Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery vs. Medical Weight Loss: Which Is Right for You?

Carrying excess body weight significantly increases a person’s risk of developing many serious health problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease. Losing weight helps reduce those risks but is not always easy to achieve on your own. The experienced physicians at New England Medical Group in South Burlington, VT, provide weight loss services and can help determine if medical weight loss, bariatric surgery, or another weight loss method is right for you.

Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery

Bariatric weight loss surgery is usually only recommended for severely overweight patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher who have not experienced long-term success with other weight loss methods. Individuals with a BMI above 30 who also have weight-related health issues, such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes, could also be eligible for bariatric weight loss surgery.

Bariatric surgery helps patients lose weight by decreasing the size of the stomach so patients eat less and feel full sooner. During the procedure, the stomach is made smaller by sectioning off a small area at the top, leaving the lower portion of the stomach inaccessible. When the patient eats, food goes into the small area at the top of the stomach and cannot reach the larger area below. Since the area receiving food is much smaller, the patient feels full sooner and eats less.

Medical Weight Loss

An alternative to weight loss surgery is medical weight loss, in which a patient works with a physician to safely lose excess pounds and keep them off long-term. Medical weight loss is less expensive and does not involve surgery. Another advantage of medical weight loss is that more people are candidates for these physician-supervised programs than for bariatric surgery.

We offer medical weight loss at our office in South Burlington, VT. One key aspect of our medical weight loss program is that it is tailored to each patient's unique needs. Our program includes diet and exercise guidance, support, prescription medications, and weight loss treatments. Our skilled physicians will develop an individualized weight loss program tailored to your needs and goals. They will monitor your progress throughout and make adjustments when needed.

If you have found it difficult to lose weight and keep it off on your own, we can help. Call New England Medical Group at (802) 985-1653 to schedule a consultation with one of our physicians to learn more about medical weight loss.

Please note: This blog/article is for informational purposes only. Our clinic specializes in and exclusively offers GLP-1 medications for weight loss (semaglutide and tirzepatide) and does not offer other medications/procedures mentioned in this post.