Nobody Does it Alone

With Dr. Feiz and the Colone family's appearance on "The Doctors" and so many reminders of the level of success we've achieved on behalf of our patients, it's really been a memorable week for us. Of course, the battle against the obesity epidemic continues more strongly than ever, though we also had some very good news this week about declining childhood obesity rates. That will mean fewer obese adults facing hypertension, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and social isolation in the future.

Still, once you've got obesity, dealing with it is a lifelong battle. While procedures like the gastric sleeve and the lap band have made it vastly easier for severely obese people to lose weight, what we've really noticed is that people like our good friends Crystal, Clarissa, and Candra Colone -- members or a loving and supportive family -- often do better than others.

Especially when they're very overweight, all too often, people who receive a weight loss surgery in California find themselves somewhat socially adrift, and that's not easy. The Colones are going to do great largely because they have strong social support, and that's something we all need -- whether we're battling obesity or just trying to get by. If you are lucky enough to have close family and friends you can rely on, be sure to keep those relationships as strong as you can. You never know when you're going to need them.

Of course, if severe obesity is one of the battles you're facing and you think a surgical solution might be best for you, Dr. Feiz and Associates are here to be part of your support team, too. Please feel free to contact us at 310-855-8058.

It's All About Helping People

Being on "The Doctors" was, obviously, a very exciting moment for everyone of us at Dr. Feiz & Associates. It's not every day a busy bariatric surgeon gets to engage an audience of millions. Even so, the most exciting aspect, wasn't about us. It was about showing the world the amazing results that a gastric sleeve procedure was able to render for three members of the amazing Colone family, mother Crystal, and daughters Candra and Clarissa.

These three women have achieved the dream of a healthy weight shared by countless obese people from all walks of life. It's all very largely thanks to a procedure that we've been able to refine to a point where it's extremely safe and very reliable.

The revelations we've seen in recent times about the hunger hormone, ghrelin, appear to have added to the reliability of the procedure. At the same time, we have to credit the determination of great patients like the Colones -- and it's the patients that this is truly all about.

If you think you would benefit from learning more about a weight loss procedure with Dr. Michael Feiz, please give us a  call (800) 868-5946 today to inquire about attending a free seminar.

Dr. Feiz Speaks on the Risks and Benefits of Weight Loss Surgery

In response to the ongoing conversations surrounding weight loss surgery in Los Angeles, Dr. Michael Feiz has released a YouTube video explaining his thoughts on the procedure's risks and benefits.

First, he starts by noting that living with obesity is harmful to your health. He states:

"Obesity is the leading cause of death, second only to smoking. Weight loss surgery is the only reliable method to effectively lose the weight and live a longer and healthier life."

Dr. Feiz then goes on to mention that a bariatric procedure like the lap band or gastric sleeve can effectively cure many diseases that we relate with obesity, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea.

He then frankly and compassionately discusses the risks of weight loss surgery, which are similar to the risks of any surgery. However, Dr. Feiz has managed to minimize surgical risk at every avenue. This is because he exclusively dedicates himself to being a weight loss surgeon, which has led to him performing over 2000 weight loss procedures with no deaths or major complications. This is also what has led to him being declared a Center of Excellence bariatric surgeon.

To learn more about his qualifications and the ramifications of living with obesity, watch the full video below:

Looking for Miracle Pills

The obesity epidemic is, to use an unfortunate phrase, as serious as a heart attack. It seems as if, no matter how well educated patients are about the health risks of the disease -- and no matter how much they directly experience the social costs of being perceived as obese -- losing very large amounts of weight simply by decreasing how much we eat and increasing our level of exercise simply doesn't work for very many people.

The bariatric surgery we perform at Dr. Feiz & Associates is, as far as we know, the only proven way around this. Even so, it's not hard to figure out why the appeal of seemingly magical cures that can take people to their ideal healthy weight never seems to go away.

A new study that appeared today suggests that probiotic pills, which offer some of the same helpful bacteria found in yogurt and are taken in supplement form by many people for digestive health, might have a positive impact on women seeking to lose weight. While the report, which indicated that women, but not men, taking the probiotics lose about 9.75 additional pounds on average while dieting, is fascinating, we're not sure what to make of it.

Of course, the danger is that women taking probiotics will start to think that they can eat more because the pills are doing the work of losing their weight and the use of probiotics will actually do more harm than good. It's just human nature. We're pretty sure that, as long as issues like obesity and ensuring type 2 diabetes remain a problem, people will be looking for a magic button to press that will magically remove all of their unwanted pounds.

Of course, there is no magic button, but weight loss surgery has been proven to produce outstanding results for countless women and men. If you are severely obese and seriously interested in getting off the destructive treadmill of obesity, please contact the office of Dr. Feiz & Associates at 310-855-8058.

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.