General Surgery Bariatrics

Bariatrics

Many people struggle to lose weight and keep it off. If your weight is starting to affect your health and your way of life, and you’ve tried other weight loss methods without success, it may be time to consider weight-loss or bariatric surgery. Weight-loss surgery has been life-changing for many people. Is it right for you?

Guidelines for weight-loss surgery:

  • 18 years or older.
  • BMI ≥ 40.
  • Inability to achieve a healthy weight loss sustained for a period of time with prior weight-loss efforts.
  • BMI ≥ 35 and at least one or more obesity-related co-morbidities such as type II diabetes (T2DM), high blood pressure, sleep apnea and other respiratory disorders, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, osteoarthritis, lipid abnormalities, gastrointestinal disorders or heart disease.

How does weight-loss surgery work?

Weight-loss or bariatric surgery procedures such as gastric bypass, gastric sleeve and adjustable gastric banding, work by changing the anatomy of your gastrointestinal tract (stomach and digestive system) or by causing different physiological changes in your body that change your energy balance and fat metabolism.

By changing your gastrointestinal anatomy, certain bariatric procedures affect the production of intestinal hormones in a way that reduces hunger and appetite and increases feelings of fullness. The end result is less desire to eat. These surgically induced changes in hormones are different from those produced by dietary weight loss alone.

When you meet with your surgeon, different surgical options will be presented, and you and the surgeon will decide which procedure is best for you. It is important to remember that bariatric surgery is a tool. Weight-loss success depends on many important factors such as nutrition, exercise and behavior modification.

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