The Omnivore's Other Dillemma

You may have heard the short and sweet aphorism created by author/food guru Michael Pollan. "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Sounds good, right? Certainly, it's hard to imagine our current massive obesity epidemic if most of us actually followed this plan. Pollan advocates truly enjoying our food, while eating healthier and, for most Americans, at least a bit less of it. Sounds even better.

At the same time, even those  of us who never really struggle with obesity know it's a lot easier said than done. And, of course, for those who do find themselves at the doorsteps of weight loss clinics like Dr. Feiz & Associates, typically we've tried countless times to at least follow the "not too much" part of Pollans's dictum, only to be foiled by the body's tendency to make us feel increasingly hungry the more weight we lose.

Now, we're not arguing that there is no element of individual responsibility for our own weight. The problem is that we're put on a track toward obesity quite early in life and, the older we get, the more set that track appears to be. It's one reason why preventing childhood obesity is so crucial. Still, once we're in our adult years and lacking a time machine with which to undue the bad habits of our younger days, losing weight and then maintaining a truly healthy lifestyle gets more and difficult. Fortunately, we do have at least one tool that works in the form of bariatric surgery, which really does seem to cut the Gordian knot of severe obesity for many of us.

Of course, bariatric surgery isn't for everyone and it's not a silver bullet all by itself. At least for right now, however, it's mostly what we've got.

The Scientific Method

Just today, a new study made the rounds across major news outlets that showed just how effective bariatric surgery was at helping patients with Type 2 diabetes. The study showed that about half of all diabetic patients who had weight loss surgery no longer had diabetes five years after their surgery. What’s particular interesting about this study is that not all of the positive effects were correlated with the amount of weight lost, but simply whether or not the patient had weight loss surgery. Typically, patients can expect to likeliness of remission to increase as more weight is lost (through whatever method), yet this study showed that there was likely some other benefit associated with the procedure at work.

Countless patients of Dr. Feiz & Associates have come into their offices severely obese and with a wide range of medical issues, and have found tremendous success with weight loss surgery. Whether they opt for the gastric sleeve or the lap band procedure to help them lose weight, patients of Dr. Feiz take comfort in the fact that they have embarked on a weight loss journey that has been scientifically proven to help patients lose weight and improve their health.

It's Not Just One Thing

If only we lived in a world where the obesity epidemic could be cured with a pint of water.

If you're wondering what we mean by that, we're talking about a study which just came to us via the the UK's University of Birmingham which seems to indicate that drinking a pint of water before meals might add to weight loss efforts. While we certainly support the consumption of healthy H2O at Dr. Feiz & Associates, we are once again forced to remind everyone that there are no magic bullets, only aids to doing the hard work of altering our relationship with food.

Indeed, as much as weight loss surgeries have been proven effective in terms of making significant weight loss a great deal less difficult, even they are not the be-all and end-all of weight loss. The fact of the matter is that everyone who manages to lose even relatively small amounts of weight has cobbled together their own personal collection of strategies for avoiding overeating and maybe also making sure they get enough exercise. It's the key to that all-important "healthy lifestyle" we're always talking about.

On an intuitive level, drinking that pint of water before a meal seems to make sense. After all, at least for a time we will at least be more full on a literal level for as long as the water remains in our stomach, so that might help curb the impulse to overdo it at mealtime. However, even if the water trick actually turns out to work for most people, it will remain just that -- a trick, or a hack in today's parlance, that might assist us in our weight loss efforts a little bit.

Like it or not, however, losing weight for real requires not just one trick, but an entire proverbial bag of tricks. Still, plain old water is good for you, so drink up!

Return on (Time) Investment

For a number of reasons, the most precious commodity in today's medical world is, very often, time. Indeed, for those of us involved with the struggle against the ongoing obesity epidemic, it can be an especially important matter as every patient has his or her own very personal story...and that story is often the key to understanding how best to change the poor eating and lifestyle habits that got them to where they are. That requires investing some time.

For doctors who are working with patients to help them forge the healthy lifestyle they need to make real progress, it can be a challenge to carve out the time needed to really listen to patients and help them make the adjustments they need. When it comes to bariatric surgery, we often point out that, while procedures dramatically lower appetites and make weight loss a great deal easier, it's no magic bullet. Patients still need to make a variety of psychological and physical adjustments and, at Dr. Feiz and Associates, we work hard to help them do just that.

That's why were heartened to hear about a study published in the the journal Patient Education and Counseling. It found that patients who reported a better relationship with their doctor lost more weight in their attempts than others. While the number of pounds the patients lost in the study was a great deal more modest than the kind of results we regularly achieve in bariatric medicine, we believe more firmly than ever that every moment we spend working with patients, whether it's as part of a procedure or just speaking with them in our offices, really does pay off.

The Many Benefits of Weight Loss Surgery

While all patients who select weight loss surgery are similar in that they are looking for a way to lose their excess weight and benefit from the various advantages of being thinner, patients can differ in exactly what they are looking for out of their procedure. At Dr. Feiz & Associates, we know that there are many different benefits of a healthy lifestyle, including those that can benefit both physical and mental health.

For years, it has been known that weight loss surgery can have tremendous benefits for patients who are suffering from diseases such as heart disease and Type-2 Diabetes. More recently, studies have shown that weight loss surgery can have certain positive psychological benefits. One such study noted that couples reported greater intimacy after having bariatric surgery. 

Each individual patient may find that the thing they gain most from weight loss surgery is different than the last patient, and in fact, every patient should be aware that there are no guaranteed results with weight loss surgery. Yet, going to Dr. Feiz & Associates is a good first step that can help turn the decision to go through with weight loss surgery into long-term success.

Go With What’s Proven to Work

As the obesity epidemic grows every year, more and more “methods” are being developed that claim to help people lose weight. Some of these newer methods, devices, and strategies have more evidence than others in their ability to actually deliver weight loss results, but on the whole, they are all relatively untested. At Dr. Feiz & Associates, we practice the very best, most cutting-edge weight loss procedures that have also been proven to be effective.

The sleeve gastrectomy procedure has helped countless patients of Dr. Feiz lose their excess weight and keep it off in the long term. While there are truly many paths to a healthy lifestyle, there are few that result in as consistent, rapid weight loss as bariatric surgery with a talented surgeon like Dr. Feiz. While it is true that no two patients experience the same weight loss journey, and some may experience more weight loss than others, being properly cared for and prepped for the procedure by a skilled medical team is very important. While the sleeve gastrectomy is a procedure that is proven to help many patients get healthy, Dr. Feiz understands the importance of being prepared both mentally and physically to get the very best results.

Teach Your Children

There's no getting around it, a major part of of the ongoing obesity epidemic is directly related to the frightening increase in childhood obesity that has risen up alongside the adult version. It’s an important matter, because childhood is the time when both unhealthy and healthy lifestyle habits are both formed. Indeed, our brain appears to be more malleable at that age and it may be easier to make big adjustments than later on in in life.

The reason we are talking about this today is because of a pair of studies that have popped up this week about kids and obesity. One noted an increase in the problem during the summer months, when many kids are out of school and have fewer restriction, and other noted that children of parents who are less knowledgeable about health were also less likely to engage their children in various types of weight loss efforts. Of course, as all adult dieters know, trying to lose weight and actually losing weight over the long term are two very different things, and many of us grown-ups also tend to eat more when idle and a bit bored. The bottom line is that it's clearly important to work on children's health habits, particularly if they appear to be obesity prone.

The fact of the matter is that bariatric surgery really does appear to be the best solution for most adults with severe obesity, since significant and permanent weight loss appears to be nearly impossible for most people of that age to achieve. At the same time, being able to prevent adult obesity by nipping it in the bud in childhood, when that might well be a vastly easier goal, is clearly the best solution of all.