Bariatric Surgery - Or weight-loss surgery is performed on obese patients by shrinking the stomach size and/or by resecting and re-routing the small intestines to a small stomach pouch (gastric bypass surgery).

Behavioural Therapy - Within Bariatric Surgery is a psychological evaluation. Behaviour therapy (behaviour modification) looks at patients environmental and social situations as well as to help patients make the most of their surgery. Social history, psychiatric problems, current living situation, are used to identify good and bad candidates for bariatric surgery

Biliopancreatic Diversion (BPD) -Diverting food to the small intestine by making the stomach smaller. This allows the patient to feel full up more quickly. The technique is used less frequently because it can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

BMI (Body Mass Index) - A measurement used to calculate excess weight and obesity. Determined by a formula that takes into account weight and height.

Gastric dumping syndrome, or rapid gastric emptying - A risk of some bariatric surgeries, a condition where ingested foods bypass the stomach too rapidly and enter the small intestine largely undigested Symptoms include nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness, and sometimes diarrhea after eating.

The Duodenal Switch (DS) procedure, also known as Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch (DS) The Duodenal Switch (DS) - A reduced-size stomach pouch is created, which restricts the quantity of food patients can eat in a single sitting. In addition, the bariatric surgeon makes it more difficult for this reduced amount of food to be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. The objective of this surgery is to reduce the amount of time the body has to capture calories from food in the small intestine and to selectively limit the absorption of fat.

Fitness Therapy - A tailored plan for individual patients whom have undergone Bariatric Surgery.

Gastric Bypass Surgery - Bariatric procedures that alter the digestive tract, dividing the stomach into a small upper pouch and a much larger, lower pouch so that certain parts are bypassed, inhibiting the body's absorption of calories.

Laparoscopy - Laparoscopy is an operation performed in the abdomen or pelvis through small incisions (usually 0.5–1.5 cm) with the aid of a camera. The laparoscope is used to view the abdomen.

LAP BAND® Surgery - Where an adjustable band is placed around a portion of the stomach, restricting the amount of food able to be consumed.

Malabsorptive Operations - Bariatric surgery operations, do not limit food intake, but instead exclude most of the small intestine from the digestive tract so fewer calories and nutrients are absorbed..

Medical Nutrition Therapy -Assesses the nutritional requirements of patients based on weight, medical history, food preferences and meal frequency . Used to plan dietary needs of individual patients.

Morbid Obesity -A body weight that poses a severe risk to the patients health, defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) that is greater than 40. Alternatively defined as men who are at least 100 pounds overweight and by women who are at least 80 pounds overweight.

Restrictive Operations - Bariatric surgery operations a selection of procedures that restrict the amount of food intake by reducing stomach content size.

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RGB) - The most commonly performed malabsorptive surgery. Special staples are used to section off a tiny portion of the stomach that holds one ounce of food or less. A small Y-shaped section of the small intestine is attached to the pouch to allow food to bypass the lower stomach as well as the first and second segments of the small intestine.

Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (VBG) - The most common restrictive operation for weight control. A combination of staples and a band are used to create a small stomach pouch.