Weight Loss

			The Mini-Gastric Bypass
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Cover Story 2/9/04
Rethinking Weight
Hey, maybe it's not a weakness. Just maybe. . .it's a disease

Why that beer belly is a killer

The future of fatness

By Amanda Spake
Maria Pfisterer has never in her life been skinny. The Arlington, Texas, mother of three was at her slimmest at age 18, when she married Fred, an Air Force sergeant. But she was plump, not seriously fat. She first became seriously overweight at age 21, when she gained about 70 pounds during her first pregnancy. By the time she delivered her daughter Jordan, now 14, she was carrying over 200 pounds on her 5-foot, 2-inch frame.

Over the past 14 years, Pfisterer has tried every weight-loss strategy imaginable: She has taken the (now banned) appetite-suppressing drug combo fen-phen (she lost 60 pounds only to regain it during her second pregnancy). She went on a doctor-prescribed and -supervised low-calorie diet (she lost 10 pounds but regained it). She has been enrolled in Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Curves, and a variety of quick-weight-loss fads. All resulted in a little lost and more regained. She has taken antidepressants, reputed to have weight loss as a side effect. They didn't for her. She would love to get into one of those intensive medical weight-loss programs, but she can't afford the $4,000-plus price tag. So she does what she can. "If I lose weight, it seems like I always go back up to that same 197 to 202 range," she says. "I just don't know how to keep it off."

Pfisterer isn't alone. A majority of Americans--now 64 percent--are overweight or obese and struggling to conquer their expanding waistlines before their fat overtakes their health and makes them sick or kills them. At the heart of this obesity epidemic is a debate over whether obesity is a biological "disease" and should be treated like any other life-threatening illness--cancer, heart disease--or whether it is simply a risk factor for those killers. The stakes are high because the answer may determine who gets treated for obesity, what treatments are available, who pays for treatment, and, ultimately, who stays healthy.

New understandings of the biology of obesity are driving the debate. "I think there's enough data now relating to mechanisms of food intake regulation that suggest obesity is a biologically determined process," says Xavier Pi-Sunyer, director of the Obesity Research Center at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. And many national and international health organizations--from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the World Health Organization--agree. The WHO has listed obesity as a disease in its International Classification of Diseases since 1979. In fact, the organization recently called on member states to adopt programs to encourage a reduction of fat and sugar in the global diet. The recommendation did not sit well with the U.S. food industry or with some within the Bush administration, who still maintain the obesity epidemic can be reversed by individuals taking more personal responsibility and making better lifestyle choices. Many health insurers agree. "For a wide number of people in this country the question is: How do you motivate people to make changes in diet and increase physical activity?" says Susan Pisano of the Health Insurance Association of America.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Stopping it before it starts: Health professionals are recommending that healthy diets and fitness routines begin in childhood (12/1/03)

America's expanding waistline: The trend toward obesity leads to higher risk for diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses (10/27/03)

Piling on the profit: There's no slimming down for companies selling diet products (6/16/03)

The science of slimming: Weight control is as complex as the workings of the human mind (6/16/03)

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Contact Information: -Telephones: *** CLOS West: 702-456-4643; Trish Lanman 702-376-3446, Sandy Brubaker 702-376-3647; Jennifer Brubaker 702-376-9339, Dr. Rutledge 702-215-9550; 989-450-8081 Kim Hazen 989-450-8081 *** CLOS Florida: Flo Ballengee 863-899-3463 Wayne Robbins 704-682-1549 Elizabeth Robbins 704-928-6693 Dr. Cesare Peraglie 407-922-3424

Email Us Anytime for Help: Email: Dr. Rutledge DrR@clos.net, *** CLOS West: Trish Lanman Trish@clos.net, Sandy Brubaker SandyB@clos.net Dr. Rutledge DrR@clos.net, Kim Hazen khazen@clos.net *** CLOS Florida: Flo Ballengee flo@clos.net, Wayne Robbins wr@clos.net Elizabeth Robbins epr@clos.net Dr. Peraglie drp@clos.net

Addresses: Address: *** CLOS West Office: Dr Robert Rutledge / CELOS, 98 E Lake Mead Parkway Suite 302, Henderson NV 89015, Office 702-456-4643, Office fax: 702-456-1173, Contacts: Trish Lanman 702-376-3446 Trish@clos.net, Sandy Brubaker 702-376-3647 SandyB@clos.net, Jennifer Brubaker 702-376-9339 Jen@clos.net, Dr. Rutledge 702-215-9550 Drr@clos.net Kim Hazen 989-450-8081 khazen@clos.net *** CLOS Florida: 40124 Highway 27, Suite 203, Davenport, FL 33837, Wayne Robbins 704-682-1549, wr@clos.net, Elizabeth Robbins 704-928-6693 epr@clos.net, Dr. Peraglie 407-922-3424 drp@clos.net

Warning: Gastric Bypass Surgery is a MAJOR surgical procedure. It can be associated with significant risks and complications, up to and including death. Weight loss surgery is a rapidly developing area of medicine. Bariatric surgery is filled with controversy. It is very important to take a careful and deliberate approach to considering surgery for the treatment of obesity.

Disclaimer Notice:-Information on this web site is provided for informational purposes only.
-It is imperative that you consult your own physician regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your symptoms or medical condition.
-Contact with this web site or Dr. Rutledge over the web site does not constitute a doctor patient relationship and for good quality medical care you must obtain advice and consultation form your own local physician.
-This site is intended as a resource for references on the treatment of obesity for health care professionals and educated consumers.
-The authors and editors have used sources believed to be reliable in their efforts to provide information that is complete and generally in accord with the standards accepted at the time of publication.
-Medical knowledge changes rapidly. In view of the possibility of human error or changes in medical science, neither the authors nor the editors nor any other party who has been involved in the preparation or publication of this work warrants that the information contained herein is in every respect accurate or complete, and they are not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information.
This information is not medical advice or diagnosis, nor is it to be construed as medical advice, medical information, medical diagnosis, or medical prescription for curing, removing, or preventing any disease, or related symptoms. You must seek the direct assistance, advice and evaluation of your own personal physician before acting on any information found herein. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
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Copyright Š 1998 The Center for Laparoscopic Obesity Surgery