Gastric bypass can be done in two ways. With open surgery, your surgeon makes a large surgical cut to open your belly. The bypass is done by working on your stomach, small intestine, and other organs.
Browse our articles to find trusted information on training, nutrition, getting back to good health and much more.
These health care professionals also will advise you to become more active and adopt a healthy eating plan before and after surgery.
How you choose to pay for your procedure – If insurance covers it, you’ll only be responsible for any copays, deductibles, and coinsurance required by your specific plan.
There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form.
The bypass changes hormones, bacteria, and other substances in the gastrointestinal tract that may affect appetite and metabolism. Gastric bypass is difficult to reverse, although a surgeon may do it if medically necessary.
Before you start a weight-loss program, talk to your health care provider. Your health care provider can go over your medical issues and the drugs you take that might affect your weight.
Replace highly processed foods with nutrient-rich whole foods. Eating too little can make you feel hungry and fatigued, diminishing your energy and focus. In response, you might consume stomach bypass more food and regain lost weight.
Though this surgical procedure often leads to a greater amount of weight loss than other types of bariatric surgery, it’s not performed often, as it can increase the risk of nutritional deficiencies and complications related to surgery, notes the NIDDK.
The surgery can take anywhere from 3 to 6 hours, depending upon the number of bypasses that are created. When you wake up, you will be in the recovery room or an intensive care unit (ICU). You can expect to stay in the hospital 5 to 7 days. How quickly you recover from surgery will depend in large part upon how healthy you were before the surgery and how well you tolerated the operation.
Weight-loss surgery (also called metabolic and bariatric surgery or MBS) may be an option if you have moderate to high-risk obesity and have not been able to lose enough weight through diet and exercise.
Dumping syndrome is another complication that is more common after gastric bypass than other types of bariatric surgery.
After a cup or two of coffee, switch to water. Experts advise consuming 91–125 fluid ounces, spread evenly throughout the day. Your water intake may vary depending on your weight and activity level. For example, you will want to replenish any lost weight with water if you exercise.
To qualify for gastric sleeve surgery, you must meet certain criteria. You need to prove that you’ve tried other weight-loss methods — including diet, exercise, and weight loss medications — without success.