HOW TO AVOID OVERINDULGING AT HOLIDAY PARTIES

The holiday season is upon us, which means spending time with relatives, giving gifts and, of course, maneuvering through a host of holiday parties. The holidays are an exciting time of year with many opportunities to dress up and mingle with friends. However, the holiday festivities also include countless opportunities to overindulge in your favorite — and perhaps less nutritious — foods. Fortunately, Mexicali Bariatric Center, a premier Mexicali weight loss surgery provider, offers the following tips to help you avoid overindulging at holiday parties.

Stay Away From Fad Diets. Most people want to look great in their holiday party outfits. However, following the latest fad diet is not the way to accomplish this. Fad diets typically involve eating too few calories each day or avoiding a specific food group. Although this may seem like a good idea at first, following a fad diet often leaves you with an unsatisfied feeling, which can eventually lead to overindulging in unhealthy foods when you are hungry. Instead of following the latest fad diet, eat well-balanced meals and stay active.

Have a Healthy Snack Before a Party. Don’t go to a holiday party hungry! If you are extremely hungry, it will be easier to overeat when you finally get to the appetizer or dining table. Try eating a few almonds before you go to a party. Almonds are a good source of protein, fiber and vitamin E. They also contain more calcium than other types of nuts. Eating a few nuts before the party will make it easier to exercise willpower once you arrive.

Eat Living Foods. The good thing about holiday parties is that they often offer a large variety of foods, making it easier to find healthy choices among the cheesy, fried appetizers and meals. Sticking to colorful, crunchy living foods is a great way to ensure you are getting needed nutrients. As an added bonus, most fruits and vegetable contain a significant amount of water, helping you stay hydrated and feel full.

Drink Water. Lastly, be sure to drink plenty of water. Try to switch out every other alcoholic drink with a glass of water instead. There are many good reasons to do this. For instance, the more water you drink, the less alcohol you will consume, helping you avoid a hangover the next day. Also, keeping your stomach full with water allows you to eat less and still feel satisfied.

The holiday season is a great time of year, so enjoy it. Enjoy the company of family, friends and colleagues. Enjoy the holiday decorations and traditions. Just be sure to avoid overindulging during the holidays, so your clothes still fit comfortably when the New Year rolls around.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REVISION BARIATRIC SURGERY

Revision bariatric surgery may become necessary for a variety of reasons. Some patients fail to lose their desired amount of weight, or they regain weight. Others fail to resolve co-morbidities or suffer from surgical complications that affect their health.

If you think that you might require revision bariatric surgery, it is important that you visit a well-qualified bariatric surgeon to guide you through the revision surgery process. Revision bariatric surgery is often riskier than the original procedure, because it usually takes longer, may require open incisions and may cause greater blood loss. Revision weight loss surgery also has an increased risk of leaks and infection. Due to these increased risks, not all weight loss surgeons perform revision procedures. And, many of the ones that do, do not have much experience with revision bariatric surgery.

That is why it is crucial to choose a bariatric surgeon with extensive experience in revision weight loss surgery, such as Dr. Alberto Aceves of Mexicali Bariatric Center. Dr. Aceves is highly seasoned in revision weight loss surgery, and he takes every precaution available to minimize revision surgery risks.

In addition, Dr. Aceves carefully evaluates each patient’s medical and surgical history as well as the reason that the initial bariatric surgery failed to help the person lose weight or resolve co-morbidities. That way, he can recommend one of the following types of revision bariatric surgery that will best fit the patient’s needs.

Converting Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy

About 80 percent of those who undergo vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) successfully lose excess weight. However, the other 20 percent of VSG patients fail to do so, resulting in what is called “vertical sleeve gastrectomy failure.” This can be corrected by converting the initial VSG to one of the following options:

• Gastric re-sleeving (i.e., stapling the stretched stomach)
• Duodenal switch surgery (i.e., leaving the sleeve intact and rerouting a lengthy part of the small intestine, producing two distinct pathways and one shared channel)
• Gastric bypass surgery (i.e., making a small pouch and connecting it directly to the middle section of the small intestine, bypassing the rest of the stomach and the upper section of the small intestine)

Converting Lap Band to Gastric Sleeve or Gastric Bypass

The most common type of revision surgery that Dr. Aceves performs is conversion of Lap Band to either gastric sleeve or gastric bypass. He performs this type of revision bariatric surgery at least once a week. Typically, patients require this type of revision weight loss surgery due to Lap Band slippage, lack of weight loss and weight regain.

Converting Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (VBG)

Those who have undergone vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG), or any other type of “stomach stapling” bariatric surgery, typically seek revision bariatric surgery because they either regained the weight they lost or they developed maladaptive eating habits. In addition, metabolic issues may hinder the patient from losing weight with VBG. Depending on the reason that the patient requires revision bariatric surgery, Dr. Aceves may recommend one of the following revision weight loss surgery procedures:

• Convert VBG to gastric bypass (for improved weight loss)
• Convert VBG to vertical sleeve gastrectomy if medically appropriate, depending which surgical approach was taken in your original VBG procedure (for improved weight loss)
• Convert VBG to duodenal switch surgery if medically appropriate, depending which surgical approach was taken in your original VBG procedure (for improved weight loss)

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Aceves to find out which type of revision bariatric surgery is right for you, please contact Mexicali Bariatric Center by calling (888) 344-3916.

WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY: BEFORE AND AFTER

Provided that the bariatric patient follows all the weight loss surgeon’s instructions closely and adheres to a healthy eating and exercise regimen after surgery, weight loss surgery can be a critical tool in the journey to losing a substantial amount of weight, living healthier and improving quality of life. Patients who undergo bariatric surgery with successful, long-lasting results lead an incredibly different life before and after surgery.

Before surgery, most bariatric patients are unhealthy and unhappy. After surgery, many weight loss patients are healthier and dramatically happier. To illustrate the differences in life before and after weight loss surgery, Dr. Alberto Aceves of Mexicali Bariatric Center shares some of the positive changes that can come from successful bariatric surgery.

Before: Ample Excess Weight

If you are considering bariatric surgery, it is because you struggle with an ample amount of excess weight that you have failed to lose on your own. This creates both physical and mental hardships for patients.

After: Loss of Excess Weight

Fortunately, bariatric surgery patients who adhere to a healthier diet and overall lifestyle after weight loss surgery typically lose a significant amount of their excess weight. How much weight you lose depends on several factors, including which type of bariatric surgery is performed, how much excess weight you are trying to lose, what health problems you have prior to surgery and how well you maintain a healthier lifestyle and diet after surgery.

The following is a list of weight-loss averages for common types of bariatric surgery:

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: Within approximately 14 months, those who undergo the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass lose at least 70 percent of their extra body weight. You may lose 100 percent of your excess body weight and keep it off if you follow the rules extremely closely.

Adjustable gastric banding procedure: The average amount of weight lost after the Lap-Band procedure is about 50 percent of a patient’s excess weight.

Sleeve gastrectomy: Gastric sleeve patients have results that are comparable to the average amount of weight loss with gastric bypass. Dr. Aceves‘ latest follow-up study showed that patients are losing an average of 96 percent of their excess body weight in less than 12 months!

Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch: Patients who undergo this type of bariatric surgery lose an average of 70 to 80 percent of their extra body weight within the first two years following weight loss surgery. DS surgery has the best long-term weight loss maintenance statistics.

Before: Obesity-Related Health Problems

If you are substantially overweight, you may also suffer from obesity-related health problems known as comorbid conditions. These may include type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, heart disease, gallbladder disease, liver disease, cancer, arthritis, asthma, sleep apnea and several other conditions.

After: Reversal of Comorbid Health Issues

Although there are quite a few scary health problems on this list, undergoing weight loss surgery and losing a substantial amount of weight can improve comorbid health issues. After weight loss surgery and ensuing weight loss, many bariatric patients report that they no longer suffer from diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, arthritis or a host of other health conditions that had plagued them before weight loss surgery.

For instance, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) reports that following weight loss surgery: 76.8 percent of bariatric surgery patients experience total remission of Type 2 diabetes; high blood pressure, or hypertension, is resolved in 61.7 percent of those who have undergone bariatric surgery; high cholesterol levels are reduced in more than 70 percent of patients; and sleep apnea is eliminated in 85.7 percent of bariatric surgery patients.

Before: Inability to Live Life Fully

Another common complaint that severely overweight people tend to have is that they are not living life to their full potential. Suffering from obesity often hampers the ability to lead a playful, active life. If you suffer from obesity and are a parent or grandparent, you probably know that it is difficult to keep up with your children or grandchildren. Obesity can make maneuvering stairs, walking, traveling and engaging in certain activities such as riding roller coasters difficult, if not impossible.

In addition, suffering from obesity can also lead to a range of psychological issues, including depression, low self-esteem, negative self-image, low self-confidence and numerous others. These psychological problems can have a lasting negative effect on a person’s psyche if left untreated.

After: Improved Quality of Life

If any of this sounds familiar, don’t lose hope. The good news is that by undergoing weight loss surgery and losing the excess weight, you can remedy these problems. Before weight loss surgery, you may not be able to walk up a flight of stairs without stopping for a breath, but after bariatric surgery and the ensuing weight loss, you will be able to run up the stairs if you so wish. You will be able to chase after your kids or grandkids. You will be able to experience life more fully. After weight loss surgery, you will be happier than you were before undergoing a bariatric procedure. In fact, the ASMBS reports that depression is resolved in 55 percent of bariatric surgery patients after weight loss surgery.

To schedule a consultation to learn more about your bariatric surgery options with Dr. Aceves, please contact Mexicali Bariatric Center by calling (888) 344-3916.

IS WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY IN MEXICO SAFE?

Many bariatric patients are discovering that undergoing weight loss surgery in Mexico is a cost-effective way to start their journey toward better health. According to Joseph Woodman, the author of Patients Beyond Borders, each year, approximately 250,000 Americans travel outside the United States for medical care, including bariatric surgery. Weight loss surgery in Mexico is frequently less expensive than it is in the U.S. and Canada. And, traveling in and out of Mexico is simple. Still, some skeptics may wonder if undergoing weight loss surgery in Mexico is safe.

If you harbor such doubts, Dr. Alberto Aceves of Mexicali Bariatric Center would like you to know that, not only is bariatric surgery in Mexico safe, but the surgeon’s bariatric surgical techniques are as advanced as anywhere else in the world. If you are still not convinced, keep reading. The following are the top three reasons that you can rest assured that bariatric surgery with Dr. Aceves in Mexico is safe and sophisticated.

1. Dr. Aceves is well trained.

Dr. Alberto Aceves earned his medical degree at the renowned Autonomous University of Guadalajara and fulfilled a general surgery residency at Mexicali General Hospital. Dr. Aceves also completed specialty surgical training in several weight loss techniques and procedures, including the laparoscopic approach to weight loss surgery, gastric banding surgery with the Lap Band, Lap duodenal switch surgery, gastric sleeve surgery , gastric bypass surgery , Revision Weight Loss Surgery and the intragastric balloon, obalon system. In addition, Dr. Aceves is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

2. Dr. Aceves is extremely experienced.

Dr. Aceves has more than 12 years of bariatric experience, including extensive experience with laparoscopic bariatric surgery, an advanced surgical technique that typically leads to a quicker and easier recovery after surgery. Over the span of his career thus far, Dr. Aceves has completed over 6,000 bariatric surgeries, including 500-plus laparoscopic gastric bypass surgeries, 1,800-plus laparoscopic gastrectomy surgeries, over 2,500 laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding surgeries (e.g., Lap Band surgery) and more than 250 laparoscopic revision surgeries. He is also experienced in laparoscopic duodenal switch surgery, and hiatal hernia, spleen, gall bladder and colon surgery. Given his experience, Johnson and Johnson has chosen him to proctor surgeons worldwide concerning gastric sleeve surgery surgical techniques.

3. Dr. Aceves operates in a state-of-the-art hospital.

As head of the bariatric program at Almater Hospital, Dr. Aceves is highly respected for his surgical skill and extremely qualified to perform your bariatric surgery. Almater Hospital in Mexicali, Mexico, is a nationally certified, full-size private hospital with a modern operating room that is safe and well equipped with technologically advanced surgical instruments. Once your surgery is complete, you will spend a few days recovering in a comfortable hospital room where trained medical specialists monitor your recovery.

When you combine these reasons that weight loss surgery with Dr. Aceves in Mexico is safe with cost considerations, you will see why pursuing bariatric surgery with Dr. Aceves is an overall safe bet.

To schedule a consultation to learn more about your bariatric surgery options with Dr. Aceves, please contact Mexicali Bariatric Center by calling (888) 344-3916.

HOW TO CHOOSE A WEIGHT LOSS SURGEON IN MEXICO

Undergoing weight loss surgery in Mexico is becoming an increasingly popular option for many bariatric patients. Often, the cost of bariatric surgery in Mexico is substantially less than in the United States. And, traveling to and from Mexico has never been easier, with international flights departing from many American cities several times a day.

Still, undergoing any type of surgery anywhere is a significant undertaking, so it is critical that you choose a highly trained, well-qualified and experienced surgeon to perform your procedure. So, how do you choose a weight loss surgeon in Mexico to perform your bariatric procedure? Follow these tips!

Education and Training

First, make sure the bariatric surgeon that you choose has earned his or her medical degree from a respected institution. Also, make sure your chosen weight loss surgeon has received general surgery training as well as specific training in bariatric surgery, including the laparoscopic surgical approach. In addition, a highly qualified bariatric surgeon has additional advanced training in specific weight loss surgery procedures, such as certification in the use of the Lap Band, a gastric banding device.

Dr. Alberto Aceves of Mexicali Bariatric Center is one such surgeon. He earned his medical degree from Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara (Autonomous University of Guadalajara) before completing a general surgery residency at Mexicali General Hospital. Dr. Aceves then qualified as a general surgeon prior to fulfilling advanced surgical training in laparoscopic surgery and various bariatric surgery procedures, including gastric banding with the Lap Band, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, gastric sleeve surgery and, as of a few years ago, duodenal switch.

Experience

Next, be sure to choose a weight loss surgeon who has plenty of experience. Dr. Aceves, for example, has performed more than 6,000 bariatric procedures with outstanding results during his 12-plus-year career as a weight loss surgeon. Thanks to his expansive bariatric surgical experience, Dr. Aceves has been chosen to serve as a proctor for Johnson and Johnson, teaching other surgeons how to perform gastric sleeve weight loss surgery. He is also frequently invited to lecture at seminars and conferences, including the Expert Consensus Meeting for Gastric Sleeve Surgery, in which 25 leading gastric sleeve bariatric surgeons are invited to speak about their surgeries and results.

Operating Facility

Finally, it is important to choose a bariatric surgeon who operates in a safe, state-of-the-art hospital or operating facility. This is the case with Dr. Aceves, who performs his bariatric surgeries at Almater Hospital in Mexicali, Mexico. Dr. Aceves is the head of the bariatric program at this hospital. As such, he ensures that the bariatric operating facility is safe, modern and well equipped with technologically advanced instruments.

To schedule a consultation to learn more about your bariatric surgery options with Dr. Aceves, please contact Mexicali Bariatric Center by calling (888) 344-3916.

WAHT DOES WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY IN MEXICO COST?

The cost of weight loss surgery in Mexico may vary, depending on a variety of factors such as the type of bariatric surgery chosen and if the patient has already had a bariatric surgical procedure prior to the one being performed. Nonetheless, the cost of bariatric surgery in Mexico is often significantly less than in the United States. According to the National Institutes of Health, the average cost of weight loss surgery in the United States is between $20,000 and $25,000. As you will see below, the average cost of bariatric surgery in Mexico is about half that. That is why undergoing bariatric surgery in Mexico is quickly becoming a popular option for bariatric patients who want to undergo weight loss surgery but also want to get the most value for the cost.

If you are considering pursuing weight loss surgery in Mexico, review the following general information about the costs associated with bariatric surgery in Mexico. You may be pleased with what you find out!
General Costs Associated With Bariatric Surgery

The general costs associated with weight loss surgery with Dr. Alberto Aceves in Mexico include the cost of:

• Transportation to and from the airport if needed
• Required tests, including a preoperative chest X-ray, an electrocardiogram (EKG), complete blood chemistry test, anesthesiologist evaluation, cardiologist evaluation if needed, postoperative chest X-ray and leak tests
• When applicable, 1-2 night hotel stay prior to surgery
• Anesthesiologist
• Operating room
• Lap Band if applicable
• Hospital stay after surgery, which is usually five days for duodenal switch surgery and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, 72 hours for gastric sleeve surgery and 48 hours for gastric banding surgery
• X-ray room needed for Lap Band fills (Dr. Aceves provides the actual fills for free for life.)
• Medication during your hospital stay and to take back home for use during the recovery period

Estimated Total Cost of Bariatric Surgery

The following costs are subject to change, again, depending on several factors, including those discussed above. However, here is a list of the estimated final cost of each type of bariatric surgery (in U.S. dollars) to help you get a ballpark idea of the cost of weight loss surgery in Mexico.

• Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: $11,000
• Gastric bypass after a prior bariatric surgery: $12,500
• Gastric sleeve: $8,750
• Gastric sleeve after Lap Band (includes band removal): $10,500
• Allergan / Inamed Lap-Band System and Johnson & Johnson Band: $6,500
• Lap Band after a prior bariatric surgery: $10,500
• Duodenal Switch: $13,000
• Revision to Duodenal Switch: $14,500

Patient undergoing weight loss surgery with Dr. Aceves may qualify for one of the financing options available. To schedule a consultation to learn more about the cost of weight loss surgery with Dr. Aceves and the available financing options, please contact Mexicali Bariatric Center by calling (888) 344-3916

DR. ACEVES CONTRIBUTES TO LATIN AMERICAN GASTRIC SLEEVE FORUM

Dr. Alberto Aceves was invited to participate in the Gastric Sleeve Surgery Consensus at the fifth meeting of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO). The IFSO event meeting, referred to as the Latin American Congress of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, took place in Cusco, Peru, on May 20-24, 2013.

The Expert Sleeve Consensus Meetings have been held in the United States for several years, and many of the surgeons invited to this year’s events have attended previous meetings.

Dr. Aceves joined leading surgeons from Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and other Latin American countries to share their experiences, techniques and results with gastric sleeve weight loss surgery. The participants were hand-selected for their superb track records in their field of practice.

Gastric sleeve is a type of bariatric surgery procedure in which Dr. Aceves removes approximately 85 percent of the patient’s stomach, thus reducing the amount of food that the patient can consume. This leads to steady, significant weight loss. Dr. Aceves has performed more than 1,800 gastric sleeve procedures. In addition to gastric sleeve, Dr. Aceves also performs duodenal switch, gastric bypass, Lap-Band and revision bariatric surgery.

Patients from all over Mexico, the United States and the rest of the world who struggle with morbid obesity visit his practice for weight loss treatment. Some of Dr. Aceves’ former patients include U.S. physicians seeking gastric sleeve or revision surgery for themselves.

If you’d like to learn more about Dr. Aceves or gastric sleeve surgery, please contact his Mexicali weight loss surgery practice.

More about Alberto Aceves, MD, FACS

Alberto Aceves, MD, FACS, is a leading bariatric surgeon in Mexicali. Over the course of his career, he has performed more than 6,000 bariatric procedures. He teaches his surgical techniques to other surgeons around the world and currently works as a Proctor for Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Aceves is the former president of Mexico’s Bbariatric aAssociation, and is currently head of the bariatric program at Almater Hospital, a nationally certified, full-size private hospital in Mexicali.

For more information about Dr. Aceves and his practice, please visit http://mexicalibariatric.com