One, two, three, four, five, six.
Can I get some lunch? Not my feet.
The cocoa butter looks.
This. I barely can even, like, you know, take care of my fiancée.
As a woman, because of me being overweight.
And I don't want to be unfair to him.
He's completely devoted to me because I helped him get out of prison.
But still, I don't want him to feel like he have to take care of me, you know?
Anything she asks me to do, I help her with.
She don't want to be a burden on.
But she's not a burden. You know what I'm saying?
She ain't gonna let me help her cook because she know I can't cook.
You see? Yeah, I'm good.
All right. Thank you, babe.
Love you.
Love you, too.
Food is like my best friend.
Can I have some juice, Miss Vee?
When I eat, it takes the stress away.
That's what I do to help me cope with things.
I need a roller cart.
Right. We're going to have to get one.
I know that the food is unhealthy and it's not good for me.
But with the habit that I had so long, it's hard to change that.
So I'm disappointed in myself for letting myself get to this place.
But, you know, you can't change the past.
You know the situation with me as a child.
I have three siblings, my sister, my older brother.
I have a deceased brother.
I was a baby.
And up until the time that I was 12, everything was really peaceful.
My dad was always at work.
He was the provider to bring in the finances with my mom.
She was a great stay at home.
You know, mom, she made sure that we didn't want for anything.
Both of my parents are Baptists.
Bible study, Sunday School, praise, dancing and just learning the work of God and
positive people with positive attitudes.
And during my early elementary school years, I was always a little chubby.
Food was just something we did as a family and as a community.
And I love eating for that reason, because food always meant love.
But then when I was 12, everything changed because that's when my mom died very
suddenly. My mother had asked me real bad.
So one night she was having an attack.
So my older brother Terry took Mom to the hospital, and before she left, she said, If I
don't make it back, tell everybody I love him.
But, you know, I'm not thinking that it's a possibility that my mom not going to come
back. So when we got to the hospital, when we went in the room and my sister, they had
us go in there and I was trying to wake my mom up, but she wouldn't wake up.
She was just laying there.
And I just kept on pushing her, trying to wake her up, and she wouldn't tell me she was
dead. So I just I couldn't even cry because I didn't believe it was real.
I've been dealing with it every day of my life.
Just seeing my mama, lady her and I come and take her with me.
When my mom passed away, I started to turn food into a comfort food, took my painful
thoughts away, and it made me happy for that moment.
When my mom passed away, my father moved away three months later with a lady that I
didn't get along with.
I moved in with my older sister, which is my only sister.
I stayed with her for a few years.
She always was a good little girl.
Once my mom passed, she had to come live with me.
And I guess I think she felt like she was kind of alone.
But she had my kids to play with.
But it's just not like having your mother.
When I turned 15, I got my own place, and I was only able to do that because my dad came
through and signed for the lease in his own name.
And I've just been on my own ever since.
So my dad, being the type of man that he is financial wise, he did what he could, but as
a child he wasn't available, you know, to be there when I needed him the most.
So then I lived on my own for a while, and during that time I gained a lot of weight.
By the time I was 15, I was up to 200.
And by the time I was 17, I was up to £300 because I really had no one taking care of me
and I couldn't do whatever I wanted.
It was the food that made me feel better.
I was going to drop out of school, but my godmother got ahold of me and made me finish.
Natalia got through a depression.
She started eating more and staying to herself a lot.
And that bothered me.
I can't really explain.
It, but she changed a lot.
As I got grown.
I just got comfortable with life and, you know, I just gained a lot of weight over the
years, you know? I saw her.
And I told LaTonya, I said, You're going to have to get control of your weight.
She felt like she had control of it because she said she was walking, she was in the gym
exercising. But at some point, I guess she stopped dieting.
And kept eating.
Like five years ago.
I fell and broke my knee.
So I went to the hospital and that's when I got the motorized wheelchair.
And once I sat down in one of those.
It's like I never got back up here and my health has gone downhill ever since.
Praise God that during that dark time I was able to find a real light.
It was during that time when my fiancé got in touch with me.
I was incarcerated and I ran into one of her cousins.
He knew I was into big money women, so he was like, I got a cousin for you.
He showed me the picture of her.
And so I was like, Yeah, see, I looked past what other people see her weight and this and
that. I know she a good person.
She teach me some things, you know what I'm saying?
I knew that he loved me just the way I am.
I just can't thank God enough.
You know how God worked things out.
But now I need to be able to live long enough for us to grow old together.
A few years back, I went to see Dr.
Neil, but I don't think he ever took me really seriously because I decided that I
wasn't ready yet.
I couldn't commit to doing the program.
But now I'm thinking that I need to go back and see him again.
You're done. Yes, ma'am.
Thank you.
You did real good.
Can I get a wet towel?
Wash my hands and stuff?
Yes, ma'am.
Thank you. Turn you.
Thank you. Know what time it is?
What time it is.
I don't know what time it is.
It's good to grocery store. Ready?
When you ready?
When you read.
Adrian got the keys. He's waiting for you outside.
Okay, I'm coming.
It's cool. I go grocery shopping maybe once a month because it's hard for me to get back
and forth to the grocery store.
Oh, you?
Yeah.
What'd you tell Adrian?
I'm coming. Please.
And you guys can go on and get the boys and stuff ready so it can be all ready.
Ready. All right.
All right, baby. Thanks, Big.
Thank you. My nephew Adrian.
Maybe, like three times a week, you know, Actually, do I need help and run my errands
and do things for me, you know?
Oh, my God. It's cold out here.
I told you it was cool.
It's freezing. I'm sorry, guys.
Told you it was cool. I am so sorry.
I'm sorry. I told you it was cool.
I'm trying to get.
Y'all some gloves. Y'all could have had the.
You just said.
That. Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Actually, I'm in my van.
That takes a lot of energy.
So before I can start the van and drive, I have to take a breath because it took so much
energy to do all that moving.
I you guys.
Okay, Andrija. I think we should get.
Leave me. Oh.
Hold on. No. Up. Back up.
That's good right there. I take my chair because when I ride the store wheelchairs,
I'm uncomfortable.
When I'm in my wheelchair, I'm comfortable and I don't get really tired when I go
grocery shopping because I'm doing something that I like.
Once I get inside, I'll be in the store for hours because I don't know the next time when
I'm going to go. Everybody got a hobby and food is my hobby.
Oh, y'all get some donuts.
The glazed donuts get the.
And wants to them different.
I eat about six times per day.
The one two chips over here.
I need some nuggets.
Is making.
Turkey baking with some juice.
Pork, beef, chicken, tilapia, fish and a salad or something like that.
Jambalaya, rice.
Macaroni and cheese.
I love chips.
I like candy cakes, you know, cookies, you know, sweet stuff like that.
I love cereal.
Some days I don't even eat regular food.
I just eat snacks all day.
I get pretty tired.
You to be blessed.
Food is my comfort zone, and I'm just trying to get out, get in the car so I can eat chips
or something like that.
So.
Oh. Oh.
Oh, my God.
Ooh, don't drop that.
It's hot. Yeah.
Ouch. I'll call you when it's ready, babe.
Okay. It's so hard to stop because the food.
It just feels so good, you know?
It takes the pain away.
It's been my friend for a long time.
Oh, yeah. I'm ready to go to Houston.
And meet Dr. Nile.
My mama used to say, if you're going to worry, don't pray.
If you're going to pray, don't worry.
For all the people who was praying for me, man, I thank them.
You know what I'm saying? Now it's my turn to pay her back.
You know, that's why I'm here.
I'm going to stay with her forever.
She going to do it this time all the way?
She going to go all the way? Lose this weight because she got me with him.
The outcome. And when I'm eating, my fear is if I don't lose weight, that I won't be
around a lot longer.
I want to change this.
I want to save my life because I don't want to be this person anymore.
I don't want to be in this body.
My body feels like it's my prison.
I'm ready to get out of it.