From Get Up & Go! August 1998
Obesity-Serious Health Risk
BY DR. DONALD S. ROBERTSON

Arthritis, back pain, cancer, diabetes, early death, gallstones, heart disease, kidney disease...

The risk factors for obesity read like an A-to-Z list and the impact physically, emo-tionally and economically are not recognized.

Obesity can trigger type 2 diabetes and osteoarthritis. It has also been linked to an increase in certain types of cancer such as breast and colon cancer as well as heart disease and hypertension. Excess weight breaks down the body systems over time. As layers of fat build up, the added weight stresses the heart, lungs, muscles, joints, nerves and metabolic system, making them work harder and causing lasting damage. This is particularly true when fat is located around the abdomen and encases the visceral organs - the liver, pancreas and colon. This condition, called Syndrome X, can cause early death. Abdominal fat (the gut that overhangs the belt) coupled with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other negative indicators point strongly to Syndrome X.

The good news is that a weight loss of only 5 to 10 percent can eliminate the risk that accompanies Syndrome X, type 2 diabetes and other obesity-caused conditions. A person who is 40 pounds over ideal weight of 125 pounds would need to maintain a loss of only 8 to 16 pounds.

Quick fixes and two-day diets are not the solution. For weight loss to last, you must change the way you think about food, exercise and yourself. Patients who lose weight and keep it off are the ones who understand that they have a chronic disease that they must deal with every -day, not just occasionally. Obesity is not a character flaw, but a medical condition.

My patients first establish personal goals and the best ways to achieve them: diet, exercise and other appropriate tools. Next they undergo a medical evaluation with medical history, physical exam, ECG, blood and urine tests to diagnose medical problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and other conditions. They meet weekly for monitoring, discussion and re-education. Interaction with the Center's dietitian, exercise physiologist and psychologist helps patients stick to their dietary plan and lifestyle changes. They partic-ipate in classes learning about nutrition and support groups which gives them an outlet with peers who have "been there, done that."

When the goal weight is reached, maintenance begins and provides support and individualized food plans that change as lifestyle and interests change.

Dr. Robertson, with his wife Carol, a gourmet cook, wrote The Snowbird Diet. He has been quoted in many national magazines and is internation-ally recognized for his expertise in weight control. Dr. Robertson is the Medical Director of the Southwest Bariatric Nutrition Center. He may be contacted at www.weight-control.com.