Choosing to get weight loss surgery is a life-changing decision and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly, for people who are morbidly obese trying to lose weight without the help of surgery can feel like an almost impossible task and requires determination over a very long period of time.

Research has shown that obese individuals that undertake weight loss surgery are less likely to regain the weight compared to people who lose weight by dieting and exercise. It does seem like a quick fix but overeating and man-made foods are a hard habit to kick and almost anyone can fall into stages of weight gain very quickly.

The BMI or body mass index is a commonly used measurement to diagnose morbidly obese individuals as candidates for weight loss surgery. Unfortunately, this type of measurement is very biased and does not calculate how much muscle is on your body or your body weight in relation to your height.

There are three basic types of surgery’s these are

Restrictive procedures – restrict the amount of food that your body can eat at one time, with some self-control you can do the exact same thing on a healthy diet

Malabsorptive procedure – alters your normal digestive process which causes foods to be poorly digested. This method is unpopular due to the body not absorbing nutrients needed from food and its quite similar to starving yourself.

The third type for especially severe cases is a combination of the two.

There are many factors that affect your body and how much fat you can lose with the most common reasons being

Age – as you get older your metabolism slows and you have to be more conscious of your diet and to eat healthily. Will be harder to lose weight

Sex – Men are able to burn fat faster than women, so if you are not seeing the same results as your husband on the same diet, it’s natural. They can both build muscle and burn fat and more muscle usually means more fat loss.

Ethnicity – some studies suggest that African American women do not lose as much weight as Caucasian women. This may or may not be true for everyone but its something to think about when choosing between diet and surgery we are all built differently and genetically prone to store fat in certain places.

Weight at Surgery – The heavier you are when you go in for your weight loss surgery the more fat you will be able to lose, this is just common sense and you will notice obese individuals dropping amazing numbers each week.