Thursday, November 12, 2009
Q: What surgical options are avail-able to treat weight loss?
A: Weight loss surgeries — also called bar-iatric (bair-ee-AT-rik) surgeries — can help treat obesity. You should only con-sider surgical treatment for weight loss if you:
- Have a BMI of 40 or higher
- Have a BMI of 35 or higher and weight-related health problems
- Have not had success with other weight-loss methods
- Roux-en-Y (ROO-en-WEYE) gastric bypass. The surgeon uses surgical staples to create a small stomach pouch. This limits the amount of food you can eat. The pouch is attached to the middle part of the small intestine. Food bypasses the upper part of the small intestine and stomach, reducing the amount of calories and nutrients your body absorbs.
- Laparoscopic (LAP-uh-ruh-SKAWP-ik) gastric banding. A band is placed around the upper stomach to create a small pouch and narrow passage into the rest of the stomach. This limits the amount of food you can eat. The size of the band can be adjusted. A surgeon can remove the band if needed.
- Biliopancreatic (bil-ee-oh-pan-kree-at-ik) diversion (BPD) or BPD with duodenal (doo-AW-duh-nul) switch (BPD/DS). In BPD, a large part of the stomach is removed, leaving a small pouch. The pouch is connected to the last part of the small intestine, bypassing other parts of the small intestine. In BPD/DS, less of the stomach and small intestine are removed. This surgery reduces the amount of food you can eat and the amount of calories and nutrients your body absorbs from food. This surgery is used less often than other types of surgery because of the high risk of malnutrition.
- Follow your doctor’s directions as you heal
- Make lasting changes in the way you eat
- Follow a healthy eating plan and be physically active
- Take vitamins and minerals if needed
- Infection
- Leaking from staples
- Hernia
- Blood clots in the leg veins that travel to your lungs (pulmonary embolism)
- Dumping syndrome, in which food moves from your stomach to your intestines too quickly
- Not getting enough vitamins and minerals from food
A: Liposuction (LY-poh-suhk-shuhn) is not a treatment for obesity. In this procedure, a surgeon removes fat from under the skin. Liposuction can be used to reshape parts of your body. But this surgery does not promise lasting weight loss.
Q: I’m concerned about my children’s eating and physical activity levels. How can I help improve their habits?
A: The things children learn when they are young are hard to change as they get older. This is true for their eating and physical activity habits. Many children have a poor diet and are not very active. They may eat foods high in calories and fat and not eat enough fruits and vegetables. They also may watch TV, play video games, or use the computer instead of being active.
Kids who are overweight have a greater chance of becoming obese adults. Overweight children may develop weight-related health problems like high blood pressure and diabetes at a young age. You can find out if your child is overweight or obese by using the Body Mass Index for children and teens.
Body Mass Index for Children and TeensYou can help your child build healthy eating and activity habits.
You can find out your child’s BMI by using the calculator at http://www.girlshealth.gov/nutrition/weight/bmi_calc.cfm.
- Limit time spent watching TV, playing video games, and using the computer.
- Make sure your child is physically active for 1 hour each day.
- Find out about activity programs in your community.
- Ask your children what they like to do and what they’d like to try, like Little League Baseball or a swim team.
- Plan activities for the whole family – like hiking, walking, or playing ball.
- Help your children eat healthy foods.
- Have your children plan and cook healthy meals with you.
- Don’t do other things while you eat, like watch TV.
- Give your kids healthy snacks, like fruits, whole-grain crackers, and vegetables.
- Limit your trips to fast-food restaurants.
- Involve the whole family in healthy eating. Don’t single out your children by their weight.
