Benefits Beyond Just Losing Weight
If you have the commitment, weight loss surgery creates life-changing results. In estimating your weight loss outcome, it’s important to first understand how excess weight is calculated.
For example, the ideal weight of a person who is 5 feet 7 inches tall is 155 pounds (BMI 24). If this person had an actual weight of 355 pounds, the excess weight would be 200 pounds (355 – 155 = 200).
If this same person lost 50 percent of the excess 200 pounds, he or she would lose 100 pounds and would then weigh 255 pounds. If this person lost 100 percent of excess weight (all 200 pounds of excess weight), he or she would weigh 155 pounds.
After gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy surgery, the patient would be expected to lose about 75 percent of the excess 200 pounds, or about 150 pounds, weighing about 205 pounds by 12 to 18 months after surgery.
Gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy patients typically lose between 60 and 85 percent of their excess body weight in their first year after surgery. About 9 out of 10 of these patients will lose more than 50 percent of their excess weight by the end of the first year.
Weight loss results after adjustable banding vary. Most patients lose between 25 and 65 percent of their excess body weight in their first three years after surgery. The average excess weight loss is typically 40 percent. Younger patients and those with a lower BMI (<45) will typically achieve the best results. Patients who are able to lose weight on a strict diet and exercise are more likely to have good results.
About 80 percent of patients who have high cholesterol or triglyceride levels can expect to have normal cholesterol and triglyceride levels within a few months after gastric bypass surgery.
Hormonal changes that improve blood sugar control in diabetic patients occur soon after weight loss surgeries. It is very important for diabetic patients to monitor their blood sugars daily after gastric bypass surgery, because blood glucose levels can become normal within a few days. Diabetic patients may be discharged from the hospital on insulin for the first week. No medical treatment for diabetes can achieve as complete and profound an effect as weight loss surgery.
To learn more about additional benefits, call 316.962.2066.