It's hard to believe it's been years since Carnie Wilson's very public weight loss surgery put gastric bypass firmly in the forefront of the great diet debate. Since then, she's lost 152 pounds, gained a healthy amount of weight during her subsequent pregnancy, and admits that, while gastric bypass surgery seemed like a new beginning for her, there's really no end to the daily battle against food cravings.

Still, Wilson seems to be winning. After an uncomplicated pregnancy, Wilson's daughter, Lola, was born April 22, 2005. With Wilson's husband, guitarist Rob Bonfiglio, in attendance – and her father's greatest hits album, Pet Sounds, playing on the delivery room's CD player – the two welcomed their first child into the world.

As the singer continues to fill her daughter's life with music, she's staying focused on keeping her own life in tune as well.

The Fame Game
Like most enduring celebrities, Wilson has made a career out of remaking herself. She was first known as the eldest daughter of Brian Wilson, brilliant composer and founder of the Beach Boys. In 1990, she formed the pop group Wilson Phillips with her sister, Wendy, and Chynna Phillips, another famous daughter of the 1960s music scene. The group was together for only two years, but in that short time honored their venerable musical roots with two highly successful albums. At the end of the decade, Wilson was in the news again for her weight loss surgery. This is the story about her that seems to endure.

Part of the reason is that Wilson chose to make her weight problems very public events. Her gastric bypass, which was performed August 10, 1999, was broadcast over the Internet and received an incredible amount of press. She's since written two books about her struggles with obesity, Gut Feelings (Hay House, 2001) and I'm Still Hungry: Finding Myself Through Thick and Thin (Hay House, 2003).

What soon becomes evident is that her struggle isn't merely an attempt to get in or stay in the spotlight. Wilson is simply a naturally gregarious person who thrives on being herself. Sometimes that self is a little shocking – she's obviously never met an expletive she didn't like – but it's also funny, irreverent, and very aware of what she has to do to maintain her hard-won health.

"I'm an extremely driven person and right now I have a lot going on," Wilson says. "I'm in talks to host a new show, I'm making two separate albums, I'm still working for Spotlight Health and I'm going on auditions. In the past, and still to a certain extent, I would eat to soothe myself and make me feel better. Now I have to work on finding alternatives to food."

Giving Back
Wilson also has other motives for her very public battle of the bulge – she truly wants to help others who are going through the same struggles. In addition to an "Ask Carnie" forum on her Web site where she answers questions about herself (primarily about her surgery) for fans, she gives lectures about the pros and cons of gastric bypass surgery. She says that when she comes back from the lectures she feels empty, but it helps her to remember that she has to take time to tend to her own needs.

"After a lecture I feel as if I've given a gift, and it helps me realize that we all need those 'gifts' every once in a while – even me," Wilson says.

Of course, what most of the people Wilson talks to don't have to face is the spotlight. After her extremely public surgery and resultant transformation, her efforts not to backslide just add to the stress of a life that's already very demanding.

"Right now I'm up 10 pounds and it's freaking me out because I can't seem to take it off," Wilson says. "This is pretty typical of people who have weight loss surgery, around year two you start realizing that you're eating more. If you don't do something about it, the weight will start to creep up."

Gastric Bypass: The Long View
Although there's no doubt that gastric bypass surgery has been a great thing for Wilson, there's an increasing backlash against the idea of weight loss surgery. Critics charge that it's being overused and is not an answer to the problems an obese person faces. Wilson both agrees and disagrees. She feels that without weight loss surgery (WLS) she would never have been able to lose the weight, and that, although there were (and still are) emotional eating issues, WLS is so drastic that anyone can't help but lose weight afterward.

"First of all, it's important that you be in the right mental place before you have this surgery," says Wilson. "People who are totally obsessed with food are not going to have a good outcome. After the surgery, there are many changes that your body goes through – both physical and hormonal – that make it very difficult to eat. After that first year or two, it does become easier to find ways to eat more than you should, but that's why it's important to go to therapy and attend support groups."

Wilson also admits that she was lucky enough to have the financial resources for reconstructive surgery. She's undergone both a skin removal procedure and a breast lift. She decries insurance companies for not covering these for everyone. "Everyone should have the opportunity to have these procedures done when they're within about 10 pounds of their goal weight," says Wilson. "It's ridiculous to think anyone who has worked that hard to lose weight should have to go around with all that excess skin and with their boobs hanging down to their knees. It may not be a physical health issue like obesity is, but it sure is a mental health issue."

Wilson is excited about her solo album. It features a song called "Shine" written by her husband, Blush guitarist Bonfiglio. Remembering how she was always "hidden" in the Wilson Phillips videos of the early 1990s, Carnie vows to be front and center this time.