In a day and age when physical appearance counts for so much, the desire to look better and feel more confident is often our key motivation for losing weight. But being overweight or obese hinders us in many ways aside from the social. With statistics showing that more than 400,000 people a year die due to complications directly attributable to being obese, there's a critical need to keep the health consequences in mind, too.

The facts speak for themselves. When you're overweight or obese, you're at significantly greater risk for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, high blood cholesterol, and more. When you're morbidly obese, these risks are amplified. People who are considered morbidly obese have a significantly higher chance of the following (as compared to individuals who are not overweight):

• Dying prematurely - morbidly obese individuals have a 300-500% greater chance of dying before the age of 76.
• Developing medical problems including diabetes (1200% higher), high blood pressure (500-600% higher) and heart disease (200-400% higher).
• Developing certain types of cancers such as colon, breast, and uterine.
• Developing premature degenerative arthritis and joint pain causing limited mobility and activity.
• Developing Sleep Apnea and Pulmonary Hypertension (which leads to heart failure).

In recent years, more and more studies have shown that certain kinds of cancer are associated with obesity. In fact, obesity, combined with a lack of physical activity, may account for 25 to 30% of several major cancers, including colon, breast (postmenopausal), endometrial, kidney, and esophageal. Obesity has also been associated with increases in uterine cancer.

It comes as no surprise that being overweight affects your state of mind, too. In fact, emotional suffering may be one of the most painful parts of obesity. With so much emphasis on how we look, carrying extra weight makes us feel unattractive, unwanted, even unlovable. Prejudice and discrimination at school, in the job market, and in social situations is common, often leading to feelings of shame and - worse - depression.

While there is no cure for obesity, there are many ways to go about losing weight. And study after study shows that even a small amount of weight loss can improve your health. Methods of treatment will depend on your level of obesity, your overall health condition, and your motivation to lose weight. Whatever your situation, diet, exercise , and behavioral changes – or ideally a combination of the three – are the initial and safest therapies for obesity. For patients who are morbidly obese and have not been able to maintain weight loss, surgery may be an effective alternative. Whatever method you choose, remember: weight control is a life-long effort.

For people who are morbidly obese, weight-loss surgery is often their best chance at leading a healthier, longer, more fulfilling life. In fact, the National Institutes of Health and numerous other medical organizations have endorsed weight-loss surgery as an effective treatment for people considered morbidly obese (Read the NIH article). Weight-loss surgery achieves excellent long-term weight-loss for morbidly obese patients. In addition, a recent report from the Journal of the American Medical Association has detailed the numerous other health benefits of weight loss surgery:

• Diabetes is cured in 77% of patients and resolved or improved in 86% of patients. Most patients are off all of their diabetes medications or have significantly reduced doses in the first three months after surgery. Blood sugar glucose levels and Hemoglobin A1c levels usually return to normal or near normal.
• Hypertension (high blood pressure) is cured in 62% of patients and resolved or improved in 78.5%. Most patients are able to reduce their blood pressure medications to a single medication within a few months.
• Hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol and high triglycerides) is improved in more than 70% of patients.
• Obstructive sleep apnea is cured in 86% of patients.
• Risk of death is decreased by 89%.

Other potential benefits include:

• Improvement in arthritis, including a reduction in pain and increased mobility.
• Resolution or improvement of numerous other conditions, such as: skin infections, skin rashes, ankle swelling, obesity-related heart failure, asthma, infertility and lymphedema.
• Improved ability to participate in physical and recreational activities.
• Improved social and economic opportunities.
• Improved sense of well-being.