Surgical Weight Loss

Obesity is reaching epidemic proportions in the United States. In fact, one out of every three Americans is overweight. Being morbidly obese dramatically increases the risk of developing diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes, and also has a serious negative impact on self esteem and quality of life.

For the morbidly obese, those 50 to 100 percent over their ideal body weight, achieving better health is not just a simple matter of losing 10 or 15 pounds through diet and exercise. It's about losing significant weight and being able to keep it off for good. For the morbidly obese, diet and exercise have only a 5 percent success rate for long term weight loss. If this applies to you, you're well aware of the hundreds of weight loss diets, products and gimmicks that have failed to deliver anything more than a temporary modest weight loss. Obesity is a medical condition with complex causes, not a moral failing. Many factors contribute to the development of morbid obesity, and all of those factors need to be addressed in successful treatment. For the morbidly obese, bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery) may be the only reliable answer medical science has to offer.

In the United States, there are several common and popular procedures for weight loss surgery. The Lap Band is a small medical grade plastic band that fits around the upper portion of the stomach. The band curbs a patient's hunger which restricts food intake resulting in weight loss. A vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) is a procedure that removes a portion of the patient's stomach, leaving a small gastric tube or sleeve-shaped stomach. This procedure restricts food intake and curbs hunger, resulting in significant weight loss. In the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure, the surgeon creates a small pouch at the beginning of the stomach that bypasses part of the intestines. The small pouch-sized stomach restricts food intake and the bypass of the intestines reduces nutrient and calorie absorption, which together lead to significant weight loss. All of these procedures can be performed laparoscopically, which for most patients, offers less pain and a faster post-surgery recovery. For more details about the surgical procedures, click here.

For people requiring extreme weight loss (100 or more pounds), weight loss surgery can be the path to making life-long changes. The program at The Center for Surgical Weight Loss at Lake Norman is designed to help you achieve a successful outcome, which begins before surgery is even scheduled and continues for months following surgery. Participating in the program is the key to successfully undergoing this major life change, which goes far beyond simply losing weight. The program equips you with the knowledge, support and tools you need to shrink your body size while enlarging your ability to care for yourself and live a new healthier life.

If you'd like to learn more about bariatric surgery or The Center for Surgical Weight Loss at Lake Norman, please call 704.660.HLTH (4584).