Page 29 - BusinessWest February 3, 2025

Thinking About Losing Weight?
Local Bariatric Surgeon Offers Advice to Consider First
The numbers tell the story.
Nearly one in three adults are overweight, more than two in five adults have obesity, and about one in 11 adults have severe obesity.
When most people think of obesity, their thoughts usually don’t go much further than the notion of being overweight. But, in truth, there is a lot more to obesity than the numbers on the scale.
“Obesity is itself a disease that often triggers a number of severe health conditions. Over time, those conditions can become chronic, progressive, debilitating, and potentially life-threatening,” said Dr. John Romanelli, medical director of Bariatric Surgery and chief of the Division of General Surgery at Baystate Health. “For many, the struggle to lose weight is complicated by the challenge of manag- ing those health conditions. Individuals who are unable to sustain a healthy weight and are experiencing chronic conditions are often strong candidates for weight-loss surgery.”
Factors that may contribute to excess weight gain among adults include genetics; types and amounts of food and drinks consumed; level of physical activity; degree of time spent on sedentary behav- iors, such as watching TV, engaging with a computer, or talking and texting on the phone; sleep habits; medical conditions or medicines; and where and how people live, including their access to and ability to afford healthy foods and safe places to be active.
Here, Romanelli answers several key questions for those consid- ering losing weight to benefit their health.
Q: Why should you always check with your primary-care physi- cian before starting any diet?
A: Changing your diet could alter how your medications work, and you need to be certain that you are in good cardiovascular health before starting a fitness plan.
“Obesity is itself a disease that often triggers a number of severe health conditions. Over time, those conditions can become chronic, progressive, debilitating,
and potentially life-threatening.”
DR. JOHN ROMANELLI
>>
Q: How can you determine if you truly need to lose weight?
A: The bottom line is, if you think you need to lose weight,
you likely do and should discuss it with your primary-care physi- cian. Normal body-mass index (BMI) is 25 or below. Sadly, most Americans are above this number. BMI is your weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. There are many BMI calcula- tors available online to help.
Q: Why is it important to lose weight?
A: Our body physiology works more effectively when we are the correct weight. Virtually every body system is adversely affected by being overweight. The most obvious systems are cardiovascular — high blood pressure, heart disease — and endocrine (diabetes). But all body systems work less well when you are overweight.
Q: Losing weight safely and at a realistic pace is the best way to reach your healthy weight and to maintain that loss in the long term. How much should you lose in a week or month?
A: It is different for all patients, so this is hard to generalize. But the best weight-loss intervention is to do something that is sustain- able in the long term. Otherwise, you risk reverting to ‘normal’ eat- ing behaviors and habits, which got you into the need to diet in the first place.
Q: How do you make heads or tails among all the advertising promoting various diets?
A: Any significant diet should be discussed with a healthcare professional prior to starting it. Two tenets: if it sounds too good to be true, you are likely correct, and if it sounds like it isn’t good for you, you are also prob-
ably correct.
Q: How can a dieti- tian help?
Weight
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