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ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The Center for Surgical Weight Loss at Lake Norman is home to the Lake Norman area’s most comprehensive hospital-based bariatric program. The center’s affordable New Beginning program helps men and women achieve extreme weight loss and improved health through weight loss surgery at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center in Mooresville, NC.



Start Your New Beginning at The Center for Surgical Weight Loss at Lake Norman We know the pain of being extremely overweight. You’ve tried the fad diets. Felt the frustration of losing 10 and then gaining 20. The result? The hopeless feeling that what you want to do, just can’t be done.

Things are different at The Center for Surgical Weight Loss at Lake Norman.

We’re not just here to help you lose weight. We support you as you shed old habits, learn a new way of living and use your new tools to live a healthier life. While part of your journey is surgery, our New Beginning program nurtures the mind, body and spirit. Why? Because they impact up to 80 percent of post-operative success.

The decision to join our New Beginning program is a major life change, far beyond simply losing weight. We equip you with the knowledge, support and tools you need to shrink your body size while expanding your ability to care for yourself and live a new, healthier life.

General Bariatric Info

Proven, Successful Weight Loss These three common surgical options share the same results: curbing hunger and restricting intake and/or absorption for maximum weight loss. Even better, each procedure can be performed through tiny incisions so recovery is fast and virtually pain-free. In fact, some laparoscopic surgery can be performed through one small incision at the belly button and leave no visible scars.

A LAP-BAND™ is a small band placed around the upper portion of the stomach. In vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG), a portion of the patient’s stomach is removed, leaving behind a small, sleeve-shaped stomach. In Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the surgeon creates a small pouch at the beginning of the stomach and also bypasses part of the intestines.

T. Ryan Heider, MD
The Center for Surgical Weight Loss at Lake Norman Medical Director and Surgeon
Mooresville Surgical Associates

Dr. Heider received his medical degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and completed his general surgery training at University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill. While at UNC, he participated in a variety of advanced minimally invasive and laparoscopic procedures, including laparoscopic gastric bypass, gastrectomy and esophageal surgery. Dr. Heider is a certified LAP-BAND Total Care Champion™ and board certified by the American Board of Surgery. He has also published numerous articles and completed extensive research in the area of advanced laparoscopic surgery.

Dr. Heider was the first Charlotte-area surgeon to perform single-incision, “scarless” bariatric surgery and is one of only a few surgeons in the nation with the advanced training to perform the 90-minute procedure. He is also training other physicians how to perform the life-changing, minimally invasive surgery.

Dr. Heider first became interested in bariatric surgery because it is an emerging field of surgery that requires the utmost surgical skill. He enjoys the opportunity to get to know his patients and closely follow their progress during the New Beginnings program as well as long after they’ve reached their program goals. There are few surgical procedures that positively impact a patient’s health in so many ways and to witness these changes is a privilege Dr. Heider enjoys.

Jason E. Mastor, MD
Psychiatrist

Board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Dr. Mastor received his degree from Hahnemann University School of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. Dr. Mastor has comprehensive training in general psychiatry, including extensive training in both inpatient and outpatient psychiatry, as well as consultation/liaison and emergency services.

In private practice since 2001, Dr. Mastor has valuable experience in evaluating patients for weight loss procedures and is a member of the American Psychiatrist Association and the North Carolina Psychiatric Association.

Karen Barry, LMFT
Counselor and Therapist

Karen is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) in private practice. She graduated from San Jose State University with a BA in Liberal Studies and Business, and received her Masters Degree from Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, PA.

Karen has an extensive background in individual, couples and family therapy, and has a holistic approach to mental health, which addresses physical, emotional, and spiritual health. She has been working with bariatric surgery patients since 2001.

Karen has been a clinical member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy since 1997 and has served on the board of directors of the North Carolina Association of Marriage and Family Therapy.

Anju Agarwal, MS, RD/LDN, CNSD
Nutritionist

A registered and licensed North Carolina dietitian, Anju holds a master’s in food and nutrition and is certified by the American Dietetic Association in weight management. Her extensive experience in pre- and post-bariatric surgery nutrition helps her develop a personalized eating plan for each patient; one that they can easily understand and manage on their own, for life.

Anju works with patients before surgery and immediately after surgery, as healing and initial adjustments begin. She is also available to advise patients long after weight goals have been achieved.

A certified LAP-BAND Total Care Champion™, Anju is a member of the American Dietetic Association, American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and the Charlotte Dietetic Association.

Cindy Contos
Administrative Coordinator

A native of Long Island, New York, Cindy gained extensive experience starting the Bariatric Center at Good Samaritan Hospital. Cindy is often a patient’s first contact with The Center for Surgical Weight Loss at Lake Norman and is an excellent guide through the New Beginnings program and beyond. Cindy is a certified LAP-BAND Total Care Champion™.