After sleeve gastrectomy, you may gain weight again. The key to successful weight loss is…

Obesity is the root of all diseases, but when the body mass index (BMI) is greater than 35, you should be careful about the risk of death caused by morbid obesity. Doctors point out that the root cause of obesity and overweight is mainly due to the imbalance between calories consumed and calories burned. If it is already morbidly obese, weight loss surgery may be the key to regaining health, but it is reminded that there will still be a risk of obesity after surgery. The key to success lies in diet and exercise.

Dr. Zhang Jianhui, a general surgeon at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, pointed out that in addition to causing physical decline, obesity can also lead to many chronic diseases, such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, gout, coronary heart disease, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, colorectal cancer, etc.; among the top 10 causes of death in Taiwan, 8 are related to obesity.

Morbid obesity increases mortality risk

The general definition of obesity is based on the body mass index (BMI). The healthiest BMI value for adults is 22. If the body mass index exceeds 23, it is overweight; if it exceeds 27, it is obese; and if it exceeds 35, it is morbidly obese. For morbid obesity, doctors often recommend metabolic weight loss surgery to reduce the risk of complications.

Current metabolic weight loss surgeries include: sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, gastric band plication, gastric plication, gastric banding and intragastric balloon. Among them, sleeve gastrectomy is only suitable for people with morbid obesity with a BMI of more than 37, or a BMI of more than 32 with metabolic syndrome, and those who have failed to lose weight after drug treatment for more than half a year. It is not suitable for the rest of the people.

Sleeve gastrectomy for morbid obesity

Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital recently admitted a 28-year-old man named Luo, who was tall and strong and weighed 136 kilograms. Due to spinal pain, the patient went to the orthopedics department of the hospital. The doctor found that the patient's spinal screws were loose and needed surgical adjustment, but the operation could not be performed because of his overweight. At that time, his BMI was 43, and he had a history of three highs.

After that, the patient consulted the "Healthy Body Management Center" and after various assessments, with the consent of the family, he underwent sleeve gastrectomy to reduce weight. The prognosis was good, and the BMI value dropped significantly to 24. After that, the patient's weight has dropped to 74 kilograms, his blood sugar has also dropped significantly, and the spinal pain is almost non-existent.

Diet and exercise can help reduce the risk of weight gain after gastric sleeve surgery

Dr. Zhang Jianhui emphasized that sleeve gastrectomy is to remove about 70% to 80% of the original bag-shaped stomach sac and then sew it into a thin sleeve. It can be completed by traditional open surgery or minimally invasive endoscopic surgery. Since the stomach capacity is reduced after surgery, patients often feel that their appetite has decreased. When calorie intake is restricted, the goal of weight loss can be achieved.

However, clinical statistics show that there is still a 5% to 10% risk of weight regain three years after gastric sleeve surgery, which is mainly due to the patient's eating behavior and psychological state. Therefore, patients are reminded that they still need to control their diet, exercise regularly, and persevere after surgery, which is the key to successful weight loss.