What is Weight Loss Surgery?

The start of a new journey

SurgiCare understand how obesity can affect you medically, physically, psychologically and socially. The stigmas attached to excess weight can wear you down.

There are a number of misconceptions around weight loss surgery. Weight loss surgery is an option where other treatments have failed, however you don't have to be ill, massively obese or desperate. Most people who choose to have weight loss surgery are people who want to take control of their weight and who find it impossible to lose weight and particularly maintain it alone.

Weight loss surgery can help you lose approximately 60% of your excess weight improving your overall health and general well being which can prolong your life by a staggering 9 years.

Obesity surgery is not a 'quick-fix' solution, it is a tool to help you feel full on significantly less food, banish hunger and cravings whilst freeing you from the 'yo-yo' dieting cycle. However it does require motivation and will power for optimum results. The expert multidisciplinary team will guide you through your journey, offering support, advice and individual diet/exercise regimes tailored specifically to fit into your lifestyle.

We see weight loss surgery as only part of the process. Our unique, comprehensive 2 year package includes your chosen weight loss surgical procedure, as well as an in depth pre-operative assessment and regular post-operative consultations with a registered Dietitian.

The lifestyle team will help you :

• alter your eating habits
• improve your food choices
• boost your activity levels
• increase energy levels
• reach your goal and achieve long term success

We will help you achieve all this and all the bonuses that come with it, a boost in confidence, increased energy levels and other factors we sometmes take for granted such as fertility, raised libido and new or renewed self esteem.

Here are some facts to reassure you about going ahead with weight loss surgery:

• More than 4,000 people underwent weight loss surgery in 2005
• The Gastric Banding procedure usually only requires a 1 night stay in hospital, the Gastric Bypass usually a 2 night stay
• Most patients return to work the week after weight loss surgery
• Our specialist weight loss surgeons are happy to provide you with a non specific sick note
• It is possible to keep the procedure a secret! - some patients explain their change in dietary habits by using other excuses and no one need find out
• Patients can lose 60% of their excess weight after weight loss surgery, however it is possible to lose 100% of your excess weight
• Complication rates are minimised by using expert surgeons, all members of BOSS.
• Weight loss surgery can transform your health - studies have shown that Diabetes was completely resolved in 77% of patients and resolved or improved in 86%. High blood fat levels were reduced in 70%, and high blood pressure resolved in 62%.

Which weight loss surgery procedures are available?

SurgiCares offersthree of the most common weight loss surgery procedures, the Gastric Band , Gasric Balloon and the Gastric Bypass .

The Gastric Band and the Gastric Bypass are both performed through key hole surgery (Laparoscopically) whilst the Gastric Balloon is a non surgical procedure performed under sedation.

Your consultant will discuss all of the options with you and establish which operation is most suitable for you and your individual needs. These procedures are recommended by The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), the government health advisory body.

SurgiCare adhere to all NICE guidelines to ensure that weight loss surgery is the right option for you, that your chosen procedure is suitable and that it is the right time for you to go ahead with weight loss surgery.

Is weight loss surgery for you?

To be eligible for surgery you must meet certain criteria set by NICE.

• Your BMI should be over 40, or between 35 and 40 with 2 co-morbidities (obesity related disease, for example, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis)
• You should be over 18 (we generally don't operate on patients above the age of 60)
• You have tried other weight loss treatments without permanent success
• You are medically and psychologically fit for surgery (we will assess this)
• You have sufficient understanding of the procedure and the lifestyle changes it requires
• You are strongly motivated to undergo the procedure and lifestyle changes needed

Calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index)

To find out if you are a candidate for weight loss surgery please use our online form or arrange a time for a specialist to call you with our call back facility.