The theory is simple. When a person feels full they no longer feel hungry. The probable result of this is that they will eat less.

Restrictive bariatric surgery is designed to stimulate this feeling of fullness. The surgeon makes a small stomach pouch in the top half of the stomach. This stomach pouch, which can hold about 15 to 20 ml, is linked to the rest of the stomach via a narrow opening. The stomach pouch clearly reduces the quantity of food that can be ingested and the feeling of fullness comes earlier. The food is digested (absorbed) in the intestinal tract as normal.

With a cooperating patient, reduced stomach capacity and behavioural changes can lead to a systematically lower calorie intake, which in turn leads to weight loss.
During recovery, patients must adhere to strict and specific dietary guidelines and the restrictions prescribed by their surgeon. Although these guidelines can vary from one surgeon to another, each patient is required to follow his surgeon’s instructions.

The patient must learn to adjust to a new way of eating.

A half to a full cup of food will be enough to bring about a feeling of fullness. Patients who eat slowly, learn to eat less, and avoid drinking too much (particularly carbonated drinks) during meals will obtain the best results from a restrictive procedure.

If the patient does not follow these guidelines, the stomach pouch and the small opening can expand, so that the surgery is not effective. The efficiency of a restrictive procedure is reduced if patients constantly eat between meals or if they drink fat or calorie rich drinks. If the desired weight loss is not achieved, this is purely down to the fact that the patient has not adhered to the recommended dietary and behavioural changes (physical exercise).