Hectic lifestyles combined with stress, sleep disorders, mild depression symptoms, wrong eating habits, alcohol, excessive sugar intake, and little or no exercise are the main causes for the alarming state of obesity around the world and now also in South Africa. The American society has long been the number one obese nation in the world, but South Africans are not far behind anymore. Weight loss surgery has become more and more popular as people desperate to lose those extra kilos long for a quick fix.

Weight loss surgery however, is far from a quick fix. Also known as gastric bypass surgery, it carries several risks. The notion that you will not have to diet or keep to a healthy eating plan and exercise afterwards is a myth. If you are not willing to make drastic lifestyle changes and adapt your eating habits, you shouldn’t even consider it. Surgeons recommend that people, who plan a gastric bypass, follow a specified low calorie diet for at least six months prior to the operation and keep with it afterwards.

Not everyone can undergo weight loss surgery. People with a few extra kilos will benefit more from a healthy diet and exercise program. Very obese people face the risk of heart attacks and strokes and should first help their bodies adapt to the new lifestyle before undergoing gastric bypasses. Diabetics, people with heart problems, and those who suffer from immune deficiencies should not consider this type of operation as a solution to their weight problem.Risks associated with weight loss surgery include:

• Diarrhoea
• Vomiting
• Reflux
• Anatomises (leakage)
• Hernias
• Infections
• Pneumonia
• Ulcers
• Heart attacks
• Death

Another type of weight loss surgery is that of liposuction, an extremely popular method for getting rid of fat pockets in normal weighing and slightly overweight people. Although not as dangerous and invasive as a gastric bypass it still carries extreme risks such as:

• Skin sag
• Burns
• Stretch marks
• Infections
• Uneven curves
• Scars
• Edema
• Fluid imbalance
• Risk of organ damage and death.

Taken the risks and negative consequences of invasive techniques to gain weight loss into consideration, natural weight loss over a period through a healthy diet, balanced nutrition, exercise and Herbalife supplements ensure long term results without the risks involved with weight loss surgery.

The Herbalife ShapeWorks program contains all the nutrition your body needs whilst also helping you to lose weight in a natural way. The Herbalife Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix is a delicious shake packed with nutrients and protein to replace one to two of your daily meals while minimizing calorie intake.

Combine it with the Herbalife Formula 2 Multivitamin Complex supplements to ensure your body gets all the vitamins and minerals required to function optimally while you diet. Also compliment your healthy diet with the Herbalife Formula 3 Personalized Protein Powder which can be added to the Nutritional Shake Mix to ensure that your body gets the protein required to sustain healthy muscles.

Adequate protein intake eliminates hunger pains and cravings. It also ensures that the body does not lose muscle while you diet. Since extreme dieting can cause tremendous muscle loss, quick fix diets should be avoided. Rather than starving the body, which leads to slower metabolism rates, ensure adequate water, nutrition, protein, vitamin and mineral intake by supplementing your healthy eating and exercise plan through Herbalife shakes and supplements. Protein snack bars available from Herbalife can be enjoyed between meals to minimize cravings.

Carol Rosenau lived a healthy lifestyle and had no weight problems. After she had a surgery she started to gain weight even though she followed a healthy lifestyle. Her self esteem and quality of life were severely affected. Thanks to her bother Rob Mason, who introduced her to Herbalife Shapeworks, she once again had hope. She followed the ShapeWorks program with a set goal in mind. Within eight months she had dropped from a size 16 to a size 8. Support from her friends and family, keeping to her diet plan and making use of the Shapeworks products including the Herbal Aloe, helped her restore her original weight.

Weight loss surgery may seem like the only alternative when you are desperate, but the consequences and risks involved should first be measured before you undergo surgery. Herbalife products have been scientifically proven and used with tremendous success to win the battle against weight with long term positive results, whilst at the same time ensuring health improvement. Contact your Herbalife distributor telephonically or email us at info@shapelife.co.za to start your journey to a healthier and slim looking body.