Morbid obesity is a frightening term and it is a condition which could spell a death sentence, but it doesn't have to have such drastic results. If you or someone in your family has been diagnosed as morbidly obese, it can come as a terrible shock. Morbid obesity is a term which is usually reserved for someone with a body mass index of over 40, in other words weighing twice the ideal weight. However, that shock diagnosis can also be interpreted as a wake up call and can trigger a positive reaction after years of ignoring the problem. And the fact that serve around 3 million adults in America are morbidly obese should serve as a warning to anyone who is considerably overweight, encouraging them to take action to prevent their ending up in this category.
First of all, it is important to understand the problems related to morbid obesity. Anyone suffering from this condition will know that it severely restricts lifestyle, making day to day activities which most of us take for granted either difficult or impossible. If the situation is allowed to become worse, sufferers can become so incapacitated that they can no longer leave the house, which in most cases means they are unable to work. Being stuck at home is not good for self confidence and of course the person's ability to exercise is also greatly reduced, which makes weight loss even more difficult. In addition, there are significant health risks associated with morbid obesity. These include diabetes, which can have series side effects, such as blindness and kidney failure, heart disease, many types of cancer, stroke and sleep apnea. There are more, but that list should be enough to motivate most people to take action, and if it doesn't, perhaps the fact that seriously obese people are twice as likely to die young as the rest of the population will make a difference.
The quickest way to lose a large amount of weight is by gastric surgery, but this is a drastic solution and can have adverse side effects. Any form of surgery carries certain risks, and those risks are greatly increased the more overweight the patient, in fact, the mortality rate is relatively high at around 3-5%. Gastric surgery is therefore usually only considered as a last resort, when other options have been unsuccessful.
Diet and exercise are the preferred options for weight loss and anyone who is morbidly obese should make sure that they have the advice and support of professionals in both these areas, and they should also be prepared to make major lifestyle changes. Medical help will be needed if a healthy weight is to be achieved and so anyone who is morbidly obese much work with a doctor, who will refer them to dieticians and other relevant professionals.
If you have children and are obese yourself, the likelihood of your kids growing up to be severely overweight is increased. This may have some basis in genetics, but don't use that as an excuse, unless it has been proved medically. If you have children or grandchildren this should give you the incentive to lose weight, so that you can spend more time with them and to encourage them to develop healthy eating habits.
Morbid obesity is a major health problem and needs to be taken seriously. It is not something which an individual should tackle alone, but which requires medical advice, the support of friends and family and a commitment to making lifelong change.
© Waller Jamison 2007
First of all, it is important to understand the problems related to morbid obesity. Anyone suffering from this condition will know that it severely restricts lifestyle, making day to day activities which most of us take for granted either difficult or impossible. If the situation is allowed to become worse, sufferers can become so incapacitated that they can no longer leave the house, which in most cases means they are unable to work. Being stuck at home is not good for self confidence and of course the person's ability to exercise is also greatly reduced, which makes weight loss even more difficult. In addition, there are significant health risks associated with morbid obesity. These include diabetes, which can have series side effects, such as blindness and kidney failure, heart disease, many types of cancer, stroke and sleep apnea. There are more, but that list should be enough to motivate most people to take action, and if it doesn't, perhaps the fact that seriously obese people are twice as likely to die young as the rest of the population will make a difference.
The quickest way to lose a large amount of weight is by gastric surgery, but this is a drastic solution and can have adverse side effects. Any form of surgery carries certain risks, and those risks are greatly increased the more overweight the patient, in fact, the mortality rate is relatively high at around 3-5%. Gastric surgery is therefore usually only considered as a last resort, when other options have been unsuccessful.
Diet and exercise are the preferred options for weight loss and anyone who is morbidly obese should make sure that they have the advice and support of professionals in both these areas, and they should also be prepared to make major lifestyle changes. Medical help will be needed if a healthy weight is to be achieved and so anyone who is morbidly obese much work with a doctor, who will refer them to dieticians and other relevant professionals.
If you have children and are obese yourself, the likelihood of your kids growing up to be severely overweight is increased. This may have some basis in genetics, but don't use that as an excuse, unless it has been proved medically. If you have children or grandchildren this should give you the incentive to lose weight, so that you can spend more time with them and to encourage them to develop healthy eating habits.
Morbid obesity is a major health problem and needs to be taken seriously. It is not something which an individual should tackle alone, but which requires medical advice, the support of friends and family and a commitment to making lifelong change.
© Waller Jamison 2007
Waller Jamison is a qualified acupuncturist and reflexologist whose main focus is writing. More information to help conquer and prevent Morbid Obesity Kickstart your weight loss program with our free Weekly Weight Loss Tips
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