During consultations with our patients who are considering weight loss, the conversation typically gets to a point where we start talking about how much weight the patient could lose and how quickly this weight loss will progress. As you might imagine, we can never speak in certainties because each patient is different and will progress at their own rate, but we can definitely talk about general figures and what the average person can expect to lose in a given time period. So while you shouldn’t take the following figures as an absolute truth, below we take a look at a general month-by-month guideline for weight loss after the gastric sleeve procedure.
Gastric Sleeve Expected Weight Loss
As we’ve talked about on the blog in the past, the gastric sleeve operation is a bariatric procedure that helps patients lose weight by removing the majority of their stomach pouch. You can learn more about the surgery on this page, but it helps limit how much food can fit in your stomach, which reduces calorie intake and greatly helps to spur weight loss.
But how much weight can you expect to lose after a sleeve gastrectomy? As you might have guessed, we can’t really use pounds as a fair measurement, because everyone will be starting at a different point, and that will affect how much weight they can safely expect to lose. Instead, we’ll usually be speaking in terms of excess weight percentage. Here’s a closer look at how much excess weight you can expect to lose following a gastric sleeve procedure:
- First Month – The first 30 days are when most patients experience the greatest weight loss. That’s because this is when they have the most excess weight, and because they’ll be on a liquid diet for a while as they recover from the procedure. It’s not uncommon for people to lose around five pounds a week in the first month, and some can be down around 20 percent of their excess weight by the end of the second month, but again this varies from person to person.
- Three Months – At this point, your body should be recovered from the operation and you’ll be back to normal activities. If you’re still dieting and increasing your activity levels, you may be able to achieve about 35 percent weight loss when looking at your excess weight. Don’t get discouraged that weight loss isn’t happening as fast as the first eight weeks, because you’re still making great strides and the healthy habits you’re forming will be necessary for sustained success going forward.
- Six Months – By the six-month mark, if you’re still working hard you should be able to get towards about 50-55 percent weight loss when looking at your excess weight. Many people are down to a pound or two of weight loss a week at this point, which is still a great target to strive for even if it’s less that you experienced at the outset.
- One Year – Many people are still working towards their target weight at the one-year mark, but the majority of the weight loss is now in the rearview mirror. You should be looking and feeling healthier, and many people are hovering around 65 percent excess weight loss. You may also notice that your energy levels are higher, you’re sleeping better and other issues like your blood pressure or heart health have improved.
- 18-24 Months – This is viewed as the window where many people who have worked hard to lose and manage their weight will hit the goals they set at the beginning. Nobody should expect to lose 100 percent of their excess weight, but many people can happily settle in the 70-80 percent range and experience sustained results after the two-year mark.
As you can see, many patients experience fantastic weight loss results in a relatively short period of time, so get started on your weight loss journey and start experiencing these results for yourself. For more information about gastric sleeving or other weight loss options, give Dr. Bhatti and the team at Bhatti GI Consultants a call today at (952) 368-3800.
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