Gastric bypass surgery involves bypassing a part of the small intestine that absorbs nutrients. For this reason, these surgeries are referred to as malabsorptive procedures.
Gastric stapling surgery is a type of weight loss surgery that limits the amount of food a person can eat.
Restrictive operations are easier to perform and are generally safer than malabsorptive, or bypass, operations, the Weight-control Information Network says. But people who have restrictive surgery generally lose less weight than people who malabsorptive operations, and they are less likely to maintain weight loss over time.