When I heard this it really irritated me. Instead of spending the money on education to prevent obesity, lets enable bad dietary behavior by surgically shrinking the stomach. What has the person learned? Nothing! This is a waste of taxpayer money. Just two weeks ago the N.Y Times released an article stating that obesity rates are still climbing. Gastric by-pass and lap band surgeries do not fix the problem. An analogy might be; run the car engine without putting oil in the motor, when it burns up lets just replace it. Does that make sense. Eat a poor diet, don’t exercise and when you become obese it’s OK we will just cut you open and shrink your stomach. Maybe you will keep the weight off, maybe not. The problem has not been addressed.
Recent studies make it clear that the current approaches to obesity from western medicine aren’t working. When I was close to 440 pounds my doctor never recommend a dietary or lifestyle change, he recommended gastric bypass surgery. I am so glad I did not have the surgery. I did it the healthy way and lost over 200 pounds and I have kept it off. The problem got corrected.
It further impresses upon me the need for state or federal program to teach people how to lose weight and live healthy. To change this poor health mentality in our American culture it has to start in our schools. At an early age we must begin to educate our children on the importance of healthy eating, healthy lifestyles and the mechanics of how to live of life of wellness. This has to be ingrained in the minds of our youth.
The cost of educating is cheaper than a surgical fix. We must focus on prevention. We must address the cause of the problem. Lap band surgery or even gastric bypass surgery does not fix the problem and many times there are surgical complications. Weight is a behavior and education problem. Less than 1% of obesity is caused by medical conditions or the side effects of drugs.
If you are obese or have weight issues I challenge you to make a stand. Take your life back the right way, the only long-term healthy way, by eating healthier foods, moving more and staying within your calorie budget.
I did it , you can do it. Please, for your children, for your wife, for your self, for your friends, for your health, make a commitment today to do something about your weight.
The first step is making the commitment.
Always consult with you doctor before making dietary or lifestyle changes particularly if your have health issues.
Wally Bishop C.N.C.
Nutritionist
