Gastric Bypass Information
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Very Low Calorie Diets (VLCD)
You lose weight after a gastric bypass surgery because
you’re restricted to a very low calorie diet. Can a VLCD be used
as an alternative to surgery?
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 may be tempted to 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 almost everyone regains the weight
- and more - after the diet is over. The reason for the weight gain
is biological - it has nothing to do with your will-power.
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 a very low calorie diet is a bit
safer than surgery when the patient receives regular care from a physician.
However, many problems can be caused by low-calorie diets, including
depression and other psychological illnesses, and food obsessions.
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.
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. The failure
rate is around 95% - a somewhat discouraging statistic.
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.
Depression and mood swings may take much longer to resolve, even after
the diet is over.
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.
To learn more about the complications and dangers of low-calorie
diets, visit www.RealFoodDietRevolution.com.
To read first-person accounts from people who have experienced
gastric bypass surgery, click
here.
Note: The information given here should
not be taken as medical advice. Be sure to talk to your doctor
about any concerns you may have about gastric bypass surgery.
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