Obesity in Arkansas

It’s summer and you want to wear that bathing suit. The trouble is you’re over weight and a bit self conscious. Well, you’re not alone. Did you know 66.3% of adults in Arkansas are overweight? This means they have a Body Mass Index of 25 or greater. In fact, 30.1% of Arkansas adults are obese, with a Body Mass Index of 30 or greater making them fit into the category of obese. Body Mass Index or BMI for short, is an estimated calculation of the fat to muscle ratio in your body. It is based on a ratio of height to weight. Of adolescents in  Arkansas 15.7% are overweight 14.4% were obese! And of children in our state 16.2% are overweight and 14.1% are obese! Not a great way to start life. Fortunately, Arkansas is leading the way in preventing childhood obesity with school based nutrition programs.

What’s this have to do with cosmetic surgery or summer for that matter? At Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center, liposuction is one of the most popular procedures I perform, but to be a candidate for liposuction, you cannot be obese. It is not a weight loss method. The best candidates for liposuction are healthy men and women with good skin elasticity and within sight of height/weight proportion. The idea candidate is not more than 20 pounds overweight. You must be at stable plateau, not bouncing up and down on the scales. And summer is the time to be active!

In order to lose enough weight to prepare for a future procedure, you can begin to exercise 30 minutes a day, most days of the week. This along with a healthy diet will prepare you for a procedure you may want later in the year. This is the time to do it too. Put on that bathing suit anyway! Swimming may be one of the best exercises you can indulge in because research has shown that people with more body fat tend to lose more weight swimming than leaner people. If you swim at a leisurely pace, you will burn only 136 calories in half hour if you weigh 100 pounds, but 205 calories if you weigh 150 pounds and a full 273 calories if you weight 200 pounds! Swimming is easy on your joints so it is much less likely to cause injuries. It also builds up your core body strength.

After losing vast amounts of weight from bariatric surgery or a workout and diet, a patient is often left with excess skin. Abdominoplasty and body lifts are also available at Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery if you have recently lost a large amount of weight.

Dr. Branman

Call Melinda at the front desk to set up a consultation 501-227-0707