Managing Expectations: What Bariatric Surgery Can and Can’t Do

You’re considering weight loss surgery, but you’re not sure what to expect. How much weight will you lose? How long will it take? Is there a possibility that you’ll regain the weight? Will your diet and level of physical activity have to change after surgery—and if so, how will they change?

Let’s walk through these questions together.

Is Weight Loss Surgery Effective For Losing Weight?

Weight loss surgery is a very effective weight-loss tool. It can help many patients to lose 100-150 pounds or even more and keep it off. One study of duodenal switch surgery patients found that patients lost an average of 81.8% of their excess body weight within the first 18 months after surgery, and kept it off even many years after. Imagine how that would feel.

How Much Weight Can I Expect to Lose?

There is no one answer to this question, and your answer will depend on factors like which weight loss surgery procedure you choose and how consistently you utilize the complimentary lifestyle tools that we teach you such as dietary choices and exercise after surgery. Patients who choose duodenal switch surgery tend to have the highest levels of durable weight loss, followed by patients who choose gastric bypass surgery, and then patients who choose gastric sleeve surgery. No matter which weight loss procedure you choose, though, our bariatric team will work with you to help you work toward reaching your weight loss goals.

How much weight you lose also depends heavily on what you do after surgery. It is important to set your bariatric surgery expectations: surgery is a powerful tool but it is not a magical cure, and after surgery you will need to stick to a careful dietary plan and exercise regime in order to lose maximum weight and keep it off. Most of our patients who do this exceed national averages for weight loss following bariatric surgery (more than 60-100% of their excess body weight) and keep it off, which can translate to 100 or even 150 pounds or more.

How Long Does Weight Loss Take?

After surgery, weight loss won’t happen overnight; but for patients who have spent years or even decades wrestling with their weight, weight loss after surgery can feel very fast. Over the course of the first year, many patients lose 1-2 pounds per week. That means that within one year, you could be down 50-100 pounds; and many patients lose even more. Weight loss typically slows down after this, and peak weight loss typically occurs 1 to 2 years after surgery. 2 years after surgery most patients have reached a healthy weight plateau.

Will I Regain the Weight?

You might be worried that you’ll lose weight after surgery only to watch helplessly as the scale creeps back up, especially if this has been your experience with losing weight from diet and exercise before this. Thankfully, these fears are unfounded. Weight loss surgery is a proven solution to help patients just like you to lose their excess weight and keep it off. One study of gastric bypass patients found that 63% kept their excess weight off even 7 years after surgery. 

Ultimately, whether or not you lose weight and maintain this weight loss is up to you. We will give you all the education you will need to do this and give you time to translate this into habit. Additionally, surgery will make it feel very natural to make these good choices, but surgery doesn’t make the choices for you. So, after surgery you’ll need to commit to your dietary and exercise plan in order to maximize your long-term weight loss. Our bariatric team will help you to create this plan and work with you every step of the way to help you to stick to it. Because of this, our weight regain is far lower even than the national studies cited above; most of our BMCC patients experience successful long-term weight loss.

What Will My Diet Look Like After Weight Loss Surgery?

After weight loss surgery, your diet will likely look very different than it did before surgery. While transitionally after surgery you will require 5-6 meals per day, eventually after this time it will be very important that you are consistently intaking three meals per day, without grazing. One or two planned protein or raw vegetable snacks can be used if needed, but generally other non-planned snacking either between meals or at night is not encouraged. Here’s what your diet should look like:

Liquids

To Drink:

– 64oz of water per day

– You can also drink unsweetened non-caffeinated tea

To Avoid:

– Sugary or carbonated beverages (ex. soda)

– Coffee or any caffeinated beverage

– Juice or any other liquid calorie

Meals

To Eat:

– Lean moist meats

– Lunch meats

– Nuts (only in small premeasured quantities)

– Eggs

– Greek yogurt

– Low-fat cheeses

– Leafy vegetables

– Healthy fats (ex. avocados, olive oil)

– Some fruits

Make sure to get plenty of protein. Most patients need 60-100 grams of protein per day.

To Avoid:

– Processed carbohydrates (ex. white bread, pasta, muffins, cookies)

– Sugar

– Fatty meats (ex. sausage, bacon)

– Fried foods

What Will My Exercise Regime Look Like After Weight Loss Surgery?

After surgery, your levels of physical activity will need to change dramatically. We recommend that most patients build up to 150 minutes per week (30 minutes per day, 5 days per week) of moderate-intensity physical activity, including 2 days of resistance training. If you are especially motivated to seek your maximum opportunity to lose weight and keep it off, then we encourage you to work up to 300 minutes per week (60 minutes per day, 5 days per week) of moderate-intensity activity, including 2 days of resistance training.

After surgery, our bariatric team will work with you to develop an exercise plan that’s right for you.

Is Post-Bariatric Surgery Life A Lot of Work?

Based on the above two questions, you might worry that post-weight-loss surgery life will be a lot of work. There is some truth to this. Surgery certainly isn’t the easy way out that some people imagine, but it is an effective way out. It is important to set healthy bariatric surgery expectations before surgery. But the work is also worth it. Many of our patients report that they feel happier, healthier, and more able to engage in life than they have for decades.

Taking the Next Step On Your Weight Loss Journey

If you have any other questions about weight loss surgery, please feel free to browse our site, take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page, or give our friendly office staff a call. Our double-board-certified bariatric surgeon personally commits to answering even the hardest questions.

Many of our patients say that the decision to undergo weight loss surgery was the best decision of their lives.

“The best decision I have ever made was to have this surgery. Not only did I improve my health, I have my life back again with my family.”—Georgette Camacho, duodenal switch patient.

If you’re suffering, don’t wait. Contact our Denver office today.