Severe or morbid obesity is a chronic condition that is tough to treat. When exercise and diet alone are not working, then this is when gastrointestinal surgery becomes an option for people who are morbidly obese. People who cannot lose weight traditionally and who suffer weight related medical problems may need to look into surgery. This is not a cure all. If one decides to do any weight loss surgery they need to make life long changes such as eating healthier and exercise.

Candidates for restrictive surgery have a body mass index of 40 or more. This may equal to about 100 pounds overweight for men and 80 pounds overweight for women. You will need to have a very clear understanding of the operation, its risks and all the lifestyles changes that you will need to make. A lot of surgeons require that you attend classes and support groups months before you have the surgery. If you have a body mass index between 35 and 39.9 and you have obesity related medical issues like diabetes and heart disease you may take into consideration for surgery.

In your body's normal digestion, the food will pass through the stomach and enter the small intestine. This is where most of the nutrients and calories are absorbed. Basically, in gastric bypass surgery, the surgeon makes the stomach smaller and makes it so food will be allowed to bypass a part of the small intestine. This will make you feel fuller a lot faster by eating smaller meals. When the surgeon bypasses some of the small intestine, it results in fewer calories being absorbed, this in turn leads to weight loss.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the most common gastric bypass surgery. This is the most successful gastric bypass surgery in the Untied States. The surgeon will first create a small stomach pouch to restrict the intake of food. A Y-shaped section to the small intestine is created next. It is attached to the pouch to allow food the bypass the lower stomach and the first sections of the small intestine, the duodenum and the jejunum. This will greatly reduce the amount of calories and nutrients being absorbed. So you will have to multivitamins and other mineral to replace the nutrients being lost. You may also have to take more protein as well.

Most of the patients who have this surgery will lose weight quickly and will continue to lose 18 to 24 months after the surgery. Most will maintain their weight loss of 60 to 70 percent of their excess weight for at least ten years.

There are some disadvantages that people need to know about as well. This procedure is more likely to cause long term nutritional deficiencies because of the small intestine bypass. Women who are still in their menstruating years may develop anemia because they may not get the vitamin B12 and iron. Calcium is also not absorbed easily and it may cause osteoporosis and other related bone diseases. Patients must take supplements for the rest of their lives and they need to understand that before the surgery.

After the surgery you should expect a 4-6 day hospital stay. Most of the patients will be able to return to their normal lives in about 3 to 6 weeks.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Weight Loss