What is Weight Loss Surgery?

Weight loss surgery changes the way your digestive system works by closing off parts of the stomach. Making the stomach smaller means that you feel full after eating a small amount of food. Operations that reduce stomach size are known as restrictive operations because they restrict the amount of food the stomach can hold. Some operations combine restriction with a partial bypass of the small intestine (the intestines are where food and nutrients are absorbed into the body). By creating a detour around part of the intestine, less food is absorbed. Operations that use this mechanism to enhance weight loss are called malabsorptive operations. There are a number of different restrictive and malabsorptive operations being done.