Weight loss surgery has a domino effect that leads to better quality of life.
A surgical weight loss procedure, such as the sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass, can be the first step to halting the cycle of obesity and enhancing lifestyle. Making dietary changes and increasing exercise are traditional methods for weight loss. But for some people who are battling obesity, these solutions aren’t always practical. Mobility issues brought on by weight gain or other medical conditions can hinder exercise. And restrictive diets can be unrealistic and unsustainable. When diet and movement methods aren’t working or have resulted in a yo-yo effect, patients may want to talk to their physicians about surgical weight loss options.
“Many times, folks just need a little help, a little pull out of the hole that obesity and other diseases have placed them into,” said Matthew Drake Spann, M.D., assistant professor of surgery and director of the Vanderbilt Center for Surgical Weight Loss. Spann elaborated on how surgical weight loss can jump-start the weight loss journey and kick lifestyle changes into high gear.
Initial weight loss
Surgical weight loss helps patients feel full faster. With a sleeve gastrectomy, about 85 percent of the stomach is removed. In a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the size of the stomach that gets exposed to food is reduced, and then the first portion of the small intestine is bypassed. In addition, gastric bypass inhibits some calorie absorption. “Patients lose between 20 to 30 pounds in the first month,” Spann said. “That rapid weight loss drastically changes a lot in your body.”
Improved mobility
One of the first things people experience with this rapid weight loss is improved mobility, Spann said. He’s watched patients go from not being able to walk a complete loop on a track pre-surgery to walking up to a few miles at a time within a month or so post-surgery. Increased mobility continues to aid weight loss and has many health benefits. Spann also marvels at the intangible quality-of-life improvements patients start to experience, like being able to play with their kids or grandkids in ways they couldn’t before. “That’s well beyond any kind of marker we can measure with a blood test,” he said.
A change in hunger hormones
In addition to making someone feel full after just a few bites of food, weight loss surgery also has a profound impact on hunger hormones. Spann said he has to caution his patients who have undergone a bariatric procedure to remember to eat, especially when they get busy. “Essentially that’s what sets weight loss surgery apart from a strict diet program, where you’re having to constantly fight those urges and hunger,” he said.
These changes in hunger and fullness can also help disrupt a person’s previous relationship with food. “Food could have been a coping mechanism for certain messages or certain stressors in life,” Spann said. With an increase in mobility, a decrease in hunger and an alteration in eating habits, lifestyle changes take place.
Whole body health and support
What happens in the operating room is just one part of the surgical weight loss procedure, Spann emphasized. “What is equally as important is what we do over in the clinic,” he said. “We do everything from preparing folks for surgery, helping them identify the things that are going to be hard, coming up with action plans before we get to surgery, and then supporting that success afterward.”
At the Vanderbilt Center for Surgical Weight Loss, patients are connected with a dietitian as well as mental health professionals. Plus, their care team communicates directly with their primary care provider or specialist. “Part of being a comprehensive care center is being able to offer all these services in one place and being able to maximize the value to the patient,” Spann said.
Learn more
The Vanderbilt Center for Surgical Weight Loss is a BlueCross BlueShield Center of Excellence. Learn more about whether you’re a candidate and how to get started by clicking here or calling 615-600-4837.
