
- With Mayo Clinic nutritionist
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
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Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor for the Food & Nutrition Center, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.
A Marinette, Wis., native, she is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She is active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in pediatrics at Mayo Clinic Rochester and nutrition education related to the physiology and recommended intakes for premature infants.
Other areas of interest include breast milk and formula safety, neonatal feeding, and nutrition for breast-feeding mothers.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
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Gastric bypass surgery: What happens if I regain the weight?
What happens if you regain the weight you lost after gastric bypass surgery? Can the surgery be redone?
Answer
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Gastric bypass surgery usually isn't redone — unless there's a medical complication resulting from the initial procedure. This is because there is a higher rate of complications, such as infection, bleeding or leaks in the gastrointestinal tract, when a second gastric bypass procedure is performed. If you regain the weight that you initially lost after gastric bypass surgery, you typically have to lose the weight the old-fashioned way — by reducing your calorie intake and increasing your physical activity.
The goal of gastric bypass surgery is to promote significant and lasting weight loss in severely overweight individuals who have been unable to achieve or maintain a healthy weight through diet and exercise. However, gastric bypass is not a miracle procedure. It doesn't guarantee that you'll lose all of your excess weight or that you'll keep it off long term. The success of this surgery depends in big part on your commitment to follow a healthy diet and a regular exercise program after gastric bypass.