Chris Christie has done it. But is lap band weight loss surgery right for you?

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie recently revealed that he had underwent lap-band weight loss surgery to lose weight and improve health. Is weight loss surgery right for you? Morris County NJ personal trainer weights the pros and cons.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie revealed he secretly underwent a weight-loss surgery in February known as the lap band and has dropped roughly 40 pounds since.  Christie agreed to the operation at the urging of family and friends after turning 50 last September.

“I want to applaud him for taking this big step to do something about his weight, not for political reason, for himself and his family,” says Carey Yang, a certified persona trainer and fitness expert in Morris County New Jersey.

Yang is the owner and master personal trainer at Beyond Fitness Solutions, LLC — a leading in-home personal training and weight-loss management company serving and helping clients in Morris County, Sussex County, Passaic County, Essex County and Somerset County areas in New Jersey.

“Now not every one can just walk up to the doctor for the surgery. There are certain criteria you have to meet. Although it indeed helps drop some initial weight quick in the beginning, it’s not a cure-all. I know some people gain a good part of lost weight back as they don’t commit to adopting a healthy lifestyle change, and engaging regular exercise and a healthy diet,” Yang  says. “There are also benefits, risks and side effects that one has to consider.”

The following criteria may make you a candidate for weight loss surgery:

1. A body mass index (BMI) greater than 40.
2. Your BMI is greater than 35, and you have obesity-related health problems that may improve with weight loss.
3. You can demonstrate that traditional weight loss programs like diet and exercise haven’t worked.
4. You are ready to commit to permanent lifestyle changes after surgery.
5. You understand the risks and benefits of weight loss surgery.

The primary benefit of weight loss surgery is weight loss. Gastric bypass surgery causes an average loss of 61% of excess weight. Gastric banding surgery causes slightly less at an average of 47% of excess weight lost. Improvements in general health are also common. Obesity-related medical conditions usually improve or even go away after weight loss surgery, including diabetes, severe arthritis, bstructive sleep apnea, and high blood pressure.

Weight loss surgery carries real risks. As many as 10% of people have complications afterward. Usually problems are only unpleasant or inconvenient, and might cause some pain and discomfort, or require additional surgeries, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, wound infections, and abdominal hernias.

Serious complications do occur after weight loss surgery and can sometimes be life-threatening such as blood clot to the lungs (pulmonary embolism), leaks in the new surgical, gut connections, bleeding ulcers, and heart attacks.

Weight loss surgery should be the beginning of a new and healthy lifestyle. To make the most of the surgery and to maximize results, people need to:

1. Eat healthy
Nearly all severely obese people have unhealthy eating habits. A common problem is “binge eating.” After weight loss surgery, eating large amounts of food at one sitting can make you sick. For many people, learning to eat small, frequent meals is a challenge.

2. Exercise
Keeping weight off is far easier when a person is active and exercises. In addition, exercise reduces rates of many diseases, including cancer and heart disease. To maintain weight loss in the long term, exercise is essential.

Such profound changes in lifestyle don’t happen automatically or easily for most. It’s simply but not easy. Pounds don’t just pile on in one day. For people who need guidance, coaching or training, it’s best to see a weight loss coach or experienced personal trainer. http://www.BeyondFitnessSolutions.com.

War Against Epidemic Obesity is a National Issue and Personal Responsibility

Fighting against rising epidemic obesity is a national warfare declared by Morris County NJ personal trainer, fitness expert and diet coach Care Yang.

Obese Pot Belly

National obesity rate keeps rising with no stop in sight. According to new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 32 million more Americans will become obese by 2030, upping obesity rates to 42 percent of the U.S. population

The report also predicts that the proportion of Americans who are severely obese, meaning more than 100 pounds overweight, will reach 11 percent, about double the current rate. The damage is $550 billion of obesity-related health care costs that can be used to build national infrastructure, improve education, enhance job skills training, reduce unemployment rate, and stimulate economy.

"This is a sad story to read," says Carey Yang,  a certified personal trainer and fitness expert in New Jersey.

Yang is the owner and master personal trainer at Beyond Fitness Solutions, LLC — a leading in-home personal training and weight-loss management company serving and helping clients in Morris County, Sussex County, Passaic County, Essex County and Somerset County areas in New Jersey.

About 34 percent of adults are currently obese, creating a whole host of expensive, chronic health problems, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

"This is a war and we have to fight together as a nation," Yang says. "It has to start with youth. We know that about 50 percent of severe obesity in adults is consequence of obesity in childhood. Currently about 17 percent of children and adolescents are obese."

Yang says, we have so many government agencies, non-profit organizations, communities and schools involved to fight both adult and childhood obesity with a variety of programs. Even the First Lady Michelle Obama early this year launched a campaign to fight childhood obesity by improving childhood nutrition and physical activity.

“Nutrition and exercise start from home. Parents hold the key to educating their children,” Yang says. “Parents should be good role models for their children. If your children see you slouch in front of the tube and dig into a bag of chips along with a bottle of beer, it’s hard to resist the same lifestyle. Chunky Mom, plus chunky Dad, often equals chunky kids and pets.”

Yang advocates parents and family involvements in fighting against obesity. Health and fitness is truly a family matter. He offers a few solutions to promoting active lifestyle and making healthy choices.

1. Be a positive role model. Parents have to set a good example for themselves and for their children such as regular exercise, being active and eating a healthy balanced die.

2. Set family time to prepare meals and exercise together. Research shows that families eating and exercising together also stay closer. 

3. Assign household chores. Children can learn the value of responsibility by sharing active household chores while increasing physical activity.

4. Limit sedentary activities. Watching TV and playing electronic games have taken so much time and opportunity out of moving around and exercising. Studies have shown that reducing TV time is associated with reductions in body weight and body fat.

It’s a day-to-day process and a series of repeated small steps that add up to awesome health habits. “Every time you choose the vegetables over the chips, a walk over a drive, and an active game over T.V., you’ve just made another donation to yourself and to your families lifetime health and fitness fund,” Yang says.

About C. Carey Yang and Beyond Fitness Solutions, LLC
C. Carey Yang, Your Dream Body WorkoutXpert (TM), is a certified personal trainer and fitness boot camp instructor based in Morris County, New Jersey. He provides in-home personal fitness training, backyard boot camp, wellness and lifestyle coaching, and fitness and weight-management seminar. He specializes in helping busy, working professionals who want safe, effective workouts with maximum results in minimum time. Yang is the creator of the 6-Step Dream Body Blueprint (TM) Body Transformation System.

To learn more about lifestyle and wellness coaching, personal fitness training and nutritional counseling and to sign up for a free monthly e-zine, receive free fitness and fat loss e-books, and schedule a complimentary consultation, visit http://www.BeyondFitnessSolutions.com.

He is also available for media interviews, providing a list of tips and articles, and presenting wellness and fitness seminar. Call 973-303-2424 or email Carey at BeyondFitnessSolutions.com.


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The 8th Missing Habit of Highly Fit and Healthy People

If you missed my earlier articles onThe Top 3 Habits of Highly Fit and Healthy People and The 4 Forgotten Habits of Highly Fit and Healthy People, you can read them in the following links.

http://www.beyondfitnesssolutions.com/beyondfitness/2011/09/weight-loss/top-3-habits-of-highly-fit-and-healthy-people/

http://www.beyondfitnesssolutions.com/beyondfitness/2011/10/weight-loss/the-4-forgotten-habits-of-highly-fit-and-healthy-people/

I received great comments and feedback from my readers and clients on all the 7 habits of highly fit and healthy people.

However, deep in my mind, I feel something is still missing. Some of my clients say the same thing. I listed eating, exercise, making time, setting goal, water intake, no-dieting mindset and tracking program as the top 7 healthy habits — look pretty complete.

So, what else is missing?

After some thoughts and soul searching, I discover that these healthy habits are more about external changes and less about habitual programming and mindset changes for sustaining long term success. They’re more about an individual’s own behavioral changes, than influence from the environment.

Here it is that I name the 8th Missing Habit of Highly Fit and Healthy People:

#8 Habit: Sense of Involvement and Community

If you have top 7 habits and become too obsessed about them, you become a gym rat. You turn into a healthy freak. You isolate yourself from the outside world. You care only about yourself.

You may have a physically fit and healthy body but are lack of emotional health and maturity.

Highly fit and healthy people help and share with other people their success by promoting healthy and active lifestyle. They’re involved in their community in many different ways.

One of them is to participate in community services or charity fundraising events that benefit the disadvantages or for good causes. They have healthy hearts, and more than that, they  have BIG hearts that serve and help the community.

If you resonate with me, now go out to run  5K charity races or serve the spaghetti meals.