What to Do if You Regain Weight After Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery isn’t a magic bullet. There’s no doubt that it works and that it’s one of the best tools we have to combat obesity, but it also needs to be supported by a number of other lifestyle changes. Bariatric surgery can take you on the first few steps of your journey to better health, but to get the rest of the way, you’ll have to make a commitment on your own terms.

There are a few reasons why you might start to regain weight after surgery:

• First, a reduced intake means you have to be much more careful about getting sufficient amounts of the right nutrients, or the body will go into so-called “starvation mode” and simply hold on to excess weight.
• Second, a reduced stomach size may cause you to switch from full meals to grazing on food constantly throughout the day, which throws your metabolism off balance and misleads you into thinking you’re eating less.
• Finally, over time, your new stomach has the potential to stretch and allow you to comfortably have bigger meals and consume more calories.

If you start to regain weight after bariatric surgery, the first thing you should do is not panic. It’s more common than you think. It doesn’t mean that the surgery has been a failure, and many people have been in exactly the same position as you. You’re not alone, and you have the support of all your family, friends, and medical specialists to help you get back on track.

For any difficulties you might face, before or after surgery, don’t hesitate to call our understanding clinicians at the Bariatric Care Centers, at (713) 339-1353. If you’re concerned about weight gain, this guide is a great place to start.