Surgery for Weight Loss

There are two surgery options (stomach surgery and liposuction). Stomach surgery (bariatric surgery) is most effective for extremely obese people. The surgery is significantly useful in weight loss, further improving diabetes, cardiovascular risk factors, and mortality. If the benefits exceed the risk of the surgery physically and psychologically, it is the best way. The National Institute of Health (NIH) recommends bariatric surgery for obese people with a BMI of at least 40, and for people with BMI 35 and serious coexisting medical conditions such as diabetes. BMI is determined by your height (meter) and your weight (kg).

BMI=weight (kg) divided by Square of height (meter).

The risks of the surgery are infection, malnourishment, small rate (0.3%) of death within 30 days due to blood clots in lung. The small stomach forces major lifestyle changes (they have to eat small portion of food several time a day). There are two types of stomach surgeries for weight loss. One is called Roux-en-Y which closes off a portion of the stomach and bypasses part of the intestine. Another one is gastric banding which places a band around the stomach. Laparoscopic gastric banding called LAP-BAND (click here for the detail) is the safest and has the least complications. The surgery is performed through small holes. You stay in the hospital only for 1-2 days.

The food after the surgery is a clear liquid diet until the stomach has recovered. After then you need to eat a blended or pureed sugar-free diet for at least two weeks. Since you can not eat a large quantity of food, you need to eat a diet that is relatively high in protein and low in carbohydrates and alcohol plus multivitamin. The most common complication is called gastric dumping syndrome. It includes bloatedness and diarrhea after eating. You need to take small meals or medication. Other less complications are leaks at the surgical site, incisional hernia, infections, and pneumonia. If the surgery is performed by an experienced surgeon, the complications appears to be reduced.

The cost of Lap-Band surgery ranges from $8,000 to $30,000. Today many health plans cover the Lap-Band procedure. Talk to your doctor.

Liposuction is another option. However, if calorie intake is not reduced, they gain weight again and go back to the previous condition.