Whatever your reason for wanting to lose weight and get healthy, you likely have many questions about the best place to start. Is weight loss surgery your best option? Or maybe you just need medical weight loss. What is the difference, and which one is best? Let’s look at weight loss surgery vs medical weight loss.
Medical Weight Loss
Medical weight loss is the management of diet, health, and exercise by a physician. Essentially, a physician will discuss your lifestyle and help you create an exercise and diet plan to help facilitate weight loss. The plan will be unique to you.
Weight Loss Surgery 
Weight loss surgery, or bariatric surgery, creates significant, reliable results. Since weight loss surgery provides a physical restriction on the body, the average weight loss results are quantifiable. Patients can expect to lose 1-2 pounds a week based on the type of weight loss surgery they have, or up to 40% of excess body weight withing six months after surgery.
What is weight loss surgery?
There are many types of weight loss surgery. Essentially, it is a surgical procedure that restricts the amount of food the stomach can hold. It also causes malabsorption of nutrients. Weight loss surgery takes between 1-4 hours, depending on the kind of surgery. Patients typically stay in the hospital for the first 24 hours and then recover at home for several days. Most patients can return to work after the first week, but physical activity is limited until full recovery.
Who qualifies for weight loss surgery?
Patients with a BMI of 40 or greater, or those more than 100 pounds overweight qualify for weight loss surgery. Additionally, a patient with a BMI of 35 or more, with one or more obesity related co-morbidities (like hypertension diabetes) would also qualify for weight loss surgery. Either way, the patient must have been unable to achieve a healthy weight for a significant period.
What happens after weight loss surgery?
After surgery, patients must commit to a nutritious diet plan to achieve long term results. Overeating can cause the stomach to stretch and negate the effects of your surgery. We recommend attending a weight loss support group to help you with the transition.
Weight Loss Surgery vs Medical Weight Loss
So, which one is more effective? With either option, the patient must be committed to a healthy lifestyle transition. However, many studies show that weight loss surgery offers greater benefits. Patients who undergo weight loss surgery are less likely to report problems with pain, depression, and mobility. Surgery also helps to normalize blood sugar, hypertension, and sleep apnea. If you would like to learn more about your options for weight loss surgery, please contact Maryland Bariatrics today.
