Should Bariatric Surgery be Your Weight Loss Solution?

There’s an alarming number of people in the United States who suffer from obesity and many are opting for Bariatric surgery.

This is a type of surgery designed to effectively help a person lose weight through the use of restrictive measures that limit the amount of food that can be digested and absorbed. If you’re one of the many people suffering from obesity, you might consider this type of surgery.

Types of Bariatric Surgery

There are four types of surgery that fall under the umbrella of Bariatric surgery. Each has its own unique approach to limiting the amount of food a person can eat and absorb. These four types are called:

• Adjustable gastric banding (AGB)

• Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB)

• Biliopancreatic diversion with a duodenal switch (BPD-DS)

• Vertical sleeve gastrectomy(VSG)

While these names are extremely descriptive in what they do, understand the goal is to limit the amount of food that can fit into the stomach. This allows a person to feel full sooner, eat less, and lose weight. For most who are in the obese category, diet and exercise can only do so much and diet is often extremely difficult.

Digestion Interrupted

The surgeries named all have something in common, they all reroute food that’s eaten to bypass the stomach mostly or completely during the digestive process. While the digestive process begins in the mouth, the stomach is expandable and where much of the food can be stored until it moves to the small intestine. By going past the stomach, the process is interrupted and fewer nutrients and calories are absorbed, allowing a person to lose weight and reduce the risk of obesity-related disorders later in life.

How Is Obesity Determined?

Are you obese according to medical science? You could fall in the obese range and not even know it. Some athletes are considered obese even though they carry a lot more muscle than fat. Body Mass Index (BMI) is used to measure height in relation to weight and is the typical measure used to determine obesity.

For most of us, this scale works great, for athletes, a more comprehensive scale is needed. Either way, if you have a BMI over 40, you are certainly in the obese category and might be in danger of serious health issues.

Should You Consider Bariatric Surgery?

Bariatric surgery is a long-term effective tool for losing weight for those who are obese. This is a major surgery and it does have some long and short-term side effects that you should be aware of. Most of the time, this surgery is performed using a laparoscopic approach with a small half-inch incision that heals easily. Sometimes, an open approach must be used, which is more invasive and can cause more complications later on.

You May Experience Unwanted Attention After the Surgery

Once you have Bariatric surgery, you’re likely going to lose weight and lose it quickly. This could lead to some people asking you invasive questions you don’t really want to answer. Many are simply excited for you and might want to consider this surgery for themselves, but it can be a psychological drain for you to continually answer questions about your weight loss.

Your Addiction Can be Transferred

One of the most harmful side effects to be aware of is the possibility of addiction transfer. While you can’t eat as much after having Bariatric surgery, you can drink alcohol and use drugs, which can lead to your addiction to food being moved to one of these items instead. Be aware of this potential and make sure you have a strong support group to help you.

An Increased Risk of Suicide

While you might think that losing weight and feeling healthier would be enough to make a person leave suicidal thoughts in the past, studies have shown that after Bariatric surgery, some patients experience depression and may attempt suicide. Typically the depression that was felt before surgery returns two to three years later. This is another reason to have the support group you need to help you avoid becoming depressed and possibly suicidal.

Change Your Lifestyle for the Best Results

Bariatric surgery can result in immediate weight loss and a healthy feeling, but those who have found the most success have used this surgery as a starting point to a healthy lifestyle. Those who have had the best results enjoy a low-calorie diet, engage in regular exercise, and avoid situations where they might be prone to overeat. The surgery alone can’t give you the healthy feeling you want, but it can certainly get you started toward healthy living.