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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 11, 2011
 
EIGHT ANNUAL FASHION SHOW CELEBRATES MORE THAN 75,000 POUNDS LOST
Emotional program shared stories of success and expressed appreciation for surgeons' care

Featuring a runway for models, the Eighth Annual Bariatric Fashion Show recently hosted by Foothills Weight Loss Specialists and the Blount Memorial Weight Management Center celebrated eight years of bariatric surgery and more than 75,000 pounds lost.

Thirty-eight post-surgery patients representing a combined 4,585 pounds lost showed off their new clothes and shared triumphant and often-emotional stories about how their lives had changed.

"My doctor told me that he wanted to see me in a sparkly red outfit with high heel shoes and enough confidence to strut my stuff. Doc, here I am!" said Gay Clapp of Corryton, who has lost 155 pounds since her surgery in April 2009.

"When I went to see Dr. Ray, I told him I wanted to be able to cross my legs and tie my shoes and wear ladies' dress boots. I've got on my boots now!" shared Connie Rainer of Maryville. She has lost over 100 pounds since her January 2009 surgery.

The patients saluted Foothills Weight Loss Specialists surgeons Dr. Mark Colquitt and Dr. Jonathan Ray for their help and support in their weight-loss journeys.

"By modeling their former fat clothes, our models show the dramatic amount of weight lost following bariatric surgery," said Colquitt. "Dr. Ray and I are proud to know we've helped nearly 1,200 patients like these achieve and maintain healthy lives."

Colquitt also pointed out that the testimonials and fashion show at the Airport Hilton in Alcoa serve as an encouragement to other post-surgical patients and also those contemplating bariatric surgery.

"The weight loss journey requires commitment and a positive attitude. Seeing other people who have succeeded can be the impetus that drives other patients to success," Colquitt said.

Improving weight loss statistics in Tennessee is important. According to a 2009 report by Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Tennessee ranks fourth highest in the percentage of obese adults and fifth in the percentage of obese and overweight children in the U.S.

The health benefits that accompany weight loss 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 (GERD) and certain cancers.

Prior to surgery, patient and Sevierville resident Larry Webb was taking three shots of insulin a day to control his diabetes. "Now I'm taking none," he noted. Webb is now 125 pounds lighter since his surgery in May 2009.

Located in Maryville, Tenn., Foothills Weight Loss Specialists offers bariatric surgery and weight loss solutions from 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 and to sign up for a free seminar on surgical weight loss options, visit http://www.foothillsweightloss.com. To register for a free seminar by phone, contact Rachel Hughes at 865-984-3413, ext. 1807.

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Foothills Weight Loss Specialists patient Antionette Okojie of Knoxville proudly shows off her new figure at a recent fashion show in Alcoa celebrating weight loss success. Okojie has lost 128 pounds since her gastric bypass on June 2009.

  



Foothills Weight Loss Specialists patient Charles Leatherwood of Dandridge proudly poses with Foothills bariatric surgeon Dr. Jonathan Ray at a recent fashion show in Alcoa celebrating weight loss success. Leatherwood has shed almost 100 pounds since his gastric bypass in October 2010.

Foothills Weight Loss Specialists patient Connie Rainer of Maryville proudly poses with her bariatric surgeon, Dr. Jonathan Ray, at a recent fashion show in Alcoa celebrating weight loss success. Rainer has lost 104 pounds since her gastric bypass in January 2009.

 

Foothills Weight Loss Specialists patient Kelli Harding of Morristown proudly poses with her bariatric surgeon, Dr. Jonathan Ray, at a recent fashion show in Alcoa celebrating weight loss success. Harding has lost 54 pounds since her gastric band procedure in March 2009.

Foothills Weight Loss Specialists patient Melissa Lawhorn of Lenoir City shows off her new figure at a recent fashion show in Alcoa celebrating weight loss success. Lawhorn has lost 140 pounds since her gastric bypass in October 2006.

Foothills Weight Loss Specialists patient Melody Helms of Sevierville shows off her new figure at a recent fashion show in Alcoa celebrating weight loss success. Helms, also an employee of Foothills Weight Loss Specialists, has lost 86 pounds since her laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy procedure in March 2009.

Foothills Weight Loss Specialists patient Robin Easterday of Knoxville proudly poses with her bariatric surgeon, Dr. Jonathan Ray, at a recent fashion show in Alcoa celebrating weight loss success. Easterday has lost 54 pounds since her gastric band procedure in March 2010.

Foothills Weight Loss Specialists patient Trish Harmon of Clinton proudly poses with her bariatric surgeon, Dr. Jonathan Ray, at a recent fashion show in Alcoa celebrating weight loss success. Harmon has lost 101 pounds since her gastric band procedure in September 2008.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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