Patients and Health Take Center Stage at Foothills Weight Loss Specialists' Fashion Show
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Foothills Weight Loss Specialists' sixth annual fashion show had a unique twist - its participants were all proudly modeling clothing that looked like it would fit a person at least twice their size. 
The models were Foothills patients, who were happy to wear their old, "fat" clothes to provide a strong visual of the amount of weight they lost following bariatric surgery. They participated in the fashion show not only to celebrate their success but also to encourage other post-surgical patients and also those contemplating bariatric surgery.
The audience had 746.5 reasons to be encouraged - that's the total number of pounds lost by the seven fashion show participants.
Since 2002, Foothills patients have lost a total of more than 25 tons as a result of weight loss surgery by Foothills Weight Loss Specialists surgeons Dr. Mark Colquitt and Dr. Jonathan Ray. Both surgeons are board certified by the American Board of Surgery and are members of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
While the amount of weight lost is impressive, the benefits that accompany that weight loss are equally significant. They include: increased life expectancy; long-term weight loss; and resolution or improvement of obesity-related health conditions such as adult-onset diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux disease and certain cancers.
The physicians at Foothills Weight Loss Specialists point out that surgery isn't a magic bullet, and successful weight loss requires significant lifestyle changes. To support those changes, they provide long-term follow-up and ongoing support and are the only surgical weight loss center in East Tennessee with an on-site behavioral psychologist.
Located in Maryville, Tenn., Foothills Weight Loss Specialists offers both surgical and non-surgical weight loss solutions from highly trained board-certified surgeons. It has been designated a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Foothills Weight Loss Specialists is a division of Premier Surgical Associates and works in partnership with the Blount Memorial Weight Management Center. For more information, visit http://www.foothillsweightloss.com or http://www.premiersurgical.com.
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Standing in front of her "before" photograph on the screen, former patient Brenda Cornwell models her old, larger clothing over her slimmer figure.
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It's hard to believe that the coat modeled by former patient Melissa Lawhorn once comfortably fit her. In the background is her "before" photograph. |
