How a Bad Diet and Poor Habits Can Lead to Obesity
The team at Tijuana Bariatrics is proud to help patients achieve a healthier weight, working with them to determine the most ideal treatments possible that help promote safe and rapid weight loss. We offer custom-tailored obesity treatment and weight loss surgery, performed in a safe and state-of-the-art facility.
Many times people’s issues with excessive weight stem from their diet. Let’s discuss how a poor diet can lead to obesity and morbid obesity.
You Are What You Eat
The old saying winds up holding true. If you eat healthy, you’re more likely to lead a healthy lifestyle and be a healthier weight. If your diet is on the unhealthy side, you are more likely to face serious health issues, including obesity, morbid obesity, and diabetes.
This sort of homespun wisdom makes sense, but it pays to look at the actual science behind it.
The Dangers of High-Calorie Junk Food
Many fast food items and junk foods are extremely high in calories. French fries, burgers, sweets, and snacks may seem relatively filling, but the high fat and sugar content can really add up. You may be getting up to half of the calories you need in just a single meal at a fast food place, which is alarming. These foods fulfill the calorie requirements for a meal, but they are often poor sources of nutrition. Eating high calorie foods or fast food multiple times a day can lead to consuming far more calories in a day than average.
This danger is especially serious in children. In fact, children who consume a lot of fast food run a significant risk of suffering from childhood obesity and issues with body mass, weight, and wellness into their adulthood.
Soft Drinks Can Pile on the Empty Calories
In addition to fast food, soda tends to be a major contributor to weight gain and obesity. Rather than drinking water to stay hydrated (which obviously has no calories), people who drink soda are potentially adding hundreds of additional calories to their diet. This can add up over the course of a day.
Physical Activity Makes a Difference as Well
Consuming many calories in a day is fine so long as you really exercise to burn them off, but most people do not exercise as much as a high-level athlete, meaning that many of the calories they consume do not get burned. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, adding a poor diet to the mix it’s a recipe for obesity.
This issue of physical activity and obesity is a topic we’ll address in more detail in the very near future.
How Bariatric Surgery Can Help
If you are obese or morbidly obese, bariatric surgery will help address issues with calorie consumption and/or calorie absorption. By limiting the calorie intake each day, this helps promote quick and healthy weight loss.
Going Over Dietary Needs in the Weeks and Months Ahead
In addition to addressing your calorie intake, bariatric surgery will also lead to patients eating a healthier and leaner diet, which won’t just help with weight loss but with improving general wellness. During your consultation process, we’ll be more than happy to go over these matters in greater detail.
Schedule a Consultation at Tijuana Bariatrics
For more information about losing weight and staying healthy, be sure to contact our bariatric surgery center today. The team at Tijuana Bariatrics looks forward to your visit and helping you achieve total wellness and a healthier tomorrow.
Bust a Move: How Inactivity Contributes to Obesity
The team at Tijuana Bariatrics takes a holistic approach to obesity treatment, offering safe and effective bariatric surgery as well as guidance for the weeks and months after the procedure is performed. The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to focus on improving habits and promoting a healthier way of life.
Last time we mentioned how a poor diet can lead to obesity and morbid obesity, and we noted we’d talk about how sedentary lifestyles can contribute to the problem. Let’s take a moment to consider these matters right now.
Physical Activity Is Crucial for a Healthy Weight
In an average week, getting some exercise in is crucial to maintaining a healthy weight and keeping those excess pounds off.
The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week, or they could opt for 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week. This number is higher for children, who should be active and playing for at least 60 minutes each day.
Burning Calories and Weight Loss
Let’s break down the numbers above. Just walking for about 22 minutes a day will help you reach your minimum fitness goal. Similarly, working out hard for just 11 minutes a day will help you reach that amount. This helps you burn off calories you’ve consumed in a day. Just walking regularly can go a long way toward getting the minimum amount of exercise you need.
If you consume more than 2000 calories in a day, your activity level will need to go up to help burn off the excess calories that you consume. In essence, consider the calories you consume the fuel you can burn off through exercise and physical activity.
Exercise also improves overall wellness, including your cardiovascular health and general sense of energy and wellness through the day. Some studies find, however, that only 50 percent of Americans meet these guidelines for minimum weekly physical activity. Given the demands of the workday and the busy nature of one’s personal life, it can be difficult to get motivated and get moving.
What Happens When You Lead a Sedentary Lifestyle
Sedentary lifestyles mean that the calories you consume are not burned off, which results in weight gain. This leads to a vicious cycle. As people’s weight increases, their level of physical activity is likely to decrease, which leads to further weight gain. That’s why long-term sedentary lifestyles can actually contribute to obesity or morbid obesity.
Even if your diet does not change but your activity level goes down, you’re bound to put on extra weight. It’s the way our bodies are built and how they process calories. Thankfully there are solutions for these issues.
How Bariatric Surgery Can Help
As we noted before, bariatric surgery helps reduce calorie consumption and/or calorie absorption, both of which are important to consider when it comes to promoting healthy and safe weight loss. Each procedure is tailored to the needs of the patient.
Exercise After Bariatric Surgery
After bariatric surgery, it’s important for patients to get moving. In the early days of recovery, simply walking a little each day helps prevent blood clots. After full recovery, exercise each day can improve wellness, promote further weight loss, and get your stronger and healthier. It’s part of the important lifestyle changes patients experience after their bariatric procedure is performed.
Schedule a Consultation at Tijuana Bariatrics
To learn more about treating obesity and helping you look and feel your healthiest, be sure to contact our bariatric surgery center today. The team at Tijuana Bariatrics looks forward to your visit and helping you achieve total wellness, with a focus on long-term wellness and weight loss.
Revising Your Bariatric Surgery: A Way Toward Greater Weight Loss
The team at Tijuana Bariatrics offers patients the ability to lead a healthier, more fulfilling life. By undergoing safe, state-of-the-art surgical obesity treatment, patients can fight obesity and the various health problems linked to obesity.
With more and more people undergoing weight loss surgery, studies have noticed that certain procedures may not be as effective on patients as planned. To address these matters and help patients on their road wellness, a revision bariatric procedure may be required.
Sometimes an Initial Surgery May Not Yield Optimal Results
Even though many patients are able to achieve their weight loss and general wellness goals thanks to an initial bariatric surgery procedure, other patients face challenges with losing weight. In some cases, patients lose weight quickly, but they do not lose enough of their body mass. In other cases, patients lose weight slowly rather than rapidly, which makes them question the long-term results of their procedure.
This can be a frustrating situation, and one that cannot be remedied through exercise or careful monitoring of your diet alone. Should you face problems with an initial weight loss surgery procedure, considering a revision surgery could be a good idea.
About Revision Bariatric Surgery
Revision bariatric surgery refers to a secondary procedure performed if a previous weight loss surgery yielded suboptimal results. There are many ways to go about this depending on the initial bariatric procedure. In general, weight loss surgeons will evaluate the first surgery and then tailor the new procedure to address your needs.
Benefits of Revision Bariatric Surgery
The most important benefit of revision bariatric surgery is that it will help patients lose weight safely and rapidly, allowing them to achieve their wellness goals following poor results from an initial surgery. When possible, the surgeon will try to use the initial surgical incision sites to perform the revision procedure, which helps reduce the possibility of new scarring.
Minor Revision Procedures
For some patients, a relatively minor revision may be necessary. This may be as simple as adjusting the band placed during a gastric banding surgery. This will limit calorie consumption and help with weight loss. For gastric sleeve patients, they may undergo a resleeving surgery, which will help further reduce the overall size of their stomach pouch and help address concerns about calorie consumption.
More Advanced Revision Procedures
For more advanced revision procedures, such as correcting a gastric bypass, different measures may have to be taken. Adjustments may be made to the size of the stomach pouch or the length of the roux limb to help improve the results of the bypass procedure. Sometimes an ineffective gastric bypass, gastric band, or gastric sleeve will be converted into a duodenal switch, another type of weight loss surgery that helps reduce calorie consumption as well as calorie absorption.
Discussing Your Options in Greater Detail
Patients have options when it comes to revision of their initial surgery, and it’s important that they understand the risks and benefits of each of their options. During a consultation for revision weight loss surgery, we will give you the answers you need to make a smart choice moving forward.
During this consultation process, we can also evaluate your dietary needs and exercise needs to help ensure that you lead a healthy lifestyle that facilitates weight loss.
Schedule a Consultation at Tijuana Bariatrics
For more information about bariatric surgery and how it can help you achieve a more ideal body mass and better health and wellness, be sure to contact our bariatric surgery center today. The team here at Tijuana Bariatrics will work with you to help you achieve the best health and wellness results.
How Social Anxiety May Contribute to Obesity and Morbid Obesity
Here at Tijuana Bariatrics, we offer safe and state-of-the-art obesity treatment, but we know there’s more to weight loss than just a surgery. Losing weight and keeping that weight off means total wellness, physically and mentally.
We know that a number of mood and anxiety disorders are linked to obesity. It’s with that in mind that we want to consider how social anxiety disorder (SAD) and obesity may be connected.
Understanding Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a type of social phobia that is characterized by an intense fear of social situations and social interaction. Many times these fears are the result of the person perceiving heightened scrutiny from others.
Social anxiety disorder is the most common anxiety disorder that people face. It is estimated that around 12 percent of American adults suffer from SAD.
Signs and Symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
The most common signs of social anxiety disorder (SAD) include the following:
- Nervousness while in social situations
- Avoidance of social situations
- Pounding heartbeat
- Sweating
- Shaking or trembling
- Blushing
- Tense muscles
- Stomach pain
- Diarrhea
A combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors can cause social anxiety disorder to occur.
How Social Anxiety (SAD) and Obesity Are Linked
The links between social anxiety disorder (SAD) and obesity are many.
Some people who are obese may suffer from heightened social anxiety disorder due to their weight, with an increased feeling that they are being observed and judged while eating or simply interacting with others.
Others may use food as a coping mechanism for their social anxiety disorder, eating more than they usually would in order to address the intense feelings of anxiety that they have.
Obesity Is Tied to Many Other Psychiatric Disorders
Studies have found that there is a major link between obesity and depression, which again functions as a two-way street. Given how the mind can affect the body and vice versa, it should not be surprising that weight, moods, and wellness are linked in a number of ways.
How Weight Loss Surgery Can Help
Weight loss surgery procedures such as the gastric bypass, the gastric sleeve, and gastric banding all help people lose weight safely and quickly by limiting the amount of calories that are consumed and/or absorbed by the body.
As a person loses weight, he or she will not only experience better general health. They will also tend to feel heightened self-esteem and self-confidence, helping them address various anxiety issues in life as they move forward.
Weight Loss and Wellness on Multiple Levels
As part of recovery from weight loss surgery, many patients seek assistance from therapists and counselors to address anxiety disorders and issues with self-esteem. There is no shame in this, and it can be helpful to speak with someone who will not judge you but simply offer understanding and coping strategies for the problems you face.
This focus on physical health as well as mental health is a crucial part of lasting wellness, and it’s one that all of us believe in. Weight loss surgery is just one important step in moving your life in a better direction.
Schedule a Consultation
For more information about the causes of obesity and how our team can help you achieve a more ideal weight, be sure to contact our weight loss surgery practice today. The team at Tijuana Bariatrics is committed to total wellness, patient safety, and excellent results.
Weighing the Numbers: United States Obesity Statistics
We’ve often heard obesity referred to as an epidemic in America, affecting children as well as adults. The reasons for an increase in obesity has a lot to do with sedentary lifestyles and poor eating habits, but sometimes the scope of the problem remains abstract. Having numbers helps people understand why matters have to be taken so seriously.
At Tijuana Bariatrics, we can help treat and manage obesity and weight-related health problems through state-of-the-art weight loss surgery procedures. Right now, we want to focus on the numbers regarding obesity so you understand why these matters have to be taken so seriously.
Obesity in America: How Bad Is It?
All things considered, the numbers are rather bad. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that between 26% and 32% or Americans are obese. That’s 1 in every 3 people. This doesn’t even account for the number of people in the United States are overweight and verging on obese.
One study suggests that 68.8% of adults over the age of 20 are overweight or obese. That’s more than two-thirds of the adult population of America. The numbers aren’t great for children either. Roughly 1 in 3 children between the ages of 6 to 19 are classified as overweight or obese, with 1 in 6 classified as obese.
Weight Trends Over the Decades
Trends in numbers have found that since 1988, the average American male has gained 17 pounds and the average American female has gained around 15.5 pounds. At the current rate, this could mean that nearly 43% of Americans will be obese by the year 2018.
Given that obesity and morbid obesity are linked to many health problems including diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, this could become an even greater health crisis than expected.
Body Mass Distribution by Adults
According to 2009 to 2010 numbers by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), about 31.2% of Americans were of average weight or lower; 33.1% were classified as overweight; 35.7% were classified as obese, and 6.3% were considered to suffer from extreme obesity.
Breaking that down by gender, the study found that 74% of American men were overweight or obese; the number was 64% for American women.
Statistics on Ethnicity and Body Mass
There are interesting numbers on weight and ethnicity to consider. Roughly 66.7% of Caucasians are overweight or obese; 76.7% of blacks are overweight or obese; and 78.8% of Hispanics are overweight or obese. Interestingly, the numbers are far lower for people of Asian descent, affecting just 11.6%.
What Should I Know About Bariatric Surgery?
Bariatric surgery refers to various safe and effective means of losing weight by making adjustments to the digestive tract. The surgery has been growing in popularity given the rise of obesity in the United States and the need for an effective and fast-acting solution.
How Effective Is Bariatric Surgery?
Bariatric surgery is highly effective, and many patients achieve excellent results by undergoing surgery. There are many different options for surgical weight loss, and the best way to find out which one might be best for you is to visit our practice for a personal consultation.
Speak with the Team at Tijuana Bariatrics
For more information about treating obesity and helping you achieve total wellness, be sure to contact our advanced weight loss and bariatrics center today. The team at Tijuana Bariatrics looks forward to your visit and giving you the information you need to make confident choices about your weight and wellness.
How to Prevent Complications and Reduce Side Effects After Bariatric Surgery
Our leading bariatric surgeons attract countless people to our Tijuana weight loss surgery practice because of our reputation for excellent results. Not only do we take great care considering the surgical procedure, but we also offer insight into bariatric surgery side effects and the long-term goal of wellness.
We’d like to look at the issue of side effects and complications, and some ways that these can both be managed.
Side Effects Are a Natural Part of Healing
Let’s be clear about our terms. Side effects are a natural part of the recovery process and a sign that your body is healing. Side effects are temporary, and patients will notice side effects improve steadily as the days and weeks go by.
Complications Are Signs of Serious Problems
Complications, on the other hand, are serious issues. When side effects to not improve or seem to be extreme pronounced, this could be a sign of a medical problem that is not part of regular recovery and healing. Complications need to be addressed as soon as possible, particularly after a weight loss surgery.
Follow Your Pre-Op Instructions Closely
Healing often begins before the first incision is made. Doctors provide patients with detailed pre-op instructions. These per-op instructions prepare patients for the surgery and the healing process to come. By avoiding smoking, alcoholic beverages, certain medications, and so forth, patients are able to be in the best health possible to ensure a speedier recovery free from problems.
Ease Into Your New Diet After Surgery
After weight loss surgery, patients have to slowly transition from a liquid diet to solid foods. This process takes weeks. While recovering, the best option to avoid pain and complications is to ease into your new diet and take things slow. Savor your food, chew thoroughly, and allow yourself to get used to the new sensations your body may be feeling.
Be Careful About Physical Activity After Surgery
After surgery, your bariatric surgeon will often recommend walking around if you can. This will help promote blood circulation as you heal, and avoid blood clots in the legs and other potential complications. This very light physical activity is crucial for easing side effects and helping them disappear sooner.
However, certain physical activities should be avoided until your surgeon says otherwise. This is particularly important for squatting or bending over, heavy lifting, sexual activity, and so forth.
No Smoking: It’s Just Common Sense
Smoking is awful for your health. Tobacco products make you more prone to infection and more likely to experience difficult or prolonged recovery. Just kick the habit. Your body will thank you for it.
Pain Medication Can Help with Discomfort
Pain after surgery is a given, which is why we encourage patients to use recommended pain relievers as directed if the discomfort is very pronounced.
Attend Follow-Up Visits as Scheduled
You will have some follow-up visits and checkups after your bariatric procedure to help make sure you are healing properly. Be sure to attend all of these follow-ups, and to report any issues or concerns you may have as they arise.
How We Help Ensure Fast, Problem-Free Recovery
The first few days after bariatric surgery are critical for success and preventing complications. Our team uses state-of-the-art technology for medical monitoring as the patient stays overnight in the hospital. With nearby accommodations and a private driver, patients can recover without worrying about major travel hassle to and from the practice for follow-up care.
We also give patients ample post-op instructions and tips. These will help with the immediate recovery process, and they will also make a major difference for long-term weight loss and wellness.
Speak with Our Bariatric Surgeons About Weight Loss
For more information about preventing post-surgical complications and easing the side effects experienced after your procedure, be sure to contact our weight loss surgery practice today. Our team will help you heal fully and properly.
Hot or Cold: Body Temperature Changes After Bariatric Surgery
Undergoing bariatric surgery means experiencing a number of changes to your life and your lifestyle. Some of these are expected: losing weight, getting slimmer, experiencing better general health. Others are unexpected but thankfully manageable. The entire team at our Tijuana weight loss surgery practice understand these issues, which is why we always take time to go over bariatric surgery side effects and how to deal with them.
One example of the unexpected but manageable is change in body temperature. In particular, some people feel cold more often, or experience fluctuations in their body temperature. Let’s explore these matters in more detail right now.
Cold Intolerance
Some people generally feel colder than others. This doesn’t always have to do with body weight either, necessarily. If you often feel colder and need a sweater or jacket, you might have a condition known as cold intolerance. There are many different causes of this, including thyroid problems, issues with blood vessels, and so forth.
Cold intolerance has also be linked to changes in body fat, resulting in problems regulating body heat.
Feeling Cold Due to Rapid Weight Loss
Rapid weight loss results in the loss of body fat, which obviously impacts the way that a person is insulated from cooler temperatures. During rapid weight loss, a person’s metabolism slows down as well, which can similarly cause issues with overall body temperature.
Anemia May Also Contribute to Cold Issues
After undergoing a gastric bypass or other kinds of weight loss procedures, it’s not uncommon for patients to experience anemia. Anemia is deficiency in red blood cells or hemoglobin in the blood, which causes fatigue and may also contribute to cold intolerance.
The reason it may occur in some weight loss surgery patients is an iron deficiency. If the person’s diet is low in iron or they have have undergone a malabsorptive surgery that reduces calorie absorption during digestion, it may be difficult to get all of the iron a person needs.
Feeling Hotter Than Usual
While the vast majority of patients feel colder than usual, some patients have reported feeling hotter than usual. Again, this is typically your body’s response to major changes in weight and fat storage.
Are These Cold and Hot Sensations Permanent?
Not necessarily. While a number of patients do report fluctuations in body temperature, they do notice these issues abate as their body weight stabilizes, which is usually after 18 to 24 months. It can be frustrating, but the human body is good at adapting to change.
Options for Addressing These Problems
When it comes to addressing cold intolerance, the best option typically involves addressing the root cause in a sensible way.
For anemia and issues with iron deficiency, eating a healthier diet or taking iron supplements tends to be the best option to consider. We can discuss how to get the most ideal diet for various nutritional deficiencies during the surgical consultation process.
Sometimes it may be necessary to carry a sweater or jacket with you more often, at least until the changes in body temperature even out a bit more.
Contact Tijuana Bariatrics
To learn more about bariatric surgery and the potential side effects and changes you will face, be sure to contact our weight loss surgery center today. The team at Tijuana Bariatrics will work with you to enhance your overall appearance.
Nutritional Deficiencies After Bariatric Surgery and How to Avoid Them
At Tijuana Bariatrics, we know that surgery is just a major step toward a healthier future. The journey a patient embarks on is lifelong, but we help set that patient in the right direction on a better path. To help ensure success, we always go over bariatric surgery side effects and challenges after weight loss.
As patients adjust to their new diet, they may have certain dietary needs that aren’t being met. With that in mind, let’s consider the topic of nutritional deficiencies after bariatric surgery and what solutions are available to ensure lasting patient wellness.
Why Nutritional Deficiencies May Occur After Weight Loss Surgery
In some bariatric procedures, such as the gastric bypass or the duodenal switch, weight loss is achieved by a combination of restrictive weight loss (limiting calorie consumption) and malabsorptive weight loss (limiting calorie absorption during digestion). In the case of malabsorptive weight loss, food may not be digested fully enough for patients to receive all of the vitamins and minerals. This coupled with changes in the nature of a person’s diet can result in some serious nutritional deficiencies that can lead to poor or diminished health.
Deficiencies of Which to Be Mindful
There are a few nutritional deficiencies to consider when it comes to your diet after bariatric surgery. The most serious ones include the following:
Calcium – Calcium, which comprises 2 percent of the entire human body, is essential for healthy teeth and bones as well as helping with proper muscle contractions, blood clotting, and nerve function.
Vitamin D – In addition to helping with the absorption of minerals (including calcium, zinc, and magnesium), vitamin D also helps with proper immune function and the regulation of insulin.
Iron – Another essential micromineral, iron is crucial for the body to produce hemoglobin (in red blood cells) and myloglobin (in muscle tissue), which helps carry oxygen in the blood.
Copper – Copper is essential for the proper growth, development, and maintenance of numerous organs, including the brain, heart, bones, and connective tissue.
Zinc – Crucial for cellular division and cellular growth, zinc is also essential for ensuring your immune system works properly.
Vitamin B12 – Essential for the production of DNA and RNA, vitamin B12 is crucial for the production of red blood cells and improving the function of iron in the body.
Vitamin B9 (Folate/Folic Acid) – In addition to helping vitamin B12 in the production of red blood cells, vitamin B9 is important for brain health and can contribute to improve mental health and emotional wellness.
Multiple deficiencies can lead to serious problems with your general health and wellness.
Working Around Nutritional Deficiencies
The best option to consider to avoid serious deficiencies in vitamins and minerals is to use dietary supplements regularly. Taking vitamins will help directly address shortcomings in your nutrition, allowing you to lead a healthy lifestyle.
The proper supplement program will have to be tailored to your needs, so it’s important that you go over such matters with your bariatric surgeon during the consultation and planning phases of bariatric surgery. During this time, you can also go over the dietary needs and exercise needs that will help you maintain good health and keep excess weight off.
Speak with the Team at Tijuana Bariatrics
To learn more about maintaining a good diet after bariatric surgery, be sure to contact our advanced weight loss and bariatrics center today. The team at Tijuana Bariatrics will help you make smart choices about your wellness in the years ahead.
Fourth Floor of CER Hospital Now Dedicated to Bariatrics
Tijuana, Mexico – Tijuana Bariatrics is pleased to announce that the fourth floor of CER Hospital, the hospital in which the practice operates, is now dedicated solely to bariatrics.
This means that the practice’s network of doctors can now treat and accommodate more bariatric patients than ever before. The expansion of the fourth floor improves the practice’s ability to treat patients from San Diego and other U.S. cities that are looking for a more affordable option for weight loss surgery.
The Fourth Floor Is Now the Weight Loss Surgery Floor
On the fourth floor of the hospital, there is now a dedicated waiting room, private patient rooms, a nurse’s station, and an ICU just for bariatric surgery patients and their loved ones. While the actual weight loss surgeries are performed on the third floor of the hospital, any questions or concerns regarding bariatric procedures can be directed to the fourth floor.
Patients Have Private Recovery Rooms
The added space means that patients receive their own private rooms for overnight hospital stays. These single rooms enhance patient comfort during the initial recovery phase.
Double Rooms Can Be Requested for Patients with Guests
In addition to single rooms, a select number of double rooms are available with two single beds. These double rooms can be requested by patients who have a family member or loved one with them. This makes the surgical process more convenient for loved ones who have traveled with the patient to provide moral support.
Cafeteria Located on First Floor
Guests of bariatric patients can visit the hospital cafeteria on the first floor. This is an added convenience for loved ones who are staying with bariatric patients throughout the surgical and recovery process.
The Practice Employs Use of the Latest Laparoscopic Equipment
Tijuana Bariatrics’ network of doctors uses the latest surgical techniques and laparoscopic equipment when performing bariatric procedures. Laparoscopic surgery employs the use of small cameras and surgical tools, enabling surgeons to perform weight loss surgery through a series of small abdominal incisions. Laparoscopic surgery healing times are faster than open surgery, and there is a reduced risk of serious complications.
Bilingual Hospital Personnel
To avoid stress and confusion for patients and their guests who do not speak Spanish, there are always English-speaking personnel on hand at the hospital. This allows concerns to be addressed and questions to be answered as soon as possible by the staff.
Ideal for Medical Tourism: Affordable Weight Loss Surgery
The state-of-the-art surgical equipment and bilingual personnel demonstrate Tijuana Bariatrics commitment to patients from across the border. Medical tourism is safe, affordable, and sensible, especially since the network of doctors focus on safety and patient wellness at all times.
Contact Tijuana Bariatrics
To learn more about weight loss surgery options and to discuss the pros and cons of bariatric procedures, contact Tijuana Bariatrics. The practice can be reached directly using the information provided below.
San Diego Location
2534 State Street, Suite 428
San Diego, CA 92101
(800) 970-0577
info(at)tijuanabariatrics(dot)com
Understanding BMI Categories: Levels of Body Mass and Obesity
When patients visit with our team of bariatric surgeons, they know that they are meeting with leaders in surgical weight loss. At our weight loss surgery practice in Tijuana, we offer safe, affordable, state-of-the-art bariatric surgery that helps people get healthy and put their lives back in order.
Many patients wonder if bariatric surgery is right for them, and they commonly turn to their body mass index (BMI) is an indicator. Let’s look at the BMI and why it’s useful in determining candidacy for surgery.
What Is Body Mass Index (BMI)?
Body mass index (BMI) refers to a ratio of a person’s weight and height. This number arrived at will yield a certain range that considers height and weight and how that relates to overall body mass.
This number is not always an accurate assessment of obesity or health since numerous factors are involved. For instance, a body builder may be considered obese simply because the BMI will not take into account muscle vs. fat and other factors. That said, for the vast majority of people, the BMI offers a reliable range for height and weight with regard to fitness and relative unhealthiness.
BMI Numbers and Classifications
There are different ranges and classifications based on the BMI number. These classifications are as follows:
- Underweight – BMI less than 18.5
- Normal Weight – BMI 18.5-24.9
- Overweight – BMI 25.0-29.9
- Obesity (Class 1) – BMI 30.0-34.9
- Severe Obesity (Class 2) – BMI 35.0-39.9
- Morbid Obesity (Class 3) – BMI 40.0-49.9
- Superobesity/Extreme Obesity – BMI greater than 50.0
While we noted above that there are anomalies with regard to weight, health, and BMI, people with BMIs of 30 or greater are more likely to suffer from severe health problems that are related to obesity, including hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, joint pain, sleep apnea, and so forth.
Breaking Down the Numbers
As we break down the numbers and their classifications, we can see some serious issues for people as they get higher up in BMI.
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) provides the following population breakdown percentages via BMI for American adults age 20 or older:
- 31.2 percent are of normal weight or underweight (BMI 24.9 or lower)
- 33.1 percent are overweight (BMI 25.0 to 29.9)
- 35.7 percent are obese (BMI 30.0 or greater)
- 6.3 percent suffer from morbid obesity or extreme obesity (BMI 40.0 or greater)
As you may have noticed, a significant number of the adult population is either obese or suffering from extreme obesity.
Is Weight Loss Surgery Right for Me?
In general, bariatric surgery is an ideal option for people who suffer from obesity and the higher classifications of obesity. Your BMI alone isn’t the sole indicator of whether or not you should undergo bariatric surgery. Your general health and wellness will also be taken into account. If you struggle with diabetes, hypertension, or other health issues, weight loss surgery will likely be recommended to help you lose weight quickly and safely and to improve your overall lifestyle.
During a consultation with our team, we will be able to give you the answers you need to make smart choices about bariatric surgery options. Later this month, we’ll break down the different classes of obesity on this blog so you have greater information about the health issues you may face.
Contact Tijuana Bariatrics
For more information on body mass index (BMI) and how this can affect your overall health and wellness, be sure to contact our team of weight loss surgery specialists today. Our team will be here to provide expert advice on your bariatric surgery options.