Very Low Calorie Diets - An Alternative To Gastric Bypass Surgery

You lose weight after a gastric bypass surgery because you’re
restricted to a very low calorie diet. You can only eat tiny
portions because your stomach is much smaller. Some
high-calorie foods high in sugar and fat cannot be eaten
because they cause nausea and vomiting, and part of the
digestive tract is bypassed, which reduces the absorption of
nutrients and calories.

If you’re looking for a safer alternative to gastric bypass,
you might consider a doctor-supervised very low calorie diet
(VLCD), without the surgery. VLCDs have been shown to result in
weight loss of up to 15 to 20 percent of the patient’s initial
weight in three to six months, but follow-up therapy is needed
to maintain the weight loss.

The diet itself may require hospitalization or a stay in a
treatment center so your physician can monitor your progress
and health. This can be expensive, but there are some
advantages over gastric bypass surgery. Although there are some
risks, a very low calorie diet is far safer than surgery when
the patient receives regular care from a physician.

The diet usually consists of liquid shakes or bars that have
been specially formulated to include all the vitamins and
minerals the patient needs. Using the pre-made shakes and bars
makes it easy to regulate the number of calories without
sacrificing nutrition.

A new five-year study financed by a large BlueCross BlueShield
insurance plan is designed to find out if a VLCD, with or
without weight loss medication, is as effective in treating
obesity as the more expensive and dangerous weight loss
surgeries. At this time, most group insurance policies do not
cover any treatment associated with obesity, but the Roux-en-Y
gastric bypass procedure is being added as a benefit to some
plans.

Obesity treatment was scourged from most policies after the
diet pill scams of the 80’s and 90’s, but insurance companies
are discovering that the costs of obesity are extremely high.
If weight loss treatment, either surgery or doctor-monitored
VLCD, can reduce the incidence of diabetes and heart disease
that accompany obesity, the reduction in these chronic
illnesses would more than pay for the additional costs of
covering weight loss treatment. If it is proven that a VLCD
results in long-term weight loss, this treatment may be added
as a benefit to some policies.

A VLCD diet contains around 800 calories a day and the typical
patient can lose up to 44 pounds in three months. In past
studies it has been found that most obese patients who reduce
their weight through doctor-supervised diet will regain much of
the lost weight unless they receive ongoing behavioral therapy
and nutritional counseling. This is also true for some
post-gastric bypass patients.

There are always side effects associated with major changes in
diet, and patients on a very low calorie diet may experience
fatigue, constipation, nausea or diarrhea. These symptoms are
usually temporary. The fast weight loss can also trigger one of
the major complications associated with gastric bypass surgery -
gallstones or gallbladder infection. Medication is available to
reduce this risk, but it is important to become aware of the
symptoms of gallstones and seek immediate treatment if the
symptoms appear.

It is possible that a low-calorie diet of 1,000 to 1,200
calories a day may be just as effective for long-term weight
loss as a VLCD. The weight will drop more slowly, but the diet
is easier for most people to accept as a long-term lifestyle.

Behavioral changes are the most important aspect of any obesity
treatment, either surgical or dietary. The weight will only stay
off as long as new, healthier diets are maintained. Regular
exercise is equally important.

Behavioral modification and nutritional counseling can help,
and your physician or the obesity center at a local hospital
should be able to give you a referral to a qualified counselor.
The obesity center should also be able to assist you in finding
a physician who can provide the necessary medical supervision
if you decide to try a very low calorie diet as an alternative
to gastric bypass.

About The Author:
To learn more about alternatives to gastric
bypass surgery, the complications of gastric bypass, and
post-gastric bypass diet visit http://www.1gastricbypass.com

Posted by Lose Weight at 6:41 AM Nutri System Weight Loss Program