How Much Will I Lose?

Bariatric surgery can help you lose a significant amount of weight in a short period of time. The surgery makes you feel satiated with less food. To successfully maintain the weight loss, you should view the weight-loss surgery as a tool that prepares you to overcome your cravings and make healthy changes that last a lifetime.

The amount of weight loss that occurs after weight-loss surgery varies from person to person. You can usually expect to lose weight very quickly in the first few months after the surgery, but as you get closer to your ideal weight, the weight comes off more slowly.

Here’s how much you can expect to lose with the different types of bariatric surgeries:

• Gastric Bypass: This is the gold standard of weight-loss surgeries. It provides greater weight loss and has better long-term results than any other weight-loss surgery. However, the risks and side-effects of the procedure are also greater. A small portion of the stomach is surgically separated from the rest of the organ and connected directly to the small intestine, bypassing the duodenum. This causes appetite suppression, favourable changes in gut hormones and improvement in diabetes. In the long term, you can expect approximately a 70% reduction of excess weight.

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• Gastric Sleeve: This procedure reduces the holding capacity of the stomach from 1.5 litres to about 200 millilitres. It results in hunger reduction, minimises the amount of food you can eat at one time and improves metabolism. You can expect to lose about 60% of excess weight in the long term. 

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• Gastric Band: This is the safest type of weight-loss surgery and involves placing a soft silicone collar at the top of the stomach. This reduces the amount of food that you can eat in one sitting and helps you to lose weight because you feel full sooner and stay full longer. You can expect to lose 50% of excess weight in the long term with this procedure.

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After the surgery, your doctor and nutritionist will provide you with a diet plan specific to your condition, as well as exercise tips to help maximise your weight loss. You should follow this plan as closely as possible for the best results.