"The Girls" have been friends, and fat, for years. Their bond goes deep and wide, literally and figuratively. Smart, complex, warm and compelling, the Girls met through the Austin chapter of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance and partied together among Austin's Big Beautiful Women community. Meanwhile, they tried every diet and every pill. But now, getting older and facing more health and mobility challenges, they're choosing to have the gastric band or gastric bypass weight-loss surgery.
The experience presents a host of issues and consequences - some they expected, some they feared, and some they never could have imagined. Produced and directed by Alexandra Lescaze, All of Me premieres on Independent Lens, hosted by Stanley Tucci, on Monday, March 24, 2014, 10:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings.) The Girls have varied post-op experiences but one reality is true for all of them: having surgery means the loss of their primary coping strategy (eating) and the experience of shedding - or trying to shed - hundreds of pounds changes everything. Their health, their self-images, their marriages and friendships are all at stake. Although All of Me focuses on just one group of women, their story is not unique; more than 90 million Americans are obese. Our society's diet and exercise talking points do not compute for those who have hundreds of pounds to lose. 200,000 people a year are choosing weight-loss surgery and 80% of them are women.Visit the All of Me companion website (http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/all-of-me) which features information about the film, four companion short films, an interview with the filmmaker and links, resources, and interactive features pertaining to the film's subject matter. The site also features a Talkback section for viewers to share their ideas and opinions, preview clips of the film and more.
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