Surgical weight loss in Southern New Hampshire

Our surgeons aim to help make a positive change in your weight loss journey.

At Catholic Medical Center Physicians, we're here to support you when traditional weight loss methods aren't enough. With years of experience, our compassionate team offers advanced bariatric surgery options to treat obesity and morbid obesity.

Our bariatric treatments and services

The success of your bariatric surgery will depend on your commitment to changing your lifestyle. We offer education, resources and experienced bariatric surgeons to help you make informed decisions that are right for you.

Medical weight loss

Morbid obesity can significantly impact your health and lead to medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, sleep apnea and diabetes. If you are interested in weight loss, you can meet with one of our specialists and evaluate all options, including nonsurgical alternatives.

Our multidisciplinary weight loss program includes the following services:

  • Behavioral health education
  • Body composition analysis
  • Exercise assessment and recommendations
  • Medical assessment and nutrition counseling
  • Support groups

Our dedicated teams perform bariatric surgery at Portsmouth Regional Hospital in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Parkland Medical Center in Derry, New Hampshire.

Benefits of weight loss surgery

During bariatric surgery, the size of your stomach is reduced, limiting the amount of food you can consume. The resulting, decreased calorie intake can lead to significant weight loss. Bariatric surgery can also reduce the risk of obesity-related conditions, such as:

  • Asthma
  • Arthritis
  • Diabetes
  • Gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD)
  • Heart disease
  • High cholesterol
  • Sleep apnea

Types of bariatric procedures

Our surgical weight loss procedures are performed using minimally invasive techniques. This allows major operations to be done through tiny incisions with specialized surgical tools, potentially resulting in reduced discomfort and a shorter hospital stay.

Gastric bypass

During gastric bypass surgery, your stomach is divided, creating a small stomach pouch. A Y-shaped section of the small intestine is attached to the pouch to allow food to bypass your lower stomach. This bypass reduces the amount of calories and nutrients your body absorbs, makes you feel full sooner and alters hormones that control hunger and food cravings. This procedure is both nonreversible and nonadjustable.

The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the most common type of gastrointestinal surgery we offer. This operation restricts both food intake and the amount of calories and nutrients your body absorbs.

Gastric bypass surgery has several potential advantages, including:

  • Increased chances of maintained weight loss
  • No postoperative adjustments required
  • Potential to help resolve high blood pressure and obstructive sleep apnea high cholesterol, and to help improve type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol
  • Reduced desire to overeat

Gastric sleeve

The vertical sleeve gastrectomy, also referred to as a gastric sleeve, is a restrictive form of weight loss surgery in which approximately 80% of your stomach is removed, leaving a sleeve-shaped stomach about the size of a banana. The gastric sleeve significantly reduces your stomach capacity while maintaining the nutritional absorptive capabilities of your small intestine.

The gastric sleeve procedure can have many benefits, including:

  • Food intake limitation
  • No postoperative adjustments required
  • Potential to help resolve high blood pressure and obstructive sleep apnea, and to help improve type 2 diabetes and hyperlipidemia
  • Vitamins and nutrients as food will pass through the digestive tract normally

Gastric bypass vs. gastric sleeve

The gastric sleeve results in fewer restrictions on the foods that you can consume after surgery, although the quantity of food eaten is still considerably reduced. It does not involve any bypass or the intestinal tract.

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB)

LAGB involves surgically inserting an adjustable silicone band and placing it like a belt around the upper part of your stomach. The band is connected by thin tubing to an access port just below the skin. Through this port, your surgeon adjusts the fit of the band.

The band reduces your stomach capacity and restricts the amount of food you’re able to eat at one time. Benefits of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding include a reduced stomach capacity, limited food intake and the ability to feel full sooner and stay full longer.

Weight loss information sessions

It is important to note that bariatric surgery is not considered a cosmetic procedure but is meant, instead, to be part of a more complete health transformation. Find out if weight loss surgery is right for you at a free online information session.

You'll hear from our experienced surgical team and have all your questions answered at this one-hour session, held online via Zoom. Once registered, you will be emailed instructions to access the online meeting.

You can sign up for an information session offered by Portsmouth Regional Hospital by calling (603) 433-4984. To inquire about the information sessions provided by Parkland Medical Center, you can call (603) 421-2264.

Weight loss support groups

Throughout the month, we offer a few preoperative and postoperative surgical weight loss support groups, including:

  • Our preoperative surgical weight loss support group that takes place on the 2nd Monday of the month, from 6:00pm to 6:45pm.
  • Our postoperative surgical weight loss support group that occurs on the last Wednesday of the month.
    • If you are less than one year out from surgery, you may attend from 5:30pm to 6:15pm.
    • If you are more than one year out from surgery, you may attend from 6:30pm to 7:15pm.

Some of the support group sessions include:

  • Behavioral health specialists who focus on behavioral approaches to weight control
  • Exercise physiologists who discusses the importance of exercise and demonstrates tactics
  • Postoperative individuals discussing their experience, questions and concerns
  • Protein taste testing session where you can sample some of the high protein supplements needed for postoperative recovery

For more information about support groups, give us a call at (603) 663-7377.

Candidates for weight loss surgery

The need for weight loss surgery is determined by whether or not you are considered obese. Obesity is defined by an abnormal or excessive body fat accumulation and identified by a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. BMI is one way for doctors to determine excess body fat by comparing your height to your weight — which is then assigned a number.

You could qualify for surgery if you have a BMI of at least 40. You may also qualify if you have a BMI of at least 35 in addition to other significant health issues related to weight, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Complete the form below to determine your BMI.