Bariatrics & Weight Loss

If you have tried to lose weight, you have probably tried a number of diet programs. However, jumping from diet to diet in a cycle of weight gain and loss (yo-yo dieting) stresses the heart, kidneys and other organs. At Novant Health, we prescribe and supervise diets for you that are part of a customized program based on reducing calorie intake while still maintaining good nutrition.

Diets generally fall into two basic categories:

• Low Calorie Diets (LCDs) which allow you to consume 500 to 1,000 fewer calories a day than your metabolism burns
• Very Low Calorie Diets (VLCDs) which consist of between 400 to 800 calories a day generally consumed through high-protein, low-fat liquids.

Many patients on Very Low Calorie Diets lose significant amounts of weight. However, after returning to a normal diet, most regain the lost weight in under a year. Ninety percent of people participating in all diet programs will regain the weight they've lost within two years.

Behavior modification therapy is sometimes used to help an individual change eating and exercise habits. However, like low-calorie diets, behavior modification often results in short-term success that tends to diminish after the first year.

At Novant Health, we individually design a diet and exercise program for you that offers the best opportunity for success weight loss without surgery.

To help increase the opportunity of successful weight loss through dieting, we offer:

• Nutrition Counseling
• Nutrition Planning
• Weight Loss Seminars
• And a variety of other programs and services designed to support your weight loss program

Only when we are certain that diet, exercise and behavior modification therapy have failed in achieving healthy weight loss goals, will we recommend surgery. However, surgery itself is only a tool to get your body started losing weight.  It is important to understand that diet and behavior modification will continue to be a life-long part of sustained weight loss and maintenance after your surgery.