What Is Morbid Obesity?

"Morbid" means causing disease or injury. Therefore, Morbid Obesity is a serious disease process in which the accumulation of fatty tissue on the body becomes excessive and interferes with or injures the other bodily organs, causing serious and life-threatening health problems which are called co-morbidities.

Morbid Obesity is recognized by the consensus of medical opinion as a serious problem, a disease process. In most cases, the underlying problem is genetic, meaning you inherit the tendency to gain weight. Once the problem is established, there is very little that willpower can do about it, any more than a diabetic can control his/her blood sugar by willpower.

How do you know if you are morbidly obese? There are three criteria:

• You are more than 100 pounds over your "ideal body weight". This is a weight established actuarially at which you are likely to live the longest, not that you wish you could weigh, which is less. Another alternative criterion is called the Body Mass Index (BMI). If this is greater than 40, surgery should be considered. If it is greater than 35, and is accompanied by serious co-morbidities, surgery may be indicated.
  
  
• You have co-morbidities from being seriously overweight. Some examples are high blood pressure, edema, high blood sugar, shortness of breath, etc.
  
  
• You have tried dieting, especially medically supervised diets, and have been unable to achieve a sustained healthy body weight. Everyone knows diets don't work in the morbidly obese. There has never been a scientific study reported which shows that they do, but you should have at least tried.

What are the health effects of Morbid Obesity? Severe obesity damages the body by its mechanical, metabolic and physiological adverse effects on normal body function. The "co-morbidities" affect nearly every organ in the body in some way and produce serious secondary illnesses, which may also be life-threatening. The cumulative effect of these co-morbidities can interfere with a normal and productive life, cause endless frustration and can seriously shorten life as well. Some co-morbidities are :