Last holiday season, Paige Elliott, 42, Arthritis Today’s advertising coordinator, had a wish come true: She was approved for bariatric surgery, or weight loss surgery. Like so many of us, Paige has struggled for years to lose weight. As she saw it, her situation was dire and called for a drastic solution. As her weight went up, her health went down. Obesity was no longer just an insult to her vanity; it was causing grinding knee pain, escalating blood pressure and pre-diabetes symptoms, all of which she knew would get worse if she didn’t lose weight – a lot of weight. And so she turned to surgery for weight loss.
While most of us were ringing in the New Year, Paige was recovering from the operation, and now, not quite a year later, she is 65 pounds lighter, much healthier and feeling just flat-out happy, she says.
Amazing. Impressive. Appealing. A means of weight loss that seems to work? But surgery? We wanted to know more. So we, her supportive yet skeptical coworkers, decided to investigate.
If, like Paige, you’re severely overweight, weary from failed diets and scared for your health, you might want to know more, too. As we dug in, our eyes were opened to the fact that there’s nothing easy about weight loss surgery. It takes courage and commitment – more so than any diet we’ve heard of – and it’s clearly not for everyone.
The Epidemic
How many people like the idea of losing 65 pounds in a year, with the realistic prospect of losing even more as time goes on? A lot. Obesity is pervasive in America. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta has been tracking its rise: In 1990, 11.6 percent of people in this country were obese, and by 2002, an astounding 22.1 percent were.
What’s so alarming about this escalation is that nothing contributes to health risks like obesity. Excess weight raises the risk of arthritis – lower-body joints can’t endure the physical stress – plus a host of other serious and life-threatening diseases: cancer, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, heart disease and sleep disorders. And the risks for these diseases get worse as weight goes up.
As a result, weight loss has become a legitimate and prominent concern in the medical arena. Doctors are increasingly telling their patients to lose weight and backing that up with referrals for nutrition counseling, prescriptions for weight loss medications and, now, recommendations for bariatric surgery, which is where Paige ended up.
i am 50 years old. my weight is 115 kg. i am suffering from diabitics and blodd preassure.since 4 years,.any opportunity for loss of weigt pl sugessions and advices for me the above mail id. i very much thankful to you sir,
i am facing many difficulties daily life.
i am awaiting for your positive reply. any operation or any surgery is available in india. pl mentioned the hospital.
thanking you sir,
Two weeks prior to the surgery a liquid diet except one can of chicken noodle soup daily and 1/4 cup cottage cheese plus additional liquids. Doesn't sound to difficult. Wait until the two weeks are up. The two weeks postopt is devoted to caring for the pouch. No more cottage cheese and no more chicken noodle soup just liquids. I sure miss thoes soggy noodles. It was the highlight of my day. Next - anything I can drink through a straw (but no straws) then mushy food. It will be approximately 6 months before I have food in a chunk.
If you are planning on the surgery be prepared. It is a commitment. It isn't a diet for the the"faint of heart." No cheating on this diet or you will most certainly reap the rewards.
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