WETM-TV, Channel 18 from Elmira-Corning reported yesterday (May 1) that our congressman, Rep. Tom Reed, has had Gastric Bypass Surgery. Reed told WETM-TV reporters that he has lost more than 60 pounds.

We should admire him for taking such actions. It must not have been an easy decision. According to The Mayo Clinic.com people who should consider such an operation if:

• Efforts to lose weight with diet and exercise have been unsuccessful.

• Your body mass index (BMI) is 40 or higher (extreme obesity).

• Your BMI is 35 to 39.9 (obesity), and you have a serious weight-related health problem, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or severe sleep apnea. In some cases, you may qualify for certain types of weight-loss surgery if your BMI is 30 to 34 and you have serious weight-related health problems.

After someone applies for the surgery, their Health Team will look at:

•  nutrition and weight history (weight trends, diet attempts, eating habits, exercise regimen, stress level, time constraints, motivation and other factors.
• complete medical history (such as blood clots, liver disese, heart problems, kidney stones. They will review other medications, amount of alcohol you drink and if you smoke.
• psychological status (binge-eating disorder, substance abuse, depression, anxiety disorders and childhood sexual abuse.
•  motivation (your willingness and ability to follow through with recommendations made by your health care team and to carry out prescribed changes in your diet and exercise routine)

Rep. Reed’s recovery process will probably include an exercise program and a life long diet.

I applaud him for taking such drastic steps, and dedicating time and effort to change his  lifestyle.

I wish him well.

Related articles

• How Effective Is Weight Loss Surgery? (healthbeauty76.wordpress.com)
• What is Gastric Bypass Surgery really mean? (viviangearheart.wordpress.com)