Why Going Under the Knife is the Last Resort to Weight Loss

by: Mary Watson

So you've tried every diet going and you've tried all the pills, patches, potions and hypnotherapy programmes and still nothing has produced the desired results. You're now desperate to the point of suicide, but you have some money put by for an emergency. Money can buy just about anything right? But, can it buy you a new body?

The answer is yes!

But before you seriously consider putting yourself at the mercy of the surgeon's knife, let's look at this drastic action in more detail.

The most common form of weight loss surgery is the gastric band, which will set you back around £8,000. Undoubtedly, the gastric band is a highly effective weight loss surgery procedure used to help overweight people achieve significant and long-term weight loss.

Basically, it's a an inflatable silicone ring that is placed around the upper part of the stomach, creating a small pouch at the top of the stomach with a small opening to the rest of the stomach. The band controls the amount of food that passes from the stomach into the digestive tract.

The object is to make you feel satisfied on much smaller amounts of food and digestion is slowed down, making you feel full for longer periods and resulting in weight loss.

A major benefit is that the band can be adjusted if necessary and can be kept in for life, ensuring that you never again become a victim of over-eating and obesity.

It's obvious that weight loss surgery works better than weight loss drugs or diets but what are the risks? There are some risks with this kind of surgery so doctors will usually only recommend it after you've tried several other ways of losing weight. Even then, surgery is not suitable for everyone. For example, your doctor may consider surgery too risky if you have heart or lung problems.

Another quite common surgical weight loss procedure is a gastric bypass, which will cost in the region of £11,000.

Known as a Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass, this is a highly effective weight loss surgery procedure.The operation creates a small stomach pouch in the same way as the gastric band. This is then attached to a section of the small intestine. Food then bypasses the rest of the stomach and some of the intestine. This results in you being able to consume a significantly reduced volume of food.

It is the most common form of Bariatric Surgery and is a proven method of weight loss. When combined with a supervised diet, increased physical activity and a change in behaviour habits, it can lead to long-term weight loss with all the associated health benefits.

It differs from a gastric band as it has a 2 way weight reducing effect, both restricting food volume and reducing the amount of calories the body absorbs. Also, gastric bypass surgery is preferable to some people as it does not require any adjustment, making it more convenient if you live some distance from the hospital or do not want to attend for adjustments.

Although the long-term benefits of gastric bypass surgery appear to outweigh the short-term risks, the immediate risks associated with gastric bypass surgery to treat obesity may be much higher than was previously thought.

A recent study shows that the risk of death within the first 30 days after gastric bypass surgery is at least four times higher than previously reported, and much of that risk was attributable to the surgeon's inexperience. Subsequently, the risk of dying within 30 days of surgery is about 1 in 50.

Is that a risk worth taking? I suppose it all depends on just how desperate you really are. Well, no matter how desperate you are you should always try every alternative method first. Like the much cheaper and no-risk herbal remedy option.

With this option you won't need to spend your life savings on surgery and you won't have to risk your life to lose the excess weight.