A Slimmer, Healthier You in 2018

With a majority of Americans classified as overweight and a third as obese, it’s not surprising that losing weight is one of the top New Year’s resolutions. Because it requires a firm commitment to a strict regimen and the modification of habits, achieving this goal can be tough, and some may give up. However, excess weight can cause cardiovascular issues, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Coming to terms with weight issues is essential for long-term health. When there’s a diagnosis of obesity, a physician may ask the patient to create a lifestyle events-body weight graph, as stressful events can be associated with changes in physical activity and eating habits. This can be helpful in determining a patient’s ability to make lifestyle changes.

Weight management therapies can include diet, exercise, and lifestyle intervention and counseling, and possibly bariatric surgery, depending on the circumstances. A standard metric for assessing weight is body mass index (BMI), which measures body fat, based on height and weight. Bariatric surgery may be appropriate for adults with a BMI of ≥40 or a BMI of ≥35 with obesity-related co-morbidities who have not responded to treatment (Guidelines [2013] for Managing Overweight and Obesity in Adult).

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute offers an online BMI calculator at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm. If you’re concerned about your weight, speaking to your doctor could be the first step toward achieving your 2018 resolution of a slimmer, healthier you!

CHS hospitals offer bariatric surgical options to help you achieve your weight loss goals. Visit www.chsli.org for more information. Subscribe to CHS’s blog and receive a free BMI chart by call 1-855-CHS-4500.