West Virginia is getting fat – dangerously fat. According to data compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, our beloved Mountain State is the second most overweight in the nation, with some 66% of the adult population overweight or obese. That’s two out of three of us. Only Kentucky ranks higher.
And it’s not just a matter of looking bad. Obesity is a killer – not only directly, but through related conditions, like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. As a result, West Virginia spends more than $200 million on obesity-related treatments every year.
Who is to blame? We are, thanks to our diet and lifestyle choices. More than half of us eat too much total fat in our daily diets, and only one in five eat the recommended amount of dietary fiber. And few of us get the 20 – 30 minutes of strenuous daily exercise we need to stay healthy. It’s no wonder we’re obese!
Obesity Defined
Obesity is not just being overweight. It is a disease. Yes, losing weight is a good thing overall, but dealing with obesity means treating the whole person, not just their excess weight.
Medically, obesity is defined as the condition of being above one’s healthy weight. Successful treatment of obesity means reducing a person’s weight to what is appropriate for his or her height and build, and also changing the person’s dietary and behavioral patterns in a way that will allow him or her to maintain both as part of everyday life.
Treatments
Treatment is available. A staged, structured program of medically-supervised diet, coupled with appropriate counseling and behavioral changes, will safely eliminate unhealthy weight in most cases, allowing the patient to recover completely from obesity. Unfortunately, some patients’ cases are too advanced to be treated by this standard method. Weight loss surgery is the best option for recovery in such cases.
About Weight Loss Surgery
Weight loss surgery is a laparoscopic procedure performed with the patient under general anesthesia. The procedure takes three forms, all of which are relatively uncomplicated and generally safe: malabsorptive, restrictive, or combination. During the operation, the surgeon physically alters the patient’s stomach or digestive tract to limit the amount of food the patient can consume at any given time. This will inevitably cause the patient’s weight to decrease, usually dramatically, in the weeks immediately afterward.
Weight loss surgery is not a miracle cure. It is one part of a comprehensive treatment program. Failure to modify one’s diet and lifestyle as prescribed may cause the patient to regain lost weight and/or experience other undesirable health effects. Weight loss surgery also entails risk, including the risk of premature death. The decision to obtain bariatric surgery should only be made in consultation with one’s physician.
A Healthier West Virginia
West Virginians can win this war. By changing the way we relate to food, and by increasing our level of physical activity, most of us can eventually reach the weight appropriate to a healthy body and long life. Together with weight loss surgery, these are our weapons the war on obesity in our state.
