Tag: Food Intake

Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

Best Options in Weight Loss Surgery

If surgery is your only option for weight loss, you will need to gather information and find out what procedures are available before making a decision. Bariatric weight loss surgery is not a procedure to be taken lightly. In fact, it is viewed as a last resort for treating chronic obesity. If you have tried unsuccessfully to achieve a healthy weight using conventional methods, it may be time to consider your weight loss surgery options.

Surgery for weight loss is not cosmetic surgery. Rather, it is classified as medical surgery because of its important health benefits. For this reason, bariatric weight loss surgery is covered by some insurance providers. Morbidly obese individuals have the option to try weight loss surgery if they repeatedly fail to achieve and maintain a healthy weight through conventional methods such as diet and exercise. If you opt for surgery to lose weight, keep in mind that you will experience short-term and long-term effects, and the procedure may necessitate lifestyle changes.

How It Works

Basically, there are only two methods whereby weight loss can be achieved. The first method is to reduce the number of calories consumed by restricting food intake. The second method is through food malabsorption, or making changes in the digestive system so that food is poorly digested and nutrients and calories are not completely absorbed. There are several different surgical procedures to achieve this.

Option #1: Restrictive Methods

The primary goal of a restrictive weight loss procedure is to reduce food intake in order to promote weight loss. This can be done by making the stomach smaller so that it will hold less food while reducing hunger pangs. An individual who undergoes this procedure will find it easier to control meal portions, thus ensuring a steady weight loss with minimal risk of nutritional deficiencies.

Popular restrictive methods of bariatric surgery are LAP-BAND and Vertical Banded Gastroplasty.

Option #2: Malabsorptive Methods

This method promotes weight loss by making changes in the digestive system. The small intestine is rerouted, in effect shortening it so that less food nutrients and calories are absorbed by the body. The primary methods of malabsorptive bariatric surgery are biliopancreatic diversion, Extended Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch.

Malabsorptive methods are highly successful for significant, long-term weight loss but they come with a number of drawbacks. Individuals who choose this weight loss surgery option can suffer from nutritional deficiencies and must take vitamin supplements. They can also suffer from intestinal irritation, bloating, and bowel movement problems.

Option #3: Combination Restrictive and Malabsorptive Method

The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass reduces the size of the stomach, and a section of the small intestine is bypassed in order to decrease food absorption.

Making Your Decision

If you have run out of conventional weight loss options, it may be time to look into the possibility of bariatric surgery. There are several alternatives to consider and you should discuss each one with your bariatric surgeon. Learn about the pros and cons of the different weight loss surgery options. Keep in mind that what works for someone else may not work for you. Your doctor can help you determine what procedure is best for you.


Best Options in Weight Loss Surgery

Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

What is the Cost of Gastric Band?

What is the Cost of Gastric Band? Individuals who are grossly obese (BMI higher than 40) are often advised to have bariatric surgery. While a number of surgical weight loss options are available, gastric banding is fairly common because it’s less invasive than other procedures and can be reversed. Choosing a weight loss procedure should not be based only on cost. Rather, the surgeon and patient should work together to choose a method that is ideal for the patient’s health condition and lifestyle.

If gastric banding is your best option, you need to know about gastric banding cost in order to make the necessary steps to be financially prepared for the treatment.

Adjustable Gastric Band Systems

In the United States, only two gastric band systems have FDA approval. They are the LAP-BAND and the REALIZE Band systems. Gastric band surgery involves implanting a medical device in the stomach to restrict food intake, allowing the patient to lose weight. The band can be adjusted as needed to decrease or increase the amount of food that can be ingested.

Cost of Gastric Band?

What is the Cost of Gastric Band?

Cost of Gastric Band

The prices of the two gastric band systems are comparable, and you can expect to pay anywhere from $12,000 to $25,000 for surgery in the US. The amount covers charges for the medical device, bariatric surgeon’s professional fees, cost of hospital fees, and anesthesiologist’s fees.

Gastric banding requires aftercare or follow-up treatment for the next two to three years and even beyond after the surgery itself. Follow-up treatment is necessary to monitor the patient’s health and response to the treatment. Fills to the gastric band can be provided as well. Depending on the purpose of the visit, patients can pay $35 to $200.

Factors Affecting Gastric Band Cost

It’s difficult to provide a specific amount for the cost of gastric banding surgery because the figure can vary from one patient to another due to a variety of factors. Among the factors that affect gastric banding cost are:

  • The patient’s health
  • Choice of surgeon
  • Medical facility where the surgery is done
  • Services included in the weight loss program
  • Geographic location

Comparison of Bariatric Programs

There are many bariatric surgeons to choose from, and while it’s important to have a competent surgeon at a well-equipped medical facility, patients also want their weight loss treatment to be as affordable as possible. When considering the cost of bariatric surgery, be sure to find out what services are included in the quoted price. The price may cover a complete program with full service that includes pre-operative tests and psychological evaluation as well as the surgery itself and after-surgery care including follow-up visits, band adjustments, diet and nutrition advice, etc.

Other bariatric providers may not be able to provide an adequate level of post-surgery care and support, or they may bill the expenses separately. Take note that many bariatric surgeons do not provide fills or adjustments to individuals who had their bariatric surgery done elsewhere that is an extra cost of Gastric Band surgery.

Related Blogs

  • Related Blogs on Adjustable Gastric Band
  • Related Blogs on Anesthesiologist
Categories
General Weight Loss Tips

Finding My Groove

Today marks week four, day two of consistent exercise with Insanity. That is, 6.5 workouts, most of them are 40 minutes long. And I’m reminding myself that I’ve been here before. In the spring, I made it 14 weeks. I was seeing improvement and then it stopped. I don’t remember why exactly (something to go back and read) but I’m telling myself that this doesn’t stop when the calendar fills up or when 60 days are over. If I’m being honest, it will take a full year of consistent exercise for me to really be in a better place physically. Probably two. And then for the rest of my life.

In the past three weeks, my food intake has been hit or miss. I’ve been experimenting with different calorie counts, and I think I’ve found one that will work for me. On myfitnesspal (lorriebee) you work with net calories. This means if your net calorie goal is 1,400 and you burn 500 calories, you can eat 1,900 calories in a day. I think this is a great tool, but for some reason I’ve been struggling with the notion of eating all of my burned calories.

Myfitnesspal gives you an estimated calories burned, but I’m not convinced it’s accurate. I think I’m burning 400-600 calories during Insanity. But when I log it in, it’s usually more. And then I’d see this insane amount of food I could still eat. And for some reason that triggered me to eat beyond hunger.

So to calm my tender brain I’ve decided, which some research and calculating, that I will consume 1,600 calories a day regardless of how much I burn during exercise. Of course there will be some ups and downs with that number, but I feel good with that. I’m burning about 400 calories, six days a week, so that is a net of about 1,100-1,300 calories which is totally in the weight loss zone for me.

I also feel like 1,600 calories is a very reasonable amount of food for me. I can wrap my head around it and not be obsessive. I can move the numbers around easily to accommodate my day. It feels flexible to me.

If I know I’m going out to dinner or to an event in the evening. I can still have a 200 calorie breakfast and 400 calorie lunch with 1,000 calories to work with in the evening. Or if I’m in the mood for a bigger, 500-600 calorie breakfast/brunch sort of thing. I can make that happen too. It goes with my new mantra “I can have what I want, but I can’t have everything I want” which simply means that yes, if I want to go out to dinner with my husband, I can do that. But, it doesn’t mean I need to go out to eat twice in a day and then snack all day and have dessert after every meal. I just don’t need that much food.

Yesterday was my first day trying out my new set calorie count and it went so well. I even showed a two pound loss on the scale this morning from it. I woke up and had a serving of mexican chili for breakfast, and again for lunch. I measured it and estimated the calories. I hate two teas with milk and sugar. A small treat. And dinner was teriyaki chicken. I didn’t feel obsessive about anything and when I hit the 1,600 calorie mark I felt comfortable and done for the day.

I know this probably sounds like the ramblings of a man-woman, but I needed to share. Mainly to work through these fears I have of sharing and acting. I’m trying to change my inner dialogue and making this a positive journey. Not one of self defeating agony. Last night I was in that bed staring at my clothes hanging in the closet and I visualized what it would be like to fit in all of them, effortlessly. And then I visualized them being too big. I imagined that the sweaters looked like deflated balloons where my arms used to go. I realized in that moment that I can make all of these things happen, there is nothing stopping me.

Related Blogs

  • Related Blogs on fat