Though Michael says he considered gastric bypass surgery, it ultimately wasn't for him. When he first started focusing on weight loss, he says he was too heavy to be a candidate for the surgery. While he applauds anyone who has succeeded with gastric bypass, Michael says it wouldn't solve his illness. "Unless they're ready to do a bypass in my brain, it's not going to work," he says. "I'm never hungry in my stomach; I'm never full in my stomach. I need the bypass [in my head], where I have the disease. That's where I fight the battle every day."

This time around, Michael says he's learned not to have a specific weight loss goal. "My goal is to live," he says. "My goal is to do better every day, to be able to move a little bit more."

Kirstie Alley's public weight gain

Weight loss all-stars