Weight Management

Hattiesburg Clinic Weight Management provides specialized care to individuals who have an increased body mass, with the goal to improve health by addressing excess weight as a chronic disease.

Weight Loss Surgery

Obesity is considered a chronic, multifactorial disease, which makes losing weight and maintaining it very challenging. At Hattiesburg Clinic Weight Management, we offer a medically supervised, comprehensive and patient-centered approach that includes evidence-based medical treatments and effective weight loss procedures, including a minimally invasive weight loss surgery known as Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy.

(Pictured at left: Actual patient. Results may vary.)

Weight Management

Abnormal or excessive fat accumulation can negatively affect an individual’s health. These conditions are determined by body mass index (BMI), which is a weight-for-height index that is typically used to classify overweight or obesity in adults. A BMI greater than or equal to 25 is overweight; and a BMI greater than or equal to 30 is obese.

According to the World Health Organization:

Obesity has more than doubled worldwide since 1980.
More than 1.9 billion adults, ages 18 and up, were overweight in 2014; and 600 million of those individuals were living with obesity.
Worldwide, overweight and obesity are linked to more deaths than underweight.
In 2013, 42 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese.
Obesity is preventable.

There are major risk factors for individuals who are considered overweight or obese. These include:

Heart disease
Stroke
Diabetes
Certain cancers
Musculoskeletal disorders (osteoarthritis)

At Weight Management, our mission is to help the individual combat excess weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle, ultimately improving his or her quality of life.

Some of our services include:

Ongoing consultations and evaluations
Meal replacement programs
Diet and exercise recommendations
Referrals for physical therapy

Weight Management also offers a support group where individuals who are struggling with their weight can come together to share their stories and get help and support in their efforts to be a healthier version of themselves.

WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY

Like many of our patients, you may have struggled with your weight for most of your life. Weight loss shouldn’t be a struggle, but sometimes, shedding those extra pounds can be difficult.

At Hattiesburg Clinic Weight Management, we offer a full-range of safe and effective weight loss procedures, including a minimally invasive weight loss surgery known as Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy.

Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy – often called vertical sleeve or gastric sleeve surgery – is a bariatric procedure that removes approximately 75-85% of the stomach, causing the stomach to take on the shape of a tube or “sleeve.” The reduction in stomach volume causes people to feel full much quicker after surgery.

Gastric sleeve surgery, which is the most commonly performed bariatric procedure worldwide, is performed by our board certified bariatric surgeons, Neal T. Holm, MD, and Daniel H. Smith, MD, of Hattiesburg Clinic General Surgery.

The Procedure

The surgeon will make approximately five to six small incisions, instead of one large incision, in the abdominal wall then inserts a small camera, called a laparoscope, that sends pictures to a monitor. The surgeon will then insert other medical instruments through the additional cuts and remove 75% of your stomach. Finally, the surgeon reattaches the rest of your stomach to form the banana-sized stomach or “sleeve.”

Who is eligible?

Weight loss surgery is for patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 40 or a BMI between 35 and 39 with at least one co-morbidity, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, hypertension, NAFLD/NASH and degenerative disc/joint disease.

Body Mass Index Calculator

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Calculate Your BMI

Advantages

Gastric sleeve surgery offers a host of benefits, including:

Improved quality of life
Excess weight loss of about 60-70% within one year of surgery
Favorable changes in gut hormones that suppress hunger and reduce appetite

Remission or improvement of obesity-related health conditions, including:
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Type 2 diabetes
- Stroke
- Infertility

For those interested in weight loss surgery, speak with your doctor or primary care physician to see if you are a candidate. A physician referral is required for weight loss surgery.

Pathways to Improving Your Health

ARTICLES:

“I believe obesity isn’t just a problem. It’s a disease that warrants serious evidence-based treatments. Nutritional and physical activity guidance. Intensive behavioral counseling. Drug therapy. And surgery. I agree to learn more and help more. I treat obesity seriously.”
– Quote taken from www.TreatObesitySeriously.org