Helping Solve Oklahoma’s Obesity Crisis

BA Med Spa & Weight Loss Center hopes to decrease the rate of obesity in our state, one client at a time.

Monica Doublefield, RN, and Shaynna Sims, laser tech and esthetician, of BA Med Spa & Weight Loss Center.

Helping Oklahomans stay at a healthy weight is a primary concern for Malissa Spacek of BA Med Spa & Weight Loss Center, even more so now that the Center for Disease Control has released a national health alert on obesity. “Oklahoma’s obesity rate is at 31.1 percent, up from 30.4 percent just last year. The national obesity rate is 35.7 ­percent. This is a very serious issue,” says Malissa.

    Malissa notes that the CDC ­indicates that if Oklahoma ­continues on this trajectory, it will be at over 66 percent obesity in 2030, putting it near the top of the list out of all the states in adult obesity rates. “We are ­facing a serious health crisis right in our state.” She also points out that in addition to the health risks of obesity, which has been linked to a whole host of diseases including hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and ­cancer, Oklahoma’s obesity rates are costing a tremendous amount of money. “It’s not all about money – people are dying of these diseases,” she says. “But Oklahoma as a state would save over seven billion dollars in health costs if we would reduce these rates.”

    Even though these staggering numbers create a dim outlook, Malissa asserts that this report does not need to be a prophetic one. “It’s interesting to note that new studies show just a seven percent BMI (body mass index) reduction can help prevent many diseases, including Type 2 ­diabetes, and improve overall health in general.”

    Malissa believes that bad habits are what created the ­obesity ­epidemic in the first place, an epidemic which spreads across the socioeconomic ­spectrum in our society and knows no ­cultural barriers. She points to several reasons for the problem, but most can be traced back to modern society’s ­dependence on immediate ­gratification, which has ­produced a more sedentary lifestyle, a love for fast food, and a fascination with technology. BA Med Spa’s weight loss protocol concentrates not only on HCG, which has proved to be a wonderful and helpful aid in the process, but also on replacing bad habits with good ones, like engaging in regular exercise, ­consuming a healthy diet including fresh fruits and vegetables, and drinking lots of water. Malissa reports that as habits change, major transformations in health start to occur. She adds that a person’s diet accounts for 80 percent of weight loss, while exercise accounts for only 20 ­percent; therefore a healthy diet is critical for weight loss success.

    “As soon as people start to lose weight, their bodies start to function properly: their blood pressure regulates, their cholesterol goes down, and sometimes they are even able to get off ­medications for depression and other ailments,” she explains. “The body is going back to where it is supposed to be, and at a healthy weight that body is likely to last longer.”

    Malissa encourages everyone to visit the Center for Disease Control’s website (www.CDC.org) and review this information for themselves. “We need to wake up,” she says. “The great thing is though, this is something we can do something about.” 

For more information, contact

BA Med Spa & Weight Loss Center

www.baweightspa.com