Obesity is one of the most common health problems these days. Although some people can effectively lose weight with workout and diet, it is not effective for others. No matter what they do, the traditional weight loss techniques are simply not effective for them.
To achieve a healthy body weight, one of the most effective options for them are surgical weight loss procedures. These procedures, though invasive, are really proven and tested to effectively reduce weight and help the person achieve his or her healthy weight goals.
If you’re considering undergoing surgical weight loss procedures for your fitness journey, here are some of the best ones to choose from.
Gastric Banding
Gastric banding works as a surgical restrictive weight loss procedure. An inflatable band is placed into the stomach to divide it into two sections – a small upper pouch and a bigger lower part. Since the channel connecting these two sections are very narrow, the upper pouch gets emptied at a very slow rate making the patient feel fuller for a long time. Since the upper pouch is small, the patient only needs to eat a little food and feel already full. If you’re looking for a simpler operation, this one is perfect since it is not that intense compared to other weight loss surgery procedures.
Sleeve Gastrectomy
Just like gastric binding, sleeve gastrectomy is also another form of surgical restrictive weight loss procedure. In sleeve gastrectomy, almost 75% of the stomach is removed through surgery. The remaining part is then connected to the intestines.
Since there is only a small sleeve left of the stomach, the patient will feel fuller faster. However, the nutrient absorption is unaffected since the intestines are still intact. In some cases, the patient can proceed to a gastric bypass surgery when the sleeve gastrectomy has been effective in improving their health condition.
Gastric Bypass Surgery
Unlike the 2 precious procedures, gastric bypass surgery is a combination of restrictive and malabsorptive weight loss technique. The stomach is divided into two sections – the upper and lower portion. The upper portion is connected to the lower part of the small intestine.
In this case, the food bypasses its natural route and just goes directly to the lower section of the small intestine. This means lesser calories absorbed, making the patient lose weight. Since nutrient absorption is affected, the patient needs to take supplements and be careful with diet to compensate for this. Compared to the previous procedures, gastric bypass produces rapid weight loss.
Biliopancreatic Diversion
It works almost the same as gastric bypass, but a more extreme version since more part of the small intestine is being bypassed by this procedure. However, a larger portion is left on the stomach, allowing the patient to eat more compared to other surgical weight loss procedures.
It can be confusing to make a choice with so many procedures available these days. Before anything else, consult a bariatric surgeon first to know if surgical weight loss is for you and which procedure would suit you.
