|
Weight Loss Surgery
Reasons to consider weight loss surgery
In North America today, obesity continues to be a growing and challenging problem. More than one quarter of the U.S. adult population is obese-which generally means more than 30 pounds overweight-and more than 300,000 deaths annually are the result of obesity.
For some individuals, traditional and conventional weight-loss programs-healthy foods, special diets, diet pills, exercise-don't work, or at least don't produce the exact desired results. Some of these seemingly hopelessly overweight people who want to end their misery
look at the reasons to consider weight loss surgery.
This kind of surgery-usually referred to as bariatric, of which there are several different types-is not for everyone. Not everybody is a suitable candidate for an operation of this magnitude, as it is a major procedure, and although there are many obvious benefits,
there are risks to take into account as well. But there are various reasons to consider weight loss surgery.
Having bariatric surgery is like a "last-resort" solution to weight loss, and it's not just "something you can try" like Weight Watchers. "I can't lose the last of my baby weight" or "I wish I had the 'perfect body'" or "I hate eating healthy or exercising" are not
valid reasons to consider weight loss surgery. Weight loss surgery actually won't work if you currently have a diet high in sugar, refined products and trans-fats. You actually need to qualify for these types of procedures-it is surgery, after all, not a protein shake or a gym pass.
Legitimate reasons to consider weight loss surgery include: if you have attempted many different traditional weight-loss methods for a minimum of five years with honest effort and failed; if you have one or more severe weight-related health problems, such as type 2
diabetes, arthritis, shortness of breath, orthopedic problems, hypertension or life-threatening cardiopulmonary conditions like obesity-induced heart disease, high blood pressure or sleep apnea-and extensive weight loss would most likely cure your condition or save your
life, or both; if the individual is at least 100 pounds overweight (for a man) or 80 pounds overweight (for a woman); if you have a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 40 or higher; if you're willing to commit yourself to long-term, sometimes lifelong, followups after the operation;
and if you know you are motivated and dedicated to follow the post-surgery arranged exercise and diet program-for the rest of your life.
In the end, valid, legitimate reasons to consider weight loss surgery are for medical and health-related purposes only-not cosmetic or aesthetic ones.
|
