Have you been struggling to get your weight under control and become healthier, but despite your best efforts, nothing is working? You are not alone. Did you know that today there are endoscopic procedures for non-surgical weight loss?
Today, we are going to talk about these non-surgical weight loss options, how they work, and where you can find non-surgical weight loss in Miami.
Allow Yourself To Ask For Help
Many people try to lose weight on their own and, after failed attempts, feel frustrated and defeated. They often give up, revert back to their old unhealthy habits, and continue to gain weight while their health continues to decline.
Sadly, most of society misunderstands the disease of obesity, which has created a stigma that affects a large group of individuals. This makes it harder for them to ask for help to lose weight. Unfortunately, the only way many of these individuals will ever reach and maintain a healthy BMI is through medical intervention.
Just like when someone wants to improve their golf game or get better at playing tennis, they take lessons from a pro. It is normal and smart to seek guidance from experts to get help with things that you wish to improve. Similarly, when you are sick, you seek help from a doctor who can diagnose and treat you so you can become healthy again.
Acknowledge Your Condition
Obesity is a disease, and many individuals do not understand how complex it actually is. They don’t know how their body responds to their efforts at weight loss or that there can be issues going on under the surface that can cause them to gain weight or prevent them from losing it. Some of these issues include:
- Thyroid dysfunction;
- An imbalance of hormones;
- Genetics;
- Your body can automatically make metabolic adjustments in response to weight loss strategies;
- Not getting enough sleep;
- Not drinking enough water;
- Not managing stress;
- Medical conditions;
- Medication;
- Lifestyle behaviors.
A highly skilled weight loss doctor is like that golf pro example we mentioned earlier; a weight loss expert can help teach you the strategies necessary for you to succeed and also provide you with tools to do it with.
Dr. Okeefe Simmons is an expert in obesity medicine and trained to identify these types of issues and will create a customized plan to help you overcome these challenges and succeed in reaching your goals.
Why You Should Look Into Non-Surgical Bariatric Weight Loss
In the past, when an individual suffered from obesity, the only type of help available to them required surgery and a long recovery time. Today, there are fairly new techniques that are performed through endoscopy that can help promote weight loss without surgery.
These non-surgical weight loss options carry significantly fewer risks, substantially shorter recovery times, and are done as outpatient procedures, so they do not involve a stay in the hospital.
These endoscopic weight loss procedures offer alternate options to obese individuals who do not wish to have or would not qualify for surgery, or who do not have the flexibility to allow for the extended recovery time. Additionally, unlike bariatric surgery, there are not as many prerequisites, and most patients will qualify for these procedures.
What Is Non-Surgical Weight Loss?
When you hear about non-surgical weight loss options, most of the time this refers to procedures that are done endoscopically (without surgery) to reduce the patient’s stomach size and promote weight loss. It could also mean the use of prescription weight loss medication or a combination of both.
How Does Endoscopy Work For Non-Surgical Weight Loss?
Instead of using abdominal incisions to access the patient’s stomach and surgically reduce its size, endoscopy allows the doctor to perform the reduction from inside the patient’s body. The stomach is accessed via the throat and esophagus using a special tool (an endoscope) that resembles a thin, hollow tube that is equipped with a tiny video camera and a light. The doctor uses the live feed that streams from the camera to a nearby screen to navigate the procedure with precision.
How Do The Best Non-Surgical Weight Loss Procedures Work?
The two best non-surgical weight loss procedures are the gastric balloon and endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG). Both of these procedures help individuals lose weight by reducing the amount of available space they have in their stomachs. By reducing the capacity of the stomach, the patient is limited in how much food they can consume, and the smaller stomach takes longer to empty, which helps them feel full for a longer period of time.
Balloon
Intragastric balloons like the Orbera are only used temporarily and are removed after six months. This medical balloon-like device is lowered down an endoscope through the patient’s esophagus in a deflated condition and then, once placed into position, inflated to be about five inches in diameter. After the balloon is inserted, the patient can only eat very small amounts, and they don’t get hungry as frequently, so they lose weight. While the balloon remains in the patient’s stomach, they participate in a doctor-supervised program that teaches them strategies and behavior skills that promote a healthy lifestyle and weight loss. They follow this program for an entire year, continuing even after the balloon has been removed from their stomach. If they make permanent changes to their lifestyle, which includes eating a healthy diet of low-calorie, nutritious food, getting plenty of exercise, and following the other strategies they learned during their supervised program, they will reach sustainable weight loss.
ESG
Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty involves changing the shape and size of the patient’s stomach and holding the new shape in place using stitches. The amazing thing about this procedure is that the stitches are all installed from inside the stomach using a special suturing tool that is lowered down the patient’s throat with the help of an endoscope. Once the doctor completes the procedure, the endoscope is removed, and after a short observation period, the patient can go home. The procedure reduces the size of the stomach by about 75%, and the patient will now only be able to consume very small amounts of food. Their smaller stomachs will stay full longer and they won’t get as hungry between meals, and they will be able to lose weight more effectively.
After the ESG procedure, the doctor and their team continue to work with the patient on strategies for healthier eating, guidance on getting enough physical activity, menu planning, and more. The patient is provided with not only the ESG non-surgical weight loss tool but also strategies on how to best utilize it to help them change their behavior and make healthier lifestyle choices.
Medication
Prescription weight loss medications can also work in tandem with these non-surgical weight loss procedures to make your efforts more effective.Although rather new to the fight against obesity, these weight loss medicines have been used to help control blood sugar levels in diabetic patients for years.
What Are The Benefits Of Non-Surgical Weight Loss?
- Procedures and medications that do not require surgery but help promote weight loss have many benefits, including:
- They are not invasive;
- They offer lower risk factors than surgery;
- The recovery is remarkably fast, with an average of 3 days after the insertion of a gastric balloon and 5 days after ESG;
- A gastric balloon is only temporary, and ESG can be reversed if needed;
- Patients receive ongoing support;
- Improvements in health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, mobility, and a lower risk of experiencing other serious health issues.
Shedding those extra pounds can be exceptionally challenging when you are trying to do it alone. Trust your journey to dedicated professionals like Dr. Okeefe Simmons and his team at Simmons MD Advanced Weight Loss Solutions. Their expertise, guidance, and unwavering support can help you achieve lasting weight loss.
A personalized plan will be created for you that is perfect for your circumstances, and you will be given the resources and taught the strategies you will need to be successful in reaching your goals. They can speak with you during an initial consultation and determine the strategy or best non-surgical weight loss procedure to help you overcome your challenges. Set up your appointment with Dr. Simmons today and learn more about your options for non-surgical weight loss in Miami.
