Morbid Obesity

Morbid Obesity

Morbid obesity is a condition where you have a body mass index (BMI) over 40. The body mass index is your muscle-to-fat ratio and is calculated based on your height and weight. If you have a BMI of 25.0, you are considered overweight. If you have a BMI of 30.0, you are considered obese. If you have a BMI of 40, you are considered morbidly obese. Morbid obesity can also be estimated based on your weight. If you are 100 pounds over ideal body weight for your height, you are morbidly obese. When you reach morbid obesity, you are in high risk of multiple serious health issues. If you are morbidly obese, you need to do something about it now!

Morbid Obesity and Disease

Morbid obesity can lead to health conditions that will deteriorate and shorten your life. Common health conditions include:

High Blood Pressure

Too much weight is a burden on your heart. Morbid obesity causes the heart to function improperly and can lead to high blood pressure. When high blood pressure occurs, there is a heightened risk of kidney damage and stroke.

Diabetes

Morbid obesity leads to insulin resistance. Insulin regulates blood sugar levels in your body. When your body becomes resistant to insulin, your blood sugar levels increase, and causes diabetes.

How to Treat Morbid Obesity

There are a few ways to treat morbid obesity. Surgery for morbid obesity has become quite prevalent, but there also are natural ways to battle morbid obesity.

Natural Treatments for Morbid Obesity

If you’re morbidly obese, you don’t necessarily need to undergo surgery. There are non-surgical techniques to tackling morbid obesity. Drastically improving your diet and increasing your exercise can help lower your weight and improve your health. However, if you’ve already reached the point of morbid obesity, you should consult a physician on exactly how to go about improving your diet and what workout to do. Simple exercises and slight changes in your diet won’t be able to tackle your morbid obesity at a level that will help you steer clear of serious health issues. Consult a physician and discuss what you need to do to drastically lower your weight without surgery.

Surgeries for Morbid Obesity

In some cases, surgery is the most viable solution to treating morbid obesity. There are a number of surgical procedures that have been developed to help tackle morbid obesity. If you decide to undergo surgery, here are your options:

Laparoscopic Gastric Band Surgery

Laparoscopic gastric band surgery is a procedure where the top portion of the stomach is belted with a collar-like band, creating a small pouch in the stomach that also limits access to the lower portion of the stomach.

Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery is a procedure where the stomach is divided in two, forming what is called a “gastric pouch”. This pouch is then surgically attached to different lengths of your own small intestine.

Malabsorptive Surgery

Malabsorptive surgery is a procedure that integrates stomach shrinking techniques with bypassing of a portion of the small intestine, creating a direct line from the stomach to a lower section of the small intestine.

Regardless of the surgery you undergo for morbid obesity, healthy eating still plays an important factor in keeping the weight off. You can’t expect to jump right back into eating junk food again. You still need to watch your diet after surgery.

Morbid obesity is a serious condition. However, all hope is not lost. If you’re obese, or very close to being obese, consult your physician on ways to lower your weight. Your health depends on it.