Weight Loss Surgery

Weight Loss Introduction
Gastrointestinal surgery is an option for people who are severely obese and cannot lose weight by traditional means or who suffer from serious obesity-related health problems. The operation promotes weight loss by restricting food intake and, in some operations, interrupting the digestive process. As in other treatments for obesity, the best results are achieved with healthy eating behaviors and regular physical activity.

Gastrointestinal surgery for obesity, also called bariatric surgery, alters the digestive process. The operations can be divided into three types: restrictive, malabsorptive, and combined restrictive/malabsorptive. Restrictive operations limit food intake by creating a narrow passage from the upper part of the stomach into the larger lower part, reducing the amount of food the stomach can hold and slowing the passage of food through the stomach. Malabsorptive operations do not limit food intake, but instead exclude most of the small intestine from the digestive tract so fewer calories and nutrients are absorbed. Malabsorptive operations, also called intestinal bypasses, are no longer recommended because they result in severe nutritional deficiencies. Combined operations use stomach restriction and a partial bypass of the small intestine.

Obesity Information
Overweight refers to an excess of body weight, but not necessarily body fat. Obesity means an excessively high proportion of body fat. Health professionals use a measurement called body mass index (BMI) to classify an adult's weight as healthy, overweight, or obese. BMI describes body weight relative to height and is correlated with total body fat content in most adults. To get your approximate BMI, multiply your weight in pounds by 703, then divide the result by your height in inches, and divide that result by your height in inches a second time. (Or you can use the interactive BMI calculator at www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm.) >> More

BMI Calculator
A BMI from 18.5 up to 25 is considered in the healthy range, from 25 up to 30 is overweight, and 30 or higher is obese. Generally, the higher a person's BMI, the greater the risk for health problems, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). However, there >> More

Weight Loss Surgery Types
Purely restrictive operations for obesity include adjustable gastric banding (AGB) and vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG). Adjustable gastric banding. In this procedure, a hollow band made of silicone rubber is placed around the stomach near its upper end, creating a small pouch and a narrow passage into the rest of the stomach (figure 2). The band is then inflated >> More

Weight Loss Surgery Prices
Medical insurance coverage varies by state and insurance provider. If you are considering bariatric surgery, contact your regional Medicare or Medicaid office or insurance plan to find out if the procedure >> More

Weight Loss Pills
For obese people who have difficulty losing weight through diet and exercise alone, there are a number of FDA-approved prescription drugs that may help. "On average, individuals who use weight-loss drugs lose about 5 percent to 10 percent of their original weight, though some will lose less and some more," says the FDA's Colman. All of the prescription weight-loss drugs work >> More

HGH (human growth hormone) Pills
For obese people who have difficulty losing weight through diet and exercise alone, there are a number of FDA-approved prescription drugs that may help. "On average, individuals who use weight-loss drugs lose about 5 percent to 10 percent of their original weight, though some will lose less and some more," says the FDA's Colman. All of the prescription weight-loss drugs work >> More

Weight Loss Diets
The cabbage soup diet, the low-carbohydrate and high-protein diet, and other so-called "fad" diets are fundamentally different from federal nutrition dietary guidelines and are not recommended for losing weight. Fad diets usually overemphasize one particular food or type of food, contradicting the guidelines for good nutrition, which recommend eating a variety of foods from the Food Guide Pyramid. These diets may work at first because they cut calories, but they rarely have a permanent effect. A high-protein diet >> More

Liposuction Weight Loss Treatment
Liposuction is a surgical procedure intended to remove fat deposits and shape the body. Fat is removed from under the skin with the use of a vacuum-suction canula (a hollow pen-like instrument) or using an ultrasonic probe that emulfsies (breaks up into small pieces) the fat and then removes it with suction. Persons with localized fat may decide to have liposuction >> More

FDA approved a new surgically implanted device to help severely obese people lose weight. The product, the Lap-Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System, made by BioEnterics Corporation of Carpinteria, Calif., is an inflatable band that is placed around the upper stomach to create a small gastric pouch. This limits food consumption and creates an earlier feeling of fullness.

The band is implanted by laparoscopic "keyhole" surgery and is then adjusted over time--either tightened or loosened--to meet individual patient needs. Once the band is in place, it is inflated with saline. Subsequent adjustments are made through a portal under the skin.

The Lap-Band is intended for severely obese people--those at least 100 lbs. overweight or who are at least twice their ideal body weight--who have failed to reduce their weight by other methods such as a supervised diet, exercise and behavior modification programs. Severely obese people usually have serious health problems such as hypertension, gall bladder disease, and diabetes, resulting from their excess weight. For them, being overweight is a serious health issue, not just a cosmetic problem.

The Lap-Band is intended to remain in place permanently, but it can be surgically removed, if necessary. People who get the Lap-Band will need to diet and exercise in order to maintain their weight loss. Previously the only surgical treatments available for severe obesity were more invasive procedures such as stomach stapling and gastric bypass.

The system is used for weight loss in severely obese adults who have been obese for at least five years and for whom non-surgical weight loss methods have not been successful. They must be willing to make major changes in their eating habits and lifestyle. Patients must have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 40, a BMI of at least 35 with one or more severe morbid (unhealthy) conditions, or be at least 100 pounds over their estimated ideal weight.

It may help the patient lose weight. In the U.S. study, the average weight loss was 36% of a patient’s excess weight three years after the device was implanted. More than half of the patients lost at least 25% of their excess weight; some patients lost over 75%, but some lost no weight. Most patients experienced at least one side effect. Common side effects include nausea and vomiting, heartburn, abdominal pain, and slippage of the band. The most serious side effects required either another operation or hospitalization. It should not be used for people who are poor candidates for surgery, have certain stomach or intestinal disorders, have an infection, have to take aspirin frequently, or are addicted to alcohol or drugs. It should not be used on patients who are not able or willing to follow the rules for eating and exercise that are recommended by the doctor after surgery.

Tips for Choosing a Weight Loss Surgeon:
• Check into the experience of the specialist, doctor, or surgeon you are considering. Does he or she specialize in the weight loss surgery procedure?
• How many weight loss surgeries of this kind has the doctor done?
• How many is the doctor currently performing per year?
• Weight loss surgery before-and-after pictures can give you some indication of a surgeon's ability, although you must realize that they cannot be construed to guarantee the result you will achieve.
• Make sure you are comfortable with the personal support between you and your cosmetic surgeon. You should always feel that your concerns are being addressed.