WLS has been the most effective tool for weight loss. It encompasses a lot of physical and mental work. Although not easy, it consistently delivers amazing results.

The unfortunate reality is weight gain after WLS is all too common. Nearly 60% will regain almost 20% of the weight they lost. The question is WHY?

Are Cheetos, cookies and no exercise really the only thing to blame?

Now, don’t get me wrong. Eating junk and sitting on your couch isn’t going to help change the situation, but…

I want to provide a little hope and a different functional medicine perspective. So stick with me as I lay the foundation for a….

5 Part Series on Weight Gain after WLS

Part One is the foundation, but the ultimate goal is to discuss those “out of box” causes that conventional medicine often misses.

Let’s dig in!…

Naturally, most view weight gain a result of eating too much and exercising to little. And the success of WLS is a result of controlling excessive food intake and/or malabsorption of calories.

For example, what typically happens if you gain weight after WLS ?

Your doctor or bariatric program will likely offer appetite suppressants or another surgery. Hoping to control your lack of will-power. Again, the main focus being about food volume.

Unquestionably, I am in agreement that making healthy food choices & exercise is very powerful. Heck, I have 2 programs focused on diet & lifestyle. I just need you to see that there is more to weight gain after WLS?

Let’s look at the bigger picture by comparing functional and conventional medicine approaches to weight gain.

In functional medicine, weight gain is understood that something deeper is going on. The goal is to heal the underlying dysfunction causing weight gain. Whereas conventional medicine isolates each body system, prescribing a pill for each ailment of each system. Placing full blame on diet and exercise alone.

Are you following?

Weight gain is the result of an imbalance in the body.

It’s your body’s way of telling you something is not working optimally. Not that you lack will-power or haven’t exercised enough.

Functional Medicine also understands that food quality not quantity matters. Food is information to the very genes that turn on and turn off cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. So if your diet is imbalanced in “quality”, fix it! Feel free to try our Free 10 Day Challenge.to simplify the process.

Functional Medicine also understands that improving the quality of food comes with a side effect of withdraw. “Big Food” wants you to keep buying their ultra processed products that are highly palatable and addictive. Making cravings an issue.

It takes a calculated plan utilizing the right combination of foods to minimize cravings and sometimes adding supplement support to get through.

Now that you understand the functional medicine perspective of food, let’s go a little deeper…

The root of imbalance…

Functional medicine is guided by the father of medicine.

All disease begins in the gut.

 

Hippocrates

Gut bacteria are unique to you.

It takes a variety of bacteria at the right mix to define a healthy gut. At no surprise, stress, exercise, alcohol, diet, sugar, obesity, medication, and antibiotics can shift bacterial balance. WLS is no different.

In fact, studies have shown that WLS leads to long-term changes in gut bacteria. Some positive, some negative.

These negative shifts may be at the root of your weight gain imbalance. The cool thing is it’s all repairable! Gut bacteria are extremely resilient and decades of abuse can be reversed.

So what’s next…

Now that we have laid the foundation, this 5 part series will dive into 3 different bacterial shifts & one gut function that contribute to weight gain. Check out Part 2 here!