What’s The Difference Between Gastric Bypass And A Vlcd (very Low Calorie Diet)?
VLCD (very low calorie diet) people eat like 500-800 calories a day and so do gastric bypass post-op patients. So, I weigh 180 pounds and if I start eating 600 calories a day to lose weight, wouldn’t it be the same as if I went in and got a gastric bypass? What is the difference medically if someone would just go on a diet similar to having the bypass done?
Tags: Between, Bypass, Calorie, Diet, Difference, Gastric, very, Vlcd, What's
November 8th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
There are two major differences: malabsorption and the abiltity to change your mind.
In GBS, a large portion of the intestine is re-routed so that food does not pass through it. There is less area where fat and nutrients from your food can get passed into the body. The remaining food so disposed of without being fully utilized. This is why GBS patients will need to take vitamin and mineral supplements the rest of their lives.
And of course, the reason that most people have the surgery…the ability to eat whatever they want whenever they want it. Most GBS patients have been on a million diets and have failed after some period of time. This is called yoyo dieting. They lose a great deal of weight, but eventually put it all back on. Doing this over and over is not good for anyone’s health. In general, after GBS, you can’t eat anything you want, at anytime, and in any quantity.
This surgery is VERY HARD. I had it 6 months ago and my brother had it 5.5 years ago. You must constantly monitor your eating habits so that you don’t lose your hair, don’t suffer from malnutrition, don’t go blind from lack of vitamin A, don’t have nerve damage from lack of B12, don’t get osteoporosis from lack of the proper calcium, and on and on.