How to Choose Weight Loss Procedures

If you've tried diet and exercise to lose weight but have met with limited success, there are other options. Bariatric surgery, often called "weight loss surgery" may be a viable choice for you. These procedures work on principles of restriction (limiting the amount of food that can be eaten) as well as absorption (limiting the amount of calories the body can process). They make it easier to lose weight and keep it off. However, there is more than one procedure, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. This can make it difficult for people to decide which is ultimately the right choice for them.

Instructions

• 1

  Talk to doctors. Have your primary care physician (PCP) refer you to a weight loss specialist or surgeon if the PCP is not familiar with bariatric procedures. Discuss your desire to lose weight via one of these methods with the specialist. Let him or her ask you questions about your medical history, or perform an examination that will allow the doctor to make recommendations for you.

• 2

  Consider your family history. Ask other members of your family who have had similar procedures (if there are any) why they chose that one, and if they'd do it again. Sharing genetics with these members, as well as similar condition such as obesity, may make you a candidate for a similar surgery.

• 3

  Determine your health history. Choose a procedure that helps you lose weight via both restriction and absorption if you are very overweight. Consider getting this type of procedure as well if you have health conditions that make losing weight through exercise difficult, such as back or knee pain. Research a procedure that only involves restriction if you are significantly overweight, but do not have a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 39 or 40, which indicates morbid obesity.

• 4

  Research the procedures, as well as visit chat rooms and forums. Get a first-hand look at the problems, pitfalls, and benefits to those who've undergone the procedure. Ask questions about them that your doctor (who may not have had the procedure) cannot answer, such as what it feels like to have a PB (productive burp). Make sure that any information you receive on the medical aspects of the procedure is obtained through objective websites; chat room and forums can be more subjective.

• 5

  List the pros and cons of each procedure. Cross off any procedures with "cons" that make it a definite deal-breaker for you. Continue to do this until you find a procedure that is right for you.