On the surface, it looks like people are going to great lengths to try and live a healthy lifestyle. We see health stores opening up everywhere; we see people demanding organic foods, and we can find thousands of blogs that are dedicated to the subject of healthy living, but the irony of the matter is that more and more people are becoming overweight. In fact, there are more overweight people now than ever before.
In the United States, the majority of the adult population is overweight, and a large percentage of them are considered to be clinically obese. Childhood obesity is also increasing at an alarming rate, and it seems like this trend is likely to continue, at least for the foreseeable future. While sedentary lifestyles are certainly a big part of the problem, poor diets are known to be a leading cause of obesity.
Taking Back Control of Your Weight
Millions of people from all around the world embark on exercise regimens and special diets to control their weight. Sadly, most people soon give up with their exercise routines and their special diets before they ever fully realize their weight loss goals.
Now, not everyone has the time to work out three or four times a week, but we all have the ability to choose which foods we consume. All we have to do is follow a sensible diet in order to avoid weight gain, but many people struggle with this, so instead, they revert to fad diets. They follow a particular diet for a few months; lose a bunch of weight, and then go back to their old ways, and in no time at all, their weight starts increasing again. This is known as the Yo-Yo effect, and it is something which affects the vast majority of people who embark on so-called "wonder" diets.
Weight Loss Surgery
These days, more and more people are resorting to weight loss surgery in order to put an end to their battle against weight gain. Naturally, many people will view weight loss surgery as being a bit extreme, but for many, it really is the best solution to help one get started on the right track towards living a fitter and healthier life. In fact, you can enjoy permanent weight loss for less than $4,000, depending on what sort of weight loss surgery you opt for, and where you choose to have it done.
Gastric Plication, A Weight Loss Surgery
Weight loss gastric plication surgery (Laparoscopic Greater Curvature Plication LGCP) is also sometimes referred to as pseudo gastric sleeve surgery, and we've even seen "gastric sleeve plication". This overlap with the term "sleeve", is occasionally loosely used because both procedures are designed to restrict the amount of food a person can eat, by reducing the size of their stomach, giving a final shape akin to a sleeve. However, weight loss gastric plication surgery does not eliminate the portion of the stomach known as the fundus where Ghrelin, the hunger hormone is produced. The Gastric Sleeve, rather, does remove fundus tissue from the body. That's one of the big differences and why the names need to be distinguished carefully when researching differences between the two procedures.
Gastric Plication Surgery – Understanding the Procedure
As already mentioned further up the page, weight loss gastric plication surgery is to a great extent very similar to gastric sleeve surgery, both procedures result in you having a smaller stomach. The major difference between the two is the manner of the stomach size reduction. With a gastric sleeve procedure, the surgeon will make a vertical incision from the top to the bottom of the stomach, and then will remove the majority of the stomach. Once everything has been stitched up, the stomach resembles a tube, or sleeve. It's capacity for holding food has been substantially reduced, and ghrelin production usually lowered or eliminated, and it's for these reasons which most often lead to weight loss.
Gastric plication surgeons, on the other hand, don’t remove any part of the stomach whatsoever. Instead, they make a number of small incisions in the abdomen through which they can insert a special camera and the various surgical tools that are required to carry out the procedure. They then fold the stomach lining inward from top to bottom, and then secure the two sides to each other. The surgeon will then fold the stomach lining inward a second time, along the seam of the first fold, and once again, the two sides of the fold are secured in order to ensure the fold stays in place.
Virtually all weight loss gastric plication surgery is done laparoscopically. This is the method described above, where the surgeon carries out the procedure via a number of small incisions. This method is preferred over open surgery because it has a lower risk profile, and a shorter amount of time a patient needs to stay in the operating room. Generally speaking, weight loss gastric plication surgery typically takes between 40 minutes and two hours, providing there are no complications.
Regardless how minimally invasive the procedure may seem, patients have to remember to follow strict dietary requirements for months following the procedure. Below is a basic guide to the sort of diet patients should abide by once they are discharged from the hospital:
Weeks 1 & 2 – Phase 1
Weeks 3 & 4 – Phase 2
Weeks 5 & 6 – Phase 3
Weeks 7 & 8 – Phase 4
Your plan will be something like this, but may vary based on your provider - phase, duration, content - so if and when you're approved by a provider to be accepted as a patient of theirs, you'll receive their particular instructions that they recommend. Remember, medicine is a "practice", and different providers will practice differently.
The general concept is that your diet will require changes, and over time you will start introducing different stages to your bariatric diet. This is a special diet plan provided by one of your doctors, an approved dietician, or nutritionist. This diet, along with any related instructions, should be strictly adhered to in order to get the best results and to help reduce your risks. The doctors want you to have a good outcome, so follow your post-op diet.
After a successful procedure, there are 5 basic diet goals you should aim for if you have had gastric plication surgery. These are:
- Try to keep your diet as healthy as possible by avoiding junk foods, processed foods, etc.
- Eat the protein portion first. When eating, give protein priority because it's one of the most important nutrients required by the body, and your body needs a lot of it.
- Try to keep your blood sugar stable and within limits. This can usually be achieved simply by avoiding certain foods, and especially those that are high in simple carbohydrates. You should avoid any foods that contain lots of sugar.
- Optimize fluid intake but refrain from only drinking water. Drinking other liquids as well should be considered, and you should aim for a significant amount of fluid per day. Drinking anything with your meals, or within an hour of eating a meal, is often advised.
- Don’t be tempted to eat snacks between meals. Snacking is after all, one of the biggest reasons why people become overweight in the first place. Even with a reduced stomach, undisciplined snacking can quickly lead to weight gain.
Benefits and Advantages of Weight Loss Gastric Plication Surgery
There are many benefits from gastric plication surgery, all of which result from the weight loss it provides. Being overweight or obese puts your health in danger on many fronts. After all, there are several very serious illnesses which are either caused or made worse from being overweight or obese, with diabetes and heart failure being the most common.
Gastric plication surgery can provide permanent weight loss. Another great thing about this procedure is the fact that it can be reversed, should the desire ever arise. Unlike some other types of weight loss surgeries.
The Downside to Gastric Plication Surgery
Other than in very rare instances, insurance companies will typically refuse to pay for this procedure, so it means you have to pay for it out of your own pocket, even if you are insured. If you aren't insured, that wont matter anyway. Many patients choose fast track themselves through the financial part of scheduling, and pay for the surgery out of their own pocketbook, and then later self-claiming for a reimbursement from their insurance company. Of course, by using their forms, medical records, receipts, and other proof of surgery, filling some forms, etc. Other downsides include the fact that as with any surgical procedures, there are a few risks involved, so you should assume these, and try to reduce the risks as best as you can, be a good and compliant patient who follows the instructions, etc. You should discuss these things with your provider prior to the procedure being carried out. Lastly, because your stomach is so much smaller, your diet has to be adjusted accordingly, and any changes to your eating habits will essentially be permanent and need to be committed to beforehand. You have to be ready for the change and ready for the physical and emotional challenges that you may face.
Getting Started on the Road to a Happier Healthier You
If you truly have had enough of being overweight or obese, and you are ready for permanent change, then right now is the best time for you to start your journey towards being a healthier and happier person.
Weight Loss Agents is a Medical Tourism Agency brand that connects clients to some of the world’s most experienced and most talented bariatric surgeons, including highly trained and experienced gastric plication surgeons. If you have any questions or concerns relating to gastric plication surgery, any other weight loss surgery, or if you would like to arrange for a Patient History Consultation, you can call Weight loss Agents today at (855) 753-3833 so that the most rewarding journey of your life can begin. In addition to the benefits, there are risks associated with weight loss surgery. To learn more about the risks,
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