A.Sudden weight loss results in loose skin in the body than stretch marks just like what happens to a balloon when it is deflated. However, this can be reversed.with proper remedial actions. This may take 1- 3 years depending on the persons effort. Stretch marks,to the contrary, tend to come when people gain body weight.

A.I am glad to take this question. What is most essential to understand is that “FOOD” the person eats is the key to the weight …both gain and loss. If one has understood this then the solution also is “FOOD” to lose weight!

Losing weight is not about “ what to eat” as much as about “what not to eat”!

Excess intake of high calorie food is the primary cause for weight gain. These are all carbohydrates. “SUGAR” is of primary concern. Just to remind , when I mention sugar, I also mean Honey and jaggery. All these are different forms of sugar. First step is to cut the sugar intake.

A.Avoid unnecessary sugar in beverages.

1.Sugar in coffee and tea can easily be avoided. Use sugar free sweeteners instead. Generally, people who work tend to take 3-4 coffee/tea per day during work. 2 spoons sugar in each will mean 8 spoons of sugar in total, equal to around 600 calories.

2. The next is sugar in juices. A glass of juice contain around 300 calories. Better to drink water or diet drinks. One glass of orange juice will use about 3-4 oranges. Instead it is better to have one orange!

3.Alcohol is another high calorie substance, and if mixed with a sweet juice the calorie value increases considerably. Instead add water or soda water.

B. Rice and Bread
These are high calorie foods as well. Avoid them completely or decrease their consumption levels.

Understanding the above 2 aspects is critical in bringing your weight under control.

Bariatric surgery or weight loss surgeries in today’s practice are either Gastric Sleeve Resection or Gastric Bypass. Both are performed under full anesthesia and by laparoscopy ( key Holes). The recovery is fast, less painful and the patient can early return to normal life. The most popular is the laparoscopic gastric sleeve resetion. The aim is to reduce the capacity of the stomach, so that the person consumes less food. It restricts the capacity but give satisfaction with less food. But please note the type of food consumed is very important. Do not think bariatric surgery is a short cut. Food restriction and change in life style is the key here. The bariatric surgery helps the person to reach the goal in losing weight.

As mentioned above the key is to mentally prepare to change the life style. The eating and drinking habits. Reduced calorie intake. It all counts. The failure in bariatric surgery is due to lack of co-operation from the patient. Bariatric surgery is not a short cut.

Same as in adults - By calculating the Body Mass Index (BMI)

No, it is other way around. Obesity will cause sleep apnoea.

It is not difficult. Nutrition guides are available online which has the calory count of specific foods.

Yes, marginally. But it is used as replacement for thyroid deficiency not as as medication for weight loss.

About 40% of the person’s excess weight in 12-18 months. Provided the person follows the change in life style and avoids high calorie food.

The bariatric sugery is performed using laparoscopy ( key hole surgery). The hospitalization period is normally 2-4 days and it will take about a week to get back to work. However, this varies from person to person.

The body mass index is calculated by weight and height. Above 23 BMI is over weight . And above 30 is obesity.

Weight loss surgery (Bariatric Surgery) is for people whose weight is above 30 in the Body Mass Index(BMI). People who have failed in their attempt to lose weight either by diet or exercise are also considered as suitable candidates for the surgical process.I make sure they first understand the reason for their increase in the weight. Most do not believe and do not accept the reason for the weight gain is eating more than what is required by their body. Excess calorie intake is the reason for obesity. It is critical that people understand this before enrolling for the surgery and be motivated regularly to eat less of calorie food and aim towards losing weight and maintain the lost weight.

There is no easy method to lose weight quickly.Diet control is the key here. There are three important aspects to consider when a person wants to lose weight:

• The person needs to become weight conscious. This means checking the weight at least once in every 3 days. Owning a weighing machine would help. Once you have decided to lost weight, you shouldn’t be gaining any weight at all. Regular weight checking will allow you to keep track of the progress you had made.
• The person should become diet conscious. Foods that are rich in calories(fast food, sweets,etc..)should be avoided at all costs. Stopping or reducing tasty food is the biggest inhibiting factor when it comes to controlling your diet. This requires a one hundred percent mental commitment from the person who wants to reduce his/her weight.
• Understand that you need to put in a sustained effort towards losing weight. Once you have reached your target weight you must make sure that you do not get complacent and fall back to your previous diet. The process of A, B and C continues.

This is the hard part and the reason for failed attempts by diet control alone.So, the only solution in such cases is bariatric surgery. This will help you lose about 40-70% of excess body weight in 1-2 years. Then the lost weight needs to be maintained by diet control. At least the first aspect of losing weight is achieved by the surgery. And now they get confidence, which gives the enthusiasm and interest to maintain the lost weight.Ensure that the steps A, B and C are followed.

Why do you need to reverse bariatric surgery? The reason for doing this is to lose weight and it would be a foolish thing to think about reversing it. Having said this, the answer to the question is both YES and NO. This depends on the type of surgery. The ‘sleeve resection ’ is irreversible. The bypass is also not reversible ( partial can be done). It is possible to reverse the ‘band’ but these days we do not suggest Bands because of its inefficiency. With today’s knowledge and planning of bariatric surgery the need for reversal is nil. So, let us not consider this at all.

No, they do not work.

Diet control is the answer. I have covered this part in questions 1 & 2.

No, it does not affect pregnancy. On the contrary, bariatric surgery improves chances of pregnancy. It helps in infertility management. Losing weight improves the overall chances of becoming pregnant.

Yes, Briatric surgery is safe. Patients needs to be fully assessed and found fit for anesthesia and surgery. There will be chances of general problems related to surgery in obesity. The problems are higher with higher BMI. Overall the chances of complications and chances of death will be less than 1%.

Body Weight in Kg divided by square root of Height in meters is your body mass index. EIUt can easily be calculated using many apps on the phone or Internet. Inputing your height and weight into apps/tools will provide your BMI.

This is a very important question. Prevention is the often the best remedy. The process begins with parents and their role in controlling their child’s obesity is very important. Parents are usually happy see their children chubby. This chubbiness could in the future turn your child over weight and chubby. This problem can be tackled by providing nutritious instead of calorie rich foods.The popularity of junk food- pizza’s, burgers.chips,coke,etc..among children has become detrimental to their health. It is important to provide your children nutrition rich food rather than high calorie foods. Prevention is far better than going for surgical remedy later.

You will be surprised! A normal adult does not require more than 1500 calories per day. This is very little when you look at what is consumed in a day. Consider this example:A small party in the work place usually has cake, chips and coke,right? On an average one will consume about 500-600 calories in this very simple party!. A coke a day will provide 300 calories. A buffet breakfast in a hotel will make people consume about 2000 caloreis. No one will want to miss a free breakfast spread provided as complimentary with the room when you check in to a hotel. A 30 minute workout on a treadmill will take 150 calories off your body. Only that much.Weight is easy to gain and hard to lose. So, watch your food. Be calorie-conscious. Control your weight and maintain your figure!

Yes, in obese diabetics. That is in Type II Diabetes. When people lose weight, the insulin produced by the body will be sufficient to control the sugar levels in the body than when your body mass is more. Obese diabetics will have their sugars under control by losing weight. Those who are on insulin will require no insulin at all or may require only tablets or small insulin doses and tablets. Those on tablets may not require any treatment. After bariatric surgery along with the weight loss there are also many hormonal changes, which alter the physiology of body and help in the control of diabetes and establish general well being. This diabetic control or cure and the well being from Bariatric surgery has brought in a new terminology called metabolic surgery!

For thin diabetics – Type I. The surgery solution is on a trial basis. There are types of bariatric surgeries performed for these type of patients. At present there is no established scientific data to accept this. For the present, I am in favour of these procedures in Type I diabetics.

Optimal weight for a person could be found out by his/her body mass index. It is defined as the ratio of your weight to the square of your height in meters. A BMI of 18-24 is normal. But the average is around 20 BMI.

The cost will vary depending upon the type of procedure, the patient, the surgeon, center and the country. For us the range is from 3-5 Lakhs Rupees.

Yes, will improve or cure. It helps in infertility and improves chances of pregnancy.

This is the normal physiology of the body. The excess calories gets converted to fat in the body and stored. More on this can be learned from getting deeper into the branch of human physiology.