Is Weight Loss Surgery For You?
There's no doubt that diet and exercise are the preferred method for long term weight loss. A healthy, balanced diet and age-appropriate, regular exercise will help almost everyone to stay fit and in the correct weight range. For some though, dieting always seems to end in failure. When the excess weight has reached a stage where it is impairing a person's life surgical methods may be required if dieting has been unsuccessful.
These days there are many forms of weight loss surgery and all have pros and cons. Before you decide to go ahead with such surgery you should consider the effectiveness, risks and side effects.
Although there are a variety of surgical techniques they basically all work on principal of restricted caloric intake by reducing the amount of food that can be eaten before the stomach becomes full. Some also use malabsorption to further reduce weight.
Reducing the amount of food that can be eaten is done by creating a smaller stomach, leading to a more rapid feeling of fullness. The patient simply eats less and therefore takes in fewer calories. The body turns to stored fat for energy and the result is less fat and lower weight. By doing this substantial weight loss can be achieved.
There are a whole variety of names for the various weight loss procedures. These include Vertical Banded Gastroplasty, Biliopancreatic Diversion, Adjustable gastric band, sleeve gastrectomy (with or without Duodenal Switch), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and others. All are termed bariatric surgery.
One of the earliest types of weight loss surgery was gastric bypass surgery. Patients who undergo this procedure have to take vitamin supplements forever though the risk of nutritional deficiencies remains high. Other types of surgery are now more popular.
Stomach stapling (or gastroplasty) has been around for many years. Originally it was highly dangerous, but has become much safer in the past 10 years. The procedure consists of clamping portions of the stomach with specialized surgical staples.
A newer type of weight loss surgery involves using an adjustable Lap Band around the stomach. This sometimes called gastric banding. This procedure eliminates the need to puncture the stomach and the band can be adjusted if necessary. Generally considered safe, this procedure can be done on an outpatient basis.
If you decide to have weight loss surgery careful thought should be given to weighing the risks against the benefits. It doesn't just stop with the surgery, you need to commit to long-term dietary and lifestyle changes.