The number of overweight people, especially in the United States, is enormous. In the US, two-thirds of adults are overweight and one-third of adults are obese, or extremely overweight. Most of the population in the United States then is overweight. The health risks from being overweight are common knowledge, and these risks are legitimate and many. Overweight also presents a problem in terms of image: overweight people often have a negative body image. Given all the difficulties being overweight presents, it’s not difficult to see why theres so much interest in weight loss methods.
One weight loss option that’s gotten a good deal of attention is gastric bypass method. The gastric bypass method is a surgery that reduces the size of the stomach and alters the small intestine so that it’s partially circumvented during digestion. Gastric bypass is achieved by dividing the stomach into two sections, one smaller than the other, and by altering part of the small intestine. Though gastric bypass is a complex procedure, the outcome is fairly simple: less food is consumed because one gets the feeling of food fullness sooner, and less calories are absorbed.
The thought of using a surgical procedure to achieve weight loss holds considerable appeal for some, most likely because it comes across as a bit of an automatic solution. One has surgery, and the problem of being overweight is solved. In this respect, gastric bypass may seem like an easy or a no effort solution. The reality of the situation, however, is quite a different story.
To begin, gastric bypass typically will not be performed unless a person is obese or severely overweight, and has been so for at least a period of five years. Gastric bypass will also not be performed until and unless other weight loss methods have been legitimately tried without success. These requirements emphasize how serious of a procedure gastric bypass is, and how gastric bypass is often viewed as a measure of last resort. The seriousness of gastric bypass is in the possibility for complications, and the outcome of the surgery itself.
The greatest potential risk from undergoing gastric bypass is a fatal outcome. This likelihood is remote, but not impossible: one percent or so of people who undergo gastric bypass die from the surgery. Other potential complications from gastric bypass include vitamin and mineral deficiencies, ulcers, hernias, internal bleeding, and other general complications. The outcome of gastric bypass surgery can present considerable difficulties as well. People who’ve undergone the gastric bypass procedure complain of nausea following meals, weakness or low energy levels, and feeling like they don’t get the same satisfaction from the eating process as before. Gastric bypass does represent a weight loss solution, though it’s not an easy solution, and it’s definitely not an answer for everybody.
