Considerations Before Gastric Bypass Surgery

Overweight Australian’s represent one of our major public health challenges. To be classified as overweight you have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher. There are not only significant physical health issues related to weight gain but it also has a negative impact on an individual's mental health.

Serious Health Risks Posed By Being Overweight

More than half of Australia’s adult population has a body weight that poses serious health risks. Currently, nearly 70 per cent of adults suffer from significant health conditions related to obesity, some of these include:

• Gallbladder disease
• Cancer
• Sleep Apnea
• Hypertension
• Type 2 diabetes
• Musculoskeletal diseases
• Heart disease and stroke
• Mental health problems (depression, low self-esteem, eating disorders, anxiety, etc.)

Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass is one of several bariatric or weight loss surgeries available to obese patients. The procedure works by reducing the size of the stomach and rearranging the digestive system to ensure it won’t absorb as many calories. During the procedure, surgeons staple the stomach to create a small pouch and connect it to a Y-shaped section in the small intestine. This enables food to bypass part of the digestive system, resulting in patients feeling fuller faster on smaller amounts of food.

BMI

Your BMI is the ratio between your weight in kilograms divided by your height squared, it is used to determine if a person is underweight, healthy weight, overweight, or obese. If your BMI is greater than 25, you are classified as overweight. If your BMI exceeds 30, you are deemed obese. If your BMI is 35+ you are severely obese and if it is greater than 40, you are medically classified as morbidly obese. Should your BMI be greater than 40, medical organisations may suggest weight loss surgery as a reasonable treatment option.

Check your personal BMI here.

Reasons Why Gastric Bypass Surgery May Be A Reasonable Option

• High cholesterol reading: Obesity is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke. Having high cholesterol may be an indicator that you need to lose weight.

• Obesity: If you are medically obese, gastric bypass surgery coupled with lifestyle changes and a healthy diet may be a viable option to help you shed excess weight.

• High blood pressure: This dangerous condition is frequently weight-related making losing weight the first step in countering the condition.

• Type 2-diabetes: One of the primary causes of this disease is being overweight, hence weight control is one of the main treatment strategies for preventing or managing the disease.

• Sleep apnea: This can be a life-threatening condition.

Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle changes need to start prior to undergoing surgery if you are to benefit from your gastric bypass procedure long-term. The more you lose in your preoperative phase, the greater your total percentage body weight loss is likely to be.

Weight Loss Before Surgery

Losing weight prior to your surgery shrinks your liver and reduces the amount of abdominal fat. This preoperative weight loss helps with reducing the instances of surgical complications amongst patients undergoing a bariatric surgery procedure.

Diet Change Helps Create Healthy Habits Following Surgery

To increase your chances of maintaining weight loss following surgery, include a transitional phase after you reach your target weight. Make slow incremental adjustments to your lifestyle and monitor their effects on your scales. During your transition stage, identify the healthy eating habits and exercises that work for you, this will help you maintain a long-term healthy weight.

Maintain A Healthy Lifestyle Post-Surgery

A gastric bypass diet can help you recover from your surgery and assist the transition to a healthier way of living. Returning to unhealthy habits following gastric bypass surgery may put your weight loss at risk and you may even regain weight you have shed.

Book A Free Consultation Today

The first step in exploring bariatric surgery, as a part of weight loss is to understand the options open to you. Your consultation will help determine if surgery is right for you, and ensures you receive all the information you need from a trusted professional to make an informed decision. Please click here to book a free consultation with Shirley Lockie, SCOPE certified PNSA.