Being overweight or obese greatly increases your risk for certain health conditions. But it’s not only your health that suffers; many times, mental health suffers as well. You may avoid social situations and feel like you’re alone in your fight. But you aren’t. Bariatric surgery could help you finally lose your excess weight and gain a healthier body and mind.
At Snow Bariatric Center in Fort Worth and Flower Mound, Texas, our team helps you decide if bariatric surgery is the right path for you in your weight loss journey. Dr. Robert Snow is our esteemed bariatric surgeon, who performs many different types of weight loss surgery.
Bariatric surgery has come a long way over the years, offering many different types of procedures to help you lose weight. Each type of bariatric surgery has its own specific way of helping you achieve a healthier life. Some of the procedures that Dr. Snow offers include:
This type of bariatric surgery involves changing the size of your stomach along with how your small intestine absorbs the food you eat. After gastric bypass, your smaller stomach makes you feel full with much less food. It also allows your body to absorb less of the food you eat, meaning fewer calories and weight loss.
The type of adjustable band that Dr. Snow uses is known as the Lap-Band®. This is a minimally invasive procedure where Dr. Snow places an adjustable band around the top portion of your stomach, so you eat less food. You can have the band adjusted multiple times while you’re losing weight.
This is another type of minimally invasive bariatric surgery. The gastric sleeve works by removing a large portion of your stomach, and connecting the remaining area to form a sleeve. This sleeve allows you to eat less food while still feeling full.
This type of bariatric procedure is not actually surgery; although you’ll be asleep when Dr. Snow performs the procedure. Bariatric endoscopy is very similar to the gastric sleeve procedure, except that Dr. Snow doesn’t have to cut your stomach at all.
Dr. Snow also offers a procedure known as the Obalon® Balloon System. This system doesn’t require any incisions or anesthesia; in fact, all it requires is you to swallow a specialized balloon that fills part of your stomach so you feel full with less food. However, for the system to work, you still need to live a healthy lifestyle and eat nutritious foods.
There are a lot of variables that factor into deciding whether bariatric surgery is right for you. Not everyone is a good candidate for this type of surgery, so it’s important that you talk to Dr. Snow about your unique health conditions.
Weight loss surgery shouldn’t be your first option when considering losing weight, but if you’ve tried on your own without success, it’s definitely an option. If you’ve been trying to shed the pounds for more than six months with supervised diet and exercise programs, and you haven’t been successful, Dr. Snow may recommend weight loss surgery.
Another way to determine if bariatric surgery is for you is by your body mass index, or BMI. Your BMI is determined by your height and your weight, in a formula that determines your body fat. For instance, if your BMI is over 35, you’re a candidate for bariatric surgery.
But your BMI isn’t the only determining factor; in fact, your overall health is just as important. If your obesity is paired with one or more chronic health conditions, Dr. Snow may recommend bariatric surgery. These health conditions include diabetes, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure.
You also need to be ready to change your lifestyle when considering bariatric surgery. You could fit into the criteria for bariatric surgery, but if you’re not ready to eat less and change your diet for the better, it might not be the right time.
However, if your BMI is high and you’re suffering from medical problems, Dr. Snow helps you determine what type of bariatric surgery is the best option for you.
If you’re tired of being overweight and want to learn more about bariatric surgery, you can start by calling one of our convenient offices in Texas. You can also request an appointment online using our booking tool on our website.
