How Much Weight Do You Lose with Gastric Sleeve?

How Much Weight Do You Lose with Gastric Sleeve?

by | Oct 19, 2017 | Gastric Sleeve

How much weight do you lose with gastric sleeve? How do you keep it off?

A common question we know many patients have, is the expected volume and durability of weight loss following their procedure. In short, the answer to “How much weight do you lose with gastric sleeve?” is different for everyone. However, given the popularity of this surgery, there have been several studies completed on weight loss after gastric sleeve, and we can look to those for answers on what would be a reasonable expectation after your surgery. We also look at what other factors help with long term weight loss after surgery.

How much weight do you lose with gastric sleeve?

This is the number one question with our patients, and there is no definitive answer. There are many factors which determine your weight loss outcomes after a sleeve gastrectomy (SG). Nonetheless, we can tell you using computer algorithms based on international data, the amount of weight a typical patient could lose after the surgery.

There have been several reviews completed on long term SG results. A comprehensive 2016 analysis, Long-term results after sleeve gastrectomy: A systematic review reported that the mean percentage of excess weight lost at five years post-surgery was 58.4%. At eleven years post-surgery, the mean was 62.5%. This parallels earlier analyses such as the 2014 Review of long-term weight loss results after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and is also in line with what we see occurring at a grass-roots level with patients in our clinic.

What if I don’t lose weight after the operation?

The SG involves removing about two thirds or more, of your stomach. This means that for most patients, you will lose some weight in the short term, because you will simply be unable to eat the same proportions of food you did before. More importantly, there are hormonal changes which occur in the stomach after weight loss surgery which can benefit your metabolism.

In some people, surgery alone can prompt quick and sustainable weight loss, in others it is a slower process. The important thing to remember, is that any weight loss is going to have long term health benefits for you. The 2017 review showed that SG also leads to improvement in obesity related co-morbidities:

Five years after SG, the resolution or improvement of type 2 diabetes was observed in 77.8% of patients, and arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and degenerative joint diseases had improved or resolved in 68.0%, 65.9%, 75.8%, 30.6%, and 55.7% of patients, respectively.

We encourage you to align your goals with health benefits, rather than solely focusing on your appearance. (You can read more about this approach in an article on the Obesity Action Coalition website). You may not end up with a bikini body (some people do!), but you will have a body which is going to keep you well in the years ahead, and this is much more important.

How do you keep the weight off after SG?

There are several factors which come into play in determining how successful you are with your weight loss long term, which you can control. These include:

  • Follow up bariatric care. Follow-up care is an important part of durable weight loss. We see patients in the days, weeks, months and years post-op in a customised schedule. We believe this support provides a better level of accountability and we can also ensure overall health is maintained.
  • G.P. contact. Your G.P. can also help to monitor your nutritional status, your weight and any co-morbid diseases you may have had prior to surgery. It’s great if you can keep a dialogue going with your referring G.P. What’s even better, is if your surgeon and G.P. can form a great team to keep you on track towards your goals.
  • A success mindset. This is vitally important for long term success. When patients are ready and focused for success, then they tend to do all the things they need to to reach and sustain their weight loss goals. Changing your habits of mind and committing to your own success is really the missing link to ensuring you keep the weight off for good. This is the reason we strongly recommend seeing our psychologist and making them part of your weight loss team. They have the expertise to provide you with tools for mental success.
  • Allied health support. To assist you in developing a new mindset, it’s a great idea to assemble a group of specialists to guide you. It is mandatory to see a dietitian before and after your surgery. We also recommend consulting an exercise specialist or physio and a psychologist. The level of care you undertake is up to you and your needs, but a check-in with these specialists at periodic intervals is always beneficial. If they are specialists in bariatric care, then you know their advice is going to be up to date and beneficial.

So how much weight do you lose with gastric sleeve? If you are vigilant, you may lose around sixty percent of your original excess weight. Will this happen for every patient? No, it won’t. What gives you the greatest chance of success? Forming health allies, developing a great mindset and realising that surgery is not a ‘quick fix’ but is a path to wellness that you will need to walk for life.

Understand More About the Sleeve Gastrectomy

Find out more information on this surgery, and watch a short video explaining how the procedure takes place.

GASTRIC SLEEVE PROCEDURE

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The Role of a Dietitian In Your Weight Loss Journey

The Role of a Dietitian In Your Weight Loss Journey

by | Oct 3, 2017 | Weight Loss Diet

The Role of A Dietitian in Your Weight Loss Journey

Many people who embark on weight loss surgery have come into contact with at least one dietitian in the past and let’s face it, we aren’t on the top of anyone’s Christmas card list! So when your weight loss surgeon suggests you see yet another dietitian, you shudder at the thought! But hear me out. We play a valuable role in your weight loss journey both before and after your surgery, and I’ll show you why.

Guest Post By Kate Stoker, Principal Dietitian at Simply Nutrition Dietitians.

How much food will I be able to eat after surgery? Is there anything else I can eat whilst doing the dreaded pre-op diet? How long should I drink fluids for after surgery? What multivitamins should I take after surgery? How do I keep the weight off after I have lost it? These are the types of questions we’re asked every day…and many more! Our goal is to support you through the process, help you to achieve your weight loss goals, keep the weight off and to most importantly to keep you feeling well!

What to Expect

To help ease the anxiety often felt when you make an appointment to see us, here is what to expect from your appointments:

Pre-op

  • Complete a thorough diet history of what you currently eat, triggers for poor eating habits, pace of eating;
  • Outline how to expect eating and drinking to change for you after the surgery;
  • Explain any abnormalities in your nutritional screen via your blood test;
  • Explain how to follow the pre-op diet, what you can and cannot eat;
  • Translate complex information about the surgery in to easy to understand language;
  • Assess any current vitamin/mineral supplements you take and provide recommendations on a supplement regime for after your surgery;
  • Explain the amounts you can expect to tolerate after the surgery and what fluids you can and cannot have.

Post-op

  • Guide you through the different stages of the diet immediately after your surgery providing detailed lists of foods to eat and foods to avoid;
  • Teach you about what foods contain protein and develop an individual plan to assist you in achieving this;
  • Help you to address the reasons that may be been contributing to your weight before the surgery. This is essential in helping you to keep the weight off;
  • Remind you to take your supplements and to monitor nutrition via your blood tests.

As you can see from above, our main role is to support YOU! We are not here to tell you that you’ve done the wrong thing or how badly you’ve eaten in the past. We want you to find the best way of eating to suit you and your life as well as achieving good nutrition to keep you feeling well.

Want to Know More About Weight Loss Surgery Nutrition?

Understand the importance of good nutrition before and after surgery, and find out about our recommendations to fit your dietary needs.

See more about Nutrition
About Kate Stoker

About Kate Stoker

Dietitian

Kate is an Accredited Practising Dietitian at Weight Loss Solutions Sunshine Coast and Principal of Simply Nutrition Dietitians. She has a strong passion for promoting ‘eating for health’. Her special areas of interest include weight loss dietetics, as well as nutritional advice for diabetic clients. Kate strives to ensure clients maintain the things that are important to them, whilst working towards optimal health.

Any Exercise is Better Than None

Any Exercise is Better Than None

by | Sep 19, 2017 | Fitness and Strength

Any Exercise is Better Than None

Is it hard to find time in your day to exercise? If you are trying to fit in an hour at the gym every day and constantly coming up short, don’t let it dishearten you! Let me show you what’s so good about exercise – especially exercise after weight loss surgery, and just why those little moments of activity are never a waste of time.

Guest Post By Vanessa Coman, Exercise Physiologist, and Clinical Director at NewMe.

The Importance of An Exercise Routine

It is so important after bariatric surgery to develop an exercise routine. Sure, you may be losing weight anyway, but you should aim to build strength and muscle tone simultaneously. Getting stronger mentally and physically as you lose weight is so empowering. It is also just downright good for your body. So take some time to include exercise every day as part of your self-care and movement towards a healthier life.

For optimum health, everyone should aim for at least 30 minutes per day of exercise, and around 1 hour if you really need to shift the kilos. So how do you do that? Here are a couple of great tips to get you moving!

 

Break it Up

If you don’t have 30 minutes in your day to exercise, try splitting it up into 10-minute segments instead. Everyone can find 10 minutes to spare some time during the day!

Studies are now starting to show that these multiple quick 10 minute sessions are just as good or even better that along 30-minute session for health benefits.

10-minute workout ideas you can adapt to your fitness level:

  • skipping rope
  • stairs
  • walk around the block
  • home mini-circuit (think squats, plank, lunges, and sit-ups)
  • dance workout
  • playing a game of soccer with your kids
  • short ride on bike

Some Days are Diamonds but it’s the Everyday that Counts

We understand that some days the likelihood of achieving your exercise goals varies. Sometimes you have 1 hour, sometimes you don’t. Rather than getting down on yourself for not achieving your 30 minutes or 1 hour per day, why not make a deal with yourself to do at least some exercise every day no matter what?

Sometimes I find this approach is much less daunting, and just getting into the habit of exercising every day is really beneficial. Who knows you may even find after a little while, you’re up to 1 hour each day and enjoying it!

Remember, if you have been inactive for a very long time, any exercise you do will have a positive impact on your fitness. So don’t get down on yourself, just commit to moving more, every day if you can, and you’ll be on your way to better health in no time.

 

Want to Know More About Exercising After Surgery?

Understand the importance of exercise after your procedure and find out about our approach to your fitness and health.

See More About Exercise
About Vanessa Coman

About Vanessa Coman

Exercise Physiologist

Vanessa is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist (ESSA) who is an integral part of the team at Weight Loss Solutions Sunshine Coast. She is also a Level 2 Wellness Coach. Vanessa combines these skills with her program New Me – which offers a gentle and encouraging approach to weight loss and healthy living for our patients. The program teaches patients how to move correctly, and safely while improving fitness and muscle tone after surgery.

What is a Gastric Sleeve?

What is a Gastric Sleeve?

by | Aug 29, 2017 | Gastric Sleeve

What is a Gastric Sleeve? Weight Loss Surgery Explained.

Are you struggling to lose weight? Is your weight gain causing you health problems? Are you a candidate for a sleeve gastrectomy? You may have heard about weight loss surgery, and wonder just what is a gastric sleeve? We hope that you can better understand if weight loss surgery is right for you, and how it might help you live a better, healthier life.

Why Is Losing Weight Important?

The world now recognises obesity as a chronic disease. The human body is a complex organism and obesity is a complex condition. You may have tried many different ways to lose weight. However, sometimes diet and exercise alone don’t work. It is important that you don’t give up trying to lose weight as obesity has life-threatening health consequences, including increasing your risk of developing:

  • Heart Disease
  • Hypertension
  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
  • Stroke
  • Back and Joint problems
  • Increased risk of some cancers

Did you know that if you have a BMI of greater than 40, that your life expectancy is reduced by 8 to 10 years? Losing weight helps to reduce the risk of developing obesity-related complications. Equally importantly, it can reverse the impact of health problems you may have already acquired due to this excess weight.

Weight loss surgery was first performed in the 1950s to help people achieve their weight loss goals. The surgical technique has evolved and has been revolutionised with the incorporation of laparoscopic (keyhole surgery) techniques. This enables surgeons to perform safer and more effective weight loss procedures. The laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is now the most common weight loss procedure worldwide.

What is a Gastric Sleeve Procedure and How Does it Work?

The gastric sleeve was originally known as the vertical sleeve gastrectomy. The gastric sleeve procedure involves removing about 80 percent of your stomach. The stomach is reduced from a big floppy bag which can hold up to 2 litres, to a small tube which only has the capacity of about 150mls. With its reduced size, your stomach has less ability to expand. So, even after a very small meal, you feel fuller much quicker.

Additionally and more importantly, the operation causes many metabolic changes in your gut which promote weight loss. For example, ghrelin is a hormone produced in the stomach and signals the brain to tell you if you are hungry. By removing the majority of the stomach it removes the ‘hunger hormone’ and this suppresses your appetite. The levels of other hormones such as GLP-1 and PYY are also altered which helps promote the feeling of fullness and help glucose (sugar) metabolism.

Why is the Sleeve So Popular?

Gastric sleeve surgery has been performed in Australia for over ten years and has quickly become the most commonly performed weight loss procedure. This is so for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is a ‘safe’ operation. Although all surgeries have potential complications, the overall safety profile of the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is similar to a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (removal of the gall bladder).

Secondly, it is successful. On average patients lose around 60 percent of their excess weight. Not only do patients successfully lose weight, and keep it off, but their health concerns also improve, such as pushing diabetes into remission!

Thirdly, following surgery, people can live a healthy normal life. You are able to eat a normal meal, albeit in much smaller quantities. However, as with all weight loss surgeries, patients can achieve better long-term results by incorporating a change in lifestyle. Healthy eating favouring whole foods which are nutrient-rich and less calorie-laden is very important. Low-carbohydrate, high-protein and moderate healthy fat intake supplements the procedure and helps to achieve sustained weight loss.

Your GP, the dietitian, the psychologist and the exercise physiologist are all as important as your Surgeon. Their common goal is your successful weight loss journey. A path towards a better, healthier life.

Watch a Video About the Sleeve Gastrectomy

Do you wonder “What is a Gastric Sleeve?” Find out more information on this surgery, and watch a short video explaining how the procedure takes place.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Weight Loss Surgery for Type 2 Diabetes to Be Funded by Qld Govt.

Weight Loss Surgery for Type 2 Diabetes to Be Funded by Qld Govt.

by | Jul 29, 2017 | Recent Developments

Weight Loss Surgery for Type 2 Diabetes to Be Funded by Qld Govt.

This week the Qld Government announced a $5 million initiative to fund weight loss surgery for up to 300 Queenslanders who have uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and other obesity related health complications. This is a significant public move which will help many. What it also does, is help remove the stigma of weight loss surgery, by highlighting its life-changing potential for type 2 diabetes sufferers and a whole range of obesity related health complications. We explain the initiative in more detail and also explain how weight loss surgery can potentially help those struggling with type 2 diabetes live a longer and healthier life.

What is The Initiative?

Health and Ambulance Services Minister Cameron Dick said yesterday the initiative will be open to Queenslanders aged 18-65 who are currently receiving public hospital specialist treatment for a condition that may be reversed or improved by bariatric surgery. These were his comments in a release to the media yesterday:

“The medical evidence suggests that in this group it is possible in many cases to switch off the type 2 diabetes and transform the health of the patient,” Mr Dick said.

Importantly, surgery will only be offered as a last resort if lifestyle intervention is unsuccessful.

AMA Queensland President Dr Bill Boyd said he was pleased to see that Queensland Health had taken steps to make bariatric surgery more accessible for the morbidly obese.

Diabetes Queensland CEO Michelle Trute agrees.

“It [the initiative] brings hope to people facing drastic consequences, among them many for whom life itself hangs in the balance,” she said.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition where a person is unable to manage their blood glucose levels with insulin (known as insulin resistance). This causes the pancreas to over-respond by producing more insulin to compensate. Over time the insulin-producing cells dissipate. This means diabetes is a progressive condition which becomes harder and harder to manage.
In type 2 diabetes, the condition is partly genetic and partly lifestyle induced. Being overweight is a significant risk factor for type 2 diabetes.

According to Diabetes Australia, 1.7 million Australians already have diabetes, and an estimated 2 million Australians are at high risk of developing it and are already showing early signs of the condition.

“Type 2 diabetes is one of the major consequences of the obesity epidemic. The combination of massive changes to diet and the food supply, combined with massive changes to physical activity with more sedentary work and less activity, means most populations are seeing more type 2 diabetes.”

What is the Health Threat to Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes?

Diabetes is a progressive condition, and sufferers may not notice they have the disease right away. Often by the time they are diagnosed, significant damage is done. According to Diabetes Australia, diabetes:

  • Is the leading cause of blindness in working age adults
  • Is a leading cause of kidney failure and dialysis
  • Increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke by up to four times
  • Is a major cause of limb amputations
  • Affects mental health as well as physical health. Depression, anxiety and distress occur in more than 30% of all people with diabetes
  • Affects mental health as well as physical health. Depression, anxiety and distress occur in more than 30% of all people with diabetes

Why is the Government Funding Weight Loss Surgery For Type 2 Diabetes?

Diabetes treatment is estimated to have a cost impact of $14.6 billion nationally.

The Queensland Government initiative follows many years of study on the efficacy of weight loss surgery in reducing and in many cases reversing type 2 diabetes and other diseases in obese patients.

In some patients, this metabolic surgery has been shown to improve blood sugar levels so significantly, that diabetes has gone into remission.

The growing evidence of the efficacy of weight loss surgery in treating type 2 diabetes was recognised in a joint statement by international diabetes organisations last year as part of a Diabetes Surgery Summit.

The Summit statement concluded that surgery should be part of interventions for type 2 diabetes, and recommended that health care regulators introduce appropriate policy. This conclusion was formally endorsed by 45 medical and scientific societies across the world.

Our Thoughts

Here at Weight Loss Solutions Sunshine Coast, we applaud this decision. We hope it helps to highlight that obesity is a significant and serious health issue. We know patients struggle with the stigma of choosing weight loss surgery. Some are concerned they will be seen as ‘vain’ or ‘lazy’ for their choice. This is far from the case. Obesity is a complex metabolic disease process which is affecting more and more Queenslanders. Focussing on both prevention and treatment is required to tackle this health issue.

There is no ‘one’ treatment of obesity and treatment must be tailored to each individual. This Queensland Government decision recognises and endorses the role of weight loss surgery as metabolic surgery in the setting of obesity and diabetes. At Weight Loss Solutions Sunshine Coast we implement a holistic approach to weight loss and our surgeons are supported by dietitians, phycologists and exercise physiologists.

 

Curious About Weight Loss Surgery?

If you would like to know a bit more about the process of weight loss surgery, head to our website for more information.

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