– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

It's a health condition so dangerous

that it is second only to smoking

as a cause of premature death.

I'm talking about obesity.

But, for our next guest, her staggering weight gain

is only part of a much, much bigger issue.

It breaks my heart.

Going to the grocery store,

just getting her in the car,

"Oh, that's your sister?

"Your sister's so big."

My weight has been a struggle

pretty much all my life.

In kindergarten, I would get made fun of by classmates.

"Fat-so.

"Cubby.

"You should be ashamed of yourself."

I would just cry myself to sleep sometimes.

Just, starting to believe what other people were saying

was the truth.

Around the age of 14, I weighed 190 pounds.

I wanted people to like me,

and so, I would make fun of myself.

"Oh, ha-ha, yeah, I know I need to lose weight."

I so wanted that recognition of somebody liking me.

I really felt like

I shouldn't be taking up any space on earth.

Around my senior year, I weighed 320 pounds.

I had developed arthritis, sleep apnea.

My liver is enlarged.

I have chronic pain.

She is breathing so hard that

I feel like she's gonna have a heart attack.

(gloomy music)

I currently weigh 550 pounds

and I'm five foot, six inches.

I can sense when my sister's having a bad day.

I have a bad habit of stress eating.

She gets her comfort food.

Ice cream, pizza.

And, she goes up to her room and she hides with her food.

Soda, I used to drink

six to seven 12 pack cases a week.

Six to seven 12 pack cases a week.

I'd peek into her car and I can see cases,

and cases, and cases.

She just drinks it constantly.

That's her happy place.

When I go to the binge eating,

I will often not eat for the next day.

Then, it will start all over again, binge eating.

I went into depression.

Haley has tried to take her life a few times.

It's a cry for help.

I just see somebody that has so much potential

that's just screaming to get out.

As Haley began to peel away the layers of her story,

it became clear

that her weight was only the tip of the iceberg.

So, we sent her to Doctor Judy Ho

to get to the bottom of what was really going on.

I believe that many individuals who have body image issues

are plagued also

with the emotional problems that come with that.

Sometimes when people are bullied,

you know, they'll sometimes have symptoms of anxiety

or even depression.

Did that happen to you when you were younger?

Right around the age of 25 or so,

I got to the point where

I was drinking like

six full bottles of hard liquor a week.

I was going to work drunk.

Clients were complaining about me; slurred speech.

So, what did you do then?

I went to AA and that helped quite a bit.

Going from day to day was so hard.

It was a real struggle.

My heart starts racing.

Do you have panic attacks or anything like that?

I've had panic attacks in the past.

If they get severe enough,

it's almost like I black out.

What are some of the things that happen

that make you feel that way.

I ended up getting assaulted.

I was thrown to the ground and choked.

Oh, my goodness.

Definitely, PTSD from that.

Your life was in danger.

I was afraid to go out in public,

be around anybody, especially men.

My clavicle was fractured.

This is a woman who has never felt safe in her life.

How long do you think

some of the post traumatic symptoms lasted?

Almost two years.

Haley came to talk about her overeating,

but there's so much more under the surface

that's driving those behaviors.

Tell me a little bit about how dark the depression has been.

It was just like days where I'm like hiding in a cave.

It's like a black dog follows me around,

digging up all the past.

How many times have you felt that way,

and actually taken some action?

It's been a few times where I've

wanted to actually die.

I actually attempted to;

overdosing on medication, cutting my wrist.

With Haley, one of her main coping mechanisms

is to put on a smiling face

even when describing horrific experiences.

So, when was the last time you tried to commit suicide.

About six months ago, I ended up damaging my liver.

I still go to counseling about every two weeks.

That's good.

This is probably the best I've been feeling

in a long time.

So, seems like your weight is tied up

with all of these other things.

Just being able to try to get the weight off,

because I have so many medical issues now.

I do believe that underneath it all,

Haley has a will to live.

But, this is what I worry about with Haley,

is that she's basically under chronic stress

every single day, trying to hold herself together.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
obesity oʊˈbɛsɪti B1	noun - the condition of being grossly fat or overweight
staggering ˈstæɡərɪŋ B2	adjective - astonishingly large or great
struggle ˈstrʌɡəl A2	verb - to make strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties noun - a forceful or violent effort or struggle to attain an end
arthritis ɑrˈθraɪtɪs B2	noun - inflammation of a joint
enlarged ɪnˈlɑrdʒd B1	adjective - made or become larger
chronic ˈkrɑnɪk B1	adjective - persisting for a long time or constantly recurring
binge bɪndʒ B1	verb - to indulge in an activity, especially eating or drinking, to excess
depression dɪˈprɛʃən B1	noun - a mental condition characterized by feelings of severe despondency and dejection
anxiety æŋˈzaɪəti B1	noun - a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome
assaulted əˈsɔltd B2	verb - to make a physical attack on
PTSD piː tiː ɛs diː B2	noun - post-traumatic stress disorder
clavicle ˈklævɪkəl C1	noun - the collarbone
coping ˈkoʊpɪŋ B1	noun - the process of dealing with and overcoming difficulties
horrific hɔˈrɪfɪk B2	adjective - causing horror or disgust
counseling ˈkaʊnsəlɪŋ B1	noun - professional guidance in resolving personal difficulties

Key Grammar Structures

• It's a health condition so dangerous that it is second only to smoking as a cause of premature death.

  ➔ Subjunctive clause with 'that', comparative adjective ('second only to')

  ➔ The phrase 'so dangerous **that** it is...' introduces a result clause, showing the consequence of the danger. 'Second only to' indicates a comparison, meaning smoking is more dangerous, but this condition is the next most dangerous.

• I wanted people to like me, and so, I would make fun of myself.

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose ('to like'), conditional mood ('would')

  ➔ The phrase 'to like me' explains **why** she made fun of herself – her purpose was to gain acceptance. 'Would' indicates a habitual action in the past, something she **used to** do.

• I currently weigh 550 pounds and I'm five foot, six inches.

  ➔ Present continuous for current state (weigh), use of feet and inches for measurement.

  ➔ The verb 'weigh' is used to describe her current weight. The measurement 'five foot, six inches' is a common way to express height in the US and UK.

• I'd peek into her car and I can see cases, and cases, and cases.

  ➔ Contraction of 'I would' ('I'd'), repetition for emphasis.

  ➔ The contraction 'I'd' makes the speech more informal. The repetition of 'cases' emphasizes the sheer quantity of soda she was consuming.

• Haley came to talk about her overeating, but there's so much more under the surface that's driving those behaviors.

  ➔ Gerund as subject ('overeating'), relative clause ('that's driving...')

  ➔ The word 'overeating' functions as the topic of the conversation. The phrase 'under the surface' is an idiom meaning hidden or not immediately obvious. The relative clause 'that's driving those behaviors' explains the cause of her overeating.