Antonio is 42 and weighs 550 lbs., Vanessa is 29 and weighs 250 lbs. and Jean Pierre is 52 and weighs 362 lbs. All three suffer from a multitude of ailments- from asthma and high blood pressure to diabetes and sleep apnea. Morbidly Obese follows these extremely overweight Canadians who have struggled with obesity, and who choose to undergo radical bariatric surgery.

Morbidly Obese chronicles the lives, struggles and metamorphoses of the three patients before, during and after surgery-as they shed the pounds and work to regain their lives. Humanizing the plight of extremely obese people, the film explores the process of bariatric surgery, whereby surgeons re-arrange the large intestine, making the stomach the size of a thumb. After the surgery, one is unable to eat large quantities and loses weight quickly. By the end of the film, Antonio, Vanessa and Jean Pierre have all gone through amazing transformations.

What happens after bariatric surgery has been completed and a more manageable weight has been achieved? After receiving a gastric bypass, patients' gastric pouches are reduced to the size of a shot glass. This is the primary reason for a patient's successful weight loss. In the months after the bypass, patients' gastric pouches do stretch to twice this size as their stomachs adjust. The stretching of the gastric pouch allows a patient to enjoy a full life, and a complete meal - but they will never be able to overindulge in food again, as their stomachs will never be able to regain their previous size and will forever be more sensitive to certain foods.

North Americans are among the most obese people on the planet-and the situation is getting worse. Patients afflicted with 'morbid obesity' have a shorter life expectancy than those afflicted by HIV. Medically speaking, a person is considered obese if he or she has 20 per cent (or more) extra body fat for his/her age, height, sex and bone structure. In 2004, a 25-year-long Canadian Community Health Survey found that nine per cent of Canadians were considered obese. According to the study, almost 60 per cent of Canadian adults have weight problems. Morbidly Obese suggests that the cause of morbid obesity is unknown, but is thought to be due to a combination of environmental, genetic and physiological factors.

Morbidly Obese is directed by Alec Mathewson and produced by John Christou of Creative Matter Media Inc. (Montreal). It was nominated for a Golden Sheaf Award at the Yorkton Short Film Festival in the Science/Medicine category.