Weight Loss Advice For Super-Obese

Weight Loss Tips For Super-Obese Patients

Unhealthy food products, a fast food culture and stress are just three of the many reasons why the problem of serious obesity is beginning to affect the lives of millions of Americans. Tragically, many patients who suffer from the extreme form of obesity (called super-obesity, BMI 50-60+) receive little sympathy and even less understanding from doctors as well as the general public. This, despite the growing connections between metabolic disorders and weight levels.

One of the worst consequences of being seriously obese is a total feeling of helplessness, frequently exacerbated by a lack of physical mobility. The combined effect is to rob such patients of all motivation. They feel as though they can do nothing to help themselves to reduce weight.

Frankly, excepting obvious cases of paralysis or major physical debilitation, I have never been able to accept the idea that someone is genuinely helpless. I have met too many individuals suffering from terrible illness who struggle successfully to overcome their disabilities, to believe that someone can do nothing for themselves.

Are you suffering from severe obesity? If so, here are some suggestions for how to alleviate matters. None of them are foolproof, but all are worth thinking about. For clarity’s sake I’ve expressed them in the form of questions.

Question: I weigh 600 pounds. Is there any chance I can lose weight?

Answer: My reply to this question is the same as it would be to someone of 170 pounds: Yes, you can of course lose weight, provided you want to. I’ve helped people up to 760 pounds, and I’ve yet to meet anyone who was physically incapable of reducing weight. It’s also worth remembering that history knows of very few cases of untreatable obesity in times of famine.

Question: But I’ve been super-obese for years, without ever being able to control my eating. How can I lose weight now?

Answer: The same way any overweight person loses weight. By taking in fewer calories than you burn. I hear what you’re saying, but the truth is the human body comes in the same basic physical type, as far as weight reduction is concerned, irrespective of its weight. So your situation does not differ in any material way from that of a 170-pound person.

Question: Okay, let me put it this way. I feel like dieting is a waste of time. Maybe I should apply for bariatric surgery. At least this will force me to stop eating so much. What do you think?

Answer: It’s quite true, bariatric surgery procedures like gastric bypass will force you to eat only a tiny amount of food. As a result, during the five years following your operation, you will lose a very significant amount of weight. Sadly, there are drawbacks. First and foremost, this type of bariatric operation carries a high risk of perioperative and post-operative health complications, ranging from minor complications to a need for corrective surgery and even (in rare cases) death. Bariatric surgeons are dedicated and skilled workers but stomach bypass is a major operation and they are not miracle workers. Even assuming your operation is totally successful, your new enforced dietary regime will not, by itself, guarantee you a healthy weight. Patients are still able to ‘cheat’ or work around their new digestive anatomy, and statistics show that a significant minority do not maintain their weight loss much beyond their sixth year. Why not? Because they fail to overcome the personal issues which caused them to overeat in the first place.

Question: But statistics demonstrate that weight loss surgery has a much better success rate than regular diets.

Answer: What you say is true, except in my opinion it’s a bit misleading. Most people who follow a traditional diet and exercise program do not, statistically, lose a great deal of weight – nothing like as much as the average bariatric patient. But the REASON these dieters ‘fail’ is typically because they lack proper support. If you compare bariatric rates of weight reduction with those of diet-programs that offer proper support, you’ll find much less of a discrepancy. Besides, like I say, a significant minority of bariatric patients regain most, if not all, the weight they lose in the five years after their operation.