How Does Weight Loss Surgery Work?
Bariatric surgery changes how your body responds to food, increasing weight loss and improving weight-related health conditions. Find out how this life-changing treatment works.
Most people considering bariatric surgery have tried to lose weight many times. While they may have achieved some success by making lifestyle changes, these results are often temporary and followed by weight gain. So what makes bariatric surgery different?
In short, while weight loss procedures restrict what you can eat, that’s not all they do. After all, failure to lose weight is not simply due to a lack of willpower, but a complex mix of diet, exercise, and metabolism. For instance, people who have been obese for a long time often find it difficult to maintain lower weights, as their metabolisms tend to slow down after they reduce their body mass index (BMI).
Bariatric surgery, however, changes how the body digests and metabolizes food, making it easier to lose weight and keep it off. There are several different procedures that serve this purpose, but the most effective are gastric bypass and gastric sleeve. When performed by skilled surgeons like those at Long Island Laparoscopic Doctors, bariatric surgery has proven to be the best way to manage weight-related health problems like type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
Here’s what you need to know about these weight loss procedures, including how they work and how to choose the one that’s right for you.
Gastric Bypass Surgery
Gastric bypass, or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, is the most common weight loss procedure performed in the United States. During the surgery, a small stomach pouch is created to restrict food intake. Then, a Y-shaped section of the small intestine is attached to the pouch, causing food to bypass a portion of the intestines. The procedure is often performed laparoscopically, meaning it is minimally invasive and allows for a shorter recovery time.
Gastric bypass surgery limits how much you can eat and the nutrients your body absorbs. After the procedure, you can expect to lose around 100 pounds or up to two-thirds of your excess body weight within a single year. This comes with important health benefits, such as freedom from diabetes and high blood pressure. For example, gastric bypass surgery has been proven to help control or even eliminate type 2 diabetes in 84% of people. It also has been shown to improve hypertension in 80% of patients.
Gastric Sleeve Surgery
Gastric sleeve surgery is another popular and effective weight loss option. During this procedure, a surgeon creates a long, narrow vertical pouch, or “sleeve,” by stapling off and removing 85% of the stomach. This leads to weight loss by limiting the amount of food you can eat. Like the gastric bypass procedure, gastric sleeve surgery is typically performed laparoscopically and requires minimal recovery time.
After gastric sleeve surgery, you can expect to lose 50-60% of your excess weight. This procedure can be performed on people who do not qualify for gastric bypass, including those with anemia or Crohn’s disease. Weight loss may be slower for gastric sleeve patients than for people who receive a gastric bypass, but sleeve patients can still expect to see significant improvements in weight-related health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure.
The Benefits of Bariatric Surgery
At Long Island Laparoscopic Doctors, we’re committed to improving your physical and mental health through personalized weight loss treatments. We use advanced bariatric procedures like gastric bypass and gastric sleeve to boost metabolism and deliver meaningful, long-term results.
Weight loss surgery impacts the way your body responds to food, changing how nutrients are absorbed and increasing insulin production. This helps you achieve sustained weight loss beyond what you can accomplish through diet and exercise alone.
If you’re considering bariatric surgery, or want to learn more about these procedures, get in touch with Long Island Laparoscopic Doctors today. We’re happy to provide a personalized consultation to evaluate your health needs and help you choose a treatment that’s right for you. Patients are encouraged to set up a 10-minute phone call with our bariatric coordinator, or schedule an in-office visit. We look forward to helping you begin your journey to the new you!