Al Roker

updated: 6/15/2010

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Al Roker, weather person on "The Today Show" and host of "Celebrity Family Feud" had his gastric bypass surgery in 2002.  In the years after, I read the following comments, some of these were on the OSSG mailing listservers:
 
I watch Al on tv just about every day.  He does not seem very well on some
days...others he is ok.  I have also heard he is already having problems.
 
 
****I was watching one of the news magazine shows about 5-6 years ago, where Al Roker's wife, Deborah Roberts , was interviewing a supersize woman about weight issues. I'll never forget the look on Deborah's face as she asked this woman, "you really think you're healthy at that size?"  To me her face expressed scorn and disgust. She shook her head as she said it. I thought, How does she live with Al Roker and have this opinion??  So
now we know! ****

Alice, editor of Radiance Online,
**** As a "local" to person to this news personality...I have heard just the
opposite.  He IS having problems  (mostly emotional some sickness)...and I
am sorry...but when I watch him on TV now...he seems to have lost some of
his OOOMF.****
 

After his bypass, AL shunned being a poster child for WLS despite being approached with many offers, some of which paid nicely, probably. He did not want to influence others to have the surgery.  One interview stated he worked out on the elliptical cross trainer daily to help maintain his weight loss.  He appeared to return to the hospital at least one time since his bypass.  The news listed it as "abdominal problems".

Lately, Al has his usual personality back it seems (at least one gets that impression from watching "The Today Show") and seems pretty healthy and also able to eat more, however, he also appeared to have regained some weight a while ago. Lately, he chatted with some folks on the "Today Show"

Al admitted that several years after his gastric bypass, unless he intensely works out daily - he runs 4 miles, 3 days a week and the other days, works out for 45 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer - and counts his calories every day, he can easily gain weight. He weighs 204 today which while significantly less than his start weight of over 300 lbs, is up from his weight after his initial weight loss with his gastric bypass. "It's just like maintaining your weight any other way," Roker commented (i.e. a lot of work on a daily basis). This brings to mind Dr Terry Simpson's (WLS surgeon) saying that "Success with weight loss surgery is 10 percent the surgery and 90 percent the patient".

video link on the Today show.