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The 6000 Lb Diaries With Dr. Now Season 1 Episode 8 - Full
Transcript
00:01I'm tired of being fat.
00:03I can't control my weight anymore.
00:05I can barely walk, I'm bad red.
00:07I don't want to continue my life like this.
00:09I can't believe I let myself get this way.
00:12I can't even lift my legs up.
00:14I'm really scared.
00:16Dr. Now, you are the change that I need.
00:18I don't want to lose my life.
00:20Dr. Now, I need your help.
00:22Nothing has worked for me.
00:24Please help me.
00:25If you want to live, you need weight loss surgery.
00:28But you're going to have to do your part.
00:30I won't be stopped now.
00:32Back to your next success story.
00:34Ready to go.
00:35Ready to start a new healthy journey.
00:36If we're on to something, we're going to be on it.
00:38So we're going to do this.
00:40I am ready to take on this weight loss journey.
00:43I'll make the changes for my family, for myself.
00:46We want to be able to go out and be free.
00:48For once, I feel like I'm working.
00:52Stand in sunlight, you're motivated to change your life
00:55or your family.
00:56If that's a case, I can help you.
00:58This is a life-changing opportunity.
01:00You decided you're going to celebrate your victory lap
01:02before you even finish your race?
01:04I'm not going to mess this up.
01:09Dr. Now, my name is Sam Elba.
01:11I'm going to be 42 years old next month,
01:14and I'm well over 600 pounds.
01:17I knew reaching out to you that there was going to be a lot of hard work involved.
01:21Because I know when I see you, you're going to set me up for something.
01:25And I'll make the changes for my family, changes for myself.
01:29I'll become a better family man.
01:31I'll be a better father.
01:33I want to be able to walk.
01:35I want to be able to stand longer.
01:37I want to, you know, look at stairs and like,
01:39you know what, I'm going to dominate this.
01:41As a man who wants to run roller coasters,
01:44who wants to go to a store and buy regular clothes,
01:48who wants to work on this lymphedema on my leg,
01:53I need to make the changes.
01:55So please consider me part of your program.
01:59Let me see.
02:00Is that the pineapple one?
02:01Yeah, I gotcha.
02:04Here she are.
02:07My name is Sam Elba.
02:09I'm married. I have one son.
02:10I'm a service advisor.
02:12But the one thing I didn't want to be
02:14was someone who's well over 600 pounds.
02:16Are you sure you don't want to try a chicken wing?
02:17They're really good.
02:18It's like the rotisserie kind.
02:19My opinion of food addiction is just like any other addiction.
02:22The only difference is that it's legal,
02:24but it's just like alcohol or drugs.
02:28Some people smoke crack.
02:29I smoked ham.
02:30But, you know, how is it you can do a line of Coke
02:32and not need it again afterwards,
02:34but, you know, I'm going to do a line of burgers
02:37and, you know, it's like, let's do this again.
02:41My wife, Nikki, we both have our weight problems.
02:43We're both lovers of very decadent food.
02:47We try to eat healthy, but we can't stick to it.
02:52Sam's like a little kid.
02:54You take away the candy,
02:55they're going to fight you tooth and nail for it.
02:57It's Sam's breakfast.
02:59How's breakfast?
03:00Very good.
03:02Sam treats me better than anybody ever has treated me.
03:07He's amazing.
03:08But the mobility thing's hard for me.
03:10I do what I can to help him.
03:11I would never look at him and say,
03:13honey, I think you need to change,
03:15because I love him for the human he is.
03:17But I would like him to be able to get up and do more
03:20and not feel his knees hurt and his back hurt
03:22and his legs hurt,
03:23because I don't like him hurting.
03:25When you become this big,
03:27you pretty much create your own prison,
03:29because you are mostly sitting on the couch,
03:31and that's where everyone has to go
03:33to stunt time with you.
03:34Did you brush your teeth today?
03:36Um, I don't remember.
03:38Do you want to lose all your teeth
03:39and be called Dummy Sammy?
03:41Hey, don't talk.
03:42Don't talk like this.
03:45What's your name?
03:46Samuel Elba, the third.
03:48What do you help your dad with?
03:50I help him with helping him up
03:52and also a lot of other stuff,
03:53like helping him feel better and all that stuff.
03:56Why is it important to help him?
03:58It's important to help him just to make sure
04:01that he doesn't get hurt,
04:02because I don't want him to get hurt.
04:04He's my dad.
04:07When you're this big,
04:08there's just no easy way to function in life.
04:12You just can't.
04:14I am in a really, really bad situation right now.
04:22I grew up in the San Gabriel Valley area.
04:24A lot of good memories.
04:26I was a bit awkward.
04:27I was always a chubby kid.
04:28I have a Mexican grandmother.
04:30You know, she loved feeding me.
04:32I think she was the one that, you know,
04:33found out I can crush food,
04:34and she loved to feed it.
04:36But I got into football.
04:38And at that time in peewee football,
04:40you played based on your weight.
04:42And I was too heavy to play with the nine-year-olds.
04:45So I had to play with the 12-year-olds
04:47and literally get kicked out of me
04:49for nine, ten weeks straight.
04:51And to fully protect myself,
04:53I started just adding more weight
04:55and just got bigger.
04:56And I think by the time I left junior high,
04:58it was a lot over 200 counts.
05:00When I was in high school,
05:01I played football for three years.
05:03Senior year didn't work out too well
05:04because you had to have a certain weight limit
05:06and I got too big.
05:08After high school,
05:09I started a band
05:10and I just thought I was going to get signed in.
05:13Well, this was going to be my career
05:15as being a musician.
05:17Eventually it got to the point
05:18that my dad kicked me out.
05:20Well, he had enough of me.
05:21So my only other option was to move
05:23to Northern Kentucky.
05:24I have family here.
05:26In my mid-twenties,
05:27my weight went to like 350.
05:29But that's when I was becoming, you know,
05:32the responsible guy.
05:34So once 29, 30 hit,
05:36that's when everything started ballooning
05:38because I started doing a sedentary job
05:40instead of work being active
05:42and required more labor.
05:44But that's when Nick and I met
05:46on the chat rooms.
05:47It was love at first type, I guess.
05:51I've been waiting for that boy my whole life.
05:54He lived in Dry Ridge, Kentucky
05:56and I lived in Oregon, Ohio.
05:58And he rode a Greyhound
05:59because his car wouldn't make it
06:01to see me for Valentine's Day
06:03for our first ever meeting.
06:05And after 11 months, I moved in.
06:08Been with him since.
06:10Before I got this size, Nicky would go
06:12to the zoos, museums, movie theaters.
06:16Now all that would be nearly impossible.
06:18I really want to take Nicky out
06:20on a nice proper date, just like we did before,
06:23you know, get all dolled up
06:25and really have a good time.
06:27It took him five years to propose
06:29and we got married and ate.
06:32But he's worth the wait.
06:34I was about 31 when we had my son Sammy.
06:37And so I got a big boy job
06:39to just provide for my family.
06:41My first professional job was working
06:44as a family service worker or case worker
06:46with an organization that helped families
06:48with lower income.
06:50There were situations where I had to do
06:52with suspect of any type of abuse.
06:54And if any of the children passed away,
06:56that was really tough.
06:58You would carry those things with you.
07:00And food could be my tranquilizer,
07:02could be my booze, could be that drug I need.
07:05That's how I got through the day.
07:07Where other people went to the bars,
07:09I went to the buffet.
07:10That's kind of how I settled the tab every day.
07:12So even when I found a better position,
07:15there was still a lot of the stress of the job afterwards
07:18because he dealt with families
07:19who were in really tough situations.
07:21And I was like in my mid-30s
07:23and I was already pushing 400 pounds.
07:25But still, I just kept getting bigger and bigger.
07:28And when I first saw that 600 on the scale,
07:31I was like, I became the one thing.
07:33I didn't want to be somebody
07:34who could potentially meet Dr. Now.
07:36So I was like, well, here I am.
07:38I've hit rock bottom.
07:40So that's when I got to the point where I was like,
07:42I've got to provide for my family.
07:44Either I can't provide for my family no more
07:47or I've got to make a change.
07:49And it got to that point.
08:01665.
08:05I am deep in the lair.
08:06I am in the cave.
08:08Dr. Now is going to walk through that door any minute.
08:11I know he was going to rip me a new one.
08:14But you know what?
08:15I did it myself.
08:17Hello.
08:18Hello.
08:19Hello.
08:20Hello.
08:21How are you all doing?
08:22Good. How are you?
08:23I'm doing good.
08:24All right.
08:25So, you're Sam, huh?
08:27Yes.
08:28Sam, you got your wife Nikki with you and your son.
08:34How are you doing?
08:35Good, how are you?
08:36Good.
08:37All right.
08:38So, Sam, you are 42 years old, huh?
08:41Yes, sir.
08:42And 665.
08:43So, what do you have done with your eating habit that has not worked?
08:49And what has worked?
08:51Uh, definitely, well, I've tried every diet known to, but it's just my discipline was lacking.
08:57So, obviously, I need to make changes.
09:00How long have you all been married?
09:03Married for 13 years this year and together 21.
09:08Okay.
09:09How much you weighed when you were married?
09:11I was probably over four.
09:13Okay.
09:14And how much did you weigh?
09:15Probably 250.
09:17I've always been bigger myself as well.
09:19250?
09:20So, you both gained all that weight after you got married, huh?
09:24We got comfortable.
09:26So, what do you eat in a typical day from the time you wake up to and you go to bed?
09:32You know what?
09:33I describe it like being a, I guess, equivalent like being a drunk because when you have all
09:38that food and you go to sleep, you know, you wake up with that hangover.
09:41So, it could be anything from stopping from fast food like Chinese and, you know, chicken
09:47places, fried chicken places, and then dinner could be whatever we get delivered or something
09:53I can just put in the oven or air fryer and, oh yeah, I could easily put 6,000, 8,000 calories
09:58a day.
09:59Easy.
10:00Especially with the sodas.
10:01So, what do you think is behind his unhealthy eating habits?
10:04I think it's a lot to do with his anxiety.
10:07It was a very hard time for a while with a job that he was in.
10:11That caused a lot of the eating habits.
10:13Everything you all do together is focused around the food, right?
10:18Of course, yeah.
10:19So, who is the driving force making to overeat?
10:24I guess it's...
10:25Both.
10:26Both of us.
10:27It couldn't be only you?
10:29I mean, I put it in my mouth, so it's my fault.
10:31So, I'm taking responsibility for it.
10:33I'm pretty sure you both affect each other's eating habits.
10:38But I guess you are probably the driving force to make everybody overeat.
10:43But I'm glad to see that it hasn't translated to your son at this point.
10:50But if that keeps up, it won't be too long before he will join the same unhealthy eating
10:57habit.
10:58So, that is going to be something that is going to affect the whole family.
11:03So, what are you willing to do at this point?
11:06Right now, I'm willing to do exactly what your plan is.
11:10No excuses.
11:11Okay.
11:12This is going to be something that both of you are going to have to be on the same page
11:19and do the same thing and not encourage each other to eat more.
11:24And, Nikki, is there any way that we can get you to check your weight?
11:28Because I want to see that the influence of changing eating habit is going to be affecting
11:36the whole family.
11:37That's great.
11:38Yeah, so that's fine.
11:41So, I'm going to give you a goal of losing 70 pounds in two months.
11:4770 pounds?
11:48Yeah.
11:49Wow.
11:50Okay.
11:51Well, when you're 665 pounds and if you drop down, assumably to 1,200 calories, you're
12:00going to lose 40, 50 pounds in one month.
12:03Okay, wow.
12:04Okay?
12:05Okay.
12:06So, I'm going to get the nutritionist to come and see you so you can understand what
12:11changes to make.
12:12Okay.
12:13And to be successful to maintain a healthy weight.
12:15Yes, sir.
12:16Sure.
12:17So, if today you were 200 pounds, what will be different in your life?
12:23Well, then I can walk normally, get in a car normally.
12:27Just go somewhere and do something.
12:29How long has it been since you had a date with your wife?
12:33Probably 11 years?
12:3512 years?
12:36Yeah.
12:37So, how much you can walk before you get really out of breath?
12:41Right now, it's from the house to the car and he's halfway there.
12:45It's probably, uh...
12:47My back starts hurting.
12:48My knees start hurting.
12:49Yeah.
12:50Stops, takes a breath.
12:51Yeah.
12:52Leans to get something and then finishes walking to the car.
12:54That's...
12:55Okay.
12:56With that, I'm going to give you a goal to accomplish.
12:58Do something with your wife on a date.
13:02Without him?
13:03Wow.
13:04Lose weight.
13:05Okay.
13:06And then do something with your son.
13:08Okay.
13:09Um, some activity with your son.
13:11Okay.
13:12Those are two goals that I wanted to meet over the next two months.
13:16Yes, sir.
13:17And when you set you up to, um, see a therapist, they will give you some goals for you to meet
13:25as well.
13:26If you do that and lose 70 pounds in two months, then I'm going to up for you for weight loss
13:31surgery.
13:32Yes, sir.
13:33You know, healthy eating habits should be around 1200 calories for you.
13:38Yes, sir.
13:39So this is going to be something that you're going to have to eat only two or three times
13:44a day, not snacking or having unhealthy food.
13:49So you think you can do that?
13:50Yes, sir.
13:51I'm going to give you my book.
13:53First six pages explain what metabolism is.
13:57It's clear that Sam and Nikki enable each other, but he appeared to be the main source
14:03of negative influence in the dynamic of their family.
14:06So he's the one who needs to take the responsibility and start to change things before it has a bigger
14:12and more damaging effect on him and his family.
14:15So do those exercise.
14:17Yes, sir.
14:18Okay.
14:19So this is going to be life changing with what you're accustomed now.
14:24Yes, sir.
14:25Okay.
14:26Nikki, I'll give you a copy of that for you to read.
14:29So I don't want you to fight over it.
14:31I don't want you to as well understand what changes he did make with your eating habit as well.
14:40Yes, sir.
14:41So we'll see in two months when he lose 70 pounds, how that transferred in the family affecting you as well.
14:50Okay.
14:51Sounds great.
14:53Can we check your weight also?
14:54Yes, sir.
14:55I want to monitor, see what kind of progress you make in two months.
14:57Okay.
14:58Sounds great.
14:59That would be great.
15:00If you don't need anything, give me a call.
15:02Thank you, sir.
15:05That appointment was rough.
15:06And let's hope in the next two months with the support he needs and everything that he was told,
15:12we can get this weight down for Dr. Now.
15:16428.
15:17Wow.
15:18I just got it handed to me.
15:21I mean, these next two months are going to be brutal.
15:24I bought some equipment online and I'm hitting it hard.
15:29Got here.
15:30I use the resistance bands and have my mace and usually my day starts around 5 a.m.
15:37And I'm pushing myself with my workouts because I have Dr. Now's goal of taking my wife out for a date and take my family out and do something outside the house for once.
15:47But to do that, I need a lot more stamina.
15:50I could barely get up these stairs.
15:52I still got to do a half a mile.
15:54But next thing I need to also work on, too, is my food intake.
15:58Because diet's everything.
16:00It's 95% of the battle is your diet.
16:03This is my dinner and only meal of the day.
16:06So, yeah, this is low calorie, nutritious, whole foods.
16:10This past week has been a really good eye opener.
16:13I've got a lot of good support.
16:15First with the nutritionist.
16:17As far as your diet, the point is to learn how to eat in a healthy way long term.
16:22We don't want this to be like a dieting mentality.
16:25We want this to be more of a lifestyle change.
16:27I also had my first therapy appointment.
16:29What do you do for work?
16:31I work in social services, community outreach, stuff like that, so.
16:35What was so stressful about that?
16:38I think one of the worst ones is when I had to sit with social services when they would go over a situation where a child can be removed.
16:44Or even worse, if there was like a child who passed away.
16:47That was always really, really hard.
16:50You know, especially when you get attached to them, so.
16:53I could carry that pain with me for whatever reason.
16:57I could feel that.
16:59That's why it breaks you down like that so much.
17:01Because the idea of somebody coming in and saying that I wasn't a good enough parent and then they would take them away from me temporarily.
17:09Freaking killed me and I would carry that.
17:12Your therapy goal is to write about the three worst cases that you had in your career.
17:19And really dig about, like, how they made you feel.
17:24Why were they the worst case?
17:26And then we'll go over them the next session if that's okay.
17:29That sounds like a great plan.
17:30I'm going to make sure I do the homework and process all the things that she gave me.
17:35But my first priority is to achieve all the goals that I have with Dr. Now.
17:40I want to at least take Nikki out and focus on my other goals.
17:44I can already feel my stamina improving and my clothes are getting looser.
17:49So I'm excited and I'm determined to achieve all my goals, do what I need to do before I see Dr. Now again.
17:56It's been one month since I've started this journey with Dr. Now.
17:59I don't know how much weight I've lost, but I know I've made a lot of progress.
18:03My stamina is night and day compared when I saw Dr. Now the first time.
18:07It's been a while since I've been able to take Nikki out.
18:09So I told Nikki, I think I'm ready to show you a good time like you deserve.
18:12So that's what we're going to do tonight.
18:14I called and got a babysitter.
18:16They'll be over soon.
18:18I'm extremely excited about this.
18:20It's been a long time since Sam and I went out for our day night.
18:24I want to make this night great for her, but I can't shake the fear of situations like sitting in tight chairs or fitting in tight spaces.
18:32A situation like a broken chair or too many steps or a trip or a fall.
18:37Situations like that could really embarrass her.
18:39Is that good?
18:40Yes, please.
18:41Okay.
18:42This one?
18:43Okay.
18:44Certain seats for certain people.
18:46Yeah.
18:47I'm worried about that.
18:48That's all right.
18:49No worries.
18:50Look at my plate compared to yours.
18:52That's actually mine.
18:53I know that's-
18:54Yeah, I know, right?
18:55I'm the eater.
18:56Yeah.
18:57No worries.
18:58Oh, that's pretty.
19:00My pleasure.
19:02My pleasure.
19:03I know.
19:04Well, yeah.
19:05I'll just drop it here.
19:07There you go.
19:08You want some filetamon?
19:09Oh, I'm good.
19:10I have plenty of food.
19:12It's nice doing this because it's been a while.
19:16Mm-hmm.
19:17I can remember walking into places and wondering if they're going to have seats that you can
19:22fit into.
19:23Mm-hmm.
19:24And finally, I'm now following, being able to sit into a seat.
19:28Well, my biggest thing is, like, here are the stairs.
19:31I would not have come here.
19:32Mm-hmm.
19:33There'd been no way I would have, like, nah, I'm good.
19:36We'll try somewhere else.
19:37Yeah.
19:38On the stairs.
19:39Yeah.
19:40I'm very proud with everything you're accomplishing.
19:43I'm doing good.
19:44You're putting your mind to.
19:45You're doing good.
19:46You're doing good.
19:47You're doing very good.
19:48And it's going to be even better from here on out.
19:51Mm-hmm.
19:52It was nice to have time with Sam.
19:57Just him and I enjoying, not worrying about if we're comfortable, if anybody's watching
20:06us.
20:07Just him and I out together.
20:11Something that we've been needing to do for a long time.
20:14Now I'm going to go to sleep because margaritas hit me.
20:17I had a great time.
20:19Uh, the restaurant had these stairs and I was able to get up and find, but I was able
20:24to find a comfortable spot.
20:26Uh, was able to keep, uh, Dr. Now's food plan.
20:30Another really good part was at the end where we just had a walk and, uh, you know, having
20:35a good meal and walking at the end, you know, that's something that just never happened before
20:39because after a full meal, I would want to just lay down and do nothing.
20:44So it's nice to have Dr. Now's plan where you get a good meal and still feel active right
20:49after.
20:50So, um, really appreciative.
20:53The date night with Nikki going as well as it did really motivated me to go out in public
20:58even more.
20:59So I've been trying to get out of the house more, helping out with like grocery shopping
21:03and doing stuff with Sammy.
21:04I've never been able to take him out and do some fun stuff.
21:07So this week we went out bowling.
21:11It's about the closest I'm going to get.
21:19Bowling might have been a little more active than I was ready for.
21:24I was a little winded, I got tired at times, but I was so thankful to do it.
21:31I'm super thankful to do it, and I'm super thankful to hope I can do it with Sandy again.
21:35It's been a big desire of mine.
21:37Woo! Good job!
21:41If anybody's never been like we are, overweight, you use food as a companion to help you.
21:51Oh, this chocolate will help me feel better.
21:53Oh, this piece of cake will help me feel better.
21:56And it worked so well making you think you feel better.
22:00But it really, really didn't make you feel any better. It makes you feel worse.
22:04Being addicted to food is something that's very hard, but...
22:10I slipped up. I hit a little bit of a wall.
22:13I was eating exactly the way he wanted. I was exercising, and then I had a rough day.
22:20I decided to go back to some of my old ways.
22:23I felt that I deserved it, and I felt what was one little meal would turn into two,
22:28then one day turned into a week, and I just fell down and spiraled again.
22:34Sam is one of the strongest people I know.
22:38And Sam and I have a team.
22:40When he tries, I like to try with him, because I like to support him in any way I can.
22:44So together, we will be strong, and we will handle it.
22:48All right, it's been two months since I last saw Dr. Nell.
22:51I know I've done a lot, but again, it's all about the scale.
22:55And, man, I hate that machine.
22:57Oh, my gosh. I feel more nervous now than I did the first time I met him.
23:00634.
23:05They can look at you as well.
23:11398.
23:25Get in there.
23:26Yeah, he's definitely going to be very disappointed, and he's going to tell me like it is, so.
23:36All right.
23:38You only lost 31 pounds in two months.
23:42That's not even half of what the goal I gave you.
23:45So what changes you made with your eating habit?
23:48You know, I really thought I was doing good.
23:51I really thought I was.
23:52I do go to the gym about five days a week, but I know diet is the most important.
23:57So, yeah, I cut back, and I dropped a lot of weight, but I was, like, more focused on the goal about going out with dinner with my wife, and I did that.
24:07And I think maybe I felt that I deserved a reward.
24:12I earned the chocolate, or I earned the burger, or I earned the pizza.
24:16So I know I had a bit of a backslide, but I'll get back to the progress that I made.
24:21I'll get back.
24:22I know I will.
24:24Well, my concern is that this is going to be much more significant if you do that after we've done surgery.
24:31So that is going to be a problem.
24:33It's not going to happen.
24:34I know it's not because I'm not approving you if you're still struggling.
24:38Yes, sir.
24:39You're right.
24:40But I can get back.
24:42I know I can.
24:43Well, what's happening is here that you did not follow up with the therapist and do the goal that they give you.
24:50What happened with that?
24:51I was, like, more focused on my family, and I just thought I was doing all right.
24:56And the emotional component that drives you to eat, you have to take it seriously and meet with the therapy and meet the goal that they give you and try to understand the issues that are driving you to eat.
25:09Yes, sir.
25:10OK.
25:11So, Sam, I'll give you the same goal of losing 70 pounds in two months and work with the therapy?
25:17Yes, sir.
25:18So you think you can do that?
25:20I really wish the goal was less, but that's what you got set for me, so I know I can do it.
25:26Yeah, I'm going to come back, and the scale's going to be different.
25:30Good.
25:31Well, I see Nikki lost 30 pounds, so you've done well with the diet and keep up with that.
25:39But how do you think he's doing with his progress?
25:42I think I need to be a little bit more stern about us stopping at the fast food places.
25:50Instead of just following along, I should probably tell him no more.
25:53Instead of agreeing going with him, I probably would have lost more myself that way.
25:59Or vice versa.
26:01Yeah.
26:02Well, those fast food places, they started having a lot of healthy salad, too.
26:08So if you really shift your choices to better choices over there, you can make better progress.
26:15Yeah, but that's like going to a gentleman's club for a hug.
26:17So, I mean, you know, come on.
26:20I mean, OK.
26:21No, you're right, doctor.
26:22Now, there's some better options I could have picked, but I let my taste buds pick for me.
26:27So Nikki inspired him to stick with the healthy eating habit, too.
26:32Yes, sir.
26:33Be on his side to remind him to eat healthy and do his exercise.
26:38OK?
26:39Yes, sir.
26:40All right, I'll see you in two months.
26:42Yes, sir.
26:43It's positive to see some progress with both Sam and Nikki.
26:47And I don't doubt that Sam may have more progress in the first month than he has now.
26:52But backsliding so soon is very concerning for me.
26:56It's not just about the amount of progress he needs to make, but consistently maintaining that progress for just a while.
27:02That is what I need to see before I'm confident that he's ready for weight loss surgery.
27:08That combined with the fact that clearly he's not taking the emotional component of his overeating seriously means he has a lot to do to convince me that he's truly committed to change his life and move ahead.
27:21After going back to Dr. Now and falling short of that weight loss goal, I came back home determined not to make that same mistake twice.
27:29I know I have a problem getting comfortable and slipping back in my old habits.
27:33So I've been 100% consistent with the diet.
27:36I also took to heart the importance of what Dr. Now said, and that's the importance of therapy.
27:42So I did the therapy goal and shared the three hardest cases, and I'm surprised how good it felt.
27:49I honestly don't know what I'll say to Dr. Now if he says no, because he's worked really, really hard, but I'll try to be a good girl.
27:57Go ahead and just step on.
28:065.76.
28:08How much did you need to drop?
28:15I don't remember now.
28:17Nikki, can we go ahead and get your weight as well?
28:233.79.
28:27Not as much as I thought I would have lost, but I should get up and do the gym in the morning with you guys.
28:33How are you all doing?
28:35Good, how are you?
28:36Hi, how are you?
28:37Good.
28:38Good, I'm doing good.
28:39Nikki, it looked like you did better than last time, and you're down to 3.79.
28:46So you lost 19 pounds, and Sam, you did better than last time too, and you lost 58 pounds instead of 70, of course.
28:57And you're down to 376, huh?
29:02Yeah, sure.
29:03And you're down to 576.
29:05Yeah, 366 is great.
29:06I just dropped 200 pounds easily on you.
29:10Well, you are the best in the world, aren't you, Dr. Now?
29:12Yeah, yeah, you made good progress on paper.
29:15First time I've seen you laugh ever, man. It's awesome.
29:21Okay.
29:22All right.
29:23In reality, what changes you made with your eating habit?
29:26Honestly, really, I do three meals.
29:29It's just, I just keep it really just protein and vegetables.
29:32All right.
29:33That's positive, and you meet the goal and you have a therapy too.
29:37So this is good, but in the past four months, you have lost a total of 89 pounds.
29:45But if you really stuck with the diet, you should have lost 150 pounds.
29:50So it is positive that you've lost some weight, but that's not as much as you should have.
29:56But since you made some progress, I'm going to approve you for weight loss surgery.
30:02We did it.
30:03You did it.
30:04We did it.
30:05Yep, gym bros.
30:06Congratulations, Daddy.
30:09We did it.
30:10The only condition is that you need to continue to lose another 25 pounds.
30:14Okay.
30:15Okay.
30:16So I'm going to schedule you for a month from now, but before we do the surgery, we're going
30:21to run some tests and make sure that everything is okay for you to have a safe weight loss surgery.
30:29You okay?
30:30I'm in the waiting room.
30:31I'm in the waiting room.
30:33So far, they poked him with needles a couple times to get blood.
30:38They have him set up for a chest x-ray and EKG, getting ready to do the scope.
30:45It's weird to see him on the table like that.
30:48I just want to stuff them in my pocket and take them home.
30:51So I finished my tests earlier, got poked and prodded and put to sleep and all sorts of things.
31:01I hope everything went well.
31:02I'm going to find out.
31:05Hello.
31:06Hey, Dr. No.
31:07How are you all doing?
31:08Good.
31:09How are you?
31:10How are you?
31:11All right.
31:12Sam, I want to go over some issues we had with your evaluation.
31:16What are the issues?
31:17One of the issues is steep apnea he had.
31:20Okay.
31:21So the steep apnea is going to be an issue with the surgery and also after surgery when he
31:28go home and take pain medication because normally when you have a sleep apnea when you sleep,
31:35what happened, your oxygen drop and CO2 goes up.
31:39But that will wake you up and you wake up and cough and change your position and you start breathing.
31:45But if you're taking pain medication, you may not have those reflexes.
31:49Okay.
31:50So that will cause an issue that we need to be careful.
31:53For that, he need to lose some weight.
31:56Right now, I'm freaked out right now.
31:58So I can't talk right now.
31:59I'm sorry.
32:00Well, except there is more.
32:01The other issue is he has some infection in line of cellulose and some onset that we
32:07require to give him some antibiotic and he need to take 10 days of antibody.
32:12So the infection that got in his line of the stomach can be a risk factor with the surgery
32:18cause the staple may get undone and have a hole in the stomach and leak the content of the
32:26stomach which can cause peritonitis and complication of surgery.
32:30So we need to clear that situation as well.
32:33Okay.
32:34So Sam will not move ahead with the surgery until you resolve all the issue that we got
32:41right now.
32:42Okay.
32:43So that shows that you are having a problem with the sticking with it.
32:57You got overconfident and this is very concerning for playing a yo-yo with your weight.
33:06So you both need to stay consistent and continue to lose more weight.
33:12If he clears up these issues, loses more weight for the sleep apnea and takes the medication
33:17to help with his stomach, will he be approved?
33:20So right now, we need to try to get his weight down rapidly and see if we can improve his condition
33:28while he's taking some medication to clear up the infection in his stomach.
33:32Okay.
33:33Okay.
33:34Once he does all those things and we get to the point that we feel is safe for him, then
33:39we will move ahead.
33:40So Sam, I'm going to set you up for surgery in one month again.
33:44And I want you to lose 40 pounds.
33:46So next one, we come back.
33:48We're going to check your weight.
33:49If you have lost that, we go ahead with your surgery.
33:52If you haven't lost, we're going to cancel your surgery.
33:55Okay.
33:56Okay.
33:57Yeah.
33:58And if anything, give me a call.
33:59All right.
34:01I'm glad they did the testing.
34:02Yeah.
34:03I'm glad they did the testing so we know how to fix that.
34:07I was a little freaked out at first.
34:08That's why I couldn't say much because it just made it sound like I was going to die
34:11for a second.
34:12No.
34:13Like, you know, I just like freaked out.
34:14That's why I needed a second.
34:15I mean, obviously, I mean, I've had these stomach issues.
34:17I mean, how many times did I go to the hospital thinking I was having a heart attack?
34:20Well, that explains everything.
34:21I mean, this is the first time I've actually had somebody actually look at my stomach.
34:26And I've asked doctors for how long about my issues.
34:29And somebody, doctor now actually took the time to actually look at my symptoms.
34:34And yeah, so I didn't get the surgery.
34:35But you know what?
34:36Certain answers were found because I didn't get the surgery.
34:39Wait, wait, you're not getting the surgery?
34:41No.
34:42He has.
34:43Doctor, I got, I got some, I got some things in my stomach I need to, well, I gotta wait
34:48till.
34:49It's good.
34:50Oh, no, no, no, no.
34:51This is a good thing.
34:52This is a good, don't look stressed, okay?
34:53It's a good thing.
34:54Sammy, these are problems that I've had that I didn't know the answer to.
34:55Come here.
34:56He's okay.
34:57Doctor now just found it.
34:58I promise, he's okay.
34:59Sammy.
35:00Yeah?
35:01Doctor now just found the answers to all my problems that I've had.
35:02Yeah.
35:03And now listen, if he had the surgery now.
35:05I wouldn't make it.
35:06He possible that something can happen and he could die.
35:09Doctor now just saved my life.
35:11It's okay.
35:12It's okay.
35:13He's fine.
35:14He's good.
35:19Well, the last two months, we've been on the diet plan that doctor now gave us.
35:25And I haven't seen him work this hard in forever.
35:28And today's the day.
35:29Today we go in, we go upstairs and see if he's lost enough weight to get to surgery.
35:34Sam's infection has cleared up with antibiotics and his sleep apnea is still a little bit
35:41of issue, but it seems to be more manageable.
35:44All right.
35:45You can step on it now.
35:47That is a good sign because it means that he lost some weight.
35:51But the question is, how much?
35:53All right, Sam, 536.
35:57So good progress.
35:59Sam's biggest issue is consistency.
36:02He loses weight.
36:03He gets comfortable.
36:05Then he slips back into his own reading.
36:08So that is an issue that we need to continue to work with him.
36:12But he at least showed me that he's back on track and he's making some good progress today.
36:18All right, Nicky, will you do my back so I don't blind the doctor?
36:22He's going to see your insides.
36:23I don't think he's worried about your butt.
36:24Oh, I know, but I just want to be...
36:25Go ahead.
36:26I just want to be calm.
36:27Sam has lost around 130 pounds since he started the program.
36:36So I'm confident he's ready for surgery today.
36:39Love you, Daddy.
36:40Love you, buddy.
36:41See you in a little bit.
36:42We'll perform a gastric Steve on him today.
36:46So this operation will reduce Sam's stomach about 70 to 80%
36:51and give him an opportunity to be able to lose weight and maintain it.
36:56I know Dr. Now is a renowned surgeon.
37:00About 22 years with someone.
37:02Knowing that they're in surgery, it's terrifying knowing if you're not going to make it or not.
37:07All I can do is pray everything's going to go the way we planned.
37:11He's going to have my heart on the table.
37:15I just pray that he takes care of him.
37:17I can turn the room light on.
37:20Sam's surgery went very well.
37:24We're able to get his stupioctomy.
37:27Now we're going to get him to the recovery room, and he will be waking up in a couple hours.
37:36One, two, three.
37:38We'll keep Sam here for a few days to keep an eye on him and make sure he's doing well before we let him go back home.
37:47For the next one, he will be on a liquid diet, and at that time, he should be able to lose 30 to 40 pounds.
37:54And then after that, if he stays on trial, he should be able to lose 15 to 20 pounds each one until he gets closer to his target weight.
38:03I am proud of Sam, but we still have a lot of hard work to do with Sam to get him to his target weight here very soon.
38:12No, it was surgery, buddy.
38:14Yeah, you're all done.
38:16Here we are at the Cincinnati Zoo.
38:21This experience has been tough.
38:23Crazy, busy, emotional.
38:27But I'm really very proud of where Sam has come, what he's come from, what he's done.
38:33I'm so happy he stuck with it and has gotten this far.
38:38With my continued weight loss, I have so many more goals ahead.
38:42First, I want to see the 300s.
38:44And then when I get to the 300s, obviously, I want to see the 200s.
38:48But my main goal is to get on a roller coaster with my son.
38:53I haven't been on a roller coaster in over 20 years.
38:56Oh, I see.
38:57Wait, is that a diamondback?
38:59He's inside the...
39:00Oh, that's an eastern diamondback.
39:02I see him.
39:03I like how Daddy's losing weight because he's been wanting this for a long time,
39:08and he's really excited that now me and him and Mama, we all can be like a family.
39:15We can go to carnivals.
39:17We can do a lot of stuff now.
39:19Thank you very much, very much, Dr. Now, for letting this be able to happen.
39:23I'm just excited to do some fun stuff.
39:27You know, I'm handling this trip really well.
39:29Been probably more walking than I've ever done.
39:33Well, let's just put it this way.
39:35A year ago, there'd be no way I'd come to the zoo and do this.
39:40And, you know, my back feels good, my legs, my knees feel good.
39:44Certain things that I noticed, he doesn't breathe as heavy as he used to.
39:49The other day, someone took a spot in the parking lot, and he said I had to park downstairs.
39:54Before, yeah, that was terrible.
39:57Now he's like, it's okay, I just had to walk up a few steps.
40:00That's huge.
40:01Sam is motivating me to become a better me.
40:06Unfortunately, I'm not as lucky as Sam to have a stomach the size of a little hot dog.
40:11Mine's still the size of Lord knows.
40:13Sam can just eat two pieces of deli turkey and a string cheese, and he's full for the day.
40:19482.
40:22Look at this.
40:23Look at that.
40:24Sammy and I are both trying to follow better eating habits so that we all can be healthier.
40:34This weight loss is helping me become a better father.
40:37I'm more active.
40:38We go out more.
40:39I help around the house more.
40:41It's building confidence.
40:42It's building stamina.
40:43I'm more alert.
40:44There's just so many things I want to do with my son and my family that have prevented me
40:48since I was nearly 700 pounds.
40:52But now, my weight is dropping, and I can't wait to see what next year's going to bring.
40:57What next year's going to bring.