The study was comprised of 442 patients in Switzerland who underwent bariatric surgery from 1998 through 2005. Of the total, 221 had the gastric bypass procedure and the other 221 a gastric band placed. The patients were matched according to sex, age and Body Mass Index (BMI). In order to qualify for surgery, patients had a BMI of greater than 40, or greater than 35 with at least one other disease (such as diabetes). None of the patients had a BMI exceeding 50. After a year, the average BMI in the bypass group fell below 30, and the gastric band group fell to about 34. A BMI of 30 or greater is considered obese. The researchers found that for gastric band patients, maximum weight loss was achieved at 36 months, while the bypass patients achieved maximum weight loss at 18 months. Immediately following surgery, the gastric bypass patients had more complications, with a complication rate of 17%. This is not surprising, however, considering that the gastric bypass is a more complex procedure requiring longer operative time and hospital stay. The gastric band patients had a complication rate of 5.4% immediately following surgery.

At Surgical Specialists of Louisiana, we believe that it is important to the success of patients to have surgical options when choosing which surgery best fits your medical situation, comfort level and lifestyle. We are one of the few programs in our area which offers patients a choice of the full spectrum of weight loss surgery options, from incisionless procedures such as POSE to more traditional weight loss surgeries such as gastric bypass. You can learn more about our program here.

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I have been going to dog-training classes. My dog is not the problem. I am. I can’t seem to be consistent in my approach to Ruby, so in her confusion she misbehaves.
It’s my responsibility to set boundaries with Ruby so that she knows what to do, but I feel inadequate. I’m too busy. I forget to practice. I’d rather do something else. I have to work. I have a million excuses.

My resistance creates unwanted consequences

For awhile Ruby’s indiscretions (a.k.a. my unwillingness to train my dog) were tolerable. She chewed a pair of my son’s tube socks. She ate the cat’s food. She pulled on the leashwhen I walked her.

But things have gotten worse. Ruby nips me to let me know it is time for her walk. She dines on litter-box fare (yuck!). She jumps onto the furniture when we turn our backs.

I have to get past my resistance

If I continue to let Ruby get away with these antics, and inevitably let things get worse, my life is going to get a lot more chaotic. And the consequences will become dire.

(Sadly, it’s at this point that many families give their pets back to the adoption agency. The problem goes from cute to annoying to intolerable.)

Resistance undermines weight loss surgery progress, too

When my hunger came back after weight loss surgery, it was almost cute at first. I ate half of a french fry and one bite of a dessert at a wedding reception. I felt petite and in control.

I was resisting my surgeon’s guidelines, but rationalized that I followed most of them

For awhile my indiscretions (a.k.a. my unwillingness to follow my plan) were tolerable. I wasn’t gaining weight and I felt great.

But things got worse. I started eating popcorn every night. I quit exercising at the gym. I ate toast with butter at bedtime.

And my food cravings got worse

So, I pushed my limits ever further. As this happened, I began to negotiate with myself about everything. Could I eat this at 3pm if I ate less of something at dinner?

How many calories is that snack food and maybe it’s okay to eat if I skip my protein drink (thus avoiding the extra calories).
It was annoying to always be negotiating with myself, pushing the boundaries. The consequences became more dire; I gained a few pounds.

Now my behavior felt intolerable to me

A few pounds is not a big concern in the vast scheme of things. But it is at this point that many weight loss surgery patients give up. But I didn’t give up.

Like Ruby, I needed clearer limits

I was in pure resistance mode. I was out of control and looking for trouble. Unlike my dog, though, I could identify my resistance and make a decision to set better limits for myself. So, that’s what I did.

I used my husband’s motto to challenge myself

As my biggest cheerleader, Mike has always supported me in my efforts at self improvement and with my dream to help others overcome obesity.

During times when I have felt uncertain or fearful or discouraged he has put his hands on my shoulders, looked me in the eyes, and made me repeat after him:

“I am a winner.”

He makes me say it until I really feel it. Sometimes I get really mad at him, but he persists until he breaks my resistance.

One morning, Mike noticed I did not write down a food plan or seem to have any intention of making one. So, he made me say that phrase. It’s hard to feel resistance and feel like a winner at the same time. So, for a few moments, as we looked into each other’s eyes, I felt like a winner.

Over the course of that day I decided to keep saying it to myself

I got past my resistance to healthier eating using my own version of Mike’s saying:

“I’m a winner, and winners _____________________.”

I filled in the blank depending on what I was doing. So, when I wanted to eat fast food for lunch, I told myself:

“I’m a winner, and winners eat *healthy*, great-tasting meals.”

When I wanted to skip going to the gym, I told myself:

“I’m a winner, and winners exercise daily.”

And when I wanted to eat that french fry, I told myself:

“I’m a winner, and winners eat healthy fats, not trans fats.”

Everyone wants to win

When I look at my choices from the vantage point of being a winner, it’s easy to see which choices will serve me well and which ones won’t.

When I feel like a winner, I am much happier to do the next right thing — to resist the temptation to overeat or to pick unhealthy foods.

Do you want to feel like a winner?

No, you can’t borrow Mike! Go stand in front of your mirror, and look into your own eyes. Smile broadly and say, “I’m a winner!”

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are committed to helping our patients achieve a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight. Whether you are interested in weight loss surgery or medically supervised weight loss counseling, we can help you take control of your eating and your weight. Watch an online seminar now or take a weight loss quiz to help you get started.

This article is from Small Bites, the email newsletter for the National Association for Weight Loss Surgery.

Subscribe today and get your F’REE report, The 10 Most Common Mistakes Weight Loss Surgery Patients Make at www.10WLSmistakes.com.
(c) 2007 National Association for Weight Loss Surgery, Inc. All rights reserved.

The report, “A Heavy Burden: The Individual Costs of Being Overweight and Obese in the United States”, estimates the price tag of obesity at the individual level as $8,365 for women and $6,518 for men (including the value of lost life). This report included non-medical costs such as sick days, lost wages due to disability and premature mortality. The enormous financial impact of the obesity epidemic should give rise to more discussions regarding solutions for the disease.

Obesity related health care costs are estimated at $147 billion annually, which is almost 10% of all U.S. medical expenses. Within the next 20 years, this could rise to 16-18% of total U.S. health care costs. In response to these new findings, Joe Nadglowski, President and Chief Executive Officer of the OAC (Obesity Action Coalition) said, “Given the increasing obesity rates, this report underscores the critical need for a new and more aggressive approach to obesity that considers both prevention and treatment for those 93 million Americans who are already obese.”

Two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese, and childhood obesity has tripled in the past three decades. Dietary changes and lack of physical activity over the last 30 years have contributed to this growing problem. Nearly 18% of adolescents are obese, facing a future of diabetes, heart disease and other ailments. September has been declared National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month by President Barack Obama.

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana offers surgical as well as nonsurgical treatment for overweight individuals. MyWeight™, a medically supervised weight loss program, offers nutritional meals and meal replacements for those who need to lose 10 to 30 pounds. Surgical weight loss, such as gastric sleeve or gastric bypass surgery, has been proven to help in reduce, and in some cases eliminate, co-morbidities associated with the disease of obesity, including diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The group of nine surgeons at the Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are highly skilled in advanced laparoscopy and have performed more than 4000 surgical weight loss procedures. If you are interested in learning more about our weight loss programs join us for a free seminar, contact our office or take a weight loss quiz to get you started.

You’ve heard the expression, “YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT”.  Check these out….

• Watch The Sugar….A medium orange has 62 calories, 12 g of sugar, and 3 g of fiber. An 8 ounce glass of OJ has 110 calories, 24 g of sugar and .5 g of fiber!
• The best way to know that you’re eating a healthy meal….Prepare your own meals! As your proportion of home-cooked meals increases, your number of fast food visits decreases.  USDA Scientists found that people eat 500 calories more                                                       on days they consume fast food compared to days                                                       they don’t.

• A serving size of pasta in Italy is about 6 ounces.  In the U.S many restaurant bowls top 2 pounds!!
• You’ll increase your energy levels 32 % if you exercise at least 30 minutes 3x a week for 4 weeks.
• Alcohol impairs muscle-building enzymes, so for maximum gains in the gym, don’t go big at the bar!
• Men, not just women, are at risk for osteoporosis. One in five men will develop it. Lift weights for stronger bones.
• LSU says people who eat eggs for breakfast, eat 250 fewer calories during the day than bagel eaters.
• To fight snack cravings: chew sugarfree gum for 15 minutes after eating, and again 2 hours later.

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana’s non-surgical weight loss program includes protein powders, ready-made protein drinks, shelf-stable meals, soups, protein bars and even biscotti…all in a variety of flavors. Call 1-877-691-3001 or send an email to info@whyweight.com for more information.  Also, check out the website’s MyWeight estore to place orders for products.

Many new programs promise obesity prevention measures. Yet obesity rates are on the rise. In this article, printed with the permission of the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), Joe Nadglowski, president and CEO, discusses the measures our policy leaders must take in order to reverse our current life threatening trends.

The obesity epidemic in the United States has been headline news throughout the past several months. First, it was First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign focusing on childhood obesity and more recently the “F as in Fat” report by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) highlighting the continued growth of obesity rates in many states. The proposed solutions in both of these efforts are that we need more obesity prevention initiatives in the U.S. In fact, there is no mention of treatment of weight-loss in the First Lady’s efforts and only minor references in the TFAH report.

So my question is: Can prevention alone solve the obesity epidemic? In my opinion, the answer is clearly no. Why?

1. Prevention and treatment are not the same thing. Think about obesity as any other chronic condition. Once you are diagnosed with heart disease or cancer, your care adds a new set of tools that are specific to treatment. Do prevention efforts stop? No, of course not, you are still likely encouraged to quit smoking to help your heart and use sunscreen to protect your skin. But, that is not the sole solution, other treatments are offered. With obesity, this is often not the case.
2. We are simply running out of people to whom we can prevent obesity. More than 2/3 of Americans are already overweight or obese. If we really want to solve the obesity epidemic, don’t we need to encourage improved health through weight-loss not just preventing future additional weight gain?
3. Despite its difficulty, obesity does get better when you treat it. Individuals affected by obesity do get healthier after receiving treatment. Modest weight-loss can, and often does, make a significant health difference. A greater focus on treatment would hopefully encourage more people to seek assistance and encourage scientists/physicians and others to develop new and more effective treatments.

Prevention and Treatment Go Hand-in-Hand

Does this mean we should scale back prevention efforts to encourage more treatment? No, not at all. Clearly, prevention and treatment go hand-in-hand when it comes to addressing obesity. The often life-long struggle with weight requires both. You may seek treatment, successfully lose weight and now need access to preventative efforts to maintain your successful weight-loss. Without both, the chance for long term success is limited.

The Real Problem: Weight Bias

So why isn’t treatment receiving the attention it deserves? I previously stated obesity is difficult to treat, but my fear is the real reason lies in weight bias. Weight bias enables people to ignore the disease of obesity and the need for treatment. Too many blame the individual affected by excess weight solely for their struggles. They ignore the significant scientific evidence showing that obesity is a complex issue involving social, environmental, genetic and behavioral issues.

Moving forward, we need more individuals advocating on behalf of treatment, not at the expense of prevention, but as a supporting factor to it. I advocate for this type of balance everyday and encourage you to do the same. The First Lady has stepped forward as a tremendous advocate for prevention, but we now need a public official brave enough to advocate for treatment with the same passion. Help us fi nd that person by writing your elected officials and encouraging them to take the lead. If you’re not sure how to write your legislators,

I encourage you to visit the OAC’s Legislative Action Center on our Web site at www.obesityaction.org for helpful tips. Prevention is important, but in the absence of intervention
(or treatment), we are dooming ourselves to failure in addressing the obesity epidemic. For either prevention or treatment to be successful, you need the other. Why? Well, simply think about it.

If you feel differently or have an alternate view on the topic of “Prevention Versus Treatment,” feel free to share your thoughts by writing the OAC at info@obesityaction.org.

About the Author:
Joe Nadglowski is President and CEO of the OAC. A frequent speaker and author, Mr. Nadglowski has more than 16 years of experience working in patient advocacy and education and is a graduate of the University of Florida. Joe is also the Executive Director of the ASMBS Foundation, through a partnership between the OAC and the Foundation. Through this partnership, the OAC and ASMBS Foundation aim to increase awareness and education on obesity and its treatments through the annual “Walk from Obesity.”

NOTE: Opinions expressed by the authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the OAC.

Reproduced with permission from Obesity Action Coalition. Please visit www.oac.org

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are committed to helping our patients achieve a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight. Whether you are interested in weight loss surgery or medically supervised weight loss counseling, we can help you take control of your eating and your weight. Join us for a free seminar or take a weight loss quiz to help you get started.

Childhood obesity is a serious and growing problem. Over the past 30 years, obesity rates among children have tripled. A recent study In the Journal of American Medical Association shows that gastric banding surgery, such as LAP-BAND^®, can and have been, more effective than traditional weight loss programs promoting diet and exercise.

The February 10th issue of JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) reported that gastric banding may be more effective for achieving weight loss than lifestyle changes¹.

The randomized controlled trial conducted by Paul E. O’Brien, M.D, FRACS, and colleagues of Monash University and the Centre for Adolescent Health, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, included 50 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18, with a BMI higher than 35. Twenty five patients underwent laparoscopic gastric banding, while the remaining 25 entered a program of lifestyle intervention. This program included increased activity level, behavior modification and reduced calorie intake. Participants in both groups were followed for two years. (May 2005-September 2008).

Twenty four of the patients in the surgical group completed the study while 18 in the lifestyle group completed the program.

The study revealed that the gastric banding group lost an average of 76 pounds. This is an overall average loss of 28 percent of total body weight and 79 percent of excess weight. The lifestyle group lost an average of 6.6 pounds or an average of 3.1 percent total weight loss and 13 percent excess weight loss.

“At entry, 9 participants (36 %) in the gastric banding group and 10 (40%) in the lifestyle group had the metabolic syndrome. At 24 months, none of the gastric banding group had the metabolic syndrome compared with 4 of the 18 completers (22%) in the lifestyle group,” the authors noted.

“In this study, gastric banding proved to be an effective intervention leading to a substantial and durable reduction in obesity and to better health. The adolescent and parents must understand the importance of careful adherence to recommended eating behaviors and of seeking early consultation if symptoms of reflux, heartburn, or vomiting occur. As importantly, they should be in a setting in which they can maintain contact with health professionals who understand the process of care. This study indicates that, in such a setting, the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding process can achieve important improvements in weight, health, and quality of life in severely obese adolescents,” the researchers concluded.

You can get more information on weight loss surgery such as gastric banding, gastric bypass or medically supervised weight loss programs by contacting one of our patient advocates today. The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are committed to helping you reach your weight loss goals. Register for a free seminar and see which one of our weight loss programs has proven to be the most effective for weight loss in adolescent patients in Louisiana.

1. O’Brien, Paul E., et al. (2010). Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding in Severely Obese Adolescents. Journal of the American Medical Association, 303(6):519-526.

Happy New Year from the Surgical Specialists of Louisiana! We are pleased to be able to help you start it off right with this week’s feature article about mindful eating by Michelle May, MD, from her book “Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle” and reprinted with permission of the Obesity Action Coalition.

Most of us have attempted weight loss numerous times. We counted calories, exchanges and points. We ate pre-packaged food or meal replacements. We followed rigid meal plans that restricted fat or carbohydrates – or solid food altogether.

From an energy balance perspective, any of these tactics should work, and some do – in the short-term. From my perspective, the reason they do not work long-term is that they change what and how much we eat, without changing why and how we eat. Those two issues are critical because people who struggle with their overweight and obesity are often disconnected from their signals of hunger and satiety.

Overeating occurs in response to hundreds of environmental and emotional triggers such as free food, stress or boredom. Overeating also occurs unconsciously. For example, eating quickly or while distracted watching television or driving.

Changing Why and How You Eat

Mindful eating was one of the keys to breaking my eat-repent-repeat cycle. One definition of mindfulness is paying attention, on purpose and without judgment, to the internal and external world in the present moment. I describe it as eating with intention and attention.

Benefits of Mindful Eating

Eating is a natural, healthy and pleasurable activity when you are eating to satisfy hunger and meet your needs for nourishment and enjoyment. Mindfulness helps you identify the difference between physical hunger and head hunger. Further, learning to savor food makes eating more pleasurable, leading to a paradoxical decrease in the quantity of food you need to feel satisfied.

Mindfulness also makes it possible for you to notice the difference between physical satisfaction and the discomfort of fullness, allowing you to self-regulate the quantity of food you eat.

Mindful Eating is Eating with Intention and Attention

Eat with Intention

Be purposeful when you eat:

•    Eat when you are truly hungry.
•    Eat to meet your body’s needs for fuel and nourishment.
•    Eat with the goal of feeling better when you finish.

Eat with Attention

Devote your full attention to eating:

•    Eliminate or minimize distractions.
•    Tune into the ambiance, flavors, smells, temperature and texture of the food.
•    Listen to your body’s cues of hunger and fullness.

Excerpt from “Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle” by Michelle May, MD (Greenleaf Book Group, October, 2009).

The Practice of Mindful Eating

Admittedly, if you are used to eating on autopilot, learning to eat mindfully may feel awkward at first; however, like any new skill, it becomes natural with practice. During our Am I Hungry? workshops, we have a Mindful Eating potluck or go out to dinner together; you too can practice the following steps by yourself or with a friend.

Step 1

Before a single bite of food passes your lips, it is important to recognize why you are eating since the reason(s) impacts every other decision downstream. Whenever you feel like eating, first ask yourself, “Am I hungry?” This simple, but powerful, question helps you recognize whether the desire to eat was caused by your body’s need for fuel or some other trigger. It may be helpful to close your eyes and do a mind-body scan, looking for signals of hunger. These may include hunger pangs, growling stomach, low energy, shakiness, headache or other symptoms that indicate that your stomach is empty and your blood glucose is low. Recognize that these are all physical symptoms, not cravings or thoughts, such as “That looks good,” or “I better eat now while I have the chance.”

Step 2

Decide what to eat, honoring your preferences by asking yourself, “What do I want?” and honoring your health by asking, “What do I need?” If you are preparing your own food, view it not as a chore, but an opportunity to become an integral part of the process. Connect with all of your senses as you touch, smell and combine the ingredients.

Step 3

Create a pleasant ambiance. Even when you are preparing food for yourself, make it attractive by setting the table, turning on music and perhaps even lighting candles. Minimize distractions so you can give the food and your body’s signals full attention. If you eat while you are distracted by watching television, driving, working or talking on the telephone, you may end up feeling full, but not satisfied.

Do not eat while standing over the sink, peering into the refrigerator or sitting in bed. Instead, choose one or two places at home and at work for eating.

Step 4

Before serving yourself or ordering, set your intention for how full you want to be at the end of eating. This intention guides you in deciding how much food to purchase, prepare or serve. Once you have the amount of food you think you will need, physically divide it in half on your plate to remind yourself to stop halfway and check in again. This little “speed bump” slows you down and serves as a reminder to reconnect if you lost your focus.

Step 5

Take a few deep breaths to calm and center yourself before you begin eating. Reflect on all that went in to bringing this food to your plate. Express gratitude for the nourishment, the people with whom you are sharing the meal, or simply the fact that you are giving yourself time to sit down and enjoy eating.

It is Time to Eat Mindfully

Make eating a multi-sensory experience. Look at your food and appreciate the colors, textures and arrangement. Decide which food looks the most appetizing and start by eating one or two bites of it while your taste buds are the most sensitive. If you save the best until last, you may want to eat it even if you’re full.

Take small bites since large bites are wasted on the roof of your mouth, teeth and cheeks where you have very few taste buds. In addition, much of what you perceive as taste actually comes from smell. When you slowly chew a small bite of food, the aromas are carried from the back of your throat to your nose, enhancing the flavors.

Put your fork down after each bite. When you are loading your next forkful, you cannot pay attention to the one in your mouth. When you are always paying attention to the next bite you will keep eating until there are no more bites left.

Recognize Fullness

Pause in the middle of eating. When you get to your speed bump, stop eating for a couple of minutes. Estimate how much more food it will take to fill you to comfortable satiety, keeping in mind that there is a delay in the fullness signal reaching the brain.

Notice when your taste buds become less sensitive to the taste of food; that is a sign that your body has had enough. Push your plate forward or get up from the table. The desire to continue eating will pass quickly, so distract yourself for a few minutes if necessary. Keep in mind that your intention was to feel better when you were done and that you will eat again when you are hungry.

Complete the Mindful Eating Process

When you’re finished eating, notice how you feel. If you over-ate, do not judge or punish yourself. Instead, be aware of the physical and/or emotional discomfort caused by being overly full and create a plan to decrease the likelihood that you will overeat next time.

Once you experience the pleasure of eating mindfully, you may be motivated to become more mindful during other activities too. Use intention and attention in your personal relationships and during routine activities like showering or exercising. Living fully in each moment increases your enjoyment and effectiveness in everything you do.

This article first appeared in the OAC News Vol.4/ Issue 3 April 2009.  Reproduced with permission from Obesity Action Coalition. Please visit www.oac.org.

Download the first chapter of Dr May’s new book, “Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break the Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle” from www.amihungry.com.

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are committed to helping our patients achieve a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight. Whether you are interested in weight loss surgery or medically supervised weight loss counseling, we can help you take control of your eating and your weight. Join us for a free seminar or take a weight loss quiz to help you get started.

Body image is loosely defined as a person’s perception of their own physical appearance, or the internal sense of how one’s body appears to others. Although it is a complex subject, research suggests:

1. Body image dissatisfaction is greater in women than in men.
2. A person’s body image is often dramatically different from the way their body actually appears to others.

There is no doubt that there is still a great deal of stigmatization and moralizing about obesity and excess weight in this society. Many scientific studies demonstrate this point. They show that people with excess weight, in comparison with their normal-weight counterparts, are often perceived as being:

• “Less intelligent”
• “Lonelier”
• “Having less self-control”
• “More lazy”

While these perceptions are often not true, they still persist and can have a marked effect. We have all heard remarks like, “she ought to just push herself away from the table,” or “he should get to the gym.”

To the outside world, the reasons people with morbid obesity seek bariatric surgery may be a mystery. The obvious reason might be to “look better” or to “feel better about their bodies.” The bottom line is that society still too often views this procedure as the “easy way out,” or a “quick fix” for lifelong problems.

Perceptions and Social Stigma

Although body image seems to develop naturally as we mature, there is probably a large part of our body image that is socially derived, from these real or imagined perceptions, judgments and comments of other people. When you add this social stigma to a person’s previous failure at dieting, already low self-esteem and poor body image, it is not difficult to imagine that the idea of significant weight loss through surgery is appealing for a number of reasons.

Despite the fact that a primary goal of bariatric surgery is to prevent, improve or cure medical health problems or co-morbidities, the psychosocial effects of the surgery are just as powerful and important. Several recent studies have reported dramatic positive changes in the body image of patients following weight loss surgery. So what really motivates people to seek this surgery in the first place?

Weight Loss Surgery Motivation

First, a few facts about motivation itself. There are four types, or sources, of motivation.

• External motivation is often initiated by outside sources, like friends, family or doctors. “They made me do it.”
• Guilt-driven motivation is, as one might expect, a result of trying to escape from negative feelings. “I would feel badly if I didn’t do it.”
• Identified motivation is a result of wanting to be like, or identifying with, someone else who is doing the behavior in question.
• Internal motivation is when the desire to change arises within the person. “I like doing it…it’s fun.” Studies that examined motivation to exercise or to lose weight have shown that the most enduring source of behavior change is internal motivation. That is, the more a person’s motivation comes from within, as opposed to some outside agent (e.g., doctor, spouse), the more likely it is that behavior change will continue.

It is clear that there are many sources for motivation, and they should be examined carefully, especially when the subject is weight-loss surgery. At our practice, we have examined the motivating factors for a group of 65 of patients who were seeking bariatric surgery. They were each asked about their primary motivating factors, including:

• Health concerns, including medical co-morbidities
• Improvements in self-esteem, including feelings of self-worth and enhanced body image
• Increasing physical functioning, including better mobility and ability to accomplish physical tasks
• Business or job advancement
• Increased social attractiveness

They were asked to rank-order their reasons for seeking surgery, from 1 (most important) through 5 (least important). The results of this assessment are shown below.

What is your most important reason for seeking bariatric surgery?

Health Concerns                               62%
Increase Physical Functioning            11%
Improve Self-Esteem                         19%
Business or Job Advancement             5%
Social Attractiveness                          3%

One clear finding here is that health concerns far outweigh all other categories of motivation for bariatric surgery. These may represent either current or future concerns about physical health and well-being. When motivation to improve physical functioning is added to health concerns, the total for both represents nearly three quarters of all primary reasons.

Body Image and Self-Esteem

Although “body image” was not a separate category, it is assumed that this issue is incorporated into the categories of “improve self-esteem” and “social attractiveness.” Together, these two areas were primarily endorsed by 22 percent of the respondents.

People obviously choose to have bariatric surgery for many reasons, and these cannot easily be broken down into distinct categories. While our data suggests that health concerns are well in front of other reasons, there were secondary reasons, including body image, which play a part in their decision-making as well. Of equal importance is the person’s source of motivation. Be sure to examine yours, and make certain the decision is an internal one!

This article first appeared in the OAC News Vol.3/ Issue 4 July 2008.  Reproduced with permission from Obesity Action Coalition. Please visit www.oac.org

Walkers participated in raising money to help fight the obesity epidemic. An estimated 90 million people in the US are obese and 15 million are morbidly obese, putting them at an increased risk for other life threatening diseases including type II diabetes and heart disease.

With the help of business sponsorships, such as the Surgical Specialists of Louisiana who were “Benefactor Level” sponsors, the Slidell area walk raised $16,500, making it one of the Top National Fundraising Sites in the Country. Thanks to these fundraising efforts, the ASMBS (American Society For Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant to Slidell Memorial Hospital’s “Fit as a Firefighter” Camp. This is the second year in a row the award has been given to SMH which has brought the money raised back into our local community.

About The Surgical Specialists of LA
The Surgical Specialists of LA is a group of nine board certified laparoscopic bariatric surgeons who have performed over 4,000 minimally invasive weight loss surgeries. With locations in New Orleans, Covington, Lafayette and Slidell, they are able to offer the Gulf South Region the most comprehensive weight loss program in the area. Whether you need to lose 15, 50 or 150 pounds, SSL has a program to meet your needs. MyWeight^TM is the most recent addition to SSl’s offerings. MyWeight^TM is a medically supervised, individualized, multi-level weight loss program that offers a variety of options focusing on the Medical, Nutritional, and Physical components for a healthy lifestyle.

About Southern Surgical Hospital
Southern Surgical Hospital (SSH) is a multi-specialty, 63,538 square-foot short-stay hospital located in Slidell, Louisiana. The hospital houses six operating suites, one pain treatment room, a procedure room; two sleep lab beds, 32 inpatient beds, and five ICU beds. SSH is owned and operated by physicians in partnership with Cirrus Health.

As humans we are very efficient creatures, built to defend our weight. The increase of obesity rates in America can, in part, be explained by the disparity between our sedentary lifestyle and the genes that once helped our ancestors survive famines. You might say that our genes load the gun, but our environment pulls the trigger.

The rapid increase of technology, and the subsequent conveniences it brings, has dramatically shifted the typical environment and lifestyle of most Americans:

• Many of our cities are built for driving rather than walking. Public transportation can be inconvenient.

• People are working in increasingly sedentary jobs and enjoying sedentary leisure activities such as TV, video games, and surfing the web.

• There are safety concerns that lead many to forgo outdoor activities such as cycling or walking, and this affects children and adults alike.

And our environment isn’t the only thing that is changing. Over the past few decades the nature of food itself has changed significantly:

• Food is plentiful year round and inexpensive. Cheaper, less healthy, processed foods are eaten more frequently. In fact, Americans spend far less of their disposable income on food than other any other nation.

• Consumers are inundated with advertising messages hooking us on unhealthy foods and creating bad eating habits. In one year, an average child will watch about 10,000 commercials touting food and beverages.

• Portion sizes are out of control! In 1955 McDonald’s French fries were 210 calories for a 2.4 oz. serving. In 2004, McDonald’s fries were 610 calories for a 7 oz. serving. In 1916, a Coca Cola was served in a 6.5 fluid oz. bottle containing 79 calories. Today, a 16 oz. bottle of Coke has 194 calories.

With both our genes and our environment fighting against us, the outlook may seem bleak. But understanding how these two factors, our genes and our environment, go hand in hand is the first step in the right direction. By acknowledging the environmental factors that may fight against you, you can make healthier decisions and fight back.

This is just as important for those who have already had weight loss surgery, or have committed to a medically supervised weight loss program, as it is for those trying to lose weight on their own. Bariatric surgery and medically supervised diets are excellent, safe and effective tools that go together with new habit formation and positive lifestyle change to produce long-term weight loss.