Explore Weight Control Options With Bariatric Surgeons NJ Residents Trust

By Olive Pate


Severe obesity is not a problem that many individuals have the ability to fix easily with exercise and diet alone. Many people in Ridgewood, NJ have failed to lose their excess weight even after trying intense physical activity and restricted diets. For some individuals, the obesity is triggering other health problems that interfere with quality of life. Anyone in this situation can get help from bariatric surgeons NJ residents can count on for healthy weight loss.

After undergoing bariatric surgery, patients are committed to a lifetime of changes associated with the way they consume food. Many of the procedures are irreversible and they alter the digestive process. Surgeons achieve this by reconfiguring how the small intestine and stomach interact with each other. Patients are able to consume smaller amounts of food and still feel full.

Gastric band surgery is the least complicated and alters stomach configuration without removing any of it. An adjustable band is clamped around the stomach in a way that reduces the food pouch to a capacity of one ounce. This is considerably less than three pints, which is a stomach's capacity before the procedure.

A gastric bypass is slightly more invasive than the gastric band insertion. In this procedure, the surgeon makes the patient's stomach smaller by stapling the tissue together. This surgery requires a second step. The surgeon reroutes the stomach to empty into the intestine beyond the duodenum. After this surgery, the body absorbs fewer nutrients and calories.

Duodenal switch surgery is the most involved and is irreversible because portions of the stomach are removed completely to make the food pouch more compact. The risks of developing complications are the highest after this procedure. This surgery requires a more intense reconfiguration of the intestines to allow food to pass through only a short portion of the small intestines before reaching the large intestines. Because this procedure changes how the body absorbs nutrients, patients must begin a lifelong habit of supplementing the diet with essential minerals and vitamins.

Vertical sleeve gastrectomy reduces stomach size and lowers levels of ghrelin in the patient's circulatory system. Ghrelin is called the hunger hormone because it controls appetite. The surgeon removes large portions of stomach leaving a small cylinder in place between the small intestines and the esophagus.

Regardless of which type of surgery bariatric patients decide to have, they have to commit to making lifestyle changes after the procedure that they must follow forever. Most patients will require lifelong medical follow up for careful monitoring of health. All patients must adapt to eating less food, consuming a nutritious diet, and keeping up with a regular exercise routine to achieve long-term success with their weight loss program. Some will require mineral and vitamin supplements to compensate for the body's inability to absorb nutrients.

Health will start to improve almost immediately in many patients, especially those with illnesses directly caused by obesity. Other improvements will show up over time as long as the patient continues to eat healthy foods and exercise on a regular basis. All patients will lower their risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and other illnesses.




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