Texas tied with Ohio for 13^th place in a list of states with the highest obesity rates for adults. Both states have an obesity rate of 29 percent; the state with the highest rate of obesity was Mississippi, where 33.8% of adults are obese. For historical perspective, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent in 1991. Colorado has the lowest obesity rate of any state, at 19.1 percent.

Given the obesity epidemic in the U.S., more people are turning to bariatric surgery to help lose weight.

The most common weight loss surgery is gastric bypass, which divides the stomach into a small pouch. The surgery reduces the size of the stomach so that the patient feels satisfied with less food. In addition to eating less, you will also absorb less food, leading to significant weight loss.

A lap band is another bariatric surgery option, in which a silicone band gets placed on the upper portion of the stomach, limiting the intake of food and suppressing hunger. The advantage of the lap band is that it is adjustable, which allows for a moderate progression of weight loss.

The gastric sleeve is a newer type of bariatric surgery where a portion of the stomach is surgically removed so that it takes the form of a sleeve. This process results in hunger suppression and brings about a gradual, significant weight loss.

For those battling obesity, Dr. Frenzel in is an expert in the field of bariatric surgery and has offices in Arlington and Dallas, Texas. He performs several bariatric surgieries, as well as post-bariatric body lifts in which excess skin and tissue, which is often present after significant weight loss, is reduced, and the skin is tightened to improve the body shape.

Last week in Austin TX, trainers from the American College of Sports Medicine met for 14th annual Health and Fitness Summit, where they discussed the best exercise programs for bariatric surgery patients – those who undergo gastric bypass, lap band or realize band surgery.

Fitness experts Paul Sorace, M.S., and Adam de Jong, M.A gave the following recommendations:

Aerobic exercise

• The core of the post-bariatric exercise program
• Burns the most calories
• Good way to ease into physical activity

Resistance training

• should be limited (especially in abdomen), but great to combine with aerobic exercise
• increase muscle mass and quickens fat loss in post-bariatric surgery patients

Flexibility exercise

• good to improve range of motion – use caution to prevent injury

Read more from the American College of Sports Medicine

What is bariatric surgery?

Bariatric surgery, in its various forms, alters or removes parts of the stomach to induce weight loss. Patients who undergo bariatric surgery typically have a BMI of 35 or greater.  Popular procedures include the following:

• The Lap Band – an inflatable silicone device that is placed on the upper portion of your stomach, effectively limiting food intake and suppressing hunger.

• Gastric Bypass – surgery that divides the stomach to create a small pouch, which gets connected to a loop of the small intestine. By reducing stomach size, the patient is satisfied a smaller amount of food.