Which Is Better: Bariatric Surgery vs. Exercise?
For patients having trouble achieving their weight loss goals, bariatric surgery is often a viable option. Bariatric surgery, or weight-loss surgery, affords patients improved health and self-confidence by assisting with significant weight loss.
If you are overweight and considering the best way forward, the team at Tijuana Bariatrics in Tijuana, MX, can help guide you toward the best decision for your health needs. Here, we have provided information comparing two weight loss methods: exercise vs. bariatric surgery.
A Closer Look at Bariatric Surgery
Depending on the specific procedure, bariatric surgery allows patients to enjoy weight loss by restricting how much they can eat or inhibiting the calories consumed and reducing the body’s ability to absorb calories.
Gastric banding surgery, for example, reduces stomach size so that fewer calories are consumed. Gastric bypass, on the other hand, involves making changes to the stomach and small intestine so that the stomach can hold fewer calories and the small intestine cannot absorb calories as easily.
Bariatric Surgery and Weight Loss Success Rates
According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (AMSBS), patients lose significant weight in the months following their procedure.
About half of bariatric patients regain about 5 percent of the lost weight back in the two or more years following their surgery.
Longitudinal studies show that the majority of bariatric surgery patients enjoy and maintain long-term weight-loss equal to or greater than 50 percent of excess body weight.
Weight Loss Through Exercise
Before undergoing bariatric surgery, patients should have attempted non-surgical weight-loss methods, namely following a healthy diet and exercising regularly.
Exercise not only aids in shedding excess pounds, it also provides other physical and mental health advantages, such as boosting mood and improving cardiovascular health.
Despite these advantages, many patients who are overweight find that these approaches to reducing excess body weight are insufficient.
When Bariatric Surgery Is a Better Choice
In some instances, losing weight as quickly as possible is the best choice for one’s health. People with a BMI of 40 or more or with a BMI of 35 or more with obesity-related problems, like diabetes, are considered morbidly obese.
If you fit into this category, the rapid weight loss resulting from bariatric surgery is preferable than the slow and sometimes unsuccessful attempts at weight loss through exercise and diet alone.
When Exercise Alone May Be a Better Choice
The key advantage to bariatric surgery is the quick results of lower weight it provides. As with any surgery, there are some risks associated with bariatric procedures, namely developing an infection.
In addition, while Tijuana Bariatrics is proud to provide effective and safe bariatric procedures at competitive rates, the expense may be too much for some people.
Contact Tijuana Bariatric Center
Patients who find it challenging to lose weight through diet and exercise may need bariatric surgery to achieve a healthy weight and lifestyle. Call us and speak with a team member. You can also send us a message online and we will get back to you shortly.
