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Understanding Obesity
- Finding Out Your Body Mass Index (BMI)
  Your BMI gives a fairly accurate assessment of how much of your body is composed of fat.
- Obesity Treatment Overview
  Whatever treatment plan a person follows, losing weight slowly will be more effective and healthier over the long-term.
Obesity and Health Problems
- Metabolic Syndrome
  Metabolic syndrome is a condition that includes the presence of a cluster of risk factors specific for cardiovascular disease. Metabolic syndrome greatly raises the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, stroke, or all three.
- Metabolic Syndrome Worksheet
  Use this worksheet to help manage your condition. Record your test dates and results, and list your goals for your next visit with your healthcare provider.
- Type 2 Diabetes
  When your body can't make enough insulin or can't use insulin, it is called type 2 diabetes. Read on to learn more about this condition.
- Take Action to Beat Heart Disease
  Even if you already have atherosclerosis or have had a heart attack, there's a lot you can do to prevent future heart problems.
- Health Risks of Not Being Physically Active
  Lack of physical activity is a risk factor for many health problems. Read on to learn more about these risks, and how to get started being active.
- Sleep Apnea
  Sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition. It is far more common than generally understood. Sleep apnea happens in all age groups and both genders.
- Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)/Heartburn
  GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) is a digestive disorder. It is caused when gastric acid from your stomach flows back up into your esophagus.
Treating Obesity
- Medical Treatment for Obesity
  Medical treatment can help with weight loss if your own efforts are unsuccessful—or if you have a medical condition that makes it crucial to lose weight.
- Healthcare Providers Who Specialize in Obesity
  Some healthcare providers specialize in treating people who are obese or overweight. They are called bariatric healthcare providers or bariatricians. Some of these providers may also be bariatric surgeons. Read on to learn more.
Bariatric Surgery
- Deciding On Surgery
  - Choosing a Bariatric Surgery Procedure
    Bariatric surgery is a type of surgery to help you lose weight. It is a choice for some people who are obese and have not been able to lose weight with other methods.
  - Before Bariatric Surgery
    Bariatric surgery is a type of surgery to help you lose weight. It is a choice for some people who are obese and have not been able to lose weight with other methods.
  - Evaluation for Bariatric Surgery
    Bariatric surgery is a type of surgery to help you lose weight. It is a choice for some people who are obese and have not been able to lose weight with other methods.
- Types Of Surgery
  - Gastric Restrictive Surgery
    Gastric restrictive surgery is a type of bariatric surgery or weight loss surgery. It limits the amount of food you can eat. This surgery may be used to treat severe obesity when diet, exercise, and medicine have failed.
  - Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding
    Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding is a type of weight-loss surgery. This type is done as laparoscopic surgery, with small incisions in the upper abdomen. The surgeon puts an adjustable band around the top part of your stomach.
  - Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Overview
    This surgery takes out the part of your stomach that curves outward, called the fundus. After the fundus is taken out, your surgeon will close the rest of your stomach into a tube shape that looks like a banana.
  - Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch (BPD-DS) Weight-Loss Surgery
    BPD/DS is a complex weight-loss surgery that may be recommended for people who are extremely obese and have failed to lose weight through other treatments.
  - Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Weight-Loss Surgery
    Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is a type of weight-loss surgery. Weight-loss surgery is also called bariatric surgery. It's often done as a laparoscopic surgery, with small incisions in the abdomen.
  - Food Intolerance After Gastric Band Surgery
    Food intolerance is a risk after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding surgery. You may have trouble eating certain foods, such as meat, fruits, or vegetables.
  - Adjustable Gastric Band: What Happens If You Don’t Follow Your New Diet
    Food intolerance means that after surgery you may have problems eating foods that you once ate or that are part of your new diet. This can make it hard to stick to your new diet and keep the pounds off.
  - Dumping Syndrome After Gastric Bypass Surgery
    Dumping syndrome after gastric bypass surgery is when food gets "dumped" directly from your stomach pouch into your small intestine without being digested. There are two types of dumping syndrome: early and late.
  - Iron Deficiency After Gastric Bypass Surgery
    Iron deficiency and anemia are common after a gastric bypass or other weight-loss surgery, especially in women. In fact, iron deficiency can occur in more than half of women who are past menopause when they have this surgery.
  - Afferent Loop Syndrome
    Afferent loop syndrome is a complication of certain types of stomach surgery.
  - Efferent Loop Syndrome
    Efferent loop syndrome is one of two loop syndromes" that can happen after some types of gastric surgery. In a loop syndrome
  - Risks of Bariatric Surgery: Anemia
    Anemia is when your blood has lower levels of red blood cells, or your red blood cells don't have enough of the protein hemoglobin. Hemoglobin carries oxygen, which is sent around the body through blood. Anemia may occur after weight-loss surgery (bariatric surgery).
  - Anastomotic Leak After Gastric Bypass Surgery
    One risk of gastric bypass surgery is that the anastomosis, the new connection created in your intestines during the bypass surgery, will leak. Leaking of digestive juices and partially digested food through an anastomosis is one of the most serious complications after bypass surgery.
  - Anastomotic Stenosis (Stricture) After Gastric Bypass Surgery
    After gastric bypass surgery for weight loss, the new connection between the stomach pouch and the small intestine may narrow. This is called an anastomotic stenosis. It’s also known as a stricture.
  - Problems with Digesting Fat After Weight-Loss Surgery
    Certain types of weight-loss surgery change the way your body deals with the nutrients in the foods you eat. This causes a rapid amount of weight loss, but also may lead to complications.
  - Gastric Banding Surgery for Teens
    Gastric banding is a form of weight-loss (bariatric) surgery. It's used to treat people with severe obesity who haven't been able to lose weight through diet and exercise alone. It's most often done in adults. But, in some cases, it may be a treatment choice for a teen.
  - Body Contouring After Weight-Loss Surgery
    Body contouring is a type of surgery that improves how you look. It's done after you lose a large amount of weight. This type of surgery gets rid of extra skin folds and other surrounding tissue. This gives your body smoother contours. Read on for details about this procedure, and what to expect.
Lifestyle Changes
- About Weight Loss
  - Maintaining Weight Loss
    Keeping extra weight off needs effort and commitment, just as losing weight does.
- Healthy Eating
  - Preventing Obesity in Children, Teens, and Adults
    The longer a person is obese, the more they are at risk for problems. Many chronic diseases are linked with obesity. And obesity is hard to treat. Because of these reasons, prevention is very important.
  - Calculating Calories and Fat Grams
  - Cholesterol in the Blood
    The cholesterol in your blood comes from the foods you eat and your liver. Your liver makes all of the cholesterol your body needs.
  - Components of Food
    When trying to make heart-healthy changes to your lifestyle and diet, it is helpful to know some basics about nutrition.
  - 'My Plate' Quiz
    How many cups of vegetables should you eat each day? How about milk? Meat? The My Plate eating plan can help you find out.
- Being Active
  - Creating an Exercise Program
    To improve your heart and lung fitness, aim for 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise several times a week.
Children and Obesity
- Understanding Childhood Obesity
  - Obesity in Children and Teens
    Obesity is when a teen has too much body fat. Obesity is a serious, long-term disease.
  - An Early Start to Good Nutrition
    With childhood obesity on the rise, should parents worry about the weight of their babies?
  - Obesity in Children: How Parents Can Help
    Most children become obese because of a poor diet, lack of physical activity, and other lifestyle issues. In rare cases, however, a child's excess weight may be because of a specific illness.
- Healthy Eating
  - Healthy Eating During Adolescence
    Encourage your teen to eat three balanced meals a day, with fruits or vegetables as snacks.
  - Metabolic Syndrome and Soft Drink Consumption
    Information on the link between soft drinks and metabolic syndrome.
  - Lifestyle Changes Can Help Kids Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
    Parents can do a lot to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in their kids, even if the parents already have it.
  - Determining Body Mass Index for Teens
    Although it is not a perfect measure, BMI gives a fairly accurate evaluation of how much of your teen's body is made up of fat.
  - Cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and Triglycerides in Children and Teens
    The cholesterol in blood comes from 2 sources: the foods your teen eats and their liver. The liver, however, makes all of the cholesterol your teen's body needs.
- Being Active
  - Exercise and Teenagers
    Teens need at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on most days for good health and fitness and for healthy weight during growth.
  - Weight Room No Longer Off-Limits to Kids
    The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Sports Medicine now say that strength training is fine for kids, as long as they're supervised and don't try to lift too much weight. Read on
  - Workouts to Help Prevent Sports Injuries
    It may not always be possible to avoid injury when playing sports, especially physical contact sports. But there are things kids can do to protect themselves. Preparing before and after a game or practice session by warming up muscles and then stretching can help.
Videos
- The Risks of Being Overweight
  Watch this video to learn the health risks associated with being overweight as well as some of the ways used to determine if you are considered overweight.

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