You may know what to do – countless trips to weight loss meetings and endless self-help articles in the media certainly gives us the information – but losing excess body weight is not always easy, especially the heavier we get.
In fact, the obesity rate among American adults is the highest it’s ever been. In Connecticut, 26 percent of adults are obese.
“Diet and exercise can help many people, but often bariatric surgery is needed to help reset the body weight so you can apply all the knowledge you have learned along the way to leading a healthier life,” says Ricardo Young, MD, new director of the Backus Hospital Center of Bariatric Surgery.
While deciding to have surgery is never easy, he points out that bariatric surgery can:
- Mean an average weight loss of 80-150 pounds depending on the type of surgery.
- Improve or resolve such potentially deadly diseases as diabetes, sleep apnea, asthma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gastroesophageal reflux disease, fatty liver disease and urinary stress incompetence.
- Improve quality of life, including reducing rates of depression and anxiety, and improving self-esteem, work and social interactions and sexual function.
“Weight loss surgery is a tool in one’s journey to a healthier lifestyle,” Dr. Young says. “If we felt full after eating a small amount of food, we’d eat less. Surgery reduces the ability of the stomach to store large amounts of food, which means patients lose weight.”
The Backus Center of Bariatric Surgery offers the following options for bariatric surgery:
- Vertical sleeve gastrectomy
- Gastric bypass
You qualify for surgery if you have a body mass index (BMI) greater than 40 or greater than 35 with one or more major weight-related health issue, have demonstrated failed attempts at nonsurgical weight loss, and can demonstrate a commitment to leading a healthier lifestyle.
Dr. Young holds regular information sessions for anyone interested in learning more about bariatric surgery. For more information, click here.