Gastric Bypass Results

Gastric bypass surgery has been around for more than 50 years. Researchers have collected extensive data over the years about gastric bypass results, which reveal a high rate of success. Gastric bypass outcomes have become safer and more predictable with the advanced Roux-en-Y gastric bypass technique. The procedure is now performed laparoscopically, which reduces downtime, minimizes gastric bypass scars, and improves patient satisfaction rates.

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What to expect after gastric bypass

Gastric bypass is considered the gold standard in bariatric surgery today because patients achieve rapid and sustainable weight loss as well as relief from obesity-related co-morbidities. However, gastric bypass results will not be visible immediately and your body will take time to adapt to the gastrointestinal changes. You can expect the following gastric bypass outcomes at different stages post-surgery.

Immediate post-op effects

The initial healing after the weight loss surgery will take about one week. Thereafter, you will be able to gradually resume your regular routine and return to work. For the first two weeks, you may have to restrict yourself to a largely liquid diet and then slowly move on to pureed foods. In six weeks, you can expect to resume most of your activities.

Short-term results

As you gradually progress to solid foods, you will start feeling more energized and stronger. Because the stomach size is reduced, you will naturally feel less hungry and will be able to control your meal portions as directed. Gastric bypass outcomes will begin to manifest as you lose excess weight and get symptomatic relief from co-morbidities.

Medium- and long-term

Gastric bypass results at about one year will show dramatic improvement in your health and fitness. You can expect to lose up to 70% of your excess weight by this time. Gastric bypass long term outcomes include remission or resolution of illnesses such as type 2 diabetes. Your quality of life is likely to improve significantly over time.

READ THIS: Gastric bypass cures diabetes: Fact or myth?

Gastric bypass results after 3 months

At three months after your gastric bypass, the internal incisions in your stomach and intestine would have healed almost completely. For most patients, gastric bypass results after 3 months may show rapid improvement in BMI. At this time, you are likely to be highly focused and committed about maintaining your prescribed diet and fitness regimen, which will be visible from your gastric bypass outcomes.

• Recovery: Your post-operative recovery would be nearly complete at three months. Your surgeon may allow you to perform vigorous exercises, join the gym, and play sports or other physical activities. These will have further cumulative benefits for your health and fitness.
• Weight loss: You may have lost anywhere from 30 to 40 lbs. of excess weight by this time. For most patients, this is the most satisfying moment when gastric bypass results after 3 months show about 25 to 35% loss of excess body weight.  Stellar results will increase your resolve to keep going until you are lean but perhaps not mean.
• Temporary effects: Although the incision healing would be nearly completed at three months, your gastric bypass scars may appear more conspicuous at this time. Hair thinning, dry skin, and mood swings may also occur. These are transient effects, which will resolve on their own.

Gastric bypass results after 6 months

Your weight loss journey is likely to continue at a rapid pace even at six months, but the rate of weight loss may be slightly slower than what you achieved in the first three months. This is because you would have graduated to a solid, normalized diet by this time. However, co-morbidity symptoms would begin to significantly improve in this phase.

• Weight loss: Gastric bypass results after 6 months are likely to show an excess weight loss of anywhere from 45 to 55%. As long as you follow our recommend post-op diet plan and maintain an active lifestyle, you may be able to lose one to two pounds every week during this period.
• Co-morbidities: One of the most important elements in your gastric bypass results after 6 months will be symptomatic relief from your obesity-related medication conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, or sleep apnea. Your dependence on medications is likely to reduce by this time.
• Challenges: Although your gastric bypass outcomes are going to be highly favorable if you stay committed to the diet plan, you may still go through temporary phases of weight loss plateau, emotional changes, and bouts of stress or fatigue. Support from family and friends will keep you strong.

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Gastric bypass long term outcomes

While gastric bypass results in the short run can be a mixed bag for some patients, a vast majority of patients can expect positive gastric bypass long term outcomes. The procedure not only reduces your capacity to eat, but it also induces intestinal changes that will lower your body’s calorie absorption. For this reason, success rates are much higher in this surgery.

• Weight loss: At about one year post-surgery, you can expect to lose up to 70% of your excess body weight or even more. If you continue to follow your diet and exercise plan diligently, you may could achieve freedom from obesity at around 18 to 24 months, and meet your best weight loss goals.
• Co-morbidities: Gastric bypass long term outcomes almost always include improvement or resolution of co-morbidities, such as type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease, and infertility. You can expect improved longevity following your surgery.
• Quality of life: Your self-esteem and self-confidence levels are likely to go up as your health and personality improves. This may positively impact your personal relationships as well as your performance at work. Better quality of life is one of the most gratifying gastric bypass long term outcomes.

Mini gastric bypass results

Depending on your goals, you may choose a mini gastric bypass surgery to eliminate obesity. In comparison to the standard RYGB, mini gastric bypass results may be less dramatic in terms of initial weight loss. However, over time you can completely get rid of obesity if you are committed to following your surgeon’s advice on diet, exercise, and other lifestyle habits.

In terms of disease resolution, mini gastric bypass results may be relatively less impactful. However, patients with severe co-morbidities would usually not choose this surgery anyway. For other candidates, excellent mini gastric bypass results are possible if they only have mild to moderate obesity and no significant obesity-related illnesses to fight off.

READ THIS: Mini gastric bypass vs gastric bypass

Tips to achieve gastric bypass long term success

Gastric bypass surgery will physiologically facilitate you to lose excess weight and regain your health. But at a mental and emotional level, it depends on your personal commitment what kind of gastric bypass outcomes you want to achieve. Here are a few useful tips that should help you achieve safe and sustainable gastric bypass long term results.

• Protect your incisions during early recovery to minimize gastric bypass scars.
• Maintain your follow-up appointments with the bariatric surgeon, nutritionist, and physical therapist.
• Avoid eating large portions, and follow the recommended diet at each stage after your surgery.
• For safe gastric bypass results, do not smoke or indulge in binge eating, particularly during the first few months post-surgery.\Eat slowly, chew your food thoroughly and avoid drinking water between meals as a long-term habit.
• Minimize or completely stay away from smoking and drinking, and choose home food over fast food such as burgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries, and so on. 
• Stay well hydrated and choose water or fresh fruit and vegetable juices over caffeinated or carbonated beverages.
• Exercise regularly, join a gym or play an outdoor sport, or at least make a routine for daily walks.
• Take your nutrition supplements as directed in order to avoid deficiency and to achieve safe gastric bypass outcomes.
• Enlist the support of family and friends or join a support group to ensure the best gastric bypass long term outcomes and success.

Gastric bypass scars

Advanced laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery will involve about five very tiny incisions in the abdominal area, resulting in minor gastric bypass scars. Some surgeons may even use single-incision technique to further minimize the scarring. Gastric bypass scars will heal with time, and within a year or two, they may fade into thin and less visible white lines. To achieve outstanding gastric bypass results and to minimize scars, follow these tips:

• Follow your surgeon’s instructions for wound care post-surgery, keep the incision sites dry and clean, and do not pick the scab formation.
• Change the dressings as directed and always use sterile dressings to minimize the risk of infection in the incision areas.
• Perform short walks and start doing some light activities a day after the surgery to improve blood flow and expedite incision healing.
• Do not perform strenuous activities until the incisions have healed in order to prevent your gastric bypass scars from aggravating.
• Avoid smoking for several weeks post-surgery because nicotine can delay healing and contribute to aggressive gastric bypass scars.
• Include lean proteins in your diet, which will improve healing and help achieve less scarring and better gastric bypass results.
• Avoid direct sun exposure in the incision areas, and always use a sunscreen so that no sun damage occurs along with the scarring.
• Use any prescription cream, medication, or silicone sheeting your surgeon may suggest for scar reduction to improve gastric bypass outcomes.

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Excess skin after gastric bypass

For some patients, one of the unintended gastric bypass long term outcomes is excess skin in certain areas of the body. When you rapidly lose weight, the stretched skin (which may have lost its elasticity with years of obesity) may not return to its natural shape. As a result, you may struggle with unsightly loose or hanging skin in the abdomen or other body areas.

Some patients may feel so proud of their weight loss that they may be willing to accept the unintended consequence of loose skin as a trophy of their victory. But some others may want to get rid of excess skin so that they can fully enjoy the aesthetic benefits of their gastric bypass results. The good news is it is possible to eliminate this problem with excess skin removal surgery.

How to avoid excess skin after gastric bypass

Excess skin does not have to compromise your gastric bypass outcomes. You can take a few steps to minimize the risk of post-surgical loose skin. But even if you finally end up having excess skin, you have safe and proven plastic surgery options available to restore a tighter, firmer, and youthful skin appearance. Consider these tips for aesthetically appealing gastric bypass results and no excess skin.

• Do not delay your decision to have bariatric surgery. When you are younger, your skin elasticity is high and you will avoid the risk of post-op excess skin.
• Be diligent about following your post-op diet and fitness plan. This plan is scientifically designed to restrict calories in precise measure so that you don’t over-do it.
• Choose foods such as salmon and avocado in your diet (in consultation with your nutritionist) because these foods promote natural collagen in the skin.
• Drink plenty of fluids every day because hydrated skin will always have better elasticity and will adapt more naturally to the changes taking place in your body due to weight loss.
• Perform regular exercises under the supervision and guidance of a trained physical therapist to build muscle and fight off the sagging effects that may occur in your skin.
• If excess skin is unavoidable, be prepared to undergo a skin removal surgery. This is a safe and proven plastic surgery procedure to restore firmer and smoother skin in the affected areas.

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Gastric bypass before and after stories

To learn about gastric bypass long term outcomes, the best thing you can do is go through the gastric bypass before and after stories of actual patients. You will know exactly what kind of gastric bypass results they experienced over time, and how satisfied they feel about their health and body now. Ask your weight loss surgeon to share gastric bypass results of their past patients, which could inspire you to go ahead with this life-transforming surgery.

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 Jodi’s gastric bypass before and after story

• Surgery Type: Gastric Bypass
• Surgery Date: October 2, 2018
• Location: Tijuana, Mexico

Jodi started her journey with Jet Medical Tourism hoping to reach an ideal weight for her 5’4” frame, along with the ability to be more active in her life. She opted for gastric bypass surgery, one of the bariatric procedures offered and performed by our esteemed bariatric surgeons. Dr. David Vazquez and his team completed Jodi’s surgery at the Clinica San Juan in Tijuana, Mexico and she was well on her way to becoming another successful bariatric surgery patient. Jodi previously weighed 254 pounds and struggled physically when attempting exercise, or even simply playing with her two grandchildren. Jodi has lost an amazing 118 pounds since her gastric bypass surgery with Jet Medical, 80 pounds of which she dropped in the first 6 months! At 135 pounds, 45-year-old Jodi has a new lease on life. “I have a huge abundance of energy!” she reports happily. “If I want to go on a bike ride, I can. If I want to go on a carnival ride, I can. I can run after my grandbabies. I do not fear life and activities.”

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Zulema mini gastric bypass before and after story

• Surgery Type: Mini Gastric Bypass
• Surgery Date: May 27, 2019
• Location: Tijuana, Mexico

Zulema Madler, a 45-year-old mother of four, admits she did not prioritize her health like she should. “I love food,” she added, and was tired of constant dieting to try and get the weight off. When she saw 216 pounds on the scale, she knew it was time for a change. Zulema watched her sister go through the process of getting bariatric surgery and was inspired. “She had the bypass and lost all her weight,” Zulema recalls. “My own body and emotions were a mess and I was tired of yo-yo diets that offered results that didn’t last.” In May of 2019, Zulema underwent a mini gastric bypass at Clinica San Juan. 

In less than a year, Zulema achieved her goal weight of 145 pounds, over 70 pounds gone and a chance at living the life she deserved. The excess weight had contributed to more pain in her body over the years and she was happy to report the changes she has noticed since having surgery. “I used to be so swollen in my legs, stomach, and hands too. That is all gone now, no more back and joint pain and I feel so much lighter!” Zulema is over the moon with her results. “I feel more confident and feel like I get treated better. I now prioritize myself and have made so many life improvements.” Today Zulema focuses on making healthier choices all around. “I’m always trying to eat more protein and take my vitamins,” she reports. “I now exercise more often and feel good about myself.”

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Carole’s gastric bypass surgery before and after story

• Surgery Type: Gastric Bypass
• Surgery Date: September 23, 2019
• Location: Tijuana, Mexico

Carole G. spent years battling depression that contributed to and worsened her weight gain. This started a vicious cycle of emotional eating as an unhealthy coping mechanism in response to the extreme low mood depression brings. Along with seeking out treatment for her depression, Carole decided to pursue weight loss surgery in Mexico to help push her towards her goals of a healthy body and mind. 

In just 6 months following surgery Carole was 80 lbs. lighter and well on her way to the better quality of life that she desired. Carole saw benefits in other areas of her work and home life and said, “I am a better wife and mother and am able to take better care of my residents. The increased mobility has been astonishing.” One of her admitted exciting accomplishments was the day she weighed less than her husband who has been on of her biggest supporters throughout this process. 

Today Carole is enjoying the motivation weight-loss has given her to live a more active and healthier lifestyle. When comparing life prior to bariatric surgery with Jet Medical Tourism to life now, it is all about change in in what she wants to do each day: “I want to be more active. I want to go on more hikes rather than sitting at home. My moods are better and to put it simply, I am happier.”

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Safe and predictable gastric bypass results

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) has endorsed gastric bypass surgery as a procedure that can help you achieve sustainable weight loss as well as reduction in obesity-related co-morbidities. For best gastric bypass results, make sure you work with a dedicated team led by a highly qualified and experienced bariatric surgeon.

Stay committed to following your recommended diet, prescribed nutrition supplements, and a fitness regimen that allows you to enjoy a healthy and active life and permanent freedom from obesity. To learn more about how you can achieve safe and successful gastric bypass outcomes at an affordable cost, talk to our friendly and knowledgeable patient coordinators at Jet Medical Tourism® today or apply online for gastric bypass surgery.