Baby Steps May be the Key to a Healthier Weight

When many of us start a new weight loss routine, we think about the goal weight and not much else. After all, who wouldn't want to fit into a smaller size, have a slimmer waistline, or be more physically active without huffing and puffing? Southern California Bariatric Surgeon Dr. Michael Feiz encourages overweight and obese individuals to stop stressing about the big picture and take their approach to weight loss one deal, even one mouthful, at a time. 

While it can seem daunting to step into the gym for the first time after perhaps not having been in one in years, just focus on activities that are pushing yourself but not to the point of sharp pain. Try walking at a brisk pace for 5 minutes more than you usually would (and if that means just 5 minutes, great!). Building up endurance can be a chore, but it doesn't need to be.

Also, Dr. Feiz and Associates encourage you to clean out your pantry and take a hard look at what foods you're buying. Are you spending most of your food budget on junk that isn't doing anything for your body? Try to stick to whole foods, plenty of fruit and vegetables, low-fat dairy and lean meats. Cut out foods with process carbs, too much sugar, fat or calories. And if you're at the end of your rope and feel like you'll never lose the weight you need to lose, consider calling the offices of Dr. Feiz to learn more about a healthy lifestyle. Call today at 310-855-8058 to learn more about surgical weight loss and how it can help you reach that health weight once and for all!

Exercise is Still Important!

Ask any regular gym goer -- or gym employee -- and they'll speak ruefully of the January spike that hits early in the new year as many people try to enact their healthy lifestyle resolutions. However, the overcrowded gyms of January 2-31 inevitably give way to the sometimes nearly empty gymnasiums of early March, and the nation's epidemic of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and overall poor health continues.

Moreover, there's been a tendency recently to discount the effectiveness of physical activity for weight loss. Some experts opine that the impact of burning extra calories is muted by the human tendency to use exercise as an excuse or motivation for eating more.

While there may be some truth to this for a lot of us, we nevertheless have to insist that we would far better off far more people exercised more often -- at least in terms of the health consequences of the obesity epidemic, if not in terms of actually making an enormous dent in the general rate of obesity. Aside from its importance in terms of improving heart health and preventing strokes and numerous other health problems, it promotes a sense of well being while helping out with stress. Exercise is an important part of the kind of virtuous cycles we all need to develop to make important changes in our health.

Of course, most of you already know that reduced calorie diets and exercise by themselves are simply not doing the trick for countless severely obese individuals. If you want to explore the possibilities of weight loss surgery in California, please feel free to contact the office of Dr. Feiz & Associates at 310-855-8058.

The Financial Costs of Obesity

Being obese is not just a cosmetic concern, as board-certified bariatric surgeon Dr. Michael Feiz knows all too well. It can lead to serious health problems, which over time may be quite detrimental to your finances, as well. In fact, new research published by Duke University points to the fact that the higher an individual's body mass index (BMI), the higher their medical bills generally are. The reason this is true is because obese individuals generally suffer from a barrage of health concerns, from high blood pressure to diabetes and sleep apnea. 

Getting down to a healthy weight can save you money in the long run.

As the bariatric surgeon who performs weight loss surgeries such as gastric sleeve and the lap band procedure, Dr. Feiz can help patients reverse their obesity for good and stop throwing away money on trying to maintain their health. New research from this Duke study showed that the average annual healthcare costs for individuals with a BMI of 19, considered the lowest score for a healthy weight, was just over $2000. At the same time, morbidly obese individuals with a BMI of 45 (more than 100 pounds overweight) had more than double that amount in healthcare costs. 

If you are facing obesity and want to close the chapter of your life where you spend a fraction of your income on your comorbid illnesses, call (800) 868-5946 today to learn about free seminars on weight loss surgery in Los Angeles, from Huntington Beach to Lancaster.