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CNN Live At Daybreak
Houston Looks to Fight Fat; Surgery An Option for Some in Weight Loss Battle
Aired July 03, 2001 - 08:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Philadelphia hopes to weigh a lot less today. It is 76 days after the 76 Tons of Fun campaign got under way in what had been America's fattest city.
Well, Houston has that honor this year. And Houston now is at the top of the fat heap. Folks were so impressed in Houston that they sent a delegation to Philadelphia to study the weight loss campaign there.
And Joy Sewing of the Houston Parks and Recreation Department was a member of that delegation.
Good morning, Joy.
JOY SEWING, HOUSTON PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT: Hi. Good morning.
LIN: All right, I'm sure this isn't an honor that Houston was seeking. What does it mean to Houstonians to be the fattest city in America?
SEWING: Well, I can't -- again, I can't say that it is a wonderful honor. We had looked at the criterion that we were based on being the fattest city and weren't quite sure that we agreed with that. However, it was an opportunity for us to really kind of focus on fitness as a city and make it a priority.
LIN: All right, what did you learn in Philadelphia, then, about what they're doing?
SEWING: Well, Philadelphia has done some wonderful things with their program and really kind of have united the people of Philadelphia in fitness and in being healthy. And so we have looked at that and looked at some of their -- of the things that they have done and kind of are incorporating something into our program here.
LIN: Well, what do they do? Did they say, "Put down those Philly cheese steak sandwiches?" Or do they actually organize programs within communities that people could participate in?
SEWING: I think they did organize a lot of programs that people can participate in, as well as putting down the Philly steak sandwiches. (LAUGHTER)
LIN: All right, like what: community walks, you know, 10-K's.
SEWING: Yes, exactly. One of the things they really did was hire a fitness czar who had been -- who has been really instrumental in organizing the fitness program. And so we are looking at something like that for Houston.
LIN: Fitness czar -- I'd love to have that on a business card.
SEWING: Yes.
LIN: I think it'd be worth losing weight for.
SEWING: It's kind of a cool name, isn't it?
LIN: What did a fitness czar do?
SEWING: Well again, we've talked with her and she helped organize the actual fitness program there in Philadelphia, garner support from community organizations, as well as health organizations. And they really have an extensive program that actually addresses the lifestyle as well as fitness opportunities for all Philadelphians.
LIN: OK, so what is it about the lifestyle in Houston that makes people fat?
SEWING: Well again, I'm not sure if I could address that.
LIN: Well, that's because you're so tiny.
(LAUGHTER)
SEWING: Well, Houston has some wonderful restaurants, and both for healthy and not-so-healthy eaters. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. But, again, we are looking at something that we can address with all Houstonians in making them -- everyone fit here.
LIN: What do you do to stay fit?
SEWING: Pardon me?
LIN: What do you do to stay fit?
SEWING: I work out pretty regularly. I have a trainer that happens to be our fitness coordinator for the Houston Parks and Recreation Department. And so that has helped me to kind of stay focused.
LIN: Well then you should be the fitness czar. I think you'd be a great one.
(LAUGHTER)
Thanks so much, Joy Sewing, for joining us today.
SEWING: Thank you.
LIN: Good luck with your program.
SEWING: Thank you very much.
LIN: Colleen.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks guys.
Well, if staying out of the great restaurants in Houston or dieting and exercise don't work for you, there is another weight loss avenue that some people choose: surgery.
And CNN's medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here to report on liposuction, stomach stapling and other possibilities as well. It sounds pretty severe.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's very severe.
I mean, you only want to do this if you are morbidly obese, meaning you have to be 100 pounds or more overweight. So this is not for losing a few pounds to look better at the family reunion kind of thing.
MCEDWARDS: Right.
COHEN: It has to be a pretty bad situation. And that's because it's true surgery. I mean, it's got all of the repercussions and all of the risks of surgery. And so you definitely don't want to take this lightly.
But it is getting more and more popular. More and more people are doing it.
MCEDWARDS: And what are some of the options?
COHEN: Well, let's take a look historically first. There is an older option that used to be done. It's the old stomach stapling operation that you heard about sort of in the -- in the 60's. It then evolved into a newer one. And then there's an even newer device.
Now, we have some video that will show what it looks like. There's the older one. This is the newer one. And what it's doing is, it's actually creating a smaller stomach. It's like 5 to 10 percent the size. And then the food is then bypassed to the intestine. You get rid of the rest of your stomach, basically, and it bypasses it.
It looks really funky, and it really is.
(LAUGHTER)
COHEN: I mean, you don't want to do this unless you really have to. And there's also something new. The FDA just approved this recently. It's called the lap-band. And what it does is, it fits around the stomach, again creating a smaller stomach.
That's what, when you get beyond all the -- all the technical terms, basically, all you're doing is creating a smaller stomach. You can't eat very much after you have these surgeries.
MCEDWARDS: You just physically can't take it in or what...
(CROSSTALK)
MCEDWARDS: Wouldn't the stomach stretch, though, to accommodate over time? I mean, do people have to be really careful about what they eat after they've had that kind of surgery?
COHEN: You do. I mean in the beginning you really -- you're drinking. That's all you're doing...
MCEDWARDS: Yes.
COHEN: ... for a couple of weeks, is drinking. And so your stomach does get -- you know, does -- over time, you can eat a little bit more, but not a whole lot.
I mean, even after you've had this done and it's been a couple of weeks, still, lunch would be something like 2 ounces of chicken breast, a quarter cup of carrots, a quarter cup of pasta salad. I mean, that's lunch.
MCEDWARDS: Wow.
COHEN: That's like a main meal.
MCEDWARDS: Wow.
Now, what about liposuction?
COHEN: Now, liposuction, it's interesting -- according to the American Society for Plastic Surgeons -- is not a weight loss technique; it's a sculpting technique. As a matter of fact, they say that they don't want people who are overweight to do it. It's for normal-weight people. It's just to kind of tone you up.
You know, we all have those little flabby points. But it doesn't mean that you're overweight. You could actually be normal weight and have those flabby points. And it's just to sculpt you. It's not to lose weight.
MCEDWARDS: And, again, still got to diet, still got to exercise, still got to watch what you eat or that fat comes back.
COHEN: Exactly. Or, in the case of surgery, you could get really ill. I mean, if you eat too much, you could be in big trouble. You'll be vomiting. I mean, it's really pretty yicky.
Now, there's a Web site that points out all of the good things and the bad things about surgery and who should have it and who shouldn't. It's the bariatric surgeons' Web site. And they can -- the American Society for Bariatric Surgery -- and they can -- it has all the good and the bad points in there.
MCEDWARDS: All right, great. So look that up if you can.
Elizabeth Cohen, thanks very much for the information -- appreciate it.
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