Recent Editorial on Bariatric Surgery Acceptance Illuminates a Typical Journey Towards Weight Loss Surgery, Notes Dr. Michael Feiz
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) September 02, 2015 -- In “Failure Lab: Weight Loss Surgery was Never the Plan,” a blog entry featured by the Huffington Post on August 25th, writer Akela Stanfield detailed her lifelong struggle with obesity that eventually led her to the decision to have bariatric surgery. While the author acknowledged that she had always seen herself as someone who would lose weight through sheer self-control, the dawning realization that any weight loss gains would simply not be sustained in the long term led her towards her decision to obtain a gastric sleeve procedure. According to Los Angeles bariatric surgeon Michael Feiz, M.D., F.A.C.S., Ms. Stanfield’s story is fairly typical amongst patients who select bariatric surgery as a tool to finally help get their weight under control. Dr. Feiz notes that his patients by no means use surgery as their first attempt at getting healthy. He explains that weight loss procedures are a tool that can greatly benefit those, like Ms. Stanfield, who have not found sufficient success with other methods. The only thing that Dr. Feiz would like to add to the piece is the suggestion that prospective patients do not view weight loss surgery as a “failure” or “giving up.”
Dr. Feiz notes that, by framing the article as an acceptance of her “failure,” the author implied that weight loss surgery was the easy way out that carries with it some degree of shame and disappointment. In reality, Dr. Feiz explains, bariatric surgery is by no means a silver bullet cure for obesity, and still requires effort, planning, and determination on the part of the patient to succeed. What the procedure is meant to do is make long-term weight loss an attainable goal by reducing the capacity of the stomach and thereby permanently reducing the appetite, which otherwise only tends to increase as patients lose weight. The key here, notes Dr. Feiz, is that the procedures are designed to make achievable a goal that appears to be close to impossible for most people.
Finally, Dr. Feiz reminds patients that weight loss surgery is truly a life-saving medical procedure that has helped patients send dangerous co-morbidities, including diabetes and heart disease, into remission. Dr. Feiz notes how it is astounding that people feel so freely to criticize weight loss surgery in a way that they would never think to discuss other life-saving operations. Part of this, he explained, is likely due to the overall stigma placed on obese individuals, and the lack of understanding that non-obese people have about the struggle of losing a large amount of weight.
Any obese patients that have had difficulty losing weight in the past may want to consider weight loss surgery as an option for losing a significant amount of weight. Interested patients can call Dr. Feiz and Associates at 310-855-8058 or visit the medical office online at http://www.DrFeiz.com.
Michael Clauw, Cyberset Corp, +1 (818) 883-7277 Ext: 121, [email protected]
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