And while looking bad is a consequence of obesity, it’s far from the worst. Obesity kills people, both by wrecking their health and by destroying their spirit. Elevated blood sugar levels and coronary problems aside, the shame and self-hatred felt by many of the obese can lead to serious psychological problems – even suicide.

Unfortunately, many Minnesotans try gimmicks in an attempt to slim down — fad diets, exercise programs, so-called weight-loss pills, etc. Most of them quickly regain any lost weight later on. Yet many obese people ignore or are unaware of the best method of losing weight: a medically-supervised program of dietary changes and increased activity. Experience has shown that such programs work well for most people who want to attain a healthy weight.

For some extremely obese people, of course, things are too far advanced for a 100% lifestyle-based obesity therapy. Fortunately, another option exists: weight loss surgery.

Surgical weight loss procedures – also known as bariatric surgery — have been proven to help ease –or even cure – many co-morbidities, which are health conditions related to obesity. It can also help those who are obese but have no co-morbidities to reach their ideal weight, and guard against future health complications.

The three main types of weight loss surgery are malabsorptive, restrictive and combination surgery, each with different risks and benefits. Malabsorptive procedures alter the patient’s intestinal tract, changing the way the body absorbs food; restrictive procedures create a small pouch that limits the amount of food a person can eat; and combination procedures, like the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, create a small stomach pouch and alter the intestinal tract.

For those with morbid obesity, weight loss surgery can mean the difference between life and death. It is not, however, magic. Recovery from obesity is a whole-life process; patients who fail to alter their lifestyles after surgery may regain any weight lost. Weight loss surgery is a serious step. The risks associated with these procedures are real, and should always be discussed beforehand in consultation with a physician.

To appease an imaginative child, the next birthday that comes along could be spent with a gift basket celebrating the Minneapolis Fringe Festival, which may include do-it-yourself puppet making, theatre masks, musical instruments, and paint-by-number sets. Another popular fair in the Minnesota area includes the State Fair, which presents an explosion of culture and other interesting details, such as butter sculptures, seed art, and tons of food on a stick. Additional gift basket themes for the Minnesota crowd may include the exploration of subjects, colors, and decorative possibilities of the Minnesota Twins (baseball), Minnesota Vikings (football), Minnesota Timberwolves (basketball), milk (state drink); Honeycrisp apple (state fruit); and wild rice (state grain).

I must point out that if you enjoy a brisk pace of play then you owe it to yourself to check out Crow River Golf Club. On my visit to Crow River Golf Club on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon, my playing partner and I played in four hours. This is the case for most of the rural golf courses in Minnesota. There is no reason a round of golf should take any longer, if you play ready golf and the other players on the golf course do the same. The era of marathon golf rounds is dead and buried in rural Minnesota. The golfers are knowledgeable, respectful of property as well as respectful of other golfers on the course and they know how to keep the pace of play flowing.

Crow River Golf Club was established in 1938 with a “back nine” addition in 1976. The additional property was purchased and once the construction was completed the new and old holes were intermingled to make up the layout as it is today.

Playing from the championship tees the course plays to a par of 71 and measures 6,820 yards. The USGA course rating is 72.3 with a slope index of 121. The golf course boasts eight par-4 holes measuring over 400 yards. Several of those long par-4 holes also play uphill. Having the ability to hit a draw from the tee box, for a right-handed player, is especially helpful with several of the par-4 holes playing to a dogleg left.

There are a handful of medium length par-3 and par-4 holes in which you have a better opportunity for birdie. The two keys, in my opinion, to scoring at Crow River Golf Club are to take advantage to the true roll and consistency of the greens and to keep the ball in the fairway at all cost. The mature trees lining most fairways will produce an inflated score if you attempt a miraculous recovery shot. The best advice is to take your medicine and chip into the middle of the fairway if you happen to hit a tee shot into the rough. This golf course is accented with over 3,000 trees.

Course Superintendent Kevin Froemming and his staff do a fine job keeping the course in excellent condition. Director of Golf, Karl Baldry along with Head Professional Nate Baldry do a great job running the golf side of the business. Keeping prices reasonable with attractive rates of $41.00 with a cart on the weekend or the Twilight Rate of $25.00 including a cart after 3:00PM gives ample opportunity to enjoy this excellent golf course at a lower rate.