20+ Years of Weight Loss Surgery Experience.
20+ Years of Weight Loss Surgery Experience.
If you are very overweight and have struggled to lose weight through diet and exercise, weight loss surgery may be right for you. Weight loss surgery changes the way your body handles food, which can help you lose weight and keep the weight off longer and more reliably than other weight loss methods.
Weight loss surgery may incorporate one or both types of surgical procedures to help you lose weight. The risks and long-term effects of weight loss surgery will depend, in part, on which strategies are used. Restrictive procedures, such as lap band surgery, will make it difficult to overeat, but doesn’t drastically limit the types of foods you can eat. Gastric bypass, which is a combination of restrictive and malabsorptive procedures, limits how much you can eat and requires patients to avoid foods that are high in fat or sugar.
Weight loss surgery helps people to change their diet and eating habits, which often results in a dramatic weight loss. Most patients continue to lose weight for up to two years after their surgery and are able to maintain a healthy weight longer than people who lose weight through diet and exercise.
As a result of losing weight, patients who suffer from obesity-related medical problems will often experience relief from their symptoms after weight loss surgery*. Even patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, have seen an improvement in their well being and a reduced need for medication after having surgery.
If you are a man who is 100 or more pounds overweight, or a woman who is 80 or more pounds overweight, you may be a candidate for weight loss surgery. You may also be a candidate if you are less overweight but suffer from at least one obesity-related medical condition, such as diabetes or sleep apnea. As of 2011, the FDA approved the use of lap-band surgery, a restrictive weight loss surgery, for people with a body-mass index of 30 or higher who also have one co-morbidity.
Weight is not the only factor to consider before choosing weight loss surgery. A candidate should also have tried to lose weight in the past without surgery and be able to demonstrate that they are willing and able to make long-term changes to their diet and exercise habits.
When you see Dr. Choi at our Fort Lauderdale office, he will do a physical examination and review your medical history to determine if you are a candidate for weight loss surgery. You may also undergo a psychological exam and further physical testing. Your medical team will also work with you to ensure you’re aware of the potential benefits, risks and long-term lifestyle changes associated with weight loss surgery.
Our patients get the RESULTS they are looking for.
With over 5,000+ successful surgeries, it’s no wonder Dr. Choi is the leading bariatric surgeon in South Florida.
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Dr. Choi has over 23 years of healthcare experience, performed over 5,000 successful bariatric surgeries, and is one of the most sought out doctors for surgical weight loss in all of South Florida.
Yes. Dr. Michael Choi offers bariatric consultations for patients in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and surrounding South Florida communities. Both locations provide an opportunity to discuss weight loss surgery and receive guidance about possible treatment options. Contact the practice before visiting to confirm the office address, appointment availability, and location of your scheduled consultation.
Appointments can be requested through Dr. Choi’s online consultation form or by calling (305) 821-3795. When contacting the office, mention whether you prefer Miami or Fort Lauderdale. The scheduling team can help confirm the appropriate location, explain the appointment process, and answer questions about any information needed before your visit.
Patients visiting Dr. Choi’s Miami or Fort Lauderdale office can ask about several bariatric procedures, including gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, and revisional surgery. The consultation allows Dr. Choi to review relevant health concerns, explain how different procedures work, and discuss factors that may influence treatment recommendations. Additional examinations or medical testing may be necessary before determining surgical eligibility.
The general answer to this is yes. Make sure to tell your surgeon and anesthesiologist about all prior operations, especially those on your abdomen and pelvis. Many of us forget childhood operations. It is best to avoid surprises!
Sometimes your surgeon may ask to see the operative report from complicated or unusual procedures, especially those on the esophagus, stomach, or bowels.
Yes and no.
Most people think of a “diet” as a plan that leaves you hungry. That is not the way people feel after surgery. Eventually, most patients get some form of appetite back 6-18 months after surgery. Your appetite is much weaker, and easier to satisfy than before.
This does not mean that you can eat whatever and whenever you want. Healthier food choices are important to best results, but most patients still enjoy tasty food, and even “treats.”
Most patients also think of exercise as something that must be intense and painful (like “boot camp”). Regular, modest activity is far more useful in the long term. Even elite athletes can’t stay at a “peak” every week of the year. Sometimes exercise is work, but if it becomes a punishing, never-ending battle, you will not keep going. Instead, work with your surgeon’s program to find a variety of activities that can work for you. There is no “one-size-fits-all” plan. Expect to learn and change as you go!
For many patients (and normal weight people, too) exercise is more important for regular stress control, and for appetite control, than simply burning off calories. As we age, inactivity can lead to being frail or fragile, which is quite dangerous to overall health. Healthy bones and avoiding muscle loss partly depends on doing weekly weight bearing (including walking) or muscle resistance (weights or similar) exercise.
Dr. Michael Choi, D.O. is affiliated with Broward Health Imperial Point and Memorial Hospital Miramar in Florida.
Yes, Dr. Choi accepts patients from all over the world. He takes patients from the US and the rest of the world, for example, EU countries, Switzerland, England, Israel, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Guam, as well as patients from Asia and South America.
South Florida’s #1 Bariatric Weight Loss Surgeon With Over 5,000+ Surgeries!
