WA Weight Loss Centre

Obesity Facts

Obesity Facts

Obesity Facts2024-05-14T20:07:17+08:00

Magnitude of the problem

According to WHO obesity is one of today’s most blatantly visible – yet most neglected – public health problems. Obesity is a complex problem where undernutrition paradoxically coexist with, an escalating global epidemic of overweight and obesity – “globesity”

The Stats

In 2017-18, the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ National Health Survey showed that two thirds (67.0%) of Australian adults were overweight or obese (12.5 million people), an increase from 63.4% in 2014-15. The National Health Survey also indicated that almost one quarter (24.9%) of children aged 5-17 years were overweight or obese in 2017-18 (17% overweight and 8.1% obese).

A new report released by the Collective for Action on Obesity shows that 900,000 more people are living with obesity in Australia since 2014-15, increasing from almost 4.9 million to 5.8 million. If the current trend continues, more than 40% of the Australian population will be living with obesity in the next ten years. According to the report obesity is costing the economy $11.8 billion ($5.4 billion in direct health costs and $6.4 billion in indirect costs in 2017/2018).

This clearly shows that it’s just not an individual issue, rather a global trend.

  • Genetics, (Race, antenatal factors)
  • Diet and nutrition (Food choice, food habits)
  • Activity level (lifestyle, work, play)
  • Sleep, day night pattern
  • Stress
  • Gut bugs (microbiome)
  • Medication
  • Medical conditions
  • Age

Many factors affect obesity and some of them may be beyond your control. Obesity is not just a lifestyle choice or due to a lack of willpower or self-control. Just blaming individuals and calling for greater personal responsibility will not work and has not worked in the past. Over the last decade there is evidence gathering in favour of Set Point Theory. When you gain or lose weight, it’s the amount of stored fat that changes. Set point theory suggests that the body fat mass is set at a predetermined level which is tightly and aggressively controlled. When there is a derangement in the biology that controls fat mass set point, it is maintained at a higher value. When you try to lose weight and be successful , the body mounts a response against it to defend the fat mass set point. Biology is very strong and the body’s fightback chemical response is difficult to overcome, the real reason for failure.

Obesity affects every system of the body and can lead to serious health problems. The average shorting of lifespan as a result is thought to be over 6 years.  Good news is when obesity is successfully treated, like after weight loss surgery, most related health problems will resolve and the life expectancy will increase.

  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • Hypertension
  • Obstructive sleep apnoea
  • Dyslipidaemia
  • Coronary heart disease
  • Stroke
  • Osteoarthritis, mobility
  • Some cancers
  • Reflux disease (GORD)
  • Fatty liver, gallbladder disease
  • Mental health (Depression, anxiety, body image)
  • Subfertility, high risk pregnancy
  • Low quality of life
  • All cases mortality

In addition to the effects of individual health, the damage and costs associated with obesity consist of increased health care costs, decreased productivity, and premature deaths.

Several studies have shown that the major benefit of weight loss is that it improves not merely one risk factor but the entire risk-factor profile. Health benefits increase as weight loss moves along a scale from modest to substantial, but modest weight loss nonetheless produces clinically significant benefits.

The good news is that no matter what your weight loss goal is, even a modest weight loss, such as 5 to 10 percent of your total body weight, is likely to produce health benefits, such as improvements in blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugars.

Depending on the magnitude of the weight problem several strategies are available.

The combination of diet and exercise is the stepping stone for any weight loss program. For people within the lower scale of the problem, often this is all that is necessary. it is important to remember that one diet will not work for everyone.

For more success professional guidance from a dietitian and a personal trainer may be useful. If you are interested contacting an experienced bariatric dietitian please contact us.

If a diet, exercise, and behaviour therapy program fails to achieve the desired goals, medication is the next step to consider. Medications don’t replace physical activity or healthy eating habits as a way to lose weight.

Pharmacotherapy is indicated, based on the NIH Guidelines, for a patient with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or a patient with a BMI of 27-30 kg/m2 with comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, sleep apnoea, or arthritis. Weight loss after medical therapy rarely exceeds 10% of the initial body weight.

Contact us to find out if this might suit you.

Bariatric surgery is the most effective way to lose excess weight and keep it off in the long term. At this point in time, surgery offers the only realistic hope of sustained, long term weight loss for the severely obese. Although by no means perfect and not for everyone, bariatric surgery works.

Over the last 15 years or so we have developed a deepened understanding of how obesity surgery works. Fundamentally there is a derangement of physiology in obesity. Gastro intestinal tract plays a critical role in regulating most of the physiological functions controlling body weight. Bariatric surgery is shown to change the physiological disarrangement back towards normal making the weight loss more natural and easy. So now we know that effects of bariatric surgery goes beyond portion control and malabsorption as once thought. Major part of the effect is in fact due to surgery resulting in changes of body chemistry and physiology, ultimately directing existing regulatory mechanisms to drive to a lower body weight set point.


Would weight loss surgery benefit you?


BMI is one of the leading ways of measuring obesity,
find out if you’re a candidate for surgery.

cm
kg
Your BMI is

  • UNDERWEIGHT
  • NORMAL
  • OVERWEIGHT
  • MORBIDLY OBESE
  • SUPER OBESE

YOUR CURRENT
WEIGHT

40kg

BMI 40.0

HEALTHY BMI
WEIGHT

88kg

BMI 24.9

WEIGHT LOSS NEEDED TO
ACHIEVE A HEALTHY BMI

24kg

or 28% of your overall body weight

Your Expected weight loss in 1 year

With the most common treatment options

3.5kg

or 3.2% of your overall body weight 1

Lifestyle Changes

3.2 - 6.7kg

or 5 - 10% of your overall body weight 2,3

Prescription Medication

22 - 37kg

or 20 - 33% of your overall body weight 4

Weight Loss Surgery


Percentages are based on the weight loss averages

1) Sumithran P and Proietto J. The defence of body weight: a physiological basis for weight regain after weight loss. Clin Sci 2103; 124: 231–41.RACGP. Obesity prevention and management position statement 2019. Available at https://www.racgp.org.au/FSDEDEV/media/documents/RACGP/Position%20statements/Obesity-prevention-and-management.pdf, accessed September 2022. 2) Pilitsi E, et al. Pharmacotherapy of obesity: Available medications and drugs under investigation. Metab Clin Exp 2019; 92: 170–92. 3) Lee PC, Dixon J. Pharmacotherapy for obesity.Aust Fam Phys. 2017; 46(7): 472–7. 4) NH&MRC (2013) Clinical practice guidelines for the management of overweight and obesity in adults, adolescents and children in Australia. Available at https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/clinical-practice-guidelines-management-overweight-and-obesity, Accessed September 2022.

Your Expected weight loss in 1 year

With the most common treatment options


Percentages are based on the weight loss averages

1) Sumithran P and Proietto J. The defence of body weight: a physiological basis for weight regain after weight loss. Clin Sci 2103; 124: 231–41.RACGP. Obesity prevention and management position statement 2019. Available at https://www.racgp.org.au/FSDEDEV/media/documents/RACGP/Position%20statements/Obesity-prevention-and-management.pdf, accessed September 2022. 2) Pilitsi E, et al. Pharmacotherapy of obesity: Available medications and drugs under investigation. Metab Clin Exp 2019; 92: 170–92. 3) Lee PC, Dixon J. Pharmacotherapy for obesity.Aust Fam Phys. 2017; 46(7): 472–7. 4) NH&MRC (2013) Clinical practice guidelines for the management of overweight and obesity in adults, adolescents and children in Australia. Available at https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/clinical-practice-guidelines-management-overweight-and-obesity, Accessed September 2022.

At your BMI, the Australian Obesity Guidelines(9) recommend my target weight loss should be:


No recommendation based on your BMI.

Answer the questions below, and we can contact you to discuss your treatment options

Tell us about any other health issues

If you do not meet the BMI or weight criteria, you still may be considered for surgery if your BMI is over 30 and you are suffering serious health problems related to obesity.

Do you have either of these serious health concerns?

Have you experienced any of the following Health Risks Associated with Obesity?

BMI is not the only criteria

Something here about lifestyle or how long you’ve been trying to lose weight and what you’ve tried.

Tell us if any of these apply to you

What is your outlook on weight loss?

Readiness to begin your weight loss journey is important.

How committed are you to your weight loss journey?

Fill in your details to have these results sent to you.

If you choose, we can share information about your health, medical history and lifestyle with our team who will determine whether you are a candidate for weight loss surgery.

Request a
consultation

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Weight loss surgery Info pack

Download our free info pack to further understand the weight loss surgery process.

  • Learn more about obesity
  • Understand your procedural options
  • Prepare for surgery

Safe and effective weight loss surgery specialists.

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Bunbury Practice

Suite 3,
Corner of Roberston Drive
and Bussell Highway,
Bunbury WA 6230

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F: 08 9722 1699

E: reception@countrysurgical.com.au

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