Non-Surgical Treatment Options

Weight Loss Surgery
The most logical approach for losing weight is to eat less, eat more sensibly, and exercise more. If you are severely obese, this approach may not be enough to ensure lasting success. Sticking to a diet and exercise plan is difficult. The decision to abandon a diet is commonly made during times of stress or anxiety. Many who lose weight gain it back quickly when the diet ends. The cycle of losing weight and gaining it back is called the yo-yo effect. While temporary weight loss can help, the yo-yo effect can also make it harder to lose weight in the future. This repeated failure of permanent weight loss leads to feelings disappointment and depression.
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A physician or a dietician can help you change your lifestyle. A program of improved eating habits and exercise are critical factors in any successful weight reduction program. Recent published scientific reports (Annals of Internal Medicine - Jan 2005) document that non-operative methods alone have not been effective in achieving a medically significant long-term weight loss in morbidly obese adults. The average medical weight reduction trial is a 10-12 week study with average weight loss of 2.5 kg. The use of behaviour modification, diet and exercise show that the initial optimistic results have not been sustained. Most commercial weight loss programs (WeightWatchers, Jenny Craig, Dr. Bernstein) suffer from high dropout and failure rates. The cost of these programs contributes to frustration if a person fails to achieve their goals.
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Dieting often causes depression, anxiety, irritability, weakness and preoccupation with food. The treatment goal of any treatment plan for morbid obesity should be an improvement in health, achieved by a durable weight loss that reduces life threatening risk factors and improves performance of activities of daily living.
Weight Loss SurgeryWill Water Help Me Lose Weight?
No doubt about it; if water is one of the keys for weight loss, we all need to know. Water is basically free and extremely abundant. So, does drinking a certain quantity of water help one lose weight? Yes, in a way... read on...

Water is an irreplaceable part of your diet. Its primary function is to transport nutrients and waste about your body. Almost everything in your body is in a solution of water. The way your body grows, repairs, and functions is to first transport material to and from the places where this material is needed. Water is the medium.

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Water Makes Weight Loss Possible - Weight loss involves metabolizing the tissues already present in and on your body. If you lose weight successfully, this metabolism will involve the consumption of body fat and the exclusion of skeletal muscle. Metabolizing this body fat involves transport of the fat to cells where it can be used, transport of the fat across cell barriers, breakdown and chemical reaction of the fat, and transport of waste materials out of the body. You need lots of clean water to do all of that.
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Weight Loss Requires Water - Of course you know that you need to start with clean water to wash and rinse clothes in your washing machine. If you attempt to wash clothes starting with dirty clothes and dirty water, you will not get those clothes too clean. Likewise; you need lots of clean water to keep your body internally clean. Just as an automobile produces exhaust while burning gasoline, your body produces waste while burning fat. Provide your kidneys and liver with ample water to clean your body. That's a half a gallon to a gallon of water daily.
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Water Does Not Make You Lose Weight - Water makes weight loss possible. For that matter, water makes life on this planet possible. Water is especially important when you are losing weight but it is not chemically involved in your weight loss process. As long as you drink enough water, weight loss will happen smoothly. Drinking lots and lots of water will have no additional benefits to your body.

Calculate Your BMI

How long will my Gastric Bypass Surgery take?

How long will my Gastric Bypass Surgery take?

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Your Gastric Bypass Surgery will take a few hours to complete, and the recovery period will take a few days.
Generally, patients are able to get out of bed the same day of the procedure, but are encouraged to stay in the
hospital for a few days to make sure complications do not arise. Following the immediate recovery period, there will

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be three to five weeks to return to your normal lifestyle.
For more information please see:
Obesity Questions
Lap Band Weight Loss Surgery Questions
What to Expect at Your Weight Loss Surgery
Post-Operative Care
To learn more about Gastric Bypass Surgery, please contact bariatric doctor Dr. Carson Liu to schedule your initial
consultation. Dr. Liu will clarify all aspects of your Gastric Bypass Surgery and help you take this important step
in the right direction.

Are there risks associated with Gastric Bypass Surgery?

Are there risks associated with Gastric Bypass Surgery?

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As with any surgery, there are risks associated with Gastric Bypass Surgery. Some of the more common bypass surgery risks include leakage where the intestine meets the stomach, bowel obstruction, and the formation of gallstones. To make sure you are not suffering from these problems, Dr. Carson Liu will help monitor your recovery and prescribe bile-thinning medication to help with the digestion process.

How much weight can I expect to lose after Gastric Bypass Surgery?

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Every patient is different, so it’s hard to determine exactly how much weight you will lose. Most patients lose about two third of their excess weight within the first 18 months after their surgery. This rapid weight loss period may be followed by a short period of slight weight gain while the body stabilizes, and another period of weight loss following that. In the end, you can expect to lose a large amount of weight, and greatly improve many different aspects of your life.

What are the other benefits of Gastric Bypass Surgery?

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Significant weight loss is only one of many different benefits that weight loss surgery like LAP-BAND® or Gastric Bypass Surgery can provide. Through Gastric Bypass Surgery, you can correct problems like:
Sleep apnea
Low self-esteem
Necessity of diabetes medication
Joint problems
Heartburn symptoms
Risk of heart disease

Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric Bypass Surgery
Gastric Bypass SurgeryThe most commonly performed gastric bypass surgery is the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, in which staples are used to permanently close off part of the stomach to reduce the capacity of food a patient can consume at one time. Additionally, a Y-shaped piece of the upper intestine is attached to this small stomach pouch.

As a result, food from the stomach bypasses the initial sections of the intestine, which would normally absorb calories and nutrients after eating.

Gastric Bypass Surgery
Questions about Gastric Bypass Surgery
Bariatric Surgery in Los Angeles, California
What is Gastric Bypass Surgery?
Dr. Carson Liu performs Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery at his Los Angeles, California weight loss surgery practice. This form of weight loss surgery has been performed for over 20 years and is renowned for its significant, long-term results.

Gastric Bypass Surgery
During Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery, Dr. Liu will create a smaller stomach pouch by permanently dividing the existing stomach. This smaller pouch will hold much less food, allowing you to eat less. Once this “mini stomach” is created, the intestines are reconfigured, and a portion of the intestine is removed. The result is a digestive tract that absorbs few calories,
allowing you to lose the weight you need to lose.

safe methods of losing weight

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Dr. D.J. Verret, Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and Board Certified Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgeon:

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“Though I am not performing the tongue patch diet, I would caution your readers about anything which places an implant in the mouth. There is a risk of infection as well as a risk of tissue growth into the implant causing long-term pain and scarring of the tongue. This can potentially lead to problems with chewing and speaking in severe cases.”

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Dr. Steven Dayan, Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois and Facial Plastic Surgeon & ENT:
“Medically speaking, I would be concerned because it’s a foreign body, and you’re placing it in a part of your body that is laden with bacteria. The mouth is the dirtiest part of your body and the risk for infection would be sizable. If you were to get an infection that would spread to your oral cavity and your throat, it would be quite dangerous. It’s preliminary to jump on this bandwagon. I would want to see more objective evidence that this is worth it.”
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Dr. Jennifer Jablow, Cosmetic Dentist in New York City:
“This procedure seems bizarre almost like a ‘shock’ therapy for eating solid foods. Many concerns are raised here. Besides the patient not getting proper nutrition, potential risks could involve the following:
- An inflammatory reaction to the patch that could lead the tongue to swell so much that it may obstruct breathing.

- Abrasions caused in the mouth from these ragged pieces of sutures scratching the mouth, which can become infected.
- The mouth becoming an acidic environment from reflux due to the all-liquid diet and cavities forming.
- Bad breath.

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Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD:
“A much healthier and less extreme means of weight loss would be to implement a well-balanced diet consisting of high-fiber fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and a minimal amount of fat. This diet in addition to a regular exercise regime will yield the same benefits without the need for a surgical procedure or the pain involved.”
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At the end of the day, my advice is pretty simple when it comes to “tongue patch” diet: Keep your tongue in your mouth and stick to more traditional and safe methods of losing weight.

about weight loss surgery

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Dr. Chugay told us he hasn’t seen any of that.
“I did the first procedure last spring, and so far, in the 67 patients – the side effects have been very minimal. There have been no medical issues or big problems. The only thing we’ve seen is a slight irritation of the tongue where we’ve had to remove the patch a week before.”

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As a general rule, Chugay said patients keep the patch sutured to their tongue for 30 days, unless they opt to have it removed sooner.

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So, what about all that solid research and strong scientific foundations? Well, Chugay said he’s discussed the procedure with several other surgeons across the country.

“Now we’re doing a study. We’re pulling all this data together and it will be published very shortly. It involves nine doctors around the U.S., Mexico and one in Canada,” he said.
Chugay said patients lose an average of 15 to 30 pounds in one month (one woman lost 39 pounds) – which comes as no real surprise, since patients are restricted to a liquid diet that adds up to a mere 750 calories a day.
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The amount of calories you should be consuming each day depends on your age, weight, sex, height and level of physical activity. But, to put those 750 calories in perspective a little bit, we checked out the dietary guidelines published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and they recommend children between the ages of 2 and 3 consume 1,000 calories per day. Remember, we’re talking about full-grown adults who need to lose weight – not toddlers.

 Weight Loss Surgery
“This is the equivalent of the old jaw wiring that we used to do with the oral surgeons,” Dr. Carson Liu, a California-based bariatric surgeon, told us We would get oral surgeons to wire the mouth almost shut completely, but patients could only drink their calories. The problem with this is that it is a crash diet and unsustainable.”

 Weight Loss Surgery
In order to make sure his patients maintain a healthy lifestyle, Chugay said he and his team follow-up with patients for five to six months, “teaching them to take care of themselves, to eat right, exercise and deal with stresses.”
 Weight Loss Surgery
The liquid beverage – which contains carbohydrates, proteins, fats vitamins, minerals and fiber – is manufactured especially for Chugay and will costs patients $200 for a month’s supply.
However, if a person decides to get the patch, that month’s supply is on the house.
Still, after all this, I have serious reservations about this procedure. I can’t help but think, in many ways, it’s irresponsible. I mean, what ever happened to good old fashioned diet and exercise?
But that’s just my opinion. For more insight into this, we reached out to other experts to see what they have to say…

Bariatric Surgery in Los Angeles, California

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How far would you go to lose weight? Some people in California are so desperate to shed those unwanted pounds, they’re undergoing a surgical procedure that makes eating solid foods incredibly painful.
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More than 60 patients of plastic surgeon Dr. Nikolas Chugay, who has offices in Beverly Hills and Long Beach, have elected to have a patch surgically applied to their tongue.
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That’s right – a tongue patch. On his website, Dr. Chugay said it’s designed to “make chewing of solid foods very difficult and painful, limiting the patient to a liquid diet.”
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Now, seldom do I get outraged – actually, that’s not true – I get outraged a lot. But when I see physicians creating therapies that are potentially dangerous to patients, I cannot help but to criticize them.
To me, the oath “do no harm” is something every doctor must live by – and what separates good medical practice from the bad, is that good medical practice is founded on solid research and strong scientific foundations.

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But before going any further, in an effort to remain fair and balanced, my producers reached out to Dr. Chugay for a statement.
In a phone interview, he said he originally came up with the idea when he was traveling south of the border.
“A colleague of mine was doing something similar in Mexico,” he said. “Of course we need FDA-approved material. That’s why we use prolene mesh, which is the same material used for hernia repair. It’s a very strong material.

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 We use prolene sutures as well because it doesn’t cause a lot of inflammation or irritation to the tongue.”
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OK, so he uses FDA-approved material – but what about the potential complications from the procedure itself? When I first heard about this, all I could think of was bleeding, potential damage to the tongue and the risk of a severe infection – which could cause a patient to require corrective surgery.