The number of gastric bypass operations being performed each year has soared dramatically in recent years as a result of the enormous number of people who are now classed as being morbidly obese. This rise has however been greatly assisted by a number of celebrities who have gone public about their own weight loss surgery, including Carnie Wilson.
Carnie Wilson is the daughter of Brian Wilson, the Beach Boy musician whose own troubled life led to considerable strain between himself and his daughter. As one consequence of their strained relationship Carnie Wilson began putting on weight at the age of just four and, by twelve, was already on the first of what were to become a long line of failed diets.
Her weight really began to become a problem though when she began singing professionally alongside Wilson Phillips and found that the stress of performing led her into late night binge eating. At the start of her own singing career she weighed about 180 pounds but by the time she had reached her second album her weight had risen to 240 pounds and continued on its way up to reach a staggering 300 pounds by the summer of 2001.
At this point Carnie’s weight began affecting her health and frequent choking in her sleep left here terrified that she would suffer a heart attack. She dreamed of being able to wear a white T-shirt and a pair of 501 jeans and finally decided that if she did not face up to weight loss surgery her growing size was going to kill her, probably sooner rather than later.
As a result she publicly announced her intention to undergo Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery as she knew that it was the only answer to her weight problem and was something that she felt just had to be done and about which she really had no choice.
Many people followed her progress in the weeks and months ahead and saw here delight when 150 pounds lighter she realized her dream and could finally wear that white T-shirt and those 501 jeans. And, although she knew that she would always need to struggle to keep her weight down even after gastric bypass surgery, like many thousands of people in a similar position, she was more than happy with the results and with the new lease of life and freedom that the Roux-en-Y had given her.
