Celebrities With Obesity Surgery

Just found this interesting and wanted to share! source: http://www.gastric-bypass-guru.com/celebrity-gastric-bypass.html

Celebrity Gastric Bypass
Who's had bariatric surgery? Have you noticed something has changed drastically for your favourite celebrity? Gastric bypass may be the secret to their new look.

This is a list of celebrities who've had some form of obesity surgery. We've listed a little about each person and the type of surgery they had when we could find that info. We'd never heard of some of them, so we thought you might like a little more information than just a name! Please contact us if you can help us fill in some of the details or know of others who aren't listed here. We're particularly interested in information about celebrity gastric bypass for celebrities from countries other than the United States.

Because the list is so long, we've listed just the names here with a link that will take you to the spot on the page that has their information. Click away!

Gastric Bypass:

Patti Austin ~ Roseanne Barr ~ Kent "Big Boy Alexander ~ Darlene Cates ~ Andrae and Sandra Crouch ~ Michael Genadry ~ Gil Gerard ~ Adam Goldstein ~ Jacki Guerra ~ Jennifer Holliday ~ Randy Jackson ~ Jesse Jackson, Jr. ~ Etta James ~ Star Jones ~ Harry Lee ~ Ron Lester ~ Ralphie May ~ JoMarie Payton ~ John Popper ~ Anne Rice ~ Al Roker ~ Lulu Roman ~ Glenn Shadix ~ Deborah Voigt ~ Charlie Weis ~ Basil White ~ Carnie Wilson

Adjustable Gastric Lap Band:

Khaliah Ali ~ Brian Dennehy ~ Anne Diamond ~ Joseph R. Gannascoli ~ Sharon Osbourne ~ Mikey Robbins ~ Ann Wilson

Gastric Bypass:
Patti Austin
roux-en-y, 2004
American R&B and jazz singer, known for hits like Do You Love Me? / The Genie and Baby, Come To Me.
Rosanne Barr
Fobi pouch, 1998
sometimes controversial American comedian and actress who gained fame with her stand-up act and acheived super-stardom with her hit show Roseanne.
Kent "Big Boy" Alexander
duodenal switch, 2003
Los Angeles morning radio DJ. Morning DJs on American radio (especially in big cities) can become nationally famous, as is the case with Big Boy. He once appeared almost nude on a billboard in L.A. - when he was almost 500 pounds.
Darlene Cates
vertical banded gastroplasty, 1984 (the old-fashioned "stomach stapling")
American actress best known for playing "Momma" in the film What's Eating Gilbert Grape. She weighed a little over 400 pounds at the time of her surgery and lost about 100 pounds in the year following surgery. She subsequently gained back the 100 pounds plus at least 100 more. She says she regrets having the surgery and does not wish to have a revision. We find her story particularly poignant. She has struggled with her weight nearly all of her life - like so many of us. We think it's important that we learn from both the good stories and the bad when it comes to obesity surgery.
Andrae and Sandra Crouch
Fobi pouch, 2003 or earlier
American gospel singers and twins. Andrae is quite famous in the U.S. gospel genre.
Michael Genadry
roux-en-y, 2002
American actor, one of the stars of the television dramedy Ed. His surgery was actually written into the storyline to explain his rapid weight loss.
Gil Gerard
mini-gastric bypass, 2006
American actor famous for playing Buck Rogers on television from 1979-1981. He allowed the Discovery Channel to follow his obesity surgery journey, a show which aired in 2007.
Adam Goldstein
roux-en-y, 2003
Club DJ and former boyfriend of Nicole Ritchie.
Jackie Guerra
gastric bypass (type unknown), date unknown
Emmy Award-winning American comedienne, Actress, Author, and Jewelry Designer. She played Selena's sister in the film Selena, had a sitcom called First Time Out, and a show on the DIY network called Jewelry Making.
Jennifer Holliday
Fobi pouch, 1989-1990
American actress and singer. She won a Tony award in 1982 for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for Dreamgirls. She won a Grammy that same year for the song And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going, also from Dreamgirls. Interestingly, She says in a 1991 Ebony article that she lost 148 pounds by going on a liquid diet. Dr. Fobi lists her as a Fobi pouch patient though, so we wonder when exactly she had surgery, and if she just didn't want to reveal it at first.
Randy Jackson
Fobi pouch, 2003
Most famous as an American Idol judge, he's also a Grammy Award-winning musician.
Jesse Jackson, Jr.
gastric bypass (type unknown), revealed in March 2005
American politician and son of activist and former presidential candidate Jesse Jackson.
Etta James
Fobi pouch, 2003
American blues/jazz singer and songwriter, most famous for the 1961 song At Last. (one of our favourite songs!)
Star Jones
roux-en-y, 2003
These days we think she is most famous for denying that she had gastric bypass, even though she so obviously lost weight at a dramatic pace when she was one of the hosts of the American television show The View. She finally admitted to having undergone obesity surgery in the August, 2007 issue of Glamour magazine.
Harry Lee
roux-en-y, 2003
He's not necessarily famous in the Hollywood way, but he is a person of note. He was a Chinese-American politician who was elected Sheriff of Jefferson Parish (where New Orleans is) in Louisiana six times, serving over 27 years and had a career full of controversy. He was known for "telling it like it is", although not everyone always appreciated his style. The day before hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans he went on the radio and said, "You better haul ass! Y'all should have left yesterday." A true statement, albeit said with some indelicacy. He died from Leukemia in October 2007, just three weeks before his expected re-election to office.
Ron Lester
gastric bypass (type unknown), 2001
American comedian and actor. He played Billy Bob in the film Varsity Blue, and parodied that role in Not Another Teen Movie. He lost 348 pounds with gastric bypass surgery, an incredible amount of weight. He has reportedly had ten plastic surgery procedures to remove excess skin.
Ralphie May
roux-en-y, 2003
American comedian who gained fame on the television show Last Comic Standing. He won first runner up in the competition, and has since made a comedy CD, did a special on Comedy Central, and makes regular guest appearances on popular comedy radio shows. He was a true heavyweight, tipping the scales at over 800 pounds at his heaviest. In mid-2007 his weight was reportedly in the 300's.
JoMarie Payton
Fobi pouch, 2003 or earlier
American actress most famous for her role as Harriette Winslow (the mom) on the sitcom Family Matters.
John Popper
roux-en-y, 2000
American singer and songwriter. He's the frontman for the group Blues Traveler, and is amazing on the harmonica. Who knew the humble harmonica could be such a beautiful instrument? He had a near heart attack in 1999 at the tender age of 32. He had an emergency angioplasty which revealed that he had 95% arterial blockage.
Anne Rice
roux-en-y, 2003
This American author has a huge following for her book series The Vampire Chronicles, which includes the stunningly successful Interview with a Vampire (later made into a movie starring Tom Cruise, Brad Bitt and Kirsten Dunst). Although she was a self-proclaimed athiest most of her adult life, she returned to her Roman Catholic roots around the time of the death of her husband of 41 years, Stan. She announced in 2005 that she would henceforth write "only for the Lord" and declared most strongly that she would not be writing any more vampire novels, much to the dismay of her fans. In 1998 she discovered that she had Type 1 diabetes after she fell into a diabetic coma. After her husband's death in 2002, her weight rose steadily, and she suffered from sleep apnea "and other weight-related problems", which led her to undergo gastric bypass surgery.
Al Roker
roux-en-y, 2002
Anchor on the American morning news show "Today". Al Roker was one of the first people we remember talking about gastric bypass surgery. We were amazed at the way he seemed to shrink in front of our eyes every day. He seems lately to have gained back a fairly substantial amount of weight. Another example that this surgery is not a cure-all!
Lulu Roman
gastric bypass (type unknown), year unknown
Gospel singer and American actress from the long running comedy-music series Hee-Haw.
Glenn Shadix
roux-en-y, 2000
American actor known for his deep voice and southern accent. He is known for playing Otho in the film Beetlejuice, and does a lot of voice work for animated television shows and movies.
Deborah Voigt
roux-en-y, 2005
An American opera singer. Deborah has expressed some concerns about how her weight loss might have affected her voice. In an 2006 interview with Opera News she asserts that her diaphragm function and voice are not compromised, but she does say, "I do have to think about it more now. I have to remind myself to keep my ribs open. I have to remind myself, if my breath starts to stack. When I took a breath before, the weight would kick in and give it that extra Whhoomf! Now it doesn't do that."
Charlie Weis
roux-en-y, 2002
Head coach of the American football team for the University of Notre Dame. He sued his doctors for damages due to complications from his obesity surgery, during which he almost died. He checked into the hospital under an assumed name hoping to keep the surgery quiet, but the malpractice lawsuit has put every detail of his weight struggle in the public eye. In his book, No Excuses: One Man's Incredible Rise Through the NFL to Head Coach of Notre Dame, he says that having gastric bypass "was probably the biggest mistake of my life." He initially lost 100 pounds, but says he has gained back about 50.
Basil White
roux-en-y, 2000
An American comedian (lots of comedians on this list - we wonder whether that's a coincidence. How many of us have tried to use humour to cover our pain at being obese?). He kept a detailed diary of his experience.
Carnie Wilson
roux-en-y, 2000
She's been so public about her struggle with obesity, her gastric bypass surgery, and her subsequent struggles that we hardly know where to begin! She is the daughter of Beach Boys singer Brian Wilson and his first wife Marilyn Rovell. She was part of the popular pop singing trio Wilson Phillips. She speaks of how humiliating it was to be "the fat one" in this sucessful group. Her surgery was broadcast live on the Internet, she lost 150 pounds, went on to pose for Playboy and wrote the book that changed The Guru's life: Gut Feelings.

Adjustable Gastric Lap Band:
Khaliah Ali (daughter of Muhammad Ali)
date unknown
Khaliah has recently published a book titled Fighting Weight: How I Found Healthy Weight Loss with Banding, a New Procedure that Eliminates Hunger--Forever. We're glad she found a weight loss surgery that suited her, and we're thrilled that she is happy with her weight loss, but we take exception to this: "It was more than that I had kissed away my twenties and was miserable. I couldn't be naked with anybody, couldn't wear a backless dress, couldn't go to the beach - all the things a person should be able to do." Pardon us, but who told her that she couldn't be naked in front of anyone, go to the beach or wear a backless dress at 325 pounds? She personally may have been uncomfortable doing those things, but it was certainly her choice not to do them. The fat & fabulous Guru did all of those things at her top weight thank-you-very-much. We would have preferred that they use a quote describing things that may have been actual physical deterrents, like not fitting into an airline seat or being too big for a roller coaster or having trouble sleeping because of sleep apnea. She is a paid spokesperson for the Inamed Lap-Band System.
Brian Dennehy
date unknown
American film, broadway and television actor.
Anne Diamond
2006 (?)
English television presenter known for Good Morning Britain and Good Morning... with Anne and Nick. She appeared on Celebrity Fit Club, but didn't at first reveal that she'd been banded, which enraged some people.
Joseph R. Gannascoli
2006 (?)
American actor known for playing Vito Spatafore on the HBO series The Sopranos.
Sharon Osbourne
1999, removed 2006
English music manager and promoter, television personality and presenter. She is married to singer Ozzy Osbourne and became well-known after she and her family appeared in a reality show about their lives. She lost 125 pounds with the adjustable gastric lap band, but announced in 2006 that she wanted to have it removed and deal with her weight issues with the help of a therapist.
Mikey Robbins
2006
Australian television and radio personality best known for a satirical game show called Good News Week. He is currently co-host on a morning show on Sydney's Vega 95.6.
Ann Wilson
2002
Lead singer for the rock band Heart. She's a paid spokesperson for Spotlight Health.
You might be surprised at some of the names listed here. Some denied being a weight loss surgery patient for a long time, like Star Jones. Others were so upfront with it that they even broadcast it on the Internet, like Carnie Wilson! When it comes down to it, celebrities are just people like the rest of us, and they struggle with the same things we do. They aren't better or worse for it - they're just human. Hopefully we can use these stars' experiences to inspire - or caution - us.

Diagrams of Sleeve Gastrectomy, Lap Band, and Gastric Bypass

Sleeve Gastrectomy, AKA Gastric Sleeve:



Lap Band:



Roux-en-y, AKA Gastric Bypass:

Change In Plans - Sleeve Gastrectomy!

I've completed my gastric surgery orientation, seminar, psych eval, nutrition counseling, and meeting with the surgeon! Next weekend, I have an ultrasound to check if I have gallstones. If so, they will open up the gallbladder and remove them during surgery. I have to lose 20 lbs (15 to go!) and then I can schedule my surgery. The surgeries are currently scheduled about 6 weeks out, so I hope to be on the operating table in about 2 months!
I've decided to have the gastric-sleeve surgery, instead of the lapband. One reason is that the band is not very effective if your BMI is over 45, which mine is.
(to calculate your own BMI, you can visit http://www.gastric-bypass-guru.com/bmi-index-calculator.html )
It's also a lot harder and slower to lose weight. There's also the possibility of the band slipping, and/or perforating the stomach; the line to your port kinking, and your port shifting. Also, steroids such as prednisone and cortisone cannot be given to bypass or lapband patients. Bypass because you don't have the intestines to break it down, and it causes ulcers. Lapband because it causes thinning and perforating of the stomach wall where the band is. Seeing as I'm a lifelong asthmatic, chances are high that I will need prednisone again at points throughout my life.
I'm personally still 100% against the gastric bypass, AKA roux-en-y or RNY, for several reasons, namely the very unnatural re-routing and splicing & dicing of my intestines. There all also many more side-effects, such as malabsorption, ulcers, and dumping syndrome, and it has the highesty morbidity rate of any gastric surgery.
The "sleeve gastrectomy" is when a bariatric surgeon removes about 60 percent of the stomach so that it takes the shape of a tube or sleeve. This operation is performed laparoscopically, meaning that the surgeon makes small incisions as opposed to one large incision. He inserts a viewing tube with a small camera (laparoscope) and other tiny instruments into these small incisions to remove part of the stomach. The tube-shaped stomach that is left is sealed closed with staples.
As for pre-surgery weight loss, here's what I've done so far:
For the last couple of weeks, I have cut all resteraunt portions in half, and eaten only half. I've also reduced (but not eliminated) fast food, and greatly reduced snacking. I have gone from drinking 88+ oz of diet pepsi per day, to one cup of coffee and 12-24 oz of diet pepsi per day.
I've begun walking again now that it's not dark when I get home from work. So far I've only done 15 minutes (one mile) at a time, but I will increase. I also got the 'Just Dance' excercise game for the Nintendo Wii- it is FUN and quite a workout! I've never sweated so much in my life! It really gets my heart going. So far, I've only done it for 30 min. sessions, but that too will change as my stamina increases.
I think that's about it for now-- keep the prayers coming, please!