Obesity and excess weight can lead to a variety of physical and mental health issues, as well as decreased physical ability. UnityPoint Health offers a comprehensive weight loss program with both surgical and non-surgical methods, providing coordinated care with a team of experts to serve all aspects of your weight loss journey. Because every person is different, the team will help find the approach that will produce the best results for you.
Understanding the UnityPoint Health Weight Loss Program
The UnityPoint Health Weight Loss Program is designed to help individuals achieve their personal weight loss goals through coordinated care and a multidisciplinary team approach. The program is accredited by the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery as a MBSAQIP Comprehensive Center for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. This designation reflects the program's demonstrated ability and resources to provide high-quality bariatric surgery with a dedicated multidisciplinary team providing lifelong follow-up care for every type of bariatric procedure and complexity of patients.
Through a coordinated approach, patients are able to lose weight in the safest, most effective way possible. The program emphasizes patient-centered weight management strategies, individualized meal plans, physical activity recommendations, and coaching through behavior changes to help reach weight loss goals.
The Multidisciplinary Team
A team of board-certified surgeons, a registered dietitian, a mental health counselor, a nurse practitioner, and an exercise physiologist surround weight loss program patients. They work side-by-side to cover every aspect of a patient’s health, starting months before the beginning of the program and continuing through the years after to ensure long-lasting success.
The team includes:
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- Dietitian: Food, diet, and nutrition experts who provide individualized meal plans and nutritional counseling.
- Psychiatric Counselor: Mental health professionals who provide counseling for overweight and obese patients, addressing psychological conditions like depression and anxiety that can impact success.
- Physician Assistant: Certified and licensed medical professionals practicing medicine with a team of other medical professionals.
- Nurse Practitioner: Provides complete evaluations and monitors weight loss progress.
- Exercise Physiologist: Provides physical activity recommendations and helps patients incorporate exercise into daily life.
Surgical Weight Loss Options at UnityPoint Health
Weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, can be a very beneficial procedure and is the beginning of a lifelong commitment to health. It can be a life-changing decision with the potential goal of decreasing your excess body weight by at least 50% and resolving any diseases that are being caused or worsened by excess weight. It is important to note that bariatric surgery is not a way to lose weight fast and requires dedication to proper diet and exercise.
Picking the right surgical weight loss option is a big decision to help patients reach a healthy weight when they aren’t seeing results with diet and exercise alone. Each procedure has its benefits and risks, as with any surgery, so it’s important to know the difference between the procedures before choosing which is right for you.
UnityPoint Health offers several types of weight loss surgery, including:
Gastric Bypass Surgery
Gastric bypass surgery involves dividing the stomach into two parts and bypassing a portion of the small intestine, reducing the amount of food your body can absorb. The surgeon divides the stomach into two parts: an upper pouch and a lower, unused portion. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is usually a laparoscopic surgery, using small incisions and instruments, which is minimally invasive. After surgery, the pouch will hold about one ounce of food, or about 1/8 of a cup.
In the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the rest of the stomach is sectioned off from the new pouch but left intact. It still has a blood supply and drains any small amount of fluid through the small intestine, or duodenum. Gastric bypass is generally considered a more invasive weight loss surgery than gastric sleeve.
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Gastric Sleeve Surgery
In the sleeve gastrectomy, approximately 75% of the stomach is permanently removed leaving a smaller banana shaped stomach that holds approximately ½ cup of food per meal. A portion of the stomach is removed, converting the stomach into a long narrow tube. This surgery does not interrupt the usual intestinal continuity.
Gastric Band Surgery
During gastric band surgery, a band is placed around the upper part of the stomach to restrict its size. This helps you feel fuller sooner and eat less. It has the lowest risk of complications compared to gastric sleeve and gastric bypass surgery.
Revisional Surgery
If you had a previous weight loss surgery and are having complications or problems, UnityPoint Health can help. The hospital has unique expertise as the only hospital in the state to perform revisions.
Considerations for Surgical Weight Loss
Morbidly obese patients are at a higher risk when having any surgery due to their excess weight. Often, the patient may feel normal prior to surgery but have underlying medical problems they didn’t recognize.
Long-term complications include hair loss, dumping syndrome, diarrhea, vomiting, ulcers, bile gastritis, hernias, foreign body reaction, infection and virtually any other post-operative problem. Some patients develop severe difficulties in coping with their weight loss. These difficulties may include depression, separation from spouse, divorce and even suicide gestures or actual suicide. Generally, someone who is well-adjusted and has a strong support system has a better recovery outlook.
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Advancements in the care of surgical weight loss patients over the past 20 years have allowed surgeons to perform these surgeries with very low complication rates. Your personal risks are individually evaluated at your consultation with your surgeon. Remember, the risks of staying morbidly obese far outweigh the risks of surgery.
Non-Surgical Weight Loss Options at UnityPoint Health
UnityPoint Health understands that surgery may not be the best treatment for your weight loss journey. That's why they offer non-surgical weight loss programs with the primary goal to educate and coach you, so you may live a healthier lifestyle. The Healthy Lifestyles Weight Loss Program offers patient-centered weight management strategies.
The program combines expert guidance, personalized care, and proven methods to support your weight loss goals without surgery. As with any weight loss program, UnityPoint Health wants you to discuss your plans with your primary physician, who will be included in your care at all times.
Patients who enroll in the Health Lifestyles Program meet regularly with the nurse practitioner, registered dietitian, and exercise physiologist to monitor weight loss progress and learn lifelong healthy lifestyle habits and ways to incorporate exercise into daily life to sustain weight loss.
Components of the Non-Surgical Program
- Comprehensive Evaluation: A complete evaluation by the nurse practitioner at your first visit is the foundation of your personalized weight loss program.
- Weight Loss Tests: Baseline tests such as resting metabolic rate and exercise tolerance testing are offered to evaluate your progress and some can be done right in the clinic.
- Personalized Plans: The care team provides exercise plans specifically designed to support your weight loss journey. These personalized plans are tailored to your abilities, goals, and health conditions.
- Nutritional Guidance: You will work closely with dietitians to learn new lifelong habits. The care team will provide you with information about meal tracking, food choices, and incorporating activity into your daily life.
- Medication Management: Weight loss medications can be an effective tool for individuals struggling to lose weight through diet and exercise alone. These medications, prescribed by healthcare professionals, work by reducing appetite, increasing feelings of fullness, or enhancing fat burning.
- Regular Monitoring: Objective and behavioral markers will be recorded at each visit to measure patient progress toward overall goals. Health specialists will work with you to set weight loss goals and make changes to achieve them.
Insurance and Financial Considerations
Many insurance plans cover weight loss surgery if you meet the National Institute of Health guidelines. It’s your responsibility to contact your insurance company to be sure they’ll pay for the surgery. The UnityPoint Health team will request approval from your insurance company and send copies of all your medical records.
Before your consultation, call the customer service number on your insurance card to make sure your plan covers weight loss surgery. Tell the customer service representative you’re interested in bariatric surgery and ask if the service is covered by your plan. You may have to use phrases like, “morbid obesity surgery,” “weight loss surgery” or "bariatric surgery." If the service isn’t covered or is excluded, this means your employer, or whoever you get your insurance through, didn’t pay for this benefit. You may contact the office regarding cash payment options.
Questions to Ask Your Insurance Company:
- Is there an out-of-pocket maximum for this procedure?
- Do I need certain co-morbid conditions (medical conditions related to your weight)?
- Do I have to complete a physician-supervised diet and for how long?
Be advised that every insurance plan is different. Patients are strongly encouraged to contact their insurance companies to see what's required for their pre-approval.
Physician-Supervised Diet
A physician-supervised diet, in its most basic form, is when a patient meets with their family physician every month to discuss their weight loss goals, an exercise plan, nutritional changes and have their current weight and height documented. It’s important your physician thoroughly documents everything discussed at these visits in your chart. Some insurance companies require patients to be on these diets for a period before surgery; others require patients to meet with a dietitian or nutritionist, too.
To be sure if you have already completed a physician-supervised diet, contact your physician and ask if this diet was documented in your medical records. If it was, and within the past three years, have those records sent to the UnityPoint Health office. Check with your insurance company to see what they require for insurance approval. Most insurance companies require more than just a letter. Insurance companies want to see that the patient and doctor met routinely in the office. Most also want to track fluctuations in weight from each visit.
Program Fees
At the time you schedule a consultation, a non-refundable fee may be due. Most bariatric programs charge a similar fee to cover non-physician services including, but not limited to, unlimited weight loss education, phone support, and insurance assistance. This fee is not billed to insurance and does not cover any co-insurance or deductibles.
Preparing for Weight Loss Surgery
If you're considering surgical weight loss, there are many steps you need to take to prepare for bariatric surgery. UnityPoint Health has the experience to help you through these steps as you make this positive investment in your health.
Pre-Surgery Requirements
- Medical History: Conditions like diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and digestive disorders influence surgery approval. These conditions also make surgery more complicated.
- Previous Weight Loss Programs: To be approved, you need to have first tried other ways to lose weight in a medically supervised program.
- Psychological Evaluation: You'll be more successful if you're mentally and emotionally prepared for surgery. UnityPoint Health helps coordinate evaluation appointments to assess your mental health.
- Sleep Study: A sleep study tests for sleep apnea.
- Ongoing Commitment: You can demonstrate commitment by making lifestyle changes, going to doctor's appointments, and participating in community support groups.
- Pre-Surgery Diet: The care team will help you put together a pre-surgery diet that fits your lifestyle, reduces surgery risk, and sets you up for success.
- Increase Physical Activity: Exercise builds strength for surgery and habits you'll need after surgery.
Demonstrating Commitment
You can demonstrate commitment by making lifestyle changes, going to doctor's appointments and participating in community support groups.
Pre-Surgery Diet
The care team will help you put together a pre-surgery diet that fits your lifestyle, reduces surgery risk and sets you up for success. Pre-surgery weight loss may mean you can have a minimally invasive surgery, which often reduces discomfort and recovery time.
Post-Surgery Care and Support
Follow-up is extremely important to every bariatric surgery patient. Although some of the tools for weight reduction are provided, learning to use these tools properly takes time.
Surgical Follow-Up Visits
After surgery, you’ll have scheduled visits with the surgeon and other members of the weight loss surgery team. During these visits, weight loss, diet and physical activity are reviewed. Examinations and tests are performed as needed. The goal is to provide continued care and encouragement.
You'll follow up with your surgeon and our nurse practitioner once a month for the first three months. You'll continue with appointments every three months and then every six months.
Support Groups
Depending on your location, different support options are available, such as bariatric support groups, even for those who didn’t have bariatric surgery at UnityPoint Health. This support group is strongly recommended to all patients as a great deal of information is exchanged by interacting with the other patients in the support group.
The need for support doesn't end a few weeks or months after surgery. The support group is filled with people who want you to succeed. Support group members come up with ways to deal with life and work stresses. UnityPoint Health also offers in-person and online weight loss support groups. This is a judgment-free, safe and confidential group to uplift, inform and encourage individuals on the path of bariatric surgery or those who have previously had bariatric surgery.
Dietary Transition
After your surgery, you will make a slow transition to your lifelong food plan, following the gastric sleeve diet. You'll be on a clear liquid diet for about a week. You can expect to have a protein shake each day along with broth, Jell-O and similar foods. In the following weeks, you'll introduce other foods, including thin soups, nonfat yogurt and thin cereals. The nutritionist guides you as you slowly add more variety to your diet.
Exercise
We encourage you to exercise as soon as you feel ready. This can be as early as one week. Some people return to work on the fourth day after surgery. However, most patients find they need one or two weeks before going back to work. You may feel tired during the first week, but you’ll feel more energetic as you lose weight.
Weight Loss Expectations
You’ll start losing weight immediately after surgery. You may not notice any loss until the second week. The weight loss after each surgery occurs at a different rate. Each patient has a different weight loss rate dependent upon their adherence to the program and level of physical activity. Weight loss after surgery continues for about 18 to 24 months. With any weight loss surgery, weight loss typically continues for two years and then plateaus.
It’s unusual for a person to become too thin after weight loss. These procedures allow you to ingest and absorb a sufficient amount of nourishment, so you don’t get too thin.
Addressing Excess Skin
After much weight loss, you may find yourself with excess skin. Some people find the excess skin a nuisance or unappealing. After that, your body is ready for additional surgery for excess skin removal. This is typically performed by a plastic surgeon, who will evaluate you and decide with you what areas may need work. This cosmetic surgery may not be covered by insurance. Documentation of health problems related to the excess skin may be required. These may include rashes, back pain or difficulty maintaining reasonable hygiene.
Pregnancy After Weight Loss Surgery
It is suggested to wait at least 18 months after surgery to have a child. Even after that, you must make sure your obstetrician is aware of your weight loss surgery and that you and your baby are followed closely.
Potential Complications
Failure to follow the recommended diet and exercise program will result in weight gain with any weight loss surgery.
Success Stories
Many individuals have found success with the UnityPoint Health Weight Loss Program. Here are a few examples:
- Adam: "This was the best investment in myself!"
- Jackie: "I am the happiest I’ve ever been."
- Robert: Now he's even playing with his grandchildren! 119 lbs. lost to date!* *Individual results may vary.
- Jeanna: She says she couldn't find a better group to walk this journey with her and that she now has the life she always dreamt of for herself.
- Gerald Hill: Now he says he has a new lease on life.
- Angela: She finally made the decision to have weight loss surgery because she wanted to live for her children and herself.
- Lindsy: Since having the surgery, she feels she's been given the opportunity to start over with life. "I can now do one of the most important things in life. I can smile!"
- Kourtney: After surgery she was even able to going ziplining.
- Ashley: Weight loss surgery gave Ashley more confidence. Not only did it change her life, but it changed her son's life in such a good way. 115 lbs. lost to date!* *Individual results may vary.
- Kristin: Kristin has had so much success with her weight loss surgery that she recommended IWLS to her sister and her daughter. 87 lbs. lost to date!* *Individual results may vary.
- Nicholle: Nicholle had a lot of anxiety over being out in the public at her previous weight, but now she is an active part of society again.
- Nicole: Now she's riding long distances on her bike, paddle boarding, and taking rowing classes. 106 lbs. lost to date* *Individual results may vary.
- Brooke Willey: She realized that wasn't the case, and though it's hard work, she says it is so worth it. 92 lbs. lost to date* *Individual results may vary.
- Karen: Karen's excess weight was causing her to live life on the sidelines. Now she's an active participant. 113 lbs. lost to date* *Individual results may vary.
- Amie: She also wasn't living life to the fullest and needed to become a role model for her daughters. She says, "Having the vertical sleeve has changed my life.
- Damon and Karin: Husband and wife, would never have had the energy to open a second pizza joint if it wasn’t for their weight loss surgeries with Iowa Weight Loss Specialists. 206 combined lbs.
- Jeremy: Jeremy says: “My joint pain has disappeared and I no longer have acid reflux.
- Anita: After having the surgery, she no longer has to have a physical every three months for work - saving her time and money.
- Mark: Before surgery, stress injuries on Mark’s joints prevented him from exercising. Now he runs over three miles several days a week!
- Stormy: Before surgery, Stormy was barely able to walk up stairs or exercise. Now she is running and exercising almost every day!
- Shelley: Now she can easily get up and down off the floor and run around in the back yard with him.
- Mindy: Ten months and 66 pounds later, Mindy is down to 236 pounds. She no longer has prediabetes. She can walk for miles and (mostly) keep up with her athletic nine-year-old daughter.
*Individual results may vary.