Most people diet at one time or another. Even those who have had bariatric surgery will need to adjust eating habits at some point to prevent weight regain. Dieting is a common practice that almost everyone has experienced.
How then do we diet and what do we expect from the effort? Are you goal-oriented? When on a diet, do you have a specific amount of weight you want to lose? As that diet moves forward, do you have a specific number of pounds you want to lose each week? Most people do, and my guess is you probably do as well.
Goals can be useful. They help keep us focused, boost our self confidence when they are realized, and can be incentives for renewed efforts if we fall short. Check out Bill Streetman’s, “4 Strategies to Weight Loss Surgery Success.”
If asked what your long-term weight loss goals are, you would probably give positive, upbeat responses. Bariatric surgery might even be an option you are considering. It would be a shock to hear that your intention is to gain back every pound you lost over the course of the next 5 years.
Success of Bariatric Surgery
The laparoscopic gastric sleeve is a popular bariatric procedure in the United States that is covered by major insurance carriers. A large portion of the patient’s stomach is removed during the procedure. What remains is a tube-like structure that is about one quarter the size of the stomach before surgery. In addition to impressive weight loss, the gastric sleeve also reduces a patient’s risk for diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension.
Research also has shown the gastric sleeve surgery is effective for short-term weight loss in 90 percent of young patients. The gastric sleeve was 70 percent effective in reducing the risk for other serious conditions in the two-year period immediately after surgery.
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Unfortunately, any bariatric surgery fails in the long-term when not followed-up with a weight loss maintenance plan. Persons who fail to make the necessary dietary changes after bariatric surgery frequently regain much of the weight they have lost.
5-Year Weight Gain After Bariatric Surgery
A review of laparoscopic gastric sleeve surgery data for 443 patients showed that excess weight loss was 55 percent after five-years. This is down from the 77 percent of excess weight loss that was seen after one year.
Similarly, diabetes remission was 51 percent after one year but dropped to 20 percent after five-years. Longer follow-up data showed weight regain and a decrease in remission of type 2 diabetes.
Bariatric Surgery Diet
While bariatric surgery is an excellent push in a great direction, it is not a cure-all. The surgery in and of itself will not be effective for permanent weight loss. Learn about the Bariatric Diet.
Behavioral changes must be made and maintained. Bariatric surgery is a great help, but the habits that lead to obesity need to be addressed. And bariatric surgery, alone, cannot erase those bad habits that cause obesity. Read, “10 Easy Steps to Permanent Weight Loss.”
Living larger than ever,
My Bariatric Life
Photo: Karolina Grabowska
