New online television network offers guidance around the clock to help weight loss surgery patients achieve long-term physical and emotional wellness. October 30, 2008 Dallas, TX – Research shows that obesity surgery can resolve serious health issues, ranging from high blood pressure to sleep apnea and Type 2 Diabetes. However, although weight loss surgery can bring positive physical changes, many patients are unaware of the psychological and emotional challenges that lie ahead. The Weight Loss Surgery Channel (WLSChannel.com), a new online television network, aims to provide pre- and post-operative weight loss surgery patients, their family members and caregivers with information, guidance and support via video to improve the chances for patients’ long-term well-being after bariatric surgery. Because the network is offered online, viewers can tune into programs 24/7 to gain encouragement and insight wherever they are. “For a lot of people who have the surgery, the problem isn’t with their stomach, but with what’s in their head,” says Craig Thompson, founder of WLSChannel.com, which launches on November 1, 2008. “If they don’t commit to serious lifestyle changes and plug into a strong support network, the same issues that drove them to compulsive eating will show up in other areas.” The number of bariatric procedures in the United States has increased exponentially in the past decade, from 12,775 surgeries in 1998 to more than 200,000 this year. But, because weight loss surgery generally addresses only the physical symptoms of a patient’s emotional and psychological struggles, thousands of bariatric patients experience fall-out in their lives after surgery, from addiction transference to divorce, depression, and even suicide. The Weight Loss Surgery Channel aims to prevent this fall-out by providing people who are considering bariatric surgery, as well as those who are post-op, with insights from medical experts and from their