A significant amount of American adults suffer from obesity. Added weight contributes to major health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and some types of cancer. People who are overweight are also more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. Obesity can make exercise difficult, creating a cycle of disappointment and declining health. If you have tried exercise programs and healthy eating plans with little results, weight loss surgery might be a solution to get you on the road to better health. Some patients are unable to exercise until after losing weight. Surgery provides an opportunity to lose weight, so you can work toward a healthier lifestyle.
Types of Weight Loss Surgery
Weight loss surgery works in two major ways. The first is to shrink the stomach’s size so it holds less food. Other surgeries are performed to bypass part of the small intestine so fewer calories are absorbed by the body. We offer four major types of surgery:
- Gastric bypass – This surgery shrinks the stomach and bypasses part of the small intestine. It works by allowing you to get full faster and absorb fewer calories from the food you eat.
- Adjustable Gastric Band – This surgery shrinks the size of the stomach but does not affect the small intestine. It works directly by making you feel full faster.
- Sleeve Gastrectomy – This surgery removes a large percentage of the stomach. No bypass is involved, and the small intestine is unaffected.
- Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch (BPD/DS) – This surgery removes a large part of the stomach and bypasses three-fourths of the small intestine. The small stomach allows you to get full quickly and the small intestine absorbs a smaller number of calories from food consumed.
Your doctor will help you decide which surgery is best for you based on your medical history and risk for surgical complications. Your personal symptoms are a major factor in the decision of which surgery to have. The myriad benefits of weight loss surgery include:
- Long-term weight loss – Weight loss surgery has major advantages in the weight loss struggle that you can’t find anywhere else. Your stomach holds less food and gut hormones are changed. This can enable patients who have seen other methods fail to lose weight.
- Remission for type 2 diabetes – Many patients are able to stop taking insulin following surgery.
- Less joint pain – Chronic pain sufferers often get relief from joint pain after removing the pressure of extra weight.
- Improved cardiovascular health – Blood pressure and cholesterol levels often return to normal after weight loss surgery. Weight reduction and improved joint function also allow patients to participate in cardiovascular exercise.
- Relief of depression – Overweight people of all ages often suffer depression due to body image. Isolation and mental health are improved after surgery.
If you are stuck in the seemingly endless battle against the bathroom scale, don’t face it alone. Get rid of the weight and get back to a healthier lifestyle. Learn more about your options for weight loss surgery today by contacting the Orlando Center for Metabolic & Obesity Surgery and scheduling a consultation today!
