Surgical Weight Control Article

	1888 Articles Home \| Health Articles	Health RSS
Surgical Weight Control

To some, surgical weight control seems like a drastic solution to a simple problem. If obesity is causing health issues, then lose the weight. However, the issue is rarely that simple, especially with those who are fighting long-term morbid obesity.

Author: Sara Goldstein

Article Tools:

Many people fighting obesity have done so for years. In spite of numerous attempts to lose weight through dieting and exercise, they have not been able to lose the weight they need to lose in order to regain their health and their ability to live life to the fullest.

If you’ve struggled with extreme overweight without success, even with your doctor’s help, it might be time to consider surgical weight control.

Gastric Bypass Surgery
Perhaps the most well-known form of surgical weight control is the gastric bypass. Also known as stomach stapling, gastric bypass reduces the size of the stomach and restructures part of the intestine, making you less able to consume large quantities of food as well as reducing the body’s ability to absorb the food you eat. You consume fewer calories, and your body, in turn, absorbs fewer calories, leading to weight loss that can be rapid and dramatic.

Though the results of gastric bypass are often very successful, the procedure carries a number of risks. Gastric bypass is major surgery, requiring a stay in the hospital and a recovery period. It also requires permanent changes in your eating habits, as your altered digestive system can no longer handle the same types of food you ate before the surgery.

Some possible complications of gastric bypass surgery include:

• Infection
• Dehydration
• Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
• Pulmonary embolism

Be sure to consult with your bariatric surgeon about your suitability for gastric bypass surgery and the possible side effects you might have to face.

New Options for Surgical Weight Control
A newer and much less invasive procedure for surgical weight control is LAP-BAND® surgery. In this procedure, the stomach is not surgically altered, but is constricted using a special band that divides the stomach, greatly reducing the amount of food it can accommodate in a single meal. The band is adjusted periodically to either reduce or increase the size of the stomach. The band can also be removed later. Many bariatric surgeons are choosing this method over gastric bypass, as it has proven very effective with much less risk to the patient.

Even with surgical weight loss procedures, weight loss will not prove successful in the long term without healthy eating and a regular exercise program. Bariatric surgery can certainly help accelerate your weight loss, but in the end, it will continue to be up to you to maintain it.

About Author

For more information about weight loss surgery in the Los Angeles, California area, please visit the website of Dr. Carson Liu, experienced bariatric surgeon, to schedule a consultation.

Article Source: http://www.1888articles.com/author-sara-goldstein-4751.html