The majority of people who consider gastric bypass surgery do so after years of unsuccessful dieting attempts, including participation in diet programs, taking weight loss medications, and exercising. After years of losing weight and gaining it back, it is not unusual to blame yourself. Many gastric bypass patients who have been on several diets have felt like a failure and were demoralized. However, many in the healthcare community would argue otherwise: The patients were not failures. It’s important for sufferers of morbid obesity to understand the medical science behind morbid obesity.

Morbid obesity is a disease requiring lifelong treatment. Gastric bypass surgery is a treatment option that permanently alters the patient’s anatomy and physiology, while allowing for significant weight loss and the reversal or improvement of co-morbid conditions.

Gastric bypass surgery is not a cure-all and never should be regarded as such. However, as an effective tool, it helps patients attain a feeling of satiety, or fullness, because the stomach has been partitioned into a pouch. For many gastric bypass patients, dieting was frustrating because the feeling of satiety was missing. So, satiety can be the unique result of the surgery, helping patients to feel full and satisfied with less food. Gastric bypass surgery also includes a malabsorptive aspect, where some of the calories and nutrients taken in by the patient are not actually absorbed by the patient’s body. While this assists in significant weight loss and other long-term health benefits, it also requires that the patient supplement his or her diet with vitamins and other important nutrients.

Successful gastric bypass surgery patients use the surgery as a powerful tool to help control their hunger. Along with exercise and a healthy diet, gastric bypass surgery can help patients feel full and attain their goals of health and wellness.