exercise.
I really hope I get approved today,
but I'm nervous about finding out my progress.
Feel like I ain't got time for y'all today.
I was gonna sit in the big chair, you can sit in the big chair.
Oh, you so nice.
I'm skinny today.
Syreeta?
[Syreeta grunts]
Come on.
Oh, that's definitely not the same one.
-[Syreeta] Hello. -[nurse] Hello, how are you?
[Syreeta] I'm fine, yeah.
[Syreeta] At my last appointment two months ago,
I was at 591 and Dr. Now wanted me to lose 60 pounds.
So that means I need to see a number that's at 531
or less, today.
[nurse] Your weight is 544.
Oh, hell no.
The scale don't lie, people do.
We will be going to room five.
Room five, all right.
[Syreeta] It's not as low as it was supposed to be.
But I think I have a better chance
of Dr. Now being happy with this progress this time.
Hello, how y'all doing?
[Syreeta] Fine. How are you?
[Dr. Now] I am good.
Well, it looks like you've lost little bit more weight this time.
Yes.
[Dr. Now] It isn't as much as it should be,
but it is good improvement, so I'm happy about that.
Before you get started,
can I have a thing for souvenir?
I like the little jewelries on you.
What are you talking about?
[Lawrence] She trying to take your stuff.
Yeah, I'm trying to take that home with me.
-Take this with you? -Yeah.
I got something better for you to take home with you.
Oh, love.
I'm gonna approve you for weight loss surgery
if you lose another 25 pounds and move down to Houston.
You think you can do all this?
Yes, Dr. Now. Yes, I can. Yes, I can.
All right, I'm proud of you for improving,
but you still have some work to do
because you have a long way to go.
So now is not time to slack off.
-Okay? -[Syreeta] Mm-hmm.
[Dr. Now] All right. Let me know when you have moved to Houston.
Don't take too long. And if you're still losing,
we will move ahead with you, okay?
[Syreeta] Yes.
[Dr. Now] So keep it up.
-Okay. -[Dr. Now] Okay?
-Mm-hmm. -And I hope
I'm going to see you soon.
You will.
All right, if you need anything, give me a call.
Y'all have a safe trip back home.
Will do.
[Dr. Now] All right, see you then.
[Lawrence speaking]
I was, but I'm...
I just gotta learn not to give up so damn easily.
Oh [bleep].
Shoot [bleep].
Ouch!
Stop popping!
[Syreeta] I wasn't sure if I can do it,
and I pretty much just stopped believing in myself.
So to be here now with an approval for surgery,
it feels amazing, it feels so real.
I know I need to keep going and making progress
so I don't mess this up.
But the bottom line is, we're gonna figure it out
and we're gonna start this new life together.
It's gonna be so much better.
I know what I need to do.
I just need to do it.
[Syreeta vocalizes]
Lawrence, are we keeping the washer?
We can't put it on the truck.
Oh, no, can't put it on the truck.
[Syreeta] It's been a few months since I saw Dr. Now
and got my surgery approval
Maybe like four.
It took us a few months to find a place.
Because there isn't an inventory
of a lot of place out there that we can afford.
I couldn't just go to any place, either.
Because it depends whether or not I can use the bathroom.
But we finally found a place
and we're starting the process of packing again.
But I ain't gonna lie, though.
From all the packing, my body hurts.
More so, my knees. They gonna fall off.
-Hey! -[all laughing]
I'm sorry.
Hi, y'all.
you've got your naked butt on...
Um, I don't wanna much 'cause I don't wanna cry, so.
Oh, God.
So, I'm not gonna do that.
I'm gonna walk away.
-Aww. -'Cause I don't wanna do that.
[Syreeta] I'm gonna drive the car and Lawrence is gonna drive the U-Haul.
And we hope I can handle all the driving
because I've never driven that far before.
-[crying] -[indistinct]
I love you.
[Syreeta] But hopefully the progress I made helps.
-The first born... -That's my second baby but he gave me a hug,
You guys are gonna do well.
This is a great opportunity for you guys
to do something different.
[Syreeta] It's harder to say goodbye than I thought it would be
now that the moment is here.
All right, God bless you guys.
Be safe. Save travels.
May God be with you guys. Amen.
[all] Amen.
Yeah, I'm ready to go. I ain't gonna lie though, I'm gonna miss my in-laws.
But I know it's the right thing to do
because I know it's gonna help me save my life.
[Syreeta] It's the day of my appointment with Dr. Now
and we're racing to get there.
We made it to Houston and we have a little bit of time,
so we're gonna start moving into our new house
before it's time to go to Dr. Now's.
I don't wanna be late for my appointment,
so we have to hurry and get what we can done.
It's this right here.
[Syreeta] You ready?
Ooh, okay!
Ooh!
So bathroom there.
[Syreeta] This place isn't so bad,
especially considering where we just came from.
The water's on.
I'm looking forward to making a home here.
I hope that now that we're down here,
everything gets a little bit easier.
And I really hope this thing was worth it.
Damn!
Dang!
[Syreeta] All right, I can't believe I'm here already.
I've been looking forward to this day for so many months,
but instead of feeling excited and enthusiastic,
I'm just feeling nervous and scared
because I don't wanna mess up my surgery approval.
But I'm afraid that I may have done just that.
Hotter than hell.
Hey, y'all. Hello, hello.
Syreeta?
[whispering] Oh, my God.
[Syreeta] Back when i was approved for surgery,
Dr. Now said I needed to lose another 25 pounds for surgery.
So I would've been down from 544 to 519.
But that was supposed to be a month long time span.
Since then, it's been four months
and I don't think I've lost anything close to a 100 pound.
Go into room five.
[Syreeta] That's really disappointing,
and I feel like I can't catch a break.
With the move and all that stuff,
it's really stressing me out
and it's made it hard to stick to the diet.
I thought I was cutting back right and eating less,
but I guess I was kidding myself.
I'm not sure,
I just hope Dr. now gives me some credit
for everything that I have done.
And we can focus on that and move forward.
Hello, how y'all doing?
[Lawrence] Fine.
All right. Syreeta, what's going on with you?
[Syreeta] Dr. Now, go ahead, lay it on me.
Go ahead, cuss me out, 'cause I know you want to.
[Dr. Now] And why should I cuss you out?
Because I didn't meet my goal again this time.
You're right about that. This is four months later.
You could have lost another 200 pound, but you gained.
-So why is that? -[Syreeta] Well...
You know I had a lot going on back at home.
I was still eating, you know, as far as
on the healthy-wise.
But it was just so much stuff going on
at that time so I wasn't
being mobile...
enough as I should have been, and--
Just hold on. Your activity has very little to do with your weight.
Well, that's what you said.
Okay, and let's... let's back up a little bit.
-Oh yeah. -[Dr. Now] Okay. You think your weight
isn't mostly about your eating habit?
I feel like I've been doing good
-with my eating habit-- -That's not the question.
Just stick with the question. Don't... don't go off.
-Mm, okay. -So, you think your weight
has to do with your eating habit. Correct?
-Correct. -If you are five pounds overweight
and you want to burn extra calories,
working hard would help with that.
But if you are five to 600 pounds,
the only thing it does will improve your stamina.
It's not a significant factor of your weight loss.
So the only thing that make difference is if you eat less.
-Do you get that? -Uh-huh.
-Right. Mm-hmm. -Let me give an example, okay?
You assume you're going to the bank,
you're depositing $100 in...
Put in $100 bill each month.
-Mm-hmm. -But now, this time, you're going to bank,
you're gonna deposit $100
in nickel and dime, and $1 bill.
You still deposit the same amount,
but it's broken into small portions.
But you still have the same total.
Would that make any difference? No.
You're telling me that you're eating just smaller meals now
and you're eating less at one time.
So you doin' great.
But, you're still eating the same total in a day.
If you're changing some product in your eating habit,
but you're getting the same amount of calorie,
that not gonna matter.
That... okay. That... okay.
Now that you said that... Now that's a different...
That's... That... Okay.
-Now I see what you're saying. -Do you understand what I'm talking about?
-[Syreeta] Mm-hmm. -Okay, so, no matter what you do,
you gotta see some changes on the scale.
And if you're not, then you still need
to reduce the total calorie intake.
The whole idea is not
that you're gonna eat less in volume
but less in calorie.
-That's right. -So that $100 deposit that you're making,
you need to cut that down.
You need to change your eating habit.
So that's where your focus needs to be.
-You understand that? -[Syreeta] Yes.
You should be able to lose five pound a week.
-[exhales] Okay. -[Dr. Now] So, over the next two months
I want you to lose at least 40 pounds,
to show me that you're back on track
-and doing what you need. Okay? -Yes.
Five pounds a week.
-For you shouldn't be any problem. -Mm-hmm.
If you just eat the appropriate amount
and the calorie, you're gonna be able to do that.
-Okay. -Mm-hmm.
I'm gonna set you up to see a, um, therapist
to figure out what issue you have
with your eating habit,
what anxiety and thing driving you to eat
and why you don't want to give it up.
So, if we set that up,
-you think you can go an do that? -Yes.
All right. I'll see y'all later.
And if you need anything, give me a call.
-I will. -All right, we'll see you then.
[Syreeta] All right.
[whispering] There's about to be some living out here.
He about to really be on my behind.
[Dr. Now] Unfortunately, it looks like
Syreeta's moderation and hard work was short lived.
That is concerning, but what is even more concerning
is that she seems to be convincing herself
that she's not eating too much.
And her overeating is not what led her to weight gain.
And I think the reason for that is
she ultimately doesn't want to give up
the comfort she gets from food.
So I'm hoping that therapy
might start to help to do that,
because she needs to face reality.
[Syreeta] Well,
that's just really disappointing and frustrating.
I know I need to do better.
But I feel like I'm not getting any credit
for all the work that I have done.
I'm not giving up.
I haven't done all this to come down here and give up.
So I'm gonna keep doing what I need to do and get back on track.
And make sure I get the surgery, no matter what.
[Lawrence] How do you feel about going to see
Dr. Paradise today?
You nervous?
[Syreeta] Um... I'm nervous.
But, I mean, let's...
Well, let's see what's... what's to come off it.
[yawning]
No... oh, oh, oh, oh.
Getting up.
Right.
You thought that was bananas?
-[Lawrence] No. -Oh.
[breathing heavily]
Hi, folks. I'm Dr. Paradise. Come on in.
Hi, Syreeta, Syreeta.
[clears throat] Hi!
You can I have a seat right over there. And you're?
-Lawrence. -Hi, Lawrence.
Good to meet you. Have a seat right over there.
Welcome. I'm glad you guys are here.
So Lawrence is gonna be with us
and I'm glad to have you together, 'cause I wanna hear from him too.
But, Syreeta, why don't you start and tell me
a little bit about yourself.
I'm 31.
I grew up in Peoria, Illinois.
Oh, wow, Illinois. I grew up in Illinois too.
-I would... Grew up outside of Chicago. -[Syreeta] Oh, great.
Yeah.
-Um, grew up in foster care, um... -What was that like?
It was horrible.
Um, the typical stories of foster care.
The typical...
horrific things you normally hear about foster care.
That's the... That's the typical...
That's what happened.
I feel bad 'cause we're jumping right into it,
but sounds like you were abused.
-Yeah. -Uh, what kind of abuse?
Sexual... physical... mental...
-[Dr. Paradise] All of it. -[Syreeta] Yeah.
Wow. Okay.
I mean, you... You were literally,
physically defending yourself
from the earliest stage, right?
-Yeah. -Let's talk about your mom.
What'd you think your mom's...
attitude towards you was?
Like, I... I don't know.
Like, I... I felt like she hated me.
My mom treated me like I was a bitch off the streets.
[chuckles] Like... [sniffles]
Was there any follow up
about the abuse and stuff in foster home?
Were there ever charges filed or anybody got in trouble, no?
You know, Syreeta, your entire life
nobody has ever stuck up for you.
You've been defending yourself so long,
I feel like you come into the room like this. [chuckles]
Am I right?
Did she have her... have her dukes up?
Yeah.
[Lawrence] I think it's because...
if somebody gave you a piece of gum,
in the back of your mind you think,
"What I gotta do because I got this piece of gum?"
And it... it goes...
it goes in on and on and on, it goes like that.
Your husband's very smart.
I read you more than what you think I read you.
Did... Did you hear what he said?
Mm-hmm.
It's as if you're suspicious of people who are trying to help you.
Even somebody like Dr. Now, right?
And somebody could even make the argument
that the gaining a little bit weight right before the surgery,
'cause you don't even trust the surgery, right?
[sniffles]
You're maybe worried that that's not gonna help.
Yeah, it's... I'm scared, I'm terrified. [sniffles]
Scared of the surgery?
-I'm scared of it all. -Yeah.
[Dr. Paradise] It's normal to be worried about a surgery, right?
So...
All of the homework I wanna focus on, one...
Letting down your guard a little bit.
Being a little less defensive.
And I think one of the ways to do that
is to keep track of what you've been eating really accurately
so that when Dr. Now asks you, you can tell him, right?
Second homework, if we were doing
a trauma journal, what might make it in that journal?
What would you be writing?
I wanna write a letter to my mom.
Because I wanna be able to...
to let them feelings go and leave it there on that paper.
Letting go of the weight that's holding you down.
You can do this.
You believe that?
-I... I think so. -Okay.
Great to meet both of you. Take care.
Nice meeting you.
Good to meet you too.
-Take care. Good to meet you, man. -You too.
[Syreeta] I think the counselling session with Dr. Paradise
went pretty good.
'Cause it... It made me talk about some stuff
that I didn't really wanna talk about.
About me having trust issues and just...
Understanding that not everybody is not out to hinder me.
But there is actually good people out here actually to help me.
[Lawrence speaking]
[Syreeta chuckles] Mm-hmm.
[Lawrence speaking]
You enjoy my cooking today?
Yeah.
It's refreshing cooking healthier meals versus all the little...
fattening stuff that I'm used to.
Fried chicken and pork chops.
All that stuff.
I enjoy it but I've missed...
the other stuff.
Recently Dr. Paradise prescribed me to do
food journaling therapy.
It's been pretty cool.
I'm more aware of...
my intake and I'm more aware
of what's going into my body, so...
It's easier for me to keep track
and I can actually pinpoint,
oh, this is what I ate.
And how much of it I ate.
Ow. [bleep]
Therapy has impacted my diet
in a few little ways. Like it's holding me accountable.
It's making me more aware.
I'm more aware of my intake.
And then I can be aware of like how each meal
made me feel and like if I'm energized or if I'm sluggish.
Thank you.
Today I had shrimp and veggies for dinner,
so I literally had to count each shrimp that I had, so...
It started, it was supposed to be eight,
but my husband put 14 on my plate, so...
ended up having 14 shrimp, and...
One thing about me, I'm not shy of vegetables.
I love vegetables, so...
I would've preferred more veggies than shrimp.
[sighs, groans]
Today I wrote a letter to my mom.
I writing this letter to her
because I feel like
it plays a big part
in my stress and why I eat a lot
and why I eat so much.
So, it plays a big role in that.
And I feel like it's gonna help me let it go.
Well, it says, "Dear mama, it's been exactly a year
and almost one month
since she left this wicked ass world.
I know, since she left, it definitely hasn't been easy for me at all.
Somedays, those grudges that I have for many years
creep back up and most days I wish you knew how much I really loved you
beyond that madness.
I never felt the same from you,
I always felt like you hated me.
Like, it felt like,
most times I wasn't your child.
I always carried that grudge
that you loved the other children more than you liked me.
You put me back out on the streets.
Why?
But with my other siblings you didn't do that.
Didn't even bother to ask me what I was going through or why.
You just put me back on the streets, like I was just some animal."
[Lawrence] How did your letter go?
Uh, it went.
-Hmm. -It was all right.
Hmm.
That's good.
[Syreeta] I think Dr. Paradise had me write this letter
because, like, me having to defend myself as a child
growing up, I started out at a young age, and...
The one person who, feel like, hurted me the most,
that let me down,
needs to hear, and basically, you know,
she's deceased now, so I have to get to a part where I need to let it go.
I'm proud of you.
All right.
I feel like my whole future
and everything depends on my progress today.
Syreeta?
[Syreeta] So I've been busting my butt
up until now to do the best that I can.
Last time I was here,
I weighed 552.
And Dr. Now told me I had to lose 40 pounds
over the last two month.
[nurse] Okay. Step up on the scale.
[Syreeta] So I need to be down to 512 today.
And I really hope I did that.
[nurse] You can step down.
And we're going to room five.
[Syreeta] Well, I'm relieved that I lost weight and didn't gain any.
But I'm worried
that's is not enough to meet what Dr. Now said.
[knock on door]
Hello. How you doing?
Fine. How are you?
Good.
All right. So, I'm glad to see you're losing again.
Not as much as I'd like you to lose.
But at least you're moving in the right direction
and not gaining.
So how we doing with your eating habit and diet and all that?
My eating habits, they're better.
And I'm working really, really, really, really hard, and...
I'm really trying to show not just...
you, but, you know, myself
that this is what I really, really want.
This is not only that I want, it's a need.
It's my health, and my life is dependent on it.
So, this... this is what I want
and I'm showing you that this is what I need.
Great. I'm glad you realize that,
and I'm glad to see that you're making progress.
If you continue making this progress,
I will tell you what I'm willing to do.
I'm gonna give you two months,
and if in two months you keep losing weight
like you have been,
then we gonna do weight loss surgery, okay?
All righty.
That sounds good to me.
[Dr. Now] You need to show me
that this is not gonna be a temporary change
like last time.
And you're gonna stick with it and not start to slip.
So as long as you continue losing
14 pound a month or more,
in two months, we can do the surgery.
-Okay. -Okay?
-Yes. -Do you feel
the therapy is helping you?
Therapy is helping
and basically what I learnt from therapy
is that not everybody is against me and so,
I just have to let that wall down,
just understand that people are here to help me
and they're just telling me right.
And they're not telling me wrong.
Okay. Super.
You have to stop snacking between the meal,
and you have to cut your portions down.
I've been doing 'cause I don't snack in between the meals.
I actually, I don't snack at all.
And if I... Well, I'm not gonna say
I don't snack at all, because if I do it's fruit.
So right now at your weight,
you should give up all fruit.
-And then... -Oh, okay.
So that is gonna be a hard work
that you need to stick with it, okay?
-Yes. -All right.
So keep up with the therapy
and keep up with your healthy eating habit
and we will see how you doing next two month.
If you stay on track hopefully,
within a year we get you to your goal weight.
Yes, sir.
All right. If you need anything,
-give me a call. -Okay.
I will see you later.
-All righty. Thank you. -Okay. And you're welcome.
[Dr. Now] I'm very glad to see Syreeta
is back going in the right direction again.
That's very positive,
but I need to see a little more from her
to show me that she gonna stick with it
and stay on track this time.
If she does that over the next two months,
and she shows me
she's making some decent and consistent progress,
then we will move ahead
and I will do weight loss surgery on her.
Try this one, we're gonna go out the sides,
just straight up the sides.
-Ooh. -[Jorge] And here.
A little heavier, yeah.
And we're gonna go one,
up 45 degrees to the front,
and then one straight up the middle.
[Syreeta] The past month I've been working hard
and I'm more than halfway to the goal Dr. Now gave me.
And I have another month to lose the rest.
But I plan to keep working hard
to blow past that goal.
And get that surgery
because nothing is gonna stand in my way
of moving ahead this time.
Go as high as you can, slow, slow and controlled.
[Syreeta] I've been journaling about my food
and I've been eating less and I've joined a gym.
And the life that we are creating down here
is all new and is all healthy.
[Jorge] And we're good.
[Syreeta panting] Okay.
[Syreeta] And I'm working with Dr. Paradise.
Oh!
Mm-hmm. [chuckles]
Get your butt in the sun.
You wanna sit on my lap?
-No. -You sure?
Mm-hmm.
[Syreeta] If I can lose the weight,
I would like to have children of our own.
That's a big motivator for me.
At this point,
I've only got about 200 pounds left to go.
So I'm excited 'cause I can't believe
that's even something I can look forward to.
Good bye, old me.