Heavy (2011) s01e08 Episode Script
Bill ~ Julia
Scrambled eggs, pasta, some chicken wings, biscuits, sausage.
Let's take a look at, uh, kind of roughly what I eat in a day.
I want a lot of that right there.
One more scoop.
Well, I haven't tucked a shirt in in Keep going.
So many years I can't even remember when.
Half of this cake is completely me.
Nobody else eats this but me.
I opened this yesterday.
And that's almost gone.
Definitely my cheese drawer.
I've got brie, gouda, feta My twin sister, Ashley is a lot smaller than me.
In Alabama, I was able to be a part of two national championship games.
Sports was always my thing.
Most of my weight gain was after I became badly addicted to the pain medicine.
He said, "Julia, I've just got to be honest with you.
I'm just not attracted to you anymore.
" That's, like, the worst thing you can ever say to a girl.
There were days when if I hadn't woke up the next day, I'd have been okay with that.
Like, as the 25-year-old woman, just to be able to be a normal person I think normalcy is what I look forward to most.
Doctor said, "look, you weigh over 400 pounds, "you're 52 years old, and you are at high risk to drop dead.
" Let's go.
Let's go.
Come on.
Don't quit.
Don't quit.
If you want to come here and you want to change your life, then let's get busy.
I need motivation to help me keep going.
Twist! Twist! I don't know how to push it any harder than what I'm pushing it.
It's important for me to change my life.
I need it for me.
I need it for my son.
Even though I hate to cry, I hate being fat more.
The new and improved Julia Hightower.
I want I want a lot of that right there.
Pile a bunch up on there.
One more scoop.
My name is bill.
Uh, 52 years old.
Somewhere inside I feel like that picture where I'm in really good shape, that's what is still standing here, but I know that's not true now, because I've had to look in the mirror a few times, but you can see.
Sports was always my thing.
I played football in High School and then was lucky enough to get a scholarship to university of Alabama.
At Alabama I was able to be a part of two national championship teams, 1978 and 1979.
The attention that you get as an athlete at a major college, and then professional, it becomes its own addiction.
I had so many friends that were great football players, and that were drafted very high in the draft, and were experiencing great success in the NFL, and, um, and I wanted to be one of those people, and so it made it even tougher on me that that I wasn't.
When I gave up football, I didn't know what I wanted to do, because I had never thought of anything but playing football.
I would go to alcohol at first, and then it became alcohol and drugs.
With pain medication, because you're numb, you're not working out.
You're eating a lot.
You're getting out of shape.
You feel horrible.
You take the pills.
You feel better, you eat some more, and you continue to snowball.
Because of drugs, my marriage started falling apart, and then finally in '04, it came apart, because of no attempts on my part to make any changes.
My son's name is Woody.
He's 17 now, and he's a football player in High School.
We have a a tie.
And, um, he's my son, and I'm proud of him no matter what.
Uh, I feel like I I have missed a lot of my son's life.
I've not been in any kind of condition, whether it be the drug addiction or the weight to really be very helpful to him.
Let's took at kind of roughly what I eat in a day.
Everything becomes difficult going to football games, working out together, being able to help him out with his own football thing.
It's important for me to change my life.
It makes me cry.
It's, um, roasted red pepper aioli, avocado, blue cheese, bacon.
I think there's some chicken in there.
I'm Julia, I'm 25, and I'm from Atlanta, Georgia.
I've always been weight-conscious, and definitely it's a daily part of my life.
My twin sister Ashley is a lot smaller than me.
She's at least half my size.
This probably the closest in size we've ever been.
I'm probably about 190 at that point.
That's the thinnest I've been in my adult life.
Me and Julia were very close growing up.
She's very self-conscious about her weight and the weight gain that she's had, especially since my mother's passed away.
In 2004, my mom got really sick.
She was diagnosed with mesothelioma of the abdomen.
Then, when she passed in may, there was a lot of grief eating, and that's when I hit my heaviest.
That's when I hit about 265.
This is when I started noticing this real distance between my boyfriend and I.
And then he comes home, and he said, "Julia, I've got to be honest with you.
"I'm just not attracted to you anymore.
"I don't think I could be with you anymore.
I don't think it's fair to us.
" And that's, like, the worst thing you could ever say to a girl.
I see in Julia, she's a very intelligent person, she's a sweet, good-natured person.
But this weight issue creates obstacles for her.
I'm excited about going to law school.
I've been accepted.
I start in fall of '11.
Law school is extremely competitive.
What I'm really afraid of is that being a big girl, people look at me and they assume that I'm sloppy and that I'm lazy.
It's hard to change that first impression that you make.
I'm just sick of it.
I'm ready to live a life without restrictions.
- Hi.
- Hi, how are you? Fine.
How are you doing? Welcome to Hilton head health.
This is your book bag, and inside you'll find a binder, and there's a water bottle.
Today bill and Julia are taking the first steps in reclaiming their lives.
We're gonna be taking you to your villas.
- Okay, good.
- Let's go.
Somewhere along the line they've gotten lost, and here at Hilton head health, it's our job to stop the downward spiral and get them headed in the right direction.
So I understand you were quite the football player, and you played for - Bear Bryant.
- Yeah? In college.
At Alabama.
I'm not sure if it's tougher to have been in shape and then get out of shape and then get back in shape like I'm trying to do now, or if it's tougher to never have been in shape and this be your first go-around.
Now, some of the guests had to walk a mile and a half.
All right.
We got to take a break.
Taking a break? Yeah, I've got to get a breath, man.
I'm going to law school.
Like, I want a successful career ahead of me.
I'm not frightened to completely change my life.
I'm so ready to do it.
I mean, people make snap decisions, and I don't want that decision to be based on me being too big.
Bill, how you doing? I'm Adam.
Good.
How you doing, Adam? Nice to meet you.
We're gonna get your weight.
That'll be exciting.
Got to start with the scale.
Get that out of the way.
You're excited about it? Yeah, I am.
All right.
Good.
I'm really anticipating the first weigh-in.
I'm anxious.
Hop up on there.
What do you think? More than you were thinking, less than you were thinking? Maybe just a little more than I thought.
A little surprised at the weight.
I thought I was a little lighter than what I turned out to be.
I'll have to lose a little more than I anticipated losing.
It's a little high.
It's 156 over 100.
A lot of my weight gain, the majority of it came when I was addicted to drugs.
And so I got sober, and then all of a sudden I looked in the mirror, and didn't even recognize the person in the mirror.
Wow.
I have a teenage son.
You know, I want to be a good example for him now.
Yeah.
He needs to see me make physical changes now, because he needs to make some physical changes himself.
I'm starting law school, and it's going to be a lot of studying, research, and I want to get to a point now where I'm exercising and I make it part of my day, and I make time for it, so that I don't just live under a pizza box and behind a computer screen and just explode, 'cause diabetes is a huge concern to me.
I mean, my grandmother had diabetes her whole life.
She went blind.
My uncle lost his foot to diabetes.
So my first weigh-in.
This last week I kind of went overboard.
You know, last meal.
Seven or eight times.
Step up on there.
Awesome.
How do you feel? Fat.
What were you expecting? I mean, was that more, less? That was more than I was expecting.
I've been, you know, working out a little bit more.
That that's more than the last time I hit the scale.
When was the last time you hit the scale? Um, probably two months ago? It's gonna start moving in the right direction, though, right? Yes.
Yes, it will.
That's a rough place to start, but hopefully in six months this will feel like a nightmare that I've woken up from.
Coming up on heavy There are certain situations that require medication for pain.
To see a person who had taken such immaculate care of their health disintegrate, it was sort of like, "well, what's the point?" Bill and Julia have been paired together.
This first week's gonna be tough, but if you put in the work, you're gonna see the results.
Three, two, and one.
Pump it up.
Here we go.
Try to keep your feet on the treadmill.
Keep moving.
Wow.
First morning was rough.
It's all them whoppers, Julia.
It's kicking my butt.
35 minutes on a treadmill, going up hills.
Nice work.
You're all done with me.
Then had to walk right over and do an hour of cardio boxing.
Jab, jab, punch.
Jab, jab, punch.
If you want to come here and change your life, let's get busy.
Twist, twist, twist.
I'm definitely not a nurturer.
You're Julia, right? - Yeah.
- Twist, girl! It's really an eye-opening experience getting my butt kicked.
Come on, bill.
Touch my hand.
Come on! Yes! Push-ups! Quit whining.
Get the nose to the floor! For a moment, I really did consider quitting.
ButDidn't.
Course not.
Not gonna.
How much lettuce you think I can pile up here in this bowl, Julia? All of it? Even though it's not a lot of food at any given time, they're teaching us what to eat.
I'm learning a lot about portion size.
I was eating three, maybe four serving sizes per meal.
Getting those ounces down and getting it to a proper portion size is enough to fill me up.
I can make delicious meals that are thousands of calories.
Thanksgiving dinner, I've got that down.
Two sticks of butter in the turkey, I'm good to go.
But making food that sustains you on a daily basis in a way that doesn't add pounds - Right.
- I don't get.
Part of my deal is I would go all day without eating, and then I'll just eat everything that's in my path.
Getting in a groove where I eat in the morning, I'm eating you know, I'm eating lunch.
And I'm staying relatively satisfied all day, is a big part of what I've got to do.
Yeah.
Come on, come on, come on.
Right! Right! Go! Go! Right, left, right left.
Left, right! Go, go, go, go, go! Come on, come on, come on.
An hour of cardio boxing really opened my eyes to where I really am.
Really uncoordinated, my legs were rubber.
Couldn't hardly move.
And I'm having some knee issues with both knees.
I don't know if I can endure six months of all this.
Go, go, go, go, go, go! Julia works really hard.
And I think she's gonna be one of the ones that walk out of here happier than when she came in.
I do.
Where's Julia? You were awesome.
Thanks.
You look like you been doing this for years.
I like to hit stuff.
Yeah! Me too.
We're gonna get along good.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
You doing all right? I'm great.
All right.
Fantastic, you guys.
- How you doing? - Good.
How are you doing? I'm scared.
That's how I'm doing.
Scared? Don't be scared.
Bill and Julia have survived their first week, and now it's time to see what the scale says.
14.
4! - That's awesome.
- Yes! My knees is hurting real bad, and so I haven't been able to work as hard as I want to work in the cardio, but 14.
4 in the first week is als a good start.
All right.
Go ahead and get up on there.
I did not think that was possible.
Holy crap.
So first week weigh-in, whoo, 11.
6.
That's insane.
I woke up this morning thinking nine tops.
But I've been killing myself all week.
And 11.
6.
It paid off.
All right.
Come on.
Come on, Julia.
Last one.
All right, first move, guys, we're gonna do is dumbbell step-ups.
I'm just gonna go slow, 'cause my knees.
This is starting the fourth week in the journey, uh, today.
Four.
Go, bill.
Five.
Six.
Even though my knees are hurting, as long as my workouts continue to improve and I get a little stronger every day Three, two, one.
Good.
If I can go a little further every day with a little more resistance every day, it's all good, man.
Give me a hand.
- I gotcha.
- My knees are Yeah.
Feeling all right? Yeah, I'm fine now.
It's just that actual The step, yeah.
Squatting.
Julia has been making incredible progress physically, however she's been really reluctant to address the emotional factors that influence her eating.
In six months, my support structure disappeared.
Yeah, you lost your mom, your best friend moved across the country, you lost your boyfriend.
And lost a big part of myself in that as well.
I was incredibly depressed, and not really dealing with my grief in any form of constructive manner.
Um, my coping mechanism was barbecue or ice cream or cookies, and the rate at which I consumed it was justRidiculous.
I mean, it's insane to me to look back and see what I was doing with doing to myself in an attempt to comfort myself.
Tell me about your mom.
Well, um My mom She, uh She was a really healthy person, and to see a person who had taken such immaculate care of their health, um, sort of, I guess disintegrate Yeah.
It just, um Yeah.
It was it was sort of like, "well, what's the point?" Yeah.
I hear you.
I see tears as weakness.
I've bottled my feelings and used food as a coping mechanism.
For Beth to see my cry is a huge step for me.
Part of this is learning that it's okay to feel sad and cry for a little while, and that doesn't mean it's gonna last forever.
I need to deal with these bottled emotions, and that means a whole hell of a lot of crying.
So even though I hate to cry, I hate being fat more.
Morning.
Morning, Julia.
How are you? - Doing good.
- Doing good? Good to see you.
In this last month, I've noticed a lot of changes in myself.
But when I go to the weigh-ins I feel dread for the most part.
You know, I have a lifetime hatred of scales.
All right, go ahead and hop up when you're ready.
All right.
229.
2.
And your total looks like here's 25.
2.
Ah, that's so close to my 10%.
What are you off? .
2? .
2.
It only took me a month to lose 10% of my body weight this year, and I'm very happy about it.
- Hello, Jeff.
- Morning, bill.
How you doing, bud? - I'm good, man.
- Good.
Going into a weigh-in, I become, um I you know, a little edgy.
I been working out really hard.
And the week before I had a good weigh-in.
I lost 12 last week.
Oh, nice.
And hardly worked out at all, 'cause my knees were hurting, so I'm just curious to see what All right.
412.
2.
Last week was 413.
4.
So I didn't lose much at all.
So kind of an off week, but That's weird, man.
I just don't understand it, 'cause I I mean, I worked out really hard for seven days straight.
I know this is a lifestyle change.
It's not just a weigh-in every week.
However, I gauge my success and failure right now based on what the scale says.
Let's take a look at the total weight loss.
Yeah.
Yeah, you got 30.
8, man.
So that's still awesome.
- Eh, it's all right.
- How long you been here? Four weeks.
Yeah, it's my fourth weigh-in.
30 pounds.
One month, man.
That's crazy, though.
Not happy at all with the weigh-in.
I had to wait for a while before I came in here and talked, because I'm I'm angry.
I don't know how to push it any harder than what I'm pushing it.
Like I said, it seems to be hurting right in this area right here extremely bad.
You don't have a lot of water on your knee.
- Right right there.
- Right in there? Yup.
Yeah.
Right there's real bad.
Really bad.
Okay.
Okay, these are once a day.
Yup.
Sounds good.
Sounds good.
Unfortunately, there are certain situations in life that require medication for pain.
It's just a reality of life.
- Coming up on heavy - What is the actual pill? I don't know the name.
I couldn't So I think he's [Bleep.]
lng me.
Scared for my dad to relapse.
We don't want it to happen again.
And later I'm looking forward to going home and being the best put together that anyone's seen me in a really long time.
Certain situations in life My knees.
Ah.
Require medication for pain.
- All right, so have a seat.
- Okay.
Tell me about your knees.
Um, starting to feel Feel a little bit better, get a little swagger going on back, you know.
- Can I ask you something? - Yeah.
That I've heard through the grapevine? Go ahead.
You're putting stuff actually on your knees Uh-huh.
Gel.
Two different things? Wh no.
I just put the gel is for anti-inflammatory, and then I take a pill for So what's what is the actual pill? It's I don't know the name.
I couldn't I can't even say the name.
- Yeah.
- But it's And how many are you taking a day? - You take four a day.
- Four a day.
Two in the morning and two in the evening.
So the medicine hasn't made you feel different? No.
I mean, it makes my knees feel better.
Yeah.
But, I mean, it doesn't make me feel different.
Now, is the medicine you're taking, is it a narcotic? No.
- It's not a narcotic? - No.
No.
Okay.
'Cause that's always real important.
Yeah.
He's [Bleep.]
lng me.
I am worried for him.
He's just got a wall up.
He doesn't want to go there.
Until he's willing to come clean with me or someone else here on the staff, you know, he's gonna keep that secret to himself.
Three months in exactly.
And I'm constantly surprising myself day to day with what I can do.
Nice! Come on, Julia! Come on! There you go.
Good job.
Way to go.
I'm more confident.
I'm wearing cuter clothes, and I feel like I look better.
Who's back home that would be proud of you? Oh, my goodness.
For working this hard.
I'm pretty sure everyone back home could probably hate me right now.
Who's ever seen you work this hard? Huh? Not many people.
Not many people? My mom's bike was in the basement and had been there for at least nine or ten years.
I can't show her the weight I've lost.
I can't ever show her how far I've come, but I do have her bicycle.
And even though I don't really believe that she can see me, I feel sort of a kinship with her spirit.
I feel like she's a part of it.
I'm looking for my dad, Bill Searcey? Yeah, he's down in the weight room.
- This way? - Yep, go down the hallway, and it's gonna be on the right.
My dad has knee problems and all, and he's gonna have to take pain pills, and I'm scared for my dad to relapse.
He has to be real careful.
What's up, dad? Dude! What's going on? Hey.
I'm really, really surprised.
But obviously when I saw him I was extremely excited, and I thought he looked great, 'cause he's been trying to lose weight himself, and which he has, and, I mean, he's my son.
You look good.
You look good.
Thank you, man.
You lost some too, huh? Yeah.
What's this right here? Nothing.
I'm just too lazy to shave.
Where's the moustache? I shave I don't like the moustache.
It bothers me.
I shave it off.
You look like a quaker.
That's what I planned that's the look.
I was feeling kind of nervous.
We know you have a problem, and we don't want it to happen again.
Coming up on heavy Julia's asked me to ride a 350-mile bike ride back to Atlanta.
What about pain pills? What are you gonna do? And later - Hi, dad! - Hey, Julia! Bill's worked three years battling his addictions.
For him to become unhinged, it would be a big problem not only for him, but for his son, who's depending on him.
Tell me what it's like having Woody here.
It's really special, because we've been in separate cities for about four years, just to be, you know, close to you.
I got a question.
What about pain pills? What are you gonna do? I'm not too proud to say, "hey, look, I need help.
" You know, "I need you to help me keep me in check.
" Just by you asking the question have you ever talked to your dad about that? No.
That's really a concern of his.
I know.
And I I'm glad he's concerned.
Once again, I'm glad I got people who still care.
'Cause I could very well not have people who still care.
And I know he loves me, and I know he cares about me, so Yeah, he wants to keep his dad around for a while.
Yeah.
Having him here is just it's hard to explain.
He's visited me in so many places where I didn't really Wasn't really proud for him to come visit me, you know? This time needs to be the last time, you know.
Needs to be for good.
There were so many times when I told him things that didn't come to pass.
You know, I said he's my son and I love him.
Right.
I've got a lot of years left, so if we can finish this life out without me disappointing him anymore, that would be my goal.
This time we got Frankensteins, so what we're gonna do is, we're gonna reach up and then back down.
Yeah? No.
Right leg up, left leg back.
My dad's taking me to beach boot camp.
- All right, you ready? - Amber tailored this workout so that we're doing primarily football-type drills.
I don't see the paramedics.
Where are where are they? We'll be fine.
I'm excited.
We will actually be able to work out together for the first time in our lives.
Legs.
Pick it up.
Flip.
Leave mine right there.
I need a head start.
- Come on, bill.
- Such a girl.
I really plan on, like, kicki- ready, go! Come on, bill! Come on, dad.
No, bill.
Bill! Oh, I'm sorry.
We had to pick the tire up both and lift it over our heads.
Over your head.
Come on.
- Ready? - Yeah.
- Go.
- One, two, three.
And dad couldn't keep up.
Keep up with me.
Ready, go.
Both feet in the box.
Little quicker, little quicker.
Come on, bill! Yes! Three, four, five, six.
Bill, hurry it up! I'm really tired.
I beat you on every one.
That's right.
Didn't win one.
I do have an appreciation of what he's doing and what he goes through every day, but deep down my dad's happy just 'cause, you know, we get to we got to work out together and spend some time together.
For so long, drugs were his first priority, and now I'm his first priority, and it's really nice to know that he cares more about me than getting high.
To be here and to have worked to get here, and I mean worked to get here, is really, really awesome.
Holy crap.
186.
4.
67.
8 pounds.
That's amazing.
It's pretty cool.
I see how you do this all the time.
Just got to stay on there a long time.
Yeah, for hours, right? The pain in my knees is almost totally gone.
Rest and ice gets the best results.
Give me a high-five before I get on there, though.
I need the luck.
I need the luck.
You don't need luck.
You're working hard.
That is what I weighed the last year I played football, which was 1987.
Wow.
23 years ago.
Yep.
- Hey, James.
- Hey, Bev.
How are you? Good.
Beverly's going with me, and she is a cyclist.
She's hardcore.
And I'm not gonna let her show me up.
At first I thought she was nuts, we definitely need a new tire.
But then I thought about who was asking me to do this.
And if anybody can do this, Julia can.
I think my tires are good, but I definitely will need, uh, the spare.
My mom would be very proud of me.
She was always telling me that I could always lose weight if I wanted to, so that's why riding h bike home is so important to me.
When I first got here, six months seemed like it was gonna be a really long time, especially the first month.
I started out really slow because of my health, but I've gotten better and better and better as I go along.
- Morning, bill.
- What's going on, buddy? It's your last weigh-in, man.
Final one.
- Last one.
- Final one.
Are you excited? I I'll tell you when I get up there.
I know you've been working hard.
Four or five hours of cardio every day.
Oh, man.
All right, get on that thing.
Bill, your starting weight is 443 pounds.
I gained a pound.
301.
6.
You got to be kidding me, man.
That's a 1.
6-pound gain.
The total weight loss is 141.
4, man.
That's impressive.
You should be proud of that.
- Yeah.
- You really should.
For the first week in 24 weeks, I decide to gain a pound.
I mean it's no different than life, you know.
Things come at you all the time, and you either choose to complain and whine and moan about it, or man up and push through it and and stay a winner.
I I choose to stay a winner.
This last weigh-in signifies the end of my journey here.
Regardless of the number on the scale, I'm really proud of myself, and I'm happy with where I am.
- How are you Julia? - I'm good.
It's the final weigh-in.
Are you excited? - I am.
- Whenever you're ready.
You can step up up here.
Shed off whatever you need to.
Okay.
How you feeling? Confident.
Ready to go home.
Julia, your starting weight is 254.
4 pounds.
- On the nose.
- 166 even.
88.
4 total pounds.
- That's awesome, man.
- That is awesome.
I walked in here six months ago weighing 254 pounds.
I'm walking out at 166 pounds.
And I'm so glad I came here.
- Julia, check this out.
- What you got? I got the clothes that I wore the day I showed up here.
No.
Oh, man.
Holy Moses, bill.
My God.
Look at that thing.
That's incredible.
My lord.
In the front end, six months seems like a long time, but to work hard for six months to extend your life for I don't know how many years Um, six months is You know, is not too big a price to pay for that.
Bill, bring it in, before I start crying.
Six months ago, I walked in here uncomfortable and unhappy.
You take care of her.
I will.
I'm bringing her, 'cause she's louder than any horn I could find.
And now I'm confident and happy and comfortable in who I am.
All right.
Bye, guys.
See ya.
Bye, girls.
Y'all be careful.
I'm pretty excited to see my family.
Everyone's gonna be floored when they see me.
If I could do it all over again, yeah, absolutely I'd do it.
- Proud of you, buddy.
- Thank you so much.
I know Woody's gonna be too.
He can't wait to see you.
- All right, see ya, pal.
- Thanks for all your help.
This place kept me alive, you know, and will keep me alive, and I'll be around a lot longer.
So absolutely I'd do it do it ten times over.
Coming up on heavy The hills were incredible.
Julia does not have a geared bike ready for hills like this.
I'm sore.
I'm tired.
I'll be attending my son's game unexpectedly.
Number 69, bill Searcey.
I'm sore.
I'm tired.
My shoulders are a little tight, but that's to be expected with the position I was in for eight hours yesterday.
So today's kind of a short day.
Uh, it's 70 Miles.
So I'm pretty excited to get on the road and move it.
Julia and I had a lot of challenges on this trip.
More than I was expecting.
Uh, the hills were incredible, and Julia does not have a geared bike ready for hills like this.
Today was not so much about physical fatigue as mental fatigue.
I think in that department, having my mom's bike with me helped, 'cause it was really like I had a purpose, I had her with me.
There were a couple of times when I was feeling really bad, and I was, you know Oh, God.
Tomorrow's only 66 Miles, and it's all, um It's home.
I'm hoping that, uh, my friends and family will be as excited as I am about what I've done and what I'm gonna do in the future.
I'll be attending his last regular season game, and, uh, I'll be showing up at the game unexpectedly.
We say "number" you say "one.
" Special treat here tonight.
Number 77 We have a little surprise for you.
Football fans, please help us in welcoming one of Alabama's hall of fame players.
Number 69, bill Searcey.
For those of you who don't know, bill has lost nearly 150 pounds, putting him back on his way to being in true football form.
- How are you? - All right, buddy.
How you doing, man? Good.
How are you? - I love you.
- Love you.
I was really surprised when I saw my dad walk out here.
Looked a lot smaller.
He's seen one High School game, my whole High School career, so it means a lot.
In the past when I would come home, I've always been embarrassed, and I didn't really have any hope for the future back then.
I'm just glad he's gonna be around for his son, to see him go on, because the way he was before, I didn't know what was gonna happen.
I really thought he was gonna die at any point.
You know, walking up stairs, going to bed, labored breathing.
Now he's just got some more just baby steps.
He did the big one.
Now get get a job.
Spend time with Woody.
That's the biggest thing.
In the past, I've made lots of commitments and promises to not only my son Woody but also to his mom and other people that are in those stands and friends.
Go, hornets! It's been really emotional in that I did do what I said I would do, and I accomplished in the six months what I said I was gonna accomplish.
I just feel like it's really the start of something totally new, and also because I've fulfilled my commitment to my son, hopefully that he would see that anything you really want to do is possible.
I feel like I'm just about to become a dad again.
And, uh, spend time with my child his senior year in High School, and it's just a it's just a new time, you know.
It's it's all changed, and it's gonna continue changing.
It's all good stuff.
Well, this is it.
Oh, I'm so happy it is so close.
She's had a challenging trip, and but she's pulled through every single minute of it.
So we're about to ride in to my hometown, and my dad's waiting for me.
He hasn't seen me in six months.
I think he'll be excited to see howHow strong I am, how healthy I am, and see me also using something that's very sentimental to both of us.
So it should be a pretty I'm really excited to see my dad.
Hi, dad! Hey, Julia! Come here! Oh, my God, I love you.
Oh, Julia Let me Whoa, Julia.
You Oh, my God.
I know, right? I think she looks great.
She's just it's beautiful.
It's a wonderful thing to see.
She looks healthy and strong and so pretty.
And she's just so full of life and energy.
And she just rode how far on a bicycle? Oh, dad, this is Bev.
- So good to meet you.
- Good to see you.
I've heard so much about you.
This is my darlin'.
Oh, I know.
She's Let me tell you, this is one determined little lady.
I can't think of a better way to end such a really hard four days than by seeing my dad at the end of it.
Seeing him welcome me home like that sort of really put finality on this whole adventure for me, let me know just how far I've actually come.
You could see it in his eyes.
I'm looking forward to going home and being the best put together that anyone's seen me in a really long time.
I feel like a whole woman.
This is another step in me going back to the life that I see for myself.
Just being well put together.
And, you know, a great haircut and a good color is just part of all the confidence that's required to be the woman I want to be.
This is the most rewarding moment, seeing someone transform themselves.
I just can't wait to see her tonight.
Here she is now, the new and improved Julia Hightower.
No one has ever seen me this size, and I don't think they could possibly have expected me to do this well, but I've reached my goal.
Julia absolutely deserves this night and everything that comes with it.
Julia's worked so hard, and I'm so excited to see what the future holds for her.
Six months ago I didn't think this was possible, and now I'm here.
It's easier than it seems, as long as you take it one day at a time.
Let's take a look at, uh, kind of roughly what I eat in a day.
I want a lot of that right there.
One more scoop.
Well, I haven't tucked a shirt in in Keep going.
So many years I can't even remember when.
Half of this cake is completely me.
Nobody else eats this but me.
I opened this yesterday.
And that's almost gone.
Definitely my cheese drawer.
I've got brie, gouda, feta My twin sister, Ashley is a lot smaller than me.
In Alabama, I was able to be a part of two national championship games.
Sports was always my thing.
Most of my weight gain was after I became badly addicted to the pain medicine.
He said, "Julia, I've just got to be honest with you.
I'm just not attracted to you anymore.
" That's, like, the worst thing you can ever say to a girl.
There were days when if I hadn't woke up the next day, I'd have been okay with that.
Like, as the 25-year-old woman, just to be able to be a normal person I think normalcy is what I look forward to most.
Doctor said, "look, you weigh over 400 pounds, "you're 52 years old, and you are at high risk to drop dead.
" Let's go.
Let's go.
Come on.
Don't quit.
Don't quit.
If you want to come here and you want to change your life, then let's get busy.
I need motivation to help me keep going.
Twist! Twist! I don't know how to push it any harder than what I'm pushing it.
It's important for me to change my life.
I need it for me.
I need it for my son.
Even though I hate to cry, I hate being fat more.
The new and improved Julia Hightower.
I want I want a lot of that right there.
Pile a bunch up on there.
One more scoop.
My name is bill.
Uh, 52 years old.
Somewhere inside I feel like that picture where I'm in really good shape, that's what is still standing here, but I know that's not true now, because I've had to look in the mirror a few times, but you can see.
Sports was always my thing.
I played football in High School and then was lucky enough to get a scholarship to university of Alabama.
At Alabama I was able to be a part of two national championship teams, 1978 and 1979.
The attention that you get as an athlete at a major college, and then professional, it becomes its own addiction.
I had so many friends that were great football players, and that were drafted very high in the draft, and were experiencing great success in the NFL, and, um, and I wanted to be one of those people, and so it made it even tougher on me that that I wasn't.
When I gave up football, I didn't know what I wanted to do, because I had never thought of anything but playing football.
I would go to alcohol at first, and then it became alcohol and drugs.
With pain medication, because you're numb, you're not working out.
You're eating a lot.
You're getting out of shape.
You feel horrible.
You take the pills.
You feel better, you eat some more, and you continue to snowball.
Because of drugs, my marriage started falling apart, and then finally in '04, it came apart, because of no attempts on my part to make any changes.
My son's name is Woody.
He's 17 now, and he's a football player in High School.
We have a a tie.
And, um, he's my son, and I'm proud of him no matter what.
Uh, I feel like I I have missed a lot of my son's life.
I've not been in any kind of condition, whether it be the drug addiction or the weight to really be very helpful to him.
Let's took at kind of roughly what I eat in a day.
Everything becomes difficult going to football games, working out together, being able to help him out with his own football thing.
It's important for me to change my life.
It makes me cry.
It's, um, roasted red pepper aioli, avocado, blue cheese, bacon.
I think there's some chicken in there.
I'm Julia, I'm 25, and I'm from Atlanta, Georgia.
I've always been weight-conscious, and definitely it's a daily part of my life.
My twin sister Ashley is a lot smaller than me.
She's at least half my size.
This probably the closest in size we've ever been.
I'm probably about 190 at that point.
That's the thinnest I've been in my adult life.
Me and Julia were very close growing up.
She's very self-conscious about her weight and the weight gain that she's had, especially since my mother's passed away.
In 2004, my mom got really sick.
She was diagnosed with mesothelioma of the abdomen.
Then, when she passed in may, there was a lot of grief eating, and that's when I hit my heaviest.
That's when I hit about 265.
This is when I started noticing this real distance between my boyfriend and I.
And then he comes home, and he said, "Julia, I've got to be honest with you.
"I'm just not attracted to you anymore.
"I don't think I could be with you anymore.
I don't think it's fair to us.
" And that's, like, the worst thing you could ever say to a girl.
I see in Julia, she's a very intelligent person, she's a sweet, good-natured person.
But this weight issue creates obstacles for her.
I'm excited about going to law school.
I've been accepted.
I start in fall of '11.
Law school is extremely competitive.
What I'm really afraid of is that being a big girl, people look at me and they assume that I'm sloppy and that I'm lazy.
It's hard to change that first impression that you make.
I'm just sick of it.
I'm ready to live a life without restrictions.
- Hi.
- Hi, how are you? Fine.
How are you doing? Welcome to Hilton head health.
This is your book bag, and inside you'll find a binder, and there's a water bottle.
Today bill and Julia are taking the first steps in reclaiming their lives.
We're gonna be taking you to your villas.
- Okay, good.
- Let's go.
Somewhere along the line they've gotten lost, and here at Hilton head health, it's our job to stop the downward spiral and get them headed in the right direction.
So I understand you were quite the football player, and you played for - Bear Bryant.
- Yeah? In college.
At Alabama.
I'm not sure if it's tougher to have been in shape and then get out of shape and then get back in shape like I'm trying to do now, or if it's tougher to never have been in shape and this be your first go-around.
Now, some of the guests had to walk a mile and a half.
All right.
We got to take a break.
Taking a break? Yeah, I've got to get a breath, man.
I'm going to law school.
Like, I want a successful career ahead of me.
I'm not frightened to completely change my life.
I'm so ready to do it.
I mean, people make snap decisions, and I don't want that decision to be based on me being too big.
Bill, how you doing? I'm Adam.
Good.
How you doing, Adam? Nice to meet you.
We're gonna get your weight.
That'll be exciting.
Got to start with the scale.
Get that out of the way.
You're excited about it? Yeah, I am.
All right.
Good.
I'm really anticipating the first weigh-in.
I'm anxious.
Hop up on there.
What do you think? More than you were thinking, less than you were thinking? Maybe just a little more than I thought.
A little surprised at the weight.
I thought I was a little lighter than what I turned out to be.
I'll have to lose a little more than I anticipated losing.
It's a little high.
It's 156 over 100.
A lot of my weight gain, the majority of it came when I was addicted to drugs.
And so I got sober, and then all of a sudden I looked in the mirror, and didn't even recognize the person in the mirror.
Wow.
I have a teenage son.
You know, I want to be a good example for him now.
Yeah.
He needs to see me make physical changes now, because he needs to make some physical changes himself.
I'm starting law school, and it's going to be a lot of studying, research, and I want to get to a point now where I'm exercising and I make it part of my day, and I make time for it, so that I don't just live under a pizza box and behind a computer screen and just explode, 'cause diabetes is a huge concern to me.
I mean, my grandmother had diabetes her whole life.
She went blind.
My uncle lost his foot to diabetes.
So my first weigh-in.
This last week I kind of went overboard.
You know, last meal.
Seven or eight times.
Step up on there.
Awesome.
How do you feel? Fat.
What were you expecting? I mean, was that more, less? That was more than I was expecting.
I've been, you know, working out a little bit more.
That that's more than the last time I hit the scale.
When was the last time you hit the scale? Um, probably two months ago? It's gonna start moving in the right direction, though, right? Yes.
Yes, it will.
That's a rough place to start, but hopefully in six months this will feel like a nightmare that I've woken up from.
Coming up on heavy There are certain situations that require medication for pain.
To see a person who had taken such immaculate care of their health disintegrate, it was sort of like, "well, what's the point?" Bill and Julia have been paired together.
This first week's gonna be tough, but if you put in the work, you're gonna see the results.
Three, two, and one.
Pump it up.
Here we go.
Try to keep your feet on the treadmill.
Keep moving.
Wow.
First morning was rough.
It's all them whoppers, Julia.
It's kicking my butt.
35 minutes on a treadmill, going up hills.
Nice work.
You're all done with me.
Then had to walk right over and do an hour of cardio boxing.
Jab, jab, punch.
Jab, jab, punch.
If you want to come here and change your life, let's get busy.
Twist, twist, twist.
I'm definitely not a nurturer.
You're Julia, right? - Yeah.
- Twist, girl! It's really an eye-opening experience getting my butt kicked.
Come on, bill.
Touch my hand.
Come on! Yes! Push-ups! Quit whining.
Get the nose to the floor! For a moment, I really did consider quitting.
ButDidn't.
Course not.
Not gonna.
How much lettuce you think I can pile up here in this bowl, Julia? All of it? Even though it's not a lot of food at any given time, they're teaching us what to eat.
I'm learning a lot about portion size.
I was eating three, maybe four serving sizes per meal.
Getting those ounces down and getting it to a proper portion size is enough to fill me up.
I can make delicious meals that are thousands of calories.
Thanksgiving dinner, I've got that down.
Two sticks of butter in the turkey, I'm good to go.
But making food that sustains you on a daily basis in a way that doesn't add pounds - Right.
- I don't get.
Part of my deal is I would go all day without eating, and then I'll just eat everything that's in my path.
Getting in a groove where I eat in the morning, I'm eating you know, I'm eating lunch.
And I'm staying relatively satisfied all day, is a big part of what I've got to do.
Yeah.
Come on, come on, come on.
Right! Right! Go! Go! Right, left, right left.
Left, right! Go, go, go, go, go! Come on, come on, come on.
An hour of cardio boxing really opened my eyes to where I really am.
Really uncoordinated, my legs were rubber.
Couldn't hardly move.
And I'm having some knee issues with both knees.
I don't know if I can endure six months of all this.
Go, go, go, go, go, go! Julia works really hard.
And I think she's gonna be one of the ones that walk out of here happier than when she came in.
I do.
Where's Julia? You were awesome.
Thanks.
You look like you been doing this for years.
I like to hit stuff.
Yeah! Me too.
We're gonna get along good.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
You doing all right? I'm great.
All right.
Fantastic, you guys.
- How you doing? - Good.
How are you doing? I'm scared.
That's how I'm doing.
Scared? Don't be scared.
Bill and Julia have survived their first week, and now it's time to see what the scale says.
14.
4! - That's awesome.
- Yes! My knees is hurting real bad, and so I haven't been able to work as hard as I want to work in the cardio, but 14.
4 in the first week is als a good start.
All right.
Go ahead and get up on there.
I did not think that was possible.
Holy crap.
So first week weigh-in, whoo, 11.
6.
That's insane.
I woke up this morning thinking nine tops.
But I've been killing myself all week.
And 11.
6.
It paid off.
All right.
Come on.
Come on, Julia.
Last one.
All right, first move, guys, we're gonna do is dumbbell step-ups.
I'm just gonna go slow, 'cause my knees.
This is starting the fourth week in the journey, uh, today.
Four.
Go, bill.
Five.
Six.
Even though my knees are hurting, as long as my workouts continue to improve and I get a little stronger every day Three, two, one.
Good.
If I can go a little further every day with a little more resistance every day, it's all good, man.
Give me a hand.
- I gotcha.
- My knees are Yeah.
Feeling all right? Yeah, I'm fine now.
It's just that actual The step, yeah.
Squatting.
Julia has been making incredible progress physically, however she's been really reluctant to address the emotional factors that influence her eating.
In six months, my support structure disappeared.
Yeah, you lost your mom, your best friend moved across the country, you lost your boyfriend.
And lost a big part of myself in that as well.
I was incredibly depressed, and not really dealing with my grief in any form of constructive manner.
Um, my coping mechanism was barbecue or ice cream or cookies, and the rate at which I consumed it was justRidiculous.
I mean, it's insane to me to look back and see what I was doing with doing to myself in an attempt to comfort myself.
Tell me about your mom.
Well, um My mom She, uh She was a really healthy person, and to see a person who had taken such immaculate care of their health, um, sort of, I guess disintegrate Yeah.
It just, um Yeah.
It was it was sort of like, "well, what's the point?" Yeah.
I hear you.
I see tears as weakness.
I've bottled my feelings and used food as a coping mechanism.
For Beth to see my cry is a huge step for me.
Part of this is learning that it's okay to feel sad and cry for a little while, and that doesn't mean it's gonna last forever.
I need to deal with these bottled emotions, and that means a whole hell of a lot of crying.
So even though I hate to cry, I hate being fat more.
Morning.
Morning, Julia.
How are you? - Doing good.
- Doing good? Good to see you.
In this last month, I've noticed a lot of changes in myself.
But when I go to the weigh-ins I feel dread for the most part.
You know, I have a lifetime hatred of scales.
All right, go ahead and hop up when you're ready.
All right.
229.
2.
And your total looks like here's 25.
2.
Ah, that's so close to my 10%.
What are you off? .
2? .
2.
It only took me a month to lose 10% of my body weight this year, and I'm very happy about it.
- Hello, Jeff.
- Morning, bill.
How you doing, bud? - I'm good, man.
- Good.
Going into a weigh-in, I become, um I you know, a little edgy.
I been working out really hard.
And the week before I had a good weigh-in.
I lost 12 last week.
Oh, nice.
And hardly worked out at all, 'cause my knees were hurting, so I'm just curious to see what All right.
412.
2.
Last week was 413.
4.
So I didn't lose much at all.
So kind of an off week, but That's weird, man.
I just don't understand it, 'cause I I mean, I worked out really hard for seven days straight.
I know this is a lifestyle change.
It's not just a weigh-in every week.
However, I gauge my success and failure right now based on what the scale says.
Let's take a look at the total weight loss.
Yeah.
Yeah, you got 30.
8, man.
So that's still awesome.
- Eh, it's all right.
- How long you been here? Four weeks.
Yeah, it's my fourth weigh-in.
30 pounds.
One month, man.
That's crazy, though.
Not happy at all with the weigh-in.
I had to wait for a while before I came in here and talked, because I'm I'm angry.
I don't know how to push it any harder than what I'm pushing it.
Like I said, it seems to be hurting right in this area right here extremely bad.
You don't have a lot of water on your knee.
- Right right there.
- Right in there? Yup.
Yeah.
Right there's real bad.
Really bad.
Okay.
Okay, these are once a day.
Yup.
Sounds good.
Sounds good.
Unfortunately, there are certain situations in life that require medication for pain.
It's just a reality of life.
- Coming up on heavy - What is the actual pill? I don't know the name.
I couldn't So I think he's [Bleep.]
lng me.
Scared for my dad to relapse.
We don't want it to happen again.
And later I'm looking forward to going home and being the best put together that anyone's seen me in a really long time.
Certain situations in life My knees.
Ah.
Require medication for pain.
- All right, so have a seat.
- Okay.
Tell me about your knees.
Um, starting to feel Feel a little bit better, get a little swagger going on back, you know.
- Can I ask you something? - Yeah.
That I've heard through the grapevine? Go ahead.
You're putting stuff actually on your knees Uh-huh.
Gel.
Two different things? Wh no.
I just put the gel is for anti-inflammatory, and then I take a pill for So what's what is the actual pill? It's I don't know the name.
I couldn't I can't even say the name.
- Yeah.
- But it's And how many are you taking a day? - You take four a day.
- Four a day.
Two in the morning and two in the evening.
So the medicine hasn't made you feel different? No.
I mean, it makes my knees feel better.
Yeah.
But, I mean, it doesn't make me feel different.
Now, is the medicine you're taking, is it a narcotic? No.
- It's not a narcotic? - No.
No.
Okay.
'Cause that's always real important.
Yeah.
He's [Bleep.]
lng me.
I am worried for him.
He's just got a wall up.
He doesn't want to go there.
Until he's willing to come clean with me or someone else here on the staff, you know, he's gonna keep that secret to himself.
Three months in exactly.
And I'm constantly surprising myself day to day with what I can do.
Nice! Come on, Julia! Come on! There you go.
Good job.
Way to go.
I'm more confident.
I'm wearing cuter clothes, and I feel like I look better.
Who's back home that would be proud of you? Oh, my goodness.
For working this hard.
I'm pretty sure everyone back home could probably hate me right now.
Who's ever seen you work this hard? Huh? Not many people.
Not many people? My mom's bike was in the basement and had been there for at least nine or ten years.
I can't show her the weight I've lost.
I can't ever show her how far I've come, but I do have her bicycle.
And even though I don't really believe that she can see me, I feel sort of a kinship with her spirit.
I feel like she's a part of it.
I'm looking for my dad, Bill Searcey? Yeah, he's down in the weight room.
- This way? - Yep, go down the hallway, and it's gonna be on the right.
My dad has knee problems and all, and he's gonna have to take pain pills, and I'm scared for my dad to relapse.
He has to be real careful.
What's up, dad? Dude! What's going on? Hey.
I'm really, really surprised.
But obviously when I saw him I was extremely excited, and I thought he looked great, 'cause he's been trying to lose weight himself, and which he has, and, I mean, he's my son.
You look good.
You look good.
Thank you, man.
You lost some too, huh? Yeah.
What's this right here? Nothing.
I'm just too lazy to shave.
Where's the moustache? I shave I don't like the moustache.
It bothers me.
I shave it off.
You look like a quaker.
That's what I planned that's the look.
I was feeling kind of nervous.
We know you have a problem, and we don't want it to happen again.
Coming up on heavy Julia's asked me to ride a 350-mile bike ride back to Atlanta.
What about pain pills? What are you gonna do? And later - Hi, dad! - Hey, Julia! Bill's worked three years battling his addictions.
For him to become unhinged, it would be a big problem not only for him, but for his son, who's depending on him.
Tell me what it's like having Woody here.
It's really special, because we've been in separate cities for about four years, just to be, you know, close to you.
I got a question.
What about pain pills? What are you gonna do? I'm not too proud to say, "hey, look, I need help.
" You know, "I need you to help me keep me in check.
" Just by you asking the question have you ever talked to your dad about that? No.
That's really a concern of his.
I know.
And I I'm glad he's concerned.
Once again, I'm glad I got people who still care.
'Cause I could very well not have people who still care.
And I know he loves me, and I know he cares about me, so Yeah, he wants to keep his dad around for a while.
Yeah.
Having him here is just it's hard to explain.
He's visited me in so many places where I didn't really Wasn't really proud for him to come visit me, you know? This time needs to be the last time, you know.
Needs to be for good.
There were so many times when I told him things that didn't come to pass.
You know, I said he's my son and I love him.
Right.
I've got a lot of years left, so if we can finish this life out without me disappointing him anymore, that would be my goal.
This time we got Frankensteins, so what we're gonna do is, we're gonna reach up and then back down.
Yeah? No.
Right leg up, left leg back.
My dad's taking me to beach boot camp.
- All right, you ready? - Amber tailored this workout so that we're doing primarily football-type drills.
I don't see the paramedics.
Where are where are they? We'll be fine.
I'm excited.
We will actually be able to work out together for the first time in our lives.
Legs.
Pick it up.
Flip.
Leave mine right there.
I need a head start.
- Come on, bill.
- Such a girl.
I really plan on, like, kicki- ready, go! Come on, bill! Come on, dad.
No, bill.
Bill! Oh, I'm sorry.
We had to pick the tire up both and lift it over our heads.
Over your head.
Come on.
- Ready? - Yeah.
- Go.
- One, two, three.
And dad couldn't keep up.
Keep up with me.
Ready, go.
Both feet in the box.
Little quicker, little quicker.
Come on, bill! Yes! Three, four, five, six.
Bill, hurry it up! I'm really tired.
I beat you on every one.
That's right.
Didn't win one.
I do have an appreciation of what he's doing and what he goes through every day, but deep down my dad's happy just 'cause, you know, we get to we got to work out together and spend some time together.
For so long, drugs were his first priority, and now I'm his first priority, and it's really nice to know that he cares more about me than getting high.
To be here and to have worked to get here, and I mean worked to get here, is really, really awesome.
Holy crap.
186.
4.
67.
8 pounds.
That's amazing.
It's pretty cool.
I see how you do this all the time.
Just got to stay on there a long time.
Yeah, for hours, right? The pain in my knees is almost totally gone.
Rest and ice gets the best results.
Give me a high-five before I get on there, though.
I need the luck.
I need the luck.
You don't need luck.
You're working hard.
That is what I weighed the last year I played football, which was 1987.
Wow.
23 years ago.
Yep.
- Hey, James.
- Hey, Bev.
How are you? Good.
Beverly's going with me, and she is a cyclist.
She's hardcore.
And I'm not gonna let her show me up.
At first I thought she was nuts, we definitely need a new tire.
But then I thought about who was asking me to do this.
And if anybody can do this, Julia can.
I think my tires are good, but I definitely will need, uh, the spare.
My mom would be very proud of me.
She was always telling me that I could always lose weight if I wanted to, so that's why riding h bike home is so important to me.
When I first got here, six months seemed like it was gonna be a really long time, especially the first month.
I started out really slow because of my health, but I've gotten better and better and better as I go along.
- Morning, bill.
- What's going on, buddy? It's your last weigh-in, man.
Final one.
- Last one.
- Final one.
Are you excited? I I'll tell you when I get up there.
I know you've been working hard.
Four or five hours of cardio every day.
Oh, man.
All right, get on that thing.
Bill, your starting weight is 443 pounds.
I gained a pound.
301.
6.
You got to be kidding me, man.
That's a 1.
6-pound gain.
The total weight loss is 141.
4, man.
That's impressive.
You should be proud of that.
- Yeah.
- You really should.
For the first week in 24 weeks, I decide to gain a pound.
I mean it's no different than life, you know.
Things come at you all the time, and you either choose to complain and whine and moan about it, or man up and push through it and and stay a winner.
I I choose to stay a winner.
This last weigh-in signifies the end of my journey here.
Regardless of the number on the scale, I'm really proud of myself, and I'm happy with where I am.
- How are you Julia? - I'm good.
It's the final weigh-in.
Are you excited? - I am.
- Whenever you're ready.
You can step up up here.
Shed off whatever you need to.
Okay.
How you feeling? Confident.
Ready to go home.
Julia, your starting weight is 254.
4 pounds.
- On the nose.
- 166 even.
88.
4 total pounds.
- That's awesome, man.
- That is awesome.
I walked in here six months ago weighing 254 pounds.
I'm walking out at 166 pounds.
And I'm so glad I came here.
- Julia, check this out.
- What you got? I got the clothes that I wore the day I showed up here.
No.
Oh, man.
Holy Moses, bill.
My God.
Look at that thing.
That's incredible.
My lord.
In the front end, six months seems like a long time, but to work hard for six months to extend your life for I don't know how many years Um, six months is You know, is not too big a price to pay for that.
Bill, bring it in, before I start crying.
Six months ago, I walked in here uncomfortable and unhappy.
You take care of her.
I will.
I'm bringing her, 'cause she's louder than any horn I could find.
And now I'm confident and happy and comfortable in who I am.
All right.
Bye, guys.
See ya.
Bye, girls.
Y'all be careful.
I'm pretty excited to see my family.
Everyone's gonna be floored when they see me.
If I could do it all over again, yeah, absolutely I'd do it.
- Proud of you, buddy.
- Thank you so much.
I know Woody's gonna be too.
He can't wait to see you.
- All right, see ya, pal.
- Thanks for all your help.
This place kept me alive, you know, and will keep me alive, and I'll be around a lot longer.
So absolutely I'd do it do it ten times over.
Coming up on heavy The hills were incredible.
Julia does not have a geared bike ready for hills like this.
I'm sore.
I'm tired.
I'll be attending my son's game unexpectedly.
Number 69, bill Searcey.
I'm sore.
I'm tired.
My shoulders are a little tight, but that's to be expected with the position I was in for eight hours yesterday.
So today's kind of a short day.
Uh, it's 70 Miles.
So I'm pretty excited to get on the road and move it.
Julia and I had a lot of challenges on this trip.
More than I was expecting.
Uh, the hills were incredible, and Julia does not have a geared bike ready for hills like this.
Today was not so much about physical fatigue as mental fatigue.
I think in that department, having my mom's bike with me helped, 'cause it was really like I had a purpose, I had her with me.
There were a couple of times when I was feeling really bad, and I was, you know Oh, God.
Tomorrow's only 66 Miles, and it's all, um It's home.
I'm hoping that, uh, my friends and family will be as excited as I am about what I've done and what I'm gonna do in the future.
I'll be attending his last regular season game, and, uh, I'll be showing up at the game unexpectedly.
We say "number" you say "one.
" Special treat here tonight.
Number 77 We have a little surprise for you.
Football fans, please help us in welcoming one of Alabama's hall of fame players.
Number 69, bill Searcey.
For those of you who don't know, bill has lost nearly 150 pounds, putting him back on his way to being in true football form.
- How are you? - All right, buddy.
How you doing, man? Good.
How are you? - I love you.
- Love you.
I was really surprised when I saw my dad walk out here.
Looked a lot smaller.
He's seen one High School game, my whole High School career, so it means a lot.
In the past when I would come home, I've always been embarrassed, and I didn't really have any hope for the future back then.
I'm just glad he's gonna be around for his son, to see him go on, because the way he was before, I didn't know what was gonna happen.
I really thought he was gonna die at any point.
You know, walking up stairs, going to bed, labored breathing.
Now he's just got some more just baby steps.
He did the big one.
Now get get a job.
Spend time with Woody.
That's the biggest thing.
In the past, I've made lots of commitments and promises to not only my son Woody but also to his mom and other people that are in those stands and friends.
Go, hornets! It's been really emotional in that I did do what I said I would do, and I accomplished in the six months what I said I was gonna accomplish.
I just feel like it's really the start of something totally new, and also because I've fulfilled my commitment to my son, hopefully that he would see that anything you really want to do is possible.
I feel like I'm just about to become a dad again.
And, uh, spend time with my child his senior year in High School, and it's just a it's just a new time, you know.
It's it's all changed, and it's gonna continue changing.
It's all good stuff.
Well, this is it.
Oh, I'm so happy it is so close.
She's had a challenging trip, and but she's pulled through every single minute of it.
So we're about to ride in to my hometown, and my dad's waiting for me.
He hasn't seen me in six months.
I think he'll be excited to see howHow strong I am, how healthy I am, and see me also using something that's very sentimental to both of us.
So it should be a pretty I'm really excited to see my dad.
Hi, dad! Hey, Julia! Come here! Oh, my God, I love you.
Oh, Julia Let me Whoa, Julia.
You Oh, my God.
I know, right? I think she looks great.
She's just it's beautiful.
It's a wonderful thing to see.
She looks healthy and strong and so pretty.
And she's just so full of life and energy.
And she just rode how far on a bicycle? Oh, dad, this is Bev.
- So good to meet you.
- Good to see you.
I've heard so much about you.
This is my darlin'.
Oh, I know.
She's Let me tell you, this is one determined little lady.
I can't think of a better way to end such a really hard four days than by seeing my dad at the end of it.
Seeing him welcome me home like that sort of really put finality on this whole adventure for me, let me know just how far I've actually come.
You could see it in his eyes.
I'm looking forward to going home and being the best put together that anyone's seen me in a really long time.
I feel like a whole woman.
This is another step in me going back to the life that I see for myself.
Just being well put together.
And, you know, a great haircut and a good color is just part of all the confidence that's required to be the woman I want to be.
This is the most rewarding moment, seeing someone transform themselves.
I just can't wait to see her tonight.
Here she is now, the new and improved Julia Hightower.
No one has ever seen me this size, and I don't think they could possibly have expected me to do this well, but I've reached my goal.
Julia absolutely deserves this night and everything that comes with it.
Julia's worked so hard, and I'm so excited to see what the future holds for her.
Six months ago I didn't think this was possible, and now I'm here.
It's easier than it seems, as long as you take it one day at a time.