By Anthony Mitchell


The need for losing weight has been with man for many centuries. The oldest methods that have been used have mainly involved making changes on lifestyle behaviors related to diet and physical activity. Although these methods are effective in the majority of people, they tend to take fairly long to produce the desired effects. There are several things on weight loss Marlborough MA residents need to understand if struggling with this problem.

Generally, it is recommended that one starts with lifestyle options before they consider surgery. One of the modifications that need to be made to the diet is a reduction in the quantity of fats and proteins. These two food groups are the main contributors to increased adipose tissue. Their place should be taken by fresh fruits and vegetables.

The next area of the lifestyle that should be addressed is physical exercise. Exercise is needed to burn excess calories from eaten food which prevents its conversion to adipose tissue. If you have not been exercising, you can start slowly with regular light jogging or brisk walking and increase the intensity steadily over time. The target should be engaging in at least 30 minutes of intense physical activity on 3 to 5 days in a week.

Surgery comes in when lifestyle options are not achieving the required goals. Any form of operation that is performed with the aim of reducing weight is known as a bariatric surgical operation. The type of surgery is determined by the magnitude of the problem. Examples of bariatric surgeries include lap-band gastric surgery, bypass surgery and sleeve gastrectomy. Each of them is associated with various benefits and side effects.

Lap band gastric surgery is among the commonest operations that are performed. The laparoscopic technique ensures that the surgery can be comfortably performed through minimal access of the abdominal cavity. The operation itself involves placing a silicon band onto one part of the stomach so as to compress it and reduce it in size. The band can be readjusted to alter the functional stomach capacity.

Sleeve gastrectomy is similar to lap band surgery in many respects. For instance, they both result in a significant reduction in the size of the stomach and both cause reduced food intake. The main difference between them is that lap-band surgery, unlike sleeve gastrectomy, is reversible. Sleeve gastrectomy involves the surgical resection of a large part of the stomach (up to 80%) leaving a small tubular structure.

A number of other surgeries are performed mainly for cosmetic purposes but may also have benefits in weight loss. Among these procedures are tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) and liposuction. Tummy tuck involves the reduction of fat tissues found in the abdominal region as well as the tightening of redundant skin. The aim is to make the region firmer. Liposuction is done to get rid of fat found in other regions such as buttocks, the neck, face and thighs among others.

It is important to remember that losing weight is not an event. Rather, it is a process that takes weeks, months or even years in some cases. Using more than one approach concurrently increases the chances of success. Surgery should be reserved for the most severe cases. Such will include patients that have or are at a very high risk of developing weight related complications such as gastro-esophageal reflux disease, hypertension, diabetes and sleep apnea.




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