Understanding Obesity

When you're considering surgical or medical weight loss, it’s important to have a basic understanding of obesity.

Everyone has an ideal body weight based on their gender and height. A person is considered obese when they weigh more than their ideal body weight.

Body mass index is one tool we use to calculate overall body fat. This information helps us determine if you are a good candidate for bariatric surgery or how to design your personalized medical weight loss program. 

Common Causes of Obesity

Many factors contribute to obesity. It’s important to understand and address how those factors affect you before moving forward with a weight loss program.

• Food consumption
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Genetics
• Behavioral factors

Obesity-Related Health Problems

When you are overweight, you are at an increased risk for developing serious and often life-threatening health issues.

• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Increased risk of certain cancers
• Pregnancy complications

• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Liver disease
• Pulmonary disease
• Gallbladder disease
• Gout
• Stroke

When you successfully lose weight, many of these health issues improve or go away completely.