How Much Weight Will I Lose After Gastric Sleeve Surgery?
Being overweight often involves a lot of physical and emotional struggles, especially if a person is considered obese. Unfortunately, the more weight that a person has to lose, the more difficult it can be to do so.
Gastric sleeve surgery (VSG surgery) reduces the size of the stomach to decrease appetite and encourage weight loss. Gastric sleeve surgery may be an effective option for individuals who have struggled to lose weight through diet and exercise. When contacting our Tijuana, Mexico, practice, Oasis of Hope Bariatrics, people often ask, “how much weight will I lose after gastric sleeve surgery?” Here we discuss typical gastric sleeve weight loss results.
How Does Gastric Sleeve Promote Weight Loss?
Gastric sleeve surgery resizes and reshapes the stomach to reduce appetite and limit the amount of food that the stomach can hold. During a gastric sleeve procedure, the surgeon accesses the stomach using a minimally invasive laparoscopic technique, which requires only a small incision. The stomach is then stapled into two sections. The larger section of the stomach is removed. This leaves patients with a long, slim, stomach that resembles the shape of a sleeve or a banana. The remaining stomach is roughly 10 percent the size of the natural stomach. This bariatric technique reduces appetite without altering the intestines.
Average Weight Loss Results
Patients at our Tijuana clinic are often anxious to hear how much weight they will lose after gastric sleeve surgery. However, we cannot provide patients with an exact number. Each person’s weight loss results vary, and they are affected by a number of different factors, including the patient’s age, how much excess weight the patient has to lose (excess weight can be calculated by subtracting the patient’s ideal weight from their current weight), and diet and exercise practices after surgery. On average, gastric sleeve patients can expect to lose between 55 and 75 percent of their excess weight within 18 to 24 months following surgery.
Patients tend to drop the greatest amount of weight in the first month following gastric sleeve surgery. This quick weight loss is attributed to a change in eating habits and the loss of water weight. After that, weight loss should remain consistent. On average people can expect to lose around two to four pounds a week, or eight to 16 pounds a month, for the first six to 12 months following their gastric sleeve surgery. Weight loss generally slows down at that point, until the patient achieves a stable weight.
Is Weight Loss Permanent?
Bariatric surgery is one of the most effective long-term weight loss solutions, but there is no guarantee that the weight will stay off for good. To promote long-term weight loss success our Tijuana patients should be prepared to make some important lifestyle changes. The following practices can help people maintain gastric sleeve weight loss results:
- Opt for five small meals a day as opposed to three large meals
- Drink plenty of water (at least eight cups a day)
- Maintain an active lifestyle
- Choose nutrient-rich foods
- Limit your intake of “empty” calories, such as those from sugars, starches, and alcohol
Contact Us
If your weight is impacting your health or compromising your quality of life, and you have struggled to lose excess pounds, it may be time to consider bariatric surgery. To learn more about gastric sleeve surgery and the other bariatric techniques offered at Oasis of Hope Bariatrics, send us a message online, or call (619) 690-8417 and request a personal consultation.
