Controlling weight can be a struggle. It is a major problem of the present age. Overweight and obesity can impact so many parts of life: self-confidence, relationships, ability to do things and health. Obesity increases the risk for serious illness such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, cancer and many more.
It’s not easy. Losing weight can be difficult enough. Maintaining body weight, and not putting the lost weight back on and gaining even more, is often the more difficult part. If best efforts at weight control have not succeeded, then it’s time to think about weight loss surgery. A weight loss operation provides a powerful tool to get fullness with small meals and to keep hunger away until it is time for the next meal.
There are two important decisions that need to be made:
- Is weight loss surgery really required? Body mass index (BMI), medical history and life-style need to be analysed carefully to answer this question.
- Which weight loss operation should be chosen? There are three commonly done weight loss operations: gastric band, sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass. All the operations are done entirely by keyhole surgery. But, there are important differences in what is done to the stomach in each of these operations. As a result, there are important differences in benefits and risks of these operations. The choice of an operation will vary for different people. One size does not fit all. To make an informed choice, the pros and cons of each operation should be weighed carefully in the light of each person’s individual circumstances.
High quality and trustworthy professional advice is critical to make the correct decisions. A good way to start the journey is to find out information. The internet is a maze and many of us struggle to find helpful sites. Detailed and accurate facts that are presented in simple language, and easy to understand pictures, can be very valuable. Read the information carefully and make a list of questions. Next, make an appointment to see a weight loss surgeon and have a detailed discussion. Then, go home and think carefully before making a final decision.
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