The best weight loss procedure is only as good as your determination to lose weight. A procedure will never replace the need for creating new habits and goals. With that being said, obviously there are better weight loss procedures than others.
Almost all the procedures out there involve the stomach. This makes sense because it contains the receptors that say when you’re full and after chewing, is where your food begins to breakdown. So we’re going to focus directly on the weight loss procedures out there that deal with the stomach. Let’s start with the gastric balloon.
Weight Loss Balloon Procedure
Weight loss balloons are relatively new to weight loss procedure options. This option is actually non-surgical, which makes it stand out from other weight loss procedures. To briefly explain how the weight loss balloon works, a physician uses an endoscope down the throat to place a deflated balloon down into the stomach. Once the balloon is down in the stomach, the doctor then inflates the balloon usually with a sterile saline solution.
Once the balloon is in place, it will stay there for a period of a few months. During this time, the balloon takes up space inside the stomach to prevent overeating. This helps the person learn new eating habits and lose weight at the same time. By the time the balloon is removed, the person has learned new eating habits and continue to maintain the weight lost and even continue to lose.
This is the option we offer at Gentle Revive. We use a gastric balloon called Orbera. We’ve found that this is the best weight loss balloon on the market and also the best weight loss procedure because of the fact that it’s non-surgical. This means little to no downtime unlike surgical weight loss procedures. Also, it means that there are no anatomic changes to the stomach. You can always see if Orbera is a good option for you by scheduling a free consultation with us. We’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you have.
Read our article about how much you can lose with Orbera.
The other weight loss procedure options we’ll talk about are all surgical. While we don’t recommend these options because they alter the stomach permanently, they are a good option for some people.
Gastric Band Procedure
The gastric band, or lap-band, is one of the more popular weight loss procedures out there. One of the reasons for this is because the procedure is done laparoscopically, meaning that only little incisions are needed to place the band around the top portion of the stomach.
Essentially the band creates a small pouch in the upper part of the stomach. Once that stomach pouch is full, the brain senses fullness and prevents you from continuing to eat.
Although this procedure is not as invasive as other surgeries, it still usually requires general anesthesia and a hospital stay. This procedure is mostly reversible once the treatment with the band is completed. However, there still will be some tissue scarring after the band is removed.
Gastric Bypass Surgery
Gastric bypass surgery is one of the most invasive forms of weight loss procedures. Although it may be beneficial for some people the risks are much greater than the other options we’ve talked about so far.
Bypass surgery involves literally bypassing the majority of the stomach. A surgeon will make an incision at the top of the stomach to create a small stomach pouch. This is similar to the lap band, but the pouch is permanent. After the pouch is created, the small intestine is then routed to connect directly to the pouch. This makes it so the lower portion of the stomach is bypassed completely. The cons to this procedure are that it involves a major surgery, a longer hospital stay, and the changes to your stomach are permanent.
In conclusion, there are a lot of options out there for weight loss procedures. We recommend taking the approach of researching the least invasive first. Since we offer one of these least invasive options, give us a call and schedule a free consultation to see if Orbera is right for you.
