[Shakyia] At some point, I do feel I lost control
and I need to do something about it.
[melancholic music playing]
[Shakyia] Somewhere in me is just a little glimmer of hope.
I just wanna be a normal person.
[grunts]
[pants]
[melancholic music playing]
You can't do it and then I just get mad.
[woman] If I don't make a change now,
I'm scared it's gonna be too late.
No... [groans]
It hurts.
[woman] I refuse to stop fighting.
I have to do this for my children.
Oh.
I've been working hard to lose weight
-but I know I can do better. -[Dr. Now] Shakyia...
[melancholic music playing]
[birds chirping]
[Shakyia] If I can go back in time,
I would change a lot of things.
My life was not supposed to go like this.
It makes me feel sad, like I just let myself go.
I'm living in constant pain.
I wake in the morning with swelling
because of the lymphedema that's in my leg.
Whoosh, 'cause of the pain
in my leg and my knees.
So much pain because it's so much weight.
By the time I get to the bathroom,
it's like my breathing is, like, bad.
I already have asthma too, so with me having asthma,
it just makes my breathing even worse.
[breathing heavily]
Sometimes I could feel my heart beating,
like, too fast.
[water rushing]
[breathing heavily]
Being 627 pounds,
it makes my breathing 10 times harder
for me to try to catch my breath.
[breathing heavily]
When I take a shower,
I sit on the side on the shower
because I can't really stand.
But I can bathe myself.
I can lather up with soap, wash my arms,
wash under my breasts,
and wash my back.
The most difficult part, washing between my legs
because I have to lean to the side because of the lymphedema
to make sure that the area is clean.
I'll do that, like, two, three more times
and then I'll stand up and rinse off
for a good, like, a minute or two
to make sure that I'm clean down there.
[water rushing]
Once I get dressed,
I'll walk down the stairs
but I'm scared that I'm gonna fall.
I have to catch my breath.
[breathing heavily]
Sometimes I feel like there's no point to keep going.
But then I look forward to eating.
I can feel my mouth water for it.
It brings me happiness.
[melancholic music playing]
[pan sizzling]
Right now, I live with my mom,
my stepdad, my sister and her three kids.
-[door creaks open] -[Shaniqua] Hello.
Niqua, breakfast is done.
I see.
Oh. I'm hungry.
Give me a plate.
[Shakyia speaking]
My mom was a single mom
and providing for us was a struggle.
So my brother and sister and I
learned to eat every meal like it was our last.
My mom raised me till I was in the second grade,
then we were placed into foster care.
When they took me away from my mom,
I was in foster care for two to three weeks
until my dad took full custody.
This is pretty good. I like the corndogs.
-[Shakyia] Oh, yeah. -Isn't my first time trying those.
They were good.
[Shakyia] My dad seemed happy to see us at first
but he would keep our welfare checks for himself.
I didn't think it would work but it did.
Next thing you know, the cops were called
and I packed up all my stuff and went to live with my mom.
All right. So I'm gonna go get ready to...
Get ready to take us to the grocery store so we can get that steak.
-And a lot of potatoes. -And a lot of potatoes
so you can whip it on up, all right?
-Yup. -All right.
[melancholic music playing]
Shakyia has always been a little plus-sized
just like me.
But when she was about 13,
I started noticing Shakyia being a little heavier than the norm.
She just eats, eats, eats, eats.
But she was always mobile before,
so it wasn't as bad but, I don't know.
At school, I didn't really have friends.
Next thing you know,
there's one girl a year above me...
I never told anyone
'cause I felt like nobody would do something about it,
so I just kept it to myself.
Eating the food filled the void,
but what I really wanted
was to have people to like me.
I was peer-pressured into it.
Eating the food filled the void.
It's basically the only thing that I could really,
like, turn to to help me because everybody else
was just like, "Oh, nobody wants you, go away."
And I'll be like, "Okay. Yeah."
Then I'll go make me a sandwich,
then I'll go eat ice cream,
then I'll go eat chips.
By the time I graduated high school,
I was close to 400 pounds.
When I went to college,
I was able to eat whatever I wanted to eat,
so I kinda went crazy
and I put on another 80 pounds
in just my first semester.
So that brought me to, like, a depression state.
I stopped going to classes,
I returned back home to live with my mom.
I ended up getting a job working at a call center.
They had vending machines and drink machines.
So instead of bringing my lunch,
I will turn and eat the snacks out the vending machine.
Then I started having to stop
when I'll be walking back and forth
from my desk to the machines
just to catch my breath.
So I ended up leaving that job
and working at a gas station.
And that is where my life really took a turn
for the worse when I got raped.
I was raped to the point where I couldn't hardly walk.
I had to kind of walk hunchback over
because I couldn't really move like I wanted to,
um, because of the rape,
which is something that I can't even describe.
That is when I really turned to eating more...
[Shaniqua] I just think that it broke her in more ways than one.
She was trying to suppress it.
Some people indulge in alcohol,
some people indulge in drugs,
and some people indulge in food.
You know, and I think food was the thing for her
just to suppress the emotions from it.
Hey, Judy.
-Shakyia. -Hey, Shakyia.
-Hey. -How are you doing?
-How was your day? -Well...
[Natasha] It was a traumatic incident.
Shakyia's spiraled out of control.
She just gave up on life.
She went to,
what I call, a deep depression.
I think that's when the lymphedema came too.
It's just... Everything just trickled down.
And she was mobile before,
she was able to function.
She had a job for three years,
she would go out.
But after that, nothing.
She was scared to go outside.
[exhales]
Surviving my rape,
the weight actually started to pick up more.
Everything that I can do, Kyia can do
but she can't do it right now because of her leg
and her obesity right now.
I started noticing Kyia gaining a lot of weight
and her leg was gaining weight with Kyia's body,
it was medium-sized at first
and then it got big-big.
All right, Kyia. You ready to go to the store?
-Yeah. -[Shaniqua] Okay. Hold on.
Let me close this door.
All right. Let's go.
Okay.
You got it?
[grunts]
All right.
I'm not able to move around, do things.
[melancholic music playing]
[baby crying]
I'm on my way to go to the grocery store. I'm kinda nervous.
I was hoping my leg doesn't start going bad on me,
meaning that it'll start being painful
and hurts a lot or hard for me
to walk around.
So we're gonna get the potatoes, right, Niqua?
[Shaniqua] Yeah, the potatoes and the steak.
-Okay. -[Shaniqua] And...
-And... -[Shaniqua] Whatever else goes on that.
-So I wanted sour cream, right? -[Shaniqua] Yeah.
And then cheese that the...
That you can melt in the pot or dunk the shredded cheese
-you can put on the potatoes? -[Shaniqua] The shredded cheese is better.
Yeah. And...
[Shaniqua] That should be good.
[Shakyia] Yeah.
[melancholic music playing]
[Shakyia] Living a normal life is difficult
being at this weight that I am at.
You got it.
[Shakyia] When I go grocery shopping,
we don't stay too long in the store
because my lymphedema won't allow me
to walk for so long
because it start to hurt.
It goes, you know, shocking pain, like,
I don't know why it does that.
If I try to use a regular shopping cart
and lean over it, my leg,
it'll go bad.
[Shaniqua] Okay, what do you need first?
[Shakyia] A bag of potatoes.
Oh, here's the meat right here.
[Shaniqua] Yeah, do you... What kind of steak we'll use this time?
Yeah.
So we need two of those.
Get four.
Okay, yeah.
Uh-huh.
Okay.
Let's get some chips.
Awesome. Got two.
[Shaniqua] You want the chips?
Yes.
Oh, look.
I'll get the apple juice.
Just all these snacks they got in here?
-Yeah. -Oh, let's get some chips.
We got them chips. They got them.
Is there any honey mustard kind?
Oh, honey mustard. Okay.
Get the sour cream and onion.
[Shaniqua] They got barbecue, chili lime, ranch.
-Get the barbecue. -[Shaniqua] Go ahead.
[Shakyia] Okay, let's go to the frozen aisle.
Let's see what they got over there.
Get some corndogs.
[Shaniqua] Really, Shay?
You want six or fourteen?
[Shakyia] Get the 14.
Oh, look, Niqua, they got our favorite cookies.
-[Shaniqua] Hmm. -[Shakyia] Go grab some.
-[Shaniqua] No, I'm okay. -[Shakyia] Go grab some.
She said, "Go grab some."
At some point, I do feel I lost control.
And I need to do something about it.
[indistinct chatter]
[Shaniqua] It feels pretty bad to see her struggle.
I just wanna see her, you know, live her best life.
Still young, you know? Have kids, get married.
You know, enjoying the things everybody else get to do.
My fear is her dying
if she doesn't lose the weight.
My grandmother, our brother,
just the family, we need her here.
And I know she's tired of being in that,
no offense [bleep] body.
[Natasha] Well, Shakyia, I hope you stick this thing through.
-[Shakyia] Oh, I am. [laughs] -Yeah.
We gonna lose the weight and keep you healthy.
Yes.
[Natasha] So you can go outside
and hang out with your friends.
-Yes. -Well?
[Shakyia] And then...
All your family supporting you.
My mom, everybody.
So just do your best.
We here for you.
[Shakyia] It's always so hard to stop.
Food is always there for me.
It makes me feel good in the inside.
[Natasha speaking]
[Shakyia speaking]
[Natasha] I will just put it on a plate.
And them titties weighing 150 pounds apiece.
But, yeah, it bothers me
that she sits in the house all day.
Of course, she's my daughter, I love her but I gotta make up
with my whole decision, so I ain't helping her.
Not anymore. I can't.
And I say, "You can lose the weight,
I'll do it if you... We can do it together."
But the problem is, she's an adult.
That's basically it.
[Shakyia] I need some ketchup.
I have fears that one day I'm just not gonna be able
to get up off the bed no more.
I don't want that to happen to me.
No one wants to be stuck in the house
and not able to walk.
My body is getting tired.
Enough is enough.
I need to do something
before I eat myself to death.
I need help.
[melancholic music playing]
[Shakyia] You all ready?
[Delilah] Yeah, we're ready.
You got the snacks and stuff?
[Delilah speaking]
[Shakyia] Okay.
Today, we're going to drive to Houston
so I can be with Dr. Now
and hopefully get his help losing weight.
Just will you grab my purse for me though?
-Your purse, where? -[Shakyia] Right there.
Oh, last little enjoyment of the snacks
and the fine food, y'all.
From Charlotte to Houston is a 15-hour drive.
So depending on how far we can drive each day,
we should be able to get there hopefully in three days.
Five hours a day isn't that much,
but I don't know what it's gonna feel like
when you're stuck in a car for that long.
My appointment with Dr. Now is in four days.
-[Delilah] Come on. -[Shakyia] I got it, I got it...
[laughs] See, I got in.
-Yeah. -Yes.
-[Delilah] You good? -Yes.
My sister Shaniqua is gonna do most of the driving.
And also coming with us is gonna be my best friend Delilah.
Woo!
So this is gonna be a long trip and pretty hard on my body.
But I'm only doing it because I feel like I have to.
I feel like if I don't do this,
I'm pretty much be done for.
[Delilah] Kyia, we're on the road, girl.
I know, right?
You ready for this journey?
Yes.
I can't wait, girl.
Oh, you're gonna be looking so beautiful.
I just hope and pray that this journey
would teach Kyia a lot.
I want Kyia to be healthy.
I want her to go on a strict diet.
She is gonna be the best-looking woman
that she's ever been.
But I will love her all the same,
small, skinny, big, tall,
you know, I will love Kyia all the same way.
Hi, Mr. Daddy.
Yeah, we've been in a car for a minute.
He's slow.
I apologize. He was looking at me
and I was looking at him. We locked eyes.
[Shaniqua] That's good...
I'm gonna make this real adventurous.
[laughter]
[Shaniqua] Shakyia and I are six years apart.
The tough thing is that we're just sisters
and sisters butt heads a lot.
But now we get along great. We...
I feel like I'm a really big help.
I'm excited for her.
But we get along really good now,
so I like that.
Can you hand my chips and my dip, please?
Delilah won't let me have chips.
[Shaniqua] And I expect for her to get her weight
and the weight that she has to lose
and the things that she has to do to lose that weight,
that's what I'm expecting.
But I know she can do it. She's...
She got... She got it.
It's gonna be tough.
But, you know, once you in those habits, it's hard to break,
but I believe she's ready.
I think she ready. I got the feeling that she's ready.
I got real good faith in her that she can do it.
[Shakyia] Oh, my God.
[laughter]
[Delilah speaking]
[birds chirping]
[Shakyia panting]
[grunting]
[clears throat]
[panting]
[Shaniqua] On the road again.
[Shakyia] On the road we go.
Yesterday wasn't so bad.
We made it about five hours, so we're right on track.
But when I woke up this morning,
I felt really sore.
And I was dreading getting back in the car again.
The worst part is I can barely move.
And I feel like with each passing hour now,
it's getting more uncomfortable.
[Shaniqua] Shakyia, is your leg okay?
Mmm-hmm.
I've been using snacking to distract myself
from the pain.
But the pain keeps growing.
[Shaniqua speaking]
[Delilah] Yeah, we're gonna stop to get something to eat, good Lord.
[Shaniqua speaking]
Stretch our legs out.
[Shaniqua] Yes.
[Shakyia] I'm not really feeling well.
So we decided we're going to stop
and get out and have a good meal.
Oh [bleep] you.
[Shaniqua] I gotta pee-pee.
You got it.
[Shakyia speaking]
[Shakyia] Dang, it's hot as hell out here.
-[waitress] Good afternoon! -[Shakyia] Good afternoon.
[waitress speaking]
Have a seat right here.
-[Shaniqua] How you doin'? -[waitress] We're good. How are you guys doin'?
-[Delilah] Good. -[Shaniqua] We're doing good.
[waitress] We make it fresh, and right now,
we only have popcorn chicken,
and we got hamburger steaks.
Okay. We can't... I'll just get the Culture Burger.
[waitress] Mmm-hmm. You want a cheeseburger or hamburger?
-Cheeseburger. -Do you want fries with it?
Yes, please.
You have ranch and honey mustard?
-Ranch and honey mustard? -Yes.
Okay.
[Shakyia speaking]
[Delilah] I messed it up.
[waitress] Here you go, girl.
[Shakyia] Oh, you messed it up?
[Shaniqua] Yeah, she didn't have bacon.
[Delilah] Is it a burger or somewhat, you know?
I hope there's no seeds in this.
[Shaniqua laughs]
[Shakyia] I hate being in public and eating
because I can't really stand people looking at me.
All right, guys. I got some fried chicken.
[Delilah] This definitely kills it.
[Shakyia speaking]
But the food is really good.
I'm just not looking forward to walking back
to the car,
cramming myself in there.
And there's a whole another day tomorrow.
[Delilah] All righty.
It's time to go now.
-You good? -[Shakyia] I don't feel good.
[Delilah] Oh, you didn't want your cake?
-[Shakyia] No. -[Delilah] Okay.
[Shakyia] I'm still feeling good actually. It's good.
[indistinct]
[melancholic music playing]
[Shakyia] [bleep]
[panting]
Right now, I'm trying not to question coming
on this road trip in the first place.
If we weren't more than halfway, I might go say,
"We're turning back."
[panting]
[melancholic music playing]
[Shaniqua] All right. We're in Louisiana.
[Delilah] Kyia, you doing fine?
Yeah, I'm okay.
[Delilah] It's been a long day, hasn't it, Ky?
Girl, what?
[Delilah] That's how we got to New Orleans.
I'm glad we even got to New Orleans.
I don't want to sleep.
I'm so tired, I have to get...
Go to sleep.
[Shakyia] The last three hours were brutal,
and the pain just keep escalating,
but at least we're finally ready to stop for the night,
so I can get out of here and lie down.
The only thing is I just have to get
to the room first.
[Shaniqua] All right. So let us go.
Yeah. Nice job.
[Shakyia] [bleep]
[Delilah] Give me that bag.
[Shakyia] I'll get my shoe.
You... [laughs]
[Shakyia] You guys just gonna leave me stuck?
[Shaniqua] You got it, Shakyia.
[Shakyia] I feel like Shaniqua and Delilah
aren't taking it seriously,
and how much pain I'm in.
It's nice to have them as a distraction,
and to help.
But they don't understand the toll
that it's taking on my body.
[Shaniqua] You got it, you need to sit down?
[Shakyia] I feel bad.
[Shaniqua] Yeah, but...
[panting]
[Shaniqua] Come on.
[Shakyia] They don't understand
how much effort it takes me.
[elevator bell dings]
Okay, 22...
-[Delilah] 26. -[Shaniqua] 226.
-[Delilah] 222. -[Shaniqua] I...
-It's this way. -[Delilah] This way?
-[Shaniqua] Yeah. -[Delilah] 223.
[Shaniqua] We're almost there, Shakyia.
-[Shakyia] Okay. -[Shaniqua] Oh, Lord.
[Shakyia] Okay.
[Delilah] It's a long journey.
She gonna rest now. Huh.
[Shaniqua] All right.
[Delilah] Look at this. This is a nice little bed.
[Shakyia] Nice little bed.
[Shaniqua] Dang, take my shoes off.
[Shakyia] [bleep]
[panting]
Oh, [bleep].
[Delilah] Slow down. You ain't gotta move so fast, slow down.
[Shakyia panting]
Oh, Lord. You see it, huh?
That was a wake-up call.
-Okay. -[Shaniqua] You all right?
[Shakyia] I'm okay.
And if I make it, I just hope Dr. Now can help me.
[Shakyia speaking]
Okay. Well, you get some rest, okay?
[Delilah] Yeah. We'll see you later.
[Shaniqua] All right?
[Shakyia speaking]
[Shaniqua] See you later.
[melancholic music playing]
[slow music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
[Shakyia] I woke up feeling determined
to make it to Houston.
But it's gonna take a lot of snacks to get me there.
Because this morning, I just felt worse.
[Shaniqua] Got it.
[Shakyia] Two days of being stuffed into the backseat
started to add up,
and it's had a big toll on my body.
[panting]
Food is the only thing that helps
to make it bearable.
Well, today will be the last days
I'll be able to enjoy whatever I like.
You know, once I see Dr. Now, it's over.
I'll be sticking to the diet.
No cheat days, no nothing,
just following along what...
The plan that he gives me.
The pain on my leg was flaring up
right from the jump.
So we're stopping to get some chicken fingers.
[Shaniqua] She got these.
[Shaniqua speaking]
-[Delilah] Well, they got a chicken sandwich. -[Shaniqua] All right.
-And now-- -[Delilah] Oh, they do?
[Shaniqua] Yeah. They got chicken sandwich.
[Shakyia] But they don't-- Yo, they got Texas toast, though.
I'mma get the six fingers
with extra Texas toast,
no coleslaw.
Can I get three, uh, six chicken finger combo?
Extra toast.
All of them with extra toast, no coleslaw?
[woman] $8.45.
[Shaniqua] All right.
I'll have some more napkins.
[Delilah] You want all the mayonnaise?
[Shaniqua] No, just give me a few. I don't like
mayo like the way back home.
[Shakyia] So tasty.
In some ways, I feel better
because I'm not in as much pain.
Yo.
I know, my last fast food meal.
The only way I get to eat fast food is a damn salad.
-[Shaniqua] Right. -Yeah, salad.
You need a lot... A lot of salad.
[Shakyia] But I'm starting to feel weirdly guilty
about eating like this.
Y'all ready?
[burps]
[Shakyia] Ooh, excuse me.
[Shakyia speaking]
But I just need to make it a little bit longer.
Woo, Texas!
Yes, yes, yes! Finally!
-[Shaniqua] Yes. You guys made it to Texas. -Finally.
We like the Texas, ey!
[Shaniqua] All right, Shakyia. So we're getting close to Houston.
I'm feeling nervous because tomorrow's the day
that I meet him, and, um, reality hits.
Reality is setting in.
Well, I'm excited for you.
I'm getting, you know, one step closer
to begin my weight loss journey.
We made it to Houston.
I'm dying to get out of this car.
But our journey having to walk to the room.
[Shaniqua speaking]
[Shakyia] Push me on one of them carts.
[Shaniqua] All right, Shakyia.
We're gonna park the car, um, and get it situated.
Ooh, can't get up?
Gotta wrap it.
[grunts]
This trip has made me realize how bad I've gotten.
[panting]
Tomorrow, I'm gonna turn my life around
after we see Dr. Now.
No matter what, I can't go on living like this.
[dramatic music playing]
[Shakyia] I'm going to see Dr. Now today
and I'm going to start the journey of weight loss.
I'm just nervous.
I'm just not sure exactly what Dr. Now will say.
Shakyia.
[Shakyia] Hi. How are you?
I'm okay.
[Shakyia] I don't know what my weight is.
Hi.
[Shakyia] I'm scared of seeing that.
I keep telling myself, "I got this.
You can get through it."
Step up on the scale, please.
[Shakyia] And I wish I ended up listening
to myself before it got to this point.
I just need the doctors to help me.
[dramatic music playing]
[Shakyia] After a really long drive from North Carolina,
I'm at Dr. Now's for my first appointment.
And I'm about to find out what I weigh.
[Shakyia speaking]
-It's closed. -No, it's not. Close them, for real.
[Shakyia speaking]
[woman] Your weight is 655.
We'll be going to room five.
[Shakyia] I don't know what to say to that.
That's a lot more than I thought it would be.
Oh, my gosh...
[Shakyia speaking]
I'm really scared what's going to happen.
And if Dr. Now's gonna be able to help me.
Hello? How y'all doing?
Hello.
All right.
You must be Shakyia?
Yes.
[Dr. Now speaking]
This is my sister Shaniqua
and this is my friend/sister Delilah.
Hi.
It was good.
[Dr. Now speaking]
This is the highest weight.
So...
I became an emotional eater.
I had some dramatic things happen.
I really started noticing like my weight
really picking up when I was, like, in college.
But it wasn't until recently it got worse
where I'm not able to do like the things I used to do.
I can walk but it's limited because it's in the way.
Okay.
What can I do to help me with, like,
the lymphedema and, like, the blisters?
Okay.
Yes.
Okay.
Yes.
It's my sister, my mom, her...
My stepdad and my nephews.
No.
[Dr. Now speaking]
Yes.
Yes, I have support.
Everybody agreed to help me.
Yes. I'm ready.
I'm ready to get out of this body.
[Dr. Now speaking]
I'm doing whatever it takes for me to lose weight.
Yes. I have three goals set.
One is to go back to college and finish
and graduate, become a teacher.
The second one is to join a sorority.
And the third one is to take a cruise
and go to the Bahamas.
[Dr. Now speaking]
-Okay? -Okay.
I wanna live long like my great grandma.
She lived till a hundred and two years old.
-Okay. -So how much weight
does she need to lose?
Okay.
[Dr. Now speaking]
-Okay? -Okay.
Mmm-hmm.
Okay.
Yes. I'm determined already.
I need... I'm already going in this
with an open mind, so.
And an open heart, so.
Okay.
All right.
Yeah, I can do this.
-[Delilah] You sure? -Yeah.
Okay. I can't wait.
Okay.
[Dr. Now] All right.
Okay.
[Dr. Now speaking]
Yes.
Okay.
Mmm-hmm.
All righty.
-Okay. -Yes.
-[Delilah] All right. -[Shakyia] See you later.
[dramatic music playing]
[door closes]
[dramatic music playing]
[Shakyia speaking]
[Shaniqua speaking]
[Shakyia speaking]
[Shaniqua speaking]
[Shakyia speaking]
[dramatic music playing]
[panting]
Okay.
[Shakyia] You wanna go for a little walk
before you lay down?
Mmm-hmm.
[Shakyia] It's been a few weeks
since I seen Dr. Now.
And I've been making all the changes
and doing what he says for the workouts.
It was hard at first,
especially how beat up my body was
after the trip to Texas.
But I'm doing my best to stick with it.
I've been trying to make all the changes
to get healthy now and forever.
And push through the pain if necessary.
[Shakyia speaking]
Okay. Just walk to the front of my car and back up?
[Zion] Mmm-hmm.
[Shakyia] Dr. Now says to do an hour in the morning
and an hour at night.
At first, that felt like a lot but it's getting easier,
so I guess I must be making progress.
Dr. Now gave me a bunch of times
to set up to talk to a therapist...
but I got busy and missed them all,
so I need to call and get new times.
I've just been focused on getting things going...
but now I'm doing better with that.
I got to follow up about the therapy
because I know that'll be good for me
and I think it will help
because I know I have to do better about my emotions
because I know I'm an emotional eater.
There's times when I can't control it.
And I really think that might be a place
where I can improve.
[Zion] I want the dragon.
[Zion] Um...
It's okay.
[Shaniqua] Come on.
Hello, Shakyia.
Shaniqua.
It's hot outside.
[Shakyia] It's hot.
[Shaniqua] Um, so Shakyia, what's for dinner?
Um...
a grilled chicken salad.
[Shaniqua] Oh, grilled chicken salad.
That sounds good.
It's just gonna be some lettuce and some chicken.
Yeah, that's enough for me.
How have you been doing with your diet?
I'm sticking to it good.
[Shaniqua] That's great.
-You wanna eat a salad? -No.
[Shakyia] It's been eye-opening,
trying to cut back on my diet and eat right
because of how much stuff I've been doing wrong before now.
Like, how I'm not even supposed to have fruit juice.
This is the salad dressing I was talking about
I found, it's zero calories, fat-free, zero.
That's honey mustard?
-[Shakyia] Mmm-hmm. -Okay.
What?
Okay. So this is only, um, 15 calories.
That is only 110 calories if you get five pieces,
but I didn't get five pieces
so you got to cut that in half.
I'm very proud of you for sticking to the diet
and maintaining it.
And, um, and I'm just super excited
for your journey,
for the new you.
-[Shakyia] Yes. -The new and improved you.
-Yeah. -Because I'm about
to bounce with the kids.
[Shakyia] I don't know. I think I'm doing it.
I made a lot of big changes already.
If I can get the weight loss surgery,
that's when I would really start losing weight.
[Shaniqua] Bye. Love you.
[Shakyia] Bye.
[dramatic music playing]
[telephone beeping]
[keys beeping]
[telephone ringing]
[Shakyia speaking]
[woman] At the tone, please record your message.
When you are finished,
you may hang up or press 1 for more options.
It was scheduled for three months ago.
Last time I saw her was five months ago
and I haven't heard from her since then.
Hopefully nothing's happened to her.
At this point,
I don't know what's going on with her.
Hopefully she didn't get to a point
where her weight was too much for her body
and her time ran out.
[dramatic music playing]
Hi, Dr. Now.
[Shakyia speaking]
I had came home from work
and I, um, had cooked me some dinner
and then all of a sudden, I didn't feel good
and I went to lay down and then they said
that I didn't, uh, wake up out of my sleep.
And next time I woke up,
I was waking up off the ventilator.
What happened?
They said that I, um, had a respiratory failure.
When I woke up off the ventilator,
I lost the ability...
I lost my ability to walk.
So, um, my mom was unable to take care of me,
so she sent me to hospice.
So I'm glad you're doing better.
Uh, so I was worried that something like that
can happen and, uh...
Where your body might, uh, got into the breaking point
and I'm glad that you found out
that, uh, you are doing better.
How long you were sick?
[Shakyia] For about a couple of months.
So that's why you couldn't call and let us know
what was going on with you, huh?
Um, I did notify like someone in the hospital to...
To try to reach out to you guys
to let you know what was going on, but, um, no,
I guess they didn't do what they were supposed to do.
So...
So what is your plan now?
You have to go back to the hospital or the hospice?
[Shakyia] Yes, I'm still in hospice care,
but I don't like it here
because I can't have visitors,
so it's lonely.
I want to get out.
So at this point, uh, you're gonna go back home?
Am I gonna go back home?
Hmm.
My mom kicked me out. I don't have a place to go.
Me and my friend was supposed to get
an apartment together,
then I'm gonna try to move to Houston
so I can keep doing your program.
Okay.
You're doing better with your eating habit now?
[Shakyia] I don't know my current weight
because they don't have a scale,
but I've been sticking to the diet
and I know I lost a lot of weight.
So what are you gonna do about your eating habit?
Uh, are they providing you some meals...
or are you gonna have to be doing that for yourself?
[Shakyia] They usually bring me a meal.
I just try to eat protein.
Uh...
Yeah, I, um, do the exercises
with the walker that I can do,
um, standing up, so I'm able to move around.
All right.
Uh, well, I am glad you're doing better
and you're out
of the hospital.
And at this time, you need to stick
with your healthy eating habit
and try that.
And if you want be in my program,
uh, we're gonna get, uh, you
to go to a local clinic and get your weight check
and see what kind of progress you're making, okay?
Okay.
Uh, if you lost weight,
then I will discuss with you
coming down here for weight loss surgery.
[Shakyia] Okay. Thanks, Dr. Now.
All right. You take care, okay?
Okay. You, too.
All right. Bye now.
Bye-bye.
I am very glad to finally hear from Shakyia
and to find out she's doing okay,
but her situation in the hospital
wasn't ideal for her.
But hopefully, she'll be able to make
some other arrangements soon.
And if she does that,
then we will get her current weight
and see where she's at.
Hopefully, she's truthful
about how she's trying to eat healthy,
but I have some doubt because
even if she was sick for a few months
and respond to my voicemail,
so I think she was trying to avoid me
for good portion of time.
And usually when that's the case,
it is because it hasn't been much of progress.
And on top of that, I'm not sure
she's being truthful about being in the hospital
that amount of time.
She may have been at some point,
but she didn't look like she was in that call.
But hopefully, we will be able to get update on her weight soon.
[dramatic music playing]
[Shakyia] I guess you could say things
haven't been going all that well.
And I get it, but it's still upsetting.
But I'm not sure how I'm gonna cover
my portion of the rent.
But my plan is to get a job at a call center...
then move to Houston as soon as I can.
So it's just gonna be a temporary situation for me...
It's been really hard to do the exercises like he wants.
[dramatic music playing]
[Shakyia] Some things are not great, but I'm not giving up.
I still want to use Dr. Now's program
and lose weight.
It would just be a little easier to stay on point
once I have my own place.
I'm not quite sure how I'm gonna lose the weight
without any support,
but I know I need to get to Houston.
It won't be easy, but it'll be worth it.
So I'm trying to keep that goal in my sight
and do what I gotta do.
-[birds chirping] -[dramatic music playing]
[Shakyia] It seems like I finally got a break
because I was able to find a place to live...
and that feels pretty good.
Right now, I'm staying in extended stay,
but I'm trying to get to Houston with Dr. Now
to do the program.
I have lost some weight, not that much,
but I try to get back on track with Dr. Now now.
I have a little more control over whatever I can eat.
So now that I'm in a better place
to work on the program,
I'm ready to follow-up with Dr. Now.
I am trying to establish eating a healthy breakfast
and doing some exercises from the book,
every morning doing it.
[dramatic music playing]
One, two,
three, four, five.
It's not gonna be long enough
before I think I'll be ready to reach out to Dr. Now
and let him know how I'm doing.
And the next step after that,
it's gonna be us talking about my surgery and me going to Houston.
Fourteen, fifteen.
One.
One, two,
there, four,
five, six.
There was a bad stretch for a bit,
but I'm just dying to put that all behind me
because I already missed out too much in life.
Twelve, thirteen,
fourteen, fifteen.
[dramatic music playing]
[Shakyia] I worked hard for the past month
to do Dr. Now's program.
Then I called him to see if we could set up an appointment,
but his receptionist said that
Dr. Now wants to do a call first.
So I'm doing that today
and I plan to tell Dr. Now
I'm going to move to Houston soon
and that I lost weight.
So hopefully, I can get weight loss surgery once I move down there.
[laptop chimes]
Hi, Shakyia, how are you doing?
[Shakyia] Hey, Dr. Now, I'm doing okay.
-And yourself? -[Dr. Now] I'm doing good.
And so what's going on with you?
I'm outta hospice now and I'm trying to, um,
save up the money to move to Houston.
So where are you staying?
Right now, I'm staying at a extended stay hotel.
So moving to Houston, is it premature right now?
It has been almost a year
and we need to determine
if you have made any progress or not.
So now, that you're out of hospice,
we can go ahead and check your weight
and see what kind of progress you have made.
Okay, can I get an appointment to come see you to show you my weight?
Well, what we're gonna do is set an appointment for you over there
to go to local clinic and check your weight
and see how your progress has been.
Okay, so if I lost the weight, would I be able to get weight loss surgery?
Okay, Shakyia, if you have done the diet,
you should have lost 300 to 400 pounds by now,
but clearly you haven't done that.
So until you lose a decent amount of weight,
we're not moving ahead with you.
I'm gonna move to Houston no matter what
'cause that's what I need to do
'cause I know that I lost the weight.
All right, that's your choice, but we're not doing anything
unless we get your update on your weight, okay?
So if we set up that in a local clinic, are you gonna go to that?
-Yes, I will go to that. -Okay.
So we're gonna set up that and let you know the options
and when you're gonna be able to go ahead and do that, okay?
All righty.
Okay, Shakyia, if you need anything before then let me know.
Okay. I will.
Okay, Shakyia, I'll talk to you soon.
Okay. Thank you, Dr. Now.
All right. Bye now.
Bye-bye.
And I just want to go get my surgery already
and finally move ahead and have a better life.
So I'm frustrated 'cause I feel like
this is gonna make things take longer.
But I know I still have to save up some money
before I'll be ready to move anyway,
so I'm just gonna focus on that now.
And hopefully, the appointment will be soon,
so I can show Dr. Now my progress
and move forward like I want.
[dramatic music playing]
I've been working hard at sticking to the diet, hopefully, I'm below 500.
I feel like I lost some.
It's been a week since I talked to Dr. Now
and my appointment is set up for me
to go to the local clinic today
to get my weight checked.
-[man] Shakyia? -[Shakyia] Hello.
It's been a long few months since I last got weighed.
Hasn't been easy to stay on track,
but I've been working hard
'cause Dr. Now is in the back of my mind the whole time.
So, hopefully, all that worrying paid off.
I was around 650 when I went to his clinic in Houston
and I was supposed to lose 50 pounds in two months,
but I was in and out of the hospital and stuff like that.
So if I just stick with the original goal
then I need to be down around 600 today.
[man] All right. We got it.
[Shakyia] That just sucks 'cause I know I did better than that.
And the only reason it's so high
is because all the setbacks I have with my health,
but at least it's a loss.
So, hopefully, Dr. Now will see that
I've been working hard
and he'll tell me I can get surgery.
[dramatic music playing]
[phone chimes]
Hi, Shakyia. So we have your weight today.
Yes. I lost... I'm down to 643.
So you were 655 11 months ago.
So you lost a total of 12 pound in a year...
In about a year.
That's a pound a month you lost.
You should have been losing a pound a day.
So that means that you missed
a couple of meals in the past year.
Not that you trying to make the changes you need.
I've been working hard to lose weight,
but I know I can do better Dr. Now.
If you give me another chance now that I'm back on my own,
I can now lose the weight.
Shakyia, it's been a year
and you wasted a lot of that time.
So you don't have a lot of time to waste if you wanna do this.
I know, Dr. Now.
I hear that and I'm gonna now do it.
You say that, but how long you need to show that?
You never followed the therapy and talk to them.
I had to go into hospice and I was unable to.
You got a lot of excuses, Shakyia,
but you are the one that has ultimately to decide.
No matter what the situation is,
you have to do this if you want to save your life.
If not, and then there is nothing we can do for you.
You understand that?
Yes, Dr. Now, I understand that.
If you give me another chance,
I'll show you that I'm able to do it.
Well, we'll set you up to come back in two months
and if you lost 50 pounds,
then we will discuss the option at that point.
But this is your last chance.
Do you understand that?
Yes. Thank you, Dr. Now.
I'm gonna do it and show you that I can lose the weight.
Okay.
We're gonna do some checkup with you
then we'll be done.
Do you still have the book and the paper I gave you
or we need to send you another copy?
Yes, I still have them.
Okay, follow them, and if you have any question, then give me a call, okay?
Talk to you soon.
Okay. Bye, Dr. Now.
Okay, bye now.
Shakyia seems to be continuing justifying what she does
and the unhealthy choices she makes.
And I think, overall, she hasn't been honest with me.
So she continued the pattern of doing
what she always does
and making excuses to try and manipulate the situation.
So I think she's looking for a quick fix with the surgery
and hoping the hard work will be done for her.
Hopefully, I'm wrong
and she'll surprise me next time we check on her.
If she doesn't show me
that she's taking her situation seriously this next time,
then we won't be moving ahead with her.
[Shakyia] I just had an appointment with Dr. Now.
He's giving me a second chance.
Yeah, I'm hopeful to go back to Houston
and being in a program.
I know this chance is important.
I wish I lost more weight.
It's just been such a hard year.
I can't blame myself because it was so much out of my control.
So I'm gonna put all that behind me and work hard
to show Dr. Now that I'm ready for this.
[dramatic music playing]
[Shakyia] Since my last weight check a month ago,
I've been working hard to improve my eating habit.
I want to lose more and I know I can do it.
So I've been more focused than ever on doing the right thing
and watching what I put in my body.
And I've been doing the exercises too.
[dramatic music playing]
I know I've been making progress.
Um, I'm still determined to move to Houston.
I'm gonna make sure I get there.
I only cook stuff out of Dr. Now's book
and I did another round of cutbacks
on my sugar and carbs.
So I have almost none now.
I've been working harder than I ever have.
With the exercises, I've been putting more effort in that too.
I got back to doing all of them,
which I haven't been doing.
So, I'm trying to do all the exercises in the book,
and also to go walking some more.
I know I can do better
and show Dr. Now some good weight loss.
And I know I have to do that
because I pledge to move to Houston
in a couple of months no matter what.
One.
And I want that surgery
and I know this is my big chance
and I'm not gonna waste it.
You'll see, I'm gonna get to Houston and I know it.
[dramatic music playing]
[Shakyia] I want to wait till the clinic to go get weighed in.
It's been a couple of weeks since I'd seen, um, Dr. Now.
So, hopefully, I met the goal.
I'm excited to get weighed in,
but I'm nervous to talk to Dr. Now.
[dramatic music playing]
[Shakyia] I feel pretty confident that I did better this time,
and I'm gonna have more weight loss to show Dr. Now.
I know it'll be more.
I just don't know if it will be enough.
[dramatic music playing]
Thank you.
Mmm-hmm.
Hmm.
[door creaks]
Shakyia?
-Okay. Let's go. -How's it going?
-It's going okay. -Good. Good.
[Shakyia] My last weigh in I was at 643.
And Dr. Now told me I need to lose 50 pounds today.
So that would mean I'll be at 593 today,
if I did what I was supposed to do.
All right. Okay. Okay.
You can grab on me. I ain't gonna drop you.
Got you.
[tense music playing]
I'm heading in the right direction,
but I know Dr. Now is gonna think I'm not trying.
Perfect.
Hey, Dr. Now.
Hi, Shakyia. How you doing?
I'm good.
So what is your weight, uh, today?
I'm at 635.
Uh, 635,
so you lost 8 pounds instead of 50.
That's not a lot of progress.
That's as much as I lost in the past year.
That's an improvement.
Something is always gonna be improvement over nothing.
So, that's not saying much.
The reality is that it's been over a year now
and you only lost 20 pounds.
So, you haven't changed your diet much at all.
I cutback and I cutback even more on these past few months.
So I'm trying, Dr. Now.
If you give me another chance,
I can keep going and lose even more.
And, Shakyia, you had enough time to do this.
And I told you last time this was your last chance.
This year been so hard on me, Dr. Now,
please give me one more chance.
Shakyia, everybody has things in life to deal with.
They don't use that as an excuse
to eat 6,000 calories a day
and things you tell me don't make sense
if you're actually serious about this.
So at this point, there is no reason
to do any more follow-up appointments.
Please don't give up on me, Dr. Now.
Shakyia, I don't give up on anyone.
People can give up on themselves.
And we try to help them
to get back to where they need,
but we cannot make choices for them.
I'm not giving up on me. I'm going to do this.
You say that but your action doesn't back that up.
What I will do is offer you therapy
and if you want, I will set that up remotely,
and maybe working on thing with them over time.
We'll get you to a place where you're ready to make the changes you need.
But right now you're not,
and we cannot work with you if this is the situation.
So, is that something you are willing to do?
The therapy?
Yes.
If I do that, will that be a part of your program?
If you work on things and lose at least 50 pounds, then we can talk.
But right now going forward,
we're not gonna do any follow-up with you.
And the only thing I'm offering you
is for you to do the therapy.
And if you go to the doctor and check your weight and you lose 50 pounds,
at some point, you can reach back out to me.
But otherwise, this is it.
Okay, I'll do the therapy, but I can do it in person
because I'm gonna move to Houston.
You can do however you want, but don't move here
thinking that's gonna matter for the program, okay?
Okay, I get that.
All right. My office will follow up
to set up that therapy for you,
but I wish you luck and hope you wake up
and get healthy at some point soon,
because you're still rolling the dice with your body every day
with all that strain on you.
So, you need to change that soon.
Okay, Dr. Now, I'm gonna show you that I'm gonna do this.
Let me know if you do.
Okay. Thank you, Dr. Now.
[Dr. Now] All right. Bye.
[dramatic music playing]
I am glad that Shakyia's situation
hasn't gotten worse over the last year,
but it is clear after over a year
she's not willing to make the changes she need
to turn her life around.
No matter how much she says she is,
it doesn't matter if she's not going to put action to it.
Ultimately, we can't make the choices she need for her
and we can't keep going through the same motions forever.
So there is nothing more we can do for her at this point
other than offer her some therapy.
She avoided that when I first set that up for her.
So I'm skeptical if she's gonna actually follow through with it now.
Hopefully, she will realize how important it is
to start dealing with the things she need
and learning to cope with life in better ways that aren't self-destructive.
But with her, I think, that's gonna take a lot of time.
So we'll see if she follows through with that,
and if it has much of an effect for her.
Otherwise, I wish her the best.
She's playing a dangerous game
the more time she wastes
and I hope that she manages to do what she need
before it's too late.
[dramatic music playing]
[Shakyia] Well, that just really sucks.
I know I need to do better,
but the past couple of months were like the first time
I really felt like I was doing it right
and that was a huge improvement
with everything going on in my life.
So I wish he gave me more credit for that,
but I'm not giving up.
I'm going to make it to Houston,
lose the weight and get surgery from Dr. Now.
I'm determined to do that
and I'm not going to let up on that
until I make it no matter what, period.
[dramatic music playing]
I've been working very hard for the past few months
since the last time I've seen Dr. Now.
I'm very hopeful for the future.
I definitely have been losing the weight
and I'm still working on moving to Houston too.
Matter of fact, I have plans to move really soon.
I found a place and I'm just working to save up money,
and it won't be long now because I'm getting close.
My plan is to show up in Houston
at my goal weight for getting surgery.
Then he won't be able to tell me no.
I also think that doing therapy will be good,
but I haven't wanted to do it remotely.
So that would be good, too,
because I'll be able in Houston
to meet with the girl who the doctor has for me.
So I'm as committed to Dr. Now's program as ever.
And I'm not giving up.
I know I could have done better overall,
but this whole year has been really hard
and I had some bad luck that I had to overcome.
And I'm proud of myself for not giving up,
especially when my mom kicked me out
and I just kept pushing forward all on my own,
like I always had to.
But after all of that, I'm not going to give up.
No way.
I'm gonna take what I always learned
that I can only really count on myself.
[man] Pull it up.
[Shakyia] And if I apply that to the situation,
and it just means that I need to count on myself
to follow through with this program,
and finally, I'll get the help I need
and get the surgery.
Oh, won't that be glorious?
[dramatic music playing]