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By Anthony Mitchell


Losing weight is not always an easy task. It entails a painful process of giving up things that we enjoy so as to shed off those extra pounds. Lifestyle modification has, for many years, been the preferred option for solving this problem. It is only recently that the demand for surgical methods has gone up due to an increase in safety and improved outcomes. If they are trying to achieve weight loss Marlborough MA residents need to understand a number of things about the available methods.

The common practice is to start with the lifestyle options before moving on to the more aggressive surgical options. Dietary changes that can be made include a reduction in the amount of protein and carbohydrate and an increase in the amount of fruits and vegetables. Strive to cut down on the number of servings per meal progressively. Smaller meals taken more frequently are more helpful than larger meals taken a few times.

Physical exercise is the other important lifestyle component that should be addressed. Exercise has a role in burning excess calories which would otherwise end up as stored fat in adipose tissue. There are many forms of physical activities which are beneficial. These include jogging, swimming, cycling, running and even brisk walking. If you have not been exercising regularly, start at a low intensity and frequency and increase both steadily over time.

Surgery comes in when lifestyle options are not achieving the required goals. Any form of operation that is performed with the aim of reducing weight is known as a bariatric surgical operation. The type of surgery is determined by the magnitude of the problem. Examples of bariatric surgeries include lap-band gastric surgery, bypass surgery and sleeve gastrectomy. Each of them is associated with various benefits and side effects.

Among the three, lap-band surgery is the commonest. Lap band surgery is conducted using a specialized instrument known as a laparoscope that allows for the use of small incisions. Smaller incisions mean that the risk of complications is significantly reduced. To achieve the desired effect, a silicon band is placed on a part of the stomach where it causes compression and reduces the stomach volume. The result of this is a reduction in the amount of food that one can eat during one meal.

Sleeve gastrectomy leads to weight loss in a similar manner as lap band surgery; reduced stomach size, early satiety and reduced food consumption. The main difference is that whereas lap-band surgery is reversible, sleeve gastrectomy is a permanent procedure. The stomach in this case is reduced in size by removing a large part of it. The part removed may be as much as 80%.

Cosmetic surgical operations may also have benefits. Tummy tuck and liposuction are among those that have been demonstrated to be quite beneficial. Tummy tuck (or liposuction) is an operation involving the reduction of abdominal wall fat and the tightening of the skin in the area. Liposuction, is similar and involves many other parts other than the abdominal wall.

It is important to remember that losing weight is not an event. Rather, it is a process that takes weeks, months or even years in some cases. Using more than one approach concurrently increases the chances of success. Surgery should be reserved for the most severe cases. Such will include patients that have or are at a very high risk of developing weight related complications such as gastro-esophageal reflux disease, hypertension, diabetes and sleep apnea.




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