Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.
But what about health?
Yes it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Although one can only wonder how those fellows are feeling nowadays, with NASA funding cutbacks and all….
But I digress! Beauty really does come within, if you feel beautiful then you’d look beautiful.
Yet this is true on some levels and to some degree, this shouldn’t be used to justify unhealthy weight, bad eating habits or no physical activity. But this is a medical blog and we’re here to cover (you guessed it) health-related issues.
That being said, why should I weigh less ?
Lowering your weight so that you’ve successfully reached your target or ideal weight must be of critical importance for a lot of different reasons. The main reason you should be in your target weight? Your health. Now I’m not talking about preventing cardiovascular disease (yet) or anything of the sort, being healthy also encompasses being of sound mind. Health means being able to maintain a constant balance and adaptation to your environment both biologically and psychologically. Whenever this biological adaptation is tipped against you is when you get a cold (for example) or whenever your psychological self is unable to adapt to a stressor you develop compulsions, depression, et cetera.
So losing weight can also improve self-image. This may sound obvious no? Yet the ramifications that this change can cause in someone’s life are staggeringly numerous. After improving self-image, gaining confidence and being happier in general, one is able to better interact socially. This could offer a noticeable improvement in quality of life for anyone. Maybe you’re standing out in your job now and are being considered for your promotion. Maybe now your sex life as improved. And just maybe, you’ve gotten a newfound view of life that will forever echo in all of your actions for years to come.
This is the kind of change that can stem from improving self-confidence. Reaching your ideal weight could thus help you in more ways other than to just reduce adverse health issues. It could change your life in so many ways that you’ve never thought possible.
These are the kinds of results that drive bariatric surgeons. Because bariatric surgery has long been fought against. Too many pharmaceutical companies battle it, offer research results that generally speak in their favor by way of stat manipulation. And this all makes you wonder, why?
Because bariatric surgery may decrease your need for medications
Yes, its that big of a statement that we’re confident in stating it in big, bold font. Just think about it. As of today there is still no cure that will end all diabetes. It’s just a chronic degenerative disease that is managed via diet, exercise and certain medications.
An additional benefit is that you may even stop taking those meds altogether. Several studies have been published to back this up (Makary MA, et al. 2010; Segal J, et al. 2009)
In summary, what are the benefits?
- Better self image
- More confidence!
- Less medication use
- Possibly stopping your current meds (due to probability resolution of certain diseases)
- Overall increased quality of life!
These are just some, not all of the benefits that you can enjoy. There will be much more of this topic to come.
Have a great week!!!
-LIMARP Blog Staff
References
Makary MA, Clarke JM, Shore AD, et al. Medication Utilization and Annual Health Care Costs in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Before and After Bariatric Surgery.Arch Surg. 2010;145(8):726-731. doi:10.1001/archsurg.2010.150.
Segal J, Clark J, Shore A, Dominici F, Magnuson T, Richards T, et al. Prompt Reduction in Use of Medications for Comorbid Conditions After Bariatric Surgery. OBES SURG. 2009 Dec 1;19(12):1646–56.