Metabolic changes after weight loss surgery help fuel long-term success
Dr. Melissa Felinski is an assistant professor of Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and a bariatric surgeon affiliated with Memorial Hermann Health System. For many, the new year brings a renewed commitment to general health and wellness, including weight loss goals. Here, Memorial Hermannaffiliated bariatric surgeon
Dr. Melissa Felinski talks about how weight loss surgery can stimulate metabolic changes within a person’s body to help promote long-term health and how NewStart™, Memorial Hermann’s comprehensive surgical weight loss program, is helping people to achieve healthy weights.
Q: Why do I struggle to lose weight even though I follow a healthy diet and exercise? A: Obesity is generally caused by a myriad of factors, including a person’s biology, individual genetics and their environment, as well as the hormones in their gut. Because so many factors contribute to a person’s weight, only a very small percentage of people can successfully lose a large amount of weight and keep it off with diet and exercise alone. In all other cases, weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, may lead to success, because the surgery itself can influence some of these factors, including a person’s biology and their gut hormones.
Q:
I know that excess weight is bad for my health, but what other effects does it have on my body? A:
People who are significantly overweight are at a higher risk for serious health problems, including heart disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, joint problems, sleep apnea, mental health struggles and, in some cases, certain types of cancers. Being overweight can also increase your risk of having serious complications from COVID-19. In addition, excess weight can cause infertility problems for women and increase risk of complications during pregnancy. Studies have also shown that babies whose mothers are classified as obese are at a higher risk of becoming obese later in life.
Q: At what point should I look into weight loss surgery? A:
Individuals who have a BMI (body mass index) of 40 or greater are candidates for weight loss surgery. If a person has a BMI of 35 or greater and has an obesity-related medical condition, they are also eligible to explore weight loss surgery. Notably, bariatric surgery is not one-size-fits-all, and there are different types of surgeries that will be appropriate for one person and not necessarily another, depending on several factors. Weight loss surgeries work differently, too, with some restricting food intake, others restricting absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, and others altering gut hormones, which can lead to an overall reduction in hunger and an increased feeling of satiation after eating.
Q:
What are some of the long-term benefits my body will experience after weight loss surgery? A:
The metabolic effects of weight loss surgery are experienced almost immediately. After weight loss surgery, many individuals experience a significant change in their gut hormones, leading to less hunger, feeling fuller, and less tendency for weight gain. The surgery can increase a person’s metabolism, lower blood pressure, resolve many fertility issues and even reverse pre-diabetes. Bariatric surgery also greatly reduces the risk of death from obesity-related conditions including heart attacks, strokes caused by high blood pressure and high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes. In fact, many individuals can stop taking certain medications soon after their weight loss surgery. It is important to note that patients who undergo weight loss surgery should work closely with their physicians to maintain healthy habits after the surgery, including a wellrounded diet and a consistent exercise routine. For many people, bariatric surgery is the key to longterm weight-loss success, in part because of the metabolic changes that naturally occur after the procedure. Learn more about NewStart™, Memorial Hermann’s comprehensive surgical weight loss program by visiting memorialhermann.org/newstart.