Obesity is not something to be ashamed of. It is a health condition that is highly misunderstood. It can happen to anyone for several reasons. Furthermore, no one wants to be fat or overweight. However, the prevalence of obesity is still climbing. You no longer need to suffer. The best gastric Surgery of the century is available and is working wonders for people.
Millions of People Struggle with Weight
In case you didn’t know, there are 338 million people struggling with obesity. This is way too many. This condition is life threatening. When diet, exercise and medication fail, what do you do? There is no need to stress out anymore. You have the power to take control of your life. The best gastric surgery is within your reach. Remember, millions of people are also looking for solutions.
You are Not Alone
First, realize that you are not alone. You don’t have to carry your burden alone. The next thing to do is seek out a bariatric specialist in your area. In fact, you can ask your primary care physician to give you a referral. Most doctors are willing to help you. Another thing you can do is consider weight loss surgery and give yourself the benefit of the doubt. Consider the benefits you will get.
The Benefits of Weight Loss Surgery
According to the latest statistics, there are many benefits to weight loss surgery. Furthermore, the weight is only one aspect of weight loss. The new studies show that surgery also offers lasting pain relief. 
- Patients experience improvement in joint and muscle pain
- Physical function seven years after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or Sleeve gastrectomy
- Gain a healthier perspective of life going forward
Moving Forward After Bariatric Surgery
The new research found that three years after bariatric surgery, 50% to 70% of patients reported less pain, walked much faster and improved their overall function. However, when diet, exercise, thoughts of undergoing surgery and all else fails, keep smiling. There are other community-friendly, financial incentives.
Financial Incentives for Weight Loss
In 2021, a study was conducted on 103 women with a body mass index of over 30. These women were followed for 12 months. Everyone was compensated accordingly, based on the amount of weight lost. Incentivized weight loss programs are accessible and mainstream. In fact, participants also receive diet and physical activity support. As a result, researchers found that financial incentives were effective in the following ways: https://youtu.be/WCI2c9tibqQ
- Help in weight maintenance
- Improve lipid profiles
- Decrease Blood Sugar
- Help liver enzymes
- Have motivational factors
- Along with proper training (diet and exercise)
Other studies found no significant difference in weight loss results between financial incentives and other types of support for healthy eating.
Diet and Healthy Wage Incentives
Two of the most popular weight loss incentive programs are Dietbet and Healthy Wage. They both have websites apps for anyone who chooses to join. Initially, you set a weight loss goal and bet money on weight that you lose. If you lose the weight within a designated time frame, you win the bet. If not, you lose the bet and there is no financial award. These programs connect people, and at the same time, build community. You never feel lonely. 
You are Not Alone
People who struggle with weight may feel alone, isolated, and insecure. They are often a target for the bullies. Therefore, this is the ideal time to garner your relationships with family and friends. Also, it is advisable to stay away from people who add no value to your life. Encouragement and positively can go a long way. At the end of the day, family is our major lifeline and support system.
It takes a Village to Lose Excess Weight
It takes a village to give love and support to a family member who is obese. For example, here is what a TV icon, shared about her struggles with weight loss.
“What I hope to do is start a conversation. I can’t do this alone. It’s bigger than me, It’s bigger than you. But we can take obesity head-on together”- Queen Latifah. Obesity is stigmatizing. It adversely affects your total being in every way. Your psychosocial, emotional, behavioral, and spiritual growth is inhibited by bodily size.
Psychosocial Spiritual Impact of Obesity
Compared to healthy-weight children and adolescents, obesity effects not only a person’s physical body, but it also affects a person psychologically. As a result, individuals end up with depression, anxiety, impaired body image, low self-esteem, and eating and behavioral disorders. Obesity lowers the quality of life. In addition, children and adolescents suffer with some of the following:
- Asthma
- Sleep apnea
- Bone and joint issues
- Respiratory stress
- High blood pressure (take at home)
- Type 2 Diabetes
Ultimately, parents involved in their child’s growth and development are more likely to help their children learn how to build and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Also, parents have the responsibility to adopt, implement, and model healthier behaviors.
Promote a Healthy Lifestyle
All parents have the responsibility to promote a healthy lifestyle. You are the first influencers for your children. You teach and show them healthy habits. Maintaining optimal health is a learned behavior. There are easy ways to do this. For example, follow these steps:
- Focus on good health, not a certain weight goal. Teach and model healthy and positive attitudes toward food and exercise without emphasizing body weight.
- Focus on the family. Dine together, connect, support each other.
- Establish daily meals and snack times
- Plan nutritious meals (including fruits and vegetables)
- Prepare smaller portions.
- Attend a healthy lifestyle class or take an online health and wellness course.
- Teach children about gratitude, respect, and tolerance
- “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – Benjamin Franklin
Prevention is Key to Health and Wellness
Parents, you have responsibility to make sure that your child is safe, nurtured, protected, and cared for. Don’t ignore their need for good health and wellness. This is a vital part of their growth and development. They are vulnerable, fragile beings. Pay close attention to what your child is doing, whether it involves food, exercise, or learning. They are the future. In summary, be the solution to the child obesity crisis. Stop obesity in its track. 
Severity of the Obesity Crisis
Spend more time as a role model for your children. Model a healthy lifestyle and spend less time in the emergency room at hospitals. There is no excuse for a 5 or 10-year-old to be diagnosed with high blood pressure or coronary heart disease. Come on guardians of the next generation. Let’s get busy.
Become Better Helicopter Parents – You Got this!
Give children the love and care they need. They need healthy food to eat, less sugary foods and drinks and most importantly, they need exercise instead of too much TV and screen time. An unhealthy lifestyle is making our children sick. If we don’t make a change, we won’t have a strong, vibrant, healthy next generation of children. We don’t want to go down that rabbit whole. Let’s learn from Riley Ickes.
Out of the Mouth of Babes
Riley Ickes is a soft-spoken 16-year-old who carried the weight of the world on her shoulders, literally. She carried more weight than most teenagers her age. As a toddler, her parents knew something was wrong. She started gaining weight at a precipitous rate. As a result, they got in touch with their family physician. However, he assumed that these parents lacked parental skills and overfed their daughter. Turns out, that wasn’t the case at all.
A Cry for Help
By the time she reached sixth grade, she weighed in at a whopping 250 pounds. It was about time for her parents to find solutions. Time to bring out the big guns – save the life of their daughter. This young child was heading down the rabbit hole, doomed for a life of sickness and disease. “I tried every diet you can think of but, nothing worked for me” she confessed to TODAY Health. “I was exhausted from trying.”
Riley’s Last-Ditch Effort – Bariatric Surgery
At age 13, Riley saw her specialists at Healthy Active Living, a weight management clinic in at Akron Children’s Hospital. It was there that she learned about bariatric surgery. This is how she got her life back. In September 2020, Riley, at her heaviest weigh in of 324 pounds, underweight bariatric surgery. This was the scariest and best day of her young life. She was only a sweet 16. Bariatric Surgery saved her life.
Should children get Bariatric Surgery?
In cases like Riley’s bariatric surgery is the only option. She tried everything in her power to take off pounds. Nothing prevailed. Now she is living a healthier, happier lifestyle. The moral of the story: when lifestyle changes don’t help you to lose weight, there are always other options.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, when a change in lifestyle and exercise fails, money can be another viable way to motivate people to lose weight. However, the primary motivator must come from within the person. Moreover, everyone must have an innate desire, whether there is a dollar sign or not waiting for them.
Thanks for Joining Me
Thank you for joining me for another episode of the topic of bariatric surgery. It is my belief that we can all become change agents. Houston, we have a problem. Furthermore, the problems are not our obese kids. The problem is irresponsible parents, legal guardians, grandparents who give children candy, sugary drinks, ice cream and too much ultra-processed food and the food industry. This too shall pass. Do an assessment of your life and make changes. One Riley Ickes story is too much.
I would greatly appreciate hearing from you. I value your questions, comments, and your feedback. You give me motivation to keep on writing.
Rachele, Founder
mybluegenes.com
rachele@mybluegenes.com
