Weightloss Service at The LGA
Welcome to the LGA obesity service web page. Trying to loose weight can be very difficult and most obese people have been toiling unsuccessfully with weight loss regimens for many years.
Although it might seem like an extreme treatment, weight loss surgery has been shown to be highly successful. We hope this site will help you make some decisions about whether you will choose some of the weight loss surgical options open to you.
Obesity has continued to rise and is a condition associated with many medical consequences.
How is obesity measured?
Body Mass Index (BMI) is one of the measures to determine the level of obesity. You can work out your body mass index by dividing your weight in kilograms by height in metres twice. A person with a BMI over 30 kg/m² is considered to be obese.
How common is obesity?
65% of the British population are overweight and 24% are obese. Obesity has serious implications for health, causing reduced life expectancy and increased risk of diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, joint problems including arthritis, sleep apnoea & breathing problems, low self esteem, psychological problems and even cancer (Breast cancer, oesophageal cancer & prostate cancer).
If your BMI score is 35 or over, it is likely that obesity surgery will be beneficial, particularly if you have other health problems such as diabetes, sleep apnoea or high blood pressure. As a general rule of thumb, a man will have increased risk of these conditions if his waist is 40 inches or more and a woman of 35 inches or more. The Asian population are known to have an increased risk of these conditions at a lower BMI score (approximately 2 points below) compared with the non-asian population.
The Weight loss Clinic London
We offer a comprehensive multi-disciplinary obesity service including post weight loss body contouring. An experienced team of Consultant Obesity (Bariatric) Surgeons and Plastic Surgeons lead a multi-disciplinary team of experts to treat the problem and a variety of options are available depending on individual needs and requirements.
Meet our surgeon
Our team lead is Mr Marcus Reddy who is a Consultant Surgeon and is the lead Upper GI Surgeon at St George’s and developed the South Thames Bariatric Service which is preferred provider for NHS bariatric surgery in the region.
Mr Reddy trained in London and Australia where he gained experience in upper GI surgery, liver transplant, hepatobiliary surgery and laparoscopic bariatric surgery. He has a particular interest in laparoscopic gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy, and Roux en Y gastric bypass. More……..
What are the types of operations available?
- Endoscopic Intragastric Balloon (BIB)
- Laparoscopic Gastric Banding
- Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy
- Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
- Laparoscopic Duodenal switch
- Laparoscopic Revisional Surgeries
- Body contouring following weightloss
Medical Therapy Options
There are an increasing number of medicines which have been shown to be very helpful as part of a weight loss program. In particular, there are two medicines which have been outlined below.
Sibutramine (Meridia)
- Appetite suppressant
- Serotonin reuptake inhibitor
- Side effects: Increase HR, Blood Pressure, nervousness and insomnia
- Mean weight loss 4.45 kg at 12 months
Orlistat (Xenical)
- Lipase inhibitor: decrease absorption of fat
- Side effects: diarrhea, flatulence, bloating, abdominal pain, dyspepsia
- Mean weight loss: 2.89 kg at 12 months
Common Surgical Options
Intragastric Balloon
A short and very low risk procedure that can achieve good short term weightloss. The balloon is left in for 6 months and after removal patients develop weight regain. Entering a support programme to maintain the weightloss can achieve sustained weightloss in a small proportion of patients.
Laparoscopic gastric banding
A low risk procedure that achieves up to 65% excess weight loss and improvement in comorbidities such as Type II diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnoea and dyslipidaemia. Less suitable for patients with poor compliance and who tend to snack on sweets. Requires maintenance adjustments. Can be performed daycase or 1 night stay.
Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy
A relatively new operation that achieves up to 70% excess weight loss with marked improvement in comorbidities. The operation is relative low risk with no bowel anastomoses. Particularly useful for patients who are superobese or are of higher risk. Low maintenance operation without need for adjustments. Iron supplements recommended. Weightloss results appear at 5 year follow up to be as good as gastric bypass. 2 night hospital stay.
Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
Arguably the gold standard for patients with morbid obesity and comorbidities. Achieves up to 70% excess weight loss sustainably with good follow up data. Very high resolution of comorbidities eg Type II diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnoea and dysplipidaemia. Is a higher risk operation than banding or sleeve gastrectomy. Does require vitamin and mineral supplements lifelong but is otherwise low maintenance. Particularly suitable for sweet eaters and patients who snack.