Philadelphia woman found it took more than a gastric bypass procedure to maintain her weight loss

Philadelphia, PA

IN THE PAST few years, bariatric surgery, otherwise known as gastric bypass or gastric banding, has become all the rage.

With 65 percent of Americans either overweight or obese, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control, it's not surprising that many people are electing to have this procedure done.

After all, post-procedure weight losses range from 60 to 80 percent of excess body weight in patients with a body mass index of 35 to 60, over the first two years. That could roughly equal a loss of 80 to 150 pounds, depending on your original weight.

Undoubtedly, weight-loss surgery guarantees permanent weight loss, right?

Well, perhaps . . .

Melissa Blanco, 32, once carried a whopping 274 pounds on her 5-foot-4-inch frame. But the Philly native shed 130 pounds after having the gastric bypass procedure.

"I did Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and the weight-loss program at the University of Pennsylvania, and had some success to some degree, but could not maintain it. I started feeling tired and wobbly. I knew something had to change," Blanco said.

So, in the winter of 2005, after doing some research, she decided to have gastric bypass surgery that reduced her stomach to the size of an egg. More >>

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