Nutrition Program
Dietitian teaches classes on all areas of nutrition for our weight loss surgery patients.

Psychological Evaluations
Patients are often perplexed and surprised to find out that a psychological evaluation is not only recommended, but also required prior to having weight loss surgery. This evaluation is actually a very important part of your process for a number of reasons. First, and most importantly, the evaluation is to determine if the patient has any psychological conditions, including eating disorders and addictions, that have not been appropriately treated, or that may interfere with a patient’s ability to understand, follow, and/or be successful with his/her post-operative protocol. For example, it is equally important to treat depression, as it would be to regulate one’s blood pressure prior to undergoing life-changing surgery. Secondly, because this is an elective life-changing surgery, it is very important to make sure that you, the patient, understand the decision that you are making, that it is an educated decision, and that you have an appropriate level of understanding about how this surgery is going to affect you and your life. Additionally, the patient’s expectations regarding the surgery, amount of weight loss, and affect on their health and quality of life also needs to be assessed. Having unrealistic expectations may lead to disappointment, frustration, and a sense of failure in the long-run. All of these may lead to self-sabotaging behaviors.

Although these are the some of the most important factors to be assessed in a psychological evaluation, there are many other things that you may learn more about based on your individual needs. For example, the evaluation process may help you to more clearly identify eating triggers, emotional eating habits, and lifestyle changes that once identified, can more easily be addressed and changed. These are very common problems and not ones that would interfere with your ability to pursue WLS. By discussing these problems, though, you may be taking the first step in learning about how to change behaviors in order to be more successful post-operatively.

Surgical Treatment
If you are severely overweight and have tried everything imaginable to lose weight through conventional means such as dieting, exercise, behavior therapy, and/or drugs, but have been unsuccessful in your attempts, then weight loss surgery may be right for you.  Our office specializes in bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery) for morbidly obese patients.

When you visit our office, you’ll be surrounded by a patient-centered, compassionate team of bariatric professionals who are dedicated to helping you fight the war against obesity.  Our entire staff is committed to assisting you on your weight loss journey.

Part of our commitment to serving our patients includes providing information that helps them make more informed decisions about their weight and overall health needs.  This website is a resource we hope you’ll find both useful and interesting.

The more you know about the surgical procedure, the less anxiety you are likely to experience on the day of your surgery.

Exercise and eating right are the best ways to lose weight. Many people have tried those methods for years and still can't lose the excess weight that can cause serious health problems. For people in this frustrating situation, weight loss surgery may be an option. This website will help you better understand the procedures and determine if you are a good candidate for weight loss surgery. It is designed to educate you on obesity and how it may be impacting your health. It also gives you definitions for our most commonly practiced bariatric surgery options, including the advantages, disadvantages and risks associated with each.

To perform laparoscopic surgery, a small incision (less than 1/2 inch) is made near the belly button. Carbon dioxide (a gas that occurs naturally in the body) is introduced into the abdomen to create a work space for the surgeon. Then, a small laparoscopic camera is placed through this incision into the abdomen. The camera sends a picture of the stomach and abdominal cavity to a video monitor. This gives the laparoscopic surgeons a good view and access to key structures in the abdominal cavity. A few additional small incisions are made in the abdomen. The surgeon watches the video monitor and works through these small incisions using long handled instruments to complete the procedure.

Do You Qualify for Weight-Loss Surgery?

Body Mass Index (BMI) over 40, typically indicative of 80-100 lbs overweight.
-OR- BMI over 35 with presence of certain medical co-morbid conditions such as:

Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Gastroesophageal Reflux (GERD), Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Patients will also demonstrate knowledge of surgical procedure, anatomic changes, need for behavior and diet modification, as well as long-term need for follow-up.

Contra-Indications for Surgery:

Presence of advanced liver disease, previous weight loss surgery, previous roux-en-y due to liver transplant. Failure to demonstrate competency of post-operative expectations. Failure of psychiatric evaluation.

Contact our office today to schedule a consultation!
We genuinely hope that our website is helpful to you in learning more about our practice, bariatric surgery and developing a healthy lifestyle.  Please browse through our website and be sure to give us a call if you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment.  We look forward to meeting you soon.