Obesity is defined as having excessive or abnormal accumulation of fat in the body. It is determined through the body mass index calculated by means of dividing the person’s weight in kilograms by the square of his or her height in meters. Obesity occurs over time when an individual eats more calories than they use. The balance between calories-in and calories-out differs for each person. Factors that might tip the balance include your genetic makeup, overeating, eating high-fat foods and not being physically active. Being obese increases the risk of acquiring chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes which may in turn lead to diseases of the heart and other organs which will eventually lead to death. Knowing the risks obesity incurs, physicians are now strongly recommending obese individuals to trim down. Losing even 10% of the total body weight can significantly lower risks related to obesity.

Hypertension or high blood pressure, one of the illnesses obesity causes, is defined as a chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. Blood pressure refers to the force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels, and constitutes one of the principal vital signs. Hypertension is twice commonly diagnosed in obese individuals than those with normal body mass index. Designated as either essential or primary and secondary hypertension, it is usually diagnosed on the basis of persistent increase in the blood pressure. Blood pressure is expressed through a fraction using millimeters of mercury or mmHg as the unit and measured through the use of an instrument called a sphygmomanometer. The top number, the systolic blood pressure, corresponds to the pressure in the arteries as the heart contracts and pumps blood forward into the arteries. The bottom number, the diastolic pressure, represents the pressure in the arteries as the heart relaxes after the contraction.

The normal blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg, 110/75 mmHg is considered low normal while 130/85 is the high normal. Hypertension starts at 140/90 mmHg. The signs and symptoms associated with the illness include dizziness, headache, shortness of breath and blurred vision. Sometimes, however, hypertension presents as an asymptomatic condition until it has other complications already, thus labeled as a ‘silent killer.’ Complications include heart disease, atherosclerosis, eye damage, renal failure and stroke. Taking into consideration the complications, it is consequently very important to diagnose and immediately manage the condition. Treatments include medications like ACE inhibitors, ARB drugs, beta-blockers, diuretics, calcium channel blockers, alpha-blockers, and peripheral vasodilators. Since hypertension has been associated with obesity, physicians also strongly recommend dietary and lifestyle changes such as decreasing salt and fat intake which eventually leads to losing weight. However, if attempts of weight loss cannot be achieved through dietary measures, weight loss surgery is of an option.

Obesity plays a big role in hypertension. Since hypertension is a chronic disease doctors highly recommend weight loss. One of the weight loss surgeries physician highly recommend to very obese individuals is gastric sleeve surgery. The surgery can be done laparoscopically under general anesthesia. It is a much safer operation for individuals who are very obese. Basically a part of the stomach is stapled off and separated and usually about 70-80% of the stomach’s natural carrying capacity is cut off without involving the intestinal tract. The patient would usually experience early satiety as the result of the procedure. Also, metabolically speaking the surgery also helps in weight loss by decreasing the amount of ghrelin, a hunger causing hormone, in the body. The part which was cut off in surgery is held responsible for the production of the hormone. Post surgery patients are placed in a liquid diet. The diet slowly progress from soft to solid foods. The patient is also advised to eat slowly, chew foods properly and not to eat and drink at the same time. Lifestyle adjustments in diet and exercise and compliance with medication regimes are important factors in determining the outcome for people with hypertension. Studies show that with weight reduction and regular exercise improves blood flow and helps reduce heart rate and blood pressure. According to a 2004 article from the Journal of the American Medical Association nearly 75% of patients with high blood pressure can have improvement or resolution of the their high blood pressure after weight loss surgery. Thus, weight loss remains one of the existing management for hypertension.

Unfortunately weight loss surgery is one of those much needed and desired medical procedures that is not covered by health insurance for Americans. In the past this has meant those who need and want weight loss surgeries like Lap Bands, vertical sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypasses with the choice of saving and paying for incredibly expensive medical care at home or continuing to suffer with their uncomfortable and in many cases, life threatening conditions. Fortunately that is now all changing.

Now those seeking medical treatment for weight loss have the option of traveling abroad to receive quality health care at a fraction of what it would cost at home. This has become known as medical tourism. Medical tourism is an industry that has been booming and has changed by leaps and bounds over the last several years. Millions of American residents are now traveling to countries like Canada, India, Brazil and Mexico each year to seek affordable health care.

At first many may immediately dismiss the idea as being unsafe. However we are not talking about visiting some backstreet butcher in the middle of nowhere. The expansion of medical tourism has spawned many world class hospitals that rival the best medical facilities in the world. In fact what many patients in the US do not know is that many parts of the health care process are already being outsourced to these countries. In an effort to cut costs US hospitals are already sending medical exams and data overseas to be interpreted and analyzed by doctors who are willing to work for pennies on the dollar. This actually means that selecting your own treatment facility abroad can ensure that you receive higher quality attention from better trained professionals. So where is the best place to look for high quality yet affordable and safe weight loss surgery? Canada may offer some discounts but not nearly as much as other countries. While Brazil and India may offer the cheapest medical services they are prohibitive because of travel time and cost and they have unfortunately also developed poor reputations for quality and safety. In contrast Mexico is not only conveniently reached within a few hours from anywhere in the US it offers the best in safety, high quality hospitals, expert doctors and prices far lower than in the US.

Safety, really? Yes. Clearly Mexico is without question safer to visit than countries like Brazil and India. Despite recent news headlines focusing on the US/ Mexico border the official statistics including the FBI’s own figures shows that Mexico is actually far safer to visit than many areas of the US!

When it comes to cost of weight loss surgery, Mexico is really unbeatable when you factor in travel and quality of medical care. Even at internationally recognized and accredited Mexican hospitals that offer the best care, prices for procedures like sleeve gastrectomy, Lap Band and gastric bypasses can be found under 50% of that in the US and often include stay at luxury hotel style facilities. In many cases this equates to savings well over $10,000 even after travel costs. However price shouldn’t be the only reason for seeking weight loss surgery out of your immediate area.

Mexico actually boasts a longer history of performing many of the most popular weight loss procedures meaning it’s doctors and medical professionals actually have been able to hone their skills and procedures better and have doctors that have far more experience performing these operations than their American counter parts. The best hospitals in Monterrey, Mexicali and Tijuana, Mexico are also involved in educational exchange programs with the US’s leading medical institutions and many Mexican doctors have also studied in the US.

The dramatic increase in those seeking medical treatment in Mexico has in turn given birth to several amazing multi billion dollar hospitals offering the latest technology and most advanced state of the art facilities and equipment. The best of these are accredited by the Joint Commission International that bestows it’s accreditation on a small number of hospitals world wide who meet the highest international medical standards. Here you will find far superior personalized service and health care than you could ever expect at home from friendly professionals who really care about their patients and are committed to the highest levels of treatment and maintaining their world class reputations.

So before giving up hope for getting weight loss surgery because of the cost or making a poorly informed choice of expensive treatment centers, look at all of your options including the best hospitals in Mexico.

Medical tourism for all types of medical procedures has been an increasing trend and is becoming more popular everyday. However where do you find the best savings without sacrificing quality of medical care when it comes to weight loss surgery?

These days there are many surgery centers advertising Lap Band, sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass surgery. However many of these centers that spend so much on advertising are actually more expensive as they have to devote so much of their resources to constantly attracting new clients. Additionally this can be a sign of lower quality service as there has to be cuts made somewhere in order to stay competitive, whether it is by hiring less qualified doctors and medical staff or having lower quality equipment. This is a shame as Mexico does actually offer lower cost weight loss surgery and health care at equivalent or even high standards than the US if you know where to look.

The best deals for affordable weight loss surgery across the border can actually be found in the hospitals in cities like Monterrey, Tijuana and Mexicali. New and planned hospitals in these parts of Mexico offer multi billion dollar complexes with the latest in technology and newest equipment. These hospitals attract hundreds of thousands for medical tourism each year and have built great reputations that breed masses of word of mouth referrals so do not need to turn to million dollar marketing campaigns that eat up many of the advantages of traveling to Mexico for health care.

This enables these modern and well equipped hospitals to attract and employ the best doctors and staff available and enable them to offer an elite level of service and care. These hospitals not only offer a comparable level of health care to the US according to the World Health Organization but in fact often offer a superior level of care and personalized service. The now approximately one million medical tourists visiting Mexico each year have consistently rated their experiences at Mexican hospitals better than at their American counterparts. Additionally several weight loss procedures have actually been performed for years longer in Mexico meaning that medical professionals in Tijuana, Monterrey and Mexicali have years more hands on experience and have honed their skills and techniques to be the best in the world.

So what should you be looking for when choosing a hospital in Mexico for your treatment? Mexico is distinguished from other medical tourism destinations not only for it’s proximity to the US but also for it’s internationally recognized hospitals that are accredited by the JCI (Joint Commission International), something that few other so called medical tourism destinations can boast. The best hospitals in Mexico are also involved with education exchange programs with the world’s most well respected hospitals and facilities like the Mayo Clinic. Of course like any other service in life it is also wise to search out specialists in the area of medicine your are searching for. The International Business Bureau is also a good way to look up potential hospitals and make sure they are members and have been doing a great job of impressing other clients and patients.

The best hospitals in Mexico that specialize in weight loss surgery procedures also work together with the best in luxury hotel facilities to make sure those staying over receive the best attention and service from the moment they arrive and throughout their stay. Often hospitals can also help arrange travel as well including flights and airport transfers in order to ensure your entire trip is a success and an enjoyable experience.

How much of a discount on prices is reasonable to expect from a high quality medical facility in Mexico offering weight loss procedures at the highest international standards? In general you can expect prices to be be around 50% of that in the US. In some cases as low as 30% and can even include hotel stay. A good example is comparing Lap Band surgery that could cost as much as $17,000 and even up to $30,000 in the US and some western European countries while Lap Band and Johnson & Johnson Band surgery can be found in Mexico in the top hospitals and performed by internationally trained expert doctors for as little as $6,300. Clearly any other options do not compare to the advantages to be had. Just imagine what you could do with the savings.

If you have been considering lap band, vertical sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass weight loss surgery it is worth giving some serious thought to crossing the border to Mexico for your procedure.

While many choose Monterrey, Mexicali and Tijuana for their health care for cost reasons, that is just one of the many benefits of medical tourism. In fact in 2009 alone almost 1 million individuals from the USA traveled to Mexico for medical attention. That is on top of the 1 million plus Americans who have already permanently relocated to sunny Mexico and rely on it´s health system for everyday needs.

It is true that there are huge cost advantages to weight loss surgery in Mexico. However that alone should not be your only motivation. In comparison to the cost of gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomies and lap band surgeries in the US you can expect to save between 30 to 70% by traveling south. That is big money that you can save for other things or emergencies later down the road. Even when you factor in the small cost of traveling to Mexico the savings are still huge.

These weight loss surgeries are not covered by most health insurance policies in the US. However some employers that have policies that do cover them have actually moved to insurance that specifically covers treatments in Mexico both for the cost savings and also because in many cases the standard and quality of service is higher which means better protection for employees as well.

Higher quality health care? Yes, absolutely. Health care in Mexico is considered comparable to the US according to the World Health Organization (WHO). However recent studies and surveys have shown that those who have actually made the trip and received medical attention in Monterrey, Mexicali and Tijuana are actually happier and rate their experiences better than compared with those who stayed in the US. Additionally many of the hospitals and medical facilities in Mexico are newer than those in the US and and have the latest technology and newest equipment. Even more importantly Mexican doctors and hospitals have been performing procedures like lap band surgery longer than their counter parts in the US meaning they are more experienced and knowledgeable. For those that are convinced that medical training is better in the US, you will be pleased to know that many of these hospitals have doctors that were trained in US medical schools as well as being participants in educational exchange programs with the most respected US medical institutions. If you have know that you want to travel abroad for medical treatment but just have not yet decided where, you should know that many other countries do not have any hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), the non profit organization who ensures members are held to the highest international medical standards. Certainly when it comes to service there is no doubt that standards south of the border are often far superior. Referrals and great reputations are crucial to these hospital´s survival, so you can be sure that the facilities and staff aim to go far beyond your expectations in order to build solid businesses. This extends not only from initial consultations but through out your care and recovery.

Other factors that may come into play for some when weighing where to go for their weight loss surgery are safety and travel time. Certainly most of those in the US can be to any of the best Mexican hospitals within hours either by plane or car, many faster than traveling to the best hospitals in the United States. When it comes to safety, most concerns are unwarranted. Mexico may have a less than polished reputation for being crime free in the news. However the reality is that when you look and the real numbers, much of the US is far more dangerous.

So, when the US and Mexico is compared side-by-side for medical treatment and specifically for weight loss surgery, Mexico certainly takes the lead and checks all the boxes. You at least owe it to yourself to thoroughly weigh your options and make an informed decision. Definitely it would be a shame to stay home for your medical procedure and pay over twice the money for inferior service and care.

Medical tourism is a trend that has been growing by leaps and bounds for a number of years. Of course the main attraction for most seeking medical attention abroad has been cost. However, now patients traveling to Mexico for medical treatment are also doing so for the higher level of quality service and expertise, especially when it comes to weight loss surgeries. In fact Mexican hospitals and doctors have been performing lap band surgery for even longer than doctors in the United States. This is further evidenced by a report from Washington advocacy group (for health care issues), Families USA that showed that 90 percent of patients traveling to Mexico for medical treatment rated their experience as good or excellent, while only 80 percent of those who remained in the US for treatment gave the same rating.

When taking into consideration that the cost of medical treatment in Mexico averages 50% less than in the US, with prices often as low as one fifth, even when you add in travel expenses it is much wiser to cross the border for health care. This is especially true when it comes to medical procedures like lap band surgery, vertical sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypasses. Why anyone would want to stay in the US and and pay more for inferior service and less experienced doctors is a mystery.

These types of weight loss surgeries are normally not covered by US health insurance plans, however many US employers have been turning to health care plans that cover treatment in Mexico instead of the US to both save money and take better care of their employees. Last year it was reported that 1 million people from the US headed to places in Mexico like Monterrey, Tijuana and Mexicali for health care. Additionally another 1 million American retirees now reside south of the border and rely on Mexican hospitals for their everyday health needs. In fact many US doctors have given up the battle and have relocated to Mexico themselves in order to be able to compete.

Find out price of Lap Band Surgery in Mexico

However the best savings and doctors in Mexico for bariatric procedures are normally not found a the clinics that do the most advertising. Those unfortunately spend far too much in promoting themselves and eat up the savings which either results in higher costs, lower quality services or both. Instead look for Mexico based hospitals in Mexicali, Tijuana and Monterrey that are accredited by the Joint Commission International and participate in educational exchange programs with the US´s top medical facilities. These hospitals offer the best in world class service, along with the highest trained doctors, latest equipment and offer the biggest savings as most of their business is on referral basis not from spending millions on having to attract new clients each year.

Perhaps the only one factor that has deterred some from taking advantage of the great benefits of bariatric surgery south of the border has been safety concerns. Not with the medical services themselves but due to the country. However while the news media has enjoyed some extra stories from some small isolated incidents in the last couple years, when you look at the hard facts and statistics you will find that in general Mexico is much safer to travel to for health care than many areas of the United States. Certainly traveling to Mexico is much safer than other options like India. Which raises another interesting point. Those who are still under the misconception that health care may be better in the US , may be horrified to realize than many US hospitals now outsource the interpretation and reading of test results to doctors in places like India in order to cut costs. Scary but true.

So the bottom line seems to be that medical tourism to Mexico, while offering incredible discounts on health care services like weight loss surgery also has the superior advantages of more experienced surgeons, newer equipment, better personalized services and safety. It certainly seems like it is not a choice of going to Mexico for your medical needs, but simply which hospital to choose and how soon you can go.

The vertical sleeve gastrectomy or known as longitudinal “vertical” gastrectomy, gastric reduction or vertical gastroplasy is a laparoscopic bariatric “weight loss” surgery aiming at reducing the stomach size by stapling the stomach and removing a part of it leaving a banana shaped sleeve or tube from the stomach. The operation is irreversible.

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy LSG operation reduces up to 85% from the stomach size avoiding the mal-absorption caused by gastric bypass surgery. The surgery is formed under general anesthesia and it requires only a small abdominal incision “laparoscopic” to do stomach stapling and remove the separated part.

Sleeve gastrectomy indications:

The vertical sleeve gastrectomy operation is indicated for obese patients with BMI over 40. This is usually called morbid obesity where the excess weight threats the patient’s health and disturbs his lifestyle. The operation may be sufficient enough to reduce the weight permanently for moderately obese patients but in some cases of sever obesity it is only a stage. It may be required to follow the operating with gastric bypass if it failed alone to achieve the desired weight.

Advantages Vs disadvantages:
Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy has the following advantages as a bariatric surgery:

Post-operative lifestyle:
After the surgery, you have to change your lifestyle in order to reach the desired surgery outcome. These modifications are mainly:

Dietary modifications:
You’ll be instructed to change your diet and eating habits. The main points are summarized in drinking more water (about 8 cups of water per day) and increase this amount y 10-20% if you are on exercise. You MUST not drink water or fluids with solid food.
Regarding your meals, the first couple of months will be the hardest times as you have to adapt to your new stomach size. You must chew food well and eat smaller amount of food within longer meal time (30-45 minutes for meal). You must stop eating once you feel full. These instructions are very important to benefit from the surgery and avoid complications.

You should have 3 meals per day but the most important thing is to reduce fats and carbohydrates and make the main nutrient of your dies is protein. This is the healthy diet you must be following to be healthier and reduce your excess weight. Keep in mind that there are some food types and habits that you will never do again!

Exercise:
A very good step to consider is regular exercising. Start gradually as 10 minutes per day for one week then 20 minutes per day for 1-2 weeks then 30 minutes per day. Maintain regular 30 minutes’ walk everyday five days per week. This regular exercise is the best to get rid of dangerous fat and get a healthier body.
Regular exercise has been proven to reduce weight efficiently as well as reducing the risk for developing hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes and other diseases associated with obesity. All you have is to put a rigid schedule, make regular exercise on top of your priorities, start gradually and maintain it as a daily routine.

1# Rule of banding – just because you can – doesn’t mean you should.

There is no band tight enough to keep ice cream or chips from going down. A Lapband controls the quantity – you still must control the quality. Actually – there isn’t a weight loss surgery that is infallible – all have good points and bad points. The Lapband and Sleeve are purely restrictive procedures, they will restrict the volume of your stomach and you are supposed to eat reasonably healthy. When I say reasonably – no one is perfect – we all have good days and bad days, the goal is to strive for 95% of your days to be good days. When you have a bad day don’t beat yourself up – just make a conscious choice to try harder the next day.

Eating healthy – there is no reason to have certain foods in your house -just as if you were an alcoholic or drug abuser you wouldn’t stock vodka or pot in case a family member wanted them – you simply wouldn’t allow them in the house. The same holds true for foods! Pringles are one of my trigger foods – they are not allowed in my house regardless of circumstances. If my sons want to OD on Pringles they need to do it in their homes, in their cars or at work and not in front of me because I will fall off my wagon. I don’t allow things like Cakesters, HoHos, Ding Dongs, crap that my grandkids would love but will give them the same weight issues I have – I am opting for better choices for them. Snacks of fresh berries, yogurt and granola, raw vegetables or lean meats.

How many of you have OD’d on carrots, celery, pineapple, spinach salad, broccoli, tuna, chicken? These are the foods that should be in your fridge and your chances of eating too many carrots or apples are slim at best, you will hork before you can eat so many that you will gain weight. Just like drugs – say NO to ice cream in your freezer, pizza, or foods that you know are trigger foods for you. Keep that white board on the side of your fridge and change the listing daily of what is available in there for you for snacks so when you are hungry or stressed – good choice ideas are right in front of you. For me, bad choices happen when I am hungry, tired or feeling vulnerable. I NEED this reminder of what is acceptable to grab and eat.

Learn your triggers, find your weak points and craft a plan to avoid being in circumstances that might allow you to make bad choices. Planning is so essential to effective weight control, success isn’t just luck – it is great planning, good execution of your plan and being able to examine your mistakes when you deviate from your plan and using creative thinking to keep yourself on track.

Success with weight loss surgery doesn’t just automatically happen, and it isn’t the easy way out. Success is the result of examining your life and habits without demeaning yourself and creating, crafting and executing a plan for success that you can live with.

I just came back from a Seattle WLS convention and am preparing for our Houston event. We talked at length about what helps us be successful and what things undermine our success and we came up with some strategies for success. View our Weight Loss Surgery Success Stories.

• Journal your food and feelings daily – keep an accountable finger
on your pulse daily!

• Never grocery shop on an empty stomach!

• Stay on the perimeter of the store – the inside isles are filled
with processed foods you don’t need! dairy, meat, fresh fruit, fresh
vegetables and good whole grain breads are on the perimeter.

• Use a white board on your fridge – when my kids lived at home I
posted daily what was for dinner and what was available in the fridge for snacks. If you know what is in there and have a variety of healthy snacks – you won’t be as tempted to fall off the wagon.

• 5- P’s – Poor Planning Predicts Poor Performance – translated -
plan your menus a week ahead- buy what you need to complete those menus. Be flexible enough to be able to switch Thursdays 10 min grilled chicken and veggies to Wednesday if you run short of time on a particular day. Start your meal preparation in the morning when you are rested and have eaten your breakfast. We live in a world where time gets away from us too easily – if the salad is made, the veggies prepped and a meat or protein dish prepped – your odds of sticking to your plan are significantly increased than if you walk in the door after a day from hell with hungry kids, a crabby husband and the pizza fridge magnet screaming your name.

• Don’t allow trigger foods into your home! You don’t keep alcohol
or drugs in front of an addict – don’t put pizza, chips, ice cream in your
home – this will actually help your children have healthier relationships
with food!

• Make sure you are well rested by setting boundaries on your
evening time. Don’t allow other people or events to intrude on your down time. Boundaries are important and successful people establish boundaries and guard them.

• Give yourself adequate time to eat with your family in a
stress-free environment. When you slam down food in a car with cranky kids is when you will PB or eat beyond full and be in pain.

• Get adequate exercise, walking the dog, cleaning your yard,
gardening, biking, hiking, – time doing any activity with children or
friends outside of your home.

• Don’t be afraid to ask loved ones for what you need – you don’t
have to be in this alone, your children/husband can help by peeling veggies, helping with chores if you explain to them that being overwhelmed is a trigger for heading off your path.

• Be kind to yourself – keep the voices in your head gentle and kind
- change is the result of being kind to yourself, self criticism defeats
you.

• Write up a disaster recovery plan – what you can do to put
yourself back on track – mine is a long list of small daily goals that are
achievable – results are cumulative.

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is a potentially safe and effective weight loss surgery for individuals with a high Body Mass Index (BMI) and other high risk factors. The procedure essentially reduces the size of one’s stomach by stapling, which in turn leads to weight loss due to less food intake without bypassing the intestines or malabsorption.

Massive overeating stretches the stomach over time. This makes it harder for the stomach to fill, and this creates more frequent sensations of hunger. By performing stomach-reduction surgery, it allows for a smaller stomach that needs less food to fill. Statistics have shown patients who undergo this kind of procedure can lose weight at a rate of nearly two pounds a week or more.

However, because of the invasive nature of the surgery, sleeve gastrectomy, should only be done by a qualified surgeon with extensive experience in weight loss surgery. To learn more about the procedure or to schedule a consultation, visit Ready4aChange.com or call 1-800-270-7120.

Sleeve Gastrectomy is also known as Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) or Greater Curvature Gastrectomy or Parietal Gastrectomy or Longitudinal Gastrectomy.  It is an irreversible procedure unlike lap band. The left side of the stomach is surgically removed, the open edges are then attached together to form a sleeve or tube with a banana shape. The size of the stomach is permanently reduced. The process is performed laparoscopically.

Since this operation does not involve any "rerouting" or reconnecting of the intestines, it is a simpler operation than the gastric bypass or the duodenal switch. Unlike the Lap-Band procedure, the sleeve gastrectomy does not require the implantation of an artificial device inside the abdomen. Technically it appears to be easier and faster laparoscopic procedure than Roux-en Y gastric bypass or other malabsorptive procedures.
Sleeve Gastrectomy, or Gastric Sleeve Surgery, works through two mechanisms. Firstly, makes the stomach smaller; as a result we will full after eating smaller meals. In addition to this the ‘fundus’ of the stomach is removed.It is this area that secretes ghrelin hormone that makes us hungry. So, the sleeve gastrectomy helps us to feel less hungry through a hormonal mechanism.
In obese people with BMI of 60 or more Sleeve Gastrectomy may be the first part of a two stage operation. Certain patients have a body shape, like ones who carry their weight in the belly area that makes their surgery more technically difficult. For such people a multi-step operation like gastric bypass or duodenal switch is broken down into simpler two stage operation. In the first stage, a sleeve gastrectomy is performed. This allows losing 80 to 100 pounds or more, which makes the second part of the operation substantially safer.

The second stage of this two stage operation is usually performed 8 to 12 months after the first. The "sleeve" stomach is converted into a formal gastric bypass or duodenal switch. This permits additional weight loss and provides a much more permanent result than sleeve gastrectomy alone (view success stories). Both the stages of the surgery can be performed laparoscopically, giving the advantage of shorter recovery, shorter incisions, and fewer incision-related problems and less pain.

From the above discussion the advantages of the sleeve gastrectomy is evident. Firstly it does not require disconnecting or reconnecting the intestines. Secondly, it is technically simpler operation than the duodenal switch or gastric bypass. Lastly, it may be used as the first stage of a 2-stage operation.

Talking about  the disadvantages, like any surgical operation, sleeve gastrectomy has possibility of complications like leakage, dilation of the sleeve and other usual complications associated with bariatric surgery. Patients are strictly forbidden from smoking after the surgery as smoking would cause serious complications.

For patients that are obese but not extremely obese, sleeve gastrectomy is a suitable operation with minimum risks. Some surgeons even prefer it over gastric banding because it eliminates the need of having to insert a foreign body. The sleeve gastrectomy currently is acceptable weight loss surgery option for obese patients as a single procedure.