1. Increased adipose tissue increases how much Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) your body produces. This enzyme binds to the Covid virus and may therefore increase disease severity.
2. People with weight problems are more likely to have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, respiratory disease (sleep apnoea, asthma, reflux-related lung disease), kidney disease and other conditions that increase risks of causing severe illness from Covid.
3. People with weight problems are harder to look after in ICU and are more prone to complications when on a ventilator for a prolonged time.
4. We now know that people carrying extra weight are also far more likely to die after a covid infection.

So, what can be done about this?

First up, it’s important not to let fear dominate our lives, as that gets in the way of living. It is possible however to use legitimate concerns as a “call to action” to improve not just our health as it relates to Covid but our health overall. Experts have a number of suggestions that will help.

• Get vaccinated. Any vaccine is ok for a very large number of people over the age of 20. The risks of the AZ vaccine that everyone is concerned about have been massively blown out of proportion, this has led to people taking bad advice which has led to preventable illness and death.
• • If we vaccinated the whole Australian population in 2 weeks with the AZ, we would get around 25 vaccine-related deaths and around 50-100 ICU admissions. In NSW alone we have had a tiny percentage of the population infected with COVID leading to many ICU admissions and an increasing death rate. It’s likely that almost all these ICU admissions and deaths would have been avoided had the people affected had the AZ vaccine.  
  • 25 people die every week crossing the road in Australia and about 60 people a week from suicide. Clearly, the risks of vaccination need to be understood in this context.
  • We should, as adults, be more concerned about our children’s welfare. Every time someone over the age of 50 has a Pfizer COVID vaccine they are effectively preventing a dose from being available for a child or adolescent, and it’s clear that they won’t get their schooling, friends and future opportunities back until they are vaccinated.

• Take social isolation and personal hygiene seriously and ensure that those around you do as well. Official government guidelines have been consistently accurate for the last few weeks, and they do a far better job to inform us of the steps we need to take than what may pop up from unofficial sources and armchair experts.

• Ensure your medical conditions are optimally controlled. Now is a perfect time to get in touch with your GP and get a check-up.

• Work on your fitness. This will improve respiratory health, reduce your blood pressure and help control your blood sugars.

• Eat well and avoid snacking. If you are eating more than 3 times a day you are highly likely to be gaining weight. Calorie containing drinks (milky coffee, alcohol, juice etc all count as snacks). Weight gain increases stress on all your body’s vital functions if you are overweight.

• Consider short or long-term weight management strategies. While many traditional weight management options are not available during this time there are things you can try that can work well. Losing 5-10% of your weight can have profound effects on many illnesses if you are carrying too many kgs.
  • Very Low-Calorie Diets (VLCD) such as Optifast ™. These high protein/low carbohydrate meal replacements can replace 1-2 meals a day to promote weight maintenance, or 2-3 meals a day for rapid and safe weight loss.
  • Intermittent fasting. The 5:2 diet whereby you fast 2 days a week or the 16:8 diet where you only eat or have calorie-containing liquids for 8 hours a day are options that may work while our new routine is in “lock-down”.
  • Medically supervised options. These are more complex and rely on a mix of exercise, dietary change and VLCD. There are also several new and very effective weight-loss medications available that can help people lose up to 15-20 kg (10-15% of starting weight).

While bariatric surgery has been proven to provide a sustained weight loss greater than 5-10 times what can be achieved with the methods above, there are many people who may not wish to do this during the Pandemic. Now however could be a good time to consider a long-term weight management plan that could help protect you from this and other dangerous health problems in the future. Our offices are open to offering medical advice to people with a weight problem or people who have had previous weight-loss surgery to help keep them safe during this time.

A/Prof Michael Talbot

Recently, Dr Jennifer Matthei joined Dr Georgia Rigas as a SCOPE Certified bariatric practitioner. The SCOPE Certification is the international standard of obesity management expertise, recognising excellence in obesity. The SCOPE Certification is part of the World Obesity Federation, whose mission is to reduce the global burden of obesity and the understanding of obesity as a multifactorial disease. The WOF is also working hard to combat the stigma associated with obesity.

Who is eligible for the SCOPE Certification? The SCOPE Certification is the only internationally recognised certification in obesity management. If a healthcare professional wishes to become certified, they have to meet the following criteria to apply:

Evidence of 6 months practical experience related to obesity management within a medical or allied healthcare professional setting.
Completion of the Core Learning Path (4 SCOPE points).
To achieve certification, 12 SCOPE points are required in total. The remaining 8 points can be achieved through e-learning with SCOPE Schools or other SCOPE Accredited courses.

In addition to their busy days as Bariatric Medical Practitioners here at Upper GI Surgery, both Dr Rigas and Dr Matthei have had to complete additional learning and training in their spare time towards achieving this certification.

The certification is renewable annually, by completing two additional SCOPE modules.

Why is this important?
SCOPE certified practitioners have access to an international community of obesity experts and credible and up-to-date obesity education materials developed by leading experts in the field. Obesity and bariatric surgery is a very specialised area of expertise, and at Upper GI Surgery all of our medical team ensure that they are up-to-date with the latest information to use when treating patients.

Fresh Start Online includes a wide range of program elements and resources specifically designed to enhance your surgical experience and to help you to to create and sustain a new healthy lifestyle.

Fresh Start is brought to you by an experienced, qualified and professional coaching team, to help you to achieve long-lasting health and weight results. 

It’s designed to assist you in:

• Getting clear on exactly what you want to create in terms of your health and weight;
• Create a new supportive identity for yourself that will support your success;
• Break stubborn habits, such as emotional eating, and self-sabotage if they do come up;
• Learn smart strategies around stress management, nutrition and movement; and
• Feel confident and inspired about the future.

Want to know more? Watch the video below to find out more about the program:

This program is included in the surgical package of all new patients of Upper GI Surgery and past-patients can access it at a significantly reduced price. If you would like to find out more, check out our Fresh Start page or speak to our team today who will be able to help.

, an Australian network created to “provide a strong voice and support for people living with and affected by obesity”. WIN actively seeks participation in their surveys from people affected by obesity, and then share their findings with the public. All of this information comes from members and volunteers who choose to participate. 

We have reached out via our blogs, newsletters and social media to encourage those that follow us to participate and join WIN, as we believe the work they are doing is making a difference. WIN recently released their 2020 Report – The Personal Costs of Weight Issues in Australia. 

This important report highlights the perspectives of those who are living with the challenges of overweight and obesity. Obesity is much more complex than “eat less and move more” or a simple matter of lifestyle choices. This report is designed to help raise awareness of not only the complexities of obesity but challenges around weight stigma, the impact of the environment and navigating the Australian health system. 

Summary of WIN Report Recommendations

• Weight stigma needs to stop. The lived experience and perspectives of those living with overweight or obesity to be included in the development of plans and strategies, the design of treatment paths and research, and debates on weight issues in a person-centred approach.
• Improve clarity and reduce barriers to better health. Making obesity training mandatory in areas such as health and social care service education. Making effective, evidence-based treatment options affordable and accessible across Australia.
• More supportive environments in society. Government making healthy food cheaper and easier to access, particularly in low income and remote areas. Investing in green spaces, education and a regulation in terms of ‘junk food’ marketing, particularly to children and younger people.

In the coming months we will explain each of these areas in more detail in a series of blogs, but in the meantime if you would like to read or download the full report you can here.

“Every Body Needs Everybody: Bringing together the global community, we’re working towards building happier, healthier and longer lives for everybody.”

The mission of World Obesity Day is to: 

Increase Awareness – raising awareness that obesity is a disease and improving understanding of its root causes and how to address them.

Encourage Advocacy – changing the way obesity is addressed in society, encouraging people to become advocates by standing up and calling for change. 

Improve Policies – creating a healthy environment that prioritises obesity as a health issue. Working to change policy to build the right support systems for the future. 

World Obesity Day encourages everybody to get involved, from the general public to health professionals. Encouraging people to Learn about obesity (know the facts), Support the campaign (use your voice), Share your story (have your say). Whilst also encouraging health professionals to Share your story (people), Understand obesity (know the facts), Join the community (advocates). 

If you’re wanting to learn more about obesity, you can download factsheets to gain a deeper understanding of obesity and its roots, or read real-life stories and experiences that people have shared. 

Obesity Advocates

Advocates are encouraged to Share your story (have your say), See what’s happening (events near you), and to Read the declaration (Obesity and COVID-19). Obesity organisations around the world are advocating for national and global policy changes to address the root causes of obesity. The ‘ROOTS’ Framework provides suggestions for obesity policy and advocacy that can be adapted to different national settings. It has been developed with the input of obesity experts and organisations across the globe.

R – Recognise Obesity

O – Obesity Monitoring

O – Obesity Prevention

T – Treatment 

S – System Based Approach

For more information about World Obesity Day or to get involved, visit their website World Obesity Day. 

Each patient’s treatment and care with the team at UGIS is different, depending on the type of treatment you are undertaking. Most of our patients will come into contact with several members of our team during their time with us, whether it be our friendly reception staff that greet you when you arrive for your appointment, or asking one of our nurses a quick question over the phone. 

Our Nurses

Introducing Debra and Tania. Debra is a registered nurse and our Practice Manager. Debra has a diverse role here at UGIS; her area of expertise includes esophageal manometry and reflux testing, whilst carrying out the important role of managing the practice day-to-day and co-ordinating our patient care processes. 

Tania is also a registered nurse, with years of experience in bariatric and gastrointestinal surgery. Tania is your clinical point of contact, the voice on the phone and the person in charge of coordinating your hospital stay as well as early recovery. In addition to her day-to-day care of patients, Tania also coordinates our research projects. 

Our Dietitian

Bariatric surgery is only one part of a patient’s journey towards a healthier lifestyle. Following a post-bariatric surgery diet is key not only in recovery, but also for losing and maintaining weight loss in the weeks, months and years to come. Introducing another Tania on our team. Tania C is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist. Tania guides our bariatric patients through their new diet following bariatric surgery, with over 10 years experience in weight loss and weight management for bariatric patients. Read more about Tania here. 

Our Psychologist

Making positive, deep-rooted changes in your life when seeking obesity treatment can be challenging. Our psychologist Fiona provides counselling and assists our patients to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. Like Tania, Fiona has over 10 years experience in working alongside bariatric patients helping them to develop and maintain positive change. Read more about Fiona here. 

Our Reception Team

Meet Rosanna and Gina, who manage the busy UGIS reception desk in our main practice at St George Private Hospital, Kogarah. It’s not an easy task managing the appointments of such a big team, not to mention answering calls and queries throughout the day, but the team makes sure our patients are looked after at all times and are at the heart of the UGIS practice.

Our Admin and Management

Although you may not see them or speak to them very often, they are most definitely there making sure that everything is running as smoothly as possible in the background. Heidi is the Business Manager (yes, even a surgery practice needs a general business manager), who makes sure that everybody is singing from the same hymn sheet. Whether it be coordinating team activities, working hard on the website, finding innovative ways to improve the surgery processes, Heidi is at the centre of it all. And then there is Kim. You might speak to Kim on the phone as she is the mastermind behind organising patient payments in addition to general day to day office administration. 

You can read more about each of our team on our Support Team page on the website. We like to think of each of the UGIS team as an important cog in a well oiled machine, allowing us to continue to provide exceptional levels of care to all of our patients.

WIN – “Weight Issues Network” is an advocacy group initiated by Australians living with, or caring for those living with obesity, with the aim of reducing weight-related stigma and provide the consumer voice in issues related to overweight and obesity. The WIN community aims to provide a place to access quality information and peer support, as well as to advocate on important weight issues in Australia. 

How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted those suffering from obesity

WIN is interested in understanding the impact that the COVID-19 crisis is having on those with the lived experience of obesity. In order to do this, they have set up a quick and easy anonymous survey that they would like those that are living with weight problems to participate in. 

Your input in this survey will help them to raise the common key issues of concern and highlight them to decision-makers, organisations, healthcare providers and stakeholders who work in the area of obesity here in Australia. 

If you would like to participate in the survey click here. This simple questionnaire should take no more than a couple of minutes of your time but will be a big help in understanding the impact that this epidemic has had on our community. 

How do I become a WIN-NER? 

If you would like to continue to help WIN give you a voice in issues related to overweight and obesity, they have made it as easy as possible for you to sign up to become a member! 

• Complete the membership form online at www.auswin.org.au. 
• Send an email to info@auswin.org.au
• Post the membership form to PO BOX 3004, Rosemeadow, NSW 2560. 

If you would like to know more visit the WIN website today.