It generates weight loss by restricting the amount of food that can be eaten without any bypass of the intestines or malabsorption. With this procedure, the surgeon removes approximately 85 percent of the stomach laparoscopically so that the stomach takes the shape of a tube or "sleeve."

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the current gold standard procedure for weight loss surgery. In the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedures, a surgeon makes a direct connection from the stomach to a lower segment of the small intestine, bypassing the duodenum, and some of the jejunum.

A Gastric Band (lap band) surgical procedure is a purely restrictive approach to reducing the capacity of the stomach by which a band is placed around the upper most part of the stomach giving it the shape of an hour glass.

In this procedure, the stomach is folded over and stitched to itself, shrinking it to a small fraction of its original size. This means that it holds less food, which in turn means fewer calories consumed and successful weight loss for patients who follow the post-operative guidelines provided by the bariatric team.

Most non-surgical weight loss programs are based on some combination of diet/behavior modification and regular exercise. Research has shown that non-operative methods alone have not been effective in achieving significant long-term weight loss in severely obese adults.