Obesity and sport
2 patients talk about their operation and their experiences
Pathological overweight? Obesity? Is sport still possible here? What is it like after obesity surgery?
Ariane and Tanja tell us about their journey from being overweight to surgery, the advantages and disadvantages, the importance of aftercare, and what they do now in terms of sport.
“Everybody needs to act” – This is the motto of World Obesity Day on 04 March 2022. Find out how Swiss1Chirurgie sees the effort against the worldwide affliction of obesity and what is expected from all of us in the Swiss1Chirurgie statement.
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“Are you fat man!” This or similar is the sound of derogatory remarks that people with morbid obesity have to deal with time and again. In a public lecture, Dr. med. Jörg Zehetner from Swiss1Chirurgie will show where the causes of morbid obesity lie and what medical options and surgical interventions can be used to counteract the unpleasant accompanying symptoms. Personal questions will also be answered.
Date/Location: Wednesday, 11.09.2019, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Marzili conference room at Salem Hospital, Schänzlistrasse 33, Berne, admission free, registration not required
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The new BMI calculator from the Centre for Bariatric Surgery (ZfbC) and swiss1chirurgie combines a high level of convenience with the best tips for any treatment needs.
If you want to know your weight, you stand on the scales. But if you want to know a little more about your physical condition, you can now use the new BMI calculator from the ZfbC/swiss1chirurgie. Without long calculations, the digital BMI calculator determines the body mass index quickly, reliably and with only a few entries, which provides important information about whether the body weight is a health risk.
Just by stating the current weight, height and age, conclusions can be drawn as to whether the values are within the norm or above it. These personal details can be supplemented by the desired weight, details of physical activity and any efforts to achieve weight loss.
The more information is provided, the more concrete the calculations and also the statements on whether there is an urgent need for action and how and under what time frame the weight can be positively influenced under the given conditions.
The new BMI calculator of the Centre for Bariatric Surgery Bern is available on the website of the ZfbC https://www.zfbc.ch/bmi/ and swiss1chirurgie https://www.swiss1chirurgie.ch/bmi/ as well as in the newly developed app https://m.swiss1chirurgie.ch#/module/5784837 and can be used immediately. In this way, health-conscious people can in fact check their current status at any time and from anywhere, even with their smartphone, and make decisions to optimise their body weight in terms of health. The link between the BMI calculator and the medical tips for the prevention and treatment of morbid overweight (obesity) is extremely interesting. Causes, correlations and effects are presented here just as comprehensibly as the treatment approaches of the ZfbC.
The BMI calculator of the ZfbC/swiss1chirurgie has the potential to cause a sensation not only in Switzerland but also internationally. The new BMI calculator will therefore also be presented by Prof. Dr. Jörg Zehetner at a congress to be held soon in the USA, CHINA, MIDDLE EAST, EUROPE and ASIA. There, the digital BMI calculator will be able to show directly what it can really do. The interest of the experts is just as great as the need of the population. After all, the USA is one of the countries in the world where morbid obesity is one of the main causes of secondary diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, musculoskeletal disorders and diseases, heart attacks and strokes due to obesity. This also includes the psychological and social impairments that are often associated with being significantly overweight.
With the convenient BMI calculator of the ZfbC, the way to an easy digital calculation of the Body Mass Index is opened for medical laymen as well as for medical specialists. Although BMI alone is not a definitive measure of treatment options, it is an important indicator of whether treatment is needed and under what circumstances the best treatment outcomes can be achieved.
The American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress (ACS Congress) is held annually in October in the USA. This year, San Francisco, California, was the meeting place for specialised surgeons who stand for innovation and reliable surgical technique with special achievements in their field. However, no surgeon is admitted to the top ranks of international colleagues all by himself. The ACS Congress is mainly attended by members of the American College of Surgeons. However, only those who have previously achieved the title Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) can become members here.
Already during his stay in the USA from 2008 to 2015, Dr Jörg Zehetner attended the ACS Congress every year. And he received the title FACS on the occasion of a solemn convocation, which as an admission ceremony seals membership in the “American College of Surgeons” society. Prerequisites for this title are a completed specialist training in surgery as well as several years of successful professional practice and the recommendation of at least three academic specialist colleagues. So the hurdles are set high if you want to become a member of this select society. For Dr Jörg Zehetner of Swiss1Chirurgie, this membership in the “American College of Surgeons” society became a reality as early as 2014.
Of particular interest were the new developments in obesity surgery and reflux surgery. In these special fields, Dr. Zehetner has been a sought-after specialist colleague for years due to his high level of expertise, who is always interested in new surgical techniques and, first and foremost, in the sustainable success of the interventions. A central topic during this year’s congress was robotic surgery. There was a lot to learn, even though the first day of the congress in particular was also associated with the difficulties of jet lag after the journey from Bern to San Francisco.
The reunion with the American colleagues from the time when they worked together at the Department of Surgery at the University of Southern California (USC) was a little more relaxed. Old friendships could be revived just as much as the exchange on the specialist topics, which were the focus of attention at the congress anyway.
The cooperation with the specialists from California and with colleagues at the University of San Diego resulted in numerous research findings, which Dr. Zehetner was able to publish in many publications even after 2015. Especially the research projects in the field of reflux diseases, oesophageal cancer as well as obesity surgery have led to results that still have an impact on surgery today and offer real cures for patients.
Competence in the special subject areas exists in the German-speaking world, but is hardly noticed internationally. It is therefore important that Dr Jörg Zehetner, with his successful professional experience and scientific work on the topics, is an important and currently the only link between the American surgical societies and the experts in the German-speaking countries.
In the International Relation Committee of the SSAT (Society of the Alimentary Tract) he is the only member from the DACH region and thus ensures a successful exchange with the American colleagues.
The SSAT and three other societies hold the world’s largest and most important congress for surgeons and gastroenterologists every year in May. For the coming year, Digestive Disease Week is planned for the period from 2 to 05 May 2020. By then at the latest, Dr Jörg Zehetner will again be able to cultivate his international contacts with specialist colleagues and shine with his characteristic surgical competence. With or without jet lag.
Severe obesity with all the possible secondary diseases such as type 2 diabetes is one of the widespread diseases in the developed industrialised countries and the number of cases is increasing. Not only in the USA, but also in Europe, morbid overweight (obesity) is rampant. Both in Germany and Switzerland, more and more clinics are specialising in the medical and, above all, surgical treatment of heavyweight contemporaries. Accordingly, surgical procedures are performed more frequently in obesity surgery than they were a few decades ago. Stomach reduction, tube stomach or gastric bypass are the keywords for operations related to obesity. While in Germany, according to current surveys, there is an almost complete lack of professional aftercare, in Switzerland, for example, the Centre for Bariatric Surgery (ZfbC) also sets a good example in the aftercare of patients.
A stomach reduction, in whatever form, is the only way out of the vicious circle of obesity, secondary diseases, lack of exercise and even more obesity for many obese patients. In Germany, but also in Switzerland, clinics have specialised in surgical interventions for obesity and provide patients with at least short-term hope for change. However, in Germany in particular, this hope remains a mere expectation. Because even more important than the success of the actual surgical intervention is the subsequent aftercare. And in most cases, this will be necessary for a lifetime. Postoperative care for obese patients is by no means limited to the control of small scars or wound healing in the gastrointestinal tract. More importantly, after such an operation, patients have to change their whole life decisively. This starts with a new form of nutrition, continues with controlled nutritional supplementation, for example with vitamins, trace elements and protein, and ends with a new way of learning sensible exercise. Only a corresponding change in lifestyle habits can ensure the success of bariatric surgery in the long term and thus make the lives of overweight patients better.
All experienced medical specialists, nutritionists, physiotherapists and psychotherapists agree on this. However, there is a lack of concrete implementation of such follow-up treatment and further care in Germany. As the Norddeutscher Rundfunk NDR recently revealed in a contribution to the health magazine “Visite”, the concept of follow-up treatment is poorly neglected in Germany and virtually not established at all. One of the reasons for this is that the health insurance companies neither include such a lengthy to lifelong care for patients in their cost catalogue, nor do they seem to be interested in it. Anyone who has managed to get an overweight operation financed by German health insurance funds at all is often left alone and downright to fend for themselves afterwards.
Accordingly, few patients then find their way to nutrition counselling and further care. Until the body again sounds the alarm and all short-term successes of bariatric surgery are acutely endangered. Those who are financially well off will treat themselves to the necessary aftercare if they have sufficient insight and self-discipline. Those who are less well-off or do not even know how important further care is, do not act at all at this point due to ignorance or lack of financial mass and thus endanger not only the success of the overweight operation, but their health in general.
The German health system clearly has a duty here and must find ways to ensure that bariatric surgery does not turn into an odyssey through the clinical pictures of accompanying secondary diseases.
It’s different in Switzerland. Here too, medical centres such as Swiss1Chirurgie, together with the Centre for Bariatric Surgery in Bern, have dedicated themselves to surgical interventions for morbid obesity. Unlike its German neighbours, however, the focus here is on the protracted nature of such interventions from the outset. Only patients who are willing to receive lifelong counselling and support are even considered for bariatric surgery. This is already addressed in the initial talks and is also consistently enforced after the interventions. Of course, always with the cooperation of the patients and all the professionals needed for this.
This methodology is also supported in principle by the Swiss health care system. Here it is clear that anyone who has to undergo bariatric surgery will need the support of the relevant specialists such as internists, nutritionists, physiotherapists and psychotherapists for a long time afterwards, if not permanently. This is the only way to ensure the long-term success of obesity surgery, which ultimately not only benefits the health of the patients, but also significantly minimises the follow-up costs due to a lack of follow-up care.such as internists, nutritionists, physiotherapists and psychotherapists.
It remains questionable whether this insight will be reached in Germany in the near future. While the health care system there mainly works on apparent undesirable developments and deficiencies, most obesity patients remain on their own, with or without bariatric surgery.
We have provided more information on the “Visite” report by NDR here http://bit.ly/ndrnachversorgung.
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| Dr. med. Michèle Gasser Dr. med. Claudia Meier Dr. med. Yvette Ottiger Dr. med. Stefan Schäfer Dr. med. Rudolf Steffen Dr. med. Jörg Zehetner Seilerstrasse 8 |
Dr. med. Jörg Zehetner Professor (USC) MMM, FACS, FEBS (hon.) PD Dr. med. Rudolf Steffen Dr. med. Alejandro Metzger Schänzlihalde 1 |
The new year is now a few days old and for many people everyday life has already returned. Yet 2020 began with many good intentions. Less kilos, more sport and active exercise are the most frequently mentioned good intentions for the new year, along with giving up cigarettes and spending more time with the family.
It is becoming clear that more and more people are taking a more conscious look at their own health and are focusing their plans on fitness, resilience and having more fun with active exercise. Especially when overweight, digestive complaints, stomach problems or reflux are daily companions in life, active exercise or regular sport is the way out of the vicious circle for many Swiss people.
We at Swiss1Chirurgie know that especially in cases of morbid obesity, sporting activity is often difficult to implement and ambition quickly wanes if the pounds do not fall off so clearly and quickly. One quickly falls back into old habits or tries to find other excuses for the supposed failure. In many such cases, bariatric surgery may be the best long-term solution. And even after such an operation, physical activity is one of the most important rules if the excess weight is to be permanently reduced and a healthier lifestyle maintained.
Especially in the cold season, the choice for recreational sports is somewhat limited. Cycling, classic hiking, jogging or water sports are often ruled out due to the weather. For some, the only option seems to be to go to the gym or the swimming pool. But many overweight people also fail to do this, mainly for psychological reasons. The shame of showing one’s own body openly, the fear of hidden smiles up to open hostility and certainly also fears of failure make the way into the dumbbell gyms and swimming pools even more difficult. Classic winter sports such as cross-country skiing, skiing, snowboarding or ice skating are also rarely possible.
The good variant of relaxed but active hiking in winter is snowshoeing. Even the old mountain farmers at high altitudes in Switzerland used snowshoes to get around in winter when the snow was heavy. Today, that is actually no longer necessary. But snowshoeing has become a popular leisure activity in winter, which is definitely a good choice of means for overweight people and also reflux patients.
The somewhat more difficult running requires, in addition to a certain degree of discipline, above all endurance and attention to one’s own body. Since snowshoeing is also only possible outdoors, it also contributes to a better supply of fresh air for the organism. Another nice thing about snowshoeing is that it can be done alone or in a group. In addition, there are specially prepared and signposted routes for snowshoe hiking, especially in the winter sports regions of Switzerland. Perfect for all those for whom skiing and tobogganing are rather unsuitable and who nevertheless do not want to do without sporting activity even in snowy winters.
For those who are now more intensively interested in snowshoeing, we offer an excellent possibility to get the sports equipment for snowshoeing quickly, easily and without additional costs. Together with Suzuki Switzerland, Swiss1Chirurgie is giving away a total of 50 snowshoe sets, each with a pair of snowshoes and matching poles.
However, you have to be quick here. Because only the first 50 entrants can enjoy new snowshoes for free and then start their snowshoeing experience with Suzuki snowshoes.
But also for everyone else, snowshoeing is a clear recommendation for more activity in winter. This applies to normal weight people as well as to overweight people or those with certain complaints.
Of course, we will be happy to advise you in the Swiss1Chirurgie clinics in Brig, Solothurn and Bern about your very individual options for an active life. This way, you may be able to keep your good resolutions for 2020 a little better and achieve the first results soon. Maybe even with a snowshoe set from Swiss1Chirurgie and Suzuki Switzerland. Have fun and above all wish you a healthy new year Jörg Zehetner and the entire Swiss1Chirurgie team.
The Centre for Bariatric Surgery (ZfbC) and Swiss1Chirurgie specialise, among other things, in patients who are seeking comprehensive medical help with accompanying care due to a serious and morbid obesity problem. Prof. Dr. Jörg Zehetner, as the leading mind behind the ZfbC and Swiss1Chirurgie, knows that the path from severely overweight patients to a happier and fulfilled life is not an easy one. For decades, he has treated and cared for patients who nevertheless take this long journey. Clear progress can be seen just as much as an occasional relapse into old habits and the difficult fight against obesity and the prejudices associated with it.
Dr Jörg Zehetner has also been able to count Sina Gossweiler among his patients for several years. Many people know the young woman from the show “Deutschland sucht den Superstar” (DSDS), where the Wattenwil native was able to convince with a magnificent voice, and also got into the recall, but not further. The young singer is also known for her fight against obesity, which she finally took up with the professional help of the ZfbC after some back and forth and repeated self-diets.
A gastric bypass operation was finally the right and appropriate way for her to move into a weight-wise and also psychologically lighter future. It was clear from the beginning that this journey does not end with the surgical intervention, but in fact requires follow-up care in a professional environment throughout life. Sina has fought this battle successfully so far and now feels visibly more comfortable in her own skin. In addition to learning healthy eating habits, as well as exercise and sport, she has now reached a healthy weight.
And in terms of music, too, the signs are pointing to success. Even though the DSDS recall almost exactly a year ago didn’t lead any further, the likeable musician is now standing there with her head held high. With their first single “Everything I Want To Be” they got off to a great start in the charts. As Sina Lark, the self-confident young woman makes her commercial debut in the music business and can already enjoy a great deal of attention.
Not only did her new song run for the first time as Song of the Day on SRF 3 at the beginning of February 2020, but a live performance on 14.02.2020, between 19:00 and 20:00 on the station will also show how consistently and with what passion Sina is looking for the way to the top and has now perhaps even already found it. Then she will present two songs live on the SRF 3 programme “Punkt CH”. Her new single will also be presented as “Hit of the Day” on 14.02.2020.
If you take both the gastric bypass operation and the musical path together, it becomes clear that Sina Gossweiler has already taken the long road very successfully as Sina Lark. This gives the soon to be 21-year-old woman from the canton of Bern even more strength to continue on her path now more than ever. On the one hand, this path leads downwards when it comes to weight. On the other hand, it is also the ascent into a new life that Sina has paved for herself with her musical talent. The fact that both directions always involve a lot of effort, challenges, stamina and also the odd setback is impressively demonstrated by Sina Gossweiler’s still young story.
In the end, it is up to each individual to decide how to deal with his or her own problems. Getting the best help at the right time also proved to be a real stroke of luck in this particular case.
Every year at the beginning of March, there is a day dedicated to the topic of obesity as World Obesity Day. Certainly, this is not a holiday for those affected, but at least it is the day when there is a good reason to think about obesity in general and the stigmatisation associated with it in particular.
This year the focus is “Male Obesity”. This cannot simply be categorised as “gluttony” or “self-indulgence”. Male obesity has as many causes as it has manifestations. It primarily affects men from middle age onwards, who (like women) are undergoing a particular type of metabolic change.
Particularly as we get older, the body strives to store food reserves as fat reserves for developmental reasons, in order to provide for possible shortages. Especially for men who consume fewer calories than they take in due to their occupation or limited exercise, this quickly leads to unwanted excess weight. Organic processes in particular play an important role here, which cannot be “switched off” so easily.
In a special video, I personally addressed the importance of World Obesity Day. This is also due to the fact that obesity is now more common worldwide than malnutrition. The actual problem is mainly to be observed in the western industrialised countries, since it is precisely here that there is an ever-increasing surplus of food – practically at all times.
The obesity rate in the USA, for example, is around 35-40 percent of the population, which is a fact that should not be underestimated. This means an overweight of at least 20 kilograms, or a BMI of 30 or more. This is also the case despite the surgical intervention options, although these methods in particular can now be classified as very safe and successful. Nevertheless, the rate of surgical interventions needed in this particular area is far too low.
World Obesity Day is not simply about informing the public and professional colleagues accordingly. Rather, I see it as important to educate people about the modern treatment options of bariatric surgery. The primary aim is always to help patients according to their individual starting situation.
It is important to understand that obesity is always associated with concomitant diseases. Diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnoea, high cholesterol – all these manifest themselves in the environment of obesity. But there is also another aspect that has emerged, especially in recent years. The point is that people who are overweight are simply stigmatised. At school, at work and even in private life, overweight people are described as lazy, fat, greedy, careless and lazy about exercise. This puts additional stress on those affected and does not help to tackle the problem in a targeted and conscious way. Significant overweight has been defined as a disease since 2013 at the latest. This puts morbid obesity in the same category as diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and many other chronic diseases.
The stigmatisation of obesity is extremely dangerous for patients, as they then withdraw and cannot address their actual problem in a targeted and active way. Professional treatment, counselling and support is the surest way out of obesity.
Everyone is challenged to exercise some restraint in their contact with morbidly obese people, both in their choice of words and in their behaviour. To this end, World Obesity Day can create better awareness. The problem should not only be addressed on this day of the year. But such a day can help to create more sensitivity for the problems of overweight people instead of leaving them to their fate with stigmatisation and devaluation.
Yes, women also suffer from morbid obesity. But men do it in a special way. There are now “curvy models” for women, but not for men. And men by nature already tend to eat the slightly larger portions, even if that seems to be gradually declining. The world view was and still is such that a belly is always subconsciously associated with prosperity. Also in modern industrial societies. The dangers are usually conscious, but are only realised when they are actually there.
In addition, after a certain stage of life at the latest, men do not have this special view of their appearance that many women have. The actual problem is not recognised, or is recognised only very late, and is then gladly accepted as natural. This means that they don’t have to go to the doctor and the obesity surgeon is an unknown quantity for many of those affected. Therefore, men in particular must be sensitised to actively face this problem. World Obesity Day provides an excellent opportunity to do this.
With its first magazine, Swiss1Chirurgie addresses all patients and those hungry for information who want to learn more about the topics of morbid obesity or about reflux disease.
We work our way forward in interesting articles on these topics and also provide interesting information about our clinics and the Centre for Bariatric Surgery (ZfbC).
You can find out more about the magazine itself and the contents in detail in the detailed article.
You can pick up a printed copy of the magazine in the Swiss1Chirurgie clinics. Those who can no longer get a copy or prefer to read online can obtain the magazine via the following link: https://v.calameo.com/?bkcode=006115199635078f16024&mode=mini&clickto=embed&autoflip=4
We hope you enjoy reading and look forward to your feedback or meeting you in person at one of our locations in Brig, Bern or Solothurn.
Your Swiss1Chirurgie
Dr. Jörg Zehetner
The first edition of the Swiss1Chirurgie magazine is out. The magazine is now available as a printed copy in our clinics in Brig, Bern and Solothurn. For those who prefer to read the first Swiss1Chirurgie magazine online, it is also available for download via the Swiss1Chirurgie app or on the Swiss1Chirurgie website.
We are happy to inform you now, more or less in advance, about the thematic focal points of the magazine in the March 2020 edition.
A major focus is morbid obesity. From stigmatisation to treatment options, you will learn a lot in the magazine that is worth knowing, new, interesting and particularly informative for those affected. In this way, we do not simply want to disseminate scientific findings, but above all to show the individual path to change. In an easily understandable yet correct form.
To this end, we have approached this still very difficult topic in the magazine with various articles, statements, reports and testimonials. We hope that this will pave a new way for overweight people in particular to get informed and ultimately take the right steps to treat their morbid obesity.
At this point, the reports by and about Sina Gossweiler, also known as Sina Lark in the music scene, should be of particular interest. The young woman is not only known from the show “Deutschland sucht den Superstar” (DSDS), but has also been fighting against morbid obesity for a long time. Obviously with success.
Another main topic in the first Swiss1Chirurgie magazine is reflux disease. Persistent, chronic acid regurgitation is not only unpleasant and annoying, it can also have real medical significance. Especially when the oesophagus is attacked by the constant confrontation with stomach acid. Consequential symptoms can extend to oesophageal cancer.
Here we also take the opportunity to present different medical and surgical procedures for the treatment of reflux disease in a little more detail.
The first issue of the Swiss1Chirurgie magazine also gives us the opportunity to present our locations in Brig, Solothurn and Berne in more detail. You will not only learn interesting facts about the clinics themselves, but also about the doctors who are there for you every day.
We will also focus on the Centre for Bariatric Surgery Bern (ZfbC) and show you how the scientific work is being further developed there. A number of different specialist papers and support for bariatric surgery worldwide shows the expertise with which this centre is equipped.
We would also be pleased to introduce you to the new Swiss1Chirurgie app. Many people already know them and may also use them to read this article. Anyone who is not yet familiar with the new Swiss1Chirurgie app is expressly invited here to download and use it free of charge.
A wealth of information, a direct line to the medical specialist and support before, during and after treatment are just some of the many benefits that you can enjoy with the Swiss1Chirurgie app.
Take advantage of this opportunity and simply pick up your print copy of the Swiss1Chirurgie magazine in the clinic or download the online version to your device.
I hope you enjoy reading
Your Swiss1Chirurgie
Dr. Jörg Zehetner
