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Is Bariatric Surgery Right for You?

If you’re overweight, and diets and exercise haven’t helped, you may be considering bariatric (weight-loss) surgery. While surgery may sound extreme, carrying excess weight can put you at a higher risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and many other health concerns. Valley Baptist Medical Center is here to help.

The Valley Baptist Difference

At Valley Baptist, we want to be your first choice for weight-loss surgery. When you choose Valley Baptist, you can expect:

  • Compassion. Experienced and compassionate care by board-certified doctors who specialize in obesity medicine and general vascular surgeons who specialize in bariatric surgery.
  • Follow-through. A continuum of care that starts with your very first informational seminar and continues after your surgery to help you create lasting lifestyle changes.
  • Excellence. The Valley Baptist Surgical and Medical Weight-Loss Program in Brownsville is a Comprehensive Center accredited by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program. We’re the only bariatric program in Cameron County to have received this accreditation.
Obesity is a disease. Bariatric surgery can be the solution. We offer an unparalleled combination of compassionate services, surgical expertise and ongoing therapy and support, including an outpatient clinic with personalized care that doesn’t end when you leave our hospital.

Weight loss surgery is generally designed for those with a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 40, or equal to or greater than 35 with serious co-morbidities. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding is also FDA-approved for weight loss surgery in people with a BMI of 30 to 35 who have at least one obesity-related condition. Weight loss surgery is considered safe, but like many types of surgery, it does have risks. Consult with your physician about the risks and benefits of weight loss surgery.

Bariatric Surgery Services

Bariatric Classes & Events

Sign up for a free seminar at Valley Baptist to explore your weight-loss surgery options.
Gastric Bypass

Read more about gastric bypass weight-loss surgery at Valley Baptist Bariatric Center in Brownsville.
Revision Bariatric Surgery

Read more about Revision Bariatric Weight loss surgery at Valley Baptist Bariatric Center in Brownsville.
Sleeve Gastrectomy

Read more about sleeve gastrectomy weight-loss surgery at Valley Baptist Bariatric Center in Brownsville.
Bariatric Success Stories

Read success stories from Bariatric Weight loss surgery patients at Valley Baptist Bariatric Center in Brownsville.
BMI Calculator

Body Mass Index (BMI) may be a helpful indicator for body fat, based on a height/weight ratio.
Bariatric Online Seminar

Do you qualify for a weight-loss procedure? Find out - watch our online weight loss seminar.
Bariatric Patient Navigator

Nurse navigators are here to help our patients, their families and caregivers maneuver their healthcare journey and over...
Bariatrics Healthy Living

Valley Baptist Health System provides helpful bariatric health articles and tips to keep you in the know on trending top...

Surgical Options for Weight-Loss

Valley Baptist offers two different weight-loss surgical procedures. Each has specific risks and benefits, and our staff and doctors will review each with you.

Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

This surgery involves removing between 60 and 80 percent of the stomach, so that what’s left looks like a tube, or a sleeve. A smaller stomach means that you eat less, and that, along with a slower digestive process, leads to weight loss. This surgery is performed in Harlingen and Brownsville. Learn more about sleeve gastrectomy

Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass

This surgery creates a small pouch at the top of your stomach, and in addition your small bowel is divided. The biliopancreatic limb is reattached to your small bowel on one end, and the other is connected to the pouch, creating what’s called a Roux limb. The pouch releases food slowly, so you feel full after eating very little food. Learn more about gastric bypass

Bariatrics Surgery Disclaimer: Weight loss surgery is generally designed for those with a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 40, or equal to or greater than 35 with serious co-morbidities.  Weight loss surgery is considered safe, but like many types of surgery, it does have risks. Consult with your physician about the risks and benefits of weight loss surgery.

We also offer  revision bariatric surgery to address complications from a previous surgery or enhance weight-loss results.

Bariatric Support Groups & Informational Seminars

Weight-loss surgery isn’t just about losing weight. Not everyone in your life will understand that. Valley Baptist provides support groups so that you’ll immediately have a caring community of friends to lean on for support. If you have had weight-loss surgery, or are considering it, please join us. You’ll be able to share what life is like after surgery as well as learn more about what to expect from the procedure. Every month, we hold a meeting for the community so that anyone interested in bariatric surgery can find out what’s involved, from the costs to the surgery itself and what happens afterward.
See our Bariatric Classes & Events

Vitamins and Protein Supplements

Following surgery, your dietary needs will change. Your smaller stomach will hold only a certain amount of food, and not all of it will be digested and absorbed. To make up for the digestive changes, you’ll need to take vitamin and mineral supplements, as well as maintain a high protein intake, for the rest of your life.

Talk with a Patient Navigator

Our Patient Navigators are a Registered Nurses who can answer your hospital related questions, help you navigate your way through the registration process, and more.
Contact our Bariatric Patient Navigator

More Information

Five Scams to Avoid on the Way to a Healthy Weight Range

Many people make New Year’s resolutions to get into a healthy weight range. If you’re considering diets, watch out for “claims” like “lose 15 pounds in one month without changing your diet” or “use this fitness device for just five minutes a day to produce the same results as 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise.” Save your wallet, and don’t fall victim to false advertising schemes, false marketing and celebrity endorsements. Before dieting, you may want to talk with your doctor to define your healthy weight range. Then, make a plan.

Cautions About Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dietary supplement companies do not need FDA approval before marketing. Just because a supplement is being sold does not mean that it’s safe.

According to the FDA, five warning signs and questions to ask to determine if a product is unsafe and/or a scam include:

  1. Does the product promise a quick fix?
  2. Is the product advertised or marketed through mass email or social media?
  3. Is the product advertised or marketed as an “herbal alternative” to an “FDA-approved” weight loss drug?
  4. Are terms used such as “scientific breakthrough” or “guaranteed” in advertising and marketing?
  5. Is the product marketed in a foreign language?

Five Ways to Avoid a Scam

Advice from the FDA recommended to consumers if a product is marketed as a dietary supplement:

  1. Seek the advice from a trusted healthcare professional as to whether a dietary supplement is needed.
  2. Ask yourself if the product sounds too good to be true.
  3. Exercise caution if a product seems unrealistic.
  4. Scrutinize exaggerated patient testimonials.
  5. Analyze products with exaggerated claims such as “totally safe” or “quick and effective.”

The biggest predictor of losing weight successfully and maintaining a healthy weight range is setting realistic goals and making behavior changes, not depending on a supplement or a quick fix. Successful weight loss and weight maintenance depends on making healthy lifestyle changes.