Radical surgery is life-changing experience for a local resident
Surgery helps businessman shed half his body weight
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers NEW MAN- A look at Ben Gilbert before (inset) and after the gastric bypass surgery that he credits with changing his life.

Even when he weighed 365 pounds, Ben Gilbert stayed active volunteering in the community and promoting his magazine business throughout eastern Ventura County.

His uplifting personality and his involvement with the Moorpark and Simi Valley chambers of commerce made him wellknown to many in the area.

But nowadays, when he approaches friends to greet them with a hug, they're taken aback because they don't recognize him.

"I have to reintroduce myself because they're looking for the old Ben," said Gilbert, who's shed almost half his body weight since he had gastric bypass surgery nine months ago.

The 43-year-old Simi Valley resident is at the tail end of a rebirth of sorts. His appearance and his health are greatly improved, and his range of activities has expanded, he said.

Gilbert's motivation was to live to raise his children.

"He was thinking about his family and he did it," said Chamber of Commerce member Dale Parvin.

Gilbert struggled with his weight throughout his life, but the pounds didn't really start to add up until his career as a standup comic took off and he began to headline shows around the country.

Given that he only worked for about an hour each day, Gilbert said he had plenty of time to eat.

"Everybody has their own vices. I don't drink, I don't do drugs, but I know how to do pizza and hamburgers," said the comedian, who's appeared on TV and opened live shows for Howie Mandel, Rodney Dangerfield and Jim Carrey.

Although Gilbert's weight fluctuated, it was manageable until he adopted a more sedentary life in Simi Valley, where he and his wife, Kid, started a business.

They were owners of Welcome to the Neighborhood, a community shopping magazine distributed in several local cities, including Simi Valley and Moorpark. As Gilbert steadily gained weight he began to see his health deteriorating.

In addition to being diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, Gilbert was easily winded when he played with his 4-year-old son. He became concerned that he might not be around to see his son and his 9monthold daughter grow up, he said.

He resolved to change all that with the surgery, which he learned about from a TV show called "Action Hero Makeover." The story of a former actor who underwent gastric bypass showed the progression of his weight loss over the coursed of a year.

"It encouraged me," said Gilbert, who then researched the matter thoroughly with his wife before deciding to go "under the knife."

The laparoscopic procedure is done using miniature instruments and cameras inserted through small incisions to separate the upper and lower stomach. Once the surgery is complete, the patient has a much smaller stomach and is only able to eat small amounts of food at a time.

Besides eating much less, Gilbert must take extra vitamins to complement his diet because his smaller stomach can't absorb enough nutrients from food.

"This isn't like dieting; it alters your life," said Gilbert, noting that overeating after the surgery can be dangerous. Also, it may stretch the remaining part of the stomach, he said, allowing the weight to be gained back.

So far, Gilbert has lost about 160 pounds and is 5 pounds away from his target weight.

"It was the best decision he could have made. His health is the most important thing," said Kid Gilbert. "Now he's got more energy, and we're able to do things with the kids. He's different outside, but he's still the same person inside, loving and sweet," she said.

"A lot of people are motivated by my weight loss, and now I get to live life all over again and enjoy it because I'm physically fit," said Gilbert, who no longer has diabetes or high blood pressure and cholesterol.

"It's amazing what weight loss can do for your health," he said.

Local residents who wish to learn more about gastric bypass or those who have undergone the procedure are invited to join a support group that meets in Simi Valley the second Wednesday of every month.

Meetings take place at 7 p.m. at Sunrise Assisted Living at 5300 E. Los Angeles Ave. The next one is on Oct. 10. For more information, call (805) 583-3500.

"This enables people to make sure that this is what they want to do," said Gilbert, adding that potential patients must take psychological and physical tests before doctors will operate.

Gilbert's surgery was performed by Sheilah M. Clayton, MD, of Pasadena.