Weight-Loss Surgery

Obesity is a global problem, largely a result of too little exercise and too much highcalorie food in a fastpaced world. And it seems to be the worst in the U.S., where fully twothirds of the population is overweight. Fat is in the eye of the beholder. But there is a simple way of determining if you are overweight. It relies on the Body Mass Index (BMI), calculated as: Weight (kilograms) divided by height (meters) squared, or kg/m². The formula can be adapted to pounds and inches by multiplying by 703. In other words: lb/in² x 703. For example, a person weighing 225 lbs and 5 foot 6 inches (66 inches) tall will have a BMI of 36, calculated as 225/66² x 703 = 36. According to the National Institutes of Health, your BMI falls into one of the following categories:

Less than 18.5 = Underweight

From 18.5 to 24.9 = Normal weight

From 25.0 to 29.9 = Overweight

30 and more = Obese


The BMI is not a perfect measurement of obesity, but it is generally useful for persons over age 20 (there is a different measurement for children). It is also not accurate for people who are excessively muscular, such as bodybuilders. The dangers of obesity are well known: heart disease, diabetes, stroke, kidney failure, joint problems, and early death. But obesity also causes a lot of other problems that are less easy to measure, including:

• Social isolation
• Difficulty finding a husband or wife
• Difficulty getting a good job
• Preventing career enhancement
• Poor sex drive
• Marital problems
• Social and workplace discrimination
• Difficulty finding friends
• Medication problems
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Psychological stress, poor selfimage, selfloathing, inhibition

Obesity is unattractive and associated with laziness. The good news is that obesity can be cured. By losing enough weight, health risks are greatly reduced, and social problems can essentially disappear. The problem is that losing weight is not as easy as it sounds. Diets simply don’t work without accompanying exercise programs. And consistent exercise sufficient to lose weight is timeconsuming and takes a lot of willpower. Most people fail — and the discouragement of failure often results in even more weight gain. One solution is surgery. Remarkably, many of the health benefits from diet and exerciseinduced weight loss — such as lowered blood pressure and improved blood sugar control — are also found with weightloss surgery.