Gastric Banding Surgery and Teenage Obesity

Usually the decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery is a last resort after having yo-yo dieted for so long but nothing ever working. Some weight would come off; in many cases, more weight went back on.

One would assume that if the surgery is a last resort, last ditch attempt for adults, it must be just as desperate a situation for the obese adolescent.

The surgery is somewhat barbaric, which is why the decision to go this route is a major one. People become overweight usually for a love of food. Nerves have been blamed, a slow metabolism has been blamed, but when it comes down to a really fat person next to an average sized person, the biggest difference between the two are their eating habits.

Obese people like to eat, which is why they become so overweight and out of control. Gastric surgeries make a person feel full after ingesting a small amount of food. It would make the person feel sick if he or she ate more after feeling full, hence the dramatic loss of weight. So for the obese food lover, the decision to undergo a surgery that will sever the ties with food, a favorite past time, is indeed a decision more than likely made in desperation after so many failed diet attempts. Food is an addiction. Some people just cannot control themselves around so many delectable varieties of food. And for teenagers temptations and out of control behavior are not surprising, as they have little discipline. Discipline to diet and maintaining a strict diet regimen takes dedication that a younger person may not be able to adhere.

It is not surprising that the stats reveal out of 600 people between the ages of 13 and 20 who had recently undergone gastric band or gastric bypass surgery 65 percent were from California and 80 percent female. Trends often begin in California.

Then there is the question about doctor’s morals and scruples—is gastric bypass or banding, a procedure never meant for those under the age of 18 years, being encouraged when it ought to be discouraged. One expert opinion stated, “Teens may be risking their health looking for a quick fix.”

Even more disheartening is the fact that the procedure is not a full-proof answer to weight loss. These surgeries do not always work and it takes a mind set and discipline for the procedure to be a success. So for the desperate teenager whose parents more than likely spent a small fortune so their child could be rid of a problem that is ruining his or health, social life, and self-esteem, may not work after all.

Nonetheless, it is being done and doctors do agree that if an adolescent is so overweight and all else has failed, then the gastric banding or bypass procedure may be the only answer left to choose.