Gastric Bypass Surgery for the Obese

Many people need to lose a few pounds. But more and more Americans are in the categories known as obese and morbidly obese. These people need to lose more than just a few pounds. They need major weight loss pounds.

Some people have been able to lose major weight through diet and exercise. You have probably seen this happen on the popular television show The Biggest Loser. But there is a big commitment and lifestyle change involved.

To succeed in achieving their weight loss goals, these people must change their attitude and lifestyle for life. They realize that they are not on a temporary diet. To gain weight loss pounds, they must change how they view their body and the food they eat.

This means they change the types and quantity of food they buy. They change the types of meals they eat. They change the size of the meals they eat. They change the frequency of their meals.

And, they begin to exercise regularly. Because they may be unable to do vigorous activity, they may have to start slowly. Morbidly obese people should exercise at least 30 minutes a day in whatever form is possible. As they develop strength and endurance, they should kick this up to 60 to 90 minutes a day.

But some people feel they can not change their habits on their own. This is why Bariatric Surgery has become so popular in the last few years. With this procedure, also know as Gastric Bypass, the stomach is made significantly smaller and the food bypasses part of the small intestine. People who have undergone this surgery find that they feel full with very small portions of food.

The most common kind of gastric bypass procedure is the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. In this procedure, the stomach is made smaller by creating a small pouch at the top of the stomach using surgical staples or a plastic band. The smaller stomach is connected directly to the middle portion of the small intestine bypassing the rest of the stomach and the upper portion of the small intestine.

The surgery can definitely help obese people lose significant weight. But it also comes with some caveats. Gastric bypass surgeries may cause what is known as the “dumping syndrome”. This happens when food moves too rapidly through the stomach and intestines. Symptoms include nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness, and sometimes diarrhea shortly after eating. These symptoms are much more severe after eating highly refined, high-calorie foods, especially sweets. So again, food choices have to be changed.

There are a number of conditions that have to be met before a doctor can perform gastric bypass. For instance, the person has to have been obese for at least 5 years. He or she cannot have an ongoing problem with alcohol or have untreated depression. Most candidates are between 18 and 65 years old.

People who have had gastric bypass surgery quickly begin to lose weight. They tend to continue to lose weight for up to 12 months. One study showed that most patients will lose about one-third of their original body weight in 1 to 4 years. However, if the recommended diet is not followed properly, the patient can begin to stretch their stomach and weight may be regained.

So yes, Gastric Bypass Surgery can jump start major weight loss for the obese. But strict lifestyle changes still have to be made to make sure the weight stays off.