“I am a happy loser,” playback singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam declared, leading a pack of people who seemingly take as much joy in being ‘losers.’
SPB, as he is popularly known, launched the Happy Losers’ Club at Fortis Malar Hospital and had a frank conversation with members of the club, recalling how four years ago, he had weighed 126 kg.
“Now, I weigh around 94-95 kg,” he said.
He said bariatric surgery was no more a cosmetic solution but a necessity for those who were unable to shed the extra kilos through conventional means.
He told people bariatric surgery should be considered if it would make them comfortable and healthy. “Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are including bariatric surgery in insurance schemes. I hope Tamil Nadu follows suit,” he added.
Taking a pot shot at the media in general, he said cinema mocked the obese and said that the obese are not to be laughed at but should be helped to return to normal life.
Praveen Raj, head of the Department of Bariatric Surgery at GEM Hospital and Research Centre, Coimbatore, said “Obesity is a disease according to the World Health Organisation. The club would support those who are obese but are afraid to go under the knife.”
Deepak Subramanian, consultant minimal access (gastro) and bariatric surgeon at Malar Hospital, said bariatric surgery helped with the resolution of other co-morbidities such as diabetes.
The members would meet bimonthly during weekends. “Patients have doubts about food, clothing and sleep pattern during both post- and pre-surgery. The club will have a dietician, pulmonologist and an anaesthetist to clear the doubts of the members,” he said.
