Average Monthly Weight Loss After Gastric Sleeve
Gastric sleeve surgery is an effective treatment option for obese individuals who have struggled to find success with traditional weight loss methods. Gastric sleeve targets excess weight by limiting the amount of food you can eat and creating hormonal changes that curb hunger. The procedure removes 70-85% of the stomach. What’s left behind takes the form of a tube or sleeve and holds about two fluid ounces of food.
Weight loss after gastric sleeve can restore your health and fitness and promote an improvement in quality of life. If you’re looking into gastric sleeve weight loss surgery, you’ll want to know how fast and how much excess weight you can expect to lose per month. Here, we look at the average monthly weight loss after the procedure and the factors that determine just how much you lose.
Average Weight Loss Progress Following Gastric Sleeve
Your weight loss at each stage of the journey will depend on several factors, including your starting weight, post-surgery diet, age, lifestyle, and existing health issues. On average, most patients can expect to lose 8 to 16 pounds per month. Here’s a timeline of what monthly weight loss after gastric sleeve surgery looks like for a typical patient:
One Month
In the first 30 days, most people meet or exceed the average monthly weight loss after gastric sleeve. The post-surgical diet of mostly liquids and pureed foods facilitates rapid changes. On average, you could lose about 5 pounds a week.
Three Months
By this point, you’ll have gradually transitioned from a liquid diet to solid foods. Also, your body will be healed enough that you should be engaging in physical activities. You could lose an average of 25-35% of your excess weight – about 30 to 40 pounds.
Six Months
Half a year after surgery, your weight loss continues but at a slower pace. At this point, you’ll likely have lost about 45-55% of your excess weight, or about 1 to 2 pounds per week.
One Year
At the 12-month point, you should be getting close to your goal weight if you’ve not reached it already. Most people lose an average of 65-75% of their excess weight by this stage. Patients also see significant improvements in their weight-related health complications.
18 Months and Beyond
Expect your weight loss to level off a year and a half after your gastric sleeve surgery. In general, you can expect to lose as much as 80% or more of your excess weight in 18 months.
Losing Weight and Keeping it Off
Your weight loss journey after sleeve gastrectomy is just that: yours. Your body type, nutrigenomics, and metabolism are unique to you. Your body may respond to surgery by rapidly shedding large amounts of weight, or you may struggle to achieve results. Nevertheless, there’s a strong correlation between the amount of excess weight loss with your adherence to the post-surgery dietary plan, healthy lifestyle habits, and exercise regimen. If you don’t take the correct precautions, you can easily stretch your stomach sleeve and regain unwanted weight. To lose excess weight fast and keep it off long-term, follow the instructions of your bariatric specialist.