Slimmer Carnie Wilson Living It Up

Aug. 23 -- Since a gastric bypass surgery procedure three years ago that helped cut her weight in half, singer Carnie Wilson has also transformed herself into a regular exerciser, and a healthy eater.

Wilson, the daughter of Beach Boy legend Brian Wilson and a singer in her own group Wilson Phillips, underwent gastric bypass surgery that reduced her weight from a life-threatening 300 pounds to her current weight, about 150.

Now 34, Wilson works out to stay slim, and in January, she underwent an operation to get rid of some of the excess skin associated with her weight loss removal. It was elective surgery, but Wilson did it because the excess skin was causing a rash.

The procedure included a tummy tuck that left her lighter by seven pounds, a repositioning of her belly button, a lifting of her breasts, minor liposuction on her torso and hips and the removal of a half a pound of skin from under each armpit. It cost $20,000.

"There were a lot of memories in that skin, so when it was taken off, it was very scary, because it was the final step," Wilson said.

She was stiff for days afterward, and for the following two months she wore a tight girdle around her stomach to protect her stitches, as well as a support bra day and night. She also had eight hour-long sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to keep bruising to a minimum.

Weight Problem Became Health Hazard

Wilson had a weight problem since childhood, when each summer she would head off to weight camp. Her mom would even put locks on the refrigerator to keep her from overeating. The problem continued into adulthood — and that is when Wilson became worried about how it was jeopardizing her health.

Before the gastric bypass operation, Wilson was at great risk for diabetes, heart attack, and breast cancer. The operation she went through entails stapling off a part of the stomach, shrinking it so that it can hold only a cup of food, and making that the newly created pouch for the food to enter into. The tiny new stomach is re-routed to the small intestine, where the digestion process continues. After the procedure, patients feel full quickly.