What an NBA Forward's Weight Problem Can Teach Us About Obesity

LOS ANGELES, March 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- By any normal definition of the word, the Boston Celtics' Jared Sullinger is not obese. Still, at 6'9" and 280 pounds, the 23 year-old forward and former Ohio State University star is nevertheless struggling with a lifelong weight issue which may threaten his entire career. Like all professional athletes, Sullinger spends much of his time engaged in extremely vigorous exercise, and he mainly eats healthy food. Yet, despite his efforts, the pounds have stuck to him so stubbornly that Celtics president Danny Ainge has publicly criticized his conditioning. Leading bariatric surgeon Michael Feiz, M.D., F.A.C.S., has been at the forefront of raising awareness about how certain key hormones can sabotage the weight loss efforts of even the most motivated dieters, and it seems likely that the case of Jared Sullinger may help illustrate this reality. 

Severely obese people are often thought of as lacking in self-control, but Dr. Feiz has often pointed out that the fact of the matter is that they are beset by hormonal impulses to eat which feel almost exactly like hunger. To make matters worse, these impulses only get stronger as individuals lose weight because the body, misinterpreting weight loss as the threat of starvation, actually produces even more of these hormones. If losing 20-40 pounds can be a challenge for a professional athlete like Sullinger, it is definitely a problem for ordinary people who need to lose as much as 100 pounds or more. 

For obese people considering bariatric procedures, Dr. Feiz has long suggested that sleeve gastrectomy  procedures are of particular help in addressing the issue of hormones. Unlike Lap Band procedures, the gastric sleeve permanently removes roughly 75% to 85% of the stomach, including an area of the stomach known as the fundus. This region of the stomach appears to be responsible for the majority of the production of one of the body's chief hunger hormones, ghrelin.  The result is that patients experience a greater reduction in the feelings of excessive hunger that sabotage so many efforts at long term weight loss.

Of course, surgery is never a small matter and there are many important decisions to be made, including finding the right doctor for weight loss surgery in your area. As one of Greater Los Angeles's most respected surgeons and weight loss specialists, and a leader in understanding the physical and psychological processes that drive overeating, Dr. Feiz has helped countless severely obese individuals begin the process of defeating their obesity once and for all.  For further information, please call Dr. Feiz and Associates at (800) 868-5946 or visit the web site online at www.drfeiz.com.

PR Submitted by Cyberset.com

SOURCE Dr. Feiz and Associates

Related Links

http://www.drfeiz.com