Exploring the Long-Term Benefits of Bariatric Surgery

You’re considering weight loss surgery, and wondering what the long-term benefits of bariatric surgery are. Is it just weight loss? Or is there more to life after surgery?

The health benefits of bariatric surgery extend far beyond weight loss. Many of our patients lose 90% of their excess weight or even more, which is life-changing in and of itself. But patients also experience a number of other benefits, including remediation of comorbidities like sleep apnea and high cholesterol. Many patients even experience a cure for type 2 diabetes.

In this blog we’ll walk through the health benefits of weight loss surgery so that you can make an informed choice.

Benefit #1: Weight Loss

How does bariatric surgery impact weight loss in the long term?

The biggest long-term benefit of weight loss surgery is that our patients lose weight and keep it off. Many of our patients lose 100-150 pounds or even more, and don’t regain it. Imagine how that would feel.

The durable health benefits of bariatric surgery stand in contrast to diet and exercise alone. Before surgery, many of our patients dieted and exercised like champions, and in some cases struggled to lose 50 pounds or even more only to watch helplessly as the scale started to creep back up. The unfortunate truth is that when you suffer from obesity, your body is hardwired to maintain its weight. When you start to lose weight, your body goes into ‘starvation mode’ and works overtime to put the weight back on.

The durability of weight loss after bariatric surgery also stands in contrast to second-generation weight loss medications such as Mounjaro, Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound. These medications represent profound improvements over first-generation weight loss medications, and can help patients to lose 15-20% of their total body weight over the course of 1-2 years. But the effects only last as long as you’re taking the medication. If you stop taking the medication (for instance, because of the very high monthly cost) then the weight will return.

Bariatric surgery works by reducing the size of your stomach, which means that you feel full faster. Surgeries such as the gastric bypass and duodenal switch also rearrange your intestine to reduce caloric absorption. The combination serves as a powerful 1-2 punch that can level the playing field in your battle against obesity, giving you the same chance to lose weight as anyone else. Additional benefits of bariatric surgery including hormonal modification and resulting changes to your microbiome that are now also believed to contribute in significant ways to your weight loss and metabolic health

When paired with diet and exercise, bariatric surgery can help patients lose 65-100% of their excess body weight and keep it off. Many of our duodenal switch patients lose 90-100% of their excess body weight in the first nine months, and never regain it. Imagine how that would feel.

Benefit #2: Improved Overall Health

Bariatric surgery can make substantial improvements to your metabolic system. In fact, these improvements are so powerful and wide-ranging that bariatric surgery is sometimes referred to as ‘metabolic surgery.’ These improvements affect nearly every organ system in the body, everything from your gut to your brain, liver, pancreas, kidney, muscle, and even bone.

As a result, after bariatric surgery, patients experience a wide range of improvements. Most patients experience a resolution of the comorbidities associated with obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, elevated lipids, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, pseudotumor cerebri, and even cardiovascular risk. Duodenal switch surgery is the most successful at curing type 2 diabetes, resolving it in up to 98% of patients. Bariatrc surgery helps patients to have more energy and even to live longer and healthier lives.

Enhanced Quality of Life

The bariatric surgery success rate is often high, with many patients experiencing significant and sustained benefits.

Many of our patients say that the decision to undergo weight loss surgery was the best decision that they ever made. They report a number of weight loss surgery benefits, including being able to run 10ks, to go hiking, and just being able to do small things like tie their shoes more easily or fly without feeling crammed into a too-small seat. They report less joint pain, more energy, and an overall ability to enioy life more.

“I feel like I have won the lottery and have been given a second chance in life! March 25, 2014 was the first day of the rest of my new life and I can’t even start to express in words how grateful I am.”–Rochelle Goforth, gastric bypass patient.

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