Obesity is a common problem worldwide. If you don’t take care of your food intake or exercise, you can quickly become overweight and obese. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 1.9 billion adults are overweight, of which some 650 million are obese. Moreover, it’s not only the adults. Data also shows that 39 million children under 5 years are overweight or obese.
If you’re obese and looking for a way to lose weight, bariatric surgery may be your option. Bariatric surgery could be your best bet if you have tried other weight loss methods and failed. It is also beneficial for individuals who have had previous gastric bypass surgeries and have trouble losing weight after their operation.
This article explains what bariatric surgery is and the types of procedures you can undergo to lose weight.
What Is Bariatric Surgery?
Bariatric surgery is a weight-loss procedure that helps people lose weight and keep it off. It works by limiting the amount of food you can eat, slowing down how quickly your body absorbs calories from food and beverages, or both.
Bariatric surgery aims to help you maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI), which is generally accepted as being between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2. BMI is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight measurements. If your BMI is above 30 kg/m2, you’re obese. You’re overweight if it’s between 25 and 29.9 kg/m2.
Bariatric is one of the most common ways to reduce weight. In fact, many people undergo this surgery in the USA. Data from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) shows a total of 198,651 bariatric surgeries in 2020 in the USA.
How to Find the Right Clinic for Bariatric Surgery
Here are a few factors you should consider when searching for a clinic.
- Accreditation: Ensure the American Society accredits the facility for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). This means it has met certain requirements, such as having sufficient experience and being able to handle emergencies regularly. It’s also important to look at how long they’ve been in business, how many procedures they’ve performed, and who the surgeons are.
- Experience: If multiple surgeons are working at your chosen center, find out how long each has been practicing bariatric surgery. A minimum of five years of experience is recommended whether or not they have formal training in this area of medicine. A surgeon with significant experience can help reduce bariatric surgery complications and provide peace of mind about the procedure going smoothly.
- Reputation/reviews: Once you’ve narrowed down some possible clinics based on their accreditation status and surgical staff’s qualifications, research their reputation online by reading customer reviews posted by previous patients.
While all the above things matter, the most important is the quality of services. You should go with a clinic that has expert physicians and offers specialty care, like this clinic that specializes in endoscopy bariatric surgery in Florida. When selecting a specialty care clinic, you can rest assured that you will get the best care before, during, and after the surgery.
Moreover, you must also consider the location of the clinic. You don’t want to travel a lot for checkups and surgery, as it can impact your health and consume a lot of time. Hence, it is best to go with a local clinic. For instance, if you live in Brooklyn, New York City, you must find a clinic in that very place.
Also, go with a walk-in clinic to get quick care. Although you would be required to book an appointment for bariatric surgery and checkups, a walk-in clinic still has a few physicians who can always help you with emergencies.
Thus, you can go with a walk-in clinic in Brooklyn that enables you to schedule appointments efficiently. For instance, a walk-in clinic with a self-service kiosk will allow you to book appointments without waiting for anyone else to assist you.
You can go with the Doral Health & Wellness Urgent Care center for bariatric care. They offer specialty care for multiple medical conditions. Additionally, they also have a self-service kiosk that allows you to book appointments for your checkups.
Types of Bariatric Surgery Procedures
There are many types of bariatric surgeries. Here are the four most common procedures that can help you lose weight.
Gastric Sleeve Surgery
This procedure involves removing 70% of your stomach, leaving behind a thin tube weighing about 20 ounces. The small pouch can’t accommodate large meals, so it will be easier for you to stay within healthy portions. A person who has undergone this surgery typically feels full faster than before and is more likely to lose weight over time but only if they stick to a strict diet in the years after surgery.
In preparation for gastric sleeve surgery, you’ll need to avoid certain medications that could interfere with healing or cause an allergic reaction during anesthesia. Your doctor will tell you which medications are safe for use while recovering from the operation and what activities should be avoided while recovering at home.
Most people spend one night in the hospital after gastric sleeve surgery but may need up to four weeks off work depending on how strenuously they worked before their procedure.
You can expect to lose around half your weight with the proper treatment and diet. However, some people also witness a loss of 60% to 70% of their weight. Moreover, you won’t regain weight due to reduced food intake.
Gastric Banding Surgery
It is one of the most commonly performed bariatric procedures. It involves placing an inflatable band at the top of your stomach. This leads to the creation of a small pouch that can only hold about 1/2 cup of food at a time.
This restriction on how much food you can eat at one time forces your body to get creative in getting nourishment from smaller portions, which means that those extra pounds should start dropping off naturally. The good news about gastric banding surgery is that it’s reversible since it can be deflated after losing enough weight or if you decide it’s no longer working for you.
Gastric Bypass Surgery
This is an operation to reduce the size of the stomach. It is performed by creating a small pouch that holds part of the stomach, which limits how much food you can eat at one time. Part of the small intestine is then connected directly to this pouch. This allows food to pass into your body and through your digestive system faster than it would if it didn’t have to go through your stomach first.
Gastric bypass surgery may be used for people who are obese or severely overweight and whose obesity makes it hard for them to move around quickly or live everyday life without constant pain in their joints, muscles, bones, and back. Gastric bypass surgery can lead to a loss of around 28% of the weight. While most participants maintain their weight after the surgery, there are chances of regaining weight if you don’t take care of your diet.
Single Anastomosis Surgery
Single anastomosis surgery, also known as gastric bypass, is a type of bariatric surgery that involves creating a new stomach pouch to enable food to pass through the digestive system more quickly.
Surgeons use this procedure because it’s less invasive than other weight-loss surgeries and has been shown to provide patients with higher success rates. It’s also considered one of the safest options for those who suffer from severe obesity or type 2 diabetes.
In this procedure, surgeons use staples or stitches to create an internal bypass around the first part of your small intestine so that food will pass directly into your lower intestines instead of moving through your entire digestive tract before reaching them.
Conclusion
Bariatric surgery has been proven to be a safe and effective way to treat obesity, but there may also be some risks. Make sure you talk to your doctor before considering any surgical options so they can help determine if this is right for you.