One of the most popular and effective weight-loss surgeries available, a gastric sleeve procedure is one of the best ways to lose up to 60 percent of your excess fat. When combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise, you’ll take the weight off and keep it off long-term. But you may be wondering how fast the weight comes off and what the average monthly weight loss after gastric sleeve is.
One thing you have to remember about any bariatric surgery: this is a marathon, not a sprint. While you may see some weight loss immediately, it can take up to two years to realize your weight-loss goals. In order to keep that weight off, you’ll need to make lifelong lifestyle changes.
Gastric sleeve surgery is a very effective weight-loss procedure that helps you lose weight with a two-pronged attack. First, around 80 percent of your stomach is removed, limiting the amount of food that you can have in a single sitting. The procedure also creates hormonal changes in the body that curb hunger that lasts for about a year.
You may be wondering–and our patients often ask–about how much weight they can lose with gastric sleeve surgery. While no one number can be applied to everyone, patients can expect to lose about 25% to 60% of their excess fat. Some may lose more, some may lose less depending on a few factors.
Average Monthly Weight Loss After Gastric Sleeve
Once everything is factored in–pre-op work, the success of the surgery, and following post-op guidelines–patients can expect to lose between 60 to 80 percent of their excess fat after two years. Now, that’s excess weight, not overall weight. Let’s look at an example (we’ll do the math for you).
Let’s say you’re 5-foot-10 and weigh 250 pounds–that gives you a body mass index (BMI) of around 36%. Right now, a BMI of 30-34.9 and the presence of metabolic disease (diabetes, heart disease, etc.) qualify you for a bariatric procedure. A BMI of 35 and up means you’re a candidate whether you have existing conditions or not.
A “normal” weight for someone 5-foot-10 is 170 pounds, which equals a BMI of 24.4, near the top of the scale. So the 250-pound person has 80 pounds of excess weight.
(We can hear the gnashing of teeth from here: we realize those numbers may seem a little out of whack. Those figures can be a little misleading–back in his bodybuilding prime, Arnold Schwarzenegger stood at 6 feet tall and weighed 235 pounds. That’s roughly a BMI of 30, but nobody would call Arnold overweight or unhealthy.)
Back to the math: 60 to 80 percent of 80 pounds is 48 to 64 pounds. A gastric sleeve surgery will get our example down to about 200 pounds, or even 190, which is a perfectly healthy weight. And if we average that out over two years, the total weight loss comes to about two or three pounds a month.
That doesn’t seem like a whole lot. This is because you’ll lose most of that excess body weight in the first part of the first year and continue to lose weight for 18 months. After about two years, your weight loss will level out.
How much weight can you lose from gastric sleeve surgery?
However, there are factors that impact how much you lose, including diet and exercise, lifestyle, and how committed you are to changing old habits that need to be broken.
During the first month, patients can expect an average excess weight loss of up to 25% of their excess weight. After three months, the percentage of overall excess loss can reach up to 40%. That number increases to 60% after six months.
Between 12 and 18 months, up to 80% of the excess weight is lost. A laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy had the most consistent long-term weight loss years after surgery.
Losing Weight and Keeping it Off
Remember, the amount of weight loss in gastric sleeve patients depends totally on the person. After any bariatric surgery, you will need to be patient and follow a strict diet plan in tandem with staying active.
Some other things to keep in mind while you consider gastric sleeve weight loss. As you work your way back to a healthy weight, you may at some point post-op begin to exercise and participate in weight training. Since you’ll be building up more muscle at that point, you may gain weight for a time.
This is a good place for a reminder that weight is more than just a number; it’s a range, one which may or may not correlate to overall health.
The important thing is to stay in regular contact with your healthcare team at WeightWise so that we can monitor your progress and make adjustments as necessary based on our evaluations and recommendations.
In fact, our approach to weight management only begins at the surgical stage. What we’ve found through the years is that the best approach is a holistic one that takes into account multiple factors regarding a person’s life, diet, exercise regimen, medications, and more.
Nutrition Options
Speaking of post-op diet and nutrition, WeightWise makes it easy to get the nutrients you need. In particular, we’ve found that protein supplements are an effective and appropriate addition to your post-surgery diet.
Consider high-quality Power Crunch Protein Bars. These are bariatric-friendly products. Each bar contains whey protein and they come in a variety of flavors.
We can also point you in the right direction when it comes to protein drinks and protein shakes. Here are three additional tips on losing weight and keeping it off after gastric sleeve surgery:
1. Eliminating carbs: carbohydrates poison the fat-burning mechanism and create hunger. This will make you want to eat more, and the fat will have a harder time disappearing!
2. Drink the right thing: Say goodbye to sugary, carbonated drinks. Post-surgery, you will need to drink at least 96 ounces of fluid each day. This should be fluid that has no caffeine, carbonation, and contains less than 15 calories per 8 ounces. Water is best!
3. Keep moving: Staying active is key to losing weight and keeping it off. After surgery, talk to your doctor about a fitness plan. You will need to take it easy immediately after surgery, but once you are healed up, you should be launching into a mild exercise plan.
Average Monthly Weight Loss After Gastric Sleeve: Will I Ever Gain Weight?
As we’ve said before, after two years, your weight loss will plateau–you don’t want to lose too much weight in the grand scheme of things. So you may gain a pound or two here or there, but you should remain at your ideal weight if you follow all of the guidelines set by your WeightWise team.
However, if you don’t follow the prescribed diet and workout routines, there is a very good chance you could gain back some of the weight you’ve lost.
After gastric sleeve surgery, your smaller stomach means less space for food. Choosing high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods can lead to eating more calories than needed, slowing weight loss. It’s crucial to prioritize nutrient-rich foods and supplements since a smaller stomach may limit nutrient intake, affecting energy levels and overall health, which can impact weight loss efforts.
Portion control is vital. Overeating can cause discomfort and stretch your smaller stomach, reversing the surgery’s effects. Controlling portions prevents discomfort and aids weight loss by limiting calorie intake. Portion control trains your body to adapt to smaller meals, preventing overeating and supporting long-term weight management.
Hydration is crucial post-gastric sleeve surgery for effective weight loss. Dehydration can slow metabolism, reducing calorie burn. It also causes fatigue, impacting motivation for exercise and healthy eating. It affects digestion, potentially hindering weight loss. Ample water intake supports proper body function and aids weight loss efforts.
Additional lifestyle factors like inadequate exercise, insufficient sleep, alcohol consumption, and smoking can hinder weight loss progress. Certain medical conditions and medications can also impede weight loss, underscoring the importance of discussing these concerns with your WeightWise surgeons prior to the procedure.
Is Gastric Sleeve Right For You?
The gastric sleeve remains a popular option for those seeking weight-loss surgery. As we’ve seen, it can contribute significantly to post-op weight loss. Along with WeightWise’s regimen of follow-up care, it’s also a terrific starting point for many patients struggling with obesity.
As many of you know, obesity in and of itself is a debilitating disease. It can take years off one’s life, and those years can be filled with fatigue, heartburn, low energy, poor sleep, and so much more.
Obesity is implicated in a number of health-related issues, too. These include high blood pressure, sleep apnea, depression, elevated cholesterol levels, and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.
The good news is that there are good solutions! Consider a few more statistics. As we write on our Benefits and Risks page, bariatric surgery patients achieve significant survival advantages when compared to the best nonsurgical management of their obesity-related health problems.
For example, multiple studies have confirmed that bariatric surgery patients represent upwards of 89% fewer deaths over a five-year to 25-year period when compared with nonsurgical groups.
What’s more, dozens of morbid obesity-related diseases are either resolved completely or significantly improved post-op when weight loss is maintained. In the experience of many surgeons and their patients, several diseases can show resolution as early as post-op day No. 1!
That’s certainly something to look forward to.
Complications and Long-Term Prognosis
There’s no doubt that losing weight is the key to achieving optimal health, wellness, and well-being. The decision that each patient faces is: How best to achieve those goals with weight-loss surgery?
More specifically, many patients who research these surgeries on their own or in consultation with their healthcare providers conclude that a gastric sleeve is the way to go. We must keep in mind that, as with all surgeries, there are benefits and risks to be considered before opting for bariatric surgery. However, complications are rare as is the mortality rate.
We’ve found that about 70% of patients lose half their excess weight and keep it off for at least 10 years. So, in addition to losing weight quickly after a gastric sleeve, adjustable gastric band, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, or another surgical procedure, patients tend to keep it off.
Undergoing weight loss surgery is a time for you to rethink your life and take hold of it! Find someone or a group of people that will help be an encouragement for you during this time. Support during your new weight loss journey is one of the key ways to stay successful.
Our highly trained team of bariatric surgeons and other healthcare professionals at WeightWise understands that you might feel overwhelmed at starting this new lifestyle. Contact us today for information on how you can get started or learn if gastric sleeve surgery is right for you.