University of California, San Diego Medical Center – Center for the Treatment of Obesity

Patient Stories

Larry Tupper

For Larry Tupper, the final straw in his lifelong struggle with his weight was a shopping trip.

Before a vacation cruise through the Panama Canal in 2006, he’d had to purchase pants in a size 44 – a long way from the size 36 of his dreams. Looking at the trip photos of himself at 5’10’ and 265 pounds, he recalls: “To say I was shocked is an understatement.“

Health issues were also a concern. A prostate cancer survivor, Tupper was having problems with his knees, became short of breath easily, and was at risk for diabetes with a family history of the disease. Years of yo-yo dieting had left him with the sense that he “was on a slow march to the 300-pound mark.” He turned to the Internet, where research on weight loss surgery led him to Dr. Santiago Horgan – a renowned LAP-BAND® surgeon who was joining UCSD Medical Center as Director of the Gastric Band Program.

Tupper, who underwent gastric lap-band surgery at UCSD with Dr. Horgan on Feb. 15, 2007, recently went trouser shopping again. “My goal was to be in 36s,” he says. “Now, I’m in 34s.” He has reached his goal weight of 190 pounds, the same as he weighed in high school.

The band, he stresses, is a tool, not a magic bullet. “It’s a band for your stomach, not a band for your brain. You’re still going to want to eat the food, but you can’t. It’s much easier to listen to your body when it tells you you’re full now, than it was. This is the first time in years I feel in control.” 

To add to that sense of control, Tupper sees a counselor who specializes in eating disorders -- “Losing the weight is just one aspect. Why did you gain it in the first place?” -- and attends a UCSD Medical Center support group with other lap banders. Above all, he enjoys the continuing support of Dr. Horgan and the rest of the lap-band team at the center. “Everyone wants to see you succeed,” says Tupper. “I would definitely do this again.”

Larry Tupper on vacation before his LAP-BAND® surgery	Larry Tupper at Disneyland Paris after surgery