April 1, 2008 Interview with Al Roker
April 1, 2008 by Terry
Filed under Weight Loss Surgery
April 1, 2008 Al Roker the loveable weatherman of the NBC’s Today Show appeared on the Howard Stern Radio Show. He was there to promote his new Spike TV series, DEA. A “Prison Break” As one might expect from a Howard Stern interview the subjects drifted from him loosing his virginity as a sophomore in college to how his marriage was affected by his morbid obesity and the gastric bypass surgery he underwent in August 2001.As he discussed how it felt to be the chunky kid in school and the difficulty of getting dates in high school it brought back memories all too familiar to many of us. Al had absolutely no plans to become a weatherman; in fact his interest were in cartooning, producing and directing. In college Al landed a weekend weatherman position with a radio station making a whopping $10 per gig. Following college he landed position with television stations in Cleveland and New York prior to becoming the weatherman at WNBC in New York City.
Over the years his weight went up and down as he went from one diet to another. Like so many of us Al admits to loving food. It was mentioned that at his high point of 330 pounds he could eat two Quarter Pounders and 6 Krispy Kremes in a single sitting.
Following gastric bypass surgery Al Roker lost about 130 pounds. Like many he later gained back 25 to 30 pounds and is holding. Weight loss surgery is not a magic bullet and Al works out 2 to 4 times per week to help him maintain his lower weight.
Did Al Roker have his loose skin removed? As he quickly passed over that subject he did infer that he had.
When asked if sex was now better since he has lost the weight, Al joked that it is because he is now getting some.
Asked if he would recommend gastric bypass surgery to others he responded, “This is a decision that each person needs to decide on their own as one in every 200 having the surgery will not survive.”
Just listening to Al Roker talk he sounded to me like a great guy that any of us would be pleased to have as a friend. His openness in discussing morbid obesity can help many from becoming terminally obese. I wish him continued success and hope that he will continue with his openness on the subject of obesity.
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