Link to Article | http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=4434781

Written by: Ted Michaels

WEDNESDAY, Sept 7th, 2011 (Sports Network)— Mike Jovanovich knew exactly when it happened.

The former offensive lineman, who graduated from Boston College, signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks in 1992. He joined the Hamilton Tiger- Cats after being released by Seattle, and also played for the Toronto Argonauts, Ottawa and Montreal.

Like many of his peers, Jovanovich waged a running battle with his weight, during and after his playing days.

“My first year as a freshman at Boston College, I weighed 300 pounds,” he told Inside the CFL. “At the end of my playing days there, I weighed 285 pounds. In my CFL days, I played around 300-305 pounds.”

Then, he admits, the problems started.

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SWLC’s medical director and surgeon, Dr. Chris Cobourn, was interviewed on last night’s CTV News Channel to get an expert opinion on the most talked about weight loss 60 day challenge recently held at Extreme Fitness across the GTA. As a respected bariatric surgeon in Canada, Dr. Cobourn is widely received by the medical community and the public on his views regarding obesity, as well as the Lap-Band program.

Click here to watch Dr. Cobourn’s interview with Marcia MacMillan from CTV News Tonight.

Surgical Weight Loss Centre’s Dr. Chris Cobourn was among the panel of experts on Dr. Brian’s “White Coat, Black Art” season finale on Saturday, June 25th 2011 to address the  public’s questions on the health care system. For more information on the interview, visit http://www.cbc.ca/whitecoat/blog/2011/06/24/ask-dr-brian-show/.

Link to Article | http://www.newscanada.com/print-july-canadians-are-motivated-to-lose-weight-despite-setbacks-68484

TUESDAY, June 14th, 2011 (www.newscanada.com) — A new survey from the Canadian Obesity Network–Réseau canadien en obésité (CON–RCO) found that 84 per cent of Canadians with severe obesity are motivated to lose weight and eight–in–ten respondents say their main motivating factor is to improve their overall health. This is not surprising given that 75 per cent report having one or more accompanying conditions, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

Lucille Bisignano is familiar with the motivation to lose weight to improve her overall health. “In addition to being severely obese I was also living with diabetes and high blood pressure, taking countless medications. I had seen a number of doctors and dietitians about my weight but nothing worked for me. I knew I needed to make a change and that’s when I decided to undergo the gastric banding procedure. Since having the procedure, I’ve lost over 190 pounds. As a result of my weight loss, my blood pressure has stabilized, my diabetes is in remission and I no longer have to take any medication.”

Many Canadians face the same struggles that Lucille did in achieving sustained weight loss. Sixty-one per cent of Canada’s severely obese population report that weight loss is an uphill battle for them as they have too much to lose, and four in 10 feel discouraged about trying another weight loss program for fear of failing again.

Dr. Christopher Cobourn is the medical director and surgeon at the Surgical Weight Loss Centre. He sees hundreds of patients each year who want to lose weight, but struggle.

“Many patients who come into my office are frustrated and depressed with their repeated failure to sustain weight loss,” says Dr. Cobourn. “It’s critical that these patients understand that there is no ‘one–size–fits–all’ approach to weight loss. Only after understanding all the treatment options, including surgery and medically–assisted weight loss procedures, can these patients make an informed decision. This allows them to feel empowered to live their life without being controlled by their weight issues.”

In Canada, there are different medically–assisted weight loss procedures available, including: the gastric balloon, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (or gastric banding) and gastric bypass. You can learn more about these procedures online at www.yourmomentoftruth.ca.

Written By: Rosalyn Solomon

TUESDAY, May 31st, 2011 (24 Hours) — Gillian Taggart was tired with dealing with her obesity and did something about it.

In January 2010, Taggart, a mother of two from Brampton decided to undergo Lap Band surgery, a minimally invasive procedure that places a band around the top part of the stomach. The band holds food for a short time before letting it pass through the stomach, sending signals to the brain of being full or satisfied.

“I had reached a point in being overweight where I felt trapped, I felt I couldn’t lose weight on my own, or I could but I would just gain it all back,” said Taggart who has since lost 120lbs. and is living an active lifestyle.

According to a survey released by the Canadian Obesity Network, 31% of Canadians with severe obesity have struggled with weight their entire life.

Dr. Chris Cobourn, Medical Director and Surgeon of Surgical Weight Loss Centre in Mississauga says not only do these individuals have health issues such as high blood pressure and diabetes to deal with, but also social pressures.

“Some people come to this moment, and we call it the moment of the truth…’why are you here now?’ after dealing with weight issues all their lives,” Dr. Cobourn said.

“For most people, something’s happened in their lives…it’s a health motivator and a social one also.”

Written By: Clarissa Aznar

Mississauga, ON – The topic of obesity will be emphasized on the upcoming episode of Health Matters this Wednesday, March 9^th at 7pm on the Rogers Cable TV channel. The hour long show will speak with Dr. Chris Cobourn from the Surgical Weight Loss Centre to discuss the current state of obesity as well as his opinion on the subject matter.

Dr. Cobourn is a highly regarded medical expert on both the Lap-Band and Gastric Balloon programs in Canada. With his impressive experience and knowledge on these programs, Dr. Cobourn continues to educate healthcare professionals and the public regarding the benefits these programs provide to those coping with obesity.

Following the interview, if you would like to direct any questions regarding our programs for Dr. Cobourn to review, please send them to info@swlc.ca. If you would like to view the episode again, the show will repeat on March 10 at 1:00am and March 12 at 7pm.

Obese Patients Belly Up to Lap-Band Surgery

Written By: Celia Milne

TUESDAY, January 18th, 2011 (Metro Canada) — You could call it the belly bandwagon.  Belly band surgery is increasingly popular among obese patients.

Dr. Chris Cobourn, a general surgeon at The Surgical Weight Loss Centre in Mississauga, performs Lap-Band surgery, and watches as patients as heavy as 575 lbs lose weight and get healthy.

“They love their band. No one wants to be obese. They are incredibly frustrated and depressed and a lot of patients have low self-esteem. This gives them a simple, elegant solution and they are the happiest patients in the world,” says Dr. Cobourn.

“It’s very safe,” he adds, “We’ve done over 3,000 here with no major complications or deaths.”

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Written By: Clarissa Aznar

Mississauga, ON — As part of his objective to further educate the general public on surgical weight loss options, including the Lap-Band and Gastric Balloon programs, Dr. Chris Cobourn will be a featured guest on CP24’s “On Call with Dr. Karl” on November 22, 2010 at 7pm. The well known TV show that provides callers the chance to speak live with top medical experts is hosted by Dr. Karl Kabasele every Monday at 7pm.

Currently serving as a member on expert committees to establish worldwide standards and practices for bariatric surgery, Dr. Cobourn is a sought-after speaker for local and international conferences. In December 2010, he is scheduled to speak in London and Amsterdam on the subject of Lap-Band surgery in an outpatient clinic. As the first surgeon to introduce laparoscopic surgery to the Mississauga area, Dr. Cobourn continues to be a respected leader in bariatric surgery in Canada.

To view the interview, please visit http://www.cp24.com/servlet/HTMLTemplate?tf=ctvlocal/hub/hub.html&cf=ctvlocal/cp24.cfg&hub=CP24Oncall

Dr. Cobourn Discusses the Lap-Band As a Treatment for Type II Diabetes on 570 News

Link to Radio Interview| http://www.570news.com/listen/gary-doyle/media.jsp?content=20091126_133106_7152

Written By: Clarissa Aznar

WEDNESDAY, Nov 25th 2009 – Follow Dr. Christopher Cobourn of the Surgical Weight Loss Centre today as he is interviewed by Gary Doyle from 570 News at 1:30pm on the topic of why patients worldwide have turned to the Lap-Band program as a solution in improving or resolving their Type II Diabetes. More than 2 million people have Type II Diabetes which is expected to reach 3 million by 2010 in Canada. Studies show that in 73% of patients who had the Lap-Band procedure had remission of their Type II Diabetes while patients who used conventional diabetes medications only had 13%. For more news articles on the Lap-Band and Diabetes, please visit http://www.obesitysurgery.ca/news-events/news-events.php?cid=15.