Trick or Treat?

With the upcoming Halloween festivities underway, we know how tempting it is to indulge on our favorite candy and sweets. Although the idea of biting down on a delicious caramel apple may not seem so bad, especially since an apple is often considered a healthy food choice, these treats are not the best way to stick to our healthy diets.

We at Dr. Feiz & Associates are well aware of the many snack and food temptations that are especially popular around October and spill on to the holiday season. During this time, it's especially essential to reflect on our food choices and make sure that we stay on track. 

While we may sometimes feel at fault for having these cravings and diverging a bit from our regular healthy diets, extensive research points to our hormones and brain as large factors that influence our food preferences. These factors, however, shouldn't dissuade us from thinking that we are unable to combat our obesity. There are a number of cutting-edge bariatric surgery procedures that can really make all the difference in helping us reach our weight loss goals. 

It's also important to remember that even after a a weight loss procedure, such as a gastric sleeve, we have to continue to make efforts to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle. Luckily, these procedures can make our weight loss goals alot easier to achieve and maintain throughout our lives. 

We hope that you have a happy and safe Halloween and remember not to let those seemingly healthy treats trick you!

The True Cost of Obesity

A recent review which looked at improvements in illness and sick leave by employees who have had bariatric surgery got us thinking about the true cost of obesity. Of course, many of the impacts of being severely obese especially are impossible to put into dollars and cents. Still, there's no getting around the fact that, on top of the non-financial cost of being obese in terms of the length and quality of life, it's also very expensive.

The most obvious part of the equation, as we're keenly sware of of here at Dr. Feiz & Associates, are increased health care costs. Even with a decent insurance plan, prescriptions, frequent office visits, tests, outpatient procedures, and hospitalizations can really add up over the course of a lifetime.

That's just  one aspect of the cost side of the equation. Being severely obese can also really cut into income in a number of different ways. There's the increased number of sick days that may or may not be covered by employers but, more seriously for the individual, there's an increased chance of being out of work entirely. Sometimes there are health reasons for this and, sadly, workplace discrimination is a genuine issue for very obese obese individuals.

Fortunately, modern medical science is here with techniques that really do work, including procedures like a gastric sleeve with it's very many well documented benefits. It's a solution that really does add up.

Of Diet and Delusion

It doesn't matter whether you're dealing with severe obesity or the kind of smaller but still important weight issues that are now facing the majority of Americans, you are probably perfectly aware that you're eating more food than is good for you. Yet, you continue to eat that way. Even those of us here at Dr. Feiz & Associates find ourselves making food choices that may be less than ideal, while giving ourselves an excuse that may not be consistent with reality.

Everyone has their own excuses and it's easy to make fun of them in others, but harder to see in ourselves. For example, we've heard of one older gentlemen who always select strawberry ice cream, not because it's his favorite flavor, he says, but because he assumes it's healthier as there might be a small amount of actual strawberry contained within it. In reality, he might as well go with chocolate, but then why was it we found ourselves saying it was perfectly okay to eat that large bowl of super-rich, butter-laden Indian chicken curry because it had chicken breast and vegetables in it? Of course, the dish would have been fine...without the hugely fattening sauce which we nevertheless consumed in its entirety, while also downing every grain of rice and all the naan on our plate! Oh, did we mention that we walked an extra block before we ate and burned maybe 35 additional calories? Never mind.

Yes, if we're at all overweight, we all delude ourselves to some degree when we eat. There's a reason for it, however, and it's not that we're weak or lacking in self-control. It's actually very largely because of the hormonal impulses which are subtly encouraging us to eat as much as we can. The more overweight we are, the stronger and more difficult to fight those impulses become, which is why procedures like a gastric sleeve have proven to be such a godsend. These surgeries actually appear to address the hormonal impulses -- once useful to mankind when food was scarce, but now something of a curse -- which have been designed to make us eat more than we really need at any given time.

Of course, we humans are pretty good at deluding ourselves about all kinds of things, not just food. It's possible we'll never cure that problem in most areas of our lives, but at least a bariatric surgery can help us to be a bit more realistic about our eating.

Exercise Anyway!

For people trying to lose a lot of weight mostly by exercising a lot, the news has not been good. Evidence seems to indicate that, while exercise is certainly helpful for controlling weight -- and is absolutely excellent at improving our health and staving off the worst impacts of obesity -- it is not as powerful in terms of weight loss to try to expend more calories through exercise as it is simply to ingest fewer calories in the first place.

Here at Dr. Feiz & Associates, we understand why people are not thrilled by this. For many of us, it actually seems easier to increase our level of exercise than it is to eat a great deal less -- and that's because, as we've seen time and time again, while exercise tends to become a habit, curtailing our diet actually gets harder and harder over time for most individuals.

This is why so many people manage to lose a very large amount of weight ultimately regain their weight. It's very much as if the body and the brain, driven by certain key hormones, really wants us to regain the weight and will do everything in our power to persuade us to overeat so that we return to our prior weight. This is why procedures like the gastric sleeve have proven to be such a godsend to severely obese patients; they seem to actually change the metabolic processes that make weight loss so difficult for the large majority of patients.

Even so, whether or not you're are a candidate for bariatric surgery, we strongly advise everyone -- and especially those struggling with obesity -- to work exercise into their daily lives. (Though, of course, if you've been completely inactive, you should consult a physician before embarking on a vigorous new regime.) For nearly all of us, it's one of the best favors we can do for ourselves, with a lot of proven physical and psychological benefits. For those of us with obesity, however, it's one of the few countermeasures we can take that can reduce a great many of the worst impacts of being  overweight.

Health is not always an either/or situation. Sometimes it's more of a "yes, but..." In this case. it's "yes, exercise probably won't cure your obesity by itself" and "but, even if you remain obese, it will make your obesity-related health problems possibly a great deal less severe and, if you lose weight, it will help you stay that way and be as healthy as possible." In other words, just get out and do something. Regardless of whether or not you lose weight, you'll be a lot better off.

The Pokémon Cure?

Earlier this week we came across a Forbes piece entitled 'Pokémon GO' May Be This Generation's Cure For Obesity." The article describes how it's writer, who was apparently so uninterested in exercise he had, it appears, broken up with a girlfriend rather than accompany her to the gym, starting walking more than he was used to while playing the game. It doesn't really explain how the game could be any kind of a cure for obesity.

Now, don't get us wrong, we strongly encourage our patients at Dr. Feiz & Associates to exercise in any way that they can, and walking is great. It can definitely help with weight loss somewhat, but its health benefits go far beyond the relatively very few calories we burn off when we exert ourselves. At the same time, there are more studies indicating that exercise might be more important for helping to reverse the bad health outcomes of obesity rather than actually causing weight loss.

The point here is that some non-obese readers will undoubtedly argue that people who obtain a bariatric surgery are somehow being lazy because, they might say, all obese individuals really need to do is to find a reason to get out more and walk. The problem is that exercise, as wonderful as it is for both our physical and mental health, does little to reduce the desire to overeat that motivates our patients to get such procedures as the gastric sleeve.

Of course, anything that motivates people to exercise, including Pokémon GO, is a good thing. For children, it's possible the game could be very useful we're sure, in terms of getting kids in the habit of exercising, and possibly could help prevent obesity in adulthood. But, at least for adults, whose weight and eating habits are pretty much set, we're pretty sure a video game craze is not going to single-handedly cure many cases of severe obesity. On the other hand, if an obese person starts exercising more because of the game and continues the habit throughout their life, it really could be a lifesaver. So, we're definitely for people going out in search of cute monsters if that's what gets them to take a walk...just don't expect capturing that capturing Pikachu will make you thin!

An Active Life

We all know that exercise has a variety of health benefits. It can help with weight loss and improve the appearance of our bodies. However, severely obese patients oftentimes struggle to engage in physical activity that can help them reach their weight loss goals. That's why, we at Dr. Feiz & Associates recommend bariatric surgery to our qualifying patients. Besides the proven health benefits provided by weight loss surgery, losing a significant amount of weight also makes engaging in exercise a possibility for the patient.

In addition, increased mobility also motivates a severely obese patient to engage in social interactions that they might ordinarily shy away from. Indeed, a great improvement in the overall quality of life can be possible with a bariatric surgery.

At Dr. Feiz & Associates, we know that losing weight is not just about looking good. Helping our patients feel happy and healthy is also a big part of our focus. Our cutting-edge weight loss surgery procedures, such as the gastric sleeve, can help a patient do more than successfully lose weight. Changing your life with weight loss surgery is possible and we are here to help.

A New and Improved Quality of Life

It is common knowledge that obesity can significantly reduce the quality of a person's life. Excess weight can make it physically difficult to complete simple daily tasks and the variety of health conditions that obesity is linked to can prevent individuals from leading happy and healthy lives. That's why, we at Dr. Feiz & Associates are dedicated to helping those that need to lose a significant amount of weight through our various cutting-edge and extremely effective weight loss surgery procedures.

There is no doubt that diet and exercise are an important part of losing weight. However, for many reasons, individuals who are severely obese may find it difficult to stick to an effective diet plan and may also be physically unable to exercise. With the help of bariatric surgery, diet and exercise become easily achievable and an individual can then begin their life-changing journey towards a long-lasting weight loss.

We at Dr. Feiz & Associates have an outstanding group of highly experienced and extremely skilled medical staff that provide support to our patients every step of the way. Although several of our proven and cutting-edge weight loss procedures like the gastric sleeve help a patient effectively lose weight and look amazing, weight loss surgery is also likely to drastically improve their overall quality of life with the numerous health benefits they can experience.

At Dr. Feiz & Associates, we care about improving all aspects of our patients' lives through weight loss surgery. It's always amazing to hear how our patients are able to enjoy physical activities, see their children and grandchildren grow and feel happy and healthy after undergoing weight loss surgery. We understand that weight loss is not just about looking good, it's about feeling your best and enjoying what life has to offer.

Tips and Tricks

Most of the people who come to us here at Dr. Feiz & Associates have tried just about every approach to weight loss there is before finally deciding to take the surgical route. Indeed, as effective and safe as bariatric surgery now is, it's not surprising that most people would prefer to take some other approach to weight loss. It's a major step that alters the body in a very real way.

So. Why do people take this approach. It's not that -- as some might say -- "diet and exercise don't work"; they work great and are, indeed, the only way there is to actually lose weight. It's just that the body and brain are designed to maintain our present weigh, whatever it is, and very, very few of us are able to resist the urge to eat more than we need to lose significant weight, and then to keep on maintaining that weight loss.

Of course, there is an industry devoted to helping people lose weight. Indeed, while tips and tricks, as well as emotional support and coaching, can be somewhat helpful for people trying to lose, say, 10 or 20 pounds, when it comes to really dealing with severe obesity, they are of pretty limited assistance. Right now, however, there is one exception.

Bariatric procedures like a gastric sleeve have helped a great many people to lose weight and keep it off. That's because they actually get to the root of the problem by actually reducing our desire to eat so that we can focus on the task of relearning how to eat property, without being distracted by constant and unending food cravings. It's no trick, but the best tip we have for severely obese people is that it might pay to look into the bariatric approach.

Portion Control

When it comes to incorporating a healthy diet in order to maintain our weight, we at Dr. Feiz & Associates emphasize balance and portion control. Just because we're filling ourselves with plenty of fruits and vegetables and stay away from junk food, it is still very possible to overwhelm ourselves with too much high calorie fruits.

While bariatric surgery can help diminish the urge to overeat, it is still important to remember to practice portion control with anything we consume. Including a healthy amount of protein as well as some complex carbohydrates into our meal plans is perfectly fine as long as we eat in moderation.

Undergoing a Lap Band or a gastric sleeve procedure can help an individual lose weight, however, it is up to the patient to make healthy food choices to maintain their weight for the rest of their lives. There is such a thing as eating too many fruits and vegetables. By choosing to include a variety of foods and practicing portion control, patients can keep a healthy weight for their entire lives.

Eye of the Beholder

It's a bit of a cliche to say that perception is everything, but it is an awfully big part of just about everything we do in life. At Dr. Feiz & Associates, we are particularly concerned with, naturally, how people perceive food and representations of food. We were thinking about this as we contemplated a picture of a pile of cheeseburgers and fries that accompanied a recent Facebook post.

Here's what interesting: While the picture clearly was meant to be less than appealing, it was before lunch and we found ourselves thinking about those cheeseburgers in a way that was clearly not intended. That, in a nutshell, is the problem that obese people have. We might know intellectually very well that certain kinds and amounts of food are very bad for us and, over time, will make us less happy as well as less healthy, but their short-term appeal overrides just about everything...even if we know the foods themselves might not even taste particularly good!

Fortunately, it's those kind of impulses that procedures like the gastric sleeve can help us deal with. Like all forms of bariatric surgery  it makes the available stomach area a great deal smaller, making overeating acutely uncomfortable. However, by removing roughly 75-85% of the stomach itself, it also greatly reduces the production of an appetite stimulating hormone called ghrelin. While patients still have to do a great deal of the work of weight loss on their own, reducing the number of powerful brain signals which cause us to be driven to eat food that we would be able to easily avoid if we were in our right mind, is an enormous help.

The Power of Habit

At Dr. Feiz & Associates, we avidly keep up with scientific research and developments, especially those that pertain to weight loss and nutrition. On this note, we'd like to underline the importance of adopting eating habits and weight loss behaviors that can lead to success. Of course, the most effective practices are often the hardest to establish, especially on a long-term basis. But some of these habits can be easy to start implementing. For example, one thing we may recommend post-bariatric surgery patients is to habitually weigh themselves to ensure that they're meeting their weight loss goals.

One way to instill such a habit is to associate it with a current habit. For example, when it comes to regular weigh-ins, consider buying a scale and using it every time you brush your teeth. Another habit linked to weight loss is, of course, controlling our eating. It can feel tempting to have just one or two more bites of a meal or dessert before we stop. In such cases, we may advise some patients to always ensure they have a low-calorie option handy in the refrigerator, such as celery sticks or apple slices, so that they have something to munch on instead. Sometimes the attraction to food is more about the mouthfeel rather than filling up, so this can be effective way to satisfy such a craving.

We at Dr. Feiz and Associates look forward to helping you attain your weight loss goals. So, whether you're considering a gastric sleeve procedure or the Lap Band, get in touch with us for a consultation to find out which option is best for you.

Let the Good Times Roll

For reasons that are probably all but genetically coded into us, whether we're talking about the traditional birthday cake, a Thanksgiving dinner, or a wedding buffet, we humans associate eating and celebration. Of course, at Dr. Feiz & Associates, we're primarily concerned with helping severely obese people learn to eat a great deal less than they have become accustomed to Even but there's no denying that our inborn association between good times and eating perhaps just a little bit more of high-calories foods than is good for us can complicate attempts at weight loss.

The good news is that a bariatric surgery can help to greatly diminish the nagging need to overeat, and will make truly excessive overeating on any occasion quite uncomfortable. Still, many of us find it difficult to say goodbye once and for all to the kind of feasting we might well associate with celebrations going back to early childhood. The trick is to try and uncouple the unhealthy act of overeating from the very healthy impulse to enjoy good times with the people who matter the most to us. That's a little bit easier said than done, which is why many patients find psychological and nutritional support to be very helpful After all, a Lap Band or a gastric sleeve can start the job of weight loss, but the patient has to finish it.

The Best Medicine?

It's definitely true that obesity and bariatric surgery are no laughing matters. On the other hand, since it is April Fools Day, it might be a good time to look at the benefits, including the health benefits, of a sense of humor.

Such sources as WebMD have referenced a number of studies which found that laughter appears to have some of the same benefits as exercise, including boosting the heart rate and burning some extra calories in a healthy manner. There may also be some benefits in terms of blood sugar and immune response. Since we all know that humor releases tension, it's not surprising that there may also be benefits in terms of relaxation and sleep.

These are not small matters for anyone -- particularly those of us struggling with obesity and it's many health impacts. At the same time, it's important to keep things in perspective. At least right now, the impacts of laughter can't be quantified in the same way that, say, a gastric sleeve can. Also, it can be easy to overstate these matters. The laughter and health connection was first seriously suggested in the 1980s by writer Norman Cousins, who was dealing with a seemingly incurable and very painful condition.  He found that laughing hard watching old Marx Brothers movies and "Candid Camera" TV shows seemed to reduce or even eliminate his pain for an hour or two, allowing him to sleep.

Cousins himself was careful not to exaggerate what he had noticed, but the results were frequently exaggerated -- to the point where many people seemed to believe that the writer had laughed his way out of cancer. In reality, while his condition did improve, taking time to laugh was just a small part of a detailed health regimen -- and the condition he suffered from wasn't actually cancer!

Nevertheless, there's no denying that, while we can't yet prove that laughter adds years to your life, we can be pretty sure that, as the old saying goes, it adds a lot of life to your years. We at Dr. Feiz & Associates heartily recommend it!

The Heart of Things

At Dr. Feiz & Associates, we are not only simply concerned about helping our patients meet their weight loss goals, we also want to help them improve their overall health and well-being. This is why, when taking into consideration the life-saving benefits of bariatric surgery, we cannot recommend it more to qualified patients who are struggling with severe obesity. Of course, we want you to look your best, and one of the ways to do this is to shed some excess body weight. But few people seem to realize that bariatric surgery can not only improve your life; it can extend it outright.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) notes that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States - even higher than that of cancer and respiratory illnesses. So anyone with severe obesity who has experienced heart failure - or at risk for it - would do well knowing that weight loss surgery procedures such as the gastric sleeve can not only reduce your weight, they can reduce your chances of an untimely end. We don't mean to sound grim by any means, we simply want people to know that living with severe obesity is more than an inconvenience - it's a bona fide way to shorten your life.

Weight loss surgery procedures are the most effective means for people with severe obesity to improve both the quality and length of their lives. If you or a loved one is struggling with severe obesity, don't hesitate to get in contact with us at Dr. Feiz & Associates. It may be one of the most importance decisions you can make.

Type 2 Diabetes: Your New Normal?

Here at Dr. Feiz & Associates, we have been keeping a close watch on the frequent waves of research showing a positive correlation between successful weight loss surgeries and the improvement, and in some cases complete remission, of type 2 diabetes. This is important because, as obesity rates continue to increase nationally, more and more people are dealing with this illness.

Now, doctors typically treat diabetes as a chronic condition which can be managed with reasonable success, and patients often take the news in stride. However, the costs of not managing diabetes properly can be extremely severe, and not all patients are able to handle it with equal success; as weight increases, so do diabetes-related problems. Indeed, even many patients are not fully aware of all the ramifications of this illness.

Particularly in combination with hypertension, another extremely common comorbidity, diabetes can be highly destructive to the health of a great many key organs, including the kidneys and the heart. This can result not only in a reduced lifespan, but a vastly lower quality of life in ways that patients don't often contemplate. For example, while many of us might worry about dying prematurely because of a heart attack, few of us take into account just how difficult it can be to have to go on dialysis due to kidneys that have failed because of diabetes and high blood pressure, or that diabetes can lead to the loss of limbs in a number of cases.

Of course, the good news is that bariatric surgery can make weight loss a great deal easier and, as has been proven through an ever-increasing number of studies, it really can make all the difference when it comes to either reducing blood sugar-related problems, or even eliminating diabetes entirely. For severely obese people, reaching a healthy weight can seem like an almost possible dream and, while bariatric procedures are far from magical, they make significant weight loss seem a lot more possible.

To find out whether a procedure such as a gastric sleeve or a Lap Band might be a key part of your the solution to your health issues, please feel free to give us a call.

No Quick Fixes

From meal subscription plans to bitter drink mixes, we've received a number of questions regarding consumer products which promise quick weight loss results. For one, because none of these products are regulated or even approved by the FDA, no one can say for sure whether they are effective, or even safe for people to try. Yet, it isn't surprising that many people struggling to lose weight are attracted to snake oil cures that are advertised on many television channels and Internet sites. What's more, because it can be so difficult to make progress in losing weight and keeping it off, we at Dr. Feiz & Associates understand the feeling of hope a new purchase, idea, or perspective can bring. 

But it's important to have a level-headed approach, especially when it comes to living with obesity and the health complications it can bring about. Procedures like the gastric sleeve, which are scientifically proven to be effective in combating obesity, are the best option at your disposal.

Unlike infomercial pitchmen and other dubious personalities, we at Dr. Feiz & Associates can safely say that bariatric surgery patients can expect to lose between 40 and 60 percent of their excess body weight within the first year after their procedure. What other weight loss product can promise that? If you're still struggling with yo-yo dieting or severe obesity, please don't hesitate to get in touch. 

Stop Reminding Me...or Not!

If you ever hear someone say that they obesity epidemic comes down to just one root cause, be very suspicious. The fact of the matter is that the reason that procedures like the gastric sleeve have become the gold standard for obesity treatment is that severe obesity, especially, is so complex, only by directly addressing the issue of appetite and by making it physically uncomfortable to overeat can real progress apparently be made.

Still, of all the usual culprits that people mention when they discuss obesity, the last one we would ever think of is that people are not being reminded enough of their weight problem. Yet, a Colorado study recently found that Spanish language text messages sent to type 2 diabetes patients seemed to support a healthy lifestyle to the extent of encouraging modest weight loss. While this is obviously no magic bullet for dealing with severe obesity especially, it is interesting that these reminders had any impact at all. After all, in a society as obsessed with weight issues as ours, it's not likely that people with weight issues ever forget about them for any length of time.

Perhaps it's the sense that someone cares enough to send these messages that's encouraging people to take positive steps towards weight control. Or maybe it's that the text messages disrupt our usual self-talk and jar us into taking real action to prevent overeating. Text messages are, of course, very far from a substitute for the right kind of bariatric surgery, but they are food for thought.

Nothing is Easy

It's human nature to want to look for easy ways out of tough problems, it's just a shame that they almost never exist. Here at Dr. Feiz & Associates, we're constantly advising the public that, while weight loss surgery can make significant, long-term weight loss a great deal more doable, it's far from an easy way out. The hard work of changing our entire relationship with food still requires effort and commitment, even if a weight loss surgery such as a gastric sleeve quiets the urges to overeat that sabotage the vast majority of weight loss efforts.

We were thinking about this when we encountered the story of a "detox" tea that was being touted on social media as something of a weight loss aid. Such questionable products are, obviously, nothing particularly new or out of the ordinary, though it's always good to remind ourselves to be skeptical about what we read online.

A different type of "easy" way out, one with a great deal more scientific backing, is offered by a spate of recent news stories suggesting that research is indicating that a very small weight loss might have relatively large health benefits. Clearly, any amount of sustained weight loss is a very good thing, but for an individual who might be as much as 110 pounds or more overweight, losing just ten pounds might be a great start, but it still leaves them with 100 pounds to lose and the probability of a great many very serious health problems associated with that remaining weight.

Clearly, no one gets a bariatric surgery to lose just five, ten, or 20 pounds. Even so, as we all know, losing even a few pounds can be difficult for anyone.So, yes, there simply is no such thing as an easy way out.

It Makes the World Go 'Round

If you're a fan of old musicals, you know that two things have credited with the continued spinning of the earth. "Money, Money" from "Cabaret" tells us that it's cash that makes the world go 'round. It's an argument that can, at times, seem pretty convincing. Arguing to the contrary is a song from the old Broadway show, "Carnival!," "Love Makes the World Go 'Round." Don't worry, sentimentalists! At least from the point of a view of a healthy lifestyle, we're going to argue for love as being the primary motivator of, well, just about everything important in life, including weight loss.

Love, of course, has all kinds of manifestiations. Yes, most people's minds go straight to romantic love, and it's true that, for some people, improving their social life is major motivator for obtaining a bariatric surgery. Others are concerned that their health problems could create a problem in their marriage. At the same time, however, affection for a special man or woman is just one type of love.

The love of parents for their children is an equally powerful motivator that we also see a great deal. Many patients come to us concerned that they will not be their children later on in life due to obesity related health problems. They want to be their for their children's graduation, weddings, and also would like to meet their grand-kids. Others have more immediate concerns that they are already having a hard time keeping up with their energetic offspring due to their weight.

Whether your motivated by your love of a spouse, children, family and friends (very possibly including your pets!), or simply the wonder and joy of life itself, all of us at Dr. Feiz & Associates are obviously here to help. For further information on a gastric sleeve, Lap Band, or other type of procedure, please give us a call.

Weight Loss and Mental Health

Lately, there has been a great deal of press coverage of a recent study indicating that bariatric surgery may offer some hope for severely obese patients who are also dealing with depression, and perhaps other psychological issues relating to eating. This is good news, of course, but there's no getting around the fact that the close relationship between our physical and mental health makes for a highly complex topic, so there's not always a direct correlation between a successful weight loss procedure and positive outcomes for issues like depression.

That's one reason why, whether a patient is receiving a gastric sleeve or a Lap Band, it's important for patients to have realistic expectations. At times, patients may tend to ascribe nearly all of the difficulties they face in life to their obesity. However, when it it comes to psychological matters especially, it's often the case that patients are surprised to find that many of the issues they were facing before their procedure are still a problem even after they have lost all of their weight. For example, while losing weight might well help an individual feel somewhat more confident, there are still plenty of thin people whose self-esteem could use a little support.

At Dr. Feiz & Associates, we place great importance on providing careful follow-up regarding progress both in terms of weight loss and their overall well-being and state of mind. Overall, while bariatric surgery is no magic wand, we're happy to say that we've found that weight loss procedures have led to consistently good results in terms of patients overall happiness, as well as their health.