Care Guides - Surgical weight loss guide

Return to Index Step 1: Understanding Morbid Obesity Step 2: The Health Risks of Obesity Step 3: Treatment Overview Step 4: How Weight Loss Surgery Might Help Step 5: Gastric Bypass Surgery Step 6: Vertical Banded Gastroplasty Step 7: Laparoscopic Adjustable Banding System Step 8: Post-Surgical Nutrition Step 9: Post-Surgical Exercise Step 10: Post-Surgical Lifestyle Changes Key Points Glossary

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Surgical weight loss, also called bariatric surgery, refers to a number of procedures that can help morbidly obese individuals lose weight. These procedures have received a lot of attention in the media in recent years. This guide will help answer some of your questions about this type of surgery, including a discussion about who may be eligible.

Surgery can help reduce important health risks in obese individuals. However, the surgery itself has risks and should not be undertaken lightly. Before considering surgery, you should work with your physician to make lifestyle changes to lose weight. These include changes to your diet, eating habits, and level of physical activity. If these measures are not sufficient and you decide to have surgery, you still need to make lifestyle changes to help you lose the weight all and keep it off.

I. Introduction: Step 1: Understanding morbid obesity; Step 2: The health risks of obesity; Step 3: Treatment overview; Step 4: How weight loss surgery might help
II. Surgical Options: Step 5: Gastric bypass surgery; Step 6: Vertical sleeve gastrectomy; Step 7: Laparoscopic adjustable banding system
III. Post-Surgical Care: Step 8: Nutrition; Step 9: Exercise; Step 10: Lifestyle changes

Helpful Handouts

Body mass index - chart

Review Date: 12/16/2012
Reviewed By: Robert A. Cowles, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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