Is Your Weight Really Killing You?

According to a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health, nearly 18 percent of all deaths in the United States are due to obesity. That number is three times greater than previous estimates. While there continues to be controversy over how exactly to calculate the cost of being obese, there is no debate that a third of Americans are overweight and another 35 percent obese.
While previous studies showed 5 percent of all adult deaths in the United States could be attributed to obesity, researcher Ryan Masters linked obesity to 20 percent of deaths among women and 15 percent of men. He also predicts the numbers are on the rise due to higher incidence of childhood obesity. 

Does the CDC Mortality Rate Reflect Obesity in America?
The complications in determining the numbers is, in part, because obesity isn’t considered a direct cause of death by the CDC. The numbers fail to associate heart disease and cancer, the top two categories of death in 2010, with a causal link to obesity. Since people who are overweight or obese are statistically proven to be more likely to have heart disease, cancer, diabetes, strokes and heart attacks, it could be said that the statistics do not accurately reflect the seriousness of obesity.  

Where Do We Start to Correct the Problem?

The “Let’s Move! Child Care” campaign, championed by First Lady Michelle Obama, targets our youngest citizens with the idea that it’s far easier to imbed healthy habits at a young age than to correct damage from poor habits later. Rather than waiting to teach healthy habits until children are elementary or middle school aged, the campaign is directed toward the care givers of infants and toddlers, imploring child care facilities to serve healthier foods and promote physical activity.

Five Steps for Healthy Children in Daycare

1.     Provide one to two hours of physical activity throughout the day

2.     No screen time for children under 2 years. Older children should have no more than 30 minutes a week of screen time during childcare.

3.     Serve fruits and vegetables at every meal, eliminating fried foods.

4.     Provide access to water during meals and throughout the day with no sugar-sweetened drinks.

5.     Support breastfeeding mothers by allowing pre-pumped milk or breastfeeding during the child-care day

Additional In-Home Tips

1.     Regularly eating meals together, without the television

2.     Monitoring what and how much children eat while watching television, an opportune time for empty calorie consumption

3.     Not using food as a reward

4.     Providing healthy food choices at each meal or snack

5.     Engaging children in meal planning and cooking, discussing healthy choices and smart substitutions

6.     Incorporating physical activities into daily family time

7.     Modeling good choices, like drinking water, eating fruits and vegetables, and making physical fitness a lifestyle habit

Did You Know That Your Weight Could Be Affecting Your Chances for Pregnancy and Leading to Illness?

More than 90 million people in the United States currently suffer from obesity. Beyond the emotional and self-esteem struggles, the disease also leads to medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, asthma, reflux, infertility and osteoarthritis. Diet and exercise help to shed extra pounds and studies show that, short of bariatric surgery, gradual weight loss is the best method to allow the body, appetite and metabolism to adjust. In addition to consultation with a physician, some of the key areas to focus on are:

1.     Eat fruits and vegetables, avoiding high-calorie foods, high-fructose corn syrup and processed items. The more foods are prepared at home, the more individuals can control exactly what they are eating.

2.     Make physical activity a part of everyday life.

3.     Set realistic goals based on body mass index, and journaling to keep track of all food, activity, vital statistics and personal goals.

4.     Join a weight loss support group. More information on group times and location can be accessed at www.baychoicebariatrics.com or by calling 281-482-5300.

Latest Avenues for Help in Managing Stress and Eating as an Emotional Reward

Behavior management assistance, often known as hypnosis for weight loss and addictive behaviors, has been shown as a valuable component to many medical treatments. The Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology found that the addition of hypnosis substantially enhanced the treatment outcome, particularly with obesity, with the average patient who received cognitive-behavioral hypnotherapy showing greater improvement than at least 70 percent of those receiving non-hypnotic treatment.

BayChoice Bariatric Center in Houston, Texas, offers a variety of hypnotism for weight loss programs, including an eight-step program in which patients benefit from the mental effects of a stomach restriction, changing eating habits, empowering self-confidence and learning self-hypnosis techniques for long-term success. Other hypnotism for weight loss programs include weekly hypnotic weight loss support group sessions, one-on-one customized weight loss sessions and one-on-one sessions customized to addressing specific food addictions.

What Are Other Alternatives?

Considering Bariatric Surgery
For some obese patients, seeking weight loss through bariatric surgery may be the only cure leading to improvement of overall health and emotional wellness. Bariatric surgery decreases the size of the stomach, reducing the amount of food an individual can eat. These procedures can lead to significant long-term weight loss (up to 70 percent of excess body weight, depending on the procedure and patient compliance to aftercare recommendations), recovery from diabetes, improvement in cardiovascular risk factors and a reduction in mortality. Some of the important steps in assessing the need for and preparing for surgery include:

1.     Check your body mass index. The U.S. National Institutes of Health recommends bariatric weight loss surgery for individuals with a BMI of at least 40 and for those with a BMI of 35 who also have serious medical conditions.

2.     If your BMI falls within those ranges or you want more information, sign up to attend one of BayChoice Bariatric Center’s free seminars. The speaker and noted bariatric surgeon Kenneth Hollis, M.D. will discuss his experience with these procedures as well as advantages and disadvantages of each.

3.     Meeting with Dr. Hollis to individually discuss current health, weight-loss goals and the best surgical procedure to achieve success. 

For more information about how BayChoice Bariatric Center can help you in the fight against obesity, please contact Dr. Kenneth Hollis today at 281-482-5300.