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Obesity Surgery
For the obese individual who has been unable to lose weight through diet and exercise, surgery may be an option. There are three procedures related to obesity surgery: the Lap-Band, gastric bypass, and the less common Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy or VSG.
The three techniques differ, but the ultimate goal is the same - to help people lose weight. If you are at least one hundred pounds overweight or morbidly obese, you may be deemed a candidate for obesity surgery by medical experts. Although obesity surgery is a useful tool to change your image, it is not by itself the solution to maintaining your ideal weight. After surgery, you must nevertheless adopt a healthy diet and practice regular exercise.
Lap
Band Procedure
Considered the least invasive of the obesity surgery options, this procedure
involves no cutting or stapling, or removal of any part of the stomach,
or tampering with any part of the intestine. It is performed arthroscopically,
with small incisions that leave little or no scarring. The Lap-Band is
an adjustable gastric band placed around the upper part of the stomach.
The purpose is to create a small stomach pouch in order to limit the amount
of food ingested at one time. It also increases the time it takes for
the stomach to empty. The Lap-Band can be adjusted for increased or decreased
weight loss.
The result is weight loss achieved by reducing appetite, eating less food,
and slowing digestion. Patients can expect some mild discomfort during
a relatively short recovery period. You can have this type of surgery
as an outpatient.
Gastric Bypass
This type of obesity surgery is considered minimally invasive as an incision
is required. The stomach is stapled to decrease its size and a part of
the intestine is stapled to the small stomach pouch, allowing the food
to bypass most of the stomach and a part of the intestine. The surgery
takes about four hours.
This type of obesity surgery not only limits the amount of food you eat, but also limits your body from absorbing all the calories and nutrients ingested. Recovery time is longer than that of the Lap-Band procedure, and there is a higher risk of complication, such as infection, blood loss or blood clots.
Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG)
VSG is performed on a comparatively small number of the obese population,
and available to those patients who are candidates for the Lap-Band procedure.
This invasive and irreversible obesity surgery involves removing about
85% or more of the stomach, without causing food to bypass the intestines
or causing any malabsorption of vital nutrients. The remaining stomach
is shaped like a thin banana and creates significant resistance to volumes
of food.
VSG generates weight loss by restricting the amount of food that an individual can ingest. The removed section of the stomach is actually the portion that stretches the most. There is also a belief that this procedure cuts out the part of the stomach that secretes Ghrelin, a hormone responsible for appetite and hunger. Following surgery, patients typically experience some discomfort and pain, which can be alleviated with prescribed medication. Recovery time is approximately one week.
Obesity surgery is no substitution for the ongoing need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The “secret” formula for keeping your ideal weight is not a secret at all. Here it is: Calories eaten = Calories burned!
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