Sleeve gastrectomy is a weight loss operation that restricts the amount of food your stomach can hold. The outer part of the stomach is removed to create a long narrow tube reducing the volume of the stomach from around 2 litres to about 100 mls. This procedure is normally performed laparoscopically (keyhole surgery) with only a few days in hospital. It’s irreversible.
There are two main ways that weight loss surgery helps you lose weight. One is to restrict the amount of food you can hold in your stomach while the others may shorten the length of bowel to absorb food. Some procedures, such as gastric bypass use an
element of both. Some are performed using keyhole surgery while others may require open surgery
Different types of surgery help people lose different amounts of excess weight. The ones that provide the greatest loss in weight also tend to involve bigger operations and greater compromises to your way of life long term. The surgeon will talk to you about the various surgical options so you can have all the information you need to make your decision.
Because the stomach is smaller you feel full and satisfied with less food which encourages you to eat smaller portions. Smaller portions means fewer calories which in turn means you lose weight.
The part of the stomach that produces much of the hunger hormone (ghrelin) is removed during the surgery which may also make you feel less hungry. But not all of these processes are well understood at present. On average people who have had a sleeve gastrectomy can lose 2/3 of their excess weight after
Surgery is only the tool. Our team will work with you to ensure the surgery is combined with healthy eating and regular exercise. Eventually you should be having three small meals per day of lean source protein, complex carbohydrates, adequate fruits and veges – or a total of less than 1200 kcal per day.