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Across America, the number of overweight and obese individuals is rapidly increasing. In fact, among people of all ethnic groups, obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States. It may also lead to other life-threatening illnesses, called co-morbidities, such as Type II Diabetes, cancer, heart conditions, and hypertension.

In the Grand Canyon State alone more than 58% of the population is overweight or obese. It is epidemic among Arizona’s large Native American population, which has some of the highest rates of obesity and diabetes in the world.

Obesity is the condition of being significantly above one’s healthy weight, which is determined by a person’s individual body mass index (BMI). Those with a BMI of at least 25 are considered overweight; those with a BMI of 30 or above are considered obese. BMI is calculated by the following formula: BMI = weight in pounds x 703 / (height in inches)2

Treatment Options

Obesity is a disease, not a character flaw. However, many of our fellow Arizonans who suffer from this disease attempt to self-treat their obesity by means of willpower alone, as if maintaining a healthy weight were merely a matter of making a New Years’ resolution. Others with obesity turn to trendy diets, Spartan exercise programs, or the use of “miracle medicines” that promise rapid, safe weight loss. But, the few who do manage to lose significant weight by these means almost always quickly regain it. And others simply choose to ignore it – until it’s too late.

Fortunately, another option exists: weight loss surgery. Surgical weight loss – also known as bariatric surgery — has been proven to help ease (and in some cases completely resolve) obesity-related health problems for individuals with a BMI of 35 or higher. It can also help those who are obese but have no co-morbidities to reach their ideal weight and lessen their chances of developing weight-related health problems in the future.

About Weight Loss Surgery

Weight loss surgery procedures, such as the gastric bypass, gastric banding or gastric sleeve procedure, are generally performed laparoscopically. Some procedures, however, may need to be performed through open surgery, depending on the patient’s weight and other risk factors. In Arizona, more and more patients are choosing gastric banding, or Lap-band surgery, during which an inflatable silicone prosthetic band is placed around the top portion of the patient’s stomach using a laparoscope. This band is inflated with saline to create a small pouch above the band and restrict food intake. This enables patients to feel hunger less often and feel full more quickly, and thereby lose weight.

Common weight loss surgery procedures are generally safe and effective when performed at the advice of and under the care of a licensed practitioner of bariatric medicine. As with all surgical procedures, however, weight loss surgery of any type exposes the patient to the possibility of major postoperative complications, including the possibility of unforeseen death.

Considering Surgical Weight Loss

Weight loss surgery can be a true lifesaver, but it is not a magic bullet against obesity. Patients who fail to alter their dietary and lifestyle habits subsequent to the surgery may regain any weight lost.

Those considering bariatric surgery as an option for the management of obesity should carefully weigh the risks and possible outcomes of these procedures in consultation with their physician prior to making any decision.

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Obesity is a health crisis in Illinois. Across our state, the number of overweight and obese individuals is rapidly increasing. In fact, more than 61% of the population of Illinois is overweight or obese. Not only is obesity the second most common cause of preventable death in the United States, but it can also foster comorbidities—that is, life-threatening illnesses related to obesity—such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and Type 2 Diabetes.

Unsurprisingly, Illinois also spends a fortune each year – some $3.5 billion – on expenses attributable to the obesity epidemic.

It’s obvious that something must be done to stop the epidemic of obesity in our state.

Getting Fit

Weight loss itself is a no great problem: by cutting a person’s daily caloric intake below the number of calories their body needs to maintain life, weight loss can be easily effected. The difficulty comes in conquering the primal urge to eat when hungry.

Obesity is not simply a matter of weight, nor is it a character flaw. It is a disease caused by a disordered relationship with food. For some, the pleasure of eating is a substitute for emotional satisfaction. Others are food addicts, who battle an overwhelming urge to eat even when they aren’t hungry. Sadly, the pain of obesity often leads those with the disease to attempt self-treatment, including fad diets, exercise programs, or gimmicks like so-called weight-loss pills. These efforts lead some to lose significant weight, but most quickly regain it. Many people suffer damage to their health as a result of such quickie “cures”.

No miracle cure for obesity exists. The only way to successfully treat the disease of obesity is through medical care, based upon a complete change in the patient’s lifestyle and eating habits. To beat obesity we must change the way we relate to food, making better food choices and eating less of it. Most of us can accomplish this through education and willpower, in some cases combined with counseling and support. For the rest, weight loss surgery is the only way to combat the disease.

About Weight Loss Surgery

Weight loss surgery works by surgically altering the patient’s stomach and/or digestive tract in order to physically limit the amount of food the patient can eat at a given time. This may be done by removing part of the stomach, or by re-routing the flow of ingested food around the areas where the calories are absorbed. In Lap-band surgery — the most widespread procedure — the stomach and bowel are not cut; only a few small incisions in the abdomen are made to allow the surgeon access to the stomach. An inflatable band is then placed around the stomach, creating a small pouch. If successful, these alterations will cause the patient to take in fewer calories each day than he or she burns, resulting in steady, safe weight loss.

But losing weight is only half the battle. Only a complete change in a patient’s lifestyle can win the war on obesity. Patients who fail to change their activity level and dietary habits may regain any weight lost via surgery.

Summing It Up

Weight loss surgery is a powerful weapon in Illinois’ fight against obesity, but it is only one weapon. To win the fight, we must be willing to change the way we live – eating better food, and less of it, and living an active lifestyle. Only by combining these weapons with our will to win can we conquer obesity and live longer, healthier lives.

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Obesity — the condition of being significantly above one’s healthy weight — is a health crisis in Alabama. Across our state, the number of overweight and obese individuals is rapidly increasing. In fact, almost 65% of the population of Alabama is overweight or obese. It is the second most common cause of preventable death in the United States, and may lead to life-threatening illnesses, called co-morbidities, such Type II diabetes, cancer, heart conditions, and hypertension.

Unsurprisingly, Alabama also leads the nation in adults suffering from high blood pressure, with 31% of Alabamians diagnosed with the condition compared to 24.9% nationally according to a 2002 study by the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC),. And Alabama’s adult diabetes rate of 10.5% was the highest in America, more than double the 5% rate in 50th-ranked Minnesota.

Getting Fit

Something has to be done to stop the epidemic of obesity in our state. Unfortunately, obesity can be one of the most difficult diseases to treat. Weight loss itself is a simple matter: once a person’s daily caloric intake falls below the number of calories needed, the body begins to burn fat to stay alive, resulting in weight loss. The difficulty comes in restricting caloric intake – the primal urge to eat when hungry is almost irresistible.

Many people who suffer from obesity also have disordered relationships with food, consuming food  to quell uncomfortable emotions rather than for nutrition or the pleasure of eating. In fact, many among the obese in our state are food addicts, plagued by a constant desire to eat even when they are not hungry.

Obesity is not a character flaw. It is a medical condition requiring medical treatment. Sadly, the pain and emotional trauma of obesity often leads those with the disease to attempt self-treatment. Many obese persons try to lose their excess weight by means of gimmicks, fad diets, exercise programs, or so-called weight-loss pills.  These efforts lead some to lose significant weight, but most quickly regain it after they discontinue their weight loss program. Many people suffer damage to their health as a result of such quickie “cures”.

No miracle cure for obesity exists. The only way to successfully treat the disease of obesity is through medical care, based upon a complete change in the patient’s lifestyle and eating habits. To beat obesity we must change the way Alabamans think about and relate to food, enabling us to eat better food and less of it.

For most of us, education, counseling, support, and willpower are enough to accomplish this. For the rest, another option exists: weight loss surgery.

About Weight Loss Surgery

Weight loss surgery is performed under general anesthesia. Most procedures are performed laparoscopically, though some may need to be performed through open surgery. The three main types of weight loss surgery are malabsorptive, restrictive, and combination, each with different risks and benefits. In each, however, the principle is the same: to surgically alter the patient’s stomach and/or digestive tract in order to physically limit the amount of food the patient can eat at a given time. If successful, the surgical alterations will cause the patient to take in fewer calories each day than he or she burns, resulting in steady, safe weight loss.

Weight loss surgery can be a true lifesaver. However, it is not a magic cure for obesity; only a complete change in the patient’s lifestyle and relationship to food can cure the disease. Patients who fail to follow postoperative instructions may regain any weight lost or reach a weight-loss plateau over time. The decision to undergo weight loss surgery is also irrevocable; currently, only the Lap-band procedure is reversible.

Those considering bariatric surgery as an option for the management of obesity should carefully weigh the risks and possible outcomes of these procedures in consultation with their physician prior to making a decision.

Alabama can win the war on obesity, but it will take time, money, and the will to win. By educating ourselves, supporting one another, and using weight loss surgery as a weapon of last resort, we can make our state healthier, happier, and a better place in which to live.

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