In the past few years there has been a boom in gastric bypass surgery for weight loss. One year ago, we talked to a woman who had just had the procedure. This year she invited Dr. Dean Edell back to see how she'd done.
We met Marie Smith back in early February of 2003, a couple weeks after she had gastric bypass surgery to help lose some of her 402 pounds.
Back for a check-up she'd already lost some weight. But she admitted eating was especially difficult and she didn't feel great.
Marie Smith (2003): "I'd heard people say some of the taste was different, I just never realized it was so drastic, I mean nothing tastes the same, nothing tastes very good to me anymore."
Marie had a radical obesity surgery called the duodenal switch which bypasses all of the small intestine to promote greater weight loss.
Paul Cirangle: "We intentionally shorten the effective length of the intestinal tract, so the calories or the food that the patient eats doesn't necessarily get absorbed."
Marie chose the surgery because she had so much weight to lose.
We asked Marie to contact us when she was scheduled for her one year follow-up appointment, and she did. A year after surgery, there was a big difference in her weight, and her life.
Today she's back at California Pacific Medical Center for her one year anniversary weigh-in which measures not only her weight loss, but her current body fat.
Doctor Cirangle: "You've lost 198 pounds - great - and you're percentage body fat is down to 6.1 percent and I believe it was over 50 percent when we first operated, so that's pretty impressive."
Her cholesterol has dropped almost 60 points and she's far healthier, too.
Dr. Cirangle: "It's more than just weight. It's medical problems and health risks and decreased longevity. Weight loss surgery is successful in at least 80 to 90 percent of people."
But 200 pounds in one year?
Marie: "It's amazing isn't it? I never thought this is possible. I knew I'd loss weight but I never thought I'd lose this much weight.
And she says the weight loss is changing her entire life.
Marie: "I'm more comfortable with the way I feel, the way I look, the activity I can do now. I just feel so much better."
At work she's recently been promoted to a job with human resources dealing with lots more people. And her friends notice a difference too.
Sherry Jones, Marie's co-worker and friend: "Well there is no comparison. She's the same person inside, but on the outside she's beautiful, she's more confident, she's healthy, she's just vibrant now."
Even shopping is a whole new experience for Marie.
Marie: "I'm over 6 feet tall so it was hard to find clothes that fit. But now I go into a store and it's so overwhelming cause there is so much to choose from."
While Marie admits surgery isn't for everyone, she says, it's transformed her life.
At over 400 pounds, Marie chose a more radical bypass procedure and she is doing well. But there can be complications. Most bypass patients are told to lose only about 100 pounds in their first year.