BOSTON -- Each year, more than 20,000 people who are obese will opt to have gastric bypass surgery.

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Weis Describes Surgery

NewsCenter 5's Liz Brunner said that it's a radical, high-risk operation, which is often a last resort for those who've had a life-long battle with the bulge.

New England Patriots Coach Charlie Weiss knows about that battle. He had gastric bypass surgery last summer and nearly died.

Weiss works his players hard. As offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, he strategizes the team's offensive battles on the field.

But last summer, Weiss waged his own major battle off the field -- one that nearly cost him his life. He had complications with gastric bypass surgery.

"When I first came to, I knew it wasn't good. There was at least a week to two weeks where I would do everything I could to stay awake, because I thought when I fell asleep that would be it," Weiss said.

Weiss believed he was going to die, even asking his wife, Maura, to have their priest administer last rites.

Weiss had undergone gastric bypass surgery -- or stomach stapling. It involves making the stomach smaller and rerouting the digestive system. It's often a last resort for people who are 100-pounds or more overweight. For about one out of every 200, the difficult operation can be fatal.

"I happen to be in the percentage of people that something goes wrong. In my case it went seriously wrong," Weiss said.

There was severe internal bleeding and continues to be extensive nerve damage to both legs forcing him to wear braces and for a time, use a scooter.

Tipping the scales at 330-plus, the 46-year-old has struggled with being heavy all his life and tried just about everything to shed the pounds.

"You name it, I've tried it. I mean Weight Watchers, and Nutra System and weight centers where you go and eat those packets. I've gone on the cabbage soup diets, even as my wife says, the Charlie Weiss 1000-calorie diet. Eat whatever you want and once a thousand calories are up, you're done. I've lost weight on every single one of them, but the problem is I'm the typical dieter where whatever you lose, you gain back, plus another 10," Weiss said.

"It was looking at myself on TV that (made me realize I needed the surgery)," Weiss said. "We win the Super Bowl, and I see myself and I say, 'I can't believe that's what I look like.' That's embarrassing," Weiss said. "This is not representative of either a father, or a coach or a husband. My father had his first heart attack at 51 and died at 56. And I really didn't think that would be fair to Maura, Charlie and Hannah for me to be checking out so young. Ironically, I almost checked out trying to fix it."

Talk also swirled that Weiss opted for such a drastic weight loss procedure because of his personal aspirations to be a head coach someday.

"I get up in front of half the team everyday and I looked at myself, and I'm saying that is not what a leader is supposed to look like. I have all the inherent leadership qualities in me, but I think that appearance is a part of leadership," Weiss said. "In hindsight, yes, I'm sorry I had it done, but I'm also sorry that I haven't been able to control that issue on my own."

Six months after surgery and nearly 100 pounds lighter, Weiss has no trouble controlling his appetite now. His stomach, which used to be the size of a football, is now about the size of a small egg.

"I don't have the passion to eat anymore, and I never thought that would ever happen, but when I'm hungry it's more nibbling than it is eating," Weiss said. "We used to worry about fat grams, now we worry about protein."

"I mean, just personally, what we went through, I just couldn't every imagine it being worth it," his wife said. "We're all just thrilled to have Charlie back, and that's all that matters. They got their dad, and I got my husband back."

Weiss said that he now feels great. He wants to lose another 30-40 pounds to reach his goal of 210, and then be able to slip into a new pair of size 38 jeans given to him by quarterback Damien Huard.