Saturday 14 March 2015

Restrictive Weight Loss Surgery

Bariatric surgeons have refined their weight loss procedures over the years as they began to realise the significant results they were producing and improving people’s way of life. This was first realised when surgery was used to remove large portions of a patient’s stomach, and noted that following surgery the patients failed to maintain the weight they were before surgery. As further research and experience developed amendments to weight loss procedures were made, which would help morbidly obese patients. Risks have been dramatically reduced and results have been improved upon, which allows for the surgeon to select the best weight loss surgery technique to be used and reasons for doing so. This is assisted largely by the quantity of clinical data now available to surgeons.

There exists two weight loss surgery approaches to improve a patient’s weight and health;

• Restrictive surgery which reduce food intake
• Mal-absorptive procedures which change digestion, so that the food is not completely absorbed.



Restrictive Weight Loss Surgery

Restrictive surgery works based on the fact that when you feel full you experience less hunger cravings and are therefore likely to eat less. Restrictive weight loss reduces the quantity of food at any one time, but does not adjust the natural digestion of the food. In restrictive procedures the surgeon will create a ‘pouch’ in the upper part of the stomach, which connects to the remainder of the stomach via a ’stoma’. 15 - 30 ml is the capacity of the small pouch and the effects this can have on an obedient patient is a lower caloric intake over a sustained period of time and therefore constant weight loss.

With this form of procedure patients must stick to a diet suggested to them by their surgeon for the procedure to prove successful in the long-term. As the patient returns back to their own diet, they must continue a healthy, balanced diet to prevent gaining weight again. The best results from restrictive weight procedures are found in those who eat less, more slowly and restricting too many liquids, especially those rich in carbonates.

For those patients who fail to follow the dietary guidelines, the stomach pouch may expand and reverse the positive effects of the surgery. Constant snacks and high caloric liquids have an adverse effect on the effectiveness of surgery, so adhering to guidelines and a proper diet is a more important decision than the procedure itself. Without self-control and a change in eating habits, restrictive weight loss will not work independently.

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