Chris Christie has lap band surgery, will that hurt or help him in 2016?

I agree with that. I know there's another item out there, some kind of balloon that you swallow (with a doctor's assistance obviously...) that is supposed to be approved for use in the next 2-3 years that people think will revolutionize weight loss.

I was the one who used the word "easy" and that was a poor choice of words on my part, but it is "easier" than the conventional way, if it wasn't, people wouldn't do it.

 

Lap band surgery worked well for Charlie Weiss.

 

True, but he had it pretty early on.

Rex Ryan has done pretty well with it. Not that he's skinny by any stretch, but there's a big difference between being a big guy and being a huge, fat guy...

 

Weiss, Christie , Ryan all have a NJ connection. Maybe it's the good bread.

 

Here's the article ... http://www.economist.com/node/1487649

 

Reasons that I work out, in no particular order:

* Because I don't want to die at age 61 after more than a decade of rapidly declining qualify of life, like my dad.
* So my wife continues to be attracted to me.
* Because I want my clothing to continue to fit.
* Because it looks sharp and professional.
* Because, frankly, I enjoy it as a competitor.
* Because I crave the shape and strictures, however masochistic, that orthodox religion once supplied.

 

And, there's no doubt it plays a role in advancement in the corporate world. (Looks in general, that is.)

That's funny.

 

Good piece. Thanks for posting.

What it says, in large part, is what I've said on this board before, and pissed some people off in the process. Essentially, that to lose weight from exercise, you need to put in more time and at greater intensity than you think. It says an hour a day, and notes that is more than many are willing to put in.

 

I did an article on the Charlie Weis case for a medical/legal publication shortly after the verdict. The case was more of a springboard for a broader piece on the legal pitfalls doctors can face when treating high-profile, high-powered people who are used to everybody on earth catering to them and caving to whatever they demand. As soon as I heard Christie was getting the lap band surgery, I thought that based on how Christie comes off publicly, it sounded like a potential Charlie Weis scenario all over again. He'll probably blow through all the informed consent and rush the surgery just like Weis did and -- if any complications occur, even if they're the exact same complications that the doctors warned about during the informed consent process -- he'll blame the doctors, just like Weis did.

 

So much of the "unreasonable expectations" come from the joke that is BMI.

I completely believe that if more people went and got their fat percentages taken and found out what truly is their ideal weight, I think more people would work to get there. With BMI being used by so many doctors, I think people see the goal as unrealistic and they give up.

 

The argument for having the surgery is that it costs a lot less than treating the morbidities associated with obesity. According to this site, the average lap-band surgery price is about $14,000.

http://www.obesitycoverage.com/insurance-and-costs/how-much/average-lap-band-prices

It's not clear if this includes all the pre-surgery counseling and post-surgery follow-up, and the cost of associated physicians, such as the anesthesiologist. But the lap band has reduced the cost and risk of surgery enough that it's a more viable option for many people, and their insurance plans. As surgeries go, it's not that much -- certainly, a lot less than open-heart.

 

Very true... The balloon procedure that will be out in a couple years is supposed to be less than $5K. I'm guessing the line to have that procedure is going to be a long one...