Expected weight loss three months after bariatric surgery

[Biggles27]

Delicate situation

one of dd bridesmaids has a bmi over 70 (turns out she’s got even bigger in last year) so a very big lass with significant mobility problems

Just announced she’s having bariatric surgery a little over 3 months before the wedding

google suggests she’s on track to lose between 2 - 4 stone in that time. Is that accurate or could it be more?

hoping we can get her dress and have it altered before surgery (she’s very very short so any dress will need shortening)

in real life, what sort of weight loss can be expected in three months?

I ‘think’ we’ll be ok as I had to lose 4 stone before I dropped a size (I had bmi of 35)

never had surgery so I literally have no idea on expected realistic weight loss

unlikely to lose weight pre surgery (very complex relationship with food and her current weight)

My BMI was 41 when I had bariatric surgery.

I think 3 months in I had lost about 3 stone of 9 stone total loss.

A BMI of 70 is very large though and the NHS site says to expect 25 to 35% of excess body weight in the first 3 months.

Presumably, the dress is going to be something that isn't fitted or structured if she currently has a BMI of 70? If she loses 3 or 4 stones, I don't think, at that size, it's going to make a significant difference to her dress size to the point that a dress would need alterations.

Yes, if she looses 4 stone it will be fine as no won’t be structured. I’m just worried she may lose more as the poster above said in that time she could lose 25% of the weight she needs to lose in which case we have a problem!

Thank you

If she's BMI 70 and short, eg about 5ft, then she may have around 240 pounds of excess weight to lose to get into the healthy BMI range. 25 per cent of that 240 pounds of excess weight is around 4 stone, 35% would be 6 stone. So she may lose 4 to 6 stone, which, although a brilliant weight loss, would still mean her BMI is at least 50 or higher.

I still think that an unstructured dress would likely not need any significant alterations beyond what you would need to do anyway for the length.

Thank you.

4 stone to go down a dress size is unusual. Very. It’s normally 1 - 2 stone per dress size.

but bmi 70 is very high, so I’d expect she’d lose a min of two dress sizes, prob more, but will still be at a very high bmi.

thank you

I know this isn't what you're asking, but has she tried weight-loss injections? I've heard that a lot of people who've had bariatric surgery have then gone on to using Mounjaro or similar, because it hasn't broken their habits.

As someone who has had WLS and then used mounjaro I agree!

I regret my surgery so much, it's caused a lot of issues and I found MJ a very easy way to lose weight and I really wish it had been an option for me when I had surgery.

With the current WLI market and new, better versions coming out all the time there is no way I would recommend surgery to anyone without having tried WLI first.

It’s interesting, where as I suspect this lady is not looking for advice from the op, nor would the op be looking to give it.

In terms of surgery v injections, in the USA they saw a drop of over one third of surgeries due to the meds within 22 - 24 , which is great news,

and apparently for patients who are very severe surgeons are using the injections as a first step, to get weight down, thus reducing the size of rhe liver and then visceral fat so it’s a safer op, then using the injections to manage regain, as 60 percent of bariatric patients regain it all

rhe people who have surgery now tend to have comorbidites, so the more complex cases.

so this lady may well have a two pronged approach.

She won’t inject as she has huge issues around needles! As in screams, cries, etc. she refuses point blank to even consider it. Tbh not sure she can afford it as she doesn’t work and has zero income and she won’t qualify on nhs so would need to pay

i personally think it would be a good option for her but she won’t see past a needle

Impossible to lose 25-35% in that time at that bmi surely

At a BMI of 70 she would qualify!
Especially if she doesnt work. It would probably be free.

And its not a proper needle. They do training with you.

Gosh that’s interesting. Thank you. I know they are making her do therapy before and after and will be under a dietician but whether that works 🤷.

The NHS will pay for surgery but not WLI for her…that seems mad doesn’t it. I know they are being careful about who the will prescribe WLI to, but this is a complex and risky surgery at her BMI, and far more expensive that WLIs, what a strange decision for them to make.

I thought you had to have 4 out of 5 conditions? If she could qualify that would be great news

Agreed!

She likely does have 4 out of 5 it would be unusual to be that big and not.

The health conditions are:

Type 2 diabetes
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Dyslipidaemia (high cholesterol/abnormal blood lipids)
Established cardiovascular disease
Obstructive sleep apnoea

It is possible to have a very high BMI and not yet have T2 diabetes or be formally diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea or cardiovascular disease. When my BMI was 50, I had none of these issues other than pre-existing essential high blood pressure.

It's all a bit moot if she won't be able to tolerate the injections. Even though it's painless, and she'd need to tolerate needles and cannulas, etc if having bariatric surgery. She may have to have blood-thinning injections after the surgery and then have B12 injections periodically after that too.

Either way, hopefully she can find a dress she likes and that will work at a variety of weights, and hopefully she will come through the surgery and recover well.

This is so interesting to read, I've been on the waiting list for years, started speaking with the surgeon etc a few months ago and also started Wegovy. I can to make my mind up did I want a bypass or not my last Friday. I decided to carry on with Wegovy but also worry am I making a mistake turning down the operation that I've waited so long for. They discharged today so the operation is no longer an option for me. It's been helpful to read your comment.

Yes but she’s referred for surgery m so if she’s in England she has right to choose. Which is she can be referred and only needs one health related condition,

oviva.com/uk/en/can-my-doctor-help-weight-loss/

Gosh, certainly not telling her that - she’d back out! Hopefully her reason for agreeing (long story) is greater than her reasons against

Sorry, I was thinking of Mounjaro rather than Wegovy.