Do I Need Weight Loss Surgery? Which One Is The Best For Me?
- ByMedical Content Team
- Medically Reviewed byDr. Sabine Kulhanek
Fact checked
Table of contents
Well, if we go way back in history, we can blame it on the agricultural revolution; a lifestyle change from hunting-gathering to agriculture, plenty of food, and no need to run after it! Sure it did increase obesity. But still, obesity wasn’t so common until a couple of decades ago. Unlike other medical conditions, which mainly attack low-economic countries, obesity prevails in modern western countries where high-calorie foods abound and sedentary life rules.
However, almost in all societies, people were more physically active in the past, doing many of their tasks by themselves. The 21st century came with even more advanced machines, gadgets, and applications to make our lives so much easier. But a sharp rise in the number of people suffering from obesity was the consequence.
Today, we are facing a global obesity epidemic, particularly prevalent in developed countries. In the United States, one in three people suffers from obesity, and when considering overweight individuals, this number reaches 70%. It is evident that with the rise in the population of obese individuals, the demand for obesity surgeries will also increase.
Although gaining a few pounds might not seem significant, excessive body fat is deemed a disease, carrying various complications and an elevated risk of other illnesses.
In this article, we will explore what amount of excess weight is considered a disease, examine available treatment options, and discuss the most effective methods to address this condition.
Who’s Healthy? Who’s Obese? and Who’s Overweight?
Obesity is a medical condition when your body fat exceeds its normal amount in a way that negatively affects your health and brings about complications. To be considered obese, a person must weigh at least 20% higher than normal. Considering that being overweight and obese is calculated in comparison with a healthy normal weight, we first need to know what is considered healthy.
While an ideal weight is a weight you feel quite comfortable with and brings you no health issues, it is not defined based on people’s tastes and what is considered popular or acceptable by fashion trends and mainstream. Instead, there are certain criteria based on which people are categorized into healthy, underweight, overweight, and obese.
Body mass index (BMI) is an index used to assess whether the weight is normal or not. BMI uses both weight and height to provide a proportional indicator. To calculate the BMI, you need to divide your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters. For example, a person weighing 65 kilograms who is 1.72 meters high has a BMI of 21.97.
Now let’s see who is considered normal and who’s not based on BMI.
If your BMI falls into the range of 18.5 to 25, then congratulations, you’ve got a healthy weight. Personally, you may prefer a heavier or lighter weight to look slimmer or fuller and as long as your BMI won’t exceed or fall short of these limits, you’ll be fine. Accordingly, a person with a BMI lower than 18.5 is considered underweight, while an overweight person is someone whose BMI exceeds 25 but doesn’t go above 30. Those with a BMI over 30 suffer from obesity, which as already mentioned is considered a disease.
What Are the Risks of Obesity?
Besides negatively affecting the quality of life, slowing down, and limiting your movements, obesity increases the risk of other diseases and medical conditions to a great degree and obese people are more likely to be hospitalized compared to people with a normal BMI.
Increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and knee arthritis are some of the main complications of obesity. We can also look at it from another angle to see how significant it could be. Studies show that the risk of death is decreased by 30-40% in obese people suffering from diabetes who lose 10 kilograms of their extra weight.
Moreover, Studies report that obesity can even correlate with an increased risk of some types of cancers including breast, cervical, ovarian, bile duct, colorectal, and prostate cancers. Obese people are also more likely to be suffering from infertility. Such risk and complication may as well give rise to psychological damage.
To get a better idea of the risks we just mentioned, let’s talk numbers a bit more. Various studies have reported a 3 to 10-times higher likelihood of developing diabetes and having a heart attack in obese people compared to healthy ones. This number even goes higher when it comes to osteoarthritis. Studies have shown that obesity can increase the risk of osteoarthritis by 14 times which can not be overlooked.
All in all, people with BMI over 30 should take their condition more seriously and consider ways for losing weight to treat their obesity.
What Are the Causes of Obesity?
Before getting to treatments and solutions, we always need to get an idea of the underlying reasons for obesity.
Generally, obesity is the result of an imbalance in calorie intake and consumption when the intake exceeds the consumption and cause the excess calorie to be accumulated as extra fat.
Several factors can contribute to this imbalance, therefore, leading to obesity.
While genetics may also play a role, an unhealthy lifestyle which is simply high consumption of fast food and sweetened beverages coupled with physical inactivity is the most important factor.
How to Treat Obesity?
Depending on your weight and BMI, different methods can help you lose weight.
As you remember, having a BMI of 18.5 to 25 is considered normal, therefore you only need to make sure your weight remains in the same range and maintain your healthy state by having a balanced diet and regular exercise.
Group 1: Overweight people or those with a BMI of 25 to 30
As already mentioned, people in this group are not considered obese but it is healthier to try to reach the normal weight to stay away from probable complications. In such cases, a healthy diet and exercise could be very helpful. You can also take some weight loss pills. But you don’t need to go for surgical solutions.
Also read: Start Your Day Right: A Healthy Breakfast and Effective Diet for Weight Loss and Fitness
Group 2: Obese people or those with a BMI above 30
People falling in this category are considered obese and need to visit a doctor to discuss treatment options.
There are several weight loss surgeries also known as bariatric surgeries aiming to treat obesity, such as a gastric balloon, gastric band, gastric plication, gastric sleeve, and (mini) gastric bypass. But how are these surgeries different? Generally, they’re all performed to help with limiting the calorie intake so giving you a fighting chance to stick to a healthier lifestyle more easily. Let’s take a quick look at each of them.
Gastric balloon: Gastric balloon, a non–invasive weight loss method, also called an intragastric balloon, is the placement of a saline-filled balloon in the stomach in a way that it fills about one-third of the stomach’s capacity so that it helps you feel fuller much faster and eat less.
Gastric band: Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band (LAGB) is another restrictive weight loss surgery aiming to limit the stomach capacity, this time by reversible implanting of an adjustable silicone band in the upper portion of the stomach to reduce the food intake and slow the food passage through the stomach which helps with losing weight.
Gastric plication: Also known as Distal POSE (Primary Obesity Surgery Endoluminal), gastric plication is a minimally invasive endoscopic surgery in which the stomach capacity is decreased by folding the stomach on itself using sutures.
Gastric bypass: Gastric bypasss involves creating a small pouch at the top of the stomach and directly connecting it to the small intestine to bypass the rest of the stomach. Again the result would be less food and calorie intake.
Mini gastric bypass: Also known as One Anastomosis Gastric Bypass, is a newer version of the gastric bypass which is less complicated, requires less time, and involves less intestinal rerouting.
Gastric sleeve: Gastric sleeve is simply the surgical removal of a large part of your stomach to permanently reduce its size.
To make sure which treatment is the best solution for your case, you need to consult your doctor. But generally, it also depends on your obesity grade.
While people with a BMI over 30 are generally considered obese, there are three grades of obesity: Grade I (BMI between 30 to 35), Grade II (BMI between 35 to 40), and Grade III (BMI over 40).
What Is the Best Obesity Treatment for Me?
Depending on your obesity degree and also your biological gender you may have one or more options. The following table shows your bariatric surgery options based on your conditions. To make it more precise, obesity has been classified into 5 classes.
| BMI | Gender | Gastric balloon | Gastric band | Gastric Plication | Gastric sleeve | Mini gastric bypass | Gastric bypass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 ≤BMI> 35 | M | ✔ | |||||
| F | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||
| 35 ≤BMI> 40 | M | ✔ | |||||
| F | ✔ | ||||||
| 40 ≤BMI> 45 | M | ✔ | |||||
| F | ✔ | ✔ | |||||
| 45 ≤BMI> 50 | M | ✔ | |||||
| F | ✔ | ||||||
| 50 ≤BMI | M | ✔ | ✔ | ||||
| F | ✔ |
Also read: 7 Myths about Weight Loss Surgeries
Last Word
Depending on your situation, you and your doctor may conclude to choose one of the above-mentioned methods. Sometimes the severity of your condition may force you to opt for a more invasive surgical method just to achieve a lower weight in a shorter time. However, in other cases, a less invasive method like a gastric balloon may be more effective in also decreasing the risk of post-surgery complications.
What you should never forget is that all these weight loss methods best work in combination with a healthy lifestyle which means you should also cooperate in eating less and healthier and having regular exercise to achieve and maintain your desired weight, improve the quality of your life, and reduce the risk of other complications.
