One of the biggest fears of those who have had bariatric surgery is regaining the lost weight. Unfortunately, gaining weight is easy. People usually start to regain weight 12 to 18 months after surgery, for various reasons, but the most common cause is diet.
Why Is Weight Regained After Bariatric Surgery?
In the first year, most patients work hard at diet and exercise. But after a while, once they can tolerate most foods, they start eating more and exercising less. Because metabolism slows after surgery, the calories you need drop. If you eat as before, weight gain is inevitable.
How Can You Prevent Weight Regain?
- Accept that obesity is a complex, chronic condition that programs your body to gain weight. A dedicated bariatric team will help you.
- Do not be ashamed if you start to regain weight. Reach out to your bariatric team to help find out why.
- Schedule regular visits to your team to track your weight loss.
- Carefully follow your recommended nutrition plan to eat enough and preserve muscle mass.
- Avoid snacking. Snacks prevent you from feeling full and add extra calories.
- If you struggle to maintain lifestyle changes, get help from a bariatric support group.
- If one-on-one support would help more, ask your team to connect you with a weight-loss coach.
- If you do gain weight, pull yourself together, shake it off and start again.
Bariatric Surgery Is a Tool, Not a Magic Wand
Findings emphasize that bariatric surgery alone is not a permanent solution for obesity; it is a tool. After surgery you must exercise and eat carefully to stay slim.
If You Regain Weight, Your Health Risks Increase
Bariatric procedures provide rapid, significant weight loss, reducing obesity-linked problems such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and sleep apnea. But sometimes things can reverse: as well as regaining weight, the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer can develop.
How Much Regain Still Counts as Success?
If five years after the first procedure you have kept off 50% of your weight loss, your surgery is considered successful. Although bariatric surgery is seen as the only path to permanent weight loss, variability in procedures can affect success.