10 Benefits of Weight Loss Surgery You Might Not Know
Obesity is a global, chronic disease that can significantly impact one’s well-being and quality of life— negatively, that is. Many countries are dealing with an obesity epidemic, and Australia is no exception. In fact, Australia has one of the highest rates of obesity in the world. While there are many different approaches to managing obesity, weight loss surgery has become increasingly popular in recent years.
Weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, is a surgery that helps people who are hopeless in dieting and exercising lose weight by making changes to their digestive system. There are numerous advantages to weight loss surgery, and here are a few that you may not be aware of!
Improves Self Esteem
Many studies and clinics have shown that weight loss surgery can have a positive impact on an individual’s self-esteem and quality of life. In 20 years of research, it has been one of the most consistent findings. And it’s not just the physical changes like clothes fitting better.
According to Perth Bariatric Surgery, Perth Obesity Solutions, the psychological benefits of surgery are just as impressive as the physical ones. It can give you a new sense of self-assurance, positive feelings, and power over a life that has been in constant issues in the past with being on the bigger size.
Relieves Joint Pain
When you think about being obese, one of the health problems that come with it is joint pain. That ailment typically affects the knees since every weight we gain puts pressure on our knees, causing a strain on the joint.
However, alleviating the pain can easily be solved through weight loss surgery. Besides, after weight loss surgery, people often experience noticeable and lasting weight loss, which helps relieve joint stress and allows them to stop taking pain medications and enjoy much more mobility.
Improves Sleep Apnea
Approximately 5 percent of Australian citizens suffer from sleep apnea, with the condition being three times more commonly happening in men than women. And roughly 85 percent of people who suffer from sleep apnea are obese.
Regardless, weight loss surgery can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight range, allowing you to stop using a CPAP machine at night if you have sleep apnea. You should always check with your physician before you stop using it.
Increase in Physical Energy
When you lose weight, it’s easier to stay active and establish a healthy exercise routine. Besides that, combining exercise with weight loss surgery greatly enhances your body’s ability to burn fat. In addition, your energy levels will rise, allowing you to move around more freely and help boost your overall quality of life.
Reduces Mortality Rate
According to research, obese people have higher mortality rates and diseases than people of average body weight. Similarly, numerous large population studies have found that people with severe obesity who have undergone weight loss surgery have a lower risk of dying than those who have not.
In Australia, obesity has surpassed smoking as the leading cause of preventable death. And seeing the massive improvement in the safety of bariatric surgery in the last ten years, for morbidly obese patients, not getting treatment is more dangerous than having surgery in the long run.
Help Alleviate Hypertension
Obesity, defined as a weight that exceeds what is considered healthy for one’s height, is a major risk factor for high blood pressure. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, one in every three adults in Australia has high blood pressure.
Although high blood pressure is becoming more common, it can end up hurting arteries, the heart, eyes, kidneys, and brain if left untreated, potentially leading to heart attacks, strokes, kidney problems, loss of vision, and death.
Improves Fertility
Excess weight can lead to hormonal imbalances, which can disrupt a person’s ovulation cycle and make it difficult to conceive. But, losing weight can improve your fertility and make it easier to conceive.
Obesity and infertility affect both men and women, even though women receive more attention. As a result, if you’re thinking about having weight loss surgery, make sure you talk to your ob-gyn about it thoroughly.
Long Term Weight Loss
Success after weight loss surgery is said to be a long-term project. Furthermore, approximately 90% of patients who undergo bariatric surgery lose 50% of their excess body weight and keep it off for the long term.
However, since weight loss surgery entails rapid weight loss, it’s crucial to keep the weight off. As there is still a chance you’ll gain back the weight you’ve managed to lose, you’ll need to make exercising and maintaining a healthy diet a habit.
Reduce Risk from Cardiovascular Diseases
Obesity raises your chances of developing heart disease. Weight loss surgery, on the other hand, can help reduce a person’s risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral heart disease by gradually reducing excess body weight, which helps relieve some of the strain on the heart.
Because of the extra weight, the heart has to work harder than usual to supply enough blood throughout the body. As a result, the extra responsibility can cause severe damage to the heart and related structures, such as the arteries, veins, and ventricles, over time.
Remission for Type 2 Diabetes
Obesity is a significant risk factor for diabetes, with people who are severely obese having a ten-fold increased risk of developing the disease. As for people with type 2 diabetes, weight loss surgery can make a significant difference.
Obese people develop resistance to insulin, which controls blood sugar since type 2 diabetes is a long-term metabolic condition where the body produces insulin that it resists due to excess weight. If you maintain a healthy weight, you may be able to go into remission and no longer require medications or insulin.
Final Thoughts
If you’re ready and truly dedicated to putting in the work to drop your weight, then do consider weight loss surgery. Although the surgery will help give you the result you want and give you an improved quality version of life, keep in mind that you need to put effort into maintaining a healthy body! If you’re ready to make a change, staying disciplined and getting in touch with professionals is a good way to start.