Most overweight children have overweight parents. Too often, despite the health risks, many of these parents are in denial about the role they play in their childs obesity.
As obesity among young people continues to rise, these are the parents most likely to consider weight loss surgery for their adolescents and teens. After all, if they dont want to do the work to achieve a healthy weight of their own, how can they possibly do so for their kids?
Heres the hard truth: kids dont become obese on their own. Their parents create the environment in which they grow. Its the parents who dont want to shop for the right food, prepare it correctly, portion it appropriately, and feed it to their children. Parents with nonchalant attitudes towards their own weight perpetuate that in their children. That is the issue, plain and simple.
Many adults have bariatric surgery (weight-loss surgery), lose a lot of weight, then gain it all back.
Some adults have traveled outside of the US for bariatric surgery because it was cheaper. Later, when complications arose, and they couldnt find an American doctor to fix another surgeons procedure, they had to go out of the country again for an additional procedureor two.
Many adults become depressed after surgery. They feel isolated in many social settings (parties, weddings, restaurants) either because they cant partake as they had in the past or because they do, and eat too muchfollowed by the quick consequences of having to be in the rest room with pain, diarrhea, vomiting or acid reflux immediately afterward.
Ive had mothers, who were unsuccessful examples of their own bariatric procedures, candidly tell me that they were waiting for their overweight teens to meet the weight requirement to qualify for bariatric surgery!
Bariatric surgery is drastic, invasive surgery. Anything can happen and often does, both physically and mentally. So, parents who are considering surgery for their children must ask themselves these questions: are their kids really physically and emotionally mature enough to undergo the surgery?
Are their children able to understand that they must follow a strict dietary regimen for the rest of their lives or they will regain the weight they loseand more?
Will they understand that if they try to eat too much there is a risk of the stomach, above the band, becoming enlarged?
Can obese parents provide the post-procedure support for their kid by setting an example of eating correctly?
Does anyone know the long-term effects of interfering with a teens digestive system and nutrient intake?
Are kids able to understand that a lap-band is a human-made device that may be in place for a lifetime, and as such carries a risk of scarring and malfunction?
Are kids able to understand they will need to cultivate a new relationship with food by eating very small amounts, chewing thoroughly, and evenly spacing out food consumption throughout the day? Can they adjust to this way of eating?
Are kids able to understand that they must be hyper-vigilant about what they eat, when and how and this might make them stand out amongst their peers at a time when they want to fit in? Will they understand that being with friends, or in other social settings, can make it harder to make good nutritional choices?
Wont it be hard for them to figure out a new, healthy relationship with food, especially if they and others in their family have always relied on food for comfort?
Will their expectations be too high? Do they think the surgery will boost their popularity or bring them more attention? Will they be disappointed and depressed to find that old problems still exist even at a smaller size?
The answer to all of the questions is: children are not ready for these responsibilities. Adolescents and teenagers are bad candidates for bariatric surgery. They are often immature, rebellious and uninterested in long-term consequences.
Weight loss surgery is not a panacea for obesity in teens. There are many unknowns. No studies document the long-term effects of weight loss surgery on a childs future growth and development. Whats more, weight loss surgery does not guarantee that an adolescent will lose all of his/her excess weight or keep it off long-term.
Weight loss surgery does not replace the long-term need for a healthy diet and regular physical activity.
Weight loss surgery doesnt teach kids the lessons they need to learn to get slim and to stay slim and healthy all through adulthood. It is a quick fix that completely ignores the issues that cause kids to become obese in the first place. Its just another tool to set them up for failure and a lifelong battle with their weight for the rest of their lives.
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Lori Boxer is the director of Weight No More Diet Center, with offices in Brooklyn, Long Island and New Jersey.
