NEED TO KNOW
Natalie was left in tears after getting a wake-up call about beginning her weight-loss journey.
In PEOPLE’s exclusive clip from the series premiere of Dangerously Obese, the 28-year-old is at an appointment with bariatric surgeon Dr. Charles Procter, who knows she’s been “struggling for a long time” with her weight and wants to help. They begin the visit with Natalie weighing herself.
“That scale, Lord,” she says with a big sigh. “I’m very nervous about the scale because honestly, I can’t remember the last time I weighed myself. Regular bathroom scales, they don’t go that high.”
Natalie steps on the scale and it reveals that she weighs 655 lbs., leaving her speechless. Procter then sits her down and gives her the harsh truth about her health and what that means for her future.
“You know, you’re 28 years old. You’re way too young to be in this kind of shape. This is a way to a quick death,” he tells her. “There are people even in our 20s every day in this country who die just because of their size.”
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“You only have to look at Natalie to understand why this is so important for her,” he adds in a confessional. “She does not have long to live. I don’t know if she realizes that. I think a lot of people think, well I’m young and things can get better in the future. She has no future unless she does really, really aggressive things at this point to try to lose that weight.”
Natalie breaks down in tears as Procter explains that she is a high-risk patient. He notes that she loses her breath by simply walking across the room, and he’s not comfortable moving forward with bariatric surgery at that point.
“I’m not willing to take that on unless I see a monumental effort on your part,” he explains. “So we’re going to see you back in two months. We’ll talk about operating on you when you drop below 600 lbs.”
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Natalie tearfully agrees before saying in a confessional, “Dr. Procter wants me under 600 lbs. So that means I have to lose 55 lbs. and I don’t know how I’m going to do that.”
The new series, Dangerously Obese, follows individuals’ attempt to lose weight and reinvent their lives with the help of renowned bariatric surgeon, Dr. Charles Procter, who is known for his work with Amy and Tammy Slaton on 1000-LB Sisters. Each episode follows a new patient as they navigate the ups and downs of their weight loss journey.
The premiere of Dangerously Obese airs Wednesday, October 22 at 9pm ET/PT on TLC.
