Today, 64.5 percent of adult Americans (about 127 million) are categorized as being overweight or obese. Each year, obesity causes at least 300,000 excess deaths in the U.S. , and healthcare costs of American adults with obesity amount to approximately $100 billion. We all have and need fat tissue in our bodies. When there is too much body fat, the result is obesity . Obesity is not a sign of a person being out of control. It is a serious medical disease that affects over a quarter of adults in the United States , and about 14% of children and adolescents. It is the second leading cause of preventable death after smoking.

The ideal Body Mass Index (BMI) is between 19 and 25. If you have a Body Mass Index of between 25 and 30, you are considered to be overweight. At a BMI of 30 or over, you are considered obese. A BMI of 40 or more indicates severe or "morbid" obesity .

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People's ignorance of the disease and their negative attitudes regarding obesity has been clearly documented. Our society has little tolerance for people that are overweight and obesity is frequently treated as a character flaw, not the insidious disease that it is. Obesity is one of the last bastions of discrimination that is alive and well in the US . Discrimination against the obese is very apparent in employment opportunities, earnings, education and even in relationships.

Obesity carries substantial health risks and represents the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States . Surgery for weight control is the only accepted medical treatment proven to reverse the disease of morbid obesity. Surgery should not be considered as last resort, but as the only effective resort.

Today it is generally recognized by the medical community that weight loss surgeries offer the most permanently effective solution for morbid obesity. Research and experience supports the fact that the surgical approach to morbid obesity is safe and beneficial for many people who have found standard diets and exercise to be to no avail. New medical technologies have made weight loss surgeries much safer in recent years and it is agreed upon by most experts that the dangers of remaining morbidly obese are greater than those encountered during weight loss surgeries.