Have you had gastric sleeve surgery in the past but found that just a few years later, you are not losing weight anymore, and even worse, you are now gaining weight? If this sounds familiar to you, do not get discouraged because there is hope for you to have a second chance at sustainable weight loss. Today, we are going to talk about how to lose weight 2 years after gastric sleeve surgery.

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Do Many Experience Weight Gain After Gastric Sleeve Surgery?

Each year in the U.S. alone, over 160,000 individuals undergo gastric sleeve surgery, which is the most popular bariatric procedure performed today to aid in weight loss. Usually, this leads to a rapid and significant loss of weight and improvements in obesity-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and more.

Unfortunately, over the next couple of years, many of these people will begin to regain some of the weight they had previously lost. An observation study published in Science Direct reported that out of almost 800 obese patients, inclusive of both genders, over 50% of them had lost much of the weight loss progress they had made and had gained a substantial amount of it back. Sadly, those with cases of extreme obesity tend to have an increased rate of surgical failure and subsequent post-surgery weight gain.

The good news is that a doctor like Steven Batash with Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center can perform a procedure in about an hour that can get your weight loss back on track. This procedure is formally called an endoscopic revision to gastric sleeve surgery, or Suture Resculpt, when completed by Dr. Batash.

Gastric Sleeve Review

To understand some of the reasons why an individual might experience weight regain after having gastric sleeve surgery, we need to know how gastric sleeve surgery helps promote weight loss in the first place.

Gastric sleeve surgery is done while the patient is asleep under general anesthesia through several small incisions that are made in the abdomen. During the surgery, staples are placed through the patient's stomach to completely divide it into two separate sections. The split is done, so one section is approximately 75% of the stomach and the remainder is the additional 25%. Then, the larger portion of the patient’s stomach is cut away to permanently eliminate it. The abdominal incisions are closed, and the patient usually spends a night or two in the hospital and then between four and six weeks recovering.

This surgery helps the individual lose weight in a few different ways including:

• The smaller stomach size helps keep portion sizes to a minimum;
• Their stomach takes longer to digest the food they eat, helping them to feel satisfied for a longer time;
• Removing a large portion of the stomach also eliminates the main production site for the hormone ghrelin, which is responsible for causing hunger pangs.

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What Can Lead To Weight Regain 2 Years After Gastric Sleeve?

Research has shown that a significant number of people begin to gain weight two years after having gastric sleeve surgery. This regain can originate from both surgery and patient-related causes. Some of the contributing reasons for this weight gain may include:

The Restrictive Changes Are Not Working

The alterations that were initially made to the stomach were not drastic enough or have become ineffective. The human stomach has the capability to expand, allowing it to hold more food than you would think possible. When you are eating, your stomach sends signals to your brain to indicate that you are full and can stop eating. For the average person, it takes about 20 minutes before the message is delivered, and by that time, it is easy to have eaten too much. If this is done on a consistent basis, the body will adjust, and these signals will take longer and longer to be delivered, allowing the individual to eat too much at each meal and cause weight gain.

The Hunger Hormone Strikes Again

The elimination of the majority of ghrelin hormones immediately after gastric sleeve surgery is a huge help to weight loss patients. There is nothing worse than trying to cut down on calories and having your body nag at you every minute about how hungry it is.

The human body has the remarkable ability to heal itself, and while normally that would be amazingly positive, in this case, it is highly inconvenient. About two years after gastric sleeve surgery, ghrelin levels can gradually rise because the small intestine can adapt and begin helping with its production. This makes it harder to lose weight, especially for those already struggling to make necessary lifestyle changes.

The Patient Is Less Motivated

Immediately after having bariatric surgery, most people experience rapid weight loss, which is exciting and helps keep them motivated because they can see that their efforts are being rewarded. As time goes on, weight loss progress slows down, and some of the lifestyle changes that they had to make might feel like a drag. They also might experience weight loss plateaus, where the weight loss just stalls for a period of time with what seems to be no rhyme or reason. This can be very discouraging and cause people to revert back to their old habits or become lazier in practicing these lifestyle changes, which can lead to weight gain.

Gradual Indiscretions

Often, as an individual begins to lose weight, they become more confident. They may feel like they have their relationship with food under control and pay less attention to the number of calories they are consuming.

This may translate to their social life, and they may begin going out more with friends, eating out in restaurants, drinking alcoholic beverages, or participating in other activities that involve snacking or high-calorie foods. This is a slippery slope, and weight gain can begin to creep up and accumulate.

What Can Be Done To Help Me Lose Weight Two Years After Gastric Sleeve?

If you have had gastric sleeve surgery and, despite your best efforts, are experiencing weight gain, the Suture Resculpt procedure may be able to put an end to it and help you start losing weight again. This endoscopic revision procedure can restore the restrictive capabilities or correct a discrepancy from your original gastric sleeve surgery.

The procedure is done without surgery with the assistance of a special tool called an endoscope. This flexible, hollow tube-like device is outfitted with a light source and a tiny video camera that streams live as the procedure is performed. The doctor can visualize their progress and precisely execute the revision with utmost accuracy. Instead of using abdominal incisions as previously during the initial gastric sleeve surgery, the doctor lowers the endoscope down through the patient’s mouth and down the esophagus to gain access to the stomach. Next, another special endoscopic tool is used to place sutures in the patient's stomach from the inside to reduce its size and restore a more restrictive capacity. After completing the procedure, the endoscope is removed, and patients are discharged to go home after a short observation period.

Is There Anything I Can Do If Weight Gain After Gastric Sleeve Is My Fault?

Yes! The road to weight loss is never smooth and without obstacles, and it is easy to find yourself out in some tall weeds. Many people become embarrassed or angry with themselves when this happens, and they shut down, which only makes things worse.

If you find yourself off track, don’t beat yourself up or let things get worse; seek out some help. The caring and knowledgeable experts at Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center can help! Regardless of the reason for previous weight gain, if you are dedicated and serious about committing to a weight loss plan, we can help give you a second chance at reaching your goals.

You may be a good candidate for Suture Resculpt where your stomach can be further reduced in size without surgery. You may also benefit from prescription weight loss medicine that can boost your metabolism and help curb your appetite. In addition, our OnTrack nutrition and lifestyle coaching can help you stay focused on your goals and provide strategies that can help you navigate through the most challenging times and come out victorious.

Here at Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center, we understand obesity and its complexities. There are so many things that can be going on under the surface that can impact your ability to lose weight that you may not even be aware of. We can help you get back on the path to weight loss without judgment. Set up a consultation today and let us help you figure out what has caused this weight gain, and together we will create a customized plan to get you back on track.

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