A bariatric surgery modifies the digestive process so as to achieve rapid weight loss. The surgery can be divided into three major types: Restrictive, Malabsorptive or a combination of both.
Restrictive weight loss surgeries limit the food intake by making a thinner passage from the upper part of the stomach into the larger lower part, sinking the amount of food the stomach can hold and slowing the passage of food through the stomach.
Malabsorptive surgeries do not limit the food intake, but instead eliminate most of the small intestine from the digestive tract so that lesser calories and nutrients are absorbed. These surgeries are also called as intestinal bypasses. They are no longer recommended because they result in severe dietary deficiencies. The combined surgeries use stomach curbing and a partial bypass of the small intestine.
Undergoing a bariatric weight loss surgery may be the next step for people who remain severely obese after trying nonsurgical approaches, or for people who have several obesity-related co-morbidities.
Answering the following questions may help you decide whether undergoing the surgery is right for you.
• Are you unable to lose weight with non surgical methods?
• Are you well informed about the surgical procedure and the effects of the weight loss surgery?
• Are you determined to shed the extra flabs and improve your health?
• Are you conscious of how your life will change after the surgery?
• Can you be dedicated to lifelong medical follow-ups and vitamin/mineral supplementations?
• Are you familiar of the potential for serious complications, dietary restrictions, and occasional failures related to weight loss surgery?
• Are you well informed about the surgical procedure and the effects of the weight loss surgery?
• Are you determined to shed the extra flabs and improve your health?
• Are you conscious of how your life will change after the surgery?
• Can you be dedicated to lifelong medical follow-ups and vitamin/mineral supplementations?
• Are you familiar of the potential for serious complications, dietary restrictions, and occasional failures related to weight loss surgery?
The complication rate of these surgeries is low and the recovery period is very short. It can also be performed laparoscopically in patients weighing more than 500 pounds. No part of the stomach or intestine is permanently removed yet at the same time it is also important to know beforehand that there are no guarantees about the success rate of these surgeries.
Moreover, even with the growing awareness about health and fitness, more than 3 percent (3 crores) of the Indian population is obese. The reasons to the obesity may be different for each. It may be due to stress, sleep debt, pollution or mostly can be genetic too. The surgery may be expensive too. So, it is recommended that you consult a surgeon before taking the leap for such a life changing decision of undergoing a weight loss surgery.