Learn more about weight loss surgery at Rocky Mountain Associated Physicians www.RMAP.com (801) 268-3800

 

Some of the causes of obesity may be attributed to some of the following factors:

  • Abundance of food
  • Environmental
  • Emotional eating
  • Genetics
  • Inactive lifestyles
  • Lack of awareness
  • Portion distortion / Super-sized portions

Although the cause of obesity is not clearly understood, it is known that obesity is a result of an energy imbalance over a long period of time. Energy balance is like a scale, when calories consumed are greater than calories used weight gain results.

Basic differences in people’s genetic predisposition may partly explain why some remain lean in the current cultural environment of fast food and huge portion sizes, while others are hundreds of pounds overweight. However, food choices and lifestyle behaviors cannot be discounted. Emotional eating is the largest factor with poor food selection and preparation coming in 2nd and genetic factors coming in 3rd.

In January of 2003 John Hopkins University released a study on the years of life lost due to obesity. They found the following information:

  • People with a BMI over 45 can expect their lives to be significantly shorter.
  • Women could expect to lose 5-8 years of life.
  • Men could expect to lose 12-20 years of life.

To see that the years of life lost could be as much as 20 years lost clearly demonstrates that:

Obesity is not a benign condition but a killer!

A report from the Surgeon General’s offices detailed that approximately 300,000 deaths per year can be associated with obesity. That becomes a startling statistic when you compare it to the 400,000 deaths per year that are associated with cigarette smoking. Obesity is now the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

Obesity is a chronic progressive life impairing disease of excess fat storage with multiple negative health effects termed co-morbidities. The excess weight can so severely impact your body that you may develop major health problems leading to premature death.

Medical professionals view morbid obesity as a disease with serious medical, physical, social and psychological effects, not as a lack of will power or self-control. There are at least 23 genes discovered that affect obesity.

Morbid Obesity

  • Defined as an individual being greater than 200% of ideal weight, or 100 lbs. overweight, or a body mass index (BMI) greater than 40.
  • Chronic disease process characterized by:
    • Severe accumulation of fatty tissue in the body and organs
    • Minimal response to dietary management

Body Mass Index
BMI is the standard that medical professionals use to measure the relationship (or ratio) of weight-to-height. The BMI is more highly correlated with body fat than any other indicator of height and weight. The BMI has replaced the Ideal Body Weight tables, which vary from country to country.

If you have a BMI of 40 or greater, BMI of 35 or greater with co-morbidities, or 75 to 100 pounds or more overweight, you are one of over 4 million Americans who have the disease of Morbid Obesity.

Determining Your Body Mass Index (BMI)
Formula: weight in pounds X 703 ÷ height (inches) ÷ height (inches)

Underweight                          <19
Healthy Weight                      20-24
Overweight                             25-29
Obese                                      30-34
Severely Obese                       35-39
Morbidly Obese                     >40

Co-Morbidities Related to Obesity

Medical Co-Morbidities Related to Obesity
·         Respiratory dysfunction
·         Cardiac Dysfunction
·         Arthritis
·         High Cholesterol
·         Bladder Control
·         Menstrual Irregularities
·         Gallbladder Disease
·         Diabetes Type II
·         High Blood Pressure
Physical Co-Morbidities
·         Personal hygiene
·         Mobility
·         Sexual limitations
·         Difficulty tying shoes
·         Limited clothing choices, selection, availability and prices
·         Furniture weight bearing incapacity
·         Theater seats, planes, buses, restaurant booths, toilet & shower cubicles
·         Limited access to chairs, passage ways, stairs and difficulty walking
Psychological Co-Morbidities
·         Approximately 89% of morbidly obese individuals suffer from Clinical Depression
·         Poor self-esteem, depression, guilt and self-hate
·         Social withdrawal
·         Neurotic & Anxiety disorders
·         Major psychiatric illnesses are the same as the rest of the population
Economic Co-Morbidities
Employment discrimination
·         Getting hired
·         Promotions
·         Special projects or accounts
Education discrimination
·         Select schools and Universities
·         Cost of special devices necessary to perform daily acts of living
·         Cost of weight loss programs
·         Denial of insurance coverage
·         Greater than 140 billion dollars is spent each year battling obesity
·         Over 30 billion dollars in personal costs
·         Over 68.8 billion dollars on medical care
·         Unknown costs to business
Social Co-Morbidities (Discrimination)
·         Weight harassment, prejudice and “fatism”
·         Studies show society has low respect for morbidly obese (Same as for alcoholics and drug addicts)
·         Many have limited number of friends
·         Dating and marriage is less common

To learn more about Weight Loss Surgery and see if it is right for you, sign up to attend our FREE informational seminar that is taught by one of our Bariatric Surgeons. He will go over all of the Risks and Benefits of each procedure and answer any questions or concerns you might have. To sign up, click HERE or go to www.RMAP.com or call (801) 268-3800.

 

For The Real Deal on Obesity, Part 2, go here.

Find more answers to Frequently Answered Questions here.

 

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www.RMAP.com
Rocky Mountain Associated Physicians
801-268-3800
1160 East 3900 South, Suite 4100
SLC, UT 84124