Heads were turning for all the right reasons at the fourth annual Robert Wood Johnson Bariatric Fashion Show, a night where those who have had gastric weight loss surgery at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton were showcased for their accomplishments.

Bariatric surgeon Dr. Earl Noyan said the hospital has a monthly support group meeting, and one of the patients had the idea to have a fashion show as a celebration of people’s weight loss.

Before and after photos were shown on a projector as past patients made their way across the multi purpose room in the Robert Wood Johnson Wellness Center to show off their new bodies. Friends and family applauded as they reached the front of the room to receive a bouquet of flowers. Some patients spoke of their experience losing the weight. Dinner was also provided along with live music that complimented the joyous occasion.

Deanna Heil of Hamilton, who had lost 143 pounds only six months after surgery, felt the atmosphere was wonderful since many past patients got to share their stories with one another.

“Other people not only have had the same surgery as me, but the same experience as me,” Heil said. “They feel like their life is better because they able to have this choice.”

Gastric procedures often help problems of diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure and more, not to mention the obvious boost of mental health that comes from the weight loss.

“If someone does really well they can lose well over 100 pounds within the first year,” Noyan said. “Average in the lap band you tend to see anywhere between 50 to 80 pounds in a year. The gastric bypass and the sleeve can give these patients over 120 pound weight loss in less than a year.”

Other patients at the event also had astounding results. Trenton resident Margaret Curley weighed 333 pounds when she had the surgery, and is down to 192 now. Ladonna Vance from Brown Mills, lost about 130 pounds.

Noyan said he often has trouble realizing his patients long after surgery because the changes are so dramatic.

“The most amazing thing is the transformation that you see,” he said. “If I haven’t seen a patient in several months and they’ve lost significant weight and they’re all dressed up I sometimes won’t recognize them so just to see that sheer joy in their face is something very special.”

Heil remembers how things were hard before the surgery.

“I used to not be able to breathe that much and now I can get in and out of the car and I can go up and down the stairs and my kids think it’s funny because they see me run sometimes, and they’re like ‘Go mom!’” she said.

Any type of gastric procedure is not a one-all, fix-all solution to weight loss. But an entire lifestyle change is often fully embraced by its patients. That, in turn, produces a healthier life that’s brimming with a newfound confidence.

Margaret Curely of Trenton had no regrets, saying “the people were really great, they were a blessing in my life and I’m glad I did it, it may not be everybody but it was for me.”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re 200 pounds, 300 pounds, 400 hundred pounds, it’s an option out there for everybody, and do your research,” Vance said. “You have to do what is best for you. Dr. Noyan is only the tool, but you live in your body 365 days a year, so you have to sit and do the research to see what is the best tool is for you out of the ones available.”

For more information, go online to rwjhamilton.org.