Bariatric surgery

Weight loss surgery-or bariatric surgery

is an effective way to lose weight and reduce your risk of obesity-related medical conditions.

It can be a big step toward a new life, but it’s just one of many steps on your journey to a fuller, healthier and more satisfying lifestyle. Losing weight through surgery requires a serious, lifelong commitment to changing the way you eat, exercise, and think. It requires a whole new way of approaching life every day.

Studies indicate that bariatric surgery is more effective than medical management for achieving weight loss. Behavior modification programs and weight-loss medications usually result in patients initially losing 8% to 10% of their original weight, but they often regain weight after they stop treatment. In contrast, bariatric surgery usually results in patients losing 20% to 30% of their total weight, depending on the procedure used, within the first two years.

And the results hold up over time. The Swedish Obese Subjects study, which followed the outcomes of more than 2,000 people for up to 15 years after bariatric surgery, found that they had regained some weight, but remained 13% to 27% under their presurgical body weight, depending on the procedure used, while obese controls who received conventional weight-loss treatment remained within 2% of their original body weight.