Some gastric bypass surgery patients report that they lose substantial amounts of weight in the first several months of the procedure, only to gain much of it back later. Typically, patients experience substantial weight loss in the first year after their surgery and regain around 10 percent of that weight in the following year. But, if they gain back significantly more than the expected 10 percent, it is advisable that they consult an experienced bariatric surgeon to see what the issue may be. According to our top weight loss specialists here at Beverly Hills Physicians, there are two main reasons why someone may regain weight after a procedure. Luckily, these problems are also highly correctable.

1. Psychological obstacles – Bariatric surgery is a remarkable tool to help patients lose weight, but it is by no means a silver bullet. Losing weight means that patients need to fundamentally change their diet and exercise habits, the procedure just makes it easier to do so. However, just because it is easier, doesn’t mean it’s easy. If patients are serious about successfully losing weight, they need to work with experienced bariatric surgeons and dieticians to establish an eating and exercise regimen that works for them. And, even more important than establishing a regimen, is developing the psychological tools to stick with it. The support staff at BHP is renowned in their ability to follow up with patients to make sure that they are on the right track toward losing the weight and keeping it off.
2. Physical obstacles – For many patients, this weight gain is not a result of behavior, but is instead caused by several possible factors that may require revision surgery to correct. Occasionally the gastric pouch will expand and stretch when food exceeding its capacity is digested too many times. Surgeons can fix this by trimming the pouch down to a reasonable size. Surgeons can also place a gastric band around the outlet of the pouch if the outlet increases in size. Our BHP weight loss team is skilled at performing a variety of procedures to fix pouch dilation, and will select the right procedure depending on individual patient needs.

We know that every patient has different needs and that every step of the journey, from the surgery itself to dietary guidance afterward, should be built around a patient’s highly individual requirements. While dietary and exercise corrections may be able to fight excess weight regain, revision surgery is a viable option for many patients whose regain is caused by physical factors.