BMI

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Dr. Ramana of BMI addressing a physician's meet in Taj Bengal, Kolkata

Dr. Sarfaraz Baig of BMI, Kolkata addressing physicians

Q. What is weight loss surgery? Is it liposuction??

Er, no. Actually, liposuction is sucking out fat through some cuts made in the belly, butt, thigh or other body part. Usually, 5 to 6 liters of fat are removed. This is purely a cosmetic procedure, and is unsuitable for the severely obese individual.

Bariatric surgery (aka weight loss surgery) is different. We don’t suck out fat, nor do we chop off large chunks of fat. We alter the size and shape of the stomach in some way, and help create weight loss that is substantial and sustained. This means this is what you want!

Q. Why not try diet and exercise?

A. Sure, be my guest! However, if you are very fat you would be wasting time and bandwidth. Why try to prove that falling from a plane without a parachute is not safe? It is already proven over and over again that, in the severely obese individual, bariatric surgery is the only scientifically proven way of losing real weight in the long term. All your gimmicks are short term, not this!

If you want to know why diet and exercise won’t work in the morbidly obese patient, you are not a complete idiot. Please search through this site and educate yourself. Enjoy!

Q. How much does bariatric surgery cost?

A. At Belle Vue Clinic, BMI conducts various weight loss procedures at very modest budgets. However, it is impossible to give you a number now. Do you really need surgery? What procedure is the right one for you? How much of disposables, including staplers, are going to be needed? Would you like staple-line buttresses like Seamguard? Would you like to stay in economy or in a suite? Do you need ICU stay? Will you have a complication? As you can see, there are too many variables. If you really, really want to know, email me your details: ramana@bmiindia.com or rambodoc@gmail.com. I will give you a ball park figure, if possible. Provided you are ready with all the details of your medical records.

Q. What exactly is done in this bediatric surgery?

A. Um, actually, it is BARiatric surgery, not BEDiatric. You do need to be in bed, but that’s like for one day. Before I was a bariatric surgeon, I was a stand-up comedian in a BAR, but they fired me. I make BED jokes.

Bariatric surgery is the name given to a group of surgeries to effect permanent weight loss in severely obese people. The highlights of the surgeries are:

*It is a laparoscopic approach.

* The size and/or stomach is altered in some way. Also the digestive tract may be altered in some cases.

* Minimal hospital stay.

*Rather painless.

*Stitchless.

*Almost bloodless.

*Causes permanent weight loss.

*Relieves and even cures a number of obesity-related conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, etc.

*Is a major undertaking in a patient’s life. This is not your slimming center approach!

Q. Can I eat normally/everything after this surgery and still lose weight?

A. If you want to eat like you have always done, this would be the wrong approach. You can’t hope to have a 3000-calorie meal and lose fat at the same time. Well, sometimes you can (we don’t have any posts on the duodenal switch yet), but let us keep things simple here. You need to be committed to your weight loss goals, not your eating more food goals. If this fundamental shift in mindset is not there in you, you need to refocus. You could come meet us at Belle Vue Clinic, and we can take this forward. That said, there are procedures, like the gastric bypass, where you can eat only a limited amount of food (kid portions). In operations like the sleeve gastrectomy, the volume of the stomach is more, and your portion sizes can be higher.

Q. What will happen to the skin folds that will hang after I lose weight?

A. If you lose a lot of weight, like a hundred kilos, for example, obviously your skin folds are going to hang loose. In some time, usually a year, there is some adjustment of the slack, and the sag is not noticeable in those who have less weight to lose (to begin with). In extreme cases, the redundant skin needs to be trimmed out. Not a big deal, actually, but a small price to pay for a life altering surgery!

Q. Where can we see the before-after pics of your patients?

A. You can’t. Not because our patients haven’t had fat loss (we would be out of work if it were so), but because we don’t use our patients’ pictures to attract others. Patient confidentiality, heard of it? We believe in it. Your weight loss story is private, unless you want to share it with others. If you are interested in finding out how life is for people who have undergone weight loss surgery, please be in touch with us (see our Contact Us page for details) and we will help you get in touch with many of our patients.

Q. The Lap Band is what you do? I had a friend do it, and she had a lot of problems with it, finally ending with another surgery. It scares me!

A. Lap Band is only one type of bariatric surgery. We do not prefer it, because:

1. It is purely restrictive in nature.

2. Requires a very motivated patient who would stick to a diet.

3. Up to a third of patients end up with another surgery to remove it because of complications.

4. There are better options

5. Weight loss is the least among the various weight loss procedures, though the short term results are excellent.

6. Patients can cheat the surgery by drinking liquid calories.