Provided by Stephanie Soosman



Breakfast: Scrambled egg with cheese (one or two eggs depending on size)

Throughout the morning: Protein shake

Snack: Raw baby carrots

Lunch: 1/4 to 1/2 cup of tuna or chicken salad (depends on how hungry I am) and

small apple

Snack: 1/4 cup of almonds

Dinner: Tofu and veggies for dinner (small amount of rice)

Snack: Little bit of popcorn or nuts

Throughout the day: Lots and lots of water

By the numbers

19,000+: Number of morbidly obese people in Maine (100 pounds or more overweight)

$15,000 to $35,000: Cost of gastric bypass surgery

279.4 pounds: Average weight of someone undergoing surgery

0.5% to 1%: Approximate fatality rate from procedure

4: Number of deaths last year related to gastric bypass surgery in Maine

7: Number of women who get the surgery to every one man

1.5 million: Daily hits on the Web site obesityhelp.com

Sources: Maine Bureau of Health, American Society of Bariatric Surgery, International Bariatric Surgery Registry, American Obesity Association, obesityhealth.com, hospital spokespeople in Maine

Number of gastric bypass surgeries in the U.S. (estimate, by year)

1997 – 23,100

1998- 25,800

1999 – 28,800

2000 – 36,700

2001 – 47,200

2002 – 63,100

2003 – 103,200

Source: American Society of Bariatric Surgery

Procedures in Maine, 2003

Central Maine Medical Center (Lewiston) 40

Maine Medical Center (Portland) 95

MaineGeneral (Augusta and Waterville) 126*

Eastern Maine Medical Center (Bangor) 228

Southern Maine Medical Center (Biddeford) 57

* Data for six months of 2003. Number includes gastric lapband procedures.

Source: Hospital spokespeople