Multiple TV personalities have undergone bariatric surgery to lose weight, some losing their status for it such as Star Jones, and some like Al Roker actually being embraced for it and gaining some kind of acceptance in their field and in the general society.  As such, Al Roker has now become one of the most popular weight loss spokesmen, and he has recently created a documentary called “Childhood Obesity: Danger Zone.”

This 52 year old underwent a prolonged and difficult weight loss battle in the public eye including years of obesity and his struggle through bariatric surgery.  Due to his own experiences with obesity both in childhood and as an adult, Roker felt fueled to address the now reported 12 million children and teens already suffering from obesity and the health risks associated with it.  The current documentary features children who are suffering through obesity as well as those who have overcome their weight loss battles.

The show was officially aired on the Food Network Channel Saturday March 31 at 9:00 PM EST.  He focused on the facts, such as the fact that in the past 4 decades the rates of childhood obesity have quadrupled, crediting sugary sweets and lack of physical education programs or physical education in general in the schools and at home as well as the increased consumption of fast foods as some of the major causes of childhood obesity.  I thought it curious, yet encouraging that Roker did not even entertain the idea of genetics or other causes outside our control as even a small part of the obesity epidemic in children.  I was almost expecting it, considering his own battles and the fact that is he constantly in the media’s eye.  In short, Roker did not mince words when he stated that children tend to mirror and mimic the behavior and basic habits of their parents in more ways than one.

Though Roker found himself seeking outside help to be able to reach a state where he felt able to stick to healthy diet and exercise habits, he did achieve success.  He is now 230 pounds.  But at his lowest, he dropped down to 200 pounds following surgery.  He had reached 330 pounds in 2002, and at that time he elected to undergo gastric bypass surgery, after which he changed his plans to include a healthy eating schedule and a steady exercise plan.  He now does the majority of the cooking in his own home, preparing healthy and low fat meals, and he encourages his younger children, at the ages of 8 and 4 to also participate in sports.