Which weight loss method is right for you?
More than 25 percent of New Jersey residents are
struggling with obesity, and for many, diet and exercise
alone does not work.
Patients often tell me they’re ready to give up the
rollercoaster ride of on-again off-again fad diets and are
trying to decide between weight loss surgery and weight
loss medications in their search for a permanent soluAJAY GOYAL tion to their weight problems and the health issues that
come with them. Let’s compare both options to help
MD, FACS
determine which is right for you:
Who is a candidate?
• Drugs: The FDA approved the new medications for people who
are “obese” (a BMI or body mass index of 30 or higher) or “overweight” (with a BMI of at least 27) with a weight-related illness
such as diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, according to the FDA.
• Surgery: Bariatric surgery is approved for people with a BMI of
40 or higher, or for patients whose BMI is between 35 and 39.9
with a weight-related illness.
• Takeaway: Patients who have a BMI greater than 35 but don’t
have an obesity-related illness do not qualify for surgery so
weight loss drugs may be their only choice. Keep in mind that
some patients in this category may have undiagnosed illnesses,
so your surgeon will want you to undergo testing for comorbidities before ruling out surgery.
How much weight can people expect to lose?
• Drugs: According to the FDA, weight loss medications lead to an
average drop in total body weight of three-to-nine percent
depending on the dose and the medication used. For a patient
who weighs 250 pounds, that’s a weight loss of about 10-22
pounds.
• Surgery: With bariatric surgery, we look at excess weight loss,
which is the difference between your actual weight and a healthy
weight. Patients who’ve had gastric bypass or gastric sleeve typically lose 65-75 percent of excess body weight; band patients lose
about 50 percent of excess body weight. So let’s say that same
250-pound person is about 100 pounds overweight. With the
bypass or sleeve, they can expect to lose about 65-75 pounds and
about 50 pounds with the band.
• Takeaway: You can see that for someone who is 15 to 25 pounds
overweight, the drug can be an effective means to lose weight.
But for those whose weight loss challenges are greater and have
75-100 pounds or more to lose, weight loss medications may not
be sufficient.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 87
Change s
starts now.
weight loss s
surgery.
With w
Find out how Gastric Bypass, Gastric Band & Gastric
Gastric
c
e
you ve
Sleeve can help you lead the healthy life you’ve
dreamed of.
dreamed
Attend o
Attend our Weight Loss Surgery Seminar to learn more.
y
more.
w.NJBariatricCenter.co
om
locatio
ons.
Visit www
www.NJBariatricCenter.com for dates & locations.
MEDICAL AND SURGICAL WEIGHT L O SS
D
LOSS
Ajay Goyal, MD, FAC
FACS
CS
New Jersey
New
Bariatric Center
Center
Patient Dan lost
Dan
100 lbs
lbs
with
Gastric Sleeve
Gastric
Glenn Forrester, MD, FACS
Director, Bariatric Surger
Surgery
ry
Overlook
er
Overlook Medical Cente
Center
Director, Bariatric Surgery
RWJ University Hospital - Somerset
RWJ University Hospital
Leigh Montes, MD
Angela Glasnapp, MD, FACS
Surgery
Co-Director, Bariatric Surgery
Christ Hospital
Christ Hospital
Bariatric & General Surgeon
www.NJBariatricCenter.com
www.NJBariatricCenter.com
Somerville
908.481.12
270
908.481.1270
Hoboken
www.njcopsmagazine.com
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