Dr. Arya Sharma’s Keynote Speech Highlights
October 9, 2013Highlights And Insights From Dr. Arya Sharma's Keynote Speech
Hello ObesityHelp Members,
Well, I am back in my home office after the ObesityHelp National Conference. What a great event it was! I think I am going to need to soak in the jacuzzi though! I always make the mistake of wearing high heels at these conferences and then pay for it afterwards. In my attempt to be fashionable I wore my "boots are made for walkin' boots" ...only those boot aren't made for walking...at least not for a 16 plus hour day!
I know many of you were not able to attend the conference so in between my mini-blogs, I took some notes and thought I would share some highlights of Dr. Arya Sharma's keynote discussion:
Dr. Sharma discussed with us about the fact that there is no cure for obesity. In fact, obesity is a life-long diagnosis but there are tools and medicines to help manage obesity and the many comorbidites. Bariatric surgery is one of those tools but you still have to work your tool to maintain long-term weight loss. Obesity is a chronic disease and Dr. Sharma likened obesity to a rubber band. When trying to lose weight, you need to pull on the rubber band and in order to keep the weight off, you need to consistently keep pulling on that rubber band.
Other highlights include:
-"Gut bugs" and the fact that research has shown that they help to digest your food and speed up your metabolism.
-Dr. Sharma shared with us about some interesting research that included fecal matter transplantation from a skinny person to an obese person. Research shows that the obese person's metabolism is positively affected with such a procedure so they are making new discoveries about obesity and obesity management. (I am going to try and learn more about this topic for an upcoming article.)
-The effects of sleep apnea on obesity should not be lost. People with sleep apnea think they are sleeping when actually they are not getting restored sleep and this a affects your levels of energy levels, contributes to depression etc. One clinical sign of sleep apnea is having unexplained bruises. (I found that interesting because that happens to me!)
-Did you know that the US has a National Weight Control Registry? I had no idea! Dr. Sharma (who lives in Canada) joked that we don't even have a registry for gun control but we have one for weight control.
-Comfort food is comfort food for a reason. It makes your brain happy and your brain does not forget.
-Doctors manage chronic problems all the time. But there is never going to be a quick fix for obesity…it’s a lifetime problem and surgery is only a tool. None of the superfoods and diets that Dr. Oz throws out there are the answer.
-Food addiction is not like any other addiction. Although it may be difficult to do, you can break free from other addictions such as alcohol, cigarettes, gambling and so on. But you need food to survive and so it makes food addiction harder to manage.
-Emotional eating and binge eating were discussed. They are not the same as food addiction because can be treated with 12 step programs and by other means. (Dr. Sharma calls binge eating "binge jumping".)
-ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) Dr. Sharma and his team's research is finding that ADD is more common in obese patients. (bariatric/obese patients are 40% more likely to have ADD and ADD often goes undiagnosed. He joked that those with ADD probably have 40 books on their shelves and have most likely only read the first chapter in each book. He says his next book will be on ADD since he would only have to write one chapter. The audience loved that funny moment!
-Another funny moment was when he referred to the show The Biggest Loser and the personal trainer Jillian Michaels. "Put her in a 400 pound fat suit and tell her to exercise. Then she will know how it feels." he quipped.
-Obesity is a personal disease. No two patients are alike before or after bariatric surgery. Everyone has their own story, their own medical issues, and emotional issues as to how and why they became obese. Chronic grief, sexual and physical abuse, PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder), emotional eating, etc. Certain medications can make you hungry...the list goes on.
-Obesity Management is about doing less and never about doing more and that’s often difficult…The toughest part is giving up things and that includes people and relationships that are contributing to your weight gain.
"The hardest part is letting go of those things that are not part of the solution. You need to put yourself first" he said. "Just like when you are flying on an airplane and they instruct you to put your oxygen mask on first. In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, you put your mask on first before helping others…You put your needs first and that’s what you need to do with managing obesity. You need to take care of you!"
So much more was discussed with attendees and there was some Q & A but my fingers can only type so fast! I will be sharing with you some highlights from Dr. Sharma's breakout session, Bariatric Surgeons Operate on Your Gut, Not Your Head, which was a standing-room-only workshop. But until then, you can read an insightful blog that he has posted since the ObesityHelp Conference. Click here to read his blog entitled, Weight Loss Is Not A Behaviour!
