Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend is upon us and while we may take the day to relax and perhaps indulge in some home-made comfort food, it's important to remember that your journey to weight loss should never take a day off. We at Dr. Feiz & Associates understand that there are a variety of reasons that people struggle with obesity and although undergoing a bariatric surgery can certainly help a patient lose a significant amount of weight, the work very definitely doesn't stop there.

Though it's true that a bariatric surgery has proven to reduce lower levels of hunger inducing hormones and has also shown to improve a variety of health complications related to obesity, we still advise our patients to implement a nutritious and healthy diet as well as some exercise into their lifestyle after surgery. The sole purpose of a weight loss surgery isn't just to help you lose the excess weight, it's also about helping you keep it off in the long run and improving your overall quality of life. 

Indeed, a gastric sleeve surgery is an extremely effective method of weight loss, however, paired along with better food choices and more physical activity, you'll not only maintain your ideal weight and enjoy the many health benefits, but you'll feel good doing so too.

Our health is a lifetime project that requires our daily attention, even on holidays. 

The Blame Game

It's human nature to want to blame something or, better yet, someone, for any serious problem we may find ourselves facing. However, when it comes to the question of obesity, even though it's the primary focus of our work here at Dr. Feiz & Associates, it's extremely difficult to tease out one single factor that's truly responsible for the increasing problem of obesity.

To be sure, the fact that calories, particularly empty calories bereft of nutrients, have never in human history been more easily available or cheaper is certainly part of the equation. So is the fact that most of us have sedentary occupations and struggle to find time and motivation to participate in physical exercise. Still, these factors impact almost everyone, but only some of us become obese. That's why some people like to blame alleged character flaws in obese people. The reality, however is that there really seems to be no particular type of person who becomes obese.

Honestly, however, all we know for sure at this point is that, once we become obese, it's extremely difficult to lose the weight. Our bodies appear to be set up to want to maintain our weight -- whatever weight that may be -- and they do everything they can to thwart our attempts to reduce our size, including manufacturing hormones which make us feel ever more hungry and slowing down the rate at which we burn calories.

When it comes to finding an ultimate cause, obesity remains largely a health mystery. Fortunately, we at least have one working solution in bariatric surgery. We've now proven through countless studies and massive anecdotal data that these procedures not only make it a lot less comfortable to overeat, procedures such as a gastric sleeve surgery render metabolic changes that seem to help patients do what many of them previously thought was next to impossible: losing significant weight and keeping it off in the long run.

So, yes, we're not at all sure what to blame obesity on, but at least we have one effective solution.

Keep on Truckin': One Man's Weight Loss Journey

Just this year, loving husband and devoted father, Lorne Johnson made one of the most important decisions of his life. Prior to his weight loss surgery with Dr. Feiz on May 20th, 2016, Lorne Johnson was worried that his weight might keep him from being around for his family further down the road. Lorne didn't specifically suffer any health issues prior to the surgery, however, he knew he had to make some changes now or deal with complications in the future.

Before this point, Lorne was very discouraged and wasn't sure whether weight loss surgery was right for him. He had struggled with his weight his entire life and even though he was able to lose weight without surgery before, Lorne had trouble keeping it off.

"I'm tired of being the big guy in the room...it's time for me," he said. So with that in mind, Lorne Johnson made an appointment with Dr. Feiz. Upon meeting him, Lorne knew that he had made the right choice. "His team made a huge difference in my life," he said. He liked the fact that Dr. Feiz was friendly, approachable and immediately treated him "like family."

After undergoing gastric sleeve surgery, Lorne was able to notice the difference in the way he looked and felt in the first couple of weeks. Today, weighing in at 272 pounds only a few short weeks after his procedure, Lorne lost a whopping 32 pounds. He couldn't believe how fast he was losing the weight.

A constantly on the move truck driver living in San Jacinto, CA,  Lorne Johnson says that he greatly values the time he gets to spend with his beloved family. Intriguingly, one of his many passions includes cooking. Coming from a large Italian family, Lorne was always surrounded by wholesome, homemade food. However, undergoing the weight loss surgery didn't diminish his passion and love for food. Lorne loves to cook, and after having his the surgery, he understands that he has a greater responsibility to his health than ever before. He continues to experiment with healthy food ingredients in the kitchen and shares his delicious home-cooked meals with his family today.

"My goal weight is 210 or 200," says Lorne. He still has a little ways to go but he is very excited for the future.

Obesity can be Hard to Bear

As the resident expert in weight loss surgery in California, Dr. Feiz is increasingly in demand by a populace that is struggling with obesity in record numbers. The skill he brings when performing treatments like gastric sleeve surgery consistently go a long way towards helping patients to achieve their health and weight goals, and often lead to a significant increase in self-confidence. Incidentally, there are some in the medical field that are tackling the obesity issue from a distinctly fuzzier perspective.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Dr. Kevin Corbit, a scientist at drug maker Amgen Inc., is researching grizzly bears in order to glean new insights into obesity."When I thought about obesity, I thought about Yogi bear," says Dr. Corbit.

Bears can take in as much as 58,000 calories in a day, and weigh 1,000 lbs. In fact, in the weeks before hibernating, bears pack away enough apples, berries and salmon to put on 100 lbs or more - leading to a jump in their bad cholesterol and a spike in blood pressure. Intriguingly, though, this doesn't lead to a decline in health, a distinct contrast to their human counterparts.

The arteries of a bear won't clog from goring, and the animals don't battle heart attacks or become diabetic. Dr. Corbit and his team have found that the bears seem to adjust their sensitivity to the hormone insulin that controls how much fat and sugars in food are broken down and stored for energy. The bears are more sensitive to insulin while putting on the weight prior to hibernation, and after a few weeks of hibernating, their insulin responsiveness shuts down entirely.

The next step for Dr. Corbit is to explore what it is about the biology of bears that allows them to do this, which could lead to a breakthrough for those who suffer from obesity. Until then, though, sufferers of obesity are lucky to have the incomparable Dr. Feiz on hand to offer several types of weight loss surgery with truly life-changing results.