Obesity is worldwide problem. There are millions worldwide who are suffering from this disease. In the United States, there are about 12.5 million children and adolescents who are overweight. Children are also suffering from the diseases associated with obesity and disease traditionally seen only in older people, like diabetes and heart disease. Because of these health problems, they are looking for weight-loss options and gastric bypass surgery is one of them.

Gastric bypass surgery is not the popular among the young population though. About 1% of those who undergo the procedure are teens according to the survey reported in Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine in March 2007. There is a relative increase on the number of teens undergoing the procedure, but still remains unpopular or uncommon.

Sadly, obese children think that they are living a kind of life like those who have cancer and undergoing chemotherapy, according to the survey done by the Journal of the American Medical Association. Teens suffering from obesity would deal with being teased, socially not accepted, and unable to participate in social activities.

Not all obese teens are recommended to undergo gastric bypass surgery. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2004, there are guidelines that should be considered before a teen or an adolescent is recommended for gastric bypass or any weight-loss surgery:

Failed to lose weight by any organized attempt of weight management for the last six or more months, with an assistance of a doctor.

Have reached a physiological and skeletal maturity. Adolescents that have reached an age (or older) of 13 years old for girls and 15 years old for boys have reached this level of maturity.

Has a body mass index (BMI) of more than 40 associated with severe obesity-related problems. Has body mass index of more than 50 even though there are no serious obesity-related problems.

There are medical and physiological examinations and evaluations performed before the surgery, the teen undergoing that should be prepared to handle these evaluations.

In general, those who have undergone gastric bypass surgery are advised to avoid pregnancy at least two years after the surgery. This is to avoid any complications and increasing risk to the fetus because of drastic weight loss. Anybody, not only teens, should be aware and agree on this.

Prepared to follow strict dietary regulations after the surgery. There is a strict diet that patients should follow like low sugar, low fat, low-carbohydrates, and low-calories meal plans.

Have a supportive environment. Because of the dramatic change in their lifestyle, teens should have supportive family environment that will be able to guide them to the different changes. Often times, there are patients of weight loss surgeries who would suffer from different physiological and psychological side-effects, like depression. Families should be prepared in helping their children through these stages.

There are doctors who would say that conducting gastric bypass or other bariatric surgery on teen-agers are safer than conducting the procedure with adults. Teens have not developed any case of obesity-related problems like high blood pressure and heart disease which are common among adults and also increases the risks of surgeries. Teens also heal faster and required less time spent in the hospital.

There are many benefits by undergoing gastric bypass and weight-loss surgeries. Some patients would even report losing 5% of their weight within the first month and about 50 to 60% within a year. Associated obesity related problems are also reduced by having the surgery. However, not everybody is recommended to undergo the procedure.

Even a teen is required to have be able to make sound decisions, before undergoing surgery. Afterall, maturity does not come with age.

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For teenager, weight loss is a perpetual issue. During the times of raging hormones and attempting to adapt to their changing bodies and social roles, you’ll find teens complaining of their looks especially their weights.

First off, you need to consult a doctor or dietitian to determine if your kid is indeed overweight or if he/she needs to loose weight fast. If a teen is really overweight, then moral and emotional support is one of the basic things needed to overcome their weight problems.

Always remember that weight management is a long-term process and involves not just the person who will try to loose weight. It involves the people who prepare his/her food, among others. It has been found out that teens that have the support of their families show better results in weight reduction programs that those teens that go about the program on their own.

When trying to loose weight, be sure that you do that in the safest way possible. Recent medical studies recommend losing not more than two pounds per week. Weight loss can be accomplished through a combination of programs which include exercise and decreased calorie intake. Make sure to get into a program that helps you loose weight the right way.

The medical community warns of loosing more than 2% of one’s body weight in a period of 24-48 hours. The results would be a decrease in aerobic performance and endurance. Meanwhile, losing more than 5% of one’s body weight in three to four days will have detrimental results on one’s power, muscle endurance and strength, aerobic performances and even mental concentration. With such extreme weight loss programs, the body looses the ability to cool itself which can cause more harm than good.

Aside from the right exercise, you need to compliment this increased activity with the right diet. Avoid drinks that are high in calories like sodas, juices, and other drinks. If you cannot avoid sodas, switch to the diet or low calorie ones. Make sure that you drink lots of water or other sugar-free drinks. This will help you stay away from those sodas.

Sometimes, it is best to take one step at time. More often than not, one tends to go back to their normal ways quickly if changes are introduced drastically. That’s why it is better to move forward gradually rather than leaping two to three steps forward and finding yourself five steps back after a few weeks.

One great tip in reducing your food intake is to stop eating when you’re already full. Avoid eating when you’re emotionally unstable. This happens a lot, especially in teens with constant body changes.

When people eat because they are bored, lonely, or stressed, they tend to continue eating despite that fact that they are already full. Eat slowly since it will take about 20 minutes before your brain recognize the amount of food in your stomach.

Be sure to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. As much as possible, replace your junk food intake with fruits or vegetables. Not only will you loose weight but it will keep your heart and body healthy. Also, don’t replace food groups or avoid eating them in your attempt to loose weight.

As a teenager, you should avoid such forms of diets since your body still needs the nutrients for growth and development. Diet pills are also a no-no. These pills can be very dangerous to one’s health even if taken with a doctor’s prescription. It is better to go about loosing weight the more natural way. It will create discipline and is more sustainable in the long run.

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After experiencing the Induction and OWL phases of the Atkins diet, your next step is to enter the pre-maintenance phase. This phase will set you up for a lifetime of healthy and balanced eating and living. You should begin this phase as you come within 5 to 10 pounds of your target weight goal. Your weight loss will be slowed down even further but it is for a purpose. You want to learn the practices and habits that will determine your long-term success.

In the OWL phase, you will be adding carbohydrate grams to your daily count in the increment of 5 grams per week. During pre-maintenance you will increase that to 10 grams per week. As long as you are continuing to shed weight (no matter how slowly it is coming off) you will continue to add grams. Ideally, toward the end of the pre-maintenance phase you will be losing less than one pound per week.

According to the Atkins book, you should continue this phase until you get to your goal weight and can maintain it for a month. This process may take anywhere from 1 to 3 months. Your goal is to reach a state called carbohydrate equilibrium. This is your ideal carbohydrate intake and it will cause you to maintain your weight perfectly.

During pre-maintenance youll get to try a wider variety of foods. Make sure to introduce new foods slowly and increase your carbohydrate intake at a measured pace. Dont add 20 or 30 carb grams a week. Measuring out the increases in increments of 10 will give you a better idea of your personal carbohydrate count. Knowing this number will help set you up for long term weight management.

Make sure to check with a carbohydrate counter resource book or a trusted website before you add a new food to your diet. Some examples of 10 carbohydrate gram foods include 1/3 of a cup of legumes, an apple, cup of potatoes and cup of plain oatmeal. These foods can be included on a daily basis, and then increased the next week.

Pre-maintenance is not a perfect process. It takes a delicate balance of carbohydrate counting and exercise to slow weight loss yet still move it forward. Youll need to pay even closer attention than you have before to make sure that your carb gram increase is not resulting in an increase in weight. There is a fine line between gaining, maintaining and losing, and during pre-maintenance you are trying to find out just exactly where that line is.

If you arent able to add carbohydrates without stalling your weight loss, you may have a high metabolic resistance. You will benefit from increasing your exercise regimen to get your metabolism burning at a higher level. For you, the pre-maintenance phase will resemble OWL more closely.

Some people do a variation on pre-maintenance that allows them to have a treat once a week. Instead of adding 10 grams per day, they allow themselves a 20 to 30-carbohydrate gram treat a few times a week. Examples of the treat could be a piece of a fruit or a serving of sweet potatoes. A glass of white wine or beer also qualifies for this treat. This is a fun way to reward yourself and still be on the plan.
Yet another way to do pre-maintenance is to average out your carbohydrate intake for the week. Since life is sometimes unpredictable, it can be helpful to have a bit of flexibility in your eating plan. For example, if your current carbohydrate level is at 70 grams, you can limit yourself to 50 grams one day. Then the next day, you can splurge a bit on a meal and have 90 grams for that day. However, only follow this method if it doesnt create carbohydrate cravings. Sometimes excess carb grams on one day can make you crave them even more the next day.

The pre-maintenance phase will give you the tools for long-term success. By learning to slowly increase your carbohydrate grams, youll have a better hold on the amount of carbohydrates that is right for you.

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If you think you are so ready to lose weight and live in South Florida, you can call the Quick Weight Loss center and get started right away. If you want to look your best and have the energy to chase after those kids or grandkids by losing those extra, unwanted pounds then check out their website at www.quickweightloss.net

If you want to learn how to eat right and keep the weight off after you lose it then make an appointment. The quick weight loss center program has been around for 25 years teaching people to do just that.

Weight loss is accomplished by joining the center and after an initial evaluation have your team individualize a plan for you to follow. All professionally and medically supervised for you to provide the safest weight loss results possible along with nutritionally sound products.

They offer not only the weight loss plans but weight management plans as well and they do it with a holistic approach. Which means they care just as much about you mental well being as they do about you physical well being.

when you join you will be offered ongoing individual behavioral education, counseling, and supervision for developing the changes you need to make in your eating habits so you obtain long term success.

The initial evaluation includes taking your complete medical history and any medical condition you are currently working with into consideration when individualizing a nutrition program for you. The staff will help you chart your progress and monitor your general condition and make sure you have a good understanding of the whole program so you can achieve the fastest, safest weight loss possible.

They will even work side by side with your personal physician if the need arises. Sometimes certain medical conditions require that close contact between your doctor and your weight loss center is imperative to keeping you healthy. If the need does arise the weight loss center will contact your doctors office and make all the arrangements to begin working closely with them with your best interests in mind.

The is overwhelming evidence that if you stick with a lifestyle changing nutritional program and lose the extra weight, you will not only improve whatever medical condition you are currently dealing with but you will also improve your overall health. That is a plus if I ever heard one.

What you will get when you join one of the centers is the individualized supervision along with a well-balanced nutrition program with the food you shop for yourself at your local supermarket. All supplemented with the best proprietary weight loss aids. The program provides the structure so many people need to be successful and the flexibility to amend the program as needed to ensure your success.

When you are at your ideal weight the maintenance portion of the program will help shore up what you have learned and solidify it in your mind to make sure the weight stays off. The quick weight loss center program gives you the tools and knowledge you need to be the healthiest you can be for the rest of your life.

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