Although we recognize the complex interaction of environmental, biological and psychological influences in the development of obesity, our core treatment philosophy is behavior modification. All of our treatments and interventions are designed to help patients manage their weight for a lifetime.

Recently on WebMD, Julie Schwartz, the Emory Bariatric Center's dietitian, appeared in a video detailing the results of surgical and non-surgical weight management in three patients. While the benefits of these weight reducing methods are described, Julie cautions that weight regain can occur if patients don't alter their eating habits and prior lifestyle.

The Emory Bariatric Center's Comprehensive Weight Management Program includes a 21-week intervention during which the patient is given a liquid meal replacement diet using OPTIFAST for 14 weeks, then gradually re-introduced to food over a seven-week period. During this time, patients are medically monitored by our bariatrician and medical staff while attending lifestyle education groups to facilitate behavioral, exercise and dietary changes. Six months of ongoing group support follow the intervention to help sustain the changes needed for long-term, successful weight management. For more information, please visit Medical Services.

This program is a seven-week intervention specifically tailored for weight loss before surgery for (1) patients with a BMI between 55 to 60, or (2) those seeking to decrease their weight and risks before surgery. These patients are given a liquid meal replacement diet using OPTIFAST, are medically monitored by the our bariatrician and medical staff and attend lifestyle education groups to facilitate behavioral, exercise and dietary changes. Surgery is scheduled following the program's seven weeks of preoperative testing, nutrition classes and one-on-one nutrition counseling, though there is an option to extend the program if the BMI goal has not been achieved by the fifth week. For more information, please visit Medical Services.

Patients should carefully weigh the risks and benefits of their treatment options before choosing one of the three surgical interventions the center offers. While these operations do achieve weight loss in almost all patients, weight regain can occur.

• Lap Band System
  A restrictive device is wrapped around the stomach to limit food consumption. Patients feel full more quickly, causing them to eat less and lose weight.
  
  
• Gastric Bypass
  Restricts food intake by creating a small stomach pouch while also reducing calorie and nutrient absorption (malabsorption) by diverting food from the first segment of the small intestine, typically producing significant weight loss. Post procedure, most patients lose approximately two-thirds of their excess weight within two years.
  
  
• Sleeve Gastrectomy
  Involving the laparoscopic removal of approximately 75 percent of the stomach, leaving the remainder shaped like a long tube or sleeve, this procedure restricts food intake without intestinal bypass or malabsorption.

Surgery has been shown to improve most obesity-related conditions. For example, one study observed that the blood sugar levels of patients that were obese and diabetic often returned to normal after surgery. The study also documented that nearly all of those whose blood sugar levels did not normalize were either older or had been diabetic for some time, suggesting that early intervention for obesity can control obesity-related diabetes. However, successful results depend on personal motivation to control potentially damaging behaviors and a commitment to lifelong nutritional counseling and care. In rare instances, patients who have been unable to adjust eating habits fail to lose the desired weight or maintain the loss.

For more information on these procedures, please visit either Frequently Asked Questions or Surgical Procedures.