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Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition where a person has a very high amount of body fat, which puts them at risk for more health issues down the road. A gastroenterologist can easily diagnose this and provide proper recommendations to help people lose the excess weight and create a healthier lifestyle.
What is Obesity?
Obesity is a common disease in which a person is at an unhealthy Body Mass Index (BMI). A BMI for a person who is obese is anywhere from 30.0 to 39.9. For people with severe cases of obesity, their BMI would be at 40 or greater.
Having such a high BMI can increase the odds of other health issues, but it is relatively easy to reverse once a person starts introducing better eating and exercising habits.
Causes
To put it simply, the main cause for obesity is from overconsuming calories. Genetics are also a big factor when looking at how someone stores fat, along with their inherited habits and lifestyle choices.
Other causes can be due to an underactive thyroid, Cushing’s Syndrome, or Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). If your gastroenterologist suspects that there may be an underlying issue that is causing your weight gain, they can run a series of screenings or x-rays to determine the root cause.
Risk Factors
There are many consequences and risk factors from obesity that people should be aware of. Those who are obese have a higher risk of:
Heart disease
Type 2 diabetes
Shorter life expectancy
High blood pressure
Obesity can also directly correlate to depression & anxiety. Your quality of life starts to decline as you realize you can’t do things you used to be able to do, such as walking or even maintaining personal hygiene.
Treatment Options
The good news is that obesity can be easily reversed with a few simple habits you can incorporate into your daily life. Eating healthy and exercising everyday are lifestyle changes that your doctor will most likely recommend to you. If you are still having a hard time losing weight on your own, your doctor may refer you to a nutritionist or gastroenterologist in your area.
Weight loss surgery is sometimes considered an easy way out without putting a lot of effort into losing weight on your own. This couldn’t be further from the truth as this major surgery has many risks, and you still need to adopt a healthy lifestyle to maintain the weight loss.
The last thing your doctor wants is for you to gain and lose weight over and over again – this is called yo-yo dieting. Talk with your doctor about your options and the support you can receive to help you lose weight.