Sadly, her story isn't all that unique. There's not a lot of evidence to show that bariatric surgery of any kind (including gastric bypass and lap bands) will actually result in being able to maintain the initial weight loss.

Studies of intentional attempts at losing weight have show that 95% to 98% of those who try will either fail to lose as much weight as they want and even those who do will likely gain all of it - usually with a few extra pounds added - within 5 years. Surgical interventions haven't been shown to improve those odds very much, and they come with a whole host of side effects that - for some people - might actually be worse than the potential health problems associated with being fat, like malnutrition (even with taking vitamins), needing to revise or reverse the surgery (if possible - sometimes a lap-band will wind up being over-grown by the stomach, making removal difficult and dangerous, if not impossible), and, shall we say, digestive problems (similar to the "treatment effects" of the diet drug Alli, but usually much worse.)

I'll admit, I sometimes get tired of hearing about Carnie's literal ups and downs, but at the same time, I'm glad she's out there still taking about it, because maybe it will help some people see that surgery isn't the "magic solution" for weight problems. For some people, it very well may be what they truly need, but its not going to solve everything for you, and its certainly not without its risks.

aarggh! Am SO tired of hearing these people complain about being overweight - NEWSFLASH you can only get fat if you eat too much and exercise too little! You can't create body mass out of nothing and her abusive relationship with food is the only reason for her obesity. Yes, there are some people who doesn't gain weight if they eat too much but no one gains if they stick to the recommended calories!
She just needs to stop eating, seriously, and why is she out in th public with this?? Isn't she embarrased by her own lack of control??

She actually said she gained 57 pounds not 70. But she's still a pain in the azz.

XSofieX It concerns me that you consider obesity to be strictly an "embarrassing lack of control" There are many physical and psychological reasons for such extreme obesity, and a simple lack of self control is rarely to blame. As annoying as it is to hear, this is a problem that needs to be addressed and taken seriously.

Thanks, Tashablueyes! You're right, there's a LOT more to gaining and losing weight than just eating less and exercising more.

XSophieX, you acknowledge that there are people who won't gain weight even if they eat more calories, so why would it be impossible for someone to be unable to lose weight even if they eat fewer calories? It goes both ways. If someone has an under-active metabolism (or one of another number of medical conditions) that prevents their body from being able to utilize the fuel from calories properly, they'll gain weight, even if they reduce their caloric intake or increase their exercise.

Then there's also the problem that many people have that when they do reduce their caloric intake, their body sees it as a form of starvation, and slows the metabolism in order to make the calories they are eating stretch farther. Which, of course, makes it harder for them to lose weight. It's one reason why, when people stop dieting, or try to go on a "maintenance"-type plan, it's so hard for them to keep the weight they've lost, off. Their body is still wanting to conserve energy, so the same amount of food that a naturally thin person eats can cause them to gain more weight.

We really know VERY little about the actual causes of weight gain and loss or how the metabolism works. If it were as simple as just eating less and exercising more, I would certainly expect that more than just 5% of those who attempt an intentional loss of weight would manage to lose all that they wanted and be able to keep it off for 5 years or more. I mean, not *everyone* or even nearly everyone who tries to lose weight has a lack of willpower or a "loss of control," you know? I just doesn't make any sense.

One other thing to keep in mind: Among other causes of weight gain, there are a number of medications that cause weight gain as a side effect, regardless of what weight you are at when you begin taking the meds. And even if you are able to reduce your calories and/or increase your exercise, the side effect of the medication will typically continue to work against you, plus your body will start reacting to the reduction in calories by slowing the metabolism, as I mentioned in the post above.

Unfortunately, among the worst offenders are many popular anti-depressants. Given that many fat people are depressed (and vice versa) fat people are frequently given anti-depressants to help keep the depression under control. This causes additional weight gain, which - in many cases - can make the weight gain worse. The problem is, without the anti-depressants, many of these people will become much less functional than they are when on the meds or - worse - they'll become suicidal.

For me, if I'm off my meds, I not only have a high risk of becoming suicidal, but I also start having severely disordered thinking, becoming fixated on things that make no sense, or getting paranoid about something that is, in actuality, highly unlikely to happen. So, I have to make a choice between taking meds that make it *extremely* difficult to lose weight (and which, when combined with my naturally low metabolism, and the fact that I'm disabled to the point that I can't exercise effectively,) OR I can be irrational, paranoid and wanting to kill myself. Maybe it's just me, but I'll take being fat, thank you very much. At least I'm still alive.

I'm not saying that it's NEVER an issue of willpower, but people need to start realizing that the causes of obesity are varied, and many times factors are not as completely within the control of the individual as we might like to believe. I think, perhaps, part of the resistance to accepting that is that people are afraid that if others can gain weight, even if they're doing everything "right" - or that if they have a hard time losing weight, in spite of reducing calories and increasing exercise, then perhaps it could happen to them, as well, and that's a scary idea for many - and quite understandably so. Regrettably, the fear of a lack of control over our own bodies often leads to a lack of compassion for people who are already trying to deal with that very issue.