Re: from one of my support groups on yahoo:

[Guest guest]

I think that ad is unfair and puts way too much pressure on Mr. Roker.

Using him to promote a program that he isn't a part of is just plain

greedy....

Mr. Roker is not responsible for the world or for us or for the

surgery....just for himself. Just like the rest of us.

Just my opinion.

in Nebraska

from one of my support groups on yahoo:

here is an interesting slant on the al roker story that is from one

of my support groups. although this company is a for profit

organization that sells a product as well, i think the info in this

memo is interesting food for thought. this is not a plug or

advertisement in any way on my part.

" Al Roker, Today Show weatherman, is on top of the world. He's the

latest publicly recognizable figure to benefit from the effects of

gastric bypass surgery. Al's ridin' high, he's in fat city, er . . .

I mean thinsville, and he's become the national poster boy for weight

loss surgery. Who can look at Al on the cover of People magazine and

not think, wow, that's amazing . . . I wonder if that's the solution

I've been looking for, or . . . Aunt Bertha sure could use something

like that.

This kind of publicity always causes more people to investigate

weight loss surgery. But there is a danger in this kind of publicity.

It's great if Al successfully loses all of his excess weight and then

keeps it off for at least as long as he's in the public eye. But what

happens if Al doesn't develop new habits? The surgery may eventually

be seen as a " failure " if he regains a significant amount of weight.

Right now, Al is in the middle of what we call the " honeymoon phase "

of his weight loss. The pounds are falling off and everyone is

excited for him. I'm sure he feels very good about himself and all of

the attention he's getting, but that's just the beginning of the

story. As Harvey might say, let's wait until we know " the rest

of the story " . . .

After about a year passes Al's hunger will return and his stomach

pouch will have grown larger than it was right after surgery. He'll

be able to eat two to three times as much at one sitting as he could

immediately following surgery and he'll be in a position to regain

some of his weight if he hasn't developed the right habits during the

honeymoon phase. Even after weight loss surgery it's still possible

to process just as many calories through his system as he used to

process. Al's stomach won't hold as much food at one sitting as it

once held, but he can still process food through it all day long if

he chooses to. If he grazes all day and eats the wrong types of foods

it's almost assured that he will begin regaining his weight.

I'm sure Al took the time to do his homework and he chose his surgeon

wisely. He's probably receiving a couple of years of training and

support and is getting all of the information he needs to help him

maximize his weight loss and his ability to keep the weight off for

years to come. Not everyone has been that lucky.

Here at Bariatric Support Centers International, we teach principles

that are based upon our research into the common habits of successful

and unsuccessful gastric bypass patients. There are thousands of

people who have had weight loss surgery by surgeons who have little

or no education and support programs that teach their patients how to

use this surgery as a tool for long term success. Many others had

their surgery before the need for education and support programs was

as well documented as it is today. Without proper training about the

new habits they need to acquire, many continue with their old habits

of eating sweets and carbohydrates and they never lose as much weight

as they could/should have lost during that first year. Many of these

former patients only gain two to three pounds per year, but after 15

years, they're 30 to 50 pounds over weight. These people still

have " the tool " and they can be trained to adopt new habits to

replace their old ones. Our #1 priority right now is the continued

development of online programs that will allow us to teach, train,

and support thousands of people who are 2+ years out of surgery and

who will come to us from hundreds of different surgeon's practices.

This new e-Learning, Back On Track program will provide a way for us

to help educate and support people who cannot attend our face-to-face

classes where we teach the Success Habits for Weight Loss Surgery

Patientsâ„¢.

So, to make a long story short, Al, your publicity is great . . . it

will change the lives of thousands of people who will follow your

example, but remember , with that publicity comes responsibility to

make sure you don't fail. If you fail to lose all the weight you

should and then regain your weight, you'll discourage thousands of

others whose lives could have been changed (and in reality, saved) by

weight loss surgery. They will not see your weight gain as Al's

failure; they'll see it as a failure of the surgery . . . and that

would be a tragedy. Good luck Al, we're in your corner buddy! "

Ken , President

Bariatric Support Centers International

Barb B.