Obesity, which is becoming more problematic in San Diego, California as well as throughout most of the United States, can be a difficult problem to overcome without professional medical help. There are many negative health problems that can be caused or exacerbated by obesity, and if your BMI is 40 or above (or above 35 with medical conditions like diabetes or high BP), you may have been advised by your doctor to look into bariatric surgery (that is, weight loss surgery) for obesity help. The two most common procedures that are currently used are Lap Band® surgery and gastric bypass surgery.   Other weight loss surgery procedures (like biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch and vertical banded gastroplasty) are less common, but only your gastric surgeon can know which type of bariatric surgery to choose for your combination of needs.

Southern California and the San Diego, CA area specifically have many high-quality medical facilities for those who elect to undergo gastric banding or bypass surgery. These include the prestigious University of California Medical Center, San Diego.

If you decide to have a gastric band, gastric bypass, or other weight loss surgery done in San Diego, it might be nice to take time before the procedure to enjoy San Diego. If you go in the summer, you may run into a Sand Castle Competition. You can get some sun on the beach, stop at the Wild Animal Park or San Diego Zoo, or visit the Gaslamp District for fine dining and entertainment options. 

For more information on obesity-related health services visit San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative or UCSD. You can obtain more information about the laproscopic gastric banding medical device from the Lap Band® manufacturer.