If you are obese, you may be looking for different ways to help lose weight. It can be very difficult to lose a lot of weight, and all that weight can be very stressful on your body. There are various things you can try. One of them is bariatric surgery. There are different kinds of bariatric surgery, which you and your doctor can discuss, but they all work in the same basic way. 

Bariatric Surgery

Getting this kind of surgery isn't just as easy as going to your doctor and saying you want to get it. There is usually a process. That process can include going to various classes or seminars, working with a dietician, and committing to an exercise program for a certain period before the surgery. You may also have to prove to your insurance that you are a good candidate for the surgery. When it comes to the surgery, it helps you lose weight in two different ways, restriction and malabsorption. 

Restriction

Restriction surgeries involve restricting the amount of calories you can take in. Generally, this is done by physically restricting the size of your stomach. Restricting how much food you can take in at any one time will limit how many calories you can take in. The different kinds of surgery do this in different ways. The Roux-en-Y surgery does this by sealing off the majority of the stomach and creating a tiny little pocket at the top. This pocket is the only part of your stomach into which food goes. 

Malabsorption

Malabsorption works by limiting how much of the calories that do make it into your body are actually absorbed into your small intestines and then into your body. Generally, this is done by shortening or bypassing parts of your small intestine. In the Roux-en-Y surgery, part of your small intestine is attached to the food pocket at the top of your stomach. The rest of your stomach still makes stomach acid and it goes to the rest of small intestine, which is still attached to the stomach. That acid helps with digesting the food. Because of that, your body won't absorb as many nutrients or calories as it may have otherwise done. 

If you are morbidly obese, you may want to consider bariatric surgery to help lose weight and become healthier. If you are going to do that, it's important to know how the surgery works. Contact your local medical weight loss program services for more information and assistance.