Just a quick glance around the Internet will lead you to countless “weird tricks” to achieve miraculous weight loss. Michael Feiz, M.D., F.A.C.S. would like let you know that, while there are no “weird tricks” that will cure the disease of obesity, the solid science behind the success of such procedures as gastric sleeve is giving us some new and more powerful tools in the battle against excessive weight.

All bariatric surgeries reduce the appetite by reducing the physical capacity of the body to hold food. The very popular, reversible, and minimally invasive lap band surgery shrinks the stomach by tying off all but a small portion of the stomach. For many patents, simply reducing the size of the stomach helps them to be able to dramatically reduce their food consumption and achieve weight losses they once only dreamed of.

A sleeve gastrectomy would seem to work on the same principle. In this procedure, between 75 and 85 percent of the stomach is removed, leaving the stomach with a sleeve-like shape. However, many patients have found the sleeve to be especially effective, and there appears to be more to it than simply reducing the stomach’s capacity. That may be because the portion of the stomach that’s removed in the procedure includes an area called the fundus, which appears to be part of the body that produces a hormone called ghrelin. Ghrelin, in turn, is thought to be responsible for signaling the brain that we need to eat; overweight people appear to have an overabundance of ghrelin in their system. Thus, drastically reducing the amount of ghrelin may also end those feelings of appetite which cause us to eat even when we know we’ve consumed more than enough.

Most likely there will never be a single magic bullet or “weird trick” to defeat obesity, being able to control ghrelin just may be a huge step forward. Dr. Feiz is one of the foremost authorities on weight gain and weight loss, and he offers free seminars for people who are seriously exploring the possibility of a obtaining a bariatric surgery.