Typical early weight loss after bariatric surgery ranges from 47 to 80% of excess weight. However, typical weight regain is 15 to 25% of the weight lost, which can be very discouraging for patients. With more than 22,000 people undergoing bariatric surgery each year in Australia, it's becoming more common for GPs to see patients who have regained some of their weight. Weight regain after surgery may be due to a variety of factors.
For 10 years after surgery, 25 to 30% of patients will experience weight gain that can be annoying and affect their quality of life. It is important to note that, despite the weight gain, these patients continue to maintain a significant level of weight loss compared to their pre-surgery weight. For example, in a review (of 87 research articles on a single topic) it was found that, 10 years after gastric bypass surgery, patients had lost, on average, 64% of their excess weight and, after a sleeve gastrectomy, only 3.4% of patients had gained so much weight after 10 years that their weight was within ± 5% of their pre-surgery weight. Long-term weight loss with different surgical methods (standard gastric bypass and minibypass, sleeve gastrectomy) seems to be an advantage compared to the omission of surgeries (standard gastric bypass and mini gastric bypass), although the differences are not enormous.
The objective of this study was to evaluate weight regain in patients undergoing gastric bypass during a 5-year follow-up period. In a study that examined the impact of gastric bypass surgery on quality of life two years after surgery (97% of patients' quality of life was found to have improved after surgery). When it comes to gastric bypass surgery, the outcome is easier to predict, while in the case of sleeve gastrectomy, the differences between patients are greater. One of the main fears associated with weight-loss surgery is regaining weight after surgery; regaining weight after bariatric surgery can be intimidating and annoying, so it's important to have realistic expectations when it comes to weight loss and its permanence.
It is essential for patients to understand that there is no guarantee that they will not regain some or all of the lost weight over time. Therefore, it is important for them to maintain healthy lifestyle habits such as regular exercise and healthy eating in order to prevent or minimize any potential weight regain.
