Red Mountain Med Spa

If you are considering gastric bypass surgery for weight loss, you should be sure you understand the long term consequences and success rates for patients who have had gastric bypass surgery.  The surgery involves bypassing the majority of the stomach and the first part of the small intestine. Because of this, gastric bypass patients require lifetime supplementation with vitamin B-12, calcium, and iron. Failure to take these supplements every day results in life-threatening consequences or a minimum of osteoporosis.

 

Weight gain does occur after gastric bypass surgery and some patients regain all the weight they lost. All patients lose some weight in the first year. Starting with year two, weight gain can begin. By year five a significant number of patients have regained weight and at year ten, even more are struggling. 

 

When reporting the success rates for gastric bypass surgery, many studies classify success as maintaining a BMI of 35 or less. A BMI of 35 translates to a 5 '4" woman weighing 205 lbs. This is still classified as obesity and is not the result most patients are seeking.

 

Research done following bypass surgery reveals that the decrease in hormones that cause hunger lasts for a year on average. These hormones then return to pre-surgery levels and this is one of the factors leading to weight gain. Surgeons are also not trained to deal with the psycho-social factors important in obesity, so surgical patients may not get the long term support that they need. 

 

The Bariatric Physicians and the staff at Red Mountain Med Spa have received special training in the medical and psycho-social treatment of obesity. They are available to assist patients on a regular basis. It is important to focus on every aspect of the weight loss process including food choices, exercise, and emotional eating. It is also critical for the patient to feel comfortable coming to the office when they are doing well and when they are struggling. Surgeons can often be judgmental about a patient's weight gain. At Red Mountain, we are able to help surgical patients who have regained weight get back on track, and our successful programs have enabled patients to avoid having gastric bypass surgery to begin with.