Though it is unclear how most U.S. men and women feel about gastric bypass surgery versus losing weight by adopting a healthy lifestyle, since Americans tend to have the most overweight people, per capita, than any other country, it is safe to say that a new poll conducted in Briton might also apply to attitudes in this country. The new British poll suggests that more than half of Britons would rather shift excess weight through drastic surgery than diet or exercise. More women than men, in fact, see weight-loss operations as the key to quick results.
As a chiropractor, I find these poll numbers very unfortunate. Weight-loss is, of course, very important for a person’s overall health — from helping to avoid cardio-vascular disease and diabetes to preventing the degenerative and often debilitating changes in the musculoskeletal system that occur as the body attempts to compensate for excess weight. I work with people every day who are experiencing debilitating and unnecessary back, hip, and knee pain as the result of the excess weight their body is attempting to carry around. Do these people need to lose weight? Yes, of course, but often these very same people have a poor diet and sedentary lifestyle, both of which impact the quality of their health, including organic function, oxygen and nutrient distribution, and mobility and energy, all of which will eventually affect their longevity. Overall, 26 per cent of women said they never exercise and would rather endure the discomfort of surgery than visit a gym once a week. Though this is not a majority by any means, it is still an unfortunate number of women who do not understand that 1) weight-loss surgery has serious risks and should only be considered when all other healthier means have been attempted and failed, and 2) the only way to genuinely get healthy and stay that way, in addition to weight loss is to eat a healthy diet (a balanced, nutritious) and have regular physical exercise (30 minutes at least five days a week).