Men Fall Behind in Seeking out Weight Loss Surgery Solutions

As the premier doctor for weight loss surgery, Dr. Feiz is proud to assist individuals with a variety of weight loss solutions that have been known to literally change lives. Various types of weight loss surgery like
sleeve gastrectomy and Lap Band allow patients to limit the food the eat while at the same time diminishing feelings of hunger, leading to comfortable, energetic weight loss.

While the sort of weight loss solutions offered by Dr. Feiz have become increasingly prevalent in our culture, the esteemed surgeon is still troubled by the fact that men seem to be significantly more hesitant to undergo life-saving surgical weight loss. U.S. News & World Report recently reported that women comprise 80% of weight-loss surgery patients, while men typically opt for surgery only after their weight has led to serious health conditions.

"Men tend to wait longer to pursue a surgical option to help with weight control," sayas Anita Courcoulas, a bariatric and general surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Magee-Womens Hospital.

Whether male resistance to seeking help is cultural or instinctual is irrelevant to the experts at Dr. Feiz & Associates. What we do care about, though, is that everyone who is in need of weight loss help can get it, without anything standing in the way.

Fortunately, this trend appears to be shifting within the last few years with the recognition of the many health benefits of bariatric surgeries like gastric sleeve and many others. If you or a loved one is suffering from obesity or excess weight, contact Dr. Feiz & Associates today for a complimentary consultation.

Bariatric Surgery May Become Acceptable for Moderately Obese

More and more information is becoming available on bariatric procedure, especially as obesity-related research continues to gain in popularity. Dr. Michael Feiz, weight loss surgeon known for operations like the gastric sleeve and lap band in Los Angeles, keeps his ear on the ground when it comes to these developments. Knowing the recent news on bariatric surgery allows Dr. Feiz to offer more comprehensive health care to his patients, especially when they are undecided between different weight loss procedures.

One recent study was done on whether weight loss procedures could be effective for patients with lower BMIs. Usually performed on people with BMIs over 40, the study discussed those with BMIs over 35 and an obesity-related condition such as diabetes. It, like many other studies coming out of hospitals and universities around the world, revealed that weight loss surgeries like the sleeve gastrectomy alleviates factors like type to diabetes, high blood pressure high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and more. Dr. Feiz strongly believes in bartiatric surgery as a tool for bettering the health of his patients.

Research on post-bariatric patients may even prevent surgery in the future. Scientists study how the body changes after a weight loss surgery and then they try to figure out how to copy those results chemically. For example, the gastric sleeve reduces the production of the hormone that causes hunger by removing part of the stomach, but tests have also shown that gene expression changes after surgeries as well. Scientists can eventually figure out how to chemically reproduce these effects and reduce this hormone, known as ghrelin, through medication or other ways. Dr. Feiz places his faith in these scientific innovations and can't wait to offer them once they become reality.

Beyond Measurable Success

By Callie Ellis

It’s been an incredible few weeks since my weight loss surgery with Dr. Feiz. I have had some highs and some lows but what I have learned about myself is immeasurable. Unlike my weight loss…29 lbs and counting! Also, I can walk a mile straight without heavy breathing. Yay!

I also bought a treadmill now that my walking has improved.

Something else I found interesting was that after my gastric sleeve procedure my spleen has shrunk. On top of weight loss, another health benefit is my immune system will be stronger and my body will detoxify itself better. Since I work as a customer service representative for Costco (they are the best!), heavy lifting is going to be a problem so I decided to take a month off from work while it sorts itself out. I don’t know about anyone else but for me life after weight loss surgery keeps getting better and better. Now I have a month to focus on my new routines, meal planning, and gym time. Let’s all become exercise buddies! I will be posting pictures soon and I will let you know how it is going.

 

It's Always Hard Work

Every day we jump on the Internet we're likely to see news stories about possible weight loss treatments, some of which lay claim to being the kind of "silver bullet" which will finally deal with the scourge of obesity once and for all. Considering that obesity deals with such a complex interaction between the digestive system and the nervous system -- which very much includes our brains, the seat of our thoughts and emotions -- simple solutions are probably never going to happen. Indeed, we are always careful to warn our patients that even weight loss surgery requires a great deal of time and effort on the part of the patient to be effective and healthy in the long run.

Even so, such procedures as the gastric sleeve, the lap band, and gastric bypasses are by far the most effective means medicine has found for dealing with severe obesity. The brain can be fooled in an enormous number of ways, but the digestive tract is, at its base, a machine for dealing with nutrition. Since all of the types of weight loss surgery focus on reducing the amount of food that the stomach can physically handle, it's difficult to imagine a simpler solution to the very complicated problem of obesity.

Of course, no one knows exactly what the future is going to bring, but we're reasonably sure that cures which "work like magic" will be off the table. The interaction between our minds and our bodies when it comes to food are so complex, we think that some real effort on the part of patients will always be involved. Medical science can make it possible to loose large amounts of weight and keep it off, but it ultimately comes down to a series of small, daily decisions on the part of the patient. Still, we'll always be there to provide whatever help and support we can.

Losing weight permanently is probably always going to be hard work, for patients and doctors. The good news is that, every day, we're finding ways to make that effort more manageable.

Some Thoughts on Summer and Weight

For people who are severely obese or overweight, summer can be an especially difficult time. The warm weather means outdoor activities that are often difficult for very overweight people to manage are brought to the forefront. Even more obviously, the issue of weight and weight loss in Los Angeles is harder to avoid during the time of year when we are constantly being presented -- in the media and in often real life, especially if we live near a beach -- with views of unusually physically fit people wearing unusually little clothing. If you don't have a thick skin, the contrast can be painful. There is also the reality that severely overweight people can be more adversely affected by high summer temperatures than others.

Sometime an unpleasant reminder or situation is just that: unpleasant. Other times, however, it can spur people to take action. Many of our weight loss surgery patients tell us that it was the idea of not wanting to sweat miserably through another hot season, unable to participate in fun summer activities and made to feel less like an outsider, that finally spurred them to take the action. While the difficulty that very obese people will have to experience during the summer is obviously not a good thing, we do hope that people will try to look on it productively and perhaps take steps that will improve their level of health and happiness.

If you are considering a weight loss procedure such as a lap band or gastric sleeve surgery, we very much want to hear from you through our contact page. If not now, when when?