New Year, New You – Weight Loss Surgery Options
By: Dr. Elias Chousleb
One of the most popular resolutions for the new year is to lose weight. The lines at the gym get long in January but unfortunately, they typically do not last through February.
If you are only looking to lose a few pounds you gained during the holidays that may be ok; however, if you suffer from severe obesity, this is one resolution you want to see all the way through.
Severe obesity is one of the largest epidemics of this century. More than 30 percent of the American population is obese. Unfortunately, diet and exercise have been unsuccessful for many people. It is estimated that only 10 percent of people will be successful in losing their excess weight and maintaining it long-term with diet and exercise alone. Who in their right mind would enter a commitment where your chances of failing are 90 percent?
Although bariatric surgery is not for everyone, it has been proven to be the only successful tool to help severely obese patients lose weight – and keep it off. This comes with many benefits, such as improvement or resolution of medical problems like diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and many others. There are multiple options available and your doctors can help you pick an option that is right for you to lose weight and improve comorbidities.
At the Sleeve Gastrectomy Center at Jackson North Medical Center, a multidisciplinary team works in conjunction to make your resolution to lose weight a reality.
If you are between 18 and 70 years old, and your Body Mass Index (BMI) is greater than 35, bariatric surgery may be right for you. Let us help you regain control of your life. Operations are generally performed with the most advanced, minimally invasive techniques that include laparoscopy and endoscopy, so there is very little down time following the operation. Most patients spend only one night in the hospital, and they are back to their regular activities within a week or two.
If you are serious about losing weight, or even if you are interested in finding out if any of the options are right for you, come and learn more at one of our monthly seminars. This is the first step in gaining control of your health. Surgery is not a failure, nor does it represent lack of will. It represents hope for those who have struggled with weight gain most of their lives.
Our options range from a wide variety of endoscopic procedures performed though the mouth without the need of incisions in the abdomen to surgical interventions such as gastric banding, gastric sleeve, and gastric bypass. It is important to be familiar with how the procedures work and what to expect during your recovery period. The better you understand the process, the better off you will be in reaching your coveted goal.
Elias Chousleb, MD, FACS, is a bariatric surgeon with the Weight-Loss Surgery Center at Jackson North Medical Center. He is also the Medical Director and Associate Chief of Surgery of The Gastric Sleeve at Jackson North. He leads the center’s free monthly information sessions at Jackson North. For more information, visit www.JacksonCanHelp.org or call 305-585-TRIM(8746).
