Bariatric surgery is performed to help patients overcome morbid obesity, a potentially life-threatening disease.
Patients who suffer from obesity are at a higher risk of developing more serious health conditions, including pulmonary disease, cancer and stroke to name but a few. Weight loss surgery may help provide impressive weight loss results and is instrumental in helping patients overcome chronic conditions associated with obesity.
However, after performing thousands of bariatric procedures, the Center for Weight Management also knows that the journey’s outcome depends on far more than just a successful surgery. And while our expert team of board-certified surgeons specialize in a variety of weight-loss procedures to fit the individual needs of our patients – but that’s just one step in the process at Center for Weight Management.
Ultimate success also depends on the patient’s determination to follow through on post-surgery procedures and to make a commitment to real life change.
Surgery is no easy shortcut to success. And, at Longstreet, we walk the patient through each and every step of the weight loss surgery process – which actually starts before the operating room and extends far beyond.
Watch Gwen’s Weight Loss Journey on Fox 5
In order to achieve true success, bariatric surgery acts only as a waypoint in what is to be a journey toward and into better health. To that end, we provide our patients with every bit of education and assistance necessary for success in order to support a complete physical and mental commitment from the patient.
Weight loss surgery is a powerful and potent weapon for obese patients that have struggled with weight loss, but it is just part of an overall approach that we follow, which also includes nutrition counseling and group support therapy in order to keep you on track and in tune with what is going with your body.
Types of Bariatric Surgery
Our board-certified bariatric surgeons are up to date on all of the latest weight loss surgery techniques and procedures and can perform a number of weight loss procedures, including:
These procedures cover a wide array of factors, and our doctors will sit down with you to determine which best fits your situation, both physically and mentally. Each surgery will aid in portion control and changes the way your body processes food. Each also effects a permanent change in your digestive system.
To learn more about these surgeries from the mouths of those who have experienced them, we encourage you to watch some of our patient testimonials.
If you are considering any one of these life-altering surgeries, know that we are committed to helping you from the beginning and throughout your journey. We’re looking for the weight-loss victory that comes with time, new choices and the support of others. If you are searching for a weight loss solution in Northeast Georgia, we invite you to contact us and learn more about our approach in helping individuals reach their weight loss goals.
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Is Bariatric Surgery Right for Me?
Obesity is recognized by the National Institute of Health (NIH) as having a Body Mass Index of 30 and above. But, in order to qualify for bariatric surgery, a patient must have a BMI of at least 40 – although those patients owning a BMI of 35 and suffering from obesity-related health conditions may also qualify.
A patient’s BMI is obtained by dividing their weight in kilograms by the square of their height in meters. A healthy BMI is between 18.5-25; between 25-30 is considered overweight. Also, maintaining a BMI above 25 for an extended period may lead to many of the same health concerns as being obese. Yet someone facing these struggles may also be to overcome them with a long-term commitment to the right diet and proper exercise regimen.
If you are morbidly obese(own a BMI of 40 or above), however, and have struggled many years to lose weight, or have lost weight in the past only to have it come back over and over, then you are not alone. And bariatric surgery may be your answer. Upwards of 95 percent of people who are more than 100 pounds overweight and have been morbidly obese for more than five years fail at losing weight and keeping it off for five years. Simply put, diets, exercise, medication, and therapy have proven ineffective in achieving long-term weight loss for the morbidly obese patient.
If you find yourself in any of these situations and are facing any complications from your obesity, then perhaps surgery is the best option – and one that you should consider sooner rather than later.
Why Choose Bariatric Surgery?
After a comprehensive 10-year study, the NIH determined that, for the morbidly obese individual, the most effective method of weight reduction and weight maintenance was surgery.
There are a lot of benefits from achieving successful control of the weight problem after weight loss surgery. We use the word control, not the word cure, because morbid obesity is a lifelong disease, and is present even when the extra pounds are no longer present, and the co-morbid diseases are in remission.
Actually, remission, prevention or at least improvement in co-morbid disease is the most important reason for choosing weight loss surgery because diets and exercise alone seldom work. Depending on the type of weight loss surgery chosen and the individual’s background, the remission rate of type II diabetes is between 70 and 85 percent, hypertension 65 percent remission and another 15 percent improved, sleep apnea 85 to 95 percent remission, risk of cancer is cut in half, not to mention the many other health benefits.
Symptoms of arthritis are much less severe after weight loss surgery. Activities of daily living become a lot easier when not carrying the weight of an extra person around all of the time. It is so much easier to climb stairwells, get in and out of a car and fit into a seat on an airplane when you are closer to a normal size. And this is not to mention the improvement in self-esteem after one finally gains control after so many failures.
In fact, obesity has a medical designation, just like cancer or asthma. In other words, obesity is not a lifestyle choice. So, for those worried about the possible stigma of bariatric surgery – the thought that you’re somehow “cheating” at weight loss or taking the “easy way out” – remember that the alternative is a much less healthy life, one much more likely to be filled with chronic illness and unhappiness.
And, remember, successful weight loss surgery requires lifestyle changes in order to keep off the weight that the procedure ultimately helps patients to lose. Healthy living is a lifelong choice, no matter who you are. And bariatric surgery is a means to kickstart that process for people often unable to engender that change on their own due to health concerns that have often spiraled out of control.
Although people worry about the risks of surgery, and they do exist, several research reports consistently show that for morbidly obese people, the overall risks of dying within five years are nearly 10 times higher for those who choose not to have weight loss surgery.
If you are morbidly obese and fighting a losing battle to regain control of your health, it is a serious question worth asking yourself, and our doctors are happy to discuss what will work best for you. Our goal is to make you healthy while making your life journey as enjoyable as possible.
At Longstreet Clinic’s Center for Weight Management, our program is designed to help you maximize your success. Contact us today, or call 770-534-0110 where one of our weight loss specialists is ready to assist you.
Additional procedures
In addition to the three procedures mentioned above, Longstreet also offers bariatric procedures that are effective for weight loss but are non-surgical. This includes the:
These procedures also offer portion control – balloons are inserted into the stomach, filling space and helping them to feel full quicker – much like the bariatric procedures mentioned above.
Again, each patient’s body and life experience is unique. And, in order to make the choice that best serves you, at the Center for Weight Management we sit down with patients in order to go over each and every facet of every available option.
Contact us today to learn more about our bariatric surgery procedures or watch our online seminar. We offer consultations at three different locations:
- Gainesville
- Braselton
- Suwanee
