Posts by Dave Oliak
Semaglutide causes impressive weight loss. But is it better than weight loss surgery?
The New England Journal of Medicine published a study on February 10, 2021 showing that an existing diabetes drug called semaglutide (brand name Ozempic—everybody has seen the TV commercials), is effective for causing weight loss when combined with diet and exercise. This study got a lot of press coverage after it was published – see…
Read MoreHow to Choose the Best Weight Loss Surgery for You
Choosing the weight loss operation best suited for you typically means choosing between the sleeve gastrectomy operation and the gastric bypass operation. These two operations are by far the most popular weight loss operations performed in the United States. Before we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the gastric sleeve and the gastric bypass, let’s…
Read MoreGastric Sleeve Surgery for Patients with Low Initial BMI (BMI 30-34.9)
Post updated February 2021. Recently, I updated my post Weight Loss Surgery for Low BMI Patients (BMI 30-34.9) based on updated guidelines from several leading organizations. These guidelines answer the question, “Is weight loss surgery an appropriate treatment for people with mild obesity (BMI less than 35)?” When I first wrote that post in 2012, the answer…
Read MoreSleeve Gastrectomy Surgery Dominates the Field of Weight Loss Surgery
In a previous post from 2013 entitled “The Rise of the Gastric Sleeve,” I predicted that 2013 would be the year the gastric sleeve operation would surpass the gastric bypass operation and the gastric banding (LAP-BAND®) operation to become the most frequently performed operation for weight loss in the United States. During 2013, the sleeve…
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