Weight Loss Specialty Services at Advanced Weight Solutions

• Bariatric Surgery Preparation and Support
• Childhood Obesity
• Diabetes Education

Bariatric Surgery Preparation and Support

Will your team work with me if I'm having bariatric (weight loss) surgery?

The Alexian Brothers Advanced Weight Solutions team works with many people on their road to bariatric surgery and beyond. Often insurance companies require a prescribed time of medical weight management. This approach can assist you greatly in your preparation for surgery and maximize your success after your procedure. The behavioral, dietary and lifestyle changes that support long-term weight maintenance are the focus of our interdisciplinary team. We work with you to develop meaningful tools that will assist you towards a healthier happier future.

Childhood Obesity

How do I know if my child is overweight?

Trust your doctor to help you determine if your child is overweight.

If my child is heavy now, will he or she always have a weight problem?

Not all heavy children have weight problems as adults. However, as children get older, their risk for staying overweight increases. If one or both parents are overweight, the child will be more at risk for having weight problems.

What's causing my child's weight problem? Could it be hormones?

• Over eating and eating too often
  As in adults, most weight gain is caused by eating too much and becoming less physically active. Video games and other computer technologies are creating one of the most sedentary generations ever.
• Genetics
  Genetics certainly plays a role in childhood obesity. If even one of a child's parents is overweight or obese, that child has a significantly high chance of being obese. But genetics and family history isn't the only problem.
• Inactivity
  Today's children are much more sedentary than generations of the past. One factor is that many schools have reduced the amounts of physical education programs that they offer. But in general, children today spend more time watching TV and playing video games than they spend playing and running. Combine a more sedentary lifestyle with the consumption of high quantities of sugary and/or fatty foods and you have an epidemic.

It's unlikely that your child has a hormone imbalance. Your physician can tell you if he or she feels more tests are indicated. But most children with a hormone imbalance grow slower than other children. If your child has excessive fatigue, constipation or dry skin, let your doctor know.

What will obesity do to my child?

An alarming trend in childhood obesity is the rise of obesity—related illnesses in children—the same illnesses that we see in adults. Physicians are seeing the following illnesses in obese children.

• Type 2 Diabetes—formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes has become increasingly prevalent among overweight children and adolescents. In the USA, up to 45% of children with newly diagnosed diabetes have Type 2 diabetes and most are overweight or obese at diagnosis.
• Asthma
• Gallstones
• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• Elevated Cholesterol
• Liver Problems
• Menstrual Problems
• Sleep Disorders
• Orthopedic Complications

Diabetes Education

How can you help me manage my diabetes?

Whether you were recently diagnosed with diabetes, or you've been living with it for years, staying informed is the key to staying healthy. Continuous advances in the understanding and treatment of diabetes have produced tools that can help you manage your disease and preserve your quality of life. We offer the following services to assist you on your road to health.

Individual Appointments

• Taught by a certified diabetic educator
• Develop custom nutritional plans
• Teach monitoring of blood glucose
• Address your personal needs in managing your diabetes

Group Classes:

• Designed to deliver basic diabetes education to ensure proper day-to-day care
• Encourage and support diabetes self-management
• Provider education to promote long-term health maintenance
• Based on National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education

The American Diabetes Association has accredited our diabetes patient education program certifying that it meets the National Standards for Diabetes Patient Education.