New year, new commitment: Know your weight loss strategies
Oh, those resolutions. They ring so loud at the start of the new year, then slowly fade away to nothing. We may even stick with a plan for a few weeks or even a month, but eventually we find ourselves right back where we started. Nowhere is the empty promise of a resolution more visible than in weight loss, which may be an excuse to binge over the holidays rather than a commitment to pursue a healthier lifestyle in the new year.
But what if we devoted the same effort to weight loss that we would any other medical condition by creating a comprehensive recovery plan supported by a team of professionals located in one facility? We might just turn our resolution into a reality.
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Bariatric Surgery Produces Drastic Changes in Overall Health
The comprehensive program also addresses conditions such as sleep apnea, diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension, among other weight-related health issues. These medical alarms mandate a permanent healthier lifestyle that often begins with a significant weight loss.
“I can tell you from personal experience that bariatric surgery is a great tool for weight loss,” said Corrigan McBride, MD, a bariatric surgeon and former bariatric surgery patient. “But there’s nothing magic about these surgeries. Yes, problems can be corrected. But when it comes to weight loss, you still have to count calories. You still have to burn calories. You still have to exercise.”
Most bariatric surgical patients see a drastic change in their overall health immediately after surgery. The statistics are astounding:
- In 90% of Nebraska Medicine patients, diabetes becomes diet controlled
- 66% are cured of high blood pressure
- 95% are cured of reflux and heartburn
- 90% are cured of sleep apnea
- 90% are cured of stress incontinence
- 90% control their high cholesterol/triglyceride
Most surgical patients have a body mass index (BMI) over 40 or between 35 and 40 accompanied by at least two serious health issues related to obesity. Dr. McBride committed to gastric band surgery after her colleague and orthopedic surgeon refused to operate on her knee until she lost 5–10 pounds. Unsure of her next step, her husband provided the solution when he asked her what she would advise a patient to do in the same situation.
“The answer became obvious,” said Dr. McBride. “Weight loss would not only take care of my knee but also the multiple diseases I was developing—diabetes, heartburn, and sleep apnea.”
Holistic Non-Surgical Weight Loss Program Changes Lives
Nebraska Medicine’s multidisciplinary program includes a holistic approach that does not always lead to surgery. When surgery is not an option, two non-surgical treatment programs are available. Patients with BMIs exceeding 27 may benefit from participating in the medical weight loss plan, a customized weight loss program that always includes lifestyle changes and may include meal replacement, medicine, diet, exercise, and counseling.
Patients may work with bariatric surgeons, obesity medicine specialists, endocrinologists, psychologists, nutrition therapists, exercise physiologists, and other staff members who are all dedicated to creating a weight loss strategy for life.
“When patients come into our clinic, it’s important for them to understand that healthy weight loss isn’t just about a diet or program. It’s about an ongoing lifestyle that includes long-term changes in daily eating and exercise habits,” said Dr. McBride. “If they make the commitment to a healthy lifestyle, our team will commit to helping them reach their goal.”
New Direction® Meal Replacement A Healthy Choice for Long-term Weight Loss
The New Direction® meal replacement program is a second non-surgical option, ideal for someone looking for rapid weight loss, typically 2–5 pounds per week. New Direction patients are medically monitored, attend weekly group education sessions, receive weekly weight and blood pressure checks, and participate in a maintenance program to keep the pounds off.
Best of all, the low-calorie and very low-calorie diets in the New Direction program consist of great-tasting, high-protein, low-carb meals that provide 100% of the recommended daily allowance for 24 vitamins and minerals.
In ten months, Cindy Van Riper lost 75 to 80 pounds on the New Direction program. Sadly, Cindy’s husband was in renal failure and needed a kidney transplant. Cindy wanted to donate one of her own kidneys to her husband, but doctors said her BMI was too high. With her success on the New Direction program, Cindy lost the weight and several of her other health issues disappeared as well. Her high cholesterol and high blood pressure have both resolved.
“It had a lot of positive benefits beyond the weight loss, just for health,” said Cindy. “I felt better. I have a lot more energy, and I am able to do things that were difficult.” Amazingly, in the process of their weight loss journey, Cindy’s husband’s kidney function returned to normal, and he no longer needs a kidney transplant.
Nebraska Medicine Bariatrics Blog Provides 24/7 Resources and Support
As the above anecdotes (and statistics!) indicate, weight loss can dramatically improve one’s health in numerous ways. In an effort to share these benefits, engage people in the community looking for healthy weight loss options, and keep in touch with patients, Dr. McBride and her team frequently discuss weight loss and bariatric surgery topics on the Nebraska Medicine Bariatrics Center blog. They discuss trends like current bariatrics apps, which help keep bariatrics patients on track and instill confidence that they have resources and support at their fingertips 24/7.
The blog, which includes Dr. McBride’s personal reflections on having bariatric surgery twice, provides an ongoing library of articles ranging from “Diet and Exercise: the Dynamic Duo” to “Weight Loss Surgery Basics.” The comments section encourages patients to join the community, share their own experiences, and interact with expert authors about their unique situations.
“This is not about looks,” Dr. McBride writes in one of her popular blog posts, “The Best Reason to have Bariatric Surgery.” “The biggest benefit of weight-loss surgery is…drumroll…you’ll be healthier. And you’ll live to see your grandchildren.”
Whether we are parents committed to our children and our future or present grandchildren or individuals who enjoy robust friendships within our civic and/or religious communities, we have family and friends who count on us. Like those fortified relationships, we can depend on the comprehensive team of expert caregivers at the Bariatrics Center at Nebraska Medicine to help us become healthier individuals and energetically engaged members of our families and communities.
For more information about the Bariatrics Center at Nebraska Medicine, or to sign up for a free information session, call 402.559.9500.