The best way to lose weight - Weight Loss Surgery
Weight loss surgery is a choice for obese people with a :
- BMI greater than 40, or
- BMI of 35 to 39.9 with serious health problems (such as diabetes, heart condition).
Surgery to help obese and overweight people is another safe way to lose weight. Your doctor can tell you more about how surgery can help and any possible problems. Surgery alone is not enough. After weight loss surgery, people need to watch their diet and stay active. Most people work with a team of doctors and diet experts (such as dieticians) to help stay "on track" after surgery.
Here are some facts about three types of weight-loss surgery :
Malabsorptive surgery
This type of surgery shortens and re-shapes the digestive tract (intestines). This is done to limit the amount of calories and other nutrients that are taken into the body. This surgery is most often done along with restrictive surgery described below.
Restrictive surgery
This makes the stomach smaller so it cannot hold as much food as before. This type of surgery does not change how your body digests food. Restrictive surgery is done in one of two ways :
- Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding : In this surgery, a band is put around the top of the stomach. This makes a small pouch that can only hold a small amount of food.
- Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (VBG) : This is sometimes called "stomach stapling." Doctors make a small pouch on the top of the stomach. The outlet from the pouch to the rest of the stomach has a band around it. This band keeps the stomach from emptying food so the stomach feels full.
Combination surgery
This includes aspects of both malabsorptive and restrictive surgery. It makes the stomach hold less food and re-shapes the digestive tract to get fewer calories. There are two types of combination surgery :
- Gastric Bypass (also called Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass or RYGB) : This is when part of the stomach is stapled and bypassed. This causes the person to eat less and so take in fewer calories and nutrients.
- Biliopancreatic Diversion (BPD) : In this surgery, most (about 70%) of the stomach is removed. The smaller stomach is then connected to the small intestine. This means the protein, carbohydrate and fat in foods are not mixed with the bile and pancreatic enzymes that would break them down. Therefore, less food is taken into the body.