Gastric bypass surgery is not about losing weight the easy way and looking good, the operation is about improving health.

There are several types of gastric bypass procedures, but all of them involve bypassing part of the small bowel by greater or lesser degrees. Surgical options Gastric bypass procedures involve constructing a gastric pouch whose outlet is a Y-shaped limb of small bowel of varying lengths. By far, the most common procedure is the gastric bypass, which is done both open and laparoscopically.

In most types of gastric bypass surgeries done today only 50 cm of the intestine is allowed to function in normal fashion.

How is the gastric bypass surgery different than the LAP-BAND? Generally, gastric bypass patients stay in the hospital one to two days following surgery, and recovery takes approximately one to three weeks. With laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery, most patients are completely back to normal activities around three weeks after surgery.

Of the several surgical variations of gastric bypass now available, the most widely used is the "Roux-en-Y" procedure. Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass involves dividing the stomach and forming a small pouch while sealing off a large proportion of the stomach. In lay terms it is like a hybrid of the intestinal bypass and a gastric stapling procedure. Early adverse event rates are low following laparoscopic gastric banding, and are probably lower than gastric bypass. The most common are the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, or simply, the gastric bypass and the Lap-Band, or adjustable gastric banding system.

As with any surgery, there are possible risks with gastric bypass. With no treatment, one in four gastric bypass patients will develop gallstones following surgery. During the recovery period the limitations imposed by the gastric bypass procedure should be kept in mind.

The following are common phases in the gastric bypass diet progression: Liquids. In general, the gastric bypass diet includes foods that are high in protein, and low in fat, fiber, calories, and sugar. Fiber, found in foods like bran, popcorn, raw vegetables, and dried beans, is also limited on the gastric bypass diet. The gastric bypass diet is low in sweet and sugary foods for reasons.

Nonetheless, gastric bypass surgery is a major surgical procedure and is certainly not suitable for everyone and is not without risks. For these people the traditional remedy of diet and exercise simply doesn't work and they are turning increasingly towards gastric bypass surgery. A soon-to-be published study of gastric-bypass patients age 65 and older also showed that the procedure produced good results and improved quality of life. I have a friend that had gastric bypass surgery about 6 months ago - he is doing great!