Bariatric Nutrition
Weight-loss or bariatric surgery contributes to weight loss by physically restricting the amount of food the stomach can hold, which limits the number of calories you can eat, and/or malabsorption, shortening or bypassing part of the small intestine, which reduces the amount of calories and nutrients the body absorbs.
Bariatric surgery in the carefully selected patient is a great tool to promote weight loss and control chronic diseases associated with excess weight when all other methods have failed. However, understanding and making a commitment to change and complying with the new lifestyle and dietary guidelines are fundamental for long-term success. We believe that a change in these lifestyle habits should start before surgery and be maintained throughout life, if long-term weight loss is the goal.
Common types of weight-loss surgery include:
Sleeve gastrectomy: In a sleeve gastrectomy, part of the stomach is separated and removed from the body. The remaining section of the stomach is formed into a tube-like structure. This smaller stomach cannot hold as much food, however, sleeve gastrectomy does not affect the absorption of calories and nutrients in the intestines.
Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding: In the adjustable laparoscopic gastric banding procedure, a band containing an inflatable balloon is placed around the upper part of the stomach and fixed in place. This creates a small stomach pouch above the band with a very narrow opening to the rest of the stomach. Gastric banding restricts the amount of food that your stomach can hold, but it doesn't reduce the absorption of calories and nutrients.