Bariatric Surgery

Significantly overweight and no diet plans seem to work for you? Then bariatric surgery might be an option. What are the risks involved and the results and costs? Will this medical weight loss program work for you? Take our Top 60 Diet Quiz to find out whether or not gastric bypass surgery or lapband surgery is one of the best diet plans for you. Our comprehensive diet analysis examines your lifestyle and dieting preferences, and reviews your needs versus weight loss surgery, as well as other types of diets. Then BestDietForMe.com gives you a group of your best diet program “matches" and unbiased reports describing each company’s diet program, complete with reviews of options like gastric bypass surgery, so you can choose the right one…

Bariatric Surgery

After you read our review below - Try our Top 60 Diet Quiz to find out which diet programs are best suited to your specific needs, and which ones will help you keep the weight off.

Type of Counseling: provided prior to and after surgery, by a physician

Typical Cost: more than $3,000

Type Program: surgery

Type of Foods Used: Not applicable

At-Home or Direct Mail Plan Available? Not applicable

Summary

Gastric bypass surgery has been gaining popularity over the past several years, and may be available to you as a tool for weight loss. The American Society for Bariatric Surgery and the National Institutes of Health estimate that in 2005, 170,000 Americans underwent this operation. This is up significantly from 63,000 in 2002. Undoubtedly, the popularity of this surgery was fed by the publicity surrounding TV weatherman Al Roker’s and singer Carnie Wilson’s participation. Their results were dramatic.

However, this is really a last resort measure. Gastric bypass surgery is major surgery and, as such, has all the risks associated with any other invasive procedure. It should not be considered unless other less invasive means of weight loss have been given your full effort but still not helped you achieve a stable reduction in your weight. The Roux-en-Y is the most commonly performed gastric bypass operation. The procedure involves two steps: (1) Sectioning off a small segment of your stomach so that you can only take in small amounts of food, and (2) Cutting and reattaching a portion of your small intestine to this new small stomach, thereby reducing the amount of nutrients and calories you absorb from the food that you do eat.

To qualify for this procedure, potential patients must meet criteria set by the National Institutes of Health. For example, a person must have a minimum BMI of 40, or a BMI of 35 with associated co-morbidities. In addition, prospective patients are required to have tried other weight loss methods or treatments already.

Although you must discuss this with your doctor, and ultimately your surgeon, to know whether you qualify for the surgery, here are the general guidelines.

If your Body Mass Index (BMI) is 40 or greater, and there are no medical or psychological reasons that surgery would be too risky for you, most bariatric surgeons would accept you.
If your BMI ranges from 35 to 39.9 and you have medical co-morbidities such as sleep apnea and diabetes, and there are no medical or psychological reasons that surgery would be too risky for you, most bariatric surgeons would accept you.

Although the comprehensiveness of programs varies from location to location, we recommend that you seek a surgeon who does have a comprehensive program. Such a program would require that you meet with a Registered Dietitian and a Clinical Psychologist both in preparation for and following surgery, and have at least a year of follow-up visits with your surgeon and his or her team. In spite of the dramatic results publicized in the media, the truth is that the bariatric surgery does not "solve" your obesity problem. Rather, it provides you with a strong aid to changing your eating patterns – it does not change them for you. Thus, you will still have to address such issues as food preferences, emotional eating, and the challenges of socializing without overeating.

Depending on your weight and your surgeon’s program, you may be required to participate in a weight loss program in preparation for surgery. Many bariatric surgeons require this participation as a means of your demonstrating that you will be able to follow the strict dietary and behavioral requirements posed by the surgery. Also, if you are very large, a weight loss program such as a very low calorie diet (VLCD such as Optifast, HMR, Medifast, etc.) in order to lower your weight and thereby reduce the probability of surgical complications.

Surgical treatment is gaining in popularity because it is the best method currently available for achieving long-term weight control for the extremely obese. However, you should be clear on the fact that surgical treatment is not a cosmetic procedure. It does not involve the removal of adipose tissue (fat) by suction or excision. Bariatric surgery involves reducing the size of the gastric reservoir. This helps the individual reduce caloric intake and practice healthier eating behaviors such as moderating portion size, eating slowly, chewing each mouthful well, and attending to visceral signals of satiety.

In certain circumstances, less severely obese patients (with BMI’s between 35 and 40) also may be considered for bariatric surgery. Included in this category are patients with high-risk co-morbid conditions such as life threatening cardiopulmonary problems (e.g. severe sleep apnea, Pickwickian syndrome, obesity related cardiomyopathy, or severe diabetes mellitus). Other possible indications for patients with BMI’s between 35 and 40 include obesity-induced physical problems that are interfering with lifestyle (e.g. musculoskeletal or neurological or body size problems precluding or severely interfering with employment and family function).

Pros and Cons

The positives associated with this operation include the fact that most patients lose weight quickly and continue to lose it for up to 18-24 months after the surgery. Most people maintain a long-term weight loss of approximately 50–70% of their excess weight. In addition, the weight loss resulting from surgery improves most obesity-related conditions such as diabetes, sleep disorders (sleep apnea), high blood pressure and joint pain.

As for the drawbacks, 10% to 20% of patients require follow-up operations to correct various complications, such as abdominal hernias. Some patients may develop gallstones. During rapid or substantial weight loss, the risk of developing gallstones rises. Also, nearly 30% of patients develop nutritional deficiencies such as anemia, osteoporosis, and metabolic bone disease. However, these may be averted if vitamin/mineral consumption is high enough.

More Information

Below are links to websites where you can educate yourself about this procedure as well as find bariatric surgeons who can further educate and assist you.

Obesity Resources: www.obesityhelp.com

American Association of Bariatric Surgeons: www.asbp.org

American Society for Bariatric Surgery
7328 West University Avenue, Suite F
Gainesville, FL 32607 (U.S.A.)
Phone: 352-331-4900
Fax: 352-331-4975
Email: info@asbs.org

The American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) is the largest society for this specialty in the world. It was organized in 1983 as an association of bariatric surgeons, which emerged from the earlier University of Iowa Colloquia on bariatric surgery.

Regular members of the ASBS are all Board Certified Surgeons who have a special interest in surgical treatment of obese patients. It must be emphasized that these procedures are in no way to be considered as cosmetic surgery. To locate a surgeon in your area, go to the Society’s website at: www.asbp.org. Click on the button "Find Members in Your Area". Choose the link for regular members, then your state. A list will pop up displaying the cities in your state and the doctor’s name and phone number (no address).

The Society also has members in the following nations other than the United States: Australia, Canada, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Japan, Greece, Spain, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.

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The information on this web site is intended for information purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Before starting any weight loss program, it is recommended that you consult your physician or health care professional.

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