Weight Loss Alternatives to Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery is a fairly recent phenomenon, but obesity is not.

Although many more people are dangerously overweight than ever before, there have been individuals who struggle with this condition since the beginning of time. Some of those people have been able to lose their weight and regain their health without the invasive bariatric procedure. This page will search for possible alternatives to consider if your doctor does not feel you qualify for a gastric bypass operation, or if the cost is out of reach. Most of these alternatives carry fewer risks than surgery.

Fasting

Although fasting is a major part of the post-gastric bypass diet, few doctors suggest water fasts for the non-surgical patient. There are exceptions, such as Dr. Joel Fuhrman, the author of Fasting and Eating for Health. However, even doctors who believe fasting can help cleanse the system do not suggest water fasts for most obese patients. A fast that is not carefully supervised will simply be one more crash diet, and may even be unhealthy or dangerous for people with the usual complications of obesity. Juice fasting has gained some popularity, and this is also a part of the post-surgical diet.

No fast can be continued long enough for a patient to lose in excess of 100 pounds, so this does not appear to be a reasonable permanent solution to obesity. However, some obese patients may benefit from a short fast used for its cleansing properties, and closely monitored by a physician or naturopath who has experience with this form of therapy. If you consider a water or juice fast, be sure to talk it over in depth with your doctor before making your final decision.

Low Calorie Diets

A low calorie diet is from 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day. This is far less than most people now eat, and a low calorie diet plus exercise will help a patient lose weight. Eating less of one’s normal diet is probably not a great idea, since most people in the United States do not eat enough vegetables and fruits on a daily basis. If the “normal” diet is poor in nutrients, reducing the portions will leave the patient hungry, and may cause fatigue, dizzy spells, and other unpleasant or even dangerous side effects. Nutritional counseling and behavioral modification should be strongly considered, if this is to be used as a permanent solution to weight loss.

Very Low Calorie Diets

The same suggestions apply to very low calorie diets, which may contain as few as 800 calories a day. Studies have proven that patients who stay on a nutritionally balanced 800 calorie diet can lose the majority of their excess weight. But studies also show that the majority of those patients will regain their weight soon after the end of the diet, unless they are very strongly motivated and have made permanent changes to their habits and behaviors around food. Unfortunately, the same can be said for post-surgical gastric bypass patients, who are forced to undergo a very low calorie diet in the months following thier surgery, but who can, and sometimes do, go back to their old habits and regain their weight.

Diet Pills

There are several medications that have been approved by the FDA for use in weight loss for the obese patient, but few doctors consider these medications as a permanent solution to obesity.

Behavior Modification Therapy

Changing the diet temporarily cannot be a permanent alternative to gastric bypass surgery. Most Centers of Excellence and insurance companies now even insist on psychological counseling for candidates for weight loss surgery. Food is always available, and habits must be changed if obesity is to be controlled. Finding a therapist who is an expert in behavior modification may take considerable research.