Facing the Fat (2009) - full transcript

Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.

(slow piano music)

- When you're overweight,
when you're the fat guy,

you know you are but you live in

this sort of self-imposed denial.

You look at yourself in
the mirror and you think,

"How did I let myself get to this point?

"I don't live who I've
become, this isn't who I am,

"I'm living an unfulfilled life

"and I'm watching my life's
dreams just fade away."

Then, you finally reach that moment



when you're ready to take control,

and that's when you know
it's time to make a change.

My name is Kenny Saylors.

I'm 32 years old and I'm obese,

but all of that is about to change.

I'm about to do something that
many would consider extreme.

For the next 40 days,

I'm going to fast on
absolutely nothing but water.

(slow piano music)

- Very concerned about your health.

Your body really isn't meant to do that.

(slow piano music)

- I think that's absurd.

- I don't think it's possible.



(slow piano music)

- I'm sure it's not
healthy, but you know what?

Probably living in Los Angeles

where we are right now's
not too healthy. (laughing)

(slow piano music)

- I think that's ridiculous.

He's gotta have vitamins,
he's gotta have nutrition.

It's something that's not healthy for him.

In the long run could come back
to haunt him, I don't know.

(slow piano music)

- I think he'll--

- Pass out.
- Become sick, anorexic.

You get your energy from food.

- I think he would die.

(slow piano music)

(ducks quacking)

- [Man] So, you're chugging carrot juice?

- Yeah.
- That's disgusting.

- [Kenny] Carrot juice
is good, man, holy crap.

- [Woman] It's not disgusting.

Let him get a taste of that juice.

- [Kenny] You gotta taste it.

I'm gonna make him taste carrot juice.

- [Man] I've had the
SoBe carrot orange stuff.

- Yeah, but it's not the
same, it's not real, man.

This stuff is, really
fresh carrot juice is like,

it's like drinking--

- [Man] I've never had it, so--

- Drinking life.

(blender whirring)

Nice and quiet.

I wouldn't suggest juicing
in the middle of the night,

(laughs)

unless you hate your neighbors.

I'll drink this first
before I clean up this crap.

You have to drink, you
have to drink carrot juice,

or any juice for that matter, fast

because juices are living,
they're living things.

So, whenever you juice,

you have to drink within two minutes

in order to get the full maximum effect

of the vitamins and nutrients
that go into the body.

Mmm, this coming from an
overweight fat guy (laughs)

who knows so much about nutrition.

(plane engine roaring)

Okay, first things first.

Before I decided to do the
fast, I wanted to go back home,

see my family, visit some old friends

in my hometown of Greenville, Texas.

(light country music)

Greenville's your typical Small Town USA.

It's definitely a far
cry from Los Angeles.

Growing up, I went to
Greenville High School,

attended Greenville First Assembly,

worked at Greenville Hardware

and ate lots of Greenville food.

Is this me right here?

- Oh, yeah, that's you.

I think that's you,
I'm pretty sure though.

Yeah, it is.

And this is Kenny when he was in the band

and he was real thin then
and he played the trumpet.

(pulsing industrial music)

(upbeat pop music)

When he was growing up, he was active

from the time he started walking.

He liked sports and he
liked to play football.

And he never met a stranger;

he was always quite
friendly with everybody.

When he was in high
school, he was very thin,

almost frail looking.

I never thought that he would
ever gain this much weight.

So, when he started gaining weight,

then he started this coughing.

(coughing)

- Okay.

(upbeat pop music)

- When Kenny said that he
was gonna go on a long fast,

I wasn't sure if he could do it,

but I know that because
he has determination

that he probably could.

(light orchestral music)

- [Kenny] So, what is fasting
and why did I choose this?

Simple.
(tape reel spinning)

Fasting has been the most proven way

to detox the body and
give it time to heal.

Throughout history, people of many faiths,

including Christianity, Judaism, Islam,

and most Eastern religions,
have used fasting

as a healing process for
spiritual purification

and communion with God.

Why 40 days?

Well, 40 seems to be a
number that is repeated

in most of the holy books,
and specifically in the Bible,

over and over and over,

so it sounded like the
right number for me.

I knew the smart thing
to do before I started

was to get a medical team on board.

So, I did my research and
called lots of doctors,

but none of them wanted to take me on.

Finally, I found a place in Marina del Rey

that agreed to meet with me.

- Come on in, Kenny.

Well, it sounds like you've got

some interesting life-changing plans.

I wanna hear more about it.

- Yeah, I'm obviously overweight,

so I've been doing
research over the past year

about ways to really reform my health

and to try to get me back
on track and everything.

And then, that's when
I came across fasting,

just a water fast.

- And so--
- A water fast?

- Yes, a water fast for 40 days. (laughs)

- Wait, you're talking about
doing a water fast for 40 days?

- [Kenny] Mm-hmm, yeah.

- That's very extreme, Kenny.

A water fast for 40 days

is probably the most extreme
type of fasting you can do

and for the longest amount of time

that anyone should possibly attempt it.

And you shouldn't attempt it
without medical supervision,

I can tell you that straight off.

- The big thing for
me, the passion for me,

is about the obesity
epidemic in the world.

In my research, that's what
really stood out to me.

The numbers are astronomical, I mean,

about how many people are overweight.

(car brakes skidding)

According to the CDC, the
number of morbidly obese

across the United States has skyrocketed

to over 30% in the last 20 years.

Not only that, but what is obesity

costing you and me, the taxpayer?

Well, if you break down the costs

and compare them to other
taxpayer expenditures,

you can see it adds up really quickly.

To fly our president for one year

in Air Force One costs us $500 million.

All costs associated with illegal aliens

in California alone costs
taxpayers $9 billion a year.

If you add up the money spent

on the No Child Left Behind policy,

it's a staggering $23 billion a year.

And all costs associated
with drunk driving,

a whopping $24 billion a year.

So, how does obesity
stand up to these numbers?

Well, you add up
increased insurance costs,

loss of work due to obesity conditions,

increased Medicare and Medicaid costs,

it comes to $80 billion a year.

That's more than all of those
other programs combined.

Let's do some math here.

Divide $80 billion by the
total US population in 2008

and what do you get?

Obesity is costing $263
for every American citizen;

that's man, woman, and child.

So, no matter what size you happen to be,

it's still coming outta your pocket.

So, that made me start thinking,

"Wow, I'm one of those statistics."

- Well, let me say this at least, Kenny,

because I applaud you for
at least taking some steps

to improve your health.

The number one thing, though,

should be you improving your health.

We can help you get well,

but let us do it in the right way.

- [Kenny] Okay.

- Number one is you need
to get medical supervision.

- Yeah.

- The great thing about
Lumeria: The Healing Spa

is we can offer full-service.

So, we're gonna introduce
you to the medical doctor

that we have on staff here,

You're gonna need to get a
full physical, some blood work,

make sure you're healthy enough

to do something like an extreme fast.

On a personal note,

you should be really proud
of what you're doing.

I mean, it's so difficult.

I don't know anyone other
than some very serious

medical practitioners who've
attempted what you're doing.

What you're doing is difficult
and you should be very proud

that you're taking such
a step to get healthy.

- I know it is extreme,

but sometimes you have to go to extremes

to be extremely healthy, you know?

("There's More Than That to
Being Poor" by Hussalonia)

I think they're on board.

That's gonna be great.

In order to get through this,
I'm going to need some help.

I'll need my friends around
me to keep me motivated

and to get me through
my moments of weakness.

I'll be staying part of the time

with my good friends, Paul and Sonia.

Sonia's been wanting to fast for a while

and thought now would be
the perfect time to do it,

and I couldn't agree more.

Paul, he'll continue to
eat a lot of tempting food

and stay magically skinny, which,

honestly, really isn't fair.

I'll also be staying with
some of my other friends,

Jeremy and Alaina.

I've known them for a long time

and I know they can put up
with my ridiculous shenanigans.

This is John and Matt.

They're helping me document
this entire adventure.

Now, you're not seeing double.

They're actually identical twins

and I really have trouble
telling them apart,

which is always fun.

The rules are like this.

Obviously, no food for next 40 days,

no gum, no candy of any
kind, no mints, nothing,

just water for that whole time.

Also, I'm going to be keeping record

of how many times I go to the bathroom,

how many bottles of water I drink.

This little baby here, the wallet,

any time I am left alone,
without supervision around,

they are to take my
wallet, whoever's near me,

well, who is near me that I know,

(laughs) not just somebody.

I can never be alone with my
wallet with access to money.

I'm very optimistic about it.

I'm actually really excited about it.

As emotionally attached
as I've become to this,

I'm ready to let it go. (laughs)

Okay.

Since all I'm gonna be drinking

for the next 40 days is water,

I thought I'd take my doctor's advice

and go pick up some Smartwater.

And then, I need to grab
about five of these.

I'll just get five of these;
they're sport bottle ones.

I think Smartwater's gonna
be my new best friend

for the next month-and-a-half.

- [Cashier] Paper or plastic?

- Plastic will be fine.

(slow piano music)

Tomorrow's my first day and
there's so much on my mind.

Did I make the right choice?

Is fasting too extreme?

What if I can't do it?

I mean, I've fasted before,
but never for this long.

I have no idea what I'll be going through.

This is my maid staff.

(laughs)

- Give me a break, make your own bed.

So, this is when it all begins.

It's the start of the
journey for Kenny Saylors.

So, I'm gonna go in the
next room, wake him up.

Kenny.

Time to get up.

First day of your fast.

- Day one begins.

(slow acoustic guitar music)

- So, this is from Paul and I,

a little gift to start off your journey.

- Oh, very nice, wow!

- [Sonia] Yeah.

- Oh, great!

- [Sonia] See if it fits
around your big head.

- Yeah, oh boy, this is one

that's gotta actually go over the head.

(Sonia laughs)

- Uh-oh. (laughs)

- Okay.

Well, I know one thing:

Once it goes on, it ain't coming off.

Oh, my eye.

- [Sonia] Don't take your eye out.

- Oh, well, hopefully my
head will lose weight.

(laughing)

Golly!

- [Sonia] So, I got my juice.

You got your water?

- [Kenny] Oh yeah, here we go.

- [Sonia] I'm starting my
sympathy 40-day juice fast.

- Sonia is doing 40 days
juice fast (inaudible).

I just spilled all over the table.

- Oh thanks, Kenny.

- You're welcome.
(Sonia laughs)

Anything I can do.

So, here we go.

- Cheers.

- To day one.

(both cheer)

- Mmm, just like candy. (laughs)

- Mmm, just like water.

I'm going for my first physical
now, my first weigh-in.

Honestly, I've been terrified
of the scale for years.

I'm afraid of knowing what my weight is.

I always thought I was like
5'9" and three-quarters,

but apparently I'm not
that tall, which is sad,

'cause that's not tall.

I'm so ashamed of my height and my weight

and pretty much everything. (laughs)

And I got my own little pretty robe

that they actually have to
find one that's a bigger size

because this one will not fit me,

will not fit around my big fat belly.

(laughs)

- Hi Kenny, how are you?

- Doing good. (laughs)

- Good to see you.

So, we're gonna measure
everything and everything

because when you stress your body

the way you are gonna stress
it, fasting completely,

there will be a lot of physiological

and biochemical changes in your body.

So, but we will be watching
you and we'll be measuring.

We'll make sure that your electrolytes

are correct and all that.

But I want you to be
aware there is always risk

for what you're trying to achieve, okay?

- Okay.

- So, it's not an easy deal that you're,

this is a major issue, okay?

- Right, right.

- All right, yeah.

So, we're gonna do your body measurements.

(bright acoustic guitar music)

So, your weight is 315.2 pounds.

53% of that weight is made out of fat.

- 53% fat, ooh.

- So, basically, a little
over half of your weight

is made out of fat.

- [Kenny] Wow.

- And your body mass index
is 47.8, when, in fact,

we shouldn't see you
greater than 28, you know?

A BMI of 28, maybe 30 maximum.

- 30 maximum.
- Yeah.

And your lean body mass is 147 pounds.

147, okay?

The ideal thing, Kenny, right now

is that we should be very
close watching your progress

and assessing where you are.

- Okay?
- Okay.

All right.

- Oh, well, thank you. (laughs)

- My pleasure, thank you, Kenny.

- Well, we'll see what happens.

- All the best.

- Yes, thanks.

Okay.

- [L.] So, how were the measurements?

- Big. (laughs)

- [Dr. Ghaly] Do you see that?

- [Woman] Did you see his--

- (gasps) Oh, my friend!

- (laughs) I know, isn't that crazy?

- We're gonna fix that, aren't we?

- I know, isn't that amazing?

53.1%.

- Cool.

- I know, man.
- That's awesome.

It's a good thing you're doing this.

- Boy, I'll tell you, that 53%--

- But the good news is
you're in good health.

So, doing a fast is okay,

'cause not everybody should
be doing it, but you're okay.

You got the doctor's approval.

- Which is weird with 53%
of me being blub. (laughs)

Okay, so I had my first physical today.

Basically, 53% of me is fat.

And 167 pounds of fat on
me, that's what it is.

So, I knew I was big, but, man,

that's really bigger than I thought.

So, anyhow, so this is day one,

and it'll be interesting to
see what happens day two.

And I've got a headache already starting,

becoming pretty bad, actually.

So, anyhow, so day one, physical over.

Good news, I'm pretty healthy.

Bad news, I'm really fat. (laughs)

(light piano music)

I look at myself in the mirror.

And so, I see what I am now

and I know where I was
and I know what I can be.

The problem is I seem to have
this block of getting over it,

and I'm trying.

And that's the thing
is when people see me,

they just see a fat guy.

But what they don't see is they don't see

that I'm a person who
struggles with this every day.

It's something that I
am trying to overcome,

and I know there are much
bigger people than me around.

And so, I can't even imagine
what they go through.

I went through a very,
very difficult breakup

and I was under the impression
everything was fine.

And then, all of a sudden,

she calls me up one night

and just says, "Look, it's over."

I was devastated.

I mean, I wasn't just broken-hearted,

I was broken.

And she never gave me a
reason, just ended it.

I didn't know how to handle that.

I didn't know, emotionally,
what to do with that.

There was no closure for me.

And from that point, over the next year,

I gained over 80 pounds.

I ate and I ate because
food doesn't reject you.

Most of the weight that I
have now is from that breakup.

But, thank the Lord, I'm through it.

Now, I'm here, my mind is more clear,

and I'm ready to move forward.

Talking about my breakup was really tough.

I've been pushing it to the
back of my mind for so long

that finally facing it
was actually a release.

Losing her had such an impact on me.

It completely changed the
way I dealt with my emotions.

That's something I need to work on

if I'm gonna change the way I
deal with pain in the future.

I just can't keep running
to food any longer.

(light piano music)

And so, mark down,

this is the fourth time I've
gone to the bathroom today

because I'm going to
the bathroom right now.

And I'm gonna be talking about something

that Dr. Ghaly told me to
go pick up are these things,

they're keto sticks.

And you pee on the little end thing

and then you've gotta correlate
it with this side here.

This tells you if your body
has gone into ketosis or not,

which this means nothing

and this means you're
heavily into ketosis.

(upbeat salsa music)

It's ketosis time!

And as we see here, let's see,

the keto strip didn't
change really any color.

Well, it changed that color,
which means it's negative,

which means my body has not
even started the ketosis yet.

Pretty natural, I guess.

I wouldn't expect me to
be instantly into ketosis

from not eating for one
day, so there we go.

Should I collect these, you think?

(light dreamlike music)

I used to love to go for a run,

especially on a day like this.

But I gradually became embarrassed

and self-conscious about my
body, so I eventually stopped.

You know, it takes a lot of
courage and self-confidence

for a person to just not care

about what other people may
think or what they might say

and just go out there and do
the things normal people do.

Now, I'm more embarrassed by the fact

that I cared that much to
let it stop me for that long.

- Over the years, things that
you've seen that we're eating,

how we're eating, things such as this,

I'm a firm believer that you
can damn near eat anything

that you want, it's what you do after.

I still feel it's input,
I think it's exercise.

And also, I think a lot of it
comes back to psychological.

There is a criteria that states

when gastric bypass
should be done clinically.

We are doing them now in
13- and 14-year-old kids.

When you have a kid, 13, 14,
that's weighing 325 pounds,

you've got a problem.

Gastric bypass should only be for those

that psychologically
cannot handle their weight.

In other words, obesity is not a reason

to have a gastric bypass.

It's very simple: What goes in, comes out,

unless you have glandular trouble,

and that's one-tenth of a percent

of people that have weight problems.

(light dreamlike music)

People come in all sorts
of shapes and sizes,

but only a small percentage actually have

some sort of medical
reason they're overweight.

As for everyone else,

it's mainly due to their emotional eating,

lifestyle habits, or both.

Ask any of them why they
think they're overweight,

they're gonna tell you they're big-boned,

it's genetics, or something like that.

Now, ask those same people

what size their great-grandparents were,

their great-great-grandparents,

and I bet they'll tell you
they were all average-sized.

Ask anyone over 65 how many obese people

they remember seeing as a child

and they'll tell you
there were very, very few.

(upbeat pop music)

One of the things I loved
to do was play tennis.

I'd always hit the courts

when I felt like I
needed to clear my mind.

Now, I think it's time to go back

to the things that worked
for me in the past,

when I was a lot healthier.

These are the things I just
don't ever wanna give up again.

(upbeat pop music)

You know, that extra 50
pounds or something, (laughs)

it really does come into effect

whenever you're running
around, that's for sure.

- [Man] How's day three?

- Day three, so far, hasn't been bad.

Now, in about six hours, the
story might be changed a bit.

(laughs)

(upbeat pop music)

Playing tennis for the first time in years

really wore me out.

It reminded me of what
I'm doing to my body,

so I decided to just take it
easy for the rest of the day

and go to the movies with Paul and Sonia,

although I think this will
be the first time ever

that I won't be digging
into a big tub of popcorn

while I'm watching a movie.

I am so miserably tired today.

(groans)

- [Sonia] What do you normally
eat when you go see a movie?

- [Kenny] Typically, I get
just a bunch of crap, you know?

- [Sonia] Well, but they don't
really sell anything healthy.

- I usually get the Reese's Pieces.

(Sonia laughs)

Maybe we shouldn't talk about it. (laughs)

- [Sonia] No, I wanna hear!

- Yeah, but the Reese's Pieces are good.

And then, well, you know, you
typically get the big drink,

the $15 16-ounce drink.

'Cause we associated watching
movies with so much eating

that every time you watch a movie,

you feel like you gotta eat, you know?

- Did you see that dude?
- Okay, yeah.

- [Sonia] He's like, "I
pledge allegiance to you

"because you stopped."
(both laughing)

(Kenny coughing)

- Oh man, you're killing
me there, that was funny.

- [Sonia] There's the Kenny cough.

That cough has gotta go.

- I know.
- It has to go.

I think the doctor's supposed
to tell you something.

- Yeah, my lungs were clean,

were clear, so I don't know what--

- [Sonia] Well, something's
making you cough like that.

I don't understand.

- I know, it sounds like
I've friggin' been smoking

for 50 years and I don't even smoke.

But, previously when I had
lost weight, it went away.

The cough just disappeared.

- [Sonia] So, it must be flab-related.

- I guess so.
(both laugh)

(upbeat acoustic guitar music)

(groans)

Oh, I'm tired.

Day three has been a pain in the...

So, yesterday, I was negative on ketones.

We're gonna see how I am today.

I'm putting this in my mouth,
this is before I pee on it.

(laughs)

Here we go.

I just peed on this
thing, let's check it out.

The other day, I was here, I was negative.

Let's see where I am today.

It's not quite to moderate yet,

so I'm still under the small category.

So, there we go.

Ketone sticks, don't
leave home without 'em.

Day three has come to an end.

Well, it's about...

It's about 3:30, 4:00 in the
morning and I just woke up.

I'm just like, oh man,

not feeling so well right now.

Got a headache and my stomach
is growling like crazy.

And so, I'm just really hungry,

and right about now, I'm thinking,

"Man, is this a good idea?"

And, man, I'm only a few days in.

It's tough.

I mean, it's tough;
I'm already feeling it.

But, hey...

Man.

All right, I gotta try
to go back to sleep.

Day five is the most difficult so far.

The thought of giving up has
actually crossed my mind.

What stops me is realizing
what my life's become

and what it's going to
continue to be if I let it.

When you're ready to make a
profound change in your life,

you have to face your fears.

You have to keep pushing yourself

and imagine how different
your life could be

if you only try.

My first colonic, yeah, I know.

I know, I'm kind of, I don't know,

I don't wanna think.

(whines) A colonic. (laughs)

Yeah, it shouldn't be too bad, I guess.

They said that it'll
relax me a little bit,

so I'm like, "All right."

My doctor's advised me that
since my digestive system

was going to be inactive for so long,

it was necessary for me
to clean out my colon.

(upbeat acoustic guitar music)

Now, most people know as
much about colonics as I do,

which is practically nothing.

The human colon is over five feet long,

and the only way for
it to fit into our body

is by being bent and folded.

After years and years of eating,

pieces of food and waste
become lodged in these folds,

causing poor circulation, constipation,

allergies, mood swings,
just to name a few.

Colonic hydrotherapy is an
alternative medical process

in which warm, filtered
water gently fills the colon

through the insertion
of a small plastic tube.

The water enters the
crevices of the colon walls

and removes pieces of waste.

As the pressure inside the colon builds,

the water is released

and everything is
evacuated through the hose.

This process is repeated several times

until the entire colon has been cleaned.

Generally, patients need several colonics

before all the waste is removed
and they can start feeling

the real benefits of a healthy colon.

Colonic number one.

- [Man] Get ready for it.

(heavy breathing)

I gotta motivate myself. (laughing)

I'm about to get plugged in.

- So, you're gonna be just with the nurse.

She'll take care of you
for the entire time.

Part of what we wanna do,
since it's the first time

that you've ever, ever,
ever gotten a colonic

is we want you to be really
comfortable and really relaxed.

- I'll need to be really relaxed. (laughs)

- [L.] You're gonna be fine!

- I'm your nurse, I'm gonna
help you through this session.

- This is Kenny's information, by the way.

- All right, I'll need some help. (laughs)

- [Jan] Okay, 305.2, that's down!

- Lost 10 pounds exactly.

I was 315.2.

- Okay, please step off.

Open in the back, not the front,

'cause we're gonna work back here.

- Oh okay, yeah. (laughs)

- So, that's how I want
you to put them on.

Please empty your bladder.

- Okay.

- Check your messages on
your cell phone if you need.

I'm gonna just change our program here.

♫ Something unspeakable
is scheduled to occur

♫ And when it does, it
will be a sort of relief

♫ But just for one of us

♫ All right there

♫ I'll give a greater
resistance to movement

♫ And I feel the weight

♫ Yeah, I can feel the weight

The tubing we use is thrown
away; it's never used again.

So, don't go anywhere where
they don't throw it away.

- Right.

- And this is the smaller tubing
that we're gonna be using.

- Yes. (laughs)

It's a small tiny one.

- A small tiny one.
- It's very good.

And this machine that
you're using will turn off.

If you get too much interabdominal
pressure, it'll turn off.

So, it's safe; it's a safety feature.

If it gets too hot, it'll turn off.

But everything in a colonic is breathing

because sometimes we might wanna

get the water around some gas.

If you do an enema at home,

you're probably only gonna
get up on the sigmoid side.

And when I do a colonic,
the reason they call it high

is I can go all the way
up, across the transverse,

and all the way over here to the cecum.

So, I'm getting the total colon.

- Ohh.

- It's hard to do that unless
you stand on your head.

Now, when you're ready, Kenny,
turn on your side for me

and look at the bathroom door, please.

This is gonna be a little unusual.

Nobody likes this part.

The best thing to do
is just open your mouth

and breath through your mouth.

Open your mouth.

Go, "Ahhh," and gentle push.

"Ahhh."

Take your time, there's two valves.

Valve of Houston, as a
matter of fact, for Texas.

Breathe, go, "Ahhh."

- I'm sure glad you used
the small one. (laughs)

- [Jan] Good.

And you get this little tiny
pillow, put your head there.

All righty.

Already going in, it's been going in.

Take a deep breath, please.

Good.

Now, the colon is closer
to the back than the front,

so the transverse runs along here.

So, sometimes, if you get backaches,

you know that it's your colon.

♫ I curl up in the land of
old discarded plastic bags

♫ Dirty soft drink cups and candy wrappers

It won't hurt you

and it sometimes helps
you have bowel movements.

♫ And I worry so that I'll be home soon

- So, it was, no, it was very good.

The only thing that was, the
entry was a little rough.

But, (laughs) after that,
it wasn't so bad, you know?

I was very relaxed, though,

through the whole process,
actually, even 'til the end.

And now I'm just tired.

- You probably just wanna
go home and chill out.

- Yeah.

Actually, wasn't as bad
as I thought it would be.

The takeoff and landing
was pretty rough. (laughs)

But other than that,
nah, it wasn't so bad.

I've lost 12 pounds, so not bad.

That's the story.

I'm going home to sleep in now.

♫ 'Cause I'm too stupid
to do what I've gotta do

♫ Ohh

So, today is a road trip.

I'm traveling up north
with my friend, Ata.

We're gonna go hang out
with some of our friends

who are visiting from Iran.

Now, I haven't seen them in a while,

and so they have no clue what I'm doing.

- I believe in what you're doing

and I believe that you're
gonna be successful.

I just decided to fast
as long I'm with you,

and I'm just going to drink water.

I brought about 20-30 bottles of water.

And I'm going to join you on
this fast to just support you.

- I had to go to the bathroom
while we were driving.

That was a colonic residue
is what I'll call it.

But here in between two evils.

There's a Denny's over here

and a Jack in the Crack over here.

Oh man.

I'm ready, let's rock and roll.

- Okay.

These are my friends
and relatives from Iran.

(inaudible greetings)

- [Both] Aww.

(laughing)

- Blame it on Ata.

(laughing)

(Persian music)

Over the years that I've gotten to know

my Persian friends and their culture,

what I've really noticed

is how mealtime is their bonding time.

They cook together, they eat together,

their connection with food
has a whole different meaning.

It seems like here in America,

we're so caught up in our fast-paced lives

that we've forgotten how important

these family traditions are.

Sure, it's easier to just
hit the drive-through

and call that dinner,

but think about what we're sacrificing.

Thanks, yeah.

- [Woman] Very bad, huh?

- This is actually the first
time I've been hungry in, no.

(laughing)

It smells really good in here.

(laughing)

(upbeat acoustic guitar music)

Here's one of the things
I can't wait to be over

is putting on shoes.

Yeah, as a big person, I
understand that most skinny folks

don't realize that
(laughs) putting on shoes

and tying shoes is actually
a very trying ordeal.

(driving rock music)

- [Sonia] Did you time it?

I thought you were supposed to time it.

(laughing)

What do you think?

How long do you think you can take it?

(driving rock music)

(heavy breathing)

(driving rock music)

- Doesn't seem like long,
but I'm not doing it again.

A bed?

(laughing)

- Are you hungry?

- No.

- [Sonia] I'm not hungry either.

- I'm not hungry.

(laughing)

- You probably eat a lot and
you're still skinny, huh?

- [Paul] Yeah.

- That's not fair.

(laughing)

(light ethereal music)

- My doctor advised me not to do

any exercise at all during my fast.

Of course, I didn't listen to him,

and now I'm paying the price.

Maybe I'm just trying to go too fast.

(coughing and heaving)

(slow alternative music)

I just feel like this has
been like a 40-hour day.

But, actually, I started off the day fine.

I started off fine, and then
the frickin' end of the day

just seemed like ongoing.

Well, that has crossed
my mind a few times.

(laughing)

I'm like, "Being fat's not so bad."

(laughing)

- It's not that bad.

It'll go by really fast.

- [Kenny] Yeah, is that what
you're telling yourself too?

- [Sonia] Oh yeah, that's
what I'm telling myself too.

(laughing)

(light pop music)

- It's now been 15 days of not chewing

or eating junk food on a daily basis.

Now, I've managed to keep
one of my bad habits though,

and that's chewing straws.

The good part is they have zero calories.

The bad part?

Well, they have zero flavor.

The amazing transformation
from bed to couch.

Ta-da!

And to office now. (laughs)

- [L.] Just give it a couple seconds.

- [Kenny] There it is.

- Yay!
- 301.

Oh man, 301.6.

I've only lost like two pounds.

- But let's check the
percentage of body fat.

Well, your weight is coming down.

Losing weight is one thing.

Losing body percentage
fat and getting your--

- [Kenny] It's more important.

- Yeah, getting your
BMI to the right level

is where you wanna be, okay?

- BMI, not just the BM.

(laughing)

- And now, mister comedian,
hop up on that table.

(laughing)

- Let's see.

So, all these years, I've
been looking at myself,

seeing myself in the mirror.

And sometimes I stand there
and I feel like crying

because it's like, who is
this person in the mirror?

It's disgusting.

It really makes me
disgusted to look at myself.

And when you look at yourself that way

and you feel disgusted
by what you've become,

then you know what?

You gotta do something about it.

This is just not something that's like,

"Oh, hey, I'm big and fat."

No, it's, "I'm fat

"and now I've got to
do something about it,"

because I'm gonna die
young; I'm gonna die.

- This is the measurements
that we took last week.

And your weight went down from 315 to 305,

and that's simply because
you were burning muscle

instead of body fat.

So, that showed in your numbers.

That's why your percentage
of body fat number went up,

even though your weight went down.

- Okay?
- Okay.

- Now, where we're at is today, okay?

So, your weight is coming down
still, off of 305, all right?

But what's even better

is your percentage of body
fat's coming down, okay?

So, it's gone from 58 now down to 54.

- [Kenny] Very cool.

- All right?

So, you've sort of crossed this threshold.

- (sighs) Sonia, you got
plugged in this time, huh?

(laughing)

- Yeah, it was easy!

It wasn't no big deal at all.

- Oh, that's good.

- It was very relaxing, except
for the cramping. (laughs)

- Yeah, you've dropped
some weight too, huh?

- Yeah.
- Some weight.

She's lost some paint sizes.

- [Sonia] Yep.

- So, that's good.

Oh yeah, and my weight,
speaking of weight,

I only lost like two pounds.

- [Sonia] Really?

- Yeah, that's it.

- [Sonia] But your
stomach's gone done though.

Look at, no more table.

It's more like a slide, woo!

- Yeah, exactly.
(Sonia laughs)

But my fat percentage has gone down,

like 4% or 5%.

So, now that means that I'm burning fat

more than I am burning
muscle now, so that's good,

even though I'm still fat. (laughs)

("The Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss II)

I'm almost three weeks into this

and I'm thinking of all the
ups and downs I've had so far.

Wait, I still have how many days to go?

Is there another rock or something?

One, two, three.

(straining)

I'm getting it!

(straining)

(camera shutter clicks)

Is that the close one or far away?

- [Woman] Far away.

- Now, do it a little closer.

The things the Saylors
family does to get a picture.

(laughs)

Uh-oh.

Ah, crap.

(straining)

Holy crap.

(laughing)

Ow, for the sake of a
stinkin' picture. (laughs)

It's a cool picture
though, (laughs) I hope.

How many overweight friends do you have

compared to those that are in good shape?

- Two overweight friends.

- [Kenny] Okay, out of your close friends.

What about family?

How many of your immediate family?

- Oh, my whole family is obese.

(laughing)

Aunties, uncles--

- Everybody.
- And even parents.

- Now, what would you say is
the most commonly eaten thing?

Do they eat McDonald's or--

- McDonald's.
- Yeah, McDonald's.

- McDonald's?

(light jazz music)

I was gonna tell you about
what happened last night.

- [Paul] What happened?

- I get out and I go for a
walk and I get on the phone

and I start talking to
make my phone calls,

and I ended up down by Wilshire.

I saw McDonald's and, all of a sudden,

I wanted to go eat so badly.

I mean, it was overwhelming.

I mean, the power of it was just like,

I was literally standing
there on the corner going,

"Kenny, Kenny, don't go down there."

I wasn't hungry, but my mind
was just like craving the food.

It hit me--

- [Paul] It hit you hard.

- It hit me bad, I mean,

like the worst thing I've ever seen.

And my body's going, "Okay,
haha, the joke's over,

"now go eat," (laughs) you know?

"Go eat junk food," not
just eat but eat junk food.

And so, it's like the addiction
is calling out to me now.

I mean, it was insane.

I don't even know how to explain it

'cause I was just like,
it was crazy intense.

(slow pop music)

Day 21 is a milestone for me:

the longest I've ever gone without food.

I never imagined I could
feel this good by not eating.

It's true what they
say that you feel light

and connected with God.

It's almost euphoric.

I'm feeling inspired,
so I'm spending the day

at my friend's place and
getting into my music.

(light piano music)

Now that I'm not preoccupied
with food all the time,

it's really given me the
ability to reevaluate my life,

my priorities, my ambitions,
I want to change my life.

I've had so many dreams that I set aside

and just didn't pursue
because of my weight,

because of my insecurities.

Growing up, music was my life, my passion.

One of my deepest regrets
is not pursuing that path.

I gave up on my dream
when I gave up on myself.

I can't let this weight
interfere with all that anymore.

I also hope that what I'm doing

will somehow inspire others

to know that they can face their fat

and look beyond that barrier.

If you believe in yourself,
any dream is possible.

(upbeat piano music)

As we go, day 21,

which is supposed to be a
turning point for everything.

So, we shall see.

There's nothing like going back to nature

to help you get your mind off the fact

that you haven't eaten for a month.

Unfortunately, that's
not gonna happen today

because my friends have
invited me to a campground

for a barbecue, which is
my favorite kind of food.

Boy, this is gonna be tough.

I'm beginning to wonder
what kinda friends I have

that would put me through this torture.

This is the first time in my
whole entire life as a human

and life as something
that's not a human, (laughs)

I don't know what that is,

that I've ever been in
any camping situation

where I was not eating.

- [Man] How's it feel?

- It sucks.

(upbeat pop music)

Well, last time I checked,

Iran's not known for their
barbecue, but Texas is!

That's right!

- 30 days of fasting, he's
trying to prove you could do it.

He's barbecuing for everybody,
but he's not gonna eat it.

- Ooh, it feels good to even touch food.

- [Man] Is that the first
time you've touched food?

- It is.

It feels good.

These do look like the best
hot dogs I've ever seen.

So, I was sitting there the
other day and I thought,

I was just curious and I said,

'cause there's gotta be a world
record for fasting, right?

And so, I just decided to go look online.

So, I went and typed in and looked online

and I saw that, apparently, David Blaine,

when he hung up in the Times Square thing,

he did it for 44 days.

So, some Russian dude did
it last year for 50 days.

And so, that's when I was
like, "Well, you know what?

"I'm doing it 40 days,
I'm doing pretty good.

"Why the crap not go for 55,"

just try to get the
world record, you know?

It'd be kinda cool to get in

the Guinness Book of World
Records, that'd be neat.

I thought the fast was supposed to

turn me off to greasy stuff.

But, man, this food looks delish, man.

Oh, it smells so good.

Man, that's a lotta hot dogs.

Man.

And I can't have any of 'em.

(upbeat a capella music)

- [Man] Corn and potatoes
together, that's good.

(laughing)

- [Kenny] Look, there's
a bun on the ground.

(laughing)

- Yeah, the mashed potatoes good?

They look good too.

Everything looks good,
what am I talking about?

Crazy people.

(upbeat pop music)

I'm feeling it's time to
give Paul and Sonia a break,

so I'm gonna go spend a few
days at Jeremy and Alaina's.

They've heard about what I'm doing

and they're making an effort

to change their old
ways and eat healthier.

I haven't seen 'em in a while,

so it's gonna be good to catch up

and get their perspective on things.

- She inspired me to cleanse.

- So, we cut back on all our food.

- So, we have like one meal
a day and two shakes a day,

and, man, I was irritable
as hell. (Kenny laughs)

I was going off on her for no reason.

And I was like, "Damn, I'm
sorry, I didn't mean to."

I can only imagine if I
wasn't eating anything--

- Yeah, and that's the thing

is I'm getting where I'm
less irritable about things,

but then I just go through
moments of being real irritable.

- But they say there's so many women

who have a hard time losing weight

because there's so many
foods that mimic estrogen.

So, the body assumes that it has

too high of a dose of estrogen,

which makes you store fat in your belly,

'cause the belly fat is where

it breaks down the estrogen or something.

So, they're storing a lot more fat

in their stomachs because
of the food we eat.

- And now I'm convinced that's
why there is so much sickness

in the United States and in the world

is because we are just
eating so much stuff.

And since the majority
of our immune system

is in our digestive system,
basically, you are what you eat.

You eat junk food, you
eat fat and greasy food,

you'll be a fat and greasy dude.

(laughing)

(slow alternative music)

- Mmm, Cajun rice.

Yeah, and then, on top of it,
check it out, check it out,

jambalaya chicken, grilled.

Ooh!

- [Kenny] Food is
everywhere: on TV, in movies,

in magazine ads, I see it everywhere I go.

I just can't escape it.

The temptations are overwhelming,

especially with the smell of
food cooking all around me.

Now, with Jeremy taunting me,

it's enough to make me wanna
run out the front door,

find the first fast food place I see

and order half the menu.

Food is like heroin to me.

My mouth waters as I envision
eating all that greasy food.

I mean, it's an addiction
that's so hard to overcome

because, no matter what,
you have to eat to live.

- Dinner is served! (laughs)

Round two.

- [Kenny] I'm so close to finishing,

I just have to hang in there.

(light acoustic guitar music)

I've been doing some research

and have really started to understand

the severity of this obesity epidemic.

I wondered if any of our elected officials

would be willing to talk to
me about what they're doing

to get this situation under control,

but I quickly found out
how much they cared.

(phone ringing)

- [Voicemail] You have reached
President Clinton's office--

- [Voicemail] Arnold Schwarzenegger--

- [Voicemail] The White House
Office of Media Affairs--

- [Voicemail] You have
reached the scheduling office

of Hillary Clinton--

- [Voicemail] In order
to expedite your call,

please select from the following options.

- [Voicemail] Please press four.

- [Voicemail] Please press one now.

- [Voicemail] Your call
will be transferred. (beep)

(phone ringing)

- [Man On Phone] Governor's office.

- Yes, could I speak to someone

in the scheduling department, please?

I had submitted a request for an interview

about a month-and-a-half
ago to two months ago.

- [Man On Phone] Okay.

- I'm calling about a scheduling request

or interview request that I had submitted

about a month-and-a-half ago,

and I was just calling to follow up

and see the status of that request.

They keep telling me
they're gonna call me back,

but no one ever does.

- [Operator] Please hold
for the following options.

(dial tone)

- Hello?

- [Woman On Phone]
President Clinton's office.

- Yes, I'm calling about
a interview request

that I sent in about a
month-and-a-half ago.

- [Woman On Phone] Well, all right.

Actually, you're connected

to the scheduling department right now,

so let me transfer you over to press.

(phone ringing)

- [Man On Phone] When did you submit it?

- About a month-and-a-half,
two months ago.

I submitted about a
month-and-a-half to two months ago

and I have not heard any response.

- [Man On Phone] I couldn't
personally identify

what happened to it or at what stage it is

during the process, but if
you'd like to fax it to us again

and mark it urgent, then
that might be helpful.

- [Woman On Phone] Okay, well let me talk

to people in that department,

and hopefully we can get back to you

maybe by the end of the week.

- [Man On Phone] Yeah, I'm not sure.

I mean, I don't handle
the scheduling stuff.

But I can transfer you
over to that department--

- That'd be great.
- If you'd like.

- Yeah, that'd be great.

- [Man On Phone] Hold on one sec.

(phone ringing)

(laughing)

(beep)

- Hello, Pam, this is Kenny Saylors.

We spoke about a month ago in regards

to an interview request
for Vice President Al Gore

for a documentary about
the obesity epidemic.

Thank you very much and I
look forward to your call.

Oh yeah, good day, mate.

No, I'm just kidding. (laughs)

I didn't say that.

Since none of the politicians
wanted to talk to me,

I figured I'd try to meet with the authors

of a book I'd read, Thin from Within,

to get some advice on how to change

the way I think about food.

Okay, so I see some of these people

who are weighing like
800 pounds and stuff.

How does somebody let
themselves get that big?

What do you say in that situation?

- I would think there would be something

emotionally really, really
traumatic that has occurred.

The thing is there's a lotta different,

there's alcohol, there's
drugs, there's sex,

there's all these addictions,

and people can kind of
do them behind the closet

and you stay thin.

But here, you have somebody
who's addicted to food

and their body's getting
bigger and everyone knows.

- Once you're at that weight,

it's gonna take so long to
get back to where you are

that it's really hard to get motivated

to change your behaviors.

- And I can totally understand that.

- And, it's interesting,
probably in your fast,

you sorta have to get a life in a way.

It's like all that mental
space that's occupied by foods

and thinking about, "When am I gonna eat?

"Hmm, what would be good for lunch?

"What would be good for a snack?"

All of a sudden, it's like,
"Well, let me get a life.

"Let me figure out what are my dreams?"

- In our culture, that food
is such a coping mechanism,

especially for kinda
the good guys, you know?

Because you could either do
drugs, you could do alcohol,

but with food you can still function,

you can still work, you can
still take care of your family.

- And it's not illegal anywhere. (laughs)

- [Marna] It's not illegal, that's right.

- So, and you're only harming yourself,

you're not hurting anyone else.

So, there are some people
that can go on a diet,

lose weight, and stay with it, you know?

And be okay with weighing
food and counting calories.

So many people that we
talk to and work with

that have spent their life, really,

being so focused on their body and food

that they haven't lived.

- And I discovered today
while putting on my pants,

these pants were tight
on me, very tight on me,

whenever I first began, and
now they're extremely baggy.

So, I've apparently lost
a lotta weight in my legs.

I had pretty chunky legs, I guess.

And also, there's how much
weight has gone down on my hips

from when I was heavy.

I mean, that's a lot.

I'm actually pretty shocked
about that myself, dang!

And I have a long way to go still,

I got a lotta days left,
so that's excellent.

But the greatest part is

I never have to wear these pants again.

- [Jeremy] That's right.
(laughing)

You can get a whole new wardrobe!

- I know, gotta go buy new clothes now.

- [Jeremy] Baggy jeans.

- I know.

See, I got my necklace
and I got the baggy pants.

This is my gangster starter kit, yo.

- [Jeremy] Homie K! (laughs)

- What's up?
- K-Dog!

- Straight up, player,
don't be hatin' on me.

I talked to some people on the streets

to get their views on
the subject of weight.

- I've lost 30 pounds
in the last two months.

- Really, man?

That's excellent, man.

- [Man] Doing what?

- [Kenny] Yeah, how did you do that?

- [Man] Eating or working out?

- Changed my eating style.
- Eating?

- From eating the way you
were to eating healthy,

what's the hardest thing
you've found as being a change?

- Just not waking up at night
and grabbing the wrong things.

You know, instead of grabbing a sandwich

or something like that, I'll
take a piece of fruit or--

- Yeah, smart.
- You know, grapes,

or whatever fruit.

I started buying more
stuff like that, more fish.

- Oh, that's great.

- [Man] What do you think,
in your honest opinion,

about a guy doing a 50-day, 55-day fast,

setting a world record?

- I think it's great,
if you live through it.

- It was difficult to get people to talk

on camera about obesity unless
they themselves were thin

or were in the process of losing weight.

It made me realize how afraid

and uncomfortable people
are about this issue.

- I just feel so bad eating
in front of Kenny, (laughs)

but it has to be done.

- It's obvious they feel very bad about it

as they're going (chewing).

- [Jeremy] Are you done with that crust?

- It's coming out of their mouths.

(laughing)

Never thought I'd get so tired of water.

But when it's all you have,
you just really get sick of it.

It's weird, when you're
just around people,

people talk about food all the time.

I would venture to say
that, oh, 70% to 75%

of everyone's conversation
revolves around food.

And I know that sounds like

a far-stretching statement to make,

but, man, when you're not eating,

everything related to
food jumps out at you.

And then, when people talk
about, everywhere we go,

people are like, "Oh, I like
this, I like that," you know?

It's just, really, it's crazy.

(light dreamlike music)

I'm at my breaking point.

I'm physically, emotionally,
and spiritually exhausted.

How much longer can I keep doing this?

I'm almost at the end
of it, or I would be,

but now I'm trying to
break a world record.

I'm way, well, way into
the whole fast now.

I mean, I'm like, I'm nearing on,

I don't know, 30-something days.

You lose count after a while,

even though I keep track of it all.

Today, I went up with Jeremy and Alaina

and we played tennis.

I was so exhausted when I
got back, I just crashed out.

I just took a shower and laid down.

I've just been like blah.

I mean, I could barely even

walk up the stairs here, I was so tired.

I vomited and I'm like,
what's there to vomit?

I've got nothing in my stomach.

And it was weird because it was pink.

I guess it was just stomach
acid, that's all I did.

But, so it's a word of caution out there.

I gotta make sure not to
go crazy like that no more.

I need to really be
careful because, you know,

it hit me today and I was like,

man, I gotta be careful on the exercise.

What am I doing?

Have I lost sight of my goal?

Is going for the world record

really more important
to me than my health,

than my well-being?

What am I trying to prove to myself?

(light dreamlike music)

These past few days, I've
been reevaluating my life

and the direction I've been going.

I've realized that I've put off

pursuing a music career for way too long.

Songwriting is my outlet.

It's my way of expressing
my emotions, good or bad.

I'm going back to doing the things

that make me feel good about myself

and I'm gonna pursue my dream.

(rock music)

- [L.] Okay, the nurse is on her way up.

- The weigh-in.

- [L.] Are you ready for your weigh-in?

- Yeah, I know, I'm excited.

- [L.] I'm so excited!

I told you, you might grow through.

We should measure you after.

That's one thing that
might actually be nice

of those side effects.

Go ahead and step off.

And, ladies and gentlemen, 274.4!

- So, that would mean I've lost 41 pounds.

I got a lot of excess still to go.

- Wow, your body mass index is now 41.6.

Oh, my friend, you are going
in the right direction.

- Yeah, 41 pounds.

- That's pretty good.
- Pretty impressive, huh?

- Yeah.

I saw a magazine the other
day, it was on there.

And the cover says she lost
30 pounds in three months

and I was like, "Ahh."
(laughing)

- But your body mass index
when you started was about 48,

which is pretty extreme,
and now it's down to 41.6

So, you're doing tremendous.

The fat was nearly 58%,

that's where I was
getting that number from,

and now that's down to about 50%.

- Oh, okay.
- Okay?

So, you're doing amazing progress.

- That's still a lot, but
it's better. (laughing)

- I'm really amazed at
how well you're doing.

I really am.

I mean, I think it's great

that we're doing these treatments,

but it's a lot attributed to you.

- Yeah, well, I'll be honest,
I'm quite shocked myself.

(laughing)

- And what is this about
trying to break the record?

- Oh yeah.
- Yeah.

- Yeah, I just wanna go
in, and it's 50 days.

So I figured, well, I'm
doing 40 and I'm doing good,

I'm not freaking out about it or anything.

- Right, and now you're gonna push it to?

- 15.

15 more days, yeah.

- So, a total of 55 days of water fasting?

- [Kenny] Yep.

Might as well go to the extreme with it.

- That's stunning.
- Yeah.

- I know, of course, we're gonna have to

get some clearance with Dr. Ghaly.

- [Kenny] Right.
(laughs)

- No, really, we'll check you out,

make sure everything is good.

And I just wanna say I
think you're doing amazing.

- Oh, well, thank you.
- Absolutely amazing.

And if it was anyone else
in any other condition,

there's no way they could
push for that record.

But because of where you're
at, I think you could do it.

- Well, it is now day
40 of my original fast.

However, since we discovered
during the fasting process

that the world record was actually 50,

this means 40 is just another day,

which kinda sucks.

But day 40 has now come and gone,

(laughs) so what do I do?

So, Sonia went and made me a nice little

15 more days to the world record chart.

So, tomorrow, I get to begin my day 41

to my final 55 days to break the record.

So, this is the new addendum to the thing.

(upbeat pop music)

I'm getting near the end of my fast

and Sonia's already finished with hers,

so we decided to arrange
for a group of friends

to come together and talk about

everything we've been dealing with

and learning about these
past several weeks.

Whenever I told people I was
gonna go fasting for 40 days,

they were like, "What are you, crazy?"

Even I had a doctor tell me,
"So, do you have a death wish?"

(laughing)

- Don't you miss a good taco or guacamole?

(laughing)

- No, it's funny because I
really don't think about it.

Like right now, it's actually
gonna be as hard for me

to go back to eating as
it was for me to stop.

- How did that affect you?

You look great, but I mean--

- I feel so good now.

And I lost 40 pounds and I
still had to make Paul food.

And I was never starving,
but on the fifth day,

I really wanted fried chicken.

(laughing)

And then, that kinda went away.

But I think it's 'cause I kept watching TV

and I was watching food network.

- [Woman] And commercials.

- Commercials!

(suspenseful eerie music)

- When you're overweight,
you're vulnerable to people

in public that don't even know you.

And they'll judge you
or say comments to you

that are so hurtful that
they don't really know

you already know this about yourself;

you don't need to hear it.

- Does it make you more unsocial?

That's what I wanna know.

Do you feel like, "Maybe
I shouldn't go out?"

Imagine what happens to the
kids, let's talk about that.

Let's talk about, a person's overweight,

so they discipline they have

in the refrigerator
reflects on their kids.

- It's that learned behavior
that we were talking about.

- It's also kids, you've got
companies like McDonald's

that equals toys and play land, you know?

And that's burger and fries, McDonald's.

So, even when you become an adult,

there's still that subconscious,
"Play land," you know?

(suspenseful eerie music)

- It must've been really
extremely hard for you

because you came from a fairly
slim guy from high school,

looking good.

- [Kenny] Yeah, very thin.

Boy, she knew me in high school.

- My image of Kenny was dancing,

performing on stage, singing,
this thin little guy.

- As you start letting
yourself go mentally,

you start saying, "Well, it's okay."

Is that what you did?

In your mind, you convinced yourself?

- I started saying,
"What's another hamburger?

"I already weigh this much.

"If I eat one more, it's easy.

"And I'm not worried about it,

"I'll just eat one more and
then I'll start tomorrow."

I can't tell you how many
Mondays I've had in my life.

"I'm gonna start on Monday."

- [Man] I think after
today, I will change my way.

You guys have been an inspiration.

("Star Spangled Banner")

- Hollywood attracts tourists
from all over the world.

I was curious what they thought

about the eating habits of Americans.

Ah, welcome to Hollywood, right?

We're on Hollywood Boulevard.

- And vegetables.

We eat a lot of vegetable.

- It's heavy.

- I met a girl the other day

whose father is both a cardiologist

and a professional bodybuilder.

I thought it would be really interesting

to get his viewpoint on fasting

and the best way for me to get healthy.

Now, these are your
pictures here of your--

- [Howard] Yeah, those
are some of my pictures.

Those two, I placed first,

and that was my first
competition, about nine years ago.

My goal was to place in the
top five for the Masters

nationwide in my age group.

- Were you a doctor first
or a bodybuilder first?

- I was a doctor first, but
I've always been interested

in nutrition and sports,
athletics and so forth.

I still am a cardiologist, an internist,

but I kinda look outside the box.

Because, really, obesity is an epidemic

and it certainly, certainly
affects heart health.

What really frightens me

is what's happened to the children today.

I mean, we have young school-age children

that are developing adult onset
diabetes because of obesity

and the fact that these
children are just not active.

So, we're seeing diabetics
in 11-, 12-, 13-year-olds.

Anyone that has gone through
losing weight in the past,

they have willpower.

Dieting isn't so much the issue,

it's learning how to really make changes

that will affect you for the long term.

- What are your thoughts on fasting

and what happens to the body?

- You have this goal that
you were gonna lose weight.

And, yeah, it was an extreme,

but it's not much different
than what bodybuilders do

when they bulk up and then
cut down for a contest.

So, yes, it's extreme.

And no, I would not recommend
it for the general population.

Yeah, you will lose weight,

but first you'll lose water weight, okay?

And then, as your metabolism
comes to a screeching halt,

then you start losing muscle weight.

Now, the more muscle you lose,
the slower your metabolism.

So, you eventually will get to a point

in which weight loss will end, okay?

Now, you are a very strong individual

and you were determined
to go through this.

You beat the odds.

There is not many people I know

that could be on a fast
as long as you were

and could be as successful as you were.

- What's the difference
between fasting and anorexia?

- It's an extreme form of eating disorder

in which one is controlling
what they put in their mouth,

with the aim of starving themselves.

See, yours was not so much

a need to control what
you put in your mouth,

you had a goal of wanting to
lose this amount of weight

and you had a predetermined
time period in which to do it.

This is one of the problems I have found

in dealing with obese people in general

is that you feel so deprived
that you must bust out.

So, what this people do,
then they'll overeat.

And then, they will feel
like they're total failures

because they screwed up again,
and then they go off a diet

and they overeat and they get fatter.

If you look at people that
have gone through yo-yo dieting

time after time after time,

the common thread that I have found

is that they always feel like failures.

They can't end up doing what
they put their mind to do

and they feel like they're a failure,

so they might as well just be fat,

"'Cause I can't beat the odds."

(slow piano music)

- [Kenny] Sonia and I
started this fast together,

supporting each other
spiritually and emotionally.

This journey has really bonded

our friendship for a lifetime.

- I can't believe I finished my fast.

- [Kenny] You finished it, 40--

- 40 days, I lost 40 pounds.

I learned that I needed to take more time

and take care of myself

and to do what I need
to do to stay healthy.

It's weird, though.

When you don't eat for so many days,

you don't even think about food anymore.

- When you deprive yourself
of food, you start realizing

how much you have control over your food.

- Growing up, I just remember
at school, I got picked on.

There was always the few kids

that would pick on me and tease me.

Getting into my adulthood,
first of all, I didn't date.

I was always going out with my
girlfriends and going dancing

and I was the one that was
always holding everybody's purse.

The funny thing is I used to think

if I could just have a guy in my life

that would love me and
that would take care of me,

then I could go on and go
after my dream, you know?

'Cause I never really went after

my dream of being an artist

'cause I thought I have to
take care of this first.

And so, I ended up going
through relationships with guys

and I had this series of boyfriends

that were not the greatest guys, you know?

They were more like verbally
abusive, not physically,

but I had one boyfriend
that used to tell me

that I was borderline ugly.

And he told me once, I'll never forget,

we were on Magic Mountain and
we were in line for this ride

and he told me he was
embarrassed to be seen with me.

- [Kenny] Your boyfriend?

- Yeah. (laughs)

And I still stayed with
him because I thought

I'm never gonna find anybody else.

And I think that a lot of women

that are overweight think that.

- [Kenny] 'Cause they
put up with a lot more--

- They put up with a lot
more because they don't feel

that anyone else is gonna want 'em.

So, I went through that
period and I just...

And the funny thing is that

the one guy that said that to me,

I thought, "Well, I'll show him.

"I'll lose weight and then I'll dump him."

I lost 75 pounds in
like five or six months,

I don't remember.

I ended up staying with him.

- [Kenny] Wow, why?

- Because by that time,

I mean, I still had my
self-esteem, you know?

It took me a long time; I
was with him for six years.

And six years of someone telling
you you're borderline ugly

and that you'll never meet
anybody better than them,

you start to believe it.

And when you get older

and you start to see
what life's really about

and you see that what you're
doing for everyone else,

you're trying to help everybody else,

you realize that you
deserve that same love

that you're giving to everybody else;

you deserve it for yourself
just as much as they deserve it.

So, why aren't you doing it for yourself?

And then, that's when you
start to weed out the people

that are not good in your life.

And when I started doing that,

that's when I started attracting
the right people to me,

and then I found Paul--

- [Kenny] Yeah.
(laughs)

- Who's like mister wonderful. (laughs)

It was worth the journey,

going from that to
finding someone wonderful.

(groovy rock music)

- This is it, my last weigh-in.

I'm so proud to be able to say

that I reached a personal milestone.

And now, it's just time to find out

how much my hard work's paid off.

- [L.] So, you went from 315 down to 271.

- So, how many would that be?

- That's 44 pounds.
- 44 pounds.

- [L.] The interesting thing about it--

- What was his fat, yeah, percentage?

- Yeah, the percentage of body fat

has come down dramatically,
'cause it was at 53%,

actually, over 53%, and
now it's down to 46%.

So, that's important.

And then, when you look--

- And how many pounds
of fat would that be?

- Exactly, thank you doctor.

When you look at the fat mass,

he actually lost 40 pounds of fat

and only four pounds of lean body mass.

- Not bad.

- So, that's pretty spectacular.

- Preserving muscle mass
is the name of the game.

- And really unusual.
- Yeah.

- So, let's get you measured

to see how toned this buff body is.

- Yeah, I know, all these muscles I have.

- Yes!

- I'm looking forward to the measurements

because of my clothes have been,

like this shirt was like spandex (laughs)

on me when I started.

Oh, but the thing I
was gonna ask you about

was the ketone strips, where
I've been peeing on 'em.

But it went up really high

and for a long time it was really high,

and then it started going down,
and then up, and then down.

And in the past four or five
days, it's been trace amounts.

- [Dr. Ghaly] That's good.

- Oh, so that's normal?

- That's very normal.

(slow rock music)

- That's, what, five-and-a-half
inches around the stomach.

I've gone down a couple
pant size, (laughs)

which I've noticed 'cause my
pants don't fit me anymore.

- And for you to lose 50-some pounds?

- 44.
- 44 pounds?

That's not bad, like a pound a day.

My god, that's quite a bit.

So, for each pound of fat,

you need to spend 3,500 calories, okay?

So, a man usually requires,
for daily maintenance,

anywhere between 2,800
to 3,200 calories a day.

So, basically, you were
living on your own--

- Fat. (laughs)

- There you go.

- We have, dun-dun-dun!
(laughing)

I never give anybody anything,

but he broke a world
record, for goodness sake!

This is the Via that
Georgette talked about, okay?

- [Kenny] Oh, right, yeah.

- So, this is what's gonna help you

break your fast in a very healthy way.

This is whole food, not a juice.

And, of course, dun-dun-dun!

- Good, I'm always in need
of white t-shirts! (laughs)

- No, what I love is,
remember the first time

that you fit into this?

- [Kenny] Yeah, (laughs) right.

- Because this is the biggest one we have

and you didn't fit the first time.

- [Kenny] No, I didn't fit in
it the first time. (laughs)

- So, now you more than fit.

That's it.
(laughing)

There you go.

- Well, thank you so much.

- Yeah, and my congratulations
on doing so, so well.

We are all phenomenally proud of you.

- What'd you learn about yourself?

- What did I learn about myself?

That I actually, if I
put my mind to it enough,

I can actually go and turn down food.

That's the big thing

because that's one of the
biggest problems that I--

- Hurdles.

- And I think that's one of
the things that most people

in the world who are overweight,
their biggest problem

is they don't think
they can say no to food.

And I always thought that, and
I proved it because I did it.

But you learn through the whole thing,

you realize that if you
put your mind to it enough

that you can change your mind,
you can change your body.

(light acoustic guitar music)

I'm like, I finished, you know?

Yay, I get to eat something tomorrow,

drink something besides water.

128 ounces in a gallon.

The last day's here, 55.

So, here, and then there's me,
which I should cross out too.

(laughing)

Yay!

55 days!

55 days and I've drunk so much water.

I will probably never be able to drink

anything but water again
the rest of my life.

Although, I am looking
forward to making iced tea.

Iced tea will taste good.

Yay, 55 days!

Woo!

(upbeat acoustic guitar music)

- Ken-Dog.

Congrats.

- My lovely hair and everything.

So, well, thank you.
(laughing)

He gave me a coupon for juice.

Thank you guys so much, man.

- Congrats.

- Thanks, I couldn't have done it

without you guys, that's for sure.

I probably could've gone 60 days,

but that probably wouldn't
have been a good idea.

But I started getting, actually,
towards the past few days,

I started getting pains in my side.

- Gonna do carrot apple.

- [Kenny] Carrot apple sounds--

- Kenny's request.
- Sounds very good.

It's gonna be weird
actually, having something,

'cause I haven't had anything,
not even mints, anything.

The closest thing I've even
come to chewing anything

was I chewed a straw.

(laughing)

When I get stressed out, I
chew straws and plastic things,

which is probably not a good habit.

They all need to, yeah,
everybody should try.

Here it is.

Day, well, 56 now, I guess, huh? (laughs)

Cheers, I finished, yay!

- Yay, congratulations!

- Thank you.

- Cheers.

- Oh, thank you, thank you.

Well, I'm full.

(laughing)

Man.

- How is that?

- [Sonia] You're still alive. (laughs)

(grimaces and groans)

- Bright light getting bigger!

Yeah, it's weird.

I mean, it tastes good, but it's weird.

- [Sonia] Been a while.

What do you think, do you like it?

- I think it's actually really good.

- [Sonia] Is that the first time

you've had homemade carrot juice?

- Yes.

- Well, freshly squeezed carrot juice,

you can't get this stuff in bottles, man.

- It actually tastes really good.

- Well--

- [Sonia] That's that.

- It was good.

- There we go guys, we're all done.

I'm a little disappointed I didn't lose

as much weight as I thought I would,

but who can complain about
losing like 50 pounds,

44 or whatever the crap it was?

Yeah, five-something inches from my waist.

No, I'm very happy; I
certainly don't regret it.

Any time I lose any weight,
I don't regret it. (laughing)

But the important thing is,

what I disregarded in this
'cause I went 55 days,

because, actually, about
quite a few days before this,

my hunger actually came back
and I let it cycle again,

and you're not supposed to do that.

You're not supposed to let
your hunger cycle again

once you've been so long.

But, of course, I was
going for a world record,

so I thought I'd do it, but
that got into danger zone.

Yeah, well, pretty much anything

with the word fast and food
(laughing) conjoined, yeah.

But then, it's just
making a conscious choice.

Like, okay, I can have this fried chicken

that's not good for me or I can have

the same basic ingredient of chicken baked

and it's healthy for me, you know?

But the good thing, I feel like now

that I'm at the starting line, you know?

Yeah, exactly.

And now, I actually feel like,

'cause the fasting, I actually felt

like I was doing something really crazy.

Now, I actually feel
like I'm starting life.

(light dreamlike music)

I can honestly say that this has been

one of the toughest things
I've ever put myself through.

People are telling me,
"You're so much thinner."

Yeah, I lost weight, not
as much as I'd hoped to,

but this wasn't meant to be

some magic solution to all my problems.

What's most important is
that I set a goal for myself,

I made the effort and, as hard
as it was, I didn't give up.

I didn't give in.

When people taunted me with food

or told me it was impossible,
I never gave up on myself,

and I never will again.

To believe in yourself and to have faith

is worth everything, especially
when you face the thing

that has kept you down and
kept you from truly living.

And then, you conquer it.

You know, I once heard it
said that it's never too late

to be who you might've been.

And now, for the first time in years,

I know I can be that person.

(triumphant orchestral music)

Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.