Weight-Loss Shots and Surgeries Both Have Risks, Benefits

Weight-loss medication has been all over the headlines in recent months, but are they the best option to lose weight?

From shots to medications, there are plenty of weight-loss techniques floating around. Before everyone was talking about the shots, some were opting for weight-loss surgery to help.

According to Kuldeep Singh, M.D., FACS, MBA, FASMBS, a top weight-loss surgeon in Maryland and director of The Maryland Bariatric Center at Mercy, if you stop taking weight-loss medication, the weight comes back.

Dr. Singh said that surgery is still one of the safest ways to get healthy. People with a BMI of 30 or higher are usually candidates for bariatric surgery. There are several options.

“The mainstream right now is the gastric sleeve, where you make a [smaller] tube out of the stomach... and gastric bypass [is] where you actually cut the stomach into a small bag and hook up the intestine to it. So, you just rearrange it rather than remove anything. [And] there are newer surgeries called duodenal switch and single anastomosis… we’ve got a good variety of surgical options that are available now [that] are safe and effective,” Dr. Singh said.

Dr. Singh noted that weight-loss surgery can come with complications. One procedure will make you prone to heartburn, and another can give you ulcers or malnutrition. Shots and surgeries both have risks and benefits.

Even with weight-loss surgery, Dr. Singh explained that the most important thing is having a healthy lifestyle and nutritious eating habits. It is important to learn how to manage sleep and stress and to make sure you’re getting exercise.

View weight loss expert and bariatric surgeon Dr. Kuldeep Singh’s interview regarding surgical and medication approaches to weight loss.