Bariatric surgery, as a specialty, is unique, and bariatric practices work with patients on both the physical and psychological levels. Many bariatric surgeons claim they can predict whether a patient will be successful, and to some degree, they can. They’re not looking to see a patient fail; rather, it helps them manage patient selection and expectations before surgery. It also helps them identify and help their patients avoid the most common pitfalls that make bariatric surgery unsuccessful. Today, bariatric surgery performed by an experienced and knowledgeable weight loss surgeon is very s ..read more

By now, it’s clear that obesity affects just about every part of the body and causes significant physical and psychological ramifications. We commonly discuss the most visible of these concerns, but discussing areas of the body that hide behind our clothes is also important. Often concerning and rarely talked about is the likelihood of labial hypertrophy or excess labial tissue caused by excess weight and obesity. Physical Concerns of Larger Labia Excess or hanging labial tissue can be a significant concern for many women because of age, childbirth, genetics, and, you guessed it, obesity. Whi ..read more

Bariatric patients are among the most knowledgeable and well-read in all medicine. When speaking to patients, it’s often surprising and refreshing to hear how much they already know about their surgery of choice. During this research, the patient usually comes across the concept of reflux after their bariatric surgical procedure (usually gastric sleeve) and wonders if it could happen to them. The short answer is that we genuinely don’t know, but there are ways to reduce the risk, and we discuss them in this article. Am I Choosing the Best Procedure? More procedures are available today than ev ..read more

It was recently announced that Pfizer discontinued a clinical trial for a twice-daily oral weight loss medication developed as an alternative to weight loss injections. The promise of this medication was significant – Pfizer, for one, thought it was a $10 billion drug with greater potential in the future. More importantly for patients, however, there was the hope that it would offer those who did not want to inject themselves with GLP-1 receptor agonist medication, like Wegovy and Mounjaro, an alternative pill form. However, much like the injected weight loss medications above, there were sid ..read more

One of the most exciting parts of being in the bariatric field is seeing the excellent and in-depth questions bariatric patients have. Weight loss surgery patients are some of the most educated on their procedures. As such, we’re often surprised by great and often very technical questions, one of which is whether bariatric surgeons use reinforcement or buttressing on the staple line during bariatric surgery. What Exactly Is Reinforcement or Buttressing of the Staple Line? We need to know precisely how the staple line works to understand the question and offer a solid answer. A specially made ..read more

It can sometimes feel like a chore. As a bariatric patient, not only do you have to limit your diet and the calories you consume, but you must also go and work out. Sometimes, especially when motivation is waning, keeping this kind of schedule can be challenging, to say the least; even more challenging, however, is getting to the gym and doing your workout, yet feeling hungry afterward. Before we get into how to manage this, you need to know that this is normal. When our bodies work hard, we crave what we need to recover: restorative nutrition. However, uncontrolled eating after a workout nee ..read more

Most patients who research bariatric surgery realize that the two most performed bariatric surgeries in the United States are the gastric sleeve or sleeve gastrectomy, and the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. There’s a good reason for these procedures being so prevalent. Both are proven with plenty of data behind them, and both allow patients to lose a significant amount of weight and improve or eliminate many of the diseases associated with excess weight and obesity. With such similarities, you might ask what the difference is and why you would choose one over the other. There are subtle difference ..read more

While many of us do not think much about the gallbladder, and we don’t need it to live, it represents an organ in the human body responsible for over 1 million surgeries every year. Many millions of Americans have gallstones – tiny, calcified pebbles in their gallbladder that sit there and don’t cause much trouble. Some patients can also have a large gallstone that can be alternately symptomatic or asymptomatic. However, when any stone blocks the outflow of bile into the stomach or gets lodged in the bile duct, it can be excruciating and even debilitating, with pain and discomfort occurring s ..read more

What you drink after your surgical procedure makes a big difference in your eventual results and how you feel. Of course, we advocate for all patients to drink plenty of water and indulge occasionally in drinks that are low in calories and sugar (and complement the post-op diet nicely). However, the question of beer does sometimes pop up, mainly because many patients will have been used to enjoying a beer during a football game or at dinner, and it may be their preferred alcoholic beverage. With that said, while moderation is key, and most bariatric programs don’t want to limit their patients ..read more

The class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists like Wegovy and Mounjaro have been held up as possible solutions to the worsening obesity crisis in the United States and around the world. These drugs are incredibly effective in well-selected patients. However, the hype has been such that many patients now believe that medication is all they need to lose their excess weight and hit their weight loss and disease resolution goals. Many patients look for this medication without considering whether they may be better suited to bariatric surgery. With that said, there is an excellent case for b ..read more