CareersMinimally Invasive Bariatric Procedures for Obesity
Difference Between Overweight vs. Obese
Many causes of being overweight and obesity may be preventable and possibly reversible. When you are overweight, you are carrying around less weight than if you are obese. Fat metabolism, hormones, genetics and other physiological factors also play important roles in obesity and its side effects.
Health risks climb substantially as body fat increases. Risk of disease increases even when a patient is slightly overweight. Obesity is associated with some cancers: endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney and colon. The difference between being overweight or obese is formulated in height and weight calculations in body mass indexing.
What’s your body mass index (BMI)?
To calculate BMI, determine your height and weight in this BMI Index Chart from the National Institutes of Health (NIH):
- BMI less than 18.5 is within underweight range
- BMI 18.5 to 25 is within healthy weight range
- BMI 25 to 30 is within overweight range
- BMI 30 or higher is within obesity range
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global rate of overweight has almost tripled since 1975. In some ways, high-tech society promotes reduced activity by providing many convenient options (laptop, phone, you name it) that help people become much more efficient – though we grow less active by the year.
What type of bariatric procedure is right for you?
The difference is in the treatment you receive to lose weight, and those considered overweight may not qualify for weight-loss surgery. Measuring your weight status offers insight into the types of weight-loss treatments that might be right for you.
Bariatric surgery can result in significant weight loss and remission of diabetes in most patients. After surgery, blood sugars may be restored by a combination of caloric restriction, consistent exercise and increased insulin secretion.
Obesity can bring health risks such as migraines, arthritis and joint pain. It can shorten your life expectancy. Like any surgery, however, it carries some risks, which should be discussed thoroughly with your care team.
Results vary for patients depending on how close they can follow providers’ recommendations.
Overweight Children More Likely to Become Obese Adults
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five American children today are struggling with excess body weight. It also recommends bariatric surgery can be safely performed on patients between the ages of 18-65.
Obesity in childhood is associated with a wide range of serious health complications and an increased risk of premature onset of related illnesses. Obesity-related conditions in teens and overweight children can include high cholesterol, asthma, future risk of fractures, hypertension, insulin resistance and depression.
Factors contributing to excess weight gain in kids can be:
- Eating habits
- Genetics
- Lack of healthy role models
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Unsafe home life
- Interrupted sleep
In the long-term, social and community-based responsibility can help lower levels of childhood obesity by ensuring family access to regular leisure and physical activities, gym classes, and free recreational park land that’s accessible to everyone.
Helping generations of people suffering with obesity must include large-scale public policy changes in urban planning, agriculture, environmental impact, marketing and education.
Diabetes and Weight-loss Procedures
Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and lower limb amputation. A healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight and avoiding tobacco use are ways to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. But it’s not always that easy, and diabetes can appear suddenly.
Diabetes symptoms can be subtle, and may include:
- Extreme thirst
- Constant need to urinate
- Blurred vision
- Fatigue
Without treatment, diabetes can damage blood vessels in the heart, eyes, kidneys and nerves over time, according to the CDC. People with diabetes have a higher risk of health problems including heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. Finally, many people with diabetes can develop problems with their feet from nerve damage and poor blood flow.
No matter what path to treatment you take, losing weight to manage diabetes takes dedication and motivation. With minimally invasive weight-loss surgery, skilled surgeons and other practitioners can help prepare you physically and emotionally for an exciting weight-loss journey.
Find a doctor
For a free referral to our weight-loss surgeon, call TexomaCare Weight-Loss Surgery at 903-416-6490, or search online.
Individual results may vary. There are risks associated with any surgical procedure. Talk with your doctor about these risks to find out if bariatric surgery is right for you.
