Across New Jersey, the number of overweight and obese individuals is rapidly increasing. In fact, almost 59% of the population of the Garden State is overweight or obese. Our kids are gaining weight, too: 14% of children in New Jersey are obese, and the rate is rising year by year. We have reached the point where obesity is a state-wide health crisis.
Obesity kills. It brings, misery, heartache, and promotes serious illnesses, such as sleep apnea, arthritis, heart conditions, diabetes and hypertension.
It is a threat to our state that must be faced.
Getting Fit
Obesity is a disease and one thats difficult to treat. Weight loss itself is no problem: when the bodys daily caloric intake falls below the amount of calories needed to stay alive, the body begins to burn fat, resulting in weight loss. The difficulty comes in restricting caloric intake and overriding the primal urge to eat either to stave off hunger, or stave off uncomfortable emotions, like fear, anger and grief.
Aye, theres the rub: Many obesity sufferers use eating as a substitute for unmet psychological needs. Others are food addicts, plagued by a maddening urge to constantly eat. Many non-obese people see these behaviors as being signs of personal weakness on the part of the obese.
Theyre not. Obesity is a disease, not a character flaw. Fad diets and the like can cause a person to lose weight, but seldom permanently. Those who try such gimmicks often suffer damage to their health. Obesity can be successfully treated only by a complete change in the patients lifestyle and eating habits. For some, support groups and willpower are enough to accomplish this. For others, surgical intervention may be the treatment of last resort and the one that saves their life.
About Weight Loss Surgery
Weight loss surgery is performed with the patient under general anesthesia, and usually with a laparoscope. There are three basic bariatric surgical proceduresmalabsorptive, restrictive, and combination. Each poses differing risks and benefits, but all work by the same principle: by surgically altering the patients stomach or digestive tract, the procedure limits the amount of food the patient can eat. These alterations cause the patient to take in fewer calories each day than he or she burns, resulting in the loss of excess weight.
The surgery only works as part of a total medical treatment plan, however. Patients who fail to follow the plan may regain any weight lost. The decision to have weight loss surgery is also almost always irrevocable, since most procedures cannot be reversed.
Lets Do It!
New Jersey is a tough state. By treating obesity as a disease rather than a weakness, we can beat this health crisis, and promise the residents of our state a brighter future.
Obesity kills. It brings, misery, heartache, and promotes serious illnesses, such as sleep apnea, arthritis, heart conditions, diabetes and hypertension.
It is a threat to our state that must be faced.
Getting Fit
Obesity is a disease and one thats difficult to treat. Weight loss itself is no problem: when the bodys daily caloric intake falls below the amount of calories needed to stay alive, the body begins to burn fat, resulting in weight loss. The difficulty comes in restricting caloric intake and overriding the primal urge to eat either to stave off hunger, or stave off uncomfortable emotions, like fear, anger and grief.
Aye, theres the rub: Many obesity sufferers use eating as a substitute for unmet psychological needs. Others are food addicts, plagued by a maddening urge to constantly eat. Many non-obese people see these behaviors as being signs of personal weakness on the part of the obese.
Theyre not. Obesity is a disease, not a character flaw. Fad diets and the like can cause a person to lose weight, but seldom permanently. Those who try such gimmicks often suffer damage to their health. Obesity can be successfully treated only by a complete change in the patients lifestyle and eating habits. For some, support groups and willpower are enough to accomplish this. For others, surgical intervention may be the treatment of last resort and the one that saves their life.
About Weight Loss Surgery
Weight loss surgery is performed with the patient under general anesthesia, and usually with a laparoscope. There are three basic bariatric surgical proceduresmalabsorptive, restrictive, and combination. Each poses differing risks and benefits, but all work by the same principle: by surgically altering the patients stomach or digestive tract, the procedure limits the amount of food the patient can eat. These alterations cause the patient to take in fewer calories each day than he or she burns, resulting in the loss of excess weight.
The surgery only works as part of a total medical treatment plan, however. Patients who fail to follow the plan may regain any weight lost. The decision to have weight loss surgery is also almost always irrevocable, since most procedures cannot be reversed.
Lets Do It!
New Jersey is a tough state. By treating obesity as a disease rather than a weakness, we can beat this health crisis, and promise the residents of our state a brighter future.