Most people who are about to begin their weight loss journey and get a gastric sleeve have some concerns, but it usually boils down to one question: “How do I ensure long-term success.”
While it’s difficult to answer that in a few short sentences and give a simple generalized recommendation, there are proven methods that have worked for many patients in the past.
We will cover what you can expect from the procedure and what you can do to keep the weight off for the next decade.
You will see the biggest percentage of excess weight loss in the first six months after the procedure, usually up to 50% of your extra weight.
As your body gets used to the smaller stomach size and you adjust to the portions and develop good eating habits, you can expect to lose another 10% by the end of the first year and 10% more over the second year.
How far you will go depends on how much you focus on factors like cardio and weight training, calorie management, and so on. The set point will also depend on what you are comfortable with, but you can get to a much leaner physique within three years after the surgery.
For long-term results, as long as you adopt good habits, 10 years after gastric sleeve surgery, you can get all the way down to 15–20% body fat, while some may plateau slightly above, at around 20–22%, which is still considered within the healthy range. It depends on your starting point, your health markers and your quality of life at a certain weight.
The main goal after the first few years is to avoid weight regain, which we will talk about below.
Ensuring long-term weight loss and staying at a healthy weight after a sleeve gastrectomy is an ongoing process, and you’ll have to put in the work every day. Don’t worry, though – it only takes a few healthy changes that won’t take too much time away from your social life and can even improve it.
Here’s what you will need to focus on:
During the first few months, you simply won’t be able to eat a lot, and you won’t feel too hungry, but you will have to learn proper portion sizes and your daily caloric needs and switch to healthier food in the long run. A general rule is to get 80–90% of your daily calories from fresh vegetables, olive oil, lean meats, fish, and fruit, and the other 10–20% can be the occasional snack or processed food.
Lifting weights at the gym will help build muscle mass, which improves overall quality of life and helps with pains and aches in the joints and spine, but it also strengthens your ligaments and tendons. Get 2–3 sessions of full-body training per week, focusing on barbell and dumbbell movements.
Overweight people should avoid more explosive cardio exercises like running and jumping until they get down to a lower body fat percentage, as it can lead to joint injuries. Initially, walking at a brisk pace every day will be enough, and you can slowly build up to 60–90 minutes per day.
Although there is less that can go wrong with a gastric sleeve than with a gastric bypass, there are still risks involved. The main ones associated with bariatric procedures include gallstones, acid reflux, hernia, leakage, bleeding, and vitamin and iron deficiencies. Most of these occur when a patient loses a large amount of weight in a very short time or doesn’t eat enough micronutrient-rich foods.
You can minimize the risks of long-term complications by making sure to eat a diverse diet of healthy foods, drink enough water throughout the day, and avoid being super restrictive with your daily calories in an effort to lose weight too quickly.
On top of that, you should have a good amount of physical activity every day and train with weights to increase muscle size.
If you opt for weight loss surgery in Turkey, doctor Gökçe and his experienced team are an excellent choice. They will help you understand all the details about the procedure, including what results to expect and the risks involved, and will be there for you throughout your weight loss journey.
For them, patient care doesn’t stop after the procedure is done – they will offer you nutrition advice and recommendations on physical activity for the best results and will be available for consultations if you have any questions or issues.
