Obese and Oblivious
More people are unable to accurately assess their own conditions of being overweight or obese, according to a new Harris Interactive poll. The poll shows that 30% of overweight people identify themselves as normal size and 70% of obese people identify themselves as overweight but not obese.
Why the confusion? One reason is that as more people become overweight or obese, the condition seems more “normal” than being at a truly healthy weight.
The epidemic of obesity is spreading, and weight-loss surgery is one of the most effective ways to fight this battle of the bulge.
Overcoming Obesity, UK Edition
It’s not just in the US that people are turning to weight loss surgery to overcome obesity and obesity-related disorders.
In the UK, the National Health Service reports a rapid increase in the number of weight loss surgeries being performed throughout the UK in the past five years.
The widespread success of various weight-loss surgery techniques has led to increased awareness of these procedures.
For people with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more (or 35 or more if these suffer from a weight-related, secondary condition), weight loss surgery can be a real life-saver.
Study finds WLS helps some overcome diabetes
Research is continuing to confirm what many have long suspected: obese diabetics who undergo weight-loss surgery enjoy not only sustained weight loss, but often experience such improved health that they are able to manage blood sugar with out insulin and other drugs.
Medical understanding of the broad and powerful positive effects of weight loss surgery continue to grow.
Research, of course, is ongoing. We’ll keep you up to date right here.
Open Wide
In a novel, new approach to weight loss surgery, doctors at the University of California San Diego have performed the first sleeve gastrectomy in the US that combined laparoscopic and natural orifice techniques.
In a one-hour procedure, doctors removed about 80% of the stomach via the mouth rather than through the abdomen, making minimally invasive surgery less invasive than ever.
The technique is called a hybrid laparoscopic and natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery and goes by the acronym NOTES.
The same medical team used this approach to remove an appendix though the oral cavity in 2008, the first time such a procedure was performed in the US.
Practice Makes Perfect
CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta is reporting about a study just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicating the highest volume bariatric surgery centers have lower complication rates. That is, the more patients a weight loss surgery center treats, the less likely it is that those patients will experience post-operative complications.
When you’re considering weight loss surgery, choosing the doctor and the facility is an important decision. Ask your prospective doctor how long he’s been performing the procedure you’re considering, how many he performs each year, and how many patients experience complications after surgery. Ask the same questions about the facility you’re considering.
When it comes to your health, it’s important to make informed, educated decisions. Be sure to ask the questions – and get the answers you need – to make the right decision for you.
Inspiration
For those patients who have undergone weight loss surgery and are working to improve their health, and for those who are considering weight loss surgery, sometimes it helps to have some inspiration.
Here’s a quote I find inspiring:
“Risk a change, overcome fear and win.”
You can find more like this here.
Where do you find inspiration?
Weight Loss Surgery and Diabetes
While most patients who undergo weight loss surgery meet the federal guidelines (BMI over 40 or BMI over 35 plus weight-related medical problems), doctors are increasingly considering weight loss surgery for diabetic patients only moderately obese in an effort to reverse diabetes.
Interestingly, the positive effects may be the result of something other than just the weight loss. Doctors think the rerouting of the digestive tract that occurs in bariatric surgery changes the way digestive hormones control blood sugar.
Research is ongoing.
All in the Family
A new study indicates that when two or more people from the same family undergo weight loss surgery, they achieve better results than those patients who go it alone. The family’s built-in support system helps patients adjust to the new lifestyle that goes hand-in-hand with weight loss surgery.
Monitoring intake, adhering to dietary restrictions and committing to an exercise routine all become easier to master when you’re sharing the experience with other people who know exactly what you’re going through.
Better Coverage = Better Health
Insurance companies should be paying attention to the rising tide of evidence that weight loss surgery can prevent further medical problems.
In a recent study, patients who were eligible for the surgery according to national guidelines but were denied coverage by their insurance providers went on to suffer a host of medical issues, including Hypertension, Sleep Apnea, Gastresophageal Reflux and Type 2 Diabetes.
The data is clear: weight loss surgery can help the people who need it to live longer, healthier lives. Insurance companies that deny weight loss surgery coverage to medically eligible patients are robbing them of the opportunity to live healthier, longer lives.
Read more about it here.
Keys to successful long-term weight loss
Weight loss surgery is just the beginning of an ongoing effort to improve your health, extend your lifespan and improve your quality of life. The real work comes after the surgery. At first, the pounds may come off quickly, but the real measure of successful weight loss surgery is your ability to maintain weight loss for the long term.
A recent study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association points out some of the key factors that are common to patients who are successful in long-term weight loss: maintaining reduced caloric intake and increased exercise in the years following surgery.
For many people, weight loss surgery is the springboard, the catalyst that sparks a new lease on life. The most successful weight loss surgery patients are committed to the long-term effort to lead healthier lives.