Weight
Loss
Treatment
Options
Millions of
Americans turn to
diet, fitness, and
medication first to
treat their obesity.
Unfortunately,
studies indicate
that people will not
achieve significant
long-term weight
loss through dietary
and behavior
modification
regimens alone.1
Those who are
seriously overweight
have an even greater
challenge when it
comes to sustaining
weight loss and
improving their
health conditions.
Surgery may remain
the best option for
these individuals
when it comes to
losing weight and
keeping it off.
Non-Surgical
TreatmentsThe most common
weight-loss approach
is to eat less, eat
sensibly, and
exercise more.
However, studies
have shown that
patients on diets,
exercise programs,
or weight-loss
medication lose
approximately 10
percent of their
body weight but tend
to regain two-thirds
of it within one
year, and almost all
of it within five
years.2
The cycle of losing
weight and gaining
it back is called
the “yo-yo effect.”
While temporary
weight loss can
help, the yo-yo
effect can also make
it harder to lose
weight in the
future.
The National
Institutes of Health
report that 90
percent of the
people who
participate in diets
and weight-reduction
programs do not
experience
significant and
sustained weight
loss. For seriously
overweight
individuals,
weight-loss surgery
should be strongly
considered when
other therapies have
failed, as a way to
lose weight, improve
their health and
increase their
quality of life.
Weight-Loss Surgery
If non-surgical
methods have not
helped you lose
weight long-term,
you still have
another option.
Studies demonstrate
that weight-loss
surgery, as compared
to non-surgical
treatments, yields
the longest period
of sustained weight
loss in patients who
have failed other
therapies.1
But keep in mind
that a positive
attitude,
self-discipline, and
the ability to plan
ahead are key to the
success of the
surgery. Surgery can
help you achieve
your long-term goal
only if you are
ready to make a
commitment to losing
weight and keeping
it off.
There are several
categories of
weight-loss
(bariatric) surgery:
-
Restrictive—reduces
the amount of
food the
stomach can
hold but
doesn’t
interfere with
normal
digestion of
food and
nutrients.
-
Malabsorptive—shortens
the digestive
tract to limit
the number of
calories and
nutrients that
can be
absorbed.
-
Combination—restricts
the amount of
food the
stomach can
hold and
reduces the
number of
calories
absorbed by
altering the
digestive
tract.
The two most
commonly performed
weight-loss
procedures in the
United States are
the gastric bypass
(combination
procedure) and the
LAP-BAND System
(restrictive
procedure).
Click here for a
side-by-side
comparison of these
surgeries.
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