Heavy (2011) s01e01 Episode Script
Tom ~ Jodi
I'm lucky to still even be alive, you know? Because of all this weight.
His weight is super excessive range.
It's like being a drug addict, just is more severe.
Six junior beacon cheeseburgers.
It's a lonely world, you know? I've definitely hit rock bottom.
I can't bare my husband telling me that I need to change.
I think I just have to move on.
I'm just right now.
We have got to reverse this .
watching is not how it's gonna be any more.
This people are on the ge of dying.
You've got this.
Common.
Let's go.
He's quitted everything he has ever done.
That's it.
that's how it's gonna feel like for these people.
I'd give her the least chance of success.
- No, no, no, no, no.
No.
- One more.
Why no? Because I don't want to bust my ass.
[Retching.]
How bad do you really want to live? I just can't take it.
This is more than just losing weight.
This is an addiction.
This doesn't thrill me, but I have to do something now.
Life is more than eating, you know? It's kind of like I'm in jail almost sometimes, can't get out and do the things I want to do.
And I just feel like I've just kind of wasted my life.
'Cause, you know, I should have kids and a family and all that by now.
I can't sit in a place too long without pain.
I can't stand up more than a few minutes without pain.
[Labored breathing.]
I was really surprised the last time he was in my home.
He walked from here to the vehicle, and he was talking about how hard it was for him to get around, and I think I said, "yeah, I noticed, because I can hear you breathing.
" [Labored breathing.]
I didn't start off always big.
I started off real active, you know? 17, I dropped out of High School, and that's where I just kind of gave up and just kept gaining weight.
Seemed to always be eating, and, you know, we started worrying about him gaining so much weight so fast, and I just didn't know what to do.
It's very pleasurable.
I enjoy to eat, you know? Six junior bacon cheeseburgers and three spicy nuggets.
And I'll get, you know, cravings for certain foods until I give in and say okay, and then when I do, I go overboard with it.
It's an addiction.
[Grunting.]
I want out of this body very bad.
If I don't do something very soon, I know I'm gonna end up dying 'cause of this.
Uh What's mine in here? Fat girl staple.
[Laughs.]
You can put this on everything but ice cream, quite literally.
Am I competent? Yeah.
Am I smart? Yeah.
Am I nice? Yeah.
Am I funny? Of course I am.
But I'm also fat, and I'm also sad, and I'm also physically hurting all the time.
I have a 16-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son.
Been married almost six years to a super-fit guy from Holland.
When I first met Jodi, I could tell that she was heavy.
At the time, I did not really care too much.
It's getting more and more just me who has to carry the entire load of the family, and it's wearing me out.
I can see that he gets frustrated because I can't do things that he wants to do.
I don't think if anything is gonna change, my patience will run out, and I think I just have to move on.
I'm not in the place that I thought I would be in my life, and it is all because of my weight.
It's the only thing that I've ever allowed to stand in the way of what I want and what I want to do.
I was a singer in a rock band.
It was the time of my life, but I just quit doing it because I can't get past being on stage and think everyone's looking at me and everyone's talking about me.
It's been really, really, really hard.
She loves to sing, but weight is a hindrance if you're on stage, and they want to see Madonna, not Jodi.
My mother, she came to live with us almost a year ago.
My husband doesn't like it, so that, in turn, causes more stress for me.
It feels like she's a cancer in my life.
I just feel like I don't have any control at all over anything in my life.
The only thing I can control is what I eat.
It's really scary.
[Labored breathing.]
I'm lucky to still even be alive, you know, because of all this weight.
If I sit down long periods of time, it'll get real swollen.
Have it on both ankles.
And then I have a big one that's kind of nasty-looking.
What's up, guys? Hey, tom.
I live with both my brothers.
All three of us live here.
They help me out quite a bit, but they can't live their lives because of worrying about me.
Tom Arnold? This is something I should have done years ago.
Have you ever had a stress test before? - No, ma'am.
- Okay.
It's kind of like riding a bike up a hill.
The longer you ride, the steeper the hill gets.
[Straining.]
- Now bring this foot up.
- [Grunting.]
Yeah, this is not I don't think it's gonna work.
I just can't lift my leg.
I'm sorry, y'all.
It's okay.
- I'm rob Marvin.
- Okay.
Thomas Arnold.
- Nice to meet you.
- Yeah, nice to meet you.
- His weight is in just the super-excessive range.
Does that bother you right there? No.
He's basically got an extreme case of morbid obesity.
I mean, highly dangerous situation.
Today your blood pressure's 186 over 103.
That's high.
At your height, you really should weigh around 168, 170 pounds, and your weight is 638.
All that extra weight puts stress on your heart.
Now, you have got to reverse this trend.
I think you know that if you don't, what's liable to happen.
Okay? Yeah.
At the age that I'm at now, it's like my body is shutting down because it cannot handle what I'm putting it through anymore.
I had a mini stroke.
I had a mini stroke two months ago.
Scariest thing I have ever experienced in my entire life, and it was completely brought on by stress and being overweight.
I can't be the wife that my husband deserves for me to be.
I can't be the mother that my kids deserve to have.
It's time to make a change.
- Jodi Von Kessel, 36-year-old female.
- Hi.
- Hi, Jodi? - That's me.
- Dr.
Marvin.
Nice to meet you.
Hi, it's very good to meet you.
She already had a stroke.
You know, that would be an indicator she's not looking at a normal life expectancy.
- Ow.
- That hurts right there? Yeah.
- Her veneer is that happy-go-lucky, kind of joking along.
Do you snack before you go to bed? Yeah, that's usually when the ice cream starts calling.
That's how she approaches life, and I think life probably treats her okay that way.
On the other hand, she's got a major problem building here.
This mini stroke that you had, that may have been a wake-up call that you really need to get moving on this, okay? - Thanks.
- Okay.
I just don't have a choice.
It's either do it or die.
It's either change or die.
I want to fix it.
I just want to fix it.
Where are you going to? I'm gonna go get skinny.
I'm at a point in my life now where I'm just enough already.
I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.
And I just am not ready to give up.
[Labored breathing.]
I don't want it to be a life of regrets.
I don't want my parents to have to bury me.
I've got to get this off, or I'm gonna die.
- Hi, welcome, Jodi.
- Hi.
- Thrilled to have you with us.
- Great.
Can show you around a little bit.
All right.
This place is beautiful.
Oh, thank you.
- Hi, tom.
Welcome.
- Hi, how are you? Your home away from home for the next month.
- Great.
Great.
- All right.
David Richardson.
Nice to meet you.
Omas Arnold.
Real nice to meet you.
We have them for 30 days.
Hopefully this would give them the opportunity to really see what they're missing out on and why they need to refocus.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Look at you.
Philosophies for personal training, first you have to find what motivates that individual, call it, like, the nugget, what's really motivating them to lose weight.
Okay, wait, so Kaylee? Kaylee's my daughter.
A lot of people tell you, "I want to get in better shape and tone up," but what does that really mean to somebody? What's truly motivating that goal? Is it okay if I go through your bag? - Yes, sir.
- I got to do it anyway.
- That's okay.
- All right? Let's see.
It's gonna be very strict.
There's a lot of distractions in their life.
We're gonna be taking away phone privileges, television privileges.
This first month is about them, and if we can help them by eliminating those things, that's what we're gonna have to do.
No cookies.
No candy.
- Because you're already on it.
- That's right.
Mentally, a lot of them say, "I'm ready.
Let's do it.
Bring it.
" This program's gonna be so difficult for every single individual.
How we doing? All right.
How you doing? There you go.
How's it going? Good.
You're here.
I'm here.
He said, "I'm here.
" All right.
It's really important to pair everyone up, because they're l going through the same issues.
Come on over with me.
Let's warm up.
Jodi's a mother of two.
She recently had a stroke.
And she's addicted to food.
I'm gonna have you come right here, nice and easy.
Yes, for real.
She's also a walking attitude.
Seven.
No.
Come on.
Eight.
- No, no, no, no, no.
No.
- Why no? Because I don't want to bust my ass.
She just didn't want to push.
She wasn't used to it, and she didn't like anyone telling her what to do.
Having a trainer is being able to push yourself past the point that you can't go.
What's going on right now? Like, do you feel like you could do stuff? I just my energy level is very low.
From what I know, tom's existence is laying on his bed, and that's it.
Honestly, when I looked at tom, I knew there was gonna be more work to do, a lot more work to do there.
Let's go, baby.
You can hop on my back if you need to.
[Laughs.]
Getting to this place is like a marathon.
I'm not used to this much moving around.
The second day we were here, we had to go to the pool barn, which is on the other side of the earth from where we're at now.
How much further is it? Oh.
Let me get I can't catch my breath.
[Labored breathing.]
Just getting to the gym, for the normal person, it's not far, but, you know, for me, it's a good little trek.
- Come on.
Let's go.
- All right.
- Use me as a crutch.
- Okay.
- Tom is a very great, warm-hearted person.
I love tom.
[Grunts.]
But let's be honest, tom is about to die.
Deep breaths.
[Breathing deeply.]
How hard is it to carry a refrigerator on your back and walk up a hill? And that's really what tom is going through right now.
[Labored breathing.]
Come on over, tom.
There you go.
Get those knees up.
Okay.
Come on.
Look how close you are.
Kick, kick, kick, kick, kick, kick, kick, kick, kick.
- [Grunts.]
- [Laughs.]
There you go.
Good job.
How do you feel? [Labored breathing.]
Are you ready? Let's make it happen.
[Straining.]
Can I make it right here yeah.
Tom, he can't stand up for a long period of time.
[Straining.]
[Mumbling indistinctly.]
- Yeah? - Yeah.
Every 30 seconds, he would walk.
For a minute and a half to two minutes, he'd sit down.
Get it.
We just kept trying and trying and trying.
You've got this, tom.
Let's go.
Hey, hey, hey.
This is it.
This is it, huh? [Laughs.]
We made it.
The relief, the look on his face, the relief of his body to be there told him he could do it again.
Come on.
You got it.
[Straining.]
Come on.
Use me.
Use me.
Breathe.
Good job, man.
If you want to stay on this weight, I need at least a good 15 in a row.
Yeah.
14.
15.
Finish 'em all.
- [Yelling.]
- Finish 'em all, Jodi.
Five.
Come on, ox.
Six.
There you go.
This is pushing me a lot more than I thought it was gonna be.
Set your Booty back and up, right? I dreaded getting up.
I had dread for what kind of workout.
Now my only issue I have is whether or not I've done enough.
Am I doing it hard enough? Am I going long enough? - Your weight is now 352.
6.
- [Tittering.]
Tom, you are now 622.
That is phenomenal.
I'm looking at it like climbing Everest, you know? And I just hit that first checkpoint, but, you know, there's about 50 more checkpoints ahead.
Squat, thrust.
Squat, thrust.
Squat, thrust.
Tom's outworking us over there.
Come on, three more, Tommy.
Thrust.
Good.
Thrust.
- Okay.
Mm-hmm.
Got it.
No matter how awesome a personal trainer is, no fat person wants to work with a personal trainer that's never been fat.
[Panting.]
I felt like she was really slacking mainly because she wasn't communicating with me.
I can't help you if you don't tell me how you feel.
- My knee hurts.
It locks.
- So walking doesn't hurt? - No.
- Okay.
Let's go.
I need a power walk.
Is this better on the knee? - I'm not a complainer, but - It's not about complaining.
- I'm not a whiner.
- There was no communication.
I couldn't read her face.
I didn't know if she was being fake or really hurting.
[Stifled moaning.]
Okay.
Okay? [Retching.]
[Sobbing.]
Hey, I thought this was about being sick.
Why are you crying about failing? I can't deal with disappointing you.
I just can't take it.
She's like, "my body can't do what I feel like I should be able to do or what my heart wants to really do.
" When I sacrifice my kids and my family and my life at home to come here, I need to give 100%, and when I feel like I don't, I'm feeling like I fail my kids.
I appreciate the being tough on yourself because you want to work I do.
But that you're getting this upset, you got to start turning some of that around.
I'm trying.
[Sobbing.]
I just need to feel like I can do it.
You have done it.
You are doing it.
I don't know what you're talking about.
[Sobbing.]
Jodi, she had a breakdown because she wants to step up.
She wants to do all this crazy stuff.
Her body won't let her, so she doesn't quite feel successful yet.
I just can't describe it, Britney.
I just if anything holds her back, it's gonna be her own negative thoughts to herself.
Just feel like I failed, dude.
You didn't fail.
I want to get in there and be [Growls.]
Hard-core and pushing through the pain and reaching that euphoric level that you don't feel anything anymore.
That's not happening to me.
You know what? Everyone sees you're giving 100%, okay? - Do they, tom? - Yes.
My relationship with tom is exactly like my relationship with my brothers.
You need to cry.
You need to get that out.
He's just so ridiculously encouraging.
I wish I had some of that drive.
You have it, tom.
But you've got the fire.
We help each other, 'cause, you know, we both struggle in different ways, so I'll bet that's gonna put a fire in you in tomorrow's workout, isn't it? It needs to.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
[Water sloshing.]
Kick, kick, kick, kick, kick.
I'm very glad that I'm starting to see results.
Whoo! Tom rocking it.
I've had this growth for a few years now.
My trainer said that if I lost 100 pounds, they would see about getting that surgically removed.
You got this, tom.
It would definitely make walking and moving around a lot easier.
Originally, your weight was 638 pounds.
This week, let's see where we are.
610.
8.
Oh, yes, tom! - I feel good.
- Good job, man.
No problem.
All right, Jodi, your weight is349.
Okay.
Let's get your measurements.
I'm really disappointed about the weight.
I don't feel any different, and I thought I would feel different here.
Britney, I can't.
- Stop saying that word.
- No Jodi's still trying to work through some things.
Oh, it hurts so bad.
Right now, we struggle with her getting over this mind thing, this anxiety thing, "I can't breathe" thing.
It hurts.
It's gonna have to hurt to get where you want to be.
That much? No.
There's absolutely fear of success.
I'm telling you I can't.
I am telling you that I can't.
It's the fear of the unknown is what it is.
[Sobbing.]
You know, what if when I do succeed, it doesn't change how I feel inside? Oh, this is insanity.
And I know that I need to change whatever's in my head, and that's the hardest part.
Tell me more about your life.
You want to start with, like, any struggles, you know, that you're having or that you have had recently, you know? - I had a stress-induced mini stroke.
And then the source of that stress? I would like to say it was all my mother, but that wouldn't be a fair assessment.
But that's a piece of it? That's a big, fat chunk of it, yeah.
My mother and I have a very bipolar relationship.
I guess it's like any other mother-daughter relationship where you live under the same roof.
It's hard.
She came to stay with me because she didn't have anywhere else to go.
I am the mediator between her and my husband, which, you know, caused me to be depressed all the time.
That's why I'm 350 pounds, because I can eat whatever I want, and there's nothing my mother can do about it or my husband.
It's been really scary to realize that there were a lot more mental issues for me than there were physical.
I'm learning how to reprogram my brain, unplugging guilt, fear, and disappointment and plugging in perseverance, ability.
I came here to find control of myself.
As long as my head's in the right place, my body will follow.
All right, let's do it.
You ready? It's nice to, like, get out, you know, being there for a couple weeks, just to get some new scenery, you know? It's kind of scary, though.
Last time I was in a grocery store was a good four or five years ago.
And the thought of going to the store caused a lot of anxiety.
I have mobility issues, stamina issues, wondering if the electric cart will hold the weight.
Today we're at the grocery store because I want to show you two that it is possible to shop healthy and stay on a budget.
I'm a registered dietician, and I'll be working with the individuals, just teaching basic nutrition, learning about portion sizing.
So how would you all normally prepare meat? I have an electric skillet.
Sometimes I would just plug it in, and I would actually just lay there and lay where? In your room? Tom, he really needs some people behind him that are not gonna allow him to start gorging.
We're looking for lean cuts of meat.
I've never bought that stuff.
I don't know.
What do you normally buy? Not anything out of a glass case, 'cause that means it's really expensive.
Jodi I had a hard time with.
I could tell that she didn't really trust me.
How much of this ice cream would you eat in one sitting? Really? The whole thing.
- The whole thing.
- Yeah.
- The big a-ha for her was seeing her pint of ice cream.
This container has 1,050 calories.
Twice a week, that's almost a pound weight gain each week.
It gives you a new perspective when you actually read the labels on things that you would ordinarily buy, particularly ice cream.
[Both laugh.]
Oh, what is this? - Oh.
- Oh, it's from my little boy.
[Laughs.]
Clearly not from the husband.
I was thinking that.
But I got something from my son, and that will suffice, 'cause he's the only real man in my life.
I haven't spoken to my husband since I came here.
He hasn't written at all.
I mean, my mother being at my house has nothing to do with whether or not he can pick up a pen and write me a letter.
For a long time, he and I have not been connected the way we were.
I think things are going to be very different when I get home, and I don't necessarily think it's gonna be for the worse.
I think it's gonna be for the better, for me at least.
Okay, catch the board.
Other arm.
You're catching the board.
The next arm.
Come on.
Push yourself.
Well, I'm finally starting to see some of the weight loss, which is good.
It feels like my stamina has built up some.
You can walk up this, can't you? Yes.
I'm able to walk a lot further than I used to.
One, two, three.
There's a value to my life now, because I'm finally taking charge of my life.
[Laughs.]
I think that once I relaxed and allowed myself to trust the trainers, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.
You worked magnificently today, all determination, all fight.
I love it.
Here we are a month later at 337.
2.
Whoo! Good job.
Yeah? When you start to see the results, and not just see them, but feel them, you find out that there really is a healthy, fit person that's just been waiting to be let out.
Let's see where you are today.
587.
2.
You know what that is total? It's 51 pounds.
I thank you guys.
I'm always gonna remember this experience very much.
- Can we get three times? - Yeah.
Yes.
What person comes to your mind whenever you hear me say "going home"? Oh, my mother.
She's negative, and she has been like a cancer in my life.
She has for so many years, and she has weighed me down.
I'm going to have to do what I should have done long ago, telling her that it's time for her to leave the nest.
Living in a facility will show great progress, but you don't live life on an island.
You don't live life in a bubble.
You live it in the real world at home.
That's the real deal.
The program entails a lifestyle change, and if they don't stay on the program, they will be returning to the facility, and at that time, it's gonna get a lot harder.
- I love you.
- I love you too.
I'll miss you.
The idea of going home is both exciting and scary for me.
Going home means sharing myself again with the rest of my family.
What scares me is if I would lose all this and fall back into my old habits or something.
You look at the big picture, and it's overwhelming.
- Six.
- [Panting.]
Seven.
Come on.
Ree more.
Eight.
Rock and roll.
Nine.
- 20 seconds.
Almost there.
- [Panting.]
Eight.
Two more.
Our job was to put tools in the tool belt but send them home to use them themselves.
Good morning, son.
Come on.
You got school today, Mr.
man.
That's where people have to face everything it is that challenges them.
Noah, are you hungry? You know it has not been an easy thing for me.
I was supposed to go away and come back a new person, and it was gonna make our life great.
- Is this yours? - Yes.
It has my name on it.
You know, my husband's not a good communicator, and then I come home, and he's just like, "I think that we need to separate for a while.
" He's had to acknowledge that once I am at the place that I need to be in my life, you are either going to be with me or against me, and I think that maybe he feels a little bit threatened.
Big picture, Jodi has a marriage falling apart, a mom who is stressing her beyond belief.
[Laughs.]
I'm at my breaking point.
I've been living my life for everybody else for long enough.
[Straining.]
Mmm, smells good.
Iced tea, right? Everybody wants iced tea? I know it sounds dumb, but preparing meals causes me anxiety.
You can have almost anything, but it's just the amount of it.
Is that right? Not really.
I think tom has a serious problem.
We're talking about an individual who has help killing himself.
[Laughs.]
He has people that are called enablers.
They feel that helping him eat is love.
This is so good.
[All laugh.]
I'm sure those urges will come, but I just have to fight 'em off, you know? Like the old tom fighting the new tom, you know? Um, let's see.
I cannot eat nothing that has the word "cheese" after it.
I can't eat any of that.
Nothing that has the indication that it's good.
Nothing that's pictured that looks really good.
So far I'm having water and lemons this evening.
You know, I've had to reevaluate all of my friendships and my relationships with people I've known my whole life, whether or not they are what's right for me right now in my life.
We're here today for Jodi and Joroun.
[All cheer.]
Had this huge party, and there wasn't one single thing that was relatively healthy that I could have eaten at this entire party, you know? And it's like, "well, [Bleep.]
.
"You're supposed to be supportive.
You're supposed to be on my side.
" Yet we're having this party with tortillas and cheese and all kinds of crap everywhere.
I'm having grease with a little side of grease because I'm hungry and this is what I wanted.
- Uh-huh.
Jodi's biggest obstacle when she goes home is gonna be her lack of support.
[All cheering.]
I just still feel that a lot of people are waiting for me to fail, and I think at this point, I don't fit into this scene.
This doesn't work for me.
Hey, tom.
- Oh, look who's here.
- Baby.
Oh, how about that? Get your ass on the scale.
Let's heat this [Bleep.]
Up, brother.
Come on, knock it out.
Okay.
It's all right.
[Groans.]
It's all right.
609.
8.
It's okay.
It was shocking.
I couldn't believe it.
I was back up to 610 from 588.
Earlier this week and last week, I caught myself cheating.
I went, like, on a bender, you know? I just ate what I wanted, however much I wanted.
You told me when we left that resort that we were gonna be accountable to one another.
You promised me that we were, so when you're putting [Bleep.]
Weight on that scale, you're putting it on me too, because if it doesn't work for you, it won't work for me.
I was just so mad at myself for that.
Give me time, okay.
Let me work through this, you know? Get off your ass.
Let's do it.
- All right.
- Ten.
Five more.
- You don't want to die, tom? - That's right.
You don't want your parents to have to bury you? - That's right.
- What are we gonna do? - Work out more.
- How many times a week? - Six.
- Six.
That's the number I was looking for.
I'm very upset.
He has to be taking in a good 6,000 to 10,000 calories per day for him not to lose any weight at all, and then the following week, he gets into this zone where, "oh, I'm gonna have to come back to the facility.
I don't want to have to do that.
" And it's not a punishment.
It's a privilege.
- How are you, man? - Good, man.
You know, I'm doing good.
Yeah.
So how's going back gonna stop my binges? All it is is another opportunity for you to rehabilitate your mind.
Seriously, it's gonna be a tough ride these next couple of years, doing what you're doing right now.
15 pounds is not good for the month.
Whatever decision you make, I'll be there with you, all right? I think every single one of these individuals are completely capable of success.
You are too cute.
[Laughs.]
The reality of the situation is, I have a life and a family.
I don't have the luxury of putting myself completely and utterly first right now.
I'm hitting this frustration with Jodi right now because she's worried about all the distractions, and it's all in her mind.
It's getting in her way.
It's not that I'm thinking that I don't do good.
I've been very persistent.
Four pounds, five pounds, six pounds, four pounds, and then last week, I had two.
It's never more than six pounds.
It's not once ever been over six pounds, dude.
I think Jodi still has a lot to work through.
I just feel like there's a lot of family tension.
I'm very worried about how that really affects her at home.
Be safe.
Go bug somebody else.
How's the resistance? It's resisting.
[Laughs.]
Let's go.
Propel the legs.
Here we go.
Drive.
You got this.
Let's go.
Two weeks ago, my mom and I had a conversation.
I just told her, "you know, my marriage is in the balance "right now, and you've driven enough wedge in my marriage, and I'm done.
" Three.
Good.
Two.
Very nice.
Let's get it.
[Panting.]
I've worked really, really hard on myself.
I think the thing that motivates me the most at this point is the sense of empowerment that I get.
Punch through that bag.
Straight ahead.
Straight ahead.
There you go.
I feel that I'm worthy of this change, and I feel that I'm worthy of doing better and reaping the rewards of living a healthier, better life.
[Laughs.]
Most of these people do have food addictions, so just starving them is not gonna solve the problem.
We want lifestyle changes.
- Come bearing gifts today? - Yes.
Something I work with them on is setting themselves up to be successful and being prepared with healthy snack items.
This one is a dannon light and fit yogurt.
I really like it because it's got a good source of protein and calcium.
This one is really good.
It's like a pudding.
Calorie level definitely fits within your meal plan.
- Mm-hmm.
Come on, boy.
Is that all you got? [Yells.]
Whoa.
It's not like I thought when I came home that life was gonna be lollipops and raindrops, you know? Now it's just, I can either let tragedy consume me, or I can decide what I can do to change it and proceed from there.
Oh, my goodness.
6.
8 pounds off.
Get out! [Laughs.]
[Sighs.]
Good job.
You can do it.
You okay? Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
I've quit on so many other things, and this opportunity is just it's not gonna come around again.
This is, like, my moment, you know? I'm not looking at it negative now.
You know, it's just a short window I have all these things accessible to me.
Push through it, Tommy.
Push through it.
I never thought that I would have had this much success.
Today you are 558.
Good job.
I mean, dropping ten pounds a week is crazy, you know? I was happy he went back.
When he went back, he lost a lot of weight.
It got him right back on that track.
I needed to do it this way, and I'm so glad I did.
- Are you ready for this? - Yeah.
Are you sure? Well, come on up.
541.
8.
That's a total of 96 pounds.
You're almost at the 100-pound benchmark.
Thank you, man.
No problem.
Lymphedema is a situation where there is an increased accumulation of fluid around the cells.
Simply removing the tissue that's affected can improve his mobility significantly.
Tom, he does want to be successful.
It's in him.
Hopefully he's gotten those tools again to try this one more time.
Surgery's in a couple of days, so, yeah, I kind of feel butterflies.
You know, it's all happening kind of quick.
There you go.
I mean, there's nothing, there's nothing to stop me from having everything that I want, you know? - Very nice.
- [Panting.]
My brothers and I are all musicians.
Being on stage singing and making music with my brothers, it's a very big missing piece of my life.
My weight did play a huge factor in not having that.
Good.
That's what I'm looking for.
My brother was like, "well, you know, in addition "to your new body and your new life and the new you, you know, we'll have a new band for you to come back to.
" It was really, really good.
And it's touching.
One tape, and it touches.
[Laughs.]
Jodi is the most vibrant person ever.
She has a goal of getting on stage, and her doing some of this now is one of the most amazing things I've seen in my life.
This week, proud to say and I expect a big hug and a high five we're at 294.
4.
[Cheering.]
That's so awesome.
So that is a new personal best for us.
We keep climbing.
That is so good.
That is so good.
Amazing.
- Good-bye to 300 pounds for the rest of my life, and it is a good, good feeling, and I know that I'm gonna sleep good tonight.
Breaking that 300 pounds was absolutely, without a doubt, the most liberating feeling I have ever experienced in my life.
Well, if you don't have any questions, we're gonna go ahead and take you up.
Okay.
It's gonna be so nice to get this off my leg.
It's just burdened me for so long.
This is definitely a second chance.
I'll make it or die trying.
[Laughs.]
- Are you ready? - Yes, ma'am.
- Here we go.
- All right.
How are you? Tom has been motivated.
He has lost over 100 pounds.
Hitting that first 100 pounds and then having this removed are a couple of my milestones.
It'll be nice to have that weight off, you know? We're gonna need a lot of hemostats.
The hemostat is gonna be over here.
One, two, three.
Thomas, deep breath for me.
He said that since it's fat, the stitches and stuff may have some problems, and there will definitely be a rehab period in it.
Tom, you're waking up.
Your surgery went very well.
You're gonna be just fine.
Awesome.
- Okay? - Thank you very much.
This is still the very beginning of where I want to be.
Off to find our field for our first game of the season.
I don't want it to ever seem that I've just turned into this different person and now I never think anything negative anymore, because that's not realistic.
That's not really how it works.
All: Monster mash.
[Cheers and applause.]
Can you feel better? Absolutely.
Do you have the power to change those voices in your head? Absolutely.
[Cheers and applause.]
The change at home with my mother, it wasn't like, you know, everything was magical and awesome since she's gone, but it alleviated some of the stress between my husband and I.
We've been just communicating really, really well.
[Knocks on door.]
Having the therapist come out, and we had our dual therapy session, which was pretty cool.
I was dreading that at first, but it actually wound up being really good for us.
I feel that no matter what I do, he will be disappointed.
He will always think that I could have done more or I could have done it harder or I could have done it like he does it.
I don't think you're a failure.
I love you.
[Sobbing.]
He sees that I'm doing it and that I'm giving it 100% and that he and I are in a good place makes it so much easier.
Okay, now we have to go to therapy.
Okay.
Good deal.
So just walk to the gym? Yes, let's go to walk to the gym.
Okay.
- How do you feel? - I feel pretty good.
Oh, man, emotions, they ran all different kind of ways during this whole process.
Some days it's better than others.
Okay, we can go back now, do another walking.
- Okay.
- Hold on.
Physically, it kind of hurts sometimes, but I just kind of fight through it.
Seven.
Eight.
Slow.
You are not running.
Being able to do things and just having more energy, more stamina, it's great.
Okay, ready to leave? Yes.
It's good to see the rewards for the hard work, you know? I wish I'd have done it a long time ago, you know? How are you, man? How have you been? - Doing pretty good now.
- I see you moving really well.
- Yeah.
- Awesome.
Finally get out of that hospital, you know? This last month is crucial.
We are monitoring them, but not as closely as we did over the first five months of the program.
Man, you look fabulous.
Thank you, man.
Thank you.
I'm ready to get back at it.
How about you? Yeah, definitely.
[Straining.]
Everyone has the opportunity to make their own decisions.
[Straining.]
We won't be weighing them in, so can they make it this month, really relying on the knowledge and the tools that we've given them, to really test what they're made of? Last one.
Push.
Push.
Push.
Jodi has a real big challenge ahead of her over these next 30 days.
Pick that up.
Keep up the pace.
Even with things getting better at home, she's still battling herself.
[Sobbing.]
Fight it.
Let's go, Jodi.
Push through.
It's been a very, very tough month.
[Sobbing.]
It's been the hardest month of all the months.
- [Straining.]
- There you go.
Tom has a huge challenge moving forward.
He has his food addiction.
He has his enablers.
And now he has to work out post-surgery.
[Straining.]
It's a struggle, but you just really have to want to do it.
[Straining.]
[Sobbing.]
It isn't always what I want to do, but giving up is just not an option.
[Straining.]
Our goal was to give them to tools to be able to do this, and the final weigh-in's gonna be the deciding factor on whether or not they really made a lifestyle change.
Hi.
Well, well, well.
- Hello.
- Well, hello.
Look at you.
Come over here.
How are you? Oh, my goodness.
It's been a long time.
It's been a long journey.
I mean, how do you feel overall? It's harder now than it was in the beginning.
Of course it is, because now you got to keep it going.
Now you don't want to go back to where you were, 'cause you know what that place is like.
- That's right.
- Are you ready? - I am very ready.
- Okay.
Britney, what was her first chest measurement? - 51.
- 40 inches.
[Laughs.]
Whoa.
I don't have any false misconceptions that it's gonna be easy-peasy from here on out.
I know it's gonna be hard, and I know that it's gonna be work every single day, but if I've learned anything from this whole experience, it's that nothing is worth having if you're not fighting for it.
What was our first waist measurement? - 72.
- 51.
5 inches.
I think it's particularly cool, because I know that I did it the right way.
I did it through good, old-fashioned hard work and sacrifice.
Stop right here.
74.
25 total inches.
Good job, Jodi.
You know what's even more exciting is we still have weight.
Awesome.
Okay, so I just want you to step up, Jodi.
Hang out real still-like.
So original weight, 367.
2.
Today you are at 289.
8, which is 77.
4 pounds.
[Laughs.]
Yeah.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! I feel pretty unbelievably awesome right now.
That's really good.
Yes, yes, yes.
[Sobbing.]
I needed fire under my ass, and I knew that, and I appreciate that you didn't give in and you didn't let me stop and that you pushed me really, really hard.
- Rock it out.
- Rock it out.
Suck it up.
Good job.
Very good job, Jodi.
Congratulations.
This has been the best thing that's ever happened to me.
I know that as I stand here today, that I'm a different person than I was when I came here.
[Sobbing.]
I'm nervous, you know.
I'd like to really try to get below 500 pounds, so we'll go see what happens.
Hello.
Hi.
Yeah.
- Hey, strangers.
- What's up, tom? - Stranger.
- Good to see you.
Looks you trimming down here.
Well, you know, I'm trying, you know? [Laughs.]
Okay, tom, originally you started at 638 when you came to see us.
- Okay.
- That was a big guy.
- Let's see where you are today, final weigh-in.
Said he thought it was 500.
- Hopefully.
- This is the moment of truth.
Just stand on, hang out for a second.
Tom you started at 638.
Today you are at 483.
- [Cheering.]
- 483.
That's 155.
2 pounds.
Oh, my God.
- You are under that, babe.
- Yes! Yes! - Oh, God.
- You are at 483.
[Laughs.]
Oh, my God.
Wow, that's oh, my God.
Tom.
Oh, I'm very happy.
I was really hoping to get under 500, so that extra 18 pounds, that was, like, bonus.
Thank you all so much.
I really appreciate it.
You deserve it.
Good job.
I mean, I know tom can be successful, but I know he's still gonna need more help.
He's still gonna need more direction.
I want to see you all the way through to 250 like you said you wanted.
- Yes.
- It's possible.
I'm know I'm on the process of getting everything back in order.
It's like there's a future again.
It makes the sacrifice and all that work just worth it.
That is what I'm talking about.
Well, I'm going on a date tonight.
A friend of Jodi, we're gonna go on a double date with Jodi and her husband.
Oh, it's been a long time since I've been on a date, 10, 15 years probably.
Oh, yeah, I'm nervous.
You know, there's a few things that I'm able to do now that, you know, I wasn't able to just a few months back, which is really nice.
Hey.
My brother from another mother.
Come on, sugar.
I told tom this is us.
We did this together.
This is my girlfriend Tracy.
- Hi.
- This is tom.
Yeah, real nice to meet you.
It helps when you have accountability to somebody else besides yourself, you know? Come on, slim.
Let's do this [Bleep.]
.
Jodi, she's been a real good partner through all of this, and nice to call her a friend.
A real friend is gonna tell you, "hey, you're slacking off today, you know? What the hell?" Baby love.
I'm going home with tom tonight.
I made a promise to tom that this was a commitment we made.
We made a life commitment, and, you know, that means a lot to me.
[All laughing.]
How you doing? It feels good knowing that I'm getting my health back in order and know that I'm not having my parents burying me, which is, you know, something I was always thinking about.
You're 476 right now, which is a body mass index drop from 90 to 68.
4.
That's 1/3 of your extra body weight gone, so that's very good progress.
[Labored breathing.]
Before I started this, I was just in a hopeless situation mentally, physically.
It's been very hard, but I know I'm gonna get the weight off and keep it off.
You still have a body mass index of 68, so you're nowhere near the safe zone yet.
You have to progress further.
Exactly.
What I saw today is someone who's pretty positive about what he's accomplished so far, and I think if he can keep that attitude going, that'll be tremendous.
Thank you, doctor.
Appreciate it.
There's definitely more to go.
This is not an end by any means.
It's just the beginning.
So I am now on my way to my first gig in about a year and a half.
Brothers in the band called and asked if I'd like to do a few songs tonight.
Are you excited that I'm gonna be singing with you tonight or what? I am fantastically excited.
You look great, by the way.
Thinking back on the first days from when I started are what keep me going now.
I will never feel that bad again.
I will never hate my self-image like I did then ever again.
Oh, my God.
You look so amazing.
You know, I don't really think of getting back on stage as closure.
I think it's part of the healing process for me.
I often compare how I feel and what I'm going through to what people who have drug addiction are going through when they're in rehab.
It's teaching yourself to live differently.
[Upbeat rock music.]
At this time, I want to introduce to the stage my illustrious sister Jodi Martinez.
[Cheers and applause.]
What advice do I give other people that, you know, might be inspired by what I might be doing for myself? [Light rock music.]
You need a whole tribe of people and support, and you need it from every facet of your life, your friends, your family, your work, everything.
Mr.
rickety bones rickety bones play your song and I will sing along talk about blackbirds and tombstones oh [Upbeat rock music.]
Sing it with me! - My mind feels like I can bench-press 500 pounds.
Like, I feel so alive and so electric in that way, and it's worth every achy foot.
It's worth every sore thigh and sore muscle you could have.
It's worth every bit of it.
It's worth it all.
[Cheers and applause.]
Thank you.
Good night.
His weight is super excessive range.
It's like being a drug addict, just is more severe.
Six junior beacon cheeseburgers.
It's a lonely world, you know? I've definitely hit rock bottom.
I can't bare my husband telling me that I need to change.
I think I just have to move on.
I'm just right now.
We have got to reverse this .
watching is not how it's gonna be any more.
This people are on the ge of dying.
You've got this.
Common.
Let's go.
He's quitted everything he has ever done.
That's it.
that's how it's gonna feel like for these people.
I'd give her the least chance of success.
- No, no, no, no, no.
No.
- One more.
Why no? Because I don't want to bust my ass.
[Retching.]
How bad do you really want to live? I just can't take it.
This is more than just losing weight.
This is an addiction.
This doesn't thrill me, but I have to do something now.
Life is more than eating, you know? It's kind of like I'm in jail almost sometimes, can't get out and do the things I want to do.
And I just feel like I've just kind of wasted my life.
'Cause, you know, I should have kids and a family and all that by now.
I can't sit in a place too long without pain.
I can't stand up more than a few minutes without pain.
[Labored breathing.]
I was really surprised the last time he was in my home.
He walked from here to the vehicle, and he was talking about how hard it was for him to get around, and I think I said, "yeah, I noticed, because I can hear you breathing.
" [Labored breathing.]
I didn't start off always big.
I started off real active, you know? 17, I dropped out of High School, and that's where I just kind of gave up and just kept gaining weight.
Seemed to always be eating, and, you know, we started worrying about him gaining so much weight so fast, and I just didn't know what to do.
It's very pleasurable.
I enjoy to eat, you know? Six junior bacon cheeseburgers and three spicy nuggets.
And I'll get, you know, cravings for certain foods until I give in and say okay, and then when I do, I go overboard with it.
It's an addiction.
[Grunting.]
I want out of this body very bad.
If I don't do something very soon, I know I'm gonna end up dying 'cause of this.
Uh What's mine in here? Fat girl staple.
[Laughs.]
You can put this on everything but ice cream, quite literally.
Am I competent? Yeah.
Am I smart? Yeah.
Am I nice? Yeah.
Am I funny? Of course I am.
But I'm also fat, and I'm also sad, and I'm also physically hurting all the time.
I have a 16-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son.
Been married almost six years to a super-fit guy from Holland.
When I first met Jodi, I could tell that she was heavy.
At the time, I did not really care too much.
It's getting more and more just me who has to carry the entire load of the family, and it's wearing me out.
I can see that he gets frustrated because I can't do things that he wants to do.
I don't think if anything is gonna change, my patience will run out, and I think I just have to move on.
I'm not in the place that I thought I would be in my life, and it is all because of my weight.
It's the only thing that I've ever allowed to stand in the way of what I want and what I want to do.
I was a singer in a rock band.
It was the time of my life, but I just quit doing it because I can't get past being on stage and think everyone's looking at me and everyone's talking about me.
It's been really, really, really hard.
She loves to sing, but weight is a hindrance if you're on stage, and they want to see Madonna, not Jodi.
My mother, she came to live with us almost a year ago.
My husband doesn't like it, so that, in turn, causes more stress for me.
It feels like she's a cancer in my life.
I just feel like I don't have any control at all over anything in my life.
The only thing I can control is what I eat.
It's really scary.
[Labored breathing.]
I'm lucky to still even be alive, you know, because of all this weight.
If I sit down long periods of time, it'll get real swollen.
Have it on both ankles.
And then I have a big one that's kind of nasty-looking.
What's up, guys? Hey, tom.
I live with both my brothers.
All three of us live here.
They help me out quite a bit, but they can't live their lives because of worrying about me.
Tom Arnold? This is something I should have done years ago.
Have you ever had a stress test before? - No, ma'am.
- Okay.
It's kind of like riding a bike up a hill.
The longer you ride, the steeper the hill gets.
[Straining.]
- Now bring this foot up.
- [Grunting.]
Yeah, this is not I don't think it's gonna work.
I just can't lift my leg.
I'm sorry, y'all.
It's okay.
- I'm rob Marvin.
- Okay.
Thomas Arnold.
- Nice to meet you.
- Yeah, nice to meet you.
- His weight is in just the super-excessive range.
Does that bother you right there? No.
He's basically got an extreme case of morbid obesity.
I mean, highly dangerous situation.
Today your blood pressure's 186 over 103.
That's high.
At your height, you really should weigh around 168, 170 pounds, and your weight is 638.
All that extra weight puts stress on your heart.
Now, you have got to reverse this trend.
I think you know that if you don't, what's liable to happen.
Okay? Yeah.
At the age that I'm at now, it's like my body is shutting down because it cannot handle what I'm putting it through anymore.
I had a mini stroke.
I had a mini stroke two months ago.
Scariest thing I have ever experienced in my entire life, and it was completely brought on by stress and being overweight.
I can't be the wife that my husband deserves for me to be.
I can't be the mother that my kids deserve to have.
It's time to make a change.
- Jodi Von Kessel, 36-year-old female.
- Hi.
- Hi, Jodi? - That's me.
- Dr.
Marvin.
Nice to meet you.
Hi, it's very good to meet you.
She already had a stroke.
You know, that would be an indicator she's not looking at a normal life expectancy.
- Ow.
- That hurts right there? Yeah.
- Her veneer is that happy-go-lucky, kind of joking along.
Do you snack before you go to bed? Yeah, that's usually when the ice cream starts calling.
That's how she approaches life, and I think life probably treats her okay that way.
On the other hand, she's got a major problem building here.
This mini stroke that you had, that may have been a wake-up call that you really need to get moving on this, okay? - Thanks.
- Okay.
I just don't have a choice.
It's either do it or die.
It's either change or die.
I want to fix it.
I just want to fix it.
Where are you going to? I'm gonna go get skinny.
I'm at a point in my life now where I'm just enough already.
I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.
And I just am not ready to give up.
[Labored breathing.]
I don't want it to be a life of regrets.
I don't want my parents to have to bury me.
I've got to get this off, or I'm gonna die.
- Hi, welcome, Jodi.
- Hi.
- Thrilled to have you with us.
- Great.
Can show you around a little bit.
All right.
This place is beautiful.
Oh, thank you.
- Hi, tom.
Welcome.
- Hi, how are you? Your home away from home for the next month.
- Great.
Great.
- All right.
David Richardson.
Nice to meet you.
Omas Arnold.
Real nice to meet you.
We have them for 30 days.
Hopefully this would give them the opportunity to really see what they're missing out on and why they need to refocus.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Look at you.
Philosophies for personal training, first you have to find what motivates that individual, call it, like, the nugget, what's really motivating them to lose weight.
Okay, wait, so Kaylee? Kaylee's my daughter.
A lot of people tell you, "I want to get in better shape and tone up," but what does that really mean to somebody? What's truly motivating that goal? Is it okay if I go through your bag? - Yes, sir.
- I got to do it anyway.
- That's okay.
- All right? Let's see.
It's gonna be very strict.
There's a lot of distractions in their life.
We're gonna be taking away phone privileges, television privileges.
This first month is about them, and if we can help them by eliminating those things, that's what we're gonna have to do.
No cookies.
No candy.
- Because you're already on it.
- That's right.
Mentally, a lot of them say, "I'm ready.
Let's do it.
Bring it.
" This program's gonna be so difficult for every single individual.
How we doing? All right.
How you doing? There you go.
How's it going? Good.
You're here.
I'm here.
He said, "I'm here.
" All right.
It's really important to pair everyone up, because they're l going through the same issues.
Come on over with me.
Let's warm up.
Jodi's a mother of two.
She recently had a stroke.
And she's addicted to food.
I'm gonna have you come right here, nice and easy.
Yes, for real.
She's also a walking attitude.
Seven.
No.
Come on.
Eight.
- No, no, no, no, no.
No.
- Why no? Because I don't want to bust my ass.
She just didn't want to push.
She wasn't used to it, and she didn't like anyone telling her what to do.
Having a trainer is being able to push yourself past the point that you can't go.
What's going on right now? Like, do you feel like you could do stuff? I just my energy level is very low.
From what I know, tom's existence is laying on his bed, and that's it.
Honestly, when I looked at tom, I knew there was gonna be more work to do, a lot more work to do there.
Let's go, baby.
You can hop on my back if you need to.
[Laughs.]
Getting to this place is like a marathon.
I'm not used to this much moving around.
The second day we were here, we had to go to the pool barn, which is on the other side of the earth from where we're at now.
How much further is it? Oh.
Let me get I can't catch my breath.
[Labored breathing.]
Just getting to the gym, for the normal person, it's not far, but, you know, for me, it's a good little trek.
- Come on.
Let's go.
- All right.
- Use me as a crutch.
- Okay.
- Tom is a very great, warm-hearted person.
I love tom.
[Grunts.]
But let's be honest, tom is about to die.
Deep breaths.
[Breathing deeply.]
How hard is it to carry a refrigerator on your back and walk up a hill? And that's really what tom is going through right now.
[Labored breathing.]
Come on over, tom.
There you go.
Get those knees up.
Okay.
Come on.
Look how close you are.
Kick, kick, kick, kick, kick, kick, kick, kick, kick.
- [Grunts.]
- [Laughs.]
There you go.
Good job.
How do you feel? [Labored breathing.]
Are you ready? Let's make it happen.
[Straining.]
Can I make it right here yeah.
Tom, he can't stand up for a long period of time.
[Straining.]
[Mumbling indistinctly.]
- Yeah? - Yeah.
Every 30 seconds, he would walk.
For a minute and a half to two minutes, he'd sit down.
Get it.
We just kept trying and trying and trying.
You've got this, tom.
Let's go.
Hey, hey, hey.
This is it.
This is it, huh? [Laughs.]
We made it.
The relief, the look on his face, the relief of his body to be there told him he could do it again.
Come on.
You got it.
[Straining.]
Come on.
Use me.
Use me.
Breathe.
Good job, man.
If you want to stay on this weight, I need at least a good 15 in a row.
Yeah.
14.
15.
Finish 'em all.
- [Yelling.]
- Finish 'em all, Jodi.
Five.
Come on, ox.
Six.
There you go.
This is pushing me a lot more than I thought it was gonna be.
Set your Booty back and up, right? I dreaded getting up.
I had dread for what kind of workout.
Now my only issue I have is whether or not I've done enough.
Am I doing it hard enough? Am I going long enough? - Your weight is now 352.
6.
- [Tittering.]
Tom, you are now 622.
That is phenomenal.
I'm looking at it like climbing Everest, you know? And I just hit that first checkpoint, but, you know, there's about 50 more checkpoints ahead.
Squat, thrust.
Squat, thrust.
Squat, thrust.
Tom's outworking us over there.
Come on, three more, Tommy.
Thrust.
Good.
Thrust.
- Okay.
Mm-hmm.
Got it.
No matter how awesome a personal trainer is, no fat person wants to work with a personal trainer that's never been fat.
[Panting.]
I felt like she was really slacking mainly because she wasn't communicating with me.
I can't help you if you don't tell me how you feel.
- My knee hurts.
It locks.
- So walking doesn't hurt? - No.
- Okay.
Let's go.
I need a power walk.
Is this better on the knee? - I'm not a complainer, but - It's not about complaining.
- I'm not a whiner.
- There was no communication.
I couldn't read her face.
I didn't know if she was being fake or really hurting.
[Stifled moaning.]
Okay.
Okay? [Retching.]
[Sobbing.]
Hey, I thought this was about being sick.
Why are you crying about failing? I can't deal with disappointing you.
I just can't take it.
She's like, "my body can't do what I feel like I should be able to do or what my heart wants to really do.
" When I sacrifice my kids and my family and my life at home to come here, I need to give 100%, and when I feel like I don't, I'm feeling like I fail my kids.
I appreciate the being tough on yourself because you want to work I do.
But that you're getting this upset, you got to start turning some of that around.
I'm trying.
[Sobbing.]
I just need to feel like I can do it.
You have done it.
You are doing it.
I don't know what you're talking about.
[Sobbing.]
Jodi, she had a breakdown because she wants to step up.
She wants to do all this crazy stuff.
Her body won't let her, so she doesn't quite feel successful yet.
I just can't describe it, Britney.
I just if anything holds her back, it's gonna be her own negative thoughts to herself.
Just feel like I failed, dude.
You didn't fail.
I want to get in there and be [Growls.]
Hard-core and pushing through the pain and reaching that euphoric level that you don't feel anything anymore.
That's not happening to me.
You know what? Everyone sees you're giving 100%, okay? - Do they, tom? - Yes.
My relationship with tom is exactly like my relationship with my brothers.
You need to cry.
You need to get that out.
He's just so ridiculously encouraging.
I wish I had some of that drive.
You have it, tom.
But you've got the fire.
We help each other, 'cause, you know, we both struggle in different ways, so I'll bet that's gonna put a fire in you in tomorrow's workout, isn't it? It needs to.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
[Water sloshing.]
Kick, kick, kick, kick, kick.
I'm very glad that I'm starting to see results.
Whoo! Tom rocking it.
I've had this growth for a few years now.
My trainer said that if I lost 100 pounds, they would see about getting that surgically removed.
You got this, tom.
It would definitely make walking and moving around a lot easier.
Originally, your weight was 638 pounds.
This week, let's see where we are.
610.
8.
Oh, yes, tom! - I feel good.
- Good job, man.
No problem.
All right, Jodi, your weight is349.
Okay.
Let's get your measurements.
I'm really disappointed about the weight.
I don't feel any different, and I thought I would feel different here.
Britney, I can't.
- Stop saying that word.
- No Jodi's still trying to work through some things.
Oh, it hurts so bad.
Right now, we struggle with her getting over this mind thing, this anxiety thing, "I can't breathe" thing.
It hurts.
It's gonna have to hurt to get where you want to be.
That much? No.
There's absolutely fear of success.
I'm telling you I can't.
I am telling you that I can't.
It's the fear of the unknown is what it is.
[Sobbing.]
You know, what if when I do succeed, it doesn't change how I feel inside? Oh, this is insanity.
And I know that I need to change whatever's in my head, and that's the hardest part.
Tell me more about your life.
You want to start with, like, any struggles, you know, that you're having or that you have had recently, you know? - I had a stress-induced mini stroke.
And then the source of that stress? I would like to say it was all my mother, but that wouldn't be a fair assessment.
But that's a piece of it? That's a big, fat chunk of it, yeah.
My mother and I have a very bipolar relationship.
I guess it's like any other mother-daughter relationship where you live under the same roof.
It's hard.
She came to stay with me because she didn't have anywhere else to go.
I am the mediator between her and my husband, which, you know, caused me to be depressed all the time.
That's why I'm 350 pounds, because I can eat whatever I want, and there's nothing my mother can do about it or my husband.
It's been really scary to realize that there were a lot more mental issues for me than there were physical.
I'm learning how to reprogram my brain, unplugging guilt, fear, and disappointment and plugging in perseverance, ability.
I came here to find control of myself.
As long as my head's in the right place, my body will follow.
All right, let's do it.
You ready? It's nice to, like, get out, you know, being there for a couple weeks, just to get some new scenery, you know? It's kind of scary, though.
Last time I was in a grocery store was a good four or five years ago.
And the thought of going to the store caused a lot of anxiety.
I have mobility issues, stamina issues, wondering if the electric cart will hold the weight.
Today we're at the grocery store because I want to show you two that it is possible to shop healthy and stay on a budget.
I'm a registered dietician, and I'll be working with the individuals, just teaching basic nutrition, learning about portion sizing.
So how would you all normally prepare meat? I have an electric skillet.
Sometimes I would just plug it in, and I would actually just lay there and lay where? In your room? Tom, he really needs some people behind him that are not gonna allow him to start gorging.
We're looking for lean cuts of meat.
I've never bought that stuff.
I don't know.
What do you normally buy? Not anything out of a glass case, 'cause that means it's really expensive.
Jodi I had a hard time with.
I could tell that she didn't really trust me.
How much of this ice cream would you eat in one sitting? Really? The whole thing.
- The whole thing.
- Yeah.
- The big a-ha for her was seeing her pint of ice cream.
This container has 1,050 calories.
Twice a week, that's almost a pound weight gain each week.
It gives you a new perspective when you actually read the labels on things that you would ordinarily buy, particularly ice cream.
[Both laugh.]
Oh, what is this? - Oh.
- Oh, it's from my little boy.
[Laughs.]
Clearly not from the husband.
I was thinking that.
But I got something from my son, and that will suffice, 'cause he's the only real man in my life.
I haven't spoken to my husband since I came here.
He hasn't written at all.
I mean, my mother being at my house has nothing to do with whether or not he can pick up a pen and write me a letter.
For a long time, he and I have not been connected the way we were.
I think things are going to be very different when I get home, and I don't necessarily think it's gonna be for the worse.
I think it's gonna be for the better, for me at least.
Okay, catch the board.
Other arm.
You're catching the board.
The next arm.
Come on.
Push yourself.
Well, I'm finally starting to see some of the weight loss, which is good.
It feels like my stamina has built up some.
You can walk up this, can't you? Yes.
I'm able to walk a lot further than I used to.
One, two, three.
There's a value to my life now, because I'm finally taking charge of my life.
[Laughs.]
I think that once I relaxed and allowed myself to trust the trainers, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.
You worked magnificently today, all determination, all fight.
I love it.
Here we are a month later at 337.
2.
Whoo! Good job.
Yeah? When you start to see the results, and not just see them, but feel them, you find out that there really is a healthy, fit person that's just been waiting to be let out.
Let's see where you are today.
587.
2.
You know what that is total? It's 51 pounds.
I thank you guys.
I'm always gonna remember this experience very much.
- Can we get three times? - Yeah.
Yes.
What person comes to your mind whenever you hear me say "going home"? Oh, my mother.
She's negative, and she has been like a cancer in my life.
She has for so many years, and she has weighed me down.
I'm going to have to do what I should have done long ago, telling her that it's time for her to leave the nest.
Living in a facility will show great progress, but you don't live life on an island.
You don't live life in a bubble.
You live it in the real world at home.
That's the real deal.
The program entails a lifestyle change, and if they don't stay on the program, they will be returning to the facility, and at that time, it's gonna get a lot harder.
- I love you.
- I love you too.
I'll miss you.
The idea of going home is both exciting and scary for me.
Going home means sharing myself again with the rest of my family.
What scares me is if I would lose all this and fall back into my old habits or something.
You look at the big picture, and it's overwhelming.
- Six.
- [Panting.]
Seven.
Come on.
Ree more.
Eight.
Rock and roll.
Nine.
- 20 seconds.
Almost there.
- [Panting.]
Eight.
Two more.
Our job was to put tools in the tool belt but send them home to use them themselves.
Good morning, son.
Come on.
You got school today, Mr.
man.
That's where people have to face everything it is that challenges them.
Noah, are you hungry? You know it has not been an easy thing for me.
I was supposed to go away and come back a new person, and it was gonna make our life great.
- Is this yours? - Yes.
It has my name on it.
You know, my husband's not a good communicator, and then I come home, and he's just like, "I think that we need to separate for a while.
" He's had to acknowledge that once I am at the place that I need to be in my life, you are either going to be with me or against me, and I think that maybe he feels a little bit threatened.
Big picture, Jodi has a marriage falling apart, a mom who is stressing her beyond belief.
[Laughs.]
I'm at my breaking point.
I've been living my life for everybody else for long enough.
[Straining.]
Mmm, smells good.
Iced tea, right? Everybody wants iced tea? I know it sounds dumb, but preparing meals causes me anxiety.
You can have almost anything, but it's just the amount of it.
Is that right? Not really.
I think tom has a serious problem.
We're talking about an individual who has help killing himself.
[Laughs.]
He has people that are called enablers.
They feel that helping him eat is love.
This is so good.
[All laugh.]
I'm sure those urges will come, but I just have to fight 'em off, you know? Like the old tom fighting the new tom, you know? Um, let's see.
I cannot eat nothing that has the word "cheese" after it.
I can't eat any of that.
Nothing that has the indication that it's good.
Nothing that's pictured that looks really good.
So far I'm having water and lemons this evening.
You know, I've had to reevaluate all of my friendships and my relationships with people I've known my whole life, whether or not they are what's right for me right now in my life.
We're here today for Jodi and Joroun.
[All cheer.]
Had this huge party, and there wasn't one single thing that was relatively healthy that I could have eaten at this entire party, you know? And it's like, "well, [Bleep.]
.
"You're supposed to be supportive.
You're supposed to be on my side.
" Yet we're having this party with tortillas and cheese and all kinds of crap everywhere.
I'm having grease with a little side of grease because I'm hungry and this is what I wanted.
- Uh-huh.
Jodi's biggest obstacle when she goes home is gonna be her lack of support.
[All cheering.]
I just still feel that a lot of people are waiting for me to fail, and I think at this point, I don't fit into this scene.
This doesn't work for me.
Hey, tom.
- Oh, look who's here.
- Baby.
Oh, how about that? Get your ass on the scale.
Let's heat this [Bleep.]
Up, brother.
Come on, knock it out.
Okay.
It's all right.
[Groans.]
It's all right.
609.
8.
It's okay.
It was shocking.
I couldn't believe it.
I was back up to 610 from 588.
Earlier this week and last week, I caught myself cheating.
I went, like, on a bender, you know? I just ate what I wanted, however much I wanted.
You told me when we left that resort that we were gonna be accountable to one another.
You promised me that we were, so when you're putting [Bleep.]
Weight on that scale, you're putting it on me too, because if it doesn't work for you, it won't work for me.
I was just so mad at myself for that.
Give me time, okay.
Let me work through this, you know? Get off your ass.
Let's do it.
- All right.
- Ten.
Five more.
- You don't want to die, tom? - That's right.
You don't want your parents to have to bury you? - That's right.
- What are we gonna do? - Work out more.
- How many times a week? - Six.
- Six.
That's the number I was looking for.
I'm very upset.
He has to be taking in a good 6,000 to 10,000 calories per day for him not to lose any weight at all, and then the following week, he gets into this zone where, "oh, I'm gonna have to come back to the facility.
I don't want to have to do that.
" And it's not a punishment.
It's a privilege.
- How are you, man? - Good, man.
You know, I'm doing good.
Yeah.
So how's going back gonna stop my binges? All it is is another opportunity for you to rehabilitate your mind.
Seriously, it's gonna be a tough ride these next couple of years, doing what you're doing right now.
15 pounds is not good for the month.
Whatever decision you make, I'll be there with you, all right? I think every single one of these individuals are completely capable of success.
You are too cute.
[Laughs.]
The reality of the situation is, I have a life and a family.
I don't have the luxury of putting myself completely and utterly first right now.
I'm hitting this frustration with Jodi right now because she's worried about all the distractions, and it's all in her mind.
It's getting in her way.
It's not that I'm thinking that I don't do good.
I've been very persistent.
Four pounds, five pounds, six pounds, four pounds, and then last week, I had two.
It's never more than six pounds.
It's not once ever been over six pounds, dude.
I think Jodi still has a lot to work through.
I just feel like there's a lot of family tension.
I'm very worried about how that really affects her at home.
Be safe.
Go bug somebody else.
How's the resistance? It's resisting.
[Laughs.]
Let's go.
Propel the legs.
Here we go.
Drive.
You got this.
Let's go.
Two weeks ago, my mom and I had a conversation.
I just told her, "you know, my marriage is in the balance "right now, and you've driven enough wedge in my marriage, and I'm done.
" Three.
Good.
Two.
Very nice.
Let's get it.
[Panting.]
I've worked really, really hard on myself.
I think the thing that motivates me the most at this point is the sense of empowerment that I get.
Punch through that bag.
Straight ahead.
Straight ahead.
There you go.
I feel that I'm worthy of this change, and I feel that I'm worthy of doing better and reaping the rewards of living a healthier, better life.
[Laughs.]
Most of these people do have food addictions, so just starving them is not gonna solve the problem.
We want lifestyle changes.
- Come bearing gifts today? - Yes.
Something I work with them on is setting themselves up to be successful and being prepared with healthy snack items.
This one is a dannon light and fit yogurt.
I really like it because it's got a good source of protein and calcium.
This one is really good.
It's like a pudding.
Calorie level definitely fits within your meal plan.
- Mm-hmm.
Come on, boy.
Is that all you got? [Yells.]
Whoa.
It's not like I thought when I came home that life was gonna be lollipops and raindrops, you know? Now it's just, I can either let tragedy consume me, or I can decide what I can do to change it and proceed from there.
Oh, my goodness.
6.
8 pounds off.
Get out! [Laughs.]
[Sighs.]
Good job.
You can do it.
You okay? Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
I've quit on so many other things, and this opportunity is just it's not gonna come around again.
This is, like, my moment, you know? I'm not looking at it negative now.
You know, it's just a short window I have all these things accessible to me.
Push through it, Tommy.
Push through it.
I never thought that I would have had this much success.
Today you are 558.
Good job.
I mean, dropping ten pounds a week is crazy, you know? I was happy he went back.
When he went back, he lost a lot of weight.
It got him right back on that track.
I needed to do it this way, and I'm so glad I did.
- Are you ready for this? - Yeah.
Are you sure? Well, come on up.
541.
8.
That's a total of 96 pounds.
You're almost at the 100-pound benchmark.
Thank you, man.
No problem.
Lymphedema is a situation where there is an increased accumulation of fluid around the cells.
Simply removing the tissue that's affected can improve his mobility significantly.
Tom, he does want to be successful.
It's in him.
Hopefully he's gotten those tools again to try this one more time.
Surgery's in a couple of days, so, yeah, I kind of feel butterflies.
You know, it's all happening kind of quick.
There you go.
I mean, there's nothing, there's nothing to stop me from having everything that I want, you know? - Very nice.
- [Panting.]
My brothers and I are all musicians.
Being on stage singing and making music with my brothers, it's a very big missing piece of my life.
My weight did play a huge factor in not having that.
Good.
That's what I'm looking for.
My brother was like, "well, you know, in addition "to your new body and your new life and the new you, you know, we'll have a new band for you to come back to.
" It was really, really good.
And it's touching.
One tape, and it touches.
[Laughs.]
Jodi is the most vibrant person ever.
She has a goal of getting on stage, and her doing some of this now is one of the most amazing things I've seen in my life.
This week, proud to say and I expect a big hug and a high five we're at 294.
4.
[Cheering.]
That's so awesome.
So that is a new personal best for us.
We keep climbing.
That is so good.
That is so good.
Amazing.
- Good-bye to 300 pounds for the rest of my life, and it is a good, good feeling, and I know that I'm gonna sleep good tonight.
Breaking that 300 pounds was absolutely, without a doubt, the most liberating feeling I have ever experienced in my life.
Well, if you don't have any questions, we're gonna go ahead and take you up.
Okay.
It's gonna be so nice to get this off my leg.
It's just burdened me for so long.
This is definitely a second chance.
I'll make it or die trying.
[Laughs.]
- Are you ready? - Yes, ma'am.
- Here we go.
- All right.
How are you? Tom has been motivated.
He has lost over 100 pounds.
Hitting that first 100 pounds and then having this removed are a couple of my milestones.
It'll be nice to have that weight off, you know? We're gonna need a lot of hemostats.
The hemostat is gonna be over here.
One, two, three.
Thomas, deep breath for me.
He said that since it's fat, the stitches and stuff may have some problems, and there will definitely be a rehab period in it.
Tom, you're waking up.
Your surgery went very well.
You're gonna be just fine.
Awesome.
- Okay? - Thank you very much.
This is still the very beginning of where I want to be.
Off to find our field for our first game of the season.
I don't want it to ever seem that I've just turned into this different person and now I never think anything negative anymore, because that's not realistic.
That's not really how it works.
All: Monster mash.
[Cheers and applause.]
Can you feel better? Absolutely.
Do you have the power to change those voices in your head? Absolutely.
[Cheers and applause.]
The change at home with my mother, it wasn't like, you know, everything was magical and awesome since she's gone, but it alleviated some of the stress between my husband and I.
We've been just communicating really, really well.
[Knocks on door.]
Having the therapist come out, and we had our dual therapy session, which was pretty cool.
I was dreading that at first, but it actually wound up being really good for us.
I feel that no matter what I do, he will be disappointed.
He will always think that I could have done more or I could have done it harder or I could have done it like he does it.
I don't think you're a failure.
I love you.
[Sobbing.]
He sees that I'm doing it and that I'm giving it 100% and that he and I are in a good place makes it so much easier.
Okay, now we have to go to therapy.
Okay.
Good deal.
So just walk to the gym? Yes, let's go to walk to the gym.
Okay.
- How do you feel? - I feel pretty good.
Oh, man, emotions, they ran all different kind of ways during this whole process.
Some days it's better than others.
Okay, we can go back now, do another walking.
- Okay.
- Hold on.
Physically, it kind of hurts sometimes, but I just kind of fight through it.
Seven.
Eight.
Slow.
You are not running.
Being able to do things and just having more energy, more stamina, it's great.
Okay, ready to leave? Yes.
It's good to see the rewards for the hard work, you know? I wish I'd have done it a long time ago, you know? How are you, man? How have you been? - Doing pretty good now.
- I see you moving really well.
- Yeah.
- Awesome.
Finally get out of that hospital, you know? This last month is crucial.
We are monitoring them, but not as closely as we did over the first five months of the program.
Man, you look fabulous.
Thank you, man.
Thank you.
I'm ready to get back at it.
How about you? Yeah, definitely.
[Straining.]
Everyone has the opportunity to make their own decisions.
[Straining.]
We won't be weighing them in, so can they make it this month, really relying on the knowledge and the tools that we've given them, to really test what they're made of? Last one.
Push.
Push.
Push.
Jodi has a real big challenge ahead of her over these next 30 days.
Pick that up.
Keep up the pace.
Even with things getting better at home, she's still battling herself.
[Sobbing.]
Fight it.
Let's go, Jodi.
Push through.
It's been a very, very tough month.
[Sobbing.]
It's been the hardest month of all the months.
- [Straining.]
- There you go.
Tom has a huge challenge moving forward.
He has his food addiction.
He has his enablers.
And now he has to work out post-surgery.
[Straining.]
It's a struggle, but you just really have to want to do it.
[Straining.]
[Sobbing.]
It isn't always what I want to do, but giving up is just not an option.
[Straining.]
Our goal was to give them to tools to be able to do this, and the final weigh-in's gonna be the deciding factor on whether or not they really made a lifestyle change.
Hi.
Well, well, well.
- Hello.
- Well, hello.
Look at you.
Come over here.
How are you? Oh, my goodness.
It's been a long time.
It's been a long journey.
I mean, how do you feel overall? It's harder now than it was in the beginning.
Of course it is, because now you got to keep it going.
Now you don't want to go back to where you were, 'cause you know what that place is like.
- That's right.
- Are you ready? - I am very ready.
- Okay.
Britney, what was her first chest measurement? - 51.
- 40 inches.
[Laughs.]
Whoa.
I don't have any false misconceptions that it's gonna be easy-peasy from here on out.
I know it's gonna be hard, and I know that it's gonna be work every single day, but if I've learned anything from this whole experience, it's that nothing is worth having if you're not fighting for it.
What was our first waist measurement? - 72.
- 51.
5 inches.
I think it's particularly cool, because I know that I did it the right way.
I did it through good, old-fashioned hard work and sacrifice.
Stop right here.
74.
25 total inches.
Good job, Jodi.
You know what's even more exciting is we still have weight.
Awesome.
Okay, so I just want you to step up, Jodi.
Hang out real still-like.
So original weight, 367.
2.
Today you are at 289.
8, which is 77.
4 pounds.
[Laughs.]
Yeah.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! I feel pretty unbelievably awesome right now.
That's really good.
Yes, yes, yes.
[Sobbing.]
I needed fire under my ass, and I knew that, and I appreciate that you didn't give in and you didn't let me stop and that you pushed me really, really hard.
- Rock it out.
- Rock it out.
Suck it up.
Good job.
Very good job, Jodi.
Congratulations.
This has been the best thing that's ever happened to me.
I know that as I stand here today, that I'm a different person than I was when I came here.
[Sobbing.]
I'm nervous, you know.
I'd like to really try to get below 500 pounds, so we'll go see what happens.
Hello.
Hi.
Yeah.
- Hey, strangers.
- What's up, tom? - Stranger.
- Good to see you.
Looks you trimming down here.
Well, you know, I'm trying, you know? [Laughs.]
Okay, tom, originally you started at 638 when you came to see us.
- Okay.
- That was a big guy.
- Let's see where you are today, final weigh-in.
Said he thought it was 500.
- Hopefully.
- This is the moment of truth.
Just stand on, hang out for a second.
Tom you started at 638.
Today you are at 483.
- [Cheering.]
- 483.
That's 155.
2 pounds.
Oh, my God.
- You are under that, babe.
- Yes! Yes! - Oh, God.
- You are at 483.
[Laughs.]
Oh, my God.
Wow, that's oh, my God.
Tom.
Oh, I'm very happy.
I was really hoping to get under 500, so that extra 18 pounds, that was, like, bonus.
Thank you all so much.
I really appreciate it.
You deserve it.
Good job.
I mean, I know tom can be successful, but I know he's still gonna need more help.
He's still gonna need more direction.
I want to see you all the way through to 250 like you said you wanted.
- Yes.
- It's possible.
I'm know I'm on the process of getting everything back in order.
It's like there's a future again.
It makes the sacrifice and all that work just worth it.
That is what I'm talking about.
Well, I'm going on a date tonight.
A friend of Jodi, we're gonna go on a double date with Jodi and her husband.
Oh, it's been a long time since I've been on a date, 10, 15 years probably.
Oh, yeah, I'm nervous.
You know, there's a few things that I'm able to do now that, you know, I wasn't able to just a few months back, which is really nice.
Hey.
My brother from another mother.
Come on, sugar.
I told tom this is us.
We did this together.
This is my girlfriend Tracy.
- Hi.
- This is tom.
Yeah, real nice to meet you.
It helps when you have accountability to somebody else besides yourself, you know? Come on, slim.
Let's do this [Bleep.]
.
Jodi, she's been a real good partner through all of this, and nice to call her a friend.
A real friend is gonna tell you, "hey, you're slacking off today, you know? What the hell?" Baby love.
I'm going home with tom tonight.
I made a promise to tom that this was a commitment we made.
We made a life commitment, and, you know, that means a lot to me.
[All laughing.]
How you doing? It feels good knowing that I'm getting my health back in order and know that I'm not having my parents burying me, which is, you know, something I was always thinking about.
You're 476 right now, which is a body mass index drop from 90 to 68.
4.
That's 1/3 of your extra body weight gone, so that's very good progress.
[Labored breathing.]
Before I started this, I was just in a hopeless situation mentally, physically.
It's been very hard, but I know I'm gonna get the weight off and keep it off.
You still have a body mass index of 68, so you're nowhere near the safe zone yet.
You have to progress further.
Exactly.
What I saw today is someone who's pretty positive about what he's accomplished so far, and I think if he can keep that attitude going, that'll be tremendous.
Thank you, doctor.
Appreciate it.
There's definitely more to go.
This is not an end by any means.
It's just the beginning.
So I am now on my way to my first gig in about a year and a half.
Brothers in the band called and asked if I'd like to do a few songs tonight.
Are you excited that I'm gonna be singing with you tonight or what? I am fantastically excited.
You look great, by the way.
Thinking back on the first days from when I started are what keep me going now.
I will never feel that bad again.
I will never hate my self-image like I did then ever again.
Oh, my God.
You look so amazing.
You know, I don't really think of getting back on stage as closure.
I think it's part of the healing process for me.
I often compare how I feel and what I'm going through to what people who have drug addiction are going through when they're in rehab.
It's teaching yourself to live differently.
[Upbeat rock music.]
At this time, I want to introduce to the stage my illustrious sister Jodi Martinez.
[Cheers and applause.]
What advice do I give other people that, you know, might be inspired by what I might be doing for myself? [Light rock music.]
You need a whole tribe of people and support, and you need it from every facet of your life, your friends, your family, your work, everything.
Mr.
rickety bones rickety bones play your song and I will sing along talk about blackbirds and tombstones oh [Upbeat rock music.]
Sing it with me! - My mind feels like I can bench-press 500 pounds.
Like, I feel so alive and so electric in that way, and it's worth every achy foot.
It's worth every sore thigh and sore muscle you could have.
It's worth every bit of it.
It's worth it all.
[Cheers and applause.]
Thank you.
Good night.