WEIGHT

LOSS

SURGERY?

WEIGHT loss surgery alters the body’s digestive process by limiting the amount of food the stomach can hold and/or by limiting the absorption of nutrients.

The most common procedures are restrictive, malabsorptive or a combination of both. Restrictive procedures reduce the amount of food the stomach can hold, but don’t interfere with the body’s normal digestion of food and nutrients. Malabsorptive procedures bypass most of the small intestine so fewer calories and nutrients are absorbed. Combined procedures restrict food intake as well as the amount of calories and nutrients the body absorbs.

How do I know if I am a candidate for weight loss surgery?
Candidates are at least 100 pounds overweight. That translates to a body mass index of 40 or over. You should have previously attempted to lose weight through traditional methods, including dieting, nutritional counseling and commercial or hospital-based weight loss programs. Candidates may have a body mass index of 35 and over if they have medical problems that are associated with obesity, such as hypertension and diabetes.

People with an inflammatory disease, severe heart or lung disease, esophageal, stomach or intestinal problems, cirrhosis or who are pregnant, are not candidates.

What are my options for weight loss surgery?
The two most common operations are adjustable gastric banding and gastric bypass. With both procedures, the size of the area in stomach where food collects is reduced.

The adjustable gastric band is less invasive than gastric bypass and is often done laparoscopically. By placing an adjustable band around the stomach the surgeon creates an upper pouch. As the name suggests, the band can be adjusted in follow-up, outpatient procedures to ensure that the pouch is the right size to control weight loss.

During Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, a surgeon creates a small pouch at the top of the stomach using staples. The small intestine is then rearranged and connected directly to the pouch, creating a bypass of the small intestine.

The band is adjustable; the bypass is not adjustable. The band is reversible; the gastric bypass is irreversible.

How much weight can I expect to lose?
That depends on the procedure and the individual. With the adjustable gastric banding procedure, weight loss progresses steadily over a 2- to 3-year period and then stabilizes. The final result is usually between 50 percent and 60 percent of the excess weight. After four years, studies show the level of weight loss is equal to that achieved by gastric bypass surgery.