Weight Loss Surgery in Nebraska:

Obesity - the condin of weighing more than is deemed medica hthy - is a hth crisis in Nebraska. In fact, 63% of adults in Nebraska -- seven out of ey ten Nebraskan men and more than half of Nebraskan women -- are oweight or obese. The state's adult obesity rate increased in 2008 for the third year in a row. Rates of type 2 diabetes, a disease typica associated with obesity, increased in Nebraska again, as well.
We also have the undesirable distincn of being the least active people in the country, ranking 50th among the 50 states in fitness. And, our kids are suffering, too: 12 perc of Nebraska's children age 10-17 are oweight, according to a 2005 vey by the Data Resource Cer on Child and Adolesc Hth. As if that weren't enough, obesity is even hitting our pocketbooks. The cost to our taxpayers for ding with obesity-related illnesses is a staging $454 million per year!
The facts are clear. Obesity is killing our state - physica and financia. Obviously, something has to be done. But what?

Facing the Crisis
Hthy weight is calculated not in terms of poundage, but in terms of individual body mass index (BMI). BMI is calculated as weight in pounds x 703 / (height in inches)2
A person whose BMI is at least 25 is considered oweight; someone with a BMI of 30+ is medica obese.
There is no easy road to beng obesity. For some of us, willpower is enough to maintain a hthy diet and activity level. Others try ing weight via drugstore-paperback-type diets or so-called weight-s pills. Neither is a ristic long-term solun to the problem. For most obese people, the best opn is a medica-supervised program of gradual weight s my means of dietary and lifestyle modifican. Sadly, howe, some obesity cases are too far advanced for this to work.
Fortunately, another opn exists: weight s y (also known as bariatric y).

Losing It
Sical weight s is a proven remedy for see obesity and obesity-related hth problems for individuals with a BMI of 35 or higher. By physica altering a p's stomach so that they can eat only small amounts of food at any given time, these ies enable the p to lower their daily caloric intake and e weight.
The y itself is only the beginning, howe. Ps who fail to follow postoperve instrucns may regain the weight they t or reach a weight-s plateau o time.
Weight s y is a serious medical procedure that exposes the p to low but significant risks. There is always the possibility of major postoperve complicans, including anemia, ulcers, internal hernias, calcium deficiencies and gallstone. And, the decision to undergo most types of weight s y is genera irrevocable. Those considering y for the managem of obesity should consult with their physician before making a decision.

Let's Do It!
Nebraskans can face this crisis, but only as a team. By keeping the goal of a hthier Cornhusker State in mind, we can ocome the problems caused by widespread obesity. Let's do it!