Obesity Has Negative Impact on Sexual Health, Study Shows

A team of French and British researchers found that being fat can be bad for the bedroom for both men and women. Researchers surveyed sexual experiences of more than 12,000 men and women between the age of 18 and 69. The results were analyzed based on their Body Mass Index (BMI). As a rule of thumb, BMI of 18-24 is considered healthy weight, BMI of 25 or above is considered overweight and BMI of 30 or more is classified as obese.

The new study, published in British Medical Journal (BMJ), found that obese women had more trouble finding a sexual partner than normal-weight women. There was only a little difference in the case of obese men – women are more tolerant of chubby partners. Due to social pressure, most women with excess weight are not meeting men through friends, work or parties and they seek sexual partners via the Internet. The study showed that obese women were less likely to ask for birth control services and were four times more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy, even though they tend to have fewer sexual partners. Heavy women run the risk of serious complications and death during pregnancy. It is reported that fat men have a higher rate of erectile dysfunction and they are at greater risk of contracting a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD).

The study findings suggests that being overweight can not only harm your health (diabetes, depression and urinary stress incontinence), but it can harm your sex life as well. People who have sex on a regular basis tend to live longer with very low chance of heart disease. If you lose weight, you will feel healthy and more attractive and that could improve your sex life.

WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY AS A TOOL

Welcome to some new to the board but nearly at goal – you have been so
successful – I think others would benefit from your advice.

We have all been given a tool by Dr. Zapata, not all will get to goal – it
is sort of like tires – mileage varies widely depending on the driver. On
occasion wls fails because of mechanics – it can happen and I think it is
important not to blame the patient but look at the total picture. The
possibilities for metabolism are infinite so we go into this literally
fighting with our bodies, our bodies love being fat, it is our genetic
heritage! However, sometimes we don’t all use our tool as wisely as we
should – our inner child (and mine is a spoiled rotten brat) win out over
sensible decisions of what to put in the mouth.

We are all in this together – people who have never had weight issues don’t
have a clue about how hard it is to diet stringently with no success – or to
lose a large amount of weight only to regain with friends. Even with the
best of tools, success can be challenging – without our tool there is almost
no hope of beating the odds.

So for today, we each have a tool – and we can work it one day at a time.
Take this moment to be thankful and make good decisions only for today
without worrying about tomorrow. This is how people succeed at weight loss
- one day at a time, being mindful of the rules and forgiving yourself if
you have a weak moment. We all have weak moments – the goal is to make
good food choices 95% of the time and forgive the other 5% because we are
human. Keep the voices in your head kind and gentle – we all respond better
to kindness than criticism and we are all our own worst enemy. Today is a
gift, use it wisely.

More Revision Surgery After Lap Band or Gastric Bypass

Bariatric surgery, even in the best of hands, is not a panacea, and while most patients report a favorable outcome following the surgical procedure, a significant subset of patients may experience complications or not fail to achieve their ideal body weight as expected.

In these circumstances, a follow-up surgical procedure, known as a bariatric surgery revision, may be necessary to either achieve the ideal body weight, help resolve co morbidities, or manage the complications of the first surgery.

A comparison of the between the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and lap band surgery becomes exceedingly relevant when considering a bariatric surgery. Whether there are more revision surgeries required after lap band or gastric bypass is therefore an important consideration.

Both of these surgeries are radically different in terms of their mechanism of action. Gastric bypass has a dual mechanism of action, being restrictive as well as a malabsorptive procedure, while the lap band surgery is only restrictive. The former, therefore, has been found to be more effective over time. The weight loss however is slower, and steadier with lap band surgery. The final weight loss is achieved by the end of three to four years after lap band surgery, and by the end of eighteen to twenty four months following the gastric bypass procedure.

Approximately 5 to 10% of patients who have had a gastric bypass reportedly require a revision surgery over 5 years. The reasons for the same vary from complications, unsatisfactory weight loss, or weight regain.

The revision rate following lap-band surgery is reported to be approximately 10% during the first two years. The reasons for the same include device-related problems, slippage or unsatisfactory weight loss.

Collated data from multicentric trials indicates that the excess body weight loss following gastric bypass surgery ranges from 69 to 84% at one year, while the same following a lap band procedure is 45 to 55%. Given that a weight loss less than 50% of the excess body weight constitutes surgical failure, it is evident that the rates of revision surgery following lap band surgery are higher than that following a gastric bypass.

Even though the incidence of early complications following gastric bypass has been reported to be higher than those following lap band surgery(4.2% and 1.7% respectively at the end of first week) the complication rates of the two procedures become comparative by the end of one and a half years (8 and 9.1% respectively).

Experts believe that long-term failure and complications after this time are rare with gastric bypass, while a significant number of lap band patients experience problems which may require a re-exploration or conversion to a different surgical procedure.

However, given that the safety profile of the lap band surgery is significantly better than that of the gastric bypass, and the former is a reversible technique, several patients as well as bariatric surgeons are opting for it. However, when making a choice, the decision must be made keeping in mind the relative rates of revision surgery following each of the surgical procedures.