Program 2010| Weight Wise and Healthy Lifestyle Expo, Toronto

Program 2010

Saturday, October 2, 2010

11:00 am

Paul Plakas
Fitness Expert
X-Weighted

For five seasons, Paul Plakas has been assessing and analyzing the fitness of participants on X-Weighted. Plakas has been a personal trainer for 18 years, working with all levels of fitness, from the totally sedentary to the professional athlete. Plakas is co-founder of Custom Fit, an Edmonton based team of fitness professionals, and creator of The i3 Workout exercise video.
Plakas earned his degree in physical fitness from the University of Alberta, and is certified as both a Health and Fitness Instructor and a Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the American College of Sports Medicine.
Plakas says that watching participants on X-Weighted achieve their own goals gives him great personal satisfaction. “When somebody is a prisoner in their own body and never had a chance to experience what life has to offer them, being lighter and fitter opens them up to things they never thought they could do before,” he says.

2:00 pm

Session Title: Medical Treatments for Increased Weight at the Wharton Medical Clinic
Dr. Sean Wharton
M.D., FRCPC, PharmD,
Director of Wharton Medical Clinic

Dr. Wharton has his doctorate in both Pharmacy and Medicine, and is a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Canadian Obesity Network, the Canadian Association of Bariatric Surgeons and Physicians, and the American Society of Bariatric Physicians.
Dr. Wharton has treated thousands of obese patients and was one of the main physicians to spearhead the Hamilton General Hospital Bariatric Clinic, along with Dr. Sharma. Dr. Wharton research includes The Inadequacy of Diagnostic Equipment for Bariatric Patients; Barriers to the Treatment of Obesity, and Epicardial Fat in Bariatric Patients before and after a Low Calorie Diet Program.
Dr. Wharton has a vision to educate all patients and their families regarding the causes and treatment of increased weight. Patients should be part of the solution to their own medical condition and can be advocates to change the status of obesity from a social condition to a chronic medical condition that requires societal and governmental recognition and assistance.

1:00 pm

Session Title: D.R.E.A.M: Discovering Real Expectations About Me
Antoine Dove & Alexandra White
Season 8 Biggest Loser Contestants

Alexandra White and Antoine Dove, both former contestants on the 8th season of the hit reality show “The Biggest Loser” have accomplished much more than losing weight; they have regained their life, fell in love, and discovered a new outlook on a way of living healthy. In less than 7 months, Alexandra lost 91 pounds and Antoine lost 152 pounds. Together they have learned that balance is the key to weight management and without it they could not have succeed as they did. Alexandra and Antoine demonstrated first hand that with ambition, determination, and a goal in mind weight loss is obtainable. Alexandra and Antoine now travel all over the US to share their story and to inspire people to take that first step towards their weight loss success.

2:00 pm

Session Title: Innovative Solutions for Permanent Weight loss – Lap-Band and Gastric Balloon
Dr. Chris Cobourn MD, FRCS(C)
Medical Director and Surgeon
Surgical Weight Loss Centre

A fellowship-trained General Surgeon, Dr. Cobourn has received extensive training in the use and placement of the Lap-Band and the Gastric Balloon. In 1991, he introduced laparoscopic surgery to the Mississauga area, and since then has been focusing his time and practice on advanced laparoscopic surgery. Dr. Cobourn has expertise in advanced laparoscopic procedures that include gallbladder removal, hernia repair, advanced bowel surgery, spleen removal and Lap-Band surgery. From 1995 – 2005 Dr. Cobourn was the Chief of Surgery at Trillium Health Centre where he still maintains full hospital privileges. Dr. Cobourn has been committed to learning and performing new surgical procedures throughout his career and attends many conferences and courses each year to maintain and enhance his surgical expertise.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

12:00-2:00 pm

A “Last Chance Work-out” will take place on our Main Stage.
Antoine Dove & Alexandra White
Season 8 Biggest Loser Contestants

Alexandra White and Antoine Dove, both former contestants on the 8th season of the hit reality show “The Biggest Loser” have accomplished much more than losing weight; they have regained their life, fell in love, and discovered a new outlook on a way of living healthy. In less than 7 months, Alexandra lost 91 pounds and Antoine lost 152 pounds. Together they have learned that balance is the key to weight management and without it they could not have succeed as they did. Alexandra and Antoine demonstrated first hand that with ambition, determination, and a goal in mind weight loss is obtainable. Alexandra and Antoine now travel all over the US to share their story and to inspire people to take that first step towards their weight loss success.

1:00 pm

Session Title: Innovative Solutions for Permanent Weight loss – Lap-Band and Gastric Balloon
Dr. David Mumford MD, FRCSC
Surgeon
Surgical Weight Loss Centre

Dr. Mumford is a fellowship-trained General Surgeon with a specialty in advanced laparoscopic surgery, which includes Lap-Band surgery, gallbladder removal, bowel surgery, and hiatus hernia repair.
Traditional weight loss strategies of diet and exercise, as well as drug therapy commonly fail to achieve significant sustained weight loss in overweight and obese individuals. Lap-Band and Gastric Balloon programs have been developed to give patients safe and effective weight loss alternatives. Lap-Band surgery involves the placement of a permanent silastic ring around the upper stomach which can be adjusted to control hunger and caloric intake. The Gastric Balloon is inserted into the stomach using standard endoscopic techniques and is left in the stomach for 6 months. Both procedures are safe and effective, potentially reversible and do not cause malabsorption of nutrients. Weight loss occurs at a steady rate of 1 – 2 pounds per week.