The new year often has people thinking about new ways they can transform their lifestyle. Maybe they are looking to work out more, get outside more often, or lose weight. If you live with severe obesity and want to lose a substantial amount of weight and have not found success in traditional diet and exercising, bariatric surgery may be an option for you.
WeightWise realizes every situation is different, so we develop specific plans for our clients. When it comes to expected weight loss with a bariatric procedure, we talk in terms of percent of the excess weight loss. For example, if a 400-pound person loses 70 percent of their overall weight, that would be 280 pounds!
We consider excess body weight using body mass index, family history, medical history, and more when it comes to devising a plan. Our bariatric surgeons not only want to find out what an ideal weight is for a client, but also if the client is a good candidate for surgery in the first place.
How Much Weight Can I lose?
Bariatric surgery is a minimally invasive surgery that makes changes to your digestive system and helps patients experience significant weight loss. Some changes that are made include removing portions of the stomach which allow patients to eat and drink less. Others include making changes to the small intestine, which aids in the calorie and nutrient absorption from food and drinks.
Our experienced medical team at WeightWise offers the following bariatric surgery procedures. Although everyone will have different success, the percentage of lost excess below is an average. Remember, the success of the procedure is largely dependent on the patient. Losing 100 pounds as a 250-pound person will be a greater percentage than a 450-pound person.
Average excess weight loss for different bariatric surgeries:
- Gastric sleeve surgery – Patients can expect to lose 60 percent of their excess weight in the long term if they follow their plan.
- Gastric bypass – Patients that follow their specific plans can expect to lose 70 percent of their excess weight on average.
- Duodenal switch – Perhaps the greatest amount of excess weight can be lost with the duodenal switch, up to 85 percent.
- Lap band – With this procedure, patients can lose up to 50 percent of their excess weight and continue to lose weight years after surgery.
- Revisional procedures – Expected excess weight loss is much lower in revisional procedures and is less successful due to any number of reasons.
Each of these procedures can be very effective in losing weight, but gastric bypass surgery usually boasts the most consistent excess weight loss, both in the long and short term. However, this often depends on the person, their specific medical history, and how seriously they take their diet and exercise after the surgery is complete.
How to have a positive weight loss surgery result
After bariatric surgery, you will need to make some big adjustments to your lifestyle, especially in the area of food. Your doctor and nutritionist will go over your new diet plan and help you come up with a routine to help you stay active. If this plan isn’t followed, there could be weight regain, pain, or even injury.
Some important tips on losing weight and keeping it off include eliminating carbohydrates and carbonated drinks and eating multiple small meals a day. The changes to your digestive system mean you may not be able to eat or tolerate the same kinds of foods or drinks you were used to before.
Our team at WeightWise advocates for the full health of each of our patients. Contact us today for information on how you can get started or learn if you’re a candidate for bariatric surgery. We are a full-service bariatric surgery facility, offering surgeons, dietitians, exercise physiologists, and personal advocates for our patients.
This level of service is what makes us such an attractive option for weight loss surgery. Instead of visiting two or three facilities, everything you’ll need for weight loss in the short and long-terms can be found here. However, surgery is just the first step. To truly become healthier, our patients need to make lifestyle changes in both diet and activity.
To learn more about what we offer, take a look at our FREE online seminar to find out why our patients are so successful. Convinced you need a major life change so that you can enjoy living life again? Contact WeightWise today to see how we can help you on the journey to healthy living.