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I A Candidate For Weight Loss Surgery? |
 Well, the answer to this question
depends on whether you are morbidly obese. This answer
may give you the courage you need to take the first step.
Below are tools you can use to determine if you are morbidly
obese and thus potentially a candidate for weight loss
surgery. We also talk about what causes morbid obesity
and and its negative effects.
How do you
know if you are Morbidly Obese and Possibly a Candidate
for Surgery?
Generally, if you are
or have:
BMI Calculator: Select your
gender, and then move the red slider handles or select
your height and weight to calcluate your BMI. The results
of the BMI calculations are displayed below. Note that
these are approximate values, and are intended to be used
only as a rough guide. Below the ideal body weight chart
you will find information about morbid obesity.
If your browser does not show the calculator
above, try using the BMI calculator on the home page or use the body
index table by the CDC to
determine your BMI.
Ideal
Body Weight Chart:
How to Approximate Your Frame Size
- Bend your forearm up to a 90 degree
angle. Your arm should be parallel to
your body.
- Keep your fingers straight and turn the inside of your
wrist towards the body.
- Using your other hand, place your thumb and index finger
on the two prominent bones (on either side) of the elbow.
- Measure the distance between the bones with a tape measure
or calipers.
- Compare with the tables listing elbow measurements for
medium-framed men or women.
- Compare to the chart below. The chart lists elbow measurements
for a medium frame - if your elbow measurement for that
particular height is less than the number of inches listed,
you are a small frame - if your elbow measurement for that
particular height is more than the number of inches listed,
your are a large frame.
Elbow Measurements For Medium Frame
| Height in 1" heels |
Elbow |
Height in 1" heels |
Elbow |
| Men |
Breadth |
Women |
Breadth |
| 5'2"-5'3" |
2 1/2"-2 7/8" |
4'10"-4'11" |
2 1/4"-2 1/2" |
| 5'4"-5'7" |
2 5/8"-2 7/8" |
5'0"-5'3" |
2 1/4"-2 1/2" |
| 5'8"-5'11" |
2 3/4"-3" |
5'4"-5'7" |
2 3/8"-2 5/8" |
| 6'0"-6'3" |
2 3/4"-3 1/8" |
5'8"-5'11" |
2 3/8"-2 5/8" |
| 6'4" |
2 7/8"-3 1/4" |
6'0" |
2 1/2"-2 3/4" |
Quick Reference to Find Your Frame Size.
Keep in mind that this is a far less accurate measurement
method.
To calculate your frame type place your thumb and index
finger around your wrist. If your finger overlaps the thumb,
your frame is a "Small Frame". If they touch, your
frame is a "Medium Frame". If they do not touch,
your frame is a "Large Frame".
Height and Weight Table for Women
Height
Feet Inches |
Small
Frame |
Medium
Frame |
Large
Frame |
| 4' 10" |
102-111 |
109-121 |
118-131 |
| 4' 11" |
103-113 |
111-123 |
120-134 |
| 5' 0" |
104-115 |
113-126 |
122-137 |
| 5' 1" |
106-118 |
115-129 |
125-140 |
| 5' 2" |
108-121 |
118-132 |
128-143 |
| 5' 3" |
111-124 |
121-135 |
131-147 |
| 5' 4" |
114-127 |
124-138 |
134-151 |
| 5' 5" |
117-130 |
127-141 |
137-155 |
| 5' 6" |
120-133 |
130-144 |
140-159 |
| 5' 7" |
123-136 |
133-147 |
143-163 |
| 5' 8" |
126-139 |
136-150 |
146-167 |
| 5' 9" |
129-142 |
139-153 |
149-170 |
| 5' 10" |
132-145 |
142-156 |
152-173 |
| 5' 11" |
135-148 |
145-159 |
155-176 |
| 6' 0" |
138-151 |
148-162 |
158-179 |
|
| Weights at ages 25-59
based on lowest mortality. Weight
in pounds according to frame (in
indoor clothing weighing 3 lbs.;
shoes with 1"
heels) |
Height and Weight Table for Men
Height
Feet Inches |
Small
Frame |
Medium
Frame |
Large
Frame |
| 5' 2" |
128-134 |
131-141 |
138-150 |
| 5' 3" |
130-136 |
133-143 |
140-153 |
| 5'' 4" |
132-138 |
135-145 |
142-156 |
| 5' 5" |
134-140 |
137-148 |
144-160 |
| 5' 6" |
136-142 |
139-151 |
146-164 |
| 5' 7" |
138-145 |
142-154 |
149-168 |
| 5' 8" |
140-148 |
145-157 |
152-172 |
| 5' 9" |
142-151 |
148-160 |
155-176 |
| 5' 10" |
144-154 |
151-163 |
158-180 |
| 5' 11" |
146-157 |
154-166 |
161-184 |
| 6' 0" |
149-160 |
157-170 |
164-188 |
| 6' 1" |
152-164 |
160-174 |
168-192 |
| 6' 2" |
155-168 |
164-178 |
172-197 |
| 6' 3" |
158-172 |
167-182 |
176-202 |
| 6' 4" |
162-176 |
171-187 |
181-207 |
|
| Weights at ages 25-59
based on lowest mortality. Weight
in pounds according to frame (in
indoor clothing weighing 5 lbs.;
shoes with 1"
heels) |
Being underweight or overweight are recognized risk factors
for many diseases, namely hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemias,
and perhaps certain types of cancers.
Remember, these are statistical averages and not absolutes.
If you are very muscular, the chart will be inaccurate for
you, the same applies to the BMI calculator.
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What is Morbid Obesity?
The word "morbid" means causing
disease or injury. Morbid Obesity is
a serious disease process, in which the
accumulation of fatty tissue on the body
becomes excessive, and interferes with,
or injures the other bodily organs, causing
serious and life-threatening health problems,
which are called comorbidities.
Morbid Obesity is also called Clinically Severe
Obesity, and is recognized by the consensus
of medical opinion as a serious problem, a disease
process. Generally, the underlying cause is genetic;
you inherit the tendency to gain weight, and once the
problem is established, there is very little that you
can do to lose it.
How do genes affect obesity?
Overweight and
obesity are a result of an energy imbalance
over a long period of time. The cause
of the energy imbalance for each individual
may be due to a combination of several
factors. But generally, our behavior
is out of sink with our body's biological,
and our life's environmental factors
which together are all responsible
for causing us to be overweight and
obese.
Many other factors also contribute to
obesity and because of this; obesity
is a complex health issue to address.
But numerous scientific studies have
established that there is a very powerful
genetic predisposition to Morbid Obesity.
Science shows that genetics plays a
role in obesity. It
has been shown that children adopted
at birth show no correlation of their
body weight with that of their adoptive
parents, who feed them, and teach them
how to eat. They show an 80% correlation
of their body weight with their genetic
parents, whom they have never even met. However
genes do not always predict future health.
It all depends on what other factors
are in play. Genes and behavior usually
both play hand in hand for those of us
who are overweight.
Bottom Line: For people who are genetically
predisposed to gain weight, preventing
obesity is the best course. Predisposed
persons may require individualized interventions
(including weight loss surgery) and greater
support to be successful in maintaining
a healthy weight.
It is time to stop blaming yourself.
Many obesity researchers believe that
people who struggle with their weight
are pushing against thousands of years
of evolution that has selected for storing
energy as fat in times of plenty for
use in times of scarcity. Genes are not
destiny; in fact obesity can be prevented
or can be managed in many cases with
a combination of diet, physical activity,
and medication. Genetic predisposition
will usually mean that fighting obesity
will be a struggle and require a lifelong
commitment to achieve better health as
will any decision to under go weight
loss surgery. Treatments such as stomach
stapling, and gastric bypass surgery
require life long commitments to living
healthy.
What should I do
about my obesity?
You could go on another diet. Unfortunately, although
diets work for a little while, the effects seldom last,
and the answer to Morbid Obesity needs to last a lifetime.
No diet program, even the drug programs such as the
Phen-Fen, or Redux, programs, are sufficiently powerful,
or adequately long-lasting, to produce the necessary
sustained weight loss in the severely obese.
You could look at how much your health
is at risk, and consider taking some risk to achieve
a more lasting solution: surgery to change your body's
physiology, and to help you to gain control of your weight.
In our opinion, surgery is the only effective way to
achieve lasting weight control, and a healthy body weight. Contact us and we can set you up for an appointment if you are a candidate for weight loss surgery.
Health
Effects of Morbid Obesity:
Severe obesity damages the body's mechanical, metabolic
and physiological functions. These "comorbidities"
affect nearly every organ in the body in some way, and
produce serious secondary illnesses, which may also be
life-threatening. The cumulative effect of these comorbidities
can interfere with a normal and productive life, cause
endless frustration and can greatly shorten life span,
as well.
Severely obese persons are approximately 6 times as
likely to develop heart disease as those who are normal-weighted.
Coronary disease is pre-disposed by increased levels
of blood fats, and the metabolic effects of obesity.
Increased load on the heart leads to early development
of congestive heart failure. Severely obese persons are
40 times as likely to suffer sudden death, in many cases
due to cardiac rhythm disturbances.
Essential hypertension, the progressive elevation of
blood pressure, is much more common in obese persons,
and leads to development of heart disease, and damage
to the blood vessels throughout the body, causing susceptibility
to strokes, kidney damage, and hardening of the arteries.
Cholesterol levels are commonly elevated in the severely
obese, another factor predisposing to development of
heart and blood vessel disease.
Overweight persons are 10 times as likely to develop
Type II, Adult-Onset, Diabetes. Elevation of the blood
sugar leads to damage to tissues throughout the body:
Diabetes is the leading cause of adult-onset blindness,
a major cause of kidney failure, and the cause of over
one half of all amputations. It is the #3 cause of death
in the United States.
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Sleep apnea, the stoppage of breathing during sleep,
is commonly caused in the obese, by compression of the
neck, causing loud snoring, interspersed with periods
of complete obstruction, during which no air gets in
at all. The sleeping person sounds to an observer like
he is holding his breath, but he is, himself, usually
unaware that the problem is occurring at all, or only
notices that he sleeps poorly, and awakens repeatedly
during the night. The health effects of this condition
may be severe, high blood pressure, cardiac rhythm disturbances,
and sudden death. Affected persons awaken exhausted and
often fall asleep during the day, sometimes even at the
wheel of their car. This condition has a high mortality
rate, and is a life-threatening problem.
Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome
This condition occurs primarily in the very severely
obese, over 350 lbs. It is characterized by episodes
of drowsiness, or narcosis, occurring during awake hours,
and is caused by abnormalities of breathing and accumulation
of toxic levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. It is
often associated with sleep apnea, and may be hard to
distinguish from it.
Respiratory Insufficiency
Obese persons find that exercise causes them to be out
of breath very quickly. The lungs are decreased in size,
and the chest wall is very heavy and difficult to lift.
At the same time, the demand for oxygen is greater, with
any physical activity. This condition prevents normal
physical activities and exercise, often interferes with
usual daily activities, such as shopping, yard-work or
stair climbing, and can be completely disabling.
Heartburn - Reflux Disease and
Reflux Nocturnal Aspiration
Acid belongs in the stomach, and seldom causes any problem
when it stays there. When it escapes into the esophagus,
through a weak or overloaded valve at the top of the
stomach, the result is called "heartburn",
or "acid indigestion". The real problem is
not with digestion, but with the burning of the esophagus
by the powerful stomach acid. When one belches, the acid
may bubble up into the back of the throat, causing a
fiery feeling there as well. Often this occurs at night,
especially after a large or late meal, and if one is
asleep when the acid regurgitates, it may actually be
inhaled, causing a searing of the airway, and violent
coughing and gasping.
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This condition is dangerous, because of the possibility
of pneumonia or lung injury. The esophagus may become
, or scarred and constricted, causing trouble with swallowing.
Approximately 10 - 15% of patients with even mild sporadic
symptoms of heartburn will develop a condition called
Barrett's esophagus, which is a pre-malignant change
in the lining membrane of the esophagus, a cause of esophageal
cancer.
Obesity does not itself cause asthma, or bronchitis,
directly. However, it does interfere with breathing,
aggravating any attack of asthma, and gastroesophageal
reflux, caused by obesity, may seriously aggravate asthma,
and may cause severe bronchitis.
Gallbladder disease occurs several times as frequently
in the obese, in part due to repeated efforts at dieting,
which predispose to this problem. When stones form in
the gallbladder, and cause abdominal pain or jaundice,
the gallbladder must be removed.
Stress Urinary Incontinence
A large heavy abdomen, and relaxation of the pelvic
muscles, especially associated with the effects of childbirth,
may cause the valve on the urinary bladder to be weakened,
leading to leakage of urine with coughing, sneezing,
or laughing. This condition is strongly associated with
being overweight, and is usually relieved by weight loss.
Degenerative Disease of Lumbo-Sacral
Spine
The entire weight of the upper body falls on the base
of the spine, and overweight causes it to wear out, or
to fail. The consequence may be accelerated arthritis
of the spine, or "slipped disk", when the cartilage
between the vertebrae squeezes out. Either of these conditions
can cause irritation or compression of the nerve roots,
and lead to sciatica, a dull, intense pain down the outside
of the leg.
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Degenerative Arthritis of Weight-Bearing
Joints
The hips, knees, ankles and feet have to bear most of
the weight of the body. These joints tend to wear out
more quickly, or to develop degenerative arthritis much
earlier and more frequently, than in the normal-weighted
person. Eventually, joint replacement surgery may be
needed, to relieve the severe pain. Unfortunately, the
obese person faces a disadvantage there too, joint replacement
has much poorer results in the obese. Many orthopedic
surgeons refuse to perform the surgery in severely overweight
patients
The veins of the lower legs carry blood back to the
heart, and they are equipped with an elaborate system
of delicate one-way valves, to allow them to carry blood "uphill".
The pressure of a large abdomen may increase the load
on these valves, eventually causing damage or destruction.
The blood pressure in the lower legs then increases,
causing swelling, thickening of the skin, and sometimes
ulceration of the skin.
Emotional/Psychological Disease
Seriously overweight persons face constant challenges
to their emotions: repeated failure with dieting, disapproval
from family and friends, sneers and remarks from strangers.
They often experience discrimination at work, and cannot
enjoy theatre seats, or a ride in a bus or airliner.
There is no wonder, that anxiety and depression might
accompany years of suffering from the effects of a genetic
condition, one which skinny people all believe should
be controlled easily by will power.
Seriously obese persons suffer inability to qualify
for many types of employment, and discrimination in employment
opportunities, as well. They tend to have higher rates
of unemployment, and a lower socioeconomic status. Ignorant
persons often make rude and disparaging comments, and
there is a general societal belief that obesity is a
consequence of a lack of self-discipline, or moral weakness.
Many severely obese persons find it preferable to avoid
social interactions or public places, choosing to limit
their own freedom, rather than suffer embarassment.
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