Master chef Graham Elliot lost 150 pounds following gastric sleeve surgery, having faced criticism for taking the “easy way out”.

Here is what he had to say:

“When you get to 400 pounds and you have a family to look after, you realize that it is all ego. You can try to do it on your own, (but) if you don’t get the results, you’ve got to do whatever you’ve got to do”

People who are overweight and obese still face a huge social stigma. Despite obesity being officially recognized as a disease state by many health organisations in many different countries, it is still viewed as self-inflicted over-indulgence. Whilst in many cases it can start off as that, once a certain point is reached, it becomes almost impossible to reverse effectively in the long term. In many other cases, it is caused by hormonal, genetic or pathological conditions which can only be treated by surgery.

Weight loss surgery is also increasingly being considered by many diabetologists to be an effective treatment for refractory, poorly controlled diabetic states. Research is ongoing to ascertain whether diabetic patients with slightly elevated BMI benefit from the normoglycaemic effect of weight loss surgery. Whilst scientists and clinicians understand the condition, its effects and possible ways of treatment, there’s still a mountain to climb to convince the general public that when it comes to morbid obesity it is not simply a matter of “eating less and exercising more”.

by Ahmed Hamouda on Google+, Twitter, Facebook.