Patients who have had surgery for weight loss* Note: women will not be excluded if their baseline lifestyle assessment indicates a healthy eating and moderate physical activity with the exception of the exclusion criteria above PHASE II REGISTRATION: EXCLUSION CRITERIA: SITE EXCLUSION CRITERIA: PATIENT EXCLUSION CRITERIA: A positive hepatitis C serology is an exclusion criterion EXCLUSION CRITERIA FOR PATIENTS Patients with stable atrial fibrillation are allowed in the study provided they do not meet the other cardiac exclusion criteria CORTISOL EXCLUSION: Participants with endocrine disorders (e.g., diabetes and thyroid disorders) or on steroid-based medications are excluded from the cortisol portion of the study (with the exception of topical hydrocortisone that is permitted) EXCLUSION CRITERIA FOR STRATA A, B, D AND E EXCLUSION CRITERIA FOR STRATUM C: Patients who are receiving any other anti-cancer or investigational drug therapy are ineligible EXCLUSION CRITERIA FOR STRATUM C: Patients may not be on immunosuppressive therapy, including corticosteroids (with the exception of physiologic replacement, defined as =< 0.75 mg/m^2/day dexamethasone equivalent) at time of enrollment; however, patients who require intermittent use of bronchodilators or local steroid injections will not be excluded from the study There are no minimal organ function requirements for enrollment on this study* Note: Previous cardiac repair with sufficient cardiac function is not an exclusion criteria Patients crossing over from monotherapy to combination therapy do not have to be fully rescreened; however, they do need to meet performance status, organ function, and blood parameters and not meet any of the exclusion criteria GENERAL EXCLUSION CRITERIA FOR SUBPROTOCOLS: Patients who have an uncontrolled infection are not eligible