Weight loss in the first year

There is a “Magic Year” after a bariatric operation is your year to get your weight off.

Gastric bypass and gastric sleeve patients will lose nearly all of the excess weight that they will lose from their operation by the end of one year after the operation. (Gastric band patients also lose most of the weight they will lose in the first year but their weight loss is usually slower and it takes about 3 years to reach a stable lower weight.)

In our practice it is common that patients lose about 20 lbs a month for 2 or 3 months then 15 lbs for a couple of months then 12 lbs for a couple of months and so on slowly decreasing the amount of weight they lose over the first year until their weight is stable. Our patients lose about 80% of their excess weight at one year for both of these operations. The most frequent BMI I see from patients having these operations a BMI of 28.

After the one year time period the operation will help the patient to keep the weight off but is unlikely to cause very much more weight loss.

Do not miss your year of opportunity! This is your year to get your weight off.

The weight loss stops because after one year a patient is able to consume enough food to meet their caloric needs and weight loss will probably soon come to a halt.

This is why it is so important to do everything your bariatric surgeon ask of you especially during that all important first year after the operation.

In our practice we ask patients to start their exercise program at 3 to 4 weeks after the operation and avoid liquid calories whenever possible and keep the portion size of each meal at an appropriate level and follow the directions of the dietitian. Other suggestions to lose or maintain weight loss can be found on the June 4, 2010 posting on this blog: “8 Rules for Long Term Success after Bariatric Surgery”.

We want all bariatric surgery patients to obtain their best result so make sure you are determined to make the most of your “Magic Year” after bariatric surgery.

Remember, where your weight is at 1 year is probably where you can expect it to stay if you do what is asked thereafter.

Advice from Steve Myers, MD, bariatric surgeon in Columbus, Ohio