Better Bodies In Training

Are you 80 or more pounds overweight? Have you tried every exercise and diet plan on the market, yet you still are not loosing the weight? Are you contemplating taken any diet medication and/or supplements? If so, then there may be another option available for you.

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Weight Loss Surgeries

If you are engaged in both an exercise and nutritional program for loosing weight, yet you are struggling to actually lose the weight, in addition to the medication and supplement option, there is yet another option available to you. This option is weight loss surgery or bariatric surgery. Typically these surgeries are reserved or recommended for individuals with a BMI of 40+ (morbid obesity); put another way, these procedures are for men who are at least 100 pounds overweight and for women who are 80 pounds overweight (Medline Plus). Now, if you are not that heavy, but you do suffer from diabetes, heart disease or sleep apnea, you may quailify for such procedures.

There are lots of bariatric options availble ;most are incision-based; there are some new cutting edge procedures on the market and in clinical trials. In the broad sense however, bariatric options fall into two groups of procedures; or as the American Society for Bariatric Surgery states there are two basic approaches that weight loss surgery takes to achieve change:

1. Restrictive procedures that decrease food intake
2. Malabsorptive procedures that alter digestion, thus causing the food to be poorly digested and incompletely aborbed so that it is eliminated in the stool

Restrictive Procedures

As stated above restrictive bariatric procedures decrease food intake. Some of the most common methods include:

1. Gastric Restrictive Procedure-Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (VBG)
2. Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding (LAP-BAND and REALIZE band)
3. Gastric Band

Some of the stated benefits to restrictive procedures include a healthy and steady rate of weight loss, lower risks of nutritional deficiencies, less hunger and portion control (http://www.wlshelp.com/weight-loss-surgery.html )

Some of the risks associated with the procedures include: lack of satisfaction with eating, the necessity of individuals to make healthy eating choices and unsatisfactory weight loss (http://www.wlshelp.com/weight-loss-surgery.html

Malabsorptive Procedures

Malabsorptive Procedures alter digestion. These procedures involve cutting and rerouting the small intestine so that food bypasses a portion of the digestive system. These procedures cause the food to be poorly digested and incompletely aborbed so that it is eliminated in the stool. Some of the most common procedures include:

1. Biliopancreatic diversion (BPD)
2. Biliopancreatic with duodenal switch
3. Extended (Distal) Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGBP-E)

Some of the benefits to the above procedures include:

1. These operations often result in a high degree of patient satisfaction because patients are able to eat larger meals than with a purely restrictive or standard Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure.
2. These procedures can produce the greatest excess weight loss because they provide the highest levels of malabsorption.

Some of the risk (yes, there are risks) include:

1. For all malabsorption procedures there is a period of intestinal adaptation when bowel movements can be very liquid and frequent. This condition may lessen over time, but may be a permanent lifelong occurrence.
2. Abdominal bloating and malodorous stool or gas may occur.

Visit (http://www.weightlosssurgeryinfo.com/dtcf/pages/TypesofProcedures.htm?pgn=3 ) for detailed list of other risks and benefits.

Combined Restrictive and Malabsorptive Procedures

By adding malabsorption and restrictive procedures together, “food is delayed in mixing with bile and pancreatic juices that aid in the absorption of nutrients. The result is an early sense of fullness, combined with a sense of satisfaction that reduces the desire to eat” (http://www.weightlosssurgeryinfo.com/dtcf/pages/TypesofProcedures.htm?pgn=3) .One great example of a combined procedure is Gastric Bypass Roux-en-Y.

Gastric Bypass Roux-en-Y is said to be the most frequently performed weight loss surgery in the US. (http://www.weightlosssurgeryinfo.com/dtcf/pages/TypesofProcedures.htm?pgn=3). It is also one of the most radical (http://www.yourbariatricsurgeryguide.com/ ) and is less complicated thanbiliopancreatic diversion bypass.

Some of the most common benefits include:

1. The average excess weight loss after the Roux-en-Y procedure is generally higher in a compliant patient than with purely restrictive procedures.
2. One year after surgery, weight loss can average 77% of excess body weight.

Some of the most common risks include:

1. Because the duodenum is bypassed, poor absorption of iron and calcium can result in the lowering of total body iron and a predisposition to iron deficiency anemia. This is a particular concern for patients who experience chronic blood loss during excessive menstrual flow or bleeding hemorrhoids. Women, already at risk for osteoporosis that can occur after menopause, should be aware of the potential for heightened bone calcium loss.
2. Bypassing the duodenum has caused metabolic bone disease in some patients, resulting in bone pain, loss of height, humped back and fractures of the ribs and hip bones. All of the deficiencies mentioned above, however, can be managed through proper diet and vitamin supplements.

Visit http://www.weightlosssurgeryinfo.com/dtcf/pages/TypesofProcedures.htm?pgn=3 for a detailed list of other benefits and risks.

So to recap, bariatric surgery is the name for any and all surgical and non-surgical weight loss procedures. They are either restrictive or malabsorptive in nature or a combination of the two. While there are many benefits to all the above listed procedures, there are risks. So, if you are contempleting any of these procedures make sure you have the facts. Also, it is important to note, that bariatric surgery is always used in combination with other weight loss strategies: like exercising and dieting. So, if you are not looking at your weight loss as a multi-stepped process involving a few tools in your toolbox, you need to rethink your strategy.

There are non-incision based bariatric procedures that we did no cover in any details here. These procedures will be subject of another posting. But for now, I would love to know what your thoughts were on this subject. Have you or would you ever contemplate any of the procedures above? Do you know of anyone who has had any these procedures? Do share! Tell us what you think.