Weight Regain after Weight Loss Surgery

Weight loss surgery procedures performed by an experienced surgeon will often result in sustained, consistent and excellent weight loss maintenance over the long-term. There is the possibility, however, that after several years patients will begin to regain excess weight.  There are several possible reasons for this weight gain, which we will explore below:

It is not uncommon for patients to regain 5 to 10% of their excess body weight back a few years after surgery and maintaining their goal weight. This occurs in virtually every patient and is usually the result of the stomach adapting to dietary and exercise fluctuations.

However, on occasion, we give that weight gain a closer look. This is especially true when the patient is gaining and losing a significant amount of weight in a short period of time. Identifying the various contributing factors can often halt a problem in its infancy before it causes larger issues.

1. First and most importantly, we look at the patient’s lifestyle, specifically their diet and exercise regimen. If the patient’s diet and exercise plan are no longer working to their advantage, a change in routine may be what’s needed to ensure limited weight regain or jumpstart additional weight loss. Our bodies are very adaptable and repetitive exercise often becomes less effective over time.
   
   
2. In some cases, the patient will be consuming significantly more food than prescribed and not maintaining their post bariatric diet. It is possible that over time, they can stretch the size of their stomach pouch. The stomach is a very flexible and stretchable organ. While one over-indulgence may not stretch the pouch permanently, a series of poor dietary choices over an extended period of time certainly can.

For the lifestyle and/or elective issues above, the Weight Loss Center Arkansas offers a physician-supervised non-surgical weight loss program to assist pre- and post-op patients in reaching their goals. This program is useful both for those who have and have not undergone a bariatric procedure.

If a lifestyle modification is not the underlying cause, we look at the possibility that surgery may have failed. This is uncommon with stapled procedures such as the gastric bypass or gastric sleeve but does occur frequently with the gastric band. If the band is not offering expected results but is not causing pain or complications, patients may consider leaving it in and embarking on a medically supervised diet. For those patients with complications, removal is often necessary and Dr. Gornichec can assist them with non-surgical tactics.

While Dr. Gornichec believes that medically supervised weight loss is typically the best option for patients struggling with weight gain, there are certain cases when a revision procedure may be necessary. As a surgeon with thousands of procedures under his belt, Dr. Gornichec is always ready to help bariatric patients with concerns about their primary procedure. Please contact us for a consultation and to learn more about your options.