Listed below are some benefits of surgical weight loss procedures (bariatrics) with a brief description of each.

• Weight Loss – 75 percent of patients are expected to lose 75 to 80 percent of their excess weight – when this occurs, surgery is considered “successful”
• Type 2 diabetes – this disease usually disappears within a few weeks, or is greatly improved
• Hypertension (high blood pressure) – again, greatly improved, but may take longer than a few weeks
• Sleep apnea – usually disappears within one year post-op
• Mobility – usually greatly improved because of less weight to burden joints – also if patients need joint replacement, often after losing weight they’re able to undergo such operations successfully
• Improved gastric reflux disease – often GERD is cured by weight loss surgery (gastric bypass) because the acid-producing area of the stomach is now the distal stomach
• Less shortness of breath and fatigue
• An increased overall feeling of wellness often lessens depression (there is a tenfold incidence of depression in the obese, and the suicide rate is higher than in the normal weight population)
• Better birth outcomes in formerly morbidly obese patients after weight loss surgery – less gestational diabetes, fewer larger birth weight babies, fewer Caesarian sections in women who had babies after the period of rapid weight loss
• Social
• Easier to buy clothes and often this is less expensive
• Fit better in airplane seats, restaurant booths, park rides, seats at the movies
• Smaller food budget
• Greater opportunity in the job market – many patients become employed for the first time, or after years of unemployment
• Improved confidence and self-esteem – many patients report feeling like they’ve “gotten their life back” as they lose weight