Brandon: I FEEL LIKE I'M LIVING A NIGHTMARE.
AND I'M ASHAMED AT HOW OUT-OF-CONTROL
I'VE LET MY SIZE GET.
Woman: HE CAN'T STOP.
HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW.
Woman #2: IT'S TERRIFYING TO THINK THAT AT ANY MOMENT,
YOUR HEART CAN EXPLODE.
Woman #3: I DON'T WANT TO DIE.
I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN TO LIVE YET.
WHY ARE YOU JUMPING ON MY CASE?!
YOU'RE OVEREATING, AND YOU'RE ACTING LIKE IT IS OUR FAULT!
I KNOW THAT I'M DYING.
I KNOW THAT I'M NOT GONNA MAKE IT.
[ GASPS ] I CAN'T BREATHE.
Kassandra: YOU MIGHT BE HAVING A PANIC ATTACK.
PLEASE, SOME HELP ME!
GOD, I'M GONNA DIE!
♪♪
Brandon: I FEEL LIKE I'M LIVING A NIGHTMARE,
WHERE MY OWN BODY'S THIS PRISON I'M TRAPPED IN.
AND IT KEEPS ME FROM BEING ABLE
TO LIVE MY LIFE OR EVEN DO ANYTHING.
BECAUSE I'M SO BIG.
BUT THAT'S THE REALITY I HAVE TO FACE EVERY DAY NOW.
WHEN I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING,
I'M DREADING HAVING TO LIVE ANOTHER DAY IN THIS BODY
BECAUSE I'M MISERABLE.
♪♪
AND THE SECOND MY FEET HIT THE FLOOR AND I STAND UP,
THIS JOLT OF PAIN SHOOTS UP MY LEGS
BECAUSE IT'S JUST A LOT OF WEIGHT TO PUT ON MY KNEES.
AND I FEEL LIKE THEY'RE GONNA BUCKLE AT ANY MOMENT.
AND TO MAKE IT EVEN WORSE, I HAVE SEVERE LYMPHEDEMA,
WHICH ARE THESE HUGE MASSES THAT HAVE FORMED
ON BOTH OF MY LEGS THAT HANG AND PULL ON MY INNER THIGHS.
SO IT MAKES IT EVEN MORE PAINFUL TO MOVE AND GET AROUND.
IT'S ALL ALMOST UNBEARABLE, AND IT'S A BIG MENTAL STRUGGLE
FOR ME TO CONTINUE TO CONVINCE MYSELF
TO TRY EVERY DAY TO EVEN GET OUT OF BED.
BUT I PUSH MYSELF BECAUSE IF I DON'T,
I KNOW THAT IT'LL MEAN MY GIRLFRIEND, TAYLER,
WILL HAVE TO START BATHING AND CLEANING ME IN BED.
AND I CAN'T LET IT GET TO THAT POINT.
WE LIVE TOGETHER WITH MY MOM,
BUT TAYLER IS THE ONE WHO HAS TO HELP ME AND TAKE CARE OF ME.
BUT I DON'T WANT HER TO HAVE TO DO ANY MORE
THAN SHE ALREADY DOES FOR ME.
SO SHE'S MY MOTIVATION TO PUSH MYSELF TO GET UP EVERY DAY.
BECAUSE JUST THE THOUGHT OF HER HAVING TO CLEAN ME
OR HELP ME GO TO THE BATHROOM UPSETS ME A LOT.
SO I'M NOT LETTING MYSELF BECOME BEDRIDDEN.
BUT I KNOW I'M GETTING CLOSER TO THAT POINT,
WHETHER I LIKE IT OR NOT.
BECAUSE EVEN BASIC THINGS ARE HARD FOR ME.
AND I'M TERRIFIED OF FALLING ANY TIME I'M UP,
BUT ESPECIALLY WHEN I'M IN THE SHOWER.
BECAUSE IF I DO, IT'LL BE CATASTROPHIC AT MY SIZE.
SO I KNOW IT'S EXTREMELY BAD.
AND I'M ASHAMED AT HOW OUT OF CONTROL
I'VE LET MY BODY AND SIZE GET.
IT'S HARD FOR ME TO EVEN LOOK AT MYSELF ANYMORE
BECAUSE WHEN I LOOK IN THE MIRROR,
I JUST SEE A MONSTER.
AND I KNOW THAT'S WHAT THE REST OF THE WORLD
SEES WHEN THEY LOOK AT ME, TOO.
ALL I HAVE TO DO IS TAKE ONE STEP OUTSIDE MY FRONT DOOR,
AND I CAN SEE ON THEIR FACES, "HE'S AN ANIMAL.
HE'S A MONSTER.
WHAT IS THAT?"
IT'S JUST EMBARRASSING THAT I'VE LET IT GET BAD
BECAUSE I CAN'T STOP EATING.
AND THERE'S NOT A MOMENT WHERE I'M NOT CRAVING SOMETHING.
AND THERE'S NOTHING THAT'S AS GOOD AS THE FIRST MEAL
THAT STARTS THE DAY
BECAUSE I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR IT SINCE I WENT TO BED.
♪♪
[ DOOR OPENS ]
HEY, BABE. HEY, BABE.
GONNA EAT RIGHT HERE?
YEP.
LET ME GET A TRAY.
OKAY.
THANKS.
TAYLER USUALLY BRINGS ME SOMETHING
BEFORE SHE GOES TO WORK.
AND WE EAT TOGETHER.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DRINK?
UH, I'LL TAKE SODA, PLEASE.
OKAY.
AND IT'S HARD TO DESCRIBE THE INCREDIBLE FEELING
FOOD GIVES ME.
IT'S AMAZING.
THANKS.
AND NOTHING IN MY LIFE HAS EVER BEEN ABLE TO COMPARE
TO THE HAPPINESS AND JOY I FEEL WHEN I EAT.
SO I NEVER WANT TO STOP.
I DEFINITELY FEEL LIKE I ENABLE HIM SOME.
I FEEL LIKE HE'S IN PAIN ALL THE TIME.
BRANDON CAN'T STAND LONG.
HE CAN'T LAY LONG. HE CAN'T SIT LONG.
HE'S JUST UNCOMFORTABLE ALWAYS.
AND I FEEL LIKE EATING HIS FAVORITE FOODS
PUTS HIM IN A BETTER MOOD.
I LOVE HIM, AND HE DESERVES TO BE HAPPY.
Brandon: I'VE LET FOOD BASICALLY BECOME MY WHOLE LIFE.
AND IT'S BEEN THAT WAY FOR A WHILE NOW.
GROWING UP, I WOULDN'T SAY MY HOME WAS A PEACEFUL PLACE.
MY PARENTS WERE CONSTANTLY FIGHTING,
SO THERE WAS A LOT OF SCREAMING.
IT WOULD ESCALATE INTO THINGS BEING THROWN AT EACH OTHER.
SO THAT'S MOSTLY WHAT I REMEMBER OF EARLY CHILDHOOD.
AND DURING THOSE TIMES, I WOULD JUST NORMALLY BE IN MY ROOM.
BUT BEFORE I WOULD GO IN MY ROOM,
I WOULD GO AND GRAB AS MUCH FOOD AS I COULD AND TAKE IT WITH ME
BECAUSE EATING HELPED CALM ME DOWN
AND HELPED BLOCK OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON OUTSIDE MY DOOR.
I WAS AROUND 6 AT THIS TIME, SO MY WEIGHT GAIN STARTED EARLY ON.
I HAD GOTTEN UP TO A LITTLE OVER 80 POUNDS AROUND THEN.
Rhonda: I WAS SCARED FOR BRANDON'S WEIGHT.
I THOUGHT HE WOULD OUTGROW IT BECAUSE A LOT OF THE PARENTS
AND MY FRIENDS, THEIR KIDS,
AT A CERTAIN AGE, HAD GOTTEN HEAVY.
AND THEY SAID, "OH, HE WOULD JUST LOSE IT,
YOU KNOW, AS HE GETS OLDER.
PROBABLY JUST GO AWAY."
BUT WITH BRANDON, IT NEVER DID.
Brandon: OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS,
MY LIFE CHANGED A LOT BECAUSE AROUND THEN,
MY MOM HAD MY YOUNGER BROTHER,
AND THEN A LITTLE OVER A YEAR LATER, MY YOUNGER SISTER.
AND THANKFULLY, THE FIGHTING BECAME LESS FREQUENT THEN
BECAUSE MY DAD GOT INTO LAW SCHOOL.
HE HAD BEEN A BUS DRIVER IN NEW YORK CITY,
AND WE LIVED IN NEW JERSEY.
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, WHEN I WAS 8,
WE WERE MOVING TO COLUMBUS, OHIO,
SO MY DAD COULD BE A LAWYER.
BUT BECAUSE OF THAT, MY MOM HAD TO TAKE ON EXTRA JOBS
TO GET MY DAD THROUGH LAW SCHOOL AND TO PROVIDE FOR ALL OF US.
AND WE HARDLY SAW HER BECAUSE SHE HAD TO CONSTANTLY WORK,
AND MY DAD WAS ALWAYS STUDYING.
SO ALL THE FIGHTING STOPPED BECAUSE MY PARENTS
JUST WEREN'T AROUND ANY LONGER.
SO I WOULD SAY IT WAS A BETTER TIME IN MY CHILDHOOD
BECAUSE OF THAT, BUT IT STILL GOT STRESSFUL FOR ME
BECAUSE I HAD TO LOOK AFTER MY YOUNGER BROTHER AND SISTER, TOO.
I STILL USED FOOD TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER,
AND BY THE TIME I WAS 12, I HAD MADE IT UP TO AROUND 250.
AND THAT'S WHEN MY MOM STARTED TO TAKE NOTICE
OF HOW BIG I WAS GETTING.
SO SHE STARTED TO GET REALLY CRITICAL OF MY WEIGHT.
AND HER COMMENTS INCREASED, AND I TOOK IT AS AN INSULT.
AND I STARTED AVOIDING HER AS MUCH AS I COULD
BECAUSE IT WOULD JUST ALWAYS LEAD TO A DISAGREEMENT,
USUALLY ABOUT WHAT I WAS EATING, AND I WOULD GET REALLY UPSET.
BUT AROUND THAT TIME, TOO, I STARTED GETTING CLOSER TO MY DAD
BECAUSE HE GRADUATED FROM LAW SCHOOL.
SO HE WAS ABLE TO BE AROUND MORE THEN,
AND HE WAS REALLY POSITIVE AND HE WOULD BUILD ME UP.
SO I REALLY WANTED TO BE WITH HIM BECAUSE OF THAT,
AND BECAUSE HE WAS NEVER CRITICAL ABOUT MY WEIGHT
AND WHAT I WAS EATING.
THERE WAS A PERIOD WHERE HE WANTED ME
TO START TO WORK OUT AND EXERCISE MORE.
BUT I KNOW MY MOM WAS BEHIND IT AND THAT IT WASN'T HIM.
WE'D HAVE DISCUSSIONS WITH BRANDON'S DAD ABOUT HIS WEIGHT,
AND SOMETIMES HE SAID, "LET HIM JUST ENJOY LIFE,"
BUT I SAID, "YOU NEED TO WORK OUT WITH HIM
SO THAT HE CAN LOSE THE WEIGHT AND HE'LL HAVE A BUDDY SYSTEM."
Brandon: I WASN'T TOO HAPPY WITH MY MOM
TRYING TO MANIPULATE MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY DAD.
SO ALL OF THAT PUT EVEN MORE STRAIN ON MY RELATIONSHIP
WITH MY MOM.
AND IT DIDN'T WORK BECAUSE I STILL KEPT EATING AND GAINING.
AND BY THE TIME I'D GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL WHEN I WAS 18,
I WAS OVER 400 POUNDS.
AND AT THAT SIZE, IT WAS STARTING TO GET
A LITTLE HARDER TO GET AROUND AND DO AS MUCH.
BUT I COULD STILL FUNCTION LIKE I NEEDED,
SO I WENT TO COLLEGE.
AND FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS,
IT WAS A REALLY GOOD TIME FOR ME.
I WAS HAPPY.
I PICKED VOCAL PERFORMANCE AS MY MAJOR,
WITH AN EMPHASIS ON OPERA.
AND IT TURNED OUT THAT I HAD A LOT OF TALENT WITH MUSIC.
MY DREAM WAS TO MOVE TO FLORENCE AND AUDITION
FOR AN ITALIAN OPERA.
SO MY WEIGHT STABILIZED BECAUSE I WASN'T EATING LIKE
I HAD BEEN FOR MOST OF MY LIFE BECAUSE I WAS HAPPY.
BUT MY SENIOR YEAR OF COLLEGE
IS WHEN EVERYTHING CAME CRASHING DOWN AGAIN.
I WAS 21 AND I WENT HOME TO VISIT
AND I FOUND OUT MY DAD WASN'T LIVING THERE ANYMORE.
HE HAD BEEN HAVING AN AFFAIR FOR YEARS
AND MY MOM FOUND OUT AND THEY SPLIT UP.
AND I WAS JUST IN SHOCK AND DEVASTATED.
I TRIED TO SEE IF THEY'D GET BACK TOGETHER,
BUT THINGS DIDN'T GO WELL AT ALL
BECAUSE WHEN I GOT MY DAD TO COME OVER AND TALK TO MY MOM,
HE'D SAY THINGS THAT NO GROWN MAN SHOULD EVER SAY TO A WOMAN.
SO I KICKED HIM OUT OF THE HOUSE MYSELF.
IN JUST A FEW SHORT DAYS, MY WHOLE RELATIONSHIP
WITH MY DAD WAS UNDONE AND ERASED.
AND I FELT SO BETRAYED
BECAUSE I HAD TO START SUPPORTING MY FAMILY.
SO I ENDED UP MOVING BACK HOME TO HELP TAKE CARE OF THEM
ONCE I GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE.
AND THAT MEANT I HAD TO STOP PURSUING MUSIC AND MY DREAMS.
I HAD TO GIVE THAT UP.
AND THAT WASN'T THE ONLY THING THIS ALL COST ME.
MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY DAD ENDED.
THE LAST WORDS THAT MY FATHER AND I SAID TO EACH OTHER
WERE VERY HARSH, ABRASIVE WORDS THAT, IN OTHER WORDS, SAID...
"WE'RE FINISHED."
THAT WAS AROUND 12 YEARS AGO.
AND THAT WAS THE LAST TIME I EVER SAW OR TALKED TO MY DAD.
AND WHEN I TOOK THE ROLE OF MAN OF THE HOUSE
WITH MY BROTHER AND SISTER,
IT PUT A STRAIN ON OUR RELATIONSHIP
THAT WE'VE NEVER RECOVERED FROM.
SO, WHAT MY DAD DID DESTROYED MY LIFE,
AND I'VE NEVER FORGIVEN HIM FOR THAT.
HE JUST TORE DOWN OUR FAMILY LIKE IT WAS NOTHING.
AND I'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO RECOVER FROM THAT.
BUT HOW I DEALT WITH IT WAS BY GOING BACK TO FOOD.
SO AT THAT TIME, I STARTED EATING A LOT AGAIN.
I HAD TO WORK TO SUPPORT OUR FAMILY, AND TO DO THAT,
I HAD GOTTEN A JOB AS AN ELEMENTARY-SCHOOL TEACHER.
AND IT WAS A VERY ACTIVE JOB.
BUT I GOT TOO BIG AND COULDN'T DO IT.
I WAS 24 AT THAT TIME AND HAD PUT ON ANOTHER 100 POUNDS
OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS TO GET OVER THE 500-POUND MARK.
Rhonda: BRANDON, I REMEMBER ONE TIME
I WENT TO THE DOCTOR WITH HIM AND THEY WENT TO WEIGH HIM
AND IT COULDN'T EVEN PICK UP HIS WEIGHT
BECAUSE I THINK THE LIMIT WAS PROBABLY 500 POUNDS.
Brandon: I'M NOT SURE WHEN I PROBABLY CROSSED THE 600 MARK.
IF I HAD TO TAKE A GUESS, I WOULD SAY SOMEWHERE
AROUND 27 OR 28 YEARS OLD.
AND IT STARTED TO GET REALLY HARD TO DO
EVEN BASIC THINGS AROUND THEN.
BUT I WAS STILL TRYING TO GET OUT AND GO PLACES.
AND I'M GLAD BECAUSE WHEN I WAS 28,
I MET MY GIRLFRIEND, TAYLER, AT CHURCH.
WE WERE JUST TALKING AND WE HIT IT OFF.
SO I ASKED HER OUT AND SHE SAID YES
AND WE STARTED SEEING EACH OTHER.
THE FIRST TIME I MET BRANDON,
MY FIRST IMPRESSION WAS KIND OF A SHOCK
BECAUSE I'D NEVER SEEN ANYBODY LIKE THAT BEFORE.
BUT ONCE I STARTED TALKING TO HIM,
I REALIZED HOW SWEET AND NICE OF A GUY HE WAS.
Brandon: AND I KNOW THAT IF I WOULD HAVE GIVEN IN
AND STARTED TO JUST STAY HOME,
I WOULD HAVE NEVER MET THE LOVE OF MY LIFE.
BUT WHEN WE STARTED DATING,
THAT'S WHEN MY LYMPHEDEMA STARTED TO DEVELOP.
AND I GOT TOO BIG TO DRIVE,
AND THEN I STARTED REALLY STRUGGLING WITH EVERYTHING.
SO I COULDN'T PROVIDE FOR MYSELF ANYMORE.
AND THEN TAYLER AGREED TO MOVE IN WITH ME
AND MY MOM TO BE THE ONE WHO LOOKS AFTER ME
AND HELP TAKE CARE OF ME.
AND NOW I'M 33.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I WEIGH, BUT IT'S SO BAD.
I'M ALMOST COMPLETELY BEDRIDDEN
AND HAVE TO HAVE HELP TO EVEN FUNCTION.
AND I CAN'T BELIEVE I'VE LET IT GET THIS BAD.
I'M GONNA GO TAKE THE EGGS TO THE TABLE.
OKAY. OKAY.
IT'S NOT FAIR THAT MY MOM HAS TO PROVIDE FOR ME
WHEN I SHOULD BE HELPING HER OUT.
AND THIS ISN'T A LIFE FOR ME OR FOR TAYLER.
I WANT US TO GET MARRIED,
BUT RIGHT NOW IF I PROPOSE TO HER,
WHAT KIND OF LIFE WOULD I BE OFFERING HER?
THANK YOU.
SHE'D BE SAYING YES TO BEING MY CARETAKER,
AND THAT'S NOT FAIR TO HER.
OHH.
WE DON'T DO BOYFRIEND-GIRLFRIEND STUFF PARTLY BECAUSE OF MY SIZE.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO PHYSICAL STUFF,
TAYLER AND I DO NOT PARTAKE IN INTIMACY
BECAUSE WE'RE NOT MARRIED YET.
WE'RE WAITING UNTIL WE'RE MARRIED,
BUT THAT WON'T HAPPEN UNLESS I LOSE THE WEIGHT
AND I'M ABLE TO ACTUALLY GIVE HER WHAT SHE DESERVES.
SO I KNOW I DESPERATELY NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT
TO NOT ONLY BE ABLE TO DO THAT, BUT BECAUSE IT'S GETTING SO BAD
THAT MY BODY'S STARTING TO STRUGGLE MORE AND MORE.
AND I KNOW THAT IF I DON'T LOSE WEIGHT IN DRASTIC AMOUNTS,
I WILL DIE.
MY HEART OR SOMETHING WILL GIVE OUT,
AND THAT WILL BE THE END.
SMELLS GOOD. LOOKS REAL GOOD.
BUT AS IT IS, I'M ALREADY NOT LIVING BECAUSE OF MY WEIGHT.
AND I'VE LET SO MUCH OF MY LIFE PASS ME BY.
I DON'T EVEN FEEL LIKE I'M LIVING THE LIFE
I WAS SUPPOSED TO LIVE.
I FEEL LIKE I WAS MEANT TO BE A GOOD HUSBAND
AND RAISE SUCCESSFUL CHILDREN.
BUT I'VE TRADED ALL OF THAT FOR FOOD.
AND NOW MY WORST FEAR IS DYING
BEFORE I GET TO FULFILL ANY OF MY DREAMS.
BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW I'M EVER GONNA BE ABLE TO GET TO
THAT POINT WHERE I'LL BE ABLE TO GIVE UP HOW I EAT.
MY LOVE FOR FOOD AND MY DRIVE TO CONSTANTLY EAT
IS A PART OF WHO I AM.
AND EVERY TIME I TRY TO CHANGE THAT, I JUST CAN'T.
I'M DONE.
AND IT MAKES ME FEEL COMPLETELY HOPELESS AND LIKE
I'M CONDEMNED TO THIS FATE WHERE MY CURSE IS TO EAT
UNTIL I DESTROY MY LIFE AND IT KILLS ME.
AND I OFTEN ASK GOD, "WHY WAS I MADE DIFFERENT?
WHY WAS I MADE WITH THIS CRAVING, OR ADDICTION, TO FOOD,
WHERE NO MATTER WHAT I DO, IT ONLY SEEMS TO GET WORSE?"
SO IT MAKES ME FEEL BROKEN,
AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX MYSELF.
BUT I KNOW I'M AT A POINT NOW WHERE MY EATING
AND MY WEIGHT ARE AT A LIMIT,
AND I'M GONNA DIE SOON IF I DON'T CHANGE.
SO NO MATTER HOW HOPELESS IT FEELS, I HAVE TO TRY SOMETHING.
AND IF I DON'T, MY WEIGHT'S GONNA END ME HERE SOON
BECAUSE ONE NIGHT I'M GONNA GO TO BED
AND I'M JUST NOT GONNA WAKE UP
BECAUSE I'LL HAVE FINALLY EATEN MYSELF TO DEATH.
♪♪
THANKS.
Brandon: TODAY I'M HEADED TO HOUSTON TO TRY AND SEE
IF I CAN GET HELP TO LOSE WEIGHT.
I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW,
AND I'M HOPING HE'LL TAKE ME ON AS A PATIENT.
HOW ARE YOU FEELING?
ARE YOU NERVOUS, EXCITED, SCARED?
I MEAN, HOPEFULLY, PEOPLE ARE NICE ENOUGH
TO NOT STOP AND STARE,
BUT THE FACT THAT WE GET TO SEE DR. NOW
IS GONNA BE THE HIGHLIGHT.
EXCITING.I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
HOPEFULLY, HE HAS NO REASON TO NOT ACCEPT ME AS A PATIENT.
I'M DESPERATE, AND I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER OPTIONS THAN THIS.
SO I'M HOPING IT ALL WORKS OUT
BECAUSE I'M FACING AN EARLY DEATH SOON,
AND I HAVE TO CHANGE.
SO I'M REALLY HOPING THIS WILL BE IT.
BUT I'M NERVOUS ABOUT THIS WHOLE TRIP.
Tayler: MY BIGGEST FEAR FOR IF DR. NOW SAYS NO
IS THAT THIS COULD SEND BRANDON INTO A SPIRAL DOWNWARD.
I MEAN, THAT COULD JUST BE REALLY HARD FOR HIM
TO HEAR THAT,
BUT I WOULD STILL BE THERE FOR HIM,
AND I WOULD DEFINITELY HELP HIM
THROUGH WHATEVER HE FEELS AFTER THAT.
Brandon: AND I'M ALREADY STARTING TO FEEL A LITTLE OVERWHELMED.
BUT I'M THANKFUL.
AT LEAST I HAVE TAYLER WITH ME FOR THIS WHOLE TRIP
TO HELP ME WHEN I NEED IT, NOT JUST PHYSICALLY,
BUT ALSO EMOTIONALLY BECAUSE SHE HAS A WAY OF MOTIVATING ME
WHEN I NEED IT, TOO.
SO AS LONG AS SHE'S WITH ME, I THINK I CAN HANDLE THIS.
OKAY.
♪♪
READY? ONE, TWO, THREE.
♪♪
BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THIS IS GONNA TAKE FOR ME
TO MAKE IT ALL THE WAY THERE TO HOUSTON.
BUT I'M VERY DETERMINED RIGHT NOW TO SUCCEED.
SO YOU JUST PULL UP, YOU KNOW, AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN.
RIGHT HERE.
♪♪
I'M GONNA GO PARK THE CAR.
OKAY, SEE YOU SOON.
I'M ALREADY FEELING EXTREMELY TIRED
BECAUSE THIS IS A WHOLE LOT OF ACTIVITY FOR ME.
AND IT'S JUST TAKING A LOT OUT OF ME.
THIS IS GONNA BE A LOT TOUGHER THAN I THOUGHT
BECAUSE WE HAVE TWO FLIGHT CONNECTIONS
BEFORE WE GET TO HOUSTON.
SO IT'S LIKE ANOTHER 12 HOURS OF TRAVELING AHEAD OF US.
AND I'M ALREADY FEELING LIKE I'M GETTING TO MY LIMIT.
READY? LET'S GO.
NOT TOO FAR.
OKAY.
LET'S DO IT.
I'M IN A LOT OF PAIN.
SO I'M STARTING TO GET A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT BEING ABLE
TO MAKE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE GATE.
Woman: FIRST NAME, PLEASE.
Tayler: BRANDON SCOTT.
WELL, THAT'S WHAT I -- I HAVE NO IDEA.
SURE. LET'S DO THAT.
IS THAT, UH, IN THE FRONT ROW,
WHERE THERE'S GONNA BE A LITTLE MORE KNEE ROOM?
OKAY. OH, IT'S A CHOICE FOR SEATS.
OH, AWESOME.
I DIDN'T KNOW THAT. OKAY, THANKS SO MUCH.
I APPRECIATE IT, MOLLY.
GATE A3.
OKAY. THANK YOU.
♪♪
I'M STARTING TO FEEL LIKE I'M ON DISPLAY
AND THAT EVERYONE'S STARTING TO GAWK AT THE BIG MAN
BECAUSE I CAN SEE THEM POINTING AND MUMBLING TO EACH OTHER
WHEN THEY SEE ME.
SO I'M FEELING LIKE THIS WAS A REALLY BAD IDEA
BECAUSE IT'S PROBABLY ONLY GONNA GET WORSE FROM HERE.
AS I WAS WALKING BY A FAMILY, ONE OF THE CHILDREN SAID,
"WOW, HE'S FAT.
SUPER FAT."
AND THEN ALSO, I'VE ALREADY HAD SEVERAL ADULTS STARE AT ME.
AND THAT, YOU KNOW -- THAT WEARS ON YOU.
IT'S OKAY.
OH, MY GOD.
[ Voice breaking ] I 100% REGRET THIS RIGHT NOW.
I CANNOT BELIEVE IT, MAN.
[ CRYING ]
I'M JUST FEELING REALLY OVERWHELMED ABOUT EVERYTHING.
JUST THE WHOLE PROCESS IS ALL VERY DIFFICULT.
AND IT'S SO MUCH EASIER TO JUST STAY AT HOME
AND NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ALL EYES ON ME.
BUT EVEN THOUGH THAT'S NOT HOW I WANT TO LIVE,
THIS IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS
I'VE EVER HAD TO DO.
I'M STARTING TO FREAK OUT, AND I WANT TO GO HOME
BECAUSE I DON'T THINK I CAN DO THIS.
I HAVE SO MUCH OF THIS TRIP LEFT TO GO,
AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE CONVINCED MYSELF
THAT I WAS READY TO DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS
BECAUSE I'M NOT.
♪♪
OKAY.
Brandon: YESTERDAY WAS ONE OF THE HARDEST DAYS OF MY LIFE.
AND I KNOW I LOST IT FOR A LITTLE BIT AT THE AIRPORT.
MY ANXIETY AND HOW OVERWHELMED I FELT
GOT THE BEST OF ME FOR A MOMENT.
OKAY.
I ENDED UP TOUGHING IT OUT AND PUSHED THROUGH THE PAIN,
AND IN SOME WAYS, I FEEL GOOD ABOUT THAT,
BUT BECAUSE OF THE EFFORTS I GAVE YESTERDAY,
TODAY I'M KIND OF PAYING FOR IT A LITTLE BIT.
♪♪
BUT ALL THIS STRUGGLE AND HARD WORK
IT TOOK TO GET HERE COMES DOWN TO TODAY
AND THIS APPOINTMENT THAT TAYLER AND I
ARE HEADED TO WITH DR. NOW.
AND I'M HOPING THAT IT ALL PAYS OFF
AND THAT I'M ABLE TO FINALLY GET THE HELP I NEED TODAY.
BUT I'M NERVOUS.
EVER SINCE I GOT REALLY BIG,
I HAVEN'T REALLY LIKED GOING TO DOCTORS,
PARTLY BECAUSE I'M SCARED ABOUT WHAT THEY CAN FIND.
BUT I'M ALSO REALLY SCARED OF NEEDLES.
SO I HAVEN'T HAD A CHECKUP IN A REALLY LONG TIME.
SO, MY BIGGEST FEAR IS THAT DR. NOW WOULD FIND SOMETHING WRONG
THAT WOULD RESULT IN WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY
NOT BEING AN OPTION FOR ME.
BRANDON SCOTT?
THE OTHER THING I'M NERVOUS ABOUT
IS FINDING OUT WHAT I WEIGH NOW.
I'M HOPING I'M STILL IN THE 600s.
BUT BASED OFF OF THE LAST TIME I WAS WEIGHED,
I THINK I MIGHT WEIGH OVER 700 POUNDS.
BUT I REALLY HOPE IT'S NOT THAT BAD YET BECAUSE MAKING IT
THAT HIGH WOULD BE A WHOLE OTHER LEVEL OF OUT OF CONTROL
THAT MY WEIGHT WILL HAVE REACHED.
CAN I USE YOUR HAND FOR SUPPORT?
MM-HMM.
AND IT'LL MEAN I HAVE EVEN FURTHER TO GO
TO GET TO WHERE I NEED TO, AND I DON'T WANT THAT.
♪♪
[ SIGHS ]
♪♪
THAT'S WHAT I WAS AFRAID OF.
IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE I'VE LET MY WEIGHT GET THAT HIGH.
BUT I'VE KNOWN THAT IT WAS GETTING TO THIS POINT.
I CAN FEEL IT IN HOW HARD IT IS FOR MY BODY TO MOVE AROUND NOW,
BUT IT'S STILL EMBARRASSING TO SEE
AND KNOW THAT THAT NUMBER REPRESENTS ME
BECAUSE IT'S JUST NOT HUMAN.
IT'S NOT WHAT ANYONE SHOULD EVER WEIGH.
SO I'M REALLY HOPING THAT I'M ABLE TO GET DR. NOW'S HELP
AND CHANGE THAT TODAY.
[ KNOCKING ON DOOR ]
[ DOOR UNLOCKS ]
HELLO.
-HI. -HELLO.
HOW ARE WE ALL DOING?
-GOOD. -GOOD.
HOW ARE YOU TODAY?
I'M DOING ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.
I'M DR. NOWZARADAN.
DR. NOWZARADAN, I'M BRANDON.
NICE TO MEET YOU.
OKAY. TAYLER.
NICE TO MEET YOU.
WHERE DO YOU COME FROM?
COLUMBUS, OHIO.
COLUMBUS, OHIO.MM-HMM.
HOW WAS YOUR TRIP DOWN HERE?
IT WAS TOUGH, DR. NOW.
I'M TELLING YOU, IT WAS --
IT WAS GOOD, BUT IT WAS TOUGH FOR ME.
GOOD AND TOUGH.
I WALKED THREE DIFFERENT AIRPORTS,
AND IT PUT A REALITY IN MY MIND
'CAUSE IT WAS REALLY HARD TO WALK ALL THAT DISTANCE.
WELL, I CAN IMAGINE IT'S TOUGH FOR YOU
TO WALK ANY DISTANCE AT YOUR WEIGHT
BECAUSE YOU WEIGHED IN TODAY AT 718 POUNDS.
THAT'S A LOT OF WEIGHT TO TRY AND MOVE AROUND.
SO, TELL ME ABOUT YOUR EATING HABITS.
PORTION-WISE, I EAT TOO MUCH IN ONE SITTING EVERY TIME.
YOU EAT TOO MUCH BECAUSE YOU DON'T GET FULL, OR WHAT?
I DO EAT UNTIL I FEEL FULL,
BUT NOW THAT I'VE STRETCHED MY STOMACH,
THE "FULL" SENSATION DOESN'T COME
UNTIL AFTER I'VE EATEN A LARGER PORTION
BECAUSE I'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR YEARS NOW.
OKAY.
SO, YOU SOUND LIKE SOMEONE WHO'S DONE SOME RESEARCH
IF YOU'RE GONNA TELL ME ABOUT YOUR STRETCHED STOMACH.
[ LAUGHS ]
BUT LET ME CLEAR SOMETHING UP FOR YOU.
YOU'RE OVEREATING BECAUSE YOU WANT TO,
AND NOT BECAUSE OF ANYTHING ELSE.
YOU GOT IT?I GOT IT.
SO, WHAT I WANT TO KNOW ARE WHAT PATTERNS
AND HABITS WE'RE UP AGAINST THAT WE NEED
TO START CHANGE WITH YOU, OKAY?
OKAY.
DO YOU EAT AT HOME, OR ARE YOU OUT?
MOSTLY AT HOME. SOMETIMES OUT, AS WELL.
SO, WHO COOKS?
MY GIRLFRIEND, TAYLER, COOKS, AND MY MOM COOKS.
WHO IS ENABLING YOU TO EAT MORE?
I-I TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT.
YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT THAT, BUT YOU'RE HARDLY ABLE TO WALK,
SO SOMEONE HAS TO BE GETTING FOOD AND BRINGING IT TO YOU.
SO, DOES TAYLER BRING YOU FOOD AT ALL?
YES, SHE DOES, BUT SHE'LL INCLUDE HERSELF
INTO THE STORY LINE AND SAY,
"YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD START EATING HEALTHIER.
WE SHOULD START CHANGING THE WAY WE..."
SO, SHE ENABLED YOU RELUCTANTLY
BECAUSE SHE THINK MAKING YOU HAPPY IS LOVE.
AND THEN SHE WORRIES ABOUT YOU
BECAUSE SHE KNOWS WHAT SHE'S DOING IS HELPING TO KILL YOU.
SO THAT'S LOVE.
SO, TAYLER, IF YOU WANT BRANDON
TO HAVE ANY CHANCE AT DOING THIS,
THAT HAS TO STOP TODAY.
YOU UNDERSTAND?
OKAY. GOOD.
BECAUSE, BRANDON, YOU'RE 33 AND 718 POUNDS.
HOW LONG DO YOU THINK YOU CAN LIVE LIKE THAT?
I FEEL LIKE I'M LUCKY TO BE ALIVE NOW.
YOU'RE RIGHT.
YOU'RE VERY LUCKY BECAUSE VERY FEW PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD
MAKE IT TO THE WEIGHT YOU'RE AT AND LIVE LONG.
BUT IF YOU DON'T DO SOMETHING NOW, YOUR LUCK IS GONNA RUN OUT.
AND UNLESS YOU LOSE A GOOD AMOUNT OF WEIGHT,
YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE A CANDIDATE FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY
BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN TOLERATE
ANY KIND OF SURGERY AND ANESTHESIA.
OKAY.
SO THERE'S NO WAY AROUND IT
EXCEPT THAT WE GOT TO LOSE WEIGHT.
I'M WILLING TO DO WHATEVER YOU TELL ME TO DO.
ALL RIGHT.
SO, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A DIET
THAT IS HIGH-PROTEIN AND LOW-CARB,
AND IT'S LIMITED TO 1,200 CALORIES A DAY.
YOU READ ALL THIS EVERY DAY.OKAY.
GIVE YOU A LIST OF FOOD TO AVOID.
OKAY.
AND YOU STICK TO IT COMPLETELY, OKAY?
OKAY.
AND WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO
IS LOSE 120 POUNDS OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS.
YOU GOT IT? OKAY.
AND I ALSO WANT YOU TO START TO GET MORE ACTIVE.
BUT I SEE YOU GOT A LOT OF LYMPHEDEMA?
YES, BOTH LEGS.BOTH LEGS.
BOTH LEGS, YEAH.
CAN WE TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR LYMPHEDEMA
AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON?
SURE. UM...
OKAY. LET'S DO THAT AND SEE.
OKAY.
THIS IS ACTUALLY NOT LYMPHEDEMA.
THIS IS JUST A FAT STORAGE IN YOUR LEG, OKAY?
OKAY.
WHAT HAPPENED -- YOUR BODY RAN OUT OF PLACE TO STORE IT.
THOSE ARE PLACE TO STORE IT,
AND THEN GET HEAVY, PULL DOWN, AND GET SWOLLEN.
CAN YOU PUSH IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT MORE?
MM-HMM.YOU CAN SIT DOWN.
MAYBE I CAN SEE BETTER IF YOU SIT DOWN.
OKAY. OKAY.
ALL RIGHT, SO, THIS IS A HUGE BULK OF THE FAT
THAT IS STORED IN THIS LEG AND LESS SO IN THE OTHER ONE.
AND IF YOU GAIN MORE WEIGHT,
THOSE MASSES ARE GONNA GET BIGGER AND BIGGER.
OKAY.
BUT IF YOU LOSE WEIGHT, THIS IS GONNA GO DOWN.
OKAY. GOOD.
THAT'S GOOD NEWS.ALL RIGHT.
YOU CAN GET DRESSED IF YOU WANT TO.
OKAY.
IT SAYS HERE IN YOUR FILE THAT LAST TIME
YOU WENT TO THE DOCTOR WAS EIGHT YEARS AGO.
IS THAT ACCURATE?I'M NOT SURE.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD BLOOD WORK DONE --
COMPLETE BLOOD WORK?
OKAY, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE TO DO THAT BEFORE YOU LEAVE
BECAUSE YOU CAN'T GO THAT LONG
WITHOUT BASIC CHECKUP ON YOUR WEIGHT.
AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING'S GOING ON WITH YOU
RIGHT NOW THAT COULD BE LIFE-THREATENING.
OKAY.
EVEN SOMETHING LIKE YOUR BLOOD SUGAR
CAN BE TOO MUCH FOR YOUR BODY TO HANDLE,
AND SO YOU CAN'T DO THAT.
I'M SCARED OF NEEDLES, DR. NOW.
WELL, IT'S NOT OPTIONAL.
AND YOU NEED TO TAKE ALL OF THIS VERY SERIOUSLY, BRANDON,
BECAUSE YOU'RE ON THE TIPPING POINT RIGHT NOW.
IF YOU START GAINING MORE WEIGHT,
IT'S GONNA HINDER YOUR MOBILITY.
AND ONCE THAT HAPPEN, YOU'RE GONNA BE BEDRIDDEN,
AND YOUR HEALTH WILL START TO DECAY RAPIDLY.
OKAY.
IT'S GONNA BE VERY IMPORTANT
THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR LIFE NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.
MM-HMM.YOU READY FOR THAT?
I'M MORE THAN READY.GREAT.
BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY TIME TO WASTE.
ALL RIGHT, IT WAS GOOD TO MEET YOU BOTH,
AND I'LL SEE YOU IN TWO MONTHS.
NICE TO SEE YOU.
THANK YOU, DOCTOR.THANK YOU.
NICE TO MEET YOU.NICE TO MEET YOU.
ALL RIGHT, BUT STICK AROUND SO WE CAN GET SOME BLOOD FROM YOU
AND DO A COUPLE TESTS BEFORE YOU GO.
ALL RIGHTY. THANK YOU.
♪♪
Dr. Nowzaradan: I HOPE BRANDON REALIZES HOW DANGEROUS HIS SITUATION IS.
THE LARGE MASSES OF FAT IN HIS LEGS
ARE REALLY SEVERELY INTERFERING WITH HIS ABILITY
TO REMAIN MOBILE.
AND IF HE GAINS EVEN JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE WEIGHT,
HE WILL BECOME BEDRIDDEN.
AND ONCE HE HITS THAT POINT, THE ODDS OF HIM BEING ABLE
TO SURVIVE MUCH LONGER ARE VERY LOW.
SO IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT HE START TO GET
A LOT OF WEIGHT OFF HIM NOW
BECAUSE HE'S GONNA RUN OUT OF TIME.
[ KNOCKING ON DOOR, DOOR OPENS ]
HI.
ARE YOU DOING THE BLOOD WORK?
YES. OKAY.
I'M, UH, SCARED OF NEEDLES, SO...
OKAY.I'LL HOLD THIS FOR YOU.
[ EXHALES SHARPLY ] OH, LORD.
WHICH ARM ARE WE DOING?
I JUST TRUST YOU.
I'M SORRY THAT I'M SO NERVOUS.
NO, YOU'RE FINE. DON'T WORRY.
IT'S GONNA BE TIGHT, OKAY?
OKAY. OKAY.
OH, LORD, JESUS.
DEEP BREATHS.
JUST DON'T WATCH IT.OOH!
YOU HAVEN'T PASSED OUT YET, SO YOU'RE FINE.
OHH...
I'M NOT SURE DR. NOW GETS HOW AFRAID OF NEEDLES I AM.
OOH, MAN. I'M GETTING WEAK.
SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS I DON'T GO TO THE DOCTOR.
I'M GONNA GET SOMETHING NOW.
JUST PLACE YOUR -- PLACE YOUR ARM RIGHT HERE.
OKAY. OKAY.
SO I'M GETTING EXTREMELY OVERWHELMED.
AND WHEN I GET REALLY WORKED UP, I START TO PASS OUT.
I NEED -- I NEED WATER.I DON'T KNOW.
WE HAVE CUPS IN THAT BOTTOM DRAWER RIGHT THERE.
♪♪
OKAY.
[ WATER RUNNING ]
♪♪
I FEEL LIKE I'M NOT ABLE TO BREATHE.
FRESH AIR?
YEAH.
I CAN'T HANDLE THIS.[ GROANS ]
I CAN'T DO THIS.
DO YOU WANT ME TO...?
I NEED HELP. I NEED HELP.
I NEED HELP.WHAT'S HURTING?
IS SOMETHING HURTING?I CAN'T BREATHE.
I'M REALLY SERIOUS. PLEASE HELP ME.
[ GASPS ]
I CAN'T BREATHE.
BABE.PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME.
GOD, I'M GONNA DIE!
YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN.
BREATHE THROUGH YOUR NOSE.
IN THROUGH YOUR NOSE.UGH...
DEEPER.
IN...[ BREATHES DEEPLY ]
OUT. THAT'S BETTER.
OKAY. IN...
OUT. OHH [BLEEP]
IN...
OUT. [ EXHALES DEEPLY ]
OKAY.
♪♪
PHEW.
THERE YOU GO.
THANK YOU.
♪♪
COMING TO HOUSTON AND SEEING DR. NOW HAS PUSHED ME HARD.
BUT I'M STILL GOING, AND I DON'T WANT TO GIVE UP.
♪♪
Brandon: IT'S BEEN A MONTH SINCE I HAD MY APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW.
THE WHOLE TRIP GOING DOWN THERE WAS REALLY HARD FOR ME.
AND COMING BACK WAS THE HARDEST
BECAUSE I WAS ALREADY WORN OUT PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY.
BUT I MADE IT BACK, AND I IMMEDIATELY STARTED ON THE DIET
AND THE EXERCISES THAT DR. NOW GAVE ME.
RIGHT NOW MY ROUTINE IS BASICALLY WAKING UP
AND THEN DO MY EXERCISES FIRST THING.
I'VE BEEN MAKING SURE THAT I'M GETTING UP EARLY IN THE MORNING
SO THAT I CAN START EARLY IN THE MORNING.
AND THEN I DO IT ALL AGAIN RIGHT AFTER DINNER,
BEFORE I GO TO BED.
I JUST MADE THE PROMISE TO MYSELF
THAT IF I'M GONNA DO THIS, I'M GONNA DO IT RIGHT
BECAUSE IF I DO WHAT I NEED TO DO AND GET SURGERY,
ALL MY DREAMS FOR MY LIFE AND MY LIFE WITH TAYLER
WILL BE A POSSIBILITY AGAIN.
SO NO EXCUSES OR CHEATING.
I'M 100% IN ON DOING THIS.
ARE YOU READY FOR BREAKFAST, OR...?
SURE.
THANKS.
♪♪
I'M KEEPING TRACK OF EVERY CALORIE I EAT
WITH A FOOD JOURNAL.
AND TAYLER IS RIGHT THERE WITH ME.
SHE'S HELPING ME PREPARE HEALTHY MEALS.
AND HER SUPPORT RIGHT NOW MEANS A WHOLE LOT TO ME.
♪♪
YOU DON'T ADD ANYTHING ELSE TO IT, RIGHT?
JUST THAT?
YEAH, I'LL TAKE EXTRA CHEESE AND...
[ CHUCKLES ]
♪♪
JUST NOT WHAT YOU WOULD NORMALLY EAT.
NOT GONNA GET IT AT A FAST-FOOD JOINT.
RIGHT, THAT'S THE ONLY THING WITH THE WHOLE DIET.
IT'S, LIKE, BEEN PRETTY TOUGH.
I'M GLAD YOU'RE DOING IT WITH ME.
YOU DEFINITELY NEED A PARTNER.
ACCOUNTABILITY.
YEP.
I HAVE ONE MORE MONTH BEFORE I GO BACK TO SEE DR. NOW
AND FIND OUT IF I HIT MY GOAL.
AND I PLAN TO MAKE THE MOST OF THAT TIME TO GET AS FAR ALONG
AS I CAN SO THAT WHEN I'M BACK ON THAT SCALE,
I'LL BE EXACTLY WHERE I NEED TO GET MY APPROVAL.
♪♪
TAYLER AND I ARE BACK IN HOUSTON FOR MY FOLLOW-UP WITH DR. NOW,
AND I'M FEELING CONFIDENT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME,
I'M STILL VERY NERVOUS
BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I WEIGH NOW.
120 POUNDS IS A LOT TO HAVE TO LOSE.
BUT I COMPLETELY STUCK TO THE DIET.
SO I'M JUST REALLY HOPING IT'S ENOUGH TO HIT MY GOAL.
BRANDON SCOTT?
AT MY LAST DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT, I WEIGHED IN AT 718.
SO IF I MADE IT TO MY GOAL, THEN I'LL BE BELOW 598 TODAY.
SO AS LONG AS THAT FIRST DIGIT IS A 5,
THEN I'LL BE ABLE TO BREATHE EASIER
BECAUSE I KNOW I MADE IT.
♪♪
Tayler: GOOD JOB.YEAH!
THAT'S REALLY GOOD!
I'M REALLY HAPPY WITH THAT.
ALL MY ANXIETY AND FEAR IS GONE RIGHT NOW.
NOW I'M JUST EXCITED BECAUSE I FEEL CONFIDENT
WITH THAT WEIGH-IN THAT DR. NOW IS GONNA APPROVE ME
FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY TODAY.
[ KNOCKING ON DOOR ]
[ DOOR OPENS ]
HELLO. HELLO, DOCTOR.
HOW ARE YOU DOING?I'M DOING WELL.
HOW ARE YOU, SIR?I'M DOING ALL RIGHT.
SO I SEE YOU'VE MADE VERY GOOD PROGRESS.
YOU'RE DOWN TO 577.
YES.
SO, YOU LOST 141 POUNDS IN TWO MONTHS, HUH?
YES. GOOD.
THAT'S VERY GOOD.
SO, HOW DID YOU CHANGE YOUR EATING HABIT?
WELL, I STARTED KEEPING A FOOD JOURNAL IMMEDIATELY,
WRITING DOWN THE CALORIES OF EVERYTHING THAT I EAT.
AND I MADE SURE THAT I CUT ALL THE SUGAR
AND CARBS OUT OF MY DIET AND MY INTAKE.
GOOD. THAT'S VERY GOOD.
YES.
ARE YOU GETTING ANY SUPPORT AT HOME?
ABSOLUTELY.
TAYLER HAS BEEN DOING THE DIET WITH ME.
SHE'S LOST WEIGHT, AS WELL.
I'M TRYING TO DO YOUR DIET, TOO, SO... [ CHUCKLES ]
GOOD!
ALL RIGHT, SINCE YOU'VE LOST YOUR WEIGHT
AND YOU'VE SHOWN THAT YOU CAN STICK WITH YOUR DIET,
I'M GONNA APPROVE YOU FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.
AWESOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I APPRECIATE THAT.
BUT NOW THAT WE'VE APPROVED YOU, DON'T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN
AND GO AND CELEBRATE WITH FOOD.
NO. OH, NO.
NO, I WON'T DO THAT.
OKAY, GOOD.
SO, I'M GONNA SCHEDULE YOUR SURGERY FOR TWO MONTHS FROM NOW.
OKAY.
AND THAT WILL GIVE YOU ENOUGH TIME FOR YOU
TO MOVE DOWN TO HOUSTON
AND TO DO THE PROGRAM FOR THE NEXT YEAR.
OKAY.
BUT IF YOUR PROGRESS STOPS AND YOU START TO GAIN AGAIN,
WE WON'T MOVE AHEAD. GOT IT?
YES.
I'M VERY PROUD OF BRANDON FOR HIS PROGRESS
AND HARD WORK THESE PAST TWO MONTHS,
AND OF TAYLER FOR DOING THE DIET WITH BRANDON TO SUPPORT HIM.
I KNOW MAKING THESE CHANGES WASN'T EASY,
BUT BOTH OF THEM SEEM TO BE TAKING THIS
AS SERIOUSLY AS THEY NEED.
THE ONLY CONCERN I HAVE
IS THAT BRANDON DOESN'T PUSH HIMSELF TOO HARD
AND GETS BURNED OUT.
IT'S SIMILAR TO A RUNNER
SPRINTING TOO HARD TOO EARLY IN THE RACE.
THEY GET AHEAD OF EVERYONE, BUT ALL OF A SUDDEN,
THEY HIT A WALL AND CAN'T FINISH
BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T PACE THEMSELVES.
SO SCHEDULING HIS WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY
FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS OUT WILL GIVE HIM MORE TIME
TO SHOW ME THAT HE'S ABLE TO MAINTAIN HIS PROGRESS
AND THAT THIS WASN'T JUST AN EARLY SPRINT
THAT IS GONNA BURN HIM OUT SOON.
ALL RIGHT. YOU KEEP THIS UP,
AND YOUR WHOLE LIFE IS GONNA CHANGE VERY SOON.
WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU'RE GONNA START DOING
ONCE YOU START BEING ABLE TO DO MORE?
Brandon: I REALLY WANT TO GET BACK TO SINGING AGAIN.
THAT'S MY DREAM.
DO YOU LIKE TO SING?SING?
NO, NO, NO. NO?
I TRIED THAT MANY YEARS AGO IN THE SHOWER.
OKAY. [ LAUGHS ]
SO I'LL STICK TO BEING A DOCTOR. ALL RIGHT.
YOU'RE DOING GREAT, AND I'LL SEE YOU BOTH IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS.
IF YOU NEED ANYTHING BEFORE THEN, LET ME KNOW.
OKAY. OKAY?
WONDERFUL. THANK YOU AGAIN.
NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
THANK YOU, DR. NOW.
NICE TO SEE YOU.
PHEW. MAN.
I HAVE TO SAY THAT'S THE BEST DOCTOR VISIT EVER.
THAT'S GOOD!I'M SO HAPPY I COULD DIE.
HE SAID HE WAS PROUD.
YEAH.
THIS IS A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR ME.
I'VE NEVER PUSHED MYSELF THE WAY I HAVE THESE PAST TWO MONTHS.
AND I'VE HAD A LOT OF FEARS AND STRUGGLES DOING THIS.
BUT TO MAKE IT TO THIS POINT OF GETTING APPROVED
FOR SURGERY FEELS AMAZING.
I KNOW THIS IS GONNA BE A BIG CHANGE FOR ME
AND TAYLER MOVING DOWN TO HOUSTON,
BUT THIS MEANS THAT WE ARE FINALLY GONNA BE ABLE
TO HAVE THE LIFE WE WANTED.
SO I KNOW IT'S GONNA BE WORTH IT.
♪♪
I'LL GET YOU ANOTHER BOX.
FOR THE PAST MONTH, TAYLER AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING
ON TRYING TO MAKE THE MOVE DOWN TO HOUSTON,
AND WE STILL HAVE A LOT TO FIGURE OUT.
BUT I WANT TO GO AHEAD AND GET DOWN THERE.
WE'LL START WITH THIS ONE IN HERE.
WE'LL JUST GRAB IT OUT.
-PERFECT. -OKAY?
Brandon: THE DATE DR. NOW GAVE ME FOR MY SURGERY
IS ONLY A MONTH AWAY.
AND I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO RESCHEDULE IT
OR WAIT ANY LONGER TO GET IT.
SO I THINK WE JUST NEED TO TAKE THIS LEAP OF FAITH AND MOVE.
ALL RIGHT, DO YOU THINK YOU CAN GET...?
YEP.
AWESOME. IS IT TOO HEAVY?
NOPE. Tayler: THANK YOU.
THANKS SO MUCH.
MY PLAN IS FOR US TO HEAD DOWN TO HOUSTON TOMORROW
ONCE WE'RE FULLY PACKED UP.
WE HAVE A MOVING VAN, AND A LOT OF FOUR FRIENDS ARE HERE
HELPING US LOAD ALL OF OUR STUFF IN.
AND ONCE WE'RE DOWN IN HOUSTON, TAYLERz AND I
WILL PUT IT ALL IN STORAGE UNTIL WE FIND A PLACE TO LIVE.
BUT I KNOW WE CAN GET IT ALL FIGURED OUT
IF WE JUST GET DOWN THERE.
THANK YOU.
TAYLER'S NOT AS SURE, THOUGH.
SHE'S REALLY WORRIED THAT THIS IS TOO SOON
AND WE'RE NOT READY YET.
AND SHE'S BEEN A LITTLE STRESSED.
BUT I THINK WHAT'S REALLY MAKING HER FEEL THAT WAY
IS THAT SHE'S NEVER BEEN AWAY FROM HER PARENTS,
AND NOW SHE'S GOING TO BE FOR AT LEAST A YEAR.
AND I KNOW SHE'S STRUGGLING WITH THAT.
BUT I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO DO.
MY LIFE IS ON THE LINE IF WE DON'T.
SO I NEED HER TO BE COMPLETELY ONBOARD WITH THIS.
AND I FEEL LIKE SHE'S ABOUT TO REACH HER BREAKING POINT.
♪♪
Tayler: I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF I'M DOING THIS [BLEEP]
Rhonda: YES, YOU ARE. CALM DOWN.
YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO.
YOU'RE OKAY.
BRANDON, WE NEED TO HAVE A SERIOUS TALK.
'CAUSE I'M DEAD SERIOUS RIGHT NOW.
[ DOOR SLAMS ]
YOU JUST NEED TO LET HER KNOW YOU NEED HER SUPPORT RIGHT NOW.
JUST STOP TALKING, MOM.
STOP TALKING.
YEAH, I KNOW.
WE NEED TO HIT THE ROAD, MAN.
♪♪
[ SIGHS ]
♪♪
OKAY. WHY DON'T WE JUST --
I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU CAN.
I FEEL LIKE YOU CAN DO THIS. I DON'T KNOW.
IF YOU GET THERE AND YOU PUT A REAL, HONEST EFFORT TOWARDS IT
AND YOU WANT TO LEAVE, THERE'S NOBODY STOPPING YOU.
BUT YOU DIDN'T EVEN --
I-I STARTED SOMETHING.
I WANT TO FINISH IT.
BUT I DON'T WANT TO FINISH IT WITHOUT YOU.
WELL -- WELL, I DON'T -- I DON'T -- NO, NO, LISTEN.
I CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU.
♪♪
Brandon: TAYLER AND I HAVE ARRIVED IN HOUSTON,
AND WE'RE ABOUT TO HEAD TO OUR NEW APARTMENT
AND MOVE ALL OUR STUFF IN AND GET SETTLED.
ABOUT A MONTH AGO, I WAS READY TO COME DOWN,
BUT WHILE WE WERE PACKING, TAYLER KIND OF BROKE DOWN
AND SAID SHE DIDN'T FEEL LIKE SHE COULD DO IT.
PART OF IT WAS HAVING TO LEAVE HER FAMILY FOR SO LONG.
SHE SHARED HOW HARD THAT WAS FOR HER
AND THAT HER FAMILY DIDN'T WANT HER TO MAKE THIS MOVE EITHER.
SO THAT WAS ALL WEIGHING ON HER.
AND THE OTHER REASONS WERE THAT SHE FELT WE JUST WEREN'T READY
TO BE MOVING DOWN WITHOUT A PLACE TO LIVE YET
OR WITHOUT HER HAVING A JOB LINED UP.
SO I TOLD HER I'D BE WILLING TO SEE IF DR. NOW
WOULD GIVE US AN EXTRA MONTH
SO WE'D HAVE MORE TIME TO GET EVERYTHING WE NEED SET UP
AND SHE COULD SPEND SOME MORE TIME WITH HER FAMILY.
AND SHE AGREED.
SO IT'S A MONTH LATER THAN I WAS HOPING,
BUT AT LEAST WE'RE DOWN HERE
AND WE HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED READY.
LOOP BACK AROUND AND COME BACK UP TO THE OFFICE,
AND WE'LL HAVE SOMEONE GIVE YOU A KEY OR WHATEVER
AND I'LL START DOING THE PAPERWORK, OKAY?
OKAY. WE'LL GO AROUND.
♪♪
TAYLER'S MOM AND GRANDMOTHER CAME WITH US TO BE WITH HER,
BUT THEY AREN'T STAYING FOR THE MOVE-IN,
SO I'M GONNA GET THE PAPERWORK FOR THE APARTMENT SQUARED AWAY
WHILE TAYLER SAYS GOODBYE TO THEM.
IT'S OKAY. IT'LL BE QUICK.
DON'T CRY.
[ CRYING ]
♪♪
Tayler: THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT I'VE EVER BEEN AWAY
FROM ALL OF MY FAMILY.
IT'S PRETTY EMOTIONAL.
MY MOM IS PRETTY UPSET.
BUT HOPEFULLY, SHE WILL COME VISIT ME SOON.
♪♪
Brandon: ONCE THE MOVERS GET HERE, WE'LL GET EVERYTHING MOVED IN
AND SET UP,
AND THEN I'LL BE ABLE TO JUST LOOK FORWARD
TO GETTING WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY AND MOVING AHEAD ON MY JOURNEY.
HELLO. I'M EDWARD.
HI. TAYLER.
EDWARD.HI, PLEASURE TO MEET YOU.
BRANDON WILL BE HERE SHORTLY.
ALL RIGHT. PERFECT.
SO WE'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED...
UNLOADING SOME STUFF.
Brandon: DR. NOW SAID HE DIDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM
RESCHEDULING MY SURGERY FOR A MONTH LATER,
AS LONG AS I KEPT LOSING WEIGHT LIKE I NEEDED.
SO MY SURGERY'S CURRENTLY SCHEDULED FOR A FEW WEEKS
FROM NOW.
AND I'M REALLY HOPING WHEN I SHOW UP,
I'VE DONE WHAT I NEED TO DO TO MOVE AHEAD WITH MY OPERATION.
IT'S TAKEN A LOT FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO GET TO THIS POINT.
AND I'M REALLY READY TO MOVE AHEAD.
SO IF THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN, IT'S GONNA BE PRETTY DEVASTATING
TO ME AND TO TAYLER.
♪♪
Dr. Nowzaradan: WHEN BRANDON ARRIVED FOR HIS SURGERY,
WE CHECKED HIS WEIGHT AND RAN SOME TESTS ON HIM.
HIS WEIGHT LOSS WAS FINE, AND HE LOST ANOTHER 68 POUNDS,
SO HE'S DOWN TO 509.
BUT THE PROBLEM IS HE HAS DEVELOPED CELLULITIS
ON HIS LEGS, AND THE FATTY MASSES ON HIS LEGS
ARE STARTING TO SUCCUMB TO BACTERIA AND GET INFECTED.
SO WE RAN SOME TESTS
TO DETERMINE HOW SEVERE IT IS RIGHT NOW.
BRANDON SAID HE'S BEEN FEELING SICK THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS,
BUT HE DIDN'T LET US KNOW.
SO I'M CONCERNED RIGHT NOW
BECAUSE IF ANY OF THIS BACTERIA GETS INTO HIS BLOODSTREAM,
IT CAN BE VERY LIFE-THREATENING.
OKAY.
IF YOU CAN BE -- IF YOU...
IF YOU CAN DO IT IN A GENTLE MANNER,
I JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT EVEN THE SLIGHTEST TOUCH --
IT'S KILLING ME SO BAD.
LORD JESUS, HELP ME.
LORD, GOD.
OHH.
OOH, LORD JESUS CHRIST, I CAN DO THIS.
I CAN DO THIS, LORD. I CAN DO THIS, LORD.
THROUGH YOU, LORD, I CAN DO THIS.
Dr. Nowzaradan: THIS CELLULITIS CAN ALSO LEAD TO HIM
DEVELOPING A BLOOD CLOT IN THE LEG.
AND IF THAT HAPPENS AND IF IT GETS DISLODGED,
IT CAN TRAVEL TO THE HEART AND LUNG,
CAUSING PULMONARY EMBOLISM THAT COULD KILL HIM.
SO THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS
BEFORE IT GETS ANY WORSE
BECAUSE HIS HEALTH COULD VERY QUICKLY START
TO DETERIORATE WITH THIS,
AND IT WOULD LIKELY BE TOO MUCH FOR HIS BODY TO HANDLE
AND HE WON'T MAKE IT.
SO HE IS IN NO CONDITION TO MOVE AHEAD WITH WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,
AND OUR PRIORITY RIGHT NOW IS RESOLVE HIS CELLULITIS
BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.
♪♪
Brandon: I'VE BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL SINCE YESTERDAY,
AND I'M JUST WAITING ON MY DIAGNOSIS FROM DR. NOW.
SO I'M STILL JUST REALLY NERVOUS.
AND I'M HOPING TO GET SOME ANSWERS SOON
BECAUSE I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
Dr. Nowzaradan: YESTERDAY, BRANDON CAME IN FOR HIS WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,
BUT HE HAD A SEVERE INFECTION IN HIS LEGS
THAT HAD DEVELOPED INTO CELLULITIS.
IT LOOKED LIKE HE HAS SOME LAPSE OF HYGIENE
IN THAT AREA OF HIS BODY,
WHICH CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS WHEN YOU'RE HIS SIZE
BECAUSE ANY INFECTION CAN VERY EASILY
AND QUICKLY BECOME LIFE-THREATENING.
SO WE HAD TO POSTPONE HIS WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,
AND WE'VE BEEN RUNNING SOME TESTS ON HIM
TO DETERMINE HOW DANGEROUS HIS CONDITION HAS BECOME
OR WHETHER IT HAS LED TO A SEVERE CONDITION
LIKE A BLOOD CLOT IN HIS LEG.
[ KNOCKING ON DOOR, UNLOCKING ]
-HELLO. -HELLO.
-HI.
Brandon: HELLO, DR. NOW. HOW ARE YOU?
I'M DOING OKAY. HOW ABOUT YOURSELF?
WELL, THAT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU TELL ME.
OKAY, THIS IS A SERIOUS INFECTION IN THE LEG,
CAN GET IN THE BLOODSTREAM,
AND THAT CAN BE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.
OKAY.
SO WE NEED TO GIVE YOU SOME I.V. ANTIBIOTIC
TO GET THAT UNDER CONTROL.
YEAH, THIS IS ALL SOFT-TISSUE INFECTION.
NOT ONLY THE SKIN, THE FAT IS ALSO VERY HARD
'CAUSE THE INFECTION IS GETTING IN THE TISSUE AND BACK HERE.
THIS IS GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT WE NEED
TO GET YOU SOME ANTIBIOTICS
TO GET THAT INFECTION UNDER CONTROL.
-OKAY. -OKAY.
THE DOPPLER, THE ULTRASOUND SHOWED
THERE'S NO BLOOD CLOT IN THE LEG,
SO THIS IS GOOD.
SO WE KEEP YOU ON I.V. ANTIBIOTIC,
AND YOU NEED TO GET UP AND DO SOME WALKING
AND SEE IF WE CAN GET YOU OVER THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, OKAY?
-OKAY. -ALL RIGHT.
Dr. Nowzaradan: YOU FEELING OKAY?
I FEEL A LOT BETTER.
AND WHAT WILL BE, FOR ME, A GOOD TIME FRAME TO THINK
ABOUT AS FAR AS SURGERY AT THIS POINT?
WELL, FIRST WE HAVE TO GET OVER THIS,
AND THAT'S THE PRIORITY.
BUT IT COULD TAKE A MONTH OR TWO
BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT CLEANING UP YOUR INFECTION,
BUT MAKING SURE YOUR BODY IS READY FOR SURGERY.
SO FOCUS ON RECOVERY. OKAY.
AND IF YOU DO THAT, WE WILL FIGURE OUT THE TIMING
OF MOVING AHEAD WITH YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, OKAY?
OKAY. THANK YOU, SIR.
I APPRECIATE IT.
ALL RIGHT, BRANDON. I'LL SEE YOU LATER.
♪♪
Dr. Nowzaradan: UNLESS THERE ARE ANY UNFORESEEN ISSUES,
WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO CLEAR BRANDON'S INFECTION
IN A WEEK OR TWO, AND THEN WE CAN SEND HIM HOME.
BUT HE'S STILL GONNA HAVE TO CONTINUE ANTIBIOTIC
FOR A LITTLE WHILE AFTER THAT
TO MAKE SURE NONE OF THE INFECTION COME BACK.
AND ONCE HE HAS ENOUGH TIME AND WE'RE CONFIDENT HIS BODY
IS NOT COMPROMISED FROM THE ADDITIONAL STRAIN OF THIS,
THEN WE'LL CONSIDER MOVING AHEAD WITH HIS WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.
Brandon: I'M STILL DISAPPOINTED ABOUT HAVING TO WAIT
EVEN LONGER FOR MY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,
BUT AT LEAST I'M STILL GONNA HAVE A CHANCE TO GET THERE.
SO THIS IS JUST A MINOR SETBACK AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED.
♪♪
AFTER ALMOST TWO WEEKS IN THE HOSPITAL, DR. NOW SAID
THAT HE FELT LIKE I'D RECOVERED ENOUGH TO GO HOME.
BUT I STILL HAVE A WAYS TO GO BEFORE
I'M FULLY RECOVERED FROM THE CELLULITIS.
DR. NOW TOLD ME I NEED TO KEEP TAKING MY ANTIBIOTICS
FOR A COUPLE MORE WEEKS
SO THAT THE INFECTION DOESN'T GET AGGRAVATED AND COME BACK.
AND IF I DO THAT, I SHOULD BE IMPROVED
ENOUGH HERE SOON TO BE ABLE TO GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.
SO I'M WORKING HARD TO MAKE SURE I STAY ON TRACK.
BUT EMOTIONALLY, IT WAS A BIG BLOW TO ME
TO HAVE MY SURGERY DELAYED AGAIN.
IT'S BEEN OVER TWO MONTHS
SINCE I WAS ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO HAVE IT.
AND I'M STARTING TO GET AFRAID THAT IF I DON'T GET IT SOON,
I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO KEEP MAKING PROGRESS.
SO I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS I STAY FOCUSED NOW MORE THAN EVER.
THE BIGGEST THING THAT'S BEEN HELPING ME
HAS ACTUALLY BEEN MY MUSIC.
I'VE BEEN ABLE TO START PLAYING MORE AGAIN.
I'VE BEEN USING IT TO TRY AND HELP KEEP ME FOCUSED
AND LET SOME OF HOW I FEEL OUT.
AND IT'S HELPING.
AND RIGHT NOW THAT GOES A LONG WAY
BECAUSE THERE ARE TIMES I REALLY JUST WANT TO GIVE IN RIGHT NOW
AND GO GET SOME FAST FOOD OR HAVE SOME DESSERT.
AND I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN.
♪♪
I'M AT THE HOSPITAL, AND I'M HOPING
I'M GETTING WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY TODAY.
BUT IT'S ALL GONNA COME DOWN TO MY WEIGH-IN
AND IF I'M STILL LOSING.
I'VE CONTINUED TO STRUGGLE WITH SOME REALLY HARD MOMENTS,
AND A FEW TIMES I KNOW I'VE GIVEN IN A LITTLE.
SO I'M VERY WORRIED THAT THERE'S A CHANCE
MY WEIGHT LOSS WON'T BE ENOUGH.
[ KNOCKING ON DOOR ]
COME ON IN. HI.
ANY MORE RESCHEDULING OR DELAYS WILL BE TOO MUCH FOR ME,
AND I DON'T THINK I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT.
AND I'M WORRIED JUST THE EMOTIONS FROM THAT
WILL BE ENOUGH FOR ME TO START TO GIVE IN.
SO I HAVE TO HAVE MADE IT TODAY.
BUT I'M SCARED I'M GONNA LOSE EVERYTHING.
♪♪
Brandon: I HOPE I GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY TODAY.
DR. NOW TOLD ME I HAD TO KEEP MAKING GOOD ENOUGH PROGRESS.
SO I HOPE WHEREVER I'M AT TODAY, IT'S ENOUGH.
♪♪
THAT'S ONLY AROUND A 20-POUND WEIGHT LOSS
IN THE LAST MONTH AND A HALF.
BUT I REALLY HOPE HE SEES HOW MUCH I'M TRYING.
BUT I GUESS ALL I CAN DO IS GET READY
AND HOPE I'M MOVING AHEAD AND WAIT AND SEE.
♪♪
HI, BRANDON.
HI, DR. NOW.
HOW ARE YOU TODAY?
IT DEPENDS ON WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY.
WELL, TODAY WE'RE DOING YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.
IT'S ENOUGH TO SHOW ME YOU STILL TRIED, BUT YOUR RECENT ISSUE --
THERE MAY BE SOME ISSUES WITH YOUR GALLBLADDER.
SO WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT YOUR GALLBLADDER.
IF THERE'S ANY INDICATION THAT'S GONNA BE A PROBLEM,
WE'RE GONNA REMOVE THAT, TOO.
OKAY. OKAY?
SOUNDS GOOD.
OKAY, LET'S GET YOU STARTED, OKAY?
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, DOCTOR.
ALL RIGHT, YOU'RE WELCOME.
♪♪
IT'S COOL.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU'RE DR. NOW.
IT'S TIME?IT'S TIME.
WHOO! BYE, BABY.
I'LL SEE YOU IN A LITTLE BIT.
LOVE YOU. LOVE YOU.
Brandon: I KNEW MY LIFE WAS GONNA GO ONE WAY OR THE OTHER TODAY.
AND I'M THANKFUL IT'S GOING IN THE DIRECTION I NEED
BECAUSE THIS SURGERY IS GOING TO BE WHAT GIVES ME MY LIFE.
I HAVEN'T HAD ONE FOR SO LONG,
SO I'M 100% READY FOR THIS TODAY,
AND I HAVE NO DOUBTS, NO MATTER THE RISK.
AND THERE'S NOTHING THAT CAN CHANGE MY MIND
ABOUT TAKING THIS STEP TODAY.
Dr. Nowzaradan: TODAY WE'RE ATTEMPTING TO DO
A GASTRIC SLEEVE PROCEDURE ON BRANDON.
SO FAR, HE'S LOST A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WEIGHT ON HIS OWN,
BUT HIS PROGRESS IS STARTING TO SLOW SIGNIFICANTLY.
AND THAT TREND IS ONLY GOING TO CONTINUE WITH HIM.
SO, THIS SURGERY IS GOING TO BE A VERY HELPFUL TOOL FOR HIM
TO CONTINUE TO MAKE THE PROGRESS HE NEEDS
BECAUSE WHAT THE SURGERY DOES IS REDUCE THE STOMACH BY 90%,
LEAVING A SMALL, NARROW TUBE THAT LOOKS SIMILAR TO A SLEEVE.
SO THE PATIENT'S FOOD INTAKE IS PHYSICALLY LIMITED,
AND THE PATIENT IS LESS HUNGRY.
SO THIS OPERATION WILL GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY
TO LOSE EVEN MORE WEIGHT.
BUT EVEN THOUGH BRANDON HAS MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS
UP TO THIS POINT,
HE STILL HAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WEIGHT
CREATING A LOT OF STRAIN ON HIS BODY.
SO, IF AT ANY POINT, WE ARE CONCERNED THAT HIS BODY
MAY NOT BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT,
WE WILL HAVE TO END THE OPERATION.
SOME OF THE TESTS WE RAN A LITTLE EARLIER SHOWED
THAT HE MAY HAVE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF GALL STONES
THAT WILL BE VERY PROBLEMATIC FOR HIM IF IT IS NOT ADDRESSED.
SO IF WE DETERMINE THAT'S THE CASE,
WE WILL NEED TO REMOVE IT, AS WELL.
IT'S DEFINITELY HARD TO WAIT TO HEAR BACK
FROM THE SURGEONS WHEN BRAN'S OUT.
IT FEELS LIKE AN ETERNITY HAS PASSED,
AND SO I'M JUST ANXIOUS
AND READY TO GO BACK THERE AND SEE HIM.
Dr. Nowzaradan: ALL RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT. ROOM LIGHT ON.
OKAY. ALL FINISHED.
ALL RIGHT.
BRANDON'S SURGERY WENT VERY WELL.
WE WERE ABLE TO DO A SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY,
AND WE ALSO REMOVED HIS GALLBLADDER.
SO, WE WILL GET HIM TO RECOVERY NOW SO HE CAN REST.
FOR THE FIRST MONTH, HE'S GOING TO STAY ON LIQUID DIET,
AND THAT SHOULD HELP HIM TO LOSE AT LEAST 40 POUNDS IN THAT TIME.
AND AFTER THAT, HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOSE AT LEAST
30 POUNDS A MONTH
UNTIL HE GETS CLOSE TO HIS TARGET.
BUT WHAT'S GOING TO BE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IS THAT WE MAKE SURE
BRANDON STARTS WITH PSYCHOTHERAPY
AS SOON AS HE RECOVERS FROM SURGERY
BECAUSE HE HAS A LOT OF EMOTIONS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES
AT THE ROOT OF HIS PATHOLOGICAL EATING.
AND IF HE DOESN'T, HE WILL EVENTUALLY START GOING
BACK TO FOOD AGAIN AND OVEREATING.
SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN
TO PREVENT BRANDON FROM FAILING.
♪♪
Brandon: DR. NOW'S SENDING ME TO THERAPY,
SO THAT'S WHERE I'M HEADED RIGHT NOW.
THE LAST MONTH SINCE MY WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY
HASN'T BEEN TOO BAD.
THE LIQUID DIET TOOK SOME GETTING USED TO,
BUT I'VE ENJOYED HOW THE SURGERY HAS COMPLETELY TAKEN AWAY
MY APPETITE.
NOT HAVING THE CRAVINGS AND TEMPTATIONS
I WAS STARTING TO STRUGGLE WITH HAS BEEN SOMETHING I WELCOME.
SO I FEEL GREAT, AND I'M DOING REALLY WELL.
AND I DON'T REALLY THINK I NEED THERAPY TO KEEP THAT GOING.
BUT I SAID I'D DO WHATEVER DR. NOW TELLS ME TO DO.
SO I'M KEEPING MY WORD AND GOING.
HELLO, BRANDON.
HI. HI.
I'M LOLA.NICE TO MEET YOU.
IT'S A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU.
WHY DON'T WE GO RIGHT ON IN?
SURE.AND WE'LL GET STARTED.
GREAT. THANK YOU.
YOU'RE WELCOME.
SO, TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
I'M FROM COLUMBUS, OHIO.
I'VE BEEN OVERWEIGHT FOR THE MAJORITY OF MY LIFE,
IF NOT ALL OF MY LIFE.
WHAT WAS THE FAMILY CLIMATE LIKE IN REGARDS TO YOUR WEIGHT?
YEAH, MY FAMILY WAS VERY -- THEY WERE STRONG ADVOCATES
FOR ME BEING HEALTHY, GETTING HEALTHY.
UH-HUH.
WERE THEY KIND?
YEAH, FOR THE MOST PART.
MY MOM WAS THE STRONGER ADVOCATE OF THE TWO PARENTS.
NOW, WHAT WAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP LIKE WITH DAD GROWING UP?
WE HAD A GOOD RELATIONSHIP.
HE WAS ALWAYS VERY OUTSPOKEN ABOUT HOW HE WAS VERY PROUD
OF HOW I WAS HIS FIRST BORN,
AND HE WAS ALWAYS BRAGGING TO OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS
AND PEOPLE WE WOULD COME ACROSS ABOUT ME.
SO I TOOK PRIDE IN THAT.
SO, YOU WEREN'T SHORT ON PRAISE GROWING UP.
NO, NO, I HAD A GOOD LIFE.
I MEAN, I NEVER WANTED FOR ANYTHING, SO...
YOUR FATHER MUST BE SO EXCITED FOR YOU AND PROUD NOW.
WELL, NOW WE DON'T HAVE A RELATIONSHIP.
SO THAT'S ALL GONE NOW.
THAT'S GONE?ALL OF THAT'S GONE NOW.
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED THERE.
WELL, NOW THEY -- MY PARENTS ARE DIVORCED.
OKAY. AND, UM...
BUT MY -- MY DAD AND I HAD A FALLING OUT,
AND SO I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM OR SPOKEN TO HIM SINCE.
WHEN YOU SAY "A FALLING OUT,"
DESCRIBE TO ME WHAT THAT LOOKED LIKE.
ALL I KNOW IS THAT, YOU KNOW --
IS THAT THERE WAS SOME INFIDELITY
AND WE HAD AN ARGUMENT OVER THE PHONE
AND HE SAID CHOICE WORDS TO ME AND I SAID IT BACK TO HIM
AND THAT WAS THE LAST THING WE SAID TO EACH OTHER.
WOW.
WHAT'S IT BEEN LIKE FOR YOU TO GO FROM BEING SO CLOSE
TO YOUR DAD TO NOTHING?
AT THE MOMENT, AT THAT TIME, IT FELT LIKE SUCH A BLOW.
IT HAD ME QUESTIONING, LIKE WHY --
IF ALL OF THAT WERE --
ALL THE TIMES THAT HE BRAGGED ABOUT ME
AND MADE ME FEEL SPECIAL WERE REAL AND TRUE,
THEN WHY WOULD YOU EVER WASTE THAT AND JEOPARDIZE
ANY OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR KIDS
AND YOUR WIFE BY GOING ELSEWHERE WITH ANYONE ELSE?
YOU KNOW, BRANDON, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
THAT YOU DON'T LET THE INFIDELITY
AND THE BREAK-UP OF THE FAMILY
NEGATE ANY GOOD FEELINGS OR GOOD EXPERIENCES
THAT YOU SHARED WITH YOUR FATHER.
IT DOESN'T MAKE HIS PRAISE AND ADULATION FOR YOU INAUTHENTIC...
OKAY.
...JUST BECAUSE THE MARRIAGE ENDED, OKAY?
OKAY.
AND SO I SAY ALL OF THAT TO SAY DON'T JUDGE.
I DON'T KNOW.
I GUESS THAT MAKES SENSE.
SO, BRANDON, NOW THAT YOU RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE
IN NOT JUDGING YOUR FATHER,
NOR NEGATING HIS LOVE AND AFFECTION FOR YOU,
I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT YOU CONSIDER WRITING HIM
A LETTER JUST TELLING HIM ABOUT YOUR LIFE
AND THE WAY IT IS TODAY AND ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS
REGARDING THE WAY HE EXITED YOUR LIFE.
[ SIGHS ]
I DON'T KNOW. UM...
BEEN SO LONG I JUST DON'T FEEL LIKE I CAN DO THAT.
BUT I'D LIKE TO BE AS OPEN TO IT AS POSSIBLE.
THEN YOU CAN DECIDE FOR YOURSELF
WHETHER OR NOT THAT LETTER IS SOMETHING YOU WISH TO SEND.
OKAY.
OKAY?
THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
THANKS FOR SHARING WITH ME TODAY.
I APPRECIATE IT. ABSOLUTELY.
MY PLEASURE.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SCHEDULING YOUR NEXT SESSION.
OKAY. THANK YOU.
I'M NOT 100% SURE HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS THERAPY APPOINTMENT.
I THINK IN SOME WAYS, IT WAS REALLY GOOD,
BUT I STILL DON'T AGREE THAT I NEED TO DIG UP THE PAST.
IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO RELIVE ANY OF THAT
AND MAKE MYSELF GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN.
I'VE BEEN DOING FINE UP TO THIS POINT
WITHOUT DEALING WITH ALL THAT.
SO I'M CONFIDENT I CAN KEEP FOCUSING ON THE POSITIVE
AND MAKING PROGRESS WITHOUT ANY LETTER.
HE'S BEEN OUT OF MY LIFE, AND AT THIS POINT,
I DON'T SEE ANY REASON TO TRY TO LET HIM BACK IN.
♪♪
Brandon: THIS PAST MONTH HASN'T GONE AS WELL AS I WOULD HAVE HOPED
BECAUSE I'VE HAD SOME CRAVINGS AND THE TEMPTATION
TO TRY TO EAT SOME THINGS I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO.
BUT I THINK THE PROBLEM IS THAT I WENT TO THERAPY
AND DUG UP THE PAST AND THINGS ABOUT MY FATHER AND MY CHILDHOOD
AND ALL THE EMOTIONS I HAD AROUND THAT
WHEN I HAD ALREADY MOVED PAST THOSE THINGS,
OR I GUESS I THOUGHT I HAD.
ALL THIS EMOTIONAL STUFF HAS COME OUT OF NOWHERE FOR ME
AND KIND OF BLIND-SIDED ME.
I'M NOT SURE ABOUT REACHING OUT TO MY DAD YET,
BUT WHAT I THINK I CAN DO IS START BY TALKING TO MY MOM
ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS SHE DID WILL HELP ME
RESOLVE SOME OF HOW I FEEL.
♪♪
HEY, BRANDON. HELLO.
HEY. GOING GOOD.
GOOD. GOOD.
HOW DID YOUR APPOINTMENT GO WITH THE COUNSELOR?
IT WENT WELL.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THE THERAPIST TALKED ABOUT
WAS SHE HAD WANTED ME TO CONSIDER REACHING OUT TO DAD
JUST TO SEE WHERE THINGS CAN GO FROM THERE.
AND I WAS NOT OPEN TO THAT AT ALL.
BUT I DID TELL HER THAT I WOULD JUST KEEP AN OPEN MIND,
JUST THINK ABOUT IT AT LEAST.
SO I REALLY DON'T KNOW IF I'M GONNA DO THAT,
BUT IF I WERE GONNA DO THAT,
I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA HOW I WOULD EVEN GO ABOUT DOING SO.
DO YOU HAVE ANY --
I THINK YOU KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.
THAT WAS A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP,
AND YOU DON'T BRING ANYTHING LIKE THAT BACK INTO YOUR LIFE.
YEAH.
I DON'T HAVE A PHONE NUMBER OR ANYTHING,
AND I'M GRATEFUL THAT I DON'T.ALL RIGHT, MOM.
I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE.
YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN HERE FOR ME.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE SUPPORT OF YOUR FAMILY,
THEN WHO DO YOU HAVE?
MM-HMM. WELL, THANK YOU.
OKAY. ALL RIGHT.
LOVE YOU. LOVE YOU.
BYE.
I THINK THAT WENT OKAY.
I'M NOT SURE HOW I FEEL OR IF THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT'S GONNA HELP ME, BUT I DO FEEL LIKE
I WAS ABLE TO SHARE SOME OF HOW I FELT FOR A LONG TIME,
THAT I'VE KEPT BOTTLED UP SINCE I WAS A KID.
I WASN'T LOOKING FOR AN APOLOGY,
AND THAT'S NOT SOMETHING I NEED FROM HER.
SO I'M REALLY HOPING THAT'S GONNA HELP ME START
TO GET TO A BETTER PLACE
AND HELP ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE STRUGGLE
I'VE BEEN FEELING RECENTLY.
BECAUSE I CAN'T LET MYSELF START GAINING AGAIN.
♪♪
THIS PAST MONTH HASN'T REALLY BEEN MUCH EASIER.
I'VE STILL BEEN STRUGGLING LIKE I WAS THE MONTH BEFORE
BECAUSE ALL THE ISSUES THAT WERE COMING TO THE SURFACE STILL ARE.
SO MY MONTHLY WEIGHT LOSS IS STILL NOT
WHERE IT SHOULD BE RIGHT NOW.
AND I KNOW I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING MORE DRASTIC
AND TAKE THIS ALL MORE SERIOUSLY IF I DON'T WANT IT TO GET WORSE.
I HAD ANOTHER SESSION WITH LOLA,
AND SHE REALLY PUSHED THE NEED FOR ME
TO ADDRESS THINGS I'VE BURIED ABOUT MY FATHER
AND TO CONSIDER CALLING HIM TO TRY
AND SEE IF I COULD START A CONVERSATION WITH HIM
ABOUT IT BEFORE MY EMOTIONS START TO TRIP ME UP ANYMORE.
Brandon: HEY. Tayler: HEY.
I GOT HIS NUMBER. HMM.
WHERE'D YOU GET THIS FROM?
ONLINE.AND IT WAS ON THERE?
MM-HMM.
WOW.
WELL, WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO WITH IT?
I DON'T KNOW.
UH, I MEAN, I WAS THINKING ABOUT
WHAT LOLA WAS SAYING AT THE THERAPY SESSION,
AND I KNOW SHE REALLY WANTS ME TO REACH OUT.
BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THAT.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
I HONESTLY THINK IT COULD GO EITHER WAY.
IT COULD BE A REALLY GOOD THING OR A REALLY HORRIBLE THING,
BUT I GUESS YOU'LL NEVER KNOW IF YOU DON'T TRY.
YEAH. IT'S TOUGH.
I MEAN, HE MIGHT NOT EVEN WANT TO TALK TO YOU AT ALL.
AND THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING.
I'M NOT EVEN SURE THAT I WANT TO TALK TO HIM, EITHER, SO...
I'LL JUST... YEAH.
I'LL JUST THINK ABOUT IT.
I'LL SUPPORT YOU WHATEVER YOU DECIDE.
WELL, THANK YOU.
THIS IS BIG.
THIS IS REALLY BIG.
I WANT TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE SURE
I'M DEALING WITH WHATEVER I HAVE TO,
TO MAKE SURE I STAY ON TRACK AND CONTINUE MAKING PROGRESS.
AND I'M WILLING TO WORK AS HARD AS I POSSIBLY CAN.
BUT THIS IS TOO MUCH.
AND I CAN'T DO IT.
I JUST CAN'T DO IT.
♪♪
Brandon: OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, MY WEIGHT LOSS HAS BEEN SLOWING
BECAUSE I'VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH A LOT OF EMOTIONS
THAT INVOLVE MY PAST,
PARTICULARLY MY CHILDHOOD AND MY DAD.
THE PROCESS OF THE JOURNEY
SEEMS TO HAVE BROUGHT IT ALL TO THE SURFACE.
AND I KNOW I CAN'T JUST RUN FROM THEM OR BURY THEM LIKE
I HAVE MY WHOLE LIFE.
SO AFTER I TRIED TO WORK UP THE COURAGE TO CALL HIM
AND COULDN'T, I'M WRITING A SONG ABOUT MY FATHER
TO AT LEAST TRY TO TAKE A STEP IN THE DIRECTION
I NEED TO FACE THIS.
[ CLEARS THROAT ] HEY, TAYLER.
Tayler: HMM?
YOU WANT TO COME OUT HERE AND CHECK OUT WHAT I HAVE SO FAR?
SURE.
GIVE ME AN IDEA OF HOW TO PIECE IT TOGETHER
BECAUSE IT'S NOT GONNA --
IT'S NOT REALLY FITTING ALL, LIKE, LYRICALLY,
WITH THE RHYTHM OF THE SONG.
LET'S SEE.
SUPER-ROUGH.
[ PLAYING GUITAR ]
♪ MM-HMM ♪
♪ OHHH ♪
♪ PEOPLE SAYIN' I SHOULD FEEL SOMETHIN' ♪
♪ SOMETHIN' 'BOUT WHAT YOU DID BACK THEN ♪
♪ IT'S IN THE PAST, BUT NOW IT'S OVER ♪
♪ BETTER BELIEVE ME THAT IT'S OVER ♪
♪ PEOPLE MAD -- PEOPLE MAD ♪
♪ 'CAUSE I'M REALLY FEELIN' NOTHIN' ♪
♪ FEELIN' NOTHIN', EVEN THOUGH IT'S SOMETHIN' ♪
♪ I SHOULD BE SAD, I SHOULD BE BROKEN ♪
♪ I SHOULD BE ANGRY AND OUTSPOKEN ♪
♪ AH, AH, AH, AH, AH, AH ♪
♪ MM, MM ♪
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
SOUNDS REALLY GOOD SO FAR.
SOUND LIKE IT COULD BE A REAL SONG?
MM-HMM.
FOR SURE.
IT'S STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS, BUT I'M GONNA FINISH IT.
STARTING WAS THE HARDEST PART.
AND I'M NOT BACKING DOWN FROM FACING WHAT I NEED.
I JUST MAY BE ABLE TO DO IT HOW I KNOW AND IN MY OWN WAY.
♪♪
IN THE PREVIOUS MONTH, I HAD ONLY LOST PRETTY MUCH
THE SAME AMOUNT, WITH AN 8-POUND LOSS.
AND DR.
NOW SAID I'M SUPPOSED TO BE LOSING AT LEAST
30 POUNDS A MONTH RIGHT NOW.
SO IF I'M BACK ON TRACK AND LOSING LIKE I NEED,
THEN THAT'LL MEAN I'M AT OR BELOW 375 TODAY.
SO I'M REALLY HOPING TO SEE THAT NUMBER.
Tayler: GOOD JOB, BABE.
THAT'S AWESOME!
♪♪
OKAY, YOU GUYS CAN GO AHEAD AND GO TO ROOM 5.
OKAY. THANKS.
MM-HMM.
THAT'S NOT WHERE I'M SUPPOSED TO BE AT,
BUT AT LEAST IT'S A LOT CLOSER.
THAT'S MORE THAN I LOST IN THE PREVIOUS TWO MONTHS COMBINED.
SO I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT AND THAT I'M IMPROVING.
AND HOPEFULLY DR. NOW FEELS THE SAME WAY.
♪♪
HEY, BRANDON.
HEY, DR. NOW.
HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING?
GOOD, AND HOW ARE YOU, SIR?
I'M GOOD, THANK YOU.
ALL RIGHT.
SO, YOU'RE DOWN TO 383 TODAY.YES.
THAT'S A LOT OF WEIGHT YOU LOST IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
THAT'S VERY GOOD.
YES, THANK YOU.
AND YOU LOST ACTUALLY 335 POUNDS.
YES.
AND CAN YOU TELL YOUR LIFE IS DIFFERENT NOW?
YES, ABSOLUTELY.
I'M ENJOYING LIFE A LOT MORE, AND EVERYTHING IS EASIER.
AND SO I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER.
WELL, YOU'RE DOING FANTASTIC OVERALL,
BUT MY CONCERN IS THAT YOU SHOULD BE LOSING AT LEAST
30 POUNDS A MONTH RIGHT NOW,
AND YOU'RE STILL ONLY DOING HALF THAT.
OKAY.
BUT IT'S A LOT BETTER THAN ONLY LOSING 8 POUNDS A MONTH.
YES. YES.
SO THE TREND IS GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT CONTINUES, OKAY?
OKAY.
BUT OVERALL, YOU'VE DONE GREAT,
AND THAT'S ONE BIG PERSON YOU LOST, HUH?
THAT'S RIGHT! [ LAUGHS ]
ARE YOU FEELING MUCH BETTER NOW?
I FEEL GREAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF I TOLD YOU BEFORE, ON MY FIRST VISIT,
WALKING FROM THE LOBBY TO HERE WAS TOO FAR.
[ LAUGHS ]YEAH, IT WAS TOO FAR, HUH?
IT WAS TOO FAR, DR. NOW.
SO NOW IT'S JUST FUNNY BECAUSE --
NOTHING, HUH?
IT'S NOT ANYTHING, YEAH.
THAT'S A GREAT IMPROVEMENT.YEAH.
I'M PROUD OF YOUR PROGRESS, AND I THINK IT WON'T BE TOO LONG
BEFORE YOU'RE READY FOR SKIN SURGERY.
MM-HMM.
AND THEN YOU'RE GONNA BE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT PERSON
BEING UNDER 200 POUNDS.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO FIRST?
THE UPPER BODY OR LOWER BODY, OR DOES IT DEPEND?
WELL, LET ME TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR EXTRA SKIN
YOU HAVE DOWN IN YOUR LEG AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON WITH IT.
OKAY.
ALL RIGHT, YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF EXTRA SKIN
WE'RE GONNA TAKE OFF, OKAY?
LET'S SEE HOW THE LEG DOING.
BY THE WAY, YOU NEED NEW PANTS.
THESE ARE TOO BIG.
YES!
NEED TO WASH THEM WITH WARM WATER.
[ CHUCKLES ]
ALL RIGHT.
YOU ARE LOSING A LOT OF WEIGHT,
BUT THIS IS STILL A LOT OF FAT IN IT.
MM-HMM.AND SO IF WE LOSE THAT WEIGHT,
WE CAN TAKE ALL THAT SKIN OFF IN BOTH LEGS.
OKAY.
AND GET YOUR LEGS MORE NATURAL-LOOKING
AND YOU CAN WALK AND DO EXERCISE MUCH EASIER.
YES. OKAY.
HOW'S THE ARMS DOING?
YEAH, LET ME SHOW YOU THE ARMS.
YEAH.
THE ARMS ARE GONNA BE EASIER TO GO AHEAD AND DO,
AND START WITH THIS WHILE YOU'RE LOSING WEIGHT.
AND THAT'S GONNA BE EASY TO HEAL.
OKAY.
PROBABLY GONNA END UP TAKING 60,
70 POUNDS OF EXTRA SKIN OFF OF YOU.
OH, WOW.
THAT'S GOOD NEWS.
SO, WE HAVE OUR GAME PLAN.
ONCE YOU GET UNDER 350 HERE SOON,
WE'LL START WITH YOUR ARMS.
AND THEN WE'LL REMOVE THE EXCESS SKIN ON YOUR STOMACH,
AND LATER, WE DO YOUR LEGS.
AND BY THAT TIME, YOU SHOULD BE VERY CLOSE
TO YOUR TARGET WEIGHT OF 180.
AND IF YOU START LOSING A LITTLE BIT MORE EACH MONTH
AND STAY ON TRACK,
THEN WE CAN DEFINITELY HAVE YOU THERE IN THE NEXT YEAR.
SOUND GOOD? YES.
I'M EXCITED. OKAY.
YOU'RE DOING GREAT, AND I'M PROUD OF YOUR PROGRESS.
AND YOU'RE GONNA BE ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE
THAT HAVE LOST 500 POUNDS IN ANOTHER YEAR OR SO.
AWESOME.
I'LL SEE YOU BOTH SOON,
AND IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, GIVE ME A CALL.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, DOCTOR. I APPRECIATE IT.
YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.
♪♪
I'M VERY HAPPY WITH BRANDON'S PROGRESS OVER THE LAST YEAR.
HE HAS STRUGGLED OFF AND ON, BUT OVERALL, HE'S DONE GREAT.
I WAS A LITTLE CONCERNED WHEN HIS WEIGHT LOSS
DROPPED TO ONLY 8 POUNDS A MONTH SO SOON AFTER SURGERY.
AND EVEN THOUGH HE'S NOT QUITE BACK UP TO WHERE
HE SHOULD BE WITH HIS MONTHLY WEIGHT LOSS,
HE'S HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION NOW.
BUT AS LONG AS HE CONTINUES TO MAKE PROGRESS AND WORKS HARD,
WE WILL MAKE SURE HE HAS ALL THE TOOLS
AND SUPPORT HE NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO GET TO HIS TARGET WEIGHT
OF 180 POUNDS THIS NEXT YEAR.
♪♪
Brandon: TO HEAR DR. NOW SAY HE'S PROUD OF ME FEELS REALLY GOOD.
BUT I KNOW I STILL HAVE A GOOD AMOUNT TO DO STILL
TO MAKE IT TO MY TARGET.
AND THAT'S NOT GONNA BE EASY.
BUT I'M NOT GONNA SHY AWAY FROM ANY OF IT, EVEN FOR A MINUTE.
♪♪
TONIGHT I'VE GOT A GIG AT A LITTLE PLACE
WHERE I'M GONNA PLAY A SET.
SO I'M GETTING BACK INTO THE SADDLE OF PERFORMING,
AND I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
♪♪
AND TO HAVE TAYLER BY MY SIDE
DOING IT IS JUST LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE.
HOW I ASKED HER OUT WAS WITH MUSIC.
I WROTE A SONG FOR HER,
AND I'M GONNA SURPRISE HER TONIGHT BY SINGING IT ONSTAGE.
READY? YEAH.
SO I'M REALLY AMPED UP ABOUT THIS, AND I CAN'T WAIT.
A YEAR AGO, I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA BE DEAD SOON.
SO TO BE HERE NOW IS AN INCREDIBLE FEELING.
MY WEIGHT HAD LEFT ME WITH NO FUTURE OR EVEN A HOPE OF ONE.
AND NOT JUST MINE, BUT TAYLER'S, TOO.
BUT NOW I'M ABLE TO START PURSUING MY DREAMS AGAIN,
AND TAYLER AND I CAN HAVE THE LIFE WE DREAMED OF TOGETHER.
EVER SINCE I FIRST KNEW HER, I WANTED TO GIVE HER THE WORLD
BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT SHE GAVE ME.
AND FOR THAT TO BE POSSIBLE NOW IS WHAT'S THE MOST AMAZING TO ME
AND WHAT I'M MOST GRATEFUL FOR.
TAYLER HAS STUCK WITH ME THROUGH THICK AND THIN,
AND I LOVE HER WITH ALL MY HEART.
AND I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE LIFE WE HAVE AHEAD TOGETHER NOW.
WELL, THANK YOU, EVERYONE, FOR COMING OUT TO SUPPORT ME.
MY NAME IS BRANDON, AND I'LL BE YOUR ENTERTAINMENT
FOR THE EVENING.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
THERE'S A LITTLE BACK STORY TO THIS FIRST SONG.
SO, THIS IS MY GIRLFRIEND HERE IN THE CORNER.
HER NAME'S TAYLER.
AND THIS SONG GOT ME THAT GIRLFRIEND.
SO THIS IS FOR YOU, TAYLER.
[ PLAYING GUITAR ]
♪♪
♪ JUST THINKIN' 'BOUT THE WAY YOU SMILE, GIRL ♪
♪ AND HOW YOU'RE ALWAYS ON MY MIND, GIRL ♪
♪ JUST MAKES ME WANNA WRITE A SONG FOR YOU ♪
♪ YEAH ♪
♪♪
I'M DETERMINED TO MAKE IT TO MY TARGET WEIGHT THIS NEXT YEAR,
BUT I KNOW IT'S GONNA TAKE A LOT FOR ME TO DO THAT, AND I WILL.
I'M STILL WORKING UP THE COURAGE TO REACH OUT TO MY DAD.
I'M NOT GIVING UP ON THAT.
I'LL FACE THAT AND WHATEVER ELSE I NEED.
I'M NOT RUNNING OR BACKING DOWN FROM ANY OF IT.
I'M STARTING TO LIVE THE LIFE
I COULD ONLY DREAM ABOUT A YEAR AGO,
AND BEING ABLE TO GIVE TAYLER THE LIFE
SHE DESERVES IS PRICELESS.
♪ YOU ARE MY WORLD ♪
♪ BEAUTIFUL GIRL ♪
♪ WHOA, WHOA ♪
♪♪