>>> WELCOME BACK.
THIS MORNING IN OUR TAKE IT OFF
TODAY SERIES, ONE OF THE MOST
INCREDIBLE HEALTH
TRANSFORMATIONS WE'VE EVER
BROUGHT YOU.
>> 47-YEAR-OLD RAFAEL STRUGGLED
WITH HIS WEIGHT HIS ENTIRE LIFE.
>> SOMETHING CHANGED IN 2011
WHEN HE WAS IN HIS LATE 30s.
>> THAT'S WHEN DOCTORS TOLD HIM
HE WAS FACING LIFE OR DEATH,
LITERALLY.
>> THROUGHOUT MY LIFE, I'VE
STRUGGLED WITH MY WEIGHT.
AS A KID, I WOULD EAT A LOT OF
PROCESSED FOODS, AND AS I GOT
OLDER, I STARTED DRINKING.
THE MORE I ATE AND DRANK, THE
MORE WEIGHT I TACKED ON.
I REMEMBER SLEEPING 10 TO 11
HOURS A DAY, EATING, AND GOING
BACK TO SLEEP.
BY AGE 33, I WEIGHED 390 POUNDS.
I THOUGHT ABOUT TRYING TO LOSE
WEIGHT, BUT THE STRESSES FROM
WORK AND OVEREATING KEPT ME FROM
ACHIEVING THAT.
AS TIME WENT ON, I STOPPED
LEAVING THE HOUSE.
I WOULD STAY INSIDE ALL DAY, TOO
EMBARRASSED TO GO OUTSIDE.
IN 2011, MY HEALTH TOOK A TURN.
SUFFERING FROM SLEEP APNEA, I
WOKE UP ONE MORNING WITH A FEVER
AND THE SORES ON MY LEGS WERE
HURTING ME BADLY.
FINALLY, MY DOCTOR TOLD ME IF I
DIDN'T GET MYSELF TO A HOSPITAL,
I WOULD DIE.
WHEN I FINALLY MADE IT TO THE
HOSPITAL, I THOUGHT I WEIGHED
ROUGHLY 600 POUNDS.
INSTEAD, I WEIGHED IN AT 831
POUNDS, HAD LIWAS BORDERLINE DI.
EVERYTHING HIT ME AT THAT
MOMENT, HOW BAD I LET MYSELF GO,
HOW I NEVER PUT MY HEALTH FIRST.
EVERYTHING WAS FALLING APART.
WHEN I GOT HOME, I KNEW I HAD TO
MAKE SOME CHANGES.
I CUT OUT DRINKING AND STARTED
LIMITING THE FOODS I COULD EAT.
I STOPPED EATING BREAD AND,
INSTEAD, ATE HARD BOILED EGGS,
FRUITS, AND DRANK PROTEIN
SHAKES.
BY 2014, MY WEIGHT DROPPED TO
400 POUNDS.
I WAS DOING SIT-UPS IN BED AND
BEING AS ACTIVE AS I COULD.
I WASN'T FINISHED.
WHEN I FINALLY GOT DOWN TO 320
POUNDS, I WAS ABLE TO GO FOR
GASTRIC SURGERY IN AUGUST 2017.
I LOST ABOUT 70 POUNDS AFTER THE
SURGERY, BUT I STILL HAD
PROBLEMS WITH MY LEGS AND SKIN
AND NEEDED MORE SURGERY TO FIX
THEM.
IN MARCH OF 2018, I HAD MY FIRST
SKIN REMOVAL SURGERY, FOLLOWED
UP BY ANOTHER ONE MONTH LATER.
I'M FINALLY FEELING GOOD ABOUT
MYSELF, BUT I KNOW I HAVE A LONG
WAY TO GO BEFORE GETTING TO
WHERE I WANT TO BE.
>> RAFAEL HAS CONTINUED DROPPING
THE WEIGHT.
AFTER THE BREAK, WE'RE GOING TO
MEET HIM AND SEE HIS
>>> WELCOME BACK.
BEFORE THE BREAK, WE BROUGHT YOU
THE STORY OF RAFAEL.
>> AT HIS HEAVIEST, WE WEIGHED
MORE THAN 800 POUNDS AND FACED A
HEALTH CRISIS.
>> NOW, HE HAS CHANGED HIS LIFE.
HE HAS DROPPED MORE THAN 600
POUNDS.
>> WOW.
>> I THINK IT IS TIME TO MEET
HIM, RIGHT?
>> YES.
>> CHECK OUT HIS AMAZING
TRANSPORTATION.
RAFAEL, COME ON OUT.
>> OH!
>> LOOK AT YOU.
>> COME ON OVER.
COME OVER, RAFAEL.
>> OH, MY GOODNESS.
NICE TO MEET YOU.
>> SO NICE TO MEET YOU.
>> CONGRATULATIONS.
>> THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME.
>> HOW DO YOU FEEL?
>> GREAT.
>> YEAH?
YOU LOOK GREAT.
>> THANK YOU.
>> HOW MUCH DID YOU LOSE TOTAL?
>> OVER 600.
>> MORE THAN 600.
>> YEAH, MORE THAN 600 POUNDS.
>> I WAS READING YOUR STORY.
WHAT GOT ME, THERE WAS A TIME
YOU TALK ABOUT HAVING TO GO TO
THE HOSPITAL, HAVING SERIOUS
HEALTH ISSUES.
YOU HAD TO CRAWL INTO THE
HOSPITAL, LIKE YOU COULDN'T
REALLY WALK IN.
>> I HAD TO CRAWL DOWN MY
STAIRS.
>> YOU HAD TO CRAWL JUST TO GET
OUT?
>> TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE,
YEAH.
I HADN'T BEEN OUT OF THE HOUSE
FOR GOING ON ABOUT TWO AND A
HALF TO THREE YEARS.
>> WOW.
>> IT WAS A BIG ORDEAL JUST TO
GET OUT OF THE HOUSE.
PREPARING FOR THE AMBULANCE TO
COME GET ME.
>> AMAZING.
>> BEING IN THE SITUATION, WAS
IT ENOUGH TO GIVE YOU THE PUSH
TO SAY, I NEED TO DO SOMETHING,
I NEED TO CHANGE THIS?
>> I WAS ON THE ROAD, BUT I
WASN'T QUITE THERE YET.
I STARTED GETTING ALL THESE O
BEOBESITY-RELATED ILLNESSES.
I WASN'T GETTING BETTER.
I NEEDED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL.
I NEVER FELT THAT BAD, AND I
JUST FELT I WAS GOING TO DIE.
>> I JUST HEARD YOU TELL AL THAT
YOU SAW HIS STRUGGLE.
>> YEAH.
I SAW WHEN HE DID THE SURGICAL
SLEEVE.
>> BYPASS.
>> THAT SCARED ME.
YOU KNOW, IT WAS JUST SCARY.
SCARY PROCESS.
>> HOW HAS YOUR LIFE CHANGED?
I MEAN, THERE ARE THE BIG
ISSUES, OBVIOUSLY, BUT WHAT ARE
THE SMALLER, EVERYDAY THINGS
THAT YOU ALL OF A SUDDEN
REALIZE, I COULDN'T DO THIS
BEFORE?
>> WALKING, GOING TO THE STORE,
ANYTHING.
I JUST LOVE GETTING UP TO
GROCERY SHOP.
THOSE LITTLE THINGS.
GETTING OUT OF MY CAR TO GO --
TO GET A BOTTLE OF WATER.
USED TO HAVE PEOPLE WORK FOR ME,
GO DO THIS, GO DO THAT.
I WAS VERY DEPENDENT ON A LOT OF
PEOPLE.
>> YOU GOT A PAIR OF PANTS OVER
HERE NEXT TO YOU.
THIS -- THESE ARE PANTS YOU
ACTUALLY WORE?
>> I WORE THEM FOR A BRIEF TIME,
BUT I ACTUALLY GOT A LOT BIGGER
THAN THIS.
I HAD TO -- CAN I GET UP AND
SLOW THEM?
>> OF COURSE.
>> AT ONE POINT, THESE FIT ME.
YEAH.
>> WOW.
>> THESE ARE ABOUT, I THINK, A
63 OR 64 WAIST.
>> YOU HIT A POINT WHERE THOSE
WEREN'T FITTING.
>> NO.
IT GOT TO THE POINT WHERE I HAD
TO WEAR ELASTIC JOGGING PANTS OR
SHORTS.
>> WOW.
>> LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW YOU DID
IT.
WE'RE LOOKING HERE.
SO WE HAVE TOAST, PEANUT BUTTER,
MAYONNAISE, JELLY, YOU DON'T DO
ANY OF THIS, RIGHT?
>> ON OCCASION, I DO, BUT WHEN I
WAS IN THE HOSPITAL, I DECIDED
THAT I REALLY HAD TO AMP UP MY
PROGRESS.
I WAS SCOURING THE INTERNET, AND
I DISCOVERED AN APPLICATION
CALLED LOSE IT.
THAT OPENED MY EYES.
>> AN APP?
>> YEAH, A WEIGHT-LOSS APP.
IT OPENED MY EYES TO THE FOODS I
WAS EATING.
I LOST 47 POUNDS ON MY OWN
EATING DIET FOOD, ADJUSTING WHAT
I WAS EATING.
I GUESS THROUGH THE SEARCHES ON
HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT -- BECAUSE I
WAS DESPERATELY LOOKING FOR
INSPIRATION.
I THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS WRONG
WITH ME THAT WAS KEEPING ME FROM
LOSING WEIGHT.
WHEN I DISCOVERED THE APP, LOSE
IT, IT SHOWED ME THAT EATING --
I WAS EATING SALADS ALREADY, BUT
IT SHOWED ME HOW MANY CALORIES
WERE IN A SERVING OF SALAD
DRESSING.
THERE'S NEVER A SERVING -- A
SERVING IS LIKE A TABLESPOON.
>> RIGHT.
>> YOU POUR IT ON.
>> SAME THING WITH BUTTER.
YOU KNOW, THEY'LL TELL YOU, A
TABLESPOON OF BUTTER.
YOU PUT THREE OR FOUR.
>> WHAT DID YOU SWAP IT WITH?
>> YOU KNOW, IT SHOWED ME TO
OPEN MY EYES AND EAT SMART.
I DIDN'T HAVE TO STARVE MYSELF.
>> BOILED EGGS.
>> HARD BOILED EGGS, AVOCADO, A
LOT OF RO TISSERIE CHICKEN, BAKD
CHICKEN.
I ELIMINATED CARBS FOR A LONG
TIME, LIKE BREADS.
>> PASTA.
>> I STOPPED DRINKING ALCOHOL
FOR A TWO AND A HALF YEAR
PERIOD.
THAT WAS A BIG PART OF THE
PROBLEM WITH LOSING WEIGHT.
I DRANK SO MUCH.
>> WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR
PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO TAKE
THAT FIRST STEP?
I'D IMAGINE, YOU KNOW, DAY ONE,
OKAY, YOU START EATING
HEALTHIER, BUT YOU'RE NOT GOING
TO SEE PROGRESS DAY ONE.
I MEAN, IT IS A LONG-TERM THING.
>> HAVE FAITH AND DRINK A LOT OF
WATER.
I MEAN, WHEN I SAY A LOT OF
WATER, I DRINK PROBABLY OVER A
GALLON OF WATER A DAY.
I HAVE AT LEAST THREE BOTTLES OF
WATER BY THE BEDSIDE, AND I CHUG
AWAY BEFORE I GET OUT OF BED.
>> WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP
NOW, HOW HAS IT IMPROVED WITH
I REMEMBER MY SON SEEING AN OLD
PICTURE OF ME SAYING, WHO IS
THAT WITH COURTNEY?
I SAID, THAT'S DADDY.
>> MY DAUGHTER IS VERY HAPPY
THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M VERY MOBILE
AND STUFF.
SHE SAID I'M A LITTLE MORE
CRANKY NOW BECAUSE I'VE LOST
WEIGHT, I DON'T KNOW, OR THE
STRESSES OF EVERYTHING, OF LIFE.
SHE'S GETTING OLDER.
MY DAUGHTER IS VERY HAPPY WITH
MY MOBILITY.
THAT WAS A HUGE THING FOR ME,
JUST TO BE WALKING AROUND.
YOU KNOW, I WALKED OVER HERE TO
THE SHOW.
BEFORE, I'D TAKE A CAB AND
EVERYTHING WAS DRIVE, DRIVE,
DRIVE.
NO WALKING AT ALL FOR ME.
>> GOOD FOR YOU.
YOU SHOULD BE PROUD.
YOU LOOK AMAZING.
>> CONGRATULATIONS.
>> THANK YOU.
>> YOU'RE AN INSPIRATION