Top 5 Benefits of Bariatric Surgery
When you’re considering bariatric surgery or revisional bariatric surgery to lose weight or improve your health, there’s a lot to think about.
How much will it cost? Will the surgery really promote long-term weight loss? Will you be able to change your eating, exercise, and lifestyle habits? Do the risks outweigh the benefits? If you’d like to explore the possibility of bariatric surgery to help you lose weight, or you think it’s time for revisional bariatric surgery, you probably have a lot of unanswered questions.
Fortunately, you don’t have to search too hard to find answers to your questions. An estimated 179,000 bariatric surgeries were performed in 2013, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Crunch the numbers, and that’s more than 20 bariatric surgeries performed every hour of every day in hospitals around the country.
At one time, bariatric surgery was reserved as a last resort for only the morbidly obese. But with advancements in laparoscopic techniques and tools and a growing body of research on the benefits of bariatric surgery, more and more people are seeking out a qualified surgeon to achieve their weight loss goals.
If you’re considering bariatric surgery, meeting with an experienced surgeon is a good way to determine if you’re a good candidate for a weight loss procedure. You’ll also want to check out these top 5 benefits of bariatric surgery.
- Weight Loss.
If you’re like most people who decide on bariatric surgery, you’ve struggled with your weight all your life. Research shows that about 90 percent of bariatric surgery patients lose 50 percent of excess body fat or more, according to the UCLA Division of Digestive Diseases.
- Prevention or Control of Chronic Diseases
Did you know the three leading causes of preventable death in the United States are smoking, poor nutrition, and lack of physical activity. Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death that top the list in the U.S. which include heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Losing weight with the help of bariatric surgery can help improve your eating habits and mobility, and lower your risk for many chronic diseases.
- Increase in Self-Confidence.
If you’re significantly over-weight, you’re five times more likely to suffer from depression than a healthy-weight person, according to research published in the Encyclopedia of Body Image and Human Appearance. However, when people lose weight after bariatric surgery, many patients experience improvements in self-esteem, self-confidence and are motivated to adopt healthy eating and exercise habits, based on research published in The Journal of Obesity.
- Lower Healthcare Costs. An estimated 69 percent of all adults in the United States are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s such a serious epidemic that the American Medical Association recently classified obesity as a chronic disease. Over-weight people spend as much as 42 percent more on medical care than healthy-weight people. Opting for bariatric surgery to lose weight can have a major impact on your health and your medical expenses.
- Life on Your Terms.
Significant excess body weight keeps many people from living their best life. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Bariatric surgery can help you lose weight and live life on your own terms, instead of being weighed down by excess body fat. Imagine how you’ll feel after losing 50 pounds, 100 pounds, or more. Bariatric surgery makes that possible, and combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise you can lose the weight and keep it off.
Ready to change your life, lose weight, and improve your health? Contact the New York Bariatric Group for more information about bariatric surgery. You can also register to attend a free informational seminar that is held in many locations around the greater New York city area.
