There are several options for weight loss surgery, however the “gold standard” is gastric bypass surgery. Gastric bypass surgery works just as it sounds; the operation involves the stomach being “bypassed”. Food
eaten instead moves into a small “gastric pouch” and then directly into the small bowel for digestion.
The operation works to reduce weight massively by restricting meal sizes (the smaller stomach, the harder it is to eat large meals) as well as suppressing appetite (again because the smaller stomach is “full” quicker). As if this wasn’t enough to provoke weight loss, a gastric bypass also results in taste changes, and we find that gastric bypass patients have less desire to eat sweet and high density carbs.
BUT let’s not leave out the “bad stuff”… as we explained, gastric bypass surgery directs food straight from the stomach into the small bowel for digestion. Unfortunately this can cause malabsorption of iron, calcium and vitamin B12. This along with the lower volumes of food being consumed (let’s not call this “bad stuff”, that’s what we want!) can cause patients to lack in key minerals nutrients that they need for good health.
Don’t let this put you off; calcium, iron and vitamin B12 can all be substituted to ensure that you are still getting all of the nutrients that your body needs in order to be healthy. Although this will require to be monitored and likely supplemented lifelong, the benefits of losing weight following the surgery far outweigh (pardon our pun) the negatives. This is why aftercare at your surgery is so important, to ensure that the regime you follow after your surgery is suited to your body and your needs.
Now you know all of the facts, if you are considering gastric bypass surgery as a weight loss surgery solution, Upper GI Surgery is one of Australia’s longest running high-volume laparoscopic gastric bypass centres. Complications are less than 0.5% in our hands so you can be assured not only of expert aftercare from our Support Team, but a successful surgery.
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