Hundreds of Middle Tennesseans have decided to go through weight loss surgery to help them shed their unwanted pounds especially since the medical surgery continues to improve.

In part two of our special Lap-Band surgery series we continue to follow our own NewsChannel5 employee Mitzi Gargus during post surgery to find out how she coped with her new lifestyle.

Some people are very overweight despite trying a healthy diet and exercise. For them, bariatric surgery might be the best option to get back to a normal weight. The National Institutes of Health says bariatric surgery is usually recommended for men who are at least 100 pounds overweight and women who are at least 80 pounds overweight, although patients who have diabetes, heart disease or sleep apnea and don't meet those weight requirements may also be candidates. Bariatric surgery works by physically limiting the amount of food someone can eat or digest. Following surgery, if a patient follows diet and exercise recommendations, he or she can expect to keep most of the weight off. Risks of any weight loss surgery include infection, hernias and blood clots.

Teens share incredibly honest and painful struggles with weight as they post entries on an online support site called ObesityHelp.com.

“I have been heavy as far back as I can remember,? one girl wrote. “All of my siblings are normal in size and so it always made me feel different.?

“I don’t want to be controlled by food anymore,? another confided.

They connect with peers to compare diet after diet they have tried. But, more and more often, these teens are discussing surgery as the quick though controversial solution for weight loss.

Stephen Knox needed a lifestyle change.

The wireless phone salesman, 28, watched his weight creep up as he got older, exercised less and ate out more.

“I found myself in a vicious cycle,? he said.

Knox enrolled in a study at Pennington Biomedical Research Center that aims to determine if eating fewer calories can slow down human aging. Although not designed as a weight loss study, Knox and other participants are dropping pounds as a result of the prescribed calorie restrictions.

Americans are sleeping less than ever, according to a new National Sleep Foundation poll. Some people are losing sleep because of the economy. Some are staying up too late and getting up too early. Some have disorders such as sleep apnea. And others can’t sleep because their partner snores. But the danger is the same for everybody, says Mark Opp, a professor at the University of Michigan and the senior writer of a study about sleep in this month’s Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman has reintroduced legislation aimed at fighting obesity, particularly among children and adolescents.

The New Mexico Democrat says obesity is a costly problem for the United States in terms of health care expenditures and the loss of life.

His bill would develop a national strategy to organize the country's effort to combat childhood and adult obesity by encouraging federal agencies, private entities and communities to work together.

Obesity is a growing health issue in this country. About 93 million Americans are obese. And when diet and exercise don't work, 200,000 of them will turn to gastric bypass for help. But gastric bypass doesn't always do the trick. Now, a new procedure that "tunes up" the weight loss process may be the answer.

This "tune up" helps people who have already had bariatric surgery, like Paul Martin. Paul has already lost 150 pounds.

"The difference is a 52 pants compared to a 40," said Paul. "The difference is going to any store and buying an extra-large shirt instead of a 3X or 4X."

Whether it is over-eating or a hereditary condition many people find themselves tipping the scales at an alarming weight. 

The latest research from the Centers for Disease Control shows 30 percent of Tennesseans are obese.

Last year alone almost 500 lap-band weight loss procedures were performed at the Metabolic Surgery Center in Nashville.

Fiber supplements and foods with added fiber advertise the possibility of easier weight loss and fewer hunger pangs. But these products note that such statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Is adding more fiber really a step toward easier weight control? And if so, does the amount and source of fiber matter?