Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead Page #6

It's incredible.

I'm not going for skinny,

I'm just going for healthy.

No regrets, none whatsoever.

I'd do it again, in fact,

I probably will.

So here I am,

on the morning of Day 61.

I thought what better way

to break my fast

than 2,000 feet above the earth

on a beautiful morning.

Up in that balloon,

I renewed my commitment

to eat nothing but

micronutrient food

until I was free

of my medication.

And then the real test.

Would I be able to achieve

and maintain

a life with balance?

Here goes.

I actually bit my mouth.

I'm out of practice.

So the great news is,

I'm back in Australia.

Eight weeks since

I've been in that balloon.

And guess what?

No medication.

That's right,

I've been one whole week

on absolutely no prednisone.

It's the best feeling ever.

It's just sensational.

The changes I've made

are not only helping my body,

they're also making a

big difference to my mind.

I invest my own money

in growing businesses,

both in the US.

and here in Australia.

So we found the right guy,

we're confident that

he's the right guy for us?

Hello, mis is

Shane Hudson speaking...

it's Joe, how are ya, mate?

So what have we got here?

So this is one of the

dresses from

the Collection Spring/Summer.

What I know hes never looked

so good before,

and actually I find

that in board

meetings now,

he thinks so clearly.

Its actually

quite interesting.

And I wonder if it's because

the food, the intake, the...

it's cleaner,

so therefore his thought

processes are cleaner.

Theres definitely a difference.

So there I am,

back in Australia,

working on the new Joe,

the healthier Joe,

the happier Joe.

I was on top of the world,

and then...

You've reached the U.S. cell

phone of Joe Cross.

Unfortunately

Pm in Australia right now,

please leave a message,

and I will get back to you.

Thanks for calling.

I just got a

really disturbing phone call,

and, it was Phil Staples,

that truck driver I met in...

Winslow, Arizona

that has the same

awful disease condition

that I have.

I offered him help and

I've gotta do that.

I've gotta get over there and

see what I can do.

The last few years,

I've been takin' so many pills,

it's just amazing.

I'm so tired of it.

It's just not right, I mean,

no energy to even walk.

Always in pain

because of the weight

on my knees and my legs.

My back,

I don't feel like walking

and I know I should.

So we just got into Sioux Falls,

not far from Sheldon.

Here to see Phil.

After we talked on the phone,

he decided to try

a 'IO-day juice fast.

You know I really think

Phil can do the 10 days.

He seems very committed.

I spoke to him

on the phone a couple of times.

Hes at the beginning

of his journey.

You gotta admire

the bloke though,

he's taking some time off work.

That's not easy.

You know,

he hasn't got a lot of,

a lot of means,

financially that is.

He's putting his health first.

How are ya, mate?

Good to see ya!

How you doing?

I'm here...

ready to go.

You look a lot better then

the last time I seen you.

Ya reckon?

You see a difference?

I see a big difference,

now I want to get there.

Oh mate, you'll get here,

and listen mate,

in true Australian form,

I bought you a present.

Thanks.

Now this is a...

See, this is Australian,

these are our colors, green and

gold are our sporting colors

for our country.

So you've got Australia there,

our flag,

What do you see

on the front there?

A kangaroo.

Eh?

Yeah, here you go, mate.

This is the beginning.

Have a look at the size on it.

Alright, now what are you

normally into?

- This is a six.

- So what's this gonna be?

- A challenge.

- The target.

That's right.

This is life or death for you

right now in my view.

- I mean this really is.

- Yeah, this is.

Yeah, you didn't know me

when I was sick but,

I'm looking in a mirror here.

This is how I was.

I wasn't as big as you,

but I was on my way.

Isn't it scary

when your parents

or your relatives or your

loved ones start talking to you,

and they're asking you

whether you want to be buried

or cremated because

you're big enough that

it's going to be tough

to bury you.

It's going to be expensive

to bury you,

so they ask about cremation.

For healthy people, doing a

But when you're on

prescription medication,

you need to be supervised

by a doctor.

We brought Phil in

for a full check-up,

just to make sure there was

nothing else seriously wrong.

What will you be able

to tell from that?

If his heart is structurally

sound, if hes had any

disease or problems

from being overweight.

So far, everything

was looking good.

More tests to go,

blood to be taken,

and then to the Dexa Machine

to measure Phil's fat

and muscle content.

Sorry but the weight limit

on the table is 350 so...

you won't fit.

The table won't move

properly the way it should.

I'll be too heavy for it.

It depresses me when

somebody calls me "big guy".

I want to be known as...

Phil again.

Instead of walking up

behind somebody

and scaring the tar out of 'em

because they see

this rather large,

angry-looking man,

who's not really angry.

I'm just in pain.

Go ahead and stand up straight.

OK, six foot, one inch.

Weight is 4296.

What do you do for exercise,

anything right now?

Walk from the truck

to the truck stop.

OK.

Cause all this is just too much

to carry for me right now.

- It hurts to walk very far.

' Yep, WP-

How about your feet and ankles?

Have you had

a lot of problems with swelling?

Oh yeah.

It's mostly worse

on the left foot.

OK.

You're at more risk of

getting skin breakdown

where you'll get ulcers and stuff

that can get infected

just like diabetes so...

You are 429 pounds,

which gives you

a body mass index,

and that's your weight

versus your height,

and ideally we like that

less than 25.

You're at 58,

which is in the extreme obesity,

or morbid obesity.

You know, you're almost off the

scales for, a few more pounds

and I wouldn't have been able

to measure you

on this type of scale.

And what's the prognosis if

Phil does nothing about

anything and just keeps going

the way he's going?

What do you think he has

the unpleasant things

to look forward to?

If he doesn't lose weight

and keeps going,

he'll get diabetes,

your blood pressure

will continue to rise,

which will require

numerous medications

to keep it under control.

With your family history and

your high blood pressure,

you will be at risk

of having a heart attack.

If you have a heart attack and

your heart dilates from

the heart attack

and from your blood pressure,

you will eventually

not be able to breathe

and go into heart failure.

If the sleep apnea that you

probably have from the weight

continues,

you're at risk of heart failure,

which means then you're on pills

to get rid of the extra fluid.

You limit your ability to

walk any further, and

you're at risk of sudden death

because of your weight.

You could just

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