Article published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine (June 5, 2007)

* Compared with their weight 1 year before they were surveyed, 7.6% of 1999 - 2002 NHANES participants with substantial weight loss had continued to lose more than 5% of their body weight, 58.9% had maintained their weight within 5%, and 33.5% had regained more than 5% of their body weight.

* Factors associated with weight regain, as opposed to weight maintenance or loss, included Mexican-American ethnicity, loss of a greater percentage of maximum weight, fewer years elapsed since reaching maximum weight, reporting greater television or screen viewing time, attempting to control weight, sedentary lifestyle, and not meeting public health recommendations for physical activity.

YES the best medical advice is free!!!

My trainer has advised me what the contributors to obesity are. They include:

fat free and low fat products (all have added sugar)

'healthy choice' and other luncheon meats (all have added corn syrup)

margarine (awful additives - better to use real butter)

any imported produce (buy local - get smart)

In short, read your labels and do not buy convenience, fast food, or prepared products.

New article - http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSKUA06706020080620?sp=true

"Morbidly obese patients usually lose about 10 percent of their body weight within three weeks of surgery," DeMaria said, "but that does not explain why they can cut back on their medications within the first day or two."

That benefit, he explained, "appears to be an effect on gut hormones, with dramatic improvement in insulin resistance."

"But," DeMaria added, "it is interesting to recognize that faster weight loss and greater amount lost improves the chance that patients will remain in remission."

The findings, he said, suggest that "if we can enhance the weight-loss effect of surgery -- by adding medications or rigorous behavior modification -- we may do better than a 50 percent remission rate."

I am "morbidly obese" I'm 5'5" and weigh 296 lbs I'm going to be having lap band surgery next month, My BMI is 49 and I have sleep apnea I can't wait until I get my surgery over with so I can get healthy.

I agree that we need to focus on what makes a person obese.

The thing that upsets me is the children today they sit in front of the TV playing video games, or they sit on the computer for hours and don't go out to play. When I was little, we had no computers or video games, we made our own games up when we were playing outside. We got our exercise the kids today, needs to go outside and play and we as parents need to limit their time in front of the TV and the computer.

I too was once obese. I've lost a signifigant amount of wieght with diet and exercise and no longer take meds for high blood pressure. I had to stop to drinking to lose weight. It's all about the choices we make.

I am having the surgery on monday, not so much for the weight loss, but for the diabetes. The long term risks from diabetes far outweigh the risks from the surgery.

Though I'm not a doctor, the TV said that the results indicated a certain type of lap band surgery -the kind that rejoins the upper portion of the stomach with a new section of intestine (the duodenum is avoided).....