Weight Loss Glossary

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Body Mass Index (BMI):
A comparison of body weight to height. It correlates strongly to the total percentage of fat in the body. A person with aBMI of 28 or less is generally considered to be of average build. A BMI over 28 is considered overweight. The BMI can be found by multiplying a person's weight by 703 and dividing twice by height in inches. Ex: A person who is 68 inches tall and weighs 150 would figure their BMI like this: 150 x 703 = 105450/68 = 1550.7352/68 = 22.8. This means that approximately 22% of their body is fat tissue, a healthy amount. A BMI of 40 would indicate approximately 40% of the body is fat tissue and unhealthy amount.

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[cmcgilvrey]

Body Types:
A genetic predisposition to having a thin (ectomorph), medium (mesomorph) or heavy (endomorph) body.

[cmcgilvrey]

Bowel obstruction:
Blockage of the intesting by folding, a foreign body, adhesion, narrowing, malformation, inflammation, or tumor. Symptoms are an inability to eliminate feces, pain and evenutally shock.
A. ILEUS: Obstruction of the bowel due to it being paralyzed. The bowel is inactive and prohibits the passage of food. It is common following some surgeries. Also called paralytic ileus.
B. INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE: A group of chronic intestinal diseases characterized by inflammation of the bowel. Can lead to intestinal stricture which is a narrowing of the passage.
C. STRANGULATION OF THE BOWEL: Obstruction of the bowel due to its twisting back on itself and blocking the passage of food.

[cmcgilvrey]

Brown Fat:
Adipose tissue mostly found in infants in whom it forms 5% of their body weight. It is brown because the cells in it are packed full of cellular organs called mitochondria that are energy factories. It has a rich supply of blood vessels. It is diminished or adsent in adulthood.

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Bulimia:
Binge eating followed by self-induced methods of purging such as vomiting, laxatives, diuretics or excessive excerise.

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Comorbidity:
The co-existense of two or more disease processes. Common co-morbidities for the obese are: Type II Diabetes, hip and knee arthritis, shortness of breath, insulin resistance, heart disease, high blood pressure, gallstones, sleep apnea, edema of the lower legs, back or disc disease, skin rashes, hiatal hernia.

[cmcgilvrey]

Constipation:
Inablility to eliminate feces, usually due to the lack of water, fiber or bulk in the stool. Constipation is medically defined as less than three stools per week. Normally when the feces travels to the anus, a large, bulky quantity tends to straighten out the 90-degree angle in which the colon is situated in comparison to the anus. This signals the brain that elimination is necessary. When the bulk is lessened, and the feces is not in a large bulk, but is in small, dry pellets, the physical straightening of the colon does not occur and it is difficult to eliminate the feces from the body. Pellets are caused by lack of water in the stool, which is in turn caused by slow movement through the colon. Other common causes of constipation are: lack of bulk in the diet, disease, medication, laxative abuse, bulimia, bowel obstruction, malformation, lack of motility, surgery, and stress

[cmcgilvrey]

Cottage Cheese Test:
A test that gives the functional size of the stomach pouch. A person rapidly eats a small amount of cottage cheese right from the container until they feel full. Then a measured amount of water is poured back into the cottage cheese carton until the level is at is original level. The amound of water poured back into the cottage cheese in the functional size of the stomach pouch.

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Diabetes:
Type II (90%) diabetes is caused because glucose cannot get into cells. Cells become less responsive to insulin over time (insulin resistance) and in response the pancreas makes more insulin as blood sugar levels rise. When blood sugar levels remain constantly elevated, the pancreas is exhausted and symptoms begin. Type I (10%) is caused because the pancreas does not make enough insulin so that glucose does not get into cells.

[cmcgilvrey]

Distal Bypass:
A variation of GBP in which approximately 40-60 inches of intesting are left in which calories can be absorbed. The most radical of the bypass surgeries, it carries the greatest risk for malnutrition.

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Dumping Syndrome:
A group of symptoms that occur when a person has a high sugar load following gastric bypass. These sugars are usually absorbed in the duodenum which is now bypassed. The sugars enter the jejunum or the ileum that are not used to absorbing simple sugars. When the body senses the sugar level rising, it dumps insulin to handle the load. This dramatically lowers available blood sugar. Symptoms include cramps, nausea, palpitations, diarrhea, dizziness and a sense of impending doom.

[cmcgilvrey]

Duodenal ulcer:
A hole in the lining of the duodenum, whic is the first part of the small intestine. Due to gastric acid wearing though the lining of the duodenum, often related to the H. pyloridis bacteria.

[cmcgilvrey]

Duodenum:
The first part of the small intesting consisting of the pyloric valve, which is the connection point to the stomach, and extending about twelve inches to the jejunum. In Greek, duo + den means 2 + 10. The duodenum is approximately 12 finger widths or inches long.

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Duodenal Switch (DS):
The duodenal switch is the same as the the biliopancreatic diversion with the major difference being that approximately 1-2 inches of the duodenum is left in place below the pylorus sphincter.

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Eating Disorder:
Bulimia, anorexia, binging or food obsessions that cause a person to be thinking about food most of the time.