Kevin1708
Century Club
Thought this might be of interest . . . x
by Kimberly Taylor on January 20, 2011 ·
At a time when an increasing number of overweight and obese people are turning their hopes to bariatric surgery as a weight loss solution, there is a concern that many of them are making life altering decisions without fully understanding the likely outcomes.
Numerous studies have examined this notion and found that a wide discrepancy exists between the amount of excess weight loss medical researchers consider successful following bariatric surgery and the amount of excess weight loss potential patients expect to achieve.
So, how much excess weight should bariatric surgery patients expect to lose?
In a study conducted at the University of Florida, researchers asked bariatric surgery patients about their expectations and perceived notions about weight loss. The study participants were asked to categorize their weight loss expectations as
“dream,”
“happy,”
“acceptable”and
“disappointed.”
The patients answered in the following manner:
As a general guideline, weight loss surgery is considered successful when 50% of excess weight is lost and the weight loss is sustained up to five years. For example, if a patient is 100 pounds overweight they should lose at least 50 pounds; or, if a patient is 200 pounds overweight they should lose at least 100 pounds. Then, following the weight loss, the patient should keep off the lost amount of excess weight for at least five years.
The University of Florida study revealed that the “disappointed” weight of patients was the amount of excess body weight loss that bariatric surgery providers would consider a successful weight loss outcome following surgery.
Similar discrepancies were seen in a study conducted by Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine in which researchers examined weight loss expectations in patients undergoing three different weight loss procedures (laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy).
At the beginning of the program, patients were asked to identify their postsurgical goal weights. Once these were stated, “realistic” goal weights were calculated by the researchers for each patient based upon their presurgical excess weight and expected loss based upon their surgical procedure. The results showed that there was a wide discrepancy between the “realistic” and “dream” expected excess weight loss. There were no differences based upon the type of surgery; those who were most likely to have unrealistic goals were women, Caucasians, younger patients, and those with higher initial BMI’s.
These two studies are only two of numerous studies that have examined expectations of weight loss results of presurgical bariatric surgery patients. All too often, potential patients seem to understand the benefits of bariatric surgery but have unrealistic weight loss expectations.
As the number of people who are undergoing bariatric surgery is increasing, there is an apparent need for bariatric surgery providers to educate prospective bariatric surgery candidates about setting realistic excess weight loss goals as well as making sure they understand the lifelong lifestyle changes that are required to achieve and maintain these results.
by Kimberly Taylor on January 20, 2011 ·
At a time when an increasing number of overweight and obese people are turning their hopes to bariatric surgery as a weight loss solution, there is a concern that many of them are making life altering decisions without fully understanding the likely outcomes.
Numerous studies have examined this notion and found that a wide discrepancy exists between the amount of excess weight loss medical researchers consider successful following bariatric surgery and the amount of excess weight loss potential patients expect to achieve.
So, how much excess weight should bariatric surgery patients expect to lose?
In a study conducted at the University of Florida, researchers asked bariatric surgery patients about their expectations and perceived notions about weight loss. The study participants were asked to categorize their weight loss expectations as
“dream,”
“happy,”
“acceptable”and
“disappointed.”
The patients answered in the following manner:
- the “dream” weight would be 89% +/- 8% excess body weight loss
- the “happy” weight would be 77% +/- 9% excess body weight loss
- the “acceptable” weight would be 67% +/- 10% excess body weight loss
- the “disappointed” weight would be 49% +/- 14% excess body weight loss
As a general guideline, weight loss surgery is considered successful when 50% of excess weight is lost and the weight loss is sustained up to five years. For example, if a patient is 100 pounds overweight they should lose at least 50 pounds; or, if a patient is 200 pounds overweight they should lose at least 100 pounds. Then, following the weight loss, the patient should keep off the lost amount of excess weight for at least five years.
The University of Florida study revealed that the “disappointed” weight of patients was the amount of excess body weight loss that bariatric surgery providers would consider a successful weight loss outcome following surgery.
Similar discrepancies were seen in a study conducted by Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine in which researchers examined weight loss expectations in patients undergoing three different weight loss procedures (laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy).
At the beginning of the program, patients were asked to identify their postsurgical goal weights. Once these were stated, “realistic” goal weights were calculated by the researchers for each patient based upon their presurgical excess weight and expected loss based upon their surgical procedure. The results showed that there was a wide discrepancy between the “realistic” and “dream” expected excess weight loss. There were no differences based upon the type of surgery; those who were most likely to have unrealistic goals were women, Caucasians, younger patients, and those with higher initial BMI’s.
These two studies are only two of numerous studies that have examined expectations of weight loss results of presurgical bariatric surgery patients. All too often, potential patients seem to understand the benefits of bariatric surgery but have unrealistic weight loss expectations.
As the number of people who are undergoing bariatric surgery is increasing, there is an apparent need for bariatric surgery providers to educate prospective bariatric surgery candidates about setting realistic excess weight loss goals as well as making sure they understand the lifelong lifestyle changes that are required to achieve and maintain these results.
