Tried plenty of diets, followed different eating plans, and the weight still comes back after a while? You are not "failing" at this — your body treats severe obesity as a complex chronic condition, not simply a lack of willpower. And when conventional solutions such as diet and exercise on their own stop being enough over time, bariatric surgery becomes a genuine medical option worth knowing more about.
How severe obesity affects your health
Severe obesity can increase the risk of various health problems over time, including added load on the joints, difficulty breathing or sleeping, and fatigue during mild exertion. Every case is different from the next, and an assessment by a specialist doctor is what determines the most suitable solution for each person according to their weight and medical history.
Why conventional dieting is sometimes not enough
When weight-loss attempts are repeated without a lasting result, the body tends over time to return to the same weight or more. This is common and is not related to a person's willpower being weak. In these cases, and after serious, documented attempts at diet and exercise without a sustained result, bariatric surgery offers a medical pathway that helps the body respond differently.
Who is a suitable candidate for bariatric surgery?
There are clear medical criteria that determine who is a suitable candidate for the operation, the most important of which are body mass index (BMI) and the presence of previous serious attempts at diet and exercise without a lasting result. The decision is not taken without a full assessment, which includes tests and a meeting with the medical team to make sure that surgery really is the most appropriate option for the case.
Surgical treatment options
The two best-known types of bariatric surgery are:
- Sleeve gastrectomy: permanently reducing the size of the stomach
- Gastric bypass: rerouting part of the digestive tract alongside reducing the size of the stomach
Choosing between the two depends on each person's condition, weight and medical history, and is decided by the medical team after a full assessment. It is important to understand that the success of the operation is not tied to the day of surgery alone — nutritional and psychological follow-up after the operation supports achieving sustainable results over the long term, and this is what sets an integrated programme apart from a surgical procedure on its own.
When to consider seeing a bariatric surgeon
If you have tried more than once to lose weight by different methods and the result does not last, or you feel that your weight has become a real burden on your health and daily life, the first step is not the decision to have surgery itself — it is a consultation and a simple assessment to find out whether surgery is suitable for your case in the first place.
How Town Hospital helps you
At Town Hospital, we offer an integrated bariatric surgery programme that begins with a comprehensive medical assessment, followed by the operation appropriate to your case if you are a suitable candidate for it, with nutritional and psychological follow-up after the operation to support sustainable results over the long term. The first step always begins with a consultation, not with an immediate decision.
Frequently asked questions
Is bariatric surgery suitable for anyone who wants to lose weight?
No. Bariatric surgery has clear medical criteria, such as body mass index and the presence of previous serious attempts without a lasting result, and the decision is taken by the medical team after a full assessment of each case individually.
What is the difference between sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass?
Sleeve gastrectomy permanently reduces the size of the stomach, while gastric bypass changes part of the route of the digestive tract alongside reducing the size of the stomach. Choosing between the two depends on each person's condition and is decided by the medical team after examination.
Can the weight come back after surgery?
Long-term success of the operation depends largely on nutritional and psychological follow-up after surgery, not on the operation itself alone, which is why continuous follow-up with the medical team is an essential part of the plan.
Do I need to make preparations before surgery?
The medical team determines the preparations required before the operation according to each person's condition, and this is decided during the assessment stage before any final decision regarding surgery.
How do I know that I need to see a bariatric surgeon?
If you have tried different methods to lose weight and the result does not last, or you feel that your weight is clearly affecting your health and daily life, that is a good sign to seek a consultation and have a simple assessment to find out the options suitable for you.
{"@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [{"@type": "Question", "name": "Is bariatric surgery suitable for anyone who wants to lose weight?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "No. Bariatric surgery has clear medical criteria, such as body mass index and the presence of previous serious attempts without a lasting result, and the decision is taken by the medical team after a full assessment of each case individually."}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "What is the difference between sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "Sleeve gastrectomy permanently reduces the size of the stomach, while gastric bypass changes part of the route of the digestive tract alongside reducing the size of the stomach. Choosing between the two depends on each person's condition and is decided by the medical team after examination."}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "Can the weight come back after surgery?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "Long-term success of the operation depends largely on nutritional and psychological follow-up after surgery, not on the operation itself alone, which is why continuous follow-up with the medical team is an essential part of the plan."}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "Do I need to make preparations before surgery?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "The medical team determines the preparations required before the operation according to each person's condition, and this is decided during the assessment stage before any final decision regarding surgery."}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "How do I know that I need to see a bariatric surgeon?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "If you have tried different methods to lose weight and the result does not last, or you feel that your weight is clearly affecting your health and daily life, that is a good sign to seek a consultation and have a simple assessment to find out the options suitable for you."}}]}