Written By: Emma Squillace
Procedures like the gastric bypass and gastric sleeve have become increasingly well-known surgeries for treating obesity. These operations allow patients to benefit from their own hard work to lose weight, and often result in notable weight loss. Today’s weight loss procedures are safe and effective options for people who want to lose a substantial amount of weight and improve obesity-related health conditions, but have not been successful with diet changes alone. Let’s look at 6 benefits of bariatric surgery:
Long term weight reduction
Losing weight is incredibly difficult. But you know what can be even more difficult? Maintaining that weight loss. While it may sound like maintaining weight loss should be easier than losing it in the first place, this is a complex issue. When people lose a substantial amount of weight, their bodies ‘fight back’ against this change. They generally burn fewer calories than people who were never overweight, and their bodies work to return to the previous, higher weight. However, with bariatric surgery the procedures are often so effective that the benefits last a lifetime. Bariatric surgery patients are much more likely to maintain long term weight loss, compared to those who lose weight with diet and exercise alone.
Shed as much as 50% of your excess weight
Weight loss surgery patients often lose substantial amounts of weight. While even losing 5 – 10% of your weight can bring health benefits, our bariatric surgery patients can lose as much as 50% of their excess weight. This not only comes with a significant increase in energy, but also with profound health improvements for many people.
Improve type 2 diabetes
People who have bariatric surgery often see health improvements with their weight loss. However, these surgeries can have benefits beyond those tied to losing weight. For instance, the gastric bypass is such an effective treatment for some people with type 2 diabetes, that it is sometimes referred to as ‘surgery for diabetes’. There are patients who have had such drastic improvements in their blood sugar levels that they have come off their diabetes medications within days or even hours of their gastric bypass operation. This soon after surgery, there would not be enough time for weight loss to be the cause of the improvements: the surgery itself can be very effective for people with diabetes.
Improvement in hypertension
Hypertension – or high blood pressure – is very common in people with obesity. After bariatric surgery, many patients find their blood pressure reduces to safer level. High blood pressure is dangerous because it tends to not have symptoms but puts extra strain on your heart. This strain increases the chances of having a heart attack, and is linked to increased risk of dementia.
Less need for obesity-related medicines
When we meet with people who are thinking about weight loss surgery, often they are taking several medications. These medicines are for conditions including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or chronic pain. After bariatric surgery, a large number of patients are able to reduce or discontinue their medications. It is important to speak with your doctor about reducing your medications – this is not something you should decide without tests and your doctor’s guidance.
Bariatric surgery often leads to substantial weight loss and maintenance of that weight loss. But beyond those benefits lie major health improvements for many. Our patients generally see improvement in obesity-related diseases like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. They also are able to reduce or stop medications in many cases, and can lose up to 50% of their excess weight. Our team is happy to speak to you about any bariatric surgery questions you have. You can call us at (855) 690-0565.