When all other methods have failed, some individuals suffering from obesity turn to surgical options to help them lose weight and improve their health. Gastric sleeve surgery is the most frequently performed type of bariatric surgery; about 150,000 of them are completed in the United States alone each year.
After surgery, patients often lose a substantial amount of weight. Unfortunately, nearly 40% of these individuals experience weight gain within 2 to 5 years after their gastric sleeve. Many recognize the problem but are unsure how to address it and may feel embarrassed to seek help.
Today, we will discuss factors contributing to weight gain after weight loss surgery and introduce a non-surgical procedure to help you get your weight loss journey back on track.
Gaining Weight After Gastric Sleeve Is Common
Research shows that about half of those who undergo weight loss surgery regain most of the weight they initially lost, and some even gain more. Individuals with obesity are at a higher risk of regaining weight compared to those with lower BMI levels.
Many patients report noticing weight gain about two years after their surgery. There are many things that can cause weight gain after gastric sleeve, including:
1. Slipping Back into Old Lifestyle Habits
Maintaining a healthy weight requires permanent lifestyle changes. Returning to old eating habits, unhealthy food choices, or a sedentary lifestyle can contribute to weight regain.
2. Our Body Adjusts
The human body is designed to adapt to protect itself. When calorie intake decreases to create a calorie deficit, the body compensates by slowing its metabolic rate. This survival mechanism can interfere with weight loss efforts and lead to fat storage.
3. Hormonal Interference
Certain areas of the stomach produce hormones that regulate hunger. Gastric sleeve surgery removes much of this hormone-producing tissue, reducing cravings and appetite. However, after about two years, the small intestine can adapt and begin producing the hormone, causing hunger and cravings to return.
Additionally, the hormone cortisol is produced by our bodies in response to stress, which can cause the body to store fat and inhibit weight loss. Lack of sleep and poor sleep quality can increase cortisol levels and make it even harder to lose weight. Also, not getting enough sleep can lead to an increase in cravings and a reduction in your energy level, making it hard to get the exercise you need to help create a calorie deficit.
4. Ineffective Restrictions
Sometimes, the reduction made to the stomach during the initial surgery is not significant enough to achieve sustainable weight loss, or it can gradually become less effective. Patients often ask, “Can you stretch your stomach after gastric sleeve?” The answer is yes. If you continue to overeat, your stomach will stretch out to accommodate the excess food, and gradually it will take more food to create a feeling of fullness, and the cycle will continue and result in weight gain.
How Long Does It Take To Stretch Your Stomach After Gastric Sleeve Surgery?
If you consistently eat small portions and follow your doctor’s dietary recommendations, your stomach is unlikely to stretch permanently. However, chronic overeating and drinking excessive liquids at one time can lead to gradual stomach stretching over months or years.
Signs your stomach may have stretched include:
- Feeling hungry all the time;
- Needing larger portions to feel full;
- No longer losing weight and may even be gaining weight instead.
Restarting Your Weight Loss After Gastric Sleeve
Have you ever wondered how big your stomach is after gastric sleeve surgery? While it varies, the surgery typically removes 75–80% of the stomach, reducing its capacity to 2–5 ounces. A normal stomach holds up to 33 ounces.
If you’ve regained weight after gastric sleeve surgery, you’re not alone—and there are options to get back on track.
Unfortunately, there is no way you can make your stomach revert back to its smaller size on your own, but the team of specialists at Reveal Weight Loss can perform an endoscopic revision that can restore the restrictions that were originally created during your original surgery. You can have a second chance at reaching your weight loss goals whether your stomach has stretched out or if the original surgery performed was not restrictive enough.
An endoscopic revision works to restore the portion control restrictions that help limit your intake of food by reducing the available capacity of the stomach.
How Does An Endoscopic Revision Work To Restart Weight Loss After Gastric Sleeve?
No part of your stomach is cut or removed during an endoscopic revision, but instead, the size of your stomach is made smaller by placing sutures in strategic locations to reduce the amount of food it can hold at one time. Because the procedure involves no abdominal incisions, it leaves no visible scars and does not require you to stay in the hospital. Instead, your stomach is accessed using an endoscope inserted through your mouth and throat.
You will stay feeling full for a longer time and will only be able to eat very small portions, which will help restart your weight loss progress. The recovery time is normally less than a week, so you can get back to your normal routine, healthy eating habits, and exercise without any restrictions.
How To Speed Up Weight Loss After Gastric Sleeve Revision
An endoscopic revision procedure can help you control portion sizes and curb your hunger, but achieving lasting weight loss will be dependent on the types of choices you make each day. One of the main reasons people regain weight after gastric sleeve surgery is that they slip back into their old habits of making unhealthy eating choices and becoming less active.
Continuing to live a healthy lifestyle can help you maintain a healthy weight, but there are those things that are outside of your control that we talked about previously, such as hormone imbalances and adjustments your body automatically makes that can thwart your weight loss efforts.
Working with a doctor who is an expert in obesity management will substantially increase your chances of speeding up your weight loss progress after a gastric sleeve revision. Specialists like Dr. Sarkar and Dr. Shahid at Reveal Weight Loss can help uncover underlying issues that are impeding your progress and design a personalized plan to help your weight loss efforts be more effective so you can achieve your goals for improved health.
Besides performing an endoscopic procedure to reduce your stomach size, they may determine that you are a good candidate for prescription weight loss medication. These medications copy and work in tandem with natural hormones your body automatically makes when you eat. When these hormones are released as part of the digestive process, they enhance the performance of your metabolism, making it run more efficiently. Your body processes calories faster, and fat is burned more effectively rather than stored. One of the best benefits of prescription weight loss medication is that it helps suppress your appetite and stops food cravings, which makes it easier for you to follow a healthy diet plan.
Partnering with Reveal Weight Loss allows you access to a group of specialists who can assist you with dietary and nutritional guidance, planning an exercise program that works for you, lifestyle changes, emotional support, and other resources to guide you successfully through your weight loss journey.
Do Not Let Things Get Worse, Instead, Get The Help You Need
Losing weight is challenging, but you don’t have to face it alone. Partnering with Reveal Weight Loss gives you access to experts who understand the complexities of obesity and can guide you through the process.
Regardless of the cause of your weight gain, you can restart your weight loss journey after gastric sleeve surgery with the help of an endoscopic revision. Everyone deserves a second chance—let us help you get back on track. Set up a consultation today!
