Alma Orozco

For some reason, many people are under the impression that owning a pool means having to waste a lot of water. The truth is, pools use far less water than everyday things like sinks, showers and toilets. You can maximise the amount of water you save when owning a pool by following a few simple tips and tricks.

Lap Band surgery is a restrictive bariatric operation, which reduces the size of the stomach, thus reducing the calorie intake with no malabsorptive element.The basic thumb rules to conquer the plateau after Lap Band are really very simple. Make sure you follow your diet and exercise programs completely, remain in constant contact with your weight loss team, have a positive outlook, and celebrate your beautiful new body.

Epidemiological data have consistently demonstrated that there is an increasing evidence of a positive correlation between increased body weight and malignancies of the breast, pancreas, ovaries, esophagus and the colon. In fact, oncologists even suggest a more aggressive screening for cancers in the obese: especially for breast, uterine, and colorectal cancers.

Patients are often discouraged from consuming alcohol for up to a year following bariatric surgery for several reasons. Not only is alcohol a source of empty calories, increasing your overall calorie intake, thereby jeopardizing your ultimate weight loss goals, but it also decreases the absorption of many vitamins and minerals, contributing to deficiency syndromes.

The basic aim of a gastric bypass is to help you lose weight in order to avoid the co-morbidities of obesity. Postoperative dietary patterns need to be greatly modified. But if it makes you malnourished, do discuss it with your nutritionist in consultation with your surgeon.

Obese teenagers have an increased risk of health as well as social problems due to their weight. These include serious conditions like arthritis, obstructive lung diseases like asthma, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, polycystic ovarian disease and diabetes mellitus (type2). Depression is especially common in this subgroup, as they are often subjected to social isolation and often, humiliation, by their peers.

Plastic surgery for body contouring following weight loss surgery not only improves the shape and tone of the body, but also removes excess sagging fat and skin. The result is a more normal appearance of the body, with smoother, more harmonious contours. This results in a positive body image commensurate with the initial expectations of the patient.

Patients who are morbidly or severely obese are at increased risk for health problems, tend to have a shortened life span and are at an added potential risk from continued weight increase. The risk of severe obesity, however, has to be weighed against that of the surgical treatment, and the benefits derived from it.

The symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, OSA, include sleepiness during the day (hypersomnia); snoring; episodes of choking, or breathing cessation, during sleep; awakening with a dry mouth or sore throat; and morning headaches. Sleep apnea is one of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease and also causes snoring.

Obesity in an expectant mother negatively affects her pregnancy, even affecting conception, since infertility is a frequent problem associated with excess weight. In addition, pregnancy in an obese woman tends to increase the risk for problems such as gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and mobility limitations.