A team of weight management specialists is expanding treatment options for people who cannot qualify for weight loss surgery, as well as bariatric patients who have gained back the weight. Read the full story

Weight loss surgery patients from the Gastric Band Institute in Las Vegas are gearing up for this weekend’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon.  Learn the secrets to their training regimen in this report from WLS News.  Read the full story

Check out this week’s WLS News to learn the effect our nation’s obesity epidemic could have on health care costs by the year 2018. Doctors are doing the math and the answer isn’t pretty. Plus, we’ll tell you how men can reduce their risk of prostate cancer, and explain the link between obesity in women and a condition that precedes esophageal cancer. We’ll also have you rootin’ for a team of weight loss surgery patients who are participating in an upcoming Las Vegas marathon.

Read the full story

Clothing Exchange Helps Weight Loss Surgery Patients Save on Clothes

“Fashion” isn’t usually a word associated with weight loss surgery. But if you’ve been watching the pounds melt away over several months, it can be hard to figure out what to wear. Sweats and sneakers can only take you so far, after all – and the muumuu is right out. You’ve got to have REAL clothes – but who can afford to buy clothing over and over while you’re dropping a dress size every month?

Recently, the Gastric Band Institute in Las Vegas found a way to help the fashion-challenged post-op patient look her best by hosting its first-ever Clothing Exchange — a boutique-style swap meet where recent weight loss surgery patients could shop, socialize and share their success stories without breaking the bank.

Jenna Doughton, one of Las Vegas’ most renowned fashion experts, was on hand at the Clothing Exchange to school the newly-trim and fashionable on how to look their best, and successful shoppers even had the chance to get a glamour shot of themselves on the red carpet, thanks to a professional photographer.

Given the success of the Clothing Exchange, the Gastric Band Institute is holding open the possibility of future fashion swaps. But, if you’re nowhere near Las Vegas, you might want to talk to your doctor or members of your support group about hosting an event of your own. Who knows? You might just walk away with a whole wardrobe of designer duds that are just your size!

Tune into WLS News each week for the latest research related to the treatment of obesity, as well as other medical information and human interest stories that can help you stay on track toward weight loss success!

In the February 6, 2009, newscast, get the scoop on a $2.3 million federal grant to fight obesity among U.S. immigrants, discover how losing weight can improve your memory, find out why some people who struggle with obesity may simply be hard-wired to overeat,  and take a peek behind the scenes at a recent fashion event for post-op weight loss surgery patients. Plus, WLS Journeys host Yvonne McCarthy will shine the spotlight on one of her favorite websites for WLS information and support in our weekly feature, “WLS on the World Wide Web”.

Organizations mentioned in this week’s news:

• American Medical Association
• National Institutes of Health
• Tufts University
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD)
• University of Muenster
• Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
• British Medical Research Council
• Bariatric Girl (Yvonne McCarthy’s WLS support site)
• Bariatric Support Centers International (Colleen Cook)
• International Journal of Obesity
• Gastric Band Institute, Las Vegas
• Jenna Doughton, Fashion Stylist
• Bariatric Advantage (nutritional supplements)