Obesity is an ever-increasing issue in western countries, despite society having a firm focus on living a healthy lifestyle, eating well and getting plenty of exercise. In this article, we’ll take a look at obesity, how it can be prevented, as well as some bariatric surgery solutions that can readily help those suffering from obesity make their way towards a healthier lifestyle.
Obesity Is On the Increase
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than two-thirds of Aussies are either overweight or in the obese category. In fact, just under one-third of all Australians over the age of 18 are now considered to be obese.
Some people naturally struggle with their weight more than others. We all know that person who seems to be able to eat whatever they like, do very little exercise and never gain weight. Unfortunately, these people are the vast minority. For the rest of us, we need to follow a lifestyle of eating well and exercise in order to maintain a steady, healthy weight.
Apart from worrying about how you look and whether your clothes look good on you, being a little overweight generally doesn’t present too many other problems, but when weight gain becomes a problem is when it begins to affect your health negatively.
Obesity and Related Health Disorders
The risk of having a heart attack increases markedly the more excess weight a person gains. Cholesterol levels are higher and carrying around that ‘excess baggage’ puts tremendous strain on the heart muscle. Those suffering from obesity are often out of breath performing even the simplest of tasks, due to the extra exertion required to simply move about.
All the muscles and joints are affected too. Muscles fatigue and can suffer injury, while joints can experience stiffness and even the early onset of arthritis.
The risk of developing diabetes also goes up the more a person puts on body fat and this is usually in conjunction with a less-than-healthy diet.
Some other major health issues that those with obesity may suffer from include:
- High blood pressure
- The risk of stroke
- Disease of the kidney
- Fatty liver disease
- Gallstones and gallbladder disease
- Sleep apnea
- And more…
How To Reverse Obesity
The most obvious answer is diet and exercise. Consume fewer calories than you burn off each day and you’ll gradually lose weight. All Australians should aim to eat a healthy diet regularly, as well as get plenty of exercise. As the weight starts to drop the more vigorous the exercise regime can become, resulting in even faster body fat loss. However, although this seems like an obvious and simple answer, unfortunately it is usually not possible for those who have been suffering from obesity for a long time.
A major hurdle for someone suffering from obesity is that diet and exercise alone aren’t likely to be able to make enough of an impact to reduce the excess weight that is causing other health issues. It takes a lot of willpower, commitment and time to really see major results. We’re not just talking about trying to trim off 5 or 10 kilos here.
A faster, safer solution for those who have obesity and would like to improve their overall health by reducing their excess body fat is bariatric surgery.
Bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery) encompasses a number of different procedures. Some are more invasive than others, but all the procedures are designed to do the same thing (simplified): Reduce the capacity of the stomach so the overweight individual physically cannot over-eat.
Bariatric procedures include:
- The gastric balloon
- Gastric bypass surgery
- Sleeve gastrectomy or gastric sleeve surgery
- Gastric banding or lap-band surgery
- Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty
- Revision surgery
Each bariatric procedure makes the stomach smaller so the patient feels full very quickly after eating just small amounts of food. The result of this reduced stomach capacity and much lower calorie intake is weight loss at an accelerated rate.
While dropping body fat following a procedure is much faster than what naturally occurs with the diet and exercise program, it’s not so fast as to be dangerous. Weight loss that results from a bariatric procedure simply makes it much easier to lose weight without the risk of the patient continually putting weight back on due to over-eating.
Of course, eating a healthy diet and having a regular exercise routine following the bariatric procedure is also crucial, both for the patient’s overall health as well as assisting with the weight loss process and more readily achieving the desired results.
Losing weight isn’t all just about looking good. It can potentially save your life as well.
Disclaimer: Content from the ConsciousLifeNews.com website and blog is not intended to be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The information provided on this website is intended for general consumer understanding and is NOT intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. As health and nutrition research continuously evolves, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any information presented on this website.
