Weight Loss Surgery Specialist

What is weight loss surgery?

Weight loss surgery is a procedure to address morbid obesity that puts you at increased risk for long-term health complications.

The goals of surgery are to limit how much food you eat and change how you metabolize that food to lose weight and keep it off for good.

When should I consider weight loss surgery?

You should consider weight loss surgery if you need to lose a lot of weight but can’t do it on your own through diet and exercise. Typically, to be a candidate for weight loss surgery, you must:

• Weight more than 100 pounds over a healthy body weight
• Have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or over
• Be unable to maintain weight loss through diet and exercise
• Have obesity-related diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure

Dr. Gordon can evaluate your overall health and medical history to determine if weight loss surgery is right for you. He can also customize a surgical treatment plan to identify which type of weight loss surgery fits your needs.

You also must be willing to commit to the lifestyle changes and diet modifications that are necessary following weight loss surgery to achieve your desired results.

What happens during weight loss surgery?

The techniques Dr. Gordon uses during weight loss surgery depend on your type of surgery.

Advanced Surgical Associates of West Florida/Tampa Bay Surgical Group offers various kinds of weight loss surgeries that promote rapid, long-term weight loss, including:

Sleeve gastrectomy

During a sleeve gastrectomy, Dr. Gordon removes a large part of your stomach to reduce how much food you can eat. This procedure also changes hormones in your body to reduce your appetite.

Gastric bypass Roux-en-Y

Gastric bypass surgery restricts how much food you can eat by creating a small stomach pouch that cannot hold much food as well as bypassing a portion of the small bowel to reduce how many calories can be absorbed

Dr. Gordon uses staples to divide the stomach and create a much smaller pouch. He connects your small intestine to the pouch, which creates the Y shape noted in the procedure’s name.

After a gastric bypass, the average amount of patient weight loss in the first year averages around 77% of excess body weight.

Gastric balloon

Gastric balloon is another option for those struggling to lose weight and keep it off. Dr. Gordon is trained in Orbera® balloon, a device implanted into the stomach that causes you to feel full after eating only a small amount of food. 

This FDA-approved nonsurgical procedure is safe and offers 3.1 times the weight loss than diet and exercise alone, making it an effective weight loss solution. 

Most weight loss typically happens quickly, within the first three months after insertion. After six months, the balloon is removed. 

When possible, Dr. Gordon uses minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic surgical techniques to help you heal faster and with less risk for complications. He also works with you on a new diet plan to support weight loss and recommend vitamins and other supplements you need to take after surgery.

To find out which type of weight loss surgery is right for you, call the Advanced Surgical Associates of West Florida office nearest to you today or book an appointment online.